Read Online Star Risk - 01 Star Risk, Ltd by Chris Bunch - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Chris Bunch
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a spider.
"With Jasmine?" Grok said. "Now that might answer a question I've had."
"Which is?"
"Whether or not she is a robot. I may have erred when I told Goodnight, when he asked where she'd come from, that Cerberus was her former employer, which service she left because they think her to be a robot."
"What would sex have to do with it?" M'chel asked. "Couldn't a robot�which I don't think Jasmine is�be programmed to screw like a mink?"
They were sitting very close together in a booth of a rather plush restaurant. The meal had been horrendously expensive, if not much more than adequate, and the wines had been worse.
Chas Goodnight leaned over, and gently nibbled on Jasmine King's earlobe.
"That feels nice, Chas," she said, in her perfect voice. "But it won't get you anywhere."
"Why not?" Chas said seductively. "Don't you want to be the first to help this poor boy recover from his near-death experience? Lovemaking is one of the best ways to reaffirm humanity."
"That's true," she said.
"Not to mention that'd be a great way for me to express my thanks to you for saving me."
"That's true, as well," Jasmine said. "But no."
"Why not?" Chas flushed, realizing he was sounding like a pouty adolescent.
"Because is enough of a reason, isn't it?"
"Well� I guess so." Goodnight drank wine, tried again. "You know, I studied robots some time ago."
"That must have been interesting," King said blandly.
"It was. Especially the Prime Directives."
"In what way?"
"Remembering the First Directive," Chas said. "How is it? 'A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.' "
"So?"
"Well, a psyche deprived is a damaged psyche, and therefore its owner would be harmed."
"So?" King said again.
"Well, if a robot, say, were an incredibly lovely woman, and she didn't want to make love to a good-looking man, thereby harming him, wouldn't that be a violation of the First Directive?"
"Yikh," Jasmine said, drinking her wine and refilling it from the bottle in the bucket. "Who would want to go to bed with a robot, anyway?"
"You didn't answer my question," Chas purred.
"But what if that robot didn't have the First Directive?" Jasmine asked. "Or the other two either?"
"That� that'd be impossible! All societies require robots to have the Three Laws programmed into them."
"All societies?" Jasmine asked.
"Everyone that I've heard of does," Goodnight said.
"And you've heard of every culture that happens to synthesize artificial beings? Every culture?"
Goodnight looked deeply into her eyes. They were clear, deceit free. But he felt a shiver touch his spine.
Jasmine smiled again.
"Besides, if I have to be honest with you, and I truly don't mean to hurt your feelings," she said, patting his hand, "I never go to bed with a man who's not as smart as I am."
Goodnight looked amazed. "But I've got a near-genius intelligence level."
"Which you don't use."
"What do you mean?"
"One instance," Jasmine said. "You got caught stealing, and were thrown out of the army. You got caught again, and were about to be strangled.
"Yet you propose to keep on the same track, even though your record hardly suggests you've made a successful career choice."
Goodnight, his romantic mood shattered, glowered at her.
"You see?" Jasmine said. "Not only won't you listen to logic, but you insist on letting your ego get all bruised and battered in the process."
"What do you want me to do?" Goodnight said. "Join you people or something?"
She patted his cheek.
"You could do much, much worse."
"I've decided," Reg Goodnight said, "to reconsider my original options for Transkootenay's security provider.
"I'll be honest, since there's only the five of you present, and admit a bit of my decision had to do with my brother deciding to join Star Risk, limited.
"Not to mention that Cer� one of the other security services I invited to bid on this project has been most dilatory in providing me with a prospectus.
"And
"With Jasmine?" Grok said. "Now that might answer a question I've had."
"Which is?"
"Whether or not she is a robot. I may have erred when I told Goodnight, when he asked where she'd come from, that Cerberus was her former employer, which service she left because they think her to be a robot."
"What would sex have to do with it?" M'chel asked. "Couldn't a robot�which I don't think Jasmine is�be programmed to screw like a mink?"
They were sitting very close together in a booth of a rather plush restaurant. The meal had been horrendously expensive, if not much more than adequate, and the wines had been worse.
Chas Goodnight leaned over, and gently nibbled on Jasmine King's earlobe.
"That feels nice, Chas," she said, in her perfect voice. "But it won't get you anywhere."
"Why not?" Chas said seductively. "Don't you want to be the first to help this poor boy recover from his near-death experience? Lovemaking is one of the best ways to reaffirm humanity."
"That's true," she said.
"Not to mention that'd be a great way for me to express my thanks to you for saving me."
"That's true, as well," Jasmine said. "But no."
"Why not?" Chas flushed, realizing he was sounding like a pouty adolescent.
"Because is enough of a reason, isn't it?"
"Well� I guess so." Goodnight drank wine, tried again. "You know, I studied robots some time ago."
"That must have been interesting," King said blandly.
"It was. Especially the Prime Directives."
"In what way?"
"Remembering the First Directive," Chas said. "How is it? 'A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.' "
"So?"
"Well, a psyche deprived is a damaged psyche, and therefore its owner would be harmed."
"So?" King said again.
"Well, if a robot, say, were an incredibly lovely woman, and she didn't want to make love to a good-looking man, thereby harming him, wouldn't that be a violation of the First Directive?"
"Yikh," Jasmine said, drinking her wine and refilling it from the bottle in the bucket. "Who would want to go to bed with a robot, anyway?"
"You didn't answer my question," Chas purred.
"But what if that robot didn't have the First Directive?" Jasmine asked. "Or the other two either?"
"That� that'd be impossible! All societies require robots to have the Three Laws programmed into them."
"All societies?" Jasmine asked.
"Everyone that I've heard of does," Goodnight said.
"And you've heard of every culture that happens to synthesize artificial beings? Every culture?"
Goodnight looked deeply into her eyes. They were clear, deceit free. But he felt a shiver touch his spine.
Jasmine smiled again.
"Besides, if I have to be honest with you, and I truly don't mean to hurt your feelings," she said, patting his hand, "I never go to bed with a man who's not as smart as I am."
Goodnight looked amazed. "But I've got a near-genius intelligence level."
"Which you don't use."
"What do you mean?"
"One instance," Jasmine said. "You got caught stealing, and were thrown out of the army. You got caught again, and were about to be strangled.
"Yet you propose to keep on the same track, even though your record hardly suggests you've made a successful career choice."
Goodnight, his romantic mood shattered, glowered at her.
"You see?" Jasmine said. "Not only won't you listen to logic, but you insist on letting your ego get all bruised and battered in the process."
"What do you want me to do?" Goodnight said. "Join you people or something?"
She patted his cheek.
"You could do much, much worse."
"I've decided," Reg Goodnight said, "to reconsider my original options for Transkootenay's security provider.
"I'll be honest, since there's only the five of you present, and admit a bit of my decision had to do with my brother deciding to join Star Risk, limited.
"Not to mention that Cer� one of the other security services I invited to bid on this project has been most dilatory in providing me with a prospectus.
"And
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