left.
Baley compared shoulder patches of the two as the first bowed and started out. The pattern of silver and gold was different. The checkerboard was made up of a six-by-six square. The number of possible arrangements would be 2 36 then, or seventy billion. More than enough.
Baley said, “Apparently, there is one robot for everything. One to show us here. One to run the viewer.”
Daneel said, “There is much robotic specialization in Solaria, Partner Elijah.”
“With so many of them, I can understand why.” Baley looked at the second robot. Except for the shoulder patch, and, presumably, for the invisible positronic patterns within its spongy platinum-iridium brain it was the duplicate of the first. He said, “And your serial number?”
“ACC-1129, master.”
“I’ll just call you boy. Now I want to speak to a Mrs. Gladia Delmarre, wife of the late Rikaine Delmarre——Daneel, is there an address, some way of pin-pointing her location?”
Daneel said gently, “I do not believe any furtherinformation is necessary. If I may question the robot——”
“Let me do that,” Baley said. “All right, boy, do you know how the lady is to be reached?”
“Yes, master. I have knowledge of the connection pattern of all masters.” This was said without pride. It was a mere fact, as though it were saying: I am made of metal, master.
Daneel interposed, “That is not surprising, Partner Elijah. There are less than ten thousand connections that need be fed into the memory circuits and that is a small number.”
Baley nodded. “Is there more than one Gladia Delmarre, by any chance? There might be that chance of confusion.”
“Master?” After the question the robot remained blankly silent.
“I believe,” said Daneel, “that this robot does not understand your question. It is my belief that duplicate names do not occur on Solaria. Names are registered at birth and no name may be adopted unless it is unoccupied at the time.”
“All right,” said Baley, “we learn something every minute. Now see here, boy, you tell me how to work whatever it is I am supposed to work; give me the connection pattern, or whatever you call it, and then step out.”
There was a perceptible pause before the robot answered. It said, “Do you wish to make contact yourself, sir?”
“That’s right.”
Daneel touched Baley’s sleeve gently. “One moment, Partner Elijah.”
“Now what is it?”
“It is my belief that the robot could make thenecessary contact with greater ease. It is his specialization.”
Baley said grimly, “I’m sure he can do it better than I can. Doing it myself, I may make a mess of it.” He stared levelly at the impassive Daneel. “Just the same, I prefer to make contact myself. Do I give the orders or don’t I?”
Daneel said, “You give the orders, Partner Elijah, and your orders, where First Law permits, will be obeyed. However, with your permission, I would like to give you what pertinent information I have concerning the Solarian robots. Far more than on any other world, the robots on Solaria are specialized. Although Solarian robots are physically capable of many things, they are heavily equipped mentally for one particular type of job. To perform functions outside their specialty requires the high potentials produced by direct application of one of the Three Laws. Again, for them
not
to perform the duty for which they
are
equipped also requires the direct application of the Three Laws.”
“Well, then, a direct order from me brings the Second Law into play, doesn’t it?”
“True. Yet the potential set up by it is ‘unpleasant’ to the robot. Ordinarily, the matter would not come up, since almost never does a Solarian interfere with the day-to-day workings of a robot. For one thing, he would not care to do a robot’s work; for another, he would feel no need to.”
“Are you trying to tell me, Daneel, that it hurts the robot to have me do its work?”
“As you know,
Baley compared shoulder patches of the two as the first bowed and started out. The pattern of silver and gold was different. The checkerboard was made up of a six-by-six square. The number of possible arrangements would be 2 36 then, or seventy billion. More than enough.
Baley said, “Apparently, there is one robot for everything. One to show us here. One to run the viewer.”
Daneel said, “There is much robotic specialization in Solaria, Partner Elijah.”
“With so many of them, I can understand why.” Baley looked at the second robot. Except for the shoulder patch, and, presumably, for the invisible positronic patterns within its spongy platinum-iridium brain it was the duplicate of the first. He said, “And your serial number?”
“ACC-1129, master.”
“I’ll just call you boy. Now I want to speak to a Mrs. Gladia Delmarre, wife of the late Rikaine Delmarre——Daneel, is there an address, some way of pin-pointing her location?”
Daneel said gently, “I do not believe any furtherinformation is necessary. If I may question the robot——”
“Let me do that,” Baley said. “All right, boy, do you know how the lady is to be reached?”
“Yes, master. I have knowledge of the connection pattern of all masters.” This was said without pride. It was a mere fact, as though it were saying: I am made of metal, master.
Daneel interposed, “That is not surprising, Partner Elijah. There are less than ten thousand connections that need be fed into the memory circuits and that is a small number.”
Baley nodded. “Is there more than one Gladia Delmarre, by any chance? There might be that chance of confusion.”
“Master?” After the question the robot remained blankly silent.
“I believe,” said Daneel, “that this robot does not understand your question. It is my belief that duplicate names do not occur on Solaria. Names are registered at birth and no name may be adopted unless it is unoccupied at the time.”
“All right,” said Baley, “we learn something every minute. Now see here, boy, you tell me how to work whatever it is I am supposed to work; give me the connection pattern, or whatever you call it, and then step out.”
There was a perceptible pause before the robot answered. It said, “Do you wish to make contact yourself, sir?”
“That’s right.”
Daneel touched Baley’s sleeve gently. “One moment, Partner Elijah.”
“Now what is it?”
“It is my belief that the robot could make thenecessary contact with greater ease. It is his specialization.”
Baley said grimly, “I’m sure he can do it better than I can. Doing it myself, I may make a mess of it.” He stared levelly at the impassive Daneel. “Just the same, I prefer to make contact myself. Do I give the orders or don’t I?”
Daneel said, “You give the orders, Partner Elijah, and your orders, where First Law permits, will be obeyed. However, with your permission, I would like to give you what pertinent information I have concerning the Solarian robots. Far more than on any other world, the robots on Solaria are specialized. Although Solarian robots are physically capable of many things, they are heavily equipped mentally for one particular type of job. To perform functions outside their specialty requires the high potentials produced by direct application of one of the Three Laws. Again, for them
not
to perform the duty for which they
are
equipped also requires the direct application of the Three Laws.”
“Well, then, a direct order from me brings the Second Law into play, doesn’t it?”
“True. Yet the potential set up by it is ‘unpleasant’ to the robot. Ordinarily, the matter would not come up, since almost never does a Solarian interfere with the day-to-day workings of a robot. For one thing, he would not care to do a robot’s work; for another, he would feel no need to.”
“Are you trying to tell me, Daneel, that it hurts the robot to have me do its work?”
“As you know,
Similar Books
![[Samuel Barbara] The Black Angel(Book4You)](https://fs.dianahicksbooks.com/460423/thumbs/152x264/samuel-barbara-the-black-angelbook4you.jpg)
