We Are Legion (We Are Bob)

Book 3: Chapter 50: A Space Odyssey

Book 3: Chapter 50: A Space Odyssey

Bob

April 2225

Delta Eridani

Marvin laughed so hard he was in danger of sliding out of his La-Z-Boy, prompting Spike to leap up and scamper under one of the side tables. I waited patiently for the drama to end.

“That’s great.” Marvin wiped tears from his eyes. “I’m just sad that the Deltans will never get the reference.”

“Well, we can explain it to them when we meet. Even show them the movie.”

“So it’s a strong magnetic anomaly, on the largest moon?”

“Yep.” I grinned at him. “And a big black monolith in the center. Dimensions one by four by nine. Except this one will have writing on it. Or maybe in it.”

“You are evil.”

“I thought about having it play the opening music to 2001, but with no air and all…”

Marvin laughed again and shook his head.

* * *

I strolled through Camelot, enjoying the scents and sights of people at work, at play, cooking meals, or just relaxing. Over at one end of the common area, Archimedes sat with his three apprentices, holding up and slowly rotating a flint nodule while he talked.

The Caerleon residents had been dubious at first, but a bagful of Archimedes’ best spear-points had silenced all but the most paranoid. In short order, a dozen Deltans had shown up on Archimedes’ doorstep, ready to be trained.

Two months later, the group had been reduced to these three, the smartest—or at least most determined—of the volunteers. Archimedes admitted to me in private that they didn’t totally suck.

With the reduction in tension, both Caerleon and Camelot had discovered opportunities for trade. For one, the weird giant-potato-like tubers that the Deltans favored grew in profusion around Caerleon. Small crafts, straightened spear and arrow shafts, even labor for things like building tents ensured a steady growth of commerce.

Not bad.

Archimedes paused in his lecture for a coughing fit. The symptoms worried me. The coughing started after the beating he’d gotten during the abortive kidnapping. It wasn’t getting worse, but it wasn’t particularly getting better, either.

I resolved to get a SUDDAR scan, if I could arrange it.

Finally, the group broke up, the three Caerleon residents heading back home for the night. I walked over to Archimedes, who was stretching carefully.

“That side still bother you?” I asked.

“I don’t think it’ll ever go away, Robert. I don’t think the bone set properly.” Archimedes grimaced and tried to work the muscles around the tight area. ?????Ë?

Once again, I felt a moment of helpless rage that I’d been unprepared for the tactic, and unable to do more.

We headed for the mesa, to get some late afternoon sun. On the way up, I had a flashback to a time, fifty-seven years ago, when I would make this trek up the path as a floating, football-sized drone, alongside a much younger Archimedes. He now looked very much like Moses had back then. I supposed this was the same thing people went through when they suddenly realized their parents wouldn’t be around much longer.

Archimedes claimed his favorite spot, and I settled down beside him. As I swept my gaze over the panorama, I realized that nothing much had changed. The Deltans hadn’t yet reached the stage where they would deliberately start clearing forest.

Maybe it was a good thing I’d never gotten around to teaching them to domesticate livestock. There really was no hurry.