Mr. Spaceship - Philip K. Dick

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Mister Spaceship by Philip K. Dick. A human brain controlled
spacecraft would mean mechanical perfection. This was accomplished, and something unforeseen,
a strange entity called mister spaceship. Kramer leaned back. You

(00:27):
can see the situation. How can we deal with a
factor like this? The perfect variable, perfect predictions should still
be possible. The living thing still acts from necessity, the
same as inanimate material, but the cause effect chain is
more subtle. There are more factors to be considered. The
difference is quantitative. I think the reaction of the living

(00:50):
organism parallels natural causation, but with greater complexity. Gross and
Kramer looked up at the board plates suspended on the wall,
still dripping, the images hardened into place. Kreamer traced a
line with his pencil. See that it's a pseudopodium. They're
alive and so far a weapon we can't beat. No

(01:12):
mechanical system can compete with that simple or intricate. We'll
have to scrap the Johnson control and find something else. Meanwhile,
the war continues as it is stalemate, checkmate. They can't
get to us, and we can't get through their living minefield.
Kramer nodded. It's a perfect defense for them, But there

(01:34):
still might be one answer. What's that? Wait a minute.
Kramer turned to his rocket expert, sitting with the charts
and files the heavy cruiser that returned this week. It
didn't actually touch, did it. It came close, but there
was no contact. Correct? The expert nodded. The mine was

(01:56):
twenty miles off. The cruiser was in space drive, moving
directly toward Brock's line straight using the Johnson control. Of course,
it had deflected a quarter of an hour earlier, for
reasons unknown. Later it resumed its course. That was when
they got it. It shifted, Kramer said, but not enough.

(02:16):
The mine was coming along after it, trailing it. It's
the same old story. But I wonder about the contact.
Here's our theory, the expert said. We keep looking for
contact a trigger in the pseudopodium, But more likely we're
witnessing a psychological phenomena, a decision without any physical correlative.

(02:38):
We're watching for something that isn't there. The mind decides
to blow up. It sees our ship approaches, and then
decides thanks. Kramer turned to Gross, Well, that confirms what
I'm saying. How can a ship guided by automatic relays
escape a mine that decides to explode the whole theory

(03:00):
of mind penetration is that you must avoid tripping the trigger.
But here the trigger is a state of mind in
a complicated, developed life form. The belt is fifty thousand
miles deep. Gross added, it solves another problem for them,
repair and maintenance. The damn things reproduce fill up the
spaces by spawning into them. I wonder what they feed on.

(03:25):
Probably the remains of our first line. The big cruisers
must be a delicacy. It's a game of wits between
a living creature and a ship piloted by automatic relays.
The ship always loses. Kreamer opened a folder. I'll tell
you what I suggest, go on, Gross said, I've already

(03:45):
heard ten solutions today. What's yours mine is very simple.
These creatures are superior to any mechanical system, but only
because they're alive. Almost any other life form could compete
with them, any higher life form. If the Yucks can
put out living minds to protect their planets, we ought
to be able to harness some of our own life

(04:06):
forms in a similar way. Let's make use of the
same weapon ourselves. Which life form do you propose to use.
I think the human brain is the most agile of
known living forms. Do you know of any better? But
no human being can withstand out space travel. A human

(04:26):
pilot would be dead of heart failure long before the
ship got anywhere near Proxima. But we don't need the
whole body, Kramer said, we need only the brain. What
the problem is to find a person of high intelligence
who would contribute in the same manner that eyes and
arms are volunteered, But a brain. Technically it could be done.

(04:51):
Brains have been transferred several times when body destruction made
it necessary, of course, to a space ship, a heavy
outspace cruiser instead of an artificial body. That's new. The
room was silent. It's quite an idea, Gross said slowly,
his heavy, square face twisted. But even supposing it might work,

(05:13):
the big question is whose brain. It was all very confusing,
the reasons for the war, the nature of the enemy.
The yacone had been contacted on one of the outlying
planets of Proxima Centauri. At the approach of the Terran ship,
a host of dark, slim pencils had lifted abruptly and

(05:34):
shot off into the distance. The first real encounter came
between three of the Yuk pencils and a single exploration
ship from Terra. No Terrans survived. After that, it was
all out war, with no holds barred. Both sides feverishly
constructed defence rings around their systems. Of the two, the

(05:54):
Yacone belt was the better. The ring around Proxima was
a living ring, superior or to anything Terror could throw
against it. The standard equipment by which Turran ships were
guided in out space, the Johnson Control, was not adequate.
Something more was needed. Automatic relays were not good enough,

(06:15):
not good at all, Kramer thought to himself as he
stood looking down the hillside at the work going on
below him. A warm wind blew along the hill, rustling
the weeds and grass at the bottom. In the valley,
the mechanics had almost finished. The last elements of the
reflex system had been removed from the ship and crated up.
All that was needed now was the new core, the

(06:38):
new central key that would take the place of the
mechanical system. A human brain, the brain of an intelligent,
wary human being. But would the human being part with it?
That was the problem. Kramer turned. Two people were approaching
him along the road a man and a woman. The
man was Gross, expressionless, heavy set, walking with dignity. The

(07:02):
woman was He stared in surprise and growing annoyance. It
was Tolores, his wife. Since they'd separated, he had seen
little of her. Kramer Gross said, look who I ran into.
Come back down with us. We're going into town. Hello, Phil.
Dolores said, well, aren't you glad to see me? He nodded,

(07:26):
Now have you been? You're looking fine? She was still
pretty and slender in her uniform, the blue gray of
Internal Security Gross Organization. Thanks, she smiled. You seem to
be doing all right too. Commander Gross tells me that
you're responsible for this project, operation head as they call it.

(07:47):
Whose head have you decided on? That's the problem. Kramer
lit a cigarette. This ship is to be equipped with
a human brain instead of the Johnson system. We've constructed
special draining baths for the brain, electronic relays to catch
the impulses and magnify them, a continual feeding duct that
supplies the living cells with everything they need. But we

(08:09):
still haven't got the brain itself. Gross finished. They began
to walk back toward the car. If we can get that,
we'll be ready for the tests. Will the brain remain alive?
De Lauris asked, is it actually going to live as
part of the ship. It will be alive, but not conscious.

(08:29):
The very little life is actually conscious. Animals, trees, insects
are quick in their responses, but they aren't conscious. In
this process of ours, the individual personality, the ego will cease.
We only need the responsibility, nothing more. Lauras shuddered, How terrible.

(08:50):
In time of war, everything must be tried. Kramer said, absently.
If one life sacrificed will end the war, it's worth it.
This ship might get through a couple more like it,
and there wouldn't be any more war. They got into
the car as they drove down the road, Gross said,
have you thought of anyone yet? Kramer shook his head.

(09:12):
That's out of my line. What do you mean. I'm
an engineer, it's not my department. But all this was
your idea. My work ends there. Gross was staring at
him oddly. Kramer shifted uneasily. Then, who is supposed to

(09:33):
do it? Gross said, I can have my organization prepare
examinations of various kinds to determine fitness. That kind of thing. Listen,
Phil Dolores said, suddenly what She turned toward him. I
have an idea. Do you remember that professor we had
in college, Michael Thomas Kramer nodded, I wonder if he's

(09:56):
still alive. Delares frowned. If he is, he must be
awfully old. Why, Dolores Gross asked, Perhaps an old person
who didn't have much time left, but whose mind was
still clear and sharp. Professor Thomas Kramer rubbed his jaw.

(10:16):
He certainly was a wise old duck. But could he
still be alive? He must have been seventy. Then we
could find that out. Gross said, I could make a
routine check. What do you think, Dolores said, if any
human mind could outwid those creatures. I don't like the idea,

(10:36):
Kramer said. In his mind, an image had appeared, the
image of an old man sitting behind a desk, his bright,
gentle eyes moving about the classroom. The old man leaning forward,
A thin hand raised. Keep him out of this, Kramer said,
what's wrong? Gross looked at him curiously. It's it's because

(10:59):
I suggest jested it. Dolores said, No. Kramer shook his head.
It's not that I didn't expect anything like this. Somebody
I knew a man I studied under. I remember him
very clearly. He was a very distinct personality, good Gross said,
he sounds fine. We can't do it. We're asking his death.

(11:22):
This is war, Gross said, and war doesn't wait on
the needs of the individual. You said that yourself. Surely
he'll volunteer. We can keep it on that basis. He
may already be dead, Dolores murmured, we'll find that out,
Gross said, speeding up the car. They drove the rest
of the way in silence. For a long time. The

(11:45):
two of them stood studying the small wood house, overgrown
with ivy, set back on the lot behind an enormous oak.
The little town was silent and sleepy. Once in a
while a car moved slowly along the distant highway, But
that was all. This is the place, Gross said to Kramer.
He folded his arms. Quite a quaint little house. Kramer

(12:09):
said nothing. The two security agents behind them were expressionless.
Gros started toward the gate. Let's go. According to the check,
he's still alive, but very sick. His mind is agile. However,
that seems to be certain. It's said he doesn't leave
the house. A woman takes care of his needs. He's
very frail. They went down the stone walk and up

(12:32):
onto the porch. Gros rang the bell. They waited. After
a time, they heard slow footsteps. The door opened. An
elderly woman and a shapeless wrapper studied them impassively. Security
Gros said, showing his card, we wish to see Professor Thomas.
Why government business. He glanced at Kramer. Kramer stepped forward.

(12:58):
I was a pupil of the professor's, he said, I'm
sure he won't mind seeing us. The woman hesitated uncertainly.
Gros stepped into the doorway. All right, mother, this is wartime.
We can't stand out here. The two security agents followed him,
and Kramer came reluctantly behind, closing the door. Gros stalked

(13:18):
down the hall until he came to an open door.
He stopped. Looking in, Kreamer could see the white corner
of a bed, a wooden post, and the edge of
a dresser. He joined Gros In the dark room, a
withered old man lay propped up on endless pillows. At
first it seemed as if he were asleep. There was

(13:39):
no motion or sign of life, But after a time
Kramer saw with a faint shock that the old man
was watching them intently, his eyes fixed on them, unmoving, unwinking.
Professor Thomas Gros said, I'm Commander Gross of Security. This
man with me is perhaps known to you. Faded eyes

(14:00):
fixed on Kramer. I know him, Philip Kramer. You've grown heavier, boy.
The voice was feeble, the rustle of dry ashes. Is
it true you're married now? Yes? I married Dolores French,
you remember her. Kramer came toward the bed, but we're separated.

(14:22):
It didn't work out very well our careers. What we
came here about? Professor Gross began, but Kramer cut him
off with an impatient wave, Let me talk. Can't you
and your men get out of here long enough to
let me talk to him? Gross swallowed, all right, Kramer,
He nodded to the two men. The three of them

(14:44):
left the room, going out into the hall and closing
the door after them. The old man in the bed
watched Kramer silently. I don't think much of him, he
said at last, I've seen his type before. What's he want? Nothing?
He just came along. Can I sit down? Kramer found

(15:04):
a stiff upright chair beside the bed. If I'm bothering you. No,
I'm glad to see you again, Philip after so long.
I'm sorry your marriage didn't work out. How have you
been I've been very ill. I'm afraid that my moment
on the world stage has almost ended. The ancient eyes

(15:25):
studied the younger man reflectively. You look as if you've
been doing well. Like everyone else. I thought highly of you.
You've gone to the top in this society. Kramer smiled.
Then he became serious. Professor, there's a project we're working
on that I want to talk to you about. It's
the first ray of hope we've had in this whole war.

(15:48):
If it works, we may be able to crack the
Yuck defenses get some ships into their system. If we
can do that, the war might be brought to an end.
Go On, tell me about it, if you will. It's
a long shot, this project. It may not work at all,
but we have to give it a try. It's obvious

(16:08):
that you came here because of it. Professor Thomas murmured,
I'm becoming curious. Go on. After Kramer finished, the old
man lay back in the bed without speaking. At last,
he sighed, I understand a human mind taken out of
a human body. He sat up a little, looking at Kramer.

(16:29):
I suppose you're thinking of me, Kramer said nothing. Before
I make my decision, I want to see the papers
on this the theory and outline of construction. I'm not
sure I like it for reasons of my own, I mean,
but I want to look at the material. If you'll
do that certainly. Kramer stood up and went to the door.

(16:52):
Gross and the two security agents were standing outside, waiting tensely.
Gross come inside. They filed into the room. Give the
professor the papers, Kramer said, he wants to study them
before deciding. Gross brought the file out of his coat
pocket a manila envelope. He handed it to the old

(17:12):
man on the bed. Here it is, professor. You're welcome
to examine it. Will you give us your answer as
soon as possible. We're very anxious to begin. Of course.
I'll give you my answer when I've decided. He took
the envelope with a thin, trembling hand. My decision depends
on what I find out from these papers. If I

(17:33):
don't like what I find, then I will not become
involved with this work in any shape or form. He
opened the envelope with shaking hands. I'm looking for one thing.
What is it? Gross said, that's my affair. Leave me
a number by which I can reach you when I've decided. Silently,

(17:54):
Gross put his card down on the dresser. As they
went out, Professor Thomas was already reading the first papers,
the outline of the theory. Kramer sat across from Dale
Winter his second in line. What then, Winter said, he's
going to contact us. Kramer scratched with a drawing pen

(18:16):
on some paper. I don't know what to think. What
do you mean? Winter's good natured face was puzzled. Look.
Kramer stood up, pacing back and forth, his hands in
his uniform pockets. He was my teacher in college. I
respected him as a man as well as a teacher.
He was more than a voice a talking book. He

(18:38):
was a person, A calm, kindly person I could look
up to. I always wanted to be like him someday.
Now look at me, So look at what I'm asking.
I'm asking for his life as if he were some
kind of laboratory animal kept around in a cage, not
a man, a teacher at all. Do you think he'll

(18:59):
do it? I don't know. Kramer went to the window.
He stood looking out in a way. I hope not.
But if he doesn't, then we'll have to find somebody else.
I know there would be somebody else. Why did Dolores
have to the vidphone? Rang? Kramer pressed the button. This

(19:24):
is Gross. The heavy features formed. The old man called me,
Professor Thomas. What did he say? He knew he could
tell already by the sound of Gros's voice. He said
he'd do it. I was a little surprised myself, but
apparently he means it. We've already made arrangements for his
admission to the hospital. His lawyer is drawing up the

(19:45):
statement of liability. Kramer only half heard. He nodded wearily.
All right, dumb glad, I suppose we can go ahead.
Then you don't sound very glad. I wonder why he
decided to go ahead with it. He was very certain
about it. Gross sounded pleased. He called me quite early.

(20:07):
I was still in bed. You know this calls for
a celebration, sure, Kramer said, it, sure does. Toward the
middle of August, the project neared completion. They stood outside
in the hot autumn heat, looking up at the sleek
metal sides of the shimp. Gross thumped the metal with
his hand. Well, it won't be long. We can begin

(20:31):
to test anytime. Tell us more about this, An officer
in gold braids said, it's such an unusual concept. Is
there really a human brain inside the ship? A dignitary
asked a small man in a rumpled suit. And the
brain is actually alive, gentlemen, this ship is guided by

(20:53):
a living brain instead of the usual Johnson relay control system.
But the brain is not conscious. It will function by
reflex only. The practical difference between it and the Johnson
system is this. A human brain is far more intricate
than any man made structure, and its ability to adapt
itself to a situation to respond to danger is far

(21:14):
beyond anything that could be artificially built. Gross paused, cocking
his ear. The turbines of the ship were beginning to rumble,
shaking the ground under them with a deep vibration. Kreamer
was standing a short distance away from the others, his
arms folded, watching silently at the sound of the turbines.
He walked quickly around the ship to the other side.

(21:37):
A few workmen were clearing away the last of the waist,
the scraps of wiring and scaffolding. They glanced up at
him and went on hurriedly with their work. Creamer mounted
the ramp and entered the control cabin of the ship.
Winter was sitting at the controls with a pilot from
Space Transport. How's it look, Kramer asked, all right? Winter

(22:01):
got up. He tells me that it would be best
to take off manually the robot controls. Winter hesitated, I
mean the built in controls can take over later on
in space. That's right, the pilot said. It's customary with
the Johnson system, and so in this case we should
Can you tell anything yet? Kramer asked no. The pilot

(22:24):
said slowly, I don't think so. I've been going over everything.
It seems to be in good order. There's only one
thing I wanted to ask you about. He put his
hand on the control board. There are some changes here.
I don't understand changes, alterations from the original design. I
wonder what the purpose is. Kramer took a set of

(22:47):
the plans from his coat. Let me look. He turned
the pages over. The pilot watched carefully over his shoulder.
The changes aren't indicated on your copy, the pilot said,
I wonder. He stopped. Commander Gross had entered the control cabin, Gross,
who authorized alterations. Kramer said, some of the wiring has

(23:10):
been changed. Why your old friend, Gross signaled to the
field tower through the window. My old friend, the professor,
He took quite an active interest. Gross turned to the pilot.
Let's get going. We have to take this out past
gravity for the test. They tell me. Well, perhaps it's

(23:31):
for the best. Are you ready? Sure? The pilot sat
down and moved some of the controls around. Anytime, go ahead, then,
Gross said the professor. Kramer began, but at that moment
there was a tremendous roar, and the ship leaped under him.
He grasped one of the wall holes and hung on

(23:52):
as best he could. The cabin was filling with a
steady throbbing, the raging of the jet turbines underneath them.
The ship leaped. Kramer closed his eyes and held his breath.
They were moving out into space, gaining speed each moment. Well,
what do you think, Winter said nervously. Is it time yet?

(24:14):
A little longer? Kramer said. He was sitting on the
floor of the cabin, down by the control wiring. He
had removed the metal covering plate, exposing the complicated maze
of relay wiring. He was studying it, comparing it to
the wiring diagrams. What's the matter, Gross said, these changes,

(24:35):
I can't figure out what they're for. The only pattern
I can make out is that for some reason. Let
me look, the pilot said. He squatted down beside Kramer.
You were saying, see this lead here. Originally it was
switch controlled. It closed and opened automatically according to the
temperature change. Now it's wired so that the central control

(24:59):
system operates it the same with the others. A lot
of this was still mechanical, worked by pressure, temperature stress.
Now it's under the central master the brain. Gross said,
you mean it's been altered so that the brain manipulates it.
Kramer nodded. Maybe Professor Thomas felt that no mechanical relays

(25:21):
could be trusted. Maybe he thought that things would be
happening too fast. But some of these could close in
a split second. The brake rockets could go on as
quickly as hey. Winter said from the control seat, we're
getting near the moon stations. What'll I do? They looked
out the port. The corroded surface of the moon gleamed
up at them, a corrupt and sickening sight. They were

(25:45):
moving swift toward it. I'll take it, the pilot said.
He eased Winter out of the way and strapped himself
in place. The ship began to move away from the
Moon as he manipulated the controls. Down below them, they
could see the opposervation stations dotting the surface, and the
tiny squares that were the openings of the underground factories

(26:05):
and hangars. A red blinker winked up at them, and
the pilot's fingers moved on the board in answer. We're
past the moon, the pilot said. After a time, the
moon had fallen behind them. The ship was heading into
outer space. Well, we can go ahead with it. Kramer
did not answer. Mister Kramer, we can go ahead any time.

(26:30):
Kramer started, Sorry, I was thinking all right, thanks. He frowned,
deep in thought. What is it? Gross asked the wiring changes.
Did you understand the reason for them when you gave
the ok to the workmen? Gross flushed, you know I

(26:51):
know nothing about technical material. I'm insecurity. Then you should
have consulted me. What does it matter? He Ross grinned Riley,
We're going to have to start putting our faith in
the old man. Sooner or later. The pilot stepped back
from the board. His face was pale and said, well,

(27:11):
it's done. He said, that's it. What's done. Kramer said,
we're on automatic. The brain. I turned the board over
to it to him, I mean the old man. The
pilot lit a cigarette and puffed nervously. Let's keep our
fingers crossed. The ship was coasting evenly in the hands

(27:32):
of its invisible pilot. Far down inside the ship, carefully
armored and protected, a soft human brain lay in a
tank of liquid, a thousand minute electric charges playing over
its surface. As the charges rose, they were picked up
and amplified, fed into relay systems. Advanced carried on through
the entire ship. Gross wiped his forehead nervously. So he

(27:58):
is running it now. I hope he knows what he's doing.
Kramer nodded enigmatically. I think he does. What do you
mean nothing? Kramer walked to the port. I see we're
still moving in a straight line. He picked up the microphone.
We can instruct the brain orally through this. He blew

(28:20):
against the microphone. Experimentally. Go on, Winter said, break the
ship around half right, Kramer said, decrease speed. They waited.
Time passed. Gross looked at Kramer. No change, nothing. Wait. Slowly,

(28:40):
the ship was beginning to turn. The turbines missed, reducing
their steady beat. The ship was taking up its new course,
adjusting itself. Near By, some space debris rushed past, incinerating
in the blasts of the turbine jets. So far, so good,
Gross said. They began to breathe more easily. The invisible

(29:00):
pilot had taken control smoothly, calmly. The ship was in
good hands. Kramer spoke a few more words into the microphone,
and they swung again. Now they were moving back the
way they had come toward the Moon. Let's see what
he does when we enter the Moon's pull. Kreamer said
he was a good mathematician, the old man. He could

(29:21):
handle any kind of problem. The ship veered, turning away
from the Moon. The great eaten away globe fell behind them.
Groce breathed a sigh of relief. That's that one more thing.
Kreamer picked up the microphone, return to the Moon, and
land the ship at the first spacefield. He said into it,

(29:44):
good Lord Winter murmured, why are you be quiet? Creamer
stood listening. The turbines gasped and roared as the ship
swung full around, gaining speed. They were moving back back
toward the Moon again. The ship dipped down, heading toward
the great globe below. We're going a little fast, the

(30:06):
pilot said, I don't see how he can put down
at this velocity. The port filled up as the globe
swelled rapidly. The pilot hurried toward the board, reaching for
the controls. All at once, the ship jerked, the nose lifted,
and the ship shot out into space, away from the Moon,
turning at an obly gangle. The men were thrown to

(30:27):
the floor by the sudden change in course. They got
to their feet again, speechless, staring at each other. The
pilot gazed down at the board. It wasn't me. I
I didn't touch a thing. I didn't even get to it.
The ship was gaining speed each moment, Creamer hesitated. Maybe
you had better switch it back to Manuel. The pilot

(30:49):
closed the switch. He took hold of the steering controls
and moved them experimentally. Nothing. He turned around. Nothing. It
doesn't respond. No one spoke. You can see what has happened,
Kreamer said, calmly. The old man won't let go of it.
Now that he has it. I was afraid of this

(31:09):
when I saw the wiring changes. Everything in this ship
is centrally controlled, even the cooling system, the hatches, the garbage. Release,
we're helpless. Nonsense. Gross strode to the board. He took
hold of the wheel and turned it. The ship continued
on its course, moving away from the Moon, leaving it behind. Release,

(31:31):
Kreamer said into the microphone, let go of the controls.
We'll take it back. Release no good. The pilot said nothing.
He spun the useless wheel. It's dead, completely dead, and
we're still heading out. Winter said, grinning foolishly. We'll be
going through the first line defense belt in a few minutes.

(31:53):
If they don't shoot us down, we better radio back.
The pilot clicked the radio to send. I'll contact the
main bases, one of the observation stations. Better get the
defense belt. At the speed we're going, we'll be into
it in a minute. And after that, Kreamer said, we'll
be in outer space. He's moving us toward out space. Velocity.

(32:16):
Is this ship equipped with baths? Baths? Gross said, the
sleep tanks for space drive. We may need them if
we go much faster, But good god, where are we going?
Gross said, where where's he taking us? The pilot obtained contact.
This is Dwight on ship, he said, we're entering the

(32:39):
defense zone at high velocity. Don't fire on us. Turned back.
The impersonal voice came through the speaker. You're not allowed
in the defense zone. We can't. We've lost control, lost control.
This is an experimental ship. Gross took the radio. This

(33:00):
is Commander Gross Security. We're being carried into outer space.
There's nothing we can do. Is there any way that
we can be removed from this ship? A hesitation? We
have some fast pursuit ships that could pick you up
if you wanted to jump. The chances are good they'd
find you. Do you have space flares? We do? The
pilot said, let's try it. Abandoned ship. Kramer said, if

(33:26):
we leave now, we'll never see it again. What else
can we do? We're gaining speed all the time. Do
you propose that we stay here? No? Kramer shook his head.
Damn it. There ought to be a better solution. Could
you contact him, Winter asked the old man. Try to

(33:46):
reason with him. It's worth a chance. Gross said, try
it all right. Kramer took the microphone. He paused, a moment. Listen,
can you hear me? This is Philip Kramer. Can you
hear me, professor? Can you hear me? I want you
to release the controls. There was silence. This is Kreamer, Professor,

(34:08):
Can you hear me? Do you remember who I am?
Do you understand who this is? Above the control panel,
the wall speaker made a sound, a sputtering static. They
looked up. Can you hear me, professor? This is Philip Kramer.
I want you to give the ship back to us.
If you can hear me, release the controls. Let go, professor,

(34:28):
let go static, a rushing sound like the wind. They
gazed at each other. There was silence for a moment.
It's a waste of time, Gross said, now listen. The
sputter came again, then, mixed with the sputter, almost lost
in it, A voice came, toneless, without inflection, A mechanical,

(34:52):
lifeless voice from the metal speaker in the wall above
their heads. Is it you, Philip? I can't make you
out darkness. Who's there with you? It's me Kramer. His
fingers tightened against the microphone handle. You must release the controls, professor.
We have to get back to Terra. You must silence.

(35:15):
Then the faint, faltering voice came again a little stronger
than before. Kramer, everything so strange. I was right, though
consciousness result of thinking necessary result cognito ergossum retained conceptual ability.
Can you hear me? Yes, Professor I altered the wiring control.

(35:40):
I was fairly certain. I wonder if I can do it. Try.
Suddenly the air conditioning snapped into operation. It snapped abruptly
off again. Down the corridor, a door slammed, Something thudded.
The man stood listening. Sounds came from all sides of them,
Switches shutting opening. The lights blinked off. They were in darkness.

(36:03):
The lights came back on, and at the same time,
the heating coils dimmed and faded. Good God, Winter, said,
Water poured down on them the emergency fire fighting system.
There was a screaming rush of air. One of the
escape patches had slid back, and the air was roaring
frantically out into space. The hatch banged closed. The ship

(36:27):
subsided into silence. The heating coils glowed into life as
suddenly as it had begun. The weird exhibition ceased. I
can do everything. The dry, toneless voice came from the
wall speaker. It is all controlled. Kramer. I wish to
talk to you. I've been been thinking. I haven't seen

(36:52):
you in many years. A lot to discuss. You've changed, boy,
we have much to discuss your wife. The pilot grabbed
Kramer's arm. There's a ship standing off our bow. Look.
They ran to the port. A slender, pale craft was
moving along with them, keeping pace with them. It was

(37:13):
signal blinking, a Terran pursuit ship. The pilot said, let's jump.
They'll pick us up suits. He ran to a supply
cupboard and turned the handle. The door opened and he
pulled the suits out onto the floor. Hurry, Gross said,
A panic seized them. They dressed frantically, pulling the heavy

(37:34):
garments over them. Winter staggered to the escape patch and
stood by it, waiting for the others. They joined him
one by one. Let's go, Gross said, open the hatch.
Winter tugged at the hatch. Help me. They grabbed hold,
tugging together. Nothing happened. The hatch refused to budge. Get

(37:57):
a crowbar. The pilot said, hasn't anyone got a blaster.
Gross looked frantically around. Damn it, blast it open? Pull
Creamer grated, pull together. Are you at the hatch? The
toneless voice came, drifting and eddying through the corridors of
the ship. They looked up, staring about them. I sen

(38:21):
something nearby outside a ship. You are leaving all of you, Kramer,
You are leaving two. Very unfortunate. I had hoped we
could talk. Perhaps at some other time you might be
induced to remain. Open the hatch, Kramer said, staring up

(38:42):
at the impersonal walls of the ship. For God's sake,
open it. There was silence, an endless pause, then very
slowly the hatch slid back. The air screamed out, rushing
past them into space. One by one, they leaped, one
after the other, propelled away by the repulsive material of

(39:03):
the suits. A few minutes later, they were being hauled
aboard the pursued ship. As the last one of them
was lifted through the port, their own ship pointed itself
suddenly upward and shot off at tremendous speed. It disappeared.
Kreamer removed his helmet, gasping. Two sailors held on to
him and began to wrap him in blankets. Gross sipped

(39:24):
a mug of coffee, shivering, it's gone. Creamer murmured, I'll
have an alarm sent out. Gross said, what's happened to
your ship? A sailor asked curiously. It sure took off
in a hurry. Who's on it. We'll have to have
it destroyed. Gross went on his face, Grim, it's got

(39:46):
to be destroyed. There's no telling what he has in mind.
Gross sat down weakly on a metal bench. What a
close call for us. We were so damn trusting. Could
he be planning? Kramer said, half to himself. It doesn't
make sense. I don't get it. As the ship sped

(40:08):
back toward the moon base, they sat around the table
in the dining room, sipping hot coffee and thinking, not
saying very much. Look here, Gross said, at last, what
kind of a man was Professor Thomas? What do you
remember about him? Kramer put his coffee mug down. It
was ten years ago. I don't remember much. It's vague.

(40:31):
He let his mind run back over the years he
and Dolores had been at Hunt College together in physics
and the life sciences. The college was small and set
back away from the momentum of modern life. He had
gone there because it was his home town and his
father had gone there before him. Professor Thomas had been

(40:51):
at the college a long time, as long as anyone
could remember. He was a strange old man, keeping to
himself most of the time. There were many things that
he disapproved of, but he seldom said what they were.
Do you recall anything that might help us? Gross asked,
anything that would give us a clue as to what

(41:12):
he might have in mind. Kramer nodded slowly. I remember
one thing. One day, he and the professor had been
sitting together in the school chapel, talking leisurely. Well, you'll
be out of school soon, the professor had said, what
are you going to do? Do work at one of

(41:34):
the government research projects, I suppose? And eventually, what's your
ultimate goal? Creamer had smiled, The question is unscientific. It
presupposes such things as ultimate ends. Suppose instead along these lines,
then what if there were no war and no government

(41:55):
research projects? What would you do then? I don't know,
But how can I imagine a hypothetical situation like that?
There's been war as long as I can remember, we're
geared for war. I don't know what i'd do. I
suppose I'd just get used to it. The professor had
stared at him. Oh, and do you think you'd get

(42:18):
accustomed to it? Eh? Well, I'm glad of that, and
you think you could find something to do? Gross listened intently.
What do you infer from this? Kramer? Not much except
that he was against the war. We're all against the war.
Gross pointed out, true, but he was withdrawn set apart.

(42:44):
He lived very simply, cooking his own meals. His wife
died many years ago. He was born in Europe, in Italy.
He changed his name when he came to the United States.
He used to read Dante and Milton. He even had
a Bible, very inacronistic, don't you think. Yes, he lived
quite a lot in the past. He found an old

(43:05):
phonograph and records, and he listened to the old music.
You saw his house, how old fashioned it was. Did
he have a file, Winter, asked Gross with security. No,
none at all, As far as we could ever tell.
He never engaged in political work, never joined anything, or
even seemed to have strong political convictions. No, Kramer agreed about.

(43:31):
All he ever did was walk through the hills. He
liked nature. Nature can be of great use to a scientist.
Gross said, there wouldn't be any science without it. Kramer,
what do you think his plan is taking control of
the ship and disappearing? Winter said, maybe the transfer made
him insane. The pilot said, maybe there's no plan, nothing

(43:55):
rational at all. But he had the ship rewired, and
he had made sure that he would retain consciousness and
memory before he even agreed to the operation. He must
have had something planned from the start. But what Perhaps
he just wanted to stay alive longer, Kramer said, he
was old and about to die? Or what? Nothing? Kramer

(44:21):
stood up. I think as soon as we get to
the moon base, I'll make a VID call to Earth.
I want to talk to somebody about this. Who's that
Cross asked to Lares. Maybe she remembers something that's a
good idea, Gross said, where are you calling from? Delares
asked when he succeeded in reaching her from the moon base,

(44:45):
all kinds of rumors are running around. Why didn't this
ship come back? What's happened? I'm afraid he ran off
with it? He the old man. Professor Thomas Kramer explained
what had happened, listened intently. How strange? And you think
he planned it all in advance? From the start. I'm

(45:07):
certain he asked for the plans of construction and the
theoretical diagrams at once, But why what for? I don't know. Look, Delars,
what do you remember about him? Is there anything that
might give a clue to all this? Like? What? I
don't know? That's the trouble on the vidscreen. Delores knitted

(45:31):
her brow. I remember he raised chickens in his backyard,
and once he had a goat, she smiled. Do you
remember the day the goat got loose and wandered down
the main street of town. Nobody could figure out where
it came from? Anything else? No. He watched her, struggling,

(45:51):
trying to remember he wanted to have a farm sometime.
I know, all right, thanks, Kramer touched the switch. When
I get back to Terra, maybe i'll stop and see you.
Let me know how it works out. He cut the line,
and the picture dimmed and faded. He walked slowly back
to where Gross and some officers of the military were

(46:13):
sitting at a chart table talking any luck, Gros said,
looking up. Now, all she remembers is that he kept
a goat. Come over and look at this detailed chart.
Gros motioned him around to his side. Watch. Kreamer saw
the record tabs moving furiously, the little white dots racing

(46:35):
back and forth. What's happening, he asked. A squadron outside
the defense zone has finally managed to contact the ship.
They're maneuvering now for position watch. The white counters were
forming a barrel formation around a black dot that was
moving steadily across the board away from the central position.

(46:55):
As they watched the white dots constricted around it. They're
ready to open fire. A technician at the board said, Commander,
what shall we tell them to do? Gross hesitated. I
hate to be the one who makes the decision. When
it comes right down to it. It's not just a ship,
Kramer said, It's a man, a living person, a human

(47:17):
being is up there moving through space. I wish we
knew what, but the order has to be given. We
can't take any chances. Suppose he went over to them
to the yox. Kramer's jaw dropped. My god, he wouldn't
do that. Are you sure? Do you know what he'll do?

(47:38):
He wouldn't do that. Gross turned to the technician, tell
them to go ahead. I'm sorry, sir, but now the
ship has gotten away. Look down at the board. Gross
snared down Kramer over his shoulder. The black dot had
slipped through the white dots and had moved off at
an abrupt angle. The white dots were broken up, dispersing

(48:00):
in confusion. He's an unusual strategist, one of the officers said.
He traced the line. It's an ancient maneuver, an old
Prussian device. But it weren't. The white dots were turning back.
Too many yuk ships out that far. Gross said, well,
that's what you get when you don't act quickly. He

(48:21):
looked up coldly at Kramer. We should have done it
when we had him. Look at him go. He jabbed
a finger at the rapidly moving black dot. The dot
came to the edge of the board and stopped. It
had reached the limit of the chartered area. See now,
what Kramer thought? Watching So the old man had escaped

(48:44):
the cruisers and gotten away. He was alert, all right.
There was nothing wrong with his mind or with ability
to control his new body body. The ship was a
new body for him. He had traded in the old
dying body with done frail for this hulking frame of
metal and plastic, turbines and rocket shets. He was strong, now,

(49:07):
strong and big. The new body was more powerful than
a thousand human bodies. But how long would it last him?
The average life of a cruiser was only ten years.
With careful handling, he might get twenty out of it
before some essential part failed and there was no way
to replace it. And then what then, what would he

(49:28):
do when something failed and there was no one to
fix it for him? That would be the end. Someplace
far out in the cold darkness of space. The ship
would slow down, silent and lifeless, to exhaust its last
heat into the eternal timelessness of outer space. Or perhaps
it would crash on some barren asteroid, burst into a

(49:49):
million fragments. It was only a question of time. Your
wife didn't remember anything, Gross said, I told you only
that he kept a goat once. The hell of a
lot of help, that is, Kramer shrugged. It's not my fault.
I wonder if we'll ever see him again. Gross stared

(50:10):
down at the indicator dot, still hanging at the edge
of the board. I wonder if he'll ever move back
this way. I wonder too, Kramer said. That night, Kramer
lay in bed, tossing from side to side, unable to sleep.
The moon gravity, even artificially increased, was unfamiliar to him,
and it made him uncomfortable. A thousand thoughts wandered loose

(50:33):
in his head as he lay fully awake. What did
it all mean? What was the professor's plan? Maybe they
would never know. Maybe the ship was gone for good.
The old man had left forever shooting into outer space.
They might never find out why he had done it,
What purpose, if any, had been in his mind. Kramer

(50:54):
sat up in bed. He turned on the light and
lit a cigarette. His quarters were small, a metal lined
bunk room part of the moon station base. The old
man had wanted to talk to him, He had wanted
to discuss things, hold a conversation, But in the hysteria
and confusion, all they had been able to think of
was getting away. The ship was rushing off with them,

(51:18):
carrying them into outer space. Kramer set his jaw. Could
they be blamed for jumping? They had no idea where
they were being taken or why they were helpless caught
in their own ship, and the pursuit ship standing by
waiting to pick them up was their only chance. Another
half hour and it would have been too late. But

(51:40):
What had the old man wanted to say? What had
he intended to tell him in those first confusing moments
when this ship around them had come alive, each metal
strut and wire suddenly animate the body of a living creature,
a vast metal organism. It was weird, unnerving. He could
not forget it. Even now. He looked around the small

(52:02):
room uneasily. What did it signify? The coming to life
of metal and plastic all at once. They had found
themselves inside a living creature in its stomach, like Jonah
inside the whale. It had been alive, and it had
talked to them, talked calmly and rationally, as it rushed
them off faster and faster into outer space. The wall,

(52:26):
speaker and circuit had become the vocal cords and mouth,
the wiring, the spinal cord and nerves, the hatches and relays,
and circuit breakers, the muscles. They had been helpless, completely helpless.
The ship had, in a brief second, stolen their power
away from them and left them defenseless, practically at its mercy.

(52:46):
It was not right. It made him uneasy. All his
life he had controlled machines, bent nature, and the forces
of nature to man, and man's needs. The human race
had slowly evolved until it was in a position to
operate things, run them as it saw fit. Now, all
at once, it had been plunged back down the ladder, again,

(53:07):
prostrate before a power against which they were children. Kramer
got out of bed. He put on his bathrobe and
began to search for a cigarette. While he was searching,
the vidphone rang. He snapped the vidphone on. Yes, the
face of an immediate monitor appeared a call from terror.

(53:28):
Mister Kramer. It's an emergency call. Emergency call for me.
Put it through. Kramer came awake, brushing his hair back
out of his eyes. Alarm plucked at him. From the speaker,
A strange voice came, Philip Kramer. Is this Philip Kramer? Yes?
Go on. This is General Hospital, New York City. Terra,

(53:52):
mister Kramer, your wife is here. She has been critically
injured in an accident. Your name was given to us
to call. Is it possible for you to how badly?
Kramer gripped the vidphone stand. Is it serious, Yes, it's serious,
mister Kramer. Are you able to come here? The quicker
you can come, the better, Yes. Kramer nodded, I'll come thanks.

(54:14):
The screen died as the connection was broken. Kramer waited
a moment, then he tapped the button. The screen re
lit again. Yes, sir, the monitor said, can I get
a ship to Terra at once? It's an emergency, my wife.
There's no ship leaving the moon for eight hours. You'll
have to wait until the next period. Isn't there anything

(54:35):
I can do? We can broadcast a general request to
all ships passing through this area. Sometimes cruisers pass by
here returning to Terra for repairs. Will you broadcast that
for me. I'll come down to the field. Yes, sir,
But there may be no ship in the area for
a while. It's a gamble. The screen died. Kramer dressed quickly.

(54:57):
He put on his coat and hurried to the list.
A moment later, he was running across the General receiving lobby,
past the rows of vacant desks and conference tables. At
the door, the sentry stepped aside, and he went outside
on to the great concrete steps. The face of the
moon was in shadow below him. The field stretched out
in total darkness, a black void, endless without form. He

(55:22):
made his way carefully down the steps and along the
ramp along the side of the field to the control tower.
A faint row of red lights showed him the way.
Two soldiers challenged him at the foot of the tower,
standing in the shadows, their guns ready. Kramer, Yes, a
light was flashed in his face. Your call has been

(55:43):
set out already. Any luck, Kramer asked, there's a cruiser
near by that has made contact with us. It has
an injured jet and is moving slowly back toward Terra,
away from the line. Good. Kramer nodded, a flood of
relief rushing through him. He lit a cigarette and gave
one to each of the soldiers. The soldiers lit up. Sir,

(56:06):
one of the masked, is it true about the experimental ship?
What do you mean it came to life and ran off? No,
not exactly, Kramer said. It had a new type of
control system instead of Johnson units. It wasn't properly tested.
But Sir, one of the cruisers that was there got

(56:27):
up close to it, and a buddy of mine says,
this ship acted funny. He never saw anything like it.
It was like when he was fishing once on Terra
in Washington State, fishing for bass. The fish were smart
going this way, and that here's your cruiser. The other
soldier said. Look, an enormous, vague shape was setting slowly

(56:50):
down onto the field. They could make nothing out but
its row of tiny green blinkers. Kreamer stared at the shape.
Better hurry, sir, the soldier said, they don't stick around
here very long. Thanks. Kreamer loped across the field towards
the black shape that rose up above him, extended across
the width of the field. The ramp was down from

(57:12):
the side of the cruiser, and he caught hold of it.
The ramp rose, and a moment later Kramer was inside
the hold of the ship. The hatch slid shot behind him.
As he made his way up the stairs to the
main deck, the turbines roared up from the moon out
into space. Kramer opened the door to the main deck.
He stopped, suddenly staring around him in surprise. There was

(57:36):
nobody in sight. The ship was deserted. Good God, he said,
realization sweeping over him, numbing him. He sat down on
a bench, his head swimming. Good God. The ship roared
out into space, leaving the Moon in terra farther behind
each moment, and there was nothing he could do. So

(58:00):
it was you who put the call through, he said,
at last, it was you who called me on the vidphone,
not any hospital on Tara. It was all part of
the plan. He looked up and around him, and Dolores
is really your wife? Is fine? The wall speaker above
him said tonelessly. It was a fraud. I am sorry
to trick you that way, Philip, but it was all

(58:22):
I could think of. Another day and you would have
been back on Tara. I don't want to remain in
this area any longer than necessary. They have been so
certain of finding me out in deep space that I
have been able to stay here without too much danger.
But even the purloined letter was found Eventually. Cramer smoked
his cigarette nervously. What are you going to do? Where

(58:45):
are we going? First? I want to talk to you.
I have many things to discuss. I was very disappointed
when you left me along with the others. I had
hoped that you would remain. The dry voice chuckled. Remember
how we used to talk in the old days, you
and I. That was a long time ago. The ship

(59:06):
was gaining speed. It plunged through space at tremendous speed,
rushing through the last of the defense zone and out beyond.
A rush of nausea made Creamer bend over for a moment.
When he straightened up, the voice from the wall went on,
I'm sorry to step it up so quickly, but we
are still in danger. Another few moments and we'll be free.

(59:29):
How about yuk ships? Aren't they out there? I've already
slipped away from several of them. They're quite curious about me.
Curious they sense that I'm different, more like their own
organic minds. They don't like it. I believe they will
begin to withdraw from this area soon. Apparently they don't

(59:50):
want to get involved with me. They're an odd race, Philip.
I would have liked to study them closely, try to
learn something about them. I'm of the opinion that they
used no inert material. All their equipment and instruments are
alive in some form or another. They don't construct or
build at all. The idea of making is foreign to them.

(01:00:11):
They utilize existing forms, even their ships. Where are we going,
Kramer said, I want to know where you're taking me. Frankly,
I'm not certain. You're not certain. I haven't worked some
details out. There are a few vague spots in my
program still but I think that in a short while

(01:00:33):
I'll have them ironed out. What is your program, Kramer said,
It's really very simple. But don't you want to come
into the control room and sit These seats are much
more comfortable than the metal bench. Kramer went into the
control room and sat down at the control board. Looking
at the useless apparatus made him feel strange. What's the

(01:00:57):
matter the speaker above the board rast Kramer gestured helplessly.
I'm powerless. I can't do anything, and I don't like it.
Do you blame me? No, no, I don't blame you.
But you'll get your control back soon. Don't worry. This
is only a temporary exponent taking you off this way.

(01:01:19):
It was something I didn't contemplate. I forgot that orders
would be given out to shoot me on sight. It
was Gross's idea. I don't doubt that. My conception, my
plan came to me as soon as you began to
describe your project that day at my house. I saw
at once that you were wrong. You people have no

(01:01:41):
understanding of the mind at all. I realized that the
transfer of a human brain from an organic body to
a complex artificial spaceship would not involve the loss of
the intellectualization faculty of the mind. When a man thinks
he is When I realized that I saw the possible
ability of an age old dream becoming real. I was

(01:02:03):
quite elderly when I first met you, Philip. Even then
my lifespan had come pretty much to its end. I
could look ahead to nothing but death, and with it
the extinction of all my ideas. I had made no
mark on the world, none at all. My students one
by one passed from me into the world to take
up jobs in the great research project, the search for

(01:02:26):
better and bigger weapons of war. The world has been
fighting for a long time, first with itself, then with
the Martians, then with these beings from Proxima Centauri, whom
we know nothing about. The human society has evolved war
as a cultural institution, like the science of astronomy or mathematics.

(01:02:48):
War is a part of our lives, a career, a
respected vocation. Bright alert young men and women move into it,
putting their shoulders to the wheel, as they did in
the time of nepichad Nezzer. It has always been so.
But is it innate in mankind? I don't think so.
No social custom is innate. There were many human groups

(01:03:10):
that did not go to war. The Eskimos never grasped
the idea at all, and the American Indians never took
to it well. But these dissenters were wiped out and
a cultural pattern was established that became the standard for
the whole planet. Now it has become ingrained in us.
But if some place along the line, some other way

(01:03:32):
of settling problems had arisen and taken hold, something different
than the massing of men and materials. To what's your plan?
Kramer said, I know the theory. It was part of
one of your lectures, yes, buried in a lecture on
plant selection. As I recall, when you came to me
with this proposition, I realized that perhaps my conception could

(01:03:55):
be brought to life. After all, if my theory were right,
that war is only a habit, not an instinct, A
society built up apart from Terra with a minimum of
cultural roots might develop differently if it failed to absorb
our outlook. If it could start out on another foot,
it might not arrive at the same point to which

(01:04:16):
we have come, a dead end with nothing but greater
and greater wars in sight until nothing is left but
ruin and destruction everywhere. Of course, there would have to
be a watcher to guide the experiment. At first. A
crisis would undoubtedly come very quickly, probably in the second generation.

(01:04:37):
Cain would arise almost at once. You see, Kramer, I
estimate that if I remain at rest most of the
time on some small planet or moon, I may be
able to keep functioning for almost one hundred years. That
would be time enough sufficient to see the direction of
the new colony. After that, well, after that, it would

(01:04:58):
be up to the colony, which is just as well.
Of course, man must take control eventually on his own
one hundred years, and after that they will have control
of their own destiny. Perhaps I am wrong. Perhaps war
is more than a habit. Perhaps it is a law
of the universe that things can only survive as groups

(01:05:20):
by group violence. But I'm going ahead and taking the
chance that it is only habit. That I'm right, that
war is something we're so accustomed to that we don't
realize it is a very unnatural thing. Now, as to
the place, I'm still a little vague about that. We
must find the place. Still, that's what we're doing now.

(01:05:44):
You and I are going to inspect a few systems
off the beaten path, planets where the trading prospects are
low enough to keep turn ships away. I know of
one planet that might be a good place. It was
reported by the fair Child expedition in their original manner.
We may look into that. For a start, the ship

(01:06:04):
was silent. Kramer sat for a time, staring down at
the metal floor under him. The floor throbbed dully with
the motion of the turbines. At last, he looked up.
You might be right. Maybe our outlook is only habit.
Kramer got to his feet. But I wonder if something
has occurred to you, what is that? If it's such

(01:06:27):
a deeply ingrained habit going back thousands of years, how
are you going to get your colonists to make the break,
leave Terra and Tarran customs? How about this generation, the
first ones, the people who found the colony. I think
you're right in that the next generation would be free
of all this if there were, And he grinned an

(01:06:47):
old man above to teach them something else. Instead, Kramer
looked up at the wall speaker. How are you going
to get the people to leave Terra and come with you?
If by your own threat. This generation can't be saved.
It all has to start with the next. The wall
speaker was silent. Then it made a sound, the faint,

(01:07:09):
dry chuckle. I'm surprised at you, Philip. Settlers can be found.
We won't need many, just a few. The speaker chuckled again.
I'll acquaint you with my solution. At the far end
of the corridor, a door slid open. There was a sound,
a hesitant sound. Kramer turned Dolores. Delores Kramer stood uncertainly

(01:07:35):
looking into the control room. She blinked in amazement, phil
What are you doing here? What's going on? They stared
at each other. What's happening? Delores said, I received a
VID call that you had been heard in a lunar explosion.
The wall speaker rasped into life. You see, Philip, that

(01:07:56):
problem is already solved. We don't really need so many people.
When a single couple might two. Kramer nodded slowly. I see,
he murmured thickly. Just one couple, one man and woman.
They might make it all right if there were someone
to watch and see that things went on as they should.

(01:08:17):
There will be quite a few things I can help
you with Philip quite a few. We'll get along very well,
I think, Kramer grinned Riley. You could even help us
name the animals, he said, I understand. That's the first step.
I'll be glad to the toneless impersonal voice said, as

(01:08:37):
I recall. My part will be to bring them to
you one by one. Then you can do the actual naming.
I don't understand, Delores faltered, What does he mean, phil
naming animals? What kind of animals? Where are we going?
Kramer walked slowly over to the port and stood staring

(01:08:58):
silently out his arms folded beyond the ship of myriad
fragments of light gleamed countless coals glowing in the dark, void, stars, suns, systems,
endless without number, a universe of worlds and infinity of
planets waiting for them, gleaming and winking from the darkness.

(01:09:18):
He turned back away from the port. Where are we going?
He smiled at his wife, standing nervous and frightened, her
large eyes full of alarm. I don't know where we're going,
he said, But somehow that doesn't seem too important right now.
I'm beginning to see the Professor's point. It's the results
that count, and for the first time in many months,

(01:09:41):
he put his arm around Dolores. At first she stiffened,
the fright and nervousness still in her eyes. But then
suddenly she relaxed against him, and there were tears wetting
her cheeks. Phil do you really think we can start
over again? You and I? He kissed her tenderly, then passionately,

(01:10:02):
and the spaceship shot swiftly through the endless trackless eternity
of the void and of mister Spaceship By Philip K.
Dick