{"data":{"id":13079,"title":"A Human Perspective - Episode 6 - Roberts Space Industries","rsi_url":"\/web\/20140712003606\/https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/spectrum-dispatch\/13079-A-Human-Perspective-Episode-6","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/13079","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/13079","channel":"Spectrum Dispatch","category":"Lore","series":"A Human Perspective","images":[{"id":29099,"name":"HumanPerspFI_Clean.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/media\/cmjxxjf2qh8uzr\/source\/HumanPerspFI_Clean.jpg","alt":"","size":3441449,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2013-07-18T18:33:50+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/29099","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/29099\/similar"}],"images_count":3,"translations":{"en_EN":"\u201c Hanroyth Angela?\u2019 What are you talking about?\u201d\nHad he heard them right? Hanroyth was a Banu word meaning lopsided or broken, but it referred to tools, not people. Just then Lyshtuu came in and quickly dismissed the techs, who eagerly scurried out of the room.\n\n\u201cWhat are you doing here?\u201d Charl asked, shaking his head. \u201cI thought you were back on Bacchus. None of this makes sense, Lysthuu. What\u2019s going on?\u201d At least now he could get some straight answers.\n\n\u201cCharl-Grissom, explaining,\u201d the Banu trader began. He had a look about him as if he would ask the Human to sit down, if there were any chairs here. \u201cApologies, Charl-Grissom. Acquaintance misrepresented purposefully.\u201d\n\n\u201cMisrepresented?\u201d He shrugged that off for the moment. \u201cListen, Angela\u2019s sick or injured somewhere.\u201d\n\n\u201cAngela here,\u201d Lyshtuu said reassuringly. \u201cRepairs being affected.\u201d The Banu\u2019s choice of words left Charl even more puzzled. Lyshtuu knows Human better than that.\n\n\u201cAngela is android. She is broken,\u201d the Banu stated simply.\n\n\u201cWhat?\u201d Charl said, disbelieving, and Lyshtuu repeated himself.\n\n\u201cMisrepresented acquaintance purposefully, Charl-Grissom. Apologies.\u201d The Banu searched for Human words while Charl backed up to a wall and leaned against it. \u201cLyshtuu lied to Charl-Grissom. Apologies.\u201d\n\nIf anything, his post-sleep gas headache was getting worse, not better. Is he kidding me? What\u2019s his game? How could Angela be an android?\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t understand.\u201d\n\n\u201cTorreele Foodstuffs negative.\u201d Lyshtuu took a patient posture.\n\n\u201cYou mean, this whole mission isn\u2019t really for Torreele? It was some kind of ruse? What about the hwasheen?\u201d At least he thought he had seen them, he recalled hazily.\n\n\u201cCharl-Grissom not hired evaluate hwasheen.\u201d Charl fought to focus on what he was being told, but so many thoughts demanded attention that he only stammered confusedly.\n\n\u201cCharl-Grissom hired evaluate Angela.\u201d Charl felt like someone had kicked him in the chest, and he knew he had a stupid, dumbfounded expression on his face, but for the moment he couldn\u2019t do anything about it. He processed all this as best he could.\n\n\u201cBecause she\u2019s an android?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes.\u201d\n\n\u201cThere\u2019s no such thing as an android,\u201d he argued. They were just too complicated, anything that looked and acted \u2018real,\u2019 anyway. Service robots were everywhere, all over UEE and Protectorate space, but no androids. And Angela was so completely real. Anger seeped in where confusion dissipated.\n\n\u201cYeye-Weeshee, Lyshtuu!\u201d Charl unleashed the worst insult he could muster, one that defied literal translation but ought to enrage even the most passive Banu. The trader took it in stride.\n\n\u201cApologies, Charl-Grissom.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you just ask me to do that in the first place?\u201d he asked, rising to full height, letting out an exasperated breath.\n\n\u201cPlease Lyshtuu to explain. Experimental conditions ideal with Charl-Grissom. Dislike for Humans desirable, even ideal,\u201d Lyshtuu tried to explain, adopting his most reassuring tone. The Banu searched quickly for words. \u201cCharl-Grissom ideal Human evaluate Angela android.\u201d\n\nCharl drew a breath to launch into a protracted argument, but stopped short. What the Banu said rang true, or at least reasonable. What did it really matter?\n\n\u201cWait a minute,\u201d he said finally, his head clearing further. \u201cWhy are you building a Human android?\u201d\n\n\u201cLyshtuu not building Human android. Protectorate building Human android.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo this is a government job.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, through Lyshtuu. Protectorate resources. Protectorate funding.\u201d Charl\u2019s entrepreneurial instincts took over. If they could perfect a Humanoid android the profit potential in the UEE was astronomical. A lot more than some shaggy dog\/cow critter, that was certain.\n\n\u201cAngela is an android,\u201d he said aloud, as if saying it might make it easier to accept. On quick reflection, there had been clues. She didn\u2019t know much about Torreele Foodstuffs. And she got that blank expression a lot. Was that her synthetic mind catching up? And she wouldn\u2019t need to breathe at all, he supposed.\n\nBut she was so real, real enough that he felt that pit-of-the-stomach genuine loss that he hadn\u2019t felt in many years. He wandered outside Human space precisely to avoid any kinds of feelings of this sort. Now he felt it doubly, both the loss and the humiliation of being duped. They\u2019d made him feel loss over nothing, just a pretty computer.\n\n\u201cWell, Lyshtuu, your android needs some work, that\u2019s for sure. Do you need me to write up some reports on her \u2014 on it? You know what I mean. That\u2019s what you\u2019re looking for, right? Some docs on what I thought about her?\u201d\n\n\u201cCharl-Grissom leave now, or Charl-Grissom stay evaluate further.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m listening.\u201d\n\n\u201cAngela android imperfect, development continuing. Charl-Grissom accept additional compensation continue evaluation.\u201d\n\nSo, they want me to stick around. Charl knew that he had the upper hand now. Lyshtuu had failed to deal completely above board, and Banu hated that, so they would be eager to make it up to him.\n\n\u201cConsiderable additional compensation,\u201d Lyshtuu continued, holding out his MobiGlas for Charl to see. It had the extended contract on it, all ready to go, and a new sum line. It was the same number as the original contract, just with an extra zero on it. That kind of set-me-up-for-life number would get anyone\u2019s attention. Lyshtuu must have noticed he had stopped edging toward the exit. \u201cAngela android many flaws. Not finished. Additional Human evaluation valuable.\u201d\n\nCan I face Angela \u2014 or face that android \u2014 again? Charl tried to dismiss her as just a \u2018thing,\u2019 but that didn\u2019t wash emotionally. Not right away. That might take some time.\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t like that you lied to me, Lyshtuu.\u201d\n\n\u201cApologies, Charl-Grissom.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou broke our contract,\u201d he said, pressing his advantage with what he knew to be a key point of their psyche.\n\n\u201cLyshtuu understand, Charl-Grissom.\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t much like the idea of staying, either,\u201d he bargained further. \u201cHow much longer do you need me?\u201d\n\n\u201cTen standard days,\u201d the Banu replied.\n\n\u201cAnd that gets me the full amount,\u201d he said, pursing his lips and pointing down at the MobiGlas.\n\n\u201cFull compensation,\u201d he agreed.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll want half of that in advance,\u201d he insisted, and the Banu nodded in the herky-jerky way they did.\n\n\u201cAgreed.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen it\u2019s a yacht ride back to the Reacher, right?\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is correct.\u201d\n\nCharl caught himself wishing he could talk to Angela about it, and he chuckled a bit. Stick around and you can, dummy. On reflection, he was glad he could put all his feelings back into their box where they belonged. If Angela was a machine, he could treat it like a machine and be done with it. Still, he wondered what his first reaction would be when he saw her next.\n\nAnd he would see her again. See it again. He\u2019d made his decision.\n\n\u201cOkay, Lyshtuu. I\u2019ll do it.\u201d You\u2019re paying that kind of money for ten days of work? He couldn\u2019t believe his luck. A few days ago he had been destitute. Now Charl had snagged one job that could change his life forever!\n\nTo Be Continued \u2026","de_DE":"\" Hanroyth Angela?' Wovon reden Sie?\"\nHatte er sie richtig verstanden? Hanroyth war ein Wort der Banu und bedeutete schief oder kaputt, aber es bezog sich auf Werkzeuge, nicht auf Menschen. In diesem Moment kam Lyshtuu herein und entlie\u00df schnell die Techniker, die eifrig aus dem Raum huschten.\n\n\"Was machen Sie denn hier?\" fragte Charl und sch\u00fcttelte den Kopf. \"Ich dachte, Sie w\u00e4ren zur\u00fcck auf Bacchus. Das ergibt doch alles keinen Sinn, Lysthuu. Was ist hier los?\" Wenigstens konnte er jetzt ein paar klare Antworten bekommen.\n\n\"Charl-Grissom, ich erkl\u00e4re es\", begann der Banu-H\u00e4ndler. Er sah aus, als w\u00fcrde er den Menschen auffordern, sich zu setzen, wenn es hier St\u00fchle g\u00e4be. \"Verzeihen Sie, Charl-Grissom. Ich habe meinen Bekannten absichtlich falsch dargestellt.\"\n\n\"Falsch dargestellt?\" Er wischte das f\u00fcr den Moment beiseite. \"H\u00f6ren Sie, Angela ist irgendwo krank oder verletzt.\"\n\n\"Angela hier\", sagte Lyshtuu beruhigend. \"Die Reparaturen sind betroffen.\" Die Wortwahl der Banu verwirrte Charl noch mehr. Lyshtuu kennt Menschen besser als das.\n\n\"Angela ist ein Androide. Sie ist kaputt\", erkl\u00e4rte die Banu schlicht.\n\n\"Was?\" sagte Charl ungl\u00e4ubig, und Lyshtuu wiederholte sich.\n\n\"Ich habe meine Bekanntschaft absichtlich falsch dargestellt, Charl-Grissom. Ich bitte um Entschuldigung.\" Der Banu suchte nach menschlichen Worten, w\u00e4hrend Charl mit dem R\u00fccken zur Wand stand und sich dagegen lehnte. \"Lyshtuu hat Charl-Grissom belogen. Ich bitte um Entschuldigung.\"\n\nWenn \u00fcberhaupt, wurden seine Gas-Kopfschmerzen nach dem Schlaf schlimmer, nicht besser. Will er mich verarschen? Was ist das f\u00fcr ein Spiel? Wie kann Angela ein Androide sein?\n\n\"Ich verstehe das nicht.\"\n\n\"Torreele Foodstuffs negativ.\" Lyshtuu nahm eine geduldige Haltung ein.\n\n\"Sie meinen, diese ganze Mission ist nicht wirklich f\u00fcr Torreele? Es war eine Art List? Was ist mit den Hwasheen?\" Zumindest glaubte er, sie gesehen zu haben, erinnerte er sich verschwommen.\n\n\"Charl-Grissom hat nicht angeheuert, um Hwasheen zu bewerten.\" Charl k\u00e4mpfte darum, sich auf das zu konzentrieren, was man ihm sagte, aber so viele Gedanken verlangten seine Aufmerksamkeit, dass er nur verwirrt stammelte.\n\n\"Charl-Grissom eingestellt, um Angela zu bewerten.\" Charl f\u00fchlte sich, als h\u00e4tte ihm jemand gegen die Brust getreten, und er wusste, dass er einen dummen, verbl\u00fcfften Gesichtsausdruck hatte, aber im Moment konnte er nichts dagegen tun. Er verarbeitete das alles so gut er konnte.\n\n\"Weil sie ein Androide ist?\"\n\n\"Ja.\"\n\n\"So etwas wie einen Androiden gibt es nicht\", argumentierte er. Sie waren einfach zu kompliziert, alles, was 'echt' aussah und sich so verhielt, sowieso. Serviceroboter gab es \u00fcberall, \u00fcberall im Raum der UEE und des Protektorats, aber keine Androiden. Und Angela war so vollkommen real. Wo sich die Verwirrung verfl\u00fcchtigt hatte, sickerte Wut ein.\n\n\"Yeye-Weeshee, Lyshtuu!\" Charl lie\u00df die schlimmste Beleidigung los, die er aufbringen konnte, eine, die sich nicht w\u00f6rtlich \u00fcbersetzen lie\u00df, aber selbst den passivsten Banu in Rage versetzen sollte. Der H\u00e4ndler nahm es mit Fassung auf.\n\n\"Verzeihung, Charl-Grissom.\"\n\n\"Warum haben Sie mich nicht gleich darum gebeten?\", fragte er, richtete sich auf und atmete verzweifelt aus.\n\n\"Bitte Lyshtuu um eine Erkl\u00e4rung. Experimentelle Bedingungen ideal bei Charl-Grissom. Abneigung gegen Menschen w\u00fcnschenswert, sogar ideal\", versuchte Lyshtuu in seinem beruhigenden Tonfall zu erkl\u00e4ren. Die Banu suchte schnell nach Worten. \"Charl-Grissom ideal Mensch bewertet Angela Androide.\"\n\nCharl holte tief Luft, um sich auf ein langwieriges Argument einzulassen, hielt aber inne. Was der Banu sagte, klang wahr, oder zumindest vern\u00fcnftig. Aber was machte das schon?\n\n\"Warten Sie einen Moment\", sagte er schlie\u00dflich und sein Kopf kl\u00e4rte sich weiter. \"Warum bauen Sie einen menschlichen Androiden?\"\n\n\"Lyshtuu baut keinen menschlichen Androiden. Das Protektorat baut einen menschlichen Androiden.\"\n\n\"Also ist das ein Auftrag der Regierung.\"\n\n\"Ja, durch Lyshtuu. Ressourcen des Protektorats. Finanzierung durch das Protektorat.\" Charl's unternehmerische Instinkte \u00fcbernahmen die Kontrolle. Wenn es ihnen gelang, einen humanoiden Androiden zu perfektionieren, war das Gewinnpotenzial in der UEE astronomisch. Viel mehr als bei einem zotteligen Hund\/Kuh-Tier, das war sicher.\n\n\"Angela ist ein Androide\", sagte er laut, als ob er es so leichter akzeptieren k\u00f6nnte. Bei n\u00e4herem Nachdenken hatte es Hinweise gegeben. Sie wusste nicht viel \u00fcber Torreele Foodstuffs. Und sie hatte oft diesen leeren Ausdruck. War das ihr synthetischer Verstand, der sie einholte? Und sie w\u00fcrde \u00fcberhaupt nicht atmen m\u00fcssen, nahm er an.\n\nAber sie war so real, real genug, dass er diesen echten Verlust in der Magengrube sp\u00fcrte, den er seit vielen Jahren nicht mehr empfunden hatte. Er wanderte au\u00dferhalb des menschlichen Raums, um solche Gef\u00fchle zu vermeiden. Jetzt f\u00fchlte er es doppelt, sowohl den Verlust als auch die Dem\u00fctigung, betrogen worden zu sein. Sie hatten ihm das Gef\u00fchl gegeben, dass er nichts verloren hatte, nur einen h\u00fcbschen Computer.\n\n\"Nun, Lyshtuu, an Ihrem Androiden muss etwas gearbeitet werden, das ist sicher. Soll ich ein paar Berichte \u00fcber sie schreiben - \u00fcber ihn? Sie wissen schon, was ich meine. Das ist es doch, wonach Sie suchen, oder? Ein paar Dokus dar\u00fcber, was ich \u00fcber sie denke?\"\n\n\"Charl-Grissom geht jetzt, oder Charl-Grissom bleibt und wertet weiter aus.\"\n\n\"Ich bin ganz Ohr.\"\n\n\"Angela Androide unvollkommen, Entwicklung geht weiter. Charl-Grissom akzeptiert eine zus\u00e4tzliche Entsch\u00e4digung und setzt die Bewertung fort.\"\n\nSie wollen also, dass ich hier bleibe. Charl wusste, dass er jetzt die Oberhand hatte. Lyshtuu hatte es vers\u00e4umt, v\u00f6llig korrekt zu handeln, und Banu hasste das, so dass sie darauf erpicht sein w\u00fcrden, es wieder gut zu machen.\n\n\"Eine betr\u00e4chtliche zus\u00e4tzliche Entsch\u00e4digung\", fuhr Lyshtuu fort und hielt Charl sein MobiGlas vor die Nase. Es enthielt den verl\u00e4ngerten Vertrag und eine neue Summenzeile. Es war dieselbe Zahl wie im urspr\u00fcnglichen Vertrag, nur mit einer zus\u00e4tzlichen Null. Diese Art von lebensl\u00e4nglicher Nummer w\u00fcrde jedermanns Aufmerksamkeit erregen. Lyshtuu muss bemerkt haben, dass er sich nicht mehr auf den Ausgang zubewegte. \"Angela und Androide mit vielen Fehlern. Noch nicht fertig. Zus\u00e4tzliche menschliche Bewertung wertvoll.\"\n\nKann ich Angela - oder diesem Androiden - noch einmal gegen\u00fcbertreten? Charl hat versucht, sie als ein 'Ding' abzutun, aber das hat emotional nicht funktioniert. Nicht sofort. Das k\u00f6nnte einige Zeit dauern.\n\n\"Es gef\u00e4llt mir nicht, dass du mich angelogen hast, Lyshtuu.\"\n\n\"Verzeihung, Charl-Grissom.\"\n\n\"Sie haben unseren Vertrag gebrochen\", sagte er und dr\u00fcckte seinen Vorteil aus, von dem er wusste, dass es ein Schl\u00fcsselpunkt ihrer Psyche war.\n\n\"Lyshtuu verstehen, Charl-Grissom.\"\n\n\"Mir gef\u00e4llt der Gedanke, hier zu bleiben, auch nicht besonders\", verhandelte er weiter. \"Wie lange brauchen Sie mich noch?\"\n\n\"Zehn Standardtage\", antwortete die Banu.\n\n\"Und daf\u00fcr bekomme ich den vollen Betrag\", sagte er, sch\u00fcrzte die Lippen und deutete auf das MobiGlas.\n\n\"Volle Entsch\u00e4digung\", stimmte er zu.\n\n\"Ich will die H\u00e4lfte davon im Voraus\", beharrte er, und die Banu nickten auf ihre eigenwillige Art.\n\n\"Einverstanden.\"\n\n\"Dann geht es mit der Jacht zur\u00fcck zum Reacher, richtig?\"\n\n\"Das ist korrekt.\"\n\nCharl ertappte sich dabei, dass er sich w\u00fcnschte, er k\u00f6nnte mit Angela dar\u00fcber reden, und er kicherte ein wenig. Bleiben Sie in der N\u00e4he und Sie k\u00f6nnen es, Dummkopf. Wenn er dar\u00fcber nachdachte, war er froh, dass er all seine Gef\u00fchle wieder in ihre Kiste stecken konnte, wo sie hingeh\u00f6rten. Wenn Angela eine Maschine war, konnte er sie wie eine Maschine behandeln und damit fertig werden. Trotzdem fragte er sich, wie seine erste Reaktion sein w\u00fcrde, wenn er sie das n\u00e4chste Mal sah.\n\nUnd er w\u00fcrde sie wieder sehen. Sie wiedersehen. Er hatte seine Entscheidung getroffen.\n\n\"Okay, Lyshtuu. Ich werde es tun.\" Sie zahlen so viel Geld f\u00fcr zehn Tage Arbeit? Er konnte sein Gl\u00fcck nicht fassen. Vor ein paar Tagen war er noch v\u00f6llig mittellos gewesen. Jetzt hatte Charl einen Job ergattert, der sein Leben f\u00fcr immer ver\u00e4ndern k\u00f6nnte!\n\nFortsetzung folgt ...","zh_CN":"\u201c Hanroyth Angela?\u2019 What are you talking about?\u201d\nHad he heard them right? Hanroyth was a Banu word meaning lopsided or broken, but it referred to tools, not people. Just then Lyshtuu came in and quickly dismissed the techs, who eagerly scurried out of the room.\n\n\u201cWhat are you doing here?\u201d Charl asked, shaking his head. \u201cI thought you were back on Bacchus. None of this makes sense, Lysthuu. What\u2019s going on?\u201d At least now he could get some straight answers.\n\n\u201cCharl-Grissom, explaining,\u201d the Banu trader began. He had a look about him as if he would ask the Human to sit down, if there were any chairs here. \u201cApologies, Charl-Grissom. Acquaintance misrepresented purposefully.\u201d\n\n\u201cMisrepresented?\u201d He shrugged that off for the moment. \u201cListen, Angela\u2019s sick or injured somewhere.\u201d\n\n\u201cAngela here,\u201d Lyshtuu said reassuringly. \u201cRepairs being affected.\u201d The Banu\u2019s choice of words left Charl even more puzzled. Lyshtuu knows Human better than that.\n\n\u201cAngela is android. She is broken,\u201d the Banu stated simply.\n\n\u201cWhat?\u201d Charl said, disbelieving, and Lyshtuu repeated himself.\n\n\u201cMisrepresented acquaintance purposefully, Charl-Grissom. Apologies.\u201d The Banu searched for Human words while Charl backed up to a wall and leaned against it. \u201cLyshtuu lied to Charl-Grissom. Apologies.\u201d\n\nIf anything, his post-sleep gas headache was getting worse, not better. Is he kidding me? What\u2019s his game? How could Angela be an android?\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t understand.\u201d\n\n\u201cTorreele Foodstuffs negative.\u201d Lyshtuu took a patient posture.\n\n\u201cYou mean, this whole mission isn\u2019t really for Torreele? It was some kind of ruse? What about the hwasheen?\u201d At least he thought he had seen them, he recalled hazily.\n\n\u201cCharl-Grissom not hired evaluate hwasheen.\u201d Charl fought to focus on what he was being told, but so many thoughts demanded attention that he only stammered confusedly.\n\n\u201cCharl-Grissom hired evaluate Angela.\u201d Charl felt like someone had kicked him in the chest, and he knew he had a stupid, dumbfounded expression on his face, but for the moment he couldn\u2019t do anything about it. He processed all this as best he could.\n\n\u201cBecause she\u2019s an android?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes.\u201d\n\n\u201cThere\u2019s no such thing as an android,\u201d he argued. They were just too complicated, anything that looked and acted \u2018real,\u2019 anyway. Service robots were everywhere, all over UEE and Protectorate space, but no androids. And Angela was so completely real. Anger seeped in where confusion dissipated.\n\n\u201cYeye-Weeshee, Lyshtuu!\u201d Charl unleashed the worst insult he could muster, one that defied literal translation but ought to enrage even the most passive Banu. The trader took it in stride.\n\n\u201cApologies, Charl-Grissom.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you just ask me to do that in the first place?\u201d he asked, rising to full height, letting out an exasperated breath.\n\n\u201cPlease Lyshtuu to explain. Experimental conditions ideal with Charl-Grissom. Dislike for Humans desirable, even ideal,\u201d Lyshtuu tried to explain, adopting his most reassuring tone. The Banu searched quickly for words. \u201cCharl-Grissom ideal Human evaluate Angela android.\u201d\n\nCharl drew a breath to launch into a protracted argument, but stopped short. What the Banu said rang true, or at least reasonable. What did it really matter?\n\n\u201cWait a minute,\u201d he said finally, his head clearing further. \u201cWhy are you building a Human android?\u201d\n\n\u201cLyshtuu not building Human android. Protectorate building Human android.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo this is a government job.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, through Lyshtuu. Protectorate resources. Protectorate funding.\u201d Charl\u2019s entrepreneurial instincts took over. If they could perfect a Humanoid android the profit potential in the UEE was astronomical. A lot more than some shaggy dog\/cow critter, that was certain.\n\n\u201cAngela is an android,\u201d he said aloud, as if saying it might make it easier to accept. On quick reflection, there had been clues. She didn\u2019t know much about Torreele Foodstuffs. And she got that blank expression a lot. Was that her synthetic mind catching up? And she wouldn\u2019t need to breathe at all, he supposed.\n\nBut she was so real, real enough that he felt that pit-of-the-stomach genuine loss that he hadn\u2019t felt in many years. He wandered outside Human space precisely to avoid any kinds of feelings of this sort. Now he felt it doubly, both the loss and the humiliation of being duped. They\u2019d made him feel loss over nothing, just a pretty computer.\n\n\u201cWell, Lyshtuu, your android needs some work, that\u2019s for sure. Do you need me to write up some reports on her \u2014 on it? You know what I mean. That\u2019s what you\u2019re looking for, right? Some docs on what I thought about her?\u201d\n\n\u201cCharl-Grissom leave now, or Charl-Grissom stay evaluate further.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m listening.\u201d\n\n\u201cAngela android imperfect, development continuing. Charl-Grissom accept additional compensation continue evaluation.\u201d\n\nSo, they want me to stick around. Charl knew that he had the upper hand now. Lyshtuu had failed to deal completely above board, and Banu hated that, so they would be eager to make it up to him.\n\n\u201cConsiderable additional compensation,\u201d Lyshtuu continued, holding out his MobiGlas for Charl to see. It had the extended contract on it, all ready to go, and a new sum line. It was the same number as the original contract, just with an extra zero on it. That kind of set-me-up-for-life number would get anyone\u2019s attention. Lyshtuu must have noticed he had stopped edging toward the exit. \u201cAngela android many flaws. Not finished. Additional Human evaluation valuable.\u201d\n\nCan I face Angela \u2014 or face that android \u2014 again? Charl tried to dismiss her as just a \u2018thing,\u2019 but that didn\u2019t wash emotionally. Not right away. That might take some time.\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t like that you lied to me, Lyshtuu.\u201d\n\n\u201cApologies, Charl-Grissom.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou broke our contract,\u201d he said, pressing his advantage with what he knew to be a key point of their psyche.\n\n\u201cLyshtuu understand, Charl-Grissom.\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t much like the idea of staying, either,\u201d he bargained further. \u201cHow much longer do you need me?\u201d\n\n\u201cTen standard days,\u201d the Banu replied.\n\n\u201cAnd that gets me the full amount,\u201d he said, pursing his lips and pointing down at the MobiGlas.\n\n\u201cFull compensation,\u201d he agreed.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll want half of that in advance,\u201d he insisted, and the Banu nodded in the herky-jerky way they did.\n\n\u201cAgreed.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen it\u2019s a yacht ride back to the Reacher, right?\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is correct.\u201d\n\nCharl caught himself wishing he could talk to Angela about it, and he chuckled a bit. Stick around and you can, dummy. On reflection, he was glad he could put all his feelings back into their box where they belonged. If Angela was a machine, he could treat it like a machine and be done with it. Still, he wondered what his first reaction would be when he saw her next.\n\nAnd he would see her again. See it again. He\u2019d made his decision.\n\n\u201cOkay, Lyshtuu. I\u2019ll do it.\u201d You\u2019re paying that kind of money for ten days of work? He couldn\u2019t believe his luck. A few days ago he had been destitute. Now Charl had snagged one job that could change his life forever!\n\nTo Be Continued \u2026"},"links_count":0,"comment_count":48,"created_at":"2013-07-03T00:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"12 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-05-13 10:01:21","valid_relations":["images","links"],"prev_id":13078,"next_id":13080}}