Hidden Empire - Kevin J. Anderson [143]
Sometimes, apparently on a whim, the alien relics offered to help in harsh environments, working in space settlements or on airless moons. Hardy colonists usually welcomed the robots' capacity for heavy labor, especially since it cost them nothing.
The few black machines that arrived on Earth had caused quite a stir, though they never asked for anything. The Klikiss robots seemed completely unflappable, showing no response whether insulted or treated with awe. They remained passive and never spoke about what they truly wanted. Klikiss robots inquired about nothing, made no requests. In fact, they didn't do much at all.
The robot designated as Jorax had been on Earth for five years. In the capital city he wandered the public grounds around the Whisper Palace. Jorax had never taken a sightseeing dirigible, nor spoken a single buzzing word, but one day he had climbed aboard a powered gondola with a group of curious visitors from cloudy Dremen. Though Jorax made no move to pay the accustomed fee, the flustered gondolier had taken the black robot up and down the Royal Canal. Jorax had disembarked at the end of the ride without so much as a thank-you or a single question, but the event had given the gondolier, as well as his sponsoring boat company, much to talk about for months to come.
While Jorax loitered around the vast grounds of the Whisper Palace—"lurked" was the word some of the royal security troops used—he could have been spying, recording data on the King's government buildings. But since the Klikiss robot never attempted to enter a restricted area or probe into questionable subjects, the Hansa could not deny him the right to be where the rest of the public wandered and gaped and took souvenir images.
Some daring visitors slipped family members close to Jorax and snapped images of the giant black robot that they later showed to their friends, while boasting of the "danger" they had encountered in getting so close to a Klikiss robot. All the while, as Jorax navigated public places, Hansa security forces recorded his every movement, gathering intelligence until someone could decide what to do.
After the strange alien attacks on Oncier and Golgen, King Frederick had mobilized the resources of the Hanseatic League and the Earth Defense Forces. He had challenged scientists and industries to strive for their best innovations, at all costs; thus, the Klikiss robot became an object of more intense curiosity.
Jorax stood in the Moon StatueGarden, a beautiful outdoor museum surrounded by hedges of scarlet hibiscus. Sculptures of bronze, marble, and polymerized aluminum stood on pedestals, artfully placed and enhanced with trickling water, colored spotlights, and blooming flowers. The Klikiss robot had remained as motionless as a statue for two full days, though his glowing optical sensors were not focused on any particular work.
At noon, with the sun high overhead, a well-dressed man walked up to Jorax in the statue garden, exhibiting a great deal of repressed anxiety. He stood in front of Jorax, waiting for some response. Receiving none, he said aloud, raising his voice far more than was necessary, "My name is William Andeker—uh, Dr. William Andeker. I belong to an important industrial research group with ties to the EDF." He paused again, fidgeting and uncertain.
Jorax finally swiveled his geometrical head and directed the two largest red optical sensors at the scientist.
Andeker continued, "I was...wondering if you might be interested in seeing my laboratory facility?" He swallowed hard, then pushed ahead. "I'm very curious about Klikiss robots. I know the details of your past have been wiped from your memories—correct?—but I could do some analysis. I might be able to find answers for both of us."
Finally Jorax spoke. "That is a possibility."
Startled, William Andeker took one step backward and then beamed. "It's very important now that this new alien threat has arrived. You're aware of the attacks? We don't understand the enemy, and therefore it's vital that we increase