IF e Short Storv

THE
LIFE HATER
BY FRED SABERHAGEN

The berserker machine was built

to destroy life. Carr's mission
was to teach it to be a friend/

Carrtriedswallowed a pain pill, and

to find a less uncomfort-
berserker macbinea bad been a rC4
mote horror in the news stories.
able position in the combat chair. The colony's only real fighting ship
He keyed his radio transmitter and had been sent to join Karlsen's fleet
spoke to the rogue ship that hung in the defense of Earth, when the
before him in space. berserkers were said to be massing
"I come in peace. I have no weap- there. But now the enemy was here,
ons. I come to talk to you." and the people of Carr's planet were
He waited. The cabin of his little readying two more ships ia fe.verish
one-man ship was silent. His radar haste- they were a small colony,
screen showed the berserker machine and not wealthy in resources. Ev~n
still many light-seconds ahead of when the two ships were ready, they
him. There was no reaction from it, would hardly be a match for a ber-
but he knew that it had heard him. serker.
Behind Carr was the Sol-type star When Carr had taken his plan to
he called sun, and his home planet, the leaders of the colony, they had
colonized from Earth a century be- thought him mad.
fore. It was a lonely settlement. out Go out and talk to it of peace
near the rim of the galaxy. Until and love? Argue with it? There might
now the war waged on life by the be some hope of converting the most
65
 depraved human to the cause of space-travelers' tongue, from human
goodness and mercy, but what ap- prisoners or from each other. And
peal could alter the built-in purpose he was serious about talking love to
of a machine? the unknown Builders. Grudges and
"Why not talk: to it of peace?" vengeance seemed tiny things to a
Carr had demanded. "Have you a dying man. But the Builders would
. better plan? I'm willing to go, I've not be aboard; the berserkers had
nothing to lose." been constructed, probably, when
They had looked at him, across Earthmen hunted the mammoth with
the gulf that separates healthy plan- spears. The Builders were lost in
ners from those who know they are spacetime, along with their enemies
dying. They thought almost any of long ago.
scheme would be better than his. Suddenly it answered him: "Little
But they could imagine nothing else ship, maintain your present speed
to do until the warships were ready, and course toward me. Be ready to
·which would be at least ten days. stop when ordered. "
The little one-man ship was expend- "I- I will." In spite of being
able, being unarmed. Armed, it ready for it, Carr found himself
would be no more a provocation to stuttering and shaken at the sound
a berserker. In the end, they let of its voice, the uneven mechanical
Carr take it, hoping there was a reproduction of the words of human
chance his arguments might delay prisoners, recorded aboard or bor-
the inevitable attack. rowed from another machine. Now
For Carr himself, of course, they the weapons which could sterilize a
wasted no thought. For Carr was planet would be trained on him
dying. Was as good as dead. alone. And there was worse than de-
struction to be feared, if one tenth
W henlionCur came within a mil-
miles of the berserker,
of the stories about berserkers' pris-
oners were true. Carr did not let
it stopped its own unhurried motion himself think about that - although
and seemed to wait for him, hang- the pain that racked ·him in momen-
ing in space in the orbital track of tary flood, of agony made death
an airless planetoid, at a poiat from seem almost welcome.
which the planetoid was still sev- When he was within ten thousand
eral days away. miles it ordered: "Stop. Wait where
"I am unarmed," he radioed you are, relative to me."
again. "I come to talk with you, not Carr obeyed instantly. Soon he
to damage you. H those who built saw that it had launched toward
you· were here, I would try to talk him something about the size of his
to them of peace and love. Do you own ship - a little moving dot on
understand?" his video screen, coming out of the
He felt sure it would understand vast black fortress that floated
his language. All the berserker ma- against the stars.
chines had learned the universal Even at this range he could see
a6 U'
 how scarred and battered that fort- across the cabin, so that he stag~­
ress was. He had heard that all of gered and fell in the artificial grav-
these ancient machines were dam- ity, thumping his head painfully
aged, from their long senseless fight- against a bulkhead. "In a matter of
ing across the galaxy; but surely minutes we will talk about love and
such apparent ruin as this must be peace," said the radio voice.
exceptional.
The berserker's launch slowed and
drew up beside his ship. Soon there
L ooking out a port as his ship
neared the immense berserker,
came a clanging at the airlock. Carr saw the scars of battle become
"Open!" demanded the radio plainer and plainer, ·even to his un-
voice. "I must search you." practiced eye. There were holes in
"Then you will listen to me?" the hull, square miles of bendings
"Then I will listen." and swellings and pits where the
He opened the lock, and stood metal bad once flowed molten.
aside for the half dozen machines Rubbing his bumped head, Carr
that entered. They were not unlike felt a faint thrill of pride. We've
robot valets and workers, except done that to it, he thought, we soft
that these were old and limping and little living things. His own martial
worn, like their great master. Here feeling annoyed him, in a way. He
and there a new part gleamed. But had always been something of a
often the machines' movements were pacifist. Of course it could hardly
unsteady as they searched Carr, be thought immoral to use violence
searched his cabin, probed every- against a dangerous but inanimate
where on the little ship. One of them machine. After some delay, a hatch
had to be half-carried out by its opened in the berserker's side, and
fellows, when the search was com- Carr's ship followed the berserker's
pleted. . launch into darkness.
Another one of the machines, a Now there was nothing to be seen
thing with arms and hands like a through the port. Soon there came a
man's, stayed behind. As soon as gentle bump, as of docking. The
the lock had closed behind the oth- mechanical pilot shut off the drive,
ers, it settled itself in the combat turned toward Carr and started to
chair and began to drive the ship rise from the chair.
toward the berserker. Something in it failed. Instead of
"Wait!" Carr protested. "I didn't rising smoothly, the pilot reared up,
surrender!" The ridiculous words flailed for a moment with arms
hung in the air, seeming to deserve that sought a grip or balance, and
no reply. Sudden panic made Carr then fell heavily to the deck. For
move without thinking; he stepped half a minute it moved one arm,
forward and grabbed at the mech- and made a grinding noise. Then
anical pilot, trying to pull it from it was still.
the chair. It put one metal hand In the half minute of silence
against his chest and shoved him which followed, Carr realized that
THE LIFE HATER 67
 he was again master ,1, illS cabin: And your hull is in bad shape now.
chance had given him that. lf there You don't want any more damage."
was something he could do - "You would die."
"Leave your ship," said the calm "I'll have to die sometime. But I
voice. "There is an airfilled tube fit- didn't come out here to die, or to
ted to your airlock. It will lead you fight. I came to talk with you, to
to a place where we can talk of try to reach some agreement."
peace and love." "What kind of agreement?"
Carr's eyes, with a sort of reluct- At last Carr took a deep breath,
ant horror, had dragged themselves and marshaled the arguments he
to focus on the engine switch, and had so often rehearsed. He kept his
beyond that, to the C-plus activator. fingers resting gently on the C-plus
The C-plus jump was not usable activator, and his eyes alert on the
as a drive anywhere near the huge instruments that normally monitored
mass of a sun. In such proximity as the hull for micrometeorite damagl'.
this to a mass even the size of the "I've had the feeling," he began,
surrounding berserker, the effect "that your attacks upon humanity
became only a weapon - a weapon may be only some ghastly mistake.
of tremendous potential power. Certainly we were not your original
Carr did not- or thought he did enemy."
not- any longer fear sudden death; "Life is my enemy. Life is evil."
he was too near to the slow, sure Pause. "Do you want to become
kind. But now he found that with all good life?"
his heart and soul he feared what
might be prepared for him outside
the 3.irlock. All the horror stories
Carrment;
closed his eyes for a mo-
some of the horror stor-
came back. The thought of going . ies were coming to life. But then
out through that airlock now was he went firmly on with his argu-
unendurable. It was less terrifying for ment. "From our point of view, it
him to step carefully around the is you who are bad. We would like
fallen pilot, to reach the controls and you to become a good machine,
turn the engine back on. one that helps men instead of kill-
"I can talk to you from here," he ing. Is not building a higher purpose
said, his voice quavering in spite than destroying?"
of an effort to keep it steady. There was a longer pause. "What
After about ten seconds, the ber- evidence can you offer that I should
serker said: '·'Your C-plus drive has change my purpose?"
safety devices. You will not be able "For one thing, :belping us will
to kamikaze me." be a purpose easier of achievement.
"You may be right," said Carr af- No one will damage you and op-
ter a moment's thought. "But if a pose you."
safety device does function, it might "What is it to me, if I am dam-
hurl my ship away from your center aged and opposed?"
of mass, right through your hull. Carr tried again. "Life is basical-
68 IF
 )J superior to non-life; and mas is "I have never tried to use that
the highest form of life." hypothesis," it answered suddenly.
"What evidence do you offer?" "But if the construction of intelli-
"Man has a spirit." gent life is indeed so. intricate, so
"I have learned that men claim dependent upon the laws of physics
that. But do you not define this being as they are and not otherwise
apirit as something beyond the per- -then to serve life may be th~
ception of any machine? And are highest purpose of a machine."
there not men who deny that this "You may be sure, our physical
spirit exists?" construction is intricate." He wasn't
"Spirit is so defined. And there sure he could follow the machine's
are such men." line of reasoning, but that hardly
"Then I do not accept the argu- mattered if he could somehow win
ment of spirit." the game of Life. He kept his fin·
Carr dug out a pain pill and swal- gers on the C-plus activator.
lowed it. "Still, you have no evi- The berserker said: "If I am able
dence that spirit does not exist. You to study some living cells -"
must consider it as a possibility." Like a hot iron on a nerve, the
"That is correct." meteorite-damage indicator moved;
"But leaving spirit out of the something was at the hull. "Stop
argument for now, consider the phys- that!" he screamed, without thought.
ical and chemical organization of "The first thing you try, I'll kill
life. Do you know anything of the you!"
delicacy and intricacy or organiza-
tion in even a single living cell? And
surely you must admit we humans I ts voice was unevenly calm, as al-
ways. "There may have been
carry wonderful computers. inside some accidental contact with your
our few cubic inches of skull." bull. I am damaged and many of my
"I have never had an intelligent commensal machines are unreliable.
captive to dissect," the mechanical I mean to land on this approaching
voice informed him blandly, "though planetoid to mine for metal and re-
I have received some relevant data pair myself as far as possible." The
from other machines. But you admit indicator was quiet again.
that your' form is the determined re- The berserker resumed its argu-
sult of the operation of physical ment. "If I am able to study some
and chemical laws?" living cells from an intelligent life-
"Have you ever thought that those unit for a few hours, I expect I will
laws may have been designed to find· strong evidence for, or against,
do just that -produce brains cap- your argument. Will you provide me
able of intelligent action?" with cells?"
There was a pause that stretched "You must have had prisoners,
on and on. Carr's throat felt dry sometime." He said it as a suspicion;
and rough, as if he had been speak- be really knew no reason why it
ing for hours. must have bad human captives. It
THE LIFE HATER 69
 could have learned the language Two hours passed. Carr forced
from another. berserker. himself to eat some emergency ra-
"No, I have never taken a prison- tions, watched the panel, and waited.
er." He gave a startled jump when the
It waited. The question it had berserker spoke again; nearly six
asked still hung in the air. hours had gone by.
"The only human cells on this "You are free to leave," it was
ship are my own. Possibly I could saying. "Tell the leading life-units of
give you a few of them." your planet that when I have refit-
"Half a cubic centimeter should ted, I will be their ally. The study of
be enough; not a dangerous loss for your cells has convinced me that the
you, I believe. I will not demand part human body is the highest creation
of your brain. Also I understand of the universe, and that I should
that you wish to avoid the sensation make helping you my purpose. Do
called pain. I am willing to help you you understand?"
avoid it, if possible." Carr felt numb. "Yes. Yes '
Did it want to drug him? That have convinced you. After you have
seemed too simple. Always unpre- refitted, you will fight on our side."
dictability, the stories said, and Something shoved hugely and
sometimes a subtlety out of hell. gently at his hull. Through a port he
He went on with the game. "I saw stars, and realized that the great
have all that is necessary. Be warn- hatch through which his ship had
ed that my attention will hardly entered was swinging open.
waver from the control panel. Soon
I will place a tissue sample in the ·This far within the system, Carr
airlock for you." necessarily kept his ship in nor-
He got the medical kit, took two mal space to travel. It meant he
pain-killers, and set very carefully could see the berserker as he fled
to work with a sterile scalpel. He from it, and he kept it in sight as
had had some biological training. long as possible. His last sight of the
When the small wound was ban- berserker showed it moving as if
daged, he cleansed the tissue sample indeed about to let down upon the
of blood and lymph and with un- airless planetoid. Certainly it was
steady fingers sealed it into a little not following him.
tube. Without letting down his A couple of hours after being
guard for an instant, he dragged the freed, he roused himself from con-
fallen pilot to the airlock .and left templation of the radar screen, and
it there with the tissue sample. Ut- went to spend a full minute con-
terly weary, he got back to the com- sidering the inner airlock door. At
bat chair. When he switched the last he shook his head, dialed air
outer door open, he heard something into the lock, and entered it. The
come into the lock, and leave again. pilot was gone, with the tissue sam-
He took a pep pill. It would stim- ple. There was nothing strange to
ulate some pain, but he'd be alert. be seen. Carr took a deep breath,
70 IF
 as if relieved, closed up the lock it tried another way. Must have
again, and went to a port to spend sneaked the stuff into my cabin air,
··some time watching the stars. just before it let me go - or maybe
After a day he began to deceler- left it in my airlock."
ate, so that when hours had added "What stuff?"
into another day, he was still a good Carr said, "The stuff you're wor-
distance from home. He ate, and rying about. The poison it thinks
slept, and watched his face in a mir· will kill us all. I'd guess it's some
ror. He weighed himself, and he freshly mutated virus, designed for
watched the stars some more, with specific virulence against the tissue
great interest, like a man examining I gave it. It expected I'd hurry home
something long forgotten. and land before getting sick, and
In two more days, gravity bent his spread a new plague. It must have
course into a hairpin ellipse around thought it was inventing biological
his home planet. With his whole warfare, using life against life, as we
world bulking between him and the use machines against machines. But
berserker's rock, Carr began to use it needed that tissue sample to blood
his radio. its pet viruses. It didn't know our
"Ho, on the ground! Good news." chemistry. It must have been telling
The answer came almost instant- the truth about never having a hu-
ly. "We've been tracking you, Carr. man prisoner."
What's going on't What happened?" "Some virus, you think? What's
He told them of his encounter it doing to you, Carr? Are you in
with the berserker. "So that's the pain-I mean, more than before?"
story up to now," he finished. "I ex- "No." Carr swirled his chair to
pect the thing really needs to refit. look at the little chart he had be-
It is seriously damaged. Two war- gun. It showed that in the last two
ships attacking it now should easily days his weight loss had started to
win." reverse itself. He looked down at his
"Yes." There was excited talk in body, at the bandaged place near the
the background. Then the voice was center of a discolored, inhuman-look-
back, sounding uneasy. "Carr-you ing area. That area was smalled than
haven't started a landing ap- it had been, and he saw a hint of
proach yet, so maybe you under- new and healthy skin.
stand. We've got to be careful. The "What is the stuff doing to you?"
thing was probably lying to you." Carr allowed himself to smile,
"Oh, I know. Even that pilot's and to speak aloud his growing
collapse might have been staged. I hope.
guess the berserker was too badly "I think it's killing off my cancer."
shot up to want to risk a battle, so END

THE· LIFE HATER

***** 71