Nerber glanced at Wilburps and
gestured for him to respond.
“Were those not rhetorical questions intended
only to vent your frustration? I do not know what response you
want.”
Nerber angrily banged his fist on the shed
wall - causing a distinct rumbling noise. Several small tools fell
from hooks on the wall to the floor with further clatter. He
cringed, ducked, and jumped around to avoid the items moving around
his feet.
“At least my frustration shows. I have gotten
no encouragement from the producers or anyone at home since we
arrived on the surface. And just that quick the inhabitants are
looking to kill me without even trying to get to know me as a
niceness guy. This is not the way I dreamed it happening. I almost
for sure am losing the control of myself. The badness feelings of
panic and despair are itching around my mind.”
“I am not programmed to be helpful at a time
like this.”
“No, the producers want the contestants to
deal with all the problems on their own. That is what the audience
wants to watch. The harder and more gruesome things are, the more
the watchers enjoy it as they hope it will get even worse for me.
But if I am stuck on this planet I have to think about what is best
for me. Maybe I should even turn you off so you cannot be secretly
sending any of this without telling me. Are you doing that,
Wilburps?”
“I am not aware that I am sending any signals
to the producers except when you tell me to but I remind you again
that my wiring could allow that without my control centers
knowing.”
“I am a trained zerpy engineer so I know for
more truly certain that you can. Fampfuzzle! What is the
point of going on when I am a failure, not a hero, to the citizens
of Ormelex?”
“Why not be an ambassador instead of an
invader, Nerber? Be bigger than your problem, be a
problem-solver.”
“I did fantasize that when I visited this
world I would be greeted as a brave, noble representative of my
fellow Ormelexians here to extend friendly greetings and good
wishes.”
“Forget that, you are hated but that is
because they do not know you so they fear you. Become their friend
and share some of your wisdom with them and they may spare
you.”
“Do I have wisdom I can share or spare?”
“Surely. They are obviously primitives. There
is much you can teach to them.”
“That is a good idea. If they see I am an
intelligent being even if I am a contestant on a dumb reality show
they will respect me and want to keep me safe and comfortable to
learn from me. But I must move quickly, before a mob shows up with
only killing in their heads as would happen at home. Can you detect
any signals that might be the inhabitants probing to detect us?”
Nerber asked, his nervousness obvious.
“This place is noisy and chaotic with signals
so I cannot be for certain sure. None seem to fit the pattern I
would predict their leaders would use for that purpose. There are
some that I can describe as strange but I cannot say whether they
are threats.”
Nerber turned his head away from Wilburps
before he looked upwards toward his hat. He resisted the strong
urge to reach up and touch Wowseyla as he thought about doing. He
said, “Tell me about the strange signals. Possibly they are ones I
might have some thoughts about. Is the source of any close by?”
“Close by as within your visual range, no. As
within long but possible walking distance of this spot, maybe. Some
others seem to be coming from Whizybeam but are not on the
standard transmission levels.”
“Tell me about the ones from this area.”
“Those might be a type of probing but they
are more like what the inhabitants would call tickles. They may
elicit some response from you that you are not aware of.”
“They are targeted on me, not on you or our
technology?”
“That seems to be the case. They are weak,
highly localized, and come from a source at the planet’s surface.
Nothing more about the source is obvious.”
“A small device
gestured for him to respond.
“Were those not rhetorical questions intended
only to vent your frustration? I do not know what response you
want.”
Nerber angrily banged his fist on the shed
wall - causing a distinct rumbling noise. Several small tools fell
from hooks on the wall to the floor with further clatter. He
cringed, ducked, and jumped around to avoid the items moving around
his feet.
“At least my frustration shows. I have gotten
no encouragement from the producers or anyone at home since we
arrived on the surface. And just that quick the inhabitants are
looking to kill me without even trying to get to know me as a
niceness guy. This is not the way I dreamed it happening. I almost
for sure am losing the control of myself. The badness feelings of
panic and despair are itching around my mind.”
“I am not programmed to be helpful at a time
like this.”
“No, the producers want the contestants to
deal with all the problems on their own. That is what the audience
wants to watch. The harder and more gruesome things are, the more
the watchers enjoy it as they hope it will get even worse for me.
But if I am stuck on this planet I have to think about what is best
for me. Maybe I should even turn you off so you cannot be secretly
sending any of this without telling me. Are you doing that,
Wilburps?”
“I am not aware that I am sending any signals
to the producers except when you tell me to but I remind you again
that my wiring could allow that without my control centers
knowing.”
“I am a trained zerpy engineer so I know for
more truly certain that you can. Fampfuzzle! What is the
point of going on when I am a failure, not a hero, to the citizens
of Ormelex?”
“Why not be an ambassador instead of an
invader, Nerber? Be bigger than your problem, be a
problem-solver.”
“I did fantasize that when I visited this
world I would be greeted as a brave, noble representative of my
fellow Ormelexians here to extend friendly greetings and good
wishes.”
“Forget that, you are hated but that is
because they do not know you so they fear you. Become their friend
and share some of your wisdom with them and they may spare
you.”
“Do I have wisdom I can share or spare?”
“Surely. They are obviously primitives. There
is much you can teach to them.”
“That is a good idea. If they see I am an
intelligent being even if I am a contestant on a dumb reality show
they will respect me and want to keep me safe and comfortable to
learn from me. But I must move quickly, before a mob shows up with
only killing in their heads as would happen at home. Can you detect
any signals that might be the inhabitants probing to detect us?”
Nerber asked, his nervousness obvious.
“This place is noisy and chaotic with signals
so I cannot be for certain sure. None seem to fit the pattern I
would predict their leaders would use for that purpose. There are
some that I can describe as strange but I cannot say whether they
are threats.”
Nerber turned his head away from Wilburps
before he looked upwards toward his hat. He resisted the strong
urge to reach up and touch Wowseyla as he thought about doing. He
said, “Tell me about the strange signals. Possibly they are ones I
might have some thoughts about. Is the source of any close by?”
“Close by as within your visual range, no. As
within long but possible walking distance of this spot, maybe. Some
others seem to be coming from Whizybeam but are not on the
standard transmission levels.”
“Tell me about the ones from this area.”
“Those might be a type of probing but they
are more like what the inhabitants would call tickles. They may
elicit some response from you that you are not aware of.”
“They are targeted on me, not on you or our
technology?”
“That seems to be the case. They are weak,
highly localized, and come from a source at the planet’s surface.
Nothing more about the source is obvious.”
“A small device
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