The robot said, "Indeed they are, sir. It is all-weather cloth and is considered very desirable. It is also exceedingly expensive. Few on Aurora are in a position to wear it."
"That so? Jehoshaphat!"
He stared at the robot. It seemed a fairly primitive model, not very much different from Earth models, in fact. Still, there was a certain subtlety of expression that Earth models lacked'. It could change expression in a limited way" for instance. It had smiled very slightly when it indicated that Baley had been given that which few on Aurora could afford.
The structure of its body resembled metal and yet had the look of something woven, something shifting slightly with movement, something with, colors that matched and contrasted pleasingly. In short, unless one looked very closely and steadily, the robot, though definitely nonhumaniform, seemed to be wearing clothing.
Baley said, "What ought I to call you, boy?"
"I am Giskard, sir."
"R. Giskard?"
"If you wish, sir."
"Do you have a library on this ship?"
"Yes, sir."
"Can you get me book-films on Aurora?"
"What kind, sir?"
"Histories - political science - geographies - anything that will let me know about the planet."
"Yes, sir."
"And a viewer."
"Yes, sir.
The robot left through the double door and Baley nodded grimly to himself. On his trip to Solaria, it had never occurred to him to spend the useless time crossing space in learning something useful. He had come along a bit in the last two years.
He tried the door the robot had just passed through. It was locked and utterly without give. He would have been enormously surprised at anything else.
He investigated the room. There was a hyperwave screen. He handled the controls idly, received a blast of music, managed to lower the volume eventually, and, listened with disapproval. Tinkly and discordant. The instruments of the orchestra seemed vaguely distorted,
He touched other contacts and finally managed - to change the view. What he saw was a space-soccer game that was played, obviously, under conditions of zero-gravity. The ball flew in straight lines and the players (too many of them on each side - with fins on backs, elbows, and knees that must serve to control movement) soared in graceful, sweeps. The unusual movements made Baley feel dizzy. He leaned forward and had just found and used the off-switch when he heard the door open behind him.
He turned and, because he thoroughly expected to see R. Giskard, he was aware at first only of someone who was not R. Giskard. It took a blink or two to realize that he saw a thoroughly human shape, with a broad, high-cheekboned face and with short, bronze hair lying flatly backward, someone dressed in clothing with a conservative cut and color scheme.
"Jehoshaphat!" said Baley in a nearly strangled voice.
"Partner Elijah," said the other, stepping forward, a small grave smile on his face.
"Daneel!" cried Baley, throwing his arms around the robot and hugging tightly. "Daneel!"
7
Baley continued to hold Daneel, the one unexpected familiar object on the ship, the one strong link to the past. He clung to Daneel in a gush of relief and affection.
And then, little by little, he collected his thoughts and knew that he was hugging not Daneel but R. Daneel - Robot Daneel Olivaw. He was hugging a robot and the robot was holding him lightly, allowing himself to be hugged, judging that the action gave pleasure to a human being and enduring that action because the positronic potentials of his brain made it impossible to repel the embrace and so cause disappointment and embarrassment to the human being.
The insurmountable First Law of Robotics states: "A robot may not injure a human being" - and to repel a friendly gesture would do injury.
Slowly, so, as to reveal no sign of his own chagrin, Baley released his hold. He even gave each upper arm of the robot a final squeeze, so that there might seem to be no shame to the release.
"Haven't seen you, Daneel," said Baley, "since you brought that, ship to Earth with the two mathematicians. Remember?"
"Of a certainty, Partner Elijah. It is a pleasure to see you."
"You feel emotion, do you?" said Baley lightly.
"I cannot say what I feel in any human sense, Partner Elijah. I can say, however, that the sight of you seems to make my thoughts flow more easily, and the gravitational pull on my body seems to assault my senses with lesser insistence, and that there are other changes I can identify. I imagine that what I sense corresponds in a rough way to what it is that you may sense when you feel pleasure."
Baley nodded. "Whatever it is you sense when, you see me, old partner, that makes it seem preferable to the state in which you are when you don't see me, suits me well - if you follow my meaning. But how is it you are here?"
"Giskard Reventlov, having reported you - " R. Daneel paused.
"Purified?" asked Baley sardonically.
"Disinfected," said R. Daneel. "I felt it appropriate to enter then."
"Surely you would not fear infection otherwise?"
"Not at all, Partner Elijah, but others on the ship might then be reluctant to have me approach them. The people of Aurora are sensitive to the chance of infection, sometimes to a point beyond a rational estimate of the probabilities."
"I understand, but I wasn't asking why you were here at this moment. I meant why are you here at all?"
"Dr. Fastolfe, of whose establishment I am part, directed me to board the ship that had been sent to pick you up for several reasons. He felt it desirable that you have one immediate item of the known in what he was certain would be a difficult mission for you."