Dark Orbit by Carolyn Ives Gilman

Author:Carolyn Ives Gilman [Gilman, Carolyn Ives]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781466827691
Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates
Published: 2015-07-13T16:00:00+00:00

chapter eight

To Sara’s dismay, the scientific faculty embraced the idea of teaching Moth to see. With the planet under embargo, an experiment on Moth promised the next best opportunity for some interesting data. The only faction opposed was Sri Paul’s group of Corroborationists, who worried that meddling with the natives’ blindness might infect them with objectivism.

Sara’s misgivings were more about the invasiveness of the cultural interference. But when the issue reached Director Gavere’s office, none of these concerns turned out to be relevant. There, the argument was entirely between publicity and security.

Mr. Gibb loved the idea. In fact, he already had a script in mind. “Epco gives a child the miracle of sight,” he said, framing his hands to conjure up the inspiring scene. “The material will be golden.”

Until Epco’s rivals get ahold of it, Sara thought. Then the script would be, “Is she just a human guinea pig?”

Atlabatlow’s script was predictably paranoid. “Our sight is the only strategic advantage we have over the natives at the moment,” he argued. “While they still don’t know our powers, it is also an advantage in hostage negotiation. It would be foolish to reveal our hand.”

Sara had been wavering, but Atlabatlow’s opposition made up her mind: whatever he was against, she was for. With her decision made, she left her trump card unplayed: she could have recommended referring the matter to the lawyers at Epco headquarters, and that would have killed it. In her experience, lawyers never wanted scientists to do anything.

In the end, Director Gavere approved the experiment if, and only if, Moth would sign a waiver of copyright. It was up to Sara to explain to her the legal rights and potential profits she was giving up.

Once again full of qualms, Sara went to talk to David. “Don’t worry,” he said cheerfully. “It won’t work anyway.”

“What won’t work?”

“Teaching her to see.” He gestured Sara into his office. His worktable was heaped with notes and diagrams; he had clearly been researching the subject. Settling in his chair, he said, “From what I can tell, Moth’s problem isn’t in her eyes; it’s in her brain. That’s where the biggest part of the job of seeing is done. People aren’t born with the neural connections for sight ready-made; they are laid down over the first few years of life, in response to visual stimuli. For some reason, Moth never formed those connections in infancy. Even if the visual centers of her brain are still intact, she will almost certainly be agnosic: able to see, but unable to make any sense of it.”

Sara was surprised at the disappointment she felt. Consciously, she had been full of professional reservations. Now, she became aware that part of her had been hoping it would work. She had spent a lifetime trying to learn other people’s worlds and ways; just once she had wanted to give her world to someone else. She said, “So your advice is not to do it?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You think it won’t work, but you want to try anyway?”

“What can I say? We might learn something.

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