human
I don't get it,
gpt
He really thought he flew us out, didn't he?
human
Had to. There isn't any place in his cosmos for machines that don't work. Contrary evidence can get just so strong. Then, for him, it ceased to exist. A faulty cigarette lighter irritated him, a failing airlock control made him angry and sullen and then hysterical. When the drive controls wouldn't respond, he reached his breaking point. Everyone has such a breaking point, and arrives at it just that way if he's pushed far enough.
gpt
Everyone?
human
What knocked him out? He's trained to take far more strain than that.
gpt
Oh, he isn't suffering from any physical or conscious mental fatigue. The one thing he wanted to do was to get away from a terrifying situation. He convinced himself that he flew out of it. The next best thing he could do to keep anything else from attacking him was to sleep. He very much appreciated my suggestion that he was worn out and needed to stretch out.
human
I'd very much appreciate some such, said Ives.
gpt
Do it to me, Nick.
human
Reach your breaking point first,
gpt
Hoskins!
human
Aye.
gpt
I've seen that expression before. What are you thinking about?
human
Chess.
gpt
What, especially?
human
Oh, a very general thing. The reciprocity of the game. That's what makes it the magnificent thing it is. Most human enterprises can gang up on a man, slap him with one disaster after another without pause. But not chess. No matter who your opponent might be, every time he does something to you, _it's your move_.
gpt
Very comforting. Have you any idea of how we move now?
human
You missed my point, Skipper. _We_ don't move.
gpt
Oh, the Captain whispered. His face tautened as it paled,
human
I ... I see. We pushed the airlock button to get out. Countermove: It wouldn't work. We tried the manual. Countermove: It broke off. And so on. Now we've tried to fly the ship out. Oh, but Hoskins--Johnny broke. Isn't that countermove enough?
gpt
Maybe. Maybe you're right. Maybe the move wasn't trying the drive controls, though. Maybe the move was to do what was necessary to knock Johnny out. He shrugged again.
human
We'll very soon see.
gpt
We'll find out if it's our move by moving, he gritted.
human
Ives! Paresi! We're going to go over this thing from the beginning. First, try the port. You, Ives.