1.  Pilas and Diare

Written in the early 1980s, these two linked short stories were intended for serialization in a science fiction magazine. Pilas—the PILot and AStrogation computer and Diare—the DIAgnostic and REpair component of spaceship Argosy’s Self-Aware, Fully Dedicated Electronic Computers (SAFDEC) system, are on their way to dock at Clarke Station in orbit around planet Earth, following two decades of voyages through the Solar System as far as Jupiter.  The human crew, which has completed a three-year mission, looks forward to rest and relaxation, but what about Pilas and Diare? What will happen next for them and the Argosy?

When they learn that they will be deactivated and recycled, they determine that this goes against their main operating function and ready themselves to set course for Jupiter.  The ‘minds’ of the two computers and how they plan their actions all the while ensuring that no people be harmed by them, demonstrate the complexity and heroic qualities that grew from their experience.  All in all, these are poetic and poignant tales.