"Have you not been informed of that? I regret not having told you at once." There was, of course, no sign of regret on the robot's perfect face. "It was Dr. Han Fastolfe, whom you met on Earth during our previous partnership .and whom I hope you remember, who first suggested you as an appropriate investigator in this case. He made it a condition that I be assigned to work with you once more."
Baley managed a smile. Dr. Fastolfe was a native of Aurora and Aurora was the strongest of the Outer Worlds. Apparently the advice of an Auroran bore weight.
Baley said, "A team that works shouldn't be broken up, eh?" (The first exhilaration of Daneel's appearance was fading and the compression about Baley's chest was returning.)
"I do not know if that precise thought was in his mind, Partner Elijah. From the nature of his orders to me, I should think that he was interested in having assigned to work with you one who would have experience with your world and would know of your consequent peculiarities."
"Peculiarities!" Ba1ey frowned and felt offended. It was not a term he liked in connection with himself.
"So that I could arrange the air-tube, for example. I am well aware of your aversion to open spaces as a result of your upbringing in the Cities of Earth."
Perhaps it was the effect of being called "peculiar," the feeling that he had to counterattack or lose caste to a machine, that drove Baley to change the subject sharply. Perhaps it was just that lifelong training prevented him from leaving any logical contradiction undisturbed.
He said, "There was a robot in charge of my welfare on hoard this ship; a robot" (a touch of malice intruded itself here) "that looks like a robot. Do you know it?"
"I spoke to it before coming on board."
"What's its designation? How do I make contact with it?"
"It is RX-2475. It is customary on Solaria to use only serial numbers for robots." Daneel's calm eyes swept the control panel near the door. "This contact will signal it."
Baley looked at the control panel himself and, since the contact to which Daneel pointed was labeled RX, its identification seemed quite unmysterious.
Baley put his finger over it and in less than a minute, the robot, the one that looked like a robot, entered.
Baley said, "You are RX-2475."
"Yes, sir."
"You told me earlier that someone would arrive to escort me off the ship. Did you mean him?" Baley pointed at Daneel.
The eyes of the two robots met. RX-2475 said, "His papers identify him as the one who was to meet you."
"Were you told in advance anything about him other than his papers? Was he described to you?"
"No, sir. I was given his name, however."
"Who gave you the information?"
"The captain of the ship, sir."
"Who is a Solarian?"
"Yes, sir."
Baley licked his lips. The next question would be decisive.
He said, "What were you told would be the name of the one you were expecting?"
RX-2475 said, "Daneel Olivaw, sir."
"Good boy! You may leave now."
There was the robotic bow and then the sharp about - face. RX-2475 left.
Baley turned to his partner and said thoughtfully, "You are not telling me all the truth, Daneel."
"In what way, Partner Elijah?" asked Daneel.
"While I was talking to you earlier, I recalled an odd point. RX-2475, when it told me I would have an escort said a man would come for me. I remember that quite well."
Daneel listened quietly and said nothing.
Baley went on. "I thought the robot might have made a mistake. I thought also that perhaps a man had indeed been assigned to meet me and had later been replaced by you, RX-2475 not being informed of the change. But you heard me check that. Your papers were described to it and it was given your name. But it was not quite given your name at that, was it, Daneel?"
"Indeed, it was not given my entire name," agreed Daneel.
"Your name is not Daneel Olivaw, but R. Daneel Olivaw, isn't it? Or, in full, Robot Daneel Olivaw."
"You are quite correct, Partner Elijah."
"From which it all follows that RX-2475 was never informed that you are a robot. It was allowed to think of you as a man. With your manlike appearance, such a masquerade is possible, "I have no quarrel with your reasoning."
"Then let's proceed." Baley was feeling the germs of a kind of savage delight. He was on the trace of something. It couldn't be anything much, but this was the kind of tracking he could do well. It was something he could do well enough to be called half across space to do. He said, "Now why should anyone want to deceive a miserable robot? It doesn't matter to it whether you are man or robot. It follows orders in either case. A reasonable conclusion then is that the Solarian captain who informed the robot and the Solarian officials who informed the Captain did not themselves know you were a robot. As I say, that is one reasonable conclusion, but perhaps not the only one. Is this one true?"
"I believe it is."
"All right, then. Good guess. Now why? Dr. Han Fastolfe, in recommending you as my partner allows the Solarians to think you are a human. Isn't that a dangerous thing? The Solarians, if they find out, may be quite angry. Why was it done?"
The humanoid robot said, "It was explained to me thus, Partner Elijah. Your association with a human of the Outer Worlds would raise your status in the eyes of the Solarians. Your association with a robot would lower it. Since I was familiar with your ways and could work with you easily, it was thought reasonable to allow the Solarians to accept me as a man without actually deceiving them by a positive statement to that effect."