Vestiges of Time by Richard C. Meredith

developing yet to do. Although they will have been fed certain data during the last weeks of their development—data concerning the use of their muscles—much of this data cannot be fully integrated by them until after decanting. What I am saying, Harkos, is that it will take the replicates several weeks to learn to use their bodies, to be anything more than helpless babies.”
    I nodded over the top of my own beer mug.
    “Also, during the last few weeks of their development prior to decanting, they will have been carefully fed certain portions of your cerebral recordings. That is, with your assistance, during the recording, the edit
    ing, and the playback, we will want to feed your replicates that data from your memories which is felt to be of value to them.”
    “I think I follow you,” I said, “but I’m not altogether certain. Now I’m supposed to have this, well, telepathic control over—”
    KaphNo raised a hand to interrupt. “We prefer the term ‘resonance.’ In your case, resonance control. ‘Telepathy’ is such a sloppy term.”
    I recalled another being in another place who had said how sloppy were human terms for psionic effects. I guess she was right.
    “You will be expected to exercise resonance control over the replicates. They, in turn, will follow your commands in terms of resonance response.”
    “Okay,” I agreed. “This resonance control I’ll have over them—Won’t that make it possible for them to do anything I tell them without their having, well, personalities of their own?”
    “That would hardly be practical, Harkos,” KaphNo said flatly, perhaps doubting my understanding of any of it. “We are talking about several hundred replicates. Of course, you could personally direct one or even two to a very large degree, but to control even two well, or three or four in any fashion at all, would be a fulltime job. You would have to be placed in a sensory- deprived situation and then spend all your waking hours flitting from one subject to another, directing its every task.
    “No, Harkos,” he said loudly, “you are to be the general of hundreds, not the puppet master of a handful. Your replicates will have, to a limited degree, of course, distinct memory patterns, distinct experience programs, distinct behavior patterns—in short, for want of a better term, personalities. Your control over them will be of a more general, over-all fashion.
    “Here’s the way you’ll do it: ‘Harkos R52, take six men and try to knock out that guard post on the next
    street. Harkos R87’s platoon will converge with your detail and together you will go to the assistance of Harkos R210 two blocks to the north.’ That, Harkos, is the way you will direct your troops.”
    I leaned back, smiled, sipped my beer to the bottom of the mug, then called EnDera and asked her to please get us both a refill.
    “Do you understand the distinctions now?” KaphNo asked, sitting down.
    “I think I’m beginning to, but tell me, just how does this resonance business work—no, how will it seem to me? I guess is what I’m asking.”
    “I don’t think I can give you a definitive answer to that as yet. Oh, thank you.” EnDera had brought us the beer. “Never before has anyone attempted resonance control with so many'replicates. Experience in the past has dealt with no more than two or three replicates and their senior. But we know there are three levels of integration with your replicates.
    “RCL One—RCL stands for resonance-control level —RCL One would probably very closely coincide with your normal, waking, conscious operation. You will be very much ‘in your own head,’ as it were, and your directing of the replicates would be very analogous with the way a conventional commander in the field directs his troops: he uses radio and/or video; whereas you will be, well, directing by means of your thoughts, so to speak, your ‘sympathetic awareness,’ We doubt that this will be greatly taxing, and you