The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Demi-Urge, by Thomas Michael Disch

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Title: The Demi-Urge

Author: Thomas Michael Disch

Release Date: January 10, 2010 [EBook #30911]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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| Transcriber's note: |
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| This story was published in _Amazing Stories_, June 1963. |
| Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the |
| U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed. |
| |
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_As if one mystery of creation weren't enough,
there was the myth of ..._

_the Demi-Urge_

By THOMAS M. DISCH

From DIRA IV
To Central Colonial Board

There is intelligent life on Earth. After millennia of lifelessness,
intelligence flourishes here with an extravagance of energy that has
been a constant amazement to all the members of the survey team. It
multiplies and surges to its fulfillment at an exponential rate. Even
within the short period of our visit the Terrans have made significant
advances. They have filled their small solar system with their own kind
and now they are reaching to the stars.

We can no longer keep the existence of our Empire unknown to them.

And (though it is as incredible as [sqrt](-1)) the Terrans are slaves!
Every page of the survey's report bears witness to it.

Their captors are not alive. They do not, at least, possess the
properties of life as it is known throughout the galaxy. They are--as
nearly as a poor analogy can suggest--Machines! Machines cannot live,
yet here on Earth machinery has reached a level of sophistication--and
autonomy--quite unprecedented. Every spark of Terran life has become
victim and bondslave of