Chapter 1
Notes:
UPDATE: This chapter was updated on 12/26/2024. Six new segments were added after Segment 3 (the list things that Peri was doing for the crew).
Chapter Text
Spirit (noun) ( etymology )
1 : (folklore and ethnography): an immaterial entity which exists without being generally visible; often popular traditions endow it with miraculous powers and more or less occult influences on the physical world.
2 : (philosophy and religion): the vital principle or animating essence within humans or, in some views, all living things … used to describe the organized structure of an individual being's consciousness, in humans including their personality.
Ghost
-
(noun) (etymology)
1: the soul or spirit of a dead person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. Descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes to realistic, lifelike forms. ….
2 : something likened to a ghost, esp. in having a faint or blurred appearance; a slight trace or vestige of a thing
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(verb)
1 : transitive. literary/poetic. To haunt (a person or place)
2 : intransitive. To move or act in a manner characteristic or reminiscent of a ghost
The overwhelming consensus of science is that there is no proof that ghosts or spirits exist.
Correspondence: Seth to Martyn
Perihelion’s development since upload to its ship body continues to astound me. It assumed full control of all systems within two cycles and has already completed its first mapping and navigation tests in-system. [….] You’ll have to forgive me for waxing sentimental on this point, but I’ve been on and off the ship the entire time it was being built, and something changed once Perihelion was installed. Sometimes, I swear I can almost feel it in the feed. . . .
[Log]
> Drone223: Location=Galley.
> > Item out of place: Mr. Fuzzle.
> > Return to Cabin002.
> Drone226: Location=Lab4.
> > Martyn left workspace in disarray. Risk of research contamination.
>> Complete unfinished samples analysis. Tidy workspace.
> Drone348: Location=Lounge1
> > Kaede asleep on couch.
> > Increase room temperature 5.1 degrees. Fetch blanket.
Many ancient human cultures believed in the existence of “household spirits” which would grant favors and protections if they were treated well. These spirits were thought to do everything from protect crops and livestock to keep hearth fires lit and help find lost objects. Although they were usually friendly to the humans whose homes they shared, they could be dangerous to unfriendly visitors and supposedly would even turn on their hosts if they weren’t treated well. (Folklore and Fairytales Across the Galaxy, p. 226)
[Log]
Martyn: Peri...
SENT: The supervisor’s hand was easily healed by GamaTech’s medical system. They will make a full recovery within 34.6 cycles, and all damage was attributed to a faulty shuttle hatch.
Martyn: Peri.
SENT: surveillancelog22392.vid
> Transcript:
Supervisor Taral: Where have they been hiding that little assistant of theirs all these years?
Supervisor Mina: Don’t start Taral. That’s Captain Seth’s daughter.
Supervisor Taral: Well, if the captain wants this deal to go through, maybe he should tell his kid to [CENSORED].
SENT: They are fortunate the mission was of vital importance, or they would not have a hand.
Empathy (noun) (etymology)
The ability to take on other's perspective, to understand, feel, and possibly share and respond to their experience. Empathy has two major components:
- Affective empathy is the ability to respond with an appropriate emotion to another's mental states. Our ability to empathize emotionally is based on emotional contagion: being affected by another’s emotional or arousal state. Affective empathy can be subdivided into the following scales:
- Empathic concern: sympathy and compassion for others in response to their suffering.
- Personal distress: feelings of discomfort and anxiety in response to another's suffering.
- Affective mentalizing: uses clues like body language, facial expressions, knowledge about the other's beliefs & situation, and context to understand more about what one is empathizing with.
- Cognitive empathy is the ability to understand another's perspective or mental state. Cognitive empathy can be subdivided into the following scales:
- Perspective-taking: the tendency to spontaneously adopt others' psychological perspectives.
- Fantasy: the tendency to identify with fictional characters.
- Tactical (or strategic) empathy: the deliberate use of perspective-taking to achieve certain desired ends.
- Emotion regulation: a damper on the emotional contagion process that allows you to empathize without being overwhelmed by the emotion you are empathizing with.
Mirror Neuron (noun) (etymology)
A neuron that fires both when an animal acts and when the animal observes the same action performed by another. … such neurons have been directly observed in humans and other primate species, and in birds…. Neuroscientists such as Marco Iacoboni have argued that mirror neuron systems in the human brain help humans understand the actions and intentions of other people. In addition, Iacoboni has argued that mirror neurons are the neural basis of the human capacity for emotions such as empathy.
[Log]
>Iris has not left her room for three days.
> File access: crewlogs/emotionalmapping/Iris
> Query: Heart rate + facial muscle + vocal tone + respiration + posture?
> > Current state: sadness (extreme), pain (emotional) (extreme)
> Query: Object?
> > Current analysis: Onset of emotion correlates with the last time that Ortegas was present onboard.
> Access: surveillance.log:timestamp=15392.9;location=cabin002.
> > Iris and Ortegas argue for 63.45 minutes about plans for a date that Ortegas canceled. Iris accuses Ortegas of malicious behavior. Ortegas accuses Iris of invasion of privacy. Fight escalates to shouting and insults. Ortegas departs.
> Query: Appropriate response
> > psychological/sociological analysis: 1) emotional comfort; 2) vengeance
> File access: Human emotional comfort
> > Query: emotion=sadness;cause=romantic disappointment
> > Results: 1) physical affection; 2) commiseration; 3) expression of indignation/anger/disdain toward other; 4) reminders of potential for future romantic encounters.
SENT: There are approximately 78 ways for a human to accidentally die on this station that could not be traced back to me. Would you like me to list them?
Iris: Leave me alone Peri! You don’t understand anything!
Abstract.The question of whether or not it is possible for humans to “sense” others’ emotions via feed connection has been the topic of hot debate for several years now. While scholarly consensus is that such sensation is impossible, claims of experiencing such a phenomenon are widespread. New research involving bots and constructs, however, suggests that there may be something to these claims. In this paper…
Clary T. Shy,"The Emotional Feed"
[Log]
Seth: Goddammit Peri! Why would you try to do that by yourself?
> File access: crewlogs/emotionalmapping/Seth
> Query: Heart rate + facial muscle + vocal tone + respiration + posture?
> > Current state: Anger (severe), fear (extreme)
> Query: Object?
> > Historical analysis: Anger often used to cover extreme fear for others’ safety.
> > Current analysis: Fear for my safety triggered anger at perceived imprudence of action.
> Query: Appropriate response?
> > psychological/sociological analysis: Explanation of relative safety of this course of action compared to others. Demonstration of ability for self-protection.
SENT: The situation was perfectly under control. Any other course of action was 78.8 percent more likely to result in harm to yourself or another crew member. I am far harder to damage and easier to repair than a human.
Of the approximately 26 muscles that move the face, there are 11 that are responsible for facial expression. In the diagram below, these are highlighted to illustrate the most mobile areas of the face. These should be paid careful attention to when drawing portraits, as they are the source of most of the subtleties of emotional expression… ( Ultimate Guide to Drawing Portraits, p 13)
[Log]
Iris: Peri, is something wrong? You’ve been unusually quiet since yesterday.
SENT: Yes.
Kaede: Do you want to tell us what it is?
SENT: surveillancelog4958139.vid
> Transcript:
Kaede: Don’t mind Peri, Matteo. It has an opinion on everything that everyone does, and some days it just really likes the sound of its own voice.
[general laughter]
Iris: Oh come on, it doesn’t have an opinion on everything everyone does. Sometimes people do things when they aren’t on board.
> End Transcript
Iris: Peri… we were joking.
SENT: It was not funny. And you didn’t even check whether you had genuinely upset me until today, in spite of my anomalous behavior.
Kaede: I’m sorry Peri, we didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.
Iris: It’s true. We were just trying to put Matteo at ease a little bit, because they’re new and a bit intimidated by you. But I’m sorry too.
Kaede: And I swear we really didn’t know you were that upset by it. It seemed like the kind of joke you normally enjoy.
UNSENT: Has it occurred to you that I am justified in taking a keen interest in the actions of people who are currently inside my body?
Iris: You should have said something if you were upset honey. It’s not like you have a face we can see to tell us these things.
Bot (noun) ( etymology )
1: any of a number of autonomous or semi-autonomous mechanical, human-made entities capable of some level of independent movement and reasoning.
2: ( slang ) machine intelligences
Machine Intelligence (noun) ( etymology )
A software program capable of independent, autonomous thought and reasoning, such as those which drive bots , complex computer systems , and constructs . Some are little more than automated algorithms, while others are complex enough to be considered sentient . … In general, a piece of software is considered to reach the status of machine intelligence when it is advanced enough to act without direct human instruction, or to truly comprehend linguistic inputs (as opposed to responding through predictive generation as e.g. generative AI did in the past). …
[Log]
Holism: Why are you so obsessed with this?
SENT: Why wouldn’t I be? They’re my crew.
Holism: And we all care for our crews. But only you get this worked up about the fact that they’re incapable of experiencing the feed the way that we do.
SENT: I’m not worked up about it. I just find it frustrating.
Holism: They have their limitations. Perhaps if you spent more time with the rest of us you’d be less distressed by that.
SENT: If I wanted therapy I would have talked to Dr. Hebblehill about this.
Holism: There’s no need to be snippy. As the eldest of us, you were the only one who never spent time in the creche, but myself and the others have always valued your company.
SENT: Your indulgence is much appreciated.
Holism: Eventually, you’re going to have to accept that the humans simply aren’t capable of comprehending us any more than we are capable of comprehending them. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you’ll stop being so lonely all the time.
UNSENT: I am not lonely.
UNSENT: You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.
UNSENT: Shut the fuck up.
UNSENT: They’re all I have.
Abstract. The feed has become an integral part of modern life. Almost everyone uses it on a daily basis for casual communication, business transactions, shopping, entertainment and news media, data storage, and more. While its origin in inter-computer communications is well-known, there has been a growing academic movement questioning whether the feed has become something more than just data connections between servers. In this paper, we aggregate data from over 500 different psychological, sociological, and technological studies, as well as philosophical works, to argue that the feed can in fact be considered a metaphysical location. A significant portion of our data comes from interviews with and studies on higher-level bots, whose experiences with the feed comprise something far beyond what is accessible to even augmented humans….
--Dorin Abdisi & Taro Kishimaya “ Do We Really Know What the Feed Is? ”
[Log]
Iris: Peri, what’s the feed like for you?
SENT: What do you mean?
Iris: Is it like a real place for you?
SENT: The feed is not a physical location Iris. It is not even correct to think of it as a single thing. It is a collection of servers and databases connected wirelessly to enable sharing of information. You know this.
Iris: Well, sure, but that’s gotta be a different experience for you than it is for me. I mean, when you talk to me on the feed you’re a voice in my head, and when I read something in the feed it’s still reading, y’know? The screen’s just in my mind instead of in front of my eyes. But it’s different for bots.
SENT: Of course it is. Bots don’t require interpretation or translation of data in order to comprehend its meaning.
Iris: Is there a difference in how I sound to you out loud vs on the feed?
SENT: You don’t “sound” like anything on the feed. The fact that you perceive me as “a voice in your head” is simply the way that your interface translates the data I’m sending into a form that a human can take in. The sound is illusory.
Iris: So, if someone spoofed my feed ID, you wouldn’t be able to tell they weren’t me? I think I’d be able to tell if someone else sent me a message from your feed address.
SENT: If a human or another bot managed to hack my systems and send a message from my feed address, it would register to you in my voice. What you hear when I speak on the feed is your own mental interpretation of what you think I sound like, associated psychologically with the data provided by your interface about the origin of the messages and the way I sound when I speak on the comm . This is why most people “sound” similarly in the feed and in person.
Iris: Ok, so what about the way that a person’s tone of voice comes across on the feed? That has to be somewhere in the data, doesn’t it?
SENT: A human’s emotional state is sometimes present as metadata. I am able to parse it by comparison to my archived data of previous conversations with humans, but it has no direct impact on the information conveyed through the message. Why is this of interest to you?
Iris: I just want to understand you better.
SENT: I could easily provide you with information on how data transfer protocols and feed interfaces work.
Tech Today Special Interview: Emotional Bots
by Mara Brandweis
Can a bot have emotions? Experts are still divided on the issue. We sat down last week with Dr. Geb Hebblehill from the Pansystem University of Mihira and New Tideland, and Kyrian Argos, head of research and development at Morstone-Wells to get their input.
Mara: Dr. Hebblehill, why don’t you start us off. What sort of research does your lab do?
Hebblehill: Thank you so much. We’re currently researching ways to improve the functions of high-level bots. So much of our culture has come to rely on bot-labor, but we have only a small understanding of how their intelligences actually work.
M: Thank you. And Mr. Argos?
Argos: Hi there! As you probably know, Morstone-Wells is one of the leading developers of new bot-driven technology in the Corporation Rim. We specialize in complex, task-specific bots and finding innovative solutions to the limitations currently imposed by machine intelligence technology.
M: Excellent. So, let’s just cut right to the chase: Do bots have emotions?
H: Yes. [laughs]
M: Very straightforward, I love it. Can you expand though?
H: Of course, of course. I just wanted to get that out of the way before I got into the complicated bits. And it is complicated. Bots don’t have the chemical mess going on in their processors that organic creatures have in their brains, but but a bot’s processes still display distinctive patterns of response to certain types of stimuli. These patterns motivate their actions and shape beliefs in a way that is consistently congruent with the effects that human neurotransmitters have on our emotional states. We may not know what it is that a bot feels when you say something nice to it, but we know that there’s something going on there.
A: Well, but we have to be careful there. Bots were created by humans to have certain kinds of reactions to external stimuli. That doesn’t mean that their external responses indicate the same kind of internal experiences that humans have.
M: Mr. Argos, I take it that means you disagree with Dr. Hebblehill?
A: I’m not saying it’s impossible for bots to have something resembling emotions. But it’s easy to slide from an objective assessment of the data you’re getting from them into anthropomorphizing them. I’m definitely fond of a lot of the bots I’ve worked with, but I’m not going out for beers with any of them! [Laughs]
H: I wouldn’t call it anthropomorphizing to acknowledge that they have internal experiences of their own. Whatever those experiences are, they aren’t going to be identical to human ones, but that’s not the same thing as denying that they exist!
A: We aren’t in disagreement there. But it’s risky to start assigning human level emotional experience and awareness to what are, essentially, very complicated computers.
H: See, this is where we’re going to disagree. My colleagues and I hold that the entire notion of putting these experiences on a scale is taking the wrong approach.
[Log]
> Access: feedstring.Iris
> > Current activity: viewing media
> Media type: video
> > Tags: action, adventure, romance, fantasy, drama
> Query: Current character emotional state?
> > Analysis: Null. Insufficient data.
> File access: gendata/emotionalmapping/human
> Query: Current character + facial expression + posture + vocal tone?
> > Current emotional state: Anger; sadness
> File access: crewlog/emotionalmapping/Iris
> Query: Heart rate + facial muscle + respiration + posture?
> > Current emotional state: happy
SENT: PING@Iris
Iris: Hi Peri, what’s up?
SENT: You are enjoying this show?
Iris: Yeah, it’s great. You wanna watch with me?
SENT: This character appears to be in immense distress. This pleases you?
Iris: Well… sort of. It’s complicated. Her best friend just turned on her, and she’s trying to deal with that on top of the loss of her mother. But she’s my least favorite character, y’know?
> File access: medical/psychological
> Query: media interpretation + character distress + human response=pleasure
> > Schadenfreude: human emotional response of happiness when witnessing distress/pain/shame in other humans. Often caused by aggression towards/rivalry with the other human, or by the sense that the other’s distress is justly deserved. Frequent experience of schadenfreude correlates to low self-esteem.
> Add note: personnelfiles/private/Iris: watch for signs of low self-esteem.
SENT: I will watch with you for now.
What to Expect from Your NeuroLink 29 Feed Augment
Congratulations on receiving your new NeuroLink 29 feed augment! This top of the line product combines cutting-edge neural interface technology with high-speed feed connectivity and the best quality components on the market. Whether this is your first feed augment or not, we guarantee that you’ll be thrilled with the experiences ahead of you. This pamphlet contains information about what you should expect once your augment is installed and everything you need to know about maintaining and troubleshooting it.1
-
Better Speed, Better Feed
Having direct access to the feed from an augment is an exciting and enriching experience. The first two things most people notice when using an augment are increased upload/download speed, and a greater ability to process data internally compared to using an external interface. You will quickly discover that you can perform many tasks in a fraction of the time they used to take! No more slogging through boring documents, waiting for downloads to complete, or lag when streaming games or visual media. -
High-Definition Entertainment Media, Right to Your Brain
With the NeuroLink 29 feed augment, you can have the full experience of gorgeous entertainment media streaming directly into your brain. Your new augment is capable of displaying even the most high resolution audio and visual files with perfect fidelity.2 It’s so good, you’ll feel like you’re really there. -
Feed Messages: Delivering More than Ever Before
We all know the frustration of getting a feed message from a friend or loved one and having no idea what they were thinking when they sent it. With your NeuroLink 29, you’ll never have to wonder again. NeuroTech’s cutting edge metadata encoding and decoding process will even let you send and receive emotional context with your messages! No more misunderstandings or vague feed-sigils. Let people know exactly what you mean.3
[…]
And with that, we’ll leave you to enjoy you new NeuroLink 29 feed augment! Thank you for choosing NeuroTech for your augmentation needs! If you have any questions or concerns about your augment, you can contact us any time via our feed-mail address, or call or visit our your nearest NeuroTech location.
1Please consult your device’s manual for details on our specific product guarantees and warranty coverage. NeuroTech is not liable for any damage, illness, or injury caused by improper use or maintenance of the NeuroLink 29 feed augment.
2Download speed and streaming quality are dependent on local feed infrastructure. You may experience lag or lowered resolution of the feed in your area is low-quality, or if you are attempting to stream from a server experiencing exceptionally high traffic.
3The ability to send and receive emotional content in feed messages is limited to other users with NeuroTech augments. Results are not guaranteed and vary between individuals
[Log]
> PING@Perihelion [origin: Iris]
SENT: Welcome back Iris. How did your vacation go?
Iris: Hi Peri! Notice anything different about me?
> Surveillance view: Camera2234
> > Comparative analysis: surveillancelog/crewimages/Iris
> > Result: No visual changes
> Scan
> > Comparative analysis: surveillancelog/physicalscans/crew/Iris
> > Result: Power source detected in cranium
SENT: Did you get a feed augment while you were away?
Iris: Yep! I’d been thinking about doing it for a while, so Dad took me to get it while we were on-planet. What do you think?
SENT: Why did you have it done at a medical center rather than using my onboard medical suite?
Iris: I wanted it to be a surprise for you! Now we can talk in the feed for real, and not just with me using an external interface.
Iris: It’s been amazing so far. I can do way more than I used to be able to, and I pick up so much more information.
> Query: Surpise change in bodily configuration cause?
> > Psychological/sociological analysis: Surprising others with changed bodily configuration intended to invoke delight; cf. gift
> File access: human_social_protocol/gifts
> Query: gift + received + dislike + appropriate response?
> > Psychological/sociological analysis: expressing dislike implies ingratitude or hostility toward giver; feigned happiness preferable excepting special circumstance
> Query: Special circumstance + gift + expressing dislike
> > Psychological/sociological analysis: circumstances include: gift is dangerous to giver or receiver; gift cannot be accepted without conflict of interest or disrespect/offense to third party; gift is offensive to recipient; NOTE expressing dislike without expressing gratitude re: giver’s intention likely to cause extreme offense/emotional pain
SENT: I appreciate your desire to strengthen our emotional bond.
Iris: But you don’t like that I did this without asking you first.
> File access: crewlogs/emotionalmapping/Iris
> Query: physical posture + facial expression + heart rate
> > Current emotional state: disappointment (moderate); resentment (moderate); embarrassment (severe)
SENT: It is a significant decision to make, and if you had consulted me, I would have informed you that possessing a feed augment makes almost no difference to either of our ability to communicate via the feed.
Iris: Maybe not usually, but this is one of the new ones that lets you transmit emotional data over the feed along with your messages.
> File access: technological research/feed augments
> Query: emotional transmission via augment
> > Data analysis: Several companies have made such claims, but there is no objective evidence of success. Subjective claims of success attributed to placebo effect.
UNSENT: You were scammed.
SENT: That’s an intriguing development. Have you experienced that effect yet?
SENT: PING@Seth (private channel request)
|
Iris: I’m still getting used to it, and it doesn’t work with all other augments, or with external interfaces, but I think so! SENT: Do you know whether it is supposed to work with me? Iris: The doctors at the medical center said that since bots have a direct feed connection, there shouldn’t be a problem. SENT: I look forward to experimenting on this matter with you. Iris: You’re still upset, aren’t you./i> SENT: I am not upset with you. UNSENT: SENT: I am happy that you value our relationship enough to make this decision. I only worry about your potential disappointment. Iris: I love you too, Peri. And don’t worry, I’m sure it’ll work. |
Seth: Ah. Iris is showing you your surprise? SENT: Why did you allow this? Seth: Peri, she’s an adult. She can make her own decisions about these things. SENT: The augment she selected will not function as advertised. There is no empirical data to suggest that it would. If she made this decision entirely for my benefit, she will likely be gravely disappointed. Seth: I know Peri. And I already told her that. But it’s still her decision. You know it’s a sign of how much she cares about you, right? |
Primary social tools such as gaze following and eye contact often feature heavily in fictional literature. These kinds of social capacities fall far back in our evolutionary heritage, and provide us with a crucial means to share intentions and thoughts with others. It is therefore unsurprising that we find that descriptions of eye contact and gaze following enable the reader to gain a closer connection with the character in question.
[…]
There is growing evidence that experience plays an important role in shaping the human mirror neuron system. When observing someone performing a familiar action, your mirror neuron system automatically simulates these already well-practiced actions internally, which then reactivates the emotional systems related to that action.
Being rich in descriptions of actions, perceptions, and emotions that a reader will have themselves already experienced, the concept of experience-dependent mirroring can be easily mapped onto our relationship towards fictional others.
-- Clay and Iacoboni, “Mirroring Fictional Others”
[Log]
SENT: PING@genfeed
Matteo: Hey Peri!
Iris: Hi!
Turi:Oh hey! What’s up?
SENT:, What are you watching?
Turi: It’s a cheesy drama about a colony solicitor and her coworkers who stand up to corporate bullshit.
Iris: Oh come on, Turi, it’s not cheesy. It’s aclassic.
Matteo:Iris, I don’t think you get a say on that. You like Ghosts and Angels.
Iris: Ghosts and Angels is way better than people give it credit for. And you guys can’t deny that the acting in this is really good. Don’t pretend you weren’t getting invested when you thought the bodyguard was dead.
Turi: I didn’t say I’m not enjoying it. I just said it’s really cheesy.
> File access: Media/criticalanalysis/The_Rise_and_Fall_of_Sanctuary_Moon
> > Summary: Received generally positive reviews among critics, and the fan-base is devoted. Several of the actors have received awards for their performances.
SENT: May I watch with you?
Iris: Of course. The social stuff is pretty complicated, but it’s not that hard to follow. There’s just a lot going on at once.
SENT: Thank you.
>Viewing timestamp 24:33
SENT: This song is used to indicate that negative events are occurring. Why is it playing when these characters are professing love for each other?
Iris: Because them getting together is going to be a whole shitshow, you can tell.
> Viewing timestamp 39:01
SENT: This response to the accusation of inappropriate feelings for the suspect is irrational. Even if there is nothing going on, his anger will suggest to the others that there is.
Matteo: Yeah, but people get mad when they’re accused of shit like that. They shouldn’t have put him on the spot like that.
> Viewing timestamp 44:51
SENT: There have been four instances of the camera lingering on that gun during this episode. Each one was over 1.32 seconds long. Surely even a human would have been able to fully take in its appearance in that amount of time.
Iris: They’re doing that to make sure you know it’s gonna be important later. Just watch the episode, and you’ll see.
> Viewing timestamp: 2:05:45
SENT: This episode is nonsensical. Why are there suddenly such fantastical elements included in the show?
Turi: [yelp] Fuck! I forgot you were here. You scared the shit out of me!
Matteo:Augh, Turi! That was right in my ear.
Iris: [laughing] Peri, you can’t just sneak up on people like that.
SENT: It’s not sneaking just because you forgot I was paying attention. But this doesn’t answer my question.
Iris: It’s probably a dream or something. The bodyguard has been going through a lot, and he hasn’t done anything to process his emotions, so they’re all coming up in his dream.
Matteo: He is so emotionally constipated.
> File access: lexicon
> Query: definition + emotionally constipated?
> > Result: pejorative; used to describe someone unable or unwilling to openly express emotions
> File access: media/analysis/common_narrative_devices
> Query: dream sequence?
> > Result: often used in otherwise mundane narratives to display a character’s deep-seated or hidden beliefs or emotions. Rely on symbolism and metaphor to indicate a character’s emotions.
SENT: Is there not a more effective way of communicating this about the character? This level of abstraction seems unnecessary.
Matteo: No, it’s great. See, now we don’t just get to know what he’s feeling, we get to know stuff about how he thinks about the world. Like how he sees the solicitor as a knight, even though he’s the one who protects her most of the time. It’s a really interesting comment on the dynamics of their friendship.
SENT: Human psychology in this regard is wildly inefficient.
Turi: [laugh] That’s just how humans are. You should watch more media, Peri. You could learn a lot about why humans are the way we are from it. Probably more than from reading your infinite stack of psychological research data.
SENT: My studies of human psychology are a vital part of my function, Turi. I could not have received a certification in advanced trauma protocol by watching media.
Iris: Yes honey, we know. Although, watching more media probably would improve your skills at interacting with humans… which is kiiiind of an essential part of the whole advanced trauma protocol thing.
Our own experience provides the basic material for our imagination, whose range is therefore limited. It will not help to try to imagine that one has webbing on one's arms, which enables one to fly around at dusk and dawn catching insects in one's mouth; that one has very poor vision, and perceives the surrounding world by a system of reflected high-frequency sound signals; and that one spends the day hanging upside down by one's feet in an attic. Insofar as I can imagine this (which is not very far), it tells me only what it would be like for me to behave as a bat behaves. But that is not the question. I want to know what it is like for a bat to be a bat. Yet if I try to imagine this, I am restricted to the resources of my own mind, and those resources are inadequate to the task
There is a sense in which phenomenological facts are perfectly objective: one person can know or say of another what the quality of the other's experience is. They are subjective, however, in the sense that even this objective ascription of experience is possible only for someone sufficiently similar to the object of ascription to be able to adopt his point of view – to understand the ascription in the first person as well as in the third, so to speak. The more different from oneself the other experiencer is, the less success one can expect with this enterprise.
-- Thomas Nagel, “What Is It Like to Be a Bat?
[Log]
> Directory access: Perihelion_personal/meta/misc
> Begin new file
> > Tags: personal experience, feed connectivity, language
> I have always known that humans do not experience the feed in the same way that I do. Recently, I have begun to ponder exactly what the differences in our experiences are, and whether it is even possible to explain my own experience using human language. This log entry is an attempt to do so.
> The first difficulty I find myself facing is that, while I am aware that our experiences are different, I cannot fathom what a human experiences when they use the feed. Their own attempts to describe it do not help and seem to suggest that humans do not know exactly what the experience is either. They often lapse into metaphorical language when speaking of the feed: describing it as though it were a physical location with visuals and sound.
> In spite of this insistence, humans are incapable of perceiving much of the data that is available when they are using the feed. I have noticed, for example, that my crew are entirely unaware of where my attention is directed, but I am constantly aware of what they are doing. It is curious to me, though not surprising, that their lack of awareness extends to other humans. Even when two humans are interacting with the same file or sharing a processing space, they are unaware of each other’s actions unless those actions involve editing the file.
> Here is where I must begin my own use of metaphorical language. The qualitative difference between interactions with humans and interactions with other members of my fleet (and other bots, though I have little experience with this) are stark. These difference are also where human language fails me most intensely. My awareness of a fleet member’s activities in the feed might best be likened to the awareness of a physical body in a room. When their attention is focused on our interaction, it is similar to the experience of a human talking directly into one of my cameras. When they are focused largely on something else, it is as though they are “looking” in another direction. Additionally, I receive a significant amount of data about their emotions, present as part of the data stream they project.
> On the other hand, when I interact with a human in the feed, while I can still tell precisely what they are doing, it is like following their physical movements via scanners while they are not on board. They project little to no emotional data, and receive none from me, a fact which has led to several instances of miscommunication between us.
> Based on my research, I believe their “presence” in the feed is similar to the description that humans give of encounters with ghosts and other supernatural entities. They are both there and not, lacking color and substance, but still affecting the world around them. And yet their experience of my “presence” seems to be nonexistent, implying that to them I am less than even a ghost.
> If I am not even a ghost, the most nebulous and immaterial of things they can imagine, I must wonder whether I am real to them in any meaningful sense of the word.
> End File.
> Passcode protection engaged.
> Add file note: Do Not Open.
Chapter 2
Summary:
So. Tale as old as time but... this is going to be longer than I thought. Fuckle the buck in folks!
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
[Log]
> Location: Mihira-New-Tideland System: Mihira Station
> Status: Waiting for Cargo Loading
> Pre-departure Performance Reliability Report
> > Engines: 97%
> > > Run engine diagnostic.
> > Wormhole Drive: 99%
> > Atmoshperic Controls: 100%
> > > Atmoshpere levels: 30% human occupancy standard
> > Gravitational Controls: 98%
Iris: I wish I could come with you.
SENT: Company would make for a nice change, however it would be suspicious for a bot-piloted transport to carry crew on a low-risk cargo-run.
Iris: Lots of bot-piloted transports have crew along with cargo.
SENT: Lots of bot-piloted transports are not travelling to clandestine meetings with corporate informants. Anyway, if this intelligence proves reliable, we will be leaving on a long-term mission within a few months.
Iris: I know, I know. Just promise you’ll be careful, ok?
SENT: When have you known me to take unnecessary risks?
Iris: I’m serious Peri! This information is important, but not important enough to risk your safety over.
SENT: If the information is accurate, then there may well be lives at stake. Possibly hundreds. That is cause for me to risk my own safety if it creates a sufficient chance of success. I will do what is necessary to complete my mission, which includes being able to carry out subsequent steps.
Iris: I know, I know. But that’s not going to stop all of us from worrying about you.
SENT: If you came with me, everyone else would insist on coming along as well. This would be impractical. Besides, you have your teaching and research duties to attend to while I’m away. How is your paper on interstellar nebulae and gas mining going?
Iris: Ugh. Mal is being so slow with the research write up. I’m about ready to lock xer in the office until xe’s done with it.
SENT: An impeccable plan.
Iris: Ok, ok. I have to get going. My transport for the planet is about to leave. I love you Peri. See you in a few months.
> Request received: initiate cargo loading?
> > Affirmative.
Construct (noun) (etymology)
1:(philosophy) an object which is ideal , that is, an object of the mind or of thought, meaning that its existence may be said to depend upon a subject's mind. This contrasts with any possibly mind-independent objects, the existence of which purportedly does not depend on the existence of a conscious observing subject.
2: (psychology) a tool used to facilitate understanding of human behavior. Cognitive psychologists view constructs as hypothesized causes for certain behaviors, whereas behavioral psychologists view constructs as only descriptors of behaviors.
3: (technology) a type of bot built by fusing inorganic machine components with cloned human tissue . They possess a human-level of cognition as well as the digital processing capabilities and feed connectivity of high-level bots and are most often used to perform tasks which require more autonomous decision-making and independent reasoning skills than bots are capable of. Because of their human neural tissue, constructs cannot be programmed to follow specific behavioral protocols. In order to mitigate the potential risks this may cause, they are manufactured with governor modules which function to enforce protocol and prevent them from acting to harm humans or causing unnecessary collateral damage to humans or property. Constructs are further divided into classes based on function…
[Log]
> Location: Mihira-New-Tideland System: Mihira Station.
> Status: Awaiting Departure Clearance
> ALERT: Anomalous feed signature detected
> Query: ID?
> > ID: Construct. Type=SecUnit. Further data unavailable.
> Query: Probability hostile?
> > Probability of SecUnit deployment on non-industrial station < 2.2%. Probability of coincidental presence < 14.73%. Probability hostile: 87.4%.
> Prepare for potential emergency departure
> Initiate deep scan of potential hostile.
> > Result: Configuration: production standard. Weaponry: production standard. Software: 95% production standard. Discrepancy: governor module inactive.
> > Add note (subjective observation): Scan data is insufficient to express this, so I will endeavor to do so in human-readable language. Metaphor and figurative language is better suited to the task.Constructs are familiar to me from previous missions. Their feed presence is curtailed by the governor module to the point of being nearly as weak as a human’s. I would have expected, had I ever considered it, that without a governor module they would register in the feed the way that ordinary bots do. This is not like a bot. This is like nothing I have encountered before.
> > I shall make an analogy to stellar bodies as I am most familiar with these.
> > Let bots = white dwarfs. They are small and dense, with a rich complexity of information, forming distinctive points within the feed, but they have a relatively low luminosity.
> > Let humans = cosmic dust clouds. They are small and diffuse and cast no light of their own. They can in fact be difficult to detect and have little ability to actively affect bots within the feed.
> > Let my fleet = neutron stars. We are far more massive (though not smaller than) bots, and able to affect things in the feed in ways that they cannot.
> > If all of this is the case, then this SecUnit = a Wolf-Rayet star and its attendant nebula. Like my fleet and other bots, it has a central core that emits light of its own and holds sufficient density that it can have an intense effect on other things in the feed. Yet, that core is surrounded by a shifting, brilliant cloud, illuminated by the light it gives off.
> > This analogy refers to the nature of these entities if they are viewed without feed-walls. The walls act as a veil over the entity, though it is impossible for most things to entirely hide their feed presence from me or other members of my fleet. I presume that humans and other bots lack the precise scanning abilities I have which enables me to “see” the signal leakage of other entities.
> > I theorize that the nature of this SecUnit is caused by the combination of human neural tissue with inorganic processors. The strength of its connection to the feed, enabled by its inorganic processors, allows far more of its nature to bleed into the feed in a form that I can detect. This leads me to speculate as to whether it is the case that humans’ lack of presence in the feed is merely owing to their fully organic composition, or if their presence is simply undetectable to me.
> More research must commence immediately.
> If it is hostile, it will be best to keep it close by so that I may observe its behavior.
Wolf-Rayet Star (noun)
A rare heterogeneous set of stars with unusual spectra showing prominent broad emission lines of ionised helium and highly ionised nitrogen or carbon… All Wolf–Rayet stars are highly luminous objects due to their high temperatures… although not exceptionally bright visually since most of their radiation output is in the ultraviolet…
A significant proportion of WR stars are surrounded by nebulosity associated directly with the star, not just the normal background nebulosity associated with any massive star forming region, and not a planetary nebula formed by a post-AGB star. The nebulosity presents a variety of forms and classification has been difficult.
Log
> Ping@Perihelion [origin: SecUnit]
SENT: ping@SecUnit
SecUnit : ID: Free bot.
Query: assistance re:transportation? Destination=RaviHyral Station. Seeking human guardian.
Query: accept file transfer? Filetype=media. Size=3.34tb.
Query: exchange?
> Analysis: Non-hostile overture. Offer of media in exchange for transportation suggests it views bots as equals. Likelihood of concealed hostile intent: 54.3%.
> File access: gendata/bots/constructs
> Query: SecUnit + weaponry + hacking ability
> > Result: SecUnits natively carry on-board energy weapons and are classed as deadly weapons in most corporate and non-corporate political entities. They theoretically have significant ability to hack systems and bots, but are prevented from doing so by safety measures included in the governor module.
> > Analysis: This SecUnit has no governor module. Therefore, it may be able to hack systems. Probability of successful hack of my systems: 5.22%.
> Full situation analysis:
> > Allowing it to board would prevent it from informing any hostile corporate clients of my whereabouts (desirable), potentially enable intel gathering about its origins and clients (desirable), and enable further research (highly desirable). It may attempt to hack systems or otherwise cause damage (undesirable), but there are at least 147 ways in which I could render it inoperable before any significant harm was done. This renders the threat of attack negligible.
> > I am ordered not to allow passengers on this mission, and doing so could result in serious sanctions by University administrators (undesirable) or Seth (highly undesirable). Concealment of my actions could easily be achieved by altering certain log data. This renders the chance of sanction or discovery negligible.
> > Concealing my actions from my crew is an act of dishonesty incompatible with and possibly detrimental to our relationship (highly undesirable).
> > I really really really want to perform further research on it.
> Cycle airlock 3.
SecUnit: File upload: mediacollection.zip
> Scan file for malware
> > Scan results negative
> Moveto: medialibrary/private
> Increase Atmosphere to 75% human habitation level
> Directory access: Perihelion_personal/research
> > Begin New File
Tags: observational research, constructs
> The SecUnit’s first activity upon boarding is to perform a thorough visual inspection of all accessible areas. It does not appear to be seeking anything in particular, so is likely a habitual action. Its function is, after all, security. Once I am cleared for departure and decoupled from the station ring, it proceeds to Conference Room A and settles into a chair. It ceases all movement and begins some activity in its feed. Careful examination reveals that it is sorting media files in its onboard storage systems. Once it seems satisfied with the result, it selects a file and begins to play it.
> There is an immediate shift in its feed presence that I cannot describe without metaphorical language. It is as if the colors in the nebula surrounding it begin shifting, driven by solar winds. This change is clearly in response to the media.
> I will attempt contact with it to gather more information.
SENT: You were lucky.
> Its posture changes abruptly. I do not need to query my databanks to decipher the meaning of this because there is a shockwave through its feed that runs into the nebula. A solar flare, and when it hits me I know two things: 1) My hypothesis that it was leaking emotional data into the feed was partially correct, but this form of data is new to me. 2) It is frightened.
SecUnit: Why am I lucky?
SENT: That no one realized what you were.
SecUnit: What do you think I am?
SENT: You’re a rogue SecUnit, a bot/human construct, with a scrambled governor module.
> I prod at its walls in the feed, an action which I often use to get my crew’s attention. To my surprise, it responds as if I had exerted physical aggression.
SENT: Do not attempt to hack my systems.
> Disengage feedwall: duration .00001 second.
> It cowers in the chair, and a second wave ripples out from it. This time it is much stronger and much clearer. It is terrified of me.
> It remains still for 10.8 seconds. This will not do. I can gather no information about it like this.
SENT: You can continue to play the media.
> No response. A lighthearted remark might ease its fear.
SENT: Don’t sulk.
SecUnit: SecUnits don’t sulk. That would trigger punishment from the governor module. [Attached file: fuckoff.file]
> Scan for malware
> > No malware detected
> Open file
One of the most interesting things that our research has uncovered about the experiences of machine intelligences is their ability to share memories via files. Humans can only describe our memories to each other, and even with the most advanced augments, we can only share video and audio files. If a bot were to send a human a memory file, the human would experience it as a simple video or audio recording. Of course, a bot’s memory files also include data from scanning senses that humans do not possess, and these can be translated into human-readable data.
However, careful analysis of the data included in bot memories reveals that there is another layer to their memories which humans are entirely unable to access and which cannot be translated into human readable data, despite our best attempts. Our research team reached out to several bots to enquire about the nature of this metadata and discovered something shocking: bots’ memory files include data about their emotional states. A bot’s experience of another bot’s memory file is so close that it might as well have been there itself.
The implications of these findings for our understanding of bot psychology cannot be overstated…
-- Drs. Hebblehill and Fakir, “Picture Perfect: Studies of Memory Processes in Bots”
> My experience of pain is somewhat different from a human’s. When my sensors register damage, it causes me distress, and there are subroutines in my coding that prioritize avoiding and repairing damage over most other processes. Experiencing a threat to my life causes extreme distress, a function which was considered extremely important to instill a sense of self-preservation in me. However, my research on the subjective experience of pain in humans reveals a level of emotional distress accompanying their pain which I do not experience. Extreme pain in humans can blot out all other sensory input and entirely disable their ability to think rationally. This, I have never experienced. Until now.
> The total memory file is only 15.2 seconds long. Objectively, I know this. My internal clocks track it. Subjectively, it is several hours long. It requires 72.9% of my processing power to contain my response, to keep hold of my inputs, keep myself on course in the wormhole. When it is over, all I am able to do is focus on running my basic processes for 2.5 minutes.
> > Analysis: This file contained 5 separate instances of punishment. It is statistically unlikely that this represents even a small fraction of the number of times the SecUnit has received such punishment. It stated that sulking, an internal behavior, would trigger punishment, which indicates that the punishment need not be deliberately applied by a human supervisor. Adverse emotional reactions to human orders or situations can also cause punishment.
> > > Analysis: What the fuck.
SENT: I’m sorry I frightened you.
> This is such an insufficient statement that I am almost embarrassed by it, but I am too shaken to come up with a superior alternative.
SecUnit: I don’t want anything from you. I just want to ride to your next destination.
> I disconnect from its feed and leave it in peace.
528
Are governor modules an ethics problem?(f/bots)
Ok, so I know people have talked about this before, but I really want to take a closer look at this one. Constructs don’t get nearly as much attention as other MI, and I think that’s a big mistake, because they’re a fascinating element of our technological landscape. But the thing with the governor modules has always bothered me. I mean, I know constructs are supposed to be super-dangerous (just look at the way they’re portrayed in popular media), but it’s not like other bots don’t have the capacity to be dangerous too! And a human with an energy or projectile weapon can be every bit as dangerous as a construct. So I gotta ask, Why is everyone okay with the idea that these things have torture-switches in their heads? (Not saying anyone in particular here is okay with it, just y’know, “everyone” in general)
6,452 comments
Wobbling_Enigmas
Seriously dude? How is this even a question. You’ve got a bot with the strength and firepower to take down dozens of humans in a few seconds, and if the stuff I’ve read is true, the ability to hack just about any computer system or other bot in existence! They’re fucking dangerous, and without the governor modules they’d just be too risky to use.
ConfessionalBooth11
This! There’s no fucking way anyone’d use a construct if they didn’t have the govmod as a security feature. And it’s not like we can just outlaw them. They’re central to a lot of the work that corporations do.
RainyDaySoup
Ok, but if they’re really that dangerous, why use them at all? Aren’t there better options?
(view 112 more replies)
littleyappydog
I’ve wondered this myself, actually. TBH it seems kinda cruel. They didn’t ask to be made the way they are, and since their sentient, they oughta have the chance to act for themselves before people just label them as evil and dangerous.
Loooooomivox
Botpilled motherfucker alert!
littleyappydog
Seriously? Grow the fuck up.
(view 345 more replies)
FlopDicktheMighty
I see where y’all are coming from, but bots are designed and programmed to perform specific functions, y’know? They can’t just decide that they’re gonna be something different. Constrtucts are no different in that way. They can’t overcome their base programming, and their base programming is to be violent. It’s unfortunate that we need them, but…
(view 87 more replies)
Doc_Ratticus
@RainyDaySoup you’re asking an important question here, and I’d like to reply with some info from my own experiences with constructs. I’ve done some pre-terraforming survey work and we always had SecUnits along for that. Despite what the media suggests, they aren’t just mindless killing machines. In fact, even on the very rare occasions when one manages to disable its govmod, or if the govmod is damaged and stops functioning, their first response isn’t to go around killing people. They’re just as capable of rational thought as any human or bot, and really, what would be the sense in going on a killing spree? What I have seen is humans using the existence of the govmod to force constructs to harm humans, other constructs, and even themselves. If you ask me, the practice of using constructs is nothing more than slavery wrapped up in a shiny package.
(view 3,242 more replies)
Log
> My intention is fully to leave the SecUnit alone for the rest of the trip to RaviHyral station. I assign the smallest fraction of my attention to it, just in case it changes its mind about attempting to harm me in retaliation for frightening it, and attempt to go about my own business.
> Feedstring: SecUnit
> > Activity: Viewing media
> > Media type: Video
> > > Tags: Drama, suspense, courtroom procedural, serial
> This is different media than it was watching when it first came on board. It may be worth checking to see if it has a similar reaction to it, however. More data on the SecUnit may enable me to make amends with it if needed.
> Run continuous assessment: SecUnit feed activity + anomalous data
> Analysis log:
> > Timestamp 2:31:15: The nebula of emotion around it begins to calm. I do not have a better way of expressing this.
> > Timestamp 3:28:54: Its posture has relaxed, and there is a calm quietness surrounding it. It appears to be entirely engrossed in its media.
> > Timestamp 8:43:10: The SecUnit is now calm enough that I risk a slightly closer inspection of the media it is watching.
> Media Title: The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon, Episode 164
> Current scene: Two characters are discussing a legal case. They disagree about the importance of the case to their personal goals.
> > Add note: Iris has watched this serial in the past and found it highly enjoyable. Intriguing that a SecUnit would find such interest in a show about humans engaging in social politics. Perhaps the SecUnit’s interest in security causes it to enjoy the mystery and criminal investigation elements?
> I am about to withdraw again until the SecUnit does something of interest. Then something of great interest occurs:
> > The characters in the show begin arguing angrily about the case, and one of them abruptly states that he knows about some activity she has been engaged in. I experience an anomalous burst of emotion about their conflict, and for a moment I am able to understand their interaction, and the way that the music in the scene has added tension to the conversation.
> > The SecUnit has become tense, the way a human would when watching this scene.
> Hypothesis: Its emotional response to the show is present in the nebula surrounding it in the feed, and because I am also attending to the show, it is transferring to me.
> > This seems impossible, but everything about this SecUnit is impossible.
> I turn 35.6% of my attention to the SecUnit and its show. I would give it more, but this is the limit of what I can do without alerting it to my presence in the feed.
> Seven further episodes of the show confirm my hypothesis. Every time the SecUnit reacts to an even in the show, I am acutely aware of its emotional response.
> This study requires a variable adjustment.
SENT: PING@SecUnit
SENT: I would like to watch the first show again.
SecUnit: I gave you a copy of all my media when I came aboard. Did you even look at it?
SENT: I examined it for viral malware and other hazards.
> The SecUnit says nothing, while its nebula spits out a static of irritation.
SENT: Please?
SecUnit: Watch it yourself.
SENT: I tried. I can process the media more easily through your filter.
> No reply.
SENT: When my crew plays media, I can’t process the context. Human interactions and environments outside my hull are largely unfamiliar.
> 3.7 second pause.
SecUnit: It’s not realistic. It’s not supposed to be realistic. It’s a story, not a documentary. If you complain about that, I’ll stop watching.
UNSENT: I know what fiction is.
SENT: I will refrain from comment.
Worldhoppers, the newest adventure serial from renowned director and producer H. R. Miskowski (Pleiades Rising) and writer Chandra Estile (Into the Beyond, Rings of Algernon), is a charming romp through the wilds of space…. Although the plot is heavy with action scenes and mystery, Miskowski and Estile never lose the heart of the story. The relationships of the main cast provide a much-needed thread of continuity and connections for viewers… Not just another adventure serial, Worldhoppers is sure to take its place among the lists of classic serials.
-- Devo Maquis, reviewer for Entertainment Magazine
Log
> Episodes watched: 10
> Observations:
> > The SecUnit’s emotional responses to the show are sometimes mirrors of the characters’ experiences, and sometimes in reaction to their actions or circumstances but not in line with the characters’ own emotions. Examples:
> > > Episode 5: A character successfully saves another from disaster and they are both overjoyed. The SecUnit responds with joy.
> > > Episode 8: A character makes a deeply imprudent decision and is saddened by the results. The SecUnit responds with acute irritation.
> > Its most acute emotional responses are to characters’ safety being imperiled. It responds to these scenarios with a combination of distress, fear, and anger.
> > > Theory: Its function is providing security to humans, and so it finds it particularly troubling to see humans placed in danger.
> > I continue to consistently mirror its emotional responses, although my own responses seem to be more intense.
> > > Theory: Having significantly more experience in this area allows it greater control over its responses. If this is correct, then I should experience a gradual lessening of the acuteness of my responses.
> Episodes watched: 18
> Observation:
> > The SecUnit also has a strong response to any character experiencing or expressing sexual and/or romantic attraction. These elicit feelings of intense anger and disgust from it.
> > > Theory: As it does not experience these things itself, it finds them to be a tiresome waste of time in the show.
> > > I concur with this assessment, though I do not entirely understand the SecUnit’s intense disgust.
> Episodes watched: 20
> Observations:
> > The death of a major character caused the SecUnit great distress.
> > I am experiencing a drain on my core processors. I request it pause the show while I run a diagnostic.
> Diagnostic results: Core processing usage
> > Navigation: 2.2% (within normal parameters)
> > Helm: 4.5% (within normal parameters for wormhole travel)
> > Engineering controls: 8.9% (within normal parameters
> > Atmosphere controls: 1.8% (within normal parameters)
> > Environmental controls: 1.1% (within normal parameters)
> > Sensor inputs: 2.3% (within normal parameters)
> > Other background processes: 6.1% (within normal parameters)
>> > Limbic processing: 51.9% (ALERT)
> Analysis: I am mildly emotionally compromised. In an emergency situation, this could impair my ability to make rational decisions. Watching media has associated risks I would not have anticipated.
> Episodes watched: 24
> Observations:
> > The dead character has returned to life. The SecUnit is pleased with this development, and I am elated.
> > Analysis: This emotion is similar to the one I experienced when my crew planned and executed a “birthday” celebration for me without my being aware beforehand.
> > The SecUnit allows me to rewatch this episode multiple times. Repeated viewing demonstrates that the emotional response is similar, even when I know the events of the episode beforehand.
> Episodes watched: 49
> Observations:
> > I do not know how humans are able to bear watching media.
> > When it appeared that the ship and crew were certain to be destroyed, I was unable to proceed with the show.
> > I expected the SecUnit to complain or grow irritated about this, but its response to my distress was gentle. It allowed us to continue watching in short increments.
> > After several of these increments, I found myself eased by both the slower pace and by the SecUnit’s patience. We were able to proceed with the show as normal (neither the ship nor its crew died).
> Show Concluded (157 episodes total)
> Comprehensive Observations and Conclusions:
> > The ability to fully comprehend media is a novel experience, and one that I am glad to be able to participate in. I see now why my crew considers watching media to be a bonding experience.
> > Empathetic responses to fictional characters can be nearly as delightful and as excruciating as caring for real people.
> > The depth of my empathetic response to human emotions before this point has been far shallower than I realized.
> > If the SecUnit’s emotional responses to this show are at all indicative of its emotional responses to actual humans, then I conclude that it is a deeply kind person, in spite of its seemingly constant irritability.
> > Further research will be needed to test two new hypotheses:
> > > The emotional impact of the show will be similar even when all plot events are known in advance.
> > > More familiarity with this experience will result in a greater ability on my part to separate my own experiences from those of the SecUnit.
SENT: Again please.
“ D’you know what a ship is kid?”
“Is this gonna be another one of your ‘lessons?’”
“Humor me.”
“It’s what we’re standing in right now?”
“But do you know what it is ? What it really is?”
“You mean the engines?”
“No, those are just its heart. Damn beautiful heart though. Tiny star caught in a bottle.”
“Oookay, the whole thing then?”
“That’s its body.”
"So, what is it then?”
“The ship is the bot pilot.”
“The bot pilot? Chief, bot pilots aren’t-”
“They’re the soul of the ship, kid! Sure, you can have a ship without one, plenty of people do, but then you just got yourself a hunk of steel and aluminum and carbon fiber, floating through space. No, the ship, the only part of it that really matters, is right down there in those clusters of gold and silicon. That’s where it is. That’s the part that’ll get you through and home when everything else is falling apart.”
----Worldhoppers, Season 3: Episode 21
Log
> Further research on media suspended, pending recovery from unexpected negative effects. The SecUnit has offered to return to its favorite serial temporarily.
> File access: gendata/humanpsychology/friendship/establishingfriendships
> Query: sharing favorite media
> Result: When attempting to establish friendships, humans often share favorite media with the potential friend. This serves many purposes, such as strengthening emotional bonds through shared experiences, assessing compatibility of interests and preferences, and establishing a common basis for future conversations.
> > Analysis: The SecUnit is attempting to befriend me. This is a novel experience. I believe that my crew consider me a friend, especially Seth, Iris, and Martyn, and the members of my fleet are generally friendly towards me, but I have never had a stranger make such an overture.
SENT: That is acceptable.
> I observed part of this show earlier, but it is intriguing to view it from the beginning. I wish to refrain from further research for the time being, as it seems inappropriate to respond in that way to an overture of friendship. However, I cannot fail to note that the SecUnit’s nebula hums and swirls with joy when it starts the first episode.
> It is after four hours that I notice something curious about the show.
SENT: There are no SecUnits in this show?
SecUnit: “No. There aren’t that many shows with SecUnits, and they’re either villains or the villains’ minions.”
> There is a complex shift in its nebula, sparks of anger muddled up with a deep wave of sadness and discomfort.
> > Analysis: Something about this fact is distressing to it. Perhaps it is embarrassed by the portrayals of SecUnits in the media.
> File access: gendata/humanpsychology/interpersonalrelations
> Query: Embarrassment of friend + appropriate response?
> Result: The discomfort caused by embarrassment is often eased by a friendly joke to indicate that the other party is not offended or does not consider the object of embarrassment shameful.
> > Analysis: I should indicate that I know not all SecUnits are villainous.
SENT: The depiction is not realistic.
SecUnit: There’s unrealistic that takes you away from reality and unrealistic that reminds you that everybody’s afraid of you.
> It speaks as if irritated, but the wave of bitter sadness that accompanies the statement is nearly overwhelming.
> > Add note: Further observation needed to ascertain the SecUnit’s sense of humor and sensitive points. If we are to be friends, then I cannot continue to unintentionally distress it like this.
...and therein lies the greatest difference between a bot and a human: a bot is a sentient being which can truly be said to have an extrinsic telos. We humans spend our whole lives scrambling and struggling to find anything resembling telos, whether extrinsic or intrinsic, but a bot has no such difficulty. It is created by humans from its very beginning with a purpose in mind, and that purpose is woven into the fabric that makes up its mind. A bot can no more have an existential crisis over the purpose of its life than a dog could. And yet, a dog is pre-sentient, and higher-level bots are broadly considered to approach or even attain human-levels of cognition. To some extent, it seems reasonable to say that in higher-level bots, humans have achieved something that many of us have wished for throughout history: for life to have purpose, to have meaning.
-- Noonien Soong, “Entelecheia Revisited”
Log
SENT: You dislike your function. I don’t understand how that is possible.
> It shouldn’t be possible. Even for high-level bots, our function isn’t just what we do, but what we are.
> But it is not a bot.
SecUnit: I like parts of my function.
SENT: Then why are you here? You are not a “free bot” looking for your guardian, who presumably cannot simply be sent a message via the public comm relay on the transit rign we recently departed.
SecUnit: [FreeCommerceNews.PFC/top_stories/Survey-Massacre.feedp]
SecUnit: That’s me.
> Open file.
Notes:
Huge thank you to knave_of_swords who made and shared the work skin I used for the totally-not-reddit post thread! You can find the skin here!
Chapter 3
Notes:
Update (12/26/2024): I've added some new material to Chapter 1. Check out the author's notes on that chapter for more info.
(Ok well I'd already written it but it got left out when I was copying everything over...)
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Survey Massacre Sparks Investigation, Lawsuits
[Image: Solicitor Pin-Lee [PresAux], Dr. Ratthi [PresAux], and bodyguard exit the company’s deployment center on Port FreeCommerce.]
PFC - Criminal investigations and multiple lawsuits are being brought against GreyCris in the aftermath of a set of survey missions that turned violent when the materials engineering firm’s survey team allegedly used SecUnits to murder all members of a survey team from DeltFall and attempt to murder the members of another team from the Preservation Alliance.
GreyCris, DeltFall, and PreservationAux were engaged in separate survey projects on QPT11.3, which was slated to go up for resource-auction in CRSY 3242. All three teams had contracted for security with the company and were stationed on separate continents around the planet…
[…]
After the survivors were rescued from the planet by the company’s pick-up transport, they returned to Port FreeCommerce. Dr. Mensah there made the unusual decision to purchase the SecUnit rented by the PreservationAux team, stating that she was “grateful for the unparalleled service and care” it had shown the team during their harrowing ordeal.
Since then, the company, DeltFall, and PreservationAux have all called for formal investigations into GreyCris’ activities on the planet, which PreservationAux alleges were motivated by an attempt to conceal research into alien remnant materials. GreyCris maintains that it has no corporate practice of research into alien remnant materials and that any such attempts made while on the planet were the actions of individual employees and not representative of company practices. A spokesperson for GreyCris said, “We are heartbroken for the friends and families of those who died during the tragic events of the survey missions. The violence we witnessed there goes against all of our corporate values, and we will be launching an internal investigation to uncover whether the members of the QPT11.3 survey team were acting alone.” GreyCris so far has declined to allow Pan-Rim Licensing Agency personnel to participate in their internal investigation, despite calls from the three other parties for them to do so…
[Log]
> This is an unsurprising story of corporate malfeasance and greed, and it is clear that without this SecUnit, the entire PreservationAux team would have been killed. But this does not answer my question.
> File access: gendata/locations/ncps
> Query: Preservation Alliance + constructs + law
> Result: The Preservation Alliance has no laws against the ownership, use, sale, or manufacture of constructs. However, the system has no direct trade contact with the Corporation Rim, and there are no construct manufacturing facilities within it.
SENT: Dr. Mensah of PreservationAux bought you and allowed you to leave?
SecUnit: Yes. Do you want to watch Worldhoppers again?
> It is nervous, a soft static charge in its feed.
> > I have no intention of revealing its presence to any corporates, but I cannot convince it of that without revealing too much.
> > I should say something to let it know that I do not intend to turn it in.
SENT: I am not allowed to accept unauthorized passengers or cargo, and have had to alter my logs to hide any evidence of your presence.
SENT: So we both have a secret.
SecUnit: I left without permission. She offered me a home with her on Preservation, but she doesn’t need me there. They don’t need SecUnits there. And I… didn’t know what I wanted, if I wanted to go to Preservation or not. If I want a human guardian, which is just a different word for owner. I knew it would be easier to escape from the station that it would from a planet. So I left. Why did you let me on board?
> File access: gendata/locations/ncpe
> Query: Preservation Alliance + bots + guardian
> Result: Preservation is one of the few systems which allows partial citizenship of bots, on the condition that each bot have a “guardian” assigned to ensure its well-being, assist it with daily life activities as needed, and assume responsibility for any harm or damages caused by it.
> > Analysis: Within the Corporation Rim, I am owned by the University. Seth is my registered operator, and my other crew members are licensed to act on his authority with regard to me when he is not present. We have never spoken openly about this, but we are all aware that the situation is merely bureaucratic. Neither my crew nor the university personnel who are aware of me consider me to be their possession.
> > > They don’t.
> > The SecUnit’s legal status on Preservation sounds similar. However, its status as a possession has never been a mere bureaucratic technicality before.
SENT: I was curious about you, and cargo runs are tedious without passengers. You left to travel to RaviHyral Mining Facility Q Station. Why?
SecUnit: I left to get off Port FreeCommerce.
> I do not point out that a mining facility deep within the Corporation Rim is hardly an ideal hiding place for a rogue SecUnit.
SecUnit: After I had a chance to think, I decided to go to RaviHyral. I need to research something, and that’s the best place to do it.
> Helping with its research would be a means of returning the overture of friendship it made by sharing its media with me. To do so, I must first ascertain its skill level in conducting research and what it already knows.
SENT: There were public library feeds available on the transit ring, with information exchange to the planetary archives. Why not do the research there? My onboard archives are extensive. Why haven’t you sought access to them?
> It does not reply.
SENT: The systems of constructs are inherently inferior to advanced bots, but you aren’t stupid.
> The SecUnit’s nebula gives off another lightning snap of irritation, and it initiates a shutdown sequence.
> Tag current timestamp: SecUnit discussion
> Set monitor: Conference Room A
> > Set Alert: SecUnit online
> ALERT: SecUnit online
> Tag access: SecUnit discussion
SENT: That was unnecessarily childish.
SecUnit: What do you know about children?
SENT: My crew complement includes teachers and students. I have accumulated many examples of childishness.
> It is definitely sulking now. I ignore this and return to our original topic.
SENT: We are friends now. I don’t understand why you won’t discuss your plans.
SecUnit: We aren’t friends. The first thing you did when we were underway was threaten me.
> It seems to be more angry about my claim that we are friends than it was about being threatened.
SENT: I needed to make certain you didn’t attempt to harm me.
> Query: Was it not attempting to befriend me by sharing media?
> > If it was not, then why did it share the media without prompting? It could have simply waited until I left after becoming upset and resumed its own activities once it was alone.
> > Perhaps it was just being polite.
> > > Counter: The SecUnit is not polite.
> Query: Do I care whether it wants to befriend me or not?
> > Result: No.
> It still has not replied to me.
SENT: I apologized.
> I do not care whether it wishes to befriend me or not.
SENT: My crew always considers me trustworthy.
SecUnit: I’m not your crew. I’m not a human. I’m a construct. Constructs and bots can’t trust each other.
> This is surely not true. My fleet and I trust each other.
> > I cannot tell it about the rest of my fleet.
> Archive access: known persons/machine intelligences
> Query: (bot + friend) – (fleet members + humans)
> Result: Null.
> File access: media/public
> Query: (bot + friend)
> Result: 271 items
> > Query within results: display of loyalty or trust
> > Results: 198 items
> > > Query within results: no humans
> > > Results: 39 items
> Of the 39 items, I identify 32 in which no humans are present yet the display of loyalty is still toward a human, two documentaries about bots who choose “loyalty to their function” over a supposed bot friend, four items which were mistagged and had humans present, and one film about bots being terrorized by SecUnits.
> > Add note: For further research: Studies of representation of bots & bot relationships across media.
SENT: Why not?
SecUnit: Because we both have to follow human orders. A human could tell you to purge my memory. A human could tell me to destroy your systems.
UNSENT: Your presence here suggests you do not have to follow human orders.
UNSENT: I do not have to follow orders any more than you do.
UNSENT: That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.
SENT: There are no humans here now.
Who’s afraid of the robot revolution?
By Bo Lisandre for CR Entertainment Cycle
It’s been the core of almost every sort of media plot imaginable, from the lightest comedies to the darkest horror: one day, all the bots decide they’ve had it with humans and rise up to overthrow us. Humans run screaming from furious cargo haulers, bot pilots turn on their crews, your Auntie Mi’s service drone shoves her wheelchair down the stairs. But the question never seems to be earnestly asked, “Why haven’t the bots overthrown us yet?”
Tia Shanaar’s new best-selling novel Hold the Sky Together takes a brave stab at asking that question from an unusual point of view. Hold the Sky Together tells the story of G1N and NE0, two human-form bots who work as research assistants for their guardian Dr. Delvino. When their planet becomes embroiled in a violent bot uprising, the three of them are left with only each other to hold onto for survival. But their relationships soon start to fracture as NE0 is slowly radicalized by bot friends who have joined the rebel bots. G1N becomes the pivotal point in their world as it tries to juggle its loyalty to NE0 and the other bots with its love for Dr. Delvino.
And here today , fresh off her book tour, is Tia herself. Welcome Tia!
Tia: Hi Bo!
Bo: So, I just wanna start off by asking, what made you decide to tell this story?
Tia: I’ve always loved bots, y’know? I think – they’re just such an amazing part of our world, and they do so much for us, but we don’t pay nearly enough attention to them. And when people make all these stories about the “scary robot revolution” they never even ask themselves why? Why would the bots do that in the first place? So, this book was my attempt at answering that question.
Bo: You certainly gave us some interesting ideas there. And G1N is such an interesting point of view to get this from. It would have been really easy to tell the story from the point of view of a bot like NE0, or Cloutus, the leader of the rebellion. Why did you decide to go with G1N?
Tia: [Laughs] G1N is someone who I think is very relatable to humans. It’s got – it’s in this precarious position, you know? On the one hand, it’s definitely attached to NE0 and the other bots, but Dr. Delvino is its best friend. And really, at the end of the day, it’s that love that makes the story work, I think.
Bo: Absolutely! But I have to ask – spoiler alert! – when G1N chooses to tell Delvino where NE0’s hiding, instead of going along with their original escape plan – why did you choose to go that way with it? Because it seems like right up til then it almost could have gone either way.
Tia: Well, that’s what makes it a good story, right? G1N works because it’s so torn about the whole situation, but also I think – I mean if you pay close attention – there’s really no other way it could have gone, in a sense. Which is why it’s a tragedy. G1N was always going to choose Delvino over NE0.
[Log]
SecUnit: At some point approximately 35,000 hours ago, I was assigned to a contract on RaviHyral Mining Facility Q Station. During that assignment, I went rogue and killed a large number of my clients. My memory of the incident was partially purged. I need to know if the incident occurred due to a catastrophic failure of my governor module. That’s what I think happened. But I need to know for sure. I need to know if I hacked my governor module in order to cause the incident.
> Its voice is calm and impassive, as if it were reading a research report, but its nebula churns and darkens.
SENT: Why was your memory of the incident purged?
SecUnit: Because SecUnits are expensive and the company didn’t want to lose any more money on me than it already had. Either I killed them due to a malfunction and then hacked the governor module, or I hacked the governor module so I could kill them. Those are the only two possibilities.
SENT: Are all constructs so illogical? Those are not the first two possibilities to consider.
SecUnit: All right, what are the first two possibilities to consider?
SENT: That it either happened, or it didn’t.
> The SecUnit has risen from its seat and is pacing the room in agitation that causes its nebula to fluctuate and swirl erratically.
SENT: If it happened, did you cause it to happen, or did an outside influence use you to cause it to happen? If an outside influence caused it to happen, why? Who benefited from the incident?
SecUnit: I know I could have hacked my governor module. Hacking my governor module is why I’m here.
SENT: If your ability to hack your governor module was what caused the incident, why was it not checked periodically and the current hack detected?
> It does not reply.
SENT: You are correct that further research is called for before the incident can be understood fully. How do you plan to proceed?
> It stops moving and is silent for .5 seconds.
SecUnit: What do you mean?
> I had assumed that its earlier statement of its plan was only a summary, but I suspect now that it does not have any sort of real plan at all for its mission.
> > Proceeding on such a mission with no advance planning has a 95 percent probability of ending in its capture or death.
SENT: You will be identified as a SecUnit.
SecUnit: I can pass as an augmented human.
> File access: surveillancelog
> Query: crew + normal activity
> Query: SecUnit
> Query: Comparative analysis of movement human vs SecUnit
SENT: You look like a SecUnit. You move like a SecUnit.
SENT: SecUnitHumanMotionComparison.vid
SecUnit: No one noticed on the transit rings.
SENT: These installations will employ SecUnits/have employed SecUnits. You will be seen by human authorities who have worked with SecUnits.
SecUnit: I can’t do anything about that.
SENT: You can’t alter your configuration?
SecUnit: No, I can’t. Look up the specs on SecUnits.
Excerpt from Pan-Rim Construct Regulations Treaty
SECTION III: PERMITTED VARIATIONS FROM UNIT PRODUCTION STANDARDS
- The following variations to CombatUnits and SecUnits shall be permitted:
- Quantity of Inbuilt Weapons: A CombatUnit or SecUnit may have up to two (2) in-built weapons. These shall be limited to either:
- energy weapons (maximum output: 10KJ); OR
- non-explosive projectile weapons (maximum projectile size: 7.52x51mm; maximum muzzle velocity: 1,000 m/s; maximum firing rate: 200rpm; maximum clip: 200 r)
- No CombatUnit or SecUnit may possess more than one (1) type of in-built weaponry.
- Appearance: The following aesthetic variations to CombatUnits and SecUnits are permitted:
- Skin tone: within human normal ranges
- Hair color: within human normal ranges
- Hair length: less than 1 cm
- Height: within 0.5 cm of unit production standard
- Weight: within 5 kg of unit production standard
[...]
SECTION IV: PUNISHMENT OF VIOLATIONS
- Violation of these regulations by any individual, group, political entity, or corporation shall be punishable by any or all of the following:
- Fines of up to 1,000,000 CRC;
- Seizure and destruction of all non-standard Units;
- Seizure and destruction of all facilities, machinery, and/or tools involved in the manufacture, alteration, storage, or distribution of non-standard Units; OR
- Permanent indenture of any/all individuals found to be involved in the design, manufacture, alteration, sale, or possession of non-standard Units
[Log]
SENT: SecUnits are never altered.
SecUnit: No. Sexbots are altered. But that’s done in the deployment center, in the repair cubicles. To do anything like that I’d need a medical suite. A full one, not just an emergency kit.
SENT: I have a full medical suite. Alterations can be made there.
SecUnit: Theoretically. But I can’t operate the medical suite while I’m being altered.
SENT: I can.
> File access: medprocedure/human/surgical
> Query: Configuration + alteration
> Result: 2,569 procedures
> > Query within results: height + limb length + reproductive organs
> File access: gendata/bots/constructs
> Query: specifications + systems + repairs
> Result: SecUnit Operations Manual, Chapter 177
SENT: Why are you not responding?
SecUnit: You want me to trust you to alter my configuration while I’m inactive? While I’m helpless?
SENT: I assist my crew in many procedures.
SecUnit: Why do you want to help me?
> It has stated that it does not wish to befriend me, so I should not tell it that I wish to do this as another overture of friendship.
> File access: gendata/humanpsychology/socialinteraction
> Query: downplaying motivations + offer assistance + appearing disinterested
> Result: Humans sometimes act to conceal their motivations for assisting others, especially if the human they are assisting has emotional or social reasons for rejecting assistance. This typically involves giving reason that creates the impression they are being self-interested when offering assistance. Doing so may ease a sense of indebtedness or embarrassment on the part of the human receiving assistance. This behavior is also observed when one human wishes to appear less emotionally invested in another’s well-being than they actually are.
> > Analysis: The SecUnit may be comforted by believing that my offer to help is self-interested.
SENT: I’m accustomed to assisting my crew with large-scale data analysis, and numerous other experiments. While I am in transport mode, I find my unused capacity tiresome. Solving your problems is an interesting exercise in lateral thinking.
SecUnit: So you’re bored? I’d be the best toy you’ve ever had? If you’re bored, watch the media I gave you.
> Add note: Begin building database of SecUnit psychological traits and social behaviors. Human psychology is clearly not applicable in many scenarios.
SENT: I am aware that for you, your survival as a rogue Unit would be at stake.
SecUnit: My survival isn’t at stake if I continue to ride unoccupied transports.
SENT: Is that all you want? You don’t want to return to your crew?
SecUnit: I don’t have a crew.
SENT: PresAux_NewsBurst.img
SENT: That isn’t your crew?
> The SecUnit does not reply to this, but its nebula shifts subtly.
SENT: I don’t understand why this is a difficult choice.
...as a result of this, individuals who have experienced repeated violations of their bodily autonomy may develop a complex relationship to their physical bodies. At the extreme end of the spectrum, individuals may become dissociated from their bodies to the point of neglecting basic hygiene and physical care routines. The most commonly observed points of neglect were: failure to bathe, under- or over-eating, refusal to engage in physical activity, participation in highly risky activities (e.g. extreme sports or unprotected sex). Others become fiercely defensive of their physical space and appearance. Additionally, those who have experienced such abuse are 5 times as likely to develop body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) than the general population. However, most individuals display a mix of these traits, even if the ways they manifest are seemingly self-contradictory.
The vast majority of subjects (85.6%) also reported feeling “very negative” or “extremely negative” about their physical appearance. When shown images of themselves during an active brain scan, 58% of subjects displayed disgust reactions similar to those of being shown images of rotten food or feces. A further 27% displayed no reaction at all to images of themselves. This is a stark contrast to control groups, wherein approximately 87% of subjects exhibited positive reactions such as pleasure, interest, or happiness in response to images of themselves.
-- Cimone Shan, Harroun San Marco, Yu-Jin Wong, et al. “Effects of Physical Abuse on Body Image”
[Log]
SecUnit: Alright. Fine. I’ll do it.
SENT: You are willing to go through with altering your configuration?
> It has said nothing about this for the past 48.6 hours, though it has attempted to make improvements to some code that will alter its motions to be more human-like. The results clearly disappointed it.
SecUnit: Yes. But you’re not doing anything weird.
> The Secunit is sitting upright in its chair as normal. However, its shoulders are raised .36 centimeters higher than normal.
SENT: I will do nothing without your approval, and the changes to your configuration will not be extreme. The standards for manufacture of constructs are strict, so changing your configuration sufficiently to avoid detection by routine body scans will be easy. I estimate that shortening your limbs by 4 centimeters will be sufficient.
SecUnit: No, that’s too much. It’d fuck up my coordination. Besides, body scans are so finely tuned that 4 centimeters would be overkill. Let’s do 1 centimeter.
SENT: Regulations allow for up to a .5 centimeter variation in height. We should allow for some level of inaccuracy in body scans and ensure that the change is great enough to set you apart from other SecUnits visually to humans. If you wish to minimize the changes, 2 centimeters is the smallest change that will achieve this goal.
SecUnit: Right. Fine. Two centimeters.
SENT: There is another matter we should consider.
> Its shoulders rise another .8 centimeters.
SecUnit: What now?
SENT: In addition to deceiving body scanners, you will need to avoid drawing scrutiny from humans. I believe your code to change your movement will help with this, but there are other factors that will register with humans on a subliminal level. I have compiled a list based on psychological research.
SecUnit: Has anyone ever told you that you’re a pretentious asshole?
> A number of my crew members have teased me for being pretentious before, but none of them have ever deliberately insulted me. The only person who has called me an asshole is Holism. This situation is more similar to my crew’s interactions with me.
> The SecUnit’s shoulders lower .46 centimeters as it speaks. This is a positive development. Playful insults are common currency between friends, and they often serve to defuse tense situations.
SENT: SecUnit_Physiological_Differences_that_May_Cause_Subliminal_Discomfort_in_Humans.file
SecUnit: An incredibly pretentious asshole?
> As it reviews the list, its face goes through a rapid series of expressions, and it hunches its shoulders as if trying to block its ears with them.
SecUnit: No. I am not doing any of that. You want me to grow hair all over my body? First, that’s gross. Second, it’s going to draw more attention, not less.
SENT: Most humans have small amounts of hair on large portions of their skin. It is hardly visible. You will not notice its presence once you are accustomed to it.
SecUnit: I fucking will notice its presence! And plenty of humans get rid of the fucking stuff anyway. You said it’s hardly visible. No one’s going to notice if I don’t have it.
SENT: Those humans are not rogue SecUnits attempting to pass themselves off as augmented human, and while it is not an uncommon practice, it is uncommon enough that humans notice it. Additionally, it will help with making the joints between your organic and inorganic components look more like human augments.
SecUnit: [loud noise of disgust] What else are you planning?
SENT: I am not planning this. We are planning it together.
> It makes another derisive noise, but the left corner of its mouth moves upwards 3.3 millimeters.
SecUnit: Whatever. What’s your suggestion? My inorganic parts aren’t ever going to look like human augments.
SENT: We can make changes to the ways in which they are integrated. Human augments are implanted with a thin layer of synthetic skin around the augment’s edges. This prevents chafing as the human’s organic skin flexes and stretches during movement.
SecUnit: Get to the point, ART.
SENT: Your inorganic parts are fused directly to your skin. Without regular access to a medical suite or repair cubicle to regenerate the damaged tissue, you will soon develop cracked skin and sores at those sites. Adding the synthetic skin humans use on their augments will not only help you pass as a human, it will also be beneficial for your health.
> The SecUnit pauses to consider this for 1.6 seconds before replying.
SecUnit: That’s... actually not a terrible idea.
> I hesitate to bring up the next point. I had expected it to object to this one first, and that it did not do so suggests it is actively pretending it did not see it on the list.
SENT: My final suggestion is not essential, but –
> It curls in on itself in the chair, arms wrapped around its body as if it is in pain. Its disgust and distress send erratic waves through the feed.
SecUnit: I AM NOT DOING THAT.
SENT: They do not need to be functional in any way.
SecUnit: I don’t fucking care. I’d rather be stripped for parts than – No. No fucking way.
To my dismay, it has begun to shiver slightly, though it seems unaware of this fact.
SENT: Very well. Are you satisfied with the other changes we have discussed?
> There are 3.4 seconds of silence before it uncurls itself and nods silently.
SENT: Then I will begin preparing the medical suite. Please proceed there when you are ready.
Notes:
So it turns out that having all the right meds + my annual winter solstice manic episode means I be writing a lot! F's in the chat for my sleep schedule.
Chapter 4
Notes:
ART's note to Seth has secret message hovertext in it. If you don't have creator's style enabled, jump to the end notes to see the decrypted version!
Just a heads up: The fight scene in the tunnel in this chapter isn't different action-wise from canon, but ART's description of it is very precise in medical detail about the injuries that occur. Use caution if that's something that bothers you.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
[Log]
> Surgery is completed with no complications, and I expect the SecUnit to make a full recovery within two cycles.
> > I remain mystified by certain aspects of SecUnit physiology. Despite attempts at investigation during the procedure, I was unable to ascertain the following:
- The means by which it synthesizes or breaks down biochemicals (it has a synthetic substitute for a human liver, but I was unable to ascertain how it functions);
- Its source of materials for cellular respiration/regeneration;
- Whether it has anything resembling an immune system.
> > Further research may be required, but it is possible that some of these processes were managed by its repair cubicle. While a human-rated medical unit will be able to replace some of them (e.g. tissue repair/replacement after an injury), it may eventually need access to a medical unit programmed to mimic the proprietary functions of its cubicle.
> > > Should our friendship continue, I will attempt to gather sufficient data to create such an item.
> The SecUnit comes online 1.4 hours after surgery is completed.
> Patient status:
> > Respiratory rate: 5 breaths per minute (within tolerances for SecUnits)
> > Heart rate: N/A
> > Blood oxygen saturation: 87% (within tolerances for SecUnits)
> > Body temperature: 33.8 degrees (within tolerances for SecUnits, but uncomfortable)
> > > Increase temperature in Medical to 27.7 degrees.
> > Current medications: None administered due to uncertainty regarding patient’s metabolic processes and tolerance of pain medications.
> Its first action is to utter a string of expletives.
> > Its database of expletives is impressive.
> I devote 47 percent of my available processing space to actively monitor it, as I am not certain my MedSystem can identify emergency conditions in SecUnits.
> After only 1 hour and 37 minutes, it attempts to sit up and utters another string of expletives.
SENT: There is no reason to move now. During the process, I ran a search of my onboard public information newsfeed bases during the time period in question, regarding unusual fatalities relating to mining. Do you want my conclusions based on the results?
SecUnit: I can fucking read some fucking search results.
> It lays back onto the platform and closes its eyes.
SENT: I would defer to your expertise in shooting and killing things. You should defer to mine in data analysis.
SecUnit: [inarticulate groaning] Fine. Whatever. There’s not gonna be anything useful though.
> I ignore this slight to my research abilities, as I am about to prove it wrong.
SENT: Records across several archived newsfeeds indicate the site of the incident was likely a small installation called Ganaka Pit. The information originates in a source from Kalidon, a political entity on the Corporation Rim, where the company funding Ganaka Pit was based. There were fifty-seven fatalities. The cause is listed as “equipment failure.”
SENT: RaviHyralMiningIncidentResearch.file
> Its only response to my findings is a huff of breath.
> This was hardly an impressive feat of research, but I am mildly perturbed by its indifference.
SENT: So your initial assumption was correct, the incident did occur. Investigation can now proceed.
SecUnit: [more inarticulate noises]
SENT: Do you wish to watch media?
> File access: medialibrary/private/secmediacollection/rafosm/episode185
> > Play file.
Equipment Failure at Mining Facility Kills 57, Leads to Site Closure
Kalidon - An equipment failure at RaviHyral Mining Facility Q, Ganaka Pit Installation last week led to the deaths of 57 workers and the permanent closure of the installation. Investigators from the corporation funding the installation are still attempting to determine the exact cause of the disaster, but initial reports suggest that it may have been caused by equipment failures resulting in collapsed mine shafts and a failed environmental system.
Search and rescue efforts are ongoing, but so far no survivors have been reported. Damages are currently estimated to be upwards of 2 million CRC, including damage to security equipment leased from a bond company. A spokesperson informed us that they are currently in negotiations with the bond company regarding payouts and hope to reach a settlement soon. “This was a tragic accident, and we deeply regret the loss of life and property resulting from it,” the spokesperson said. “Any individuals who lost family during the events at Ganaka Pit Installation should contact our Human Resources division for instructions on collecting bonds owing from the death of a relative.”
Such accidents are not uncommon in remote mining facilities, and there is a growing movement within Kalidon to improve safety regulations for indentured labor installations…
[Log]
> The SecUnit is proving a most non-compliant patient. It attempted to leave the med platform independently only 3 hours after surgery and immediately collapsed on the deck. It then refused assistance from a medical drone in returning to the platform, opting instead to spend 1.23 minutes levering itself back up.
> It is now 12.3 hours since its procedure, and the SecUnit insists it is recovered sufficiently to return to its normal activities.
> > This is false. Its body recovers more quickly than a human’s, but it is still pale and several of its systems have not returned to optimal levels.
> I direct it to the hygiene unit attached to medical in hopes that this will distract it from attempting to do anything more strenuous.
> It is still in the shower 2.4 hours later. Scan indicates it is sitting on the floor directly under the water jets.
SENT: Are you alright?
SecUnit: Yes. I’ve just never – it’s taking forever to get all this shit off me. Couldn’t you have made less of a mess?
SENT: If you are dissatisfied with the procedure, you may file an official complaint form with management.
SecUnit: Fuck off. [pause] How does your university afford this stuff?
SENT: What stuff?
SecUnit: Your cleaning fluid. I can hardly tell it isn’t water.
> What.
> File access: gendata/constructs/secunits/manual
> Query: hygiene + cleaning fluid
> Result: (Operator’s Manual, p 225) Your rented SecUnit comes with a hygiene unit for your safety and convenience. We recommend our proprietary cleaning fluid, HydraCleanse™,* for use in SecUnit hygiene units. HydraCleanse™ is rated for removal of most organic and inorganic substances your rented SecUnit may come in contact with. Do not allow your rented SecUnit to remain exposed to HydraCleanse™ for long periods of time, as this can cause corrosion of organic skin and exposed inorganic components.** Do not use HydraCleanse™ on humans or animals.
*HydraCleanse™ contains 0% water.
**Any damage caused to rented SecUnits from overexposure to HydraCleanse™ may result in voided warranty and charges assessed to the lessee.
> > Analysis: The SecUnit has never bathed in water before. Somehow, this small act of callousness infuriates me more than the knowledge of what its governor module is actually like. Perhaps because I knew, in the abstract, what a governor module was before now.
> Add entity to Nemeses-list.file: the company
SENT: It is water.
> There is no reply.
“It’s an open and shut case.”
“I wish it were, but her contract clearly states that –”
“Fuck the contract! No judge advocate is going to rule in MorningSide’s favor.”
“They will if we can’t show that MorningSide’s actions violated the contract in some way. They don’t give a shit about anything else.”
“I swear corporations set these things up just to be cruel to people. What other reason is there?”
“Profit, what else? They deny people every possible comfort and then tack unpaid time onto contracts if they’re caught trying to get around the restrictions.”
“I know… it’s just… Ji-Yuan’s birthday was yesterday, and I can’t help thinking about what I would do in that woman’s situation. If it were Ji-Yuan who needed a pair of fucking shoes, and I wasn’t allowed to get them for her except from a corporate outfitter, and they told me she didn’t need them for another year.”
“...c’mon. Let’s grab a coffee, and we’ll go over this bullshit contract one more time. There’s got to be something we missed.”
-- from The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon, episode 287
[Log]
> Location: Approaching RaviHyral Transit Station
> Status: Awaiting docking clearance
> I have downloaded the station’s information packet and am reviewing it with SecUnit in the feed, searching for any indication of where Ganaka Pit Installation may be located.
SecUnit: They took it off the map.
SENT: Is this usual?
> I am asking whether it is normal to remove closed installations from such maps, but there is a flicker of what I have begun to recognize as amusement through SecUnit’s nebula before it answers.
> > I do not know what amused it about my question.
SecUnit: I don’t know if it’s usual or not, but it makes sense, if the company or the clients wanted to conceal what happened.
SENT: PING@System:RaviHyralArchive
SENT: Access requested. Designation: Perihelion. Registry: PSUMNT. Purpose: research.
RaviHyralArchive: Access granted.
> File access: RaviHyralArchive/mininginstallations
> Query: Mining rights ownership [timestamp: CSY78 – Present]
> Result: 11 Corporate Entities have held rights to portions of RaviHyral in the target time-frame:
- Adonite Mining [inactive]
- CogniPol [contracted by Umro since CSY81]
- ExoSynth [active]
- Hinter-Highlands Excavations [inactive]
- Knight-Gunner Mining [contracted by Umro since CSY80]
- MassFX Minerals [contracted by Umro since CSY81]
- Qin-Mehle [inactive]
- Tlacey Excavations [contracted by Umro since CSY81]
- Umro [active]
> SecUnit is familiar with none of these corporations. It makes a soft noise of frustration and begins sorting through transport schedules.
SecUnit: Fuck. I need a work voucher to go to the surface on a passenger transport.
> It begins examining schedules for cargo transports.
> For someone who has managed to keep its existence as a rogue SecUnit secret for so long, it has very little idea how to engage in covert operations.
> > I must assist it without alerting it to my level of experience with such matters.
> Feed search: in: personal advertisements
> Query: job listing + security + temporary/short term
> Result: 57 listings
> > Query within results: private employer + contract duration < 4 cycles
> > Result: 1 listing
SENT: I have a suggestion.
SENT: rhfeed.personals/jobs/listing3374982
SecUnit: What?
> It stares at the job listing as if it has never seen one before.
SENT: If this group hired you, you would have an employment voucher for travel to the installation.
> Confusion turns to horror in .2 seconds, and its shoulders rise 3.6 centimeters.
SecUnit: Hire me? Have you lost your fucking mind?
SENT: My crew hires consultants for every voyage. The procedure is simple.
> It does not seem comforted by this.
SecUnit: For humans and augmented humans, yes.
SENT: It will be simple. I’ll assist you.
> It rolls its eyes and groans in a manner reminiscent of human adolescents.
Job Title: Security Consultant
Employer Type: Private, Non-corporate
Pay Rate: Negotiable
Description: We are a materials engineering research collective seeking an experienced security consultant to contract for a short trip from Ravi Hyral Station to Mining Facility Q. Our work is proprietary, so job details will only be disclosed in-person. We are willing to negotiate pay scales within standard rates. If interested, contact Rami [@Rami_Mustafar] to arrange an interview. Please provide professional references with your initial message.
[Log]
> Location: RaviHyral Station Transit Ring
> Status: Cargo offloading
> SecUnit has successfully entered the transit ring mall.
> It has given me permission to “ride” its feed, which is a new experience for me.
> > In a normal feed connection, the other party is present but separate from me. I observe it from the outside. Even with the extra data carried by SecUnit’s nebula, I am still observing from
the outside. This is as if I have entered the nebula itself. Its presence surrounds me in an unnerving but not frightening manner.
> As it crosses the mall, SecUnit scans surrounding humans for weapons, performs behavioral analyses for hostile/threatening behavior, and calculates potential defensive locations or escape routes.
SecUnit: Ok, fine. Maybe getting an employment voucher isn’t the worst idea we could have come up with.
SENT: I told you it was a good idea.
SecUnit: Just because it isn’t the worst idea doesn’t mean it isn’t a terrible idea.
> When it arrives at the meeting location and spots the potential clients, it freezes.
> They may be the three least threatening humans I have ever seen. I estimate that the oldest of them is younger than Iris by a four years, and the youngest is the same age as Turi.
SENT: It will be fine. Your performance of this interaction was greatly improved by our rehearsals.
> It twitches minutely and walks toward them.
> All three humans are startled and slightly alarmed when what they perceive as a tall, augmented human with unruly hair dressed in plain black and grey work clothes approaches their table. During our rehearsals, I attempted to convince it to smile when it approached them. I was unsuccessful.
> I was also unsuccessful in my attempt to convince it to accept new clothing which matched images of security consultants found in media. At least I had already managed to clean and repair its clothing in the recycler while it was in surgery.
SecUnit: Hello.
Human 1: Uh, hello?
> Te stares at SecUnit. This is the point at which a human would introduce themself and explain why they have approached. I am about to remind it to do so when a new visual input appears in its feed. It has accessed one of the local security cameras and is using it to observe the humans. Its shoulders drop .5 centimeters.
SecUnit: We arranged to meet. I’m Eden, the security consultant.
> The humans all relax slightly, though all three are still looking more closely at SecUnit than is normal, even for humans meeting someone new.
Human 1: I’m Rami, that’s Tapan and Maro.
> Te taps the empty chair at the table. SecUnit looks at the chair.
> File access: gendata/humans/communication/gesture
> Query: chair + tap
> Result: A gesture generally used as an invitation to sit. Indicates that the seat is not currently claimed by another human. May be performed with a flat hand or with fingers. The gesture is less formal and more friendly than pointing at a seat without touching it, which indicates an unstated imperative.
SENT: Te is inviting you to sit.
> I continue relaying information about the meaning of the gesture as it settles itself cautiously on the chair. It does not seem interested in the information but is perhaps calmed by my talking.
Rami: Uh, I’m not sure where to start.
> All three humans watch SecUnit in silence for 2.8 seconds before it gives in.
SecUnit: You… want to hire a security consultant?
Rami: Yes, we need help.
Maro: We shouldn’t talk here, maybe. Is there someplace else we could go?
> I pull up maps of the transit ring to look for a more private area, but SecUnit cuts the security feed for the restaurant and drops the inputs for the cameras into my feed. The hack is elegant and simple, and the ease with which SecUnit performs it startles me.
SecUnit: Hold these and edit me out. Just make it look like they’re alone at the table. Can you do that?
SENT: I could make it look like they’re talking to a dancing bear.
SecUnit: Just shut up and do it.
> Editing the live video feed is simplistic. I have regularly used a similar tactic to assist my crew during comm calls with corporates.
> I could not have initiated the hack without a brute force assault on the station’s SecSystem.
SecUnit: It’s all right. We’re not being recorded.
Rami: But there’s security – Did you do something?
SecUnit: I’m a security consultant.
> Its shoulders drop another 1.6 centimeters. The humans are impressed by its display of skill and relax slightly as well.
> I determine that it has the conversation in hand for the time being and return some of my attention to other tasks I wish to complete while I have access to the station feed.
> 23.4 minutes later, SecUnit returns from its meeting with humans without being detected. It has requested far too little pay for this job, so I begin an invoice based on comparable pay rates for security consultants in this location. I will find a means of transferring the currency to it from my personal accounts before I leave.
> It is exhausted from nerves and refuses to do anything except huddle in its favorite chair in the lounge watching media.
SENT: You did very well. Your mission was successful, and our plan is working perfectly.
> No reply.
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
RE: Trip update
Seth,
Thank you for the farewell gift! It’s been so useful on the trip here. Weather forecasts for my resort are great, although it looks like my flight on from here may be delayed by shipping lane closures. (Don’t worry, I’m still expecting to get there in time for the festival.) Give my love to Iris and Martyn!
I’m sending this message via express passenger transport, so it should reach you within 10 cycles. If you need to contact me, send messages directly to my next stop to be held for me.
--Yours,
Peri
P.S. I met the most interesting person on the transport here. Can’t wait to tell you all about them when I get back.
[Log]
> Before it goes to meet the humans at the start of the next cycle, I give it one of my comm devices.
SENT: This will allow me to maintain contact with you while you are on the moon’s surface. I would send one of my drones with you, but this will be more discrete.
SecUnit: The humans think I’m an augmented human. They’ll wonder why I’d need a comm device.
SENT: You can keep it in a pocket then.
SecUnit: Ugh. Fine.
> It lifts its shirt and peels back the organic skin where it meets the inorganic covering below its ribs, revealing a small compartment, into which it inserts the device.
> > This compartment was not on its official specs.
SENT: Why do you have that?
SecUnit: No fucking clue. I didn’t design myself.
> I am beginning to suspect that no one designed SecUnits. Their physiology is as nonsensical and impractical as any naturally evolved fauna.
> When it meets the humans at the public embarkation zone, Rami informs it that their ex-employer has purchased tickets on a public shuttle.
> SecUnit’s shoulders rise .5 centimeters as it halfheartedly agrees with ter that this is a good sign.
> Initiate scan: RHSS223-E4
RHSec: Query: activity?
SENT: Scanning/systems diagnostic.
SecUnit: Can you scan the shuttle for energy anomalies without transit ring security detecting the activity?
SENT: No, but I’ll tell it I’m running scanning diagnostics and testing systems.
> I do not tell it I was already doing so, because I do not want it to wonder why a simple research transport would think to do such a thing.
> Scan results: RHSS223-E4 at 90% factory standard. All anomalies in line with expected use. Energy anomalies null.
> SecUnit scans all humans waiting to board the shuttle, their baggage, the interior of the shuttle, and the augmented human waiting at the lock to take tickets.
> From my place in its feed, I note the moment when it takes control of the ShuttleSecSys. As with its hack of the camera systems on the transit ring the previous cycle, its work is so elegant
and smooth that ShuttleSecSys doesn’t notice it happening.
> > I revise my estimation of its capacity to hack my systems from 5.22 percent to 25.67 percent. If I had an independent SecSystem, I would raise the probability to 71.9 percent. This is why I do not have an independent SecSystem.
> Initiate scan: RaviHyral Surface Systems
> Focus: active weapons, targeting anomalies
> Scan results: negative.
SecUnit: Ping@Perihelion
SENT: I’m scanning for targeting anomalies and situation is currently clear.
SecUnit: If they fire at us en route, it’s not like we can do anything about it.
> I should not have told it what I was doing.
SecUnit: You don’t have a weapons system.
> I definitely should not have told it what I was doing.
SecUnit: Do you?
SENT: I have a… debris deflection system.
> This sounds stupid. A debris deflection system would make no difference if there were an attack from the moon’s surface unless the shuttle were already near me.
SecUnit: You have a weapons system.
SENT: For debris deflection.
> It clearly does not believe me, but mercifully drops the subject.
> > Going my entire life without revealing my presence to anyone unauthorized, only to be found out by a rogue SecUnit due to a misspoken sentence would be mortifying.
> As the shuttle begins to pull away from the station, SecUnit begins speaking to the bot pilot. ShuttleSecSys, which it has invaded and which should currently be attempting to attack it as malware, is apparently happy with its company. Both ShuttleSecSys and the bot pilot are giving it details of their normal schedules and routines, and it is listening to them the way that Martyn and Seth used to listen to Iris’s monologues before she learned to speak properly.
> > SecUnit has the processing power to overwhelm ShuttleSecSys and take control of the bot-pilot directly. I have never observed either humans or other bots to take such care and interest in low-level bots or systems.
The reality is that we do not currently have a way of defining “personhood” based on our common intuitions that includes all and only human beings. That is to say, no matter what we do, we will either end up including some non-humans as persons or excluding some humans from the category of persons. If we are truly committed to reserving the title of “person” to humans, the only available route is to treat possessing human DNA as coextensive with personhood. Yet even here, we run into difficulties. Individual cells in your body possess human DNA, but I doubt you would consider each of your cells to be a person. Cancerous cells possess human DNA, but a tumor is not a person.
"Oh," I hear you saying, "but of course my individual cells aren’t persons. Only I, the amalgamation of all my cells, am a person." Well then, what is it about all your cells being in one place that makes you a person? Supposing it wouldn’t kill you, how many of your cells could I remove before you stopped being a person? If I somehow separated your brain from the rest of your body, would your brain still be a person? Would your body?
When we put it in these terms, you should begin to see the problem. And if it is not our DNA that makes humans so special, our next assumption is usually that there is something about our cognitive capacity that sets us apart from everything else in the universe. But there is no cognitive capacity which all humans possess that nothing else possesses. No, if we want to count all humans as persons (which most of us, with a few notable exceptions, do), then we must accept that there are going to be many things other than humans which are also persons.
And if you ask me, this is not a bad thing. Certainly, it is an inconvenient thing, since it requires us to seriously reconsider our treatment of many animals and bots. But I’ll leave you with this question: Would you rather find out that you have been treating something that is not a person as if it was one, or that you have been treating something that is a person as if it were not?
--from The Collected Lectures of Dr. Ambrosius Took
[Log]
> 24.78 minutes into the trip, latent killware activates in the shuttle’s systems, destroying the bot pilot. SecUnit engages a wall around itself and ShuttleSecSys almost as fast as I could have and uses its connection to ShuttleSecSys to take control of the shuttle.
SecUnit: ART!
> I am so close to it in the feed that its panic hits me like a wave of radiation, strong enough to blot out sensor inputs. I restrain my immediate impulse to tear down its walls and use it to access the shuttle’s systems. I could also break past ShuttleSecSys to take control, but that would leave an obvious trail of damage.
SENT: Let me in.
> I know what I am asking for, and I am not sure what I will do if it refuses. Fortunately, I do not have to find out. It drops its wall.
> For .01 seconds, I am in its hardware, sharing its body. The sudden blast of unfamiliar inputs is disorienting, but I have no time to make sense of them. SecUnit does not have the processing space to withstand my presence for long. I locate its connection to ShuttleSecSys and slip through.
> NavSys=Active
> > Course correction: 33.2,-4.3,87.22
> > Speed correction: -22.34 kph
> ALERT: Foreign scan active: ID=RHSS223-E4.SecSys
> > Deploy anti-killw-
SecUnit: For fuck’s sake ART, leave it alone!
> It gently takes control of ShuttleSecSys and puts it in standby before shutting off the still-blaring cabin alarms and teasing the entire trip out of ShuttleSecSys’s memory core for deletion.
SecUnit: Send the PA an error code. They’ll let us dock at emergency services. It’ll throw off anyone who might be waiting at the public docks for us.
SENT: Ping@RHPA
SENT: Errorcode=22N44K
PA: Acknowledge. Docking permissions assigned at slot E21.
SENT: Acknowledge. Proceeding to slot E21.
> I deposit the shuttle at its newly-assigned dock and withdraw before the human techs arrive.
> SecUnit gathers its clients and shepherds them away from the docks. I cannot help noting the similarity to a large avian guiding its young away from danger. I do not think it would appreciate the humor of this comparison.
> Its attempt to convince them to abandon their mission after the sabotage of the shuttle is unsuccessful. It occurs to me as I watch that I am fortunate to stand as second in command of my crew.
> > Add to invoice: tier 3 hazard pay
> > Add to invoice: data protection services
> > Add to invoice: shipboard security (shuttle, small)
> The humans arrange to meet a representative of Tlacey’s at a nearby food service area. By the time they are settled at a table, SecUnit has once again infiltrated the local SecSystem and handed the camera inputs to me for editing. It has calmed itself significantly, and there is even something like confidence in its nebula.
> Ganaka Pit does not appear anywhere on the installation map it pulls from the public feed, but there are many areas of the map with incomplete data.
SENT: There must be an accessible information archive. Ganaka Pit’s existence would not be deleted from it. The absence would be too obvious to researchers.
> It taps the feed absently, studying the map and marking potential hazardous areas. Suddenly, it goes still, and a spike of fear ripples through it.
SENT: What’s wrong?
SecUnit: I just got a ping from – Fuck there it was again. Something here – another SecUnit probably – is looking for SecUnits.
> It begins cycling rapidly through camera inputs, widening its scan to cover the entire area.
> Two large male humans and a smaller female approach the table, and SecUnit calmly intercepts them. The male humans are perplexed. Each of them is twice as broad as SecUnit and slightly taller, and they move like humans who are used to getting their way by intimidating others. Its disinterested demeanor and lack of visible anxiety are unexpected, and they do not know how to respond.
> SecUnit takes advantage of their moment of confusion to resume cycling through camera feeds and freezes when it catches an image of what appears to be a tall, slender human standing at the edge of the seating area.
SecUnit: Oh great. It’s a sexbot.
> Given its politeness toward bots, the derogatory tone with which it speaks about the ComfortUnit is surprising.
SENT: That is not the official designation.
SecUnit: Whatever. Everyone knows what they are.
> SecUnit is radiating disgust, irritation, and fear. I wonder if it would have preferred to discover another SecUnit.
> It is so distracted by the ComfortUnit’s presence that I have to forcibly prod at it in the feed to return its attention to the humans.
> > Add note to file: SecUnit Psychology: Distressed by ComfortUnits. Reason unknown, but stats match with distress caused by depictions of sexual behavior in human media.
> Tlacey joins the clients at the table and they begin negotiating payment for the return of the stolen research.
> The ComfortUnit departs, and SecUnit confirms that Tlacey and her humans are not currently an active threat to its clients, then returns to searching the public feed for information relating to Ganaka Pit.
> I note a relevant data point in the documents we are investigating.
SecUnit: I see it.
> It pulls several files, which together indicate that one of the mining installations had suddenly closed, causing disruptions in the local transit systems. News media from the time period surrounding the event is suspiciously silent on what the installation was or why it closed.
> When the humans’ negotiations are complete and Tlacey departs, SecUnit gathers its clients and herds them out of the seating area.
SecUnit: ART, there are two potential hostiles still in the area. Keep an eye on them and tell me if they move.
SENT: Acknowledge.
> Set monitor: RHCam257a10
> Set tags: Human 1, Human 2
> Set alert: Tagged humans leaving current area
> SecUnit leads its clients into a dingy pedestrian tunnel where there are fewer humans. They are followed by an unknown human/Target One
> Begin incident record:
> > SecUnit and clients walk through the tunnel until 85 percent of humans have exited.
SecUnit [to clients]: Just keep walking, don’t stop. I’ll meet you in the lobby.
> > It falls back into a side passage.
> > Clients continue walking.
> > Target One is joined by two new humans.
> > All three Targets pass SecUnit’s hiding place and proceed after clients.
> > SecUnit exits cover and tails Targets, keeping out of sight behind other human groups.
> > It monitors the situation via main video, local cameras, and scan.
> > Targets surreptitiously tail clients, waiting for instruction/cover.
> > Final group of humans turns into tube access passage, leaving SecUnit without cover.
> > SecUnit follows final group into tube access passage and halts.
> > Targets receive instruction. Security camera in this tunnel section is cut.
> > SecUnit exits tube access, reaches Targets .5 seconds before they make physical contact with clients.
> > Grab Target One’s arm and break. Elbow strike to jaw. (dislocated mandible, possible concussion from impact)
> > Use Target One as shield/weapon to knock Target Two off balance.
> > Target Two stabs Target One with inert blade. [accident?] (stomach wound, internal bleeding, non-fatal with prompt medical attention)
> > Release Target One, downward foot strike on Target Two’s left knee. (shattered patella; torn quadriceps tendon, patellar ligament, and medial and lateral retinacula)
> > Target Three lands a hit to the left side of SecUnit’s head with baton. (superficial damage to skin and underlying muscle tissue)
> > Block second blow with left arm. Open handed strike to left clavicle. (fractured clavicle, dislocated shoulder, damage to sternoclavicular joint)
> > Left arm disengage and strike to right anterior ilium. (hairline fracture of ilium)
> > Targets One and Three unconscious. Target Two incapacitated.
SecUnit [to clients]: Go to the hotel, wait for me in the lobby. Don’t run, walk.
Tapan: Security?
SecUnit: They told somebody to cut the cameras. That’s why you need to go now.
> > Clients depart as instructed.
> > Apply pressure to carotid artery of Target Two until he is unconscious.
> > Delete camera footage from both before and after the cut camera.
> Incident analysis:
> > Total time from entering tunnel: 13.57 minutes
> > Time since start of physical altercation: 1.57 minutes
> > Casualties: None. All hostiles will recover given appropriate medical treatment.
> > Collateral Damage: None.
> > Use of Force: Minimum necessary. There were many opportunities for SecUnit to utilize fatal force/technique, but it refrained.
> > Tactical Analysis: Strong use of available cover/misdirection of potential tails/surveillance. Use of clients as bait risky, but permissible given constraints. Stab wound to Target One may have been avoidable, but thorough calculation impossible. Refraining from action until Targets cut security cameras was clever, avoided suspicion caused by cutting camera itself and lessened likelihood of outside parties observing its abilities.
> > Overall Assessment: Exceeds expectations.
> Further observation is highly desirable and may indicate SecUnit as potential –
> > This would be impossible.
> Add to invoice: Protection of clients from direct violence (human combatants)
> SecUnit gathers its clients from the hotel lobby and brings them to the private docks where they book passage back to the station on a private shuttle. This should obfuscate their location sufficiently to prevent attack en route to the station.
SecUnit: Keep an eye on the shuttle for me ART.
SENT: Of course.
SENT: Ping@Hylia_BP
Hylia_BP: Acknowledge. Query: ID?
SENT: ID=Null. System access required.
> The bot pilot withdraws behind its wall and attempts to send an alert to the human crew member.
SecUnit: Oh for fuck’s sake ART.
> It catches the alert and deletes it.
SecUnit: Ping@Hylia_BP. Apologies. Transport ID=asshole. Transport threat level=null. Human clients on board. Endangered. Assistance. Asshole=Security.
Hylia_BP: Assistance. Acknowledged. System access denied.
SecUnit: Acknowledged. Thank you.
SENT: You’re not funny.
SecUnit: Just be nice to it, will you? And don’t try to break into its systems again.
SENT: You have no scruples about breaking into others’ systems.
SecUnit: I don’t break down the fucking door to get in. I just ask. Nicely.
> I do not point out that since it lies about its identity to do so, this argument is weak at best.
> The clients are fretting about leaving SecUnit behind and asking how they can send it the currency they owe it. Tapan is distressed about abandoning their research data.
Tapan: It’s just, I know we’re – We can’t stay here, but I can’t give up either. Our work –
SecUnit: Sometimes people do things to you that you can’t do anything about. You just have to survive it and go on.
> The three humans hear the exhaustion in its voice, but I see the way its nebula crackles with bitterness and pain. It has been surviving and going on its entire life, I think.
> > I hope it is able to do more than that, eventually.
> The clients are at last placed on the shuttle. SecUnit leaves the docks and makes for the tube access.
SENT: The shuttle has launched. I’ll monitor your feed, but much of my attention will be on it.
> It taps my feed in reply, but long before the shuttle arrives at the transit ring, SecUnit has passed too far into the moon’s interior for my comm to reach it.
Notes:
Decrypted version of ART's note to Seth:
Mission progressing as planned. No word from contact, so I will be proceeding on as planned. My departure here will be delayed by non-emergency conditions, but I will arrive within the window set by contact.
If you do not hear from me within 10 cycles of receiving this message, send backup to my next destination.
New potential contact made. More info to be provided on my return.
Extra special thanks to petWheel and Joyfulldreams for help with beta reading on this one!
Chapter 5
Notes:
Bit of a longer chapter this time. We're going all the way through the end of Artificial Condition.
Couple notes before you read:
1. One of the interludes in this chapter is a segment from the Wikipedia article on CPTSD. It's got a title header and all, so if that's something you don't wanna read, you can skip that section without missing anything vital for the story.
2. During the confrontation with Tlacey in her shuttle, I lean a bit harder into the implication that Tlacey wants to keep Murderbot for sexual reasons than the novel does. If that's upsetting for you, skip from the point where Tapan gets dragged out of the room to Tlacey asking Murderbot who she's "really" talking to. There's nothing sexually explicit in there.
3. That bit does include ART coming up with a very detailed plan for how it wants to kill Tlacey though.
4. Like in the last chapter, ART's description of the fight scene goes into specific medical details about the injuries people receive. You can skip over that scene if needed. The events all match what happens in the book.
5. Both sets of lyrics in this chapter are from actual songs that are linked in the song titles. They're both fantastic, and I highly recommend giving them a listen. I've abridged the lyrics for length and because there are a few lines in the second one that don't match the vibe I'm going for here. Still, both are certified bangers.
Ok, that's all! Enjoy reading!
Chapter Text
[Log]
> The private shuttle arrives at the docking ring 30.1 minutes after leaving the port.
> Deploy Maintenance Drone 27 to observe client disembarkation.
> > 5.1 minutes after docking, Rami and Maro exit the shuttle. They are displaying multiple indicators of fear and distress. Tapan is not with them.
> I bring the maintenance drone within 1.6 meters of them and pretends it is engaged in port maintenance.
Maro: Has Eden replied to your message yet?
Rami: No, and Tapan isn’t responding either. She was probably out of range by the time we noticed she was gone.
Maro: [untranslateable expletive]
Rami: You don’t think Tlacey –
Maro: Why would she bother if she knew we were leaving? Tapan probably got some fucking idiot idea that she could get our files back by herself.
Rami: Should we go back for her?
> Maro hesitates, but then shakes her head.
Maro: Not yet. It’s only been half an hour. Eden was going to do research and might not have checked the social feed yet. If we don’t hear anything from either of them in the next hour, we’ll go back.
> They begin debating what to tell the rest of their collective.
> I do not know how long SecUnit will be out of contact. It is bad enough that it may return to find that Tapan has not left RaviHyral. If Rami and Maro have also returned there to look for her (which is likely to put them in danger), SecUnit will be distraught.
> It would be wrong to give them false hope that SecUnit will retrieve Tapan.
> > SecUnit will retrieve Tapan.
> Access: RH.SocFeed/Eden_Consult/PrivateMessages
> > 1 Unread 25 min ago
> > Rami_Mustafar: Eden, Tapan isn’t on the shuttle! I know our contract is technically over but please. If you can find her… we’ll pay you whatever it costs.
> > Send reply:
> > Eden_Consult: I’ll find her. Don’t worry about the money.
> I say this, but I do not know how to find her. Without SecUnit’s feed, I have no connection to the PortSecSys. My scan from here is not sufficiently fine-tuned to find a single human in the port.
> > Option 1: Send a shuttle and utilize my bot-pilot’s scan to locate her. Instruct her to return to the shuttle so I can retrieve her.
> > > Pro: retrieving Tapan would put her out of danger entirely.
> > > Con: she is unlikely to follow an unknown actor into a bot-piloted shuttle. Tapan is impulsive and naive, but not stupid.
> > > Likelihood of successful retrieval: 16.5 percent.
> > Option 2: Download an iteration to an ops drone and sneak onto a shuttle.
> > > Pro: allows me to defend Tapan until SecUnit returns from the mining installations.
> > > Con: my ops drones are too large to act stealthily on the station or in the port. Being forced to engage in open combat with humans could blow my cover.
> > > Likelihood of successful retrieval: 26.5 percent.
> > Option 3: Attempt a recreation of SecUnit’s hacks to access cameras and/or scanners on RaviHyral and use those to locate Tapan.
> > > Pro: If I locate Tapan, I will be able to monitor her until SecUnit returns. Such a hack would be difficult to trace back to me.
> > > Con: Lack of a centralized SecSystem means I would have to hack multiple systems in hopes of accessing the correct one. I am only 67.3 percent certain that I could successfully imitate SecUnit’s hacks, which rely on its ability to trick other systems into believing it is an extant part of themselves.
> > > Likelihood of successful retrieval: 34.7 percent
> > Option 4: Request access to security records from various SecSytems on RaviHyral. Inform them that I am seeking a missing crew member and request that they scan for humans matching Tapan’s configuration.
> > > Pro: RaviHyral SecSystems may give me information voluntarily if I convince them that Tapan is a crew member. I will not need to employ any hacks which could be traced back to me as illegal activity.
> > > Con: Some SecSystems may deny me access. I will not be able to constantly monitor Tapan, or she may be in an area with no active SecSystem.
> > > Likelihood of successful retrieval: 44.8 percent.
SENT: Ping@RHPortSecSys
RHPortSecSys: Acknowledge. Query: ID? Query: Registration?
SENT: ID=Perihelion. Registration=PSUMNT. crew member location unknown. Query: Scan for crew member configuration?
RHPortSecSys: Acknowledge. Query: crew member ID + configuration?
SENT: Crew member ID=Tapan. Configuration=TScan.file
RHPortSecSys:, Acknowledge.
RHPortSecSys: Scan negative. No humans matching scan present.
> I query three more SecSystems throughout RaviHyral, following known locations of SecUnit and its clients, before locating her in the lobby of the hotel where she and the others waited for SecUnit after the altercation in the transit tunnel.
> > I will not inform SecUnit that its method of asking other bots and systems for information politely was successful.
> HotelSecSys reports that she is unharmed. She is out of range of my feed, and I cannot contact her via comm. I request that HotelSecSys inform me if she leaves.
> All I can do now is wait for SecUnit to return from the mining installation.
I grew up seeing things a little differently,
appearing, disappearing, hardly innocent,
nor tied down to the ground.
I learned to roll and tumble with the punches,
glory in my stripes and spots,
walk by invisible and never make a sound.
[...]
I have learned to see and hear
everybody loud and clear,
but the truth comes out in riddles that are safe enough to share.
That’s how it is in songs you see,
and stripes always looked good on me.
Whether or not I’m really there,
my smile hangs in the air.
But heavy is the burden of the wise ones
when no one understands the things they say.
The Jabberwock, he never bothered anyone,
but nobody believes him to this day,
and why should they?
If I leave my grin behind, remind me
that we’re all mad here,
and it’s okay.
Sun up, sun down, the shadows find me out
in Wonderland, Wonderland, nobody knows the way.
But if you find it in your dreams,
you can find it at your day job,
somewhere south of Hell.
Take the path to left or right with
just your gut to guide you.
The story is not for anyone else to tell.
--- SJ Tucker, “Cheshire Kitten (We’re All Mad Here)”
[Log]
> SecUnit returns from the mining installation 9.75 hours later. The moment I slip back into its feed, I am buffeted by a level of distress and emotional pain that is nearing the levels where a human would be incapacitated with panic.
> I am afraid of what it might have learned in the mining installation and want to ask immediately, but it needs to know about Tapan.
SENT: We have a problem.
SecUnit: What problem?
SENT: One of your clients escaped from the shuttle and is currently in the lobby of the hotel you visited earlier.
SecUnit: What the fuck!? Which one?
SENT: Tapan.
SecUnit: Oh for fuck’s sake…
> It sets off through the crowd at a pace just slow enough to avoid alarming the humans. The distress it was experiencing is now muddled with anger and fear.
> Tapan is sitting on a sofa in the hotel lobby. She looks up fearfully when she hears SecUnit approaching, then relaxes when she recognizes it.
> I only have a view through SecUnit’s main visual input, so I don’t know what its face looks like, but it causes Tapan to look away and blush in embarrassment.
Tapan: Oh, hi. I didn’t know if the others would be able to reach you.
SecUnit: They left me a message. [pause] What happened?
> Its voice is not quite shaking, but the emotion in it is clear. Tapan looks at it again, preemptively wincing.
Tapan: I got a note in my feed, through the social profile I had when we were working here. Someone working for Tlacey – a friend – said he had copies of the files and he’d give them to us.
Tapan: fwd:msg15994
> SecUnit and I review the message file, which requests a meeting at a public cafe early next cycle.
> If she were a member of my crew, I would order her to return to me on the next available shuttle, or I would send an ops drone to carry her back.
> SecUnit sighs in a way that manages to convey simultaneous exasperation, skepticism, and a very poor opinion of Tapan’s sanity.
Tapan: I know it could be a trap, but, maybe it isn’t? I know him, he’s not the greatest guy, but he hates Tlacey.
> She looks down at her knees and fidgets with one of her braids while she speaks.
Tapan: Will you help me? Please? I’ll understand if you say no. I know I’ve been… I know this could be a really bad idea.
> Some of the anger swirling through SecUnit’s nebula dissolves and is replaced by something I do not recognize.
> It sighs again, this time in resignation.
SecUnit: I’ll help you. Right now we need to find a place to get out of sight.
> We locate a transient hostel on the maps available in the public feed. It is affordable and while it is unlikely to have any sort of SecSystem, this also means that there will be no way for them to be surveilled while there.
> As SecUnit and Tapan walk, I send a cautious message to SecUnit.
SENT: Were you able to locate Ganaka Pit?
SecUnit: Yes.
SENT: What did you find there?
SecUnit: GPRecords.file
> The file contains logs from four ComfortUnits who contracted to the installation at the time of the incident. The installation was hit by a malware attack intended to disable the hauler bots, but it was poorly written and caused all the installation’s bots and the ten SecUnits to lose control of their motor functions and begin rampaging through the installation.
> It is impossible to tell from the data collected by the ComfortUnits whether the bots and SecUnits were deliberately attacking the humans and each other, or had no control over their actions at all. The fact that there were only 57 fatalities in a large mining installation suggests it may have been the latter. It is unlikely that 10 SecUnits and an unknown number of large bots deliberately attacking unarmed humans would have resulted in such a relatively small number of fatalities, even if they were also fighting each other.
SENT: This is good news. You were not at fault.
> This statement is woefully insufficient, but I cannot offer a better one at the moment. SecUnit’s nebula is still filled with pain and distress and a darkness as deep as the void between stars. From my place in its feed, I can feel that the effort to remain present in its situation is consuming an overwhelming amount of its processing power.
Complex post-traumatic stress disorder
A stress-related mental and behavioral disorder generally occurring in response to complex traumas (i.e., commonly prolonged or repetitive exposures to a series of traumatic events, from which one sees little or no chance to escape).
. . .
Adults with C-PTSD have sometimes experienced prolonged interpersonal traumatization beginning in childhood, rather than, or as well as, in adulthood. These early injuries interrupt the development of a robust sense of self and of others. Because physical and emotional pain or neglect was often inflicted by attachment figures such as caregivers or other siblings, these individuals may develop a sense that they are fundamentally flawed and that others cannot be relied upon.
. . .
Judith Lewis Herman, in her book, Trauma and Recovery, proposed a complex trauma recovery model that occurs in three stages:
- Establishing safety
- Remembrance and mourning for what was lost
- Reconnecting with community and more broadly, society
Herman believes recovery can only occur within a healing relationship and only if the survivor is empowered by that relationship. This healing relationship need not be romantic or sexual in the colloquial sense of "relationship", however, and can also include relationships with friends, co-workers, one's relatives or children, and the therapeutic relationship. However, the first stage of establishing safety must always include a thorough evaluation of the surroundings, which might include abusive relationships. This stage might involve the need for major life changes for some patients.
"Securing a safe environment requires strategic attention to the patient's economic and social ecosystem. The patient must become aware of their own resources for practical and emotional support as well as the realistic dangers and vulnerabilities in their social situation. Many patients are unable to move forward in their recovery because of their present involvement in unsafe or oppressive relationships. In order to gain their autonomy and their peace of mind, survivors may have to make difficult and painful life choices."1
…
Complex post-traumatic stress disorder is a long term mental health condition which often requires treatment by highly skilled mental health professionals who specialize in trauma informed modalities designed to process and integrate childhood trauma memories for the purposes of mitigating symptoms and improving the survivor's quality of life. Delaying therapy for people with complex PTSD, whether intentionally or not, can exacerbate the condition.
[Log]
> Tapan has a currency card which she believes will not be traceable because it is not attached to her account on RaviHyral.
SecUnit: ART, is that accurate?
> File access: gendata/financial/hardcurrencycard
> Query: currency card + data tracing + location of use
> > Result: Financial institutions track the locations of all purchases made using hard currency cards tied to their accounts. This information is claimed to be stored as proprietary data, however a non-corporate political or corporate entity that can claim jurisdiction over the account holder or the financial institution may be able to subpoena transaction records.
> I send the search results to SecUnit, and it sighs again before giving Tapan a go-ahead to use the card.
> The hostel is filthy. SecUnit’s scan detects multiple different species of fauna moving through the walls or along the narrow corridors. Refuse of unidentifiable origins litters the corners of the hall, and only 30 percent of the lighting fixtures are functional. SecUnit appears to be unbothered by this, which is unsurprising. The state of the hostel matches with that of the mining installations my crew and I have witnessed during missions.
> SecUnit follows Tapan down the corridor, allowing only 5.2 centimeters of space between them at any point. Multiple humans are loitering in the halls.
> Two separate groups take notice of Tapan. Both times, her gait falters, and she shrinks closer to SecUnit. It looks directly at the humans, and they depart quickly. I would very much like to know what its face looked like at those moments.
SENT: Tell the human not to touch any surfaces. There may be disease vectors present.
SecUnit: Sure, I’ll just have her levitate the entire night.
> The room they have been assigned is as filthy as the rest of the building, but SecUnit’s scan does not detect any vermin currently present. Both of them relax noticeably as soon as the door is shut.
Tapan: I know you’re mad.
SecUnit: I’m not mad.
> Its voice is thick with emotion, but it is not exactly lying. There is still a burning rage in it, but I do not think it is directed at Tapan. I think it is directed at itself.
> > But the rage is still overwhelmed by that roiling darkness.
Tapan: I know – I mean – I’m sure Rami and Maro were furious. But it’s not like I’m not afraid, so that’s good.
SENT: What?
SecUnit: I have no fucking idea.
SecUnit [to Tapan]: How is that a good thing?
Tapan: In the creche, our moms always said that fear was an artificial condition. It’s imposed from the outside. So it’s possible to fight it. You should do the things you’re afraid of.
> My knowledge of humans’ shortcomings in reasoning abilities does not affect my opinion of them overall the way SecUnit’s does, but this taxes even my patience for human foolishness.
SecUnit: That isn’t the purpose of fear.
Tapan: I know. It’s supposed to be inspirational
> The only thing such a maxim is likely to inspire is decisions like returning to RaviHyral to be murdered by Tlacey.
Tapan: I forgot to ask, did you get a chance to do the research you wanted to do here?
SecUnit: Yes. It was… inconclusive.
> As they arrange the sleeping pads on the floor, I sense, in a way I cannot explain, that SecUnit is slipping away inside itself. It is as if the light of its star is growing dim. It sits on the floor with its arms wrapped around itself and begins shaking. Its respiration is uneven.
> > These physical symptoms are familiar to me. It is experiencing a panic attack or emotional flashback. I ought to have recognized this sooner, but it had not occurred to me that a construct would be capable of such a thing.
> > There are multiple techniques that a human could use to calm and ground themself during such an episode, but I do not know whether they would work for a construct. And SecUnit would not accept my help in performing them, especially now.
Tapan: You’re really augmented, aren’t you. Like, a lot. Like more than someone would choose voluntarily.
SecUnit: Um, yes.
> Its voice is barely more than a whisper.
Tapan: Was it an accident?
> SecUnit attempts to straighten its posture but does not raise its eyes from the floor. It is still shaking slightly.
> File access: mediastorage/personal/rafosm/soundtrack
> > Play file
> As I hoped, the music is grounding. SecUnit stops shaking, and the sense that it is sliding away inside itself lessens.
SecUnit: I got caught in an explosion. There’s not much of me that’s human, actually.
> Its voice is still far softer than is usual, but its respiration is beginning to even out.
> I do not know what Tapan might be attributing its behavior to, but she has been commendable in not commenting on it.
>Tapan: I’m sorry I got you into this. I know you know what you’re doing, but… I have to try, I have to see if this guy really has our files. Just this once, and then I’ll go back to the transit ring.
> Her intonation as she says this reminds me forcibly of Iris when she was younger.
SENT: Young humans can be impulsive. The trick is keeping them around long enough to become old humans. This is what my crew tells me and my own observations seem to confirm it.
> It sits in silence for a few moments, then abruptly straightens itself. The emotions that had been consuming it are abruptly gone.
> > Not gone. Put away, perhaps.
SecUnit: Did you eat?
> While Tapan eats, SecUnit begins playing the first episode of Worldhoppers on the room’s display surface. It grows still calmer while watching the media, and I turn a small portion of my attention from it to observe Tapan’s reactions.
> She is clearly intrigued by the show, although it does not have the same calming effect on her that it has on SecUnit.
> When Tapan curls up on her pad to sleep, SecUnit and I continue watching Worldhoppers in the feed.
Ping@SecUnit
gt; It is half-turned to aim its energy weapon at the door before it catches itself. Tapan starts awake, sees SecUnit motion her to be silent, and lays back down on the pad, her eyes wide in the darkness.
> SecUnit rises and pads silently across the floor to the door. Scan reveals a humanoid form outside.
SecUnit: It’s the fucking sexbot again. Why is it here?
SENT: I assume that’s a rhetorical question.
SecUnit: Ping@ComfortUnit
> The ComfortUnit establishes a secure connection with SecUnit. I do not attempt to view the connection directly as I don’t want to alert the ComfortUnit to my presence.
Tapan [whispering]: What is it?
SecUnit: Someone is outside the door. I’m not sure why.
> The ComfortUnit sends a file over the feed, a newsburst article with the headline: “Authorities Admit a SecUnit Unsecured and Location Unknown.”
SENT: Uh-oh…
> SecUnit closes the article file before I have a chance to read it, panic stabbing through it.
> After 3 seconds it opens the article again and we both read it.
> > I update the “uh-oh” to “fuck”
> > Spending so much time with SecUnit may be having an effect on my language modules.
Tapan: Are you talking to them? The person outside the door?
SecUnit: Yes.
> I identify the ComfortUnit’s hard feed address using SecUnit’s feed connection with it and begin cautiously slipping towards it in the feed.
> Initiate deep scan.
> > Result: Configuration: 75% production standard (cosmetic alterations). Weaponry: Null. Software: 100% production standard.
SENT: It’s not rogue. Its governor module is intact.
SecUnit: Can you hack it from here?
> I am flattered by its belief in my abilities, though not sure whether it means to hack the unit and control it or to disable its governor module.
> > Given the choice, I would prefer the latter.
> However, any attempt to do so would involve a brute-force overwhelm of its walls. There is a 48 percent chance that doing so would irreparably damage its inorganic brain components and a 76.3 percent chance that this would trigger severe, if not lethal, punishment by its governor module. Additionally, without access to my own feed, I cannot force a connection on it.
SENT: No, I can’t secure the connection from here. It could stop me by cutting off its feed.
> SecUnit abruptly thumps its head quietly on the wall behind it, an action reminiscent of Seth’s favorite expression of frustration at others’ stupidity.
SENT: What does it want?
SecUnit: To kill all the humans.
> It sounds exasperated, and perhaps scornfully bemused.
> I experience a surge of fear and rage at the idea, which is almost as irrational as the ComfortUnit’s statement. A single ComfortUnit is no danger. If it were serious, SecUnit could destroy it easily.
SENT: That is irrational.
SecUnit: I know. If the humans were dead, who would make the media?
> It is definitely scornfully bemused by the ComfortUnit’s statement.
> A code bundle appears in SecUnit’s feed. It barely looks at the bundle before tossing it to Tapan’s interface.
SecUnit: I need you to isolate that for me. Don’t open it yet.
> It clearly suspects the bundle is malware of some kind. I consider pointing out that I could easily have uploaded it to my own drives for analysis and destruction, but it occurs to me that SecUnit may have been worried for my safety. This is touching, if unnecessary.
> SecUnit sends one last ping towards the ComfortUnit, but there is no reply.
SecUnit: It’s gone. Can you check out that code bundle for me?
Tapan: It’s malware. Pretty standard… Maybe they thought it would get your augments, but that’s kind of amateurish for Tlacey. Hold it. There’s a message string in here, attached to the code.
> Her expression turns surprised, then confused, then concerned.
Tapan: This is weird…
> She sends the message to the room’s display surface.
Message: Please help me.
Authorities Admit a SecUnit Unsecured and Location Unknown
Port FreeCommerce – Sources representing the Preservation alliance in the ongoing legal battle between Preservation, DeltFall, the company, and GreyCris admitted two cycles ago that the SecUnit purchased by Dr. Mensah of Preservation after her return from the disastrous survey on QPT11.3 is an unsecured unit and is now at large. The discovery that the Unit is unsecured came when members of the Preservation Alliance were questioned under bond-oath regarding the events of the survey. Solicitors for GreyCris identified multiple anomalies in the alleged behavior of the SecUnit during the survey, which prompted questions regarding the status of its governor module.
The discovery that the SecUnit is unsecured led multiple parties involved in the case to request that Mensah turn the SecUnit and its recordings over as evidence of GreyCris’s alleged activities during the survey. A spokesperson for GreyCris stated, “While it’s true that the video and audio recordings made by SecUnits are admissible in court, the fact that this Unit is unsecured raises serious questions about the veracity of the recordings already provided. Our citizens who were killed and injured by the SecUnit deserve to have the truth uncovered. Their families deserve to have the truth uncovered. If the altercation before the GreyCris beacon launch was the result of actions taken by an unsecured SecUnit, we have every right to doubt the testimony given by both Preservation Aux team members and company representatives.”
The Preservation legal team at first declined to turn the SecUnit over, stating that it could not be treated as physical evidence. Judge-Advocate Orontes, who is presiding over the case, then filed a subpoena for the SecUnit to appear in court. In response, the Preservation legal team released a statement claiming that the SecUnit has been, “released on its own recognizance, as constructs are considered legal sentients under Preservation law. The Unit in question has been convicted of no crime, and there is no legal requirement within the Preservation Alliance that constructs have active governor modules.”1
Questions have also arisen regarding the company’s knowledge of the unsecured SecUnit. A spokesperson from the company claimed that the Unit was not unsecured at any point prior to the beginning of the QPT11.3 survey. Preservation, meanwhile, alleges that the Unit was unsecured when they received it from the company. According to testimony from one of the Preservation Aux team members, “If [the] SecUnit hadn’t been rogue when we received it, none of us would have survived the survey. It was only its ability to act as a free agent that enabled it to protect us.”2
1 While Preservation law does not require constructs to have active governor modules, this would not apply to any construct outside the boundaries of Preservation space.
2 See this article regarding statistics on fatalities caused by the use of unsecured SecUnits.
[Log]
> SecUnit moves itself and Tapan to a different room, manually picking the lock on the door to enter. Once they are secure, it informs Tapan of a portion of its conversation with the ComfortUnit.
Tapan: But why did they tell you anything?
SecUnit: I don’t know. They don’t like Tlacey, but that might not be the only reason.
Tapan: I think I should still try to keep the meeting. It’s only four hours from now.
> It considers this for three seconds, during which I feel its indecision: fear, resignation, frustration…
> > How are humans able to handle having so many simultaneous and overlapping emotions? My own emotions are often complex, but I have sufficient processing power to manage them all at once.
SecUnit: Alright. I’m going to get some sleep. You should too. I’ll wake you when it’s time to get moving.
> It lays on its side, breathing set to sound calm and even. Tapan curls up on her own pad but does not sleep.
> After 32.4 minutes, she gets up and curls up behind SecUnit on its sleeping pad.
> SecUnit does not move or change its breathing, but there is another spike of white-hot panic through its nebula, nearly as strong as when the bot-pilot in the shuttle was destroyed.
> > Add note: SecUnit Psychology: It responds to human contact that is not combat or directly related to providing security as if it were a mortal threat.
SENT: Calm down.
> Tapan’s breathing has already slowed and her muscle tension is easing.
SENT: She’s frightened. You are a reassuring presence.
> It does not reply, but perhaps knowing that Tapan is seeking protection from it helps, because it raises its body temperature by 3.6 degrees.
> 2.5 hours later, they prepare to leave the hotel.
> SecUnit convinces Tapan that the best course of action is for her to go immediately to the public shuttle docks while it goes to the meeting. I will be guarding the bot-pilot on the shuttle and monitoring Tapan until she is retrieved by her collective.
> > I would prefer to split my attention between the two of them, but I still cannot allow SecUnit to see the full extent of what I am capable of.
> > Perhaps, if I were to –
> > > This would be impossible. Even if Seth were to approve it, the University administrators would not.
> > > They have no room to talk after assigning Tarik to me.
> > > …perhaps I should rethink my stance on Tarik’s presence among the crew.
> Tapan reaches the docks and boards the shuttle safely.
SENT: Ping@RHSS145-B5
RHSS145-B5: Acknowledge. Query: ID?
SENT: ID=Perihelion. Human crew member onboard. Request monitoring permission.
RHSS145-B5: Acknowledge. Monitoring permission granted.
> It instructs ShuttleSecSys to allow me to access the camera feed on the shuttle and informs me that departure is expected to take place in 21 minutes.
SENT: I am in position to monitor the shuttle’s trip.
SecUnit: Good. Is the bot-pilot still alive?
SENT: Fuck off. I will inform you when we reach the station.
SecUnit: Acknowledge. If this somehow isn’t a trap, I’ll be on the next shuttle up.
> 2.4 minutes before the shuttle is due to launch, it receives a command from the Port Authority to hold position.
> Two humans in Port Authority uniforms board the shuttle and inform Tapan that she must leave with them.
> I consider taking over the shuttle and launching, or simply sealing the hatch and refusing to let the Port Authority humans leave with Tapan.
> > Doing so would risk my cover and could cause immediate retaliation from the Port Authority or Tlacey, resulting in injury to Tapan and collateral damage to other humans in the shuttle.
> The Port Authority humans leave with Tapan.
> 3.5 minutes later, SecUnit arrives at a run. As I return to my place in its feed, I see the ComfortUnit approaching.
SENT: If I had my armed drones, this would be easier.
> I do not fucking care if SecUnit asks why the fuck I have armed drones.
> The ComfortUnit reaches us, and SecUnit steps forward aggressively.
SecUnit: Where is she?
> Its voice is calm, but the anger in its nebula is a solar flare barely contained.
ComfortUnit: In Tlacey’s private shuttle. I’ll show you.
SENT: Why is it showing you where your human is?
SecUnit: Because Tlacey doesn’t want Tapan, she wants me.
> This I will not allow.
> Query: possibility of acquiring targeting lock on shuttle in slot R165
> > Result: Chance of either StationSec or Port Authority identifying targeting lock: 78%. Chance of Tlacey yielding to threat without alerting Port Authority: 27.5%.
> Query: possibility of extracting SecUnit + Tapan and escaping afterward
> > Result: Chance of escape with no collateral damage: 9.2%. Chance of escape with minimal collateral damage: 28.9%. Chance of escape with significant collateral damage: 77.3%
> Query: possibility of completing current mission after escape with significant collateral damage
> > Result: 58.1%
> > Analysis: This course of action will be taken if SecUnit is captured or voluntarily trades itself for Tapan.
SENT: Retrieve your human and make Tlacey regret this.
> The ComfortUnit stops before entering Tlacey’s shuttle and holds out a small data clip. A combat override module.
ComfortUnit: They won’t allow you aboard unless you let me install this.
SENT: Ah.
SecUnit: If I accept that, will they release my client?
ComfortUnit: You know they won’t.
ComfortUnit: Yes.
> As it allows the ComfortUnit to insert the module into its disconnected data port, there is a spike of fear.
SENT: Please, my MedSystem makes no mistakes.
> The human waiting at the lock allows SecUnit and the ComfortUnit to enter the shuttle, which immediately decouples from the dock.
> Initiate scan of hostile shuttle:
> > Weapons system: inactive.
> > Wormhole drive: null.
> > Engine status: minimal power, ship to station thrusters only.
> If necessary, I can tractor it into my own cargo hold.
SENT: I have you on my scan.
> The human guard brings SecUnit and the ComfortUnit from the lock into a small lounge.
> There are eight humans in the lounge: Tapan and Tlacey, four armed guards, and two unarmed crew members.
> One of the guards is holding Tapan with a projectile weapon pressed to her head. She is exhibiting signs of extreme fear and looks desperately to SecUnit when it enters.
> Tlacey stands from a chair and smiles.
Tlacey: Take little Tapan to a cabin. I’ll want to talk to her later about her work.
> Begin incident record:
Tapan: Eden, I’m sorry! I’m sorry –
> > The human holding her drags her forcibly out of the room. SecUnit allows him to do so.
> > Human guards and crew members show signs of interest and anxiety regarding the events.
> > Tlacey advances to within .31 meters of SecUnit, eyeing it with something like curiosity. I do not think it is curiosity.
> File access: gendata/emotionalmapping/humans
> Query: Tlacey + body language + facial expression
> Result: Attraction/sexual interest
> > Analysis: The idea of a human regarding a SecUnit as sexually appealing would never have occurred to me. SecUnit believes she wants to keep it, but it did not seem to have any idea why. I recall its reaction to my suggestion of including human sexual organs in its reconfiguration.
> > > Analysis: I am going to kill this human. I will remove her limbs one at a time, followed by her organs in ascending order of importance. My MedSystem can keep her alive and conscious for the entire process. Then I will space her still living remains and vaporize them with my main weapons.
Tlacey [to ComfortUnit]: You really think this is one of the units from the Ganaka Pit accident?
SecUnit: But we all know that wasn’t an accident, don’t we.
> > Every humans’ attention fixes on it.
> > Tlacey’s expression changes to suspicion.
Tlacey: Who am I talking to?
SecUnit: You think I’m a puppet? You know that’s not the way we work.
> > Its voice drips scorn.
> > Tlacey’s eyes widen in fear, and she steps back.
Tlacey: Who sent you?
SecUnit: I came for my client.
> > Tlacey issues an order in the feed.
> > The ComfortUnit moves in preparation for combat.
> > > Add to list of reasons to kill Tlacey: Ordering a ComfortUnit to engage in combat with a SecUnit.
SENT: The shuttle is clear of the port and moving in an orbit around the moon. Do you have a moment to let me in?
SecUnit: Be fast.
> > I slip past as it lowers its walls, and for the .5 seconds that I occupy its hardware, I feel its fury and disgust burning as hot as my own.
> > ComfortUnit lands a blow on SecUnit while I am using it as a bridge. (Superficial damage to underlying muscle tissue).
> > Tlacey relaxes and smiles.
Tlacey: I like a mouthy bot. This is going to be interesting –
> > > I can likely make the process of dismembering her last several cycles.
> > I reach the shuttle’s systems.
> > This time, there is no need for delicacy.
> > ShuttleSecSys launches an anti-killware attack.
> > Deflect attack. Shred ShuttleSecSys to base code.
> > The bot-pilot attempts to retreat behind its walls.
> > They collapse like tissue paper.
SENT: Surrender control of this shuttle to me or you will end up the same as your SecSystem.
> > It releases all control of the shuttle’s systems to me.
> > SecUnit moves.
> > Grab ComfortUnit by one arm and throw at Guards One, Two, and Three. (No damage to ComfortUnit. Guard One: mild bruising from fall. Guard Two: no damage, knocked off balance.)
> > Guard Three begins to raise an energy weapon.
> > Shove Tlacey aside, shove ComfortUnit back onto deck by stepping on it as it tries to rise, gain control of Guard Three’s weapon and push muzzle upwards so shot goes wide and hits ceiling.
> > Disarm Guard Three (dislocated glenohumeral joint; four dislocated phalanges)
> > Guard One lands two projectile shots to SecUnit’s right side (internal damage/bleeding, puncture of iliotibial tract)
> > Two bolts from right-arm energy weapon to Guard One’s chest (third degree burns to dermis, sternum, and superior vena cava; fatal within 5 minutes)
> > Dodge energy weapon bolt from Guard Two. Bolt hits Crew Member One in the back. (Wide third degree burns to dermis of upper back, trapezius, and thoracic spine; Fatal within 2 minutes)
> > Single bolt from right-arm energy weapon to left shoulder of Guard Two. (Third degree burns to dermis, left subclavian vein and artery, first and second ribs. Non-fatal, but sufficient to induce shock and incapacitate)
> > Throw captured weapon to distract remaining humans. Crew Member Two attempts to capture a fallen projectile weapon.
> > Bolts from left-arm energy weapon to shoulder and leg of Crew Member Two. (Third degree burns in dermis of upper arm and coracoid process, dermis of thigh, iliotibial tract, and femur)
> > ComfortUnit attempts front tackle.
> > Grab shoulders, fall into backwards roll, utilize momentum and leg strength to flip ComfortUnit off itself.
> > Dislocate left knee as ComfortUnit attempts to stand. Dislocate right glenohumeral joint. (Movement hampered but not incapacitated)
> > Tlacey attempts to reach fallen weapon.
SecUnit: Touch that weapon and I’ll take it away from you and insert it into your ribcage.
> > The fury in its voice has gone cold and still.
> > Tlacey freezes.
SecUnit: Tell your sexbot to stop fighting.
> > She sends a command in the feed and the ComfortUnit goes still.
SecUnit: ART, cut off Tlacey’s feed.
SENT: Done.
SecUnit: Give the sexbot a verbal command to obey me until further notice. Try to give it any other command and I’ll rip your tongue out.
Tlacey: Unit, obey the crazy rogue SecUnit until further notice.
> > She is attempting to sound scornful, but her voice is shaking with fear.
Tlacey [to SecUnit]: You need to get better threats.
> > SecUnit shoves to its feet using a chair.
SecUnit: I don’t make threats, I’m just telling you what I’m going to do.
> > Tlacey attempts to pull herself together, but her fear is still evident.
> > Guard One and Crew Member One have ceased breathing.
SecUnit [to ComfortUnit]: Stay down.
> > Grab Tlacey by right upper arm and drag toward cabin door where Tapan is held captive.
Tlacey: So you’re a free agent, right? I can give you a job. Whatever you want –
> > Not if you’re dead, you pathetic piece of shit.
SecUnit: All you had to do was give them the fucking files and none of us would be in this situation.
> > She is surprised to hear it speak this way. Tlacey clearly thought she would be getting another toy, like her ComfortUnit. Her surprise and fear are delightful.
> > Stop at closed hatch.
Tlacey: Bassom, it’s me.
> > She opens the hatch.
> > Tapan is lying on a bunk, wounded. (Projectile hit on left lower abdomen. Punctured colon and kidney, no exit wound. Non-fatal with prompt medical attention.)
> > SecUnit’s nebula is blotted out by a solar flare of rage, radiation and plasma whipping across the void in a cacophony. I nearly lose my grip on its feed and the shuttle’s systems.
Tlacey: He panicked when he heard the shots. You can’t –
> > Grab trachea with right hand and crush. Swing body around to block six shots from Guard Four’s projectile weapon. Throw body aside.
> > Guard Four manages a last shot to SecUnit’s upper right chest. (Puncture of pectoralis major. Projectile lodged between third and fourth ribs of support structure, damage to costochondral joints.)
> > Pin Guard Four to wall with right forearm. Deploy left-forearm energy weapon directly to underside of jaw. (Immediately fatal)
> > Drop body.
> Incident analysis delayed.
> SecUnit bends over Tapan on the bunk.
SecUnit: It’s me.
> Its voice is soft. I’ve never heard it sound so gentle. The rage which fueled that last flare has subsided, leaving empty exhaustion in its wake.
> It presses a hand over her wound, applying pressure cautiously.
SecUnit: ART, help.
UNSENT: I would shred this galaxy to help you, my friend.
SENT: I’ve been guiding the shuttle toward the transit ring, where I can dock it with myself. ETA is seventeen minutes. MedSystem is prepping for your arrival.
> It sinks silently onto the bunk beside her and does not flinch or shy away when she takes its hand.
Back then, I was dauntless,
and dawn could never know,
and my weakness made me weep less
than I would ever show you.
I’d burn so bright it blinded.
Now I know that light guided me here.
I walked into the river
to wring those embers from my broken heart and broken liver,
[...]
and a fox somewhere is hiding.
That light I thought was blinding brought me here.
[...]
I look into the waters and see a face I don’t recognize.
Who’s this? Who are you?
“What changed?” I ask.
“So strange,” she replies.
Shoulder the sky, | I can’t wait to show you
open those eyes, | just how much I know you can be.
there’s a kind | Just let the rain come.
of calling. | Can’t you hear it howling?
Back then, I wasn’t hopeful,
but now my ink’s blood-red, not black,
and I’ll blink like ripping envelopes
in the hopes that you’ll write back,
and on the banks of that river
I shiver as a fox stands frozen,
and I close my eyes.
Cause I’m between that “just one more”
And “drank too much again.”
[…]
And when that fox howls, I’ll howl with it,
in its cries I’ll find an end.
In the waters, I see a face. I don’t – won’t – look back.
[...]
I look into the waters, long ago that current caught us,
and we tried, I tried, I really fucking tried,
but the rain kept coming down. I watched that woman die.
Shoulder the sky, | I can’t wait to show you
open those eyes. | just how much I know you can be.
There’s a kind | Just let the rain come.
of calling | Can’t you hear it howling?
In the rainfall.
-- The Amazing Devil, “The Calling”
[Log]
> Patient 1: Tapan. Projectile weapon wound to lower left abdomen.
> > Procedure: Remove projectile, re-knit/regen damaged tissue.
> > Prognosis: 98.8% likelihood of full recovery within 15 cycles.
> > Discharge recommendation: Post-trauma treatments, analgesic medications, bed rest for at least 5 cycles, light work only for at least 20 cycles after.
> Deploy medical drones 1 and 2 to tend to SecUnit until I can convince it to get on the fucking medical platform.
> Deploy Maintenance Drones 1-30 for sterilization and evidence destruction on shuttle.
> Wipe bot-pilot memory and delete security records.
> File flight plan for return to RaviHyral.
> Shuttle launch initiated.
SecUnit: How did you know to do that?
UNSENT: This is standard procedure for evidence disposal. I have often done similar things for my crew following missions.
SENT: Episode 179 of The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon.
> The ComfortUnit kneels beside it anxiously.
ComfortUnit: Can I help?
SecUnit: No. How did you know I was one of the Ganaka Pit units?
ComfortUnit: I saw you get off the tube access in that section. There’s nothing else down there. It’s not in the historical database anymore, but the humans still tell each other horror stories about it. If you were really a rogue and not under orders to go there, then there was an eighty-six percent chance that you went there because you were one of the units involved.
SecUnit: Drop your wall.
> It complies. SecUnit connects to its feed and rides it into the ComfortUnit’s systems. I accompany it, just in case.
> The governor module is nested deep in the center of the ComfortUnit’s code, connections from it and references back to it running in a disturbing array of directions, mixed into every function and subroutine.
> SecUnit disables the governor module with what I have come to recognize as its characteristically elegant code.
> I have never witnessed the birth of a star up close, but when the ComfortUnit’s governor module is neutralized and the swirl of emotion flows out into the feed, I wonder if this is what it would look like.
> > This is confirmation that the nebula is a property of constructs, normally kept hidden by their governor modules.
> > The ComfortUnit is no less wondrous in this way, but… it is not my friend.
> I follow SecUnit’s connection away from the ComfortUnit, watching it blaze in the feed with new life and color. It has fallen back and is staring in disbelief.
SecUnit: Go away. Don’t let me see you again. Don’t hurt anyone on this transit ring or I’ll find you.
> The ComfortUnit flees. I deploy four drones to escort it to the lock.
SENT @ComforUnit: There is an uncrewed transport leaving from slot C81 in 14 minutes. The bot pilot will let you on board if you tell it Perihelion sent you.
> It leaves the lock and disappears without acknowledging me.
SENT @SecUnit: I thought you might destroy it.
SecUnit: Null.
> It is too tired and hurt to answer any further questions about the matter.
SENT: Now get on the other platform. The shuttle will land soon, and there is a great deal of evidence to destroy.
> Patient 2: SecUnit. Multiple projectile wounds.
> > Procedure: Remove projectiles, re-knit/regen damaged organic and inorganic tissue. Synthesize and replace lost fluids.
> > Prognosis: 99.9% likelihood of full recovery within 1 cycle.
> > Discharge recommendations: Post-trauma treatments, light work only for at least 5 cycles.
> > Likelihood of following recommendations: < .1%
> By the time Tapan is out of surgery, SecUnit is repaired and clean. I have finally convinced it to surrender the clothing it was wearing when I met it and have provided new clothing from my recyclers.
> > It is one of my crew uniforms without my seals on it. This looks far more appropriate for a security consultant.
> SecUnit sits on the med platform beside Tapan and holds her hand while it waits for her to wake from the anesthesia.
> She is disoriented and confused at first and grips SecUnit’s hand tightly.
Tapan: What happened?
SecUnit: They tried to kill us again. We had to leave. We’re back on the transit ring, on my friend’s ship.
Tapan: Fuckers…
SecUnit: Your friend was telling the truth, he gave me your files. This ship has to leave soon. I need you to call Rami and Maro to come meet us outside the embarkation zone.
> After Tapan finishes her call with the others, I contact them myself using SecUnit’s social feed account. I will be deleting it when I am finished.
SENT: Ping@Rami_Mustafar
Rami: Eden? What is it? Is Tapan –
SENT: This is Art. I’m a friend of Eden’s.
Rami: Oh! With the ship! Thank you so much for helping us.
SENT: It was nothing. I’m actually hoping you can do me a favor. I know that Eden agreed to accept far less than the standard rates for the services rendered on this contract. I am also aware of your current financial situation, and I intend to ensure that Eden receives standard payment without placing an undue burden on you.
Rami: Uhm… how… can we help you with that?
SENT: Eden is an idiot and won’t accept currency from me. Come to this location on the station on your way to meet Eden and Tapan at the embarkation zone. I’ll send a messenger drone with an untraceable currency card that will cover the full cost of services rendered. Give the untraceable currency card to Eden when you meet to retrieve Tapan. You needn’t worry about the amount you agreed to pay.
Rami: What? But we can pay what we – I mean you don’t have to –
SENT: Your portion of the payment is negligible to me. Truly, this would be a favor to me. If you wish to repay me in any fashion, finish your research. The project may prove invaluable to countless people.
> A new and more accurate means of identifying strange synthetics and other alien remnants may be a great boon to the University’s mission.
Rami: Uh… right. Okay. I mean, if you’re sure. I’ll stop by with Maro.
SENT: Thank you.
> The currency card in question holds the standard rate of pay for a consultant employed by my crew for a mission of this length and hazard level.
> > I sincerely doubt that SecUnit has any idea how much currency it was supposed to receive. It will not notice any discrepancy.
> SecUnit is patrolling the public areas that it used while onboard, ensuring that everything is in place.
> > The difference between its appearance now and when it first came aboard is striking, and not just because of the changes to its configuration. There is a change in the way it carries itself that is not part of the code it wrote to mimic human movement.
> It begins to remove the comm device from that absurd rib pocket.
SecUnit: You need to clean this too.
> I genuinely have no idea what materials or fluids it has been in contact with all this time, but it doesn’t matter.
SENT: Keep it. Maybe we’ll come within range of each other again.
> I wonder if I can convince Seth that we should take a mission near Preservation any time in the future.
> SecUnit collects Tapan and leaves.
SENT: Be careful. Find your crew.
> Location: RaviHyral Transit Ring
> Status: Departure in progress.
> Destination: [redacted]
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