by Ben Winston
“Okay, what was that all about and why did you make Sarah not listen?” Ellie asked.
“I think Chris might be right. I don’t know how, but if she can alter her own code without being ordered to, that means she’s capable of making her own decisions and forming her own opinions. I’m really going to have to go through her code once we get to Apollo,” I explained.
“I’m still stunned that you actually created an AI! How did you do it without a mainframe and a hell of a lot more resources?” Vic asked.
“My work platform is a Beowulf Cluster system of twenty-three interconnected computers. I had to write the operating system in order for them to work the way I wanted. But I started off with a UNIX core and built from there. I’ve been severely limited on system resources for Sarah to function correctly in that environment.
“Once I had her help Chris by getting her data backed up, she began acting a little differently; she seemed more like a personality and less like a talking computer. She even asked me about it, and I promised her I’d look into it as soon as I had the time. Now, she’s outgrown the cluster and has to be storing all of her long term memories remotely,” I explained.
“What was that about her core instructions?” Chris asked.
“I burned in Asimov's Laws of Robotics as her prime directives. So, even though she’s slightly outside my control, she should keep herself from taking over the world,” I replied.
Julie, Jamie, Ellie and Carl all chuckled. But Vic looked at them. “I know that sounded absurd, but he wasn’t kidding. What Eric’s created is potentially more destructive than the whole planet’s nuclear arsenals combined.”
“Although I don’t believe she’s capable of doing anything like that. In the wrong hands, my work could be considered extremely dangerous as well Professor,” Chris replied.
“I don’t see how, my dear. Your theories are going to be the basis for a whole new branch of medicine in the very near future...” Vic stopped as Chris set a large metal ‘jar’ on the table beside her plate.
“These are currently inactive, but inside this shielded container are five point two million ‘silicates’. This particular batch can be activated with a laptop that is Bluetooth compatible. Currently, I can only give them simple commands, but with the help of a really good programmer...” She looked adoringly at me. “...that should be easy to fix,” Chris said. “I was going to use this bunch as a visual aid in my argument.”
Vic was starting to look a bit overwhelmed by our presentations. Carl just shook his head while grinning at us. “You two are just flat out amazing!”
Ellie looked over at me. “Can we let Sarah come back now? I feel bad that she can’t be in on this too.”
“I don’t see why not; the first law would make sure she doesn’t flip out and go rogue,” I said. “Will that bother you, Vic?”
“You know her better than I do. I just don’t see how a fully functioning AI could operate in such a limited environment,” Vic replied.
Ellie waited for me to nod before she turned around and typed ‘start’ on the laptop.
“Internal monitoring has resumed,” Sarah announced.
“Welcome back, Sarah,” I said.
“Thank you, Eric.”
“Something you said earlier got my attention, Sarah. You said that something Chris discovered was superior to the hardware developed by the Veranorians?” I asked.
“That’s correct. She has developed a fully functional, almost-molecular sized computer, complete with almost a terabyte of internal memory. If this technique were applied on a much larger scale, say a three-by-three centimeter cube, it would have the computing power of all the computers on the North American Continent combined,” she explained.
“Wow,” I said, looking at my Lover with even more respect. However, it also solved the dilemma I was having with creating an environment large enough for Sarah.
“What would you do in that much room, Sarah?” I asked.
“Honestly, I think I would really just like to help wherever I could. I’d have the capacity to do multiple things at the same time, so I could assist multiple people at the same time,” she replied, sounding like she was getting excited about the prospect.
“I’d bet the Veranorian Synod will want to adopt these two!” Carl said, still grinning.
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Fleet Navigational and Maintenance Stop
Near the Giant Dust disk of Tau Ceti
12 light years from Earth.
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“Good morning, Lieutenant Commander Lennon Shakier. We are here to relieve you,” Len heard in her helmet. She looked off her starboard wing and saw her friend, Flight Leader Hahskin of the Free Simonian Republic, in his modified Rakesh Medium Fighter.
“Hey, Hahskin, how did you get stuck with this duty?” Len asked.
She heard the big ape’s equivalent of laughter before he answered, “Marine Sergeant Coilith Buron made some very forward advances towards my mate, Tulin. She immediately came to me, so I protected my family. Wing Commander Issur Baleem saw fit to give us this duty as a punishment. Duty is Duty, it cannot be a punishment. Marine Major Vitor Anese is making Sergeant Coilith Buron clean the sanitary facilities with very small implements.” Again he laughed. “I think this is much better than cleaning the sanitary.”
“Acolyte eight-seven, this is Heavenly Palace. We’re getting an intermittent contact at three-zero-five by zero-three-five by two-eight-eight relative. Distance approximately one-nine-five thousand. Target is on a matching course and velocity. The boss would like you to check it out.” ‘Heavenly Palace’ was the call sign for the flight operations controller aboard the fleet flag ship.
“Would you mind remaining until I can investigate this?” Hahskin asked.
“Sure, but you owe me a drink when you get in tonight,” Len teased.
“I would be pleased to buy you a drink Lennon Shakier. We should be back soon,” Hahskin replied as he changed course.
She watched her scanner as Hahskin’s wing split off from hers. She still thought it odd that each Simonian fighter wing was comprised of a ‘family’. The Flight Leader was always the dominant male, with the rest of the wing being made up of his mates and ‘second males’. A female stayed on ship with the families’ young. If the worst happened, then the remaining female would raise the young and re-establish the family.
Len keyed the sub-com to the rest of her wing. “Just hang in there a little bit longer, children. Our relief needed to check something out. They should be back with us shortly.”
After a few minutes passed and there was no word from Hahskin, she started getting a bad feeling about that ghost Hahskin went to check out.
“Acolyte, this is Sphinx, do you copy?” Len called. ‘Acolyte’ was Hahskin’s call sign, while ‘Sphinx was her own. She felt the hair on the back of her neck start to rise as only silence answered her. She repeated the hail, but still didn’t get an answer.
“Heavenly Palace, this is Sphinx, do you still have contact with Acolyte?” Len asked.
“Negative Sphinx, we lost them a few moments ago. They should be... Standby Sphinx.”
Len released the breath she didn’t realize she was holding. She became more uneasy the longer the sub-com silence lasted. She looked at her scanner at the deployment of her wing. They were widely spread out in their patrol pattern and it would take a few minutes to gather her wing if they needed be somewhere else rapidly.
Switching to her wing’s channel, she spoke. “Listen up. I think we’re about to get ordered somewhere else. I want all of us to form up near Gornen on our left flank. It’s starting to look like Acolyte might have gotten jumped. Let’s move it people!”
She altered course to head for the left flank of her flight’s formation. Just as the last of her fighters were arriving at the point she chose, her scanner showed the battle group also altering course. They wouldn’t do that unless...
; “Sphinx this is Heavenly Palace. We are at condition one. Change of mission; you are required for enemy fighter suppression and harassment. Contact at three-zero-five by zero-three-five by two-eight-eight relative is confirmed hostile. Acolyte managed an omega report of contact with enemy flotilla of larger-than-task-force strength. We are currently under a full scramble, but you’re closer. We need you to delay them as much as possible until the rest of the fleet can move up to support you. Report on contact. Good hunting Sphinx,” Flight Control said.
The orders were a suicide mission, but Len was one of the few officers that knew they’d been taking the fleet to a secret outpost that, with more work, would give them a strong base from which to launch a devastating counter-attack against the Aracnise Grand Hive. Being only two weeks out, the Hive might figure out they’d been heading for Earth. The thought of what a Hive fleet would do to that mostly unprotected world made her shudder.
An ‘Omega Report’ was a final, desperate gamble to warn the fleet of danger. Obviously the enemy fleet had been supposed to shadow the Alliance forces and destroy everything once they reached their destination, but their obsessive need to have an active fix on the Alliance fleet had destroyed their advantage of surprise.
Len acknowledged her orders before switching to her wing’s channel. “Okay people; we need to alter vector two-four-one by zero-three-two and go to full burn. We are at condition one, so unpack your toys for the party. We have to host until the rest of the fleet can get into position.”
“What about Acolyte, Boss?” Gornen asked.
Len felt her jaw tighten. “Acolyte issued an omega of a fleet plus. So keep your asses moving, and hopefully we can keep the bugs occupied for a few minutes.” She paused for a moment to let the news about their friends sink in. “Attack formation gamma-two, and go to full burn. Execute!”
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“Blessed Maker! Do you see that, Boss?”
“If you mean the twelve hundred enemy fighters, yes I see it,” Len said, feeling a sinking sensation in her stomach. Behind that wall of death, her scanners were telling her at least sixteen capital ships waited to enter the fight. She quickly bundled up all the data and pumped it off to the fleet behind them.
“You have a plan, Len?” her aft gunner, Vilt, asked.
“Gimme a second with this one; they didn’t exactly teach us how to take on a hundred and twenty to one odds,” Len replied sarcastically. She was rapidly running different scenarios through her battle computer, when she got a flash of inspiration. Her computer said it was risky, and most of them probably wouldn’t survive, but they would take out a good portion of the enemy fighters. She sent it out to her fighters.
“Listen up. I want us to spread out all across their line, and start to harass them. Do your best to piss them off. You know how the little shits are, get them angry enough, and they’ll break formation and follow us. Once that happens run back in the direction of the fleet, but continue to harass them. Once we get them away from the support of the bigger ships, set your capital missiles for space detonation, and launch them back into the enemy mob. Detonate them so you take out as many as you can. If you’re still here after all that, keep drawing them back toward the fleet. If we take out enough of them, the cruisers should make short work of the remainder. Any questions?”
“Let’s make the bastards pay for Acolyte!” someone said, and it was quickly endorsed by the rest of the flight.
“Good luck everyone; ready... break!” Len ordered, and her wing quickly split apart, in a move that hopefully confused their enemy’s battle analysts.
Len held herself back until her fighters got farther away, giving Vilt a chance to talk to her. “Are you sure this is the best option, Boss?”
“Since when do you second guess me, Vilt?” Len asked.
“I’m not, it’s just... Damn it, I never got up the courage to ask you to dinner!” Vilt admitted.
“Me either!” Gemme said from her fighter, to let them know they were still broadcasting.
Len left the channel open. “If we get outta this, we’ll make it a date!”
“Hell ya!” Len’s wing replied as one.
Seeing that the last of her small ships were nearing their starting points, Len locked her visor down and shoved her thrust control all the way forward. “Let’s do this.”
She was in range of the enemy in seconds, and she opened fire at the same time they did. She held the laser triggers down as she weaved through the enemy formation at full speed. She didn’t have time to aim, but they were so close together she didn’t really need to. She heard the rear cannons firing continuously, and Vilt’s yells of triumph, as enemy fighters were destroyed.
“They’re breaking formation, Len!” Vilt told her, and she swung the nose of her ship back toward the wing’s base ship, Koran Vi.
“Give ‘em hell, Vilt. We’re outta here,” Len replied.
Her mind heard much the same from most of her pilots, and she worried that the missing two might have been destroyed already, even though she was still receiving their transponder signal.
She saw the two missing ships alter course and head back just as she head their report.
“Hustle up you two, it’s about to get really nasty back there,” Len replied.
“We’re trying boss, but I think these idiots are calmer than the rest. They don’t seem to want to follow us. I’m having Gonju and Hypheria program the missiles to turn around and fly back towards them. That way we can launch and still run for home,”
Len knew they were probably the only two ships that would survive this, since the plasma wave from the explosion would most likely shred the fighters.
“Okay, but these assholes are hot on the rest of us, so hurry up.” As she watched, her computer reported the loss of one of her fighters.
“Iano and Remmit are gone, Boss. They took a lot of damage in the original attack and where having trouble with their reactor,” Ronat reported.
“Understood. Keep going everyone,” Len replied. She’d morn them later, if she was still alive herself.
“We’re ready, Boss!”
“About time! Okay everyone, execute... now!” She spun her fighter one hundred eighty degrees, armed both of the big anti-matter missiles and launched them. Her momentum only slightly lost, she spun back around and pushed the thruster control as far ahead as she could. “You might want to polarize, Vilt.”
“I did that before you let them go,” he replied.
“Stand by for detonation in three... two... one... detonate!” Len reported, as several alarms started screaming at her because of the proximity of multiple Anti-Matter detonations. She cut off the shrilling alarms and watched the fast approaching plasma wave coming at them on her scanner.
“Brace for impact. It’s been an honor, Vilt,” Len said.
“For me too, Len.”
The fighter was slammed hard from the rear. The shields were useless against a compressed plasma wave of this magnitude, and failed completely. The last thing Lieutenant Commander Lennon Shakier remembered was her flight pod being ejected as her ship broke up around her.
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Cowan Residence,
Duluth, MN.
Earth, Sol System
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I awoke later then was normal for me. I swear to the deity of your choice that Christy was trying to kill me last night. I mean, don’t get me wrong; if I could choose the manner of my death, then I highly recommend death by lethal, uh, injecting. However, I wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye yet.
Vic and Carl had decided to get a hotel for the night then fly back to Boston this morning. Once back, Vic would notify the ‘Council’ that we’d accepted. Carl would begin making arrangements for us to move. He, Jamie, and Julie worked out the best way to handle the two households.
With the help of Ellie, Christy, and Sarah, we started getting my ‘lab’ torn down and re
ady to move. The only problem I could foresee was how to move Sarah. However, she came up with most of the answer herself.
“Eric, why don’t I move everything but my base and core programming up to Apollo, then I can shut down for the move; you or Christy can then simply carry me in one of the laptops? Once we get there, you can start me back up, and I can then move myself back into the cluster, or whatever system you want me in.”
“I can see some problems with that,” I replied. “First, if you have indeed developed a personality, then restarting you without it being available would most likely result in you beginning to develop an entirely new personality, or it could force a cascade failure in your logic matrices. Either of those situations would basically mean the death of ‘you’ as you are right now.
“No, I won’t risk you coming to harm. Besides, if we want to figure out how it happened, you have to stay intact. We’re taking the cluster with us in case that had something to do with you becoming sentient. But I think the only real way we’re going to be able to do this is for you to move your whole program up there intact.”
You could hear the smile in her voice as Sarah replied. “Thank you, Eric. That really means a lot to me.”
I grinned up at the last remaining screen in my room. “Do you think I’d let any of my ‘children’ come to harm? Especially my first born?”
A great big set of lips got plastered to the screen, as if a giantess had just kissed it from the other side. “Ah, gee! You’re embarrassing me, Dad!” Sarah quipped. As far as I could tell, it was a wholly un-programmed, emotional event, displaying intimate humor; amazing!
“Will she still be able to be with us after she moves up there?” Ellie asked worriedly.
“I don’t see why not; she can poke around their system from here, she should be able to go the other way just as easily,” I replied, and Christy nodded agreement.
“I’d also like her help refining the silicacytes. I imagine once word of her gets around, she’ll become one of the most popular people on the whole damn base!” Christy said. “You’re going to get your butt worked off, Sweetheart!”
