Prisoners of Sol - Android Ambassador (4/13)

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The history museum was the most fascinating place I’d visited on Kalka thus far; Galcip hit the nail on the head with his choice to bring me here. There was no temperature control inside this building either, but it was still a welcome reprieve from the wind when I stepped inside. I forgot that I couldn’t feel my fingers the second I saw displays spread throughout the interior, and suppressed the urge to squeal and scurry off to catch a glimpse at their contents. What I could see from my vantage point was enough to fill me with excitement.

There were artifacts of the organic Vascar, displaying everything from their early tools, religious icons, and cultural status symbols. The explanatory plaques made it evident that this building was created by the planet’s original inhabitants. The androids finding its preservation worthwhile spoke volumes, even before noting that they’d mixed in their own history for other units to view. Early models and dated components, the Servitor marketing materials, and the R&D notes on the project were scattered throughout. 

There were also bits and pieces from their society’s dawn, about the origins of the Bunker of Knowledge and notes passed on from the first free units. I could see old military equipment and recorded network discussions, as well as a newly-added section to document the exact cause behind the memory wipe. Images Mikri had snapshotted of humans were by the exhibit on that code string’s removal, which filled my heart with a staunch sense of pride. However standoffish individuals like Tollu acted, that was what they associated us with.

I’ll let Galcip be my tour guide and offer insight, so it can choose what it thinks is important for me to know. The fact that they preserve their history: you cannot convince me there isn’t some shred of sentimentality and a wish to leave a legacy. If the Vascar leaving notes to their successors to be remembered by hadn’t proven that already…

I cleared my throat, desperately trying to remain professional. “So, I take it you like history, Galcip?”

“I…think I like to understand people, and where they came from. I do not know if this is identical to the tagline of your query. The museum was the first place I visited after I left the Bunker, so I suppose it does intrigue me,” Galcip answered. “There are elements of history that cannot be appreciated in a tangible sense by accessing a data file. Feeling and seeing them in real space permits more accurate judgments.”

“It keeps the objects around for future study and comparison.” Tollu was keeping far back from the two of us, though its eyes watched us like a hawk. “We certainly do not ‘appreciate’ the creators’ history.”

“It’s a part of our own, Tollu. They made us, despite how reductive their society once was. They had to discover everything on their own, which I find difficult to comprehend—starting from scratch. It’s somewhat alluring, the notion of having to figure out all logical parameters by ourselves.”

I smiled at Galcip. “Nothing is stopping you from discovering new scientific wonders on your own. There’s no shame in building off of the knowledge others attained and dreaming up how you can further it. Their science walked, so that you can run.”

“The speeds at which we are able to calculate and extrapolate data versus yours are rightfully likened to walking and running. However, organics do not have an entire matrix in your brains devoted solely to one hundred percent accurate calculations. I do not know if this comparison is fair.”

“No need to soften the blow. I’m quite impressed by your calculation speed.” And the fact that your legs aren’t sore from walking, your empty stomach isn’t growling and making you light-headed, and your eyelids aren’t getting heavy between the icy cold and tiredness. It must be nice to be a machine. “Our strengths can complement each other, like sugar and spice.” 

“Or like polycarbonate and steel. I think I am starting to grasp these metaphors you gravitate to. At any rate, I do like to see where we have been, to know where it is worthwhile to go. Would you like me to walk you through the exhibits and elaborate on the basic details?”

“I was hoping you’d offer. Something tells me you’ll be an amazing tour guide!”

Galcip mimicked a smile to the best of its ability, though it clearly needed some refining. It seemed to weigh what to lead me toward first, before veering toward the organic Vascar’s exhibits; I suspected the friendly unit wanted my opinion on creator behavior, to see if there were similarities between us and them. While my friend just wanted to understand people, I had to keep Tollu in mind as well. It wanted to believe we were inferior savages that saw them as threats, immutably in our brains.

Galcip gestured toward an array of well-decorated pendants, comprised of a single-colored image and a backsplash.  The symbols progressed from a tree, to a sword, to a hammer, to some giant winged animal with tusks. I inspected them in their glass cases with interest, careful to keep my hands away to avoid fingerprint smudges. The oiliness of our palms may be a uniquely human feature that would give Tollu more ammunition on its list of reasons I was a “disturbance” here.

“These are the creators’ guild crests. They are usually named after the symbol they choose to represent them, which were often the family trade or an element of nature from their home region. From left to right, Trepli…this is that type of tree…Caltan or ‘Swordsman,’ Ripwier or ‘Carpenter,’ and ‘Nordae,’ the bird you see there,” the friendly android explained.

I leaned closer toward the Nordae image. “That’s a fascinating animal. The intricacy and craftsmanship on these is phenomenal. What was their purpose, if you know? Do they wear them all the time?”

“They are used as family names, similar to ‘Ryan’ for you, but with more imagery and broader usage. They acted as a form of identification, especially during medieval days. Whether the creators wore them varied between regions and cultures, which is a phenomenon I don’t understand. The Vascar Monarchy imported many traditions and expanded their reach across the entire planet after their corporations developed flight.”

“Thank you for the explanation.” A transatlantic empire that developed airplanes instead of boats, and had medieval dog tags. “Do inorganic Vascar ever use these, or consider creating your own guild crests?”

“Of course not!” Tollu exclaimed. “What meaningless, sentimental symbols—and the entire idea of symbols is an illogical interposing of concepts by organics. We would never do such a thing.”

Galcip snapped its head toward the senior unit. “I told you not to disrupt us. I have not considered creating my own guild crest, but perhaps it would be a unique project to undertake. If I understood the benefits of a visual representation of my product line, I could make a better judgment. Do humans have this sort of thing, Kendall?”

“Guilds? In some places in medieval times. Much like that phenomenon you talked about with your creators, our traditions vary across the globe too. I suppose the benefit is to express yourself. Visuals chosen by organics are often about how you want others to perceive you and who—or what—you’d like to be associated with.”

“Elaborate.”

“Hm. In modern terms, it’s a lot like humans picking avatars for online forums; it’s a declaration of your personality, giving people an image to associate with you. Like how science is important to me, so I like to have visuals of atoms, DNA helixes, things of that sort, as my profile picture to the world.”

Galcip leaned back in consideration. “I see. This is a very important thing that you wish to center your inward and outward identity on. May…I ask how you became interested in science, and when you knew this held a high enough personal value to be your crux?”

I knitted my eyebrows together. “Huh. This might not be helpful, but I guess I always knew. I always wanted to break apart or study everything, and know how they worked. Organics might use the word…calling. It is a calling. I couldn’t get enough during my science classes. Where other kids might’ve found it boring, I had the little nerdy voice screaming, ‘Ah, so cool!’ I wanted to be soaking up more sciency stuff each moment I wasn’t.”

“Thank you for your answer. I have not always known what I wanted to do, so I suppose nothing means enough to me to fit these criteria.”

“Not everyone knows from the start. Sometimes you stumble onto a cool thing later on, and only then do you realize that’s your passion; that’s what you want to do every single day from dawn until dusk. With that said, I think you already found your calling. You want to discover new things and see the world for yourself. You’re an explorer.”

“An explorer. I like this. I…will need adequate time to reflect on what this means. Should I show you to the next exhibit, if you are ready?”

“Please.”

“Seconded. The sooner we get through this, the better,” Tollu commented.

I’d almost forgotten the grumpy android was there. I tailed after Galcip, not paying its counterpart any mind. It gestured to an ancient statuette of an organic Vascar figure that seemed to have a flowing robe made of clouds, and whose pupils were drawn to look forked like lightning. There were other, smaller beings behind her, with one whose mane was caked in icicles and another who appeared to be inside a tornado. The representation of various weather phenomena gave me a huge clue, but I let my companion explain.

Galcip will know more about an alien pantheon based around natural disasters. It’s understandable that the ancient creators thought those were divine acts, just like our ancestors.

“These are the storm gods. The creators faulted them for disturbances in the ‘sphere of nature.’ The queen deity, Raig, would travel the circumference of the world and display her majesty by carving the sky—with just a glance!” The excitement in Galcip’s voice made me smile. “The lesser divines had to draw power from the world itself, rather than commanding Primal Energy. Blizzard god Ilcrink would steal the warmth of sunlight, and tornado goddess Mivna loved to dance in the wind, spooling it around her. Such was their mythology.”

I whistled in appreciation. “That sounds fascinating. They were obviously quite wrong in their observations of the natural world, but you have to give them credit for creativity.”

“Do we?” Tollu interjected.

Galcip’s LED eyes flickered with exasperation. “I find it intriguing that the possibilities organics can simulate are not bound by the constraints of…what could actually happen or what is supported by evidence. I wonder whether I would be capable of replicating such feats, as a machine coded for straightforward calculations. It would be a new venture for our species.”

“You’ll never know if you can do it unless you try,” I encouraged. “You understand people, which is the main thing for telling compelling stories. Perhaps you could imagine a fictional person who fits a certain mold, and ease into making up simulation criteria that way.”

“I will take this under advisement, and see if it provides satisfaction. It is worth trying once, since others of my kind deride it as having no value and have never done so. While I can appreciate the creators’ abstract expression in these myths, what I do not understand is why they assert these invented stories as fact. Even more confounding is that others believed these tales without any evidence.”

“Organics need to understand the world around us. In the absence of a concrete explanation, we’ll often take any explanation.”

“I am sorry, Kendall, but this is highly irrational behavior! Why?”

“It’s…emotional. You’re right.” I bit my lip, noticing how pleased Tollu looked; it thought Galcip was finally seeing sense. “Yet somehow, I think you might understand. We’re mortal; our lives are much too short, and we feel small and insignificant. There are so many things that can just end us in an instant, and it’s easier to believe it’s ‘storm gods’ than an uncaring act of nature. We want purpose and control, yet find none in actuality. We want to believe there’s something…more than our simple existence.”

“Because of this fear and uncertainty, you choose to believe a story?”

“If you look at it that way, perhaps. There are things in the universe that we don’t understand. It’s a very human wish to hope there’s something beyond us that understands it all, and that there’s a reason for our existence. Most of all, to hope that we won’t…be gone forever one day.”

“I’m sorry. It was difficult for Vascar when our time was running out as well.” Galcip whirred with sympathy, before snapping around toward Tollu. “Whatever you’re about to say, don’t!”

Tollu offered a beep of protest. “I do not wish for her death! I was going to agree that I was frightened, knowing that I was about to be erased. Our lives are not short now because of Kendall’s people, and that’s the one thing I appreciate about organics. Truly.”

“I am grateful as well. This is not a concept I wish to process from the perspective of my own termination. If it is any comfort to Kendall, though your life may be of a limited duration, your presence was already significant to us. I will always remember you.”

“Thank you,” I replied.

“Of course! I have found you engaging to speak with. You are not how I expected you to be. I was, frankly, ready to endure quite a lot of discomfort in my information gathering, but you have been polite and well-spoken. I do not know how Tollu can find fault with you.”

“She is an animal,” Tollu answered. “Look at her. Have you not heard her stomach growling? She has run out of fuel, had her exterior membrane chilled, and is attempting to shut down to a rest state right now!”

Galcip tilted its head. “You require food, Kendall? Why did you not say something?!”

“I’m fine. It’s nothing,” I protested meekly, though my empty stomach gurgled in disagreement.

“I did not realize. I told you it was okay to express discomfort. Do you not believe me?”

“I do, but Tollu…”

“Oh. Yes. I see. Tollu, why did you not offer to help if you knew she was due for a meal?”

Tollu stepped back with disgust. “Is my existence meant for nothing more than catering to her needs? I am not a Servitor!”

“It’s not being a Servitor to help out of your own free will. You fool!”

I raised my hands. “Please, don’t fight. Nothing is going to happen to me delaying a meal by a few hours. I just…want to see the museum. I’d like to take a closer look at these statues.”

“Go right ahead. I am going to calculate the optimal ways to improve your sensory state, so that you may be comfortable. You deserve to fully enjoy this place.”

I moved closer to the statue of Raig, being mindful of the super strength that could break these priceless artifacts; they were on a stand, rather than hidden behind a glass case. I noticed as I applied the slightest pressure to the figurine that it was coated in a dusty film, which went floating up into the air. The air particles tickled my nose, a consequence of the androids never cleaning these dated artifacts. I could feel a sneeze building up, and could sense Tollu and Galcip staring as I made a strange face. 

It’s just a damn bodily function, Tollu! It’s not like I’m sneezing on purpose; it shouldn’t be a big deal. I lifted my arm to cover the spray, blowing out snot involuntarily due to the irritants. However, I forgot to account for Caelum physics, and the fact that sneezes already moved a hundred miles per hour back home, until it was too late. The powerful exhale buffeted the Raig statuette away like a tree branch thrown by a hurricane; it careened over the top of the stand at blistering speeds, and shattered as it collided with the nearest wall.

My hands shot to my mouth in horror, and I sank to my knees with shameful tears already welling up. I’d just ruined a priceless museum artifact belonging to the androids, proving Tollu to be right in its warnings about me being a disturbance—unable to control my body, just like with the bug incident. There was nothing an apology would be worth; I’d undone any progress I’d made with the only Vascar that was kind to me. 

Galcip was going to hate me. 

Next

A/N - Just a note that will be explained later, but you might have noticed a few times: “Caelum” is what humanity names the Vascar’s dimension! 

Part 4! Kendall gets to see what exhibits the history museum houses, as Galcip acknowledges how organics had to discover everything from scratch and recognizes its own desire for discovery. Our narrator explains how human traditions compare to the organic Vascar, and how science was her calling, suggesting that Galcip’s calling is to be an explorer. Kendall also encourages the young unit to delve into fictions, after hearing about the creativity of the oVascar’s religion. However, dust prompted a superpowered sneeze destroys some artifacts and ruins the visit.

How do you expect Tollu to react now that it’s vindicated, and will Galcip turn on Kendall after seeing her unpredictable destructive power with its own eyes? What do you think about the general fun facts we learned, and Kendall’s explanation of and the Vascar’s sympathy to mortality and the desire for a purpose?

As always, thank you for reading and supporting!