The Nature of Predators 2-95

Memory Transcription Subject: Adam Meier, Advisor to the Secretary-General

Date [standardized human time]: April 29, 2161

Without the backing and raw manufacturing power of the Listeners, and with the KC drone reinforcement taken off the grid with the UN assuming remote control, the Fed remnants didn’t have the capacity to withstand the Sapient Coalition and the Shield’s full might. Many had already offered their unconditional surrender, especially with the ghost Farsul headquarters (and its personnel) being unearthed by humanity. The Consortium had gone down with a more spiteful whimper, though the “easy” victory felt rather pyrrhic with the lives lost in their self-destruction.

One of the most horrifying things for me was reading the transcripts we’d pulled from their database, affirming that they’d had full consciousness but no autonomy. I had a deep-rooted concern that Terra Technologies could alter my mind in a way where I could trust neither my senses or my judgment; I might not even have control over my own actions. No sapient being should ever live with that fear. If we were going to tamper with these technologies long-term, an idea which I’d become more partial to over the past year, digital people needed the same right as flesh-and-blood.

It’s not just the biologics that have to be protected from us; the inverse needs to be true. The Consortium showed us the dangers—the vulnerability of the silicon mind as well as the possibility for synthetics to supplant the organics. This speech, my final one, is important.

“General Radai,” I greeted the Resket, as he arrived to finally meet in person following the war. I hadn’t thought he was fond of me in our earliest conversation, though I had new insight as to why that was now. He’d arrived and turned himself into us for his role in the war. “I know after all that’s happened, you feel that you’ve failed in your duty as a protector. For what it’s worth, we think you’re vital now to put the pieces back together.”

Radai bowed his head in shame. “My will to live, or to even care for the concepts of duty and honor, have been sapped. I did what I had to do on Avor without a care for any of that. I am the biggest fool in a land of fools, Adam.”

“Listen to me. You stood up for the Jaslip rebels when it counted; you didn’t blindly follow orders to the end. It’s never too late to stand up for what is right. You don’t have to accept some…finality that your honor is tarnished, and that your story is over. Take back control of your life, General—you’re a strong-willed soldier who can get things done.”

“Is this an order?”

“If that’s what it takes to relight your fire, perhaps. An inside track suggests that the SC will pass a motion to spare you from the ‘gross negligence’ charges in the interests of galactic security, and allow you to resume leadership of the Reskets…and any Consortium refugees who might follow you.”

“I am grateful that you persuaded the Paltans to take our civilians in. I only saw Avor with my own eyes, but the Underscales turned every world to ashes. I can’t fathom how to rebuild.” 

“We’ll help you. Efforts already began to restore Esquo. It seems we’re popular in the Jaslips’ books, after the Osir project and our takedown of the Consortium. I have ideas in mind for similar restorations for other KC species, which I’m about to mention in my…farewell address. Suffice to say, I believe we can undo some of the damage, if you won’t give up just as the situation has a chance to get better.”

“I want my people to survive. That was all I ever wanted: security, peace. The Jaslip leader, Aulan, rode back with the Arxur fleet to pay a diplomatic visit to Wriss, but I…I came to you to embrace the consequences of my actions. If I am punished to live with the weight of my shame, so be it.”

I tilted my head, interest piqued by the mention of the Carnivore Alliance. “I suppose it was the Arxur who bailed the Jaslips out first, but that nearly derailed the Bissems’ membership. I can’t fault Aulan’s gratitude for the Collective’s unconditional backing, of course…I just wonder why they didn’t send a diplomat to us.”

“As I understand it, Delegate Frenelda has to be taken out of hiding, and is a few days behind me. Her complicity in the bombing of Delegates Tower forced her off-the-grid. They’re sending you a…proper diplomat, not a revolutionary. One of the few they have left living.”

“We’d be honored to receive Frenelda, so long as she checks any explosive packages at the door. That explains why the Jaslips aren’t with you. Where is Taylor Trench?”

“He had a…prior diplomatic obligation with the Sivkits on Tellus, which the UN agreed he should uphold. The Grand Herd was due to move in within a few weeks. Trench also said he had spent enough time cooped up in a spaceship for one year. It’s a month-long journey between Earth and Consortium space.”

“It’s even further between the Consortium and Wriss.” A gray reptilian cautiously crept out behind General Radai, which surprised me; there hadn’t been an Arxur visitor to these premises since Isif crashed the SC’s initial founding. I recognized their Ambassador to Humanity, Raza, who was also second-in-command to Kaisal. “With the humblest respect, Sir Meier, we would like to sit at the table this time, as a devastating war closes. It is our desire to end our isolation and rejoin the galaxy, as people rather than monsters.”

“If I may, the Arxur Collective saved many lives and stood up for the oppressed far better and far sooner than I could,” Radai remarked. “The drone attacks that I sent on my fool’s errand would have claimed more lives on Talsk, were it not for their interference. They’ve stood with our side with honor and civility, enough that I—if there’s any meaning that my word carries—would vouch for their reformation.”

I nodded, recalling Elias’ long-ago wish for a better future with the Arxur—his promise to help Isif. “I don’t agree with the jailing of entire species, and I hope not to see that mistake repeated. However, I am not the Secretary-General, so I can only implore others to strive for a more hopeful future and to make the right choices.”

“We should have a voice to implore others, to show that we’ve changed and you believe we have, enough to be worthy of participating. Please, at least allow us a word in our defense if you wish to put us back,” Raza said.

“I’m not preventing you from entering, am I, Ambassador Raza?”

“No. I suppose you’re not. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Don’t worry, I plan to do you one better—something a few people might call radical. I hope we can show that we truly learned from our past mistakes. I give forceful pushes in the right direction; it’s kind of my thing. Let’s see how my political swan song goes, shall we?”

I ushered Ambassador Raza and General Radai toward the auditorium, though I took care not to look too much like I was welcoming representatives of two prideful species that many SC members thought of as enemies. It felt strange to realize that this would be my final (intentional) public appearance, after how much of my remembered life had been spent on articulation and diplomacy. I had to have a little faith in the next generation to course correct, to give them the chance to make their own successes and failures. A few parting words of wisdom and challenges should be enough.

Secretary-General Osmani has shown himself to be ready to lead: cool, calm, and collected throughout this entire fiasco of a war. The embodiment of speaking softly and carrying a big stick. This will be the final advice from me, in my role as advisor. We must remain diligent to never be like the Consortium or the Federation.

I walked up to the podium with calm footsteps, staring out at the packed auditorium of humanity’s friends. As the first synthetic being on our side of Orion, I was deemed an expert on the pressing technological issues of our time. There were many questions that faced us far beyond just the invasive nature of the very lifeblood of modern society, and the rapid advancement we craved at our cores. I didn’t believe that an invention was evil of itself, but rather, how it was used defined the outcome. We had to take responsibility for our handling of such hardware, and recognize our power in other areas as well.

“Good day, everyone. Let us start off with the elephant in the room, as I’ve come to speak to you about the quintessentialism of cybernetic rights. I am a software built into a robotic form that mimics the human body, just like the legion. Terra Technologies built me from Elias Meier’s transcript in the hopes of cheating death. To my knowledge, I am my own person—but the fact that I cannot truly know disturbs me, and should disturb all of you,” I began. “We must forbid mind and personality alterations in any shape they take.”

Krakotl Ambassador Kelsel raised a tentative wing. “Forgive me, but would it be so bad to leave out our worst emotions? The capacity for hatred, sadism, or jealousy.”

“As someone who lived sedated by predator disease drugs, unable to feel anger for twenty years, yes, it is ‘that bad,’” Onso commented with a sly ear flick.

I pursed my lips, searching for an off-the-cuff response. “It is our free will that gives us the capacity for evil, but also the capacity for good. The full range of human emotions are messy, but they give us our most beautiful forms of expression: the highs and lows shape our worldview, our connections to others, and who we are. I think I’m qualified to speak to how much missing a little thing affects your experience of the world. We take it all for granted until it’s taken away.”

“Adam is right. Beyond that fact, tampering with a thinking person’s identity is a slippery slope. In the case of the Consortium, it involved removing their core memories and placing them in a false reality, all against their will,” Osmani added.

“Thank you, Mr. Secretary-General. While I’ve come around to Terra Technologies’ mission and found a desire to persevere, it must be acknowledged that some elements of their operation are a slippery slope as well. My proposal is simple: that the privileges, expectations and standards that would be applied to a biological being should apply to a digital one, and vice versa.”

“Hm. Could you be less specific?” Onso quipped.

“I’m saying that we’ve seen the peril in violations of privacy, being able to peek into someone’s thoughts. Brain scans or a synthetic’s live thoughts should not be accessible without consent; I, for instance, never agreed to technicians knowing my every whim at every second of the day. That kind of overreach must be eliminated. Your mind is your temple and should be treated with that reverence.”

Governor Laisa flicked an ear with approval, reminding me how much I adored the Venlil for their support throughout the years. “I think we all can agree that we need to pass privacy laws and limitations on the usage of this technology. We have to protect ourselves. Our entire society hinges on these decisions, so we must take care.”

“Yes! The Sapient Coalition has to seek more than just peace; we must be responsible stewards of the galaxy. As humans say, with great power comes great responsibility. I hope we will rise to the challenge, rather than shy away. To be clear, I’m not saying to lower our ambitions or to forbid this research because of the potential for misuse. In fact, I have an immediate project in mind.”

Fear and reservation flashed in Radai’s eyes. “What is it?”

“We can take the word ‘pyrrhic’ out of our victory against the Consortium. We now possess the fruits of their overreach. We can take back the lives they stole, and put the brain scan data to a better use than their legion. Long-term, my idea is for us to bring back anyone who didn’t make it off the Consortium worlds—the right way. Their personalities deserve the chance to be a part of a new life.”

I gave a look of defiance at the gathered diplomats, unsurprised as an uproar spread across the auditorium. I had no idea if the Sapient Coalition would back my idea, but such an outrageous proposition was certainly going to spark debate. I, for one, saw no reason why the innocent Consortium civilians deserved a second chance at life any less than I did.

A/N - 95! Meier wants Radai to look over the Consortium, and an Arxur diplomat attends an SC meeting for the first time since Isif; our narrator expresses support for the Arxur being released from isolation. He also learns what the Jaslips are up to, before giving a speech on the rights of digital beings after the KC’s cautionary tale. While he advises setting up guardrails, Adam wants humanity to bring back the dead transcripted citizens and deny the Underscales the last laugh.

What do you think about Adam’s idea to bring back the countless lives that the Underscales took in their final act of spite? What do you think should be done with the Fed remnants and the Arxur, and what changes should be made to what the SC were doing before?

As always, thank you for reading and supporting!