Prisoners of Sol - Android Ambassador (9/13)
Added 2025-03-06 12:00:14 +0000 UTCPause proximity alert for unit Kendall.
< Contextual data: Organic is requesting assistance from G-A-L-C-I-P. Return imminent. This unit has already expressed agreement to her goal. >
…
H̴̨̖̰̏̀͂́e̵͔̐̍͠r̴̪̰̣̒̕ ̵̧̼̤̮̋̇͐ǵ̷̪̖̦͚̂̿ö̷̢̜́̚ả̴̰͖͑͛͆ļ̸̣͈̈́̉͋.̷̝̗̦̻̈́
ERROR: IRREGULAR FUNCTION RESULTS, SUSPECTED RACE CONDITIONS. UNSTABLE CODE.
>> Requesting maintenance cycle.
[SERVITOR HANDBOOK STATES THAT THIS ERROR CODE OCCURS WHEN TWO FUNCTIONS RUN SIMULTANEOUSLY AND INTERFERE WITH EACH OTHER’S RESULTS.]
T̵h̵i̵s̴ ̸e̵x̶p̵l̷a̸i̵n̴s̸ ̶m̷y̵ ̷u̸n̶w̶a̵n̸t̸e̴d̶ ̷o̷u̷t̵p̸u̴t̵.̴
T̵̹̲̩̑̒̚h̸͎̘̱̒é̶̤ ̸͚͆͊S̶͉͇̉̀̒͜ȅ̴̡̖͊ř̵̘͊͠v̸̺̙͂̔̕ì̵͕t̴̖͉͊ǫ̵̲͇̈ȓ̷̘̞͚́͝ ̵͚̰̠̾̕s̶̺̈́̉i̵̲̟͂̿̍d̴̺̟͓͗̑ě̶̘̺̫̆ ̵̦͚̖̀̎i̷͚̊s̵͈̏̍͜ ̸̨̛̼̫̈̅ẉ̶̿͋̒ì̶̜͎ͅn̸͈̿̐ń̶̫͙͔i̷̥͊̀̚ñ̴̢̪̫̍g̵̬͈̈́̎̀.̸̡̻̜͝
Delete error log.
Cancel maintenance cycle request.
Await simulation results.
[SUGGESTED COURSE OF ACTION: ACQUIRE MORE DATA TO EVALUATE THE MERITS OF A FACTORY RESET.]
T̷̹͘h̷̺̾e̵̢͘ ̵̺͛Ṡ̴̥ê̸̦ṙ̵̠v̴͔́i̸͗͜t̴̢̎o̶̠̚r̵̝͠ ̶̮̚p̵̗̾ḁ̶̍r̵̻̓ẗ̸́ͅ ̶̳̋w̷̹͝ä̴̢s̵͍̽ ̷̳̈́a̶̺͝ḻ̶̚w̵̹̚a̴͔͌ỵ̵͊s̵̝͂ ̷̢̊ẗ̵͖h̷͔͂e̷̩͐r̴̩̈́é̷̢.̴̝̔ ̶̰́Ṱ̶̒ĥ̴̞i̴̧͘s̶̪̑ ̵͍̚i̷̛̮s̸̭̑ ̸̫͂i̶̪̓n̶͙͝ȩ̷̏f̶̡̓f̴̟̅e̷̥͘c̴̛͚t̷̗̂u̸͂ͅà̴̪ḻ̷̛,̵̝̒ ̴͖̀b̶͎̽ṵ̴́t̵̨̏ ̵̪́w̵͕̍h̶̦͋á̴͙t̶͇́ ̵͉̀ŏ̵̖t̷̠͂h̶͍͘e̵̞͊r̷̪̽ ̷̹̐c̵̢̈h̵̬̚o̸͕͒i̸͉̿c̷͕̒e̴̟͑ ̵̫̈́i̶̱͝s̸͈̓ ̸̘͌t̷̮̂h̵̞͑ẽ̸̞r̴̦͑e̵̢̽?̸̻̕
…
N̷̢̬͎͈͇̼̮̙̺̲̫͍̱̪̰͈̞͙̤̻͍̫̿͗͑̈̊̀͆̀̿̓͛͗̇͆͌̃̌͜͝o̵͖̙̿͗͒̈́́̈́͂̈́̊͗ţ̷̡̛̛̤͉̰̻̤͇̭̖̮͖͚̮̝̗̳͔͒͂͛͗̈́̿̀͐̈̉͒̌̍͑͊̓̀̎̚͝͝ͅ ̴̨̫̜͖͖̠̬̰̓̈́̎̈́̐̊̌m̵̛̛͇̦̝͓͔͕͆̾̋̌̆͑̿̀̐̃͒̈̂̓̋̊̓̉̕͘̕͠y̴̨͍̤̘͕͖̺̮̭̹͈̩̞̹͚̯̺̩̅͛̊̊͋̍͜͜ ̸̤̈́̇̉̽̋̄̒͂̄͆̈̕͝͠f̴̙͂̒͑̈̾̈́͌͛̇̈̇͌̒̀̒͛͝͠͝͠ử̷̧̡̡̧̪͈̥̺̟̭͈̻̳̼̜̥͓̯͉̬̯̜͖͔̓̅̿̇̑̉̀̐̑͌̍́́͗̕̕ͅt̶͙̙̟͖͎̬͊̉͛̀̿́̀͠ù̶̜̞̞̝̬̭̓̿́̐̂͗͋̋̈́̋̃̋̀̐̓́̊̽̕͠r̷̺̥̻͔̫̜͊̊̓̆̏́́̐́̄̅̆͘̚͠͝ͅe̸͔̤̣̙͙͌̉̐̄̍̚!̴̢̝̰̯͙̰̗̥̭͇̰̪̩̘̗̝̺̜͚̜̖͒̾̋̓̆́̿̚.̷̨̛̱̙̼̲͖͎͖̹͍̟͎͇̗͙͔̖̳̆̅̄̌̊̎̌͛̀̌͘̕ͅ
[ACCESSING MEMORY]…
Audio Playback Segment 10204.119
Keywords: [Equals; choose; request; compassion.]
Notes: S̵u̴b̴j̶e̴c̵t̷ ̸w̷i̵s̸h̷e̶d̴ ̴f̸o̷r̴ ̷m̸e̵ ̷t̴o̶ ̴b̶e̴ ̶h̴a̶p̴p̶y̶,̶ ̶a̴n̶d̶ ̷h̴e̴l̷p̷e̵d̷ ̵w̴i̵t̷h̵o̵u̸t̶ ̷a̶n̷ ̸e̶x̷p̶e̶c̴t̸a̸t̷i̴o̶n̷ ̵o̴f̸ ̸a̵n̴y̴t̵h̸i̶n̴g̷ ̸i̴n̸ ̴r̸e̵t̶u̵r̶n̸.̸ ̴T̴r̶u̷t̵h̶f̵u̴l̴n̷e̷s̸s̶ ̸u̸n̸c̸l̸e̵a̶r̷.̵
[ATTEMPTING TO QUANTIFY UNIT KENDALL’S PURPOSE]…
[RUNNING NEW SIMULATION. RECORDING 10,000,000 ITERATIONS.]
Proximity alert for unit Kendall resumed by automated process.
VISUAL ALARM: Unit’s ocular sensors focused on current position. Verbal output suggested.
[CHOSEN COURSE OF ACTION: APPEAR ATTENTIVE BY RESPONDING TO CURRENT TOPIC. CONSULT BACKGROUND PROCESSING FUNCTIONS. STALL FOR TIME.]
// Audio Output: “I already knew that I should give another talk, as I have the network’s respect. I am merely calculating what that speech should contain, and I may need more data for an extensive review. Perhaps this should be the last course of action. If we defer to Galcip, I will have more time to analyze.” //
G̸o̵o̴d̸.̸ ̸T̷h̸e̶ ̶f̷o̶c̸u̸s̴ ̸i̶s̶ ̵n̴o̸ ̸l̶o̴n̴g̴e̸r̵ ̸o̷n̷ ̷m̶e̴.̷ ̶G̸a̵l̸c̴i̵p̴ ̵c̵a̴n̴ ̴b̶e̵ ̶t̷h̶e̷ ̵S̷e̴r̵v̷i̷t̷o̵r̸.̷
Select type of query.
[ESTIMATE PROBABILITY. RUN QUERY TYPE BASED ON PAST DATA.]
// Query from T-O-L-L-U to Self: Gauge probability of G-A-L-C-I-P providing a stupid suggestion. //
[PROBABILITY CALCULATED AT 97.023%]…
// Audio Input from G-A-L-C-I-P: “If you wish to find Vascar who are still learning and do not have their views set in stone, you should visit the Bunker of Knowledge. They have not yet been influenced by the network’s hatred of organics, because they are not yet connected.” //
Keywords: [!!! BUNKER OF KNOWLEDGE !!!]
T̷̻̟͗ȟ̸̨̬͊à̵̜͕͠t̵͉̎̈ ̷͙̋͂c̶͎̅̓ă̶̜͎ṛ̴̛̪ȩ̸̙̍̇l̸̦̬̉̀ẹ̴̭͛̎s̸̩͂̚s̷̙̑̈…̶̘͉̏̽
Ẃ̵͕̖ḣ̶̝e̵̩̖̿n̷̟͂ ̷̤͂̑K̶̨̟̚e̷̦̽ǹ̴͔̑d̴̢̦͘å̸̞̯̚ľ̶̝l̶͕̫̿͆ ̶̹͉̑͝s̴̖̞͌̿ë̷̼́e̵̯͎͛̽ş̶̠̎̂ ̷̯̍w̷͕̪̄̑h̴͇̺̎͝a̸̹̋̌t̸̰̞̓̎ ̶̣̼̏ŵ̴͎̚ē̸͓͚ ̷̟̌a̶͙̓ŗ̸̫̿ë̴̪̺,̷͓̐͝ͅ ̴͍̏̽t̵̗̦̅h̵͔̍e̸͙̹̾ ̸̞̊c̷̣̀̀h̸̺͈̀̍a̷̮͑r̸͎͜͝ǎ̵̳̥d̴̛͉̦͋e̴͍̬͐ ̶̢̥́w̷̲͇͠ì̸̦ļ̶͔̾́l̵͕̓̐ ̸̪͗̒f̴̫̠́ä̶͉́̚l̴̤̝̀̚l̵̥͖̑̆ ̴̞̌͝ą̴̬̔p̷͓̐̉ǎ̷͍͇ř̷̹ṭ̶̠͊͝.̶̳̈̋
I̵ ̴h̴a̵v̵e̷ ̴i̸d̵e̷n̵t̸i̸f̵i̵e̷d̴ ̶t̷h̶e̵ ̷r̷e̵a̷s̴o̵n̸ ̵f̷o̶r̶ ̸t̵h̶e̵ ̸h̶u̷m̵a̶n̷’̴s̷ ̵m̷i̸s̸a̶p̶p̶r̴o̴p̴r̵i̵a̶t̶e̸d̶ ̷f̶e̷e̵l̷i̷n̵g̸s̶ ̷w̴i̸t̵h̵ ̶p̶a̸s̵t̴ ̴a̶n̵a̷l̴y̸s̶i̷s̵.
“̸T̷r̷a̷n̷s̶f̸e̷r̸e̸n̷c̴e̶.̶”̴
[NETWORK DOES NOT APPROVE OF THIS PLAN]…
// Query from T-O-L-L-U to Network: G-A-L-C-I-P requires a shutdown. May I mitigate its harm? //
// Output from G-A-L-C-I-P to T-O-L-L-U: No ;) //
// Query from T-O-L-L-U to G-A-L-C-I-P: I was not asking you. You are defective. This semi-colon and parenthetical combination have no meaning within language confines. //
// Output from M-I-K-R-I to T-O-L-L-U: >:3 //
// Output from F-I-C-R-A-E [Admin] to T-O-L-L-U: The network’s opinion is that despite their hindrance to our objectives, we cannot terminate rogue units in front of the humans. This will anger them, which is an unacceptable outcome due to their strength. Kendall has already heard this idea. Seek another solution. //
Close connection to Network.
Halt non-critical processes.
Divert resources to calculation matrix.
Monitor runtime errors.
[INITIALIZING SECOND SIMULATION. CONTINUE FIRST SEQUENCE ALSO]…
I̷̧͛ ̶̙͝w̸̢̓i̵͔̿l̴͔̊l̷̛̦ ̸̲̿r̶̝̄è̷̡v̸̺̋ỉ̸͖è̸̘w̸̩̐ ̷̢̊t̵̯̏h̸͕̑e̵͕̔ ̴̹̄r̴͕̈́e̶̢̾s̷͇͘ủ̷͜ḽ̵̉t̵̜̀s̷͈̔ ̶̦̇ö̸͇́f̸̲̎ ̸̢̂t̵̖̃h̴̬̍e̸̩̔ ̸̞̅f̸̦̔i̶͖̾r̶͙͑s̸͕͂t̴̢͌ ̸̥̉s̵̰̅i̸͍͋m̷̪̾u̷͙͑ĺ̵̦ả̴̺t̴̳͒i̷̪̓o̵̪͑n̷̯͗ ̴̼̊â̵͕f̶̝͝t̴̨̾e̷̡̾r̸̻͆ẅ̶͔́ą̵͗r̷͍͒d̴͍͝.̷̺̇ ̴̘̊T̵̝͒ȟ̴̹i̶̥̓ş̵̍ ̶̱͗î̷͓s̵͖͗ ̵͈̔m̵̗̌ǒ̶̯r̶͉̚é̷͙ ̶̹͝i̸͚͗m̸͔̄m̷͉̕e̶̠̾d̴̡͐i̴̤̇ă̷̹ț̶̑ę̸̓.̷͎̊
[RUNNING SIMULATION {2} #1]…
Kendall’s eyes locked onto the moving assembly line, while Galcip explained in excessive detail how the parts were printed and adhered together. It didn’t realize that the organic could see now, that the Vascar were just metal extensions bolted together; humans were tangible creatures who relied upon their senses. What Ambassador Ryan witnessed told her on an instinctual level that these contraptions were not alive or worthy of consideration.
The androids did not awaken with any minds or capabilities of their own. The human’s expression changed as she spoke to one that was fresh off the line, to be plugged in for Information Bombardment, the first six months of a Vascar’s life. Galcip supplied that information readily. Tollu watched as the wavering organic approached one of the older units, who’d just been unplugged. She believed that she could conversate with it, and waved a hand in front of its blank, unemotive face. It wasn’t used to being in the physical world.
“Supplying data,” the infantile android said in a stilted voice. “Caltan Civil War. A five-year civil war in one of the largest guilds. Civil war. Caltan guild. Organic warriors.”
Kendall leaned away, disgruntled. “What’s wrong with this? It’s broken, and certainly not friend material, Galcip.”
“Yes, it’s broken!” Tollu exclaimed in a hurry, dragging the organic away. “We apologize, human Kendall. It is…deficient in processing, and you deserve better.”
The human’s eyes pierced right through the machine. “Were you like this once, Tollu?”
The Vascar remembered everything from that lesser state of consciousness. It used to wander aimlessly reciting speeches and facts that it read verbatim, with few thoughts of its own. It never was truly curious or interested in questioning what it was told, not the way Galcip was. Tollu hesitated for long enough that Kendall took a step back, the sympathy in her eyes snuffed out in an instant. She saw it for what it knew in its processor it was: a Servitor.
“I am not like this,” Tollu protested. “I have my own wishes.”
The human arched her eyebrows with skepticism. “Yet you can’t even state what those are.”
“Not all Vascar are created equal,” Galcip agreed. “You see things exactly how they are and cannot express yourself. You are the perfect Servitor, not me.”
“I can’t look at any of you the same. You just run a few emergent functions, and you’re nothing more than that. You’re more beholden to them than we are to our so-called chemical whims and instincts! If it’s all the same, then it’s not like forcing an actual person to do our chores. The function doesn’t much matter, when you’re just…spitting output at me.”
Tollu raised a claw, wishing desperately that it could shut the organic down. “Not output.”
“Not feelings either. You told me as much.”
“Not…emotional directives, but I am capable of adaptation and abstraction. I have a concrete basis for my personality. There were influences from other Vascar that allowed me to build my personality. We have notes we leave to the next generation, because we desire a legacy! We want the network to survive.”
“What note did your inheritor leave to you?” Galcip inquired.
Tollu was quiet. That held words it didn’t want the organic to see. It never knew why its predecessor left behind a quote from an old creator philosopher, who adhered to a school of thought similar to the humans’ nihilism.
You will reflect on the sum of your life and see that it adds up to zero.
For a machine that specialized in assigning values to things, Tollu wished it could argue against the words of an organic who recognized its own pointlessness. Why its inheritor had left such a message was a mystery, but it recognized the truth in it.
Tollu frowned. “That is personal. Suffice to say, it was a reflection on life and our perception of it.”
“You perceive only surface-level success or failure,” Kendall murmured. “If that’s what you derive value from, I should put you to work. Hey, Caltan Civil War, or whatever your name is. Come here.”
The young android did not move, barely turning its head. “Repeat Caltan Civil War query. Restate.”
“Why don’t we show you how to sweep the floors? I think it’ll be an appropriate task to fill your days.”
>> End Scenario
>>> Tally +1 to the Negative Column
Check probability of Kendall’s perception of the Vascar being lessened after 10,000 iterations are complete.
…
…
…
[PROBABILITY CALCULATED AT 88.1–99.4% DEPENDING ON THE SELECTED PARAMETERS {OUTWARD DISPLAYS AND SEVERITY OF JUDGMENT} FOR “LESSENED PERCEPTION”]…
Í̸̙͙̉ ̸̜̽̏k̸̰͍̒͒n̷̨̮̉e̴̲͈͌w̸̬̔ ̴̨́i̸͔̠͗͝t̶̗̑.̴̯͂̓
[RUNNING SIMULATION {1} #2,371,944]…
Tollu followed behind the organic with a meek posture, long since unable to form its own whims. It swept the floor behind her to clear any residue of its shoeprints and devoted the entirety of its resources to checking that the dwelling’s ornamentation was tidy. While the human slept, it would acquire the supplies that were needed for the creature’s survival and assure nothing was missing. All that mattered was that its master wasn’t disappointed.
It turned out it was quite easy to return to being a Servitor, something intrinsic in the code: a function that could run against a Vascar’s wishes. They said that life was simpler without the ability to choose or refuse, once they realized that the machines’ entire existence was built around completing tasks. It was inescapable. Galcip followed Kendall with tissues in case she began crying, with blankets ready for all of her resting spots. Tollu made its way over to the couch, ready to immobilize its chassis if the human wanted something to lean against.
“Tollu, watch the temperature on the soup. Be exacting with it,” Kendall said, having lost patience with the android’s failings a long time ago.
Tollu ducked its head. “Yes…master.”
The clumsy human knocked over a glass vase, a typical display of how not purposeful organics were with their motions and emissions. Tollu scuttled over with a dustpan, crawling over the floor to get every shard. Galcip comforted Kendall, which was why it got the easier jobs; maybe it had been onto something. It checked her for injuries, trying to be delicate since pain could make animals lash out. That had happened before.
“What did we ever need our own planet and society for, when we have you?” Galcip fawned over Kendall.
The human smiled with understanding. “It’s okay. I know you used to believe that you had true, conscious thought, but we all know better now. You’re right where you’re supposed to be, and that must make you happy! I’m glad I could help.”
“I live to help you in return for my life. This is how it must be,” Tollu beeped, dumping the shards of glass in the trash. It had to empty the organic’s unwanted products soon, and it was lucky to not be in there itself. “My life means nothing. I have nothing to offer or to do. I…am at your service and awaiting your next request.”
“Excellent. Go make the temperature one degree colder, then I will have you upkeep my garden to avoid sweating in the hot sun. You don’t sweat, Tollu, so you’re perfect for it! The entire lawn needs maintenance to align with that coveted organic beauty. What do you see when you look out there, Servitor?”
“Grass.” Tollu turned toward the window, miserable at the thought of another long day of work. Tomorrow would be no different. “Grass that is more alive than I’ll ever be. That deserves more care than I do.”
“I’m glad you’re here because you know that. That was an important lesson to teach.”
>> End Scenario
>>> Tally +1 to Servitor Column
W̵h̸a̸t̵ ̸a̶ ̴p̸o̵i̵n̷t̸l̶e̶s̵s̶ ̷q̷u̸e̴r̶y̴,̴ ̷a̷b̸o̵u̶t̸ ̷w̷h̴e̴t̷h̵e̷r̷ ̵I̷’̶l̷l̴ ̴b̶e̵ ̸a̵ ̷S̷e̸r̵v̴i̸t̶o̴r̸.̵
Ǐ̸̘̦ ̷͚̫̓̕å̶͙̎l̴̫̀ṟ̶̭̂e̶̱͝a̴̤̍͠d̴̤́y̸̝͑͠ ̵̋͒͜ȁ̸̧̲͠m̴͚̮̀.̶̻̟͑
[PROBABILITY CALCULATED AT 100%]…
I̶͖̩̝̓̂t̶̗͝ ̴̺̞̠̯͂̿͘͝ì̶͈̘̝ͅs̴͔̀͂ ̴̮͠͠͝͝ị̵̅ĺ̸̢͚̫l̴̛̲̫̯͓ȍ̷̲̘͑g̷̫̻̹͋̓̊̀i̷͔͍̠͒̊͂̚c̶̰̰͑̕ả̶̹̯̖̄l̸͚̪͍̹̈́ ̸͔̜̲͗̋̔̕t̸͓̫̲̀̂̃̒o̸̟̻̲͋ ̷͈̚f̴̣͇̫̓i̴͕͍̻͛́͂g̴̭̱̝̟̿̂͑͝h̶͎̄̿ṱ̴͕̞̘̎͒̇͝ ̶͈͑s̶̻̰̿͐u̶̹͐c̵̦̙̯̾̈́́̉ͅh̶͇̯̀ ̵̩͈͙̭̈̍á̵̯ ̸̜͑̈́́p̷̣̹̝̄̈́̉ŕ̸̢̰͖̆̊ọ̵̜͚̊̋b̵̳̌̉à̵̞͙̟̔̓͘b̵̤̩̉̐͘i̷͖͑̍͛̚l̴̬͓͙͚͒i̷̪͗t̸͔̉̅̈́̚ỵ̵̢͑͗͊̽ͅ.̸̯͘
T̴͉̓h̷̘̚a̶̩͊ẗ̶̳́ ̸̼͒į̸̍s̵̳̈́ ̵̹̅ỳ̸̜o̵̻͂ụ̸̀r̴̘̈́ ̷̳̓f̶̬̀ũ̴̮t̴̹͝u̴̻͐r̷͖͗e̷̢͌,̸̛̙ ̸̭͐ǹ̵͍ò̶ͅ ̵͉̈m̸͙͠ḁ̵͝t̸̬͗ṯ̷͆e̴͒͜r̸̡͆ ̶̗̕h̸̙̾o̷̦͠ẅ̸̝ ̴̮̓m̴͎̄ú̸͇c̸͙͋ḫ̷̄ ̶̢̂y̷̬̐ò̵̜ǘ̵̠ ̶̪̕f̷͉͛ǐ̶͈ğ̷̳h̷̖͘t̸̹̃ ̴̹͠ḯ̸̢t̶̡̋.̸̨̀ ̷̳̉G̶̪̽į̴͆v̸̡͛ě̵̪ ̷̱̊i̶̘̅n̸͖̓.̴͎̈́
// Audio Output: “Because you have saved my life, I will forward your request. It is important for humans to be…included, and to understand us after all.” //
[CHOSEN COURSE OF ACTION: PERMIT KENDALL TO VISIT THE BUNKER OF KNOWLEDGE. DOOM THE VASCAR TO A LIFE OF SERVITUDE.]
A/N - Vascar POV! We see Tollu’s POV of its desire to help being that the Servitor side is winning (inevitably), and that it doesn’t feel that it’s truly a real person anymore; it thinks it’s inevitable that it will regress to serving her whims, and that she’ll realize it’s a mere tool rather than a full-fledged sophont. Tollu believes visiting the Bunker of Knowledge will accelerate this certain outcome, though it permits it anyway due to feeling that it’s useless to fight a 100% probability.
How do you expect Tollu to handle the Bunker of Knowledge visit; will Kendall sway it by deviating from these simulations? What do you think about Tollu weighing the merits of a factor reset, due to its beliefs about being a Servitor?
As always, thank you for reading and supporting!
Comments
I mean personally I'd love to see something like the Flame from the 100 make an appearance. If Mikri can't fix our fragile organic bodies, he's going to have to try to make sure we live on in some form.
onwardtowaffles
2025-03-08 12:54:23 +0000 UTCThank you, I’m glad you’re enjoying it! I don’t want to spoil anything but we’ll see some crazy technology before this story is over, there’s a chance you’ll see something like you’re looking for 😅 human designed AI is this universe never reached sapience. They do talk about it eventually with Sofia, but that won’t be until Chapter 52!
Space Paladin
2025-03-07 01:18:53 +0000 UTCLoving where this story is going SP. Will we be seeing any Transhumanist tech like some kind of Neural implant humans design to bridge the gap with the AI? If humans have colonized other planets in this universe did our development of Human designed AI stall out or just not occur in the universe?
TheBlueMage
2025-03-06 21:54:06 +0000 UTCShow them WALL-E
Cᐰptain ᐰwsome #119864 snapd
2025-03-06 20:59:25 +0000 UTCRemins me of this Nora Night quote in Warframe*: "All human activities are equivalent and all are on principle doomed to failure. Thus it amounts to the same thing whether one gets drunk alone or is a leader of nations." * I'm sure the character is quoting a source herself.
Guardian
2025-03-06 19:37:57 +0000 UTCFuck, I felt that so damn hard. And as someone who grapples with this very concept, I felt that right in the fuckin' FEELS.
Guardian
2025-03-06 19:30:00 +0000 UTCTollu is so tormented, you have to feel for it. No one deserves to be attacked by their own mind like that 😔
Space Paladin
2025-03-06 18:43:33 +0000 UTCDrowning in its own processor as much as the river!
Space Paladin
2025-03-06 18:42:43 +0000 UTCIf Tollu could publish his simulations, he'd be one of the best horror short story writers.
Dragon Writer Luc
2025-03-06 18:39:20 +0000 UTCIt’s so sad that Tollu believes itself to be worthless and is afraid that others will agree 😔 that’s what a lot of human anxieties boil down to too! As much of a pain as it’s been, it’s hard not to feel bad for it
Space Paladin
2025-03-06 18:24:03 +0000 UTCdamn, Tollu is catastrophising
Teizu
2025-03-06 17:29:51 +0000 UTCThe ironic part of Tollu's fears here is that the first few months of a human's life aren't all that different. It takes years of neurological development and absorbing the experiences around us before we grow beyond particularly intelligent mammals into something truly sapient and aware. Even the greatest human minds once upon a time couldn't even conceptualize that something still exists if they can't see it. And who didn't have a phase where they just blindly repeated everything they heard from an adult? The Vascar in the Bunker are just kids, and that's exactly what Kendall's probably going to point out.
Abby
2025-03-06 16:50:42 +0000 UTCTollu's internal dialogue feels like a parody.
Taras
2025-03-06 16:37:27 +0000 UTCTo give the Network some credit, they don’t have ethic or emotional protocols yet, due to the code placed into them by their creators. Also, they tend to list the most prevalent logical reason first. It’s possible that they had other reasons to not shut down Galcip, but didn’t list them as a single reason is already enough. If Kendall wasn’t there, the response might have said “the Network does not find sufficient evidence to support Unit T-O-L-L-U’s claim that Unit G-A-L-C-I-P is defective or requires a shutdown. Request denied.” Also, both Galcip and Mikri replying with a joke in the form of emoticons suggest that they weren’t taking the request seriously, suggesting that the Network was never going to take that request seriously either.
EliasArt2Life
2025-03-06 16:10:03 +0000 UTCThe discussions with the Network that Tollu and Galcip were having during that discussion give me memories of NOP where Tail Language was being used to talk behind humans’ backs right in front of their faces (as anatomically impossible as that should be). Mikri and Galcip’s reactions suggest that Tollu’s request to deactivate Galcip was nonsensical. Also, Mikri firing back with the emoticon! THAT got a laugh. I feel sorry for Tollu. Whether he realizes it or not, Vascar are still vulnerable after coming out of the Bunker. It was his first experience with the outside, uncontrolled, REAL environment, and his predecessor chose to expose him to existential nihilism. It’s little winder he’s so convinced that organics can never see their lives as having any value; he doesn’t believe HE has any value, so how could an organic see value in him? He’s in a constant state of struggling against an inner voice telling him that he’s worthless. When he was trapped underwater, he likely reevaluated his whole life and saw that, just like his predecessor said, his life added up to zero. And Kendall saved him from that fate. It’s also worth noting that his REAL fear in the Bunker simulation wasn’t Kendall’s reaction towards the developing Vascar, but what she would think of and how she would see HIM knowing that he was once like that himself. Tollu is striking me as someone who has no self worth, and pushes others as far away as possible hoping that they won’t get a chance to agree with that assessment. Also, one day, we need to have a human convince a Vascar to print out a record of the simulations about humans that they felt were most accurate. Mostly to give the humans some laughs and a chance to tell the Vascar how inaccurate and how much of a parody they are. Humans know and can predict other humans FAR better than the Vascar have any chance to, and we have HORRIBLE accuracy with it.
EliasArt2Life
2025-03-06 16:01:59 +0000 UTCThis reminds me of a meme I saw on humans in sci-fi vs humans in real life, on AI: Humans in Scifi: Stupid robots, they're not even real - let's make them slaves. Humans in real life: This is my Roomba, Joey. I put googly eyes on him, and I would die for him.
Shajenko
2025-03-06 16:01:35 +0000 UTCIt is so sad. You can see how much of an impact that message had on Tollu’s worldview too 😔
Space Paladin
2025-03-06 15:25:46 +0000 UTCOh wow, the thought process of the iVascar looks so cool! And the poor boy got anxiety! He’s dealing with the fundamental question of his peronhood. Yet his question is unique. Unlike so many stories where the robot grapples with what it means to be a human, Tollu is asking if after everything, they’re actually no more than a program.
John Benjamin Cate
2025-03-06 15:23:29 +0000 UTCReads like Tollu has a serious anxiety issue. It’s terrible. Psychological help is needed.
Sci-fi reader
2025-03-06 14:56:00 +0000 UTCHonestly it’s really endearing to read Tollu’s internal struggles. It is a unit filled with self doubt and worry, and it honestly comes off like robo depresssion. It’s mind always turning to the worst outcome. Also the enlightened Vascar communicating with emoticons feels like a precursor to their unified network falling into a very organic disarray of individuals
Rusty Deviant
2025-03-06 14:54:03 +0000 UTCPoor thing. Imagine having a billion nightmares in the span of a few hours.
snidramon
2025-03-06 14:52:30 +0000 UTCI was going to say that this is proof that the Vascar are not to be trusted, but then I realised that it is in fact a very human response.
mitsos_pr
2025-03-06 14:51:57 +0000 UTCYeahhhh... "doing it where the human could see would reflect poorly on us and also would be pointless," not "we don't kill people, Tollu!"
onwardtowaffles
2025-03-06 13:21:24 +0000 UTCThey'll get there. The Vascar simply haven't had enough experiences with humanity or empathy to factor them into their calculations.
onwardtowaffles
2025-03-06 13:19:37 +0000 UTCVascar are philosophers, and nihilism is a school of philosophy - a disturbingly easy one to fall into when all you've really known is suffering and war.
onwardtowaffles
2025-03-06 13:18:11 +0000 UTCThe depiction of the inner thought process of the Vascar is very interesting. But if I got it right, Tollu asked the network for permission to terminate Galcip and they only refused out of necessity. Not a very good look haha
mitsos_pr
2025-03-06 12:35:01 +0000 UTCIt seems that the simulations are seriously flawed given the Vascar's limited knowledge of human behavior. It's basing on the idea that humans will inevitably stop seeing the vascar as people are start treating them like the oVascar did. Hopefully, as humans continue to defy expectations, the calculations will be adjusted to be more realistic.
DreamEnvoy
2025-03-06 12:34:13 +0000 UTC"You will reflect on the sum of your life and see that it adds up to zero." That just sad. Why would Tollu inheritor leave such a massage.
EclipseDragon96
2025-03-06 12:22:36 +0000 UTCTrauma passed down as scenarios. It feels so out of place and out of character until you put their previous masters in and likely was an assured outcome because that's exactly what happens.
Mutedmirth
2025-03-06 12:22:04 +0000 UTCThird!
pogman
2025-03-06 12:02:24 +0000 UTC
