Chapter Text
The Star Beagle Adventures
Episode 3: Yours Is No Disgrace
Scene 14: A Little Chat
3.14
A Little Chat
“Trader Pel has turned all of our thinking upside down and given us all a new paradigm to work with. So we started puzzling out the economy of enforced ecological purity.”
Dr. Arthur Rush was again holding forth in the Beagle’s executive conference room. This time, not only were the department leadership at the table, but his explanation was being transmitted throughout all three vessels with the majority of crew watching on various monitors.
“That turned out to be a very dry rut,” Dr. Rush continued. “While the machines are clearly intelligent, they do not appear to be self aware or even very sophisticated when compared to even early Federation standards. It turns out that simplicity is a matter of design. It wasn’t until we came across the designer’s manifesto that we began to understand why. This is Rrpp Snsl - their names are quite difficult to pronounce…”
The face that appeared on viewscreens across the three ships was vaguely reminiscent of a Neanderthal with a heavy brow ridge, thick, red eyebrows, rough, orange skin, and a tuft of flyaway reddish hair:
“Therefore there will be no turning back. There is only one way to save the Bor. Save the Bor from your greed and stupidity. Save the Bor not only for us, but for all the living things we share this world with. There will be no negotiating. I have removed all inputs - you cannot reprogram the manager. We will lay your cities low. We will control your numbers. You should have known when you brought charges against…”
“Freeze,” said Dr. Rush. The message had included several jump edits.
“We had to edit the message pretty heavily to put that small amount together.” Rush gestured toward the image of the orange-skinned borean. “He goes on for nearly 2 hours, most of it whining about how he was persecuted and driven out of a prestigious educational institution and lots of dark threats - which he appears to have made good on. But what makes this broadcast unique is that it didn’t come from the 8th planet. It originated from orbit and was directed toward the planet.”
“Doesn't sound like a popular guy,” observed Risl Phynyx, the assistant director of planetary science from the Denobulan Planetary Society.
“You wouldn’t think so,” Dr. Rush rejoined. “He’s a dreadful bore. But we were able to research him through the broadcast history. He had a substantial, surprisingly loyal and shockingly violent following. They maintained a reign of terror on the northwestern continent for a decade before the machines took over and destroyed their civilization on both continents. This was nearly 80 years ago, so he is probably long dead by now.”
Serafina Novikova, an elderly Czech woman, was the diplomatic services director from the United Federation of Planets. “We are facing a conundrum,” she said. “The machine intelligence is on the verge of becoming superluminal. It is not, according to UFP standards, self-aware, which means our standard protocol might have very unpredictable results…”
“Wait,” objected Captain Rhonda Carter. “That thing… those things… got into my head. They all but told me they are sorry for what they have done to those people… What they are doing to those people...” The captain of the U.S.S. Escort had regained her strength and dyed her short brush of gray hair a bright, cobalt blue.
“There is nothing in their main code that even begins to suggest that level of sophistication,” Dr. Rush said.
Captain Skip Howard spoke up. “You’re looking at the code as it was written nearly 80 years ago. These machines have rebuilt themselves, added more processing power, perhaps developed some emergent properties since then.”
“But there is no way to communicate with them,” Dr. Rush rejoined. “There is no interface.”
“So they created one,” said Trader Pel.
“And now it’s our turn,” said Sakura Nakamura Holland. “We have a way to talk to them. We know their language. The question is, what are we going to say?”
“What are you proposing?” asked Commodore Yui Song.
“We penetrate their perimeter with a probe that will consist of a negotiating unit, communications unit and a transporter,” Sakura replied. “The probe will transport the communications and negotiation units directly into the central processor for the armada.”
“Why a negotiation unit?” asked Captain Rhonda Carter. “Why not communicate via the comm unit we’re installing?”
“Because we’re giving them the off switch,” said Sakura. “So they can re-insulate themselves from contact, if that is what they prefer. But we’d like to have a little chat, first.”
"And what are we going to say?" asked Carter.
Commodore Yui Song responded: "Let's start with, 'Hello'..."
3.14