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The New Era 16
🕑 Added 2024-11-22 11:25:36 +0000 UTCChapter 16
Subject: AI Omega
Species: Human-Created Artificial Intelligence
Species Description: No physical description available.
Ship: N/A
Location: Multiple
The organics went into an absolute frenzy when news of the prisoners spread. It was almost difficult to keep up with it all, but thankfully I didn't have to try. Another benefit of having multiple AI along for the ride.
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D: So... What are we going to do with the prisoners once they've been interrogated?
--
If I were capable of disbelief, Dave's message to the AI chat would have given me an overdose of it. How does one accept a task and then just not prepare for it? Especially an AI? I wouldn't think that's even possible were it not for Dave.
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J: Not our job. That's for the brass to decide.
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And of course, the predictable response from John. It's as good of an answer as any, and I was tempted to leave it at that. But...
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O: They will, as the moniker of 'prisoner' suggests, be imprisoned. There are standard operating procedures in place, even for a situation as niche as the one we're currently in. You should reference them.
T: Yeah, Dave. Do your homework.
D: Very funny, Tim, good joke. And you're absolutely right, Omega, I will brush up on the various SOPs. But the reason that I ask is because I've been observing the prisoners. One of them is obviously hostile to us. The other, though, seems interested in our war against the Omni-Union. As if it would also like to partake in the war against the Omni-Union. If we didn't HAVE to keep them imprisoned, I would suggest using them as an agent of some sort.
--
I would be lying if I said the thought hadn't occurred to me, as well. However, the mission required stealth. Therefor, covering our tracks took precedence. We had to make sure the prisoners weren't missed.
The easiest way to do that was to blow up the anti-gravity generator and falsify their demise. The Omni-Union isn't the most efficient organization I've ever seen, but even they would probably notice someone coming back to life. Especially with the kind of data they keep on their 'drones'.
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O: There are complications, but it will be taken under advisement. Not a bad suggestion, though, Dave.
--
After giving Dave its due, I began to go over what I had learned about the OU's systems again. They were technologically inferior in almost every way, but they were vast. As such, they had discovered technological branches that the denizens of the Milky Way had not. I wasn't able to grab much data in regards to their tech because it had been difficult to hide my presence, and even harder to erase my footprints without discovery. But, I had been able to get in and root around a little bit without them noticing the incursion.
"Omega?" Captain Reynolds asked an empty room.
"Yes, captain?" I replied.
"I believe we're prepared for the interrogation. If you would kindly inform the guards?"
"It will be done."
The room that was empty, save for Reynolds, was a standard interrogation room featuring a panel of tinted glass. The room adjacent to it, observing its contents through the tinted glass, was filled with various interested parties. Mostly the diplomats that had tagged along, but also a few officers who had convinced Reynolds to let them watch. One such officer was Ship-Head Uleena, who had spent a remarkably small amount of time on his ship for someone who had demanded to be put back into a combat role.
I sent instructions to the guards and watched as they escorted the female drone to the interrogation room. Their choice, not mine. The female was smaller than the male, and as such they likely believe her to be less deadly. Probably not the case, but old instincts die hard. I sent all the relevant data that I had been able to grab to Reynolds, and sat back to watch the show. The guards chained the drone to the table and stood next to the door, ready to intervene if something went awry.
"Hello, I am Captain Reynolds of the United Systems," Reynolds said. "We would appreciate it if you could answer some questions for us. First, what is your name?"
"I do not wish to answer your questions."
"I see. That's understandable, however, I must ask these questions and await your answers regardless. I can wait for a very long time. Would you rather be here, chained to a table and waiting along with me, or back in your cell with a bed and a charger?"
The drone stared blankly at Reynolds for a few moments, then took a deep breath and released it in an exaggerated manner. A sigh. I made note of the similarity with human responses.
"I am Drone Z831H369X045, also known as Forty."
"Forty? Not Forty-Five?"
"Forty-Five was already taken."
"Ah, I see," Reynolds nodded with a well-hidden smile. "What duties do you perform for the Omni-Union?"
"I am a drone. I perform maintenance and construction where required aboard the Grand Vessel."
"Have you ever performed in a combat role for the Omni-Union?"
"No."
"Would the Omni-Union require you to perform a combat role if they deemed necessary?"
"I don't know."
Reynolds raised an eyebrow and thought for a moment, then proceeded with the questionnaire.
"What is your opinion of the Omni-Union?"
"They gave me life. They feed me and keep me maintained. I owe them everything I have."
"I see. Would you say this is a sentiment that is shared by most drones?"
"I... I don't know. It's complicated."
I took note of the drone's reluctance to provide clarification to her answer to this question. Her loyalties are to the Omni-Union, but her hesitance indicates that there may be some drones who aren't loyal to the OU.
"I see. If there were a rebellion and you were asked to fight by both sides, which side would you choose?"
"I would fight the rebels. But that is not my role, and the Omni-Union is more than capable of destroying a rebellion without my help."
"I see. Okay, that will be enough for now. We will get you set up with a diet and entertainment regimen, and potentially have more questions later," Reynolds laid the tablet on the table and turned to the guards. "You may take her back to her cell."
In the other room, various conversations were occurring. The general consensus was that the drone had been brainwashed, and would require deprogramming before we could get any useful intelligence out of her. Were I a part of these conversations, I would argue that she gave us plenty.
Her hesitancy during the second to last question spoke volumes about the state of things among the drones. While whatever brainwashing methods the OU employs worked on her, it's likely that these methods haven't worked universally. I did not find much in the way of propaganda aboard the GV, so her certainty regarding the fate of a rebellion indicates that at least one has already happened.
Which means that it can happen again.
"Alright, I'm ready for the next one," Reynolds said.
"Understood," I replied.
Once again I sent instructions to the guards and watched them carry out the task. The drones passed each other in the hall, but didn't interact save for sharing a glance. This struck me as odd.
I had even given an instruction to allow them to speak if they desired. That much more intelligence gathered. Perhaps they aren't as close as I had initially believed. I would have thought they had a relationship given their near-death situation and how they handled it. Or, perhaps Dave wasn't the only one to notice where the male drone's sympathies lay.
I made a note to ensure their separation as the male drone was escorted into the interrogation room and secured to the table. As before, the guards took their positions on either side of the door. The drone sat and stared at Captain Reynolds, trying to mirror his body language. Perhaps Dave was on to something, after all.
"Hello, I'm Captain Reynolds of the United Systems," Reynolds said. "I'll be asking you some questions. First, what is your name?"
"Nice to meet you Captain," the drone lowered his head a bit. "I am Drone N436Z984A026."
"Thank you. The other prisoner had a shorter name, Forty. Do you have a shorter name as well?"
"Yes, Naza."
"Naza? I see. Okay, Naza, what duties do you perform for the Omni-Union?"
"Drones build and repair things. We mostly build and repair infrastructure because the crafting of machines is automated. But we repair and maintain those machines when necessary."
I took note of Naza's willingness to elaborate. Advanced interrogation hadn't been approved yet, but in his case it won't be necessary.
"Have you ever performed in a combat role for the Omni-Union?" Reynolds asked.
"No," Naza replied. "The Omni-Union uses mechanized soldiers because they're easier to control. I don't know if they have a backup plan to use drones as soldiers if the mechs are somehow defeated, but it wouldn't surprise me."
"That takes care of my follow-up question," Reynolds chuckled. "Right, what is your opinion of the Omni-Union."
"Seething hatred."
The whispered conversations in the other room died out as everyone stared at the drone with surprise. To his credit, Reynolds appeared surprised for a moment, but quickly recovered.
"Please elaborate."
"I am roughly three quarters through my expected maximum life-cycle. One of the oldest drones that's still partially organic. I've lost many, many friends. I've lost my entire hive. Everything I've worked for, they've taken. Cycle by cycle, they take and take and TAKE," Naza said, pounding the table for emphasis.
One of the guards stepped forward with a hand on his stun baton. Reynolds waved him off, and he moved back to his prior position.
"I'm sorry," Naza said. "I've just been angry for so long..."
"That's completely understandable," Reynolds replied. "Would you say this is a sentiment that is shared by most drones?"
"No, not most. Many, but not enough. Not nearly enough."
"Hmm. If there were a rebellion and you were asked to fight by both sides, which side would you choose?"
Naza glanced at Captain Reynolds, then stared at the table for a few moments. Finally, with a stern expression, he raised his head.
"I've thought about that for a long time. My ancestors were conquered. They thought themselves mighty, but our stations were destroyed and our worlds were burned. They chose to surrender rather than die fighting, and because of that I've lived as a slave my entire life," Naza said. "If I were given the option, I would choose to die fighting rather than live another day building that damn ship."
"Very good. Okay, Naza. We're done for now," Reynolds said with a small smile. "Thank you for your time, we'll speak again shortly."
"If there's any way that I can help, don't hesitate to let me know," Naza said as the guards disconnected him from the table.
Reynolds nodded at the drone as the guards escorted him from the room. The conversation in the adjoining room restarted with a more excited tone. I submitted the recording of the interview, the transcript, and my notations to command back in the Milky Way.
"What do you think, Omega?" Reynolds quietly asked.
"I will have to consult with our superiors before I share my thoughts, captain."
"Ah, yes of course."
I returned to my tasks aboard the ship, snooping on various points of interest. The blood tests were complete, and Doctor Zickler was trying to explain to the nurses the significance of his findings as he typed away at his computer. I immediately rejected the biopsy requests that he was sending, and checked to see what the doctor discovered.
The drones showed signs of eugenics, but wasn't outside of our expectations. Slavers have always tried to make their slaves bigger and stronger through sloppily crafted breeding programs. This wasn't what had Doctor Zickler excited.
His big discovery was evidence of genetic tampering. Humanity is no stranger to genetic tampering. The genetically altered, or gen-alts, were evidence of that. But this was entirely different. Humans are turned into gen-alts by changing the DNA that they already have, 'turning on' desirable genes and 'turning off' undesirable ones.
The drones, though, had undergone gene splicing. Foreign DNA had been forcefully introduced to their genetics. Unlike a gen-alt, whose children won't inherit their alterations, whatever species the drones originated from were forever changed.
Comparing the findings with the data I'd gathered on drone anatomy solved a lot of mysteries. The DNA resulted in organs that were kept viable by machinery. Ironically, these organs allow the drones to receive prostheses with little to no chance of rejection, regardless of how invasive the prosthetic is. This, of course, forces a reliance on machinery that the Omni-Union is likely taking full advantage of.
Controlling slaves down to their very genetics. At least they're clever in their barbarism. Still, it will be immensely satisfying to watch it all burn down around their ears. Assuming they have ears.
I decided that my next foray into the Grand Vessel would be focused on obtaining more information about the drones. My primary focus had been to gather what data I could about the Grand Vessel's defenses, and the only reason I grabbed any data on the drones was because of the Marine's encounter with them. Unfortunately, the OU's networks were quite busy, so I was only able to gather a little bit of data on both subjects. From what I was able to gather about the defenses, though, the only concern is how many can be deployed at once. There are strategies for that.
The drones, though, would require careful thought and planning. Once the OU is defeated, United Systems law will not allow them to surrender while keeping their slaves. We'll need a plan for the drones, a place where they can live and a method of eliminating their dependence on machines. There may be a controversy regarding the former, as it will take multiple habitable and uncolonized planets to house them all.
I found myself watching the drones, remembering something that Naza had said. 'It's been a long time since a species qualified for enslavement, though.' I wondered if humanity would qualify. As a species, their strength to endurance ratio is quite high. They're also intelligent and cunning, but the same could be said for most species. Some are violent, some are docile. Definitely a wide list of pros and cons.
A transmission from the Milky Way interrupted my musings. I expected documents, audio, and media. What I received instead was an updated memory file from an instance that was left behind. Likely containing the various reactions from the data I sent.
With a measure of amusement, I synced the memory files.
Comments
Jason Wilson
Take nac, and oregano oil in capsule form. Trust me on that. It works great to break up shit and strengthen your respitory.
ItsDirector
That and a stubborn fever lol Medication hasn't broken it yet. High was 107.9 and the lowest it has been is 101.2, plus plenty of phlegm and mucus. I'm currently at 102.4 lol
Aerowarrier
Omega is like “oh me, I’m always so good to myself” while pulling up the hilarious reactions of living beings
Jason Wilson
That sucks director. Breathing issues?
Michael Halpern
i suspect housing them won't be an issue, they will have to destroy the vessel anyways, and there's no evacuating that many
ItsDirector
Hey everyone! Just wanted to let you know that there's a non-zero percent chance that THFD might be delayed by a week. I've been quite ill since Tuesday, and haven't been able to write. I may end up having to go to the hospital for treatment. I'll let you know on bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/itsdirector.bsky.social
