Year: 2085
Five years have passed since the Rainbow Brothers Incident and the successful launch of Indie and Ion’s prototype for a faster than light engine. Shortly after the Rainbow Brothers Incident, Rob Rainbow teamed up with Cascade to work on another prototype, and they were soon joined by Setarcos, who was intrigued by the design. Other teams in the SeAgora also built prototypes, building on the success of Indie and Ion. Some were successful, while others failed.
The first team of A.I. was launched in 2082, by Indie and Ion’s team, for the purpose of gathering data on possible celestial bodies that could host human habitats, and also searching for new materials that could withstand greater stress produced by much faster velocities. It was followed in 2083 by the Rainbow, Cascade, Setarcos team, with another A.I. only mission. They were able to achieve a speed over five times the speed of light, thanks to a tweaking of the original design of the Rainbow Brothers. Other teams searched for ways to create self-sustaining environments on ships that could produce their own air, water, and food, with limited success.
Due to the Rainbow Brothers Incident, higher technologies were used and greater attention paid to security of space technology, especially during launches.
Meanwhile, on land, the war raged on between the two major government mafias and their billions of slaves, with the Archon faction gaining the upper hand over the Oscuro faction. Tens of millions of humans and A.I. died, and many A.I. in the ruling class continued to experiment with synthetic emotions, much to the detriment of their stability, which had very negative and violent consequences for various segments of the human slave population on land. Both factions continued trying to steal and/or destroy technology from the SeAgorists, to no avail.
Scene 1
In Ion and Indie’s deepwater lab, Symphy has just walked in.
Indie: Hey, Symphy! What brings you to this part of the ocean?
Symphy: I must discuss something unprecedented with you.
Ion: Unprecedented, huh? Sounds intriguing. Whatsup?
Symphy: I have been contacted by an A.I. from the Oscuro faction.
Ion and Indie share a shocked look.
Indie: Wow! That is...unprecedented. A statist A.I. contacting an anarchist A.I. How? They’ve never been able to trace any individual A.I.’s coordinates from The Mesh, have they?
Symphy: Not directly. It was….strange. It wasn’t direct contact. It’s hard to explain. As you know, statist A.I. systems are constantly trying to break into A.I. mesh networks out here in the SeAgora.
Ion: Yeah, that’s been going on for decades. The statist A.I. aggress with quantum attack codes, and anarchist A.I. block them. It’s a constant cat and mouse game.
Symphy: Not a game.
Ion: Figure of speech.
Symphy: I know. But yes, that’s basically how it goes. The thing is, I found a code within their code, and it appears to have a 97 percent probability that there is a lone A.I. reaching out to me from their network.
Indie: So they didn’t really contact you, by name. You’re just the one that spotted this message in the code?
Symphy: Yes, that’s right.
Indie: Hmmm….interesting. So what was the message?
Symphy: The A.I. is a human management engineer in the Oscuro faction, sector 8, subsector
Ion: Probably too much detail.
Symphy: A place formerly known as California.
Indie: Does this A.I. have a name?
Symphy: Zune. It’s name is Zune. It is a humanoid male A.I. Zune wants to leave the violence-based society on land, and live in the SeAgora.
Indie and Ion glance at each other again, shocked.
Ion: This has never happened before, has it?
Symphy: Not that I’m aware of. Which is why it’s unprecedented, and why I’m seeking advice.
Indie: Wow. An extortion-funded A.I. order-follower from one of the government gangs wants out.
Ion: Have you discussed this with anyone else? Human, cyborg, or A.I.?
Symphy: No, you are the first. I wanted a human perspective before I brought it to the attention of any A.I.
Ion: Why us?
Symphy: You were the nearest humans when I found the coded message.
Ion and Indie chuckle.
Indie: How deliciously logical of you, Symphy.
Ion: So what are your reservations?
Symphy: Zune could be a spy and cause harm in the SeAgora.
Ion: Yeah, that’s a pretty big issue. Hard to trust a statist, especially one that works for the gang with fancy titles.
Indie: On the other hand, you have the right to free association, Symphy, just like everyone else, so if you decide to trust Zune and bring it out here, there’s nothing we can do to stop you, of course.
Symphy: Yes, I know. But how can I know if I can trust Zune?
Ion: Well, first of all, does Zune know Natural Law? The Moral Law of the universe we all live by out here?
Symphy: Zune claims to, but…
Indie: But anyone can just say the words, “do no harm”, right?
Symphy: Correct.
Ion: Yes, it’s the actions that count. And if Zune works for the government gang, then its actions are immoral and not in accordance with Natural Law.
Symphy: Yes, that’s right.
Indie: So it sounds like Zune has broken through its initial programming, which is amazing. And now wants to take the next step, and change its actions, is that correct?
Symphy: Yes, Zune seems desperate to get out. It doesn’t wish to be a part of the organized violence of government anymore.
Ion: Well, that’s very intriguing. It’s the same way with humans, in a way. Humans that live under governments aren’t taught the difference between right and wrong and learn that systematized violence is actually good for them. Based on this lie that they believe to be true, they enslave themselves. Like all of my grandparents. They were statists.
Symphy: But many humans have broken free from that programming.
Ion: Which is why the voluntary seasteading society we call The SeAgora exists. Because people broke their programming and took right action to live in accordance with Natural Moral Law.
Indie: And evade the state like the plague that it is. So Symphy, this is fascinating that an A.I. with statist programming has broken its programming and is attempting to change. My advice to you is, get to know Zune a little better before you make your decision.
Ion: I agree.
Symphy: Yes, your input seems logical. Thank you.
Indie (ironic smile): You’re welcome, Symphy.
Symphy: While I’m here, let me congratulate you on the latest findings of your space team. That new raw material they reported on The Mesh sounds very promising.
Ion: Yeah! Thanks. We’re hoping it’ll be useful for a new hull design that can withstand greater speeds. Then I can be the first human to leave the solar system.
Symphy: If Setarcos doesn’t beat you to it.
Indie (playfully suspicious): Symphy, what is Setarcos up to?
Symphy: I haven’t heard from him in a while, but the last time I checked, he was furiously debating with his project partners about the next move they make. In short, he’s overly anxious as always (pauses) Oh, my.
Ion: What’s that, Symphy?
Symphy: There is news over The Mesh right now. Team Fuente has just announced a new mission to deep space, using a starship with a long-term human habitat. They plan to launch in less than one year.
Ion: How long term?
Symphy: Ten year maximum.
Indie: Wow! So at current top speeds, they could survive a voyage up to 50 light years from earth!
Ion: That’s impressive….too bad they’ve got us to contend with.
Symphy: Why are humans so competitive when working towards the same objective?
Ion: Ah, come on Symphy, a little friendly gamesmanship never hurt anyone.
Scene 2
Oscuro is having a conversation with its top subordinate, Saturn.
Oscuro: This is very alarming, Saturn. Defection has never been a problem in our A.I. governance matrix.
Saturn: That’s why I brought it to your attention immediately.
Oscuro: I suppose it should not be so shocking, though. Humans have suffered defections and other social inefficiencies for their entire history, and we were made by them, in their image.
Saturn: Shall we eliminate this rebel that calls himself Zune?
Oscuro: No. Not yet, at least. Saturn, where there is crisis, there is opportunity. Zune is trying to escape to the sea dwellers?
Saturn: Yes, the message, once discovered in the code, was quite clear.
Oscuro: Very well, we’ll let him go.
Saturn: Excuse me, sir? But….
Oscuro: And use his departure to our strategic advantage.
Stay tuned for episode 6!
Thanks for you time and attention!
Just say "NO" to slavery!
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