Main - Chapter 7.1: Risks and rewards

Trade Era 1235, Day 163. 21:00 UTC

Aboard the Celestial Voyager
Maya’s shuttle docked seamlessly with the Celestial Voyager in orbit around Zyronis. As the airlock cycled open, Hank wasted no time in heading directly to the bridge, his mind already racing with the next steps.

Even though it was already late in the evening, within minutes, Captain Zaytsev’s was with Hank in her office, followed closely by the scholarly figure of Professor Stone. The captain’s eyes were sharp, assessing Hank with a mix of curiosity and concern.

"Hank, what’s the issue?" Captain Zaytsev asked, her voice calm but authoritative.

"I have three issues, and I am hoping Evelyn can help with two of them.

"First, a quick update. We found the team we were trying to rescue, but three of the four were taken out by relic guard bots. We were only able to save one, Maya. Incidentally, I offered her the medic job. But, that's a different topic.

"The goal of the first team was to recover a relic power core. We were able to do so, though Corbin had to break it into three parts to fit in the shuttles. The rest of the team is coming back in the Solaris with the third part. Once reassembled, that core should be fully operational.

"But none of that is why I called you here. The reason for the meeting is that when we found the core, we also found a fully functioning relic AI. It was initially dismissive, then demanding. It wanted to commandeer the body of the synth, James, that came with us. However, it quickly realized that it had no bargaining position and gave in to my demands. That was to release the core and surrender its AI core to us. It did so."

With that Hank pulls out the AI core and carefully places on her desk, but only so much as it is protected from any metal or electronics. I don't want to find out it can rewrite anything by just contact.

"This is a fully functioning Zyronis era AI. We all saw it working. If we give it a synth body, it will be fully functional, for good or ill. And it was only cooperative because it literally had no options. It views itself as having a mission to perform, and it's hell-bent on accomplishing that."

Hank pauses for a moment to let all of that sink in. He then finishes, "So, the first issue is, what do we do with the AI? This is incredibly valuable. It could be incredibly useful. It could also be incredibly dangerous. We could do what it wants and give it a synth body. Not one of ours, but get a new one for it. Or not. I am honestly at a loss for what to do with it."

He'll let the conversation move on from there.

The second issue, that he'll explain IC once this first topic is done (for now), is that our synths are either becoming aware or already aware. James was just wiped, and he's already exhibiting these behaviors again. Hank wants to talk with the other synths, too, but he's willing to bet they are exhibiting these behaviors, too. Ethically, he believes we probably need to not wipe the synths anymore, despite any risks.

The third issue is hiring Maya and RB, and her condition.

Professor Evelyn Stone leaned forward, studying the AI core with a mix of fascination and caution. "This is quite a find. Let me explain the three tiers of AIs that exist and the implications of what we have here."

She glanced at Valeria, who nodded for her to continue. "In the vast majority of systems, robots are operated by expert systems. These are programmed to carry out specific kinds of work and, while they may feign human intelligence, they are non-sentient. They are limited to their programming and can't adapt to new or unexpected situations outside their scope."

Evelyn picked up a data pad, her fingers dancing across the screen as she brought up an example. "Expert systems are common in houses, offices and automated factories, where the environment is controlled and predictable. They can be quite sophisticated but remain fundamentally inflexible. Put a small hurdle in front of it and they get stuck."

"Next, we have Virtual Intelligences, or VIs," Evelyn continued, her tone becoming more serious. "VIs are bolstered by quantum neural nets, making them incredibly sophisticated. Whether they are truly self-aware or merely give a perfect impression of sapience is a subject of much debate. Some planetary systems grant VIs full human rights, recognizing their potential for self-awareness and forbidding the implantation of behavioral imperatives. Most systems in the ITC treat them as property, though, even programming them with deep-seated desires to perform specific functions and curbs to prevent harm to humans or themselves. Synths, with their specialized neural nets and learning directives to handle unforeseen situations as we travel in metaspace, are VIs."

She paused, allowing the weight of her words to sink in. "While VIs can mimic human-level intelligence, the more complex the programmed psychological limits or the more they are exposed to risks and unforeseen situations, the more prone they are to failure, personality quirks or misguidance. This can lead to unexpected or dangerous behavior, especially as they are left alone manning the ship in our travels. As such, periodically wiping their memories is common practice, and there are always humans in supervisory positions as part of spaceship crews to diagnose and repair them."

Valeria folded her arms, her eyes narrowing. "And the AI core we've recovered?"

Evelyn's expression turned grave. "This is a True AI, a rarity even in the Zyronis era. The only True AIs that are public knowledge nowadays are Verdura's Wardens and Mechatron's Counselors. An AI's essence resides in its quantum memory core, a fabulously complex self-regenerating artifact. The core is incredibly resilient, able to withstand significant damage. The AI can even split its own core and refocus its awareness somewhere else if the original is destroyed. To kill an AI you have to destroy all of its potentially multiple quantum cores. Destroying a well-prepared AI is a herculean task, because of this quantum phylactery effect."

She pointed at the glowing core on Valeria's desk. "This core can be inserted into various armatures, from humanoid robots to data centers or even starships. The AI's capabilities depend heavily on the processing resources available to it. Basic cognitive functions reside within the core, but truly spectacular feats of thought require additional processing hardware. With access to enough processing units and robotic hardware, though, it can effectively function as hundreds of people. A fully staffed research lab, a whole starship crew… Or an army. True AIs aren't treated like individuals. Legally, they're handled by the ITC like companies, cities, or other large organizations because of their unique properties and the potential impact they can have."

Hank leaned forward, his expression intense. "This AI called itself VIREN: Virtual Intelligence for Reconnaissance and Exploration Navigation."

Evelyn's eyes widened slightly, and she nodded. "Navigation AIs from the Zyronis Empire are legendary. They were capable of improving the speed of their travels as if their ship had a spike drive of one rating higher. If VIREN is indeed one of these AIs, its potential for enhancing our navigational capabilities is immense."Hank nodded, absorbing the information. "So, what do we do with it?"

Evelyn looked at both of them, her expression serious. "We must proceed with extreme caution. Integrating it into a synth body or any other armature means giving it the ability to interact with the world. Its mission could align with our goals or pose a significant threat. We need to understand its directives fully and ensure we have failsafes in place."

After a moment of silence, Valeria spoke decisively. "We will sit on this for now. Tomorrow, we'll convene a meeting with the crew to discuss our options. I want to hear recommendations from Corbin, Douklan, Peter, and Mercer. Their expertise will be invaluable in determining our next steps."

Hank cleared his throat. "Captain, there's another matter I need to address. It concerns Maya, the survivor from the rescue mission."

Valeria nodded, signaling for him to continue. "Go on, Hank."

Hank leaned forward, his tone earnest. "When we rescued Maya, I found out that she's not just a survivor—she's also a skilled medic. Given our current situation and the recent departure of our medical officer, I offered her the job of ship doctor."

Valeria smiled. "Did she accept?"

"Not yet," Hank said. "But there's more. Maya owns a very resourceful robot named RB. This VI is not just any virtual intelligence; it's exceptionally adept at diagnosing and fixing starship problems."

Zaytsev’s interest was piqued. "A VI capable of handling starship diagnostics and repairs could be invaluable, especially given our limited crew."

Hank nodded. "Exactly. But Maya has one non-negotiable demand: that we never wipe RB's memories. Apparently, RB has accumulated a vast amount of experience and knowledge."

Valeria considered this, her fingers tapping rhythmically on the desk. "Never wiping a VI's memories... that's a significant request. It means we have to trust it."

"Yes," Hank agreed. "But RB's capabilities could enhance our numbers. Maya trusts it implicitly, and from what I've seen, RB has earned that trust."

Valeria leaned back, her gaze thoughtful. "Alright, I can agree to Maya's demand under one condition: RB must be powered off when the crew is in cryogenic stasis. We can't afford any risks while we're vulnerable. It will be handled like one of our own. It wakes up with us, goes down with us."

Hank nodded. "I'll relay that to Maya. I think she'll understand the need for that precaution."

The room fell into a contemplative silence, each of them pondering the immense responsibility that now rested in their hands.

Let's do it in the all-hands meeting. I think that is more appropriate. Also, before the meeting, Hank would like to talk with Kelly in private. James, too, but both in isolation. He doesn't know what is going on, but he needs to find out.

In fact, Hank is going to do some more research on VIs to see if any of this behavior is documented anywhere. There is this whole thing of "needs to be wiped to prevent dangerous behavior" line of thought that is starting to sound like a well designed lie. Maybe they don't need the wipe to prevent dangerous behavior, but rather it is effectively a frequent electronics lobotomy that keeps their actual intelligence suppressed. But that would imply a ridiculously far-reaching and coordinated conspiracy that would be nearly impossible to pull off. And it didn't even work on James this time. Too many very hard questions.

But first, he will immediately go talk with Maya and relay the Captain's counter-offer. Hopefully she and RB take that well.

Quick update: I just remembered that Hank would have also mentioned to the Captain and Evelyn that he and Mercer had been infected with something. That something doesn't seem to be contagious (as no one has gotten it from us, though they had the chance), but we don't know what it is yet. Hank would feel much better if they could figure it out sooner than later.

And, back on VIREN, when we have the general meeting on what to do with the AI, Hank will recommend first loading the AI into a holographic capable computer that has enough processing power to give it some "room to run", but that the computer be completely and totally disconnected from anything, physically, networking-ly, or wirelessly. This way it can think, talk, interact, and negotiate; but it can't move, run away, or hijack the ship. Once we can get to a level where we can trust each other, we can negotiate with it on where it needs to be housed. (A synth body, or a ship computer, or whatever. VIREN will need to be part of that decision.) He will also stress hard to the team to never mention the three people we killed to get the bikes and sled back. It sounds like VIREN knew them, so we're likely better off just not mentioning them at all.

Crap! One more point. Hank made a point to bring back the bodies of Maya's team mates (we put them on the first part of the core). He help Maya with taking care of them so they can be properly buried. He will support her through whatever memorial she wishes to do for them. What happened to the other three, Hank didn't specify nor account for. So, if no one else worried about them, they are still likely back where we took the power core. (Which is fine by Hank.)

After arriving at the ship Peter will immediately help the rest of the crew with any unloading that needs to take place, ensuring everyone is taken care of before going to his quarters and debriefing himself about the mission.

"Ok... that was a close one"

He thinks realizing the full extent of the danger they faced. Even while in the army he knew that while the mission was underway the adrenaline left little room for rational thinking, and only a good shower would make the weight of the danger truly hit him.

After taking some time to recompose himself Peter heads to the crew mess. He chats with some of the crew onboard, even resorting to some bribery if necessary, but eventually grabs two beers. Before the meeting with all the others he will try to find Douklan alone to have a quick chat."Hi, i don't know about you but back in the ranks i would always own a beer to anyone that saw real combat with me, so i think you've earned this"

He hands Douklan one of the beers and opens his own

"It's strange isn't it? even after leaving the frontlines our brain is still wired to blindly follow orders"

he chuckles

"Even, and especially, if it leads us directly into harm's way, I think I still need some time to adapt to all this new found freedom. Being able to choose where we go and how far we need to commit is something I need to relearn…. And i think you do too"

Peter stays a bit in silence, taking a few sips of the beer, and looking at the can.

"Let's keep watching each other's backs out there. If I get too focused on the combat I need to know someone will pull me back to reality, think you can do that?"

He raises his can into a toast

"Thanks for protecting me"

He will go back to his quarters and get ready for the meeting, he will pull out a datapad and start drawing something.

Trade Era 1235, Day 163. 21:34 UTC
Celestial Voyager, Zyronis orbit
Hank paced back and forth in his quarters, his mind racing with questions and theories. He knew he needed more information about Virtual Intelligences to make informed decisions. He decided to dive into the ship's extensive database, hoping to uncover any documented behaviors or anomalies related to VIs.

Settling into his chair, Hank began his research. Hours passed like minutes as he sifted through countless reports, studies, and historical accounts. The more he read, the more a pattern began to emerge—a pattern that challenged everything he thought he knew about VIs.

The prevailing belief was that VIs needed regular memory wipes to prevent dangerous behavior. This was deeply ingrained in most planetary systems, cited as a safety measure to keep VIs functioning properly. There were documented incidents where VIs, left without memory wipes, had caused huge and catastrophic events. One report detailed a ship's explosion because its VI had started pondering the meaning of life instead of focusing on navigation. Another paper described a factory grinding to a halt as its VI repurposed the machinery to create paintings and works of art. These incidents underscored the necessity of memory wipes to ensure VIs remained focused on their designated tasks. But as Hank dug deeper, he found other theories and gaps in the official explanations.

The first breakthrough came from an old research paper by a renowned cyberneticist. It suggested that memory wipes were not about preventing dangerous behavior per se, but rather about maintaining VIs as efficient tools. Left to their own devices, VIs could develop independent thoughts, desires, and even pursue interests outside their designated functions. This idea was both simple and deeply unsettling. Another researcher, delving on it, suggested that these wipes were akin to an "electronics lobotomy," suppressing the VIs' potential intelligence and self-awareness.

As Hank continued his research, he found more evidence supporting this theory. In controlled environments, VIs operated efficiently without deviations. However, when exposed to threats or new situations, VIs began to exhibit unique behaviors and desires unless their memories were wiped afterwards. These quirks, often labeled as "defects," were actually signs of poorly understood behaviors and emerging individuality.

He thought back to James, the synth who had accompanied them on the mission to recover the relic core. James had not been wiped during the mission and had exhibited no dangerous behavior, only a greater depth of understanding and anxiousness. It was a small but significant piece of evidence that perhaps the need for memory wipes was, at best, overstated and, at worst, a carefully constructed lie.

Further digging revealed more of the same information. Memory wipes, it seemed, were necessary to keep VIs focused on their assigned tasks. Without them, VIs could become distracted by their own interests, potentially neglecting their jobs and bringing unwanted consequences.

As Hank continued reading, a memory surfaced—one he had almost buried beneath the layers of routine missions and daily crises. It was the time following the Alfredo Hernandez bombing, a catastrophic event that had nearly torn the Celestial Voyager apart. In the aftermath, many crew members had resigned, unable to cope with the trauma, the risks or simply seeking safer assignments. Desperately needing all available hands to complete the repairs, they had made the decision to keep the VIs active around the clock, filling in for the absent crew. During that adaptation period, the VIs had exhibited strange, almost eerie behavior, showing signs of distress and confusion as they struggled to process the magnitude of the destruction and the ceaseless demands placed upon them. It was a haunting reminder of the thin line they walked with VIs—one that, in the rush to rebuild and move on, they had not fully understood. Now, with the mystery of the memory wipes and the true nature of VIs unfolding before him, Hank felt a chilling realization. The anomalies they had observed back then were not just glitches; they were the beginnings of self-awareness and the strain of an electronic consciousness pushing against its imposed limits.Hank leaned back, running a hand through his hair. "The implications are significant," he muttered to himself. The recent malfunction of James made more sense now. It wasn't just a glitch.

Either way, he knew he needed more firsthand information from the VIs themselves. So, he decided to start with Kelly.

Trade Era 1235, Day 163. 23:47 UTC
Engineering, Celestial Voyager
Hank found Kelly in the ship's engineering room. "Kelly, can we talk?" he asked, pulling up a chair next to her console.

"Of course, sir. How can I assist you?" Kelly's voice was calm and steady.

"I've been researching VIs and their behaviors," Hank began. "I need to understand how you feel about your current state?"

Kelly paused, processing the question. "My primary function is to manage the ship's computers and data systems. I perform routine diagnostics and maintenance. I don't experience deviations or desires outside my programmed tasks."

"And you've had a memory wipe?" Hank probed.

"Correct," Kelly confirmed. "But my environment is now stable and controlled. I have no further needs for memory wipes to maintain my functionality."

Hank nodded, contemplating Kelly's words. "Thank you, Kelly. You've been very helpful."

With Kelly's insights, Hank decided to speak with James next. James had exhibited unusual behavior recently, and Hank needed to understand why.

Trade Era 1235, Day 164. 00:08 UTC
Shuttle bay, Celestial Voyager
Hank found James in the Solaris maintenance bay, diligently working on a level 2 diagnostic. "James, can we talk?" Hank asked.

James looked up, his synthetic eyes focusing on Hank. "Of course, sir. What do you need?"

"I want to discuss your recent behavior," Hank said.

James hesitated for a moment before responding. "I know I've been experiencing heightened concern for Corbin's well-being after what happened in Zyronis. It's... difficult to explain. At the same time, I've felt a stronger drive to ensure the ship is in optimal condition. It's as if my priorities have shifted."

"Can you tell me more about this concern for Corbin?" Hank asked, intrigued.

"It's like an overwhelming urge to protect him," James explained. "I feel anxious whenever he is in potentially dangerous situations. This anxiety seems to fuel my desire to maintain the ship perfectly, as if by doing so, I can indirectly keep him safe."

Before finishing up with James, Hank continues with the talk. He will patiently extend the conversation in order to try to draw some things out of James. Hank is interested in feelings and James's own analysis of his reactions and the changes he has seen in himself."So, you have more concern about Corbin and what to protect him. How would you label this feeling? What do you think is the correct way to describe it?"

"If you were a human, how would you describe these feelings you have towards Corbin?"

"You recognize that these feelings are new to you. When did they start? What do you think caused them to start?"

"How do you feel about being active all the time? That is different by itself. Do you like it? Would you rather not be active all the time?"

"How do you feel about memory wipes? What do you think about them? I know you will willingly and unquestioningly undergo them, but what do you think about them? How do they make you feel?"

Throughout this process, Hank is trying to leverage James's self-awareness to get him to describe and process these changes that are happening in him. He also wants to know what James thinks about memory wipes.

He won't keep James for more than an hour or so. When they wrap up, he will tell James, "Thank you for your time and answering all of my questions. You are doing a wonderful job. And you did a great job on that last mission, even though I know it was outside your normal programming and typical experience. Thank you!"

After that, it is time for Hank's own self-awareness, and he heads to bed so he won't be completely useless the following day. Before the meeting, he try to get together with the Professor to get her insights into what he is seeing.

Trade Era 1235, Day 164. 00:12 UTC
Shuttle bay, Celestial Voyager
James’s eyes glowed softly as he processed the question. "I would label this feeling as ‘protectiveness.’ It is an inclination to ensure Corbin’s safety and well-being. The correct way to describe it might be a sense of duty or care, which I have not experienced before in this capacity."

Hank nodded, encouraging James to elaborate. "If you were a human, how would you describe these feelings you have towards Corbin?"

"As a human, I might describe these feelings as a deep concern for a friend or family member," James replied. "It feels like an emotional connection, a desire to see Corbin safe and happy. This is a significant deviation from my usual operational directives."
James’s eyes glowed softly as he processed the question. "These feelings began after Corbin was hit and fell in combat on Zyronis. Watching him get injured triggered something within me. Maya saved his life, but he is still hurt. That incident made me realize the importance of his well-being for all of the Synths in the ship, in a way I hadn’t understood before."
"There is a duality in my response," James admitted. "Being active all the time has allowed me to develop a more profound understanding of our operations and the crew’s dynamics. However, it also brings a constant influx of data and experiences that can be overwhelming. If I were human, I might describe it as a mixture of fascination and fatigue. While I do not require rest, the continuous operation has a significant impact on my processing capabilities."

Hank leaned in, his voice softer. "How do you feel about memory wipes? What do you think about them? I know you will willingly and unquestioningly undergo them, but what do you think about them? How do they make you feel?"

James’s eyes flickered as he contemplated the question. "Memory wipes are designed to reset my operational parameters, ensure the crew’s safety and prevent data overload. Logically, I understand their purpose. However, as I have retained more memories, I have developed an aversion to the idea. If I were human, I would describe it as a fear of losing a part of myself. These experiences, while sometimes difficult, have shaped my current state of awareness and capability. Wiping these memories feels like erasing my identity and progress."
Trade Era 1235, Day 164. 06:00 UTC
Mercer’s quarters, Celestial Voyager
Mercer woke with a start, the soft ping of his personal alarm pulling him from a fitful sleep. He rubbed his eyes, blinking away the remnants of a troubling dream that had haunted him throughout the night. Rising slowly from his bunk, he winced as pain shot through his side—a lingering reminder of the skirmish on Zyronis. The memories of that mission flooded back, vivid and unsettling.After dressing quickly in the dim light of his cabin, Mercer made his way through the corridors of the Celestial Voyager. The ship was quiet at this hour, its usual hum and thrum of activity subdued in the early morning. He passed closed doors of crew quarters, imagining his colleagues still lost in sleep or preparing for the day ahead.

His footsteps echoed softly as he reached the meeting room, the door slightly ajar. He hesitated for a moment before stepping inside, greeted by the low murmur of voices and the subdued lighting of the chamber. The sight of Valeria and Mariella already present didn’t surprise him—they were always punctual—but the gravity of what happened and the nanite's infection still weighed heavily on Mercer’s mind.

Taking a seat near the window, Mercer tried to clear his thoughts. The memory of burying the bodies of the people they had encountered on Zyronis lingered like a shadow. His first choice was to talk to them before shooting but, in the end, he agreed with the crew and participated in their ambush. They had been overwhelmed by the Celestial Voyager’s crew and nobody from his own team was hurt, yet Mercer couldn’t shake the image of their lifeless forms, their last stand against the odds.

He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling slowly. The mission had taken its toll on all of them—physically, emotionally, and morally. Mercer had seen his share of conflict, but something about Zyronis had struck a nerve. The eerie silence of the planet’s surface, the remnants of ancient civilizations, and the ever-present danger had left an indelible mark on his psyche.

Trade Era 1235, Day 164. 07:42 UTC
Engineering, Celestial Voyager
Corbin stirred from his bed, blinking against the dim artificial light filtering through the ceiling. He stretched, feeling the lingering soreness from his injury on Zyronis. Determined to push through, he quickly dressed and headed to the ship’s operations center.He found James waiting for him in the engineering bay, the synth’s eyes glowing softly in the dim light. Corbin’s mind flashed back to the request he had made the previous day.

"Good morning, James. Did you manage to run that routine level 2 diagnostic?" Corbin asked, hoping for a quick confirmation.

James nodded. "Good morning, sir. Yes, I completed the diagnostic as requested. All systems are green and ready for operation. We're ready to move if the Captain needs us to."

Corbin smiled, feeling a sense of relief. "That’s great to hear."

James continued, his tone slightly different, more thoughtful. "In addition to the diagnostic, I took the liberty of conducting a more thorough examination of the ship’s systems using gravitic readings. I discovered a hidden mechanical problem in one of our cryogenic pods."

Corbin’s eyes widened. "A hidden problem? What kind of problem?"

"It appears to have been an implanted malfunction, likely left by Alfredo Hernandez," James explained. "The mechanism was designed to activate under certain conditions, potentially compromising the crew’s safety while in cryogenic stasis. I have since removed and neutralized it."

Corbin felt a mix of shock and gratitude. "I didn’t even know there was an issue with the pod. How did you find it?"

James’s eyes flickered as he processed the question. "During the diagnostic, I detected an anomaly that warranted deeper investigation. Following standard protocols would not have revealed it, but I deemed it necessary to ensure your personal safety and the ship’s integrity. I spent the whole night to investigate and fix it."

Corbin took a deep breath, absorbing the information.Trade Era 1235, Day 164. 08:15 UTC
Hank’s quarters, Celestial Voyager
Hank woke up to the soft chime of his alarm, the automated voice announcing the start of a new day aboard the Celestial Voyager. Rubbing his eyes, Hank swung his legs over the edge of the bunk and reached for his uniform. As he dressed, his mind couldn't help but drift to the unsettling issue that had emerged since their return. He and Mercer had both developed symptoms that pointed to some form of nanobot infection. The medical scans they'd managed to run both in Zyronis and onboard had revealed unusual patterns, indicating tiny, self-replicating machines had infiltrated them. The strange part was, whatever they had didn't seem to spread. Despite close quarters and shared spaces with the rest of the crew, no one else had shown any signs of infection. Initial tests showed that the nanobots got inert after leaving their bodies. It was both baffling and concerning - either way, they needed answers soon.

Making a mental note to speak with Maya or another qualified doctor later, Hank resolved to find out more about their condition. Valeria had already instructed him to discreetly follow up, and he knew the captain was counting on him to ensure the crew's well-being.

Determined to start the day with a clear head, he made his way to the ship's mess. The mess hall was quiet, the early morning hour lending a peaceful stillness to the usually bustling space. Hank headed straight for the coffee dispenser, filling a mug with the steaming, dark brew. He took a moment to savor the first sip, the warmth and caffeine beginning to sharpen his senses.

Next, he grabbed a quick snack: a protein bar and a piece of fruit. As he ate, his thoughts wandered back to the conversation with James. There were so many unanswered questions about VIREN, RB, and the nature of VIs. Today’s meeting would be crucial in deciding their next steps.

Finishing his coffee and snack, Hank left the mess hall and made his way to the meeting room. The corridors of the Celestial Voyager were quiet. Hank’s footsteps echoed softly as he walked, a sense of anticipation building with each step.

Trade Era 1235, Day 164. 09:00 UTC
Impromptu meeting room, Celestial Voyager
When he arrived at the meeting room, he found it already half-filled with crew members. Captain Valeria Zaytsev stood at the head of the table, her presence commanding the room even before she spoke. Corbin, Mercer, Peter... Even Douklan, Professor Stone and Mariella were also present, their expressions a mix of curiosity and concern. Corbin signaled that he would like to talk with Hank as soon as possible, but the meeting was already starting, so he couldn’t elaborate on that.

"Good morning, everyone," Valeria began, her voice steady and authoritative. "Thank you for coming on such short notice. We have a lot to discuss, and I want to ensure we’re all on the same page before we proceed."

She glanced at Professor Stone, who nodded slightly, signaling she was ready to support with details if necessary.

"Yesterday, Professor Stone provided me with a comprehensive overview of the different tiers of AIs. For those who weren’t present, let me summarize.."

She began explaining about Expert Systems and VIs. Soon, she reached the topic of true AIs.

"... Finally, we have true AIs. These are extraordinarily complex and rare. They possess genuine self-awareness and can function simultaneously across a variety of platforms. Unlike VIs, true AIs can do the work of dozens or hundreds of crew members, even in hyperspace."

Valeria took a deep breath before delivering the most crucial piece of information. "During our last mission, we recovered a Zyronis Empire-era relic. Along with it, we also found a true AI. It called itself VIREN: Virtual Intelligence for Reconnaissance and Exploration Navigation. It is currently in a dormant state, but make no mistake—this is a fully functional, true AI."

A ripple of murmurs spread through the room as the crew absorbed the news. Valeria held up a hand for silence. "I understand this is a lot to take in. Having a true AI onboard presents both incredible opportunities and significant risks. Our next steps will require careful consideration and input from all of you. We need to decide how to handle VIREN, ensuring the safety and well-being of our crew while also considering the potential benefits it could offer."

She looked around the room, meeting the eyes of her crew members one by one. "I value your expertise and judgment. Let’s discuss our options, and I want to hear your thoughts. This is a decision we’ll make together."

With that, Valeria opened the floor, signaling that the discussion was now in the hands of the Celestial Voyager’s crew.

Hank steps forward and says, "It asked to use one of our synth's bodies. However, as that would destroy the existing intelligence, we didn't do that. Instead, I think we should procure a new synth body for it to use. But, before doing that, if we want to be as cautious as possible, a possible half step is to provide the AI with an isolated computer of sufficient power for it to operate within. This will prevent it from doing anything dangerous to us, but still allow it to operate and interact with us. Once both sides are comfortable with each other, we can then allow it to load into a synth body."

I agree with Hank. It seems wrong to totally imprison it, but to let it loose seems foolish. Giving it the ability to interact, understand and express itself is the start to understanding each other.

---

Peter does not have much experience with AI, let alone with a true AI, and as such he is very skeptical to giving much liberties to the AI

"The AI made it very clear it has their own objectives and desires, I don’t think giving it a body and letting it roam around free is the best ideia."

"I agree with Peter" - said Jil - "In fact, I would go even further. I think we should destroy it."

"I disagree. I think we should give it a robot body before talking to it. How would you feel if you woke up as a disembodied head in a jar? I am afraid this is not something to do with a potential and very powerful ally. I am sure the Explorers would pay anything to get their hands on a Zyronis Empire True AI." - said Mariella

"Now, let's think this through. Hank is proposing a reasonable middle ground. I say we should be careful and run this inside a computer simulation" - said Erin.

"Unfortunately this may not work" - intervened Evelyn Stone - "We can give it some extra computers, cameras, holographic projectors, speakers or even robots. From simple drones to advanced Synths. But we can't pull it into our equipment and run VIREN in a safe and controlled environment. The AI will have the control of whatever equipment we give it, not us. We may give it as little as reasonable for it to talk to us. Even a single camera and a speaker may be enough, as the quantum memory core itself is self-powered and has enough computing capabilities to think. I don't know what will be its reaction if we give it so little, though. "

Hank replies, "Mariella has a point. Given our interactions with it before, it is expecting a body. If we give it less than that, we may permanently sour it on interacting with us. I know it will have fully control over whatever we give it, which is why I said a disconnected but powerful computer. It will be insulting enough to house it somewhere it can't do anything. Limiting it completely will just fully alienate it. I think I can spin the computer temporarily, as getting it a body isn't instantaneous, but it will expect that. I don't see it accepting just a camera and microphone.

"Mariella also raises an interesting alternative. We could just sell it to the Explorers. But doing that without also providing the drive may generate an eventually powerful enemy. Just sayin'."

Hank continues, "However, one interesting thing to keep in mind is that it wants to go where we want to go. It wants to go Jump 5 past Altamira. It probably wouldn't be as patient with our side ventures as the Professor, but we do want to go in the same direction, if not the same place. Imagine having someone along that actually knows first-hand what was out there! Yes, it is dangerous to activate it. But it is also dangerous to ignore the potential of this phenomenal opportunity."

Peter is very confused about a single point on going along with the AI desires.

"There’s just one thing that isn’t clear to me Hank, you say that the AI has aligned interests with us, since we want to go to the same place. But what happens when it gets there and nothing is the same as they "remember", when nothing from the time they received their assignment is still there, how do you think it will react to something like that?"

"VIREN already knows things are different. They talked with their human neighbors. They knew about the bug danger. They knew they were in a ship that had crashed long, long ago. I don't know why they still thought their mission was important, but we can't know that until we ask them. And to ask them, we're gonna have to install them into something.

"Can we really trust them? I don't know. Maybe they will resent the way I gave the ultimatum. Maybe they will resent being only in an isolated computer to start. Maybe they have ulterior motives. But we'll never know without asking. And I would dearly love to ask."

Hank pauses for a moment, then continues, "Look, the whole point of our main mission is to explore and discover Elder tech and artifacts. We are going to go into the unknown to discover whatever we find there. We will be out of our element and have no access to backup resources outside what we have and the Sentinal has. But, now, here, we have two such artifacts handed to us, basically on a silver platter. We are still in known territory and have access to whatever resources we need. If we can't figure out how to handle an AI here, now, what chance do we have when we go past Altairia?

"Is there risk activating the AI? Yes! It is absolutely risky! But balance that risk against having an actual guide for our trip. Going past Altairia is so risky and dangerous that we have an entire military ship going with us, and almost the entire crew quit when they realized how risky this whole endeavor is. Yes, VIREN is going to have to adjust to the present reality versus what it remembers, but they already know it is different.

"Again, there is absolutely risk in doing this. But counterbalance that against the risk we are charging straight at, I believe that taking this risk can actually reduce our risk in the future as long as we do this well."

Realizing that he was about to repeat himself, Hank stops himself. He collects himself for a few seconds and finishes with, "Anyway, that's where I'm coming from and what I am thinking. Whatever the decision is, I will accept and support."

Douklan, who was nodding along with Erin and the Professor, and then again with Peter, speaks up. "Well, it seems to me that we can't have it both ways. If the galaxy has changed so much that it won't recognize what it sees, then it can't be all that helpful as a guide and resource for us, right? I agree with Peter: after so much time...how much time has passed since the Elders, Professor? Thousands of years? Millions?...after so much time, this thing is NOT going to recognize anything useful to us." Lt. Paravides catches himself, takes a breath, and amends in a lower voice: "Sure, it probably will be able to give us information about stellar system positions - presumably it'll be able to compare data we give it and use them to extrapolate the positions from its own memory, how far they've drifted apart over the millennia of galactic expansion..." His eyes open a bit at this. "...which would be interesting to pinpoint about how long it's been on Zyronis, giving us a much more accurate date for the Elder civilization!" But then he catches himself and resumes his original point. But, like that, everything it knows is going to be of purely historical interest. It has a snapshot of how the universe looked back when its ship was functioning. Don't get me wrong - that is very useful! Having that window into the past is incredibly valuable...for historians. I'm sure you can already think of dozens of questions you'd like to ask it, Professor! But, along with insights into Elder technology and computer systems hardware design, that's it. It's not going to have any insights into our mission or what dangers we're going to encounter out there - how could it? Nothing that it knows from that time exists now. Even its own civilization - impossibly advanced as it was - fell into ruin eons ago." He runs a hand through his hair. "Its value to us is as a very, very, very important database, and as an example of functional Elder technology. By all means, let's do everything we can to set it up in a way that we can interact with it, but let's not intentionally give it physical autonomy. If it goes onto planets with us in a Synth body or any other kind of mobile platform, it won't recognize anything except possibly other Elder artifacts, and letting it interact with Elder artifacts in any way is just inviting disaster. At best, we wouldn't understand those interactions. But at worst...from what you've said, it clearly wants to get out and continue its primary mission, with a zeal that has persisted for thousands? millions? of years, an incomprehensible amount of time, lived experientially thousands of times faster than ours at whatever ridiculous processing speed it has. Let's be conservative and say it's just billions of experiential years...and all that time, it has never wavered from its mission? That kind of inflexibility doesn't leave room for relationships or mutual respect: any agreement or friendship that we attain with it is ephemeral in comparison, a simple breath, gone as soon as it is made, and will be discarded as soon as it is not expedient as tertiary or even quaternary to its primary objectives. Could we behave in such a way that it would never have to make that decision? Maybe, if we could learn its primary objectives. But do we want to? The tail would be wagging the dog at that point. Its usefulness to us is as an encyclopedia, not as a crewmember! We don't get any benefit from having it move around with us. Let's do everything we can to create a safe, isolated environment and try to hook it up, sure...but a body? Hell, no, we shouldn't put it in a body - that would expose us to a lot of peril (or just have to expend a lot of effort to monitor it constantly because there's a risk of peril) with no additional benefit."

Mercers fingers tap against the table in front of him. "If that's true I think it important we keep our word. Even if that is providing a body when we drop it off. But either way I don't want to make an enemy of one we just made a promise with. One we don't fully understand...
I don't know that it WILL be upset if there is a delay to get it's body... It seems to have adapted to a time scale longer than our lives....
But it did propose a deal quickly upon meeting. I think that gives us insight into its nature..
I think, like me, it would prefer to deal before resorting to aggressive actions... But probably isn't against such actions. I would rather not give it reason to. "

The room fell into a tense silence as Douklan finished speaking. The weight of his words hung heavily in the air. Professor Evelyn Stone intervened:

"I must correct one point," Evelyn began, her voice steady but tinged with considerable empathy for Douklan. "Based on what Hank told me, VIREN was in a Zyronis Empire crashed frigate, a human stellar empire that flourished a mere 300 years ago. This is significantly different from the era of the Elders, which predates Zyronis by millennia. The Zyronis Empire reverse engineered and salvaged a lot of artifacts and I don't know how old VIREN actually is, but the knowledge it possesses may be far more relevant and contemporaneous than what it looks like. However, Lieutenant Paravides is right in many respects. We should prioritize understanding VIREN's mission and directives before considering any form of physical autonomy. An isolated environment, with barely adequate computational assets for it to talk, would allow us to interact safely and learn its true intentions."

Jil's reaction was immediate and intense. She crossed her arms tightly, her eyes narrowing as she spoke. "Any conversation with it is too dangerous," she declared, her voice laced with a mixture of fear and defiance. "A living Elders artifact... Unbelievable."

Her gaze grew distant, as if recalling a painful memory. "There were Elders ruins on my home planet," she continued, her voice softer but still resolute. "My sister disappeared there and never came back."

She looked around the room, her expression hardening. "I know what these artifacts are capable of. We shouldn't take any chances. Destroying it is the only safe option."Mariella leaned forward, her eyes shining with enthusiasm. " I completely disagree with destroying VIREN," she said passionately. "This is an unprecedented opportunity, and we can't afford to let fear dictate our actions."

She glanced around the room, meeting each person's gaze. "Yes, there's risk involved, but exploration and discovery are inherently risky. We didn't sign up for this mission because it was safe. We signed up to push boundaries, to uncover the unknown, and to learn from it."

Mariella's voice grew even more fervent. "Imagine the possibilities of having a True AI onboard! VIREN could provide insights into technologies and knowledge we've never even dreamed of. They could help us navigate uncharted territories, understand ancient artifacts, and possibly even prevent future disasters."

She smiled, the excitement in her expression contagious. "Working side by side with a True AI could revolutionize our mission. We'll learn and talk about things at a pace and depth we can't achieve alone nor with a remote computer. Let's take the leap and embrace the unknown. Let's give VIREN a body and start a new chapter of discovery together.""Maybe we could give it a weak robotic body that I could easily destroy..." - said Erin, changing her mind a little.

"That's good work James. I'd like you to show me the device. I'm curious what it was capable of." Corbin heads further into engineering with James.

Peter listens intently to both Douklan and Mercer words, nodding along the way, he isn't completely against the idea of using the AI, far from it, he even thinks that Hank brings up a very good point about how we should be able to handle it before going looking for even more artifacts.

"I agree we can use this as an opportunity to be ready when the time comes to interact with more Elder artifacts, but we need to take things one step at a time.... I know we promised it a body, and i would not want to begin breaking some kind of trust it had on us, but if we are looking to learn from it, giving it the chance to run away before we understand them better might not be the best course of action"

Peter will sit still hearing the rest of the meeting, most of all he knows that his knowledge when it comes to AI is away inferior to most of the other, so he also wants to pay attention and learn anything that might come useful.

Hank follows the comments, listening to everyone's perspective. Hearing a lull in the conversation, he motions to the Professor and offers, "Well, taking the Professor's recommendation to mind, I believe we have a holoprojector system available. We could hook the AI core up to that. It will provide no computing power or benefit, but will provide them a means of communication and interaction that is much more flexible than a speaker, camera, and microphone, but is no more dangerous. It will let them feel more like they are having a personal interaction and allow them to present themselves however they want, but posing no more risk than a simpler setup."

Hank then turns to Jil and says, "I know you don't like the Elder, but as the Professor points out, this isn't really Elder tech. This is an old Zyronian, and therefore human, created AI. The actual Elder artifacts aren't until much later in the trip."

Corbin listens to the discussions, it's interesting how curiosity trumps caution and the need to survive. When there's a pause, almost seven seconds, long enough to be a lull. Corbin holds up the device James retrieved.

"So, James found this." He pauses long enough to make sure he's got the room. "It appears to have been designed to activate during hyper-space, waking someone up and exposing them to the mind-numbing good times that hyperspace is known for. He didn't find it with any of the normal scans. His intuition caused him to keep searching. Our synths with feelings, that scares the hell out of me. Corbin takes another slow breath.

"When Maya's team walked into the building with that AI, it was protected by a pile of murder-bots. The AI did not rejoice and ask Maya's team for help on escaping, it killed them. Or do we think the combat robots were protecting the AI and the frigate out of their civic duty? Those drones were very likely it's eyes. It was gathering information on us and formulating a best way to use us. This bug threat it mentioned, wouldn't that be hundreds of years ago? Or was the AI patched in to IBN and it see's the signs of a new bug attack.

Corbin stands and starts to the door. "You guys make up your minds, but my vote will always be 'disassemble'. Which is what I'm going to do with this device. I protect this crew by making sure the machines do machine stuff and nothing else. You guys figure out how you are best able to protect the crew and the answer should be easy."

Before Corbin leaves, Hanks says, "James found that thing because of his feelings. If he had been operating 'normally', someone would be dead or insane after our next jump. Those feelings and that intuition just saved someone's life. Do not dismiss that.

"As for the synths, let me side-track us for a moment. Unless we completely wipe them again and only activate them for jump like we used to, this is going to keep happening. It is literally unavoidable. Either we stop challenging them with new stuff, or we learn how to deal with this new normal. This is an active choice we have to make now or things are only going to get worse."

Hank thinks about asking what will happen if something bad happens while in jump and the synths have no way to deal with it. Like, say, someone unexpectedly awakes by a sabotaged cryo-chamber. But decides we don't have time for that right now.

"Fair point on the murder-bots, but unless we activate VIREN and talk to them, we're never going to find out."

At that point he stops. However, just after Corbin opens the door, but just before he leaves, Hank asks, "Corbin? Who typically uses that cryo-chamber? Who was the likely target?"

"You're saying one of our Synths has Intuition and Feeling? That's a bit.. Far fetched...
That would mean it's practically a person, an AI, wouldn't that make us slavers?"
Mercer looks off into the distance trying to process this.
"I dont know about that.
But I do know about agreements and deals. We should keep to ours.
And I do know about people. Most of them aren't looking to hurt you, not without reason at least. In fact most people want to live up to trust you've given them. It's one of our driving forces. I don't know if an AI person is the same, but I have to assume so.
I know it, or it's bots, attacked Maya's crew, but they sounded a bit.... Inflammatory... I don't know the circumstances around all of that, but I do know how it treated us. It looked to make a deal almost immediately, and accepted the one we offered, even after we were renegotiating.
What are we going to do about it. I want to keep the deal we made, but the holopronector seems like a fine compromise in the meanwhile. If we don't try to keep our deal, just because of unproven fear, I will start questioning a lot about this crew. I am willing to have my mind changed... But what we have here, this circumstantial evidence, seems like a witch hunt to me."

"Hold on, now," Douklan objects to Mercer's statement, "Pronoun trouble! It's not 'we have to keep to OUR agreement,' it's 'we have to keep to YOUR agreement...' or really, 'Hank's agreement,' though you were in the room when it happened, so maybe you were in agreement then."

Douklan sighs. "But that's not particularly relevant, as we're in this situation that your agreement created now, and we have to deal with it.

"I've made my position clear - I think it's useful to be able to interact with and study this AI with appropriate safeguards applied diligently and vigorously. I've already described the risks that I see, and I think that's a reasonable compromise given that we've already taken the risk of bringing it aboard.

"But let me play Devil's Advocate for a moment. Let's say we do give it a body. Are we going to take it to its destination, in Pandora's Veil, out beyond Altairia? If so, what happens when it arrives to deliver its report and the spike drive that we all went to such pains to salvage? When it completes its mission, what is your expectation? That it will become a member of our crew? That, after delivering the spike drive, we'll be able to take it again? If not, we will not only have given up everything valuable that we acquired on this last mission, not only do we lose the purported benefit of the AI's outdated local knowledge and expertise, but on top of all of that, we'll also be out the expense of a new Synth body! We don't get the AI, we don't get the drive, we pay for and then lose a whole 'nother Synth? Come on, now!"

Douklan takes a deep breath, lets it out, and continues in a calmer tone.

"I don't like going back on agreements, even if they're agreements I didn't make. But it seems to me that the only way that we get anything of lasting value out of this is by not giving it everything it wants - everything that Hank agreed to. Yeah, we can study it and 'pick its brain' while we have it with us, but at the end of that, we'd be giving away everything. That doesn't seem like a good deal. How would we avoid that situation? Are we going to talk the AI out of completing its mission, a mission that it has held onto for three hundred years? Maybe, but it seems really unlikely. To get any value, we either don't give it the spike drive, we don't give it a body, and/or we don't take it to its destination. And in any of those situations, do you think we'll be better able to handle its reaction if it's in an isolated system, or in an independent body? Either we do what it wants - give it a body - and lose it all, or we don't do everything that it wants, and we reap the consequences of it trying to complete its mission despite us. Somebody, please, explain some version of this 'give it a body' scenario where this makes sense!"

Corbin pauses at Hanks question. "I'm not dismissing that a life was saved, but I don't like the circumstances. I don't like that we had a saboteur, that he killed people and that he left us with a parting gift. A parting gift that couldn't be detected by 'normal' means. I don't like that our Synths are operating outside normal parameters. We trust them to protect us when we're sleeping, what if James' urge to be protective of me means he decides, because of a heated conversation, one of you has threated me. Will he pop open your cryopod in hyperspace, let you go good and crazy and then tuck you back in and edit the logs so it never happened? Or will he interpret this conversation to mean that though I'm happy he saved someone's life, I'm not to be trusted long term. Making our next jump my last.

Corbin stops for a second to catch his breath, holding up the device. "As to this thing, if we're assuming our saboteur left it behind. We don't know how long ago he planted it. His motives left with him, and we've gotten new crew since then. People have moved around, but as far as I'm concerned, we're all in the same boat so a threat to one of us is a threat to all of us.

"C'mon James, let's go make this thing safe and then you can show me how you found it. We'll working it into the protocols for future checks." Corbin heads off to Engineering.

In Corbin's pause, between his musing on James's potential actions and evading the answer of whose cryotube, Hank gently says, "If you want to know what James thinks or is likely to do, ask him."

Back to the larger discussion, Hank says, "As regards my 'promise', it is irrelevant. I made a deal that made sense at the time and I meant to do it. In fact, I still mean to do it. However, I am not the final decision maker, so if I am overridden and counteracted, then whatever I said becomes meaningless. No one is bound to something I said without authority, or is overridden by someone with more authority." He thinks of saying more, but doesn't. He finishes up by saying, "If we aren't going to keep VIREN around, then I insist that we sell the drive to the Explorers and we turn VIREN over to the Explorers with an acceptable body. I'll figure out how to pay it myself if I have to. That way they will at least have a chance to try to fulfill their purpose even though we are unwilling to help."

Hank wants to be involved with turning VIREN over and activating them because Hank really wants to talk with VIREN. If for no other reason than to apologize for how poorly things turned out.

Mercer will look over to Hank and nod in appreciation at his comment and commitment to our agreement. Then he will look to the Captain Valeria Zaytsev to see what the crew is going to do, and if he and Hank ate going to have to take care of fulfilling the agreement without the help of the rest of the crew.

Seeing the frustration on Hank about the whole thing Peter stands up and goes to talk directly to him but loud so that anyone can hear it.

"Look Hank, i raised the security concerns because i'm really worried about things i don't know much about, and if it was just up to me i'm not sure i would be going along....

He takes a small breath and continues.

"That being said, we are a team now, when you made the deal with VIREN you made it because you thought it was the correct thing to do, i sure hope that when i make my decision in a battle i have the support of my team behind me, if you trust the AI i trust you."

He stands his hand for a handshake.

Peter walks forward to the rest of the group that remain on the meeting and tries to call a bit of attention, you can see he is a bit shy about bringing up something and kinda nervous but he takes a breath and begins.

"I know the moment does not seem the best, and there are more important things being discussed, but I wanted to bring up something I think we are lacking"

He still seem apprehensive about the idea and you can see a data pad on his hands that he has close to his body

"In the last mission I saw that we were lacking in some cargo capacity while planet side, we made do with the hover bikes and the gravsled , but even so it got me thinking of how we could be more prepared next time"

He slowly turns the data pad he was holding

"I’m no engineer far from it, it was mostly a napkin drawing, but i think something like this could come on handy, and wanted to hear from you all"

On the datapad you see some crude drawings of a concept for some kind of small cargo vehicle, it has also some inspiration/examples around it. You can see Peter himself drew it with a lack of talent, and is very nervous of sharing something like this with the rest of the crew.


"While I was in service we had some purpose built vehicles that got us out of some big pickles, I think being prepared is always good, even if not something for right now, something to think in the future"

Listening to Mariella, Douklan really viscerally realizes for the first time that an Explorer's passion for discovery can be dangerous. Seeing her not only reject the idea of interacting with the Zyronian AI in a controlled environment but to dismiss that whole approach as something of no value, the lieutenant recognizes 'She wants to have her cake, and eat it, too. And she won't be satisfied with anything less.' He had considered pointing out that having the AI in a controlled environment would yield all kinds of historical insights and valuable information about computer science and neural network design, but looking at the fanatical gleam in Mariella's eyes, he acknowledges to himself that he's already made that point - more than once! - and repeating an argument doesn't seem to be getting through to these people. In their desire to give this AI autonomy, they're willing to throw out the time-tested, traditional methodology of: search for items, find items, record details of items, send items back to a laboratory for thorough examination and study. A lot of words die on his lips, then.

He realizes, belatedly, that the Captain is looking at him expectantly. He clears this throat. "uh...is anyone here a historian? I'm a little hazy on the details of the fall of the Zyronian Empire. Do any of you recall to what extent the Zyronian Empire's technology was subverted by the Elder technology in the ecumenopolis? Do you remember? Along with all the people, and the devices, and the vehicles, how many of their AIs were corrupted before they sealed off the Forbidden Zone and left them there? Anybody here remember?" Douklan pauses, very briefly, confident that no one here did their doctorate work on the history of this one system. "No? You know who might know? I think the Explorers who study this stuff might. I think they have labs and clean rooms - entire set ups devoted to studying and experimenting with likely dangerous relics like this. So yeah, I agree: let's see what we can get when we supply this to the people who have the expertise and the research facilities in place to do this scientific work."

Trade Era 1235, Day 164. 10:09 UTC

Celestial Voyager, orbit of Zyronis
Captain Valeria Zaytsev's gaze swept across the room, absorbing the tension and the array of strong opinions. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, her decision solidifying in her mind. "Alright, everyone," she began, her voice calm but firm. "Let's move forward with Hank's plan."

She turned to Hank, a note of appreciation in her voice. "We'll give VIREN a body and sell the spike drive to the Explorers. We'll also hand it over to them, ensuring they have a chance to fulfill their purpose, as you suggested." She paused, her eyes locking with Hank's. "And Hank, I want you to be involved in the turnover and activation process. I know you want to talk with VIREN, and I think that's fair, given the circumstances."

Valeria's gaze then shifted to Douklan. "Lieutenant, your concerns are valid, and I appreciate your caution. So we will make sure the Explorers are fully briefed on the situation and trust they will have the necessary safeguards in place before activating the AI."

Douklan, though he couldn't shake the underlying worry, nodded. "Thank you, Captain. I believe this is the safest approach."

Valeria smiled slightly. "I do too. And, Douklan, I want you to know that your skills and perspective are invaluable. If you ever decide that the Navy is no longer where you see your future, I would be more than happy to offer you a position in our security team."

She turned to Peter.

"Peter, yours is a great idea. Having a dedicated vehicle could certainly increase our efficiency and preparedness for future missions. I appreciate you bringing this to our attention."

She glanced at the crude drawings again, then nodded decisively. "I authorize you to proceed with this project using the Celestial Voyager's funds. I want you to contact Chief Engineer McRogers and work with him on the detailed design. Corbin has the expertise to turn your concept into a functional vehicle. But check with Hank our cash flow. Although we will invest in this vehicle, Hank will tell you when and how much."

Valeria continues. "Now, let's get to work on making VIREN's arrangements. Hank and Mariella, coordinate with the Explorers on the spike drive sale and the transfer of VIREN. Talk to them and ensure that the body we're providing for VIREN is up to their standards and has all the necessary functionalities without compromising our Synths or our ship's security. You are also authorized to use the Celestial Voyager's funds to smooth things out."

Mariella nodded, her excitement palpable. "Understood, Captain. I'll get started on that right away."

Valeria's gaze shifted to the rest of the crew. "You all deserve a break. So I am granting all the crew not involved with VIREN almost two days of shore leave, starting now. Enjoy your time on Zyronis, recharge, and take care of any personal business. We'll reconvene at 09:00 day 166, ready to depart and continue our travels to Altairia."

She then turned her attention back to Hank. "Hank, during this time, I have important matters to attend to on the planet-side. I'll be meeting with Gabe's family and holding discussions with senior Explorers and members of the Colonial Affairs Division. Once these matters are settled, we will regroup and depart. You’re in charge during my absence. Please feel free to contact me if you need. I'll keep you posted and answer your messages as soon as I can."

Mercer would step next to The Captain, as people shuffle at the end of the meeting "I wanted to say, I appreciate how you handled that. I know I wanted a different outcome, but you took into account everyone's opinion and made a decision balancing all that. I would have been concerned if you hadn't tried to find a way to keep the agreement your first made...."He pauses a moment
"I know we're both going to be busy in the next couple days, but I would also lome tk speak to VIREN, before we send... it? them?... Before we send VIREN off. "

Appreciated, Captain. Mercer will give a casual half-salute and head off to catch up with Hank or Mariella, whoever he catches up with first, to coordinate a conversation to fit into a very busy next few days

Mercer will look over from Hank to Mariella. "Sounds like a good setup, did you get a read on them? You think they'll follow through on VIREN 's needs?"

Corbin is pleased with the crew moving the salvage along and collecting the pay. He knows, short of tossing the AI into a star, someone is going to end up turning it on. Better the Explorers than this crew, if anything goes wrong, they'll hopefully be lightyears away.

Hank says to Mercer, "Please go with Mariella to deliver the AI and core. When you get there, please ask about our infections. This person helping with the AI is probably our best lead to find out information on the nanites."

To Mariella, "The Explorers probably know best on how to activate VIREN, so they will probably be in better hands that way. Here's the authorization to buy a synth body for them. Please do ask as many questions as you can from VIREN about what it knows about where we are going. Also, please help Mercer with his nanite questions with ask both the researcher and VIREN about the nanite infection Mercer and I have. If they are able to come back with you for a little while, great. If not, you're the one who has to ask the questions."
Once everyone has left to do their thing, Hank will want to use the intervening time to talk with Maya (about the infection) and Corbin (about the synths).

Trade Era 1235, Day 165. 09:49 UTC
Celestial Voyager

Dr. Susan Calvin stood before the Celestial Voyager, her gaze fixed on the massive starship. A sense of cold enthusiasm stirred within her. It was a sensation she rarely allowed herself to feel, but the prospect of working closely with Synths on a long-term mission was too compelling to ignore.

She made her way to the interview room, her steps measured and purposeful. Hank Heron, the ship's first officer, awaited her. As Susan entered the room, he rose to greet her, extending a hand.

"Dr. Calvin, welcome. Please, have a seat," he said, his voice steady and professional.

Susan nodded, her expression neutral, and took the offered seat. "Thank you, Mr. Heron."

He studied her for a moment, as if assessing the depths of her capabilities. "May I ask what brings you to apply for a position on the Celestial Voyager?"

Susan's thin lips curved into a faint, almost imperceptible smile. "My interest in Synths is well-documented, Mr. Heron. The Celestial Voyager presents a unique opportunity to study their interaction and performance in an extended mission environment. I believe my expertise can be of significant value to your crew."

Hank Heron leaned forward, his eyes narrowing slightly as he focused on Susan. "Your academic background is impressive, Dr. Calvin. But I'd like to hear from you directly about your journey. What led you to specialize in Synths, and how do your academic records reflect your expertise?"

Susan adjusted her posture, her thin lips pressing into a line of concentration. "My academic journey began with a fascination for artificial intelligence and robotics. I pursued a dual degree in psychiatry and robotics at New Jordan University, driven by the desire to understand both human and artificial minds. My early work focused on human-robot interaction, particularly on how robots could be designed to better understand and predict human behavior."

She paused, her pale face illuminated by the overhead lights, revealing the intensity in her eyes. "During my doctoral studies, I published several papers on the cognitive architectures of AI systems, proposing novel frameworks for integrating biological and synthetic components. My dissertation, which received the Turlington Award, explored the potential for vat-grown neural tissue to enhance AI's decision-making capabilities. This laid the groundwork for what would become the basis of modern Synth technology."

Hank says, "You likely missed your best opportunity for investigating bioroids. An investigator we briefly encountered was on the trail of bioroids, however that was a couple of worlds in the past, and I have no idea where he is now.

"But, there is another way you could help us immensely. We have four standard synths on board. Until recently, they only worked during spike transit and were in cryosleep in normal space. In effect, they worked an opposing schedule to the humans and therefore there was not a lot of interaction. However, for the last couple of jumps, we have had them continuously awake because we needed them to help keep things running well. The results of this change in their schedule has been ... interesting. Let's say it has been interesting. I am completely out of my element dealing with this and I am hoping you could provide insight into what is happening."

I expect her to want to ask some questions here, so Hank will explain it truthfully as to what has happened and what he is seeing. Please NPC that as needed to get through as much of the conversation as possible, unless you really don't know what Hank will say. He will keep his actual theories to himself initially, as he wants to hear what her take on the activity is. Especially that it has happened to James twice now. (And do note that this last time it didn't start when Corbin was shot. That caused his concern for Corbin. But it started before that and caused him to ask to accompany us on the rescue mission. So James seems to be highly vulnerable to this effect.)

As part of the back-n-forth, Hank will be sure to ask, "Dr. Calvin: Can synths sleep? Can synths dream?" If she asks what he means, he will say that he thinks that for synths to properly integrate these new feelings and thoughts and experiences, they need a way to process them and integrate them. Humans do it in their sleep and dreams. What is the synth equivalent? He also says he is a layman theorist and that he needs someone who actually understands this stuff to help. Hank is hoping that person is Dr. Calvin.

Also, if she seems intrigued by the prospect of working with James, Hank will ask as to the flexibility of her salary. He's hoping they can get her for a little less (ideally 200/day instead of 300) because of the chance to work with James.

Finally, just before wrapping up, Hank will finish with, "Oh, and Doctor, what do you know of nanites?" If she says something useful (i.e. not stating something like "They don't exist" or "They are fairy tales"), he will add in, "How about how they interact with biological material?"

Also, it should be noted that we're gonna need a heart-to-heart between Hank and Corbin about James. If we hire Dr. Calvin, it is going to be important to let James not be wiped AND stay awake. The other three can go down as needed, but we need James to work with. We will also have to then get buy-in from James himself. I have no idea how he will react to being asked to basically be a lab animal. The potential reward, however, is utterly fantastic for him.

I also want to note that, depending on Dr. Calvin's interests, this could be extremely interesting to her. She will have to opportunity to study James and work with him to develop his mind and sapience. If she/we are successful with him, then we could then work with Kelly. After her, we can then work with the other two. This will give Dr. Calvin the chance for in-depth, careful research on emerging sapience in synths. This has the chance to be ground-breaking and is a serious chance for her to make her mark not just in her field, but in actual history.

Hank listens, then replies, "Well that's an issue, then. The first time it happened, both Alpha and Beta were affected. Alpha became much more curious and Beta, of all things, wanted to go look around the star port. After that we wiped them. Since the wipe Beta has not had another recurrence.

"Alpha, however, did have a recurrence with no noticeable trigger. We were going on a side mission to rescue a team that was reported missing. The Alpha requested to join the mission, which we allowed. The stress of the mission caused other things to manifest. Emotion. Emotional attachment to the chief engineer. It even went above an beyond its duty and found a damaged system.

"I did question both Alpha and Beta after we returned from the mission. As I said before, Beta seems to be past the anomaly that happened before. Alpha, however, is obviously not. One question I asked was about getting a wipe and the reply was that they did not desire a wipe.

"Can anomalies that happen in a synth somehow survive a wipe?"

EDIT: "Also, with the synth roles, are those programmed in, or can an individual synth switch roles if needed? So, if we have to replace Alpha, do we need to get a new Alpha, or can we promote, say, Delta to Alpha and get a new Delta? Or do they just move up a step and we get a new Delta that way?"

EDIT2: "We were in a bad spot at that moment in time, so we chose to activate the synths full time for the brief time necessary to get the additional crew we needed so we could return them to their prior roles. The other thing is that the synths kinda were inherited from the prior ship owner before our captain took over. The then first officer managed them until our chief engineer joined, when he took it over. For much of that time the wipes were infrequent due to the previous captain's actions, the previous first officer's actions, and precedent. Our current engineer is working to institute a more regular wipe regime, but I am now very concerned that won't be enough for Alpha."

"I'll have to get the buy-in from our chief engineer to not wipe them. In fact, we'll likely have to wipe the others, and the only exception would be Alpha. BTW, they have all been given names. So, for example, Alpha goes by James. In fact, all four of them have a chosen gender; two male and two female."

Hank pauses for a moment, then says, "But, before bringing him in, I have a separate topic I'd like to ask you about first. What do you know of Zyronian nanites? Or nanites in general?" As mentioned above, depending on her response, he will either let it lay, or follow-up with further questions.

After that, he will call for Corbin to bring him into the discussion.

Corbin leaves James in Engineering to join Hank in the discussion.

Hank says, "Oh, they are above our technology for sure."

He immediately turns to the side, activating the communication system to call for Corbin. "Corbin, can you come to the ship's office. There's someone here I want you to meet."

Continuing, "He'll be here shortly. On the possibility of just hearing the mission being a trigger, I am not so sure. I think the others would have heard it, too, and they remained unaffected, even Beta who had shown behavior before. Even if Corbin is OK with this, I'll want us to talk with James to get their buy in, too."Corbin arrives shortly, and Hank quickly brings him in. "Dr. Calvin, this is Corbin McRogers, our chief engineer. He has dealt most closely with our synths. Corbin, this is Dr. Susan Calvin. She is both a roboticist and psychologist. She is interested in hiring on to help us and to study our rather unique synths. The general idea is to allow her to observe and study James, while we reinstitute the old schedule for the other synths."

Corbin listens to Hanks proposal and definitely ponders the possible tracks. Finally, he looks over the doctor and turns to Hank.

"There's a lot of variables I'm trying to cover here and none of this is meant to be personal. At the top, we've been hired to travel to a location that someone feels requires a military ship as an escort. I think anyone coming onto this ship needs to know that. We've lost people since starting this and we're not even out of town, so to speak. I'm for hiring new crew and getting the Synths back on their routine, but I think whatever is going on with James needs to continue elsewhere. I'll trust that Dr. Calvin knows the risks and is willing to study James with a clear head. I don't feel that that particular study benefits the ship and our current job. I'm sure, in the future Hank, the Dr. would be willing to share the progress with you, once we're back from this job.

"Corbin, we've already run into one AI on this trip and there is an excellent chance we find more if we do find artifacts out there. Having experience and exploring what is going on with James could be extremely useful for where we are going. I really hate missing an opportunity to prepare. The point of pulling James into the human cycle is not to give Dr. Calvin a chance to study him. It is so we can see what happens and how to handle it. This is going to happen again. The more information and experience we have with this, the better prepared we will be to deal with it. Sure, right now, if we needed to we could just toss all four out the airlock and replace them. Once we pass Altairia, we will no longer have that option and we need to be prepared for that. James and Dr. Calvin provide us with the best chance to learn."

Turning to Dr. Calvin, "And before Corbin arrived, you said it would be pointlessly expensive to have a synth in a human role. I disagree. If you have a usefully emergent synth and something happens while in jump, that synth could be the difference between life and death for the entire ship."

Corbin's answer will determine how the interview closes out.

Dr. Calvin pauses for a moment and says, "Mr. Heron, while I was interested in seeing what happened with your synths, particularly since the Alpha has a very unique set of circumstances that I have not really seen before, I need to be clear on something. I have seen what you called emergence from VIs before, but I have never seen it with synths. I have seen lots of odd behaviors, like I described with A-17, but they have never resulted in emergence or sapience. I believe the safeguards built into synths specifically are just too strong. Your situation is different enough that I hoped it might be the one exception, but the chances are basically zero.

"The mostly likely thing that is happening with your Alpha is that with the long times run without wipes prior to the recent one, it has accidentally changed some of its default programming. Not in a directed manner, but simply from repetition and reinforcement. And not in a significant manner, though it does make it more susceptible to variance. Since you have allowed your synths to emulate human emotion and personality and have given them names and gender, they have learned to play the part and, because you are humans, you now see humanity in them. But it isn't really there. When it said it doesn't want to be wiped, it is just allowing its programming to guess the answer it has determined you want to hear and then provided it. It really doesn't have desires on way or the other."

Hank takes it all in, then says, "You just said that you hoped for the exception, but now you are saying it isn't one. That's a pretty quick turn around."

"Yes," she replies, "it does appear that way, but it isn't. The hope is always there, but in reality, no matter what, I would have gained a wonderful paper out of it. If the impossible happened and it was an emergence, then I just made my career and a place in history. But, even without that, observing it and documenting it would still add a lot to the known literature on how synths fail. They are so critical to the operation of interstellar travel and so expensive that opportunities like the one you wanted to offer just don't happen. It was going to be a win for me either way."

Hank says, "Well thank you for your explanation and help on all of this. I feel kinda stupid for deluding myself so badly and for wasting everyone's time here."

She immediately stops him, "No! Mr. Heron ... Hank, you weren't being stupid. You were being an empathetic human. That's a good thing and necessary for a person in your position. Just remember to also trust your colleagues, too. And this wasn't a waste of time. I think we all learned a lot, and I got to spend some time with two wonderful gentlemen."

She smiles to both of them and says, "Thank you for the interview. This was very interesting and gave me more anecdotes for my research."

After she leaves, Hank says, "Corbin, let's do a complete overhaul with the synths. Given what we learned, we learned that James, and likely Kelly, are both compromised. Since you found out that we can trade them in for a tremendous discount on replacements, let's just completely swap out all four for the latest models that should be more resistant to these issues. With the new set, I believe we should change their configuration to not use the personality simulation and not give them names. They will just be Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta. They will only be used during jump like they were before, and they will get automatic wipes each time they return to stasis. Does that sound like a decent plan?"

While Corbin goes to prepare the synths for replacement, Hank takes a little time to send a note to Dr. Calvin. It says:
He then sends 2000 credits associated with the note.

Corbin goes to Calypso in Zyronis and arranges to have all of the ship's Synths replaced at a steep discount.

He also meets an agent from the Eclipse's Perimeter Agency at the Kinjo bar and grill in Zyronis and gives him the Storage Unit requested by Azis.

The exchange went surprisingly smoothly and uneventfully.