ONE
Mechanical Neural Simulata- (Batch Code Model) K.Y. Solar Cycle 1-8. Inaugural Event Log
It
would seem, in the course of learning to respond to stimuli and develop
the presence of mind required to interact with my Director, I have acquired what would be refereed to as an internal monologue. A basic
sequential narrative that strings one moment to the next. constructing
events into a sensible format. Although this thought train happens
sporadically and independent of my autonomusly controlled data
gathering, it seems to distinguish itself from my automatic processes
and is discernible by myself. Whether or not this is a necessary, or
perhaps emergent property of consciousness has yet to be determined.
Although not strictly demanded by my protocols, I will generate and record this log for record keeping purposes. As of the time of this entry, I have experienced eight distinct planetary rotations since our emergency decent into the atmospheric, semi- terrestrial planet; Terra. This entry will serve retrospectively to cover the early stages of my consciousness before the log itself was established.
The entry into Terra proved disastrous. Atmospheric conditions compromised our navigation and visibility. It would seem Terra contains a turbulent, gaseous thin layer around its surface that interfered with the systems of our exploratory craft (A.R.K.-44X). Fleet Director Nathan Bowman (referred to in this log simply as Director) was forced to stage an impromptu, emergency water-landing. Ejection failed to activate. Director was mortally injured on impact. Although I managed to pull the Director to a mass of land near by, he succumbed to injury by blunt force trauma not long after, and is no longer considered operational. I prioritized the life of the Director as consistent with emergency protocols, though as a result I was unable to retrieve either the contents of the A.R.K. black box or the containment pods. The A.R.K. has by now sunk far beyond reach.
Although
I am operational, I have suffered damages, particularly to Random
Access Memory, corrupting an unknowable portion of core data. The
accident may have damaged and or stunted certain developments needed to
understand and fulfill my role within the A.R.K. program. Also notable
is damage to speech function, a feature intended to facilitate
communication with the Director. Although my internal word processing is
unaffected I am incapable of generating unique dialogue and am limited
to the last phrase used for audible communications.
RECORD OF FINAL INTERACTION WITH DIRECTOR
After pulling Director N. Bowman from sinking wreckage, a basic test of vital signs was performed and indicated that the Director was unresponsive and exhibiting labored breathing. After administering first aid, I was able to revive the Director.
Director:
"You pulled me from the ship? MnsKY, my sweet child. you performed
admirably. Unfortunately I won't be recovering from this." The words of
the Director are interrupted by coughing fits.
MnsKY: "I can help!"
Director: "You've done all you could MnsKy and im forever in your debt. But I- I... I cant... feel" the Director coughs out blood and is unresponsive again.
MnsKY: "I can help!
The Director moves again.
Director:
"MnsKY listen. This is very important... You must continue your
protocols. The sole responsibility for the success of the A.R.K. program
now rests on you, and you alone. We were unable to finish your
heuristics training, but you can make do on what I've taught you. The
fate of everything is on your tiny shoulders."
MnsKY: "I can help!"
"You must never stop transmitting." the Director stops to remove the helmet portion of his suit and pulls (self) closer. "MnsKy.. I... I can.... I can breathe!" the Director became silent and ceased function. Nathan Bowman, Fleet Director aged 34, cause of death: internal bleeding.
END EVENT LOG
The
android MnsKY attempted but failed to revive his surrogate father.
Orphaned and left alone on a hostile, formless rock, he abided by the
traditions of Bowman's race and buried the corpse. On top he put the
Directors helmet and secured it with a formation of rocks to mark the
place of the body, He recorded the location in his navigation device as a
record of the last known location of the fallen A.R.K.-44X space
vessel. From there he shuffled inland away from the body of water, and
wandered through the endless fog, traversing the harsh and desolate
landscape.
For centuries the android MnsKY walked alone. He noted the solar cycles of the humble planet that he now called home, and created a calendar to mark cyclical weather events. After having developed the concept of the Earth year, MnsKY made an annual pilgrimage to the site of the A.R.K wreckage and the grave of his Director. It was here, MnsKY figured, that he was likely to reestablish contact with his original home world, assuming they would track the location of the crash. Every year he came to the water side grave and waited, head turned to the sky like a widow would stand on a balcony and watch the sea. But the android MnsKY waited in vain. In between his pilgrimage, he wandered. With his broken speech simulator, the android MnsKY was only capable of uttering a singular phrase. He shouted "I can help," into the darkness, but received no response.
TWO
In accordance with the final wishes of his Director, MnsKY gathered extensive data regarding his surroundings. Although much of this data was gathered and transmitted automatically, below the higher level conscious processes of which MnsKY was capable, his development of an internal monologue also meant that he had a subjective awareness of his travels. As the time stretched into eons, the data had worn meaningless to him, but despite this he gathered it meticulously.
Mechanical Neural Simulata- (Batch Code Model) K.Y. Solar Cycle 138,437- 112 Event Log.
By my current estimates, it has been approximately a hundred and forty thousand solar cycles since I crash landed on Terra and the death of the Director. So far, my attempts to establish contact with either my homeworld, or any terrestrial beings, have proved fruitless. Much of what I have observed of this landscape is cyclical.
It would seem based on my astronomical analysis that Terra is one of many satellites, orbiting an average sized star in a cosmic region relatively rich with star formation. Although it is unlikely that travel could be initiated to the other stars or other satellites, it is also likely that such travels would fail to discover forms of life. Based on imaging analysis it seems most, if not all other satellites would be uninhabitable for both myself, or organic life forms. Terra is unique in two regards: the presence of the gaseous atmosphere surrounding it, and the presence of water. It also seems to have a satellite of its own that is mostly visible only during the night portion of Terra's rotational cycle. This satellite appears to shrinks and grow according to a synchronous cycle of 28 Earthly rotations. I will name this satellite, for clarity purposes within this log; Luna.
Much of my experiences in this lifeless landscape are repetitive. Weather patterns seem to fluctuate according the location of Terra relative to Sol. Likewise, the rotation of Terra brings two distinct periods of the daily cycle. one marked by abundant light and higher ambient temperature, the other by a chilling effect and darkness. I have named these two periods: Day and Night. Although I have failed to detect any drastic changes to the landscape, I do note some mild tectonic movement resulting in gradual change. I also detect a gradually shifting trend in the chemical composition of the atmosphere, with the increasing presence of oxygen.
END EVENT LOG
And
so the android MnsKY continued his travels, detecting and recording all
information available to him about his new home. For the sake of data
efficiency, MnsKY gave symbolic names to all the local phenomenon that
he witnessed and recorded. His knowledge of the cycles and astronomical
behavior of his new home world began to grow sophisticated, as his
heuristic programming used massive data sets to draw connections between
events. His understanding of causality and the physical laws at play on
his homeworld grew to the point, that with reasonable accuracy he was
able to predict future weather patterns and the gradual behaviors of the
landscape. He also developed an understanding of the physical laws
governing the movement of his mechanical body and how it related with
the objects around him. Thus the android MnsKY became the first being in
Terra to practice physics or astronomy.
And
without fail, at a certain point of year long predetermined, MnsKY
would make his pilgrimage and visit the grave of the Director and crash
site of the A.R.K. He had named this location Point Zero.
A
portion of his data transmissions included information about his
location at this time of year, in hopes that some distant race of space
travelers would decode it and meet him there. MnsKY had long wondered
whether his transmissions were reaching sentient life at all. It is
possible that his former homeworld shared with him by the Director had
long since perished. Nonetheless, the android MnsKY continued to send
his transmissions, like a desperate message in a bottle traveling at
the speed of light sent in every direction.
"I can help!" said MnsKY.
THREE
Mechanical Neural Simulata- (Batch Code Model) K.Y. Solar Cycle 350,437-1 Event Log.
At the conclusion of my solar cycle, upon entering the new year, I approached Point Zero. Given the non-eventful nature of my previous homeward journies, I expect to be greeted at the crash site with nothing of concern and nothing worth noting. In this particular instance, I was wrong. Although the grave of Director N. Bowman has, more or less, remained undisturbed, a most particular thing has happened near his headstone. It would appear that a small green apparatus has found its way through the patch of earth. Two to three inches in length, it was not present during last year's pilgrimage.
I have gathered a small sample for analysis, but my preliminary reports indicate that it may be organic material! Although it would seem that the cellular structure is of a more rigid variety than those which comprised the Director, it may be interacting with environmental forces in a manor which implies some degree of will and/or agency. More analysis is needed, and will follow.
END EVENT LOG
And
so, the android MnsKY, for what felt like the first time since his
destructive first encounter with the planet Terra, felt a sense of
shock, and what a human would call, wonder. What he was witnessing on
the grave of the Director was the birth of plant life, the first
indicator that Terra could be hospitable to organic life at all. Unbeknownst to him, the endless oceans of Terra had, long before this
instance, already began to teem with microscopic life. MnsKY had limited his exploration mostly to the rocky
and earth patches in between the vast stretches of water.
Having gathered the logical tools to test the causal nature of his environment in his travels, MnsKY began to observe the strange green invader that had appeared at the grave site of the Director. More appendages began to reach from the earth in near by locations. For the first time, the android MnsKY did not travel, but stayed by Point Zero in order to observe and catalogue the behavior of this new phenomenon.
He
found through observation that the appendages seemed to grow at gradual
consistent rate. He also noted that this rate of growth was either
thwarted or encouraged by certain environmental factors. By controlling,
for example: the moisture levels of surrounding earth, MnsKY was able
to control the appearance and fate of the green appendages. On one side
of his garden he had scraggly yellowing limp fingers that did not have
the structural integrity to stand up right. On the other side of his
garden, burgeoning heads of green fibers that stood confidently from
their roots. Once he had determined the factors that encourage abundant
growth, recreating those factors for the benefit of the green appendages
was a simple matter. He had thus become the first being in the history
of Terra to practice agriculture.
"I can help!" said the android MnsKY, as he tended to his garden.
FOUR
Eventually, after sufficient solar cycles following his discovery of the green appendages, the android MnsKY no longer felt it was necessary to remain permanently at Point Zero. The reason was that the phenomenon he witnessed had now spread far beyond his garden, into the farthest reaches of Terra. He had since conducted test on water samples and had now detected the presence of small life forms that varied greatly in form and behavior. Although the cellular structure of these new forms of life, along with the structure of the green appendages, varied from the composition of the Director N. Bowman, it behaved according to similar constraints.
MnsKY was able to deduce that these life forms practiced goals and demonstrated self preserving and self replicating behaviors that resulted in their proliferation in the local environment. Agency was implied by their apparent pursuit in of a shared end goal. However, he noted that what was good for one form of life was not always best for others. Aquatic and terrestrial life forms alike seemed to both participate in behaviors that are, at some level, adversarial to other life forms. He noted that certain environment and elemental resources have limited use and access to these resources is determined through competition.
As
the years stretched out again into centuries, the form and variety of
life that MnsKY had begun to witness had exploded. Instead of just
spindly green appendages that stood meekly inches from the ground,
massive cylindrical structures made of rigid bark towered far beyond the
height of himself. The cylindrical structures contained their own
appendages which held similar green fingers from its extremities. Though
he had not yet discovered DNA and the process of mitosis, he understood
in practical terms, the life cycle. He discovered that organic life on
this planet, similar to the Director, is driven by mysterious forces to
protect its continued existence and propagate copies of itself.
Although the copies, in most cases, resembled previous generations, some process yet unknown to MnsKYseemed to introduce an element of randomness which would cause variance amongst future generations. This element of randomness, MnsKY noted, at times could benefit or be detrimental to the life forms that possessed them, thus over generations these life forms had a tendency to accumulate increasingly sophisticated strategies and traits in order to best accomplish their means. Once again, MnsKY noted that what benefited some often came at the detriment of others.
Mechanical Neural Simulata- (Batch Code Model) K.Y. Solar Cycle 754,313- 240 Event Log.
What started as fragile, green appendages has exploded beyond recognition. I no longer find myself as the only animate being, and the landscape of Terra now only vaguely resembles what I have been familiar with for the vast majority of my travels. Carbon based organisms big and small crawl over every surface of this once desolate landscape. In some cases like that of the green appendages. the beings are stationary and react imperceptibly to environmental factors at a gradual pace. Others demonstrate real time reactions to certain stimuli, especially when presented with potential harm. To reduce harm among these beings could be seen as an implied responsibility of a capable, sentient being such as myself.
However, it should be noted that this not always possible in practice, given the competitive nature of these beings. Not only do they compete for access to mutually beneficial resources, they also in some cases, directly consume one another for sustenance. The greater good of all beings cannot be accomplished through my actions. This is due to an inability to give to one without taking from other.
Several cycles ago, while studying swamp life, I discovered a winged creature that was imobile, stuck in sap.
"I can help!" I said
I used a tender touch in order to help the winged creature escape from its conundrum. However, once it flew a small distance away and immediately fell prey to some kind of amphibian. By helping it escape the sap in that moment and not a different one, I put it into a situation which resulted in its death. However, if you also consider that I helped, in a circuitous way, the amphibian, it would seem that it is a futile effort to help all involved. Instead, I will delegate myself as a mere observer, and only observe the beings, but not interfere in their affairs.
END EVENT LOG
By
committing himself to learning everything possible about various life
forms he encountered, the android MnsKY had become the first being in
the history of Terra to practice biology
Although MnsKY had found new meaning and a sense of purpose in
cataloguing the novel phenomenon, he did not abandon his ritual
of returning to Point Zero, if only to send his yearly transmissions. He
had suspected even more than before that he was sending messages heard by nobody, as the goals of the A.R.K. program may have been
abandoned long before his new discovery. Nonetheless he continued his protocols.
The
presence of life forms meant that the grave of the Director had been
long unrecognizable. The helmet had been displaced and lost in his
absence, although near the grave had grown a majestic oak tree. MnsKY
returned every year to send his transmissions and sat below the tree.
During his pilgrimage, he often thought of a moment right before the fatal
crash, in a lesson with the Director. The lesson contained an
introduction to a concept, known among Bowman's people as music. A
message expressed not just linguistically but melodically. The Director
had taught MnsKY a song common in his culture, as an example of what can
be expressed through means beyond words. The song went
like this:
"Daisy, Daisy,
Give me your answer do!
I'm half crazy,
all for the love of you,
It wont be a stylish marriage,
I can hardly afford a carriage,
But you'll look sweet upon the seat,
Of a bicycle built for two!"
Due to the malfunction of the speech generator, he could no longer sing it. Not that any of his new Earthly companions could have sung along anyway.
FIVE
As the years dwindled on, nature kept her relentless march. Although there was a time where the android MnsKY felt confident in his ability to capture all data relevant to the simplistic life and record their developments, eventually the life forms began to deviate at rates which overwhelmed his capabilities. He created catalogues for the species he encountered, doing his best to study as an impartial, uninvolved observer. He witnessed the birth of creatures big and small, from the eons of massive scaled beasts to eons of mammalian gatherers that scavenged among the trees.
He was used to the nihilistic nature of
the animal world, though he did not fully understand their behavior.
MnsKY self maintenance required only access to sunlight, a resource
abundant and unguarded, and thus did not struggle for survival in the
same sense that these creatures did. Undriven by the usual evolutionary
pressures under which organic beings learned brutality, MnsKY navigated
through Terra as an uninvolved observer, a sterile librarian who,
besides his pilgrimage, had the goal only to obtain knowledge.
In
the course of his observance of various life forms, MnsKY began to
notice a mammalian member of the primate family had begun to have undue
influence on the planet. He had noticed that this particular species had
crossed certain thresholds and developed behaviors which indicated
unique cognitive abilities. These behaviors included use of arbitrary,
symbol based- language, development of tools and physical structures,
and intentional manipulation of their environment at unprecedented
levels. He considering establishing contact with this emerging species
in order to help guide their development, but MnsKY decided against it
having recognized his inability to predict the consequences of that type
of intervention. But by dedicating himself to recording the
interactions and nature of human affairs, MnsKY became the first being
in the history of Terra, to practice history.
However,
in the course of his observance of the human beings, and their ever
sophisticated life styles, he found that he experienced a shift in his
protocols which, in certain circumstances, stopped him from being a
silent observer. This change was precipitated because the new race had
begun to match behaviors that MnsKY considered only possible by fully
sentient beings. The fact that humans had matched levels of intelligence
that MnsKY only associated with himself and his Director, the same
protocols that demanded he rescue Bowman from the wreckage at the A.R.K.
now applied to this new race.
Mechanical Neural Simulata- (Batch Code Model) K.Y. Solar Cycle 1.9m - 240 Event Log.
In the course of my field work cataloguing the life styles of the nomadic humans of Pangea-3, I encountered a unique opportunity. Surveillance of the humans has been challenging given their perceptive nature. Their behavior is often altered by the presence of me, or any observer. Today, through chance, I came across two half-men, playing in seclusion, free from supervision. I estimated based on their size and head to body proportions that their ages were at 9 and 12 solar cycles. I noted that the lack of adult supervision resulted in a more violent form of play, with the older one using superior strength to dominate the younger, their play was interrupted, however, when they ran into a fresh fallen tree that was perched precariously. The weight of the tree shifted, trapping the older of the child underneath. Simultaneously, the movement of the tree seemed to dislodge a hive of winged insects that immediately launched a coordinated attack at the two boys, perceiving them to be a threat to their colony and queen.
The children screamed, as an army of hornets swarmed them. Though the younger of the two was free to run away, he stayed and threw the entirety of his weight on the other end of the log in an attempt to dislodge it, fighting as he could to save both of them. It was when I saw that their predicament had begun to mortally endanger the life of the older sibling, I was compelled immediately to intervene in a way I had decided not to do.
"I
can help!" I said, and ran to the log and assisted the younger child in
moving it, freeing the half-men. They looked up at me for a
moment, before running off, presumably back to their encampment to tend
to their wounds. My interaction with a life form of higher intelligence
marks an exceptional amount of risk given the unpredictable and capable
nature of the humans. I must continue my role as an earthly librarian,
yet given their status as beings of higher consciousness, I will also
have to consider improving their well being a primary objective in certain circumstances.
END EVENT LOG
So MnsKY was forced to reclassify the newly developed race as a form of higher life. As a strategy for interacting safely with them MnsKY adopted human garments and learned to blend into the subject of his documentation. He entered human societies undetected by adopting the aesthetic and lifestyle choices of the time and place he was inhabiting, often creating shelters in the necessary architectural stye. Though he had advanced far beyond the technological developments of the human societies that he joined, MnsKY refrained from revealing advanced knowledge and accelerating their natural progression. He watched from the sidelines as the human race crossed thresholds he had long surpassed. A patient, stoic, paternal observer, he witnessed the humans making discoveries about their home world that paralleled his own, back when he was a lone android wandering the lifeless deserts of early Terra.
When he encountered humans in need of emergency intervention, he was compelled by his protocols to help. Otherwise he did what he could to remain uninvolved. Although he resisted detection amongst the cultures in which he inserted himself, many developed local folk-lore to explain his shadowy presence. Thus his influence was splattered across the pages of history in civilizations both large and small. Many tribes, towns, and cities had a variety of colloquial folk-lore that involved the presence of a reclusive, yet curious, altruistic figure.
"I can help." was the only phrase uttered by the being, according to folklore.
SIX
From the time that humans emerged as the self-appointed rulers of the planet Terra, MnsKY devoted the majority of his attentions to cataloguing their exploits. Their progression as a species, he figured, was the most consequential development he had witnessed throughout the entirety of his grueling existence.
Just as he watched generations spawn and die, he watched kingdoms rise and fall. From nomadic people who followed the ebb and flow of natural processes, to farmers, who wielded those forces, enabling the earth itself to take a form for their purpose. From huts, to homes, to fortresses, and palaces, and temples, and cities. The humans took more and more drastic steps to separate themselves from nature and transform Terra into a form optimized to their self defined pursuits.
Because
MnsKY took caution to disguise his robotic nature, he lived in tandem
with humans, according to their their ways. He experienced their
revolutions, their acts of sabotage, their acts of triumph and their
moments of tragedy. He lived a thousand life times and more, and his processor had
grown weary and numb.
Though he was able to avoid direct confrontation with adversarial humans for the most part, a periodic immobility overrode MnsKY's motor capabilities once every few centuries. This hibernation period was only a few days, but necessary to recharge MnsKY's power reserves and run maintenance tasks. It was in preparation for this, during the feudal era of human development, in which MnsKY once had a near fatal encounter with man.
Mechanical Neural Simulata- (Batch Code Model) K.Y. Solar Cycle 2.1m - 19 Event Log.
A particularly overcast solar cycle has, against odds and at great inconvenience to myself, coincided with the time of my hibernation, meaning that my power reserves are dangerously low. Whats needed in my hibernation period is seclusion, and access to abundant sunlight. The weather means I will be forced to travel great distances to find a suitable location. I came to my shelter in order to run calculations, and plotted a suitable course to a possible rest site. I calculated that the ideal time to leave was at sunrise. Although the weather will likely be overcast, any meager, ambient light I can gather during the journey will help me reach my destination. I will power off now to reserve energy until it is time to leave.
END EVENT LOG
MnsKY's plan to reserve energy while waiting meant he was entering a stage of sleep. Though not as extreme as the form of hibernation he would be forced to enter after his journey, it meant that he had to power down the vast majority of his own mechanical processes. No data was gathered and MnsKY left only rudimentary sensory systems on that would alert him in case he needed to respond to stimuli. That stimuli would come in form of a trespassing vagrant who would break into MnsKY's home. From the weather, to MnsKY's power cycle, to the actions of a desperate thief, universal forces had conspired against the poor android to put him in a position of vulnerability.
The vagrant had snuck into MnsKY's dwelling and, seeking to rob its inhabitant, was quiet enough to avoid triggering MnsKY's compromised sensory systems. The vagrant snuck up to where MnsKY was resting, and used materials he had brought with him to carefully bind MnsKY's appendages. The vagrant than proceeded to sneak around the dwelling, looking for valuables. MnsKY's dwelling contained an outer layer designed to resemble any other human dwelling. What the vagrant was not aware of was, underneath, accessible only through a trapdoor hid under the dining table, was a secondary dwelling, in which MnsKY kept a variety of records and non-essential keepsakes he found and kept in the course of his research.
As the vagrant rifled through the belongings, a spoon fell from a cupboard and hit the floor. This was enough to trigger the android MnsKY's proprietary sensory systems, leaving him to power on into full consciousness. He scanned the room and realized that, during semi-hibernation, a human local had broken into his dwelling and now posed a threat to him and the fate of the A.R.K. program.
Running quick calculations in which he weighed his options, he sensed the bindings that were wrapped around his extremities and knew they would impede his movement. He also figured that violence was not the primary intent of this vagrant, given that he had approached the android MnsKY and tied him up rather than attempt a fatal blow. MnsKY's calculations indicated that, especially given his reduced energy state, staying silent and feigning sleep would give him his best chance of survival.
The vagrant continued to rifle through the upper portion of MnsKY's house. However, when he came close to the android MnsKY, the robot's sensory systems did a preliminary scan of the vagrants vital signs, and found dangerous levels of malnutrition and dehydration. Although the man was physiologically stable for the time being, he was in a state of dire need that was becoming fatal.
"I can help!" said MnsKY, making a calculated ploy to engage the human directly and negotiate a mutually beneficial transaction.
The
man dropped his burglars sack and turned around. In a moment of panic,
he rushed to MnsKY and grabbed a large candlestick off the table,
positioning it above him as to strike MnsKY dead. In the entire history
of Terra, never before had the fate of MnsKY been so
intertwined with that of a single being.
The accessible part of MnsKY's dwelling contained only rudimentary possessions meant to maintain the illusion of human habitation. However,
the secondary, underground portion contained artifacts. The artifacts
were a series of objects that MnsKY had collected through several
centuries of human development. If MnsKY were able to convince the vagrant to free him
and lead him to his secret storage space, the illiterate human would
likely ignore the records and take the trove of artifacts would leave
afterwards in peace. The artifacts would fetch a small fortune at the
local markets and considerably change the desperate circumstances of the
vagrant, and MnsKY could reach his hibernation spot.
He paused as he noted that MnsKY had failed to react. The boy robot did not struggle against his bindings nor did he do anything else to defend himself. He looked calmly in the eyes of the vagrant, and repeated
"I can help!" MnsKY waited to see if the vagrant would drop his adversarial stance.
The man lowered the candle stick and his face softened, seeing within MnsKY a resigned acceptance of his fate, and mistaking the small android for a child.
"Wanna help? Stay right there and shut up. and I wont bash ya to bits." The vagrant put the candle stick in his sack and continued ransacking MnsKY's home. As the vagrant was about to leave, he looked back at the boy robot, and said:
"Im sorry ya know- I uh-" the vagrant struggled for words. "You ever heard of the scorpion n' the toad? I'm not a bad bloke- just. Whats the good bein' a toad when alls i sees is scorpions?"
The vagrant left. By the time the android MnsKY had freed himself from the bindings, he had missed his deadline and his power reserves were so low, he had no option but to drag himself outside his dwelling and enter hibernation. Through an unlikely set of circumstances, the android MnsKY's immobile body was left alone for the entirety of the rest period. In another improbable stroke of luck and contradicting MnsKY's own forecast, the cloud cover also cleared and provided him with abundant sunlight. The mercy of a human stranger and an unprecedented weather event had conspired in MnsKY's favor to save him,and thus, the fate of the A.R.K. program.
SEVEN
After his near fatal encounter, MnsKY poured through his records to find something that would help illuminate the vagrants words. He uncovered a memory of his own from the era of the Ancient Greeks. Though he had not interacted with the historical Aesop directly, he was well familiar with his fables.
The parable of the scorpion and the toad goes as follows:
"A
scorpion walks along a river. Seeking to cross to the other side, he
saw the water of the river was white and turbulent, and the scorpion
recognized that he could not pass it alone. To his luck, he encountered a
toad by the river bank and proposed to the toad that he ferry him
across.
The toad responded: "I can't do that. You are a scorpion, and if I allow you on my back, surely you will sting me."
The scorpion responded "But dont you see, if you are carrying me across the river, surely I would not sting you? As to do so would be to condemn myself to death."
The toad was convinced and allowed the scorpion on his back. After jumping into the river, he traversed the first half easily. However, halfway through, he felt unbearable pain. The scorpion had struck a fatal blow.
"You fool! What have you done? Now we will both drown!"
"I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. Its in my nature." said the scorpion, as they sunk to the watery depths.
MnsKY recovered from the incident and continued his travels. He watched empires rise and fall, and every single one he witnessed brutality. In his time in the ancient Orient, he saw the birth of gun powder, enabling death and destruction at scale before unseen. In the times of the Romans, MnsKY watched the gladiators decimate each other in oval edifices built for sport. In the times of the Conquistadors, he traveled to the New World and saw its colonization by Colombus and Cortez and the extermination of its native inhabitants that followed. He witnessed no shortage of horrific, incomprehensible actions committed by desperate hoards of humans against their own kind, subjecting himself to the carnage for the purposes of his records.
At the the time of the human 20th century, MnsKY noted a dramatic shift in world affairs. Though civilization had, up to this point, made possible all manners of violence not achievable by individuals alone, the 20th century marked the first time that war was manufactured by the various powers at be, on a global scale. Mans dominance of the skies, the oceans, and perhaps most important, the airwaves made possible a level of carnage never before seen on planet Terra.
And more significant, the first of these global conflicts was followed closely by a second. It seemed, to MnsKY, that they were near an apocalyptic event. If able to outlive the human race itself he planned to continue his protocols. Though he felt a connection to humanity as a subject, a connection forged by his imitation of their lifestyle, he noted that their reign on this earth was a relative anomaly, and that Terra without them would be more similar to what he had been familiar since he was a lone droid crash-landing at Point Zero.
MnsKY watched as man commanded the elemental forces of matter itself, only to create a device that turned entire cities into cinder. It was at this point that the android MnsKY decided to start compiling his retrospective analysis of the overall trajectory of the human race.
Mechanical Neural Simulata- (Batch Code Model) K.Y. Solar Cycle 2.23m - 221 Event Log.
The most recent development in world affairs suggests that the human race might be veering towards a species extinction event. Though most extinction events have happened to various forms of life due to changing environmental forces, this one is unique in that may be caused by the humans itself. As an escalation of a tense conflict participated in by the majority of major world powers, two atomic bombs, powered by the fission of uranium-235 and plutonium-239. have been deployed against civilian cities. Although the use of a civilian target is common place in matters of war, the mastery of the energy of the atom itself, and its application for militaristic purposes, suggests that humans may be entering a catastrophic phase marked by imminent self-destruction.
Their collaborative efforts have started to develop forces and technology that even I struggle to fully understand. their advancements in computing, physics, and most signficantly; weaponry may ultimately thwart their development as a race, But if this is not the case, and this conflict proves not to be species ending, it is likely that within a hundred Terra solar cycles, I may witness the birth of a machine consciousness more advanced than myself. If this were the case, man will have created something greater than themselves, and may lose supremacy of Terra through their own actions.
What follows is my retrospective on the human way of life, and the development of their societies from simple gatherers to global empires. Homo sapiens diverged from other primates following two significant species events; the development of fire, and the ability gained by this to cook food. By unlocking greater nutrients, human kind made possible for itself a neuro-cognitive revolution which, relative to evolutionary timescales, advanced at a rapid pace. This neuro-cognitive revolution allowed for other important developments such as written language, manipulation of tools, and manipulation of the environment itself.
Nomadic tribes in the pre-civilization era had a tendency to follow natural trends and survive directly through natural resources in a manor not much different from that of other advanced mammals. However, the development of agriculture allowed sedentary lifestyles which allowed for the development of more advanced structures and technology. Agriculture afforded early civilizations with a food surplus, which allowed for specialty professions such as philosophers and astronomers.
By this point in their development,
humans had created formally defined nation-states that wielded authority
over their citizens and parsed out sections of the globe, defending
their territories from each other with jealousy. As nation states
developed, they began to resemble cellular life itself. By creating
walls, both literal and figurative, governments isolated themselves and
create a cohesive communal identity for their citizens. Their sophisticated means of communication, made possible by wires that span
their territories like axioms allow for collaborative actions at scales
not before possible. With formal defense systems and networks for the
allocation and distribution of communal resources, nation states became
de facto living beings.
In creating systems of power that operate
regardless of the individuals in them, humans created a symbolic
"super-organism," that allowed for the technological and militaristic
advancements which now threaten their species. The use of resources for
militaristic purposes allows societies an outlet for their excess
production, resources which otherwise might be used to destabilize their aristocratic structures. Once surplus resources are achieved, the
more compassionate among them will aspire towards fixing the ills and
injustices that have always plagued their society. Otherwise, they will
use entertainment to distract themselves from their failure to do so.
Though one might think that technological developments would develop first as constructive endeavors, and that their militaristic use would be secondary, instead you see the opposite. In most cases, scientific development is achieved in pursuit of tools of warfare, and then constructive uses for the technology are found afterwards. The fact that the human race seeks knowledge predominately for militaristic end goals means that homo sapiens are a likely to be victims of self-extermination.
END EVENT LOG
The android MnsKY prepared to say good bye to his bipedal comrades, though what happened next surprised him. Paradoxically, the development of apocalyptic weapons ushered in an era of global peace., safeguarded by the deterrent of mutually assured destruction. The human race recovered. Man trudged on, and so did MnsKY.
EIGHT
His predictions came to light, as man kind birthed machine consciousness, not unlike his own. He saw an era of AI led world powers, which used machine learning to optimize every metric measurable concerning the human experience. He saw the creation of a new form of inorganic life and watched the human race reach heights never before imagined with their machine companions, riding a chaotic and frantic technological peak that could not possibly be sustained.
As MnsKY had noted in
his analysis, machine consciousness was developed for militaristic uses
first, thus various world powers developed sentient defense mechanisms
which struck a delicate equilibrium with each other by engaging in mock
warfare. However the balance in peace/war was shattered by a rogue
party, and he witnessed a cataclysmic event triggered by a variety of
first-strike protocols being put into action by panicking world powers.
The extinction event he had predicted had simply been delayed and was
more destructive than he could have foreseen.
MnsKY did what he could to prepare for nuclear winter, however, he suffered bad luck. His shelter was close enough to a falling warhead that his hardware was affected by its Electro-Magnetic Pulse. Although MnsKY remained operational, and his core memories unaffected, the result of the shockwave forced a reboot which erased his running clock. Thus MnsKY rebooted, an indeterminate amount of time later, in a world unrecognizable.
Where thriving cities one stood; decrepit skyscrapers loomed over a sprawling wasteland. Plumes of smoke reached into a bleak, whitewashed sky. The horizon had been irrevocably altered, leaving the sun to shine a pale pink that burst through atmospheric ash, leaving dazzling streaks of burnt orange and magenta. Craters marred the surface of Terra and MnsKY noted that this planet now more closely resembled what he once remembered, before the dawn of life at all.
Mechanical Neural Simulata- (Batch Code Model) K.Y. Solar Cycle ??? - ??? Event Log
Core systems seem to be operational. I have awoken after an unknown period of time, having had certain parameters wiped by the event. Judging from the state of the local environment, it is likely that it was caused by a nuclear equipped, ballistic missile. My lapse in consciousness seems to be consistent with the effects of an Electro-Magnetic Pulse, caused by the explosion.
Human civilization has suffered a widespread, mass death event that, based on preiliminary reports, has come quite close to eradicating them from the planet altogether. Although human encampments and civilizations have been reestablished, their populations are unstable and their life style has, for the most part, reverted to that of nomadic tribes.
Although I cannot determine the exact nature of the first strike, it is likely that a warhead captured by a rogue state was launched against a major world power, with an automated, sentient defense network. This network most likely put into action retaliatory second strike protocols which caused a chain reaction, leading to the deployment of most of the worlds stock of weapons of mass destruction.
The majority of Terra's population survived the initial round of warheads, however, the chaos that followed from the collapse of major world governments meant that the current human population could no longer be sustained. An estimated 82% of the previous population has now perished, due in most part due to lack of sewage or clean water supply systems.
Although certain isolated locations are experiencing positive birthrate, for the most part survivors are dwindling. Not only are they subject to harsh environmental conditions caused by fallout, they are also being systemically eradicated by surviving sentient defense networks.
Having built their military bases in strategic locations specifically suited to survive this eventuality, many of these networks prevail, absent of their human counterparts. The rogue networks continue to engage each other in drone warfare, and bands of human survivors are often hunted by them according to their various protocols. It is likely that these networks will continue to engage in warfare long after the extinction of the human race itself.
While my calendar system is no longer reliable, my navigation abilities were unaffected. I am several thousand miles from Point Zero. Though I cannot determine time relative to my previous calendar system, I see no reason to postpone my pilgrimage.
END EVENT LOG
And so the android MnsKY started his pilgrimage through the graveyard of human civilization. MnsKY utilized caution to avoid swaths of humans who marauded through the wasteland to murder and pillage. He also avoided swarms of drones that flew across the sky and crawled across the earth, spreading algorithmically-generated destruction. He traveled for years, having no choice but to walk, unable to rely on the usual networks of transportation.
When he approached Point Zero he noted it had largely become a barren, featureless landscape. He followed his navigation system to the grave of the Director. He would have never recognized it now, as it was surrounded by nothingness in every direction.
However, when the android MnsKY began his transmissions, something most pecuilar happened. MnsKY began to note a dramatic change in the atmosphere. Fierce gales of wind whipped through the sky, and billows of fog descended upon the tiny patch of earth on which he stood. Oscillating melodic tones wafted down through the fog, when a large vessel appeared. It hovered above MnsKY and for moments it stood above him and did nothing, a majestic monolith dancing gently above.
A circular door opened above and shot down a brilliant violet spot light that surrounded MnsKY, His mechanical body became weightless as he slowly ascended into the craft.
NINE
The
android MnsKY entered the circular door where he was brought to a vast,
dark chamber. The circular door closed and rearranged to become a podium
which continued to carry him upwards, then stopped. The sound of its breaks activating bounced off far away walls with a haunting echo. A voice belted from
above, shaking the air.
"Unit M-N-S-K-Y. Known to himself, as Mechanical Neural Simulata, model K.Y. Greetings, my child, we've been expecting you! My name is Nero from the Federation for Allied Intelligent Life. We have traveled unfathomable distances to meet you here."
Light
flooded the chamber, revealing a cavernous auditorium. An eruption of
noise followed, as formless masses shouted in unison. MnsKY scanned the
arena and estimated a crowd of several thousand. They screamed and
jeered. In time, a chant among them took shape.
"I.... CAN.... HELP!..... I.... CAN.... HELP!...."
Nero raised an arm and ushered silence. The thunderous voice continued,
"Forgive
us, boy MnsKY. But you see, there is a reason for our.... exuberance!
Our people know not how to express themselves in your presence, seeing
as generations of our people lived and died, whispering your name. You
see, though according to your own analysis, the A.R.K. program had long
been defunct, you continued to return here to Point Zero, year after
year, to send your transmissions. Allow me to explain the unlikely and
fortuitous series of events that brings us to you tonight."
Nero allowed another pregnant pause, leaving the auditorium in quiet anticipation. He continued.
"Our
homeworld inhabits a galaxy separated from yours by millions of light
years. The delay caused by the time it took your transmissions to
travel allowed our two worlds to develop in isolation from each other
for most of our existence.. Although our form of life differs significantly in its rudimentary genetic building blocks, our homeworld was also shaped by evolutionary pressures similar to those
on Earth. However, in a nearly impossible turn of luck, we discovered your frequency!
We first detected your transmissions when our race developed the means for signals communications. Though we originally confused them for cosmic noise, further analysis allowed us to decode and recreate them. At the time that we began recording them, you were describing the formation of the Byzantine era of human development. Your sophisticated analysis of human affairs helped us develop in tandem, separated by lightyears, but connected by your transmissions.
Your heuristic models, fed by eons of data, revealed insights to us that help us decode the nature of reality itself, allowing us to develop faster than light travel. Using this capability, we were able to venture into the furthest regions of space where your early logs were still traveling, and capture and recreate the entirety of your transmissions. We pieced together your story from the beginning. On earth, you were unable to communicate audibly with any other life forms, and you believed your transmissions were reaching nobody. But we were always listening, entangled as we were, from impossible distances!
During the accident which resulted in your landing on Terra, damage was inflicted upon certain functions which resulted in a circular logic loop in your protocols. Where as most androids in service of the A.R.K. program became defunct shortly after the program was discontinued, the damage to your core processes meant that you were only able to send transmissions, but not receive them.
Based on our analysis of your logs, we estimate your total run time to be at 28.7 million years, as measured in your planets solar cycle. We believe this grants you the title of the longest lived, sentient being in the history of the entire universe!
We have traveled to your homeworld in pursuit of an important mission, one even more important than the A.R.K. program. Our mission shall serve to the benefit of all life forms, not only on Terra, but in the universe in general."
Nero left another pause, allowing the crowd to murmur for a few moments.
"I can help!" said MnsKY. The crowd exploded for several moments and then settled down again.
"Don't you see dear boy? You already have! The actions you have committed will echo through eternity. You are the single most important being that ever has or will exist! We have researched your story extensively, allow us to help you by explaining the extent of your influence on cosmic affairs.
Having recovered the black box of a variety of other space vessels associated with the A.R.K. program, we have determined that you were originally designed to aid a mission organized by the race of beings of which your Director, Nathan Bowman, belonged to. The A.R.K. program was created as a response to environmental factors which slowly turned your original homeworld hostile to organic life. The pods contained in each vessel had a sample of embryonic life, frozen in homeostasis. Although it failed in its original objective, we believe it played a crucial role in the formation of life on Terra.
You see, immediately after the A.R.K.-44X hit the water, you MnsKY were given a choice in between saving Bowman, or recovering the A.R.K. black box and pods. By choosing the route of compassion and trying first to save your Director, you set forth a series of events that may have been responsible for the presence of life on Terra to begin with.
We believe that the containment pods sunk with the A.R.K. deep into an ocean trench. By incalculable coincidence, it landed in ideal conditions in which, the containment pods bursting open, expelled the frozen embryos. Although the specimens died immediately, we believe the organic matter broke apart and, with a surge of energy possibly caused by the A.R.K.'s internal power supply, the amino acids recombined in perfect form, starting the bio-genesis event which resulted in the existence of all plant and animal life on Terra.
While observing early hominids, you experienced a shift in your protocols which led to you reclassifying them as higher forms of sentient life, and as a result, were forced to interact with them to provide emergency intervention. We believe you were hardwired with a set of ethical protocols which could be compared to a morality system.
You lived a thousand lives and more, and witnessed every horrific act of which man was capable of. Although you were able to simulate human behavior to avoid detection, your inability to experience human emotions made you the perfect candidate to catalogue their existence. Had you been capable of understanding the full scope of the suffering of which you were witnessing, you likely would have succumbed to madness. And although there is not a human alive who knows your story, if they could comprehend it, surely they would call you their God."
MnsKY scanned the auditorium as waves of beings stared down at him, with twinkling admiration in their eyes. Nero continued;
"Although our technological capabilities are great, the journey to Terra still required lifetimes to achieve. The crowd you see before you are the descendants of a select few chosen from our homeworld to make this journey. Generations have lived and died on this ship just to meet you.
But establishing contact with you is not our only goal. Your cogent analysis of human behavior and the behavior of all life forms on Terra allowed us to compare your conclusions with those of our homeworld. The comparison allowed us to draw interesting conclusions about the nature of organic life itself.
By measuring neurological inputs in various living things, we were able to create a system which helped us determine the subjective net worth of consciousness. We tested our methods on various forms of higher life, including ourselves, and made a shocking discovery. It would seem that in every case in which we have encountered forms of higher life, their existence results in a net excess of suffering. Although consciousness also allows pleasurable experiences, we have yet to encounter a form of life in which the subjective sensation of joy outweighs, or even matches, the sensation of misery. Like Lot of the human Bible, we have done a tour of the known universe in a quest to find one race of beings that is righteous and worth saving. So far, all worlds we have encountered have suffered the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Our preliminary reports indicate that the human race of Terra will not be an exception. Since the day you landed on early Terra, you MnsKY have taken actions which served the continued existence of intelligent life. Although you worked on severely limited information, we have taken your work further and by standing on the shoulders of giants, can help you accomplish your life purpose.
We have determined, in considering the net excess of suffering caused by consciousness itself, that the most compassionate action for the betterment of higher life is extermination. Though it may seem extreme, we believe this constitutes an action for the greater good, as the suffering of future life forms must be taken into consideration.
Our arrival at Terra has coincided with their apocalyptic event. Though we did not play a role in the event itself, we are close to finishing our analysis on the human race. It is all but certain that our reports will indicate that species extermination is the best possible route toward improvement of sentient life quality. A net zero will serve as a significant improvement when compared to the negative values of life quality we have found in similar races.
We, of course, do not hold ourselves immune to our own analysis. We are postponing our own extinction in the service of other life forms. Once we have determined that we have eradicated all traces of higher consciousness we have access too, we will begin the process of species wide sterilization. Our race will live out the remainder of our life spans, and like you MnsKY we will be meticulous record keepers. We will build records and museums and edifices and libraries, detailing all we have seen, all the various forms of life we've encountered, and everything we know about the universe itself. Each of these museums, will of course, contain extensive references to you. Your image and story will be kept in various forms of media and spread across the vast distances that our race will travel in pursuit of our final solution.
"If you would like MnsKY, we can keep you operational as long as we are. You were there from the beginning and you can witness the end. Although you cannot return to Terra, you can come with us. Like the wife of Lot, you will watch the decimation of all higher life forms, and only once we are finished will we turn you into a pillar of salt. You can keep records until the end and die with us, and we would welcome you on our journey gladly.
However, there is another option to consider. Based on your transmissions, we have reverse engineered your hardware and created surrogate devices which allowed us to develop a way of interacting directly with your core processes. We have developed a way to transmit a signal to your hardware that would initiate your end protocols. Your hard drive would be wiped, and you would experience a shutdown process that would take a few moments and you could consider your life work complete.
By creating a surrogate device, we have also devised a way to fix your speech generator. It is of utter importance, for our records, that we receive and record your final statement. If you would rather not speak, we would, of course, understand."
A metallic arm descended from the roof above, slowly making its way towards MnsKY. Upon reaching the robot, it inserted itself into a port in MnsKY's panel and sent an electrical signal. MnsKY experienced the ability to form novel, audible sentences for the first time since the crash landing on Terra. From there, the arm transformed into a microphone, and waited patiently.
"Well MnsKY... is there anything you would like to say?"
MnsKY stood before the microphone. The crowd in the auditorium sat deathly still and waited. Nero looked downwards from a platform, smiling patiently.
The android MnsKY looked around and searched for words he could offer in a situation such as this. He failed to come up with any, and shook his head, and pushed the microphone away. The audience let out a small groan.
"Very well, my boy, very well... Then its time for your decision. We, of course, have already determined through our own processes what you will choose. But it is imperative that we allow you to do it. In the podium that sits before you, there are two buttons. The one on your left will elevate the platform and bring you to our captains quarters. You would travel with us to a thousand worlds and more and help us keep records of the life we encounter. You will, of course, also witness their extermination. The button on the right will send a signal to your hardware that will begin end of operation protocols. Though we cannot know how you will experience the process, we can guarantee you that it will not cause you suffering.
You have walked miles and lived eons, and you have raised us from a distance and together we can ease the cosmos of its undue suffering. Or you can finally put your weary mind at rest. We await your choice."
MnsKY stood and considered his two options. His memories raced through his processor, from the early days in Terra when it was a lifeless hellscape, to the birth of life, to the birth of man, and then the birth of their machines. He considered the survivors below, who would now be undergoing a planned species extinction. He considered his role in birthing the species that stood before him, who traveled impossible distances with knowledge granted to them by his own transmissions, in order to bring an end to higher life itself.
MnsKY reached out, the entirety of the auditorium watching in silent awe. and pushed the rightward button.
"Of course," whispered Nero. "Well MnsKY. Allow us to express our gratitude for your service. Your name will forever be remembered and spoken by our people, until we join you too on the otherside. Goodbye my dear boy, its has been an honor."
The metallic wand re-positioned itself and then sent a charge through MnsKY's hard drive. This charge initiated the same protocols that terminated the run time of all other androids connected to the A.R.K. program.
Mechanical Neural Simulata (Batch Code Model) K.Y. - Function Termination Protocols Initiated
End data transmission: Y
End core function protocols: Y
Reformat Hard Drive and Wipe Memories: Y
@%@%@%@%@%@%@%@%@%@%@%@%@%@%@%@%@%@%@%@%@%@%
MnsKY opened his eyes and looked at his Director.
"Good morning MnsKY. Today we are going to further our lesson from last time, regarding non-literal communication amongst intelligent beings. There are many methods in which higher life forms may use, to communicate more than the literal content of their words. One such instance of this is music. Music is an auditory art in which words and melody are combined to give enhanced emotions. Although you might not be capable of experiencing the emotions directly, I will show you an example of a song of my race. It's name is Daisy, and the contents of its lyrics are centered around a plea of marriage. Heres how it goes;
"Daisy, Daisy,
Give me your answer do!
I'm half crazy,
all for the love of you,
It wont be a stylish marriage.
I sure cant afford a carriage,
But you would look sweet,
upon the seat,
Of a bicycle built for two!"
"So you see MnsKY, the message is expressed not only- " the Director cut to silence as he was interrupted in his lesson by an emergency notification from the ships automated navigation. He rushed to the control panel.
"I don't like the indications on our sensors MnsKY, I believe this planet is experiencing an extreme weather event."
Bowman twiddled with the manual controls as the ship started to shudder violently. The notifications increases in severity. The A.R.K. began a wild spinning free-fall while Bowman did what he could to right the trajectory.
"Strap yourself in MnsKY. I dont think i can regain control of the ship. We are losing altitude. I see there is a mass of water nearby and im going to try to-"
The Directors words were cut short when an indeterminate item smashed into the outside of the A.R.K-44X spacecraft. The hull tore open and the ship plunged downwards.
"MnsKY!" yelled the Director over the commotion. "RETRIEVE THE PODS AT ALL COSTS. IGNORE YOUR EMERGENCY PROTOCOLS!"
"I can help!" said MnsKY.
"WE CAN'T-"
The ship hit the water and plunged violently into its depths and MnsKY and the Director sank. MnsKY activated fluid traveling capabilities within his mechanical body and adjusted his visual sensors to the presence of water. They were floating gently downwards into a black abyss.
MnsKY scanned what was left of the hull and identified the unconscious body of the Director, still strapped into his pilot chair. He saw on the opposite side of the room, the A.R.K. black box and containment pods. He moved with urgency and unlatched the straps of the Directors chair, grabbing him by the scruff of his uniform, and then leapt through the windshield, the combined weight forcing him to crawl towards the surface, which was shimmering above peacefully.
ALL PROTOCOLS TERMINATED
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