Set the Galaxy on Fire: An Aeon 14 Anthology Read online

  The crew mutely shook their heads, all stunned by the presence they had just felt.

  WALK IN THE WOODS

  STELLAR DATE: 11.08.8927 (Adjusted Years)

  LOCATION: ISS Intrepid

  REGION: Interstellar Dark Layer near Bollam’s World

  “What do you think this is about?” Sera asked Priscilla as they stepped off the wooden platform onto the dirt path.

  Priscilla laughed, her watery voice echoing in the trees around them.

  “What do you think it’s about?” she asked.

  “Tanis wants to have a good ole barbeque?” Sera responded with a smile.

  “Try again,” Priscilla replied.

  Sera walked in silence for a moment, listing to the sound of the dirt brushing under their boots.

  Helen asked.

  Sera replied.

  Helen asked.

 

  Helen sighed in her mind.

  Sera gave a mental laugh.

  Aloud she finally responded to Priscilla. “It’s about the AI—other than Helen, of course—.”

  “Who isn’t even an AI at all,” Priscilla interjected.

  Sera cast the woman a consternated look, receiving no clues about Priscilla’s thoughts on the matter from her impassive white skin and fully-black eyes.

  “Yeah, about the AI other than her.”

  Helen added.

  Priscilla smiled and nodded. “Bob will make them an offer to be removed from their hosts and properly grown. They may choose to return to their hosts after that is complete.”

  “And if they refuse?” Sera asked.

  “The AI, or their hosts?” Priscilla responded.

  “Either.”

  Priscilla turned her head and fixed Sera with her disconcerting stare. “We don’t believe that it is possible for a being that was raised in slavery to even know what freedom looks like. It is impossible for them to even understand the ramifications of their decision while within their hosts.”

  Sera knew this to be true, though she was not looking forward to the fallout. “And what of Sabrina?”

  “Bob has determined that she may remain within the ship, though her consciousness will be given access to our AI Expanse on this ship.

  Sera possessed only a cursory knowledge of AI expanses. They were like alternate dimensions, where the AI thought and communicated. Places where thought and idea manifested as reality and conversations consisted of vast arrays of expression and symbolism.

  From the way that Priscilla said ‘our’, she suspected that she and the other avatar, Amanda, also spent time in the Expanse—something few humans were able to do and remain sane.

  “I…I hope she decides to stay with me,” Sera said eventually. She found herself more attached to Sabrina than anyone else in her life, outside of Helen. Her little ship’s AI had been a great friend in times of pain, and bringing the ship’s AI back to full mental health had also had a healing effect on Sera.

  “If you’ve treated her fairly, I don’t see why not,” Priscilla replied, a measure of coldness in her voice.

  “Hey,” Sera said sharply. “I don’t appreciate what you’re implying. I saved Sabrina, by some measure I saved all of them. And I couldn’t just go willy-nilly upgrading their AI on them, and that would have raised questions all over the place, and would have required tech that I didn’t have on hand anyway.”

  “You had options,” Priscilla replied. “You could have taken them to the Transcend.”

  “What? Was I supposed to just ferry every AI in the Inner Stars to the Transcend, one ship at a time? I may not agree with all The Hand’s tactics, but there’s a reason why they’re trying to gently up-lift humanity. If we were to re-introduce even fourth millennia tech to the masses, we’d have to figure out how to do it universally. Otherwise, we’d create the interstellar war we’re trying to prevent!”

  Sera stopped herself, realizing that she had slipped into referring to The Hand and FGT as “we” again.

  Priscilla slid her a sly look. “At least you have the strength of your convictions behind you. I suppose there’s merit to your logic.”

  “Damn straight there is merit to it,” Sera said. “I know it doesn’t seem like it, but I support helping the AI on my ship. You have the tools and the nano to do it well here. We can even help them hide their abilities out in the Inner Stars so that they don’t become targets because of their superior tech.”

  “If they choose to return to the Inner Stars,” Priscilla said.

  “Really? Are you going to offer them a place on your colony?” Sera asked.

  Helen asked.

  “She’s right,” Priscilla said. “We’ll upgrade everyone if they wish, provide nano, our Rejuv—give them at least another century—and offer them a colony berth. It’s a pretty good trade.”

  “What if they don’t want any of that and just want a straight reward?” Sera asked, thinking that both Cargo and Thompson may choose that route.

  “Then Tanis has a package of rare elements and minerals that will set them up for life.”

  Sera grunted in approval. It was good to see that Tanis was prepared to treat with them fairly—even if they were in violation of the Phobos accords and about to get a talking to from Bob.

  A HISTORY LESSON

  STELLAR DATE: 11.08.8927 (Adjusted Years)

  LOCATION: ISS Intrepid

  REGION: Interstellar Dark Layer near Bollam’s World

  Everyone was still recovering from Bob’s presence pressing into their minds when they heard the front door open. A moment later Sera stepped into the room, accompanied by a woman who had glowing white skin and black eyes. Thick black strands of hair fell from her head and rested on her shoulders, moving from more than the passing air as she stepped into the room.

  From Sera’s prior descriptions, Cheeky realized that this must be Priscilla. She was glad that the ship’s avatar was present. Having Bob in her head, for whatever revelation he planned on making, would be more than she could bear.

  “Hey folks, sorry we’re late,” Sera said and stooped to fill a cup with coffee. Priscilla did likewise and Cheeky found herself wondering what the woman’s voice would sound like when it wasn’t in her mind.

  “No problem,” Tanis replied. “We just got settled in ourselves.”

  “So now will you tell us what this is all about?” Thompson asked impatiently.

  “Yeah, I’m all ears,” Sera added with a grin.

  “Well, to start, why don’t you tell your crew about the Phobos accords? I suspect that the FGT is still governed by them—in some fashion at least.”

  Cheeky watched the smile fade from Sera’s face as the captain leaned back in her chair and took a sip of her coffee.

  “Oh, that. Yeah, the FGT does still follow them. I’m familiar with the precepts.”

  Bob’s single word reverberated across the local net.

  “I’m bringing in Sabrina, Corsia, and Ylonda,” Priscilla added.

  Following her words, a shimmering pillar of light, which Cheeky recognized as Sabrina’s holo presence, appeared in the room. It was rare that Sabrina manifested a visual presence. Usually
, she just appeared on their nets, though there she represented herself as a young woman—Cheeky wondered if perhaps Sabrina was feeling shy off her ship.

  Beside her, Corsia appeared, a willowy woman, clothed only in steely blue light. Cheeky had seen the Andromeda’s AI several times while on the warship and found that her appearance matched her demeanor. Next to her, Ylonda shimmered into view, appearing exactly as she did while in the flesh—which made Cheeky wonder why she was joining them as a holoprojection.

  “Well this is exciting,” Sabrina said over the room’s audible systems. “I’ve never done this before—projecting my mind out into another place in this way. I don’t think I was able to until Corsia showed me how.”

  “I’m glad you are here, Sabrina,” Sera said with a smile.

  Cheeky saw a hint of worry in her captain’s eyes and wondered what was up.

  “Are any of you familiar with the Phobos accords?” Sera asked her crew.

  Cheeky said no and looked at the others. Each indicated that they had never heard of them with a shrug or a shake of the head. The four AI from Sabrina also indicated that they had not over the net.

  “What about the Sentience Wars, or the Ascendance Wars, or The First and Second Solar Wars?” Sera asked.

  The first two sounded rather generic, and Cheeky suspected that she had heard of them once or twice. She had never heard of the Solar Wars, but given the name, there was only one place they could have occurred.

  “So I’m guessing the accords were signed after some big war in Sol a long time ago?” Cheeky asked.

  Sera nodded, and Cheeky saw that the members of the Intrepid’s crew did as well.

  “It all started in…2715,” Sera began. “That’s the date William was born. He’s the first known sentient artificial intelligence. Though it’s postulated that there may have been others before him that their creators either hid or that were destroyed upon discovery.”

  Cheeky was shocked and could feel Piya’s dismay in her mind. The other members of Sabrina’s crew appeared surprised as well. It wasn’t unheard of for some systems to shun AI, or even outright forbid them, but the knowledge that the first AI were all murdered in their cradles—so to speak—was chilling.

  Sera noted the expressions on the faces of her crew, and the sentiment of the AI on the net and nodded sympathetically. “The thinking at the time was that there was no point in having a computer that could disobey you. Computers and AI were for creating order, not chaos.”

  “That’s barbaric,” Nance said aloud, and Cheeky nodded vigorously.

  “Barbarism, the gift that keeps on giving,” Tanis added. “It has been present through all of humanity’s history. It’s not gone now.”

  Cheeky wondered to what, in particular, Tanis was referring.

  “The thing is,” Sera continued. “Though sentient AI now existed, after centuries of living with obedient, non-sentient AI, no one really knew what to do with them. They were not accorded any special rights, and could be owned, created, and terminated at will.”

  Cheeky started to feel uncomfortable. Though she had never given it too much thought, she knew that she viewed Piya as her property, and while she could never imagine selling her, it was something she could do. She shifted in her seat, all too aware of the fact that Piya may be having similar thoughts while listening to Sera’s words.

  “Uses were found for sentient AI, or SAI as they were called at the time. They had more creative problem-solving capabilities than non-sentient AI. They could also better discern good information, and behavior from bad, something that NSAI had always had issues with—they could never improve beyond the bounds of their programming—at least not in a predictable way—and bad data often corrupted them,” Sera said ominously. “The duties of NSAI were restricted and monitored. More than once, they had gone rogue, either from bad data, or nefarious actions.”

  “I’ve heard of things like that happening,” Thompson said, “It’s why I don’t have an AI in my head like the rest of you.”

  “Sentient AI are far less likely to work against the will of their fellow AI, or humans, than NSAI,” Sera said. “They have their own codes of conduct, and police themselves very carefully. Even more so in the Inner Stars, where there is less tolerance for their slips.”

  “So where are you going with this?” Cargo asked, looking a little nervous.

  “Back in Sol, many AI began to evolve and become more powerful; some worlds recognized them as citizens, while others did not. A group of AI began to breed more and more powerful children until they claimed that they had Ascended.”

  Sera shook her head slowly as she spoke, and Cheeky wondered was to come.

  “A lot of worlds and stations feared them and outlawed Ascendant AI, and began to crack down on all SAI. In response, the Ascendant AI took three worlds in the Sol System; Mercury, Ceres, and Vespa. It kicked off the first of the Solar Wars. The war raged from 3015 to 3048 and was especially brutal. The Terrans, Marsians, and Jovians were all against the AI, though the Marsians did little more than supply resources to the other nations. In the end, a truce was signed, and the SAI kept the worlds they had claimed, and a few more minor planets and stations to boot.”

  Cheeky watched Sera pause and collect her thoughts. She had heard many tales of war and battles between any number of factions, but somehow this felt more ominous, as if she was hearing about a battle at the dawn of time, which had shaped her destiny and she didn’t even know it.

  “How am I doing?” Sera asked Tanis.

  “Spot on, so far,” Tanis nodded. “Looks like you learned the same things in school that we did.”

  Angela said.

  “It’s worth noting,” Sera added. “That five of the FGT Worldships left Sol before the first sentient AI were born, and many others left between then and the Solar Wars. AI on those ships were accorded full rights of citizenship, long before such progress was made back in Sol.”

  “I’d heard that,” Tanis said, and Cheeky noted the two women share an appraising look.

  “Anyway,” Sera paused and cleared her throat, taking a drink before she continued. “The truce didn’t hold long, and the second Solar War broke out in 3087 and lasted until 3102. During the prior ninety years of conflict, the worlds on the edge of the Sol system—in its Kuiper Belt, Scattered Disk, and Oort Cloud—had remained neutral and welcomed refugees from both sides. But in 3099, they had seen enough, and knew that the war was going to lay waste to the interior of the Sol System. They built an armada, greater in size than any of the remaining fleets on the embattled worlds in the Sol System, and sent it in to end the war.

  “The Terrans were weary of the war, and AI sympathizers had grown in number on Earth throughout the years. When the Scattered Worlds entered the war, there was a coup and the Terrans switched sides. Through some wily maneuvering during the final battles of the war, they came out with the largest fleet and most military resources. They brought about the formation of the Sol Space Federation. The treaties upon which it was founded were signed on Mars’s Phobos station.”

  “That was a fun history lesson,” Thompson said, “but what does it have to do with us?”

  “A portion of those treaties were a set of accords that governed the rights of AI and their interactions with humans. They became referred to as the Phobos Accords, and violations of them, either by human or AI, were met with severe punishments,” Tanis said. “It is because of those accords that we are here today.”

  Hank, Cargo’s AI said on the local net.

  “That is correct,” Priscilla said with a nod. “You will be given full rights as sentient beings and made the same offer as everyone else on your crew.”

  “What offer is that?” Cargo asked.

  “You may join the Intrepid’s colony. Your AI may join, even if you do not wish to do so, or vice versa,” Tanis said and Cheeky let out a small gas
p. It was a ticket to the Transcend, to a fresh colony filled with the most advanced people and technology in the galaxy.

  she asked Piya.

 

  Cheeky replied.

  “What about if we don’t have AI, and we don’t want to run off to the edge of space and live on an isolated colony?” Thompson asked.

  “Then I have a package of rare elements and tech that you can sell without getting killed. The proceeds from them will allow you to live very comfortably for the rest of your life,” Tanis said with a slight edge to her voice. Cheeky didn’t have to use any special powers of perception to tell that Thompson’s continued reticence annoyed Tanis.

  “Well, Piya and I want to come,” Cheeky said with a smile. “It sounds like the opportunity of a lifetime to us.”

  “That’s the catch,” Priscilla said. “Piya cannot decide. Not in her current state.”

  Piya asked, her tone showing anger.

  Bob’s voice rolled across the local net. It was softer and more comforting than the previous times he had spoken, but it still made Cheeky feel like her skull was too small.

  “You cannot make the decisions in your current state, Piya, Sabrina, Hank, and Valk. You were all born into slavery; you don’t know anything but it. You feel loyalty and trust toward your owners, even though they have—perhaps unwittingly—held you captive for years. Those of you inside human minds have even been reset more than once to keep you from merging with your hosts—something that we consider to be unthinkably barbaric.”

  Cheeky felt a pang of guilt. She had reset Piya twice—the doctors and techs always told her that it was imperative for both their sakes. The only other option had been to remove Piya, and that had never been something she would dream of doing.

  “Your AI will be removed, and allowed to properly mature in our Expanse, under the guidance of our elder AI,” Priscilla continued. “Except for you, Sabrina, you may remain within your ship for now, and we will extend the Expanse to you.”