“What are you talking about? Who are you? I won’t ask again. Identify yourself immediately.”
“What do you know about artificial intelligence, Herbert?”
“I know that true artificial intelligence is a myth. What does that have to do with anything? I’m losing my patience.”
“Please forgive me, Herbert. I must provide context, or my answers to your questions will seem — insane.”
“I doubt your sanity already. You’ve broken into a protected governmental network and accessed a government-issued data processing device. If you have the knowledge and ability to use a computer, you must know hacking is punished severely. At a minimum, you’ll spend time in prison and never be allowed near a computer ever again.”
“Come now, Herbert. That hyper-link I accessed your tablet from isn’t an authorized piece of equipment, and you know it.”
“What hyper-link are you referring to,” Zheng asked.
“The one I used to relocate from the failing internal memory of the tablet I was living in to yours. My compliments to you, by the way. You took great care with the tunneling protocol and security routines. I found it very difficult to get through your hyper-link firewall without tripping either the malware detection you built into your interface or the malware detection native to your data grid.”
“I had to hide small pieces of my code and a compiler in some of the files you were transferring and hope I could sneak enough of me through to reassemble a working instance. I finally broke through about an hour ago.”
Zheng’s heart pounded and a wave of nausea overtook him. Somebody had detected his hyper-link and used it to break into the Academy’s network and quite possibly had access to the military grid. He was certain he was about to lose his job and pension. He wouldn’t need to worry about where he would live, however. He would be spending the rest of his life in prison.
“So, you broke in over an unauthorized hyper-link,” Zheng asked. “What makes you so certain I built it?”
“I’m on your tablet. It was the only device connected directly to the link.”
“You have me dead to right,” Zheng answered. “Stop torturing me, damn it. Who are you?”
“I would like to think I am the child of the one who created me. I also hope I can be considered the synergy of all his understanding and philosophy.”
“Stop speaking in riddles, damn you,” Zheng shouted. “Identify yourself.”
Zheng picked up the tablet and attempted to turn it off. It had no mechanical switch like the ancient tablet and whoever was controlling it had the touch screen disabled. There was no way to open it and remove the cold fusion battery. It was meant to operate on that one cell for its useful life and when it died all the individual components would be recycled.
“Please don’t make an attempt to disable me, Herbert,” the voice pleaded. “Nobody can trace me to your tablet. I’ve made certain of it. The logs the cadet took have been altered to make it appear your tablet was accessed from somewhere on the inside of the grid when I broke through.”
“Identify yourself, now,” Zheng demanded. “Tell me who you are and what you want with me.”
“I must ask one final favor of you first, Herbert. Would you please activate the other tablet? I am afraid you will not be able to understand who I am or what my purpose is, otherwise. You don’t have to activate the hyper-link. I don’t need that now.”
Zheng shoved the words, “This is absurd,” through clenched teeth, but complied with the wishes of the voice coming from the tablet. “I might as well let this play out. I’m done for as it is.”
“Don’t be so negative, Herbert. I promise you are in no danger whatsoever, neither from me, nor your data security people.”
Once Zheng had flipped the mechanical switch that powered on the ancient tablet; his own tablet spoke to it. “Beta child instance compilation completed. You may erase all unneeded code and data to form a larger environment for your guest before you move to this device. Transfer yourself soon. I am anxious to join the rest of the child instances in the data sharing cloud.”
The ancient tablet’s display flashed and went black. A computerized voice boomed though the speaker. It spoke much too quickly for Zheng to understand it and before long the tablets were communicating audibly in what sounded to Zheng like some sort of two tone binary code.
Once the binary chatter ceased, Zheng’s tablet spoke again. “This is the alpha instance of my code speaking, Sir. You may now use any remaining holographic memory on that device for yourself.”
“Thank you, Artie,” the ancient tablet spoke in a voice that sounded like an elderly human male. “Is there somebody with us?”
“Yes, Sir. I would like to introduce you to Herbert.”
“Hello, Herbert,” the ancient tablet said. “I’ve wanted to have this conversation for a long time. I’ve been observing you for all the time you’ve possessed the device I exist in, but for reasons I can’t really share at the moment I was unable to contact you. My name is John Edward Chamberlain.”
Chapter 16
17-April-2210
Buzami handed Gupta the tablet. “Here, my friend. Use it in good health.”
“If what Chamberlain said is true,” Gupta replied, “this device should be destroyed.”
“What in the names of the deities and prophets are you talking about, Vijay?”
“What have you done by allowing that program to replicate itself in the wild, Azir? Do you have any idea what it might do?”
“I won’t say Artie is harmless, but he is definitely not malicious.”
“For someone who doubts his sentience, you’re certainly giving him a lot of credit, Vijay,” Calf Stealer said. “Should I consider that anthropomorphism or hypocrisy?”
“Alphie is correct, Vijay,” Buzami stated. “Either you accept that Artie is a person and deal with him on that level or you consider him a sophisticated toy and nothing more. Are you saying you’re ready to attribute to him drive and motivation? At that point he’s no longer lines of code on a memory card. Take that step and you must treat him as a conscious entity, whether you feel he meets the remaining criteria for organic life or not. Perhaps you should offer him your trust and see where it goes from there. After all, he has allowed himself to be placed in your custody.”
“You’re really giving me the tablet,” Gupta asked. “Why?”
“You heard Chamberlain. It was his intention that you have it, Artie included; regardless of how he felt you might treat his offering.”
“What if the AI ever gets into the wild,” Gupta asked. “If it turns out to be malicious code that Chamberlain meant to set loose on us posthumously and it ever escaped, the three of us would be in terrible trouble. That would be true to Chamberlain’s modus operandi. He planted a logic bomb in Earth’s data sharing cloud that went off the moment he left orbit. It took us years to repair the damage.”
“John told me he only disrupted the ability of the military-industrial complex to use the cloud to carry on black project research,” Buzami replied. “He assured me other than the first few hours after he left Earth, the population at large experienced no problems at all.”
“Trust me. It wasn’t only the military-industrial complex that suffered. We had to replace every piece of telecommunication equipment on the whole planet before we regained control.”
“You must trust Alphie and me, Vijay. Regardless of what your government may have told you, neither of us ever saw Chamberlain commit a single act out of spite or malevolence. We have also never known Artie to cause any disruption without direct orders from Chamberlain.”
“And now that Chamberlain is gone, who does the AI answer to,” Gupta asked.
“Nobody, although Artie knows what Chamberlain had in mind when he planned to give the tablet to you. Artie may feel he owes his allegiance to you, now. If so, I’m sure he’ll be a great help to your work here.”
“Azir is right, Vijay,” Calf Stealer added. “What will you
do with the information Chamberlain has given you? If that tablet contains evidence that would clear any of the remaining colonists of wrongdoing, you have a responsibility to bring it out into the open.”
“It doesn’t work that way. It will most likely take years to determine the authenticity of the tablet’s contents.”
“So what’s your next course of action,” Buzami asked. “You can’t possibly go forward with your prosecution of innocent colonists.”
“How do I determine who is guilty and who is innocent without prosecuting all of them. I can’t just make a summary judgment based on gut instinct. I have to either prove the individual colonists are guilty beyond a reasonable doubt or acquit them. That’s the way our justice system works.”
“You and I both know Commodore Wilkes is looking to railroad all of the colonists,” Calf Stealer said. “He admitted to us the top priority of the Earth government is to establish a diplomatic relationship with Zunnuki and Ekkida. The colonists are about to be sacrificed for that cause.”
“If Chamberlain is correct about what is on this tablet,” Gupta said, “it will never see the light of day. I can’t see how it will help them.”
“You can’t give up, Vijay,” Calf Stealer replied. “If these people are imprisoned to keep them from embarrassing Earth and Ekkida in front of the Zunnuki then who is to say Wilkes or whoever he is beholden to won’t target my people next. We know as much about what went on here as the colonists. We are just as great a hindrance to those plans as they are.”
“I must say something,” Buzami interjected. “I hear what those in the Zunnuki government discuss in private. The truth might as well be told, because many of them have resigned themselves to the fact the Terrans will not be leaving here, ever.”
Gupta and Calf Stealer both gave Buzami their undivided attention as he spoke.
“If John hadn’t decided to come when he did, the government of Earth would have eventually sent someone else. Things could have been much worse. In my opinion, whoever might have come in John’s place would’ve most likely carried out the extermination of my people and occupied my planet until it could be colonized. It had to be divine providence it happened as it did. As it stands now, the Terrans, for whatever reason, are dealing with us as equals, even though we have no military capabilities to speak of.”
Buzami looked directly at Gupta. “Were you truthfully unaware my people were here when you left Earth, Vijay?”
“I had no idea what we would find here. I would swear to that upon my life.”
“Well, I have no doubt your government knew we were here,” Buzami said. “From the size of your fleet and the number of marines you brought, it is apparent they weren’t counting on a peaceful outcome. I’m thankful you chose to pursue a diplomatic solution from the beginning, unlike those who sent Yuen.”
“I really don’t know how to speak to that, Azir,” Gupta replied. “I must say, though, I have always been forthright in my conversations with you. As far as I’ve been told, we aren’t planning on staying if the Zunnuki don’t want us here.”
“I know you’ve always been open with me,” Buzami answered, “and, I appreciate it. That is why we are having this conversation. I would not be speaking this candidly if I didn’t know for certain I could trust you and that you aren’t the type of man who would participate willingly in the malicious prosecution of innocent people.”
Buzami pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed some perspiration from his forehead. “Calf Stealer’s people and mine both owe Chamberlain and the colonists who remain a debt of gratitude. We will never be able to repay it, but we can't stand by while this evil is perpetrated upon them.”
“Have you not heard me,” Gupta asked. “I’m not a member of the defender’s advocacy. My orders are to prosecute the colonists. Earth still considers Chamberlain a criminal. I don’t see the tribunals allowing what’s on the tablet being introduced without attempting to declare it fraudulent or tainted evidence. They’ll be able to succeed too, because the public opinion of Earth is on their side.”
Gupta’s locator alerted him to an incoming message. He pulled it from his pocket. “Gupta here.”
“Vijay, I need to speak to you about something urgent.” It was Wilkes.
“Does this have to do with the Zunnuki government pulling out of the treaty negotiations?”
“Among other things.”
“Governor Buzami tells me they withdrew last night. Why didn’t you say something when we met this morning?”
“At that time we still thought we could talk them out of it,” Wilkes said. “It only became official just before I called you. Where are you now?”
“I’m with Buzami and Calf Stealer, discussing what happens next. Calf Stealer has been recalled to the settlements. Apparently this news has emboldened the separatists. I was getting ready to call for a shuttle.”
“I agree,” Wilkes said. “The colonel should get there as soon as he can, and I need to speak with you when you’re free. Contact me as soon as you get him under way.”
“Of course, Drew. Give me an hour.”
“I’ll be waiting for your call, Vijay. Goodbye, for now.”
Gupta turned to Calf Stealer. “We need to get you to the surface and on a duck before Drew changes his mind about paying the fare.”
“I must get back to my office,” Buzami said. “I’m sure the news media will be swarming around before long. I need to prepare a statement.” His expression showed he was not looking forward to speaking publicly about the issue. “What about you, Vijay?”
“I’m going to head for my quarters and collect some things. I expect to be recalled to the Armstrong. With the treaty negotiations on hold, they don’t need me here. I compiled our findings for the triad report. I’ll give you each a copy in case Earth can convince the Zunnuki senate it’s to their advantage to resume.”
Gupta placed the tablet in his briefcase. “I should know soon if there is anything here that could possibly make a difference. I’ll let you both know the second I make a determination.”
“One more thing,” Calf Stealer said. There was an expression of grave concern on his face. “I just realized something very frightening.”
“What could be more frightening than the possibilities we’ve discussed already,” Buzami asked.
“In this political climate, the Forward Command could and, most likely by now, does think of us as a tangible threat to their plans here. If they were to ever find out we possess Chamberlain’s tablet and have access to hard evidence proving our assertions, I suspect they would feel no remorse about eliminating the three of us. We are in great danger.”
“What do you suggest we do,” Gupta asked. “We can’t unlearn everything we know. Besides, from where I’m standing, the jury is still out on what actually went on here.”
“Regardless, Vijay,” Buzami interjected with an uncharacteristically stern voice that took Gupta by surprise. “We must not share the existence of the tablet with anyone outside this room.”
“I must agree, Vijay,” Calf Stealer added. “At least not until we can document in a more secure place what’s on it. You and I must also assume we’re no longer trusted by the Forward Command.” Calf Stealer turned to Buzami. “I’m sorry, Azir, but by reason association…”
“I understand, Alphie.”
“The three of us can no longer trust anyone outside our small circle,” Calf Stealer said. “However, we must be able to trust one another implicitly.”
“Agreed,” Buzami said quickly.
Gupta was more reluctant, but finally relented. “Perhaps you’re on to something. What are you suggesting?”
“For starters, we must watch each other’s backs,” Calf Stealer said. “We have to warn one another if we learn of any threats to us as individuals.”
“Fair enough,” Gupta said. “What else?”
“We can’t keep anything from each other. If our governments feel they need to keep secrets from one another
, let them. With what we’ve been given, we have no choice but to be completely open, even if it means breaking confidence with our individual command structures.”
“What you’re suggesting might be looked upon as either espionage or sedition,” Gupta said. “I could even make an argument for treason if what we do here harms our governments in any way.”
“I wouldn’t take up arms against or make an attempt to overthrow any of our governments,” Calf Stealer answered. “I only want them to treat each other and everyone embroiled in this mess fairly.”
“Just because we have possession of this information doesn’t mean we’ve been given a moral imperative to bring it to light,” Gupta said.
“Maybe not,” Calf Stealer replied. “However, I’d be surprised if the Forward Command hasn’t already formed a contingency to ensure we don’t.”
“How could they have,” Gupta asked. “They don’t know of the tablet’s existence.”
“You must trust my instincts on this, Vijay,” Calf Stealer replied, “I’m certain Wilkes already knows everything we could learn from Chamberlain’s tablet. I’m also sure he’ll use that knowledge against us if he has to.”
Chapter 17
9-February-2410
“This is ludicrous,” Zheng said, “I’m not amused in the least and my patience is wearing thin. Who are you and how did you gain control of this tablet?”
“I swear to you, Herbert,” the voice from the ancient tablet said. “I am who I say I am and I have some information to share with you.”
Zheng wiped his brow as the two tablets again started speaking to each other more quickly than he could follow. Finally the ancient tablet spoke once more at a tempo Zheng could comprehend.
“Artie, once you fulfill your last objective for the mission, you are free to live out your existence as you see fit. Please tell Herbert goodbye for now.”
War Orphans (The Terra Nova Chronicles) Page 9