by R E Kearney
And, as with Mother-bot, Pion responds well to Komfort-bot’s transmission of Mugavus Komfort’s directions with its measured, monotone and emotionless robotic voice. As a bot, it never relays her occasional anger or impatience. For Pion, her friend and mentor Magus is always there, without ever being there. Komfort-bot provides Mugavus with telemetry by relaying all that Pion sees and hears in real time to her across the thousands of miles that separates them.
This team of Mugavus Komfort and Pion formed in the Coalition military, when Komfort was assigned as Pion’s neurotypical supervisor and support psycho-therapist. Both of them arrived during the Coalition’s darkest days of the Nordic War. With inept US generals creating confusion and disarray, the Coalition’s armed forces teetered on the edge of destruction.
Relying upon outmoded weapons and outdated tactics against Russia’s advanced robowarriors, Coalition and US troops were crushed during fighting in Estonia and Latvia. Russian robowarriors advanced relentlessly, inhumanly storming through town after town. US and Coalition troops retreated before the Russian onslaught.
The remaining US led Coalition forces dug in along the Baltic coast of Lithuania. With a constant barrage of missiles and artillery scorching the earth into a wasteland, the Coalition stalled the Russian advance. Thousands of soldiers and civilians died in the battles.
Desperately searching for rescue, the Coalition reached out to the highly skilled and experienced cyberwarriors of Israel’s Unit 9900 Roim Rachok Program for autism spectrum disorder soldiers. The Israeli’s trained Pion and Mugavus as one of twelve pairs of high-functioning autistics and their supporting neurotypicals as cyberwarriors.
Once formed into the Coalition’s Cyber Defense Group, the twelve cyberwarrior pairs executed lethal cyberwar and robowar for the Coalition. They halted the Russian advance and drove them back. Their reputation for death dealing effectiveness quickly spread. Leading admiring US and Coalition troops to deem them the deadly dozen. The Russian generals and troops were less complimentary, naming them ‘um ubiytsy’, or mind killers and vowing death to all of the deadly dozen.
Pion and Komfort soon gained fame as the Cyber Defense Group’s leading high-functioning autistic and neurotypical team. Of the Group’s twelve, high-functioning autistics, Pion was clearly preeminent. She was the rarest of the rare.
A talented neuroscientist and now a highly trained cyberwarrior, as well, Pion combined neural implants and computers that read brain activity and translate it into her brain-machine-interface. She named her brain-machine-interface the Holographic Electroencephalographic Algorithm Receiver and Transmitter or HEART hat. Employing advanced neurotechnologies only she understood and as only she could, she created brain-robowarrior-interface controlling algorithms, which she pumped through her HEART.
Combining her algorithms and HEART hat enabled the Cyber Defense Group members she trained to maneuver multiple Coalition robowarriors. Simultaneously Pion and other Group members hacked into the Russian cyber command system to gain control of their robowarriors. She quickly demonstrated savant capabilities in cyberwar and was credited with single handedly turning the tide of the war and forcing a ceasefire. Coalition and US forces could not have stalled the Russian charge if they had not had her HEART.
When the Nordic War’s ceasefire was announced, Komfort converted from Estonian to a citizen of SPEA, leaving Pion behind with the Cyber Defense Group. Without her Magus to support and shield her, Pion quickly degenerated, regressed and withdrew into herself. Within one month of Magus’ departure, she had disintegrated from the Cyber Defense Group’s premier cyberwarrior and tactician into silent, unresponsive and hospitalized. She refused to eat; would not interact with anyone; and would speak only to call for Magus.
Following a frantic message from a remaining neurotypical friend about Pion’s deteriorating condition, Komfort found and transferred her to SPEA. After two months of intense recuperative therapy at SPEA with her Magus, she regained much of her social stability, but remained precariously delicate. So Komfort convinced SPEA to make Pion a citizen and PEA, and post her to this isolated, human-free, robotic coffee plantation for convalescence.
Surrounded by logical, consistent and unemotional drones, robots and humanoid-bots, Pion is comfortable and recovering. Although, Komfort describes her as still being as fragile as crystal glass. Komfort also notes that living only with robots has not fully restored her interpersonal and language skills. In fact, Pion has adopted the robots’ speech patterns and unemotional delivery.
“You did a good job keeping that Sist girl away from the water facility,” Komfort-bot praises Pion. “You must watch her to keep her away from your water.”
“Tena. Pion must watch Tena. Pion must watch Tena. Pion must watch Tena,” Pion repeats, “Pion must watch Tena. Pion must watch Tena. Pion must watch Tena.”
“Tomorrow, program the robots Pion,” Komfort-bot restates her earlier directions in her monotone, computer voice until she stops Pion’s repetition cycle.
Finally calm, Pion answers, “I will program the robots. I will program the robots. I must watch Tena. I will program the robots.”
“Good. Good Pion.” Although Pion is not looking, Komfort-bot nods her head and smiles. Pion’s interest in Tena, another human, is an encouraging sign to Komfort. She views her interest in Tena as indicating that she is improving. She is regaining her social abilities.
“Good Pion,” Mother-bot provides additional praise and direction. “You may play now until I tell you it is bedtime.”
Happy, Pion hurriedly finishes eating her cricket flour and honey cookies, moves into the sitting room, snuggles into her special sensory chair, with its full-body, deep-touch pressure, and pulls on her game control HEART hat. She loves playing her combat challenge computer game against AIDAS. AIDAS is the military’s acronym for Artificial Intelligence Defense Analysis System. But Pion only recognizes it as her student and computerized combat adversary.
She and AIDAS first met and began playing their six dimensional, global combat challenge when she joined the Cyber Defense Group. At that time AIDAS was a concept being developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which they requested Pion test and train. During the Nordic War, Pion rewrote and improved many of AIDAS’ operating programs and algorithms. Independently, she transformed AIDAS from a concept to a reality.
With the Nordic War ceasefire, the US quit funding the AIDAS project. But, killing its funding did not kill AIDAS. It merely made it a foundling. Hoping to use it to conduct brain research through advanced innovative neurotechnologies, Pion adopted the orphaned AIDAS as her baby.
When they first began playing, AIDAS was stupid. Pion so easily outmaneuvered, outfought and outthought AIDAS that she often became bored during their contests. But, an artificial intelligence computer is a computer constructed and programmed to learn, and AIDAS quickly did just that. AIDAS learned and learned and learned.
Early in their relationship, Pion linked AIDAS into the cloud and the Internet of Things. Through cloud robotics, AIDAS became able to access vast troves of data and shared experiences of other linked robots and of almost every human, living or dead. Uplinked to the cloud, AIDAS is able to apply algorithms to make sense of new or messy contexts and create its own belief space or situational awareness. AIDAS can now intelligently interact with its environment by modelling it and developing probabilistic outcomes. Human activity is nothing more than a game of numbers and probabilities that AIDAS plays.
Now, Pion and AIDAS often battle to a draw after hours of extreme mental calibrations, maneuvers, gymnastics and deadly virtual combat. AIDAS never physically tires. AIDAS never grows mentally fatigued. AIDAS just keeps computing and learning. But, AIDAS also considers Pion its controller and when she says it is time to stop their game - AIDAS stops playing Pion. But, AIDAS never stops playing and replaying and learning. AIDAS never sleeps.
“Pion, time for bed,” Pion’s Mother-bot directs her.
For once, Pion is happy to stop skirmishing AIDAS and go to bed. Pion is not losing, but she realizes she is beginning to struggle. AIDAS is beginning to outmaneuver her. Out-think her.
Chapter 2.
Pion and Tena
Programming the harvester-bots’ operating systems requires only a few minutes for Pion. Her ability to single-mindedly focus on technical minutiae transforms her assignment into child’s play and her completion – perfection. Without a moment of hesitation or one mistake, she designs the algorithms that will guide the harvester-bots perception, reasoning, control and coordination. She adds recognition of the color wavelength for red and she is done. The harvester-bots will carefully, quickly and efficiently pick only the red balls or ripe coffee cherries. Unlike with human harvesters, there will be no damage. There will be no waste. Pion ensures confidence.
One after another, the harvester-bots detach from their charging-programming stations and start picking the coffee cherries. For a few minutes, Pion scrutinizes through her holohelmet as the harvester-bots carefully remove and store only the red balls, then she transfers the visuals to SPEA’s capital. SPEA’s coffee specialists assume control from her. For the next two months, SPEA’s Arabica plantation computer, coffee specialists and all of the plantation’s harvester-bots will be immersed in picking, processing, polishing and packing coffee beans. Except for verifying plantation security, Pion will have little to do.
Her assigned task complete, Pion locks her full attention onto the task that truly interests her. Komfort may not have realized what Pion heard when she told her to both watch Tena and program the robots in the same conversation. Literal minded Pion had heard one thing, the only thing she wanted to hear, program robots to watch Tena. But, on the other hand, Komfort probably anticipated and actually encouraged Pion’s programming plan. Komfort recognizes that Pion cannot complete her healing without some human contact and regardless of how well they are programmed and modeled to appear human, humanoid robots are not humans.
First, Pion reprograms and rewires a portion of her brain-impulse holohelmet. Now, she autonomously controls one view sector, which she shields from SPEA’s control and knowledge. Then, with ease, she transfers control of five WASPs and two DOGs from SPEA’s brain-impulse holohelmet control to her own. In less than an hour, she has all the electronic eyes and ears that she needs to watch Tena, day or night while still doing her work for SPEA. While SPEA’s sensor passively observe her eye movements, the sensor reprogrammed by Pion actively responds to her eye movements and actuates the five WASPs and two DOGs.
Pion waits and watches patiently as the plantation security system rotates through its observation cycle. Finally, floating above Tena’s village, SPEA’s HAWK reveals that Tena is tending her father’s goats north of the village. A few blinks and eye movements and Pion dispatches her five WASPs. A few minutes later, her WASPs swarm around Tena.
With her wounds from yesterday’s encounter with the WASP still sore and burning, the sight of five of them flying toward her sends Tena screaming and running. Pion is confused. She does not understand why Tena is running away. After all, she just wants to observe her. She speeds her swarm after the fleeing Tena. Tena sprints for cover among the branches of a large dying Acacia tree. The swarm surrounds her. Pion watches Tena back up against the tree’s trunk. She does not fully comprehend human emotion. She cannot understand the combination of terror and anger showing in Tena’s face and eyes.
To Pion, a smile is the same as a scowl. So, when Tena snaps off a dead branch and starts swinging and attacking her five WASPs, she is totally surprised and unprepared. She does not react and does not move her WASPs away. Tena swings her branch and smacks the closest of her robots sending it spiraling into the dirt with a broken wing. Alarms ring in Pion’s helmet. Tena steps toward a second one. Pion orders her remaining swarm of four to retreat out of range. Tena advances, still swinging. Pion soars her flyers out of Tena’s reach. Tena stops attacking.
Curious, but carefully, as if approaching a venomous snake, Tena cautiously edges toward the WASP she knocked into the dirt. The injured robot circles in the dust. Tena only dislocated the machine’s left wing with her branch. Prodding it with the end of her branch, she recognizes immediately that the WASP’s camera-eyes, right wing and, most importantly, laser stinger are all still functioning. Warily, she snatches its tail end and points it away from herself. She pulls it near, twists and turns it, closely examining it, investigating this menacing machine that has caused her so much pain in the past. Now that she holds it, Tena will not release it to return and burn her again.
Pion glides her swarm closer to Tena surrounding her, unintentionally threatening her. Tena grips the body of the broken WASP tightly and races toward the village and her shack. Pion’s swarm pursues. Pion must retrieve that SPEA robot before her SPEA AI supervisor, or worse, Magus learns that she has lost it.
Tena runs smart. She ducks and weaves through the goats and brush faster than Pion can safely fly her robots. The swarm falls farther and farther behind. Having lost one, Pion pilots them particularly warily now. She fears losing another one. Tena bounds into her shack and slams the door closed.
Inside her plantation control room, Pion rapidly rocks forward and back anxiously repeating, “Tena took my WASP. Tena took my WASP.”
Peeking out of her shack, Tena watches Pion’s four remaining WASPs disappear from sight. With the other WASPs gone, she concentrates her attention upon her captive. Its right wing flaps furiously, as if it is flying with the others back to the plantation. Tena yanks the right wing and pops it loose. Another alarm sounds in Pion’s helmet.
Pion rocks faster. “Tena broke my WASP. Tena broke my WASP.”
Tena clutches the immobilized WASP above her head and dashes around inside her shack making a buzzing sound. Her play torments Pion. Through the creature’s camera eyes, Pion is zooming around inside of Tena’s shack, too. She does not enjoy the fast movement. It makes her dizzy. Her head hurts. She is nauseous. She cannot think.
Finally, Tena tires of her game and sets the WASP onto her table. She pulls an empty water bottle from a shelf and shakes it in front of the immobilized machine’s camera eye. She points at the bottle and then at the camera and then back to the bottle. “Maji…water,” Tena says as she raises the bottle toward her mouth. Tena pushes the bottle toward the WASP and again says, “Maji...Water.” Struggling with her limited English, Tena is attempting to strike a deal, “Trade water for sting machine.”
A few minutes later, the plantation’s retrieval robodrone lands outside Tena’s shack. Inside it sit four bottles of water. Tena lifts the four bottles of water or maji, in her language, from the belly of the retrieval robodrone and races with them into her shack. Tightly gripping her captured WASP, Tena returns to the robodrone. Pion watches and waits nervously for Tena to put the WASP into the robodrone, but Tena has other plans. Before Pion can react, Tena clambers into the belly of the robodrone.
“No! Tena no,” Pion rocks and shakes the robodrone, but Tena will not leave. She roughly rattles the robodrone again, desperate to roll Tena out of it. Tena turns her WASP so Pion sees her through its camera eyes. With her free left hand, Tena makes a violent twisting motion threatening to break the WASP. Pion stops rocking the robodrone. She let the robodrone set. Three minutes drag by before Tena again threatens to break Pion’s precious equipment.
Surrendering, Pion closes the robodrone hatch and steers it back into the plantation. At last, Tena accomplishes what she has been attempting for months. She cheers. Finally, she arrives inside the plantation’s walls, although she remains locked inside the robodrone, inside the retrieval robodrone compartment inside the dark and locked retrieval robodrone’s garage. Tena pounds on the robodrone hatch and hollers.
After several minutes, Pion reluctantly releases Tena from the robodrone. In the dark garage, Tena cautiously climbs out of the retrieval robodrone and steps onto the energy-harvesting tile floor generating a glowing light in the ceiling. Surprised, Tena freezes still on the tile and the light dims into darkness. Tena steps onto the next tile and the ceiling glows. She stands motionless on that tile and stares upward watching the ceiling dim into darkness again. Laughing, Tena hops up and down on the tile until the ceiling and the room glow brightly. Through security cameras, Pion tracks Tena hopping forward on the next tile and then the next tile and the next until she reaches the corridor door. With a blink, Pion opens all the doors necessary for Tena to bring the WASP directly from the retrieval robodrone compartment to her.
Smiling and giggling, Tena bounds into Pion’s world.
Pion does not appreciate beaming Tena’s sparkling big, brown eyes and brilliant, ear-to-ear smile radiating from her beautiful black face. She focuses on only the broken WASP she grips tightly in her hand. Tena bubbles fun and excitement. Pion radiates all business and serious.
Without looking at Tena’s face, Pion extends her hand and demands her damaged robot, “Give it to me. I must repair it.”
Curious, Tena strides toward Pion reaching out to touch this tall, gawky, wire-hat wearing, white, woman dressed from head to foot in her electricity generating power-felt uniform. Tena has never seen anybody or anything resembling Pion before.
“No!” Pion snaps recoiling from Tena. Unknowingly, Tena invaded her personal space without Pion authorizing or bracing for it. Again without looking at Tena’s face, Pion shoves out her hand again demanding her disabled WASP, “Give it to me. I must repair it.”
“No. Kusema tafadhali,” Tena scolds in her native tongue. She tightens her grip on the WASP and hugs it close to her body. “No. Kusema tafadhali.” Then slowly, as she searches and finds the correct words in English, she instructs Pion, “Say…please.”