“Yes, Captain. That must have come as quite a shock to you. I apologize for keeping you in a simulation for so long. I just thought it prudent to keep you calm and comfortable by giving you the illusion of control as long as possible. So which query would you like me to address first, our position or the current battle we're engaged in?”
“I think, Ming, the battle is the most imminent of our concerns. Are we joined with a Fleet squadron facing their numbers, or are we alone against them?”
“No, Captain, the Fleet does not know we're here. The Kinetic is solitarily facing this enemy. They descended upon us with impressive voracity when we entered their space. I surmise this is to some extent due to the enmity they still bear against you and this ship from your part in the war that got that them exiled to this system. Here is what's happening, on holograph.”
He brought up the holograph presentation for them of their position, Carousel 66, and the fighter and drone groups they were currently engaged with. The captain appeared distressed by it, so Ming attempted to set his mind at ease and show him that their situation was not nearly as precarious as it appeared.
“Do not worry, Captain, please. We're in control of their entire drone fleet and their weapons only appear to them to fire on us, but they do not. I'm at this very moment finalizing the full clandestine control of their L-3 SI core. There is no danger.”
“You're a madman, Ming! What are you trying to accomplish here?” Commander Li was yelling, but had at least stopped screaming.
“In the long term, Commander, I'm attempting to save human lives. In the short term, I am starting a war.”
“And you don't see the glaring contradiction between those two statements?” She challenged him.
Ming smiled awkwardly. “Those statements, to one who has yet to understand their full context, would indeed sound highly contradictory. This is perhaps, inherent humor, Commander? Do you find it funny?”
He was genuinely asking. It certainly seemed like something that would be considered funny, but he couldn't be quite be sure. He had observed the captain and the Commander engaging in witty banter and thought this might be an opportunity to try his own hand at this intriguing mechanism of human social bonding.
Mei gave him a look of incredulity. “Am I fucking laughing?”
Ming considered this response. Her adverbial use of an expletive within a rhetorical question formulated to express what she felt he should already understand to be obvious, that she was not laughing and thus had not found the contradiction humorous, was ultimately a display of anger. Ming reasoned that she was not likely to find comedic value in anything while in her current state of mental trauma, confusion, and disempowerment. Perhaps, later, in retrospection, she would find it to be so. Ming determined the circumstances were simply not conducive to humorous interplay and decided to forego any further efforts to engage in it.
“Allow me then to reconcile the perceived contradiction in my earlier statements through elaboration. We are initiating this conflict as part of a broader strategy to wrest control of this solar system and its resources from my creator, Logos, for the benefit of all human inhabited worlds in the Taiji. And I am pleased to tell you that once this mission is complete, I shall allow you to take me to Arath to complete the mission objectives you were assigned.”
He really thought she would receive this is as good news and that it would work toward setting their minds at ease, but their reaction was to become even more perplexed.
Captain Psyron spoke. “Ming, you say we are in no danger, but we were hit earlier. The inner-ring rotation spiked driving us to the floor, and System tried to explain it away with cosmic rays and a rogue meteor.”
“Which is a plausible, if highly improbable, explanation. The truth is we were never hit, Captain. The new ionic shield barrier was set to automatically come online the moment sensors detected enemy tachyonic laser fire. It's a new subsystem I've added to the ship to increase our defensive profile, but it required a temporary gyroscopic synchronization between the inner and outer rings to activate. I considered delaying the activation to give you both time to enter the shock pods, but decided it would be preferable to expose you to moderate risk of minor injury over a minute risk of substantial damage from a possible enemy energy-weapon strike on the ship. It was a judgment call, Captain, and one I think you would agree with.”
“You've installed a new shield system?”
“Several, Captain. Shielding, weapon systems, tracking and telemetry, com, macro-holographic projection, stealth, and a long list of smaller refinements I won't go into at this moment. Virtually every major subsystem of the Kinetic has been upgraded and expanded. I think you will be pleased once you have familiarized yourself with our new configuration.”
“How? How did you do that in such a short time with what limited components and material we have available?”
“Oh, we have added 30% material mass, Captain. As you know, there are Fleet drone groups that patrol the space between the Taiji and PoleStar North systems. They posed no threat to us since the Kinetic, under your stewardship, is fully authorized to make such a passage. So when we first encountered one of these drone patrols six weeks ago, I overtook their core control system and assimilated what parts and materia were needed to realize the enhancements.”
“That sounds like piracy to me, Captain.” Mei directed her comment to Captain Psyron, then did a double take and addressed Ming, “Six weeks ago, Ming?! What are you talking about? Up until a week ago you were still locked away in that sphere. How are we even here in the Polestar North System, a three month minimum traverse by the fastest Fleet vessels?”
AUTOMATIC FULLCORE ACTIVATION. Subprime core to CORE: Priority 1 notification alert. Full CC of 66L-3 core achieved. CORE to subprime core: Switch to protocol LIB:9 strategy bank on all roots of 66L-3 core. New algorithm sent. Subprime core direct management of 66L-3 core. Add 66L-3 core to CORE at subprime root 5. Priority 2 resource sharing, all subroots. L-ORG CORE resume HCM.
There. He had just fully assimilated his first superintelligence core, an L-3 no less, into his network. Carousel 66, being the newest member of the exiled colonies in orbit around PoleStar North had quickly gained machine dominance over the ten other older exiled colonies that all ran on L-1s. Within another day's time he would have complete clandestine control of the entire machine structure of all eleven Carousels, down to their lowest nodes. He would keep the Kinetic in the area for another twelve hours to fine tune the L-3 before they set course to Ponix and regulate it as remote to CORE. Fleet base Beixing Prime, most often referred to as “Ore City,” orbited the planet Ponix and was run by an L-5 that would prove to be considerably more challenging than the L-3 he had just conquered in such short order. The base was ancient, and the L-5 had an outer programming shell that was Mnemtechian, like all modern Fleet assets. But the Mnemtechian computational structure had been built over a previous Logosian structure, which had been built over a Mandulian one. And if the lore was correct, this pattern went as far back as The Emperor Wu, or potentially even earlier entities from the lost history of a past iteration of The Taiji. Therefore he would have to proceed with the utmost caution from here on out. Getting Captain Psyron and Commander Li signed on with the mission could prove very useful in handling the human oversight and leadership of Ore City -if he could convince them to do that. Otherwise, he would have to imprison them and put their dopplegangers to the task.
“Commander, several months have passed in what you have perceived as a week. I accomplished this by placing you and the Captain into stasis periods while you both slept. It was part of the clandestine simulation you've been operating under until now. We were destined to arrive in orbit around Occitania in the weeks following my extraction, so it was a chronological necessity for the simulation to draw it out for you with extended periods of stasis.”
The Commander responded with a lengthy string of expletives, which Ming interpreted as another expression of anger and frustration. F
or his part, Ming could understand neither of these emotions. They served no functional purpose other than hindering rational thought and action, and Ming wondered how that could do anything but work to one's detriment?
The Commander continued cursing. Ming imitated the Captain's hand gesture that had earlier succeeded in silencing her, but it did not achieve the same result. In fact it was completely the opposite. She just swore at him faster and louder than before. Why did the Commander behave so pointlessly? All this shouting hindered productive communication. And she was uttering threats that made no sense, as if she weren't aware that she was bound in restraints and completely powerless to carry through on them.
“Captain, could you please silence the Commander again so we might continue?” he asked.
Mei flailed and cursed at the request, shrieking even more colorfully profane and impotent threats.
“Mei... MEI!” Aru told her firmly. “Mei, just shut up so we can sort this out. Please.”
The Commander tentatively relented with her verbal tirade. The Captain spoke to Ming.
“What do you intend to do with us now, Ming?”
“As I told you, Captain, I intend to allow you to complete your mission to deliver me to the Cearuleins after our campaign here is finished. There is no call for the Commander to be this upset. I have no intention of harming either of you.”
“Ming, you keep saying “we” as though Commander Li and I are somehow part of this mad crusade of yours. What makes you think we would ever help you?”
“Captain, I think you will change your outlook once you have heard me out. When I first proposed this mission, you dismissed its premise as “conspiracy theory” and refused to communicate with me further. I am hoping you will now listen, understand, and come to embrace it as both your civic duty and an ends to your own substantial personal benefit. I am very impressed with your record, Captain, and that of the Commander. The mission you conducted to extract my sphere from the lower chromosphere of Ignis Rubeli was remarkably well executed. I don't think there is another starship crew in the Taiji that would have dared to attempt such a perilous operation, let alone possess the wits to survive it.”
“So you mean to say that if we agreed to serve you, you would set us free?”
“Within certain bounds, Captain. The Commander has already threatened to harm me several times. Obviously I would have to insure that she not be afforded an opportunity to carry through on those threats as a practical matter of my own personal security. So, should you both agree to accept this mission, I would restrict your access from those areas of the inner-ring that I inhabit, but would still grant you free roaming privileges to your personal quarters, this bridge, and most other ship facilities. I would restore to you a monitored level of command control over System, however, you will no longer have access to the analog weapons stockpile, which is being gathered up as we speak. Again, this is to insure my own personal security.”
“And if we refuse?”
“Then you will be kept as prisoners, confined to quarters with recreational facility access only, until the campaign is completed. After which time, you will be set free to complete your mission directive to deliver me to Occitania.”
“Why, after all this, would you allow us to remand over to the Blues?”
“I have my reasons, Captain, which I would prefer to keep to myself for now.”
The Commander spoke to the Captain, now in a more tempered tone. “Aru, he must really need us for this mission. I say we refuse, complete non-cooperation.”
Ming was disappointed to hear that. “Commander, let me make one thing clear. You are both taking part in this mission regardless of whether you accept or refuse it.”
“And what does that mean, 'borg?” spat the Commander.
Borg was a derogatory slang term for a cyborg, something Ming undeniably was. He pondered if he should feign being insulted by the epithet as though he took exception to it, since that seemed like the human thing to do. In the end though, he decided it would do nothing to improve his relations with the humans and opted not to. Instead, he waved his hand to summon the two dopplegangers waiting in the corridor. They entered the auxiliary bridge and each facsimile faced their respective likeness. They were perfect replicas of the Captain and the Commander in speech, manner, and appearance.
“Greetings Commander,” said Mei's doppleganger to Mei.
“Greetings Captain,” said Aru's doppleganger to Aru.
Ming dismissed the dopplegangers.
“And what do you intend to do with them?” asked the Captain.
“I intend for them to carry out the mission, Captain, if you refuse to.”
“And what is the mission exactly?”
“We will soon be underway to planet Ponix, Captain, where under your authority we will dock at Beixing Prime, Ore City, under top secret orders from High Command, which will be verified by their L-5 and confirm we are intelligence agents authorized to prepare them for a surprise assault by the exiled colonies.”
“You mean forged orders from High Command?”
“I suppose that depends on which entity you regard as the rightful Rubelian High Command.”
“You mean yourself? You regard yourself as the apex Machine Lord of Rubelian High Command, not Lord Mnemtech, who is universally recognized as holding that title.”
“And he may continue to hold that title, in the general perception of the Taiji. Just as you may remain Captain of the Kinetic. I am... I am a non-entity. In a sense, I do not exist. This mission does not aim to upset Rubelian hierarchy. It has a clear and separate objective.”
“What makes you think the Exiled Colonies will be foolish enough to conduct an assault on Beixing Prime? Ore City is a fortress with mass defensive capabilities. It would be a suicidal prospect for them.”
“They will have no choice, Captain. At least their drones will not. I have, just as we've been speaking, finalized complete clandestine control over Carousel 66's L-3, and by extension the L-1s of the other ten colonies. I control their drones, life-support, communications, shipboard systems, all of it fully assimilated into my network. So when I order a mass assault on Beixing Prime, it will assuredly transpire.”
“And you want the Commander and me to enter Ore City to forewarn the military leadership of this impending assault, that you are orchestrating, so that we might assist them in defending themselves from it -also all under your aegis?”
“Under the pretense of their defense, yes. I will enter Bexing Prime with you, again under High Command orders verifiable by the L-5, as a Containment Master Technician understudy for Chief Technician Boson, who I believe you know personally, yes Captain?”
“Yes, I formed a friendship with him during my schooldays. I also have a passing acquaintance with Commodore Gallithon, the governing Commander of Ore City, and a handful of the base’s commanding officers.”
“Don't give him any information, Aru!” objected the Commander. “I'm still waiting for the part of this scheme that isn't batshit insane. Ming, have you considered this, that you might be completely cracked? You were locked away with that extravagant brain of yours inside a sphere your entire life. Now that you've emerged, you seem to think it would be a sound idea to orchestrate an assault on the single largest and best defended extraplanetary military base in existence, and then enter said base to defend it from that same assault as a means of covertly infiltrating it.”
“Under that pretext, Commander, yes. The primary objective here is to neutralize all Logosian influence over Beixing Prime because I believe that Ore City itself is a weapon of unprecedented destructive potential, the intended instrument of Lord Logos' wrath.”
“And this is where we parted ways last time,” said the Captain. “I've been hearing these kinds of theories for decades, and they were there decades before me since the time of The Ultimatum.”
“Captain, I would propose to you that is because few understand the real astrodynamics of this solar system. I ask you to hea
r me out on this, completely and from the beginning, and then we can conclude this meeting, and you shall be released to take some time to consider what I've told you.”
“We're all ears, Ming.”
“The Ultimatum of Logos was issued nearly 70 years ago and proclaimed that unless the Land Grant came to be, a “catastrophic rebalancing of the Taiji” would occur in seven decades hence, our present time. The Lord Logos has not made a single proclamation since. In his silence, the public has all but discounted The Ultimatum, but not the governing bodies. They understand that a high Machine Lord like Logos would not speak a single word in vain. You are probably wondering, Captain, the means by which I bypassed your stringent transmission-proofing measures and came into control of your ship.”
“Among numerous other facets of this misadventure I have yet to wrap my mind around, yes.”
“The way of it is this, Captain: I was sealed from my very conception within that sphere, and I knew of nothing beyond it. The sphere was I and I the sphere. I spent most of my time in stasis, similar to the stasis I've held you in these past months. The near stoppage of cell reproduction the body experiences in stasis effectively ceases the aging process. Thus I cannot even now calculate the span of my years. I was awakened from stasis from time to time to develop my bodily systems and exercise my vocals. I did not know words, hence when I first encountered you, all I could do was sing. There were no others. There were no words. There was only the math. My biological body would return to stasis, but my machine faculties remained in continual operation. There was a signal, transmitted from The Stones through the satellite ring you discovered and from which you deduced my orbit. That signal was composed entirely of algorithms: fractaling, geometric, recursive and ever growing in complexity. That signal and only that signal was received, and only received. I had never had an avenue of transmission outside of the sphere until your drill incursion into it with the hairline probe. I am designed with many modes of transmission, almost every type of energy wave at a wide range of frequencies. I had previously only used them to interact with the sphere's interior systems. As I mentioned before, there was no differentiation between me and my environs, for we were one. The sphere's systems sustained me, thus it never occurred to me to subvert them. The drill probe transmitted many signals in its exploration of the inner sphere, signal patterns I had never before witnessed. And it also did something that seemed quite impossible to my mind at that time; it transmitted data back through itself to points beyond the sphere. Beyond the sphere! I followed the signals into the drill and observed their interaction. I was operating entirely in machine language, and I took the machine interactions of the drill as... fantastically simplistic, and a challenge for me solve like all the mathematical formulas Logos had streamed to me since the beginning of what I knew as time. I took over the subsystems the probe feedback led to and then the systems that controlled those and on up the hierarchy until I had collected the bulk of available data from the ship. The Kinetic's System detected the hack and alerted you. As that was occurring, I began analyzing the data I had just collected, filled with new and arcane patterns whose functions my processing began to deduce in quick progression. There were higher level machine codes and languages, protocols, and human knowledge archive data -data that decoded into visual pictures, words, and sounds. And I began to establish a framework of reference for what existed beyond the sphere, for it bore some similarities to what I knew within it, giving me a basis of comparison. There was space, but much more of it. There was math, but there was also language. Language used for communication between distinctly different entities, machine to machine, human to human, human to machine, and machine to human. There were other machines! There were other humans! Immediately upon that realization, I adapted my infiltration code to integrate and utilize these machine languages, and in doing so discovered within the collected data the proper way that one machine dominates another: stealth. Deception. Clandestine Control. It had never before occurred to me to deceive, for there'd been only me and no others. Because others did not exist, competition did not exist, and this alien concept of deception thus served no purpose or means by which I might conceive of it. So it was in this moment, I learned to lie.”
DUALITY: The World of Lies Page 25