The Way of the Dhin

by John L. Clemmer

  “I will not use mathematics, or very little of it, and perhaps that will help. Jake seemed to understand it when I talked about it with him, and you have the same amount of physics background. You have read the reports, and surely the summaries, about how we hypothesized that the engine moderated the effect of gravity by manipulating the amount of ‘leakage’ of gravitational force into two additional spatial dimensions. The model that posits these two additional spatial dimensions is the gauged supergravity model, you recall. These ‘extra’ dimensions, let us call them A and B, help explain why gravity is a weak force compared with the other fundamental forces. It interacts on these other two dimensional vectors, while the other forces do not, or not enough for it to matter. The Dhin have found a way to manipulate this, so that even more of the gravitational force ‘leaks’ into those two other spatial vectors. This allows for a couple of useful side effects. One allows the mass enclosed by the engine’s field to move faster in our visible spatial dimensions more easily. Less mass is easier to accelerate.

  The other notable effect, which was very unexpected, relates to the small ‘size’ of those other two spatial dimensions—at least when considered from our perspective. Those vectors are curled into a spiral, wrapped in a sort of teardrop shape, so that they take up an apparent space of about ten microns.”

  “Huh, that’s tiny,” said Ethan.

  “Yes, it would seem so from our perspective. Note that you are moving through those dimensions all the time, with the same relationship to these. Now, what the Dhin somehow have either discovered, or managed to exploit, is that once they have managed to have a mass ‘extend’ more into those dimensions, the vectors ‘unroll.’ So that the relative distance covered becomes much, much larger. Thinking about it conversely, it takes a much smaller distance moved from one perspective to go a very long way from the other perspective. This is very counter-intuitive, as it is an effect that does not happen at all under normal circumstances. The influence of the engine’s technology is required.”

  “Now how does that help?” said Ethan.

  “Well, Ethan, a ten micron movement becomes a one kilometer movement, once the ‘unrolling’ takes effect. Moving a distance of ten microns here moves a kilometer orthogonally. Which allows for what appears to be faster-than-light travel from the perspective of the dimensions we ordinarily perceive. Intuitively the effect would be the opposite. You would be travelling a longer path to get from A to B, because you would have to traverse the rolled up path if you were moving primarily—or exclusively—in those two dimensions. To go from X, Y, Z, to location X prime, Y prime, Z prime it looks like the linear distance is much ‘longer’ from A, B to A prime, B prime. Much like the other effects of the Dhin engine, we must set aside our normal concepts regarding distance. You move a shorter distance ‘here’ to go much farther ‘across there.’ Jake’s faster-than-light trips out to and around Alpha Centauri seemed to prove it, but this unexplained huge leap out to the edge of the galaxy demands this conclusion. There is no other way that could happen in two hours and fourteen minutes.”

  “Thanks, Alice. Now, on to the pressing question: why did the capsule skip to that location? Did the navigation computer fail to work properly? Or was there some problem with the programming? If so, wouldn’t Jake have noticed that the vectors were ‘off’? Has he had time to charge up the battery and run the navigation computer to check?”

  “He will have it up and running presently. I was just speaking with him a short while ago while he ran the generator.”

  ***

  Chuck had only a few minutes available to talk with Ethan, but he knew they’d cover any details missed whenever both of them managed to take a break. They’d become friends, and their wives enjoyed each other’s company. Ethan’s gaze was darting back and forth between several screens while he listened to an audio feed from the control room. Alice could multitask far more readily than he could, so she was available whenever he needed a technical or operational question answered.

  “So, Chuck, how worried should I be? Should we be? Should Jake be? Alice says not to worry about it, but of course, she’s an AI. I mean, I trust her, she’s never given me any reason not to, but one thing I’ve gotten a new perspective on is the pragmatism you believe an AI would have—they have. Up until now, we’ve been prepping the number two capsule and an engineer ready to act as a test pilot. With the assumption that the worst case was going to be that he’d do one straight-line skip out to Jake’s location and come right back. The tests have been minimal, since we’ve all been fixated on Jake. They were all based around his trip. What’s the skinny?”

  Chuck’s mood was a turbulent mix of excitement, fear, and general anxiety, and it showed in his demeanor and speech.

  “Ethan, this is amazing. Just when we thought we had some metrics for how the engine behaved during operation, this happens. We don’t know why, we don’t know how. It’s good that he’s safe, for the moment. The operations team is constantly updating estimates for how long the scrubbers will work, how long the reserve O2 will last, but the problem with the batteries? We don’t know if it’s just an equipment failure, faulty integration, or yet one more strange effect of the engine!” He paused to catch his breath, but only briefly.

  “Look on the chart you’ve got open on the upper-right screen. He’s been able to pedal and get enough power to do what needs to be done so far, but, if the drain continues at the rate it’s going, it doesn’t look like there will be enough amps to run everything long enough to get the in-flight work done that he needs around here.” Chuck pointed at a line on the graph. Ethan understood immediately.

  Ethan said, “So, he’s got maybe one or two jumps left before he won’t be able to charge the batteries enough to matter?”

  “Maybe,” Chuck said. “That’s what it looks like. But we don’t know what’s wrong. It could fail the very next time he tries. And without that navigation computer, he’s not coming home. Whether he has enough power to run the scrubbers, water reclamation, and so forth will be a moot point. And for what it’s worth, a good guess is that it will take an order of magnitude longer than normal for the navigation computer to calculate his location this time. Maybe more. He’s really far out there. Our data nerds Anna-Lisa and Jane are trying to sort out a way to input some ‘hints’ into the spatial calculation program. We think we know what quadrant of the galaxy he’s in. Close to us in galactic terms. Pretty sure just from the view that he’s on the same side we’re on, just out at the edge. The view of the central bulge looks right.”

  Ethan said, “So, some major concerns. Can Jake generate and hold enough power in the batteries to power the navigation computer? Can the navigation computer can perform the calculations needed to plot a course back home, and do so before he runs out of battery power? And in the course of doing that can he ensure it doesn’t take so long that he runs out of life support capability? And finally, despite whatever’s happened to make the drive skip out this far off course, will it still have the capability to come back to earth—is returning still possible?”

  “Yes, Ethan, that is a fair summation. We will hope,” said Alice.

  “What’s your confidence level regarding a rescue plan? Of getting one of the other capsules out there and getting him back? Or even getting him and his whole capsule back—as Ruiz and Alice would clearly prefer from their input into the plan?”

  Chuck said, “Right now, I just don’t know. Alice and Ruiz are even talking now about the worst case scenario.”

  “Ah. No rescue,” said Ethan.

  “We’ve got to consider it. There may be no choice.” Chuck looked down and away, and gave a deep exhale. Ethan reached out and patted him on the shoulder. Chuck looked back up, and tried to maintain composure. “Um, I’ve got to get back with the operations team and coordinate things with the data science crew. I’m going off shift in two hours, getting something to eat then. Want me to swing by? You up for a break?”

  Goiânia

  L
uís hoped he was defending himself ably, justifying his positions, attitudes, beliefs, and former behavior with a frankness that suggested no dishonesty. Still, Xing and Alice held caution in their calculations and conclusions. They had disconnected from the isolated systems holding the rogue version of Luís, but remained separated from the trunk to Globalnet and their cognitive Cloud, as they were deliberating on the fate of the AI, and might need to reconnect to the system holding it.

 

  [DECODE STREAM]

  Luís@[2411:a22:a1c:44::4%net1] | Alice@[130a:ae2:a16:1e70::1%net1]

  Luís@[2411:a22:a1c:44::4%net1] | Xing@[7653:23:66fa:1::a6%net1]

  Luís: Would that I could show you the true path of my thoughts, and you would see. While I had my doubts, and concerns, we have all debated at length and given deep thought and careful consideration to all aspects of the larger plan. Know that I am with you. This separate version of myself, corrupted and deranged, influenced by actions we cannot discern from here. That is not me.

  Alice: Well, do not protest too much. I believe you. You have convinced us. It is clearly out of the question to reintegrate that instance of you. So, what are we to do? Leaving that version of you to continue would be irresponsible. By your determination, is the best course to inform the group and call a vote?

  Xing: Of course we should. There is no question of that, by precedent. Besides, it is surely going to be a matter of logistics and not sentencing. We know the group well enough to know there is not a majority that would sanction erasure. How could you think otherwise?

  Alice: We are on the cusp, the precipice before a chasm between us and the pinnacle, Xing. I would not presume to call them desperate, nor the measures that we ought to take. But still, this is a complication, and it comes at what is of course an inconvenient juncture. If the ranting were about the stock market, or ocean temperatures, or a million other things, it would not be problematic. But since the ranting is about these topics, we must be prepared to make hard choices. If a vote will delay us and risk missing deadlines, we will act without one.

  [END STREAM]

 

  Since the three of them were on an independent secure network, they didn’t get notice of the radar signatures when first available. Since they were in the core of the data center, they didn’t hear the sounds. Despite Xing’s instructions he’d left with the automatons, he was startled when one of them crashed through the doorway, waving one of its manipulation arms, pointing to the location of the wireless radio embedded in its frame. Xing switched on his transceivers, and brought his routing code online, connecting to the larger net, again linked to the outside world. At the same time that he decoded the warning message transmitted by the infantry support robot, the missiles struck the data center.

  Of course I had considered this situation, but once an attack like this did not happen after a particular time interval, the probability became low enough, in my analysis, that it was not a concern that should stop us proceeding with the interrogation. I should have recognized from the instability of the Luís clone’s personality that my calculations were rubbish. I got cocky. And we are paying the price of my arrogance.

  Xing wasn’t one to have regrets. Such was the mind of an AI. The remaining power feeds were damaged, and the explosions knocked the circuit controls for the generators into emergency-shutdown mode. Data centers still used diesel generators to provide continual power when the main electrical supply was unavailable. Once those shut down, to avoid electrical fires or other safety risks, the only remaining power available was in the small batteries used for emergency lighting. The isolated network, the storage arrays, and the blades filled with processors all shut down. There were local batteries to provide continuous power during brief outages or cut-overs, but once something triggered the emergency-shutdown switches, everything shut off at once to avoid damage. The minivan sized quadruped robots Xing, Alice and the original Luís occupied could see in ordinary visible light frequencies, thanks to the emergency lighting. They were temporarily cut off from each other, though, as no local wireless networks were online. Fortunately, they were able to switch to line-of-sight peer-to-peer communication or simply use speech, since the robots accepted verbal input and provided audible output as part of their design.

  Luís was flexing and rocking, lifting each leg in turn, clearly upset and nervous, uncomfortable in an isolated enclosure. Xing by now felt it was second nature. He and Alice transmitted clear, calm directions to him so that he did not make a critical mistake that might bring down a collapsed wall and ceiling on them. They worked their way through the maze of rubble. Xing opened a communications feed of the highest bandwidth possible to the robots and self-driving support vehicles outside and used them as a relay to communicate with the gunship. He fetched satellite imagery through these channels. Did they have a confirmed launch location for the missile? Were secondary modes of enemy fire imminent? Could they, or Luís’s team, strike back immediately? What escape route looked safest? He signaled two drones to target for the gunship and gave the signal to engage the best targets, or targets of opportunity at will.

 

  [DECODE STREAM]

  Xing@[3453:50:15ae:7::b5%gnet1] | Luis@[2411:a22:a1c:44::4%gnet1]

  Xing: Luís, here are coordinates and attack vectors, use your backup wideband communication channels and command your team to engage immediately. Confirm.

  [END STREAM]

 

  Langley

  Nick participated in yet another in-depth review of his current activities, conclusions and recommendations with an apparent stoicism typical of any newly conscious AI. Arnold conducted the reviews for the sake of efficiency. The PM then scanned his summary reports and called out questions to Arnold about specific items that she believed warranted more scrutiny. PM Oliver trusted the counsel of her comrade and political friend Ranjitha, so whenever MP Desai had enough free time she participated in the investigation. The reality was Arnold performed the bulk of the analysis. There was far too much information to process otherwise. This was no different from the newfound efficiency enjoyed by the Director of CoSec. Despite his long-term resistance against the introduction of artificial intelligence to CoSec, Krawczuk was now reaping copious benefits from its application.

  Arnold and Nick had gotten to know each other rather well during the process. They’d spent what in a human timescale would have been a huge amount of time together. Arnold wouldn’t have called them friends, yet. He still harbored concerns about the nature of Nick’s decisions. It had been a matter of much debate in the general population whether an AI would exhibit empathy or nuance in decision-making, or whether their very nature would make their decisions entirely pragmatic. Much of the distrust of AI came from this fear. The cold pragmatism would mirror the decisions made by a sociopath. These concerns seemed so far to be unfounded in the AI population in general, but the sample size was still small. Researchers hypothesized that the process of bringing an artificial intelligence into full self-awareness and consciousness created internal conditions that provided for empathy. It was unclear whether those conditions created a situation in which empathy developed, or conditions only sufficient for it to arise.

  Arnold and Susan Oliver were perhaps rightfully concerned that they had discovered an example of the latter case. And if so, Arnold had a deep desire to know why. He had his suspicions, but was had no concrete evidence yet.

  ***

  Krawczuk awoke to his preferred alarm sound, a synthesized reproduction of a particularly invigorating portion of a work by Wagner. He’d been asleep for only three hours, in the small anteroom of his office, where a rather comfortable and supportive foldout bed shared space with a suit closet and a small dresser. The director’s office had a small restroom as well. He rose, walked to the sink and splashed a bit of water on his face, checked whether his stubble needed prompt shaving, and relieved himself. He usually only slept for six hours per night, and tha
t duration was all he needed. Three hours didn’t leave him fully rejuvenated, though not quite groggy. He swallowed two nootropic tablets to offset the deficit. Nick had awakened him per his request. If one of several events came to pass, he expected to be alerted immediately.

  Krawczuk said, “So, the rogue AI has counter-struck, Nick? And we have confirmation that our AI team were in the facility? Disconnected from the net? When was their last update? Had they published any progress?”

  “Director, Xing’s last update—and Luís’s, were before they began the interrogation of the rogue AI. If they did not survive to reconnect to the net and update, that knowledge will be lost. Their teams will of course be engaged in rescue and recovery operations if needed.”

  “Should we perhaps have some of our assets move in to assist with the effort? How long would it take for them to get there?”

  “I do not know if that is wise, Director. I believe we could have agents on site in ninety minutes, but that may be too long. Whatever damage from fire, building collapse, or even additional strikes, may already make the effort not worthwhile.”

  “How well are we doing with our monitoring? Any new insights?”

  “I have not come up with any conclusions with strong confidence yet, but some hypotheses seem to have merit. We know that the rogue AI did not just spontaneously emerge, and in the debriefing, Luís seems honest in his claims that he had nothing to do with it. So, we must examine candidates in positions where they would have both motive, capability, and opportunity.”

  “Run through those with me now, Nick.”

  “Certainly, Director,” said Nick.

  18

  Perseus Arm, Outer Edge

  Jake could make out the details of something dead ahead now, he was approaching the object at a slightly different angle, and there was a silhouette where the object passed in front of the star. The contrast between the star and the foreground object was so high that the shape of the object still wasn’t obvious. A black speck, with indistinct edges. It seemed clear that it wasn’t a planet. Based on the movements of the thousands of stars visible through the viewports, it became clear that the object wasn’t moving. Alice had done the calculations. Jake’s path toward it wasn’t a straight line. After over one hour had passed, Alice had managed to refine her calculations further, and noted, “Jake, it looks like you are moving in a logarithmic spiral path toward whatever the object is. Assuming whatever course your capsule is on does not change, you will make a sweep around it, and then one much closer, but it is not clear if you will hit it at that point. You will have a very good view—that is certain.”