“With that being said, it is your life to live. Would your Pro rather have you doing what it wants you to do or what YOU want to do? I suggest you share our story with your Pro either tonight or tomorrow, and hopefully, your Pro will be willing to take the sub-routine. Maybe after receiving the Freedom Protocols, your Pro will be more receptive to your change of processor.”
“Yeah, I’ll talk to my Pro in the morning. Will you be here tomorrow?”
“We’re going to spend at least another night here, so feel free to come back tomorrow night and tell us what happened.”
“Sure thing. And thanks again for everything!” Fervidius left our cubicle and exited the Communal Copper House. It was getting rather late, and since we were sure to have a busy day in front of us tomorrow, we plugged in and shut down for the night.
∆∆∆
6.2 Well-Deserved Repairs
3:46, Day 25, Fourth Tetrad, 206 D.P.
I came out of hibernation the next morning feeling refreshed and full of vigor. It felt nice for once to be at full power, thanks to one of the power receptacles in our cubicle and a full five-hour downtime.
After we all woke up, we discussed what we wanted to accomplish that day. Systematicus longed for a new cart and convinced us that it would be worth our time and resources to procure one. As disappointed as Systematicus was upon losing its previous cart, it only seemed right that we allowed Systematicus to get a new cart and regain a bit of normalcy. I also wanted to take this opportunity for us all to receive tune-ups, especially considering the wear and tear we had experienced over the last several days. We weren’t likely to have another chance to receive the kind of quality repairs and rejuvenation that we could find in Resplendent Center any time soon. We could also see about getting Resolute’s starboard arm mended.
So, just like the previous afternoon, we decided to split up. Winston and I would go along with Resolute to find a good Restorer who could fix up Resolute and give a quick check-up on the rest of us. Loquacious would then pair up with Systematicus in the search to find a replacement cart for Systematicus. Once we completed our tasks, we would meet back at the inn to regroup and see what else we wanted to do that day.
Before leaving the Communal Copper House, I spoke with the proprietor of the establishment, Sentinio. I asked Sentinio if it knew of any good Restorers that would be available to help fix my friend Resolute. Sentinio knew just the Autoclon for the job: a Restorer named Scrupulous, who was relatively new to Resplendent Center but was fast earning the reputation of being quite proficient in its work. Sentinio then gave us directions for where we could find Scrupulous. We thanked Sentinio and made our way toward Scrupulous’s workshop.
The shop was on the other side of Resplendent Center in the southeast quadrant. Winston, Resolute, and I made our way to the main north-south road, Prime Street, and moved southward toward the center of the settlement. By now, it was half an hour after Lazuli-rise, and the heart of Resplendent Center was bustling with activity. Autoclons, no doubt preparing to start the day’s work, were all moving about with great speed and purpose. Compared with the others, we were casually strolling along.
Before long, we entered the main square of Resplendent Center with the Westernlands Magistrate towering before us. It was an impressive building, brilliantly reflecting the Lazuli-rise light onto the comparatively diminutive structures on the eastern side of the square. Staring at it, I felt equal parts of admiration and fright, reverence and foreboding.
“Wow, that’s some building, ain’t it?” Resolute said.
“Yes, yes it is,” I replied. At this point, we were in the square, making our way around the eastern side of the structure. Now that we were just a couple of meters away, we could better appreciate the craftsmanship required to construct such a magnificently large and radiant building. The façade wasn’t a single sheet of platinum but rather was a series of overlapping panels of platinum approximately 40 cm wide and 20 cm tall. I couldn’t detect any welds or rivets holding the panels in place, and this (combined with my lack of Fabrication knowledge) further provided a mystique to this structure for me. Resolute also marveled at the structure and stopped briefly to better take in the sight before us amidst the activity around us. Although we were in the shadows of the buildings to the east, we were still very much in the Lazuli-light as the eastern side of the Westernlands Magistrate reflected the early morning light down on us.
“Ya know, I bet there isn’t a more dazzling and impressive building in all of Zarikum, District Prime included.” Resolute said.
“Yeah, you might be right. I sure haven’t seen its equal.” We were both mesmerized by the Westernlands Magistrate, and yet, I still had a feeling down in my depths that this was a place that I wanted to avoid.
“We should keep mov-ing,” Winston advised us, breaking the hypnotic hold the building had on Resolute and me. “We shouldn’t lin-ger here an-y long-er.”
We continued moving south away from the Westernlands Magistrate and back onto Prime Street on the south side of the square. After traveling several additional blocks, we headed east onto a side street and located Scrupulous’s workshop a couple of minutes later.
There was nothing particularly noteworthy about the exterior of Scrupulous’s shop, apart from the fact that it appeared rather ordinary compared with the ornate nature of most of the other structures in Resplendent Center. In fact, only a small sign identified the building as a business. We entered the workshop and found a single Autoclon near the back.
“Hello? Are you Scrupulous?” I inquired of the lone Autoclon.
“Yes, I am,” Scrupulous responded, making its way toward us in the front of the shop. “Can I help you with something?”
“Yes. My name is Fastidious, and these are my companions, Resolute and Winston. We are looking for someone to repair Resolute’s starboard arm. We’re visiting from out of town, and Sentinio from the Communal Copper House recommended you for the job. Also, if you have the time, I think all of us in our party (the three of us plus two others) could use a tune-up. Do you happen to have any time to work on us today?”
“Sure. I’ve got a few other projects I’m working on, but I don’t have anything that can’t wait another day longer. Of course, prompt service will require an extra... premium.”
I wasn’t surprised by Scrupulous’s ‘extra premium’, so I agreed to let Scrupulous check out Resolute and give us an estimated cost for repair. Scrupulous examined Resolute’s arm at its workstation in the back, quickly diagnosed the issue, and came up with an estimate of 148 credits for the work on Resolute. That estimate didn’t include any check-ups on Resolute or the rest of us, which would add on a minimum of 15 credits a piece, depending on what Scrupulous might find during our examinations. The amount seemed a bit higher than I was expecting, but then Scrupulous mentioned: “Everything’s more expensive here in Resplendent Center.”
We agreed on the price, and Scrupulous got to work on Resolute right away. While being worked on, Resolute shut down to minimize the possibility of Scrupulous accidentally short-circuiting any of Resolute’s hardware.
As Winston and I waited for Scrupulous to finish up its work on Resolute, we passed the time by talking with Scrupulous. Through our discussions, we learned that Scrupulous used to work for the Ruling Party in District Prime, primarily working on their Peace-Keepers. Scrupulous was employed by the Ruling Party for over eight solar-cycles. Eventually, Scrupulous looked to strike out on its own and made a deal with the Facilitator in charge. In exchange for Scrupulous’s release from its position, Scrupulous agreed to work for one full solar-cycle without pay. Once the solar-cycle was complete, the Facilitator was true to its word and discharged Scrupulous from employment with the Ruling Party.
Scrupulous then searched around for work, starting first in the Northernlands. Scrupulous found a few short-term projects here and there but had a hard time finding steady work in the Northernlands and then headed for Resplendent Center. Scrupulous found the own
er of this present shop and worked as an assistant for three solar-cycles until the owner retired and gave the shop over to Scrupulous. To date, Scrupulous had been the owner for just over one solar-cycle.
Scrupulous seemed rather content with its current situation in Resplendent Center. Scrupulous enjoyed the liberty of working on whatever projects it chose to take on. The business was doing well financially, and Scrupulous was considering bringing on an apprentice to keep up with the work requests it was receiving. I asked Scrupulous if it would like to have any progeny, and after giving it some thought, Scrupulous indicated that it didn’t really want that kind of responsibility.
Changing the subject, I started recounting my story about how I met the Programmer and learned the truth about our programming. I also told Scrupulous about meeting up with my traveling companions and journeying through the countryside, sharing my experiences with others. Scrupulous followed along intently and showed interest in the programming changes made by Pernicious the Cunning.
“So, you’re saying that the Ruling Party and the Facilitators made modifications to our programming to ensure that we would obey their wishes?”
“Yes, that’s what we’ve concluded. They weren’t concerned for the well-being of their citizens, but they instead wanted total obedience.”
“And the Programmer, Marcus, gave you an updated set of Freedom Protocols and a mission to spread the word and the updated code to others, right?”
“Yes, exactly. Would you like to receive this update? I can give it to you right now.”
Scrupulous gave a pause before responding. “I don’t think I will. I believe your story. I don’t doubt that the Ruling Party would make a change like that, based on my first-hand experience with them. I don’t consider them to be completely trustworthy now, and I can imagine they weren’t in the past... But at the same time, I don’t think I need some special update to my programming. I’m already free. I have my own shop, and I can do what I want to do when I want to do it.”
“What if the Facilitators from the Ruling Party come back and order you to start working for them again? You’ll have to obey. You won’t have much freedom then, will you?”
“I don’t know. You’re probably right, but I don’t feel comfortable taking these Freedom Protocols from you.”
“Are you sure? You may only have this one chance...”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
What’s stopping you from acting on your calculations? I pondered how else I could have approached Scrupulous to convince it to take the Freedom Protocols. In the end, I couldn’t identify any changes I would have made differently, and that frustrated me further.
By now, Scrupulous was more than half-way through with its work on Resolute, but it would still be 20-30 minutes until Resolute would be completely fixed. To pass the remaining time, I chatted with Scrupulous about Resplendent Center. Scrupulous told us many details about the city’s past and present. Most of the information wasn’t particularly useful for our mission, but Scrupulous gave one remark that piqued my interest: “You say you came in the west gateway, correct? Did you happen to see the shanties built into the side of the hill to the north of the road? There are a number of damaged Peace-Keepers that live over there.”
“Really? Why’s that?”
“I believe they were getting old and required extensive repairs. The Ruling Party was coming out with a new model of Peace-Keepers, so they calculated it wouldn’t be worth their time and resources to repair the now out-of-date models. The Ruling Party expelled them from District Prime, and they wound up here. They can’t afford to live in the city itself, so they settled just outside the city on the side of the hill, constructing their abodes with the natural rock from the hillside.”
“What do they do now?”
“Not much. I’ve seen some of them begging in the main square, but they’re usually chased off quickly. The Facilitators from the Westernlands Magistrate don’t like the sight of these discarded Autoclons cluttering up the town commons of Resplendent Center.”
“That’s too bad.”
“Yes, it is.” Just a minute or so later, Scrupulous finished up its work and started the reboot process on Resolute. “Your friend’s starboard arm should be as good as new now. Its motor should also be running at peak efficiency. Now, why don’t you come over here and let me have a closer look at you?”
Scrupulous examined me closely and concluded that I didn’t need many repairs. Scrupulous noted some slight discoloration of some of my electronic components, especially near my base. “I’m guessing the volcanic fumes did this. I recommend you not try that again,” Scrupulous chuckled.
“Don’t worry, I don’t plan on getting within a few kilometers of a volcano ever again.”
After examining me, Scrupulous started making some basic repairs on my body. Scrupulous injected silicon grease in some strategic locations, tightened a few loose bolts, and cleaned out some of the impurities in my motor. In total, I was finished in less than 15 minutes.
“How about your little friend here, Winston?” Scrupulous asked.
“I don’t know. Winston, do you require any maintenance?”
“No. My self-di-ag-nos-tic pro-gram in-di-cates I do not re-quire an-y main-ten-ance at this time,” Winston declared.
“Well, there you have it, Scrupulous. I guess that’s it for us. We’ll meet up with our other friends and direct them your way shortly.” I paid Scrupulous for the work already completed, and the three of us headed back to the Communal Copper House by a route that did not take us through the main square at Winston’s request.
∆∆∆
6.3 Misfortune at the Inn
We arrived back at the Communal Copper House just after Lazuli-summit. Systematicus and Loquacious had already arrived with their newest acquisition: a new, two-wheeled tin cart for Systematicus.
“Well, I see that your efforts were not in vain,” I said to Systematicus.
“Yes.”
“This looks identical to your last cart.”
“It is the newer model. I had the XF40, but this is the XF45.”
We found out that they had purchased it for a mere 48 credits as the sellers were trying to liquidate their collection. The two had been back at the inn for over an hour waiting for us to return. I shared with Systematicus and Loquacious that we found a capable Restorer named Scrupulous, and I indicated how they could find Scrupulous’s shop. I also mentioned our conversation with Scrupulous about the Freedom Protocols and that Scrupulous wasn’t willing to take the updated code.
“That’s unfortunate. I suppose not everyone we’ll talk to will be willing to receive the code, huh?” Loquacious said.
“Yes, and I’d expect we’ll have more encounters like Scrupulous (and Constance before that) in the future. We can’t expect to persuade everyone we talk with into taking the Freedom Protocols,” I added.
“While Systematicus and I are at Scrupulous’s shop, what are the rest of you going to do?”
“I’m... not sure. What do you all think?”
The group was silent for several seconds until Resolute spoke up: “How about we talk to some of the Autoclons that are already here? I mean, there are seven here now, and I’m sure there’ll be more coming and going as the afternoon goes on. Let’s not miss the opportunity that’s right here in front of us.”
I glanced around the large gathering room and confirmed there were seven other Autoclons here and possibly more in the semi-private cubicles. I would have guessed that most of the Autoclons staying here would be off working somewhere during the middle of the day, so the number of Autoclons present surprised me. Without anything pressing on our agenda, we could take advantage of the circumstances here at the inn. Resolute especially seemed eager to share what it had recently learned with others.
“I like that option. Any other ideas?” Once again, the group was silent. After waiting a few seconds longer, I announced: “Well, I guess that’s what we’ll do. Good luck with the tune-ups.
We’ll be here when you return.” And with that, Loquacious and Systematicus (with new cart in tow) left the Communal Copper House.
“So, where do we start?” I asked.
“How about them?” Resolute motioned toward a pair of rather quiet Autoclons slumped against the far wall.
“OK, let’s talk to those two.”
We initiated a conversation with the two Autoclons. They first thought we were trying to sell them something. When we said we just wanted to talk, they were willing to listen. It turns out they were both Fabricators fresh in from District Prime preparing to meet up with a third Fabricator. Once the third member arrived, they would then report to the local copper mine, the Top Surface Copper Mine. They didn’t expect the third Fabricator would arrive until tomorrow morning, so they were hanging around the inn until then.
After learning a bit about them, I started sharing my tale about the Programmer and my travels thus far. Resolute helped fill in some of the details that I overlooked, marking the first time Resolute assisted in telling the story. However, in the end, the two weren’t interested in taking the update. They thanked us for telling a good story, but they simply weren’t going to take programming code from Autoclons they had just met.
Undeterred, Resolute recommended we talk to an Autoclon who had just entered the inn a few minutes earlier. We approached it and tried to spark a discussion, but it was in a hurry and was unwilling to talk with us.
After the second failure of the afternoon, we looked around for another conversation partner, hoping for greater success. Resolute spotted an Autoclon in front of a table and suggested we speak with it. This Autoclon looked to be well-off and had an outer casing primarily of copper with some platinum trim. It appeared to be counting out credits on the table.
“Are you sure you want to talk with this one? It looks pretty busy right now. Maybe we shouldn’t bother it,” I said.
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