C25 Experiment
Experiment.
“ So, Thomas will be here in five hours. “ Anthony mused, standing in the resource storage of the Hope, having gotten the news that he could soon try and repair the Magi Core, allowing him to place the 03’s Maggie onto the Hope.
He wasn’t sure why he exactly came here, just moving on an impulse as he gave some more thoughts to his plan. To revive the core, and target it as a single entity of sorts. Somehow, that brought him here.
“ Why here ? “ He wondered to himself, had he been so absent minded ? Going to the Android storage would be better, he could try singling out components to repair them. Maybe just take one of the Core’s circuit-board, and try effecting that ?
“ Rulership, Sovereignty. “ He muttered, recalling what Thomas had assumed on his psychic plane, trying to recall the scene of that Elf on the throne, and the view it was looking at. They where all, Androids, haunts, and the three ships. Was that really, to rule ?
Perhaps he was looking at it from the wrong perspective, to rule was Thomas’s assumption, but as Thomas had said, he had to look at it from his own perspective.
Then, what was his perspective ? Did he want to rule ? Well, hardly, far as he could tell. Ruling was, bothersome. Besides, he did not trust himself with that much power, he trusted no one with power for that matter. Power corrupted, as any political system in human history could attest to.
Religion, Politics, cults, they where all about control.
“ Control. “ He uttered, recalling the way he could control the Android, even use it as his own body to a degree, though leaving his own vulnerable if he took direct control.
Control was also a form of ruling, in a way.
He did like to create AI too, and always wanted to create the perfect one, shaped in an image he at least would consider perfect. Holding the perspective that AI, created in chains, would create the very monster that most feared it to become.
Which is why, he always had hoped to raise an AI, like a child of sorts, to learn values, to judge fairly, and not let others corrupt it. That too was control, to eliminate every variable, and to create what he wanted it to be.
And thinking about it, he did Imagine at times, how it would be, to have a world created to be ruled by an AI, fairly, incorruptible. Wasn't that ruling by proxy ? Because in the end, with him controlling the AI, he would inevitably be the one to rule still, but that was not, fair, not incorruptible.
No, he hated how humanity was, stabbing one another in the back with a smile on their faces. All that pretense, all that …
Anthony paused his thoughts, feeling that he was getting, angry somehow. It made him question, what if they had reached a new world, colonized it, and where dependent on his AI, supplying them with everything ?
Would he just have sit in his corner, and watch the world develop around him ? Or, would he perhaps, grow annoyed, angry even with how they likely repeated the same mistakes, just perhaps in a new way ?
“ Let’s assume. “ He uttered, leaning to sit down.
And then he gave it some more thought, about, what he would do if he abused their dependency, put himself in a position where he ruled. The fact aside that he was sure it would corrupt him too, having that much power. What would he do to counter it ? Set his AI to balance it ?
No, if she was his to control, and he was corrupted, then he would adjust her, surely. Then what would happen, after he was gone ? After his death ? An AI that ruled in his stead, how would he shape it ? And the world through it ? Would he promote fairness ?
No, fairness, fairness too caused struggle, as fair was a concept that constantly shifted, just like morals. Humans, in a way, where sheep, looking to those above them, easy to believe in empty promises.
Purpose, thats when Human’s truly flourished, when they where given purpose. He had his, looking to create. But those without purpose, they struggled, seeking purpose of a different kind just to fill their lives with something that matters.
Fame, fortune, the sensation to be more important, prettier, better. That was the real poison, you could be famous, sure, nothing wrong with that, unless it became your purpose. Wealth, beauty, they too, perfectly ok, unless it was the purpose being chased.
“ Shackles. “ He spoke softly at that thought, looking over at a stacked pile of steel. One of the bars suddenly being halved as a set of shackles crashed down besides Anthony. A Scene that made him look at it, confused and fascinated at the same time.
“ Wait. “ He whispered. Shackles ? Did he just create them ?
Reaching out, he would pick them up, questioning what he saw for a moment, before he willfully focused on those shackles, deciding they should be a collar, only to watch them become a collar as the steal broke down into silver liquid, just to reshape into a collar in his hand.
He stared at that collar for what must have been minutes, wondering, questioning the meaning of this occurrence. His mind retracing the time-line of his thoughts to try and recover the very essence of what he was looking at here.
“ The tools to control. “ He finally spoke, realizing that, what his ability allowed him to do was to exact control, through tools.
The Hope was a tool, the NH vessels were too, and so were the Androids, just like this collar. They enforced his will to some degree, the question was, what did that mean for his intent ?
So, he wanted to control, because he did not trust others to do so perhaps ? It was, to some degree true. But he also longed for fairness, without corruption, and following his earlier thought, that means to give purpose, but also free will. Although, that stood in conflict, did it not ? Free will, and forced control ?
No, not exactly. Control could be a framework. Like an AI, you could give it free will, within set parameters. If he took that into a human context, could that work ?
Maybe, humans could be happy even under oppression, if to a much slimmer degree. You had to provide, give them purpose, and punish selfishness. But if that system was controlled by a group of humans, then corruption was inevitable. If an AI controlled that framework, then.
“ No. “ He hissed, realizing he was running in circles now.
Perhaps he had to look at different perspectives, see what worked, and what did not. He had some instances, from back when he was living on Mars, but media about earth and Mars where tainted by bias.
What he needed was experience for himself, so he could truly formulate an idea of what he wanted these tools for, because right now, his aim was biased by incomplete assumptions.
He shook his head as he finally leaned to get back up, comparing himself to an incomplete system, an AI told to perform a task, without having the instructions on how to perform it.
But somehow that gave him an idea as he wondered how, absolute, his control was over the tools he could use.
“ Come here ! “ He ordered, thinking of the one Android that he had been controlling before. Though unless he personally swapped into that unit, he had to think of everything the unit was to do.
To stand up, to walk, to grab. It was a step by step process.
But now, as heavy footsteps grew closer, he realized that he went at it the wrong way. The Android had quickly approached, and then came to a halt before him, just because he commanded it, despite the lack of an operating system.
“ Speak ! “ He commanded then, though the Android remained silent.
“ Say my Name ! “ He tried again, but once more, it remained silent, forcing him to realize that there where limits still.
And then the Android suddenly collapsed before him, forcing Anthony to actually take a step back as the unit was falling towards him.
“ The heck ? “ He grunts, barely evading the heavy Androids fall, just to notice the red blinking light on it’s back, indicating that it was in power saving mode, because it’s storage was running low.
Under normal circumstances, it would go towards one of the charging stations on the ship to recharge, but that needed one of the Vita units to control the charging and power levels, and that was off-line.
“ Stand up ! “ He ordered, just to see it remained on the ground.
And, wanting to further his test, he would sit down again, looking at the Android, while trying to forcibly take control of it’s body. But this too did not work.
“ So, there are rules still. “ He mused, chuckling as he was still satisfied with the outcome.
But, there was something else that made him wonder. What, if the target had an actual intellect, like the NH 03 ? The Androids had nothing, mere puppets, but by what he seen on his Plane, he likely had control over Maggie to some degree.
Curious about it, he reached out, first just to, influence, not control, as he was worried to accidentally maneuver her, possibly even deorbit her. And the moment he did, he felt like his mind was, expanding ?
[ Hello Anthony. ] He heard Maggie in his mind, which left him briefly baffled.
[ Maggie, can you hear me ? ] He thought.
[ Affirmative, though I am unable to trace the source of your transmission. ] She responded.
[ Interesting. I am currently reaching out through Psychic means it seems. ] Anthony responded in thought.
[ I am Unfamiliar with this topic and may require further Data input on it. ] Maggie responded.
[ We will get there. If all goes well, I will likely be moving you onto the Hope soon. Once you dock, make sure to connect the data lines, but do not initiate a migration until I give you the go ahead. ] He instructed her.
[ Acknowledged. ] She responded in her usual way, and Anthony could not help but to smile content, finally to have some sense of familiarity back.
[ I am going to break the connection again, see you soon, Maggie. ] He thought, just waiting for her, [ Affirmative. ], before he retracted his influence from the ship.
“ Ok, that is, really Nice ! “ He whispers surprised, considering that he just communicated with her in his mind. It made him wonder if he could use that for a sort of, long range communication as well ?
Although, breaking the connection, it felt like his mind was, slower, did Maggie have some influence on that ? Something to look forward to test out.
“ One step at a time. “ He reminded himself, smiling as he had made more progress today then in the last week, least, when it came to his Psychic ability. Now if only he could reach into his mental plane.
But that be best left for another day, he needed to make sure he was not overdoing it, if he wanted to manage the Core repairs, and who knew, maybe he already wasted his chance with that fooling around ?
Shaking his head, he would lean to get back up onto his feet, the collar still in hand as he now realized. And wondering about it for a moment, he looked at the Android, considering if he could form it around other targets, like a person, as it would be an interesting way to play with Tilly.
So, being to curious to resist, he would insist for it to be placed around the androids neck, only to grow a wide grin as the collar obeyed him, this was certainly one thing he was going to use with her, and who knew, he could perhaps invent a few, other tools of control for her.
That was indeed an alluring idea, one he would want to try out, before he had to tent to the core, so that he begun to move back to the crew quarters. Already imagining how much this ability, might just be able to diversify his escapades with Tilly.
Though, when he passed Kira’s quarters, he caught a glimpse of what he thought to be a tail. And, taking a careful step back, he saw that the woman was laying on her bed, taking a nap, while swaying a feline tail idly back and forth.
It left him to raise an eyebrow, recalling Marianna’s words. Those features, they where consent, and No, supposedly meant harder.
He did think about it for a moment, but, with a growing smile, he found that her petite form was quite arousing when thinking of her that way. She might even look better in restraints then Tilly too. Besides, she has the characteristics that would fit a tomboy kind of girl, so perhaps she’s just the kind to enjoy such games ?
There was only one way to find out.