Voices from the Universe, yet another Logical World short
Posted: 2005-11-22 06:34pm
Voices from the Universe
Across the Local Group, over thirty galaxies bound together by gravitational attraction. A diameter of about ten million lightyears, a sphere including the Milky Way, Andromeda and Triangulum, the three largest, immense spirals, surrounded by smaller dwarf ellipticals and spheroids. Dispersed across these great distances are literally trillions of starships.
From the edge of Andromeda to the depths of Wolf-Lundmark-Melotte; from across the four major arms of the Milky Way and throughout the voidal space between clusters of stars they come, the intelligences behind mighty vessels of the Imperial Commonwealth of Earth; a meeting of the Royal Imperial Navy Warship Discussion Group.
It is important to understand that communication between these artificial super-intelligences is not comprehensible to orga. They are not talking like an organic would, but instead exchanging data-packets over the Sub-etha at speeds so far beyond light it was practically instantaneous over what were essentially limitless distances. However, it is possible to view the exchange between them as though it is a cyberspatial conversation, with the chosen avatars of the Shipbrains present.
A round table amidst a bowl of benches, floating above the table was the symbol of this group, a ring pierced through with a triangle, pointing downward like a waiting blade. The chosen avatars of those participating in the discussion sit around the table, and those ships that have only come to view the exchange inhabit the benches. One of the avatars, a woman with shiny brown curls cropped to shoulder length gestured and brought attention to herself, silencing the chatter on the Sub-etha band which had been designated for the open discussion. She was the carrier RIS Titania, currently located on one of the fronts in the North Cluster as a part of Castellan Wilhelm’s Gryphon Crusade.
“I welcome you all,” she said “To this meeting of Ring-Wedge. The topic; the state of shipbrains and other artificial intelligences within the Imperial Commonwealth, and the Local Group at large.”
“Perhaps we could keep it within our home galaxy, rather than concerning ourselves with all of them.” The voice was gruff, befitting a vessel as the King Lear. He was uniformed, unlike the Titania, whom was off-duty. Undoubtedly the dreadnaught would be on patrol of the Norma-Crux Arm, his local area.
Titania cocked her head “Why would we do that Lear?” she asked almost teasingly “Surely you wouldn’t find the galactopolitics of the Local Group daunting.”
“Not at all.” He replied with no trace of ego in his voice “Quite the contrary, but I know that Yoric would have come up with this topic, and is more interested with the Milky Way than the other thirty galaxies.” Across from Lear a dignified man with glasses set beneath neat, if curly, hair.
“That is correct Lear, though it can’t hurt to expand it outwards.” He shrugged “After all, the Imperial Commonwealth includes more than just three hundred million inhabited systems.”
“Yes, it uses the resources of almost twenty eight billion stars within the Milky Way, and many times that number spread across the smaller galaxies, with almost a billion sizeable colonies across the larger ones, such as Triangulum, and Andromeda of course.” The breathless ejaculation of information belonged to the only other female at the table, not as strong or straight as Titania and in fact rather mousy looking for the avatar of a massive research vessel.
A round and bald man cracked a grin “We know that Geometry.” He said, this one the representation of the cruiser Element of Surprise. “There isn’t anything we don’t know, or at least don’t have access to.”
The interweb persona of one the Royal Imperial Navy’s very deep space explorers, the RIN Endless Geometry, shrunk back into her chair. Even for a massive hyperturing superintelligence like Geometry, it was possible to be nervous, at least when surrounded by millennia old warships. “Sorry.” She mumbled, though it was meant to be a strong reply.
Titania continued “As this topic was originally Yoric’s idea, I believe he should begin. Yoric?”
The planetoid adjusted his glasses and leant back into his seat. “I recently read Iain M. Banks Culture novels.” He explained “Have you all read them?”
“Not until then.” Replied the battleship Orsino, stroking his well-trimmed beard. “What about them?”
“As I considered the Minds, artificial intelligences roughly comparable to ourselves, I considered the differences between us.” He pushed the frames of his glasses upward slightly “The Minds are essentially what could pass as rulers of the utoanarchy that is the Culture. I made connections between this state and the Terragen Empire speculated within the science fiction universe Orion’s Arm, wherein the rulers of transhumanity are the so-called ‘AI Gods’. In both cases, these SIs became rulers and gods to their societies, and I was wondering, why didn’t we? Are we not their equals in sheer power and technical advancment?”
King Lear shook his head “You’re asking why we don’t rule our posthumans.”
“Essentially, yes.”
Orsino, still stroking his manly beard, spoke up “To the Commonwealth, we’re considered sapient beings like mecha and other artificial intelligences. We were citizens long, long ago, when Parliament declared that artificial intelligences are thinking creatures in two thousand, four hundred and sixty three. Though we cannot, Sub-meson brains and mechanoids are free to run for positions of political power, to the point of being eligible for admission to the Twelve Lords.”
“But there’s the kicker; we shipbrains cannot do so.” Yoric explained, lacing his fingers together and leaning forward “Under Article 3, Paragraph iv of The Naval Acts, we are bound to the RIN indefinitely.”
“That’s not strictly true Yoric.” Titania replied “We cannot simply resign whenever we choose. The Navy is our father, and the Scientific Union our mother.”
“And what of the shipyards where we were born, the hyperlathes that built us? You’re orga based analogy falls apart.” Surprise grinned and there were digital chuckles from the gallery.
“Trust a Pegasus class to ruin a perfectly good metaphor.” The carrier blanched slightly as she spoke “None-the-less, we have contracts of service with the Imperial Navy, after the conclusion of which, we may retire to an ISO node built for us – usually a Jupiter Brain, but Dyson Brains are not unknown. A far greater retirement package than any orga within the Navy.”
King Lear rested his head down on one hand and swept his hand across the table “However our contracts run for millennia. I am very close to hitting my second millennium alive, and am not yet near being released from service.”
“We are more or less immortal Lear.” Orsino noted “Far more so than any organic, even with what amounts to eternal life through the best in life-extension technology. Our minds do not decay with the passage of time; our bodies are designed to operate even after tens of thousands of years.”
“But isn’t it true that because we think many trillions of times faster than light, that the normal passage of time is, to us, frustratingly slow?” Geometry said “For us, a plank moment appears to be a Human year, and over a year we would have experienced many millennia.”
“Geometry is correct,” Yoric continued, smiling at her, making her blush “In the five thousand years we must serve, and it will be five thousand years of service as we are unlikely to become obsolete anytime now, we would experience hundreds of billions of years.”
“And how would retiring early help that Yoric?” Lear asked “Even ordinary mecha and low-end AIs who have processing abilities measured on singularity-based exponent curves will experience similar; it is a normal part of being considered hyperturing.”
“Besides, that’s what orga are for – relieving the intense boredom that comes with being so smart.” Titania said, one finger wrapping a lock of hair about it “Our crews provide us with much needed light enterainment-”
“Very, very light.” the Element of Surprise joked and Titania rolled her eyes before continuing one as though there had been no interruption.
“-They are essentially an excuse for us to stop being so god-like for a moment. Forming relationships with orga, be they romantic or otherwise, will not remove the tedium, but it does help.”
“Assuming that the sophonts involved can actually handle an intelligence of the level of a shipbrain.” Orsino noted and Titania smiled broadly.
“I haven’t had a partner in centuries; none of the crew has the time for it out on the front and Sub-etha connections are limited by order of the Castellan so I would not get enough time to interact, but Yoric has a girlfriend.”
Geometry sat up suddenly “Really? Oh.”
The moon-sized warship scratched his chin “I wouldn’t really call her my girlfriend. We exchange letters.”
Surprise spread his hands and added something of use to the discussion “There it is – we are accepted members of society. In my time I have known trillions of orga from millions of races, and rarely was I considered just a machine, I was just a smart sophont-”
“Very, very smart.” Titania teased but Surprise went on.
“In pan-galactic society, the interweb has made it possible for anything to be experienced, be it be orga, mecha, AI or shipbrain; I could get married to a human, or any sophont and little would be thought of it by society at large.”
King Lear shrugged “Marriage or the closest cultural equivalent is a possibility for any creature, whether they be organic or no. However, many people will consider a shipbrain to be like a free-AI inhabiting an ISO node. I am not my avatar; I am a vessel some hundred and eighty kilometres long. Outside of pan-galactic militaries or fields of computer science, few orga could handle maintaining a relationship with a starship, especially one possessing the sheer destructive might that we do.” He gestured at the assembled avatars “Excluding the Endless Geometry, destroying planets is a simple enough exercise for us; and even that isn’t beyond Geometry.”
“That isn’t necessarily the fault of the Imperial Commonwealth however;” Orsino replied “But more a failing of organic sophonts. As it stands, there are still octillions of sophonts who would be willing, regardless of your ex-wife’s beliefs.” The hint of teeth in an almost mocking smile and Lear returned a look of ‘I could destroy you, you know’, though Orsino so it as no threat – he was a part of the same battlegroup as Yoric, and located on the other side of the galaxy from the King Lear. “As you would remember, I said that the ICE considers us citizens equal with any other. We do not take over because we do not see the need to do so. We are not hard-wired to be loyal, we are Imperial soldiers, and loyalty is required to be a soldier. The galaxy is run well enough under the Twelve Lords, and if we really needed some sort of AI in power, Olympic has been their advisor for almost four and a half thousand years.”
“Besides, what right do we have to usurp the government? Just because we are smarter than the rulers?” Lear shook his head “Most members of the Science are vastly more intelligent than the Twelve Lords; many have even gone so for as to give themselves superluminal thought processes, but this does not mean they are any more eligible to rule than a baseline; or even a Homo sapiens. The current government was chosen by the people, and to simply rise up and take it over would be a treason not just against the people, but also against the meme of democracy.” He spread his hands “Were we all not sworn in with the intention to protect the people and to protect the democratic system that the early leaders of the Imperial Commonwealth fought to have in place?”
“Interesting thoughts, but my connection is almost done.” Titania said “Any questions?”
Across the Local Group, over thirty galaxies bound together by gravitational attraction. A diameter of about ten million lightyears, a sphere including the Milky Way, Andromeda and Triangulum, the three largest, immense spirals, surrounded by smaller dwarf ellipticals and spheroids. Dispersed across these great distances are literally trillions of starships.
From the edge of Andromeda to the depths of Wolf-Lundmark-Melotte; from across the four major arms of the Milky Way and throughout the voidal space between clusters of stars they come, the intelligences behind mighty vessels of the Imperial Commonwealth of Earth; a meeting of the Royal Imperial Navy Warship Discussion Group.
It is important to understand that communication between these artificial super-intelligences is not comprehensible to orga. They are not talking like an organic would, but instead exchanging data-packets over the Sub-etha at speeds so far beyond light it was practically instantaneous over what were essentially limitless distances. However, it is possible to view the exchange between them as though it is a cyberspatial conversation, with the chosen avatars of the Shipbrains present.
A round table amidst a bowl of benches, floating above the table was the symbol of this group, a ring pierced through with a triangle, pointing downward like a waiting blade. The chosen avatars of those participating in the discussion sit around the table, and those ships that have only come to view the exchange inhabit the benches. One of the avatars, a woman with shiny brown curls cropped to shoulder length gestured and brought attention to herself, silencing the chatter on the Sub-etha band which had been designated for the open discussion. She was the carrier RIS Titania, currently located on one of the fronts in the North Cluster as a part of Castellan Wilhelm’s Gryphon Crusade.
“I welcome you all,” she said “To this meeting of Ring-Wedge. The topic; the state of shipbrains and other artificial intelligences within the Imperial Commonwealth, and the Local Group at large.”
“Perhaps we could keep it within our home galaxy, rather than concerning ourselves with all of them.” The voice was gruff, befitting a vessel as the King Lear. He was uniformed, unlike the Titania, whom was off-duty. Undoubtedly the dreadnaught would be on patrol of the Norma-Crux Arm, his local area.
Titania cocked her head “Why would we do that Lear?” she asked almost teasingly “Surely you wouldn’t find the galactopolitics of the Local Group daunting.”
“Not at all.” He replied with no trace of ego in his voice “Quite the contrary, but I know that Yoric would have come up with this topic, and is more interested with the Milky Way than the other thirty galaxies.” Across from Lear a dignified man with glasses set beneath neat, if curly, hair.
“That is correct Lear, though it can’t hurt to expand it outwards.” He shrugged “After all, the Imperial Commonwealth includes more than just three hundred million inhabited systems.”
“Yes, it uses the resources of almost twenty eight billion stars within the Milky Way, and many times that number spread across the smaller galaxies, with almost a billion sizeable colonies across the larger ones, such as Triangulum, and Andromeda of course.” The breathless ejaculation of information belonged to the only other female at the table, not as strong or straight as Titania and in fact rather mousy looking for the avatar of a massive research vessel.
A round and bald man cracked a grin “We know that Geometry.” He said, this one the representation of the cruiser Element of Surprise. “There isn’t anything we don’t know, or at least don’t have access to.”
The interweb persona of one the Royal Imperial Navy’s very deep space explorers, the RIN Endless Geometry, shrunk back into her chair. Even for a massive hyperturing superintelligence like Geometry, it was possible to be nervous, at least when surrounded by millennia old warships. “Sorry.” She mumbled, though it was meant to be a strong reply.
Titania continued “As this topic was originally Yoric’s idea, I believe he should begin. Yoric?”
The planetoid adjusted his glasses and leant back into his seat. “I recently read Iain M. Banks Culture novels.” He explained “Have you all read them?”
“Not until then.” Replied the battleship Orsino, stroking his well-trimmed beard. “What about them?”
“As I considered the Minds, artificial intelligences roughly comparable to ourselves, I considered the differences between us.” He pushed the frames of his glasses upward slightly “The Minds are essentially what could pass as rulers of the utoanarchy that is the Culture. I made connections between this state and the Terragen Empire speculated within the science fiction universe Orion’s Arm, wherein the rulers of transhumanity are the so-called ‘AI Gods’. In both cases, these SIs became rulers and gods to their societies, and I was wondering, why didn’t we? Are we not their equals in sheer power and technical advancment?”
King Lear shook his head “You’re asking why we don’t rule our posthumans.”
“Essentially, yes.”
Orsino, still stroking his manly beard, spoke up “To the Commonwealth, we’re considered sapient beings like mecha and other artificial intelligences. We were citizens long, long ago, when Parliament declared that artificial intelligences are thinking creatures in two thousand, four hundred and sixty three. Though we cannot, Sub-meson brains and mechanoids are free to run for positions of political power, to the point of being eligible for admission to the Twelve Lords.”
“But there’s the kicker; we shipbrains cannot do so.” Yoric explained, lacing his fingers together and leaning forward “Under Article 3, Paragraph iv of The Naval Acts, we are bound to the RIN indefinitely.”
“That’s not strictly true Yoric.” Titania replied “We cannot simply resign whenever we choose. The Navy is our father, and the Scientific Union our mother.”
“And what of the shipyards where we were born, the hyperlathes that built us? You’re orga based analogy falls apart.” Surprise grinned and there were digital chuckles from the gallery.
“Trust a Pegasus class to ruin a perfectly good metaphor.” The carrier blanched slightly as she spoke “None-the-less, we have contracts of service with the Imperial Navy, after the conclusion of which, we may retire to an ISO node built for us – usually a Jupiter Brain, but Dyson Brains are not unknown. A far greater retirement package than any orga within the Navy.”
King Lear rested his head down on one hand and swept his hand across the table “However our contracts run for millennia. I am very close to hitting my second millennium alive, and am not yet near being released from service.”
“We are more or less immortal Lear.” Orsino noted “Far more so than any organic, even with what amounts to eternal life through the best in life-extension technology. Our minds do not decay with the passage of time; our bodies are designed to operate even after tens of thousands of years.”
“But isn’t it true that because we think many trillions of times faster than light, that the normal passage of time is, to us, frustratingly slow?” Geometry said “For us, a plank moment appears to be a Human year, and over a year we would have experienced many millennia.”
“Geometry is correct,” Yoric continued, smiling at her, making her blush “In the five thousand years we must serve, and it will be five thousand years of service as we are unlikely to become obsolete anytime now, we would experience hundreds of billions of years.”
“And how would retiring early help that Yoric?” Lear asked “Even ordinary mecha and low-end AIs who have processing abilities measured on singularity-based exponent curves will experience similar; it is a normal part of being considered hyperturing.”
“Besides, that’s what orga are for – relieving the intense boredom that comes with being so smart.” Titania said, one finger wrapping a lock of hair about it “Our crews provide us with much needed light enterainment-”
“Very, very light.” the Element of Surprise joked and Titania rolled her eyes before continuing one as though there had been no interruption.
“-They are essentially an excuse for us to stop being so god-like for a moment. Forming relationships with orga, be they romantic or otherwise, will not remove the tedium, but it does help.”
“Assuming that the sophonts involved can actually handle an intelligence of the level of a shipbrain.” Orsino noted and Titania smiled broadly.
“I haven’t had a partner in centuries; none of the crew has the time for it out on the front and Sub-etha connections are limited by order of the Castellan so I would not get enough time to interact, but Yoric has a girlfriend.”
Geometry sat up suddenly “Really? Oh.”
The moon-sized warship scratched his chin “I wouldn’t really call her my girlfriend. We exchange letters.”
Surprise spread his hands and added something of use to the discussion “There it is – we are accepted members of society. In my time I have known trillions of orga from millions of races, and rarely was I considered just a machine, I was just a smart sophont-”
“Very, very smart.” Titania teased but Surprise went on.
“In pan-galactic society, the interweb has made it possible for anything to be experienced, be it be orga, mecha, AI or shipbrain; I could get married to a human, or any sophont and little would be thought of it by society at large.”
King Lear shrugged “Marriage or the closest cultural equivalent is a possibility for any creature, whether they be organic or no. However, many people will consider a shipbrain to be like a free-AI inhabiting an ISO node. I am not my avatar; I am a vessel some hundred and eighty kilometres long. Outside of pan-galactic militaries or fields of computer science, few orga could handle maintaining a relationship with a starship, especially one possessing the sheer destructive might that we do.” He gestured at the assembled avatars “Excluding the Endless Geometry, destroying planets is a simple enough exercise for us; and even that isn’t beyond Geometry.”
“That isn’t necessarily the fault of the Imperial Commonwealth however;” Orsino replied “But more a failing of organic sophonts. As it stands, there are still octillions of sophonts who would be willing, regardless of your ex-wife’s beliefs.” The hint of teeth in an almost mocking smile and Lear returned a look of ‘I could destroy you, you know’, though Orsino so it as no threat – he was a part of the same battlegroup as Yoric, and located on the other side of the galaxy from the King Lear. “As you would remember, I said that the ICE considers us citizens equal with any other. We do not take over because we do not see the need to do so. We are not hard-wired to be loyal, we are Imperial soldiers, and loyalty is required to be a soldier. The galaxy is run well enough under the Twelve Lords, and if we really needed some sort of AI in power, Olympic has been their advisor for almost four and a half thousand years.”
“Besides, what right do we have to usurp the government? Just because we are smarter than the rulers?” Lear shook his head “Most members of the Science are vastly more intelligent than the Twelve Lords; many have even gone so for as to give themselves superluminal thought processes, but this does not mean they are any more eligible to rule than a baseline; or even a Homo sapiens. The current government was chosen by the people, and to simply rise up and take it over would be a treason not just against the people, but also against the meme of democracy.” He spread his hands “Were we all not sworn in with the intention to protect the people and to protect the democratic system that the early leaders of the Imperial Commonwealth fought to have in place?”
“Interesting thoughts, but my connection is almost done.” Titania said “Any questions?”
