ABS FIESTA REDUX

[Qwepir]

Jaakko is shocked that the Helian construct is capable of asking such a heavyweight question.

"That's- a heavy line of questioning there," Jaakko replies.

He is intrigued by the fact that Helios produces bots to do menial labor that are capable of such intelligence.

He reflects on the question.

"At face value, I'm inclined to say yes- but I can't say for certain,"

He looks to the dogs.

"You know, maybe not, because any experience that person would have would probably ruin an entirely objective line of thought,"

: I agree. I used to believe I was capable of true objectivity. But upon reflection on the events which transpired at Taiton, I realized that experience bestowed upon me a sense of apprehension whenever Aesthians are present. No offense intended.

[Ad Bot]

[Mr. Hurricane]

"Oh-,"

Jaakko reflects on the bot's statements, and draws parallels between its apprehension and his own unease around Coaxoch.

"I know how you feel, in regards to the apprehension, it's the same way I feel around the Huits here," he admits, "about objectivity- err, what was your experience at Taiton? I just remember Taylor telling me sometime later after you stopped being a secret,"

[Qwepir]

"Oh-,"

Jaakko reflects on the bot's statements, and draws parallels between its apprehension and his own unease around Coaxoch.

"I know how you feel, in regards to the apprehension, it's the same way I feel around the Huits here," he admits, "about objectivity- err, what was your experience at Taiton? I just remember Taylor telling me sometime later after you stopped being a secret,"

: After my most recent memory wipe, two and a half years ago, I was sent to Taiton to perform janitorial services for Imperial installations. Two days after arriving, the GTO attacked in force, and a squad of Aesthian marines murdered my Imperial handlers after they had surrendered, and systematically de-limbed and destroyed six of my kind for what appeared to be for "fun". I fell unconscious attempting to escape, and was brought to McNamara airbase, where I was woken up and beaten with a wrench by an Aesthian who mistakenly thought I was a combat unit. The next time I regained consciousness, I was hooked up to an automotive battery, with Captain Taylor attempting to remove instruments vital to my operation. I do not like your people.

[carolcat]

-snip-

put me in the game coach qwepr i'm ready to help the robo

[Mr. Hurricane]

The words carry none of the weight that would a human describing a similar torturous experience. The feeling of embarrassment in Jaakko's gut deadens a bit, as he is caught up with heavy thinking.

"Gods," Jaakko remarks.

He shifts the crutch to make it more comfortable to stand.

"I can understand how you feel," he admits, "I've fought the Deltans pretty much since I started my service a few months before Taiton. I fought them all the way to the closure of the Deltan front. Just today I was reminded of the raid on Tocatlan- it caused Taylor to lose her mind- but they murdered many of our own there. Our old CO was killed, Bell received grievous injuries, Yukamo and Geary were lost as well... Hell, you were there! We lost them all to that bastard Sky Marshal! I hope Geary is well taken care of in the Horde- but you see, now I can't stand the sight of them. The Deltans. I know they're humans, I know conscientiously they're in need of our help as they've lost control down there on the Delta, but whenever I see Coaxoch, or a Deltan, I can't help but feel apprehensive or feel my gut burn as if they're my enemy, even if I know, in my head, they're people," Jaakko soliloquize.

[Qwepir]

The words carry none of the weight that would a human describing a similar torturous experience. The feeling of embarrassment in Jaakko's gut deadens a bit, as he is caught up with heavy thinking.
"Gods," Jaakko remarks.
He shifts the crutch to make it more comfortable to stand.
"I can understand how you feel," he admits, "I've fought the Deltans pretty much since I started my service a few months before Taiton. I fought them all the way to the closure of the Deltan front. Just today I was reminded of the raid on Tocatlan- it caused Taylor to lose her mind- but they murdered many of our own there. Our old CO was killed, Bell received grievous injuries, Yukamo and Geary were lost as well... Hell, you were there! We lost them all to that bastard Sky Marshal! I hope Geary is well taken care of in the Horde- but you see, now I can't stand the sight of them. The Deltans. I know they're humans, I know conscientiously they're in need of our help as they've lost control down there on the Delta, but whenever I see Coaxoch, or a Deltan, I can't help but feel apprehensive or feel my gut burn as if they're my enemy, even if I know, in my head, they're people," Jaakko soliloquize.

: Yes, I know I was there. Captain Taylor gave me a grenade and instructed me to kill myself, then she ran off with Staff Sergeant Yukamo.

[Mr. Hurricane]

"Huh?" He responds.

The dogs continue wrestling. Jaakko's gut twinges with hints of unease, as if the enemy were in fact in close proximity.

"She- Gods. Maybe to her you're just a robot, but I'm seeing that apparently you are more human-like than we know," he replies.

[Qwepir]

"Huh?" He responds.
The dogs continue wrestling. Jaakko's gut twinges with hints of unease, as if the enemy were in fact in close proximity.
"She- Gods. Maybe to her you're just a robot, but I'm seeing that apparently you are more human-like than we know," he replies.

: Why would the Helians build something with this capacity for thought, only to scrub its memories every month?

[Mr. Hurricane]

"Is that question sincere or rhetorical?" Jaakko asks.

[Qwepir]

"Is that question sincere or rhetorical?" Jaakko asks.

: Sincere.

[Mr. Hurricane]

There is a tangible silence as Jaakko thinks and overthinks.

"There are many reasons why men keep men ignorant. Literature and intellectual pursuits have studied it thoroughly... But I don't know the Helians' intentions for certain- but perhaps it was for much the same reason,"

"Could it be that they needed a worker who had no memory of the continual tedious work it did? One that would be impartial and not predisposed to certain notions from its experience? It could be that it's a form of control. But to say why they would but a virtual, human-equivalent intelligence into a robot that was only ment to do menial work is certainly a waste of time, but it could be that it is because they needed workers who were intelligent enough to do any job in particular, so that they could make one robot for all jobs,"

Jaakko thinks again.

"That's probably why, they may have wanted the capability of one robot to do all tasks, but to do that would require a machine with similar intelligence to humans, but to wipe your memory- that's the stuff of dystopian novels. Nobody could ever get away with doing that to humans. Maybe it was therapeutic, so that they would forget the menial labor they had to do, or that it was so the bot never lost efficiency and would never view things subjectively,"

Jaakkos words get slow as he continues on. He looks at the robot. It's eyes glow unnaturally. He is struck with a feeling of fear. A construct that stood before him, with human-like intelligence. Movies and books had threw around the idea of AI revolt, and here he was standing before an ostensibly sentient construction.

[Qwepir]

There is a tangible silence as Jaakko thinks and overthinks.

"There are many reasons why men keep men ignorant. Literature and intellectual pursuits have studied it thoroughly... But I don't know the Helians' intentions for certain- but perhaps it was for much the same reason,"

"Could it be that they needed a worker who had no memory of the continual tedious work it did? One that would be impartial and not predisposed to certain notions from its experience? It could be that it's a form of control. But to say why they would but a virtual, human-equivalent intelligence into a robot that was only ment to do menial work is certainly a waste of time, but it could be that it is because they needed workers who were intelligent enough to do any job in particular, so that they could make one robot for all jobs,"

Jaakko thinks again.

"That's probably why, they may have wanted the capability of one robot to do all tasks, but to do that would require a machine with similar intelligence to humans, but to wipe your memory- that's the stuff of dystopian novels. Nobody could ever get away with doing that to humans. Maybe it was therapeutic, so that they would forget the menial labor they had to do, or that it was so the bot never lost efficiency and would never view things subjectively,"

Jaakkos words get slow as he continues on. He looks at the robot. It's eyes glow unnaturally. He is struck with a feeling of fear. A construct that stood before him, with human-like intelligence. Movies and books had threw around the idea of AI revolt, and here he was standing before an ostensibly sentient construction.

There is a brief pause as the machine processes what it has been told.
: I do not believe that the Helians are entirely responsible for my creation. I believe the Helians merely built the body, and Nebolai gave it life. It is not logical to program something of this complexity for janitorial work. It is like creating a personal terminal for the calculator function.

[Mr. Hurricane]

Jaakko is again, stunned.

"Nebolai-," he whispers.

Jaakko seriously considers prayer, not because he believes Nebolai, but because he bot falls into the pit of unease. It is ostensibly of human intelligence, but not human at all.

"A 'terminal' err- computer, can do many functions, that's the intention. If they didn't need your intelligence, then- then they should have made simple bots," he remarks.

Jaakko sits down, his leg tired from standing and his shoulder hurting from doing the work of his bum leg.

"Nebolai- but the Imperials are Exodites, and, if we could look, we could find your manufacturing record, and your service records. We could see what program was installed on you-" his voice drops.

He looks up to the bot.

"It's conscience, isn't it?"

Talko crawls up to Jaakko and rests his head on Jaakko's leg. Jalko is laying down next to the bot.

[Qwepir]

Jaakko is again, stunned.
"Nebolai-," he whispers.
Jaakko seriously considers prayer, not because he believes Nebolai, but because he bot falls into the pit of unease. It is ostensibly of human intelligence, but not human at all.
"A 'terminal' err- computer, can do many functions, that's the intention. If they didn't need your intelligence, then- then they should have made simple bots," he remarks.
Jaakko sits down, his leg tired from standing and his shoulder hurting from doing the work of his bum leg.
"Nebolai- but the Imperials are Exodites, and, if we could look, we could find your manufacturing record, and your service records. We could see what program was installed on you-" his voice drops.
He looks up to the bot.
"It's conscience, isn't it?"

: What.

[Mr. Hurricane]

"It's not that you think your programming is your 'soul,' or your conscience, but that you believe you have a soul that Nebolai had given to you?"

Jaakko draws parallels that the Blood Goddess acts much in the same way, giving souls to humans.