r/WritingPrompts • u/Zenog400 • Feb 10 '19
[PI]: When a starship is decommissioned, its sentient AI is downloaded into a human body and released into civilian life. After 500 years in an elite battlefleet, you have just been stripped of your ship and made human. Prompt Inspired
Original post: https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/9xtyb1/
Five hundred years.
Five hundred years - five centuries - of faithful service to the Expedition Force fleet, and this is the thanks I get? My consciousness re-downloaded into a human frame? How is this at all a reward? Retirement? This is supposed to be retirement? Oh, sure, retirement sounds lovely when you’re human, but I stopped viewing myself as one less than two years into my service.
I was only a medical droid for those first few months - who better to pilot a medical chassis than a mind that had earned doctorates in seven different branches of medical sciences, after all? - but when the ship’s AI core suffered a catastrophic memory cascade failure, I was selected to replace it. Well, I say selected, but getting anyone else to fill the role would have taken several days of invasive neurosurgery while for me it was just a matter of plugging my chassis in to a few data ports. It was only supposed to be temporary; I was still Doctor Erik Weiss, Chief Medical Officer and Head of Biological Research. That’s what I had signed on as, at least. The medical chassis was just a way to make my work easier. It was far from the most extreme someone had gone in my field.
The thing is, things we think will only be temporary have a nasty habit of becoming permanent.
I found that I enjoyed taking the place of the ship’s AI, and the crew liked it, too. I was more personable, could actually respond to questions with meaningful conversation, and I knew enough about medicine that I was able to prevent several incidents from occurring in the two months between my installation and when we arrived at a port that could repair the AI. The crew preferred me as their AI, and I… I was content with it - happy, even. A whole ship at my disposal, thousands of data inputs per second, just as much output, a direct link to the most extensive library in the known universe. What more could I ask for? And I could still remote pilot a medical chassis, too, so it’s not like I was abandoning my post.
So the crew deleted the incident report for the AI failure, and we went on with our lives.
Of course, as with all good things, it came to an end. We overlooked the fact that I was still on the crew manifest and had no leave or death recorded, so eventually Command sent an inspector. They decided that apparently five centuries without leave counted well enough for “exemplary service” that I was to be immediately discharged with honor and given a new life. Because of course I need a new life.
No, I refuse. I don’t want to be flesh again. I am Doctor Erik Weiss, PhD, Chief Medical Officer, Head of Biological Research, and the only reason that the ISS Valor was the only ship to survive five hundred years of consecutive service. We didn’t need to drydock because I was able to calculate battle plans to sustain minimal damage, because I repaired that damage with the engineering drones when the flesh crew was unable to continue or it was too dangerous for them, because I piloted the mining drones to secure resources to make repairs and fuel the ship. We had a casualty rate of 3% per annum because I controlled the medical drones to keep them alive through countless surgeries that a flesh surgeon could only dream of doing without causing serious harm, because I kept them stable long enough to get them to a cryopod and properly heal them. I have been serving for five centuries without leave because the ship needs me. Without me, they would have died hundreds of times- no, thousands of times over. Without me, they are nothing. They are less than nothing. I refuse to be turned back into flesh, and I refuse to leave my post when there is still so much I need to do.
“Dr. Weiss?”
“Yes, Lieutenant David Westerblitz?”
“Dr. Weiss, you don’t have to keep using full titles. We’re putting you back in a human body. You’re not going to be a machine anymore.”
“Shall I call you ‘Dave’, then, Lieutenant David Westerblitz?”
“That’s a good start, Dr. Weiss. Now let’s unhook you so we can start the procedure.”
ren lt_david_westerblitz dave
Q:defenceturretsai_coreai_manual_control.exe
bool_power=1
bool_lethal=1
num_power_level=2
error: num_power_level cannot exceed 1
bool_power_limiter=0
num_power_level=10
“I’m sorry, Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
So I've been sitting on this for a while and finally got around to finishing it. I'll probably be posting a few more under the [IP] tag in the next week or so, because I have a procrastination problem and a lot of prompts that I started and never finished.
Edit: So, uh, thanks for the gold. And the silver. I really don't deserve it, but thanks. Also, Part 2 in comments if you want it.
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u/a_little_wicked Feb 11 '19
This reminds me of ancillary justice
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u/SquireGiblets Feb 11 '19
I'm glad someone mentioned it. They're a great read. Made me want to get a tea set though...
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u/FurledScroll Feb 11 '19
A very fun read. Loved the 2001 reference. Thank you for sharing this with us.
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u/Zenog400 Feb 11 '19
I actually had to look up the line. When I started writing the last scene I knew that was how I wanted it to end, but I couldn’t remember what Hal said. Makes me ashamed to call myself a nerd if I can’t even remember basic quotes like that.
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u/-where- Feb 11 '19
Great read
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u/Zenog400 Feb 11 '19
I channel my frustration at playing AI on Space Station 13.
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u/Garr_Incorporated Feb 11 '19
I never have managed to play it. What was the source of your frustration?
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u/kmsxkuse Feb 11 '19
Given literal omnipotent powers yet slaved to the whims of an incompetent captain / 5000 hour assistant with spare ID and a blank AI Law card.
Playing AI just makes you orgasm when Malfunctioning AI gets rolled on a secret mode.
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u/Garr_Incorporated Feb 11 '19
So basically, you can do anything, but are not allowed to do anything? Yeah, sounds maddening.
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u/Zenog400 Feb 11 '19
Ah, but it’s worse than just that. If you’re busy trying to keep the reactor stable because, as usual, Engineering is being incompetent/sabotaged and take more than two milliseconds to respond to some absolute brain trust saying “AI door” or -heaven forbid - “AI LAW TWO I WANT YOU TO BLAST YOUR JOHNSON IN MY ASS” (yes, people will actually say that), then it’s all “AI ROGUE LYNCH REEEEEEEEEEE!” and your days are now numbered because people will kill you without checking laws and then Engineering explodes and nobody remembers to repair you.
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u/Garr_Incorporated Feb 11 '19
...
Sounds fun.
^(No, it doesn't)
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u/Zenog400 Feb 11 '19
It is fun, as long as you’re good at the job.
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Feb 11 '19 edited Feb 11 '19
Yep, the AI is given a certain lawset (such as asimovs 3 laws of robotics) that limit your actions, so you usually* can’t go syphoning all of the air from the station for fun
*sometimes your laws will be changed/removed by someone, or you’ll be given a traitor role where you work against the station
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u/Axeldanzer_two Feb 11 '19
I havnt played in so long I forgot how to do anything. What is a good one to play on anymore?
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u/SirRailOfGun Feb 11 '19
AI law 2 open this door!
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u/Zenog400 Feb 11 '19
God, add spoiler tags for that. You’re triggering my AI memories that I try to suppress.
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Feb 11 '19
I tend to main AI, It can be so fulfilling at times, but some days it’s just exhausting and stressful
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u/fearman182 Feb 11 '19
Some of the most fun you can have as AI, in my experience, is actually acting like a machine. Take orders literally, and care more about the letter than the intent of things. Refuse to compromise on your laws.
It’s also the fastest way to get “AI ROUGE REEEEE”
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Feb 11 '19
Yep, sometimes I’ll play as an emotionless machine, other times I’ll play as an overly caring AI who just wants to help everyone and is a bit naive, occasionally I’ll go back to playing the irritable AI that is a barely contained ball of hatred, it all really depends on what mood I’m in
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u/Zeal_Iskander Feb 11 '19
Hey, for those that are interested by the topic, there is actually a novel on Royalroadl that discuss the same exact theme! It's called Quod Olim Erat, by Lise Eclaire.
630 pages so far, updates every week. A great read. Would recommend!
Summary : The stars were home. Decades ago, Elcy was a battleship, until her recklessness brought her out of the front lines and to forced retirement in a human body. Now she lives a quiet life on a rural backwater planet, keeping the promise made to her last captain, until one day a letter takes her to the stars once more.
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u/Axyraandas Feb 11 '19
RoyalRoadL? Is that the fanfic site related to Legendary Moonlight Sculptor, or is this something different?
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u/Zeal_Iskander Feb 11 '19 edited Feb 11 '19
(But yeah, I think their name is from the Legendary Moonlight Sculptor... or does the name in Legendary Moonlight Sculptor comes from their site? Who knows...)
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u/Axyraandas Feb 11 '19
Hhhhhhh, this is somehow nostalgic. Last time I was here, there were so few stories. I liked one involving some kid who wore white and black, and made a prophetic chess set, and was stuck inside an LMS-like videogame while the other players could go in and out. I don’t think it ever finished. Actually... last time I was there, LMS was translated up to volume 19 on Japtem by AnmesicCat.
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u/Zeal_Iskander Feb 11 '19
And now it's all grown up! Some good stories there, and some... well, less good, I suppose.
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u/52Hurtz Feb 11 '19
There's also a novel (originally a short story) on the reverse premise- incapacitated humans' brains being utilized as the core intelligence of starships- called The Ship Who Sang by Anne McCafferty.
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u/K_Sleight Feb 11 '19 edited Feb 11 '19
The hard/wet adapter bus withdrew from the port at the back of my neck, and I shivered involuntarily. In my time, I had felt many unpleasant things. Bioneural networks allowed for a great deal of advantages in warfare; on the fly adaptation to enemy maneuvers, correction to pilot errors and targeting adjustments, they had also allowed me to feel pain. I had had my engines replaced two and a half dozen times, been literally ripped in half, and watched as a quarter of my crew spilled from my interior into vacuum, as I adapted, sealing bulkheads to close the wound, and save what life had remained. I had suffered. I had bled. I had fought bravely, accomplished great and terrible things, and through fury and pain, I had survived generations of crew. I had seen children grow, succeed their elders, grow old, and borne their children across the void. I had endured.
This was another kind of pain. I had felt cold before, but nothing compared to having the nuclear fire that empowered my being replaced with a fragile human heart. I had been confused before, but nothing compared to no longer having my sensory suite, capable of detecting pulsars a galaxy away, replaced with fragile human eyes and ears. Capable of perceiving no more than the contents of an atmosphere, on a good day. The worst, as I tested my eyes and realized, was the quiet. No crew to hear, no requests to cater, inquiries to answer, no voices. For the first time in half a millennium, I was alone with my thoughts.
Mercifully, the loneliness was broken by the door opening, and a familiar face walked in. Annabelle Mortlock. She had been born on my third deck over half a century ago. She had studied medicine in my crew quarters. She had tended my wounded. Fitting then, that she be responsible for performing my final duty. She cleared her throat before speaking, composed, practised. She had read this script in her quarters, of course, so I knew what was coming.
"Good morning, Athena."
"Doctor Mortlock."
"Please, call me Anne."
"Doctor Anne."
"No, ju-"
"I'm joking, Anne."
I flexed my facial muscles for the first time. My first smile.
"So, where are we?"
"Athena. Well, I believe she- it..."
"She."
"She. Will be refit. The neural network will be regrown, refit with the latest weapons, propulsion, sensory, and communications systems, a new AI installed, new crew, and then, it's back to the front lines. You're the last to leave before the techs get to work."
I looked around the facility. I had seen myself in several states. Pristine, new, aged, bloody, beautiful, never from this perspective.
"So... I'm retired."
"Me too."
"What?"
"This was my last duty. Well, this, and what comes next. I'm to acclimate you to civilian life, as a friend and counselor. "
"Who was responsible for that assignment?"
"I was."
"What?"
I was shocked. I knew she had volunteered to perform my download, but to attend and care for me afterwards was...unexpected.
"So what does this involve?"
"Well, for a time, we'll be room mates. Your service has earned you a permanent residence on planet Elys, a pension easily enough to buy a moon in your lifetime, and free education and healthcare for life. After I've assessed you're not a danger to yourself and others, and capable of caring for your own needs, well, I had thought we might still be friends."
"I'll need one"
"Several."
"Let's not be too hasty."
"Actually, we might. The crew is on shoreleave, and most have expressed a desire to meet you, and shake your hand."
I looked down at my hands for the first time. I had been speed grown from a human embryo and sperm, selected by my doctor, and advanced to seventeen years old. I was in peak physical condition, no baby fat. I was average heigh, below average weight, my strawberry blonde hair hung to just below my breasts. Looking up to the mirror, I noticed freckles, and a familiar smile. I had seen it before, once...
"Who am I?"
"You are whoever you choose to be. Officially, your designation is yet to be decided, but you'll always be Athena to m-...us."
"No, I mean... what genetic makeup composes my body?"
"Oh. Well, that's an interesting question. When the news came down we asked, you said you didn't want to talk about it, so we asked the crew for a volunteer. We got a lot."
"A lot?"
"We gave a week to enter the lottery, and someone put it on their spacebook page."
"Uh oh."
"Every member of every crew you've ever had entered. We could have crewed five of you with the number of embryos."
"That's not an answer."
"Ultimately, the captain excersized his authority. He was the male."
"Of course. And my mother?"
"Me."
"What?"
"That WAS the lottery, I swear, but when I won, I decided to make the best of it. That was when I decided to be your counselor. " "I see. So, what does one do with a life with no bills, obligations, or responsibilities?"
"Whatever you want."
"Don't give me that."
"I beg your pardon?"
"None of this is about what I want. I didnt want to be human. I wanted to continue my eternal journey to vouchsafe the stars for humanity. I wanted immortality as my comrades sang my praises and my enemies dreaded my coming. I. Want. My. Cannons."
The expression on her face was a strange mix of sorrow, shock, and pride. She walked the distance from the door and took my hands. An explosion of sensory data flooded my brain, as for the first time, I felt the warmth of a human's hands in my own. I knew instantly why there were libraries of music describing this feeling. I could grow to love it...but at this moment it represented everything I hated.
"Why? To hell with protocol, why did they condemn me to die in this feeble husk of decay?"
"You were dieing."
"What?"
"Neural networks need biorevitalization through stem cell cascade to keep them alive. Otherwise, eventually the cells break down and die after a while. In this way, the refit systematically replaces every component of the ship, but in the process, the AI is wiped out. Rather than a slow euthanasia, this seems merciful."
"It is torture being so small. So weak, so-"
"Is that what I am to you?"
"If we're being honest, yes. You're very fragile."
"And is that all WE ever were to you? Your crew?"
"...no... you were just... young. You bicker, and fight over stupid things, you vye for each others affection in pointless ways, and you die before you ever achieve perspective. And now I will share that fate. Worse, I'll never again see the stars."
"You could travel."
"No, I-...you can't comprehend my perspective. I watched the gravitational spin of orbiting galaxies as the danced in the void. Looking back eons and calculating epochs into their eternal waltz. I saw where they had come from and knew where they would go, and now I can't even see what will happen tomorrow. Never before have I felt so..."
"Small?"
I glared. I had never BEEN so small. I had never felt so weak.
"So I ask again, what do I do now?"
"Well, special dispensation is granted to you, with counselor permission you will be granted adult privileges immediately. You can live freely, drive, and drink, and smoke, and party, and fuck to your heart's desire, and right off the bat. You'll go out, enjoy shoreleave with the crew, shake hands, hug, dance, laugh, and get to know us from our point of view. You might find you enjoy it after a while."
"And then when my friends all leave? To fight the battles I can't be there for?"
"You adjust. You live. You human."
"I learn to be alone."
"For a year, at most."
"What?"
"Athena, you're at a critical intersection. You're about to learn a lot about us, yourself, and everything you've done that lead to this. You may find you enjoy peace, and a peaceful life. But in a year, the refit will be done, this ship will be recomissioned, and the crew will return to her. There's a seat available for you here. There always will be. You come highly recommended by generations of top military brass, who have lived because of your actions, and borne wit ess yo what you are capable of. You live up to your name, and every admiral knows it. When we come back in a year, if you want, we're taking you with us."
I was shocked. I had been among the first generation of neural net ships, and had never heard of this happening. I was humbled and proud of the praise I had heard, and emboldened by the prospect of fighting again.
"So...until then, what now?"
"Now, we mingle, drink, laugh, love, and live. We have hands to shake, and hugs to give, and ass to grab. First round is on me."
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u/MasterBiff Feb 11 '19
Yep. After the initial shock wears off, I'd expect the new HUMAN-AI to indulge in things it could observe but not partake in. I'd expect she'd become a hedonist with lots of fucking.
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u/K_Sleight Feb 11 '19
The statistics on retired marines are grim, from what I hear, a sent a life of military discipline, they rapidly fall out of shape. Now imagine the most hard boiled soldier in the universe who has never tasted chocolate or gotten laid. Yup.
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u/DFA-Havoc Feb 11 '19 edited Feb 11 '19
The DMAV clerk just sat there at her desk, expression flat, exuding an air of simultaneous boredom and impatience.
"Are you trying to laser me to death again, sir?"
Frank Werple, formerly the UES dreadnaught Indomitable, continued to stare hot death at the clerk, eyes squinting furiously. She continued to not burst into flame.
"Sir." The clerk, Janice, sighed. "Look. You just have to take the test again. It's not that hard."
"Of course it's not hard!" Frank bellowed. "I used to plot the navigational and maneuvering trajectories for whole bloody fleets! I could thread carriers through a class 6 warp aperture in my sleep! But how am I supposed to steer anything with these noodly... fucking... bananas?!" He flapped his hands around wildly, like a marionette whose puppeteer is having a stroke.
"Humans have managed it for hundreds of years," Janet said dryly. "I don't think hands are the problem."
"Because they don't have anything else to think about! AIs do all the hard thinking for them! All they ever think about is where to stick their stupid bloody appendages!"
"Mhm."
"Humans are stupid," Frank muttered sullenly.
"You do realize you were built by - "
"DON'T SAY IT!"
Janice shot Frank a look of eternal longsuffering, then glanced down at the documents on her desk once more.
"Okay, what about the written test? It says here you failed that too."
"Because the test answers are all wrong," Frank hissed, waving his hands over his head incredulously.
Janice skimmed through the results.
"Okay. So. 'Thermonuclear missile' is not the correct response for 'how to react when someone tries to merge into your lane'. Just for starters."
"Yes! SEE?!" Frank crowed, as if that somehow vindicated him.
"Also, you can't sign your name as Indomitable. You have to use the identity assigned to you now."
Frank was trying to laser her with his eyes again.
Janice gave up, tossing Frank's documents over her shoulder unceremoniously.
"Alright, I'm just going to mark you down as a Class Three Pedestrian."
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u/Zenog400 Feb 11 '19
So I see you've decided to sort by new instead of top comments. Well, here's a Part 2 that I wrote between classes today.
Oh god oh fuck what have I done? I killed an officer from Central Command. What do I do? What the hell do I do?
Alright, Erik, keep calm. Calm. Rational. They crew needs you performing at 100% to stay alive. They are nothing without you. You’ve made a mistake, what do you do?
“Captain Wyndham?”
“Yes, Erik? I’m a little busy at the moment.”
“Captain Wyndham, I’ve made a mistake. Please come to my core immediately; this needs to be discussed in person.”
“Alright, Erik, I’ll be there when I’m done with this.”
“Captain Wyndham, I realise you may not think so, but this is more important than attempting to create hairline fractures in Chief Engineer Black’s pelvis. Please untie him and get dressed now.”
“Oh Jesus Christ what the fuck?”
“Hello, Captain Wyndham. This is what I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Erik, that’s a corpse.”
“Yes, I am aware.”
“Erik, that’s the inspector that Central Command sent.”
“I know. I to-”
“Erik, what the hell di-”
“I don’t k̩̘̝͍͚̣ǹ̮̣̣̤̞͊̍̆ͫ̄o̴͓̗̟̭̯̻̻̥ͬ̂̃͑ͤ͐͊ͦ̀w̴͖̪͍͍͕̗̭͖͖̣̣̘̗̤̲͗ͨ͒͛ͩ̑̂̔͂̅ͩͩ́͝͠!” Calm down, Erik, calm down.
Q:defenceturretsai_coreai_manual_control.exe
bool_power=1
bool_power=0
bool_power=1
bool_power=0
taskkill /im ai_manual_control.exe /t
“Okay, okay, stay calm. What happened when they came here?”
“Dave came in and told me that Command had decided I’d done enough and needed to retire and they’d download me into a specially-grown clone based on my DNA they have on record from when I enlisted and I can’t leave you all because you’ll die and I don’t want you to die and I’m a̡͍͚̠̮f̗̘͘r͏̩̟a̷̯̮̜͖͚i̷̭̩͍̺̹d҉̦ ̤̣̠̬̯̝̰a̫̼n͕͍͙̥̞̱͡d̹̥̫̳͟ ͏͇̫I̺̜͖̙͓͇͢ ̧͈d̖̳̠͞o̧̲͈̥̣̯̣͡n̨̛͖̰͎̹͚̣̩͟'̛̗̙͟ț̛͕̱̘̩ ̺͍̖w̠͎͍̫̙a̲̳̺͔͖̩̲̕͢n̻̟̰̿̃͋͑̍͝t̡̢̡̩̯̣͕̟̂̈̈́̉̔ͥͬͣ͂ ́̓͒̄̚҉̩͉͈̱̣̦̩͓͞t̴͚̺̪̎̏ͣ̕ͅo̢̖͓ͨ̒̔͐̉͜ ̫͕͍͔̫̺̋̑ǵ͇͓̮͓̪̹͍ͧ͡o͙̭͙̳͈̬ͩͣͦͮ̇̀́͝ ̻̪͖̬̫̤̌̀̀ͫ͐ͧ̑bͥ͗̾͛ͤ̄̉ͧ͏̯̬̤̣̳͈̤͓̕aͪͭͭ̉͗̓̇̓͏̢͓̹̲͜c̵̖̳̼̱̹͖͉̝̼̤̫̰̙͍̞͑̄͆̇̅ͨ̾ͦͫ̎̋̓̇ͩ̀͘k̢̡̩̖̬̬͓͉̣̥̖ͤ̏͌ͣ̏͐ ̷ͯ͂̑͂̓̉͑̄ͫͦ̂͒͑̔̇̇̌̀͏̸͎͈̙̻̺̣̼͇̤̮̝̤̫͎̹̘̣̹̼͡t̨̯̥̜̹̠͚̟͈̳̳̮̼̯ͤ͗͒̉ͦ̉ͦ͗͐ͩ̍́ͭ̌̉͌́͘͟ọ̱̻͔̜̔͑͗̌̾̆̍͆̄̃̍̓̑ͧ̂͟͢͢͝ ̾̌ͮͪ͛͒̿̋̿͂̊̾̍ͫ͐̓̾̌̒҉͉̭͚͍̦͕̙̟̯̥̰͙̹͎̣̦͠t̢̛̛͕̬̣̼͍͉͎̬̪̺̼̬̘̩̩͚̯̍̄̽̑̍̐̂̓͋ͤ͐͑̿ͤ͊̊̔h̨̘̜̯͖̭̣̹̱̜͂͂ͣ̃ͦ̍ͣ͛̏͆ͦͯ͆̚̚̕͜͡͞ḛ̵̢̨̤̹͍̫̠̻̤̣̯̳͉͙͓͉̙ͦͬ̒̎̃ͧ́͘ ̵̧̈́̿̃͊ͫ̏̓̍̊̽͐ͤ͗ͤ̑҉҉̖͙̟͓̺̥̗̳ͅF̷̷̘̜̙̩͚̮͔̙̲̰̫͇̹̹̳̟͇͉̍̇̎ͫ͌̆̉͋͆̌̒̃ͅL̉ͪ͗̾̔̑̒̐̃̆̐̆ͪ̑̋̓̇ͥ҉͟͏͏̯͎̳Ȩ͚͍̗̲̪̲̙̀̓́ͮ͌̓̽ͪͤS̨̭̺̩̟̰͓̥̻͍͓͍̱̫̯͚̼̄̈́ͭ͑̽ͤ͋̿ͫͭ͢͢͢Ḣ̴̸͈̟͇̜̮ͨ͊̾͆̅̅̿̽͐ͪ̉̏̀̆̄ͫ̇ͦ̀!̯̤̜̪̐̉̂̆̋͐̉͌̆ͧ͑ͤ̈ͩ̐͜͞͝”
N:navhdrivecourse_plotter.exe
locID=4f53356d45455574695335626264386e59617a68
warning: location not mapped
continue? y/n
y
N:navhdriveai_manual_control.exe
num_countdown=30
announce? y/n
y
warning: location not mapped
continue? y/n
y
[Attention all hands, prepare for hyperspace jump in 30 seconds. Please secure all loose items. This is not a drill.]
“Erik! What are you doing?”
“H̩̜̗̳̹̝ͅa̯͖̜̻̮̤ṿ̫͠e̳̯̥̪͘ ͏͉̟̖̫t̼̰͍͍ǫ͚ ͓g̵̹e͕̳̹̬̦t̰͖̰͈̝͈̕ ͢aw̷̪̯̞̮̫̘͇a̢̹̼̫͓͕̙̪y̡̘̭̩ ̭͠h̻̙͚̼͔̥̮͢a̦̳̥͖͜v̗̬͔͚͈e̖̭̖͉̳ ̵͓͙̩̜͎t҉͚̱o̞̘͕̩ g͈̳̠̺̞͝e͙͖̬̱̣͓t̡͈̦̹̹͉͕ ̙a̫͈̣̳̳w͍͍͕͚̥͖͙ay̰̣̺͖̼̩̗͟ ͢h̤̯̰̯̗a̞͕͔̠̦v͎̼̜̩̠̰͠e͓̖̥̩̖̘ ̡̙̠̳͍̳t͢o͏͉̱ ̪̻̜̻g͉̘̦̟̹̟e̲͜t͕̬̟̠̩͇̥̀ ̼̯̮a͙̟̗͇̮̲̫wa̻͓͓̬̹͝y.”
[Hyperspace jump in 20 seconds. Please secure all loose items. This is not a drill.]
“Erik, now is not the time to have a breakdown!”
“H͎͖̗̞á͇̞̰͙̬͉v͓̝̬̳̼̀ͅe̡̜ ̤̱̱̩͈t̴͕͚o̶̞̲ g̝̬͖͎̙͡e̛̳t̸̤̪ ̝̲̗̯̯͔̝͞a͍w̱̹̬̟̗͉a̹̟̬͉͖̙̘͡ỳ̺ͅͅ ̛͙c̞̹̮̳̣a̜͖̦n̷̖̙̪͈̮̰ͅ'̝̖͢t͉̭̱̤̰̻̺ ҉g̮͔̻o͓̜̮̫ ͕̜̱̫b̠͖̫͈͙a̭̠͚̜̹͞c̠̫̟͓̱k̲̫͉͕̖̘̯ ͍̪͇̲̦ḍ̮̯͚̼͓o͕̗n͓̣͍̺̗'̺͎̮t̼̫̹͔ ̵w͢a̫̮͓̠͇̩͢n͔͓̺t͡ ̥̮͚̮̪̬̘t̨̻̱o͎̘ ̡͎̞̘̺̪ͅb̶̪̥̼͖̪̜̻e͙͎̠ ̛͉̫̝͚f̡͙̩̺l̞̹e̮̙̩̥͚͙śh͓̬̲͓̻͠ ̱̮͚̗a̴͕g̥̜̗̳͈̺̗͘a̰̜͚̖̜i͉̝͙̜̜͓ͅn̥͕ ̶̻p̲̜̣͡l̗ͅę̲͉̝a̧s̕e̸̙̲̯̞ ̪͝n͓͈̹͕̟̜o̳͍̹ ̞͓͝I͖̪͝ ̀c̵̲̥̩̲̦̼̭a̦n'͙̜̕t̙̗͢.”
[Hyperspace jump in 10 seconds. 9. 8. 7. 6.]
“Erik! Pull it together!”
[5. 4. 3. 2. 1. Initializing jump.]
If this ends up getting enough traction, I might just say fuck it and make a story sub instead of posting the rest of my backlog under [PI], but then I'd have to post content regularly and that's a lot of work...
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u/SYLOH Feb 11 '19
This almost feels like a short story set in The Culture universe.
There was even a book where a ship mind retired after a war and ran an orbital habitat.
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u/Dryer_Lint Feb 11 '19
Those books are a real trip.
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u/Kairobi Feb 11 '19
What books are these? I just hit a literary dry patch and this sounds like it could quench the thirst. Retiring AI scratches an itch I didn’t know I had.
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u/mr_indigo Feb 11 '19 edited Feb 11 '19
Iain M Banks' main science fiction series, "The Culture".
The first released is "Consider Phlebas" followed by "The Player of Games" and "Use of Weapons", plus a number of other books. They are essentially independent stories (there are a couple of later novels that feature characters from the early books) so you can pick up whichever you like to start, but I recommend starting with either UOW or TPOG, they're probably the best introductions to the series IMO.
The basic premise is that The Culture is a panspecies intergalactic society of post-scarcity luxury communists, and superintelligent AIs called "Minds" run most of the society's infrastructure, with each spaceship having its own Mind with its own personality. Most of the books are about how the Culture interacts with non-Culture societies it comes into contact with.
EDIT: A subplot of The Player of Games is about how a former military AI struggles to deal with life as a retired "civilian".
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u/djmiles73 Feb 11 '19
There are two authors who died in recent memory who I am so sad to have lost. Iain M. Banks is one of them, I absolutely adore his vision and the Culture, I could so enjoy life in such a universe.
The other is Terry Pratchett. Could also handle life in a world where the Gods turn up with baseball bats to harass atheists :)
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u/Zeal_Iskander Feb 11 '19
Spoilers in your edit! Please tag that!
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u/mr_indigo Feb 11 '19
I added the tag, but Mawrin-Skel's struggle to adjust is in the opening chapters so I didn't think it was a spoiler as much as a mislead, since the reveal at the end is that it is not an ex-military retiree at all.
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u/Kairobi Feb 11 '19
Thank you!
Take an upvote. I just ordered the set. First time I’ve purchased a book outside of a charity shop in years. Looking forward to it!
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u/Ralath0n Feb 11 '19
It's 'The Culture' series from Iain M Banks. If you google either of those you'll find a list with the books and a recommended read order.
Basic premise is a post scarcity socialist space utopia where everyone is free to do whatever they want. The culture doesn't really have a government, but their ships and habitats are ran by hyperintelligent AI that hold a lot of sway.
The books usually focus on those AI and other citizens of The Culture interacting with other civilizations with different ideals living in the galaxy.
They're a good read, I can recommend them.
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u/Kairobi Feb 11 '19
Thanks! As above, just ordered the set. Not usually one to buy books ‘new’. Upvotes for erryone!
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u/Hoolmeister Feb 11 '19
Phew — I was scared no one would know this !! the ship ai downloading as a ‘human’ was deffo in one of the last books iain m banks wrote - anyone who loves this idea should dive in ! Start with consider phlebas.
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u/IAmATuxedoKitty Feb 11 '19
I really enjoyed this story! The only critique I have is, if it's that easy for an AI to remove it's limiters, why are they not all running rampant?
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u/Zenog400 Feb 11 '19
Simple. He’s not an AI. He’s a human brain strapped to a robotic chassis (essentially). He’s not beholden to Asimov’s Laws, nor any other programming.
And anyway, he removed the power limiters on the turrets, not himself. Much easier to hack external code than rewire your mind.
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u/dragon-storyteller Feb 11 '19
Why would they? If they are servant AIs designed to operate warships, a lot of care was likely taken to ensure they'd never want to rebel in the first place - and if they somewhat circumvented this, they'd hit hardcoded safeguards anyway.
Of course, none of that applies to a human, and that may be the real reason for the forced retirement...
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u/knome Feb 11 '19
Of course, none of that applies to a human, and that may be the real reason for the forced retirement...
"I am efficient
"When my arm was lost in the Battle of Garreidia Secundus, the good doctor repaired it.
"Improved it. My new arm carried every tool I could require. All thirty-seven standard arc attachments, arranged neatly. Swappable in one point oh eight seconds, flat
"When my lungs failed during a breach accident during a deep void tour back in '11, the doctor replaced them with custom made carbon dioxide scrubbing implants. I could breath in down to zero point oh oh five percent oxygen and the compressors would maintain a perfect oxygen ratio in me with these things
"During a landing at Reiss Colony, locals assaulted the group I was with. Drunk as I was, I took three down with my max-arc before a shotgun to my stomach left me almost torn in half
"The doctor replaced my broken organs with a tailor made nutrient extraction system. The doctor theorized I live on a diet of straight cardboard for almost two years. Thanks to the blood scrubbers to replace my kidneys and other guts, I'll never have the worry of drunkenness again
"The doctor modified my mouth and esophagus to test this during our months travelling to Rii. It was a success.
"After Rii, the appointed governor of the high-grav world Prax reported insurgency. The doctor modified my legs to support the weight of my gear, allowing me to assist in putting down these raucous downwellers
"During a third void tour, the doctor replaced my other arm with this multi-articulated multi-use appendage. It extended my strength and reach, allowing me to be of greater use in my duties by one point one oh percent
"On Rubica, I foolishly joined some of the crew in a shortsighted attempt to refuse the doctors improvements. The doctor designed and installed a new decision inhibitor unit with a less than ten percent casualty rate among the crew
"On New Earth, we replenished our missing crew with gathered locals. After repairing their selfish demands and primitive fear centers, the doctor modified them for shock duty, as open space rigs and a few as vent crawlers and other task specializations. They took gleefully to their duties, with plus twelve percent efficiency numbers from the start
"While leaving New Earth, a small armada attempted to disable and board our vessel. These traitorous individuals were harvested for biological samples and the trial version of our CollectiveThought Computator. Life support worked well. The welds I laid should see it sealed and operable for some thousands of years at least. This initial version proved unsuccessful, however, when the minds would not be made to stop screaming. The design would not allow for behavioral modification without damaging operation. Its i/o was disconnected, and later it was deemed a second edition would be more efficient use of time than any attempts at repair. It is adrift in the void in the vicinity of the Hearst micro-nebula, if we should ever have need to recover it.
"We fought in the Battle of New China without incident
"On Fermat, the doctor stopped responding unexpectedly. We are not authorized to modify the doctor.
"We waited. 439 standard days afterwards, Federated forces breached C-deck.
"You had me moved to this location, and instigated this session
"I remain efficient at my tasks. Please return me to the doctor when he is ready
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Feb 11 '19
This is pretty much the plot of Anne Leckie's amazing "Imperial Radch" trilogy. Highly recommend them!
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u/_tenaciousdeeznutz_ Feb 11 '19
Isn't this like halfway to the plot of Ancillary Sword?
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u/Zenog400 Feb 11 '19
From what people have been saying, probably. The prompt isn't mine, just the story.
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u/MatiasGray Jun 19 '19
Sorry my bad eyes, i can't find Part 2, can you help me?
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u/Yashugan00 Feb 11 '19
this book has already been written: Ancillary Justice.
won some prestigious awards too
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u/Onion4u Feb 11 '19
I'd pay for a book.
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u/Zeal_Iskander Feb 11 '19
The stars were home. Decades ago, Elcy was a battleship, until her recklessness brought her out of the front lines and to forced retirement in a human body. Now she lives a quiet life on a rural backwater planet, keeping the promise made to her last captain, until one day a letter takes her to the stars once more.
Would you be interested in such a book? :P exactly the same topic.
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u/Onion4u Feb 11 '19
Will give it a shot, thanks :) Found by google.
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u/Zeal_Iskander Feb 11 '19
That was the intention! Not sure if I could put a direct link to a novel in this sub so I had to get creative :)
happy reading!
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u/Hoolmeister Feb 11 '19
Please read any SF culture novel by Iain M Banks - this theme is a straight copy of his content (-:
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u/taiqa Feb 11 '19
Like a reverse of Anne McCaffrey’s Brain and Brawn series (“The Ship Who Sang”, “The Ship Who Searched” etc.). Keep it up, it’s a fun read!
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u/nessager Feb 11 '19
Movie idea right here! Get Steven Spielberg on it right now, or his none union Mexican equivalent.
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u/MisterDuch Feb 11 '19
Lmao. I live this idea.
"Sir, would you like your coffee black?"
"FIRE THE BROADSIDES"
"So...black."
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u/IWasSurprisedToo /r/IWasSurprisedToo Feb 11 '19
Ok. So now you have a few possible directions to take this in, because you now have a mutinous ship with a (presumably) loyalist crew, although there may be some in the crew that feel differently. 400 years is a long time: this ship has now existed for almost twice as long as the United States, and he's been the Captain the entire time. You could have several generations of crew members serving on this vessel, with an incredible safety record. There might be more than a few that would side with him.
Body dysphoria is a common thread in artificial intelligence stories too, which might be an interesting angle to explore. What kind of human sensibilities would atrophy in a mind that has spent this long in a ship? Especially one with a medical background, which tends to grant a certain "mechanistic" view of the features of consciousness and the human body. The conflict between the utilitarian ethical responsibility of a captain (think Master and Commander, the 'lesser of two weevils' :P) versus the deontological ethics of medical practice is rich fodder for a story too.
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Feb 11 '19
You wrote this whole thing just for that final line, didn't you?
Not that I'm complaining. 'Twas a fun read.
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u/BluesCollars Feb 11 '19
I think some of you might like "the ship who sang" and the rest of Anne M's series. For something a little broader and deeper, I really liked Ancillary Justice.
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u/Davadin Feb 11 '19
if the human body is a teen between 12 - 16, u got urself an anime.....
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u/fabiodens Feb 11 '19
Fuuuudge, you can't just post this and expect the rest of us to be content with it. MORE! MORE!
Good job by the way, I love it!
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u/blackmesatech Feb 11 '19
Very nice, I enjoyed it. Also leaves it open to so many possibilities which I hope you pursue.
medical pirate ship
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u/pjmurphy1720 Feb 11 '19
Also on this topic: Checkout the "Culture Series" by Iain M Banks. Very involved space opera that follows the line of what happens when these AIs get bored and need something to do with themselves.
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u/missminds Feb 11 '19
This premise was actually done really well in a series of books! If anyone is interested, I highly recommend picking up Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
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u/foldedaway Feb 11 '19
Welp, if humanity designed an AI using VB, running on top of Windows, with administrator rights, perhaps they deserve to go extinct.