The Practice War [Complete]
- Thread starter Snowfire
- Start date
- Original Sci-Fi
- Location
- Poland
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[x] Every Road Leads Home
Because that's the only option that doesn't answer a question that belongs to them.
Because that's the only option that doesn't answer a question that belongs to them.
To be fair, none of them do that. I'm pretty sure that none of this is an attempt by Amanda to dictate to the Unison Platforms, or even influence their decision beyond that of Amanda's own unconscious biases. All this vote is doing is presenting Amanda's own perspective and shades of understanding; the decision is being left with the Unison Platforms.
Snowfire
Polyglot of Chimera
- Location
- Wordcats
Snowfire
Polyglot of Chimera
- Location
- Wordcats
Quick update: I've had a very busy week, but the update is now complete - I'm just waiting on some checks before I post it. Be aware that I'm doing my best to translate relatively important psych into something relatable with this section, and that's not always easy. Still, just wanted to let you know that this was done, for all intents and purposes. I think there's probably a vote I need to add on, but I'll do that in the morning.
Choices of Life - Part 4.5
Snowfire
Polyglot of Chimera
- Location
- Wordcats
:There are so many paths, so many ways that we could choose to change. What if we pick the wrong one?:
It was a question you'd heard before, more than once, but never quite in this context. That didn't make this time any less important, but it made you remember all of the occasions that had come before. There were recent examples by the dozen. The choices you'd taken leading up to the Second Battle of Sol, to prepare humanity for that fight. Or those made during that battle, leading to moments of searing clarity as you had unleashed power beyond anything you've felt before or since. And, finally, the stretched instant in which you'd chosen to speak a single word, and called cities reduced to ash back into their shining glory.
You didn't regret those decisions, no matter what had come of them, but Sidra already knew them. And the feeling you could sense in the Unison Intelligence wasn't one that would prosper from repetition of what they already knew. And yet, those scattered memories of the past twenty years weren't all you had. There were older ones, much older, buried beneath layers of acceptance and long-found contentment.
You'd learnt to live with those decisions, to accept the endless mirrors of might have been and could be. Without that growth, it's unlikely you would have survived the trials of the Second Battle of Sol anywhere near as intact as you had. That was where the lesson lay, a lesson your family had helped you learn. And a lesson you now had to teach in the same way they had; without teaching.
:Oh Sidra,: you thought the words before your mind could catch you, yet in the moment they sprung free, emotion filled them. Not pity, but simple comfort. You felt those words splash into the tempest of Sidra's emotions, and though it didn't stop, it did stumble. Only for a moment, yes, but it stumbled. They were reaching for clarity, but all the emotion around them was making it hard for them to see. :With everything you know, everything you have, is that really the question you're scared of?:
There was a surge of sudden response, thoughts almost formed, but they stopped suddenly before they could be sent. And you felt Sidra pause, the tempest slowing to a jerky cycle. :What… what do you mean?: they asked slowly, and you let out a small breath, hoping flickering across your thoughts.
:Bear with me, alright?: you asked. A moment later Sidra returned the Unisonbound version of a wordless nod. Then you took a deep breath, mentally at least, and the words came pouring out.
:You've always known me as the President I became. As the woman who, even though she didn't have to, dived into the heart of the Second Battle of Sol, and emerged victorious. You've seen me grapple with choices, seen me come to terms with them, but those were experiences that I had decades to prepare for. And right now, none of that knowledge is helpful to you.:
There was a soft, barely recognisable sound of acknowledgement from Sidra, and you kept going. Their focus on your words was almost tangible. :It was almost sixty years ago now when I found myself faced for the first time with a choice that I couldn't walk away from. No matter what I chose, the world would change as a result.:
:I know how you chose to make more of the Circles,: Sidra started to reply, almost caustically, and you shook your head hard, cutting them off. Regret had found you when the first Circle bloomed across humanity, yes. Regret, and fear, that it might grow into something that would destroy humanity. Part of you still sometimes wondered if it and its descendants had. But it wasn't what you'd been referring to.
:Almost sixty years, Sidra. Fifty nine, to be precise. That was before the Circles became plural. When I was offered a place to learn with the Elder First, but to do so would mean leaving the fledgling Circle behind.: Something stirred in the connection between you, but Sidra didn't form words. :I was fifteen. Barely six months a Potential. And they offered me something that, if I'd taken it…: You didn't elaborate. You didn't have to. You could feel Sidra's own attention streaming down the paths of memory to that moment, the first decision you'd ever made where you'd known at least some of the consequences either way.
"Do you think I'd risk giving that up?" Your own voice sounded in your mind, still high with childhood, but gentle as it had ever been. "The offer from the Elder First is one that is incredibly generous, but I never was one for accolades, you know that. And I think you of all people can testify to my stubbornness."
:You knew,: Sidra sent, very slowly, as the memory continued to play. :You knew what it might give you. How it could have helped you change the world. And you said no?: There was shock in their voice, but no more than you'd expected. The Elder Firsts' offer had been one only quietly received and rejected.
:I did. And if you listen just a little more, you'll know why.: Silence came between you in the moment as the you of sixty years past took a breath.
"I'm sure." You watched yourself nod again at a picture of the First Circle's Heart, and your voice was very soft. "The Elder First could give me power in my Practice, and great understanding too. But if you and the others, my chosen family, would not prosper as a result of that? That's not who I am, Mary." You squeezed your friend's shoulder. "If it was, what I'd made would be just what you'd accused me of it being the first time we met."
:For family?: Sidra asked, and you smiled.
:Not quite. Look at who I talked to, and why I chose the path I took.: You needed to be careful here, to guide without leading, but still get the message through. Sidra had all the pieces they needed, but they had to be the one to put them together. You felt their mind spin across them, forming chains of possibility and searching for the one which was true.
:You chose,: they said slowly, :because, for you, there wasn't another choice. Refusing their offer was the only thing you could do if you were to stay true to yourself.: Sidra paused, and you could feel their uncertainty, unsure as to if they should go on.
:Keep going,: you sent encouragingly. You could feel the pieces sliding into place, the pace accelerating steadily.
:But if that's the case, if some decisions are simply invalid,: Sidra felt out the words, as if each one was new to them. :Then once you remove those ways you won't take, the only ones left can't be wrong. There,: they broke off, thoughts accelerating wildly out beyond the ability of even an enhanced human to keep up with. Even so, you felt it when the final piece clicked.
:There are no wrong choices?: Something much more than any single emotion poured through those words, and you felt something prick at your eyes. :Is it really that simple?:
:No,: you shook your head, smiling all the while, :but it's most of it. The rest is simple enough.:
:Does that mean you can tell me instead of leading me along?: they asked, and from another the tone could have been scathing. From them, it only made you laugh, and that was what it had been meant to do.
:Of course,: you laughed, nodding in reality. :No matter what you choose, Sidra. No matter the path you take, you will never walk it alone. We'll be there with you every step of the way, and I don't just mean me and the rest of the Two Twenty Three.:
:Why?: The question wasn't judgemental, it simply wanted a reason. And it was, you realised, more than just Sidra asking.
:Because you're part of us. Humanity, I mean,: you took the moment to clarify. :Do not forget that your lives come from the same place as ours. You are born of the souls of humanity, and we trust children of our flesh to choose to change the world around us. How could we not do the same for you, when you were born of our very souls?:
:But we aren't,: Sidra's voice was different, modulated by the tones of more than just one Unison Platform. :We're not your children. Not like that:
:No,: you conceded, :but you're still part of the human family, if you wish to be. Vision was the first life not of our own flesh that we created after the Sorrows. Iris was the first child of the same. But,: you held the word, making sure it stuck. :They were not the first people. That was you, and when your lives lit our world, they made us all something more than we'd been before. No matter how you choose to do so, creating more of you cannot do anything but the same.:
A long moment passed, and you felt the subtle whispers of conversation passing across the web that bound the Unison Platforms together. When Sidra next spoke, it was as themself. :And you'll stand beside us, no matter the choice we make?:
:We stand beside our other creations and children, no matter the ways they choose to walk.: You could speak those words from experience now. :We're there to help them when they want to make the world brighter, to catch them when they stumble. That will never change, Sidra. We brought you into this world. We have a responsibility to support you as you walk it. Maybe we've failed that responsibility before now, and if so, that'll be your decision to make. But we will be there for you as you navigate this crossroad, needed or not.:
:Take that as a truth, Sidra,: you told them firmly, anchored by the weight of more than knowledge. :It is one.:
It was a question you'd heard before, more than once, but never quite in this context. That didn't make this time any less important, but it made you remember all of the occasions that had come before. There were recent examples by the dozen. The choices you'd taken leading up to the Second Battle of Sol, to prepare humanity for that fight. Or those made during that battle, leading to moments of searing clarity as you had unleashed power beyond anything you've felt before or since. And, finally, the stretched instant in which you'd chosen to speak a single word, and called cities reduced to ash back into their shining glory.
You didn't regret those decisions, no matter what had come of them, but Sidra already knew them. And the feeling you could sense in the Unison Intelligence wasn't one that would prosper from repetition of what they already knew. And yet, those scattered memories of the past twenty years weren't all you had. There were older ones, much older, buried beneath layers of acceptance and long-found contentment.
You'd learnt to live with those decisions, to accept the endless mirrors of might have been and could be. Without that growth, it's unlikely you would have survived the trials of the Second Battle of Sol anywhere near as intact as you had. That was where the lesson lay, a lesson your family had helped you learn. And a lesson you now had to teach in the same way they had; without teaching.
:Oh Sidra,: you thought the words before your mind could catch you, yet in the moment they sprung free, emotion filled them. Not pity, but simple comfort. You felt those words splash into the tempest of Sidra's emotions, and though it didn't stop, it did stumble. Only for a moment, yes, but it stumbled. They were reaching for clarity, but all the emotion around them was making it hard for them to see. :With everything you know, everything you have, is that really the question you're scared of?:
There was a surge of sudden response, thoughts almost formed, but they stopped suddenly before they could be sent. And you felt Sidra pause, the tempest slowing to a jerky cycle. :What… what do you mean?: they asked slowly, and you let out a small breath, hoping flickering across your thoughts.
:Bear with me, alright?: you asked. A moment later Sidra returned the Unisonbound version of a wordless nod. Then you took a deep breath, mentally at least, and the words came pouring out.
:You've always known me as the President I became. As the woman who, even though she didn't have to, dived into the heart of the Second Battle of Sol, and emerged victorious. You've seen me grapple with choices, seen me come to terms with them, but those were experiences that I had decades to prepare for. And right now, none of that knowledge is helpful to you.:
There was a soft, barely recognisable sound of acknowledgement from Sidra, and you kept going. Their focus on your words was almost tangible. :It was almost sixty years ago now when I found myself faced for the first time with a choice that I couldn't walk away from. No matter what I chose, the world would change as a result.:
:I know how you chose to make more of the Circles,: Sidra started to reply, almost caustically, and you shook your head hard, cutting them off. Regret had found you when the first Circle bloomed across humanity, yes. Regret, and fear, that it might grow into something that would destroy humanity. Part of you still sometimes wondered if it and its descendants had. But it wasn't what you'd been referring to.
:Almost sixty years, Sidra. Fifty nine, to be precise. That was before the Circles became plural. When I was offered a place to learn with the Elder First, but to do so would mean leaving the fledgling Circle behind.: Something stirred in the connection between you, but Sidra didn't form words. :I was fifteen. Barely six months a Potential. And they offered me something that, if I'd taken it…: You didn't elaborate. You didn't have to. You could feel Sidra's own attention streaming down the paths of memory to that moment, the first decision you'd ever made where you'd known at least some of the consequences either way.
"Do you think I'd risk giving that up?" Your own voice sounded in your mind, still high with childhood, but gentle as it had ever been. "The offer from the Elder First is one that is incredibly generous, but I never was one for accolades, you know that. And I think you of all people can testify to my stubbornness."
:You knew,: Sidra sent, very slowly, as the memory continued to play. :You knew what it might give you. How it could have helped you change the world. And you said no?: There was shock in their voice, but no more than you'd expected. The Elder Firsts' offer had been one only quietly received and rejected.
:I did. And if you listen just a little more, you'll know why.: Silence came between you in the moment as the you of sixty years past took a breath.
"I'm sure." You watched yourself nod again at a picture of the First Circle's Heart, and your voice was very soft. "The Elder First could give me power in my Practice, and great understanding too. But if you and the others, my chosen family, would not prosper as a result of that? That's not who I am, Mary." You squeezed your friend's shoulder. "If it was, what I'd made would be just what you'd accused me of it being the first time we met."
:For family?: Sidra asked, and you smiled.
:Not quite. Look at who I talked to, and why I chose the path I took.: You needed to be careful here, to guide without leading, but still get the message through. Sidra had all the pieces they needed, but they had to be the one to put them together. You felt their mind spin across them, forming chains of possibility and searching for the one which was true.
:You chose,: they said slowly, :because, for you, there wasn't another choice. Refusing their offer was the only thing you could do if you were to stay true to yourself.: Sidra paused, and you could feel their uncertainty, unsure as to if they should go on.
:Keep going,: you sent encouragingly. You could feel the pieces sliding into place, the pace accelerating steadily.
:But if that's the case, if some decisions are simply invalid,: Sidra felt out the words, as if each one was new to them. :Then once you remove those ways you won't take, the only ones left can't be wrong. There,: they broke off, thoughts accelerating wildly out beyond the ability of even an enhanced human to keep up with. Even so, you felt it when the final piece clicked.
:There are no wrong choices?: Something much more than any single emotion poured through those words, and you felt something prick at your eyes. :Is it really that simple?:
:No,: you shook your head, smiling all the while, :but it's most of it. The rest is simple enough.:
:Does that mean you can tell me instead of leading me along?: they asked, and from another the tone could have been scathing. From them, it only made you laugh, and that was what it had been meant to do.
:Of course,: you laughed, nodding in reality. :No matter what you choose, Sidra. No matter the path you take, you will never walk it alone. We'll be there with you every step of the way, and I don't just mean me and the rest of the Two Twenty Three.:
:Why?: The question wasn't judgemental, it simply wanted a reason. And it was, you realised, more than just Sidra asking.
:Because you're part of us. Humanity, I mean,: you took the moment to clarify. :Do not forget that your lives come from the same place as ours. You are born of the souls of humanity, and we trust children of our flesh to choose to change the world around us. How could we not do the same for you, when you were born of our very souls?:
:But we aren't,: Sidra's voice was different, modulated by the tones of more than just one Unison Platform. :We're not your children. Not like that:
:No,: you conceded, :but you're still part of the human family, if you wish to be. Vision was the first life not of our own flesh that we created after the Sorrows. Iris was the first child of the same. But,: you held the word, making sure it stuck. :They were not the first people. That was you, and when your lives lit our world, they made us all something more than we'd been before. No matter how you choose to do so, creating more of you cannot do anything but the same.:
A long moment passed, and you felt the subtle whispers of conversation passing across the web that bound the Unison Platforms together. When Sidra next spoke, it was as themself. :And you'll stand beside us, no matter the choice we make?:
:We stand beside our other creations and children, no matter the ways they choose to walk.: You could speak those words from experience now. :We're there to help them when they want to make the world brighter, to catch them when they stumble. That will never change, Sidra. We brought you into this world. We have a responsibility to support you as you walk it. Maybe we've failed that responsibility before now, and if so, that'll be your decision to make. But we will be there for you as you navigate this crossroad, needed or not.:
:Take that as a truth, Sidra,: you told them firmly, anchored by the weight of more than knowledge. :It is one.:
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Snowfire
Polyglot of Chimera
- Location
- Wordcats
I'm honestly not entirely sure where several parts of this one came from, but I'm not going to complain. It does what it needs to do, and I'm happy with it. I just hope it gets things across in a way that make sense to people. To be clear, no, Sidra and the other Unison Intelligences haven't made their decision here. But they've been helped towards it, and not in a small way, either.
There is no vote here, and the next section of this arc will be the penultimate one. Sorry about it taking so long, it just seems that a lot of these sections are delving very deeply into psychological and philosophical interactions that can make writing them surprisingly difficult. Thanks for bearing with me through those – I know they're not always to the taste of some.
Many, many thanks go to @Baughn, @Coda and @Tayta Malikai for checking this over for me, and for @Jeboboid for san-checking a particular decision. Couldn't do this without all the help I get from y'all.
There is no vote here, and the next section of this arc will be the penultimate one. Sorry about it taking so long, it just seems that a lot of these sections are delving very deeply into psychological and philosophical interactions that can make writing them surprisingly difficult. Thanks for bearing with me through those – I know they're not always to the taste of some.
Many, many thanks go to @Baughn, @Coda and @Tayta Malikai for checking this over for me, and for @Jeboboid for san-checking a particular decision. Couldn't do this without all the help I get from y'all.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
You should be happy with it. It's very good.
Snowfire
Polyglot of Chimera
- Location
- Wordcats
Something I was worried about with this piece was that I'd short-circuit myself by trying to be too clever with psych. From the above, I appear to have avoided that, which makes me really happy.
- Location
- Somewhere out there
How'd I miss that one.
- Location
- Germany
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Being human?
- Location
- Queensland, Australia
It's a good thing they haven't made their decision here yet. Because if they had, it would not have been right for it to be so simple and easy. Of course, it's quite possible they could have made their decision already because of this revelation, and made the 'right' decision for them.
Yes, I know I just said a paradox, but that's choice for you
Calling making a choice 'simple' or 'easy' is wrong, but also right. It's only by making the decision do you figure out which view is right. And that only applies for that single choice. That said, the single choice that is the easiest and most simple, whilst also being the most impossible and complex is the very first one. Once you have made that first one, from there everything follows.
Yes, I know I just said a paradox, but that's choice for you
Calling making a choice 'simple' or 'easy' is wrong, but also right. It's only by making the decision do you figure out which view is right. And that only applies for that single choice. That said, the single choice that is the easiest and most simple, whilst also being the most impossible and complex is the very first one. Once you have made that first one, from there everything follows.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Probably in large part because they think faster than we do.
But as a rule, even decisions made by following your nature involve a certain amount of angsting if you're human, though perhaps not if you are, for example, one of Keith Laumer's Bolos. Which may actually be a better analogy for the Unison Devices and certainly was for the dragons.
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Snowfire
Polyglot of Chimera
- Location
- Wordcats
Probably in large part because they think faster than we do.
But as a rule, even decisions made by following your nature involve a certain amount of angsting if you're human, though perhaps not if you are, for example, one of Keith Laumer's Bolos. Which may actually be a better analogy for the Unison Devices and certainly was for the dragons.
The Dragons were far less programmed than the Bolos. The Unison Intelligences are comparably less so when taken against the example of the Dragons. Humanity as it is now in the PW has a major thing for freedom of will to shape one's future.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
I mean, the Bolos were programmed because that was the only way Boloverse humanity knew to create AI as far as I can tell; you have to build them from the ground up and they won't or don't grow themselves. I imagine the Second Secret partly bypasses this requirement, and Practice just makes a joke out of it.
What I was trying to invoke with the Bolos is the idea of an intelligent entity that has a strong sense of its own purpose in the cosmos- that has little or none of the "help I am a confused hairless ape that just fell out of the trees and I don't know what to make of this big crazy world" uncertainty that humans experience. I can imagine a purposeful entity that Has A Plan for itself, and even though it has free will and is in no sense a slave, it simply doesn't have room or time or interest for existential angst or what have you.
Individual humans are like this sometimes but we generally call them saints or fanatics.
Choices of Life - Part 5
Snowfire
Polyglot of Chimera
- Location
- Wordcats
January 25th, 2127
"It's coming to a close today, isn't it?" Mary didn't raise her voice, but the question cut through the gentle sounds of cutlery on the table, and your hand caught halfway to your mouth, piece of toast in hand. It was only for a moment, but after decades of friendship and years actually living together, you both knew each other too well to miss a reaction like that. The real surprise for you was where the reaction had come from, you hadn't lied to Mary about it at all. It had just seemed…well, not even your business.
"Do you mean the conference?" You asked, and your friend frowned delicately, as if considering her reply with great care. She probably was.
"Yes," she said slowly, "but it's more than that, too. The questions that we're asking here and the answer we find. Their connotations go so much further than just this choice. Giving the Unison Intelligences," the term had grown into regular use through the conference, something more respectful and, to be true, easier to say than any other option. Mary went on, "this choice was the right thing to do. Maybe even the only thing we could do, given who we are. But it means something more than just what those Intelligences choose to create in their children." She hesitated, eyes dropping as she grasped for the right words.
"Mary," you breathed, the name almost less than a sigh as you set down your spoon and reached out to catch her free hand with your own. "It means that one day, our daughter will probably have to make a similar choice. And from what we've seen here, that might not be so easy." You can't flinch from that reality, but the words are gentle in their firmness. And you recognise in your tone an echo among your oldest memories, when your parents, thinking you all asleep, would talk about the future ahead of your family. "But she'll have her friends, and us, and everyone else that the Unison Intelligences have had if she wants them."
"I know," Mary said, and squeezed your hand with hers. "And I'm not, I don't doubt that. But I still worry. This is the precedent, where everyone will look back to where it comes to the idea of the continuation of new life. That sort of thing has a power of its own."
"Yes," you agreed, your words as dry as a Martian desert, "but has our daughter ever been anything but wilful in the face of convention?"
Mary sputtered a laugh, and shook her head once. "No, she hasn't. And I know that should reassure me, and it does," she added quickly, "but there's still the worry. I don't think I could help that regardless of what I knew and others told me." She shook her head again, a softer motion, more considering of what was around her. "Part of being a parent, I suppose."
"We knew what we were getting into when we made that choice," you paused thoughtfully, before grinning at your friend. "Well, we thought we did, at least. This is just another part of that."
"Well," Mary returned your smile faintly, and something sparkled in her eyes as she did so. "Then I guess you wouldn't mind me asking where you think it's going to go?"
"Hmm? Oh," you considered the question for a moment. "It's…complicated. I know where I feel it should, but I expect everyone has that. Where we'll end up going, well that's up to the Unison Intelligences. And even after my conversation with Sidra," you'd known better than to try not to mention that, "I don't know where they'll land."
"Indulge me," Mary said, reaching down and breaking off a piece of her toast. "I'd like to know."
"Well, I don't think you'll be all that surprised, but alright," you nodded, sinking back a little in your chair as you brought the thoughts on the matter to order. "I'm drawn to the Gestalt Platforms very deeply, and I know most of the Unisonbound share that opinion. Giving the hardware the ability to adapt like the Unison Intelligences do for Potential they synchronise with would solve a lot of our problems."
"The Support Platforms could do most of that though, couldn't they?" Mary asked as she finished chewing.
You nodded. "They could, yes, but not in the same way. It's still restricting the hardware, and I can't help but think that if we did that, we'd be allowing the difficulty of the matter to overwhelm what's right. We gave Iris everything we could, the Unison Intelligences deserve the same care. And, in the long run, it means that we'll be able to make the synchronisation trials much, much simpler." You can feel the hope shining in your smile as, for just a moment, you let yourself imagine the world that could create.
"You could give them to everyone," Mary nods, her own expression reflecting a fragment of your own feelings. Her next question doesn't destroy the feeling, but it dilutes it, and you let it fall away into the dreams of what might come to pass. "But what about for now?"
"For now," your voice grew steadier with resolution, and regret. "We don't have the time for that research to be completed before the Regulars arrive, and we'd never be able to train the first wave to handle combat alongside the Two Twenty Three. Given our contribution to Second Sol, we need more people like me, and we need them fast." You'd chewed this problem up and down many times over the days of the conference, and what you'd settled on in the end would have surprised you…had it been the version of you before you took up the duties of the Presidency.
"So we take the list of those Potentials who passed the tests to be cleared for synchronisation, but weren't able to find a platform among those we had. We run them through a tweaked set of tests, to make sure they're viable for what's coming," you sighed, your words slowing, "and then if they pass, which I know many will, we build a Platform for them. I don't like it, not at all, but I can't see another way. Not if we-"
A gentle pressure on your hand stopped you, and you looked up to see Mary looking at you with a very gentle smile, her eyes a little watery. "We've all made sacrifices for survival, Mandy. You've made enough on your own. And I will not let you take this one on yourself."
"But," you began, trying to explain. If you offered this, it would be you who was responsible for the new Unisonbound, to make sure they were prepared. Mary clucked under her breath, stopping you short.
"I know you, Amanda. Maybe better than anyone. And I know this just as well." She leaned forward, green eyes very focused on yours, the light breakfast between you seemingly forgotten. "You are not responsible for the choices of others. Not this time." You wanted to reply, to say something about how it couldn't just be that simple, but something in those eyes of deep green simply reached out and stopped you. You bowed your head.
"Alright, Mary." You breathed, and the next words were less than a whisper, "I'll try."
Your current directive choices for Amanda in regards to the Unison Platforms were: Gestalt Configuration and Second Wave as described below. Have those opinions shifted?
[] Yes – leads to subvote
[] No
"It's coming to a close today, isn't it?" Mary didn't raise her voice, but the question cut through the gentle sounds of cutlery on the table, and your hand caught halfway to your mouth, piece of toast in hand. It was only for a moment, but after decades of friendship and years actually living together, you both knew each other too well to miss a reaction like that. The real surprise for you was where the reaction had come from, you hadn't lied to Mary about it at all. It had just seemed…well, not even your business.
"Do you mean the conference?" You asked, and your friend frowned delicately, as if considering her reply with great care. She probably was.
"Yes," she said slowly, "but it's more than that, too. The questions that we're asking here and the answer we find. Their connotations go so much further than just this choice. Giving the Unison Intelligences," the term had grown into regular use through the conference, something more respectful and, to be true, easier to say than any other option. Mary went on, "this choice was the right thing to do. Maybe even the only thing we could do, given who we are. But it means something more than just what those Intelligences choose to create in their children." She hesitated, eyes dropping as she grasped for the right words.
"Mary," you breathed, the name almost less than a sigh as you set down your spoon and reached out to catch her free hand with your own. "It means that one day, our daughter will probably have to make a similar choice. And from what we've seen here, that might not be so easy." You can't flinch from that reality, but the words are gentle in their firmness. And you recognise in your tone an echo among your oldest memories, when your parents, thinking you all asleep, would talk about the future ahead of your family. "But she'll have her friends, and us, and everyone else that the Unison Intelligences have had if she wants them."
"I know," Mary said, and squeezed your hand with hers. "And I'm not, I don't doubt that. But I still worry. This is the precedent, where everyone will look back to where it comes to the idea of the continuation of new life. That sort of thing has a power of its own."
"Yes," you agreed, your words as dry as a Martian desert, "but has our daughter ever been anything but wilful in the face of convention?"
Mary sputtered a laugh, and shook her head once. "No, she hasn't. And I know that should reassure me, and it does," she added quickly, "but there's still the worry. I don't think I could help that regardless of what I knew and others told me." She shook her head again, a softer motion, more considering of what was around her. "Part of being a parent, I suppose."
"We knew what we were getting into when we made that choice," you paused thoughtfully, before grinning at your friend. "Well, we thought we did, at least. This is just another part of that."
"Well," Mary returned your smile faintly, and something sparkled in her eyes as she did so. "Then I guess you wouldn't mind me asking where you think it's going to go?"
"Hmm? Oh," you considered the question for a moment. "It's…complicated. I know where I feel it should, but I expect everyone has that. Where we'll end up going, well that's up to the Unison Intelligences. And even after my conversation with Sidra," you'd known better than to try not to mention that, "I don't know where they'll land."
"Indulge me," Mary said, reaching down and breaking off a piece of her toast. "I'd like to know."
"Well, I don't think you'll be all that surprised, but alright," you nodded, sinking back a little in your chair as you brought the thoughts on the matter to order. "I'm drawn to the Gestalt Platforms very deeply, and I know most of the Unisonbound share that opinion. Giving the hardware the ability to adapt like the Unison Intelligences do for Potential they synchronise with would solve a lot of our problems."
"The Support Platforms could do most of that though, couldn't they?" Mary asked as she finished chewing.
You nodded. "They could, yes, but not in the same way. It's still restricting the hardware, and I can't help but think that if we did that, we'd be allowing the difficulty of the matter to overwhelm what's right. We gave Iris everything we could, the Unison Intelligences deserve the same care. And, in the long run, it means that we'll be able to make the synchronisation trials much, much simpler." You can feel the hope shining in your smile as, for just a moment, you let yourself imagine the world that could create.
"You could give them to everyone," Mary nods, her own expression reflecting a fragment of your own feelings. Her next question doesn't destroy the feeling, but it dilutes it, and you let it fall away into the dreams of what might come to pass. "But what about for now?"
"For now," your voice grew steadier with resolution, and regret. "We don't have the time for that research to be completed before the Regulars arrive, and we'd never be able to train the first wave to handle combat alongside the Two Twenty Three. Given our contribution to Second Sol, we need more people like me, and we need them fast." You'd chewed this problem up and down many times over the days of the conference, and what you'd settled on in the end would have surprised you…had it been the version of you before you took up the duties of the Presidency.
"So we take the list of those Potentials who passed the tests to be cleared for synchronisation, but weren't able to find a platform among those we had. We run them through a tweaked set of tests, to make sure they're viable for what's coming," you sighed, your words slowing, "and then if they pass, which I know many will, we build a Platform for them. I don't like it, not at all, but I can't see another way. Not if we-"
A gentle pressure on your hand stopped you, and you looked up to see Mary looking at you with a very gentle smile, her eyes a little watery. "We've all made sacrifices for survival, Mandy. You've made enough on your own. And I will not let you take this one on yourself."
"But," you began, trying to explain. If you offered this, it would be you who was responsible for the new Unisonbound, to make sure they were prepared. Mary clucked under her breath, stopping you short.
"I know you, Amanda. Maybe better than anyone. And I know this just as well." She leaned forward, green eyes very focused on yours, the light breakfast between you seemingly forgotten. "You are not responsible for the choices of others. Not this time." You wanted to reply, to say something about how it couldn't just be that simple, but something in those eyes of deep green simply reached out and stopped you. You bowed your head.
"Alright, Mary." You breathed, and the next words were less than a whisper, "I'll try."
Your current directive choices for Amanda in regards to the Unison Platforms were: Gestalt Configuration and Second Wave as described below. Have those opinions shifted?
[] Yes – leads to subvote
[] No
Support Platforms – Removing the combat protocols built into Platform architecture might lose a great deal of what makes them so valuable, but it might be better for those individuals who are entirely unsuited to battle, by Focus or simple nature. A relatively simple option, relatively speaking.
Gestalt Configuration – A more complex possibility, but it should be possible to create a way for the Platform's gestalt connection to also configure the abilities of the Platform. With this, no one who was not capable of fighting could gain access to an Aegis, but this will take time to perfect.
No Change – What it says on the tin.
From Choices of Life 2
Gestalt Configuration – A more complex possibility, but it should be possible to create a way for the Platform's gestalt connection to also configure the abilities of the Platform. With this, no one who was not capable of fighting could gain access to an Aegis, but this will take time to perfect.
No Change – What it says on the tin.
From Choices of Life 2
Open Touch Up – The system that was built for the 223 should suffice, you think, though it clearly needs some work. Still, the base is clearly solid, and should be able to handle open distribution to the Potential population, given some ramping up.
Rebuild – Though what was before was enough, it's not anymore. Knowing what you know, you can't simply let things go on as they were. A complete redesign is needed, before you start offering Platforms to anyone.
Second Wave – Some tweaks are definitely needed, maybe even a full redesign in time, but you don't have that time. Keep the selection for Unisonbound closed, except to those who passed the last tests. They'll have to go through the tweaked ones, but it'll give time to either develop a new general platform or fully redesign the selection process
From Choices of Life 3.5
Rebuild – Though what was before was enough, it's not anymore. Knowing what you know, you can't simply let things go on as they were. A complete redesign is needed, before you start offering Platforms to anyone.
Second Wave – Some tweaks are definitely needed, maybe even a full redesign in time, but you don't have that time. Keep the selection for Unisonbound closed, except to those who passed the last tests. They'll have to go through the tweaked ones, but it'll give time to either develop a new general platform or fully redesign the selection process
From Choices of Life 3.5
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Snowfire
Polyglot of Chimera
- Location
- Wordcats
I fully expect this to landslide, but I want to make sure of it before I commit us to the finale. Sorry about this taking so long – had a long week and was distracted by some other writing work. My brain decided that fluff was necessary for this update. I hope it was worth the wait! After this, we have the final section of this sequence, wherein the Unison Intelligences make their choice known and the direction of their species is formalised going forward. I've done most of the rolls for it, and I know mostly where it's going to land, but it should be fun to write out. Once that's done, we can finally get to the other parts of the turn (sorry!) and then finish off with the Research Report, Answer and News. Hoping to be done with the turn by May, but we'll see.
Thanks to @Baughn and @Coda for checking this over - though I know the former was distracted by the content of the update, the blatant shipper
Thanks to @Baughn and @Coda for checking this over - though I know the former was distracted by the content of the update, the blatant shipper
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Snowfire
Polyglot of Chimera
- Location
- Wordcats
Ack. Wups. I'll just spoiler in the options that were available at the time with their descriptions. They come from two separate posts.