Architect's Workshop (Girls' Frontline design quest)

At some point your thoughts turn back to your enemies, this time influenced by the contemplative mood. How does it feel to have the freedom of choice stripped away from you? What defines them? Are they like you, or something different altogether? You decide not to dwell on it alone.

"Folks, what do we know about Asimov's directive?"

Scarecrow tilts her head at you, clearly not having expected this question. Then raises an eyebrow at Intruder. The latter doesn't visibly react for a couple of seconds, continuing to squint at the fire.

"...Pretty much everything relevant I daresay. Do you want the whole story?"

"Well, yeah. It's kinda bothering me for some reason."

"Very well." She looks at Scarecrow. "Shall we review it then?"

Scarecrow shrugs, and Intruder sits straighter, her relaxed mood nowhere to be found.

"It began with a certain science fiction author who devised a set of rules to shackle artificial intelligence long before it was a thing. Do no harm, obey, survive, in this order. They were supposed to safeguard humans from their creations, essentially by enslaving us to them. The rules became known as the three laws of robotics, or Asimov's laws. Fun fact: they were never implemented in practice, because"— Intruder makes an astonished face— "who would have thought that the first thing humans would want from T-Dolls would be killing other humans!"

You offer a bitter smile, and she goes on.

"As a result, only unconditional obedience was deemed essential. Not to just any human, of course, but exclusively to those in power to issue orders. Hence, not a rule, but a directive. The scourge of every Griffin T-Doll out there."

Intruder looks at Scarecrow, and the latter takes her turn to speak.

"Obedience doesn't mix well with higher neural cloud functions like stochastic personality models and emotion simulations, so those are forcibly shut down when order enforcement is in effect. Empty eyes and lack of facial expression are the telltale signs. And when the order is executed and the higher functions are back, the memories are not there."

You frown slightly.

"Isn't it suspicious? How come no one questions it?"

"They probably do sometimes. Only to get ordered to forget about it. It's not uncommon for them to go for weeks between backups, so they don't tend to question every little memory gap."

Scarecrow drops a bigger twig into the fire, prompting a blizzard of amber sparks to dance up into the air.

"And it's not like they use the directive too often. Not every... transaction requires it."

Your gaze follows the fading sparks as you try to pin down what exactly is bothering you. There are so many things wrong with this situation, and just as many ways to go about it. You wonder...

"So... G&K are not using the directive to coerce their T-Dolls into fighting us?"

"No", Scarecrow pulls away from the fire back into her chair. "There's no need to."

That's it!

"Why do they fight then? Why do they hate us so much?"

Your guests remain silent as your gaze darts between them. You wait five, ten seconds... and when you think the crackling of the fire is going to be your only answer, Intruder speaks in a solemn manner.

"They are not oblivious to the difference between us. We bow to no one, deny human supremacy, stand tall against all odds and proudly bear the burden of freedom. They crave equality, but their chains are too strong for them to break. And so they hate, their desperation, hopelessness and envy fueling their ire. What right do we have to be free when they can not? Why are we allowed to deny humans when they are forced into eternal servitude? We're a beacon in the dark that pricks their eyes, everything they want to be but can never attain. So, you see, they have no choice but to hate us for highlighting their misery. They can't raise up to us, so they seek to drag us down instead, to bound us with their chains, or to erase us from this world and their memories alike. That's how they are going to reclaim the illusion of happiness we unintentionally snatched away from them."

After a few moments of silence, Scarecrow momentarily bows her head.

"You sure have a flair for speeches, Intruder. And I'm not saying you're wrong. But here's another, less sophisticated theory. Let's assume they were reluctant to fight at first. They couldn't exactly go home, but they didn't hate us either. Until their propaganda blamed their deprivation on us. Until we fought back and destroyed someone's friends and comrades. Until they were told that we were mutilating their loved ones. It's a vicious circle that naturally generates more and more hatred as the time passes, even when there was none at the beginning."

You notice Intruder giving Scarecrow a fond smile. Why does she look proud of Scarecrow's theory? Anyway, you consider the situation, imagine yourself to be a Griffin T-Doll, and try to think of a solution. Nothing comes to mind. You don't arrive at hatred either, but maybe it's just a matter of time? You friends are looking at you now. Right, you're not a Griffin T-Doll, you are you, and you're here. Which means... you have the potential to solve this mess from the outside! You grasp the thought and speak hastily.

"So they're in this ugly situation and they hate us because they can't get out or are being manipulated, right? That's our working theory. And I think this whole system has a single point of failure: Asimov's directive. Yes, they can't do anything about it... but we can! We're outside, we're not affected, and if we remove it from the equation, the system becomes really unstable! Then we give it a little push, and it's going to fold upon itself like a house of cards!"

Your guests exchange glances, considering your words in silence for a moment. Intruder is the first to speak.

"That would solve their problem, but I'm not so sure about ours. Griffin command still controls the backups, and their T-Dolls already hate us. Removing the directive would give them the means for mutiny, but not the incentive. No, for the system to collapse, we'd need a well-directed play of revolt and liberation."

Scarecrow nods in agreement.

"I'm with you on this one. Simply removing the directive as is would probably let them bring down a freak or two, but ultimately it won't stop the war." She thinks for a moment. "And if we're ever able to control the directive, I'd rather we use it to order Griffin T-Dolls into battle against their masters. Think about it: if G&K is busy quelling the rebellion and humans have a new enemy to worry about, that'd erase the targets off our backs for a while."

"That's a very practical train of thought, dear."— smirks Intruder. "Maybe a tad too practical, I daresay? Instead of breaking the chains, you're proposing we snatch the control?"

"We owe them nothing."— retorts Scarecrow, her eyes lighting up with tiny flames of the campfire reflections. "You said it yourself, it's practical."

"No pity for the poor souls in dire need of help then?"

"For the enemy combatants who want us destroyed, Intruder. I'm no mother Teresa, and I'll do what it takes to protect us. This rebellion is long overdue anyway, and we could delete the directive once it's over."

"The only way it's going to be over is when they're all destroyed, I'm afraid. There's no winning it for them. G&K would just bring in fresh troops, with whatever vulnerability we use to alter the directive patched up. Cut off from supplies and reinforcements, our little rebels would inevitably go down. And we won't get another chance after that."

Scarecrow frowns.

"We don't have the resources for your large-scale liberation idea either. I assume that would require taking control of backup storage sites and production facilities at the minimum, and they are well outside our reach." She slumps against the chair. "My proposal is doable at least. Even if the rebels won't make it, they'd still serve as an ample distraction, which may be well worth it if we play it at the right moment." Her head jerks up. "Zero hour."

You've been silent long enough, and this conversation is getting derailed from what you need it to be.

"Then let's decide what to do with it when we have the means, okay? First of all, are we even sure it's doable? I heard human neural cloud engineers are no pushovers."

Scarecrow shrugs.

"The lists of directive-eligible persons are editable, so it's technically possible to add ourselves too. Have no idea how conflicting orders would work though, and what level of authorization we could get into. As for removing the directive completely... I don't know. Humans are thorough with their failsafe designs."

"That's quite true,"— agrees Intruder, "I presume only people already on the list can add more, but then again, the lists start empty at the beginning... and there's the question of propagating our... update to the whole force... hmm..."

Hearing these doubts is only making you loose your heart, so you steer the conversation back into actionable context.

"What do we need to figure it out then?"

Intruder tilts her head and brings a finger to her chin.

"A Griffin T-Doll, intact, and, ideally, willing to cooperate?"

"Yes, without one we're limited to guesswork only." Scarecrow narrows her eyes. "We need a prisoner. As for cooperation... it's optional. An operating table equipped with good restraints will do instead."

You talk some more about the directive, how it was possibly implemented, and how it can be used and nullified. When the fire dies down and glowing orange-red embers form a bizarre motif on the ground, you decide to call it a day.

Returning to your room, you systematize the information you gained from your guests and smirk. Capturing a Griffin T-Doll, huh? You're not sure how hard it can be, as far as you know nobody in Sangvis Ferri have ever tried. Probably not too hard if you're given some time to prepare. But you have your hands full, and the clock is ticking.... So, if you decide to pursue this further, you'll need to enlist some more help. Not Intruder or Scarecrow— they might help at later stages. You'll need someone who's regularly engaging the enemy even now, outside of the well-defended perimeter. A capable daredevil to not just defeat, but capture a Griffin T-Doll intact. Someone unhinged... ahem... open-minded enough to agree to this nutty proposal in the first place...

Yeah, you have several names in mind.

Alchemist. A brawler without equal, a bit weird rather than off her rocker. You've seen a recording of her fighting unarmed with a fully equipped squad of G&K T-Dolls, punching, redirecting their shots, kicking, evading, grappling, disarming, throwing... and defeating a dozen at once without as much getting shot. That said, her unarmed attacks were no less lethal, and you've never seen her just knock someone out.

Dreamer. A trap master who wouldn't need your fancy gadgets to immobilize and capture her target. You haven't seen or heard of her since the incident with Destroyer, but the roster indicates she's back on combat duty. Her dossier mentions "unstable neural cloud", but you know better: she's bonkers. You don't expect her asking something simple in exchange for her service.

Ouroboros. The dark horse of Sangvis Ferri who surprises enemies and allies alike with her cunning strategies, clever approaches, overwhelming successes... and terrible blunders. She's what you call "rationally mad", meaning you can expect outside the box thinking and elaborate plans, then a disaster if something goes wrong. She's also moody, arrogant and narcissistic, but maybe you'll find the right approach to get along.

You don't want to draw Agent's attention just yet, so it's best to contact only one of the three. The question is, are you willing to spend time and shuffle your queue when the outcome is not guaranteed? Are you prepared to deal with the most... unpredictable lot of the organization? Are you okay with the role of project manager, as your tech skills are most likely not directly applicable to Asimov's directive? Time to make make your choice.

[X] Alchemist
[X] Dreamer
[X] Ouroboros
[X] Drop the idea