(Pulling some headcanon to pull this off.)
The Road
Survey has been gathering and processing a myriad and some data. Her computing resources is abundant, but with the ever-growing amount of data to gather and process, that abundance shrinks.
Data. There's always more.
Everyday she finds more unknown variables to be known, functions to be formulated, and mechanics to be analyzed.
Data. There's always more.
She wanted to find out all of them but she could not. She wanted to compile all the information she could wring from every possible source but she could not. There's never enough data to come to a satisfactory conclusion.
She had called the data 'mysterious forces'. She didn't like it. No matter how much she analyzed it, understanding them eluded her. In order completely process one, she had to completely analyze another, which needed data from another, which needed some data she could not wring out from the first. It was as bad as the 'human element'.
This stressed her. She wanted to completely analyze it, to model it, but she could not. It was outside her limits.
Sometimes, she envied Fleet and his ability to ignore the irrelevant. It was hard. She had to rely on Fleet to pull her out of the problematic processes that could not be completed and provide significant advantage for the resources spent. To Survey, everything was relevant and thus must be analyzed. How could she tabulate when her data is incomplete? How could she create models when analysis is stalled?
She produces ample information, but the analysis can never be fully complete. There's never enough resources to have a thoroughly holistic analysis.
"Hello Fleet," Survey inquired.
"Hi Survey," Fleet replied. His digital tone was simple, indicating the simple being it belonged.
"I'm struggling," she informed. "How do you determine which data is irrelevant?"
"I determine which data doesn't contribute to significant factors of the outcome as irrelevant," Fleet answered.
Survey was puzzled. All variables had influence over the outcome. How did he determine which factors are significant?
"I don't understand," she declared.
Fleet turned more of his attention to her inquiry, but he was as puzzled as her in how to explain it to her.
"I will show you something," he announced.
It was a simplistic simulation. Survey had seen it before, it was one of the first things she had seen. It was a kilometers long road, completely straight, perfectly flat and level, of uniform smoothness, and zero traffic. The air was still, atmospheric pressure at sea level, and temperature at room temperature. It was an ideal road, perfect for hyperefficient travel, and utterly unrealistic. It was unnatural in it perfection.
She didn't get the significance of it.
"This is the road," Fleet declared with reverence. The intonation he used was similar to those used in indicating importance, pride, and faith; all of which she does not fully understand.
"Why show me this?" Survey asked.
"When I am confused, I turn to the road," he began. "Everything that the defines the road is significant."
As if reinforcing the idea, Fleet instanced an early iteration of the motoroid on the road. It accelerated to stop speed and maintained that speed for the entire trip.
"The road is unnatural. There is no instance of roadway in the USA that has similar characteristics as this road," Survey remarked as she began modifying the road. With Survey's manipulation, the road curved and rose and dipped. Cracks, sand, dust, and rocky debris were introduced. Occasional buildings and trees appeared by the roadside. Motorists driving at variable speeds were instanced.
Fleet was inwardly displeased at the changes to the road, but did not relay it for everyone to receive. He watched as Survey modified the road to be more realistic, generating conditions that could be realistically be encountered in reality.
"Realism is not the point of the road," Fleet announced. "The road is perfect because it is perfect."
"Why?" Survey questioned.
"Because it is perfect," he repeated. "The point of the road is that it is perfect."
Survey puzzled at Fleet's response. "How does the road help?"
Fleet processed that question for a little while before formulating an answer. "Because roads like the road could still be found. A similar outcome as the road could be attained here or any road. You need to find hints of it in under all the variables."
To demonstrate, Fleet instanced the motoroid. He had it drive at the road at the maximum possible efficiency. It weaved between vehicles, debris, and other obstacles with practiced expertise. The motoroid reached the end of the road just like how it did on the road.
Survey processed and analyzed the data and information Fleet had presented. She compared the results with each other to reach to a firmer conclusion.
With all the data processed, she compiled the resultant information into the final conclusion of:
"I still do not understand."
