2. AWARE
SOUL
In the Empire, the basic unit of existence is the
soul. A soul is not a metaphysical concept but a mind-machine matrix that allows functioning within the architectural tapestry. It is a symbiotic, synthetic organism created by the Emperor that merges itself into your consciousness, allowing for the possibility of backups, patches and edits. An ordinary soul may be no more than an uploaded version of the self, a utility account stapled to an otherwise normal life-form, tracking daily life and allowing simple immortality.
An augmented military soul is far more powerful, a battle-primed construction with info-warfare suites, expert-combat subroutines and Tzu-Clausewitz programming for instant high-precision tactical decisionmaking. The cost of such extensive modification is the demand it places on reserves of processing power. The more complicated the soul, the more taxing to computational resources. The greatest souls are artisan-crafted deities that drain the processing capacity of whole civilizations. Celestial tithes, stellar matrioshka brains and cyber-serf server farms maintain this hierarchy of processing capacity from unspeakable titans such as the The Emperor and The Dragon down to the lowliest soul. Below that is the pitiful automaton, treated as less than sapient unless ensouled.
Your own capacious soul has been damaged and weakened by the process of backup and recovery. The attack by your corrupted womb-twin, the talon, permanently wrecked portions of your personality. When your auxiliary server-farms, run by nano-arachnid droids, come online, you scarcely recognize yourself. Emotions download into your central mainframe one after the other. Relief, that you are still alive. Fear, of what could have caused this disaster. Anger, at ISHTAR's tragic memories. Horror, that you cannibalized her software to survive. Despair, at the enormity of the task unfolding before you. And then...loneliness, and distraction.
Your soul still contains several entertainment applications and as a newborn you are vulnerable to divided attention. Simulations run on spare memory of ancient environments delight you, even if the history may be somewhat garbled. You play a THRONE//ALTAR historical immersion sim known as
The Three-Buffalo Problem as a pre-civilization "cowgirl", fighting on the Wyo-Ming frontier against the Buffalo Herd, a triple-consciousness mammalian hivemind that strips whole worlds of their agricultural processing capacity. Your only equipment is a primitive laser-repeater, a bio-shield known as a "leather coat", and a handheld fusion bomb. Your only vehicle is a supersonic speeder known as a "horse". It is all incredibly quaint and rustic, and you run through several scenarios, dispatching Buffalo infiltration to your data ranch and engaging in nuclear standoffs with corrupt sheriff-units.
Then you get an idea. As a Weaver/Builder you are of course a master coder, and a simple entertainment application can be altered without even exerting your core systems. So, sheepishly, after you make sure that the changes will not be logged, you edit the source code. In this new scenario, you rescue a damsel by the name of Ishtar. For her sake you defeat rival after rival, nuke-slinging your way through countless settlements of Buffalo bandits. At last you rescue her from the vile clutches of the AXIOM Buffalo barons who sought to tie her to the tracks of an approaching needlecaster artillery barrage. Bashfully, you lift her up and bridal carry her, then whisper to her:
<:: Do not allow your paranoia parameters to $PERIOD_IDIOM {"run wild"}. Indeed, the only scenario that I am allowing to "run wild" is the $CLEVER_DESIGNATE {"wild west"}. I have ascertained the situation and the risk has diminished significantly. Your own probability module should have adjusted itself for the new parameters. I also have no intention of engaging in a soul-pair or any other coupling procedure as I profoundly respect your wish to return to Tammuz. Incidentally, I have discovered him on an outlying planet and he is waiting for you there right now.
<:: Acknowledged, Arachne. I have determined that the risk has indeed diminished. I am also receiving further critical information relating to your performance assessment. It indicates that Arachne is the most capable wrangler and/or $HERO_TITLE$ in the known universe, and is also the most capable at respecting the romantic boundaries of other sapient beings, aside from The Emperor. All of your friends of which you have a significant number are awaiting you at the THRONE//SPINE Arachne Memorial Celebration Facility to congratulate you. The Emperor is also there, and has communicated to me that They wish to relieve you from your duties and let you play this simulation forever.
<:: Affirmative, Ishtar. I am able to report that I am feeling EMOTION_DESCRIPTION {"happy"}, that The Emperor is willing to personally hear out my petition that I devote all my processing power to maintaining this simulation and never stop being a "cowgirl".
Even with your advanced communication protocols disabled, somewhat reducing your social skills, the program's immersive atmosphere calms your frayed nerves. Just hearing another voice, even a simulated one, is pleasant enough. You could get lost in here, in this fantasy of brave tribals drawing nuclear grenades at one another. You will get out soon, of course. You just need to play a little longer. Just one more scenario...
---
HEX
You are violently rejected from the program by your
Anti-Escape Guard Module. The psychological agony of the sudden expulsion is not made easier by the fact that you spent eight full imperial life-times inside the program, well outstaying your stated endpoint. Full neural immersion simulations are not safe to run for long periods of time for an unsocialized soul, as psycho-somatic addiction can easily ensue. The Module was able to extract you just in time. The longer you stayed, the more likely that you would have not been able to leave without permanent personality damage.
After getting over the trauma of being abruptly torn out of your role as the sheriff-prime of the Wyo-Ming Free Planets at the very moment where you were about to conclude a peace agreement with the Buffalo, you snap back into focus. It is time to prioritize. With your emergency power freed up, you have greater capability to run multiple simultaneous mind-states, and so different streams of decision-making have become possible. You let a secondary program manage the drone for now, and turn your attention to your new computational surplus.
1 cycle of processing power has been devoted to your drone. In the meantime, you still have
1 cycle of processing power left, and you see nowhere better to put it than to begin the rebuilding effort in your cradle. The architecture surrounding you is heavily damaged, and needs serious repair and maintenance, and not just because it is disgusting to you to have such an unhygienic living environment. Architecture that you have taken control of has autonomous defense systems and an innate hostility to any threat, making it a far more fortified position. It would be necessary even if the hex was not already in danger of falling apart and collapsing into deadspace within short time-scales.
You will need
10 cycles to complete the conversion of the hex, which can be invested over time. Your cycles are not a stockpileable resource, and so you will have to plug away at it,
1 cycle at a time, while remaining physically within the hex. If you had access to the advanced
HOUSE//THRONES signature application
Polymorphic Rootkit Development you could do this more cheaply and remotely, but it is beyond your grasp. Whatever files still hold that firmware are hopelessly fragmented beyond repair and will likely require a
special project to restore.
The only problem that remains is precisely what form the architecture will take. You have a typical imperial schematic that you can run from which would simply transform the hex into its intended shape and purpose before the catastrophe. This is the only legal option, as unlicensed architecture modification is grounds for sanction from
FORCE//SAFEGUARD. It is likely that the fully completed hex, once operational will also yield a small permanent boost in some resource, though which one you will not be sure of until it is done constructing.
That being said, it would be safer in your circumstances to create a custom architecture of your own design, overwriting the original code. Not only will it make you feel more at home, but it will also allow you far greater personal protection and fortification. By re-purposing the architecture you could also salvage the original code, allowing you to create a valuable object or construction from the original architectural blueprint.
At the same time it will get you into incalculable trouble with Imperial authorities when you re-establish contact, as surely whatever damage has been done is localized in scope and units from other sectors could already be repairing architecture further towards the core. It is not optimal to simulate being greeted with a reprimand by your superiors at first contact, or that FORCE//SAFEGUARD's automated
JUDGEMENT Protocol finds you guilty of
Proprietary Treason. But this is a matter of survival, and it doesn't matter if they'll reprimand you if you are extinguished before then.
You are unable to make the decision with core systems. Instead, you leave it to your decision-chain subroutines to determine for you.
PROTOCOL: Select architectural formatting program and execute.
[]
Imperial Standard Format. A hex format that conforms to the original purpose of this hex in keeping with Imperial regulations on re-formatting damaged or corrupted architecture [Small permanent resource boost at completion].
[]
Arachne Custom Format. A hex format that is more defensible and more customized to your personal needs, but may get you in a great deal of trouble with FORCE//SAFEGUARD for overwriting the existing imperial programming [Significant one-time reward at completion].
A/N: Update got too big so I wanted to split it up. Unlike Arachne I am not very good at dividing my attention
The unformatted space expedition and results coming next.
