>>6048577You pass by a few vaguely familiar faces, the hallways somewhat busy as the Gamma watch crew rotates to their next duty assignments in staggered waves. You eye your current companion’s collar and note the lights on his MPC remain unlit, a necessary precaution to prevent unwanted eavesdropping. Still though… you wonder if the background chatter was enough to stop other devices listening.
Your Tactical officer swipes a green finger across his datapad, reading rapidly and you take a glance at the screen over his shoulder to note the time — <span class="mu-g">0305 hrs</span>. You are also surprised to see that he’s not reviewing the results of the weapon’s drills like you’d thought. Instead he seems to be scanning through data logs dating back hundreds of years, DEW and Torpedo bank firing permissions it looks like.
“What’ve you got there?” You ask, curious.
“Hmm… Perhaps, nothing.” The Laedra muses quietly. “Something you mentioned about this ‘Peedee’ entity didn’t sit right with me. A discrepancy.”
“Oh?” You murmur, concerned, “The simulation seemed to be off in places, but my memories when interacting with her were markedly clearer. Did I miss something?”
If anyone would have the general knowledge to pick apart issues with the simulation, it would be Coen.
“You described your… friend… as some sort of digital ghost. One who could be taught by and potentially replace the function of a three-part AI.” He pauses as you approach the more crowded transport hub. Deliberately slowing his purposeful stride to give you more time to converse before joining the milling crowd waiting for elevator cars.
“And she was being taught by the ‘Controller’ how to use our vessel’s weapons remotely, correct?”
“Right, she mentioned Control taught her to use the DEWs and at least how to monitor torpedoes. Taught me, too. If I had access to my implant I could have shown you in the weapons drill to prove it.” You reply softly, “Though she only appeared as a ‘digital ghost’, Peedee definitely had her own environment — ‘box’ as she put it — and very human feeling emotions that I experienced firsthand. Honestly, I still don’t entirely know what she is.”
“That is related to the discrepancy.” Coen continues sedately, “I can track the functions removed from the Controller AI’s portfolio as it deteriorated over the centuries, however no records I have access to indicate it ever had the permission to autonomously control the Coober Pedy’s weapon systems.”
“Always a flesh and blood hand on the trigger, then?”
“It appears so, but these records are incomplete.” He frowns, “Every log dated pre-cataclysm appears to be redacted. I do not have the clearance to access the originals.”
You wince at the R-word and can only hope whatever pattern recognition algorithms Guard employs hasn’t flagged the sort of archive delving that includes
[REDACTED] content.
