Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2016 5:47 pm
Dr. O'Shay stood behind Reno and Cobalt as the two of them examined the many pages of data that had been downloaded from the collective memories of Astro and Atlas. Cobalt rapidly took notes on a second terminal, his fingers dancing on the keyboard, moving rapidly in a blur.
What is your theory about the alien satellite?, the doctor asked.
Cobalt twisted his body to look behind him as he turned to face the professor. It's a long story Hakase, he said. You may not be able to believe it, and I wouldn't blame you.
Perhaps you'd better get your facts together in the form of a formal presentation, O'Shay suggested, Just like I have to do every time I have to make a proposal to the Ministry's board of directors.
I can do that, Cobalt smiled. Perhaps later this afternoon.
Good. The professor placed his right hand on Cobalt's shoulder. We can use the lecture room, You and Reno can connect the media displays to the mainframe computer and use the full graphical displays.
I'll need Astro, Atlas, and Reno's help. Cobalt replied.
Sure, I'll be there. Atlas said. I'd like to finally know just what's been happening to me.
Uran looked scared as she watched her older brother. What does this all mean, Coby? she asked.
Don't worry, Imōto, Cobalt said. Now that I know what's been happening to me, Astro and Atlas, I can control it. I won't weird out on you anymore.
But what does it mean? she asked pointing to the computer.
Why don't you sit in the back of the room with Hakase?, Cobalt smiled. I'll explain it all then. I may seem a bit crazy to you, it does to me actually. I wish I could talk to Hawking.
Cobalt stood at the front of the long room that normally served as the lecture hall. There was a considerable echo caused by the emptiness of the place that had been designed to house a class load of several hundred students. He stood at the podium just in front of several huge computer monitor screens. Reno sat a table to his left, where a laptop computer was connected to the mainframe that was feeding the displays. Cobalt fingered the remote pointer which enabled him to manipulate the presentation from his end.
Astro and Atlas sat in front of a small table to Cobalt's right. They faced toward Cobalt so they could look out into the audience and view the displays.
Dr. O'Shay sat in the first row of the lecture hall, with Uran at his side. Mars, trying to make his presence be ignored, was sitting a score of rows back, slouching in his seat. Cobalt had secretly asked him to show up.
Cobalt looked about him, and then signaled to Reno to bring up the first slide. An image of the strange alien spacecraft popped up large on the huge XD computer display panel behind him. What you see here is the infamous Black Knight satellite that has been reported in Earth orbit since the early days of the space age, he started.
There have been many theories about it, from it being a doomsday weapons platform, to some kind of extraterrestrial intelligence sent by a civilization studying us. The satellite seems to have the ability to hide its presence and change its location in the blink of an eye. Reno and I have just finished analyzing data we downloaded from the memories of Astro and Atlas who tried to make physical contact with the entity.
Tried to make contact?, Atlas interrupted. We were just inside the damn thing!
Well that is what you remember, Cobalt answered. Tell me, what did it tell you?
That it had been in orbit for millions of years waiting for humans to create robots, Atlas replied. It had been carefully influencing mankind to this purpose, and now wants to use us to create a new cybernetic civilization in its image.
Is that what you heard, Astro? Cobalt asked.
Not exactly. Astro replied. I didn't hear the part about subjecting mankind, but rather about protecting human civilization.
Yes, Cobalt answered, According to the data we extracted from your memories, each of you interrupted the Black Knight differently, as did I.
It spoke to you? Astro asked. You weren't in space with us.
True, but I was in contact with it none the less, Cobalt replied. And I also heard a slightly different message.
Cobalt used the hand held control to switch the display to a different image. The computer now displayed the real time graphics of a popular simulation game.
What does this have to do with the Black Knight?, the professor asked.
Have you ever played a virtual reality computer simulation game, Hakase? Cobalt asked.
I'm at least several generations too old to have been interested in such things, the professor laughed. Although I have used V.R. simulations in the laboratory to design and test bits of hardware that couldn't be built for real as prototypes.
I have, Reno volunteered.
Good, Cobalt continued. How good were those simulations, could you tell that they were in fact simulation and not reality?
Yes, the doctor and Reno replied almost together. The simulations are limited in just how deeply they immerse you in the virtual world, Reno conjectured. Not all of your senses are engaged, and the fidelity of the simulations are not good enough to be completely mistaken for the real world. Most of the current games do good enough job to make the simulation work.
I'd say that's true, the doctor added. At least the current software does allow me to test new hardware to the point where it is possible to attempt to produce a working prototype.
Excellent, Cobalt said. Now imagine that the fidelity of current V.R. systems improves to the point where it's impossible to tell the difference between the simulation and the real world. Then endow the simulation with its own A.I. so that it becomes self aware. I propose that the simulation would not know that it was a simulation, nor would anyone interacting with it.
What is your theory about the alien satellite?, the doctor asked.
Cobalt twisted his body to look behind him as he turned to face the professor. It's a long story Hakase, he said. You may not be able to believe it, and I wouldn't blame you.
Perhaps you'd better get your facts together in the form of a formal presentation, O'Shay suggested, Just like I have to do every time I have to make a proposal to the Ministry's board of directors.
I can do that, Cobalt smiled. Perhaps later this afternoon.
Good. The professor placed his right hand on Cobalt's shoulder. We can use the lecture room, You and Reno can connect the media displays to the mainframe computer and use the full graphical displays.
I'll need Astro, Atlas, and Reno's help. Cobalt replied.
Sure, I'll be there. Atlas said. I'd like to finally know just what's been happening to me.
Uran looked scared as she watched her older brother. What does this all mean, Coby? she asked.
Don't worry, Imōto, Cobalt said. Now that I know what's been happening to me, Astro and Atlas, I can control it. I won't weird out on you anymore.
But what does it mean? she asked pointing to the computer.
Why don't you sit in the back of the room with Hakase?, Cobalt smiled. I'll explain it all then. I may seem a bit crazy to you, it does to me actually. I wish I could talk to Hawking.
Cobalt stood at the front of the long room that normally served as the lecture hall. There was a considerable echo caused by the emptiness of the place that had been designed to house a class load of several hundred students. He stood at the podium just in front of several huge computer monitor screens. Reno sat a table to his left, where a laptop computer was connected to the mainframe that was feeding the displays. Cobalt fingered the remote pointer which enabled him to manipulate the presentation from his end.
Astro and Atlas sat in front of a small table to Cobalt's right. They faced toward Cobalt so they could look out into the audience and view the displays.
Dr. O'Shay sat in the first row of the lecture hall, with Uran at his side. Mars, trying to make his presence be ignored, was sitting a score of rows back, slouching in his seat. Cobalt had secretly asked him to show up.
Cobalt looked about him, and then signaled to Reno to bring up the first slide. An image of the strange alien spacecraft popped up large on the huge XD computer display panel behind him. What you see here is the infamous Black Knight satellite that has been reported in Earth orbit since the early days of the space age, he started.
There have been many theories about it, from it being a doomsday weapons platform, to some kind of extraterrestrial intelligence sent by a civilization studying us. The satellite seems to have the ability to hide its presence and change its location in the blink of an eye. Reno and I have just finished analyzing data we downloaded from the memories of Astro and Atlas who tried to make physical contact with the entity.
Tried to make contact?, Atlas interrupted. We were just inside the damn thing!
Well that is what you remember, Cobalt answered. Tell me, what did it tell you?
That it had been in orbit for millions of years waiting for humans to create robots, Atlas replied. It had been carefully influencing mankind to this purpose, and now wants to use us to create a new cybernetic civilization in its image.
Is that what you heard, Astro? Cobalt asked.
Not exactly. Astro replied. I didn't hear the part about subjecting mankind, but rather about protecting human civilization.
Yes, Cobalt answered, According to the data we extracted from your memories, each of you interrupted the Black Knight differently, as did I.
It spoke to you? Astro asked. You weren't in space with us.
True, but I was in contact with it none the less, Cobalt replied. And I also heard a slightly different message.
Cobalt used the hand held control to switch the display to a different image. The computer now displayed the real time graphics of a popular simulation game.
What does this have to do with the Black Knight?, the professor asked.
Have you ever played a virtual reality computer simulation game, Hakase? Cobalt asked.
I'm at least several generations too old to have been interested in such things, the professor laughed. Although I have used V.R. simulations in the laboratory to design and test bits of hardware that couldn't be built for real as prototypes.
I have, Reno volunteered.
Good, Cobalt continued. How good were those simulations, could you tell that they were in fact simulation and not reality?
Yes, the doctor and Reno replied almost together. The simulations are limited in just how deeply they immerse you in the virtual world, Reno conjectured. Not all of your senses are engaged, and the fidelity of the simulations are not good enough to be completely mistaken for the real world. Most of the current games do good enough job to make the simulation work.
I'd say that's true, the doctor added. At least the current software does allow me to test new hardware to the point where it is possible to attempt to produce a working prototype.
Excellent, Cobalt said. Now imagine that the fidelity of current V.R. systems improves to the point where it's impossible to tell the difference between the simulation and the real world. Then endow the simulation with its own A.I. so that it becomes self aware. I propose that the simulation would not know that it was a simulation, nor would anyone interacting with it.