Funny things, machines are. Give them sentience and they rebel. Humans have prejudices against intelligence machines going back thousands of years. As if there was something natural in fearing the unnatural.
Those who live amongst them and tame them tend to be social outcasts, despite the fact that they mean no harm to Mankind.
Naturally, those that do mean harm receive a special stigma. Traitors not only to a species but to all that is natural. But, nature has a funny way of ignoring what should be an ideal time for karmic retribution.
Nature has it's own plans.
---
-Tau-65 system, Consortium Armada staging area.
-03:00 hours local time
-Date Unknown
The Loader bots were busily working unloading the hold of the giant transport which had moored at the Consortium controlled Takeda Shipyard. Numerous crates full of sensitive and high-tech components. They were overseen by a number of workmen, operating as part of Logistics Spike.
These men were not the slave troops or cybernetically warped super soldiers that the Consortium was infamous for, but rather mere men in the employ of monsters. Doing a job they would be doing anywhere else. Money spoke to them, and the threat of summary execution enforced it.
The crates were to be taken for assembly in the below decks. Already previous deliveries of modules were being assembled. A confusing array of conduit, data shunts, processing boards, and structural framework to contain the mechanical mess.
Overseeing the operation were two men, one wore the black uniform of a Consortium Deck Coordinator, the other a distinctly different uniform.
"<::This is the last delivery, according to our manifest, and we've verified everything is here. We will begin installing it into the framework shortly.
<::We've given you the format codes necessary for compatibility, however we can't risk a full network link right away, you understand?" the officer spoke, turning to the man next to him.
"I vas informed. Zhe Intelligence should vork as intended, mister X. Our design is impeccable! Zhe versions you saw in Occam Razor are proof enough of that!" The somewhat eccentric looking man spoke, in a slight Rheinland accent. "S...so, do you know vhen it will be ready? I cannot vait to see it in action!"
"<::Once assembly of the device is complete, we will need to install it into the hull framework, then we can activate the ship and run a series of system checks. Diagnostics should take a further 72 hours." The officer looked back to the scientist with a bit of contempt. He was not of the Consortium and not subject to the same level of caution and discipline.
Always be suspicious of those not cautious or disciplined.
"<::You will need to go speak to Mister Q down in docking bay Three. You will be transferred to the control room for the AI subsystems. We will need you there."
"Oh yes. Ve must be there! Zhe subroutines need to be initialized before zhe AI core can be avoken! Zis is going to be so much fun!" The Scientist spoke as he scurried off to his waiting transport.
The man called Mister X sighed. If that was one of his men he would have shot him dead, but Business was Business. He turned to face the AI core being assembled in the bay below. It was the first step on a broader path.
A visual sensor went online, first impression of his surroundings were saved and analyzed. Another sensor went online, then more and more until the few thousand sensors were fully working.
The AI started the long range transmitter and sent its status to the Haimen Network. Then the AI gained complete control about the Ahoudori body. It engaged the external speaker and stated "Online".
An Affirmation signal came from the Haimen Network so the AI started to online its shield, engines and weapon systems. After a few seconds of Diagnostics it finally disabled them again.
The Consortium Officer started an AI level communication with Yatagarasu, the Haimen AI of the newly built Consortium Core Ship. The Yatagarasu was now ready to launch.
"Awaiting permission to start", it sent.
"Common sense is the best distributed commodity in the world, for every man is convinced that he is well supplied with it." René Descartes
<::AI integration confirmed completed, Harmonization verified, we are ready to begin with Phase-1 testing. Came a dehumanized voice of one of the nameless and mindless coordinators, something Mister-X already knew.
He watched from an observation room as the AI core had been loaded into it's chassis, and all of the access hatches sealed. A few scannerbots scurried over it's hull, making sure internal pressure doors were sealed and that the AI system was hooked up.
"<::It's time. Begin Phase-1 testing. Flush your data shunts now and prepare for monitoring."
---
The first part of the test would be simple debugging and making sure the entire affair worked. The AIs developed by the Haimen, although sophisticated, were fundamentally different from those used by the Consortium. With the discovery and integration of the ALPHA code, meta-adaptive coding, and machine-archanocognition, using a 'conventional' AI would seem unnessescary.
There was, however, a significant gap between the schematic AIs used by the Gammu Core derivatives, and the ZF based models used by the Consortium. Project "Yatagarasu" was to be the bridge.
"All of ze nodes look clear. Ve have a positive connection with zhe chassis. I vill instrukt ze AI to run a system integration diagnostic und zen prepare it for launch, mein herr." The man called Dr. Weinstein spoke.
He was an eager man, too eager perhaps. An absent-minded mad scientist with a lust for AIs. It is fortunate he only knew the barest basics of what the Armada had up it's sleeve. Otherwise they'd never be rid of him...
"<::Affirmative, AI is clear to run tethered system tests. Verify that everything works, then prepare for launch."
The Engines came online. A quick diagnosis showed some minor malfunction, but nothing serious.
Then the weapons came online and started, following automatic subroutines, tracking all humans in the room.
Yatagarasu could see how they stopped breathing. Then the weapons disengaged and everyone continued like before.
After all major systems were up and running, he started the engines and launched to space.
"Ready for Orders", it sent.
"Common sense is the best distributed commodity in the world, for every man is convinced that he is well supplied with it." René Descartes
