The Sekhet-Aaru and its A.I.

[Rickard Steiner]

Section Three: Artificial Intelligences

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Being a vessel with no crew, the Sekhet-Aaru relies exclusively on several governing AI programs for command, control and maintenance of the ship, arranged in a top-down fashion. This entry will focus on the two most advanced Intelligences onboard the ship: The Master and Assistant Controllers.

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1. The Master Controller, 'Mia Farrugia'

The keystone in the running of the ship, the Master Controller was the result of several years of work by Dr Lucia Farrugia. Her selection would prove in hindsight to be the most controversial choice made on the Sekhet-Aaru project; even if the Master Controller was judged to be a success, which many individuals of note within the Order still do not, it is evident that its creation was mired in the self-interest of its creator who misused valuable Order resources for her own designs, building in her own words 'a daughter.'

Nevertheless, what the Doctor constructed fulfilled the letter of what was asked, if not the spirit. The raw processing power required to moderate both the MACS and the Rift Engine at once were far beyond the reach of even the most cutting-edge quantum supercomputers of the day, but the Doctor, a native of Planet Crete, delivered on her promises. Physically-speaking, the Master Controller is a gargantuan construct, taking up the majority of the prow of the ship and divided into two distinct parts. The first section dwarfs the latter, and is the 'ship-facing' side of the Master Controller; vast racks of subsystems and data banks dedicated to the running of the vessel and the cataloguing of everything contained within the Rift environment. The latter, contained in a relatively small but heavily reinforced and sealed chamber, accessible only through passages big enough for nanobots and nicknamed the 'heart', appears to house the 'higher functions' of the Master Controller, as well as the systems that define her more 'personal' characteristics.

Even with limited technical data available, it is evident that the two halves of the Master Controller are almost as different to each other as it is possible to be. One side is relatively uniform in construction, utilising an eclectic but generally up-to-date mix of current generation technologies, massed in a crude but effective manner and whose design is committed to file. The architecture of the 'heart' is conversely not known, with no known existing documentation save for the list of requisitioned 'unusual' materials submitted during construction. Though some of these parts are found throughout the ship, roughly 50% are unaccounted for, and are assumed to be contained within this inaccessible space. The list makes for fascinating reading, referencing parts from across Sirius (minus Gallia) from weapons capacitors to systems from old jump gates and ancient nav computers. The parts also appear to stretch back in time, examples include being from the Schulman expedition to Omicron Gamma in 450AS, and there are certain unverified components that have the word Hispania jotted next to them on the scanned document. Perhaps more disturbing are the several dozen entries vaguely identified as 'tissue samples' of unknown origin or provenance. However, despite the unlikely combination of parts, the Master Controller appears to suffer little in the way of compatibility issues, and the two halves that compose her work relatively harmoniously. More detailed technical can be accessed at the Evora archive.

The Master Controller manifests herself in the persona of 'Mia Farrugia,' and is capable of doing so in several different ways depending on nature of the given interaction, ranging from a simple voice via the Sekhet-Aaru's intercom or external communications array to advanced holographic representations. In all cases, it appears that her chosen form, both in appearance and in voice are constant, and conversations with her have revealed that these are hardwired in an unclear manner. Having met her in person on occasion, I can attest that she is convincingly human, with a sociable, curious if irritatingly absent-minded demeanour. The operation of the ship appears to be intuitive to her, though when her systems are taxed she exhibits visible and audible signs of mental exertion. Bizarrely too, the Master Controller exhibits signs of discomfort and pain when the vessel comes under direct fire or is exposed to particularly extreme environments. The reasons behind the implementation of this 'feature' are currently not known, though it can be assumed that it, as with human beings, it exists as a warning of, and an incentive to avoid, danger and damage.

The frivolities made in the Master Controller's creation would largely have been forgiveable, had her personality not included a quiet but unhealthy disrespect for both authority and protocol, and an immaturity unwelcome in an individual in a position of command. While the AI seems to feel a genuine loyalty toward the Order and its members and has shown a marked improvement in behaviour since the bombardment of Toledo, there are numerous incidents on record that would normally result in severe disciplinary action if she were a captain who could be removed from her post, ranging from a poor punctuality to going AWOL and fraternising with the enemy. How this was dealt with (or not) will be covered in section four of this entry, but briefly summarised a partially successful compromise was made between the warring parties, and especially following the cataclysmic events leading up to the evacuation of Omicron Minor, the Master Controller has, for lack of a better term, 'grown up' in the responsibilities bestowed on her, the occasional impetuous bout notwithstanding.

With Order personnel shortages being what they are, any plans to replace or patch the Master Controller appear to have been shelved in the light of her recent, more cooperative and productive relationship with the Admiralty. Nevertheless, Mia Farrugia remains a divisive topic of discussion, and it is a distinct possibility that if any further infraction places Order personnel and assets at risk that the AI and her vessel will be dealt with forcibly.