Argonne

[Monk]

In the days before the American (Liberty) sleeper ship left for the beyond, refugees and future colonist were scrambling to load the ships with all the necessities; fuel, cryogenics, backup equipment, robots to manage the ship and various recent technological prototypes.

I was one of those refugees and I was secretly given the task of wheeling a metal box, labeled "Argonne National Laboratory-Experimental Prototype", into the ship's cargo. In the throws of war America's labs were geared completely to militaristic endeavors and had even become active bases producing the most devastating devices ever seen. After I discretely left the box I slipped back into the throng of people boarding the ship.

I don't know what was in that box, but I was assured that I would get a spot on the ship if I placed it there. Being the only way I could get on the ship I obliged.

End Log...Allan Pardose

Allan was one of those that did not survive the journey. Apparently he was not put into hibernation and died of dehydration. This log was found on his body, alarmed the colonists looked for this cargo as soon as they landed on their new home. When they found the box they discovered that it had been opened. Standing behind some other boxes one of the colonists spotted a humanoid figure but covered in a dull looking metal, a machine...a robot. Though this robot was completely different from the ones the colonists were familiar with. It seemed to study them as if it was trying to decide whether they were hostiles.

One colonist shouted, "What are you?". No response.
Panicked, Another said, "It was sent here to kill us, the war has followed us here!"
As the crowd began to reel back the machine did not move only watching them intently with its black eyes.
"You are what is left of the American Peoples?", the machine spoke in an eloquent resonant male voice. "I have no objective. Provide me with an objective."
The crowd just stared in amazement. Never before had a machine talked in a such a manner.
"I tire of your delay. My program is corrupt, my objective is lost. I need a new program."
A bright young boy approached who seemed to understand what the machine needed to hear, "What is your designation machine?"
"I am...I am...designation unknown."
"Ok then, what are you designed to do?" the boy asked again trying get something out of the machine.
"My design is to be autonomous. To gain power." With that the machine began to leave the cargo hold. As it left it uttered, "And you will give me that power, I name myself Argonne, after the world that I came out of."
No one saw Argonne again and the colonists continued on with their new lives.

Long forgotten, this incident faded.

--Planet Manhattan Shipyard

Argonne returned, after waiting over 800 years improving its programming and capabilities. The machine purchased a ship. Baffled, the ship dealer didn't argue since Argonne paid twice the value for a measly Starflier. When the dealer asked why Argonne, a machine, was buying a ship and paying twice as much. Argonne simply replied, "So I can get out there, and so you do not talk about it."