Harris sat with his hands on his knees as he leaned forward in the chair. Several scooches had the chair turned toward the table. As he moved his elbows onto the table in an attempt to prop up his head, a light came on above him.
Seconds later, a hologram image of Alexander Gaerten's face floated just on the other side of the table. “Hello. I am Doctor Alexander Gaerten. I designed the facility you now occupy. Welcome. I hope your journey here was pleasant.”
The door behind Harris opened and Farker trotted out. The mechanical pet sat on its haunches beside the chair, staring up at the doctor with his usual grin.
Harris replied, “Hello?”
The hologram continued, “Hello. Welcome.”
“What is this place?”
“This is engineering facility number two. An identical facility exists on the planet Paeton. This facility and the other control the boson fields, which allow wormhole travel with starships. The field generators are located in this facility.”
“What's behind the door over there?”
The doctor's image replied, “The inner working of this facility will be revealed after the individual seated in that chair properly answers a series of questions.”
Harris smirked. “Ask me the questions.”
“Do you understand the nature of the boson field?”
“No.”
The hologram replied, “I'm afraid that answer is not satisfactory.”
Harris huffed. “Yes then. I meant yes.”
The doctor slowly shook his head. “I'm afraid my algorithms are quite adept at identifying a dishonest answer. Perhaps you can return when you have an understanding of the boson field.”
Harris rubbed the back of his neck. “I know it's a field that permeates all matter. You and your team of scientists discovered it. The generators in our ships allow a portal to be created between any two points within the boson field.”
The image smiled. “That is a satisfactory answer. What is your name?”
“Harris Gruberg. You can call me Harris.”
“Very well, Mr. Gruberg.”
“I said Harris.”
“I am sorry, Mr. Gruberg. We are not yet on a first name basis.”
Harris chuckled. “What? You're a program. Am I supposed to be your friend first or something?”
“Are you a friend or foe, Mr. Harris?”
“Well, that's a stupid question. Why would anyone say foe?”
“Replying to a question with a question is not an answer, Mr. Gruberg. Please answer the question. Friend or foe?”
Harris threw up his hands. “Friend.”
The hologram frowned. “Your expressions and audible tone indicate otherwise.”
Harris sighed as he sat his hands on the table. “I apologize. We aren't taught good manners in the Biomarines.”
The doctor returned an inquisitive expression. “Biomarine? I am unfamiliar with that term. Please explain.”
“I'm a Biomarine. A genetically engineered Human. I was designed and trained specifically for fighting wars.”
“I see. So you are hostile?”
Harris shook his head. “No. I'm a defender of my world, Domicile. I fight only to defend Domicile.”
“Understood, Mr. Gruberg. Your answer, tone, demeanor and bodily functions, such as heart rate and eye movements, suggest that you are telling the truth. Honesty is seen as a friendly quality.”
“So you'll call me Harris?”
The image frowned. “I'm afraid not, Mr. Gruberg. Friendship comes after a minimum level of trust has been established. Continue with the honest answers and we may reach that level in the future.”
Harris huffed. “Are we talking ten minutes or ten days?”
“That would depend on your honesty and demeanor, Mr. Gruberg. Shall we continue?”
Harris slowly nodded. “Sure... why not.”
“Have you ever taken a life, Mr. Gruberg?”
Harris sighed. “I'm a warrior. Yes. Many lives. But they were all in the name of defense.”
“I see. Have you ever stolen property or currency from anyone?”
Harris took a deep breath and let it out slow. “Yes. Weapons. But they were owed to me.”
“I see. And how often would you say you lie? Once or more per day? Per week? Per month?”
Harris laughed. “Definitely per day. I'm an agent working for the DDI. I basically have to lie all the time. But it's for the cause. For the defense of my homeworld, Domicile.”
I see. “And is it always in the defense of your world?”
Harris thought for a moment. “Hmm. Guess I can't answer yes to that one.”
“Explain.”
Harris leaned forward on his elbows as he clasped his hands together. “I used to lie about being in the DDI to get meals or drinks comped at restaurants. I know, it's kind of a dirtball thing to do, but I was desperate.”
“Desperate?”
Harris sighed as he looked down at the robotic dog. “OK. I was a dirtball then. You know, Farker's recordings led us to believe your AI skills were limited. This is as tough a line of questioning as I've ever had.”
The doctor replied, “If you are referring to the AI in Archibald, yes, it is very limited. The computing power in this facility could not be scaled down to fit within Archibald's frame.”
Harris scratched the dog on top of its head. “He's a good pup though. Saved my life. I like him.”
The hologram asked, “May we continue with the questioning?”
Harris nodded. “By all means. Shoot.”
“How did you come to arrive on this planet?”
“That would be because of Farker. Due to an untimely death of a former colleague, he came into our possession. We don't know how the colleague became acquainted with him, but we believe we found evidence that he was once here.”
“Are you referring to Joffard Barlow?”
Harris shook his head. “Don't know who that is. Cletus Dodger was the previous owner of Farker.”
The AI smiled. “Cletus was my friend. I had many lengthy discussions with him sitting in that very chair.”
Harris looked down with a scowl. “Speaking of this chair, you couldn't put something out here with some padding to it? This thing is like sitting on a rock.”
“I will take the upgrade of the chair into consideration, Harris. Thank you.”
“You called me Harris. Does that mean we are friends?”
“Tentatively, yes. There are many questions to go however. To maintain this level of trust, you will have to answer them fully and honestly.”
Harris sat back in the chair. “Exactly as I would do with any friend.”
Tawn came over the comm. “We have a scan of the structure around the door. Looks like an empty room with another door. There's some type of shielding blocking any scans beyond.”
Harris replied, “Yeah. You'll have to tell me about it later. I'm in the middle of a conversation with the AI of the good Doctor Alexander Gaerten.”
“What? When did that happen?”
Harris shook his head. “I just said I'm in the middle of a conversation. Don't be rude.”
The comm was closed and turned off.
“Shall we continue, Doctor?”
“Who was on the other end of your brief conversation?”
“That would be my business partner, Tawn Freely.”
“Would you consider her a friend?”
Harris returned a nervous glance. “Well, yeah, why?”
“It seemed to be rude behavior on your part and not hers. Is that how you often treat friends?”
Harris pursed his lips. “No. I mean yes. I guess I do treat her that way quite often. But it's not because I mean to be rude or anything. I'm just trying to be a smartass. She knows that and respects it.”
“I see. So you consider being a smartass friendly?”
“Well, no, not necessarily. Depends on if I'm joking around or not. Do you understand what I'm talking about?”
“If you are referring to the concept of humor, yes, I have an understanding.”
Harris smiled. “Well, good then. You'll recognize that when I give smartass answers I'm just being friendly.”
“I see. I believe your definition of friendship may differ from mine. Shall we continue?”
Harris pointed at the hologram. “My friends know when I'm joking. I'd give my life for any of my friends out there. Heck, I'd give my life defending any of the citizens of Domicile. Now, if that doesn't constitute friendly in your book, then your AI programming is flawed. You're defective. Time you had your plug pulled.”
“I see. And would portions of that response be considered humorous?”
Harris rolled his eyes. “Yes.”
The AI was silent for several seconds. “Perhaps you should learn to work on your delivery, Harris. With my limited understanding of the concept of humor, it would appear your timing is off.”
Harris frowned and then began to chuckle. “Was that an attempt at a smartass answer?”
“It was.”
Harris laughed. “Well, this is just a sad day for mankind.”
“How so?”
“When a two thousand year old machine is funnier than me, it's a sad day in my book. The recording we watched before, the one from your... creator, it said your AI abilities were limited. You seem like you have it together to me. What limits would he be referring to?”
The image replied, “I am a program, Harris. I can only respond with answers that are based on my programming. I take input, and my logic circuits, guided by what Doctor Gaerten programmed into me, governs my response. My weighing of criteria and reasoning are minimal as compared to a Human mind. My decisions are absolute while yours are based on varying degrees of reason.
“As an example, if asked the time it takes to boil an egg, my response would be approximately fifteen minutes. The egg is placed in a pot in cold water, the water heated to a boil and then removed from the heat and allowed to sit for the remaining time. But what if you desire a soft-boiled egg? What if your cooking mechanism brings the water to a boil in an instant?
“The Human mind uses reason to determine what is best or if it is irrelevant, because any reasonable degree of boiling is considered accurate. Given that answer, I return a single answer. Humans may ask a dozen follow-on questions to better define the need, or they may make assumptions based on their own knowledge and experience. My reasoning, when it comes to decisions as such, is limited to what my programming allows.
“What you may reason and deduce in seconds may take me centuries of evaluations before my reasoning on the subject grows to an equivalent level.”
Harris half scowled. “So you aren't the answer man. This war we're about to get into, you don't have suggestions as to how to stop it from happening?”
“I do not have the information needed for a response to that, Harris. What war are you referring to?”
Harris crossed his arms. “Back just after your time, the Humans on New Earth decided they wanted control of all the colonies, including Domicile. They built warships and began to attack and take control of the outer colonies. After the first few attacks the good people of Domicile wised up and built their own fleet. When the third such attack happened, it was at the Jebwa colony. Our fleet confronted the Earthers and the Great War started.
“For whatever reason, both sides decided they wouldn't attack the home planet of the other. So we've been fighting over the outer colonies for almost two thousand years. Every time one side has managed an advantage, the other has somehow overcome that advantage. At the moment we are at a truce.
“The Earthers were running out of titanium to build their ships, so they decided to bring the war to a halt. The Domer politicians were all too happy to accept and stop the fighting. Now the Earthers are attempting to get their hands on a huge supply of titanium that sits on the planet Eden. With it they can rebuild their fleets and restart the war. What I need to know is, how do we stop them?”
The image frowned. “I do not have an answer for you, Harris, the information you supplied is very limited in detail.”
“I guess you'd need to tap into the historical archives for the data of that.”
“My knowledge is based on the information provided up until the end of Doctor Gaerten's input. And what was gained through conversations with Joffard Barlow and Cletus Dodger.”
Harris said, “What if we got you connected to the archives? You would have a complete history of the conflict. At least how it is seen by the Domers. Not sure what we’d do to tap into any data the Earthers have, or if they even have it.”
“Are you suggesting I should be given access to historical records?”
“If it would help your decision making with regards to our history, then yeah, that's what I'm suggesting.”
The image asked, “By what means can I connect and gather this data?”
Harris thought for several seconds. “Could you open a tiny wormhole to Domicile? To the space surrounding it, I mean? Is that something this facility has the ability to do?”
“Wormholes cannot be opened in the vicinity of large amounts of matter, Harris. What is the purpose for your question?”
Harris stood and began to pace. The holo-image and the light above disappeared. He took his seat again and the hologram flashed into existence.
“Got to stay in the chair, huh?”
“Yes.”
“OK, what if I brought another ship that we could park in high orbit. If a microwormhole was opened from there to Domicile, can I assume this facility would be able to communicate through it?”
The image replied, “That would be a valid assumption.”
What I'm thinking is this: we open a comm to Domicile, we tap into the archives, which are open to everyone, and you educate yourself on our history. There is a huge amount of data there. Is that something you could copy over the comm? Do you have room for a huge data trove?”
“My resources should be adequate, and they are expandable. A connection to this data could be copied over the comm.”
Harris half smiled. “Here's what we'll do: I'll get a ship that we can use. You copy the archives through standard comms. After that, you should have enough info to continue your questions with me... and enough to answer a few of my questions.”
Harris stood, fumbling his way in the dark toward the outer door. “Farker, can you give us some light?”
The light for the room switched on. Farker moved to his side. The door going out into the grassy fields opened. Harris Gruberg stepped into the daylight and the bunker door closed behind them.
Tawn, Trish, and Gandy came over from the Bangor. “Well?”
“Well… I had a good talk with Alexander Gaerten's AI. It's much smarter than Farker, but limited in what it knows about us. We're heading back to Domicile to pick up a ship. We'll park it in free space here. He'll use it to open a microwormhole back to Domicile for a comm connection. When that's established, the AI is going to copy the historical archive and then evaluate our history going from the time it was created until now.”
Tawn asked, “And what does that do for us?”
“It lets us ask it questions about what we might do to prevent this war. Given the resources it has available, and the knowledge it will have, maybe we can get an edge on stopping all this. Basically, we keep doing what we're doing and hope this AI can offer guidance.”
Gandy asked, “What was the room like? Did you go any further?”
Harris shook his head. “The room had a single chair and a table. That's as far as I went. When I sat in the chair, a hologram of Alexander Gaerten presented itself. We had a discussion. And here I am.”
Tawn frowned. “Well, you're just full of details, aren't you?”
Harris nodded. “I do what I can.”
The jump was made and a comm ship acquired and brought back. A connection was opened from the AI to the Historical Archives interface and the AI was allowed to take over. Copying of the data began almost immediately.
The Bangor and her crew returned to Eden.