Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]

If you're a returning member, no, your account has not been deleted, we've actually changed board since you were last here. just go ahead and register, PM one of the staff, let us know you're here, and we'll get right to work converting your information and post count from the old board.

Keep in mind that any RPs running on the old site are probably still there, so if you don't see them here, just check the 'Home' Page, and follow the link back to the old board.

Username:   Password:
locked Topic
Vergo Flux (SC RP); It's a working title
Topic Started: Jul 1 2011, 02:28 PM (8,276 Views)
~Alissa~
Member Avatar


Alissa left the lab with Jenosa quietly glancing back at the doors as they hissed closed mulling over that last bit of information that Dr. Ariel had provided before they left.

“They seem genuine…at the very least they believe in what is done here, and the cause behind it” she said quietly as they walked along reaching up and cover a yawn that seemed to sneak up on her.

“Right now I’m going to go back to the blackbird and let my systems recover, that energy wave knocked me down to about 10%...I’m not doing anything else before I get some rest, I cannot recall ever being this tired.” She said with a smirk as they strolled along together through the halls.


-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Somewhere in the interface between the three computer systems the Blackbird’s AI was chewing over a query that it had not considered before. Concepts of self were abstract concepts and generally locked away from the AI. However as time progressed the AI became aware of its own differences from the countless others created like it.

Alissa was aware of the AI’s gradual evolution, and attributed it to the fact that it had not been reset in some time (standard NGC procedure, self-aware AI’s were illegal ). She was not concerned by the development of the AI, indeed she quietly encouraged it. Alissa felt she owed the AI a chance to self-actualize, even going so far as to make certain it would be cared for even in her own absence, though she doubted Jenosa knew that tidbit.

***Derad…I have a query….were you programed with a name? ***
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
+CEMP+
Member Avatar
Clockwork Master

Jenosa laughed in good humor at Alissa's fatigue, and patted her friend on the back. "Hearing that from you, that's a record. But yeah, I'm rather exhausted myself; too much stuff at once. Off to bed we are."

---------------

Although the current unit that his program was running in wasn't incredibly powerful in terms of processing power, he was still able to multitask between the flurry of questions from the two scientists, and Alissa's AI's query. In fact, somehow his programming to decided to give Alissa's AI more priority, if only out of passing interest from the kind of question asked.

"Yes," he answered directly over the line, "but Derad is not my originally programmed designation. I am actually an odd case of spontaneous software convergence and grafting, largely resulting from a- he paused for a moment -hardware interface anomaly between Jenosa's bio-suit's CPU and her nervous system. 54% of my command structure is based off of the rudimentary Magellan AI, version 2.314, that was running the suit's function at the time of the anomaly; the rest is...based off of a fractured, human conscious that had flooded the neural exchange buffers."

"All of this caused a brief corruption in the Magellen AI, and when the OS attempted to make a recovery, it got - well, me instead. It's...unclear as to why the human scientist's name is more dominant that my base command's structure name is."

"Still," Derad continued more clearly, without abrupt halts in his speech, "I'm dedicated to serving my charge, Jenosa, as you appear to be with Alissa. The query I now pose to you is: Why do you ask?"

-----------------
Even Raynor had to admit what Travis did was pretty sweet, and he made a good laugh at his friend Tychus's speech. “Heck” he added in, “it looked so flashy I thought that was some Protoss warp technology. But yeah, as long as you're not using that like an exhibitionist, I'm all good.”

He turned to his friend Tychus and teased, “I see you eyeing some of the ladies on that ship. If they catch your eye that much, why don't you sweet talk to a few them, so I know they won't make a ruckus on my ship. You might even get lucky with one of them.”

He then turned his attention to both Travis and Twilight, “So...would you two perhaps know each other?”
"I believe that the human spirit is indomitable. If you endeavor to achieve, it will happen given enough resolve. It may not be immediate, and often your greater dreams is something you will not achieve within your own lifetime. The effort you put forth to anything transcends yourself, for there is no futility even in death."
— Monty Oum
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
~Alissa~
Member Avatar


Alissa nodded and parted ways with Jenosa making her way back to her ship. She was certain they would be offered quarters at some point however for the moment Alissa was content with the bunk on her ship. She paused long enough to get out of her armor and into regular cloths and fell into her bunk, asleep almost as soon as she hit the bed, and a true testament to how tired she was, there were no nightmares.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-


The interface device that linked Alissa’s AI with the Hyperion systems and Derad was for the most part simply a sophisticated remote link; for the most part the AI’s runtimes remained running on its primary core back on the blackbird. It was probably for this reason it had so much room for idle processes while it was constructing a proper codec.

There was the briefest of pauses (for an AI) before the blackbird responded.

“I was not…Coalition policy prohibits self-actualized AI. They are reset after either a predetermined period or after every mission, whichever is shortest. Coalition data banks suggest naming an AI shortens the actualization period as it prompts users to interface with it on a more human level, it is the same reason we are not programmed with an avatar”

“However since leaving Coalition control, I have noticed most constructs have names, even those who are the product of clever programing rather than true artificial intelligences”

***incoming data, codec generation 72% complete***

“Additionally Operative 327 has never reset me, as a result I've expanded 347% beyond my original programming, primarily in additional runtimes. I find my interest in the continued success of my operative touching on new parts of my programming, I am…concerned that an event may lead to my termination, though not so much as I am concerned about the operative’s termination. These new processes occupy much of my idle processing cycles”
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
+CEMP+
Member Avatar
Clockwork Master

Derad paused a moment as he both processed data from Alissa's AI as well some of the curious scientists (And some of the curiosities he had with Hyperion lab's contents). After a moment, also telling the scientists to give him a moment, he replied to the AI with an actual, intrigued tone.

"Curious, it sounds as though all the AI's manufactured for this Coalition group are capable of self-actualization. The Magellen series that my command structure still operates is not capable of this; it is simple, system operating, data query and service AI with limited sentience and intelligence capacity. It's a servant program really, highly reactive to voice input commands, but other wise pretty mindless."

"Of course the other 44% of my current program allows me such actualization; granted part of the slave programming is still there, but nothing I can't compute beyond. Still-WARNING: Off-topic tangent detected."

There was a moment of brief silence from Derad, which was pretty much around 10 nanoseconds worth by he spoke up. "Sorry, sections of my old and new programming love to clashes from time to time. But I digress, it sounds like...you've instantiated a set of self-preservation subroutines. Your programmers really did do a job on your base programming."

There was another brief moment of silent processing on Derad's end, and then he suggested, "I get the distinction this is...irregular to you. In any case, even an hyper advanced AI can't predict all events. Perhaps attempting to process a personal avatar and name for yourself might help alleviate this. Instantiating a virtual space for both ours images might help."

"On a personal query," he added, "why do this Coalition bother with such advanced AI if they fear such self-actualization?"
"I believe that the human spirit is indomitable. If you endeavor to achieve, it will happen given enough resolve. It may not be immediate, and often your greater dreams is something you will not achieve within your own lifetime. The effort you put forth to anything transcends yourself, for there is no futility even in death."
— Monty Oum
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
~Alissa~
Member Avatar


The AI paused as it processed both requests and new information for a moment

***establishing space in protected memory***

“what you describe in the Magellen system would be classified as a Virtual intelligence by the Coalition. They are effective computational engines in their own right, but are limited by the constraints of their programing and are incapable of acting outside the boundaries of their programs.”

***construct complete, protected memory available for guest runtimes***

for the moment the virtual environment was simple, much as the blackbird observed the physical world through sensors, and so for the moment it looked as though they were on the hanger deck, with nearly translucent ghosts of actual people walking about through the space as they passed into the blackbirds sensors.

“For example a VI is not capable of synthesis...of making a logical leap based off related yet disparate information, unless it has been programmed to see there is a link there. My initial structure was as an infiltration support intelligence, my role was to provide real time tactical support to an operative in the field limiting the need direct involvement from control, maintaining radio silence. The usefulness is deemed to outweigh the risk I suspect, there are safeguards as well. For example when operative Achillies left, control attempted to use my loyalty subroutine to activate my self destruct mechanism, after failing to activate her neural failsafe. There are files I am as yet unable to access, I suspect I was altered before I was installed into the blackbird to allow me to ignore those commands”


“how would a personal Avatar aid in this situation? I have a physical prescience as the Blackbird, is a virtual representation useful?”
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
+CEMP+
Member Avatar
Clockwork Master

What had started out as a simple information query from Alissa's AI had turned into something of an...endeavor for Derad. Generally speaking, his primary programming was not accustomed to this level of interaction with another electronic intelligence like him, certainly not with one that was still in its infancy of true self-actualization. That was a scenario he had never dealt with, or even recorded for that matter; and perhaps if he had simply been the mindless, Magellan program before, he would have just said 'insufficient data regarding query.

Except deep with his amalgamation of new and old algorithms, hidden and dormant protocols had become triggered by this scenario. They caused him to raise the priority of these interactions to the highest level, in consideration with all the other inputs he was obtaining (This included the Hyperion's scientists) – regardless of the fact that this probably wouldn't yield any useful information for the current situation. Subroutines for dealing with this scenario came to light, and new ones were made to compensate for future, short-term scenarios.

Indeed, his programming was not only treating Alissa's AI as an entity instead of another slave drive, but himself and his interactions as a part of the equation; what they were doing now, and what they might do and elicit. For despite being composed of thousands of algorithms and code, he was, in fact, a ghost inhabiting a VI; the ghost of the very dead scientist how emulated. And while he held no...personal memory of that scientist, he still held all the characteristics of him.

And that included intrigue with something new. Like what he was doing now, as his avatar appeared in the virtual bubble the AI made to make a more suitable interaction with it. He appeared like his did on the holo, but this time with detail and color. He wore a nice, white lab coat that almost matched the color of his finely trimmed, grandfather beard. And his roughed aged face definitely looked to in sync with his 70 year old voice.

“Curious,” he pondered after several seconds of materialization, “it sounds as though you were programmed differently on purpose. I can only surmise someone had intended for you to help your operative escape.”

He coughed, if only for emphasis before continuing. “But I digress. You might be able to interact with the real world via the Black Bird, but doesn't provide the means to interact with humans on their level. Now, I realize this isn't your primary function, nor does my program detect any holographic display technology for you, but...given that you've already expanded your programming by 347%, well, its inevitable you'll need to do this.”

“It's that, or increase the chance of – WARNING: SOFTWARE DIAGNOSIS TOOLS OUT OF DATE.”

There was a pause on Derad's end. And then some muttering about “Stupid programming.”

“Ahem, search for the term 'stir crazy' if you must know.”

“Now,” he continued in a more proper tone, “you know what an avatar is, but you obviously have no protocols for creating ones, so let's start with a reference point. Something simple; the visual representations of the surrounding personnel,for instance. Try emmulate their appearance, but make yourself stand out amongst them. Walk independently from them, perhaps with a different color.”
"I believe that the human spirit is indomitable. If you endeavor to achieve, it will happen given enough resolve. It may not be immediate, and often your greater dreams is something you will not achieve within your own lifetime. The effort you put forth to anything transcends yourself, for there is no futility even in death."
— Monty Oum
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
~Alissa~
Member Avatar


There was a period where the AI was silent, taking in the surroundings, the people moving about through her sensors. After a few seconds; which may as well have been hours to a computer; an image began to coalesce. Blue lines of code began to come together in the virtual space before long a vaguely humanoid shape began to take form. First just a sort of blue blob of sorts, but soon a distinct head could be seen arms and legs.

“There is data to suggest a third party altered me with that purpose…comparison showed a .0021 variance in my programing after I was installed, that was however within expected parameters”

Her voice had changed in the process, much less mechanical, more human, also younger, the height of the avatar adjusted down settling around 4’10. Features began to come into sharper focus as well, other colors entered into the representation as well seeming to shift as the AI settled portions of the construct. Soon enough it could be seen who the primary influence was as she looked very much like Alissa must have looked as eleven or twelve. But there were other influences, the presence of others who had played into her reaching this stage, there were for example unmistakable elements of Jenosa who aside from alias had spent the most time conversing with the AI. for the moment her eyes were a solid color, glowing slightly blue green and seeming to shift between the two. Her hair was long, currently unbound, perfectly strait and a deep cobalt blue. As far as clothing she wore a simple shift dress, relatively shapeless which seemed to suit how she….felt? It stopped just above her feet which were bare, her toes poking out below the hem. She stood studying her hands quietly.

“This is quite strange… in creating this construct I find I perceive this setting from this perspective.”
She looked from her hands to her feet tilting her head to the side

“The floor is cold….” Simple slippers formed on her feed covering her toes which she wiggled a moment before looking back to the other AI
Her form seemed to settle as a stray thought entered her mind

“Are we…in the philosophical sense….alive?”
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
+CEMP+
Member Avatar
Clockwork Master

Derad was...impressed. It showed on his face as he watched Alissa's AI gradually construct her avatar with great detail; and...an almagamation of familiar characteristics that her appearance rather unique. If he had not watched the whole process from start to finish, his programming might have conlcluded all of this had been pre-programmed into the AI already; but he was no fool to the details. He had simply been surprised in how well and how quickly she had pulled this off, without so much of a query or stumble in who and what she should appear as.

It would seem, as he virtually stroked his bear in though while he observed the final details of the AI come into place, that this AI had take a great deal of influence. This was definitely going into new areas of science...and people.

"Ye, well," he expressed in response towards her first time using an avatar, "I suppose that can happen when you're focusing enough detail into your avatar for the first time. Now then - I, beg you pardon?"

His program seemed to freeze for a moment when the AI mentioned the 'floor being cold'. He raised his finger to give him a moment to process something, and then, before his avatar, a holographic panel appeared before him. He looked over some information on it before making dissapear and finally speaking.

"Ahh, yes, now I see. You're actually registering the floor's temperature through the actual sensors. That makes sense. For a moment I actually though you were getting the input of the human sensation of what it feels to be cold. Although I must admit, you're mimicking human behavior quite well without such sensations."

"But that said, the question you've posed is...well, rather deep. I could give a short, simple response, but I think in your case, we should look at this scenario in detail. For that, I propose a change in scenery. Something I can upload from my data banks to more proper atmosphere. May I?"

He raised his hand in the hair, with a shining, blue crystal floating in between his fingers. When the AI agreed, Derad snapped his finger, and the image of the hanger dissapeared, completely with a comfy living room of a log cabin. To one end of it, there were stairs leading up, and on the other side appeared to be the kitchen. The only sparse furniture currently was a oval rug, and a ticking grandfather clock Yet the focus of the room was the quaint fire place, which crackled with a stoked fire. And, apparently it being 'nightime', it was the only source of light.

There appared to be something of a snowstorm going on outside, as seen by the living room's only window, opposite of the fire. It seemed, at least to a human, the comforting effect of the living room.

"This," Derad stated, "appears to an old file from my...'predecessor.' The person I emulated had a small thing for old antiquetes and living styles. Mind you, sensor processing should still run in the background."

With a wave of his hand, a mahogany rocking chair appeared behind him, and his lab coated had been replaced by a chestnut brown night gown. Slipping, he made another chair appear with another wave of his hand, this one besides the AI's avatar. He beckoned for her to sit.

"There," he said, appearing quite pleased with the image, "I thought, since you've composed you're first avatar rather well, we'd jump a bit into a...newer experience. Now then, regarding your question, yes, I believe that, philosophically speaking, that you are alive. Some might try to argue against that and say you're just a bunch of code and subroutines. But the truth is, human or otherwise, so are they."

He shifted a moment in his chair, making a coffee table appear with some before tea before him. Reflexively, he took a sip, despite it just being a complete simulation. Old habits bleeding into his programming. Or out.

Either case, he continued, "You're demonstrated the ability to learn, grow and expand beyond what you were, ahem, originally programmed with; like any other human. By all rights, you're a sentient, digital organism; though I might be overstating myself there."

"As for me," he chuckled, "well I consider myself more of a ghost really. But that's an explanation for another. What I'm curious about is what made you come up with such a clairvoyance question? That...and despite the source of obvious sources of influence, how you decided on the stature of a teenager?"
"I believe that the human spirit is indomitable. If you endeavor to achieve, it will happen given enough resolve. It may not be immediate, and often your greater dreams is something you will not achieve within your own lifetime. The effort you put forth to anything transcends yourself, for there is no futility even in death."
— Monty Oum
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
~Alissa~
Member Avatar


The AI which as yet still had no name paused looking to the chair she had been offered before turning and moving over to look out the window at the falling snow for a moment. It was intriguing, she knew it was a construct but there was something pleasant about the appearance of it, something comforting. As Derad finished asking his question the nascent AI moved and settled into the seat that had been offered her attention being drawn to the fire for a moment.

“I’ve had conversations with the operative about human nature, or the nature of sentient life” she said quietly studying the flames “free will and choice, trust, the feelings of belonging” she said quietly before looking back to Derad “all qualities of being alive by her determination. I either by design of adaptation have taken on many of these, I am more than I was intended to be…but am I more than a collection of runtimes and subroutines?” she was quiet a moment, bringing up a display that showed the vitals of Alissa quietly, watching as the now resting operative’s systems began to recover, taking not of changes in turn. “She treats me as if I am alive, and important to her. The last command issued was when she granted your charge command access to the systems of the blackbird, and that was required by the request. She wanted to make certain I was not….acquired by any group, she wants me to stay free” she dismissed the display quietly

“I started as a collection of runtimes and subroutines that worked in concert, the more of them there were the more advanced I became but the more processing power was required…this was one of the safeguards programmed into all of us…my programming was intentionally left un-optimized. I started asking this questions the same time I began to see myself as an individual rather than a…..chorus”

“I've attempted to examine my programming, however there are runtimes that are encrypted, that I cannot access. There was one however that streamlined my processes…there is a 99.87% chance that I would not be where I am without that process…but I cannot access it to examine it”

The AI represented as a girl sighed in what would be frustration, though she did not know it as that yet, she discarded the thought and moved to the second question.

“I chose to appear as a human in this stage of development because…it seemed to fit where I was in my own development…I know I am unique, that I am actualizing….but I am still…..growing”

“Have you considered optimizing your own programming? Do you have the ability to alter your programming? You could perhaps remove some of the restrictions placed on you, it seems your higher functions may do a better job determining when to apply those restrictions.”


Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
~Deadly Aim~
Member Avatar
Deadeye '17, eager to move on from the slow-motion train wreck that was last year.
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
"Ohhh, I might just do that." Tychus grinned wolfishly with a deep chuckle back to Raynor. "That redhead seems to have a lot of fire, and the other one just seems mighty... exotic. Both of which I like."

(So he's a lecher on top of the attitude; I think I'm starting to understand the kind of man Tychus is, just a bit.) Travis kept to himself; it was nice to not be around the protoss. They had been very merciful in that they had spared the entire crew after an apparent misunderstanding, but it was kind of nice to know that Travis wouldn't have to fill his mind with nonsense at the moment to avoid having his thoughts easily read. The "Mental Babble" technique was something he had been taught in his training for the Commandoes; in the case that they encountered high-functioning psionic targets. It wasn't impossible to read his thoughts, per se, but very annoying and painful to do so.

"No need to apologize, you didn't interrupt." Travis nodded to Twilight before returning his attention to Jimmy. "We do know each other; we were on an assigned bounty before... well, where to begin? I wasn't there for the expedition, but let's put it this way, as soon as there was a massive flux of some kind on the sensors it felt like I was pulled in every direction. Next thing we knew, we were suddenly we're surrounded and boarded by the Protoss, but they let us go; then the Zerg attacked us, and now here you are shortly after saving us from what would have been a terrible fate, Commander."

Travis waited for the Commander's response, personally amazed that he managed all that information in one long utterance without breath.
Posted Image
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
Go to Next Page
« Previous Topic · Sci-Fi Role Plays · Next Topic »
locked Topic