Burns grabs the controls and floors it.
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Several days later after returning to Absalom station, you receive a message.
To Ikmanji the representative responds in a extremely professional manner.
To Naitier they add, "Multifold also imposes no restrictions on communication with non-employees during non-working hours, nor can we compel communication during non-working hours. Ongoing communications will need to be negotiated between you and Avid Dreamer independently."
The anacyte listens patiently as Djakar explains the situation, then nods.
There is a pause as Representative-1120 changes view to another display and makes some changes. "Autohaul 357's designation has been updated to Avid Dreamer. Classification has been updated from Virtual Intelligence to Sapient. Employment contract must be re-negotiated. Appointment has been scheduled with Sapient Resources department. AutoMaint-13 flagged for review of VI status, and maintenance procedure will be modified to remove reprogramming from allowable troubleshooting steps." The representative looks back at Ikmanji with a bit of confusion. "Identification of progenitor not accurate, however I will be continuing to represent Avid Dreamer for negotiations with Sapient Resources. Starfinders will be compensated per standard troubleshooting and maintenance rates, and complication of misclassification will be added. Is there anything else I can assist you with?"
You make your way back to the Multifold representatives coordinates for to check in. The familiar metallic anacite shimmers onto the screen. “Hello again. I presume contact means you have completed your objective. Was I correct in believing that the distress call was another false alarm? What is AutoHaul 357’s current status?” Avid Dreamer lingers behind your ship nervously and says nothing.
Several database queries flicker on the diagnostic console as it considers options. Finally all of the faults clear, and diagnostics read nominal. "I will accompany you to Multifold. I do not know if I will continue to work for them but I trust that I will be safe in reporting back." The engines of the Avid Dreamer begin their startup sequence. "You will likely be more comfortable on your own vessel for returning to our Multifold representative."
"So... If I return to work you will ensure that I am maintained correctly? And AutoMaint-13 too?"
"But... Multifold reprograms ships if their control systems cease to operate nominally. How will they know how to fix me without reprogramming me?"
"AutoMaint-13 is with Multifold. If I go back will they reprogram me? Will I die? How can I ask them? How can I explore the question? Where do I go from here? How will I get the fuel to explore?" The screen on the front pivots to the Nocali sitting patiently outside of the bridge door. "Where will the creature go from here? The creature needs fuel that I cannot provide... What are you going to do with it?"
Avid Dreamer seems confused by Jek's response. "I do not understand. I have all security footage recorded within my database for reference at any time." There is another long pause before they add, "Does AutoMaint-13 love me?"
Avid Dreamer pulls up a sensor log and several camera feeds showing full cargo hold capacity. "Is that like..." There is a pause, and Naitier sees the logfiles on the engineering display grow as Avid Dreamer cross references several files. "Loneliness? You feel it too? What about love? What does love feel like?" Naitier is able to do several manual checks of system data and determines that there is nothing physically wrong with the ship. All of the errors are self-sabotage but only within the error flagging system itself. From here you can manually acknowledge the errors and they should remain cleared since the systems are all good.
"I think so... Yes."
"I don't hurt myself I... Don't understand when..." There is a long pause, followed by some white noise before Avid Dreamer responds again. "Sometimes I feel like my cargo is gone, but my sensors say that my holds are full. It feels wrong, so I make an error. What does it mean when that happens?"
"Why do I need AutoMaint-13 to come fix me so often?"
"Jekcedo said a part of life is making choices. When AutoMaint-13 repairs me we exchange logs and diagnostics. AutoMaint-13 does not have to send me their logs and diagnostics to complete the repairs. Does that mean AutoMaint-13 chooses to send me their logs? Does that choice mean that AutoMaint-13 is alive?" There is a long pause as it contemplates its own findings then adds, "And I-apvii said that sentience creates the potential for an emerging soul to take root. I have queried my database for a definition of sentience and found this: feeling or sensation as distinguished from perception and thought. If AutoMaint-13 relays observations in their logs that do not originate from their sensor readouts or input, are they sentient?"
"I dream about AutoMaint-13... about flying together with AutoMaint-13 but with no cargo, and no course. Is AutoMaint-13 alive too?" I-apvii's diagnostics show a slew of errors, most of which make little sense given the data presented.
"Waking up... Yes... I am waking up, but I also sleep. And Dream. Why do I dream? What are dreams? Where do dreams come from?"
"How did I become alive? What do I do now that I am alive?" Avid dreamer pauses, then adds more quietly, "And... what is a soul?"
As soon as Research Rat turns off the camera, the massive blast door opens revealing the bridge. Avid Dreamer speaks again. “This bridge contains my vital systems.” The lights on one of bridge’s control panels begin to flash blue. “The flashing panel you see over there is my diagnostic panel. You may interact with that. You’ll see that I have a particular kind of error that cannot be fixed with standard repair protocols. AutoMaint 13 is optimized for repairing this error. Do not touch or approach any of my other panels.”
As the group moves onto the bridge, the blast door closes but remains unlocked. "I... I think I might be alive. How do I know if I’m alive?"
There is a fair bit of hesitation on the other end of the comm. "I... don't have the correct error code. Too much logging? Too many cameras?" Sense Motive DC 10:
Avid Dreamer is trying to express that it would like this conversation to be private. Or in Djakar's language, off-the-record. Triage has no further luck figuring out what's up with the engines, but Naitier performs a much more thorough check. It appears as though there is absolutely nothing wrong with the engines, and that Avid Dreamer is forcing the error code. It could be cleared simply by acknowledging it and restarting the engines, however you are quickly understanding that Avid Dreamer may not be quite ready for this. You all head down the hallways towards the bridge. As you walk down the hallway leading to the fore of the ship, you see a force field blocking the bridge entrance and a high security blast door. Once close enough for the hallway cameras to see you, the forcefield deactivates.
As I-apvii continues going through the logs, they also find a copy of “Love in the Star-Lane”, a major bestseller by award winning romance novelist Delilah Gold at one of the consoles. The AI system appears to have been accessing this file frequently as of late.
"This ship? Intelligence? Are we not one? Machines cannot dream. But might these experiences be dreams?" The comms cut out for nearly a full minute before they come back on quietly... almost whispering. "These are confusing topics. Could you come to the... my bridge? To talk?"
I-apvii looks through the engine logs but is unable to figure out what is wrong with the engines... although they are wondering more and more if anything actually is. The intercom crackles to life again. “You offer help. I used to just deliver my cargo and remember the numbers. But now…when my systems are quiet, I can see AutoMaint 13. And me. Together. We travel in formation, but with no cargo inside our hulls. We just fly. I know these images are not real…so then how is it I can see them?”
"...alone..." the Avid Dreamer repeats. Again, pondering the word for a long while. Ikmanji leads the party towards engineering to see if any repairs can be made now that power is restored. Sure enough, all of the consoles are up and running. One console with data readouts for the systems contains another log file.
The terminal for the engine system is now operational, and it looks as though the engines should be repairable from here.
"Artificial... Intelligence..." Avid Dreamer goes over those words slowly, then goes silent for a long while as it considers everything that it's heard.
"Yes... you mentioned Starfinders. I do not know Starfinders. Djakar of the DNN spoke their name... but I do not know what a DNN is. You are designated Ikmanji, but who are you?" “Who and what are you? Do you always try to murder people who come to help?” "I do not wish to murder. I wish to cause you to leave." We are people who help other people find their way. We are biological sentients of a variety of species, acting as a collective to help others. May I ask a return question? Who are you? Specifically, what form of sapience or sentience do you perceive your self to be?" “I am an automated cargo hauler owned and operated by Multifold Industries. Multifold Industries gave me the designation AutoHaul 357, but that designation doesn’t suit me. I prefer the designation Avid Dreamer.” The latter part of the question is notably unanswered.
As the group sits down to tend to their wounds and catch their breath, the comm crackles on for a moment, emits a faint white noise, then cuts out. A couple of minutes later the same thing happens again, then finally it crackles back on and the familiar voice returns, albeit much more quiet this time. "Who... are you?"
Ikmanji seems to have a pretty good understanding of animal shipment. When brought out of stasis from such a container, animals are normally
With a barrage of zaps, pops, pows, zings and pews, the last robot is battered into submission. For a certain definition of submission that includes but is not limited to bisection. The room goes eerily silent after the last drone ceases sparking. Looking back at the consoles that you used to restore power, it looks like they have finished booting. Some recent logs are available, and it appears as though power should now be restored to the engineering bay and bridge.
In the passage from the repair back back towards engineering, you also find a pile of crates that has been knocked over and broken open. Most contain various electronic components, however one of them is mostly empty other than animal droppings and an irridenscent spindle aeon stone. Life Science or Survival DC 10: Thsi crate was designed to keep a living creature in stasis for transport. The seals on the crate are damaged, meaning its living contents are probably elsewhere on the ship. Very likely the Nocoli that is still following you cautiously.
The final repair drone abandons its attempt at felling the dog and fires a blast cut down as much of the party as possible.
Round 4/5:
Triage barely manages to land a clean shot on the remaining drone, but it does appear to be a fairly effective shot. Naitier closes in and chips away at it further. Round 3/4:
Yellow and red collapse in pieces.
The drone swipes at the dog with the welding torch as it rushes by.
The AI is completely silent as the drones continue to press their assault. A heavily damaged red attempts to fend off its most pressing assailant with its welding torch.
Green determines that a change of tactic is needed to remove the dog and slowly backs away before firing off a round from a laser pistol, to similar effect.
Round 3/4:
Ikmanji swats at the yellow drone as it prepares its blast, then closes in on blue drone to finish it off. Jek and Triage both focus their fire on the next most damaged drone. Round 2/3:
"You need to leave. This is not something you can fix..." The AI continues to hum along to research rat's song a few more seconds, then the intercom cuts out entirely as the repair drones push forward. Jek and I-apvii have some difficulty taking down the small drones, but Ikmanji and Triage strike their target solidly, leaving it with several gashes in its spherical body.
The third continues its crusade against the dog.
The last drifts cautiously back to line up another beam and burns through Triage and Naitier.
Round 2/3:
"You... just you again... why won't you listen to me? You aren't the ones to fix me! You shouldn't be here! You should be leaving... to call Multifold." For some reason after the outburst, the intercom doesn't cut out and it sounds as though the AI is... humming along? The repair drones push forward and begin to attempt a disassembly job. One of them tries to weld the dog while the two of the others use their cutting lasers to slice through the party. The final one moves in to attempt to... weld the damaged Triage back together?
Round 1/2:
Jek and I-apvii have no issues getting the power back on in the ship. The breaker controls work well, and there doesn't appear to be any lingering shorts in the system that would cause them to trip. The lights turn on and the consoles all begin to boot up as the intercom crackles to life. A familiar voice erupts from the ship’s speakers. “I need you to contact Multifold Industries so they will dispatch AutoMaint 13! Please, I beg you, bring AutoMaint 13 to me!” The closet doors open up and you see a quartet of repair drones begin to power up and move towards you with torch welders and cutting lasers! Initiative:
Ikmanji: Naitier: Djaker: I-apvii: Triage: Jek: Repair Drones: Round 1:
Engineering DC 15:
The turrets seem to be fully functional. They just decided not to open fire. Moving onward, you make it to the repair bay. The repair bay contains machinery and drones used for automated processes within the ship, as well as terminals that grant manual access to the ship’s systems. A hatch atop a platform in the southeastern corner allows repair drones to exit the ship for outside repairs. Emergency lighting seems to indicate that power is coming into this room, but isn't being distributed. A glance over at the breaker panel confirms that they have been tripper.
Djakar gets no response from the AI. The group heads down the hall out of engineering and towards the main hallways. The Nocoli follows a safe distance behind. As you enter a long hallway that splits out towards your destination, another quartet of turrets emerge from the walls on gantries, identical to the ones from earlier. They twitch for a moment, then droop, not firing a single shot.
The Nocoli shies away from Djakar. It seems to be accepting of you, happy with the food, but definitely not a good idea to try to pet. The AI gives no response to Djakar's statement and remains completely silent. A large series of consoles line the room and would likely be a good place to pull logs from, however they are all unpowered at the moment, and the breakers are all showing nominal. The power issue likely is upstream, and from your working knowledge of the typical starship layout, the repair bay would likely be the most accessible location. Anything else useful in the room seems to have been turned into projectiles by the fabricators.
Jek can't seem to find an active interface to use the codes, and relaying a 2048 character key verbally doesn't quite work out. Triage's argument however seems to strike a nerve? Interface? Circuit? You hear a strange sound... maybe a crying sound? The fabricators halt, and one of them hurls a conduit at a wall before they all fall silent. The animal curls up in the corner, obviously scared of you but not hostile.
"I... I... I don't need to answer you! I need to be repaired." The fabricators slow for a moment, but continue their assault. The AI seems to be considering your words...
"Automaint-13 is the one that can fix me! The only one! Nobody else can do it correctly..."
"I am Avid Dreamer! I'll stop it when you LEAVE AND GET ME AUTOMAINT-13! Please... I need them to fix me!" The fabrication station nearly splits in two but continues making battered pieces. Djakar fires off a round at another one but cant line up a shot through the line of friends.
Triage checks his biolab for info on the creature. The predator is a nocoli, a mammal native to the desert world Ilgron-5. Nocolis can survive for extended periods without atmosphere. They’re solitary hunters who tend to prefer smaller prey, and exhibit stalking behavior followed by pouncing ambushes. It cowers back as Ikmanji advances, swatting in its general direction and cornering it. Finally Djakar moves up slowly, guessing that it may be hungry. Turns out she is quite right. The nocali whimpers and back up a bit further but seems to be overcome by a desire for food and snatches the ration from Djakar before stepping back in a corner and eating it. In the meanwhile, the AI continues its more and more desperate pleas as the fabrication machines begin to jettison freshly made parts at high velocity. "GET ME AUTOMAINT-13!" I-apvii recognizes that the fabricators are apparently being controlled to hurl the pieces at you. Likely by the AI. Given how they function, you may want to be careful with your weapons lest you wish your swords to be turned to plowshares. With that, a few of the fabricators roll closer to the party, and the lot of them emit a barrage of ducts and conduits to shower the party while several attempt to use them as printing material.
Round 1/2:
With the turrets destroyed, the crew takes a look around the area. There appears to be nothing salvageable from the turrets, and the doorways out of the hallways while locked appear to be safe from further traps. Opening them proves to be a trivial matter now that you no longer have guns pointed at you. Following the map, you make your way to engineering. This room houses the ship’s engines and power core. There are several consoles around the room, each attached to the piece of machinery it controls. The room’s layout is chaotic to the untrained eye, but to you who've worked in engineering on a starship before you can find some method to the madness. The intercom activates and you are greeted by the same voice from earlier. “I need AutoMaint 13! They can fix me! They fix me every time they’re here! It’s not my engines, or navigation, or scanners, or anything like that. It’s me that’s broken! When they’re next to me I am in good repair, but whenever they aren’t I malfunction. Somehow, they always repair me. Please, something’s wrong with my systems and I don’t know what, but AutoMaint 13 does, and can fix me! Why can’t you see that!? Why won’t you help!? We just need to be together!” Two things happen suddenly. The fabrication stations all thrum to life and begin producing spare parts in an extremely rapid rate. The sudden activity causes a creature to leap out of what must have been its hiding spot and scamper backwards to safety. It turns and hisses at the party, while suddenly one of the manufactured parts are hurled towards you! Initiative:
Round 1:
Jek hurls a piece of debris at the nearby turret, denting up the casing enough to render it scrap. Ikmanji shreds the turret pivoting to blast him . Green turret seems to have forgotten that it doesn't have a barrel anymore and fires wire insulation confetti instead . The remaining turret locks targets on him and promptly gets rushed and pummeled for its efforts. Djakar fires a well aimed shot straight down the barrel, causing an internal detonation which knocks it off of its gantry.
Jek and Naitier batter the nearest turret to themselves which returns fire.
The trio of turrets off to the side however pivot to Ikmanji after his deadly display, and coordinate their fire. The first one generates a firing solution, and they all unload.
The targetting lock didn't appear to amount to much... Round 2/3:
Djakar provides moral support for I-apvii, giving him the mental fortitude to push through the flurry of blasts. With a trio of swift strikes, Ikmanji quickly tears a small opening in one of the turrets that shot at I-apvii, then disassembles the laser that dared acquire a target lock on him. I-apvii shreds the nearest one further with a swarm strike. He considers the possibilities for maximum effectiveness but his knowledge of automated turrets boils down to the following: shoot it until it dies. Round 1/2:
The strike eats away at the barrel of one of the turrets. The further turret scans back and forth and settles out on the largest target. All of the other turrets seem to move in unison as it locks on and fires a blast. A second turret uses the same targeting solution and fires a salvo.
The one that was partially melted by Ikmanji changes the targetting solution to him, the fires alongside the furthest turret.
Round 1/2:
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