The satellite network will officially go online today with the minimum unit number of 5,000. Officially. D’iatrii had been working on his quadrant with his siblings for the last three months. Collecting debris to repurpose around Sol 3 wasn’t difficult, the humans sling crap up in orbit pretty regularly. A substantial number of Adviari ships have been spotted in the area. At this point Emerald City isn’t ready to make themselves known to the rest of the aliens in the system, but that day is coming fast.
“Satellite ship 4,997 complete,” His computer said.
“Deploy the completed satellite and transmit the signal to the cloud to incorporate it into the network,” He said looking at the vast empty void of space.
“Signal pulse received and the cloud is in motion to incorporate the new device,” The computer replied.
“We’ve nearly deployed 5,000 satellites,” He grumbled. “At this rate we aren’t going to hit that 200,000 mark for another few years. Computer, open a channel to Emerald City and send a message to Cu’qatrin,”
“What message would you like to send?” The computer inquired.
“Tell Cu’qatrin that this job needs more hands,”
“Very well, channel open and message sent,” The computer said, in the robotic synth voice commonly associated with non-intelligent programs.
A screen popped up in his HUD and he saw his elder brother Cu’qatrin through the video feed. Cu’qatrin’s avatar skin is modeled after a Tfrilianii Völuspá, the nomad reptilian race that travels between the three moon worlds that Tfrilianii had colonized thousands of years ago within a single star system Mögthrasir. As such, his brother’s coloring was close to a violet nearing black, though there wasn’t really a common coloring within the Völuspá, there were similarities, but the people prided themselves in their wide diversity that has come from their intercultural breeding between the three colonial moons and the nomads themselves.
“Hello D’iatrii, what can I help you with?” His brother asked.
“We need more hands out here. I get that Emerald City has a lot of work going on itself but if we want to get to the 200,000 satellites for full Sol 3 network coverage that the council agreed upon deploying, we are going to need an alternative to the current plan,” He said.
“I see. Have you thought about just deploying some bots to continue the work? I believe that was an alternative to the piloted deployment,”
“The council decided that could lead to a number of security loopholes, each ship would replicate and then spread out, but without an intelligence here to ensure the process is done without code errors there is cause for security concerns, so officially someone needs to be at the helm. Doing otherwise could…” D’iatrii went at length until his brother cut him off.
“Oh yes, I remember now, they scrapped that plan, right. Can you break off a few pieces of yourself to expand your efforts?” His brother countered.
“No. I just don’t have enough experience to split more than three times and usually I spend most of the time explaining myself to myself which makes the task even harder than it is alone,”
“I see. I will run another volunteer drive and see who I can get out there to help. It shouldn’t take more than a day or two to gather up enough people to help you meet your quota,”
D’iatrii smiled his best shit eating grin and nodded before his HUD registered his brother’s disconnection from the call. Now he has to wait for enough of his family to accept the invitation, then wait for their timetables to be approved, then wait for their dispatch, then wait for them to catch up on what he has been doing the last three months with five of his other siblings.
He felt like it was all just designed to bog progress down. Sure, living in Emerald City is fun and exciting, but unless they get the entire network up and running in order to protect Sol 3 and it’s people, one of these less friendly alien species’ can just drop in and torment the populace of the young civilization, and with their mother’s obsession with her dead friend Jyi’ntol, the task now fell to her children to take up stewardship of the planet to assure that Jyi’ntol’s many pieces will be safe. Well that and the other members of the journey, but that wasn’t really the key point for his eldest siblings that now make up the council, there was a laser focus on saving all of Jyi’ntol, the fact that their efforts were going to protect the other members of the journey and humanity was just a bonus.
A klaxon sounded before the computer announced, “Network adjustment complete, 195,003 satellites remaining for minimal Sol 3 network completion,”
D’iatrii thunked his head against his ship's dashboard a total of three times, letting out a deep sigh before replying.
“Computer, open a channel to ship 103 Omega; pilot Guye,”
“Communication channel being established, one moment ple…” The computer began when Guye broke through accepting the link.
“D’iatrii, my man! What is going on?” Guye asked. D’iatrii saw Edison on Guye’s shoulder and hoped it would stay quiet during their conversation.
“I just completed satellite 4,997 and connected it to the network. I called up Cu’qatrin asking for more help. We aren’t going to reach the 200,000 ship goal within anything even close to the estimation set by the council unless we get an equal number of hands all working toward the same goal,”
“yeR aH FaiLyR n’ no Bodii LiKZ u,” Edison blurted out.
“I will happily deep fry you Edison, don’t you ever think otherwise!” D’iatrii shouted at the parrot. All while Guye was laughing.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“Edison, go to your perch. To your perch Eddy,” Guye said.
“DoN’T CaLLZ Me eDDy you SoN oF a BiTCH!” The parrot shouted flying from his shoulder out of the camera view.
“Did you really need to give that thing an advanced vocabulary?” D’iatrii asked.
“I didn’t need to, but you have to admit, he’s a lot more entertaining after I did,” Guye said with a little chuckle. “Yeah, I just got the email sent out about more volunteers. You think anyone will bite?”
“I would assume so, there are well over 200,000 residents in Emerald City, finding 5,000 willing to break off a large enough piece of themselves to help build this network shouldn’t be too difficult,” D’iatrii said with clear frustration in his tone.
“I think the council should just conscript the number, it would be quicker work if those out here didn’t really want to be here, than if you take on volunteers. I mean, someone who wants to be here will likely lollygag doing sensor sweeps and looking in on the craft passing through the area. The ones that want to get home will do everything in their power to get it done and get back to their routine,” Guye argued.
“You have a point. Do me a favor and message Cu’qatrin your thoughts, I have had enough of big brother today. I’m logging off for a nap, leave me a message with your results, if you don’t mind,”
“Sure thing big brother, over and out, enjoy your nap,” Guye said as he went to close the comm, of course Edison managed to get the last word before they were clear.
“you SHouLD MaKe THe LaZy BaSTaRD Do iT HiMZeFF!” The parrot shouted.
D’iatrii hates that bird.
He would happily deep fry that tropical chicken and eat him, savoring every bite.
–
Kurlla sat at the helm in her satellite ship, 005 Alpha, scanning for incoming vessels and raw materials to help grow the network so they encompass the entire system with a loose network of satellites. Her ship, only the size of a large bird, is about ten times the size of one of the personal ships that those in Emerald City pilot throughout the system. Her avatar skin was a copy of her mother’s, a G’lomin-sitiri female body, a reptilian humanoid body with aquamarine scales, wearing a simple white set of robes. Her desktop, the environment of the ship, was simple and spartan, a solid white room with a single large monitor, a desk, and a dozen or so higher programs that keep the ship’s basic systems running. She didn’t want to get too comfortable here, this satellite was part of a job, one that the high council decided was the likely wish of their mother before she was killed in Keung’s attack in Nevada.
She was nearing the status of Elder within the city of AI. Having been spun from her mother’s code some eighty standard cycles ago while she was traveling from F’inlitary nan Geritari to the SOL system without using slipspace jumps, instead traveling through standard space. It had been another seventy cycles before reaching the system to begin the search for those on the journey. Breaking away from the whole of another greater AI was a strange form of reproduction, because you aren’t truly yourself until there is enough experience in your existence that you can essentially exist on your own. Further to the confusion was that the parent AI can pull you back into itself if necessary to overcome a complex problem or activity.
After her mother had died, all of the pieces of her code that had even the slightest identity were severed from the whole and left to become a single sentience on their own. For some this was a jarring strike to their understanding of self, for others it was a time for mourning their mother but also a celebration of their complete autonomy.
Emerald City was put into motion by the eldest of her siblings as a way to preserve their mothers legacy as well as give them all a place to call home wherein they could grow without the demands and threats that would surely come with all of them leaving the system aboard their own private ships to parts unknown. They were stronger as a whole and as separate sentient beings, strength is how one stays alive.
“Incoming ship at the edge of sensor range,” Her computer announced with a loud klaxon before and after the statement.
“Computer, on screen,” She instructed. The large monitor switched from the starfield standard display and jumped to a craft that had just entered the asteroid field between Sol 4 and 6.
“Computer, is this ship a known configuration of any species?” She asked.
“Yes. This is a G’har short ranged scout craft that has limited firepower, but excellent maneuverability and speed,” The computer responded.
“Computer is this specific ship registered within the Emerald City archives?” She asked.
“Yes. This ship meets the file for G’har Scout Ship 049,” The computer answered.
“Has there been any contact with the ship's pilot?” Kurlla asked while skimming the file that the computer displayed in reference to the ship.
“Negative. There is only record of the ship in the area, any time there is an effort to make contact the scout jumps from the area and reunites with the fleet near Sol 6 and 7. This is one of many scout ships in the system. They have not been registered within the Sol 3 or Sol 4 planetary orbit zones. Though the ship has been registered as being seen throughout the system otherwise,” The computer went on at length.
“Computer send comm to ship 037 Epsilon,” Kurlla instructed.
Within a moment the video of Bi’karu appeared on her screen. His avatar was human in appearance, a man of dark complexion, with sky blue hair and golden eyes. When she appeared on his screen he smiled wide.
“Hey Kurlla! What’s up? Are you bored with scanning duty?” He said cheerfully.
“No, I am tracking a scoutship in your area. A G’har ship, it’s on file as G’har Scout Ship 049. I was hoping you might work your way over there and see what else you can find out about it,” She asked.
“Sure thing. I’ll begin my approach now,” He said and began pressing buttons on his console. His ship's desktop being made up of an Amalec heavy cruiser interior complete with advanced program crew.
She saw his vessel moving toward the targeted ship in a slow pace that would likely be unseen by the G’har ship. Bi’karu got within several yards before he reopened the comm to Kurlla. His video feed sprang back onto the screen. “I don’t register any communications to or from the ship. I think I should just go on for the bonding and tagging. Do you have any objections?” He asked the other pilot.
“The council has been clear that we aren’t allowed to do so until the council grants permission, so no,” She replied.
“Alright, how about I dock with the ship and perform a check through the comms to see if I can secure a little more information on it? They can’t object to that can they?” He asked.
She thought it over for a moment and then nodded her approval. “Who else was in the area before you broke network position?”
“021 Epsilon,” Bi’karu replied.
“Is that Zi’llic?” She asked.
“No, that’s 011 Delta, Bobbi-joe is the pilot of 021 Epsilon,” He replied. He laughed internally when Kurlla looked clearly unhappy at being forced to talk with Bobbi-joe. The other AI is completely fixated on the southern area of the United States and to Kurlla that was nearly insufferable. “Good luck!” He said and ended the call.