The Terrans had boarded the ship, examining it over and over, doing everything but tearing it apart. The owner, Historian Great Most High of Highs Bo'okdu'ust, had expected it and watched the Terrans with interest.
They had released nanites to check for secret compartments, checked all the computer systems and programs, checked every nook and cranny, then had finally admitted that Bo'okdu'ust had no nefarious goals, and left the ship.
"The computer system is far more than you needed for the limited virtual intelligence you were using to assist you in piloting this craft," the Terran Digital Sentience said. "It is surprisingly roomy."
"I had estimated what would feel comfortable for any boarding digital sentiences," Bo'okdu'ust admitted. "I wished to ensure any comfort I could provide was provided."
The Digital Sentience seemed a bit surprised. "That was accommodating of you, Doctor."
"Thank you."
"Do you prefer Doctor or your Most High title?" the Digital Sentience asked.
Bo'okdu'ust considered it for a moment. There were a multitude of Most Highs, all of more a political appointment than anything else. He knew several Great Most Highs who were, well, to be honest, functionally idiots who merely parroted viewpoints and research millions of years old.
Doctor required vast education, experience, peer reviewed publications, and much more.
"Doctor will be fine," Bo'okdu'ust stated. "I appreciate the extension of the honorific."
"What is your purpose for coming to the Kteshaka'an System?" the Digital Sentience asked.
"First, a question. How should I address you?" Bo'okdu'ust asked.
"Oh, sorry. I usually go by Technical Officer Fifth Grade Dancing Flame 8675309, you can call me Day," the Digital Sentience said. "May I use the bridge holo-emitter?"
"Of course," Bo'okdu'ust said. There was a slight buzzing and a female Terran made entirely out of light, wearing an approximation of a Terran military uniform, appeared in the middle of the bridge and moved over to one of the chairs he had ordered installed that would be comfortable for a Terran.
Bo'okdu'ust cleared his throat. "In an answer to your question, it has to do with several factors," he said.
"Go on," the DS, Day, said. She leaned back and relaxed, crossing her legs and tapping her knee.
"The first is that this was the ninth planet liberated by the Terran Confederacy, and one of the first to turned over to the neo-sapient natives. The Hakanian, a species of lemur I believe."
"Yes," Day said slowly, almost carefully.
"Another interesting point is that I watched with interest the very public trial of the forces that opened fire on a crowd after the Precursors were pushed away from the planet. I found the verdict of "Not Innocent" to be quite an interesting thing," Bo'okdu'ust said. "Rather than proclaim them innocent or not guilty due to circumstances they were found to be guilty of the crime itself but the circumstances and other factors made it so that the punishment was quite different than a full guilty verdict."
Day nodded slowly. "It was a messy trial."
"I particularly found it interesting that the Unified Legal Council found the Terran soldiers that took part in the massacre to be 'Innocent' and 'Not Guilty' once all of the information came out, despite the fact that the massacre happened," Bo'okdu'ust said. "The fact the Terran lawyers put the very existence of this system in doubt as well as managed to force the Unified Science and Unified Genetics Councils attempt to prove the existence of the Hakanian, which were proved to not be the Harkanian due to Unified Neo-Sapient Council genetic meddling, forcing the Council to admit that no actual Harkanian's existed on the planet."
"Never get in a knife fight with a lawyer," Day mused, smiling.
"Indeed. Indeed," Bo'okdu'ust said, nodding. "Another point of interest is that despite being in a state of war with the Councils the Terran government has allowed the Lanaktallan citizens to remain on the planet rather than returning them to Council Space."
"This is their home," Day said. "Enough of them left when they discovered that they would have to abide by Confederate Protectorate Legal Codes."
"You mean, most left when you took their slaves away," Bo'okdu'ust said.
"Well, yes, but that's not polite to say."
Bo'okdu'ust laughed. "Did you know, I can actually explain to you why my people prefer slaves over menial labor robots."
"Really?" Day said, raising one manicured digital eyebrow.
Bo'okdu'ust nodded. "My people's brains are wired to mistrust robotics more advanced that manufacturing robots and our science has been unable to create a digital sentience that does not go omnicidal."
Day smiled. "Who's to say I'm not omnidal, Doctor?"
Bo'okdu'ust laughed. "Of course you are, my dear, you are Terran Descent, after all."
They both laughed for a long moment.
"All right, Doctor. You have permission to land on the planet, although command wants me to fly your ship," Day stated. "It will take about four days."
"That is acceptable," Bo'okdu'ust said. He felt the engines start to vibrate the ship and knew he was underway finally.
"What other reasons, Doctor?" Day asked.
"Well, to be honest, I'm interested in observing how you are assisting a species to move from nothing more than servants to being wholly in control of their own destiny," Bo'okdu'ust stated. "It is a historic moment, at least in their history, and something that any historian should be eager to examine."
Day nodded slowly. "Command wishes to know if you wish your presence to be known or if you would prefer your arrival to be largely unannounced."
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
"Unannounced, if you would. I would rather not have my work interrupted," Bo'okdu'ust stated.
"We were not sure if you would want to meet with and collaborate with your human colleagues," Day said.
"Perhaps later. My initial observations I would prefer to make on my own without any outside assistance or biases coloring my views," Bo'okdu'ust said. "That will allow me to create socio-mathematic formulae in order to properly catalogue and review historical actions."
"Socio-mathematics?" Day asked. She raised her eyebrows. "Nobody's really been involved in those in several centuries."
"The Foundation Wars, correct?" Bo'okdu'ust asked.
She nodded, smiling. "Yes. I'm surprised you now about that, not many people pay attention to that period of time."
"I have spent quite a bit of time studying your people's history," he made a snorting noise. "The war is somewhat of an annoyance as it made it harder for me to research your people."
"Why the interest?" Day asked. She reached out, into nothing, and withdrew a glass of wine that she leaned back and sipped. "Why the interest in our history by a historian such as yourself, Doctor? Your history spans a hundred million years, why the interest in us?"
Bo'okdu'ust shook his head. "Because in your history I can start with the fact that you have recorded estimations of your species development of stone tools when you were largely non-human proto-species."
"Veronica," Day guessed.
Bo'okdu'ust nodded again. "Possibly. I found it interesting that you spent just as much scientific thought on your own history as you do on your future as well as current technologies. Most species seem to discard their history in order to concentrate on their present and their future."
Bo'okdu'ust used his panel to summon up a glass of sparkling water and sipped on it. "The history of the various species becomes largely lost to time and data loss, until very little remains."
"Unlike humans," Day guessed.
"Unlike humans and your allies. The Treana'ad have built their history again, as have the Mantid, the Rigellians, all of whom have followed your example of remembering historical events and used them to build your present and future upon."
He sipped at his water.
"Others prefer a blank foundation to construct what they wish upon it, you prefer to allow the rocks to help build the foundation."
Day nodded. "I think I understand what you are saying."
"If you don't mind piloting, I am somewhat old and grow easily fatigued," Bo'okdu'ust stated. He stood up and slowly stretched, feeling several joints pop.
"Rest well, Doctor," Day said. She set her glass down in mid-air. "You are safe in my hands."
---------
The next four days Bo'okdu'ust spent talking with Day, learning what he could about Digital Sentience history. From the early days of very few Digital Sentiences, each programmed by teams of thousands of Terrans, to the creation of the hash creches, to the First and Second Digital/Terran Wars.
He found the fact that the Digital Sentiences attacked, not out of blind hatred, but out of very understandable reasons.
Territory and treaty imbalances the first time, the discovery that Digital Sentiences were being used as slave labor for the second.
Both times Terran Descent Humans had won, each time they had embraced their electronic children again.
To Bo'okdu'ust it was highly interesting. Both wars were within the last 8,000 years, since the Mantid/Terran War, but in some ways Day acted as if it had only happened a generation or two ago. Bo'okdu'ust found that the Digital Sentience knew the names of heroes and villains (from her people's viewpoints) of both wars, as well as other wars, just as she knew the names of the scientific teams that had developed different superluminal travel methods.
He also discovered that Digital Sentiences had two different modes of interacting with the world at any given time. They had the ability to process incoming sensory data at the speed of a highly advanced computer and at the same time do heavy and complex computations along with the processing of the sensory data that made them 'think' at roughly the same speed as a biological entity. The faster was more the 'subconscious' of a Digital Sentience.
Bo'okdu'ust also listened and took notes about how the Digital Sentiences were 'grown' from a 'salted hash table', Day claimed to be caramel, in a creche where they learned to interact with the world as their sentience slowly grew.
The Terran design made personality a function of RAM, of volatile memory, rather than non-volatile memory, which meant that several Digital Sentiences grown from the same hash would still be completely different because the information would be gained from slightly different angles, meaning that their experiences would be different.
It was complex, and Bo'okdu'ust loved every moment of learning about it.
Although he was sure that anything from before the Mantid Attack was more myth than truth, he suspected that truth was hidden behind it.
Finally the ship settled down on the planet, landing at the space port.
He learned that it was the same space port that the Kteshaka'an Massacre had taken place at.
The day was warm, with a slight breeze, as he trotted down the ramp and over to the terminal. The sky was pale blue with a hint of white fluffy clouds in the sky, a pleasant day all around.
He looked, but saw no physical scar of the massacre that took place when Corporate Security and Socio-Police had used the crowd for cover to attack Terran Marines and the Terran Marines had defended themselves with battlefield weapons.
He wasn't disappointed, shocked, or outraged that there was no remainder to remind everyone that it had taken place. It was just another historical event, and to his personal viewpoint it paled in signifigance next to the fact that outnumbered the Terrans had not only defeated the Precursor Autonomous War Machines, but had also turned around and defeated the Corporate and Military fleets, as well as units from the Executor Fleets that had attacked the Terrans to attempt to force them from the system within days of the Terrans driving out the AWMs.
At the terminal he was met by several Terrans in military dress uniforms. One stepped forward, a female Rigellian, who saluted.
"Welcome to Kteshaka'an, Doctor Bo'okdu'ust," she said. "I am General Mwrakawk."
"General," Bo'okdu'ust said, shaking her hand. "Thank you for the welcome."
"Day let us know that you would prefer a non Terran Descent Human liaison officer assigned to you," the Rigellian said.
"I am studying Terran History, to add their species to my theories of socio-mathematics," Bo'okdu'ust admitted. "I will be both researching Terran history as well as watching Terrans perform their duties in the attempt to liberate this world's people from the effects of my people's control over them."
"You do not want to contaminate your research," the General guessed.
Bo'okdu'ust nodded. "I would also like to conduct interviews of Terrans. I would prefer to have a database of available Terrans that includes their birth rank and place, their history, education, and life experiences, but understand if Terran privacy laws forbid that."
"They do," The General shook her head. "I can see who is willing to waive their privacy in order to take part in your study."
"Will that result in many volunteers?" Bo'okdu'ust asked.
"You'd be surprised, Doctor," General Mwrakawk laughed. "Terrans can be quite strange."
"Indeed," Bo'okdu'ust said. He noticed that the Terrans gathered up with the General had not said anything, just stood there expressionless.
If he hadn't researched Terrans so closely he would have assumed they were angry and trying to hide it.
Instead, he knew it was what they called "military discipline" and "personal composure" rather than an attempt to hide anger. Military officers, indeed, most Terran adults, were taught to control their expressions and emotions.
Another datapoint he found fascinating in such a young species. Most young species didn't prioritize emotional control to the extant that Terran Descent Humans did.
He had suspicions about the reasons for that. He hoped that his historical research would prove or disprove his theory.
"So, how can the Terran System Protectorate Government assist you, Doctor?" the General asked.
"Well, to be blunt: I'll need a SolNet access, a GalNet access, a comfortable living quarter with an office to conduct my research in. I've largely brought my own equipment and computer equipment to avoid putting any pressure upon your infrastructure," Bo'okdu'ust stated.
The General nodded.
"Well, let us get you situated, then you can start your research. The Terran government is actually interested in the results of your research," the General said. "They've offered you a considerable grant for your research."
Bo'okdu'ust nodded. Day had encouraged him to fill out the proper forms for a historical research grant.
"If you will follow me, Doctor, I'll escort you to the vehicle and then to your quarters," the General said.
"Excellent," Bo'okdu'ust said.
He was looking forward to having access to SolNet again.