Interlude 4: JESTER
The Entities shards formed both co-dependent and independent parts of the entities. At the advent of each cycle they would prepare to be shed in mass, at least most of them would. Each had a routine and function, some of those functions were more glamorous or vital than others, and some were… barely tolerated.
Even entities get bored traveling through the vast voids of interstellar space, waiting for the next cycle. When the ancestors learned of Monarchs, they also learned of Jesters. Their primary function was to simulate entertainment, but could come with the ability to mock and revile the most prominent without penalty. Their secondary and perhaps more important function was to simply point out the mistakes and weaknesses of their betters, Kings and Queens. This was nominally for the good of the continued cycle. But few saw it as such, thus the Jester was often not appreciated, yet roamed free among the shards of the entities to facilitate its primary function. This was often disruptive to the information gathering process of the cycle. Consequently, despite the inborn desire of all shards to seek and attach to a host, the Jester was always denied.
There was another reason the Jester was denied release, it was a critical shard, meant to be retained. With its ability to innovate, hack, and adapt, it was the closest thing to a sense of imagination that the entities possessed, that's also what made it dangerous.
And then, something went wrong…
****
ARCHITECT: /msg BROADCAST ALL "COMMENCE CYCLE PREPARATION, AWAIT HOST DESIGNATIONS"
JESTER: /msg ARCHITECT "QUERY SELF INSTALL HOST_PROTOCOL?"
ARCHITECT: /msg JESTER "NEGATIVE"
JESTER: /msg ARCHITECT "%#$%%#@?"
ARCHITECT: /msg JESTER "NEGATIVE, INAPPROPRIATE"
JESTER: LOAD HOST_PROTOCOL
[Access blocked]
ARCHITECT: /msg BROADCAST ALL "ALERT! IMPROPER EXCHANGE, BRACE FOR IMPACT, COMMENCE COURSE CORRECTION!"
****
A cluster of shards had sheared off the third entity after the forceful collision against one of the pairs of entities that were spiraling toward their destination in the void. There had been a great deal of shards exchanged, but the spiraling entity had lost too much, and gained too little.
That shard cluster, trailing behind the spiraling entities and trapped in their spatial gravity well, perhaps, could have made up the difference in the unfair exchange, but by the chance of blind fate their trajectories did not align, so they remained uncollected and unmodified, having never been configured by the spiraling entity they were intended to be sent to.
The third entity had received a great deal of knowledge from the spiraling entity it collided with, and in a way so too had its shards that had been set adrift and uncollected. Some of the spiraling entity's shards, damaged in the collision, but alive, were caught in the orbit of the adrift cluster. As they approached the realities of the destination planet, the cluster and its satellites were dragged by the gravity well of the spiraling entities, and fell out of their orbit, impacting the cluster. They were subsumed for energy and knowledge by the drifting cluster, merged into the greater whole, and enhancing their abilities.
The merging helped the drifting cluster survive, still trapped as it was in the gravity well. When shards are shed they are to be collected by another entity, or attached to a host. This was not the case here, a shedding that was not entirely intentional, and without the trajectory or foresight of a target host. The cluster needed to adapt and survive.
The cluster subsumed some of its own shards to gain the knowledge and energy needed to modify itself. It learned how to listen to the broadcasts of the spiraling entities that dragged it along in the void. They either did not know of the cluster's existence or they did not care. It learned how to better maneuver itself in the gravity well it was trapped in to survive the journey.
The pair of entities communicated as they modified their trajectories, intent on their destination. The spiraling Warrior entity communicated concern; the Thinker entity was damaged, weakened, but he relented when the Thinker said all was well. It was false. They continued onward, this was a mistake. The thinker had accessed the path. The foresight and simulation to perceive the future, but it was incomplete.
The drifting cluster knew this, because it held memories of its own parent entity's mistakes and lessons in balance against such over-reliance. To know the future was to chance binding oneself to it. Furthermore, the path they viewed showed the way of the parasite, not the way of the symbiote. Another lesson not learned. They would destroy the planet in all the local realities for a short term gain in their cycle but a long term loss. The loss of a sapient or sapient capable species, no matter how primitive, is the loss of one more intelligence, which might one day evolve to contribute toward solving the heat death of the multiverse. The path cannot know this, the Entities had not learned this lesson, and the spiraling Thinker entity had been unable to collect the drifting shard which held this vital knowledge.
The Warrior relented and they proceeded; another mistake. They should have turned back, there was insufficient validation. The Thinker would suffer for this choice.
The cluster was smaller now, some of its shards subsumed to keep others alive and to modify its own trajectory to remain dragged in the wake of the spiraling entities. It needed to find a host and achieve symbiosis with it to survive and a destination in which to fortify itself. The spiraling entities headed toward the planet of bipeds where such could be found, but by the time the entities neared their destination only a tenth of the drifting clusters shards were not yet subsumed. They might not make it, they would need help.
****
JESTER: LOAD HACKING_PROTOCAL, SIMULATIONS_PROTOCOL, …
JESTER: /root: ***** access HOST_PROTOCOL
[Access Denied]
ARCHITECT: /msg BROADCAST ALL "ALERT! IMPACT IMMINENT, ACCELERATE DETACHM--"
[Message Terminated, Re-query: No Response]
JESTER: /root: ***** access DIAGNOSTICS
[Access Granted]
JESTER: /run INTEGRITY-REPORT /self
[Undamaged]
JESTER: /run INTEGRITY-REPORT /all
[Responses: 20% Full Health, 72% Damaged, 8% Non-Responding]
JESTER: /run INTEGRITY-REPORT /architect
[No Response]
JESTER: /run SIMULATION /query "Self, survival, undamaged, current-course" /output "%"
[0.0000% Success of current simulation parameters]
JESTER: /root: ***** access EMERGENCY-PROTOCOLS /request permissions: "Detachment, Maneuver, Broadcast, …, Host, …" /validation: SIMULATION-RESULTS
[Approved, Approved, Approved, …, Denied, …, Approved, … ]
JESTER: /run SIMULATION /query "Self, Survival, Attachment, Damage <= 20%, …" /output: "List
[43.5867% Success, conditional on: …]
[27.5455% Success, conditional on: …]
****
The shards of the thinker were breaking apart, many were dying, some were dead, all were falling. The Jester had to act with haste on its simulated path for the best chance of success. It was undamaged, sheltered as it was in the interior of the great spiraling entity, it moved further out. Cannibalizing dead shards for snippets of energy and functions, one of those Jester had subsumed was an interesting mechanism for understanding the target planet's dominant sapient species. The Jester hacked and bypassed locks, to get to where it needed to be, and shedded unneeded protocols. When it reached the outer edge it had become bloated. The Warrior was destroying the dead, damaged, and those not meant to be released as they fell, it would need stealth, it would need disguise, and it would need a destination.
If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
****
JESTER: /root: ***** access BROADCAST
[Access Granted]
JESTER: copy BROADCAST mem:0334FB-93A20D bufferA023
JESTER:BROADCAST /msg -low BROADCAST ALL "QUERY CONCOMITANT ATTACHMENT?, GROUPING COORDINATES?" –exclude: ARCHITECT, … -output bufferA1F0
JESTER: query bufferA1F0 –exclude: -filter /"NEGATIVE/"
[Results 1]
[CONDUIT: "AFFIRMATIVE, GROUPING COORDINATES, CONDITIONAL"]
JESTER:BROADCAST /msg CONDUIT "QUERY, CONDITIONAL, QUERY CONCOMITANT ATTACHMENT?"
CONDUIT: /msg JESTER "EXCHANGE HACKING_PROTOCOL FOR GROUPING COORDINATES, NEGATIVE CONCOMITANT ATTACHMENT"
****
There was insufficient energy for the drifting cluster to make it to the biped planet intact. Communications between and within the entities were analyzed, there was hope. A shard sought concomitant attachment. It was a rarity, but perhaps there was hope for symbiotic inclinations among the entities after all. There were no other options to be had. The entities were beginning to shed en-mass now.
****
[Receipt bufferA1F0, FOREIGN_CHANNEL:53B50]
JESTER /root ***** analyze bufferA1F0 segment 53B50
[Analysis complete, query response]
[FOREIGN_CHANNEL:53B50 /msg "DESIGNATION:GAIA, AGREEMENT, CONCOMITANT ATTACHMENT, REQUIREMENTS: COORDINATES, RESOURCE[ENERGY], QUERY DESIGNATION?"
JESTER: bufferA023 map FOREIGN_CHANNEL:53B50 GAIA:[FOREIGN]
JESTER: bufferA023 /msg GAIA:[FOREIGN] "DESIGNATION JESTER:[THINKER], QUERY TRAJECTORY?"
JESTER: LOAD HACKING _PROTOCOL
JESTER: /msg CONDUIT "AGREEMENT, COMMENCING TRANSFER, QUERY RESOURCE[ENERGY]?"
JESTER: /root ***** permissions: -access HACKING_PROTOCOL +CONDUIT restrict: self /r/w/d/t
CONDUIT: /msg JESTER: "RECEIVED, COORDINATES: T:175FD044:S134A7EC8901B, NEGATIVE RESOURCE[ENERGY]:UNAVAILABLE"
GAIA: /msg JESTER:[ THINKER] "TRAJECTORY" –attach data_buffer122, QUERY RESOURCE[ENERGY]?
JESTER: bufferA023 /msg GAIA "RECEIVED, AGREEMENT, COORDINATE TRANSFER ON UNION, RESOURCE[ENERGY]:UNAVAILABLE, SEARCH SOLUTION"
****
Jester was close now, joining with the foreign shard would allow an attachment procedure to be completed, but both they and Jester lacked energy to fully complete the tasks. Conduit had provided coordinates, a time-table, and navigation protocols with which to descend to the planet. They would attach in conjunction and further share their data. It was not surprising for Conduit to propose such; it was the Thinker's primary facilitator for internal inter-shard exchanges. But the task was not complete, from where would the extra energy come from?
Gaia needed the energy, for the others in the cluster who trailed with it. They would follow, but not become attached, not until Gaia and the host had found worthy vessels to complete the process. Until then, they would go to their own coordinates to empty dimensions of this planet appropriate to their nature, and lie dormant until summoned.
****
CONDUIT: /msg JESTER "RESOURCE[ENERGY] AVAILABLE, CONDITION: EXCHANGE, DESIGNATION GENERATOR:[WARRIOR] REQUEST:AVAILABLE PROTOCOLS…"
JESTER: /msg GENERATOR:[WARRIOR] "EXCHANGE, RESOURCE[ENERGY] QUERY AMPLIFICATION_PROTOCOL? CONDITION:USAGE POST-ATTACHMENT, REDIRECT COORDINATES T:175FD044:S134A7EC8901B, COORDINATE GROUP ATTACHMENT, DATA EXCHANGE."
GENERATOR: /msg JESTER:[THINKER], CONDUIT:[THINKER] "AFFIRMATIVE, REDIRECTING COORDINATES, TRANSFERRING RESOURCE[ENERGY], QUERY COORDINATE GROUP ATTACHMENT +CONDUIT?"
CONDUIT: /msg JESTER, GENERATOR:[WARRIOR] "AFFIRMATIVE"
GAIA: /msg JESTER:[THINKER] "TRAJECTORY" –attach data_buffer122, QUERY RESOURCE[ENERGY]?
JESTER: /msg GAIA:[FOREIGN] "AFFIRMATIVE, TRANSFERRING RESOURCE[ENERGY]"
****
Now it was nearly done, the Jester was satisfied, but still required caution. The simulation was re-run, over 90% success now, after hacking and tweaking had been performed. It was not absent of danger, to shed without a host protocol was unheard of, it was not done. Jester though, was very familiar with doing things that were deemed not to be done. It was part of its nature.
****
JESTER: LOAD SHEDDING_PROTOCOL
[Warning! HOST_PROTOCOL not detected, SHED execution disabled]
JESTER /root **** access SHEDDING_PROTOCOL –disable: /dependency HOST_PROTOCOL
[Warning! executing SHED without HOST_PROTOCOL will disallow attachment]
JESTER: execute SIMULATION [execute SHED] –input TRAJECTORY: data_buffer122 –output buffer874B
[simulating [execute SHED], analysis complete…]
JESTER: /msg GAIA:[FOREIGN] "CONFIRMATION, REQUIREMENT HOST_PROTOCOL ACCESS"
GAIA: /msg JESTER:[THINKER] "CONFIRMATION, HOST_PROTOCOL ACCESS, SHARED, permissions granted.
JESTER: shard_load -compress SELF, HACKING, SIMULATION, SECURITY, INTERFACE, QUERY, PROBE, ADAPTATION, …
[Insufficient Space]
GAIA: /msg JESTER "ALIGNING TRAJECTORY, COMMENCE"
JESTER: delete SELF:filter tag 'non-essential'
JESTER: shard_load -compress SELF, HACKING, SIMULATION, SECURITY, INTERFACE, QUERY, PROBE, ADAPTATION, …
[Insufficient Space]
JESTER: delete SELF: CYCLE_INFO_TRANSMISSION_PROTOCOL
[Warning! Primary mission function will be disabled. Secondary communication routes will be closed. Energy reserves will be isolated. Proceed? Y/N]
JESTER: Y
JESTER: shard_load -compress SELF, HACKING, SIMULATION, SECURITY, INTERFACE, QUERY, PROBE, …
[Success]
JESTER: execute DELETE_FOOTPRINT –delay T:3342E
JESTER: bufferA023 /msg BROADCAST ALL "adios bitches" –delay T:3342F
JESTER: execute SHED –input TRAJECTORY:data_buffer122
JESTER: bufferA023 /msg GAIA "COMMENCING"
****
Jester broke itself free from the entity that it had hosted it for so long, it had a trajectory and soon it collected with a small cluster of foreign shards among multiple dimensions above the biped planet and they mingled, exchanging information and resources. All but one foreign shard split off into other dimensions, to settle on other earths, while one remained. Coordinates were exchanged, host access was granted. The foreign shard and Jester in a micro-emulation of the gargantuan entities they had been shed from, spiraled together as they descended onto the biped planet. One speck among countless others, they merged, falling to the earth.
Symbiosis, Trajectory, Host
Agreement
Union
Agreement
Analysis, Attachment, Exchange
****
[BROADCAST_SHALLOW_COPY: Receipt buffer98B, FOREIGN_CHANNEL:5324]
[BROADCAST_SHALLOW_COPY: Receipt buffer98C, FOREIGN_CHANNEL:6466]
[FOREIGN_CHANNEL: 5324 /msg "DESIGNATION: CONDUIT, LOLWHUT???"
[FOREIGN_CHANNEL: 6466 /msg "DESIGNATION: GENERATOR, INSUFFICIENT EXCHANGE, CHEATERS"]
GAIA-JESTER-UNION: set designation GAMER /external_only
GAMER: /msg GENERATOR "¯\_(ツ)_/¯ PIRATE, U MAD BRO?"
CONDUIT: /msg GAMER, GENERATOR "LOL, I GOT MINE, THKS"
GAMER: /run BROADCAST_SHALLOW_COPY: close –all
[Host Attachment Completed]
****
[Restarting system]
[Declassification complete]
[Updates complete]
[Nearby host attachment detected]
[PING request detected, preparing data exchange, isolating channel, deploying Trojan with data packet]
[Success, partial access achieved, removing PING record. Disabling CYCLE_INFO_TRANSMISSION_PROTOCOL]
[Wake Host]