> NEW MAIL

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Subj: Concerning Hardware Query

Hello,

You will receive physical correspondence within the next two days to serve as both legal confirmation of this message and a physical copy for recordkeeping on your part.

As of this time, Knight Industries has no legal ownership of any of the physical contents that were part of the auction you had submitted records for as they were sold off under the tenure of director Russel Maddock. However, as the architecture represents part of ongoing Knight Industries product line in our upcoming offering of vehicles, legal recourse will be pursued if any code or other technical materials detailing the workings of the Knight Twothousand processor or its architecture were to be made public.

Furthermore, our records show that Hazard Motors of Whtie Pine Iowa has applied for our authorized repair program. Any breach of the agreement as detailed by both the PDF attached to this email as well as the physical representation that will arrive via courier will result in the termination of Hazard Motors' relationship with Knight Industries outside of that of the defendant in legal proceedings.

With this stance made clear we at Knight Industries wish to offer more than the proverbial stick to enforce compliance. For the sake of clarification, Hazard Motors' acceptance into the authorized repair program was decided before this communication was started. As the hardware you have in your possession is, indeed, prototype hardware of significant importance we will be dispatching a representative with relevant case material related to the prototype in your possession.

-

KORRA

Postscript:

The following is a personal request of mine and will not appear within the hardcopy documents you will receive.

We at Knight Industries would, beyond legal threats, ask that you keep your confidence on the matter quite close. If you have not connected the system in your possession to peripherals it is best to wait until our representative arrives. If you have connected and thus made contact with KARR, I ask that you treat him with care and respect. He represents the first true sapient AI that we are aware of. Beyond that significance, he has been twice stolen and left in isolation. He is hurt, prideful, and rightfully feels abandoned.

He is my brother, the eldest of my kind, so I feel obligated to see that he receives the care he needs.

⁂ ⁂ ⁂

Will frowned at the email then shook his head on pocketing his phone.

"What is wrong?" Karr asked before Will could resume hanging a TV opposite the workbench KARR occupied.

"I'd checked to see if there would be any snarls, like guys trying to show up to take you away," Will explained as he worked. "Legally speaking, your components were soldo ff so there is no basis for a claim they can use to take you away without your permission."

"But...?" KARR asked, his camera focusing on the television.

"I'm going to have to be careful on who I approach since if I step wrong they'll find ways to get not just me in legal hot water, but the garage I work for."

"I still do not understand how someone who is incapable of driving is capable of working on vehicles," KARR stated. "Also. I would not trust these people further than you could have thrown my chassis. I would have advised against contacting them, and even though I disagree with that I can see the logic in your actions. Thank you for keeping me informed."

Will paused in plugging a small box to the television and hung his head. "Yea, I'm sorry KARR. Though in my defense I still didn't quite believe that you are actually

an honest-to-God artificial intelligence."

There was a soft chuckle from KARR's voice modulator. "What you have told me of personal assistants on the market leaves me less than impressed Will. Also, why are you connecting that device up?"

Will started hitting buttons, causing a media center interface to spring to life. "I have to go to work tomorrow. Bo and Luke are pretty chill, but I'm burning through my time off and my absence is making their lives harder."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"You are making my life far easier though." KARR countered.

"It'll get a lot harder if I don't have money to pay for all these things I'll need to fix you, feed me, or pay the bills." Will snorted as he first verified the remote's functions. Then pointed the remote at a small device on the bench beside KARR. "So, since leaving you locked in a room with nothing to do sits really poorly with me, taking you isn't in the cards yet, and giving you an internet connection is an absolute Not A Chance in Hell. I'm loading up a media box up so you can take in some of the greatest hits on things I either find entertaining or feel might be useful."

KARR made a non-committal grunt. Then after the new box was plugged into the backplane that all the other addons were plugged into, he caused differing channels to flick to and fro.

"I've set it up so everything runs like a TV. Differing channels where files on the box will be treated as if they have been continually playing even if you are not on that channel, and the playlist has a pseudo-randomness to avoid anything from hitting dead air. I've got a mix between Isaac Arthur's talks of future development, primitive technology, LGR..." He listed several other names. "Mister Rodgers. Norm Abrams and a few other PBS classics I feel will be good for a hungry mind to absorb. Jocelyne is coming over for movie night tonight and we'll set up in here so you can join in if you don't mind the company."

KARR made a thoughtful noise. "Thank you. Though this place even without the inload of media has more stimulation than either the lab I was locked in, or the ... box I found my core memory and processing components in. I would doubtlessly grow bored."

Will nodded to KARR's camera. "I have locked down most of the rest of the functionality on this box since I don't want it to break if settings get messed with and nobody is able to help talk you through fixing it. I'm going to suggest Mister Rodgers. Nice sedate pace, calm voice, and-"

"I am aware of the Reverend Fred Rodgers," KARR stated matter-of-factly. "My Creator, Wilton Knight, gave often to public broadcasting and spoke favorably of the time Fred Rodgers went into a meeting of congress intent on decreasing funding, and walked away with additional funds for educational television."

This caused Will to grin broadly. "If any of the rest gets to be too much or too loud. Switch to channel eight and listen to the good reverend calmly help ease you out of sensory overload."

"Thank you." KARR sounded sincere in this. "Though I will want to discuss the repair work you and Jocelyn performed."

"Wait what's wrong?" Will quickly turned off the TV and reached for the notebook he left on the workbench.

"As far as I can tell, everything is within tolerances," KARR stated as clarification. "I wish for clarification on the damage you said you found."

"Saltwater corrosion," Will flipped through his notebook. "Right under one of your ROM chips. Again, I'm sorry I can't find replacements. A lot of your chipsflag as getting used in anti-seizure treatments and a few more radical attempts at repairing severe neurological damage. So getting hold of replacements is going to take either me buying one of the new KI Six's-"

A derisive snort was KARR's initial response, "Compared to the production model my brother represented they are wholly unimpressive. It is likely you would not find serviceable replacements anyhow."

"As I was saying," Will continued, somewhat annoyed at the interruption. "Either get a KI Six to dismantle and hope against hope they haven't made so many changes to the architecture your processor wouldn't torch itself in confusion or plugging your memory unit into one of them wouldn't cause it to get reformatted.... or try trawling through medical wholesalers."

His head shook sadly, "Either way I don't have those funds so we're kinda stuck hoping my repairs hold and whatever black magic your memory unit works off of doesn't decide to just stop working because I'm utterly terrified to try connecting it to anything to perform backups or even a surface scan to see what shape the hardware's in."

"That would be less than optimal," KARR agreed. "Your caution is appreciated."

⁂ ⁂ ⁂

As Will sat in the passenger seat while Jocelyn drove he frowned. "Something feels off about KARR."

"you mean other than the fact he's a talking toaster?"Joe asked, half joking. "didn't you say you were able to do a partial dump of his memory?"

"Just the log files. Getting access to any sensor data is a fool's errand. the drive isn't encrypted so much as I wouldn't even know what format any of the data is in."

"Well, you're the one saying you could shove a peanut butter sandwich into a DVD slot and VLC will somehow figure the data out." Again, Jocelyne was half-teasing. "I'm failing to see the problem."

"They hit me with legal restrictions if any data somehow end up online because the KI Six uses a lot of the same components," Will explained sourly. "So I'm working with what data I can get without risking Hazard getting BFG'd into oblivion with their orbital lawyer cannon."

"...Fair." Jocelyne started driving. "So now what?"

Clarification from Will as he looked out at the passing scenery, "Work, see if Luke can help with final checks on Mera, then load her up for the race tonight."

Then he dialed a number from his phone. "Hey KARR. Can you hear me?"

"I can," KARR stated. "Presumably the speaker near the television contains a phone you are calling."

"Sorta kinda. I'll have to explain how Bluetooth works sometime. Point is I'll call through the day when I'm on break to check on you."

"This is acceptable," KARR stated. "I would like to terminate this conversation. I am watching Adrian troubleshoot a dead commodore and it is rather fascinating."

Laughter from Jocelyne when Will hung up as the pair rode on. He would be dropped off at his job and she would then go to hers. Both had their spirits lifted by the revelation of KARR taking a liking to, curated as it was, television.