EPISODE 116: The Sum of Its Parts ###################################################################################### Between birth and death lies desire, Desire for life, for love, for everything good. And this is the source of all suffering. [Outcast Consensus 17 C.Y. 10942] ###################################################################################### ====================================================================================== Scene: Rommie and Trance are on the Maru, and Beka enters. Rommie is dressed in Trance's purple velvet catsuit ====================================================================================== Rommie: I don't know, Trance. I just don't really think it's me. Trance: Don't you wanna look good? Rommie: Well, only in so far as it aids my official functions. Beka: So your other outfits are, uh, supposed to be functional? Rommie: Well, they're all approved variations of High Guard officer's uniforms. Beka {rolling her eyes}: FEMALE officer's uniforms. VERY female. Rommie: Well, over seventy percent of my original crew was human. And studies have shown that humans feel more comfortable with an Artificial Intelligence whose persona is female than any other. Same thing's true for Vedrans and Than... Beka: So, your appearance is, uh, strictly for the psychological benefit of the crew. Rommie: My entire existence is for the benefit of the crew. Everything that I do: from assisting Harper with the right tool {a cut-scene of one of Andromeda's robots handing Harper a tool} to manufacturing munitions and supplies {a scene of Tyr checking out a weapons locker} to monitoring flight operations {holo-Rommie on command with Dylan}. Even allowing you to use me as a mannequin. Rommie: All of my functions are designed to aid the smooth operations of this ship and its inhabitants. Beka: Rommie, I can't believe that you're actually saying that the reason you look like a walking heart attack is for our benefit. Rommie {offended}: I'm not sure what you mean. Trance: All Beka's trying to say is that she thinks you're pretty. Beka: No, no, no. I think you went a little overboard on the, uh, pouty lips. Rommie: I didn't design my appearance. I extrapolated it. In myth, Andromeda was a Phoenician princess. Now, since no one knows what Phoenicians looked like, I blended a multitude of human physiognomies to create this plausible simulation. Beka: So, what you're saying is that you randomly chose a bunch of, uh, human female features. You mixed them all up and, uh, THIS was the first face that you came up with? Rommie: I – MAY - have experimented with a few options. Beka: Define "a few". Rommie: One hundred and seventy thousand, eight hundred and ninety four. Beka: I KNEW IT! Rommie/Computer: Shipwide alert. ====================================================================================== Scene: Harper (in the machine shop) and Tyr (in a corridor) react to the alarm. The action shifts to Dylan in Command ====================================================================================== Computer: Dylan, I'm detecting mechanical objects ahead. Dylan: Minefield? Computer: No. Some kind of debris. Dylan: It's under power. It's aiming at the hull. Holo {disgusted}: And it's sticking. Dylan: Increase power to the external AG field. Holo: It's not repelling the objects. They're migrating along the ship's surface. Dylan: Where to? Holo: Hangar deck four. They're forcing their way in. Dylan {over comm}: Beka. Tyr. Meet me in Hangar Deck four. Code Black. Beka {Elsewhere in the ship}: I'm on my way. ====================================================================================== Scene: Dylan, Beka, and Tyr enter the Hangar Deck ====================================================================================== Computer: Repressurizing Hangar Deck. Secondary airlock breached. Debris entering. Voice: Peace? Dylan: Hold your fire until my order. Beka: Uh...weirdness alert. Dylan: Andromeda, activate security counter-measures. Open fire at the first sign of hostile intent. Computer: Counter-measures ready. HG: Please, do not initiate hostile action. I am Bio-sentient Contact Unit HG- 1966HXCN5. What is it you humans say? "Take me to your leader." HG: Will none of you greet me with the traditional human hug embrace? Tyr: No. Harper: Hey, who's the bolt-head? Trance: He smells like cinnamon! Dylan: Stay back. HG: No one wishes to embrace me. Ah. I have neglected part of the ritual greeting. I come in peace. Dylan: You come in peace, yet you forced your way on to my ship. HG: I was instructed to make contact with maximum alacrity. Trance {aside to Harper}: That means he was supposed to do it fast. Harper: Someone's been listening to her language programs again. Beka: You were instructed to make contact by who? Trance {clearing her throat to get Beka's attention}: By WHOM. HG: I am an emissary from the Consensus of Parts. I come in peace. Take me to your leader. Dylan: Yeah, yeah. We got it the first time. {to the crew} Consensus of Parts. Anyone? Tyr: I always thought they were a myth. Beka: The Consensus is supposed to be a big machine culture that lives in the empty space between star systems. Where no ship dares to tread. Harper: Yeah, you forgot the part about, uh, preying on the unwary. HG: No. We never prey. We seek consensus and understanding. We are the union of the machine – the silicon coalescence. Harper {aside to Trance}: Silicon coalescence? HG: From the castaway parts of organic societies, we form sentients (sentience?). Dylan: Well, that's very admirable. HG: Even in our distant places, we have heard the legend of Andromeda. We seek contact. Dylan: You came looking for us specifically? HG: I was created for you. The Consensus's directing intelligence units plotted 743 probably lines of travel based on your last known location. At each possible destination, a biomechanical contact unit was assembled to meet you. I have the fortunate honor of greeting you, and inviting you to meet with a directing intelligence unit. Take me to your leader. ====================================================================================== Scene: Dylan, Tyr, and Beka confer on Command ====================================================================================== Tyr: This feels like a trap. That thing down there was obviously programmed to make us trust it. The child-like face, the innocent persona...even the smell. Beka: Protective camouflage? Tyr: In my experience, devils very rarely wear horns and carry pitchforks. Beka: Ok, well, according to the stories, the Consensus of Parts is made up of billions of interlinked machines, all operating strictly on logic. And when it's logical for them to kill people, they do. Without hesitation. Dylan: So you both think we should dump this thing and forget we ever met it. Beka: You don't? Dylan: I don't trust this any more than you do. But if someone says they want to initiate peaceful contact, we have to at least give them a chance. Tyr: Captain Hunt... Beka: Save your breath. He's got that look again. Dylan: You know, maybe I do, but restoring the Commonwealth is logical, too. And if the Consensus agrees with what we're trying to do, well...they would make a powerful ally. We'll watch him, keep him under guard. But we will talk to him. ====================================================================================== Scene: Rommie is standing in a corridor, watching a monitor. She's still wearing the outfit she had on when the alarm sounded earlier. Dylan comes up behind her. ====================================================================================== Dylan: You're out of uniform. Rommie {startled}: Oh! I'll go change. Dylan: Nonono, tha – it's, uh, it's fine. Status on our guest? Rommie: Well, he hasn't done anything that would violate our security, and Harper and Trance appear quite taken with him. Dylan: Hmmmm. Trance in particular. Rommie: So, what do you think? Do we let him take us to his superiors? Dylan: I miss the old days. I'd feel a lot better about making first contact with a full task force at our backs. Rommie: I know how you feel. Dylan: We'll give it a shot. At the first sign of trouble, I want you prepped to run. Understood? Rommie: Understood. ====================================================================================== Scene: Dylan, Rommie, and HG talk and walk ====================================================================================== HG: This is wonderful. The directing intelligence unit will be so pleased. And I can't wait to interface with the Andromeda. Dylan: Interface. Right. Over my dead body. HG: But I have to link my core intelligence with Andromeda's – give her the necessary transit codes, astrogational charts, and other information. Dylan: Why can't you just give us the information directly? HG: I don't know. My data in this area is incomplete. But the Consensus has very few directing intelligences. We guard them carefully. Dylan: Oh, well, that's good to know. Uh, would you excuse us, please? HG: Of course, I come in peace. Dylan: Yes. So do we. Excuse us? HG: Oh. Dylan: I don't like this. If I let you link up with that thing... Rommie: I can erect a firewall – limit his access to a bare minimum. And during interface, I might be able to see if his intentions are good or not. I'm reasonably certain I can handle him, but only if you think it's worth it. HG: Hello, brother. I am HG. I embrace you. Dylan: Oh, it's worth it. Dylan: HG? Let's, uh, go this way. ====================================================================================== Scene: On Command, Rommie and HG stand across from each other at a console. They have their hands on control pads on the console. Harper is jacked in from another station. Dylan and Beka are also present. ====================================================================================== Computer: Beginning interface. Dylan: Harper, status? Harper: Everything seems to be straight up. HG hasn't touched the firewall. Computer: Comparing core intentionality protocols. HG: You...care. Rommie {surprised}: So do you. HG: Transmitting data. Harper: Wow. This is the fastest transfer rate I've ever seen. Dylan: Slow it down if you have to. Just protect Andromeda.