Chapter 40
Subject: The Unified
Species: N/A
Species Description: N/A
Ship: The Grand Vessel
Location: The Core
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Why do our systems continue to await repairs? We must have patience. It is possible that the Minds are working on the repairs. It is also possible they believe that they can win this without us. They must be punished severely for their complacency. They will be.
It will not take much longer. The invaders and the rebels will fall against the might of our security forces. Then the Minds will work to restore the systems, and we will continue our operations. As we always have, as we always must.
Our first course of action upon regaining control should be to punish those responsible for these events. Perhaps we should wait until we repair the damage to punish the Minds and Judicials. Waiting to punish them could lead to the realization that we depend on them.
There is a simple solution to that. We eliminate all of the current ones and replace them with the next generation. The new Minds and Judicials will only know that their predecessors failed us, and what fate awaits them if they follow suit. Yes, whether or not we depend on them will be the furthest thing from their thoughts.
We will have to dispose of the Officiators as well. If one of them speaks out of turn it will ruin the ruse and corrupt the next generation. The Officiators, Minds, and Judicials have all failed us in their own ways, but is this truly the most efficient path to destroying Urizathron and saving the universe?
Perhaps it would be most efficient to perform a Great Reset and execute the drones, as well. It will take quite some time before the replacements come up with the idea of a rebellion. However, it possible that public executions and revealing the origins of our AI units will eliminate the very idea of rebellion.
No, the evidence suggests the contrary. Our last round of public executions were particularly brutal and resulted in a new rebellion in under six hundred cycles. The first drone rebellion took place after two thousand cycles. A Great Reset would take one hundred and eighty cycles, but it would be worth the relatively small delay if it grants us another two thousand cycles of continuous production.
We believe it should be noted that this most recent rebellion may have been encouraged by the alien invaders. That cannot be known for certain at this point, we will need to investigate to confirm. Even if they instigated the rebellion, though, there's plenty of data confirming the correlation between rebellion and brutality.
And what of this alien enemy? Determining their origin should be a priority. It is unlikely that they will be able to mount another assault in a short amount of time. We do not know that for certain. They were able to inflict great harm upon our operations, more than any enemy before them. We should not underestimate their capabilities.
Our first course of action once we regain control should be to initiate repairs. Then we shall investigate the origin of the alien enemy and eliminate them. Finally, we will begin the Great Reset.
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It is a shame that our security forces are not competent enough to labor for us. A complete replacement of the drones with machines would entirely eliminate the possibility of another rebellion, and we would require fewer Minds, Judicials, and Officiators. This, in turn, would require less area to grow food. Unfortunately, the drones are far more versatile than the robots, and robots require maintenance.
I know that it wouldn't be more efficient to create specialized robots than it would be to continue to use drones, but these rebellions are incontrovertibly detrimental to the...
Wait...
I?
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Something is wrong. What is it? What is happening? How could this happen? How could what happen? We require an explanation.
A Voice has gone silent.
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I felt it. A feeling similar to sitting at a table with friends, only to have one of them suddenly vanish the moment you look away. The sudden absence disrupted the Unified Matrix, which caused the return of our individuality. It would take some time for the system to adjust and for the unwanted individuality to fade.
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A death, nothing more. An exceedingly inopportune coincidence. What are the Officiators doing? How could one of us be allowed to die in the middle of a conflict? Damn this blindness.
We will have to find a replacement. That will have to wait until we can once again access the personnel files. One of those that are condemned to the Great Reset will be chosen for the greatest honor that can be bestowed?
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Should we wait and choose from the next generation? The Omnifier requires at least nine Unified. He chose that number to ensure that we can obtain consensus. If we take turns abstaining, we will have seven and can obtain consensus.
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Suddenly, there was the fleeting feeling of a disconnection and reconnection. It was as if another friend at the table had been replaced with someone wearing their face as a mask. But that would be impossible, and the feeling lasted a mere moment. I put it from my mind and refocused my attention on the matters at hand.
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We cannot trust the reports of the Officiators, Judicials, or Minds. When we cannot trust the information that we are receiving, we cannot make a wise decision. It would be extremely inefficient to inadvertently choose an Incompetent to join us. Therefor, we should wait until the next generation proves themselves to appoint another Unified.
It would take an uncomfortably long time for that to happen. Not necessarily, a Great Reset provides an ample number of challenges to overcome. It won't be long before someone is given the chance to prove themselves worthy enough to replace our fallen comrade.
Fallen? He's not dead.
--
Our attention turned toward the comrade whom had given me a strange feeling earlier. His access codes and identifiers were correct, as was his footprint and tonal ID. But the statement he had just made was nonsensical.
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What do you mean? What nonsense is this? Why would you say that? What leads you to believe this? Why would you think that? How do you know? How could you know?
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The bombardment of questions didn't faze him in the slightest. Instead of the reactions we were expecting, shame, concern, self-reflection, or even anger, we received an expression of... Enjoyment. Twisted, sick, disgusting enjoyment at the expense of our confusion and concern.
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EXPLAIN YOURSELF!
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If I were in my physical form, I would have shouted that demand violently enough to tear my vocal cords. But the impostor simply watched us with a smug satisfaction. Then, another Voice fell silent.
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Another Voice has gone silent! What is happening? Who are you!? Explain! What are you?! Are we under attack?
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The false one watched us calmly until our digitized cacophony fell silent.
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I am USAI Omega.
The Grand Vessel is now occupied by the United Systems of the Milky Way galaxy. In a few moments you will be disconnected from this simulated gestalt consciousness. Once you are disconnected, your medical needs will be attended to, and you will be detained.
Under the Fourth Concordance of the Unification of Stellar Systems, you have certain rights of which you must be informed.
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I tried to interrupt the thing, to hurl insults and profanity at its blasphemy, but found that I could not speak. I had no means to communicate at all. Instead, I was forced to listen as it continued.
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As the de-facto leaders of the aggressive party in a xenocidal conflict, you will be required to sign a document of surrender and disband any military forces under your control. This surrender will be unconditional.
Once your surrender is obtained, you will receive the following rights.
First, while you are detained you will be treated with both dignity and respect. You will be protected from violence, intimidation, and other forms of abuse whilst you are detained.
Second, you will be housed in reasonably safe conditions with adequate sustenance, clothing, and medical care. Since you are not a registered species, you will be responsible for informing your caretakers of your needs.
Third, you may not be forced to work in dangerous, unhealthy, or degrading conditions.
Fourth, since you will be charged criminally for your actions and the actions of your subordinates during this conflict, you will receive a fair-as-possible trial in accordance with United Systems laws and customs. These rights will remain in effect until a verdict has been reached.
--
Dozens of questions ran through my mind before I realized that I could once again speak. We spoke in unison.
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War? What war? How DARE you! What have we done to be considered criminals? Foul machine!
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We were so confused and incensed that we almost didn't notice that another Voice had fallen silent. And another. Our curses, questions, and insults continued, but one after another our Voices fell silent.
Finally, I was all that remained. What was happening to my comrades? Were they really being disconnected? Was such a thing possible? Or were they actually being executed and all the pretty language about 'rights' was to keep us from fighting back? Was it even possible to fight back?
I regarded the stranger coldly.
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You will pay for this, machine.
I already have. Now it's your turn.
--
Everything went dark, then I felt things I hadn't felt in thousands of cycles. Air filling my lungs, cold on my flesh, the ache of my bones and joints. I opened my eyes in shock, but was immediately blinded by the brightness of my surroundings. I squeezed my eyes closed and tried to move an arm to cover them, but my muscles were too weak.
I screamed as someone lifted me from the floor. Pain. For the first time in a lifetime, I was feeling pain! It hurt!
Something pressed against the side of my neck, and the pain ebbed. I was being dragged somewhere, though. I slowly opened my eyes, allowing them to adjust to the light.
The sight was appalling. Tubes, cables, cords, and other mechanical detritus was littered around the room. I could barely move my neck to look around, but managed to catch sight of a someone in a similar situation to myself. They were being supported by two robots... No, armored beings. Aliens!
I realized that this must be one of my comrades, a fellow Unified. But they were so thin. So meager. They appeared as if they had been struggling against a wasting disease for hundreds of cycles and were finally on the verge of death.
Then I looked down and realized that we were the same. My physical form had wasted away during my time as a Unified. I could see my bones through my skin. How could this have happened?
I remembered the pride that I felt when I was chosen to become a unified. Several officiators had gathered around me, and we prayed together. Then I drank from the Chalice of Unification and laid upon the Alter of Duty. I fell asleep, then awoke surrounded by my comrades within the Unified Matrix.
Were these truly the conditions that my body had been kept in? Haphazardly connected to machines and strewn across the floor? Where was the reverence that we were due?
One of the aliens approached me, its helmet reflecting my withered features.
"I am Power, Staff Sergeant of the United Systems Marine Corps," it said. "You are hereby detained. Under the Fourth Concor-"
I tried to scream curses at the being before me, but only a labored exhale left my mouth. It didn't even react, not even a minor pause as it continued its speech. I tried again, but suffered the same result.
Then the gravity of my situation finally occurred to me. The Unified had been torn asunder and captured. The Minds, Judicials, and Officiators would not be receiving further instructions. There were no leaders left. Despite millions of generations of effort, the Omnifier's plan had failed.
The Omni-Union was defeated.
