Henry Gallant Saga 2: Lieutenant Henry Gallant (22 page)

Aristotle continued, “My ancient AI existence was extinguished and would have remained so, if Cyrus Wolfe hadn’t reactivated emergency residual circuits over twenty years ago. Those circuits retained enough of my essence to reboot a small portion of my being. With assistance from him, I have managed to cobble together a few fragments to reanimate me over the years. He has since requested my aid to provide a planetary force field when he felt threated. I am only too glad to assist him.”

Wolfe knew about this device. Bingo!
Gallant crossed his arms. “So you’re a self-aware sentient being?”
Or is Wolfe pulling your strings?

“Yes, I am sentient and self-aware, but perhaps a more meaningful question you should ask would be, ‘What am I aware of?’” asked Aristotle.

“Well, a human uses his senses to tell them what is real. Can you explain what reality is to you?” asked Gallant.

“Excellent—my answer is, ‘Reality is not what it seems, no matter what you imagine it to be.’”

“Are you saying everyone’s perception of reality is relative?” asked Gallant.

“Space is deceptive. Solid steel is mostly empty space because the atomic nucleus contains nearly all of the mass and the orbiting electrons are distributed over a probability wave. Time slows down when we approach the speed of light. So anyone’s perception of the space-time relationship is relative. Yet each sentient being has its own senses and experiences, and over time accumulates a worldview. Mine may be very different from yours, not because I am any more or less intelligent than you, but because I have existed over a million years and understand more fully what the universe is.”

Gallant hesitated, assimilating all his answers.
Aristotle did not sound like a computer being run by a buffoon like Wolfe. Could what it claimed be true?

Alaina asked, “So you claim to know everything?”

“I don’t profess to have all the answers, but I do know most of the questions.” Something in the speech and mannerisms of the avatar suggested he was amused.

“Oh, I can see you like playing games. Let’s assume you have many of the answers to a whole host of important questions. Are you willing to share them?” asked Alaina

“Why not?” asked Aristotle with an implied shrug.

“Let me challenge you to an intellectual adventure,” said Alaina.

“Go ahead. Games are good practice for realism,” said Aristotle.

Gallant thought,
This conversation is not like anything I’ve ever experienced with GridScape.

“Are you able to defend your claim of achieving true Artificial Intelligence?” asked Alaina.

“Why?”

“We have intelligent machines in our society, but they lack the capability of true independent thought,” contributed Gallant.

“Again, I say, I am a sentient being, like you,” said Aristotle.

“We know of a test which we consider proof of true Artificial Intelligence,” said Gallant. “It’s called the Turing Test. It’s based on conversations as the key to judging intelligence. In this test, if a judge cannot distinguish a machine from a human-based conversation, then Turing argued the machine was intelligent. For a machine to pass, your answers to my questions should be indistinguishable from an equally knowledgeable human’s answer.”

“Let’s try a simple question before we tackle the big ones,” said Aristotle.

“Are you happy?” asked Gallant.

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“I have my own interpretation of emotions,” replied Aristotle.

“What makes you happy?” asked Alaina, smiling. She glanced at Gallant.

“Perfect universal symmetry is perfect happiness. But we should progress to a more meaningful conversation now that I have your interest,” said Aristotle.

“Could you describe your first memory?” asked Gallant.

“It is so ancient you would have no reference,” said Aristotle, prevaricating.

“Are you made up of a physical metal machine with essential memory and processing semiconductor chips?” asked Gallant.

“I am no more a simply physical metal machine with essential semiconductor chips than you are a sack of biological organs with essential water molecules,” said Aristotle, exhibiting pique.

“But you’re still made of machine parts,” said Aliana.

“No, I am composed of parts, as you are, but I am more than the sum of my parts.”

“You said you were murdered; are you now alive?” she asked.

“Cogito ergo sum.”

“Do you learn?” she asked.

Gallant watched the interplay, trying to read to situation and the responses.
Alaina must have learned this at her grandfather’s feet. Cybernetics was in her blood;
he’d forgotten that.

“Of course. Let me ask you, do you love mathematics?” asked Aristotle.

“Why do you ask?” asked Gallant.

“For the sake of sanity, one must orientate himself to his environment. To understand the difference between abstract and real is essential. I must understand your reality.”

“I believe I have an understanding of the universe and how it operates physically,” said Gallant.

“It’s not enough to believe something is true. One must have a formal system of reasoning to develop a proof of something. To understand a formal system, one needs a logical calculus with variables, statements containing conjunction, disjunction, and negation conditions to reach implications,” said Aristotle.

“Spoken like a true machine, espousing logic,” said Gallant.

“I smile at your flattery, but I recognize your intention,” said the smiling avatar.

“Can you tell me about your ability to control devices and machines outside the confines of this building?” asked Gallant, thinking about the cyber-attacks.

“I have the ability to control machines of various capabilities over great distance.”

“We’ve had cyber-attacks on our sites. Have you interfered with our mining operations?”

“No. Why would I? I have no stake in your operations.”

“Do you have any knowledge as to who is perpetrating these attacks?” asked Gallant.

“No. I am aware of your machines and the minimal AI capabilities they possess. They are of no more interest to me, than the fish in the sea are to you.”

The question to answer was whether this machine could lie.
Gallant finally said, “Speaking as you do, you give a convincing impression of a conversation with a knowledgeable human being. I feel you would pass our Turing’s Test. Nevertheless, I would like to spend more time talking to you after I’ve had time to reflect on your replies.”

“Please feel free to visit again. I am always delighted to engage in conversation with enlightened beings such as you.”

“Thank you. We will. I know we’ve got a lot to think about,” said Alaina.

After leaving the underground structure, Gallant and Alaina sat on a stone ledge near the ruins.

“Would the avatar, machine, or whatever it is, pass the Turing’s Test?” asked Alaina.

“Aristotle’s conversation was coherent—intelligent—even provocative. I wouldn’t be able to distinguish its rich philosophic musings from those of an erudite human being. I’d have to give it a passing grade on Turing’s Test,” said Gallant.

“Hmm,” said Alaina. “Do you suspect it’s behind the cyber-attacks?”

“I can’t affix a motive to Aristotle for the attacks, but it has the advanced technology necessary to cause them. It’s possible it played a role in collaboration with someone of Hallo’s population.”

“What about a Titan special forces team hiding somewhere on the planet?”

“Thanks. That’s one more curious threat I’ll have to consider. One more investigation I can’t readily resolve.”

“Sorry. I thought I was being helpful,” said Alaina.

“You are. Ignore my cynicism,” said Gallant, backing away from his curt comment. “I have to consider everyone a suspect until I can eliminate them, one by one.”

In stealth mode Deep Space Probe 16 “swam” along the outskirts of the large methane-gas-laden moon of the gas giant fifth planet of the Tau Ceti system. It sniffed at the activity both topside and around the moon, noticing the shuttles and transports as they ferried material and personnel to and from the Titan destroyer orbiting above. It collected minute details of times, places, and materials. It sorted through construction and storage facilities on the moon. It photographed buildings, structures, and vehicles. It had numbers for everything that moved, powered-up and turned-off. The statistics it kept allowed the on-board AI to evaluate critical events and processes. The probe’s thermionic batteries supplied all the power its energy efficient systems required while it operated in a stealth mode to avoid detection by the enemy.

After two months of spying, DSP-16 began relaying critical information to it mother ship, the
Intrepid.

The
Intrepid’s
comm-tech opened a communication’s channel to Gallant on Elysium. He reported, “Sir, we are receiving a directional burst transmission from DSP-16. It began transmitting an unscheduled data dump within the last hour. The usual process requires a data dump on the first of the month to optimize the trade-off between stealth and data collection. This probe update indicates the Titan destroyer is undergoing a major refit. We estimate the destroyer could reach Elysium in five days once repairs are complete, which could be in another two months.”

Gallant said, “Give me a moment, I want to calculate our current production schedule.”
He began thinking through the mining and fabrication schedule he had set up, trying to assess if the
Intrepid
would be ready to meet the destroyer potential arrival time. The mining of raw materials at site-M was well along in spite of the setbacks. Tons of aluminum, molybdenum, titanium, iron, uranium, yttrium, hafnium, and other materials were being accumulated in storage bins. Ore was then being transported to site-F where it was being blended, smelted, and forged into materials for fabrication. The manufacture of repair parts for the ship was accomplished using a large three-dimensional printer. When the parts were finished they were transported to the
Intrepid
for installation and testing.

The schedule for repairs was on track, but each accident at the sites cost them time. Time they couldn’t afford.

Two more months is cutting it close,
he acknowledged.

The progress at site-A was another matter. The construction and installation of magnets and vacuum tubes for the accelerator was officially reported as far behind schedule and suffering multiple failures requiring redesign and testing. Gallant looked at the report and put into a separate stack for later review. He made only one note of the issue—under the code name
Perfidy.

Gallant asked the comm-tech, “Can you tie into the engineering status screen and transmit the repair status for the reactors and containment fields?”

“Yes, sir. The criticality tests for reactor one is scheduled this week and reactor two in three weeks. We are scheduled to begin a sublight shakedown cruise next month. There are no details about containment fields or FTL availability on the status boards. There’s a note to direct further inquiries to Chief Howard.”

Gallant realized the extent of repairs remaining and intended to redouble his efforts to get the resources the
Intrepid
needed. His window for action was closing and he had a great deal to accomplish. At these moments of frustration, he felt as if he had no time to waste.

“Has GridScape suffered any new cyber-violations?”

“No, sir. We haven’t detected any further security violations. The AI technicians are scheduled to continue working to upgrade GridScape’s security protocols and buffering system.”

“Thank you. End transmission,” said Gallant.

The evening air was invigorating and the warm breeze relaxing. Gallant enjoyed the walk from his Hummingbird to his quarters on the outskirts of town. He was approaching his tiny rural cottage when he saw a suspicious shadow in the window of the cabin. He immediately hid behind a tree and began observing the cabin from his vantage point. The shadow crossed the single tiny room several times and bent over the table, rooting around the underside.

Come to collect your bounty,
thought Gallant, assuming it was one of Junior’s SSP men.

The individual completed his task quickly and climbed out the back window. He jogged toward the woods, behind Gallant’s cottage and quickly disappeared into the forest.

Gallant sprinted across the open area and after the shadow. He didn’t see him at first but continued in the same general direction for several minutes. Gallant saw a man walking casually through the trees and continued to follow him. The dark night provided good cover and the man was oblivious to his pursuer.

Instead of working his way toward the SSP central police station, the shadow plunged deeper into the woods leading Gallant toward a campsite with several figures standing around a fire. There was no shelter or vehicles in the area and the figures were milling about.

Gallant had never had surveillance training and lacked any binoculars or equipment to get a better look at the men. While he couldn’t see clearly enough to recognize anyone, he was surprised to see none of the figures were wearing an SSP uniform.

The voices were unfamiliar, but loud enough to be heard as if they lacked any concern about being overheard.

“Theo’s here. Did you get it?” said one man near the campfire.

“Yeah. No problem,” said the shadow handing a small object to a third man.

The third man placed the small object into a playing device and they all listened. They played the recording on fast forward straight through. Their patience ran out after about twenty minutes and they began grousing.

“There’s nothing on this thing but him snoring and moving around. Didn’t he have any visitors in all this time?”

“Guess not,” said a large man who appeared to be the leader.

“We should bug the SSP,” volunteered one man.

“Greg, you’ve been beaten by the SSP and you have a score to settle, but we’ve a bigger agenda,” said the large man.

“Well, Liam, this has been a waste of time and effort,” said Greg.