EliteCommander

The Cradle

Marae was silent for a while as she carefully went over, line-by-line, the documents Freyr had passed to her. Nirann sat alongside her as well, though it seemed more like he was looking at Marae than the documents. Despite that, he was still the first of the two to speak up. “I can’t deny the similarities. The genetic match is close…very close. Some differences, but consistent differences. Not just random noise or errors. I don’t think this is an echo of my program, I can say with ninety-two percent certainty.”

Marae looked up at him and tilted her head. “Ninety-two percent?”

Nirann shrugged his shoulders. “Okay, ninety-one point nine nine repeating, but that is literally just ninety-two. Point is, this isn’t likely an error. There may well be Rothian minds in there, or your close cousins, at least. Very, very…old cousins.”

Rareth, naturally, listened on to every conversation that took place in the lab, and while she was mostly silent unless needed, she did have input on this matter. Many of the scientists had fallen to silence as they silently contemplated the implications of this discovery and the many possibilities of what it could mean, but Rareth was nothing if not decisive in her judgement. “Then we try to make contact. The Cradle’s denizens may have become hostile on Outremer, but that does not mean the same must happen here. If there are ancient Rothian minds in there, our common-ground may help us. Can we send them a message? Perhaps use the oldest dialects of the oldest Rothian languages we know of?”

“Even those may be too new, depending on how old these minds are.” The xenoarcheologist, Artek, commented. “Dr. Lang, your reports mention that one of the Cradle’s creature spoke to you, and you could understand it. Do you know how it learned your language?”

The Cradle

“A genetic sequence from within the simulation, but…why?” Marae remarked, briefly showing a perplexed expression as she observed the hologram.

Nirann reappeared next to Marae and shrugged. “Could just be noise in the transmission from our program. I did wrap it in an artificial impression of a Rothian mind, and a very realistic one, if I do say so myself.”

“But…it might not be.” Another of the Rothian scientists chimed in. He was a xenoarcheologist named Artek’Qin. His scales had perhaps some of the most elaborate decoration of any Rothian the Humans had seen since their arrival. Much like Marae, he had black detailing on a backdrop of white scales, but his patterns were a mosaic of symbolically-represented scenes from Rothian history in an ancient artistic style. He called attention, for those gathered, of the sequences Freyr had mentioned, as well as others from the Cradle’s language. “Maybe there is something more to this…genetic connection? Whatever species created the Cradle, this object, and however many others are scattered across the galaxy, they clearly had a far reach. They may have even influenced the development of our species, and others.”

Marae looked on somewhat disapprovingly. “Now let’s avoid jumping to hasty conclusions. We have hardly confirmed that the interaction went to such an extent as…”

Artek held up his hands and shook his head. “I know, I know, just hear me out. Whatever the nature of our interactions, this species was still clearly spread out far beyond just one planet. If the evidence is as it seems, then this species was directly meddling with lifeforms. What if this Cradle language follows that connection with life? What if this is a DNA-based language? For a species that may have interacted with many other forms of life, what better a basis for a language than the language of life itself? There could be patterns we are not seeing, hidden among the existing patterns of life. Proteins as letters or ideas, epigenetic markers as accents or punctuation. There are possibilities I do not think we have begun to approach.”

Nirann appeared in a chair so he could lean back and stroke his chin. “I…don’t think I can rule that out. Normal genetic patterns could be hiding deeper ones. I’ll have to write up a custom algorithm to try and filter unrelated patterns, but…I could give it a go. Maybe give it a few trillion iterations in the Core and see what pops up? Oh, and Artek, don’t think I missed that little implication. I do take offense to it.”

“You can try it, but don’t get too sidetracked. Dr. Lang may be right as well. Even if you are right about this language, there could be one or more digital lifeforms within the simulation. Dedicate a subroutine to that task as well.” Marae commented.

The Cradle

Marae shrugged and turned her head towards Nirann. “Do you have anything, Nir?”

“Nothing tangible, other than that initial telemetry.” Nirann answered. “I’ve been collecting and analyzing every bit of the data stream coming from that object, checking for patterns, any way it could have been encrypted or corrupted, but…this is a process that deals with the data stream of an entire living mind. That’s a mountain jumbled up data in a programming language I haven’t seen before. Before I can even think of trying to interpret the raw data stream, I need to solve this language issue. Now, I’m good, but it will still take me time to work miracles.”

Marae tilted her head and crossed her arms skeptically. “It’s just a language translation. I could understand the delay if you were restricted to just this ship’s computer, but you have the Core at your disposal. With that kind of power, you should have the translation nearly done by this point.”

Nirann suddenly appeared beside Marae’s chair, just to start pacing around it. “Correction, I have access to the partition of the Core allocated to this expedition. And, as much as I hate to admit it, I can see why the Humans have had trouble with this one. This language is…weird.”

Marae narrowed her eyes. "What sort of 'weird'?"

“Weird…weird.” He answered.

Marae sighed and rolled her eyes. “Very helpful. But I know you have access to more of the Core than that. Just allocate more.”

By this point, Nirann was pacing back and forth around the entire table. “You know I have to get approval for that…”

Before the pair’s bickering could continue any longer, Rareth’Jharn made a quick connection with the outside network and, with just a few thoughts, made a decision to help move things along. “I’ve sent back my approval, with my authorization code. Make the allocation request and you’ll have as much of the Core as you need. Within reason.”

The expression on Nirann’s face could, perhaps, best be described as “giddy.” He clasped his hands together with a wide grin. “Ah, now that’s what I’m talking about. I can practically taste that sweet, sweet processing power. I’ll see what miracles I can work while you deal with this.”

It was difficult to tell if Marae was legitimately frustrated, but nevertheless, her attention was soon back on Freyr. “As for your question Dr. Lang, yes, I think that’s about the only step we have left with this experiment. We know that there is a simulation in there for the programs to observe, at least. It might just be that there’s something interfering with the return transmission. If that’s the case, our program does store a copy of all its observations in its internal memory, so hopefully we will be able to see its findings when we pull it out.”

The Cradle

The abundance of armed individuals, especially the Human soldiers, was a source of discomfort for some of the Rothian scientists. They were accustomed to Rothian authorities, but foreign soldiers could put them on edge, at least subconsciously. Though, Rareth, of course, was perfectly calm. She had been the one to approve the presence of Human supersoldiers, and as a Datius, her own capabilities were legendary. Even a Rahn’Masser agent like Vreta did not truly know how much of their reputation was true, and how much was propaganda.

Now that it was time to get to work, Marae cleared the space around the conference table for Freyr, Rareth, and the others to join her. Rareth stepped up to stand at one end of the table, while Nirann’s hologram appeared in the seat next to Marae. Vreta knew that his presence was not entirely necessary at the moment, but if there was space at the table, he intended to take a seat as well.

Marae was the one to start, once Freyr posed her question. “Yes. Now that the containment shield is in place, we are free to interact directly with the object. While we do not yet know the purpose of this object, I do agree with the approach of treating it as we would the Cradle. Given its location and properties, testing whether or not there is a simulation within is a fair starting point. Nirann has prepared a simplified scouting program. It is designed to carry out its one task, then shut itself down. It is not adaptable in the slightest, but it should be reliable. It is my understanding that your team has a program to try as well, Dr. Lang? I see no reason that we cannot attempt both, and once we have the results, we can decide on our next move.”

The Cradle

The wait for the containment field to be completed felt like an eternity for many of the scientists, despite the fact that the work was eventually done an hour ahead of schedule. For most, there was little to do except wait. Among the Rothians, Nirann had the most important work to complete, as he took one of the harnesses to scan, study, and prepare for Rothian use. Though, it was not a task that took him all that long to complete. With the resources he had at his disposal, he needed only half that time to make sure the Rothians would be ready. With the rest, he started exploring options of how to potentially improve the Human design with Rothian technology, Though, he certainly would not have any results before their first use.

---

Ultimately, the containment shield was completed around the object without any issues or delays. Laser drills dug down to the object and hollowed out cavities in the rock around it where the shield projectors were placed. The heat became more intense the closer they came to the mantle, but it still remained well-within the operating range of their equipment. Once the shield was ready, more than just the scientist made their way to the lab. Rareth’Jharn made certain to show up in-person to be present for any decisions they might want to make in regards to the object. Vreta too joined them in the lab, though as his presence was not strictly needed, he made sure to mostly keep out of the way at first. He lingered around the observation window, looking out over the ocean floor and the occasional, and sometimes frightening sea creatures that would swim by.

Marae’Ano had taken over what was normally a conference table with multiple holographic displays, including the object itself, the section of the deep crust around it, and pages upon pages of notes she had brought up for viewing and “pushed” aside without closing. Rareth had finally given the approval to begin direct observation and experimentation with the object, so now they just had to decide what to do first.

The Cradle

Marae nodded in response to Freyr. “What you describe does sound acceptable. However, there is one, non-negotiable condition. Any device that scans our technology must remain with us, and you must not be able to access data from it. There is no way I will be able to get approval for its use otherwise. No amount of cooperation is going to make the Rothian people any less protective over our technology’s designs, no doubt as you expected.”

Almost as soon as Marae finished speaking, Nirann chimed in as well. “And if it would upset you to lose your scanning device or your harness, I can just scan yours and fabricate a new one for us. Or, you know, just pay you back or something. Maybe in cash, maybe a…gift card to Etisxa’Maan. Whatever works.”

The Cradle

“That would also be a question for Rareth.” Marae answered. “Though, I would guess that she does. I do know that the first we send in will be soldiers to scout and secure a safe place for us to work.”

Nirann gave a quick glance over to the hologram of the octahedral object. “If this thing is a supercomputer like the Cradle, I definitely want to go in. I’ve never had the chance to learn about something so strange and alien that wasn’t also frustratingly primitive. Even I have to admit that your administrative capabilities on Outremer are impressive with your use of the Cradle, and you don’t even understand the thing fully. And considering that I’m in charge of the administration of Threria…well, you could see how that would interest me.”

“If we can confirm that it is safe, then maybe.” Marae said, narrowing her eyes at Nirann before returning her attention to Freyr. “We will need one of your harnesses to modify to our needs. If there is a simulation, then Rareth wants to make sure she and her people can be properly armed, and I definitely want to be able to use our equipment. We could develop one of our own, but it would be faster to work off of yours as a base.”

The Cradle

While Marae did little to even acknowledge the Agent’s behavior, just as most Rothians would have, Nirann, surprisingly, actually engaged with the comment. He chuckled as his hologram appeared in front of 595, towering over her. “Is it a contest I sense? Are we doing bets? If so, I’ll put a thousand down on my program. There’s not a programmer alive that can best me. You do have the advantage of hundreds of years of study on the Cradle environment and much more familiarity with its software architecture, but…I’m confident.”

Marae let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. “Nir, what did I say about your gambling problem?”

Nirann turned his head back and pointed a finger towards Marae. “Hey, it’s not gambling if there’s a guaranteed profit. I’m telling you, those returns were staying steady at 52.38%, and the margin of error was only 0.43%. That is hardly a gamble.”

Marae rubbed her hand over her head, sighing once more. “Please do me a favor and don’t encourage him. I make that mistake...far too often, as you can see.” She said as she enlarged the hologram of the new object and centered it between them all. “Let’s just focus on the task at hand. Once we are permitted to interact with the object, we can see if the hardware you use to access the Cradle can also access this device. If that works, we can try to send in our scouting programs. If that does not work, then we cannot make any decision that will potentially risk lives unilaterally. I do not know what authority you have been granted by your people, Dr. Lang, but any dangerous experiments will need to be run by Rareth’Jharn first for approval.”

The Cradle

Marae flicked her hand through the air and brought up another, scaled hologram of the Cradle on Outremer next to that of the newly-discovered object. She also reviewed some of the information the Humans had elected to release to them on the Cradle’s simulation. “It is still worth trying, I would say. No offense intended, but the artificial intelligence I have created are centuries beyond your own. Their creativity and complexity can be indistinguishable from a living mind, to the point that the difference between them is merely…hardware. I am not suggesting we send in a complete AI, but I should be able to craft a program advanced enough to keep to its purpose.”

In an instant, Nirann’s hologram flicked out of existence from in front of Freyr and reappeared next to Marae, with his hand on her shoulder. “Now, I think you’re overthinking this. We don’t need to send in the most advanced programs. In fact, I think we might try sending something very, very simple. We can send in the most basic, barebones program we can write that can still accomplish some the minimum level of scouting. We just give it some simple, hardcoded instructions and lock them down from being modified by any source, for any reason. It won’t be the most capable construct, obviously, but it could still give us a basic idea of what the simulation is like. At least enough to know if it is safe to send in a person. And if it fails, then nothing of value has been lost.”

With a grin, Marae leaned in and nuzzled her snout up against Nirann’s with closed eyes: a show of romantic affection similar to a hug or quick kiss. Being that he was appearing as a hologram, there was nothing for Marae to physically touch, yet it still seemed quite convincing that she was. Granted, even among Humans, the technology was readily-available for sub-dermal implants that could provide haptic feedback from holograms. After the brief exchange, she turned to Freyr once more. “I think he may be right. Simplicity might be the key here. Does your Cradle provide any resistance to uploading simple programs, or will we need to pack the program in a façade of a living mind, Dr. Lang?”

The Cradle

As 595 and Freyr argued, Nirann’s hologram soon appeared in front of them. “Sorry, but no one is doing anything with the object until we have the containment shield fully established. Rareth-Jharn’s orders. Whatever we do decide on can wait another six or so hours. Anything you want done to the object before then will have to be ran by her. Just don’t ask me to ask her; she scares me. And I’m all the way in Threria right now.”

Marae rolled her eyes with an impatient look towards Nirann before turning her attention to the Humans. “Unfortunately, my husband is right. We will have to be patient. We can still decide what we intend to do, though. I’ve read through all of the information you provided on your Cradle. Connecting one’s mind to this object is a dangerous prospect, for anyone. We have no idea if the simulated environment within this object is something our minds could even survive. Or if this object even creates a simulated environment at all. I do agree that this object is most likely of the same technology as your Cradle, but we do not know its purpose.”

Marae turned and looked for a few moments in silence across the lab at the harness the Humans had brought. Any Rothian, herself included, would have preferred to use their own technology exclusively, but she could admit that it would be more time-efficient to use the already-built, well-tested harness from Outremer. “Can we investigate the nature of the simulation without sending anyone in? Presuming it is a simulation, of course. We could, perhaps, connect an artificial mind with a simple scouting program.” She suggested.