driftfleet | let us bow our heads

let us bow our heads

[it may be too optimistic to hope that it has something to do with respect, but Atroma has been very quiet. in the wake of the growing stillness on the Iskaulit, neither of the fleet's hosts have broken the peace with their chipper voices.

if the passengers are being watched as closely as they always claim, it is being done in silence.

whether or not the remainder of the living bugs are being kept somewhere for observation, and regardless of the fact that the discussion of what to ultimately do with the ship is still ongoing, it has been generally agreed that something respectful should be done with the dead, and that the remaining spores should be washed away.

so, this will all be done through a combined effort of vacuum and fire, and the time for this purge has been set.

feet on the ground are needed to prepare the foreign ship for purging--securing anything that could be damaged, and safely packing away delicate data-storing instruments and anything belonging to the fleet itself. anyone willing to help could surely find something to do.

and for anyone wishing to bless, reflect, honor, or pray... now is the time to do so. whether aboard the Iskaulit itself before the purge, offering a voice over the network, or simply watching from nearby shuttles and ships, this is the fleet's moment to help send off the crew of the Iskaulit with dignity.]

ooc: this is the final IC mod post for June! the purge itself will be implied for the most part, but anyone with skills in mechanics or fire-controlling may assume they were involved.

this post specifically is for any interactive threads involved in the final days before the Iskaulit is cleaned, and anything funerary, including broadcasts. even if you just want to put up a closed comment describing what private way your character is taking part in this makeshift 'ceremony,' go for it.

an OOC post summarizing and officially wrapping up the rest of June will go up as soon as we're able.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Simpler machines are common... that is where I've run into the trouble, being treated as an object.

[ Zee glances around again, wondering if it would be different in the fleet and why. ]

I prefer to be treated as a person.

[Oh. That is... different. Daneel leans a little closer, interested despite himself.]

Why is that? I admit that I have been spending the past year living as human, but this is a choice I made in order to uphold the Laws better. How people treat me is irrelevant to that, surely.

Because if I'm an object, people think it's okay to take me apart and own the pieces. A person is autonomous and can make decisions. A person can be a friend.

Edited 2015-07-07 03:04 (UTC)

I agree with you on that point. I have no desire to be disassembled, and I have known the value of a friend. Still, I have been property for the majority of my existence.

And what if you were created for a purpose you don't wish to perform?

[He's silent for a moment.]

Then that would change things. For what purpose were you created?

To destroy.

[He closes his eyes for a moment, a strange wince passing through him. Trying to imagine that is... uncomfortable.]

I, and all robots in my world, are subject to the Laws of Robotics. The First Law states that a robot must not harm a human, nor through inaction allow a human to come to harm. The Second Law states that a robot must obey all orders given to it by a human, except where doing so comes into conflict with the First Law. The Third Law states that a robot must protect its own existence, except where doing so comes into conflict with the First and Second Laws. In addition, I formulated what I term the Zeroth Law, which takes precedence over all of these: A robot must not harm humanity, nor through inaction allow humanity to come to harm. I had to seek independence in order to enforce the Zeroth Law.

[He draws a breath, sighs, more disturbed than anything.]

In your place, given the choice between... harm... and freedom, as you put it, I would choose the same.

[ Zeta nods, thinking. Those laws sound pretty good to him, he wouldn't hurt a fly of his own volition. ]

If I was subject to those laws, maybe I would have been content as property. As it is, I had to run from the orders to kill. Those who commanded me before I awakened believe my sentience to be a malfunction and if I am captured, they will reprogram me to do what they want again. But I will not destroy anymore.

I discarded my weapons and am searching for my creator -- if anyone could convince them I can be peaceful, I think it would be him.

That is a noble goal. And in respect for that, I will not reveal to others that you are a robot, if that is what you wish. Still, I don't believe the deception is necessary.

[He pauses a moment.]

I cannot accept sentience as a malfunction. We are... different, but we are still conscious.

Thank you -- it is what I wish, for now. I don't think of it as deception, only protection. If people find out, I will not lie.

[ Zee considers Daneel, and the question of consciousness as a mistake. ]

It depends. I was not designed to be sentient. I was designed as a machine to follow orders, not to think for myself. Of course they believe something is wrong with me because I stopped following orders.

What were you made for?

A variety of reasons. I was a prototype for a new type of humaniform robot, which did not prove to be popular. I was intended to infiltrate where my Spacer creators could not go without fear of infection, and where robots would be neither welcome nor able to move freely. I was also intended as a sort of experiment to shed light upon the development of the human brain through the development of my humaniform positronic brain. In my twenty decades I have assisted in criminal investigations and served as a personal assistant robot and overseer of the estate of first Dr. Fastolfe, then later Lady Gladia.

[A butler. He was a butler who occassionally solved crime. That's how it is.]

I admit that humans generally do not react favourably to a refusal to follow through on a task, no matter the reason.

[ Zee blinks and echoes: ]

Twenty decades?

[ as if it never occurred to him that he would exist for so long. Of course, he could, but he never had time to think about that possibility. He only wanted to stay alive one more day, and then the next, then the next. ]

What is so much time like?

[Daneel draws in his breath, thoughtful.]

I have learned much, and grown much. Still, few humans live such extended lives, and it is sometimes... troubling. The human I admired most, my former Partner Elijah Baley, has been dead for sixteen decades, and that is never easy to think of. Death is, by its nature, a violation of the First Law, but it is not one that can be stopped.

[ Zeta looks deeply troubled now, indeed. He's realizing for the first time that he's going to outlive Ro, if he lives. ]

I'm not certain... that I will want to continue, without my partner.

[Daneel's brows draw together, worried and thoughtful.]

Partner Elijah spoke to me of the insignificance of one human life against what he called the tapestry of humanity. He was, I believe, attempting to make his death easier for me, but it is something I have often thought on. I am... better, for having known him. He had a deep understanding of human nature; that is why he was such a skilled detective. I can do good by emulating him as much as I can.

I am better, for having known Ro. I suppose... [ Zee thinks, tapping a finger on his chest ] ...I did not think I would survive here without her, either, and yet here I am.

[ The sense of devotion and sadness Daneel might be getting off Zee right now could knock him over. He misses Ro more than anything in the world. ]

[Were Zee human, the choice to reach forward and touch him reassuringly on the arm would be easy. For a fellow robot, it's... different. It's not, however, pointless, or at least it wouldn't necessarily be for him. So Daneel does touch him, gently.]

Then honour her in your actions. Revisit the memories that give you pleasure.

[ Zee looks up at the touch, blinking. ]

I think of her often. Is it supposed to make me feel better?

I am not sure about 'better.' In my own case, however, revisiting those memories lets me revisit the pleasure I had in them when they happened. I... find that I function better, under those circumstances.

My basic function hasn't been affected by feeling sad.

[ He's considering this whole thing very seriously. ]

You must judge for yourself whether the pain of loss is worth the pleasure of a friend's presence. I have found it so.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

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