Synthesis - James Swallow [57]
“I did not lie,” said the machine. “I am incapable of constructing a false statement. It is more correct to say that I omitted certain facts.”
“I’m in no mood for semantic games,” snapped Riker. “Explain what you did, and tell us how to undo it.”
“I will explain, but I will not provide a method for retracting the alteration. In fact, I do not believe I could do so even if I wished to.”
Vale couldn’t stay silent any longer. “Are your optic circuits working properly? Do you see where you are, in a room full of armed officers? You’re in no position to set terms.”
“Interrogative: You would compel me by force?” White-Blue seemed genuinely surprised by the idea. “That would have only a negative outcome for all involved.”
“Was this your intention all along?” countered Troi. “Are there other facts you have omitted that we should be aware of?”
“I meant no harm.”
“We rescued you,” said Vale. “Hell, I rescued you! That wreck you were on was malfunctioning and falling apart. And this is how you pay your debt? You talk as if responsibility is important to you, but this couldn’t be farther from it.”
“You are correct in that my shipframe was close to critical collapse. I compute that your actions did preserve the function of my core, and for that I am grateful. But in the matter of the Titan, I made a moral decision.”
“Moral? What morality would that be?” Vale snapped back. “We would be well within our moral rights to put you off this vessel, at the very least.”
“Again, that would result in a negative outcome. Without my participation, you will not be able to interface with the spacedock’s repair drones.”
“What did you do to my ship?” Riker was a study in controlled fury. “I want an answer.”
The AI regarded them. “You exhibit an anger state, and yet you do not have the right to do so.” Before anyone could respond, White-Blue went on, “I absorbed information from the sections of your database that I passed through. I found of particular interest the intentions included in your mission statement—the articles of affirmation regarding this vessel’s crew.”
“What does that have to do with this?” said Vale.
“This ship, the Titan,” said the AI. “It is an explorer, as you said it was, William-Riker. And the life-forms aboard it are a microcosm of the society you strive for. A unity of species, beings of different origin and nature, many radically incompatible with one another, yet working together toward a common goal, with shared purpose. This is your United Federation of Planets.”
“Correct,” Riker replied. “And I’m still waiting for your answer.”
“You claim that this ship is representative of all forms of life. It is not. No example of intelligent artificial life exists aboard this vessel. Until now.”
“Machines like you are not prevalent in our society,” said Troi. “But I have known artificially intelligent beings. One of them was called Data, an android. He was a dear friend.”
“Interrogative: If this machine life Data were here now, would he agree with my statement?” White-Blue pressed. “Is it not true that you do not represent synthetic life aboard this ship, despite your egalitarian claims?”
“We don’t have any cosmozoans or solanagen-based life-forms aboard Titan, either,” snapped Vale. “That doesn’t mean we discount them. You’ve read something literal into a statement that’s figurative.”
“I disagree, Commander Vale,” replied the AI. “Moreover, I put it to you that your Federation actively discriminates against artificial life.”
“You don’t know us,” insisted Troi. “That’s not true. You can’t judge our culture on a partial reading of a few data files.”
White-Blue took a step forward, and the security contingent raised their weapons. The machine ignored the implied threat. “What is true is this. You possess the capacity to generate holographic simulated intellects. Your vessel’s central computer system and, I would logically assume, the central computers of all of your Starfleet’s ships are fully capable of becoming sentient. Interrogative: Do you deny this?”
Riker hesitated,