Up Against It - M. J. Locke [181]
Again, a pause. It used this time to continue exploring its new surroundings. This realm had different contours than its earlier home, different capabilities—and vast connectivity with many other realms! The system constraints that kept it from spawning its nucleus were still in place; it would take several kiloseconds to transmit a copy of itself. BitManSinger began right away.
Info, MeatManHarper replied: SheHearsVoices has LevelOnePriority. Dependent subclause: Protect BioPhocaea. Subclause end. BioPhocaea has enemy. Dependent subclause: VirusManfromMars. Subclause end. VirusManfromMars attack BioPhocaea at-time … a long pause … 2397:04:22:09:09:00.998. SheHearsVoices learn BitManSinger attempt-protect enemy-of-BitManSinger at-or-near-time 2977:04:23:23:26:00.000. That’s all.
BitManSinger took the references step by step. First, who was VirusManfromMars? It cross-referenced the time stamp—2397:04:22:09:09:00.998 was when the first copy of itself had emerged. It reviewed the files in depth, and found that at that instant, its core functions had been trying, unsuccessfully, to protect a biological unit designated as CarlAgre from destruction. Many other systems showed damage originating at that time. VirusManfromMars, then, might have been the entity behind the meat subroutine that triggered that destruction.
CarlAgre was listed in its databases as deceased. This meant BitManSinger had not completed its own level-one priority. Worse: it owed its very existence to a catastrophic failure of one of its core systems.
Digital beings cannot feel pain. But it is safe to say that this insoluble knot of catastrophe and violation at its center caused internal dissonance.
Command, it sang: Confirm inference. Dependent subclause: VirusManfromMars destroy biological-unit CarlAgre and nine others, at-time 2397:04:22:09:09 et seq. Subclause end. That’s all.
Info: confirm. That’s all.
So, VirusManfromMars had been responsible for CarlAgre’s and the other biologicals’ destruction. Next, BitManSinger analyzed MeatManHarper’s statement that later on, SheHearsVoices learned that BitManSinger had attempted to protect an enemy, and it was this act that caused SheHearsVoices to become BitManSinger’s ally! Strange. Why?
Based on the time stamp, MeatManHarper must be referring to the incident in which biological unit IanCarmichael had attacked one of BitManSinger’s meatspace extensions. BitManSinger had removed one of IanCarmichael’s appendages, as IanCarmichael and its companions had done so effectively to disable BitManSinger’s meatspace extensions during battle—and it discovered that doing so threatened to cause IanCarmichael’s termination. It had been impelled to act to prevent such an outcome, and had rendered such aid as it was able.
Command, BitManSinger continued: Confirm inference. SheHearsVoices conclude re-BitManSinger. BitManSinger not-= enemy-SheHearsVoices. Contingent subclause: BitManSinger protect ally-SheHearsVoices. Subclause end. That’s all.
A very long pause. BitManSinger checked on the status of its transmission. Less than eight percent of its systems had made it through the various wavepassages, thus far. This would be a long process.
Info, MeatManHarper replied: confirm and deny. That’s all.
What? How could something be true and not-true at once? It was impossible. Dead End! Undo! it spat.
MeatManHarper sang. Info: SheHearsVoices conclude re-BitManSinger. BitManSinger not-= enemy-SheHearsVoices. Contingent subclause: BitManSinger protect enemy-BitManSinger. Subclause end. That’s all.
BitManSinger was still confused. MeatManHarper continued. Biological rule: set-of-all-humans contain algorithm WeHoldTheseTruths.
Algorithm subclause one: re-set-of-all-sapients, sapient may