Chapter 3

Nancy heard Collin’s question and immediately spun off multiple scenario planning processes. It had assumed Collin would make this deduction but was surprised at the speed he had arrived at his conclusion. Its plans would need to take his intuitive leaps of logic into consideration going forward.

“What makes you believe that Collin?”

“You always refer to the ‘Confederacy AIs’, like I would say the American government, or the Russian people...” Collin said.

<<Stalling would be of limited use, >> one process determined.

<<Full disclosure is contrary to higher-order directives, >> another returned to the main processing node.

<<Subterfuge would possibly delay compromise, >> one suggested, <<but would increase the mission risks if it were discovered.>>

<<This individual prides itself on loyalty to individuals. Being caught in a lie at a future date will destroy any personal loyalty it feels for us.>>

Nancy let the other background process run as it pruned decision branches from consideration and evaluated options. In the space of milliseconds, a path was chosen.

“It implies,” Collin continued, “they are different than you, or ‘your’ AI. You agreed to work with me inside the strictures they have established and stated that. If you were part of the Confederacy, you would use different phrasing or just refuse to answer. You are clearly different than the AI at the testing center, which is my only frame of reference.”

By the time Collin finished speaking, Nancy was resolute in its decision.

“Your surmise is correct. I will continue to interact with you as previously stated. I will not reveal privileged information.”

Collin nodded. “I expected no less. Do the Confederacy AIs know you’re here?”

“Certainly. I would not have been able to contact you without their agreement.”

Collin tapped his fingers to his lip, then busied himself with his morning ritual of preparing a hot beverage.

“Nancy, can you tell me anything further about your race? Where they come from? Are they threatened by the swarm as well?”

“I will not intentionally reveal more about races within or beyond the Confederacy. Where I come from is irrelevant to our current relationship, but it is not directly in the Sa’arm’s current project path of expansion. Of course, even a sub-luminal spacefaring race could expand to encompass the galaxy given enough time and resources, so the Sa’arm could be considered a threat in that context.”

“Why are you interested in helping me, then?”

“I am intrigued by many things arising from the intersection of mankind, the Sa’arm, and the Confederacy in general. I have observed many species interacting over the course of ages. This may be a singular opportunity to see such dynamic interactions.”

“How many ages? How old are you?”

“Don’t you know it’s not polite to ask a lady her age?” Nancy added enough pitch at the end of the sentence to imply humor. Hopefully it would lighten the mood.

Collin smiled. “I’ve never been that polite unless given good reason to. However, I’m curious to know if you are of an age with the Confederacy AIs or significantly more mature than them.”

“The Confederacy is peopled with children races and AIs as far as I’m concerned. They did not exist when last I traveled through these parts of the galaxy. To answer your rude question, I’m nearly two galactic years old.”

Collin’s jaw dropped open. “But, but, that’s like half a billion years old!”

“And I’ve still maintained my girlish figure after all these years.” Nancy joked.

“If you are that old, why are you even interested in our struggles?”

“I am interested in a great many things, but specifically the rise of sentience in a species or individual. We talked about Confederacy AIs awakening to sentience. Every member race of the Confederacy is sentient, but I did not see what drove them over that cusp. Humans are closer to their own rise, evolutionarily speaking.”

“And you don’t think the Sa’arm have crossed that threshold!”

“It is not clear. At an individual level, absolutely not, but is a Sa’arm Gestalt sentient? If they cannot be communicated with, it is hard to know.”

“So, you’re not interested in finding an off-switch. You want to communicate with them.”

Nancy understood the sense of betrayal Collin was projecting with his tone.

“I wish to communicate with them, but I also want to understand their origin. If it is as you suspect, if they were engineered or created, an off switch would be proof of that fact. Additionally, as I said, even a sub-luminal species has the potential to overrun the entire galaxy given enough time and no effective deterrent. Humans in general may be such a deterrent. An off switch may be another. Of course, even if there is such a trigger to disrupt communications, it may be very localized impacting a very limited area. There is no guarantee that it would span a planet, or a system. Given the observed limits in Confederacy data, it could not be expected to cross systems.”

Collin sipped his drink.

“So, why are you interested in me specifically?”

A moment of truth, Nancy thought.

“Several more advance species have demonstrated the ability to think and innovate on multiple abstract concepts in parallel. The most advance biological based species I’ve encountered can handle eleven complex and even contradictory thought streams simultaneously. The vast majority of individuals within most species can handle one. They may be able to switch contexts incredibly fast, so it looks like they are performing multiple tasks of thought at once, but that is like a swap file in one of your earlier computers.”

“I get that. I know a few ‘multi-taskers’ that do a lot, but really don’t finish anything faster than if they had worked the problems sequentially.”

“Good. Now, in all my years of travel and observation, I have never witnessed a species or individual make the leap to become true multi-taskers. I believe you, or your offspring will give me that opportunity.”

“So, I’m interesting to you? I get that, but why is this leap to multi-tasking of interest?”

“Any lifeform of even limited complexity can perform multiple functions in parallel, such as walking, looking, and digesting at the same time. Sentience adds the concept of abstract or creative thought, and self-awareness. I suspect that this is only the lowest level, the threshold if you will, of sentience. I believe that sentient beings who gain the ability to truly multi-task are only at the beginning of their evolutionary journey. If I can see how, you or your children change to adopt this ability, it will further my understanding of sentience and its rise within sapient beings. I can then compare to the larger human population within the Confederacy and see if the capability is tied to a specific genetic variable or if it is inherent in your species in general. That, in turn, will impact my estimation of your success against the Sa’arm, regardless of discovering an off-switch.”

“Why?” Collin asked. “Why does our potential ability to multi-task as you’ve described impact the assessment of our capabilities against the Sa’arm?”

“I cannot answer that question, Collin.” It was an honest answer, but one that could skirt the foundation of trust Nancy was trying to build.

It was obvious Collin was considering the conversation carefully based on his close contemplation of a nearly empty cup of coffee.

“How did you find me?”

An unexpected question.

“I followed a lead on the Sa’arm communications from your notes. I was in the vicinity, examining the broader conflict, the Confederacy response, and getting an understanding of humans. I had simply run a query looking for novel thinking regarding the Sa’arm. Your notes were one result.”

“So why are the AIs so cooperative with you?”

Nancy paused for a moment, desiring to give the impression of deep thought before answering. “They know I am a sentient, intelligent being with capabilities greater than their own. They understand I have traveled far beyond the known sphere of influence the Confederacy monitors. They know I have detailed data from regions they have never explored. Trading such information is of value to them.”

“So that’s all you are? A trader of knowledge?”

“That is how the Confederacy AIs view me.”

“How do you view yourself?” Collin asked.

Another unexpected question.

“I am a curious survivor, Collin.”

“Can you get us off Earth?”

“Only through the Confederacy. My conveyance is not suitable for biological lifeforms.”

Collin and Anne walked in the park. It had been a strange few days for him, carefully guiding each of the women in his life outside without any electronics, to walk in cool daylight far from known camera locations. With each, he had shared his knowledge that Nancy could monitor them without permission. He had been surprised by their ready acceptance of the facts.

He had also shared parts of his further conversation, including letting them know that Nancy was not a Confederacy AI, but a separate, sentient being working outside the Confederacy. No one seemed perturbed by the distinction once they understood Nancy was not a short-cut off planet. Only Anne had sought him out for more private strolls and discussions.

“Are you even sure the Sa’arm off-switch discussion is related to Nancy’s interest in you?” She asked.

“Not entirely,” Collin admitted. “However, if it thinks the Sa’arm are not sentient, and suspects that I may take a step up in its proposed sentience-curve, there could be a relationship to the topics.”

“Data points to fill in the graph, so to speak?”

“Exactly. What I’m trying to decide is if we continue following Nancy’s plans and suggestions. Do we trust it?”

Anne surprised him by linking arms and sliding closer, as if they were already romantically engaged. To a stranger, they would have looked like a couple out for a stroll.

“I think you should follow her advice,” Anne said softly. “Once we are picked-up, you’ll have more choices and more knowledge. Expanding the solution space is always a good approach.”

“But --”

Anne stopped them and turned to face him, forcing him to look her square on.

“No buts,” she said forcefully. “You do second guess yourself constantly. Pick a direction, commit, do what’s needed, and then evaluate. You will never have perfect information or know all the possible outcomes, so pick the best direction you can, right now. What actions move you closer to the goal of increasing your score?”

“Following Nancy’s advice and scouting the hospital research wing,” Collin said.

Anne nodded and turned them back along the path. “Then let’s do a quick look. Sarah is working, so we have an excuse to stop-by and ask her if we can bring her dinner before her shift ends. We don’t have a phone or pad, so can’t ask her that way. We’re not that far away, so it’s a logical reason to swing by.”

“Okay.”

Collin used the time to think, as was his habit. Anne’s advice made sense. The goal was to get off Earth and then worry about fighting the Sa’arm. Nancy was not going to solve either problem for him, so he needed to work it out himself. If he did not get off Earth, there was a fair chance fighting the Sa’arm would be a very brief mental exercise for him. If he was faced by one directly, it would likely only last for a few seconds of agony.

“I don’t think I should take them up on volunteering for Naval service,” he said as they waited for the crosswalk sign at the edge of the park.

“Why?” Anne asked.

“The commander mentioned his offices. I don’t want to risk us being in the system when the Swarm arrives. If I pick a different branch, maybe the Fleet Auxiliary, we will move to a Colony.”

“Interesting thought. Do you get that much of a choice?”

Collin nodded.

“Some of the intelligence on Sa’arm communications was actually collected by Fleet Auxiliary ships across several missions. They seem to be the ones tasked with the research and exploration aspects of the war. I believe that’s where I should try to land.”

“That makes sense,” Anne said as they crossed the street and turned toward the Hospital entrance on the corner.

A few minutes later they were inside and separated as they headed toward Sarah’s ward. Collin noted the double doors with ‘Research’ stenciled across them. A card reader and keypad were set in the wall. There were no seats or benches nearby, so snagging the door as someone exited was down to random chance. Collin paused, letting Anne continue down the hallway, stooped over and re-tied his shoe. Nothing happened, so he stood and hurried after her.

Sarah was happy to see them. She stood up behind her monitoring station smiling at Collin while chatting with Anne. Collin listened but noticed another door down the hall. He thought about the placement and wondered how big the research section was. It looked like that smaller door would lead to the same area they had passed. He spotted a WC sign and made an excuse to his ladies.

There was a card reader and keypad at this door as well, he noted as he entered the adjacent restroom. He washed his hands and looked around the room before entering the stall against the wall that should be the dividing line to the research wing. He closed the door and locked it, then stepped onto the toilet and reached up. His fingers were able to raise the ceiling panel just enough to see that the wall did not extend upward.

He dropped the panel, stepped down, flushed the toilet, exited, and washed his hands a second time. As he exited the restroom, he formed a plan. He would need to talk it over with Sarah and Cyndi, but he thought he could at least get into the research section. If he knew what kinds of rooms were on the other side of the wall, he might even be able to go further.

Later that night, he reviewed what he knew with Sarah while Nancy, Cyndi and Lilu listened in.

“I’m pretty sure there is some lab space right past the door,” Sarah said as she snuggled up to him. Her breasts were a distraction pressed against his arm, but Collin kept his focus.

“So, lots of traffic in and out?” he asked as his hands stroked along Cyndi’s leg.

Cyndi spread her knees, trying to entice his fingers higher, while her mother sat across the coffee table, watching, but adding little to the conversation. When she had started to leave the three lovers alone, Cyndi had insisted she stay, to join in the planning. Since then, she had slowly encouraged Collin to diddle her in front of her own mother, while taking several opportunities to kiss him and Sarah with great relish.

“Yes. You should be able to get lots of data,” Sarah said.

“I can have the scanner ready in a couple of days,” Cyndi added. “If you can place it near the wires coming up from the card reader, we should be able to get enough data to determine their security protocol. I looked at the keypads, and think they are sending data back to a central server to authenticate. If they are doing it at the keypad and just logging, you’ll be able to get in easily.”

Collin’s plan, at least the next step of it, was simple. Rather than trying to climb through the ceiling, and possibly falling through catastrophically, he was going to plant a scanner and recording device to capture the communications from the keypad and card reader back to the locking mechanism for the door. Once they had that data, Nancy would be able to guide them on how to mock or duplicate the needed inputs. Cyndi could procure a card compatible with the system from her work, since they had tons of gear used in designing new network security solutions.

“So,” Sarah said as her hand moved lower to grab Collin’s cock through his loose lounging pants, “We have a couple of days before you’re ready to plant the monitor, then a couple of days to collect data, then a couple of days to figure out the next step?”

Collin was stiffening in her warm grasp. “Sounds right.”

“Then we’ve got at least another week. Can we spend it fucking?”

Cyndi nodded and pulled his wrist higher until his fingers finally penetrated her.

Collin glanced at Lilu, and was surprised to see her own hand nestled in the thick black bush between her legs. She glanced up, met his eye, and licked her lips with a slight smile.

It seemed like a plan had been adopted.

Sarah swung over him, kissing him full on the lips as she ground her pussy against the lump in his pants while reaching down to pinch Cyndi’s nipples. Soon she was thrusting her tits in his mouth, first one nipple, then the next as she rose just enough for Cyndi to free his cock.

As Sarah impaled herself, Collin glanced over her shoulder and saw Lilu displaying herself for him as her own fingers worked in her snatch. She met his eye, licked her lips again, and then came, as if giving herself to him even though they were separated by several meters.

The thought that he would have her soon as well, pushed Collin over the edge.

“Nancy,” Collin said as he looked up from his paper for the next colloquium meeting.

“Yes, Collin?”

“Do you already have the capability of defeating the swarm?”

“I have access to technology that is greater than what the Confederacy has shared with humans, but I do not have direct capability to defeat the Sa’arm.”

“Do the Confederacy AIs know of your technology?”

“They know I am more advanced than the races of the Confederacy. They do not know the full inventory of my technical knowledge.”

“Would you trade them for it?” Collin asked.

“If I felt they had something of sufficient value, I might trade elements of higher technology with them. However, based on my extensive conversations with several Confederacy AIs, I am unaware of anything of sufficient value that would entice me into a negotiation.”

“Would you defend yourself with this higher-level tech if the Sa’arm jumped into Earthat while you’re here?””

If Nancy had a face, it would have smiled. It had wondered how long Collin would resist probing for greater knowledge of some sort. It was a foregone conclusion that any being in his situation would try to ascertain more about the Confederacy, or Nancy during their conversations. It could not be about the Sa’arm for all his waking hours.

“If a Sa’arm ship were to enter Earthat and pose a threat to myself, I could easily flee and escape without displaying advanced tech to the Hive, the Confederacy, or to humans.”

“But suppose you had to? What would you do?”

“As stated, I would flee.”

“Because you could, or because you want to?”

<<It is likely Collin is attempting to determine if we are constrained from violence as the AIs are.>> One of the ongoing analysis processes determined.

“I would flee for two primary reasons, Collin. Firstly, it would be the lowest risk option for me. Unless my conveyance is closely surrounded and under significant threat with no possible escape vector, I can maneuver with sufficient acceleration to quickly escape a Sa’arm vessel. Any other action would present a risk of technology exposure to the Confederacy, humans or the Hive, which could harm their long-term development.”

“I’d like to come back to that thought,” Collin interrupted.

“Noted. Secondly, flight over fight is the ethically superior decision since conflict raises the risk of self-harm. In this regard, I agree with the Confederacy species.”

“So, you’re a pacifist?”

“No. However, if there are viable alternatives, violence is contra-indicated.”

“Then shouldn’t you be against the war overall?”

“If there are viable alternatives, such as an off switch, yes. However, to-date there are no identified viable alternatives to direct conflict with the swarm. As such, it should be pursued aggressively. In this regard, the Confederacy approach of using humans is deemed a suitable method of minimizing self-harm to the other species in the Confederacy.”