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The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/Jcb112 on 2024-10-01 18:59:02+00:00.

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101 Hours After the First Round of Interloper Interrogations. Signal Station. Administration Wing. Bunker HQ.

Evina

I cocked my head at the alien, regarding those final two topics with an unwavering expression that conveyed nothing but certainty and finality.

‘Not that he would be able to see it underneath the helmet…’

“I think the answer to both questions is quite obvious.” I responded promptly, without a hint of hesitation in my voice. “We kill them.” I stated bluntly.

This seemed to cause some concern in the Vanaran, as he went silent, his expression otherwise unreadable through the obstruction that was the helmet.

“I concur, Evina.” Vir responded in kind, hopping in barely a few seconds after the alien had gone silent. “At least, that’s me weighing in on the situation with regards to the cyberbeast. The interloper on the other hand… requires some more finessing, and a bit more planning.” He began, as it was clear this was about to lead to a whole other topic, one which I braced myself for by attempting to temper my sheer and utter contempt for that being as best as I could. “Simply put, the very fact that we have an interloper more or less in our custody, to do with as we please, is a feat that should not be taken lightly. Hell, this was literally the goal of humanity at its height back in my era; a goal which was never accomplished. To just kill it would be to limit our strategic pool of possible actions. Moreover, if my projections are to be believed, allowing the interloper to live, under our custody mind you — may present some interesting opportunities the likes of which would otherwise be unimaginable, let alone improbable.”

Every iteration in my head agreed with the AI to varying extents. Heck, I even found myself agreeing with him as well. However, there was that latent part of my mind that wished for nothing but the interloper’s slow and painful demise.

It was the source of the literal end of the world, after all.

It had been behind the manipulation of countless millions, of entire nations, and was the sole entity responsible for the construction of this bunker.

It, through direct intervention, had allowed for the existence of the cyberbeast’s AI. Which by extension, meant that it had directly played a role in Eslan’s suffering.

That fact alone… was pushing me to the very edge.

But I knew this wasn’t just about me.

I knew, of course, that this eons-old intergalactic war would be better off with it alive; to be used as a tool.

But that cold and hard calculus was just too difficult to rationalize when you were burning up with rage and frustration.

It took every ounce of willpower I had not to strike down Vir’s input.

I knew he was right.

And that was the worst part about it… the fact that he was undeniably in the right, and my own position was more or less objectively in the wrong.

I had no argument but my own rage and desire for justice.

However, this conversation wasn’t over yet, as Lysara had yet to have weighed in.

Though, judging from his lack of any outward reaction just yet, it was clear he at least wasn’t bottling up existential turmoil.

“We will discuss the matter of the interloper later then.” Lysara offered after a good few moments of quiet contemplation. “Making use of them, rather than just removing them from the equation outright, is a logical course of action.” The alien admitted. “Though I’d prefer justice to be exacted—” He spoke, whilst turning towards me, as if reading my mind like an open book, and taking it a step further by actually voicing my concerns. “—in a manner that at least addresses the crimes committed to Evina’s people. Though… knowing you, Vir, I assume that this more or less comes ‘in the same package’ as it were?”

“I’ve run a few projections.” Vir responded with a sly tone of voice. “Most of the scenarios have indeed taken justice into account. In short, I have a lot of options for us to work with. Everything from immediately leveraging our possession of the interloper for use as a bargaining chip with our new UN remnant friends, which I’m sure will be more than happy to provide some hospitality proportional to its crimes. All the way to ideas including using it as bait for other interlopers for future operations, or even as a resident resource for intel, the latter of which still gives us the option of punting it off to the UN to be taken into its justice system. All in all, I have a lot of scenarios cooked up, all of which have an off-ramp clause baked into it to ensure that whatever happens — it’ll end up paying for its crimes.”

“Would that be agreeable with you, Evina?” Lysara quickly turned towards me, before quickly adding. “We will, of course, be discussing this in greater detail on the ship.”

“You know… I’d be lying if I didn’t say I thought you guys were just going to go full pragmatic, to simply allow that beast to live with no repercussions for what it’s done just for the benefits or novelty of keeping it alive; maybe even appeasing it.” I admitted with a bow of my head.

“Black and white thinking is oftentimes an easy trap to fall into.” Lysara responded. “I understand though, both the why and the how of that sort of thinking, and I do not fault you for it. If anything, I empathize and sympathize with you, Evina.” Lysara paused, making sure to meet my eyes through the untinted visor. “After all it’s done to me, and my people, I’d want nothing more than to simply be done with it. However, considering our predicament and our goals, using it may result in a net positive for the intergalactic community, and reality as we know it. But this of course doesn’t mean we’ll simply allow it leniency. A balance can always be struck, somewhere between the black and the white.”

“Heh, I guess that’s a lesson that I still need drilled into me in spite of the lives I’ve lived.” I responded with a shrug. “Still, I appreciate the thoughtfulness, Lysara.” I quickly added, giving the alien another firm dip of my head in the process.

The alien responded similarly, before shifting his gaze towards his HUD, and highlighting the live feed of the cyberbeast for the both of us. “With the interloper question tentatively penned out for now, the matter of the cyberbeast’s fate is still in question.” He stated plainly.

“My decision on that thing still stands.” I reaffirmed.

“And so is mine.” Vir promptly added without any hesitation.

This once again left Lysara to provide his take on the monster in the basement.

A task that he seemed to ponder heavily, before breaking out into a dry, almost self-deprecating chuckle. “You know, it’s rather ironic to consider that just a few months ago… I would’ve likewise agreed without hesitation.” He began, his voice growing darker just for that brief moment. “But for vastly different reasons, of course. Back then, I would’ve gladly agreed with the summary execution of that thing, simply because it was an artificial intelligence.” That revelation prompted me to perk up my brow, if only to regard how utterly different that mentality was, especially in the face of the relationship between Lysara and Vir as it appeared today. “However, my time with Vir has prompted me to perform a complete shift of that mentality, one born out of millenia’s worth of cultural reaffirmations as to the threat of AI.”

“So what exactly are you getting at here, Lysara?” I urged.

“Yeah, don’t tell me you’ve grown soft now, organic.” Vir added with a tone that I could only describe as a friendly, and practically tone-deaf jab, especially given the topic we were addressing.

Though I’d be lying if I was surprised by this, given the personality the AI had demonstrated thus far.

To this end, Lysara responded with a deep and purposeful breath, letting it all out before continuing. “To cut to the chase, as the humans say, I agree with your assessments.” He began plainly. “Though as I stated, this isn’t a result of a knee-jerk reaction from emotional considerations. Instead, it’s a result of each and every test Vir has employed on the cyberbeast. To put it simply, the cyberbeast is far, far too dangerous to be allowed to leave this bunker. Let alone to allow it to interface with any sufficiently advanced piece of equipment ever again.” Lysara concluded, his tone of voice never wavering into anything other than a somber sense of calm impartiality. “Your ideas on allowing Addy to reform itself through the use of its resources in rebuilding your civilization, is a noble one, Evina. This is yet another reason why I believe it is imperative that we do not allow the cyberbeast a chance in ruining that endeavor. I… suspect Vir already has projections of exactly what sorts of threats the cyberbeast may pose to Addy’s integrity.”

“You caught me there, Lysara.” The AI responded. “I haven’t yet addressed this but… according to the records I’ve scrounged from its old servers, the cyberbeast has considered usurping Addy on multiple occasions. The only thing truly stopping it, were its directives. Moreover, I have suspicions that its desire to physically interfa…

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