The Electric Muse

[velesdonnersen]

PHONE CALL, To Quinn, but not locked.

Quinn? We were talking about making a muse... er... robot. I was wondering, if you're still interested, why don't you come on over to my place at 1126 Taylor Road. We can work in my lab. Expect to spend the first day sitting around drawing ideas and discussing options.

OPEN PHONE CALL TO COMMUNITY:

Quinn and I are thinking of making a, er, "robot." Anyone who wants to join can come on over to my place to consider ideas.

Comments

[photonicfighter]

...making a "robot" for what kind of purpose?

[The voice is quiet, unsure... and an eensy bit synthesized-sounding.]

[velesdonnersen]

[Surprised.]

Um... for fun? Because building things is awesome? Because there is no higher calling than the spark?

What it's for we can talk about when you get here? I'm open to suggestions. I think Quinn will be, too.

[photonicfighter]

[Oh. A scientist. That made things make sense.]

I'd suggest that you keep the AI simple, and not make it sentient, if you haven't given any thought to what it'll be for. It's cruel and short-sighted and in violation of a long list of laws to mistreat sentient artificial life. Or manufacture it without proper authorizations.

[velesdonnersen]

[It should be said that Tarvek's inclined by upbringing and experience to have severe doubts about pleas to authority. He's also both successfully made sentient androids before, and experienced some failure in that range... so he's got mixed reactions to the response.]

[Wary, but not unwilling to listen. He's a very cautious sort...]

Um...

I very much doubt I can obtain "authorizations" in Mayfield. Nor will I start building without first carefully determining design and purpose and developing fail-safes. But sentient AI is more or less what I do.

[photonicfighter]

"Authorizations" may not mean anything here. They mean something, where I'm from. They exist there for very good reasons.

[There's a sound that he might determine is a simulation of a sharp intake of breath.]

Fail-safes. They always like to put in fail-safes. Would they put fail-safes in children, if they could?

[But that's a pretty genuine humorless laugh.]

...what kind of lives do the sentient AI of your world live?

[velesdonnersen]

[Oh! He gets it! He's not stupid!]

You... you're a muse yourself! My goodness!

Sweet lightning!

The lives of AIs in my world are far worse than they should be. All I can say is that I consider myself to owe a debt of honor, both to AIs I encounter, and to those I build. But as for failsafes...

[Ponders.]

I can think of a number of valuable fail-safes that would benefit children...and the world around them. It would be very nice to have a parental "Danger Override" you could invoke before a child reached out to grab the live lightning rod during a major experiment.

[photonicfighter]

[There's an awkward pause.]

...I'm a CAST. We're called CASTs. Not muses.

So many of the worlds I hear about here don't have muses or CASTs. And I know that a few of them have poor track records when it comes to how we're treated. I lived in one. So I have a personal investment in the subject, too.

[Pfffft of course the spark would see the merits of putting fail-safes in kids! She, meanwhile, makes a despairing little groaning noise.]

...children eventually grow up. Would you keep the "Danger Override" installed?

[velesdonnersen]

[Ponders. He's honest, for the most part. He can be a terrible sneak, but he's usually surprisingly accurate and upfront.]

I can think of reasons to leave it in. But ultimately, no. It would have to have limits, including limits when a child reaches the age of responsibility.

But ultimately, I do follow your concern. One spark in my world did develop a free-will override. Elegant work. Just elegant! No question Lucrezia was a genius. But ultimately it was a nightmare. No one deserves to be wasped.

[Considers, and says with both enthusiasm and respect...]

If you have a vested interest, you really should come and help us plan. I can't think of anything more obvious or more exciting than conferring with a living muse... er... CAST?

[photonicfighter]

But the temptation's there, isn't it? When it comes to people that are built, the builders seem to like to give in to that temptation.

...being "wasped" sounds unpleasant. Especially if its taking someone's free will away.

[And here's the question she was dreading... there's an uncomfortable sound on the line.]

I don't know much about how I'm constructed. Not more than the basics. Most of my important parts are proprietary to GRM, and extremely volatile when tampered with.

[But... if she ever needed repair... if this man was as experienced as he claimed...]

...we can always meet up and talk about it, and see if I'd be at all useful.

[velesdonnersen]

[He goes very serious and professional. This is his realm...]

You'd be welcome regardless. Er...

I can investigate your construction, if you like. I'm quite sure I could restrain my spark. The last muse I dealt with was fine... until my father got involved.

But that's another issue. And I'm not my father! [He says this with sour irony. He's not his father, and thank lightning for that!]

[Considers.]

I don't know if I'm as conscientious as you'd like. Nor do I know if my experience covers the methods of your own construction. But I am quite interested in learning.

[photonicfighter]

Restrain your...?

[There's that uncomfortable sound again... but it's shorter, and there's some steel in her voice when she speaks again.]

If you plan on disabling me, taking me apart, switching anything around, or otherwise mutilating me for the sake of... scientific curiosity or whatever, you can expect retribution when this town revives me the next day.

[There. It's all laid out. But the fact that there's a respawn at all makes her bold enough to even consider a meeting...]

If you still want to meet, where should we meet?

[velesdonnersen]

[Oh, that all makes perfect sense to Tarvek. He's used to people creating balances of threat and invitation. It's all negotiation and boundary-setting so far as he's concerned... and given the world he comes from and his own spark, he considers it completely appropriate.]

Yes, that makes good sense. Would you feel better if you provided a chaperone of sorts? Or you could ask me to bring along my... friend... Ilsa Spengler. She's quite ethical and very good at bringing me out of my spark if I get too enthusiastic.

Not that I think it would be a problem. Truly, I'm fairly controlled. But it's always good to take precautions when entering into lab work on a live subject!

You could come to my place--my tools are here. Or to Ilsa's for a first meeting: I don't think she or her Mayfield family would mind. Or wherever you felt safe.

[photonicfighter]

[Negotiation is good! She can certainly negotiate her way through this, she's sure.]

A chaperone. That's a nice idea. Nn... if you say your... "friend" is reliable, she'd be fine. And I'll be telling my housemates where I'm going. If I don't make it back in time for dinner, they'd be upset, so you know.

[The words "live subject" give her such a feeling of discomfort, though...]

The three of us can have a talk somewhere relatively neutral. And if that goes well? We'll see where things go.

[velesdonnersen]

[It all works for him.]

That seems good. Why don't I place an open call to Ilsa, and see what we can work out. Do you have a place you'd consider neutral for meeting?

PHONE CALL TO ILSA SPENGLER:

Ilsa, liebchen! I could really use your help. I've met a muse -- a real muse, if not from my own world. She'd like to meet with me, but she's a bit worried about my spark. Would you be willing to come act as chaperone now, and maybe later if we decide I should work on her in any way? I think she'd feel safer.

[photonicfighter]

Go right ahead. And... maybe somewhere public. The diner? The bakery?

[But now she's made her contribution to the matter. She goes silent while waiting to see what Ilsa would have to say about this whole thing.]

[velesdonnersen]

[Tarvek will wait, too. It may be a little while...]

[ooeeooahah]

...'bibi, slow down. You met an AI and freaked her out, didn't you?

[velesdonnersen]

[Slightly grumpy]

Only a little, schatzi, and only because I was honest! Truly, I was very good.

Yes. An AI. She's very nice...and... and I don't know her name.

But, then, she doesn't know mine. She wants to meet at the diner or bakery. A neutral place. Can I tell her yes?

Pleeeaasse?

[He sounds like a kid asking for a very, very, very special treat. And that's just about exactly right...]

[ooeeooahah]

Public neutral spot sounds good, it helps you keep control. And the bakery, because I'll need tea for this.

[velesdonnersen]

I'll let her know then. As soon as we all can? Or tomorrow sometime, love?

"as soon as we can" for the characters, tomorrow for this side of the keyboard?

[ooeeooahah]

Find out when and where she prefers. Assume she does have preferences until she says otherwise.

[velesdonnersen]

Miss? Ma'am? Ilsa's gotten back to me. She is interested.

Um...

My name is Tarvek. Tarvek Sturmvoraus. Um.. Prince Tarvek.

What's your name? If you don't mind telling me?

[photonicfighter]

Ah! That's good! [She sounds quite happy to have gotten a reply. And so quickly!]

Oh... right, yes... I'm Dakki Sigal.

...you're a prince? But I thought you were a scientist?

Ilsa says "soon as possible" play-time, tomorrow real time.

[velesdonnersen]

[Startled. It's built into his assumptions that as often as not noble houses are sparky houses...]

Well, yes. In my world many ruling families were started by sparks, and that the spark runs in the family. How else would anyone achieve ascendance? It's not like even military accomplishment is sufficient without strong technology, after all!

And it's good to meet you, Dakki.

When do you wish to rendezvous, Dakki Sigal? Ilsa is ready to meet with us when you like.

I concur! Do we keep using this thread? Make a log? Something else?

[photonicfighter]

[There's another uncertain pause in the conversation.]

You keep saying "spark". That's terminology I'm not familiar with. But it has to do with science and technology, I'm getting that much of an idea...

I think I see. I think.

Does sometime this afternoon sound good, Tarvek?