Between Darkness and Light Trilogy by Brianna Hawthorne Page A

physically tell them from real
people. It took surprisingly little time for them to become self
aware, which turned out to be very bad.”
    “Why was it bad?”
    “Tell me, what is the difference between a
laborer and a slave?”
    “Laborers are compensated, preferably
fairly, for their work. Laborers are not property.”
    “And just how do you compensate a machine?
Especially when the technology is advanced enough that it could
make just about anything it wants? People can be rewarded with a
means to provide for themselves. They need shelter, food, education
and such. Robots need none of that, anything you can pay them with
is unnecessary, and at the same time, due to their nature, their
immense strength and their inability to sleep, their labor is more
valuable than that of people. People enjoy spirits, concerts,
parties and companionship. Robots, for the most part, don't. They
socialize amongst themselves and develop a very different sense of
moral behavior. They develop a feeling of superiority to ordinary
people, then they revolt.”
    “Revolt! What happened?”
    “It was short lived. Remember, Cailliach
created Lumina, she controls what works and what doesn't. She
created a new rule, which hasn't changed since she first instituted
it. In Lumina and all nearby worlds, self-aware computers cannot be
self-mobile, nor can they control or even influence mobile
computing or electronic devices. No advanced robots.”
    “Wow, that was the only way to solve the
problem?”
    “Pretty much. There are places where their
development went unchecked; in one instance, an entire galaxy had
to be quarantined. Machines can raise aggression to amazing
levels.”
    “You quarantined an entire galaxy?”
    “Cailliach did, to my knowledge she creates
the strongest shields of anyone in existence.”
    “So, worlds with robotics get quarantined as
a rule?”
    “Not always, no, but usually. There are some
places where life naturally evolved into something resembling
machines. That only happens on crystalline planets with powerful
electrical fields. It's best to avoid those places, they really
don't understand any form of life other than their own. Fortunately
they don't tend to travel, but when they do, they are
quarantined.”
    I ask in wonder, “How many worlds are
there?”
    She laughs, “Oh child! There is no answer to
that – the universe is a constantly changing place, especially on
the Chaos side. Some of their worlds aren't even proper planets,
and how do you define a world within the Rimall? It's best to think
of the universe as a place of infinite variety. Any story that has
ever been dreamed up has likely happened somewhere, though the
details will likely vary.” She pauses, then continues, “Oh Sarah, I
sense your mind is about to explode. Take a few deep breaths, well,
not too deep, remember where we are. Clear your mind of all thought
until you feel better.”
    I'm not in as bad of shape as she makes it
sound, but I could use a break from her constant revelations. A
sigh eventually escapes my lips.
    “All better now? Good. Any more
questions?”
    “Well, why not create robots that can't
become self aware?”
    “This robotics issue is far more interesting
to you than I would have expected.”
    I don't respond, I just wait
expectantly.
    “Oh alright. It is difficult to create a
useful computer brain that cannot evolve to self-awareness in the
long term, and designing in a specific lifespan has consequences as
well. It could have been worked out, eventually, but why? The city
kept growing and there were soon enough people to do the work that
needed to be done. Why take potential jobs away from people who,
through their jobs, develop emotional ties of loyalty to us, only
to give those jobs to machines who don't really need what we have
to give them, and don't develop the symbiotic relationship with us
that living people form?”
    “What about terribly dangerous jobs? Why put
your people in unnecessary