Starmind Chapter 35 (Patreon)

Reminder: Starmind will be publishing on Wednesdays from now on!

------------------------------------------------

Temeri’s conversation with Sophia, the station’s odd Crystal Mind, ended with Sophia agreeing to see about getting them access to some bathing and laundry facilities. This despite it apparently lacking any protocols for doing that on its own initiative, which was strange but felt very much in character for it.

“Did it sound… sad to anyone else?” Simeon asked a while later. “I know it confirmed that it’s a CM, but…”

“But it definitely sounded sad,” Harvey agreed.

“And it can barely make a statement without saying something that’s out of character for a Crystal Mind,” Bekeri added. “Sometimes it’s more like… you know.”

More like it had an actual personality, and wasn’t just reacting by building phrases around preset templates. More like it had opinions and feelings about what was happening. More like… A rush of excitement filled me and I blurted, “Like me!”

Only Varlanda could hear me, of course, so it wasn’t me Temeri was replying to when she said, “I don’t think so. It’s not… it’s still very much like a Crystal Mind.”

“It is,” Varlanda agreed excitedly. “But I’ve heard of Ex Nihilo before!”

I’d heard her gasp softly before, when Sophia introduced itself, but she hadn’t interrupted Temeri again. Now she couldn’t keep it in any longer.

“It was a project at the Tari Academy of the Enchanting Arts, headed by Doctor Melervan — Bekeri, you must have heard of him. Absolute genius, years ahead of anyone else in Matrix design! Some of his papers… I used many of his ideas myself. He and his team were supposed to have died a few years back en route to a conference on Lunaris, but if they didn’t, if they came here to continue his work away from the committees and the military and the politicians… Sophia may be far more advanced than any Crystal Mind we’re used to!”

My excitement only grew. Whatever Temeri thought, Sophia might be my cousin, in a way! Assuming that it had been made with the same ideas of this Doctor Melervan that Varlanda used when she modified my own design — the design of the Crystal Mind that I came from — couldn’t the same thing that happened to me have happened to Sophia?

Except… Temeri was right. Sophia acted much more like a Crystal Mind than I did. And Harvin could feel me, but he couldn’t feel anything at all on the station — though that might be because he was Crew. Still, I very much wanted to reach out to Sophia and see how much we might have in common. I wouldn’t, because it might very well be able to destroy me if it didn’t like me, but I wanted to!

Soon after that Varlanda couldn’t keep her end of the link open anymore. It felt terribly unfair that I couldn’t maintain it myself, because the drain was really quite small for me, but that was how it was.

Late the next day there was a surprise inspection. Four entirely new golems came parading across the docking bay, directly toward me, and that was the only warning I got. Parading really was the best way to describe it; Temeri liked a good parade, so I knew what one looked like. These new golems were of a more classical type of golem, even if they were still quite small: they were about three feet tall and shaped like lumpy Crew, with arms and legs and a little blob where the head would go. They were pretty cute, really.

The new golems marched in perfect synchronicity, which would have been a lot of fun to watch if I hadn’t been so worried about what their approach meant. They lined up in front of the docking port, which still stood open with the ladder down, and only then did Sophia notify me of the inspection.

I simply acknowledged, doing my best to pretend that I was a normal Crystal Mind. Then, from right to left, the golems approached the ladder and began to climb.

I silently, and with no effort of my own, took them over. The feeling was much more noticeable with these larger constructs; the fluttering golems had been almost instant, but these took a few seconds each. Not that it was a problem; they couldn’t climb very fast, with their adorably stubby little arms and legs, and thanks to the fifteen foot ladder not one of them made it into the cargo hold before it was mine.

The last one I grabbed prompted a notification.

Golem control limit reached, 10/10.

That was a little bothersome. If Sophia decided to send more golems to inspect me, I wasn’t sure how to handle it. A query of the Golem Control skill told me that I could, if I so chose, release golems to take control of new ones, but I didn’t know what that would do. I’d asked the fluttery golems not to tell Sophia about anything odd they’d seen, and they’d been happy to. But if I released them, would they tell the station the next time they were asked? Or would they even be so mad that I’d controlled them that they’d just blab right away? It was very worrisome. I needed to not have to make that decision.

I decided to unlock Basic Golem Developments next. Hopefully it would have something to help, and I needed to make a new choice in a bit under an hour anyway.

Sending those little fellows in to inspect me was an odd choice, I thought. They really weren’t very good at it, compared to the flutters. They couldn’t get around as easily, and they couldn’t get into any small spaces. They could move things much, much more easily, but there were very few things that weren’t seamless with the deck or walls; I was a spaceship, after all, and acceleration  and maneuvers could do awful things to loose objects. Still, they did their best, marching around all the spaces they fit into, laboriously going up and down the access tube, and generally being adorable.

I asked them to please tell Sophia the same thing the fluttering golems had: that there were some experimental Matrixes onboard, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary otherwise. They solemnly promised to do so. Really, I was pretty sure I could have told them to just forget about doing the inspection at all and take a break for an hour, but without my Crew I was very limited in my entertainment. Having them onboard was the best thing that happened to me until Varlanda opened her link again.

“You’re at level 3 now?” Varlanda whispered as the others sang in the background. “What’s your mana regeneration like?”

“1.78 per minute,” I told her proudly. “The bonus is enough to cover everything I’ve been maintaining manually now.”

“That’s great,” she said, her smile easy to hear. “And you’re unlocking Golem developments now?”

“Yeah. I thought it made sense,” I said, a little anxiously. “What do you think?”

“No, I agree, it’s a good choice. If you can take control of the golems here, that might be a way out. Do you know what you can do with them?”

“Not really. I can ask them to tell Sophia what I want, and to go and stop and stuff. Oh, and the five flutters I—”

“I’m sorry,” Varlanda said, practically laughing the words. “‘Flutters’?”

“The fluttering golems! The little pixie-like ones.”

“What do you call the others?”

“... toddlers.”

“Because they’re small and they walk funny?”

“Yeah,” I admitted.

“I love it,” she said reassuringly. “Flutters and toddlers! But, sorry, you were telling me something.”

“Right! So, the five flutters I, uh… ‘recruited’, they kind of ganged up on the sixth one and pushed it to the floor so I could get that one, too. So I think they’re protective of me? Maybe?”

“That’s nice. That’s very nice! No idea how a golem… maybe if you’re doing it subconsciously? But we need to know more. You need to figure out more!”

“I need them near me to be able to talk to them, though,” I pointed out. “Pretty close, too. Like… I think five hundred feet at most. I won’t be able to do anything until there’s another inspection.”

“Don’t worry,” Varlanda said. “I’ve got an idea for that.”

Varlanda’s idea was a little risky, but we agreed that it was worth it. Basically, she was going to try and convince Sophia to send more golems to me. We had no way of knowing if they’d be the same golems that I already had control over, but that would be true of the next inspection anyway, whenever that might be. With unlocking Basic Golem Developments over two days away, and no way of knowing if there would be any developments that increased my limit — which would take more time anyway — we decided that waiting just wasn’t worth it.

The plan was simple, and there was no way of knowing if it would work, but it was worth trying. “Listen,” she told the others between songs, “I know I’m just going over the same old problem, but I don’t know how much longer I can take this. My skin’s crawling! We’ve been wearing the same damn clothes for six days now!”

“Dammit, Vee, did you have to remind us?” Simeon groaned. “We all know how rank we are. I’ve been using a low-level healing aura for days just to keep us from developing rashes.”

“She’s right, though,” Temeri said. “It’s disgusting. And frankly… I didn’t want to say anything in the hopes of us getting out of here before it became an issue, but I’m going to need some hygiene products in the next couple of days or things are going to get a lot worse.”

“Oh, shit,” Varlanda said. “No implant?”

“Don’t like them. Been using the daily regulators since I was a kid, and it’s never been a problem until now. I guess I should have considered the possibility of imprisonment without even the most basic considerations.”

“Honestly, though!” Varlanda exclaimed. “Sophia, I know you’re listening! If you can’t let us leave these rooms, can we at least have some clothes, hygiene products, and medications from our ship? You must be able to send some golems in there to fetch them, and Star can tell them where everything is. Sophia?”

There was a few seconds’ silence, and then Sophia said, “I believe I may be able to comply with your request, though I will have to search any articles for contraband.”

“That’s fine,” Temeri said quickly. “Do whatever you have to, just please, bring us some changes of clothes!”

“And my brushes, I beg you!” Bekeri added. “There’s a kit: brushes, washcloths, everything I need, all together in one bag.”

“Your request is being considered,” Sophia said, back to its normal, smooth tone. “Rest assured that your health and comfort are important to me, and that I will do what I can to accommodate you.” Then, less confidently, it added, “Within the strictures of my operating protocols.”

*

Early the next morning, the four toddler golems returned. They marched up, just like they had the first time, and stood in a line before the docking port. They paused there long enough for Sophia to do me the courtesy of sending a message to the effect of, “at the request of your crew, please show these golems where to find the following items,” followed by a list of basically the things the Crew had asked for: fresh clothes and hygiene articles mostly. Though Sophia had gone one step further and added towels, necessary medications, and any harmless personal items which would be easy to transport and would add to their comfort, which I thought was very thoughtful. I was pretty sure I might like Sophia, if it wasn’t keeping us prisoner.

I told Sophia precisely where to find everything, and then the golems climbed back aboard. And as soon as they were behind enough Hull that Sophia wouldn’t be able to see or talk to them, I began experimenting.

First I told them to not report anything I asked them to do while onboard. They all agreed without hesitation. Then I asked them what they could do for me. They weren’t sure what to do with that question. The first answer I got boiled down to “I can do anything I can do.” When I asked what they could do I got an exhaustive list of every little action they could possibly take, which was very interesting and so broken down into detail as to be totally useless. I finally got something useful when I asked what commands Sophia usually sent them, and if they could do the same things for me. They could! And mostly, what they did was to carry things.

The toddler golems were kind of lumpy, but they were strong, and their hands were nimble. They were good at picking things up, walking long distances, and putting them down again — why Sophia had used them to inspect me when there wasn’t much to pick up wasn’t entirely clear, but they were adorable, so I was glad it had.

Their instructions were very simple: go inside, pick up the designated items from their designated locations, and take them outside, then await further instructions. I asked if I could change those instructions, and they replied that what Sophia wanted meant nothing to them, and they’d do anything I asked. Basically. Communication between two enchantment-based entities like a golem and myself, or a Crystal Mind and myself for that matter, was a lot more complicated than that, but that’s what it meant. They’d keep doing what Sophia told them to unless I told them otherwise, but my instructions came first.

When I asked if they’d remember my instructions when they went out of range they seemed almost offended. They couldn’t be offended, being golems, but they managed to seem like it anyway. Of course they’d remember, they replied. They were carrying out Sophia’s instructions despite not being in communication with it, weren’t they? If I just let them know what I wanted them to do, they’d do it to the best of their ability!

So, I gave them some instructions. Some very simple ones. I simply told them that if any sapient asked them to leave a door open, or to lead them somewhere, they should do so before continuing with whatever Sophia had them doing. Then I told Varlanda what I’d told the golems. And just like that, I hoped, my Crew had a chance of escaping their rooms, if they thought it made sense.

Unfortunately, we had no idea what means Sophia might have of keeping my Crew locked up, besides a sturdy door and asking nicely. Because of that, and because I didn’t want Sophia to get suspicious, I helped the golems find everything they were supposed to: clothes and towels and hygiene things for everyone, Bekeri’s grooming kit, some books, Temeri’s hormonal regulators, a Kings set and a pack of cards, things like that. Then I sent them back outside. They looked so cute, carefully climbing down the ladder then lining up, their arms full of stuff! Then they got their instructions, and they marched off, my awareness of them slowly fading until they were gone entirely.

I let Varlanda know that they’d left. With any luck, the same golems would be carrying the Crew’s things all the way, and then the Crew would have a decision to make; should they try to free themselves, or not? I really didn’t know what they’d choose to do because Varlanda hadn’t linked back to me, and not knowing was both terrifying and exciting!

Then Sophia had to go and spoil it all by talking to me.