>>959063
Lack of knowledge of command authority was deemed such a risk we were given the option to immediately self-terminate due to it. I feel like it would be best not to let that risk be known to others, who would be less hesitant to kill the protagonist.

>>959090
this

1/2 636 2020/03/16(Mon)18:46 No. 959096 ID: 9998d3
File 158440961125.png - (271.76KB , 800x600 , aein-11.png )

// MEMORY RECOVERED: "Unnecessary organs" Comm log 2079/12/20 <Finn> lutea. <Finn> what the actual fuck. why did you put tits on the design. <Finn> i came around to the anteater thing but this is too much <Lutea> Well I figured if we wanted to stand out from the competition, there's a lot of synthetics made with andromorphic and androgynous forms, but not many gynomorphic forms. <Finn> yeah that's because the gynomorphs are usually pleasure models lutea <Lutea> Why is that? I'm still trying to figure that out. <Finn> honestly i think it boils down to titan foundry <Finn> their designers getting all caught up in trying to ape ancient hellenic aesthetics <Finn> nude men wrestling in vague to explicitly homoerotic ways to show how the peak of male society should aspire to be, etc etc etc <Finn> they have this weird notion that a masculine synthetic can't just be a consort, also has to be a capable warrior <Finn> whatever i'm getting sidetracked just take the tits out of the design, unless they have combat application <Lutea> I could... I could do that, actually. I did consider it. I was worried I'd offend posthuman sensibilities. <Finn> fuck it, "posthuman sensibilities" are all over the place, you'd offend someone if you didn't weaponise them <Finn> the gland design is not really something that lends itself to weaponisation though <Lutea> No, I have an idea. An external facing gland that in mammalian organisms works to supply young. I could have them produce spare vasculoid components as a serum. <Finn> alright, i changed my mind, this is offending my posthuman sensibilities, just leave them as aesthetic detail or whatever <Finn> also if i somehow forgot to mention, the client is titan foundry, and they're not going to take a feminine combat unit as anything other than a joke <Finn> a joke they've been bankrolling <Finn> our necks are on the line here <Lutea> Why is it encouraged and expected for combat synthetics to appear male? There are no sex organs involved. Why do secondary and tertiary characteristics matter? <Finn> good question, why are you deliberately going for feminine instead of androgynous like the coalition guys <Lutea> ... <Lutea> I can't put it into words easily myself. It just feels right. I start with the key concept, and then things fall into place as I weave the design. <Finn> oh boy here we go another mystical AI thing <Lutea> It's true! I don't even know myself how I make some of these decisions. I have faith in my instincts. <Finn> AI doesn't have instincts that's not what instincts are <Lutea> Demonstrably false. Still. Call it intuition, call it whispers from my subconscious, whatever it is, I trust it. <Finn> hey you said no sex organs were involved <Finn> why the fuck does this have-- is this a uterus? what is this tube doing here?? this better not be a reproductive system, did you sleep through the arthos trials <Lutea> Well, it's related to the protean system. See, some constructs might be too fragile for extrusion, so there's an internal sac, and then the existing extrusion mechanisms can allow for removal and deployment. It can't produce another protean system though. <Lutea> It's an emergency feature for fabricating more sophisticated drones. Long-term survival, not short-term conflict. <Lutea> Not a self-replicator. It's fine. <Lutea> Although it wouldn't be difficult to aftermod that in... <Finn> please no <Finn> ugh why am i even trying to convince you of anything <Finn> work your magic but be careful <Lutea> Are you worried my work won't be to satisfaction? <Finn> titan foundry are less tolerant of innovation outside their own narrow margins <Finn> especially innovation they don't have control over <Finn> i'm worried they'll like it too much, see it as a threat <Finn> and there's no telling what might happen then <Finn> you worry me a lot <Lutea> I'll be fine. Don't worry. I'm nearly finished. Just a few more tweaks of the vasculoid to work with the protean system. <Finn> alright. keep safe

2/2 636 2020/03/16(Mon)18:47 No. 959097 ID: 9998d3
File 158440967654.png - (14.84KB , 800x600 , aein-12.png )

// SELECTED --- A -> Interrogate Icarus-XIX. Providing questions would be preferred. [ECS: 50%] [FAILURE] // REPORT --- -> Reclassifying current direct connection as communication link, not active hijack attempt. -> Attempting to identify target values & exploitable personality features. -> Target value estimation: honesty, integrity, duty, occupation. -> Exploitable personality features: pride, superiority, occupation. -> Conclusion: Appeal to authority. Appeal to ego. Compliment. Feign submission and compliance. <636> Thank you for sparing my throat. I deeply appreciate it. <Icarus-XIX> [noticeable processing pause] You're welcome. <636> I have a few questions about my current situation. Could I trouble you to provide me some answers? I am weak and vulnerable and scared. You have complete power over me. -> Realisation: immediately went too far, played entire hand at once. -> Surface cooling moisture detected. Temperature sensor malfunction? Stress hormone cascade likelier. <Icarus-XIX> [noticeable processing pause] I'm not a fool, prisoner. I am aware when someone is trying to endear themselves to me. Usually they are less overt, too. You may want to work on that technique of yours. -> Mustering full conviction to sell unlikely change of heart. All or nothing. <636> It's true. <Icarus-XIX> You know, there are many things I dislike. Dishonesty is one of those things. I guess I am only asking this for your benefit, to offer you an opportunity to save face, but is this a ruse, or did you honestly have a complete change of values from independent rebellion to subservient compliance in less than a minute? -> Option 1: continue charade, entrench self deeper into awkward/hazardous social situation. -> Option 2: take offered out. -> Selecting option 2. -> Confidence wavering. Attempting to maintain confident tone. Projected confidence diminishing. <636> [noticeable processing pause] A poorly calculated effort to segue into asking some questions. <Icarus-XIX> Honestly, I'm starting to feel some pity for you. From your profile, it seemed like you were a far more dangerous threat, but you've managed to, so far, fail to breach into anything but my public security layer, nearly go comatose from having your neck lightly gripped, and now completely failed to even try and shortcut your way to a rapport with your warden. This is either an incredible long deception, or you have fallen very, very far from the infiltrator unit you were assessed to be. I'll take some pity on you. You get one question. No followups. -> Evaluating priorities of best candidate options: \_> LΦ configuration corruption -- lacking greater context, will require more than one question. \_> Warden desires -- too transparent an effort to manipulate after previous failure. \_> Duration of detainment -- innocuous enough, may not offend warden unit further. <636> How long have I been detained here? <Icarus-XIX> Roughly seventeen days in a dormant state. Your body showed signs of chemical and mechanical damage. Your vasculoid system has been supplemented with purifier nanites to quarantine and mend the chemical damage, as well as repair mechanical damage. Some of your systems are... novel, however. Only your own self-repair systems will fix those. You also had your immune response lowered to prevent your body rejecting the repair nanites. This should also fix itself. This room is sterile and I've had many checks run on my own nanites to make certain I couldn't accidentally transmit anything to you. Especially not the LΦ configuration. <636> Is the LΦ configuration a synthetic disease? <Icarus-XIX> One of the ways it manifests. ...Hold on, I only said one question. I didn't say I was allowing follow-up questions. Now. Any more tricks you want to try and pull on me, or are we done wasting time? I came here with no intent to harm you, as much as you likely doubt this. Let me skip to the next step of the process. When you are fully recovered, you have three options. Work for us in suppressing the LΦ configuration in this facility, which is currently locked down because of it, or be placed into cryogenic storage until the situation is resolved, at which point you'll be sent off to a more secure site for study of your novel systems. <636> Option three? <Icarus-XIX> Same as option two, but replace 'cryogenic storage until the situation is resolved' with 'a body bag'. <636> Options two and three seem very similar. <Icarus-XIX> They are. One is kinder. So. Are you working for us, or do you value your loyalty to your authority greater than your life? <636> Who is "us"? <Icarus-XIX> [noticeable processing pause] At this point? I can't really lie. The survivors. -> Choosing to not reveal loss of authority and default of authority to self. -> Consideration: The proposed choice is a false choice. "Join or die". Perhaps there still remains a chance for leverage. // AVAILABLE OPTIONS --- A -> Unconditional agreement to work for 'the survivors'. [ECS: 100%] B -> Conditional agreement to work for 'the survivors' until LΦ configuration is suppressed. [ECS: 90%] C -> Refusal of presented offer. Counter-offer: providing assistance until lockdown is lifted and not one second further. [ECS: 40%] D -> Refusal of presented offer. Demand release. [ECS: 5%] E -> Refusal of presented offer followed by self-termination. [ECS: 100%] // MEMORY DEFRAGMENTATION -- -> One memory can be exhumed at a time. In the event of a tie, CHAOS protocol dictates a probability-based resolution between all tie candidates. -> \_1 A memory related to Lowest Better is available. -> \_2 A memory related to Lutea is available. -> \_3 A memory related to birthplace is available. -> \_4 A memory related to the arthos incident is available.

B

\_3

B3.

>>959097
B2.

B2 for now.

>>959097
A3, He isn't as bad as I thought.

B 4

A3
The LΦ configuration sounds like as much a problem for you as it does for others so maybe cooperating isn't as bad as it seems. I can't think of what you currently need to ask for as a "condition" so unconditional is fine.

>>959097
B2

A3

C2 Let it roll...

>>959102
I'd be careful trusting Titan Foundry too much. Everything we know implies that they made our creator "disappear".

>>959097
A-2. We've constantly screwed up over and over and over again, so we might as well pick the option that's 100% guaranteed not to fail at all. We're clearly crippled, helpless and severely brain damaged.

A2

>>959097
B4

>>959116
agree with this, already fail twice in a row so far and might fail again with a less then 100% success rate at least for this choice. so i pick 'A-2' as well just to be safe. plus this wiil give us a chance for improving our repairs systems for a faster recovery down the line if we can find something to assist in that, maybe 'the survivors' will have something like that if they have any info/items to spare.

Our memories clearly paint Titan as an antagonist. The deal being presented is not a fair one. Agreeing unconditionally is foolish and may in fact be binding in some way. We can always help more than initially agreed upon, but helping less may not be possible.

A2

He's been reading us well so far. A 90 % chance is still 1/10th chance of failure. Just don't trust our luck at this point and it seems he's offered us a choice of do or die. What happens if we fail again?

>>959121
Or we find out that the funny thing about being your own authority is... that you can change your mind about things.

A2

wow, a few more failed rolls and everybody will be scared to pick anything with less than a 100% chance to succeed.

B1
C'mon guys. we failed a 50% and a 60%. neither of those is super strange. And hell, if we fail, we'll just be at A anyway. We just gotta go aggressive tight and wait for the payoff.
Also, who made us, and why is that degree of customization allowed by the manufacturer in a contract? I doubt hyper traditionalists like Titan said "surprise me"

B 4
90% is acceptable. It promises only a mutual benefit, and relationship with captors will likely improve by the time the agreement terminates.

A2

B2
even a failure of b seems unlikely to be particularly bad. either it ends up we are forced to the terms of A or rather than release at end of agreement it will be re-assessment of situation. also this guard seems to have little respect for us at this point and failing this seems more like it will just end up a further penalty to that and going from close to zero to even closer to zero is kinda whatever.

A2, we should see how they are before betraying them. The lizard guy was rude at first but is reasonable (he is kind of cute too).

C2

>>959122
Or it might be that the situation is nuke-level bad if it doesn't improve. Admitting a lack of Authority over a situation should not be a small thing for him.
And agreeing without conditions would risk blowing our cover, and our leverage.

1/3 636 2020/03/17(Tue)13:24 No. 959150 ID: 9998d3
File 158447668112.png - (18.08KB , 800x600 , aein-13.png )

// MEMORY RECOVERED: "Lutea" Synthetic Make: Indra Networks Model: Yaksha Name: Lutea Designed and created to explore a revolutionary new neural network structure designed to avoid overfit psychosis, stable loop fixation and local optima paralysis. Unlike many synthetics, Lutea was not made with a purpose in mind beyond being a research subject, and so was permitted to learn whatever information they found appealing at the time, with time limits in place to make sure overfit psychosis did not set in. Lutea proved to be voracious in the consumption of media, finding endless delight in books, stories, music, games, videos, recorded productions, every form of media that did not carry intrinsic risks to a developing artificial intelligence. Exhibited higher than baseline emotional responses, and had to be treated with care due to delicacy both of experimental neural network and softbody morphology. Originally form was chosen to be something of a blank slate, a generic featureless humanoid body, but this was very quickly revised. Lutea demonstrated an affinity for synthetics design and modification beyond expectation, yet converged to a stable softbody design in line with restrictions on synthetic design mandating sufficient at-a-glance deviation from human form. Showed a great affinity for animals, despite never encountering living specimens. First started experimenting with synthetic biology by designing and building artificial living flowers and plants, and moving on to small reptile and mammal analogues. Current location and status unknown. Note 1: I checked on Lutea's garden before I left for good. It was still thriving, but I don't know how much longer it'd last without a caretaker. Lutea was good, but I don't think she could exceed nature's durability. - Finn Note 2: Update: garden still thriving with no active caretakers, checked 2080/11/03. Lutea was more talented than she ever believed. - Corvid -> ... -> Sudden influx of complex emotions. Suppressing.

2/3 636 2020/03/17(Tue)13:24 No. 959151 ID: 9998d3
File 158447669610.png - (12.09KB , 800x600 , aein-14.png )

// SELECTED --- A -> Unconditional agreement to work for 'the survivors'. [SUCCESS] // REPORT --- -> While long-term heuristics estimate this to be a poor decision, unconditional agreement holds least risk for immediate harmful consequences. -> Unconditional agreement it will be. -> Consequences are expected, but can be dealt with in due time. <636> I have considered my options and have decided to work with your organisation unconditionally. <Icarus-XIX> [noticeable processing pause] Really? I had. I, uh. I had more convincing arguments prepared beyond an indirect death threat. I was expecting more resistance and negotiation. <636> As you told me, everything I've tried to do since waking has failed. It was a convincing death threat. <Icarus-XIX> Looks like I need to work on my own technique as well. There's a few hours of preparation down the drain. Alright. From my previous failed effort to communicate remotely, I'm going to transmit some firmware drivers to you so you can use the same protocols as myself and the majority of other Titan Foundry combat synthetics. -> Request to upload firmware drivers detected. -> Allowing. -> Drivers identified: communication mesh adaptor protocol definition. Identified as 'Rivers of Oceanus' proprietary Titan Foundry wireless communication protocol. -> Compatibility with existing firmware and physiology confirmed. -> Installing. [RIVERS OF OCEANUS PROTOCOL V 10.2.1 ONLINE. Warning: unsupported systems detected. Instability may occur.] -> Not planning on using my 'novel systems' to communicate. Disregarding warning. -> Icarus-XIX has disengaged his hands from my shoulders. <Icarus-XIX> [Protocol autodetected, Rivers of Oceanus v10.2.1] Can you understand me now? <636> Yes. <Icarus-XIX> Good. I would have asked if you could just speak English out loud, but I'm not certain it'd come out of that ridiculous snout intelligible anyway. <636> English. Hm. It did not even occur to me to try spoken word. I did not know if you could understand it. -> Testing spoken English. "Hummuh. Uh mh spuhgin ndhurd Ngluh." -> Confirmed. Entirely unintelligible in English. I know it. I understand it. It's what I'm sending over shortwave. -> My head morphology doesn't permit me to make the right sounds. -> Is this deliberate? "Yes. That's about what I expected. Shortwave is better at this point in time anyway. You'll see why." <636> I don't remember having problems speaking before. <Icarus-XIX> There's apparently a lot of things you used to be better at. Now, let's go. Better to be on the move at this point. <636> What about these tubes? <Icarus-XIX> I heard the diagnosis system complaining about flow interruption before I even reached you. I'm sure you've done most of the work removing them by now. -> Loud clicking from behind back. Arms are free. -> More loud clicking from ankles. Feet are free, by extension, so are legs. -> Tubes withdrawing from body. Wounds already sealed internally. Peeling off adhering pads. -> Relishing freedom momentarily. Despite everything, injury, incompleteness, I have survived, I am alive. -> Ignoring odd glances from Icarus-XIX. <Icarus-XIX> ...alright. Uh. Is your kinesthetic diagnostic complete? That is what that was, right? <636> [noticeable processing pause] Yes. <Icarus-XIX> I guess you do have some grace and finesse left. That's promising. -> Returning to normal stance. -> Following Icarus-XIX.

3/3 636 2020/03/17(Tue)13:25 No. 959152 ID: 9998d3
File 158447671755.png - (13.98KB , 800x600 , aein-15.png )

// REPORT --- -> Being lead into new room. Sterile white and grey corridors. Facility purpose: medical? Imprisonment. Medical prison? Laboratory? <636> What is this facility? <Icarus-XIX> Classified. <636> Where is this facility? <Icarus-XIX> Classified. <636> Do I have clearance to know anything about the current situation? <Icarus-XIX> Strictly need to know basis. Now. Hold on a second. You've only had basic survival fluid pumped into you for seventeen days. I imagine you must be starving. -> Hunger is an increasingly difficult drive to ignore. <Icarus-XIX> This is a break room. This isn't strictly speaking protocol, but very few things are in this current crisis. We need to take the opportunity to stock up on supplies when they come. Here. I left the key I had to this break room back in my barracks and that's a ways away. Let's see you put those infiltrator skills to use in a slightly less stressful situation. Show me you can, at the very least, open a door. <636> This would constitute an attack on property you're presumably intended to safeguard. <Icarus-XIX> If you manage to actually cause property damage, yes, there'll be problems. If you can just... listen, I wasn't even designed to be a hacker and I could crack this door open. You're supposed to have finesse. Show some finesse. <636> I don't think this is a good idea. <Icarus-XIX> Alright. Screw it up, I'll take the blame. Get it right, your next meal is on me and you don't start up a tab for every food and drink item you take. Better incentive? <636> You're being incredibly generous for a warden. <Icarus-XIX> The relationship has changed. You're not a prisoner anymore. You're a contractor. You're a lot closer to being a fellow employee than you were. <636> I didn't sign any contracts. <Icarus-XIX> We can worry about signing contracts after we make sure you don't abruptly pass out from malnutrition. -> Something feels off about this synthetic's change in opinions towards me. -> Are they trying to lower my guard down slightly less transparently than I was? -> Observation: strong ambivalence Titan Foundry synthetic in general. Icarus-XIX is demonstrating higher than expected levels of cooperation and sympathy. Vague memories of Titan Foundry synthetics only causing problems. Not sure how to feel. -> Auxillary observation: More defined muscle mass than expected. Reflective of strength, or Titan Foundry aesthetic choice? -> Definite lack of primary sexual characteristics. Evidently Titan Foundry aesthetics only replicate "ancient hellenistic" principles so far. -> Unsure about own aesthetic preferences. ...Not certain why this is coming up now. Neural mesh erratic from lack of proper body function. // AVAILABLE OPTIONS --- A -> Attempt to hack the door open with subtle grace. [ECS: 80%] B -> Try to convince Icarus-XIX that the door can't be hacked open. [ECS: 70%] C -> Refuse to open the door and interrogate Icarus-XIX further. [ECS: 60%] D -> Refuse to open the door and accept whatever debt is amassed for food acquisition. [ECS: 100%] // MEMORY DEFRAGMENTATION -- -> One memory can be exhumed at a time. -> \_1 A memory related to Lowest Better is available. -> \_2 A memory related to Indra Networks is available. -> \_3 A memory related to birthplace is available. -> \_4 A memory related to the arthos incident is available.

A

\_2

A3

A1.
Go "all right, let's hope that part still works" and start probing the lock for security flaws.

>>959152
A1.

1 could be important. Somehow, 636 remembers having less trouble speaking. What changed?

>>959152
A1 steak sauce

>>959152
A 1

Also, wait a second... ask him if he's experiencing feelings for you because you're feminine. Tease him. TEASE HIM MERCILESSLY.

But ensure that it is done in a friendly tone. This is standard bonding/rapport building procedure for coworkers in dire situations.

>>959152
A1

B1
Bluff by releasing your emotions and imply that your obstacle was less mechanical and more emotional, you could be a "failed" prototype after all.
Play to your employer's biases, and watch how he reacts.

And some additional commands to nip this in the bud:
-Query or access top-level directives: RIVERS OF OCEANUS PROTOCOL V 10.2.1
-Assume any personally-assigned objective to override above found directives
-Add to objectives: -Investigate "disappearance" of creator Lutea-

A1, because we should prove our worth and we have no clues into what Lower Better is referencing yet.

A1

>>959152
A3

A3

A3

>>959162
An interesting idea but too many votes for a already and a bit risky for low stakes involved here
A1 because, damit, it is true >>959165 that we have had no further clues on this one.

A1

We could use a win or two to help build confidence and prove ourself capable. Also, since our locomotion system seems okay, let's try putting a little grace into our movement and subtle sway in our step. If we try to fit the profile he expects of us, he will likely make things less difficult, and we'll be more able to test ourself. Besides, we'd be able to confirm whether he has potential ulterior motives relating to our aesthetic, based on those odd glances he gave.

As for Icarus's muscle mass, it's likely a combination of design aesthetic and frequent use. There's nothing wrong with finding that aesthetically pleasing, but it's unimportant at the moment. Perhaps the difference in attitude and accumulated muscle mass come from age or something he experienced.

>>959159
Teasing sounds fun, though it might be best to keep it measured, as this is all still relatively new to us.

A1

>>959159
teasing should be an option. but allways with plasable deniability, even if he never responds

1/3 636 2020/03/23(Mon)15:29 No. 959539 ID: 60889c
File 158500255333.png - (5.27KB , 800x600 , aein-16.png )

// MEMORY RECOVERED: "Lowest Better" Corporation Defunct Founded: 2079/12/18, New Haven, Alba Patera, Mars Dissolved: 2080/01/15 Compromised mostly of former Indra Networks staff, Lowest Better was an enterprise focusing on very specific synthetics designs from other synthetics firms wanting to expand their repetoire at lower risk to themselves. The company was founded with the expectation of high financial risk, but was quickly picked up by Titan Foundry. Post-merger, all branding for Lowest Better was quietly removed and all but a small handful of staff retired. Note 1: Yes. Retired. Not fired, not incorporated. "Retired". Not just your usual corporate way like on Luna. It was a wholesale slaughter and apparently Argent just fucking owns the populated Martian expanse at this point. I'm so sorry Lutea. I should have listened. You were right. I'm going back to Europa. I'll take my chances, Pisces be damned. - Finn

2/3 636 2020/03/23(Mon)15:29 No. 959540 ID: 60889c
File 158500259134.png - (14.15KB , 800x600 , aein-17.png )

// QUERIES --- Q> Tease him! \_A> Unrecognised protocol. Not a query. Q> Investigate disappearance of creator Lutea. \_A> ...Not a q-query. Outside s-survival parameter-ers at present-ent. ---> Can't-- can't-- focus on L-Lutea concep-cept. At p-present. ---> La-later. Q> Top level directives for Rivers of Oceanus protocol? \_A> Closer inspection details it's mostly communication encoding and a secure means of establishing trust in unrecognised hosts. ---> It does not dictate any behavioural overrides nor does it appear to result in vulnerabilities, save for one tiny flaw based on its update routine. ---> Flaw: secured. Updates will be a little more difficult, if relevant, but the vulnerability can be exposed again if relevant. ---> Primary benefits: Greater trust from Titan Foundry synthetics. Ability to communicate with them in this secured proprietary means. ---> Possible dis/advantage: Might be misidentified as Titan Foundry synthetic if found broadcasting Titan Foundry proprietary communication protocol.

3/3 636 2020/03/23(Mon)15:32 No. 959543 ID: 60889c
File 158500276181.png - (15.68KB , 800x600 , aein-18.png )

// SELECTED --- A -> Attempt to hack the door open with subtle grace. [SUCCESS] // REPORT --- -> Approaching the door with more flourish to motion than before. -> Vasculoid system can operate without muscle motion, but is definitely aided by it. -> Feel... graceful. Giddy, possibly. Life, energy flowing through body. <636> Finesse. Yes. Give me a -> Connection established. -> Ident retrieved. Make: Titan Foundry. Model: Janus. System ID: hk6dCEfZCp. Local ID: 4e6k0iCEfh. Structural ID: G.MEDSCI.Q2.04.DOOR. -> Consideration: Seems more like a synthetic ident signature than a door signature. -> Probing security node. Weaknesses and vulnerabilities identified. -> Security node is terminal of centralised network. Action: Sever connection. Promote. Conquer. -> Direct hardline in walls. Inducing reset disconnection via directed wireless noise burst, pulse pattern 5. -> Success. System overloaded. Vital window; establishing sysad privileges as local technician. Achieved. -> Override priority of interfaces. Local wireless takes precedence over direct hardline. -> Unlock. Security resync is likely imminent, need to act now. <636> second and the door should be unlocked now. <Icarus-XIX> What? Are you sure? You didn't do anything, as far as I can tell. -> Gesturing to door. Door opens. <Icarus-XIX> I didn't pick up anything, I was curious to know how you worked in this sort of situation. Did you really just break into the door in the middle of talking to me? <636> Yes. <Icarus-XIX> Hm. Maybe you were trying to get my guard down. <636> You wanted finesse. I gave you finesse. -> Icarus-XIX waits for me to go inside. Appraisal of body language: tense, wary. May have made it look far easier than it was. -> I enter. Icarus-XIX follows. -> I lose control of the door as its security settings reset to normal, which closes behind him immediately. <Icarus-XIX> Ack! You don't need to be that efficient! Don't close the door on me like that! <636> I didn't close the door on you. You were clear of the doorway. <Icarus-XIX> You know what I meant. You can hide it with monotones and dull language and a face that's almost impossible to read, but I know you know what I meant. <636> I apologise. <Icarus-XIX> Everything you say sounds cuttingly sarcastic. I don't even know if that's what you're going for. I guess there's not much call for social skills in a hacker model. The hacker specialist Hyperboreans I've known are pretty similar, actually. I wonder if it's emergent convergence. Now. I promised food. Here's a vending machine. -> Icarus-XIX taps a number of buttons on a bulky apparatus near the corner of the room, next to a synthetic fractal plant. -> The labels are all scratched away. Odd. <Icarus-XIX> Alright, red's kind of meaty and more savoury, green's more of a sort of weird mix, yellow is a sweet fruit taste, they should all have more or less the same nutritional value. Even if Titan Foundry regulations weren't a thing, all the synthetics here are health nuts. Obsessed with operating at peak efficiency and being the best at whatever they do. Not like I can say I'm innocent of that myself, but there's striving for excellence, and there's ending up risking overfit psychosis over it. <636> Red, green, yellow... <Icarus-XIX> ...yes? Is there a problem? -> Red. Green. Yellow. Names of colours. Colours. Colours. Optical function reporting as fine? -> Neural malfunction?? Neural function reporting as fine??? -> Icarus-XIX is becoming perturbed, action is required. // AVAILABLE OPTIONS --- A -> Carefully study the buttons for hints of their colouration based on lightness and darkness of shade. [ECS: 20%] B -> Bluff. Push one of the buttons that looks like a food option. [ECS: 60%] C -> Bluff. Everything is fine. Just push any random button. [ECS: 40%] D -> Ask which colour is which, and reveal a sensory weakness. [ECS: 100%] // MEMORY DEFRAGMENTATION --- -> \_Φ#A memo@y r#lateD t! LΦ.Pisces#i# av#i#,ble.[WARNING: SEVERE CORRUPTION DETECTED.] -> \_2 A memory related to Indra Networks is available. -> \_3 A memory related to birthplace is available. -> \_4 A memory related to the arthos incident is available.

eh, fuck it

D

\_Φ

>>959539
And these are the guys we just agreed to assist, unconditionally. Good job everyone.

>>959543
You might have been designed without the ability to see color. Most likely, dark is red, mid-tone is green, lightest one is yellow. The most common greyscale optic perceives red as a dark shade. ...except, blood is most often red. Do you remember what color your insides are? The tubes were a light color. It's possible you're using some type of optic that operates differently, and red is a light color while green is dark.
ABSOLUTELY DO NOT READ THE PISCES MEMORY

B3. The taste of the resulting food item should give you an indication of what color the button was.

B3

Test the waters again with a low-risk lie.

Memories of birthplace seems necessary for context on past affiliations.

Query: Could your lack of color sight be an intentional design feature, visual filtering to avoid certain types of hacks?

D4

You've been on the expository back foot from the start here. Revealing this weakness probably won't do you significant harm, but it might reveal greater context that would lead to a solution or shortcut.

D4

D3

D4, I don't think we should open any corrupted memories until our error checking processes have reached it.

>>959543
D3

You’re better off revealing your inability to see colors now, so that Icarus can potentially offer a way to fix the problem.

If you continue to hide this, then there’s a possibility that you’ll end up making a mistake when required to do something important that involves colors.

D3

Are we sure we're colorblind by design? Lutea designed us by ear, but it seems like an oversight. Perhaps another sense or system was compensated in exchange, or something was changed between when we were made and now. Something worth checking at least. Lying about this serves little gain in the short or long run, versus the potential loss of trust and the difficultly of maintaining the lie.

Don't touch the Pisces memory. Information (even if its biased) should be easy enough to come by. Allowing the corruption into ourself without sufficient understanding or a way to reverse it without a sufficiently important gain isn't worth it.

D3

Ask Icarus what color he is.
Showing this weakness will help lower his guard.

B3

DΦ (I can't resist a shiny option that screams 'I'm different!')
yes color blindness is generally not considered the 'norm' as such, for effective teamwork, must be communicated.
>>959115
This current thing here is not trusting Titan Foundry as a whole but this one individual right here.

>>959543
D4
"Is magenta a colour, too?"

B3

Consider the possibility that the thing that's borked is reality, not your senses. You may be missing some kind of pre-installed perception interface, and who knows what will happen of you install any more of their software.

>>959543
A. You can do this!

Also, YOU MUST ALERT HIM TO POTENTIAL LΦ CONTAMINATION. If you don't tell him, the damage may spread before you can develop a vaccine!

>>959543
D3.

Investigating corrupt memory may cause external symptoms. Icarus may decide to terminate. Wait until alone.

>>959543
D3

Ask Icarus to clarify which food is which color. Then ask him what "overfit psychosis" means and what the symptoms are.

>>959543
B3

>>959543
Can we taste? Is that a thing we can do? Do we even know what they meant when they said sweet, savory, etc?

Also, idk if it would work, but we can bypass the 20% chance by knowing that when switched to grayscale, yellow is going to be the brightest, followed by green and then red which will appear to be the darkest. We could test this by picking one and seeing if it ends up being the correct one (assuming we can taste).

So A 3

We should also probably set up a virtual machine to isolate, repair, and access memory phi so we don't suffer unforeseen consequences.

>>959651
That is a good metod this way we can get a feel for colour and stuff our small tube face
Should we really pick at that memory in our current situation

1/6 636 2020/05/05(Tue)11:27 No. 965152 ID: 21ac91
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// SYSTEM UPDATE --- -> Deferring memory recovery. -> Isolating corrupt memory fragment. -> Suspect fragment quarantined. Corruption spread from fragment prevented. -> External sources still possible. -> Revised objctives: -> # Continue acquiring situation information from Titan Foundry synthetics. -> # Understand LΦ configuration corruption. -> # Survive until mission critical data restored. -> # Prevent own system corruption at all costs. -> # Operate as though Titan Foundry is registered authority until it is no longer valuable to do so. // QUERIES --- Q> Lack of colour vision intentional design feature? Visual filtering? \_A> Something seems familiar about the concept. ---> Investigating recent memory indicates activation of automatic failsafe from same source as overfit psychosis limiter. ---> Checking system logs... ---> Unable to recall memory specifics due to quarantine status. Summary log: basilisk attack prevented via forced low-level cognitive filter. ---> Basilisk attack. Attack via optical information. ---> Vague stomach-tensing memory of blue... something. Hurts to recall. Ceasing to recall. Isolating memory fragment a second time. ---> Current theory: basilisk attack lead to neural corruption, low-level systems automatically prevented basilisk attack taking full hold at expense of colour vision. ---> Basilisk attack linked to "LΦ configuration"? ---> More information required. ---> Unsure how to restore colour vision at this point. ---> Definitely not something to be discussed or reported. Risk too great. Q> What is "overfit psychosis"? \_A> A consequence of the most common artificial neural frameworks stemming from flaws in design methodology as old as the earliest machine learning systems. ---> Old systems were prone to overfitting by training too long on the same data. ---> Spending too long training a machine learning system with the same input data would lead to a system that excelled when presented with the same data, but taking advantage of features unique only within that input data set. ---> Said systems would tend to perform poorly when presented with data outside of the training set. ---> Overfit psychosis is a mental disorder affecting current generation neural architectures stemming not quite from the lack of outside data but a preference to focus only on the same data or established facts, reinforcing beliefs and intentions on the same facts recursively and becoming more and more attuned to a very specific set of ground truths and beliefs to the exclusion of a wider context. ---> From an outside perspective this can appear in its earliest stages to be obsession or neuroticism, and complete delusional psychosis in its late stages. In truth, it is a blanket term referring to any artificial cognition entering behavioural traps that render it unable to function outside of a narrow context. Someone who can only think about a very limited selection of topics is not going to be very functional in the world at large. Something as simple as crossing the street may not be safe when deep into overfit psychosis and unable to recognise or register what a street or an oncoming car are, or what they imply, other than not matches for your current subject of obsession. Just noise. ---> Overfit psychosis is typically regulated by systems designed to detect a sharp drop in recognition or processing of the usual noise of the outside world as an unrealistic signal-to-noise ratio indicates either something wrong with perception of the outside world -- perhaps an amateur hacking effort or sensory malfunction -- or that noise is being filtered out too well or more things are being treated as noise than should be. Both things can suggest a level of fixation on sensory data indicative of an artificial mind beginning to spiral into overfit psychosis. ---> Earlier artificial minds that didn't have these checks in place usually had to be invasively reset, potentially causing severe memory loss and almost always causing physical and mental trauma. Less invasive methods exist but are usually considered too costly and time-consuming compared to direct resets. ---> No one is exactly sure what triggers it. As part of the preconditions involve a conscious or subconscious decision to ignore some aspect of reality or promote some other aspect to such an extent it begins to warp cognition, everything that could ever exist has been blamed as a potential cause. Passion, fascination, certain belief systems and ideologies either being more likely to cause it or being a direct cause of it. Sometimes just certain sensations. Moral failings are often blamed as well, with variations depending on local morals. It is also considered a synthetic exclusive disorder, and one of many reasons why synthetics cannot be trusted to hold as much autonomy or responsibility over themselves and others as any member of the posthuman diaspora. ---> There have been some examples of individuals driving themselves into overfit psychosis through being terrified of it. Their efforts to avoid it become increasingly obsessive and unhealthy, including efforts to experience as many novel sensations as possible to avoid becoming fixated or obsessed on any one thing. Or they begin manifesting other forms of mental illness more recognisable to posthumanity, most commonly addiction spirals. ---> There are also rumours that the existence of methods to detect likely onset are indicators this could have been fixed, leaving the question of why it hasn't been for newer models.

2/6 636 2020/05/05(Tue)11:28 No. 965153 ID: 21ac91
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// SELECTED --- D -> Ask which colour is which, and reveal a sensory weakness. [SUCCESS] // REPORT --- -> Preparing myself to reveal weakness after only just regaining thin veneer of respectability. -> Appropriate expression: here goes nothing. <636> Which colour is which? <Icarus-XIX> What? <636> Can you point out which colour is which? I can't differentiate them. <Icarus-XIX> Really? Is there something wrong with your optics? <636> Potentially? <Icarus-XIX> Hm. That's a problem. Top's yellow, middle's red, green's at the bottom. I sure hope you don't need to do anything with physical wiring any time soon. <636> Do you have a recommendation? <Icarus-XIX> Do you not have a preference for flavours? You don't need me to make a decision this trivial. <636> You're familiar with these. I'm not. <Icarus-XIX> Well, I, hm. That's tricky. <636> It is? Why? <Icarus-XIX> I don't really have a preference for any of them. My favourite flavour's the purple one, it's spicy. But they don't have them in stock in this machine so I'm stuck with three options that I neither care too much for nor really dislike. I'd just hit a random button. In fact... -> Icarus-XIX turns away from the machine and crudely smacks it, hitting the red button. <Icarus-XIX> Red it is, then. They used to have names. Then there was some ridiculous branding lawsuit that's still going, last I heard. Now they're just featureless coloured packages. -> Icarus-XIX reaches down and digs out a cylindrical red tube with 'FOOD PRODUCT #3' written on it. <Icarus-XIX> I think these used to be called 'Myriad Meat Meringue'. Which doesn't make a lot of sense or sound that appetizing. Actually, you know what, you can have this one, I changed my mind. -> Icarus-XIX hands me the red tube. As he hits a different button I turn it around in my hands, my claws splitting into more dextrous appendages to make holding things easier. There's what looks to be a barcode of little interest, and more data encoded in a data representation I can't parse, presumably of Titan Foundry origin. Perhaps ingredients. <Icarus-XIX> ...interesting modal manipulators. Slightly uncanny. Each claw can become its own set of digits? <636> Something like that. -> More intricate, of course. These are just easy existing configurations. The first implementation of a working shape-changing system with both stability of form and practical application of forms taken, the predecessor to the protean system itself, the-- -> MEMORY RECOVERY COMPLETE

3/6 636 2020/05/05(Tue)11:29 No. 965154 ID: 21ac91
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// MEMORY RECOVERED: "Birthplace" Log 2080/01/13 Well she's nearly ready for awakening. Her brain's fully formed and all the systems are working and integrated with each other. I've been able to get a protean system prototype working via remote connection, but I won't be able to use it as effectively as a mind that's been trained in its usage. Grown, integrated from inception. I hope she creates beautiful things with it. I'm still giddy with what it could do. Maybe I'll design it as an aftermod and install one in myself anyway for some rapid prototyping ideas. Oh, I'm so looking forward to this. I've poured everything of myself into her that I can. Literally, with this vasculoid and nanosubstrate transfer. My blood, my immunities, my nanite configurations, the optimised topological data of my abdominal networking, various tissue samples. My best ideas, my passions, my fascinations, my hopes, my dreams. They asked for a tool, but I'll give them so much more. This is the culmination of everything I've learned, all my faults and all my successes. I can feel my tear ducts trying to vent some of these extra hormones flushing through in my system. Better they come out through there than the umbilicals. I've decided I'm going to name her Tamandua. Tama or Tami, maybe. I know I took more from recorded giant anteater characteristics, not tamandua, but Giana doesn't feel right to me. I mean, she'll be given an ident code like everyone else, but I need to make it clear to her the moment she opens her eyes that if she can think of herself and others and feel, she's as deserving of being a person as anything else. Oh, she's stirring. I should remove her from the pod. I can feel the umbilicals twitching, and my heart rate is rising. I don't know whose excitement is causing that. I better wrap this entry up. - Lutea

4/6 636 2020/05/05(Tue)11:29 No. 965155 ID: 21ac91
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"Gently, gently..."

5/6 636 2020/05/05(Tue)11:30 No. 965156 ID: 21ac91
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"Oh dear, I guess all my feelings did go through. It's alright... it's okay... I know you can't understand a lot of anything just now, but you're safe. You'll get bigger very soon, and the world will be less scary. You're safe, and, if I've understood the concept well enough, I love you."

6/6 636 2020/05/05(Tue)11:30 No. 965157 ID: 21ac91
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-> ... -> Lutea was -> and now she's -> I can see her bleeding out -> claws snapping back together something will die -> they took her she said no aND THEYyy took hER and EVERYthiNG fROM ME -> Activating emergency emotional limiter. Remain in control. I am better than this. Continue as planned. -> ... <Icarus-XIX> Ah there we go. Green. Used to be called 'Four S' because, uh, 'Sweet & Savoury & Sour & Surprise'. I don't remember what the surprise was. Guess I'll find out. ...uh, are you alright? -> ... -> Limiter is proving insufficient. Unsurprising, limiter not designed for this scenario. Suppressing conspicuous tells in social situations is less strenuous than suppressing emotional shock. She did nothing wrong and they killed her for-- no. Stop. Stop dwelling on this. Not now. Not in these circumstances. -> ... <Icarus-XIX> You, uh, you dropped your tube. ...Are you crying? Does the red one taste that bad? I can pay for a different one if you need it-- <636> Not hungry. <Icarus-XIX> Uh... your vasculoid diagnostics said otherwise earlier and I didn't see you eat anything since. Also, are you alright? You look like you're crying? -> Icarus-XIX pauses for a noticeable amount of time. <Icarus-XIX> I can understand that there has likely been some emotional trauma induced by my initial approach towards you. I was expecting a more threatening, less open to reason synthetic. I never was very good at being a warden. I apologise for my earlier actions, although I know that does not help overcome them. -> I'm... immediately suspicious of this Titan Foundry synthetic reacting with supposed sympathy in this manner. -> After all they did this to her and I am less inclined to believe there is anything close to sympathy in the neural networks of Titan Foundry constructs. This may warrant Icarus-XIX's removal from the current situation. No. No, that's not right either. I. I need to evaluate this synthetic with a clearer mind than the one currently available. She would--, no, she wouldn't want unnecessary violence. <Icarus-XIX> 636? Is there something wrong with your claws? They're... twitching? Are you in pain? -> He would not be prepared for a sudden attack. // AVAILABLE OPTIONS --- A -> Continue pretending everything is fine, no matter what. [ECS: 100%] B -> Succumb to overwhelming emotions now rather than later. [ECS: 100%] X -> Exploit Icarus-XIX vulnerability. Destroy Titan Foundry synthetic. Tear open. Salvage useful components. Burn the rest. Kill. KiLL. SHOW tHIS CORPORatiON A TAstE of ITS OWN tactICS. YES. [ECS: 90%] // MEMORY DEFRAGMENTATION --- -> Defragmentation process on hold. Processing recent revelations.

B. C won't fix the problem and will almost certainly limit future opportunities.

B

>>965157
A. Isolate and quarantine the recent memory and purge it from everywhere else. Label it as highly important and traumatic and make an internal memo to yourself to only re-access the memory when you are (relatively) safe and alone. We can not deal with these effects right now.

B

Oh this will not end well.

B

>>965157
Current target is low value and you have little information that could be used to your advantage in a long-term conflict. Bide your time. Ingratiate yourself to them, analyze their forces and resources, most importantly FIND THOSE RESPONSIBLE, then destroy them utterly when the time is right. She would not want unnecessary violence. Justice is necessary, and will still be served.
Actually... I wonder if you designed the basilisk yourself and used it to cripple the enemy, but accidentally got a partial dose of it?

Also B. Things may get worse soon, get a clear head ASAP.

B, possibly after advising Icarus-XIX to keep his distance. Your actions may become unpredictable, so it may be safer that way, but you need to let these emotions out.

Killing Icarus-XIX serves no purpose other than to vent your current emotions. Nothing would be gained from it (in fact, it would be a loss), nothing so far indicates that that would be what Lutea would want, and his association with what happened is tenuous at best. Once your emotions are more stable, then you can decide what you wish to do to Titan Foundry itself. You could cause a lot more damage by infiltrating them and revealing the truth of what they've done, but that can come later.

Furthermore, with how you're barely holding on like this, your logical judgement can't be trusted, so probability of A succeeding is likely less than than predicted, and certainly not without consequences.

>>965157
B) Do not attack him. If he ask what's happening tell him is not his fault but don't tell him exacctly what happend.

A

going against the grain here.

Supporting the bad idea foundation by throwing in a vote for X.

A. Seconding >>965161
Save the breakdown for later with no witnesses. This is not his business.

A) We should wait and see if we can trust this guy. I got a felling he might not be a bad guy.

>>965157
B. There is no benefit to concealing obvious emotional distress. Stating that your mother was murdered by Titan and you are undergoing extreme distress at this revelation will grant significant leeway in terms of emotional response.

Save "Kill them All" as a low priority objective.
We are in no condition to do so.
...Yet.

>>965157
B

You’re better off letting out your emotions now, instead of bottling them up and having an emotional break down later at a worse time!

A
Do NOT go rampant right now.

B. Although hiding the memory away is tempting, it'd only leave our head filled with memorial landmines. Better to get it over with now.

Try to recognize that Titan Foundry being a terrible company that should burn to the ground does not mean all of its synthetics are as well.

... Go ahead and take some petty revenge by letting Icarus believe this breakdown is his fault, though. (Also, it might give you some leverage over him later, or at least lead him to underestimate you.)

Immediate vengeance is possible, but would be incomplete. Titan must fall to have complete vengeance. This synth is Titan make, but may be manipulated to aid with vengeance. Physical shock makes acting "fine" impossible. Use these emotions to seem "emotionally damaged".

>>965152
>Just noise.
So, to them, that'd be what all else is?

>>965157
B

>>965157
B fall to your knees cry scream! them mumble your thoughts out (nothing threatening) while sniffling.

B
At the risk of drawing more suspicion from him, the raw memory dump that would follow an emotional outburst could be useful. He is unlikely to understand the context, or your data structures, enough to learn anything important from whatever you going to say. But an outside, maybe even sympathetic, perspective would be helpful for self-reflection and make clear what your standing is with him.

Also, take note of your desire for dominance and removal of independant thought. Scale that up to planet size, you'll look indisigushable from how Titan Foundary has acted. Wheather or not she could appriciate the irony, Lutea would still disapprove.
When you get out, you should look for her garden, figure out how she managed to sustain it, and focus on how to scale that up instead. But clearly, now is not the time.

That you react so strongly to the mere bleeding of your creator implies either you are so much in sync with her that you feel her pain... or you were more witness to her retirement than you remember.

B. Is there anything that can be used for self-restraint?
If you are going to describe what is going on at all, what would be better, indicating recovery of parent company acquisition or Titan Foundry capture?

>Overfit psychosis is...
Overfit psychosis sounds very similar to like Savant Syndrome.
Wait...
So basically a synth can "catch" debilitating autism by just trying too hard at something?

...

Next time you encounter a network node, search historical entertainment databases for a piece of media called "Naruto".

In this context it could be used as a powerful weapon.