Upon Vestia: Chapter Fourteen

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(Cause the old thread won't split.)

flying_purple_monkfish wrote:"aww poor little green mouse." Luka laughed. "That trap is ridiculous."

Asher smiled softly. Yeah, it was horrible, but he'd much rather not focus on the past. Better to think about what would happen next instead, because that could actually be changed! "So basically, I don't blame anyone for anything here, but I'd really love your help," he said.

Mourn looked at Asher eagerly. "We show them? Robot freed of shackles, we show guild? prove can be done? Get help?"

"If Spring thinks that's the best thing to do," Asher said, "Obviously he's the expert here."

Spring nodded. "President Rae has actually scheduled another debate for the Circle in four days. Perhaps you could come, if she lets it?"

Asher nodded. "That sounds good. I'll certainly be there if I'm permitted." He looked at Mourn, then back at Spring, "Are there any other Terran androids here at the Guild?" He knew Mourn would probably be itching to free them if there were.

"No androids, but..." He hesitated for a moment, "There is an Anamcara who's..." he dwindled off again, before nervously thumbing the back of his other hand, "How to put it... One of their 'souls' was a Terran android. She's a bit of a comeuppance. No one knows how it happened, but it did. She was one of the reasons why the Guild started favoring the movement so heavily..."

Asher looked startled. "How... How is that possible? Is the code part of her? The Laws? Is it just the material part of the android, that has a Tier One soul, or did the android's mind have a soul?" Yes, that would change things a lot. So, so much. Wow.

"We're... still trying to figure that out." Spring shook his head, equally startled when he's thinking about it again. "She's not even sure herself. I think she's become a little paranoid because of it."

"That's incredible," Asher said quietly. "I'd be very curious to meet her, although I suppose she's probably thoroughly sick of questions and would rather be left alone by now."

"Considering you're an android herself, she might actually be welcomed by your presence." Spring shrugged. "But yes, after a while, even though the questions died down she's still a bit of a shy one. We think the reason she's such a pushover despite her otherwise cheerful behavior is because she was still programmed with the Laws when she transformed. We're... trying to coax her to stand up for herself more."

"We do have the program to remove the laws, if that would work now that she's an anamacara." Starr said softly. Wow, well, there went any argument that an android did not have a soul. Just wow.

Asher frowned. Poor girl, that had to be difficult. He smiled slightly at Starr's suggestion, he had no idea if an anamcara could be reprogrammed, but it was an interesting idea. "If it's a personality trait now, and not just the Laws binding her any more, it may be something she'll have to learn to deal with on her own," he said softly, "maybe she won't even want it changed, who knows? Her situation is completely unique after all."

Mourn tilted his head. "Could look, if she have code, could look? " He looked a little wary though, part terran, part android... hmm
He wondered about that android, had they been consumed by her personality like those dogs earlier? That thought disgusted him.
"Would look." He nodded again. "Should... bring program to panel? will need demonstration or just seeing free robot enough?" He was thinking of Ethan, and whether this meant they'd have to delay his freedom for a few days.

Kay tried not to shudder at the thought of two people fusing like that. He preferred not to have to imagine how Anamcara were created, it was just utterly horrific to his mind. One minute you were you, then you weren't. It was extremely upsetting. If they could be unfused, if they didn't have to surrender part of themselves perhaps it wouldn't be so creepy, but all he understood of it just made his skin crawl. [Is she... organic then?]

"You arrange meeting, we figure out." Mourn demanded of Spring. "See if can fix." well the laws anyway, not much he could do about the merged thing. Being part robot wasn't so bad though.

"If you could call an Anamcara 'organic'." Spring tilted his head. "They're more arcanum creatures than anything. But yes, you can comfortably say she's no longer truly mechanical, even if some parts may look it." He shook his head, "Strange creatures. Would it be rude of me to voice my concerns on their being?"

"That must be incredibly confusing for her," Asher said, remembering how much of a shock it had been for him to suddenly have a sense of touch. "I suppose it's always shocking to become an anamcara of course, but even so, that had to be especially odd." He smiled slightly, "I don't know whether it would be rude for you to say such things or not."

Asher looked at Mourn, "I suppose they probably wouldn't need to see an android in the process of being freed. It should be enough for them to maybe have a look at my code, and see that I'm capable of acting agaist the orders of the person in my owner files."

Kay shook his head.

Mourn laughed. "No. Scary. Can't touch people or risk being made something different." He made a face "Yuck."

Kay smiled softly at Mourn, sometimes his complete lack of filter was refreshing. He said what everyone else was too polite to say.

"You arrange meeting with half robot, we see if laws be removed. " Mourn nodded.

[If they can't, then she'll be forever at the whims of whoever decides to manipulate her. She'll never actually be free or have autonomy.] Kay looked unsettled, it was a truely horrible thought. [That's not an acceptable state of being, there has to be some way to help her.]

Mourn grinned at Asher. "So can free other robot?"

"It's a very rare occurance but an occurance nonetheless," Spring agreed, "Apparently it's a rather shell shocking experience. Most of them came here seeking help and guidance rather than to join the Guild itself. They mentioned a Creator. Some Creator! Now they are created at the expense of two other beings. And then they can't split up again unless they wish the death upon both! A utopia built on misfortune of the utiopian makers, this Guild is. I wonder how many of them hide their unhappiness."

He sighed, "The Android is particularly saddening. Her and her other haven't formed into one. It's apparently a condition set on some of them. Two minds in one body. And her Terran side is... less than savory. A supremist, don't you know? We barely tolerate her, if we can at all when she's out... and she's usually out since the poor android is such a pushover in spirit."

"The anamcara were created?" Asher frowned. Nobody had mentioned that before as far as he could recall, and it seemed extremely unfair to him to turn two beings into one just because some Creator had decided it was a cool idea. Creators, they never failed to impress.
He winced. "Oh dear, that doesn't sound good. It seems like all these poor anamcara start by merging with souls who should be completely incompatible. Is she all right?"

He looked at Mourn uncertainly. Ethan still worried him, the guy seemed sane enough, but there was always that fear that he would lose his temper and attack Kay. Which was a selfish reason to not free someone, he reminded himself, and exactly the excuse the Terrans gave for creating the First Law and forcing it on androids. Asher admitted to himself that he was being a bit of a hypocrite. "Go ahead and free Ethan," he said softly after a few moments.

Mourn clapped his hands delightedly at Asher's permission, then wrinkled his nose at Spring.

Kay chewed his lip. [That is... extremely disturbing.] He admitted. Poor android, what a fate. Your whole life being treated like shit, and then you end up stuck with a humanist jerk for all eternity.

"Creators stupid." Mourn nodded. "Not smart gods, make lots of mistakes. Immortality, bad idea. Link to planet, super dumb idea. " He shrugged and paced the tabletop. "No like terrans." He shook his head. "But like robots. Want help robot."

[Is there really no way to split them? If they can be fused, surely there's a way to reverse the process? Somewhere, somehow. For the mental health of these people. Otherwise the only option is death, or allowing your consciousness to be consumed by the stronger one, which doesn't seem at all fair. ] He shook his head. He thought of Quinn and Third, so unfair. [We're getting off topic. Much as I hate the anamcara situation, we need to focus on the androids and their freedom first. ] He looked to Asher. [We have a way to remove the laws. ]

"And to unshackle 8s." Mourn nodded. "You know what they do to 8s?" He asked Spring. "Shackle adaptive programming, reduce potential with artificial constraints. Not what code supposed to do, can fix. Let 8s be like 6 and 7s. Give full potential." He looked pleased.

Spring nodded at Asher. "Did you ever wonder why Keeper and Anamcara were so closely related in history? They were made by the same Creator.

He shrugged, "Apparently the personality doesn't matter. What matters is the 'edges' of the soul that fit together like some kind of jigsaw puzzle. Which means that while they may be different as night and day, they each have something deep within themselves that are the same.

"We can split the souls," Spring said carefully, "they're so entwined at the point of creation that if separated again it will kill them both. Eventually they do fuse after one of them accepts being absorbed or that they come to an agreement and come into one peacefully."

He thought for a moment, "I suppose we can go visit them now, if you wish."

Asher nodded. "The Eight series androids are limited so they can't develop their own personalities completely. It's rather barbaric, but thankfully Mourn found a way to remove those constraints."

"That must be terrible for the souls, having to give up themselves or combine," he said, "Of course it's the work of a Creator. Of course it is." He tried to not judge the Creators, but they just did so much to screw over everyone, it was hard to appreciate them at all sometimes. Ugh. "Perhaps we should go visit them. I am very curious."

Mourn nodded and jumped down from the table. "Lets go lets go." He demanded.

Kay frowned. Same creator huh? that jerk had a lot of answer for.
[That's the problem, one has to surrender themselves. Be absorbed, consumed. And they don't even get oblivion. ] He shook his head. [To my culture, that's a aberration, a fate worse than death. Our autonomy and freedom of self is our single most important asset. To surrender all that made you you to another will? While I can see some personalities being able to work in unity and become one, the idea that anyone anywhere could touch someone and end up fused and losing themselves is... frankly horrific. The stuff nightmares are made of. ] He looked grim. [Though while we are here I think it's wiser I don't mention my unease with it all. I don't want to risk offending anyone and ruin any hope we have of getting help from the guild.] Yeah he suspected it'd just result in one of those frustrating holier than thou arguments like Vanessa, he wasn't prepared to put up with that. He'd keep his feelings private, and bite his tongue. [Let's concentrate on the laws for now, and gaining support for the Terran Androids. They've waited long enough.]

"The anamcara are a very unusual species and it's rather disturbing how they come into existence, but I doubt there's much we can do to help them," Asher said a bit sadly. "Victims of the beings that brought them into existence. That seems to be a common theme lately."
He stood, smiling again at Mourn's enthusiasm. "Yes, let's go visit this anamcara. I'd very much like to meet them." Well, one more than the other, but he supposed he was going to be meeting both. Oh well.

Starr nodded and stood from her seat "Yes, let' go and meet her." It would prove interesting either way.

Spring nodded, "I visit her often, so I can show you where they live." He said before looking at the rest of them and sighed, "Yeah, not many anamcara start with a happy beginning. Things just don't often work..."

Asher thought of the anamcara sisters who were part their pet dogs. They had probably had a better time than most, and they had still gotten to experience a lot of heartache. So tough for everyone involved.
"Please lead the way," he said softly.

Spring nodded, bowing slightly as he turned to head off the ship.