( closed )

[decommission]

CHARACTERS: Lexa and Steve
WHERE: Churches in Subspace.
WHEN: Day :003 - ???
SUMMARY: Checking into the religions of Opia.
WARNINGS: Will update as necessary.

[ Between today and the rally Steve did a bit of exploring around Subspace on his own. His clothes are secondhand and nondescript, not just for his lack of fashion sense - he didn't catch the attention of any of the more unsavory types around the slums when he did his wandering.

Today he's got Lexa with him, and a little more purpose. More familiar with this type of transport, he's the one that gets them on the right train and down into the heart of Subspace. They call these ones bullet trains, and it's not hard to understand why. Looking out the windows from where they stand near the doors is dizzying, rollercoasters don't even go this fast.

Two stops from their destination and he reaches out to her. ]

( Any idea what we should tell them if they ask what we're doing there? )

[ In learning. They've got their backgrounds, but he's not sure anyone's going to care to hear that they're down there looking to get inspiration for Extranet scenarios. Better to stick to the truth where you can, and not just because he doesn't like lying. ]

Comments

[onemind]

Of course.

[That's prompt, immediate and blessedly simple. Judtia underscores it with a curt nod.]

Maybe not a big one, but everyone and everything is here for some reason. Some people would probably call that being really optimistic or idealistic, but I think it just makes sense. We're all part of the world - or, uh, the universe really -, and it's part of us. I've never seen anything in the whole world that didn't somehow exist in a give and take... ecology, I guess? We're here to give things out into the universe and to take them back from it. We're here to effect change.

[A flicker of hesitation. She splits a look between the two of them, then finally simply eases back into her chair by a half degree and moves her hand to tap a small device at the corner of her desk. It's evidently a clock; the holographic display lights up with the time under her touch.]

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to trap you here. [She laughs absently, a thin noise.] A second ago it seemed like you two were ready to go and then off I went.

[adamance]

We were, but like I said, it would be rude to leave without drinking even a little of your tea. It would go to waste. [From what Lexa knows about this level of this world (this city), things here are likely more difficult to obtain. She doesn't want it to seem as if they are taking anything for granted. In the end, she knows how far a simple gesture like that can carry them.]

If we have more questions, is there an easier way to contact you? [It may come up as they explore more, trying to find their footing with their mission here.]

[decommission]

[ He's been quiet, his commentary relegated to stray thoughts and vague misgivings, centered this time on place and purpose. At the mention of the tea again he finally takes a sip - then, upon realizing how much is left in the mug, a comically long drink before setting it back down on the desk. ]

[onemind]

[You tried, Steve.]

Oh, of course! I can give you my extraspace ID. You can ping me whenever you want to.

[She pushes up her sleep and touches her wrist then, activating the subdermal implant there. It projects a holographic readout on the pale flesh of her forearm and she taps through a few popups. Scanning the immediate localized network brings up their IDs, easily matched with the names they'd given earlier. A moment later-- DING. Their earpieces alert them to a message waiting in their extraspace inboxes. When they get around to examining it, it'll be hard to miss Judtia's avatar attached to the message: it's a cute blue flower with a happy face in the middle.]

That's my personal channel. If you have any questions, you can send me a message any time. Or come back here, of course! You're always welcome. Though, uh, we do have simulcast services as well if you prefer extraspace. I can send you a pamphlet about it if you want.

[adamance]

We'll gladly take it. [It may be something that they can access information from later, or provide to someone who is better equipped to find a connection between technology and the circle of life.]

Thank you again for your help.

[onemind]

Of course. You're super welcome.

[She splits a look between the two of them. That gentleness to her sympathy from earlier is a little thinner, maybe, but there's still really care in her expression. Does that count for something?]

And really, if you ever feel like getting a different perspective I'd be happy to get you an appointment with Mother.

[decommission]

[ His gaze follows the light across her forearm. Just earlier he'd seen the same place where Sam had been jamming wires in. ]

Thanks. We'll keep that in mind. [ Standing this time he's polite enough, if less outwardly amiable than when he first got up to leave earlier.

Time to go. ]

[adamance]

[Steve's lack of amiability is a point that resonates within Lexa. As she rises up to leave, she nods to Judtia and then heads outside, leading Steve a bit away before she reaches out to him. She knows better than to speak out loud, as it will undoubtedly draw attention down here.]

( Speak your concerns. )

[Will he even tell her? She has her doubts, but she intends to try just the same. Him refusing to tell her may be just as illustrative of his current issues.]

[decommission]

[ Out on the street he jams his hands in his pockets, eyeing her for a second. ]

( Which ones? ) [ Through the open connection his thoughts are churning. He's not being purposely obtuse - for the most part, anyway. ]

[adamance]

( I know that you weren't pleased with all of my decisions in there. I'm not interested in defending them. Aside from that, why are you unhappy? )

[It's not that she doesn't know that he disliked some of her approach, especially since she tended toward manipulation and being dishonest. She's well aware of the fact, but that doesn't change it. She'd rather bypass any discussion of it, especially since she knows that she's unlikely to waver in her resolve.]

[decommission]

[ A shrug - mentally and physically with one shoulder. Sure, he's not comfortable with the emotional leverage used to sway the conversation with the Daughter, but he's no less culpable for it than she is now that it's done and he's no more eager to talk about that part of it than she is. ]

( She said she's meant to question, but her mind was already made up. ) [ Playing at devil's advocate just to seem unbiased. ]

[adamance]

( Is it so bad? Her beliefs show that she accepts what we want to do here. It doesn't seem as if her Mother does, but she leaves it open-ended enough for her followers to think differently. )

[If anything, they have learned that there is a belief system that doesn't completely reject the synthetic movement. She has made up her mind, but that isn't a bad thing. It serves their purposes, and it means that she may be able to be trusted to act on her own, completely independently of their purposes.]

[decommission]

( I don't think she accepted all of it. ) [ She was awfully quick to question why they were even bringing up the idea of android personhood, and isn't that part of it?

It's hard to argue with that when his issues are personal (and when his own thoughts are less harmonized on the subject than they ought to be). Which reminds him - ]

( What was that before? ) [ The question nudges toward when he had mentioned Sam, when Lexa had indicated there was more to talk about. ]

[adamance]

[There's a hint of disagreement. Lexa thought that she wanted to bring the discussion back to the question of life and death because it seemed like they had gotten off course. But she doesn't vocalize what he can sense.]

( My people pass a piece of technology between our leaders. When one dies, another takes their place, and that technology offers them a connection to the previous commanders. It allows them to communicate with them, though they are undeniably what this world calls "artificial intelligence." They can evolve and change, interact and grow, but they can't take control over the mind of the new host for the technology. )

[While she is not like Sam right now, she will be someday.]

[decommission]

[ Oh. Huh. ]

( Interact and grow how? ) [ He keeps in step with her, glancing over again. ]

[adamance]

[Her head tilts forward as her mind flows through the best way to explain it. After a moment, an image of her and Ilde at the memory banks appears, watching a memory of a woman with her children. The woman is frozen in time, unable to change. It is only a memory, and Lexa's dissatisfaction at viewing it is apparent both then and now.]

( They're not frozen in time. They can change. I don't believe that death is the end, at least for the Commanders who came before me. It won't be the end for me, either. )

[decommission]

[ All of these concepts are incredibly new to him, and while he's willing to keep an open mind, there's some amount of kneejerk reaction that come with any explanation he's given. She'll sense that he doesn't completely understand the difference between what she's talking about and what the memory banks are. ]

( You're not an - ) [ a hiccup, searching for the right term ] ( organic robot too, are you? )

[ Not judging. It's only that Sam's revelation had come as a bit of a surprise. ]

[adamance]

( No. Nor will I ever be. But I will be an artificial intelligence. So, in a way, I'll be what this world is trying to achieve. The Commanders who came before me already are. They offer me guidance, but I don't control the information they provide. They are their own unique entities. One day, I will be the same as them. )

[She doesn't know if she's explained it well. For her, it has always been a spiritual thing, so speaking of it as anything else is still ... new. She's accepted it, but it's new.

Lexa won't be surprised if he needs more clarification.]