( 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]

That's true, but they're still an engineered imitation of life aren't they? Maybe not a particular individual but as people we usually end up making things that are somehow familiar to us. [Unseens, under the edge of the desk, Judtia scrubs the knuckles of one hand under the thumb of the other.]

It's the same as any other fiction, right? A book character might be really well written and seem like a real person, but it's just a combination of things someone else put together. You can ask any android; they know they aren't the same thing.

[adamance]

Do you think what defines life is the ability to change, then? To evolve, even if you've been brought to life by something or someone else? [Truthfully, she almost would rather Steve and Justia discuss this, but that's part of why most of her comments at this point are questions. Her thoughts are meant to be more philosophical prompting than anything else.

After her interjection, she takes her tea and sips at it finally.]

[decommission]

[ His tea is getting lukewarm. ]

I don't think it's just that. [ The ability to change. Not on its own. ] And maybe you're right, they're not the same thing and I'll get that same answer if I ask one of them, but maybe they don't have to be exactly the same as us. [ Close, but something else - like Sam, born to a world where it was somehow possible for that to happen no different than between two regular humans. His mouth twists to one side, he's getting a bit worked up. ] This whole business of creating in our own image and then turning around to say they're no different from words on a page is playing with fire.

[onemind]

[She flicks a look between the two of them, something in her expression tightening briefly before it's wiped clean away. Her hands remain in her lap, carefully placed, and when she speaks there's an air of ambivalence there:]

I can't say you're wrong or that I necessarily disagree, I just know that I see how the android sentience question really has much to do with why you two came here.

[Is that frustratingly dense enough? She thinks yes, probably.]

assuming that there's supposed to be a "don't" in that second sentence

[adamance]

It's not the sentience, but rather whether life can ever truly end. Should we be trying to preserve our lost loved ones, and would they appreciate it? And if we have preserved them in some way, is it still really them? Are we seeking comfort for them or us, and how do we define that? I believe we thought that we'd have some kind of answer coming here, but we're still at a loss.

[This is a recovery more than anything, because she knows they've gotten off track. But still, she believes it's relevant just the same.]

[decommission]

[ An exhale and his mouth forms a thin line as the conversation circles back to the start again. So much for not taking things at face value. ]

[onemind]

[There, that's better. There's something in the staunch line of Judtia's shoulder that gives by a fraction as the topic angles back.]

I believe - and I know Mother would say the same, actually - that no, life doesn't end. That's the basic concept behind the World, isn't it? [She turns very slightly in her chair and motions back to the statuette in the window.] Everything we are or create is going into the world somehow and the same thing happens when we die. We become the universe and shape what comes next. Your-- [A hesitation; her hands rise from her lap and she sets them, clasped still, on the desk] I mean, I don't want to make light of your grief obviously, but something about your loss brought you here to talk about this. Their influence isn't completely gone then.

[adamance]

[To Steve's response, there is simply a sense of derision sent through their link, through their tie of the Nest. She doesn't send words, but it's as if she's practiced this sense of authoritative chastisement. Even if his curiosity has a place in their overall mission, they can't risk being found out.

She is not here for herself, but as she refocuses on what Justia says, Lexa recalls a conversation in a time that now seems like it was long ago, even if it was just a few months. Her lips twist downward, and it's obvious that she's trying to mask her emotions. Lexa might be practiced in it, but she doesn't want to look like she's in pain.

The reality is this: she still feels it, even if she's meant to be faking. The grief is real, just as it ever is.]

Even if you might pretend otherwise. Some people act on that grief in certain ways. And some of us question what is, or isn't really life, as a result. Almost to hope to find an answer, but no one's ever really left us. We give someone an outlet to live on.

[She both believes and doesn't believe in the core of these words, as if she's puzzling over them.]

[decommission]

[ His jaw tightens for Lexa's wordless chastising, gaze lowered to the cup of tea between his hands. ]

My mother was religious. [ - is what he reluctantly supplies to this part of the conversation after a short pause, figuring better that than to sit in silence. It was her influence that kept him going to Sunday Mass after she was gone. It's those teachings, entwined with the earliest parts of his life, that have him sitting here in contradiction. ]

[onemind]

See, that's exactly what I mean.

[She's nodding along, a hand raising faintly to brush her knuckle thoughtfully against the point of her chin. This is a much easier topic, she thinks. Well done, Judtia. Expertly navigated. Mother would be proud.

--Not that Mother needs to know. Good goddess, no. Still, that was a clever bit of redirection. If there was every a point to telling Mother about these things, she'd be sure to detail this part for her own self-satisfaction.

Still: her expression is soft enough, the lines of her face empathetic by practice as much as nature.]

If it weren't for what those people taught you, what they continue to teach you, maybe we wouldn't be here at all. I don't know about you but I kind of find that comforting - like I'm exactly where I'm meant to be, I guess.

[adamance]

[Those final words resonate within her, but likely not in the way that this religion believes. Still, their idea of spirituality isn't so far removed from Lexa's, and from the way her people have adapted to their lifestyles in a world of survival. Even if she knows the truth of what lies inside of her, she doesn't feel as if she was chosen any less.]

Do you believe that all living things have a purpose to fulfill? [she asks, looking at Steve out of the corner of her eye but not fully acknowledging him. The fact that his mother was religious is interesting to her, but only because she doesn't know precisely what religion he followed. What he said to her before indicates as much, but—still.

She knows so little. She has so little certainty.]

[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.]