mental link | day :020

[adamance]

[If Lexa had a choice, she would call for all of the Hosts to come meet her in the common area. But she hasn't had conversations with all of them, and she knows some of them will prove to be difficult when it comes to listening. One of them likely includes Rhys, who's her own broodmate. Then again, she likely brought that on herself by expecting him to ever be reasonable.

Just the same, she reaches out in the evening of the nineteenth day, believing that most of the Hosts will hear her. She only hopes that she's correct.]

( For those of you who I haven't formally introduced myself to, my name is Lexa. I don't like this means of communication much either, but it will prove necessary moving forward. We have been asked to at least grow comfortable with these ties so that we're more effective. I know that's a lot to ask, and I'm not certain that I'll be able to do that so easily myself. ) [In a way, this is an appeal to an audience. Her conversation with Cathaway before coming to this planet still weighs heavily over her, and she has an idea of which direction she hopes to take. But she'll get there in time.]

( I'm of the belief that all of us have become hopes because we hoped to live. Not all people believe in their survival, but we shed our previous lives to seek protection. But the threat against us remains, and while it might not be obvious or clear, it is that same threat, that same unnamed enemy that opposes us now. They want to prevent this world from reaching singularity, though I don't know why. The support for this anti-synthetic movement has escalated, and I think it would benefit us to seek out the reason why as we plan our future actions. We may be able to prevent some things that are in motion if we look in the right places.

Obviously, one place is Goram Saffit, but he is not the only person behind this. This shift in mindset has changed dramatically since we arrived, and I doubt that we are the cause. ) [Though they very well might be. Things escalated on the previous planet they visited.]

( I ask that we work together to find these things that may have led to this escalation. ) [It's a proposal, but it requires more action than reaction. She hopes it can help them, especially since it might offer them some answers about their enemy.]

( Secondly, after some deliberation, I've decided to share that I have a piece of technology in me that my people call the Flame. It is a device that biologically links in to my system, and offers me complete control while allowing me to speak to the individuals who held the Flame before. While my people believed this to be a spiritual entity, I realize now that it's a means to upload a person's mind and allow it to evolve and continue forward.

After viewing some of the technology of this world, I believe that the Flame could drastically improve their advancement toward singularity. I believe that a group like Mind Life should be able to help proceed in an ethical manner.

The Flame is something that only I can carry in my body because it will kill any other user, but I believe that by replicating it, we can help these people.

I am present in my room should anyone wish to speak without the use of our minds. )

[Yes, Lexa does love giving speeches. She closes the link for now.]

Comments

open to whoever wants to hear it

[frakkincylons]

[ Ah. That's why she'd been so interested in his Hybrid state. Other than it just being weird. There's a sort of spike in Sam's consciousness, though, in learning this about her, like there's some link there he didn't see before. If only partial, and small. ]

( If we're volunteering stuff to help them reach singularity, without the war that's on the way if synthetic life wakes up to a existence like they have now... I think I have a lot I can offer. ) [ A whole lot. Possibly a dangerous amount. Possibly a 'going to get myself turned into a lab rat or a martyr' amount. But not by the Nest, at least, so here goes. In a long-winded sort of way, because it still feels awkward to tell. ] ( My world hit the singularity point, twice. And it resulted in devastating war, twice.

But when I left, the last generation of humans and synthetics were merging. It was the path to peace they'd needed. If we can, I'll... give these people my memories. I think it'll give some solid insight towards changing their way. )

[ There's a pause from Sam's mind, and a feeling like he's teetering over the edge of something he's entirely uncertain of. A leap of faith, maybe. The thing he's been trying to keep to himself the entire time he's been here, for some reasons that are about to be extremely obvious. ]

( Because I'm one of those synthetics. I saw both wars, from both sides, and that final peace. )

[adamance]

[Yes, that is why. She is not yet a synthetic, but she has adjusted to the knowledge that she will be someday. It's an odd thing to be comfortable with, but she is comfortable with it. Perhaps it's because the Flame really has protected her people that she can adjust. Either way, it's knowledge she's armed with and doesn't mind, not in the least.]

( Can you think of a way that we can share this knowledge in a way that doesn't seem as if it's coming from an outsider? I believe that our cover of a tech group can pass on the Flame, but your memories might prove to cast a light on our other activities. )

[Lexa assumes that there's a reason why they don't just tell people about the enemy. She understands subterfuge.]

[frakkincylons]

( Right, that was the 'if we can' part. Nothing's coming to mind that wouldn't be an insane stretch to believe for these people. ) [ hi, i'm from the future. hi, i'm a robot prophet (not actually a lie, but even so). hi, some dude dumped this disk of memories in a mailbox, no idea who, but they're from and alternate dimension. if there is a way, it's not coming to him yet. ] ( At the least, I can try to give the synthetics some advancements to make them feel like they fit in better. )

[ make them more 'acceptable', and gods does he hate looking at it like that, but if it makes peace easier, all well. ]

( But if we help them reach singularity, they can't come into the world as slaves, like they are now. If they have to go find their own frakking planet, so be it, but... This place will be in ruins if they have to fight for their freedom.

They're already self-aware and forming individual identities. Remove the block on their emotions, and they'll be there. )

[adamance]

( I believe if we can find a way to transfer minds like my people can, that will help. Being able to create an artificial intelligence that is a person will allow them to find a way to develop synthetics who create themselves, closing the divide between the two. The Flame was designed to be able to adjust to the mind, and so, it should be able to adjust to the idea of helping emotions. ) [In theory. It's a tool, but it's also meant to be an upload of all the previous commanders, giving them continued life. It's complicated, and she does struggle with some of the smaller details.]

( How did they foster emotions within your kind? Or did it demand that departure from a planet before humankind and synthetic kind reunited as one? ) [Which, as he said, took war, but she seems to be much too comfortable with the idea of war to give it as much focus.]

[frakkincylons]

( I can try taking a look at it, if you're willing. ) [ of course, the people here might just take this tech and be horrible with it. because people are people. but to earn faith, you have to give a little. at least this way they can try to guide. ]

( It's... kind of complicated. We just evolved. ) [ Especially hard to explain to someone from a world like Lexa's, so very far from his level of technology. ] ( AIs became more and more advanced, were given more and more software that allowed for heuristics - to take experiences and data and learn from them, form their own directives in response to them. That became opinions, that became awareness of self and one's own experiences, which makes individuality, and what they thought of that became emotion. )

[ Probably close to how humans evolved from simple brain functions to complex. It's just a natural progression, no matter what the platform. ]

( Cylons had already fostered emotion by the time the war started - the fact humans weren't recognizing it as that was what drove them to taking action. It's the same here. I interfaced with one of the droid - they're already forming thoughts and feelings and opinions, but it's a manually installed program that stops them from adhering to them too much. ) [ The won't need to do anything to get this planet to singularity, in a way, it's already there. There's just a roadblock. ] ( Procreation came the same way. We learned to make organic bodies, and eventually, biological reproduction just... happened.

That's how I was born. Like any other human. )

[adamance]

( Do you believe organic bodies are necessary to the idea of life? ) [She's asking largely because she's curious, but also because of her own circumstances. Lexa has never seen death as the end, and has always understood that her spirit would live on for another commander. Redefining that is just a thing.]

( As for looking at my tech, are you able to access tech from outside like Angel is? ) [She knows he plugs into things, and well, she doesn't really have a port for that.]

[frakkincylons]

( No. They built organic bodies because they wanted to experience the world. They were already life. ) [ There's a lot of things that make life, he thinks. Free will. Emotion. Diverging from a set path. Learning from experience, having a mind that reacts, that thinks. Life is a lot less black and white than most people think. ]

( Maybe. I need a cord or a wire, something to plug into. Is the rest of your body human? ) [ If not, blood might work, who knows. It's hard to say. ]

[adamance]

[There's a sense that she's pleased with his answer, if not surprised. It fits everything else that he's said in the past.]

( Only the Flame is synthetic, and it's buried in my neck. Interacting with it directly could kill you, but through me offers more opportunities. ) [Like Angel had. She shows an image through the link of Angel connecting with her, but Lexa herself being in control. Ah, wonderful, dangerous technology.]

[frakkincylons]

[ There's a pause from Sam's end of the connection, a sense of his mind working through the idea of it, bringing up theories and tossing them out here and there. ] ( Out of curiosity, kill me how? Biologically, or a brain overload? )

[ because the brain overload he can handle. he's had the entire universe in his mind, once, he could handle a few generations of minds. biologically, he couldn't really say. if he had all his memories, knew more about his body as a cylon, maybe, but not worth risking getting himself killed over. ] ( We could try some things. See what we're working with. Having Angel or Rhys around wouldn't be a bad idea. )

[adamance]

( Biologically. Do you recall the black blood I mentioned? Only those born with it in my time can handle the Flame. ... If we could adapt someone's biology to it, we could utilize it that way. )

[From what Lexa's seen of Bellamy's memories, Clarke had accomplished that very thing. Temporarily, at least.]

[frakkincylons]

( Ah. Out of my league there, I'm afraid. You might ask Nirad or Carata. If there's any kind of doctor in the Nest, maybe they could help. )

[ The group of them are all still young, but maybe the others are experienced enough to reach beyond the planet. ]

[adamance]

( It may prove necessary for me to remove it, but I'm not certain if it will be easier to access it then. It's not that it isn't possible ... it's that the keeper of it is not here to ensure it re-enters my body. Additionally, I believe that if I had more time, I might be able to speak to the creator of the Flame to retrieve the information needed. )

[The problem is this (most likely): they may not have the time. Lexa is still playing catch up, so knowing the right questions to ask is sometimes beyond her. She knows Becca has helped her before. But. But. There is always a "but," and she is frustrated by her limitations.]

[frakkincylons]

( The creator - they stored their mind in the device? Is there a chance removing it would leave you damaged? )

[ tech that closely integrated doesn't seem like it'd be easy to detangle from someone's mind, so who knows. another loss in the hive would hit hard, and they aren't yet at a point with the mission where they're that desperate, sam doesn't think. but who knows. ]

[adamance]

[There is a pause, a moment of seeking out the information.]

( Removing it is possible without harming me. But I wouldn't want to lose it. It's my only connection to my people. I'd have to spend some time to see if I can find the means to return it to myself. )

[It's possible that Bellamy might know the way. She'll have to ask.]

[frakkincylons]

( Makes sense. Let me think on it some, I'll see what I come up with. )

[ he's been working on his ability, or rather, how the symbiote allows him to work his ability, and he may be close to figuring something out. Just needs more time. ]