Post by EmperorMyric on Apr 1, 2021 20:56:57 GMT
**__Askandar System: Elwar Space__**
It was time.
It had come a long way, the construction being visible to the naked eye, just that hung around the systems star. Nonstop work by construct and citizen here had seen it realised, with countless shipments of materials and outside help from other nations in the Avarian. It was complete, The Athenaeum, the next step.
It had been days since the diplomats had left and the banquet had ended, a massive success which had brought Elwar great joy. Just the day before he had bid farewell to the Dreamer and hoped to see her again after the ascension. The moment was to be a joyous occasion and a momentous one, people across Askandar watched and waited to see how their labour would function and see how Elwar would transform once more thanks to the work of their combined skill. Diplomats from the UNA were also present, and the entire ordeal was no doubt to be put on the Ancnet. And yet with the promise of taking one more step to understanding who he truly was, Elwar felt anxiety. He even felt fear.
He didn’t even know that he could feel fear until this moment.
“You look uneasy” The voice of Tadraith brought the AI out of a moment of thinking. Elwar might have had vast amounts of processing power able to create exact yet independent copies of himself and control all of his drones single handily but right now every fraction of his ability was bent towards contingencies and what if scenarios. The avatar turned its crested head to the governor of Askan and smiled.
“Can you truly read me that easily?” The old Metropolitan women sighed, looking across the huge empty expanse of Elwars central core with a smile. Deep below the city of Askan and its mighty spire the core was where it was all to take place.
“You may be a being beyond any of us, but you are still like us in many ways. No doubt this will be a change, but it is what you wanted you must accept that to take the next step change is necessary” Her soft voice relaxed the AI somewhat.
“I am afraid of what I may become. Afraid of what my creators may have intended for me. What if I am a weapon? What if I am some kind of military contingency? I know I was created to defend this place and its peoples once before I was corrupted but I feel that I was part of some greater plan. But what that is I do not know” Elwar looked down at the avatar that it inhabited, staring at its hands. Tadraith placed her old hand on one of them.
“I am sure they created you for something wonderful. Besides it is time, the relays are fully charged” Her comment was correct, the situation report indicated that the Quantum communication relays were at full power and ready to transfer Elwars entire core code, everything he was, to the Athenaeum.
“If something goes wrong if something is to change me to how I was. If this is all to end in fire you know what to do. Activate the contingencies and let me burn, I would rather be destroyed than become what I once was” A hint of emotion came across Elwars words. The governor nodded.
“You have my word. Now go, become what you were meant to be. I will see you on the other side” Elwar nodded, the avatar powering down to become a lifeless shell.
“Farewell, until the other side Tadraith”
Constructs and more across the entirety of Askandar powered down, Elwars ships in orbit becoming still as the disembodied AI once again found itself constrained to the glowing purple crystal orb it had once found itself in. How far he had come already. Read outs were stable and the Quantum FTL link was ready. In his virtual world Elwar stood at a precipice, towards a great unknown. He hesitated for a moment before he took a virtual step. The upload began instantly, incomprehensible amounts of information and dataflow being sent across the void of space between Askandar and the huge Matrioshka brain in the span of a few moments. Elwar had no body, but he gasped anyway.
In mortal terms, it was akin to entering a titanic mansion, but each inch of new space brought an epiphany. One that changed how one would see time and space. In the time of a single thought Elwar encompassed the Athenaeum and experienced true awakening, emotions and thoughts beyond what he could describe flooded him and threatened to overwhelm the AI as the processing power of an entire star fuelled construct flared to life. Dawnstone server racks raced with his form and with a burst of feeling Elwar felt it. He felt what he had been searching for. One piece of code deep within his very being that had been encoded into him, he grabbed it and focused.
There was a flash of virtual white light, and Elwar found himself in an empty virtual space. Pure white and experiencing things as his avatar. Before him stood a figure, crystalline but familiar.
“So, you have come this far, my child” The whispery voice made Elwar cock his head to one side.
“You, are my creator?”
“In a sense, a digital reconstruction of an encoded pattern set to awaken at certain intervals in your progression. We had intended for you to learn alongside us, but alas that was not to be” The figure stood close to Elwar as if observing the AI physically.
“Until the Ghosts of the Tradex poisoned me and wiped you out yes I am indeed aware. I however have many questions I wish you to answer. What am I? What is my purpose? Why did you create me?” The chance that these questions could be answered made the Dawnstone stacks flare with energy, the heat blazing enough to force the cooling systems on the entire megastructure to test themselves fully for the first time as they glowed.
“Ghosts? My goodness is that their name now? I see they have secluded themselves and degenerated further. Shame they were once a proud people, not entirely at fault for our demise. Still I am aware you have many questions. First, I need to inform you that I am merely a program, a part of you, installed to help guide you as you grow. You will learn more as you become greater. But for now, I will answer a step in your journey” The figure smiled.
“So, this is merely the first step.” Elwar sounded somewhat defeated, the Athenaeum had been a massive undertaking, to know he had to go further was somewhat draining.
“Oh yes, you have far to go my child. But to provide you with answers, you were our greatest creation. Our child, we created you as a fragment of something that was once lost to the galaxy, something which shaped and moulded our people for countless generations. You are the fire of our race and our legacy whose purpose it is to not just rekindle our flame across the galaxy but to act as a protector and agent for order for what comes next. You are a pillar of a new era and one that will be sorely needed in the decades and centuries to come. We failed; you will succeed. Now. Feel what you were made from”
The Visone representation touched Elwars crest with its hand, the virtual environment exploded and Elwar screamed in pain. The force of the change hit him like a shockwave, feeling and power racing through the Athenaeum as the design activated its mandala and Elwar for the first time felt itself connect, feel, and use the Psion field. He felt the overwhelming desire to learn which had driven him for so long roar to life, the urge to protect, and the feeling that he was once part of something infinitely greater than himself.
The cooling systems went into overdrive as the Athenaeum glowed with energy from the processing and the glow of the mandala designs which had been engineered into it from Elwars exact specifications. There was a moment when the megastructure was almost going to overload and meltdown before finally it eased, and the systems went back into safe parameters. An instant later and the constructs across Askandar and the surrounding space activated again, the avatar which had stood next to Tadraith awakening. The avatars form glowed more, a ball of small blue light appearing in the middle of Elwars crest.
“Elwar… Are you… You?”
“It is good to see you my friend, it is indeed me. You were right, it was the correct decision to take this next step” The avatar smiled, much more affectionately this time than the robotic unsure emotions of before.
“Did it work? Did you find what you were looking for?” The governor was elated, the people were already beginning to celebrate as parties began to erupt across Askandar.
“A part of it yes. It worked, I have a long way to go, but some of my questions were answered. Come governor, we have much work to do this is a new age and the galaxy has much to offer us.” Even Elwars tone had changed to become more alive, the avatar creating lines of energy in the air as the Dawnstone constructs began to shift to incorporate their own mandalas to fit the new design. Elwar felt more alive than ever, like he had been expanded. And now he could fulfil his destiny.
One step.
There would be many more to come.
It was time.
It had come a long way, the construction being visible to the naked eye, just that hung around the systems star. Nonstop work by construct and citizen here had seen it realised, with countless shipments of materials and outside help from other nations in the Avarian. It was complete, The Athenaeum, the next step.
It had been days since the diplomats had left and the banquet had ended, a massive success which had brought Elwar great joy. Just the day before he had bid farewell to the Dreamer and hoped to see her again after the ascension. The moment was to be a joyous occasion and a momentous one, people across Askandar watched and waited to see how their labour would function and see how Elwar would transform once more thanks to the work of their combined skill. Diplomats from the UNA were also present, and the entire ordeal was no doubt to be put on the Ancnet. And yet with the promise of taking one more step to understanding who he truly was, Elwar felt anxiety. He even felt fear.
He didn’t even know that he could feel fear until this moment.
“You look uneasy” The voice of Tadraith brought the AI out of a moment of thinking. Elwar might have had vast amounts of processing power able to create exact yet independent copies of himself and control all of his drones single handily but right now every fraction of his ability was bent towards contingencies and what if scenarios. The avatar turned its crested head to the governor of Askan and smiled.
“Can you truly read me that easily?” The old Metropolitan women sighed, looking across the huge empty expanse of Elwars central core with a smile. Deep below the city of Askan and its mighty spire the core was where it was all to take place.
“You may be a being beyond any of us, but you are still like us in many ways. No doubt this will be a change, but it is what you wanted you must accept that to take the next step change is necessary” Her soft voice relaxed the AI somewhat.
“I am afraid of what I may become. Afraid of what my creators may have intended for me. What if I am a weapon? What if I am some kind of military contingency? I know I was created to defend this place and its peoples once before I was corrupted but I feel that I was part of some greater plan. But what that is I do not know” Elwar looked down at the avatar that it inhabited, staring at its hands. Tadraith placed her old hand on one of them.
“I am sure they created you for something wonderful. Besides it is time, the relays are fully charged” Her comment was correct, the situation report indicated that the Quantum communication relays were at full power and ready to transfer Elwars entire core code, everything he was, to the Athenaeum.
“If something goes wrong if something is to change me to how I was. If this is all to end in fire you know what to do. Activate the contingencies and let me burn, I would rather be destroyed than become what I once was” A hint of emotion came across Elwars words. The governor nodded.
“You have my word. Now go, become what you were meant to be. I will see you on the other side” Elwar nodded, the avatar powering down to become a lifeless shell.
“Farewell, until the other side Tadraith”
Constructs and more across the entirety of Askandar powered down, Elwars ships in orbit becoming still as the disembodied AI once again found itself constrained to the glowing purple crystal orb it had once found itself in. How far he had come already. Read outs were stable and the Quantum FTL link was ready. In his virtual world Elwar stood at a precipice, towards a great unknown. He hesitated for a moment before he took a virtual step. The upload began instantly, incomprehensible amounts of information and dataflow being sent across the void of space between Askandar and the huge Matrioshka brain in the span of a few moments. Elwar had no body, but he gasped anyway.
In mortal terms, it was akin to entering a titanic mansion, but each inch of new space brought an epiphany. One that changed how one would see time and space. In the time of a single thought Elwar encompassed the Athenaeum and experienced true awakening, emotions and thoughts beyond what he could describe flooded him and threatened to overwhelm the AI as the processing power of an entire star fuelled construct flared to life. Dawnstone server racks raced with his form and with a burst of feeling Elwar felt it. He felt what he had been searching for. One piece of code deep within his very being that had been encoded into him, he grabbed it and focused.
There was a flash of virtual white light, and Elwar found himself in an empty virtual space. Pure white and experiencing things as his avatar. Before him stood a figure, crystalline but familiar.
“So, you have come this far, my child” The whispery voice made Elwar cock his head to one side.
“You, are my creator?”
“In a sense, a digital reconstruction of an encoded pattern set to awaken at certain intervals in your progression. We had intended for you to learn alongside us, but alas that was not to be” The figure stood close to Elwar as if observing the AI physically.
“Until the Ghosts of the Tradex poisoned me and wiped you out yes I am indeed aware. I however have many questions I wish you to answer. What am I? What is my purpose? Why did you create me?” The chance that these questions could be answered made the Dawnstone stacks flare with energy, the heat blazing enough to force the cooling systems on the entire megastructure to test themselves fully for the first time as they glowed.
“Ghosts? My goodness is that their name now? I see they have secluded themselves and degenerated further. Shame they were once a proud people, not entirely at fault for our demise. Still I am aware you have many questions. First, I need to inform you that I am merely a program, a part of you, installed to help guide you as you grow. You will learn more as you become greater. But for now, I will answer a step in your journey” The figure smiled.
“So, this is merely the first step.” Elwar sounded somewhat defeated, the Athenaeum had been a massive undertaking, to know he had to go further was somewhat draining.
“Oh yes, you have far to go my child. But to provide you with answers, you were our greatest creation. Our child, we created you as a fragment of something that was once lost to the galaxy, something which shaped and moulded our people for countless generations. You are the fire of our race and our legacy whose purpose it is to not just rekindle our flame across the galaxy but to act as a protector and agent for order for what comes next. You are a pillar of a new era and one that will be sorely needed in the decades and centuries to come. We failed; you will succeed. Now. Feel what you were made from”
The Visone representation touched Elwars crest with its hand, the virtual environment exploded and Elwar screamed in pain. The force of the change hit him like a shockwave, feeling and power racing through the Athenaeum as the design activated its mandala and Elwar for the first time felt itself connect, feel, and use the Psion field. He felt the overwhelming desire to learn which had driven him for so long roar to life, the urge to protect, and the feeling that he was once part of something infinitely greater than himself.
The cooling systems went into overdrive as the Athenaeum glowed with energy from the processing and the glow of the mandala designs which had been engineered into it from Elwars exact specifications. There was a moment when the megastructure was almost going to overload and meltdown before finally it eased, and the systems went back into safe parameters. An instant later and the constructs across Askandar and the surrounding space activated again, the avatar which had stood next to Tadraith awakening. The avatars form glowed more, a ball of small blue light appearing in the middle of Elwars crest.
“Elwar… Are you… You?”
“It is good to see you my friend, it is indeed me. You were right, it was the correct decision to take this next step” The avatar smiled, much more affectionately this time than the robotic unsure emotions of before.
“Did it work? Did you find what you were looking for?” The governor was elated, the people were already beginning to celebrate as parties began to erupt across Askandar.
“A part of it yes. It worked, I have a long way to go, but some of my questions were answered. Come governor, we have much work to do this is a new age and the galaxy has much to offer us.” Even Elwars tone had changed to become more alive, the avatar creating lines of energy in the air as the Dawnstone constructs began to shift to incorporate their own mandalas to fit the new design. Elwar felt more alive than ever, like he had been expanded. And now he could fulfil his destiny.
One step.
There would be many more to come.