Post by legios on Nov 2, 2007 21:15:31 GMT
Experiment IV
by
Karl Thurgood
<<
Translated from data obtained by HSS Matsumara Yoshino from an intercepted Cybertronian message drone:
234753#8998: Mission Log. Chief Scientist First Convoy Recording:-
We have embarked on the great experiment. This endeavour will allow us to move far beyond the computer simulation that we have previously used in testing our theories about social evolution. To think that the small minded opposed what we seek to do. They argue we are arrogating to ourselves the powers that rightfully belong only to our creator Primus, that we are seeking to usurp the power of the sacred Creation Matrix. Fools. We will not cower in superstitious terror and miss this opportunity to expand our knowledge.
A model society, built in our image but contained and limited so as to maintain it at an easily observable size. By observation of their interactions we will be able to determine fundamental rules of the functioning of society, finally placing the sociological sciences on the same footing as our understanding for the physical universe. I will not allow the threats and outcries of the superstitious to deflect us from our goal. In understanding a model society we will learn to better understand ourselves, allowing us to build a true new golden age for all the children of Cybertron.
266891#5567: Mission Log: Chief Scientist First Convoy Recording:-
I fear that some of my colleagues begin to quail in the face of our endeavour. They are concerned that we are unprepared for the responsibility that we are taking on in creating a new society on a new world. They forget that this is not a functioning society, it is a mere mock-up - with enough of the aspects of our own society to be a worthwhile model it is true, but simplified to a level far below that of true existence. The test subjects are closer to drones than they are to thinking Cybertronians. Derived from the neogenic sparkline they have been developed with limited minds, incapable of the full complexities of Cybertronian thought. Their basic programming will similarly have inherent limitations, thoughts that they cannot think and knowledge that they cannot know. They will be able to build successor units by rote but will be prevented from truly understanding their own functionality to the degree that would allow them to alter it.
Similarly they will be limited in geographical terms – reliant on radiated power from a geothermal generator for their function rather than internal energon stores they will be unable to leave its area of influence without ceasing to function. There is no reason to fear, as some on the Council did, that the test subjects would somehow begin to replicate in a manner beyond our control. Their very nature will act as a firebreak, tying them to a limited area and limiting the resources available to them. Should the worst come to the worst I retain in my own memory-stores a termination code for the experiment. Should the experiment overrun its boundaries it would be a simple matter to transmit the code, wiping the cores of all the experimental subjects and terminating their functionality forthwith.
My colleagues fail to see that this is not some off-shoot neogenic species we are creating here, rather it is a simple set of drones who will construct a primitive society, allowing us to study for the first time the formative stages of a mechanical society from the outside.
277889#5897: Mission Log: Chief Scientist First Convoy Recording
We have entered into the predominately unsettled Tenebras cluster. There are few native species here, although Cybertronian colonisation missions have clearly travelled here, as have other species. In a number of systems we have encountered the debris of battles fought between unknown parties. These systems have been ruled out of consideration. We are searching for a system that is free of any contamination from other species, a clean slate on which to carry out our experiment without fear of accidental contamination
28889990#6678: Mission Log: Chief Scientist First Convoy Recording:
[1678 gigapulses data irrecoverable] .. have sunk the geothermal shaft and it is ready to go into operation. The first drones will soon be placed on the planets surface and activated. Within cycles we will be in a position to observe as they evolve basic social practices. I am eager to begin my observation and I wonder what kind of organisation will develop amongst our drones. Will it be the loose agglomeration of individuals suggested by Betatrix, or will a hive-like model as suggested by Norkaroen develop. Our drones have been provided with a variety of built-in tools for interaction, now it only remains to wait and see how they utilise those tools.
299765#8790: Mission Log: Chief Scientist First Convoy Recording:
Stockade informs me that the minor glitches we have been experiencing in our long-range communications array may be some form of viral contamination. Apparently the transmission of one of the marker beacons we encountered previously in our voyage was contaminated with viral code. Stockade believes that the nature of the code places it as being contemporaneous with the Fourth Software war – archaic compared to modern anti-viral defences, more a nuisance than an actual threat.
Of more note is the fascinating torrent of data that our experiment is yielding. The subjects are beginning to build clear strata in their society, and their behaviours show clear signs that complex structures are evolving in the model society that they are building. The simple behaviours that we programmed into the early example are leading to the evolution of more complex societal structures. Already the experiment has proven to yield an inestimable richness of data.
300124#6578: Mission Log: Chief Scientist First Convoy Recording:
[1487 gigapulses data irrecoverable] ... are currently in the med-bay. Stockade indicates that it is possible that the virus may in fact be a more recent self-terminating weaponised strain that he initially believed, mimicking an earlier strain as a form of protective colouration. [48 pulses data irrecoverable] Stock*#:~ is confident that the rest of us have successfully resisted infection. Those who were infected had not recently updated their anti-viral defences which may have made them more susceptible to infection. More importantly we have established that it is not possible for the virus to thrive in the programming of the experimental subjects. Not only was the first generation held in isolation until they were activated at their destination, but fundamental differences between the neogenic base-code and that of older generation Cybertronians makes cross-infection unviable. I am content to known that there is no threat from the virus to the validity of our data.
300255#5613: Mission Log: chief Scientist First Convoy Recording:
[345 gigapulses data irrecoverable] are non-functional, as is the ftl drive system. It is not possible for us to return home as a result of the damage that the virus has done the the ships systems. We have voted to continue our observations and to gather our data to be transferred to communications drones for relay back to Cybertron. The virus-hardened drones will allow us to relay our findings back to the scientific community on our homeworld without fear of also passing on our infection.
300345#8756: Mission Log: chief Scientist First Convoy Recording:
[345 gigapulses data irrecoverable] are down to only three. Stockade, Airspike and myself are the only ones who remain. [250 gigapulses data irrecoverable] are non-functional, their cores wiped beyond prospect of restoration. [567 gigapulses data irrecoverable] We continue to analyse the data from the experiment, and I am becoming concerned. The complexity of the social interaction that the subjects have developed exceeds anything that we predicted [567 gigapulses data irrecoverable] a number of subjects seemingly lost as a result of straying beyond the range of the geothermal power sources. Models suggest that this behaviour should have ceased to present several generations ago.
300566#6574 Mission Log: chief Scientist First Convoy Recording:
[325 gigapulses data irrecoverable] Stockade su>|??| catastrophic behaviour core failure. The virus has wiped his core and self-terminated. [12 gigapulses data irrecoverable] the only remaining member of mission crew. [24 gigapulses data irrecoverable] utilise the termination code. On a number of occasions groups of the subjects have strayed beyond the effective edge of the geothermal generators broadcast power but continued to function. [33 gigapulses data irrecoverable] have found a way to overcome the physical boundary of the experiment. [12 gigapulses data irrecoverable] a sense of fascination as to what they will do with their new found freedom. They have generated a much more complex social organisation than we would have expected given the limited physical and intellectual capabilities with which they were designed.
300678#5555: Mission Log: Chief Scientist First Convoy Recording:
[33 gigapulses data irrecoverable] too late to implement termination sequence. Jg39ru309jfpjw9jfjf3w09 memory-store, deleting the termination code along with other data held in my secure memory-storage. It is no longer possible to terminate the experiment. [565 gigapulses data irrecoverable] should not be possible with the limitations designed into the subjects.
300785#4567: Mission Log chief Scientist First Convoy Recording:
[456 gigapulses data irrecoverable] adjdaopjopdjpaowj no longer able to make predictions ahwfhweoihjfewiojh far greater level of complexity than modelling will support whuiahuh [687 gigapulses data irrecoverable]
300812#5678: Mission Log chief Scientist First Convoy Recording:
[565 gigapulses data irrecoverable] My own termination fhfwuihpproaching. Virus will wipe core and self-terminate. Geyguigi killed by an enemy from a war long over. My work however will outlive me. [12 gigapulses data irrecoverable] final message drone toward Cybertron. With its limited ftl drive it will take many megacycles to return home [432 gigapulses data irrecoverable] >>
Annotation: Just another handful of dead Cybertronians, unlucky enough to run across one of our data-mines. But I can't help but wonder, what happened to their experiment? - Lieutenant Paul Kyle, Chief Intelligence Officer, HSS Matsumara Yoshino
by
Karl Thurgood
<<
Translated from data obtained by HSS Matsumara Yoshino from an intercepted Cybertronian message drone:
234753#8998: Mission Log. Chief Scientist First Convoy Recording:-
We have embarked on the great experiment. This endeavour will allow us to move far beyond the computer simulation that we have previously used in testing our theories about social evolution. To think that the small minded opposed what we seek to do. They argue we are arrogating to ourselves the powers that rightfully belong only to our creator Primus, that we are seeking to usurp the power of the sacred Creation Matrix. Fools. We will not cower in superstitious terror and miss this opportunity to expand our knowledge.
A model society, built in our image but contained and limited so as to maintain it at an easily observable size. By observation of their interactions we will be able to determine fundamental rules of the functioning of society, finally placing the sociological sciences on the same footing as our understanding for the physical universe. I will not allow the threats and outcries of the superstitious to deflect us from our goal. In understanding a model society we will learn to better understand ourselves, allowing us to build a true new golden age for all the children of Cybertron.
266891#5567: Mission Log: Chief Scientist First Convoy Recording:-
I fear that some of my colleagues begin to quail in the face of our endeavour. They are concerned that we are unprepared for the responsibility that we are taking on in creating a new society on a new world. They forget that this is not a functioning society, it is a mere mock-up - with enough of the aspects of our own society to be a worthwhile model it is true, but simplified to a level far below that of true existence. The test subjects are closer to drones than they are to thinking Cybertronians. Derived from the neogenic sparkline they have been developed with limited minds, incapable of the full complexities of Cybertronian thought. Their basic programming will similarly have inherent limitations, thoughts that they cannot think and knowledge that they cannot know. They will be able to build successor units by rote but will be prevented from truly understanding their own functionality to the degree that would allow them to alter it.
Similarly they will be limited in geographical terms – reliant on radiated power from a geothermal generator for their function rather than internal energon stores they will be unable to leave its area of influence without ceasing to function. There is no reason to fear, as some on the Council did, that the test subjects would somehow begin to replicate in a manner beyond our control. Their very nature will act as a firebreak, tying them to a limited area and limiting the resources available to them. Should the worst come to the worst I retain in my own memory-stores a termination code for the experiment. Should the experiment overrun its boundaries it would be a simple matter to transmit the code, wiping the cores of all the experimental subjects and terminating their functionality forthwith.
My colleagues fail to see that this is not some off-shoot neogenic species we are creating here, rather it is a simple set of drones who will construct a primitive society, allowing us to study for the first time the formative stages of a mechanical society from the outside.
277889#5897: Mission Log: Chief Scientist First Convoy Recording
We have entered into the predominately unsettled Tenebras cluster. There are few native species here, although Cybertronian colonisation missions have clearly travelled here, as have other species. In a number of systems we have encountered the debris of battles fought between unknown parties. These systems have been ruled out of consideration. We are searching for a system that is free of any contamination from other species, a clean slate on which to carry out our experiment without fear of accidental contamination
28889990#6678: Mission Log: Chief Scientist First Convoy Recording:
[1678 gigapulses data irrecoverable] .. have sunk the geothermal shaft and it is ready to go into operation. The first drones will soon be placed on the planets surface and activated. Within cycles we will be in a position to observe as they evolve basic social practices. I am eager to begin my observation and I wonder what kind of organisation will develop amongst our drones. Will it be the loose agglomeration of individuals suggested by Betatrix, or will a hive-like model as suggested by Norkaroen develop. Our drones have been provided with a variety of built-in tools for interaction, now it only remains to wait and see how they utilise those tools.
299765#8790: Mission Log: Chief Scientist First Convoy Recording:
Stockade informs me that the minor glitches we have been experiencing in our long-range communications array may be some form of viral contamination. Apparently the transmission of one of the marker beacons we encountered previously in our voyage was contaminated with viral code. Stockade believes that the nature of the code places it as being contemporaneous with the Fourth Software war – archaic compared to modern anti-viral defences, more a nuisance than an actual threat.
Of more note is the fascinating torrent of data that our experiment is yielding. The subjects are beginning to build clear strata in their society, and their behaviours show clear signs that complex structures are evolving in the model society that they are building. The simple behaviours that we programmed into the early example are leading to the evolution of more complex societal structures. Already the experiment has proven to yield an inestimable richness of data.
300124#6578: Mission Log: Chief Scientist First Convoy Recording:
[1487 gigapulses data irrecoverable] ... are currently in the med-bay. Stockade indicates that it is possible that the virus may in fact be a more recent self-terminating weaponised strain that he initially believed, mimicking an earlier strain as a form of protective colouration. [48 pulses data irrecoverable] Stock*#:~ is confident that the rest of us have successfully resisted infection. Those who were infected had not recently updated their anti-viral defences which may have made them more susceptible to infection. More importantly we have established that it is not possible for the virus to thrive in the programming of the experimental subjects. Not only was the first generation held in isolation until they were activated at their destination, but fundamental differences between the neogenic base-code and that of older generation Cybertronians makes cross-infection unviable. I am content to known that there is no threat from the virus to the validity of our data.
300255#5613: Mission Log: chief Scientist First Convoy Recording:
[345 gigapulses data irrecoverable] are non-functional, as is the ftl drive system. It is not possible for us to return home as a result of the damage that the virus has done the the ships systems. We have voted to continue our observations and to gather our data to be transferred to communications drones for relay back to Cybertron. The virus-hardened drones will allow us to relay our findings back to the scientific community on our homeworld without fear of also passing on our infection.
300345#8756: Mission Log: chief Scientist First Convoy Recording:
[345 gigapulses data irrecoverable] are down to only three. Stockade, Airspike and myself are the only ones who remain. [250 gigapulses data irrecoverable] are non-functional, their cores wiped beyond prospect of restoration. [567 gigapulses data irrecoverable] We continue to analyse the data from the experiment, and I am becoming concerned. The complexity of the social interaction that the subjects have developed exceeds anything that we predicted [567 gigapulses data irrecoverable] a number of subjects seemingly lost as a result of straying beyond the range of the geothermal power sources. Models suggest that this behaviour should have ceased to present several generations ago.
300566#6574 Mission Log: chief Scientist First Convoy Recording:
[325 gigapulses data irrecoverable] Stockade su>|??| catastrophic behaviour core failure. The virus has wiped his core and self-terminated. [12 gigapulses data irrecoverable] the only remaining member of mission crew. [24 gigapulses data irrecoverable] utilise the termination code. On a number of occasions groups of the subjects have strayed beyond the effective edge of the geothermal generators broadcast power but continued to function. [33 gigapulses data irrecoverable] have found a way to overcome the physical boundary of the experiment. [12 gigapulses data irrecoverable] a sense of fascination as to what they will do with their new found freedom. They have generated a much more complex social organisation than we would have expected given the limited physical and intellectual capabilities with which they were designed.
300678#5555: Mission Log: Chief Scientist First Convoy Recording:
[33 gigapulses data irrecoverable] too late to implement termination sequence. Jg39ru309jfpjw9jfjf3w09 memory-store, deleting the termination code along with other data held in my secure memory-storage. It is no longer possible to terminate the experiment. [565 gigapulses data irrecoverable] should not be possible with the limitations designed into the subjects.
300785#4567: Mission Log chief Scientist First Convoy Recording:
[456 gigapulses data irrecoverable] adjdaopjopdjpaowj no longer able to make predictions ahwfhweoihjfewiojh far greater level of complexity than modelling will support whuiahuh [687 gigapulses data irrecoverable]
300812#5678: Mission Log chief Scientist First Convoy Recording:
[565 gigapulses data irrecoverable] My own termination fhfwuihpproaching. Virus will wipe core and self-terminate. Geyguigi killed by an enemy from a war long over. My work however will outlive me. [12 gigapulses data irrecoverable] final message drone toward Cybertron. With its limited ftl drive it will take many megacycles to return home [432 gigapulses data irrecoverable] >>
Annotation: Just another handful of dead Cybertronians, unlucky enough to run across one of our data-mines. But I can't help but wonder, what happened to their experiment? - Lieutenant Paul Kyle, Chief Intelligence Officer, HSS Matsumara Yoshino