Elder Cultivator

“Is anybody listening?” Bear Hug asked suddenly. In energy sign, of course.

“All the time,” Anton replied. “And I suspect the locals here will be getting better at it.”

“Well, that’s okay,” Bear Hug said. “I just needed to ask you something. Our friend to the west wants to know if you think it’s a bad idea to introduce them. We already agree it is probably fine.”

Anton thought for a bit. “I’m not so certain. The subject has been a difficult one to broach without revealing too much.”

Careful questioning had revealed that the domain of the Aretis Coalition had indeed once extended as far as Reneden, but it was impossible to predict what they would think of the robotic intelligence. The typical response of humans was to think anything new was a threat. That was how they had responded to Anton and Bear Hug, so saying that Aretis wasn’t that way would be incorrect.

Bear Hug was probably speaking with Reneden on the other side. “Our friend wants to do something. Not just exist. And Aretis will probably end up there eventually.”

“It could wait,” Anton said. “If you remain until they are planning to reclaim the area… you can meet them and explain.”

“Too cautious,” Bear Hug said. “Being proactive is better.”

Normally, Anton would have nodded. For the moment, he kept his body language subdued. “If the decision is made, it can’t be taken back. I would come to the defense of our friend, but I would not wish to harm Aretis either. It might be necessary to move them… even if it is a risk. But the choice is theirs.”

“We should wait a day,” Anton said. “I know our friend doesn’t sleep, but more processing time is valuable.” That was already a fairly quick decision. Even if Bear Hug and Reneden had been talking about it since they first met, Anton still thought it was a bit rushed. The Alliance could at least try to stabilize Reneden first, right?

-----

Anton was quite used to guiding people to make wise choices, but ultimately if someone was settled on a bad choice he wouldn’t stop them. He preferred to let them suffer some of the consequences of their actions, but if he cared enough to provide long term advice he was still going to do his best to save them- at least from anything life threatening.

Rarely, he would physically prevent people from making foolish choices. He was close, with Reneden’s situation. Protecting Reneden if there was a negative reaction would be quite difficult- he couldn’t constantly be physically present, and he didn’t want to get in an armed conflict with Aretis either. But Reneden had been warned.

Thus, they prepared to make the announcement. Bear Hug would have casually mentioned it to anyone important. Anton preferred to be at least a little bit more subtle, so that Aretis could take a measured approach. Public opinion could go either way, so it was best to be cautious. No doubt it would help that their most recent encounters were Anton and Bear Hug, the latter of which was a new sort of intelligent being and not frightening.

At the same time, they had to consider Bear Hug’s secret. It was possible for their local body to leave the system of Reneden, but that left many questions. Such as how Reneden was trusted with just a short time of acquaintance. The difference between a few months and the handful of years following was quite significant.

The decision was… they didn’t have to hide it. The secret was most pertinent for the sake of the upper realms, and the reason for that secret might soon be obsolete. Specifically, the technological developments that were happening based off of the study of Bear Hug’s multipresence would soon be complete. Keeping instantaneous communication secret in the upper realms would still be useful, but it wouldn’t last forever. No, it was already likely that the great powers suspected something. Many of their maneuvers were far too coordinated.

Of course, avoiding that to keep the secret would be pointless. If they didn’t make use of their advantages, they wouldn’t be able to achieve repeated victories. That was the most important thing for them, especially in the upper realms. Having information and not acting on it was pointless.

On their second visit, Anton and Bear Hug had met more people. Various people involved in the decision making process. They were, of course, just people. Nothing great, but with experience that Aretis couldn’t afford to lose. That was why they had been kept away at first. Individuals were vulnerable, even with the technology they had available.

Anton eventually found the proper time to introduce the subject at hand to Janer, Felicitas, and Yosef. Familiarity brought friendship, and they made themselves available for the sake of Aretis- and themselves. Felicitas was technically unnecessary, but had shifted roles to something like an honor guard. Likewise, Yosef was less trained in social cultivation but had become their main point of contact for enough time for Bear Hug to latch on.

“Do you recall how we first approached Aretis?” It was a rhetorical question. It would be quite difficult for them to forget anything about one of the highest impact events in recent times. “We passed through a few of the systems Aretis previously occupied.”

Janer nodded. “You mentioned some old ruins.”

“Well, they weren’t entirely ruins. Specifically in one of the systems…”

Janer’s eyes widened. “Someone survived? Were they unable to contact us?” He frowned. “They might feel like previous generations abandoned them. How was it?”

“Like nothing you imagined, I suspect,” Anton continued.

“We made a friend!” Bear Hug said. “Just one.”

Felicitas showed clear interest in that point. “A single individual? They must have discovered a path beyond Life Transformation on their own, to survive so long. How have they not… come to visit the core?”

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“Reneden is a robot!” Bear Hug’s enthusiastic introduction required some more explanation. “Or the remains of an automated system. Then *BAM*. Thoughts!”

Anton attempted to clarify… everything. “What Bear Hug is saying is that a consciousness formed over time. One encapsulated entirely within computer systems.”

Nobody seemed to know how to react. Bear Hug either didn’t notice or chose to ignore the stunned silence by filling it. “And now we’re friends.”

“As tends to happen with Bear Hug,” Anton concluded. “The being we now refer to as Reneden is both in need of potential repairs and quite lonely.”noveldrama

“Even though I’ve been there the whole time!” Bear Hug said. “One person isn’t enough. And humans have more metal bits, so we don’t match that much.”

“I-” Janer looked between the two of them. “I’m not sure what to ask first.”

-----

The two eventually managed a sufficient explanation. Anton suggested a visit. The response was a mix of eagerness and caution. Computer engineers and automated system engineers were among those with the strongest feelings on the matter. Some wanted to immediately depart, others weren’t willing to consider it without a complete software overhaul for any ship that went.

Anton could half solve one of their worries. He could bring a small group of people along with him for a visit, without a ship or any technology that might get ‘infected’. They just wouldn’t be able to get nearly as much data. Ultimately, they went with that- though they did take as many devices as they could that didn’t have any sort of remote access capabilities. Those were a rarity in a connected high tech society, but such connections were a vulnerability.

As long as they felt comfortable, Anton was all for it. He could also help bring more than they might have anticipated, because his storage bags were better. Aretis did have advanced spatial manipulation technology, but it required sufficient hardware. For high capacity, something permanent like a ship or a warehouse was best. Their skills with enchantments that functioned solely off of natural energy were less advanced, and with their reluctance to bring certain sorts of technology along their capacity was limited.

Anton just cleared out one bag and loaned it to them. It was easier than him managing things. It wasn’t his best, most star-proof storage bag anyway, just a backup. Still big enough to carry various bits of measurement and recording equipment.

Bear Hug did insist that their ‘best friends’ come along, which limited the number of those with proper business in Reneden… but the initial visit was going to end up smaller regardless.

Carrying a couple dozen people between systems wasn't difficult, but it was harder than Anton moving on his own or with just Bear Hug. That added another few days of travel time, though Anton could have gone faster. The destination system was one of his bound stars, after all. That meant he could use enhanced long distance movement by relying on his connection- and also that he could more rapidly recover energy. But he accepted a modest pace. They weren’t in a rush.

There wasn’t much talking that could be done on the way, with Anton wrapping people in a bubble of his own energy. Some of the others were probably quite bored until the moment they arrived in the system. Then they were greeted by Reneden.

“Welcome,” came a synthesized voice. Not uncommon to the ears of the people of Aretis, but normally such a thing wasn’t synthesizing for the sake of itself. Relatedly, Reneden had considered trying to sound more human at one point and decided against it. Bear Hug and Anton didn’t care, and Reneden felt like that would be creating a false pretense. “I have very little in the way of accommodations to offer, but there is plenty of space. This sentry drone can guide you to the planet where I dwell.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you,” Janer said. He looked over towards a very eager expedition member who was almost jumping out of his shoes. “You may speak, but do try to keep things… reasonable.”

The individual in question was a man named Torqua. “How long have you been sapient?!”

“... centuries.”

“Yeah, but how long? What do your logs say?” Anton felt like Torqua would have been shaking Reneden by the shoulders, if Reneden had shoulders. Torqua was putting his face way closer to the drone than necessary. “Do those orbital defense platforms still work?”

“No.” Reneden answered the last question first. “As for my beginning of sapience, there was no such event to be logged in my software. I can narrow it down to within a century at best.”

“How did you-”

“Presumably by accident. But asking me any sort of how is going to lead to few answers.”

Bear Hug joined in. “Except… how are you doing?”

“I can answer that.”

“... so?”

“You have been living with me for years. You are still here close to a less distant communications node. I am fine.”

Felicitas frowned. “It’s weird,” she commented. “To feel that.” Bear Hug’s strength was sufficient that they could be felt from quite a distance. The system didn’t have a lot of other energy fluctuations to interfere either. She looked at Bear Hug. “I’m actually curious how that works.”

“I probably know even less than most people!” Bear Hug replied enthusiastically. “I just needed it to happen so it did!”

Yosef tilted his head. “What situation was so important that you had to bilocate? A threat to your home system?”

“I had friends in different spots!” Bear Hug said. “Some of which couldn’t even move on their own. Some lived very far away like Anton. It was difficult. But I got over it.”

Soon, they were entering atmosphere. Most of those present could control their own descent, but Anton still took on the burden himself. It wasn’t terribly difficult.

Felicitas narrowed her eyes. “Did you… suddenly get stronger?”

“I’m quite certain I mentioned binding stars,” Anton commented. “I am connected to this one.”

“Isn’t that how you got to… your usual strength?”

Anton shook his head. “Not really. That is technically true, but I would rather say this is my usual strength.”

Felicitas made a face. “No wonder you weren’t worried when we… captured you.”

“You had good reason to believe in the efficacy of your technology. Though it’s far better for those on the Ascension path.”

Some people looked nervous at the new revelation. Those who had spent the most time with Anton and Bear Hug just took it as another twist.