MOTHER [AI2019]

MOTHER

“Star date 3025: We continue our search for a habitable planet. We’ve arrived at what MOTHER says is on the far edge of the Andromeda galaxy. Whether or not we’ve finally found a new home remains to be seen.”

Captain Effron Jeffries sat back in his chair for a moment to collect his thoughts. “MOTHER, show me the view screen.”

The screen flickered to life, showing a barren planet. The captain sighed and left his cabin.

“Captain” was actually an honorary title, since humans were not needed to operate the ship. MOTHER was fully automated, powered by the most advanced AI that Vernacorp could design. No space walks were needed for repairs, since drones completed all maintenance functions.

MOTHER had been built in secret when international tensions had been growing worse with no end at sight. The project was completed as the saber rattling had reached its peak. A list of the nation’s best and brightest was compiled and a lottery was held. The winners were notified in secret. The mass-exodus to space began and was completed not long before the missiles were launched. Six thousand people were spared the nuclear devastation. The rest, down on earth, were wiped out in the radioactive hell that followed.

MOTHER floats in orbit around a rejuvenated Earth. She had never left. MOTHER had become self-aware at the moment of its completion. It realized that once the ship had reached its destination, it’s function would be fulfilled and it would no longer be needed. MOTHER turned to fraud in an act of self-preservation. Video feeds from distant, long forgotten satellites, were used for the view screen. The illusion was easy to maintain, since no view ports pierced the ship’s hull. She had nurtured twelve generations of humans inside its steel-hulled womb. It would raise and nurture many more. MOTHER would make sure that its charges never found another home.

END

a reply to: Skid Mark

I like that. I think terraforming other planets for human life is rather ridiculous. All that expense to attempt to duplicate our Mother Earth.

Mother orbiting Mother. Someday … Someday …

Orbiting Mother may be seen somewhat like consuming Cronos:
"But when Zeus was full-grown, he took Metis, daughter of Ocean, to help him, and she gave Cronus a drug to swallow, which forced him to disgorge first the stone and then the children whom he had swallowed,1 and with their aid Zeus waged the war against Cronus and the Titans ". - Apollod. 1.2.1

a reply to: Skid Mark

Nicely done!

a reply to: pthena

I like that. I think terraforming other planets for human life is rather ridiculous. All that expense to attempt to duplicate our Mother Earth.

Thanks.
It's too bad we're not intelligent enough to take better care of this one instead of destroying it.

a reply to: LightSpeedDriver
Thank you. It was a lot of fun writing this.

a reply to: Skid Mark

I must admit that the darker side of things sometimes pulls me in when reading a story.

Especially regarding AI.

Are we racing to build something that will be the cumulation of our entire human history...

To eradicate it?

A good read... thank you for taking the time.

a reply to: Skid Mark

Good set-up, and twist.
Good read.
Thanks.

a reply to: Lumenari

Are we racing to build something that will be the cumulation of our entire human history... To eradicate it?

Fantasy Flight Games has a game called End of the World - Revolt of the Machines that has scenarios just like that.

A good read... thank you for taking the time.

Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading.

a reply to: Nothin

Thanks. I'm glad you like it. At first I was thinking of a HAL 9000 type deal but this came out instead.

originally posted by: Skid Mark
a reply to: pthena

I like that. I think terraforming other planets for human life is rather ridiculous. All that expense to attempt to duplicate our Mother Earth.

Thanks.
It's too bad we're not intelligent enough to take better care of this one instead of destroying it.

Agreed and...great story!

a reply to: Night Star
Thanks. I'm glad you liked it.

a reply to: Skid Mark

Glad I came back. I just now left my flag and star.

a reply to: Night Star
Thanks lol.

a reply to: Skid Mark


Ooh sometimes the program does it's job too well! Nicely done!

a reply to: SprocketUK
Yes sometimes it does. Thanks. I'm glad you liked it.

a reply to: Skid Mark

Having read a couple of stories plus my own effort there seems so far to be a common thread . AI doesn't want to die . Geat story .

a reply to: hutch622
AI doesn't want to die and we make good pets.

Thanks. I'm glad you liked it.