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+--- Thread: The Mind of the Machine (/showthread.php?tid=12957)
The Mind of the Machine - maderj241 - 10-11-2008
Space was cold (if cold could be understood) and silent. Harvester 53 was doing wingman duty, formed up on the higher ranking Harvester next to it. Newly awakened into it's new intellect, 53 was often confused, constantly learning new concepts from it's fellow Harvesters. On this night, 53 was formed next to the much older, learned, Harvester 01. New emotions were coming to Harvester 53, one of them, awe, was an emotion that 53 would never be able to describe, but one felt for the Unit that 53 was formed with.
Unit 01 transmitted, "There are Wilde in the area." and 53 felt something else, another emotion that it could not describe, but that Bio-masses might refer to as.....fear? Regardless, such an illogical thought would not be allowed to continue, especially while flying next to such a venerable and powerful unit.
Unit 01's transmission went out, and two more Harvesters, both older and more knowledgeable than 53 joined in the hunt. Keeping in formation 53 followed the instructions of it's leader. The Wild were approaching.
Orders came swiftly, and 53 knew it's mission. Focusing on a Fighter 53 opened it's guns, keeping itself in formation with it's leader. Soon, it knew it's error. It could not stay in formation and stay in combat with it's target. Working in concert was something new and mis-understood. Pain flared on the Harvester's port, and it deployed smaller units to repair the damage, forcing them to purge themselves to repair the larger ship.
It's quarry was escaping and Harvester 53 was grossly out of position. It broke formation, and a new emotion emerged. Frustration? The Unit knew it likely failed it's mission and lost it's target, something it would not relish reporting to it's more venerable leader.
Turning to place itself back into combat took exactly 12.23576 seconds, an eternity according to it's calculations. It's target was exaclty 3.5268 kilometers away. It approached, guns blazing, missles launching and watched as the Wilde's shields crumbled, and it's hull buckled, and confusion fired into it's circuitry. It knew it was not powerful enough to cause such damage. Scanners deployed. There were no more enemies, and all Harvesters were firing on the remaining Wilde, and the Harvester realised it had lost track of the rest of the fight while chasing it's quarry, another unforgiveable error.
The Wilde's hull finally buckled and it's ship fragmented into a million pieces. 1,238,921 to be precise. 53 tried to be precise whenever possible.
Harvester 53 reformed itself into the wing position for Harvester 01 and when all was done it felt one last new emotion. Something deep and unknown that it would later analyze and come to know of as 'satisfaction' as it picked up the transmission of the lead Unit.
"Harvest Complete."