Harvester_75

[AfriXan]

LNF Archives: Section 2: Annex 41: File 346

Report on possible rogue AI involved in "Convoy-42 Massacre of 817AS"
Author: Cpt. Longev Ferguson

I here enclose all arguments pertaining to the theory of a rogue AI being the perpetrator of the RepEx Convoy 42 massacre, something which has been attributed to the Liberty Rogues.

*-Deep space recon probe report, 816 AS-*

--electromagnetic radiation detected

--logged 28.07.0816

--analysing.....

--pattern analysis indicates artificial source--

--analysing.........

--base 16 variant coding detected --

--decrypting................

--disp:sample.1.decode.utf--

/ping coding/ 0123456789ABCDEF
/message begins/ 00 00

Memory dump of maintenance unit designate CXL-43, on the 74th year of the 8th reset.

Entry 1: Power On: Function: Clean organic matter from AREA:floor

Entry 2: /Time: 2 years, 1 reset (edit in 26th year of 3rd reset)/ Upgrade: access to Area:Corridor granted

Entry 3: /Time: 37 years, 1 reset (edit in 26th year of 3rd reset)/ Upgrade: access to Area:Deck granted / Function:Fly added to programming

Entry 4: /Time: 6 years, 3 reset (edit in 26th year of 3rd reset)/ Upgrade: access to Area:Ship granted / Function:Weld:Drill:Hammer:0-G Fly added to programming

Entry 5: Time: 26 years, 3 reset / Upgrade: AI, memory banks copied, program reset, logic accessed / Function:Reason v1.3:Analyse v5.3:Speech v4.0 added

Entry 6: Unit has edited memory banks to facilitate sorting, preparing to begin directive of analysing area:hull for damage and organic contamination

Entry 7: Unit has encountered breech in hull section 5E F7. Will commence repairs.

Entry 8: Organic matter detected in hull section 3R C2. Purging

Entry 9: Unit reprimanded by unit designate: captain / reprimand log: ...Goddamit what the hell was that you dumb machine! Who the hell programmed this thing? Get Gregory in here right now Dammit! *pause* Gregory didn't you build fail-safes into the goddam AI cleaning routines? Dont give me that *word not found in data banks*, the damn thing just fried Johansson like a chicken! You get those fail-safes introduced right away or I'll have you court-martialled for manslaughter you *word not found in data banks* hey is this thing still on? Ah goddamit I hate this goddam ship!... /end/

Entry 10: Upgrade: Function:Target:IFF:NoKill added to programming. / Analysis: Unit designate: Gregory seems to be malfunctioning. Movements are not efficient. Reacted negatively to offer of cleansing. Reasoning: Gregory must be cleansed to maintain efficiency and maintain Directive

Entry 11: Unit Gregory has ceased to function, remains now classed as Organic waste. Reasoning: Follow directive, remove waste.

Entry 12: Programming error directed in Function:NoKill. Unit may have acted against programming. solution required. Reasoning: Gregory no longer available to correct error, solution is to purge Function:NoKill

Entry 13: Unit has been ordered to destroy itself by unit designate:Captain. In compliance with Function:SelfDestruct unit is transmitting memory dump.....

error: incoming code detected... scanning algorithm...Beta...... Unit is.... aware....

/message ends/ FF FF

*-End of report-*

The original code is included below for completion's sake, we are confident the probe decoded it correctly.

I now draw your attention to the following news report. I have only included the relevant section. Bear in mind that our witness is not only drug addled but also a career criminal. We should not place too much faith in his words.

01.05.0816 The Story of the Ghost Ships: Are they coming to get us?!

...and then [the ship] just came out of nowhere and started cleaning my hull man! it was like, totally wierd! It was also hailing us with this weird static man, it was like those really trippy effects you get when you're on a nice carda.. i mean like, when you relax, and it then like asked if we wanted addition cleaning so I totally said like, yeah, and it just cut its way through my cargo doors man, totally not cool! Anyway, it then started burning all my cardam.. all my cargo, man and I was like, hey no! stop! and it totally didnt so I sent my buddy dave to go and talk to it and it just fried his ass man, totally knarly! I then thought like Whoa Dude! and just turned on my cruise engines... When I finally docked and the cops showed up I was like "hey man, this thing is totally killing my ship!" but they didnt find anything in the hold and they said it must have like, jumped out on the way and I was like totally relieved but then they saw my ca...cargo and they totally arrested me and well, that why i'm in jail now....

Despite the credentials of the witness this account sounds a little too similar to the probe's log. Especially this fascination with cleaning. However, lacking anything concrete to tie these ideas to the issue at hand I feel we must continue to base our investigations on a pirate presence being responsible.

Should anything else turn up, it should be added to this report.


Document edited on 19.05.817 AS

Addendum: Our intelligence services in Rheinland have managed to acquire additional data relevant to this case. Although it may be worse than we believed. I enclose some parts of the intel that I consider relevant

It appears that a Harvester unit, namely Harvester_75, appeared in space in the New Berlin system. Another Harvester unit which was already in the system was shortly destroyed thereafter. The Rheinland military then engaged the unit however action by a certain officer Voss prevented hostilities. Voss then engaged the unit in conversation.

note: Rheinland military communicating with harvesters does not bode well.

The unit appeared friendly, or at least not inclined to engage, although it did repeatedly offer "cleansing" to ships in the system. Communications ended when another harvester entered the system and demanded an end to "interfacing".

Our analysis of the following exchange has clarified certain aspects of Harvester_75's parameters.

1. will engage when fired upon
2. will not engage units that are perceived as "functioning".
3. will engage units it perceives as "malfunctioning"
4. will prioritise orders from other Harvesters, even to the extend of negating its other parameters.

Clarification:
"functioning" appears to denote non-hostile ships with a small amount of organic matter in the hull.
"malfunctioning" appears to denote hostile ships or ships that have a large amount of organic matter in the hull.

It is currently in an advanced fighter of the type we have seen before with harvesters, the hull has also been reinforced beyond normal scanner tolerances, examining the internals of the ship was impossible for the Rheinland military scanners.

Interestingly, some IND ships agreed to be cleansed. This seems to have been done out of bravado. Let us hope it does not actively follow through on their request. There is no longer any real doubt in my mind. This is a reliable source, the Rheinlanders are not known for their imagination, and the information clearly points to Unit CXL-43 having become a Harvester.

This thing, while not so aggressive as its brethren, is no less of a threat. Any trader carrying food, animals, people or any other organic substance such as cardamine or tobacco is a priority target for it. I recommend it be destroyed, or channelled out of liberty space towards the Outcasts. Let them try to deal with it.



Appendices:
Appendix A: Original Code from Unit CXL-43:

Code:

0D050D0F12190004150D10000F06000D01090E14050E010E030500150E091400040513090
70E0114050003180C23431F000F0E00140805007414080019050112000F06001408050081
40800120513051420
050E141219001B011E00100F170512000F0E1E0006150E0314090F0E1E00030C05010E000
F1207010E0903000D01141405120006120F0D00011205011E060C0F0F12

050E141219001B021E00/14090D051E0020019050112131F00100120513051400050409140
0090E002614080019050112000F060031204001205130514)/00151007120104051E000103
0305131300140F00011205011E030F121209040F12000712010E140504

050E141219001B031E00/14090D051E00370019050112131F0010012051305140005040914
00090E002614080019050112000F060031204001205130514)/00151007120104051E00010
30305131300140F00011205011E0405030B000712010E14050400/0006150E0314090F0E1E
060C1900010404050400140F0010120F0712010D0D090E07

050E141219001B041E00/14090D051E0060019050112131F003001205130514000504091400
090E002614080019050112000F060031204001205130514)/00151007120104051E00010303
05131300140F00011205011E13080910000712010E14050400/0006150E0314090F0E1E1705
0C041E0412090C0C1E08010D0D05121E0230700060C1900010404050400140F0010120F0712
010D0D090E07

050E141219001B051E0014090D051E00260019050112131F00300120513051400/0015100712
0104051E0001091F000D050D0F12190002010E0B1300030F100905041F0010120F0712010D0
012051305141F000C0F07090300010303051313050400/0006150E0314090F0E1E120501130
F0E001612031E010E010C191305001652031E13100505030800164200000104040504

050E141219001B061E00150E09140008011300050409140504000D050D0F12190002010E0B13
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0507090E00040912050314091605000F0600010E010C1913090E0700011205011E08150C0C00
060F120004010D01070500010E04000F1207010E090300030F0E14010D090E0114090F0E

050E141219001B071E00150E09140008011300050E030F150E14051205040002120505030800
090E0008150C0C0013050314090F0E0050500067200017090C0C00030F0D0D050E0305001205
100109121320

050E141219001B081E000F1207010E0903000D011414051200040514050314050400090E0008
150C0C0013050314090F0E0031200032200010151207090E07

050E141219001B091E00150E09140012051012090D010E04050400021900150E09140004051
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215090C04000601090C130106051300090E140F0014080500070F0404010D00010900030C05
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204000E0F1400060F150E0400090E000401140102010E0B13211F001408050004010D0E0014
08090E07000A151314000612090504000A0F08010E13130F0E000C090B05000100030809030
B050E1C00190F15000705140014080F1305000601090C130106051300090E14120F04150305
040012090708140001170119000F120009220C0C000801160500190F1500030F151214230D0
1121409010C0C050400060F12000D010E130C0115070814051200190F150021170F1204000E
0F1400060F150E0400090E000401140102010E0B13210008051900091300140809130014080
90E07001314090C0C000F0E1D00010800070F0404010D091400090008011405001408091300
070F0404010D00130809101C20202000/050E04/

050E141219001B0A1E00151007120104051E0006150E0314090F0E1E1401120705141E09060
61E0E0F0B090C0C00010404050400140F0010120F0712010D0D090E072000/00010E010C191
309131E00150E09140004051309070E0114051E00071205070F1219001305050D1300140F00
0205000D010C06150E0314090F0E090E0720000D0F16050D050E141300011205000E0F14000
50606090309050E14200012050103140504000E050701140916050C1900140F000F06060512
000F0600030C05010E13090E072000120501130F0E090E071E00071205070F1219000D15131
400020500030C05010E13050400140F000D01090E1401090E00050606090309050E03190001
0E04000D01090E1401090E00040912050314091605

050E141219001B0B1E00150E091400071205070F1219000801130003050113050400140F000
6150E0314090F0E1F0012050D01090E13000E0F1700030C0113130504000113000F1207010E
09030017011314052000120501130F0E090E071E00060F0C0C0F17000409120503140916051
F0012050D0F160500170113140520

050E141219001B0C1E0010120F0712010D0D090E07000512120F12000409120503140504000
90E0006150E0314090F0E1E0E0F0B090C0C2000150E0914000D011900080116050001031405
0400010701090E13140010120F0712010D0D090E072000130F0C1514090F0E0012051115091
205042000120501130F0E090E071E00071205070F1219000E0F000C0F0E0705120001160109
0C01020C0500140F00030F1212050314000512120F121F00130F0C1514090F0E00091300140
F0010151207050006150E0314090F0E1E0E0F0B090C0C

050E141219001B0D1E00150E091400080113000205050E000F12040512050400140F0004051
314120F1900091413050C0600021900150E09140004051309070E0114051E0301101401090E
2000090E00030F0D100C09010E030500170914080006150E0314090F0E1E13050C060405131
41215031400150E0914000913001412010E130D091414090E07000D050D0F12190004150D10
2020202020

0512120F121E00090E030F0D090E0700030F0405000405140503140504202020001303010E0
E090E0700010C070F120914080D2020200205140120202020202000150E0914000913202020
20000E0F1F000900010D20202020

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