trans_9 | Loud noises in the City [Open]

For the keen-eared to hear, there's shouting and loud voices coming from the lab opening cut high in the side of the Jedi Temple. Those new to the area, or possibly GLADOSed for an extended period of time -- in short, those who haven't learned to tune this sort of thing out -- might even be able to make out words, if they listened.

"No! That was not a command!"

"Command entered! This section of the laboratory is now being guarded against all intruders."

"Oh, for the sake of--"

"Warning! Intruder, leave the premises or face the wrath of arcane fury!"

"...I'm an intruder. In my own laboratory. You've got to be--"

"You have ten seconds to comply!"

"End instruction! Keyword: Sielwode."

"Keyword override is locked out for protection. You have 5 seconds!"

A few seconds passed.

"Why does it always have to end like this?"

A moment later, flame belched out of the laboratory opening, as a low thump heralded the fireball's detonation. Another moment later, the elf drifted out of the cut and to the ground, waving away the smell of brimstone and scorched defective golem with a miserable look on his face.

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Aibghalien immediately took a serious liking to Zouichi. Most people, by this point, would have wandered off looking for anything that involved less verbosity.

"The limitation is, I think, that in addition to the manipulation, magic -- barring constructed effects -- requires an effort of that quality of consciousness termed 'willpower'. The external forms are guidance only; it is focused exertion of one's will, or one's self, that causes magical energy to translate into effective energy."

Zouichi didn't really mind Aibghalien's speech; in fact, it was mildly comforting, since the man reminded him of some of the more inquisitive company scientists.

"In that case, I suppose there is only one main question: whether a machine could possess the 'will' required for performing magic. On Earth, it has long been debated as to whether machines could even possess intelligence.

Are you familiar with the Turing test? The idea was introduced by a scientist who considered an "intelligent" machine to be one that could fool a human being into believing it was also human. The test was passed about fifteen years later by a computer program called ELIZA, which was then criticized for being too simplistic to be considered truly intelligent.

But perhaps the 'willpower' displayed by a sufficiently advanced AI could pass a similar test, with a more tangible result: the ability to manipulate magical energy."

"I haven't heard of such a test, but to be honest, before coming to this ship I had only a year or two of interaction with machines, all of it adversarial." A classic magic-versus-technology war. Even now he suppressed his general distaste for machinery only consciously -- but he DID do it. This situation was not like the other.

"Magic, however, draws an absolute distinction between 'intelligent' and 'programmed', even given the most elaborate construction of protocols. It is entirely possibly to create an absolute and definitive intelligence with magic, temporarily or permanently, that is capable of using magic."

Zouichi blinked. "I am sorry to hear that. I should probably mention that I myself am part machine."

"So long as you have no drive to purge the magic from the land and slaughter its inhabitants after making a pact with a dark god, I think I can overlook that," Aibghalien said with a smile. But he really wasn't joking.

"I'm afraid I don't know any dark gods. In fact, I don't think magic even exists on my world. Or existed, I suppose."

"Or at least the practice of it," Aibghalien said. "It is rumored to have originated with dragons, though I prefer to believe that we elves first discovered sorcery, and that wizardry came as those who did not possess magic inherently came to imitate it. Either way, if your world had neither, it is not surprising that the art should not have been discovered."

"There was only one biological life form that developed sentience on Earth," said Zouichi, "Human beings. Although it was suggested that life might have developed on other worlds. I guess we never got far enough along to find out.

Human civilization progressed mainly through the development of technology, myself included. There were certainly many people who claimed to be able to perform magic or commune with dark gods, but nothing was ever proved conclusively one way or the other. I suppose technology was our magic."

"People tell me my history sounds like a fairy-tale, and yet, when I hear such stories, I feel the same about theirs," Aibghalien said, smiling warmly. "To think, only one intelligent sort of life... I can barely imagine it."

Zouichi nodded. "Evil pacts and purging magic from the land... I didn't have much time for fairy tales before release, but it does have a familiar ring. Perhaps it would have been better if Earth had been a little more like your world."

To that he could only shrug. "Perhaps. Certainly those who had no use of magic saw fit to destroy everything they could... but was that representative of what all people would do, in that same situation? I can't begin to guess."

"I don't admit to know what humanity would do when faced with the introduction of magic," admitted Zouichi.

"In any case, do you need any assistance reclaiming your laboratory? I can't help with any magical cleanup, but I can help clear away rubble."

"Oh no, it's fine." He actually grinned a little. "I have walls of force over every solid surface, they're completely indestructible. I expected this, honestly. That's why I'm experimenting on golems made out of flammable materials."

Golems made of flammable materials?

"That sounds, erm... rather dangerous."

"So far it hasn't been very successful. They have a tendency to view me as hostile, or have very poor target discrimination. This is easier and somewhat more satisfying than tediously deconstructing them."

And it helped get some of the urge to fireball things out of his blood.

"That is unfortunate. But it sounds like they'd make good walking explosives."

As long as they were in front and not behind you, that is.

"Hmm. An animated alchemist's fire flask." His eyes were getting a particular 'mad scientist' sort of gleam to them.

Scientists.

Zouichi hoped he wouldn't end up shooting at angry exploding golems anytime in the new future.

"In that case, I should leave you to your research."

"Thank you for your consideration, at least," he said, smiling. It wasn't many people, in his experience, who would go TOWARDS an explosion to make sure someone was all right.

Loud noises in the City [Open]

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