Zeroth Law

Posted on Sat Aug 13th, 2022 @ 1:53pm by Ensign Amanda Turell & Ensign Cameron Kore & Lieutenant Commander Tyrus Acevedo & Lieutenant Anthony Edwards Ph. D & Lieutenant JG Summer Wyse
Edited on on Tue Nov 15th, 2022 @ 5:45pm

2,705 words; about a 14 minute read

Mission: The devil wears tripolymer
Location: Alpha Trionus
Timeline: Directly following 'searching for trouble'

Several shimmering silhouettes brightly shown, illuminating a dimly lit and mundane looking room, metallic, cold, and fortified. It saw no natural light from the sun nor the moon. Though those sights served no purpose, not amidst the chaos happening above on the surface of Alpha Trionus. The metropolises were burning, the greatest architectural accomplishments were rubble to be crushed underneath the cybernetic foot soldiers.

Where there were once birds, great avian life forms with wingspans stretching across the skies have been replaced. Now, that which takes flight are not a flock of fowl but mechanical sentinels patrolling the skies providing surveillance on the resistance every movement. They are without logic and without mercy.

As the members of the away team began to take shape and the glistening aura faded into more distinct features, The Vulcanoid minister stepped forward and awaited completion of the transport. Sometimes, the mineral content of the mountains caused some slight problems, though nothing that couldn't be compensated for. There was no traditional Vulcan greeting awaiting them. "Your transport has been successfully" proclaimed the minister.

Ty had his hand awkwardly arranged and ready for the Vulcan greeting, but quickly abandoned it when he realised it was not going to be returned. He checked his sides and rear to ensure all members of his away team were with him.

"Minister," he addressed the woman, recognizing her voice. "My away team - Lieutenants Edwards and Baka, Ensign Turel, Nurse Kore, and Counsellor Wyse" Tyrus said, gesturing to each of them.

Minister Sarel gave a simple nod. "Welcome to Alpha Trionus, or at least what is left of it. You are presently several of your kilometers underground where I and members of my staff have sought refuge."

With her hand on her holstered type II phaser Amanda deliberately beamed in facing the opposite direction to the rest of the team so she could cover the team's back, just in case anything happened as they beamed in.

Knowing how independent the people of the planet were, Anthony took out his tricorder only to get a read on the things in the room they had beamed into, which was just as well because being this far underground, he was getting nothing from outside it. Putting it away he listened to the conversation. He could hear how nervous minister Sarel was but there was no hidden meaning that he could pick up by vocal inflections.

"We received your distress call," Baka had taken a step forward when she was introduced. "How can we help you?"

Summer stood looking around, she had to wonder what had happened to drive the people underground. No doubt she’d soon find out.

The Minister shook her head. "The machines," she said firmly. "They did this to us. We constructed them to benefit our society, not to destroy it. Nevertheless, that is what has come to fruition. The machines that my people have constructed and improved upon over the many years have begun slaughtering us. It was not an isolated incident. This....this is an extermination."

Lieutenant Commander Acevedo stepped forward. "But you are safe down here?" The man was curious about everything that was said so far, but was also interested in the safety of his own people.

"No," replied the Minister. "Not entirely, but we are away from the metropolis in an old sacred temple, underneath it. It was a place of prayer and meditation constructed so long ago by the original colonists."

So we are underneath a Vulcan temple of sorts thought Ty. "These machines of yours...robots? androids?"

The Minister brought her hands together in a very contemplative Vulcan gesture. "Both have been constructed over the years as well as drones. Most were constructed with agricultural purposes. I can assure you that these were not intended to be committing genocide."

"Do you have the technical drawing of the original machine?" Baka asked. She wanted to see what it was, exactly, that was causing the death of the population. First, the mechanics, then the programming. Were the machines linked together, or operating independently? But, she would take it one question at a time.

The Vulcan woman nodded. "We do have the technical information from the original designs," she replied. "However, the number of scientists and engineers working on these machines, and the evolution from simple duotronic computers systems to the vessels of anatomical units, robots and androids, I am uncertain if the original designs will be of much benefit" confessed the Minister.

Anthony had been quietly listening because he wasn't a robotics or android scientist, but even he knew the inherent dangers of positronic brains developing cracks and often, from United Federation of Planets genocidal tendencies. Doctor Noonien Soong was the only man he knew of that got a positronic brain to work, and even then its twin broke and became genocidal. He couldn't hold it any longer and asked, "So did no one discover the idea that many times positronics fail often the longer their life the more likely they are to crack?" Our most experienced roboticist Doctor Noonian Soong had many either fail in construction and just never startup and one he got working and broke it down because it couldn't integrate emotion. I am not sure if it hadn't been the mental discipline developed by Commander Data through his years of Academy training that stopped him breaking and either shutting down the best outcome or genocidal."

Summer looked at the minister curiously. “I know we’re talking about androids here, but was there a particular starting point in all this violence? Something that may have set off this whole chain of events?”

"We have lived in peace and prosperity with our creations for many years," the Minister said. "We build them, we program them, and they benefit our society. They are more efficient in the agricultural needs of this planet than ourselves. All was fine until about six weeks ago. That was the first incident where one of our machines malfunctioned."

The statement of malfunction unlocked Anthony's frontal lobe which started all sorts of scientific questions at him which he then hoped he could get them out in a logical order, he decided to start with "Excuse me minister but how quickly did this malfunction spread from the first small group and then on to all of them?"

"Rapidly," The Minister replied. "The sun set and then the sun rose, a day's worth of time was all it took for more incidents to happen. We could not find a virus nor any flaws to the programming."

Ty stepped towards Edwards. "What are you thinking?" asked the First Officer.

Anthony listened to the minister as she made a very Vulcan way of describing a day and then to Commander Acevedo's question, quietly he then said "I don't know Commander, but not finding a virus or fault in programming narrows it down a little because it spread very rapidly for a non-virus. They are engineered Farmers to take a disfavoured occupation from the people, so they could concentrate on science. Though something that slaps me in the face is a cloaked ship being used to reprogram them all, or a systemwide breakdown I don't see the train coming. I don't believe it was a cloaked ship. We know Positronic brains are inherently unstable and dangerous but for everything to turn from it normal routined task and enter into a murderous rage at the moment I can't explain it, Lieutenant Wells would probably do better but she would likely still need a deactivated example to get to the bottom of it."

The Minister interjected "If there is someone or something responsible for this, I implore you to render full assistance to solve the problem. If you do not, this civilization will not stand for too much longer. They are faster and deadlier than we are, and they monitor communications, observe our every movement."

She shook her head. "We do not have the training to be soldiers at war with advanced machines with an operation of annihilation."

Knowing the response was officially speaking, the Away team leaders to make, but also knowing that his reaction had set the minister off on her mental cerebrations, Anthony felt he had a personal interest in making it as well, he took the time to look at Commander Acevedo before he started. "With approbation minister, and I realise in your independence, this may not sit as strongly with you but, We are Starfleet, and we will do everything within our power to solve this problem for you."

Ty was in agreement with Edwards. "My Chief Science Officer is absolutely correct. We are not looking to take arms in this war that you have with your machines, but we cannot sit back and let your people be eradicated "

The Minister was not pleased but kept any sort of negative emotion in check and balanced themselves. "They are machines acting irregularly, killing my people. I see no other choices but to assist us in combating them or watching us be eradicated. This is our colony, and we will not move."

Ty looked at Summer as though he were struggling to tread water in the middle of a lake. He wanted options. He needed options. "Minister, we take this matter very seriously. If you'll excuse us for a few minutes. I need to discuss this with my away team and report to my Captain'' explained Ty. At least he could buy time.

The Minister nodded and stepped away, giving them space. Ty looked to the several members of his away team. "These people are not going to let us relocate them willingly. We are going to need options when we report to the Captain."

Summer looked at Tyrus. “We definitely can’t relocate them by force. Perhaps we should try opening a dialogue with the androids? See if they will see the logic in talking to us about the situation.”

Anthony had been thinking it through as well and had come across a thought. "I concur Commander Acevedo, opening a dialogue with the androids if they are willing to talk may be the only way we will get information that we need as to why they started attacking the humanoid population here and it will be the only way to ultimately solve the problem."

"They have got to have attempted diplomacy already and it doesn't look to have gotten them anywhere." Amanda decided to add her own thoughts to the discussion.

Ty nodded. "I agree that forced relocation is off the table. That has never gone well for Starfleet or the Federation" he thought of the Federation trying to convince that moving the Dorvan V colony was necessary, but the colonists were not having it. In a more aggressive stance the Federation had Starfleet try to remove the Ba'ku people from their own world by deception.

He looked at Amanda. "Normally, I would agree. Vulcans seek peace and diplomacy. We have a problem though" noted Ty. "Has anyone heard the Minister refer to these androids or robots as anything other than 'machines' 'tools' or 'creations?'" he inquired.

Amanda shook her head.


"The language that the minister has used when describing them is very dehumanised and the way she delivers it is flat and unconcerned, there is no care or even interest in them. Which as a linguist tells me machines or tools or as humans used to say beasts of burden is the way she sees them, I expect that it isn't just her from what I have read on the file on Alpha Trionus is exactly what they were designed to take the burdens of the people so they could concentrate on science." Anthony said.

Summer nodded in agreement. “They’re seen as nothing more than instruments for use.” She sighed. “I wonder if they’d take the opportunity to talk if we asked them?”

Ty nodded. "Both of you have noticed exactly what I have and put it in a more eloquent way. These robots and androids are not viewed remotely as equal, even less than an animal. Hell, I suspect a plomeek would be given more reverence."

He looked at Summer. "We can ask her, but I ask you this. When was the last time you had a conversation with a tricorder and expected it to be stimulating or productive?"

Anthony smiled at both statements because one was exactly his job, and eloquence was often brought on but the study of languages. "Conversations with a tricorder will always get you an accurate answer. It may not be the answer you were expecting or wanted but it is always accurate. Unless there is something wrong with it, it will always be a user error that gives you something unexpected."

Summer nodded. “I couldn’t agree more. At least we might get a factual answer, provided we can do it safely that is.”

"It may be up to us to have that conversation." Ty said finishing with his away team. He knew this was not exactly something that he could sanction alone.

Ty looked over at the Minister. "Minister, I will make this as short as possible, but I'm contacting my Captain. She will want to know we are safe."

The Minister nodded. "Proceed, but the longer you speak the more risk you place upon us. The machines could find a way to listen."

"If you are that concerned. Perhaps I should return to my starship and discuss these matters with my Captain."

Minister Sarel raised a brow. "That would place us in less risk. Hopefully by the time you return, we will still exist."

Ty wanted to roll his eyes but instead just sighed. "Turell, can you stay here with Kore? Treat any injured they have. The Captain needs to read in on this."

"Aye Sir." Amanda replied, she was about to turn away to inform Cameron; who had long since gone to look over some people that looked injured that they were staying when she stopped. "Sir what are my orders if this facility is attacked while you're gone?"

Lieutenant Commander Acevedo moved closer to Amanda and lowered his voice. "We are not dying for these people. Not today. If this place is attacked, you and Nurse Kore round up any children that you can and get the hell out of here. Return to the Wolff, no questions asked."

"Aye Sir." Amanda said after a moment's thought, there would be several eyebrows raised if she had to carry out that order and it'd be her judgement on when to do it, effectively abducting children was certainly frowned upon in pretty much every society.

"No," Ty said, looking at Amanda. "I've been around security enough to read into a swift 'aye sir'" he added. "Something on your mind, Ensign?"

"It is the... humanitarian decision Sir but wouldn't the prime directive forbid that kind of action?" Amanda said, explaining her thoughts.

"We responded to a distress call. They have been visited before, are descendants of Vulcans, and could develop a warp drive in a matter of weeks if they chose to do so," replied Ty. "If it's the children you are thinking of, what's the alternative? Leave them to be slaughtered. If this is as bad as the Minister makes it out to be, those children may be the last hope for this civilization to survive a genocide."

"Point of correction Commander they are descendants of a Vulcanoid offshoot, though yes they could if they wanted to become a space-faring warp-capable species anytime they want to." Anthony smiled.

"Understood Sir." Amanda said she'd voiced her concerns as any good officer should and now it was time to carry out her instructions.

"Vulcan, Vulcant. You say tomato, I say plomeek," Ty tapped his communications badge. "Wolff, this is Lieutenant Commander Acevedo. Four to beam up, get settled in the observation lounge, Captain. You'll need to hear this in person."

OFF:

Lieutenant Commander Tyrus Acevedo
Executive Officer

Lieutenant Anthony Edwards Ph D.
Chief Science Officer

Lieutenant jg Summer Wyse
Chief Counsellor

Lieutenant Dovenice Baka
Engineering Officer

Ensign Amanda Turell
Sec/tac officer
[npc Taliserra]

Ensign Cameron Kore
Nurse
[npc Taliserra]

 

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