Strata 3, Book of Immersion V1, Flex and the Robo-Dog (Making Decisions)

Welcome to Immersion

You have reached strata 3.

Decisions are the cusp between reality and possibility. Decisive actions create a continuously evolving universe for sentient beings where fate can immobilise actions and defeat progress. The decision-makers hold power over themselves, and, more often than not, over others.


Androids programmed to learn can aid decision-making when dealing with complex data, intricate parameters, and variables that surpass human understanding.
Often they excel at making accurate choices within their defined boundaries. However, an android will not excel in addressing intangible
aspects of human decision-making. Ethical dilemmas, moral considerations, and other human factors that significantly influence our lives and shape society are neither considered nor understood by a machine.

****

Maybeline was sitting on Renyke's shoulder cleaning herself. Renyke collected bugs from the alley and analysed their chemical and biological structure.

There was a bag next to where he had woken, a large backpack, beside a long leather coat. Renyke took some time to look in the bag attempting to remember how he had arrived in the alley. Nothing seemed familiar.

'What are all these things?' he asked the POS.

These are standard-issue SAS munitions from the 21st century.....

It occurred to Renyke that he could interrogate the POS for more information.

'Why am I here?
Where have I come from?'

There was a long pause before the POS answered.

...I do not have access to that information. My software was set to launch when we arrived. There is no accessible historical data at my disposal...

Catching himself in a window reflection Renyke put on the dark glasses he had found in the pocket of the coat.

'We look pretty good Maybeline,' he remarked, surprised by his unfamiliar vanity.

Mabeline nestled into Renyke's neck as they left the relative safety of the alley and entered the foreboding street.

They were in the centre of a busy metropolis. There was a lot of activity with people shouting, bartering goods and moving quickly about the place. There were small groups of brightly dressed individuals congregating around stationary vehicles. Some were smoking pipes. Small hazy clouds hovered above them trapping the weak rays of the sun. The towering semi-derelict buildings created shadowy corners where small fires provided more light and warmth.

The vehicles appeared to be a mix of old-fashioned motorised cabins from transportation systems and helicopters. There were some long-legged hybrids; electric solar-engine mashups that looked like menacing metal insects.
Renyke's detectors showed the air comprised mostly of oxygen with low levels of other chemicals: chlorine, sulfur, silicone, fluorine polymers and plasticisers.

'Hey, dude from the *Brightside, you want some *nibs?'

A man hovered expectantly, somewhat close for comfort. He looked dishevelled and alert as he checked all directions and avoided eye contact with Renyke.

Renyke checked his POS for 'nibs'.

......A drug used by nearly half the world's population that creates euphoria and doubles strength for a limited period. It can cause temporary and permanent coma. Long-term effects; brain rot......

'How much?' asked Renyke, whose algorithm was set to absorb all information about humans.

'I can do you a deal' said the man, '50 *bits.... Or the Rat'.

Renyke checked the POS for bits.

.....Bits: street talk for gold, silver, uranium and other metal nuggets used in the black and grey economy without government authority....

'I have no bits,' said Renyke.

'Hahahahahaha'.........' see you in hell brother!' shouted the man as he danced away on long legs and a demeanour that seemed at odds with his situation.

In the midcasts, happiness came with security and expectation. digital and technological lives were formatted for predictability and reliability. The present and the future were reliable and predictable. Although Renyke was struggling to remember details, he knew that this place was not what he was used to.

A fat man in a fur coat whistled.

'Hey girly, you want some dirty action? I'll take that rodent off your hands if you need some sexy time.'

A warning comes from the POS.

.....Danger! Immediate! Ground Level!....

A robot dog was barking loudly at Maybeline who was now snarling and making a shrieking noise.

For a fraction of a second Renyke analysed all the variables and consequences of his next actions.

The options were endless. The POS created a fleeting map of the most probable scenarios and outcomes that sprawled a multidimensional time map like a mathematical cobweb.

He could immobilise the robo-dog, tame it and use it, sell it, break it up and separate its useful component parts, analyse its database for information, absorb its operating system, or, he could ignore it.

Renyke began to ponder his skill set remembering that he was an excellent chess player. Single decisions about actions that he could make foresaw a million possibilities. Theoretically, this allowed for finely tuned activities and performance with very little or zero harm caused to his previous owners. Indeed, this forward-thinking ability had marked machines as superior in operation to humans who were narrow thinkers and only able to make selfish and immediate decisions based on emotional desire without reference to consequences.

The robo-dog opened its mouth and bit Renyke's ankle.

© 2023 Sarnia de la Maré

Links to episodes of Immersion written and illustrated by Sarnia de la Maré FRSA, published by Tale Teller Club

Strata 1
Strata 2
Strata 3
Strata 4
Strata 5
Strata 6
Strata 7
Strata 8
Strata 9
Strata 10
Strata 11
Strata 12
Strata 13
Strata 14
Strata 15
Strata 16
Strata17
Strata 18
Strata 19
Strata 21

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Strata 5, Immersion V1, Renyke Goes to The Bank (Memories and Experiences)

Welcome to Immersion, you have reached Strata 5 

To function correctly, humans depend almost entirely upon memories. Memory is an integral part of human cognition allowing individuals to recall and draw upon past events to frame their understanding of the present. Memory also gives individuals a paradigm through which they make sense of the present and the future whilst simultaneously offering the security of a past where experiences and lessons were learned.

A machine that remembers too little will not be able to do anything that requires connecting past experiences to new ones. Many droids are prone to catastrophic forgetting or over-learning both of which can cause gross malfunction.

                                                             **************

Renyke attempted a face-recog on the woman but the makeup or tattoo caused a data malfunction. Flex, the one with probable knowledge about trusting her, had disappeared amongst the crowd.

After a lingering interlude for summing up dangers but with no logical conclusion, Renyke followed his guide, with some trepidation.

There were traders of live animals, electronic devices, even people selling workers by the hour, for anything from labouring to singing and sexual services.

They arrived at a unit with barricades and metal shutters. It was constructed from an old underground train carriage, probably from the twenty-first century.


'Here we go,' the woman said.
'That's 50 G-bits for getting you here Mr.'

'I have to get some money first,' said Renyke
'Plus, I don't know how to get the money. What do I need, I have no ID.'

'You don't need ID here Mr. This is the *hiddens' zone, the Urchs got no ID. No ID, no problem.'

'Well. how do I get money?' asked Renyke, now confused about accessing anything that may be stored in his POS. and still dubious about sharing his identity.'

The woman laughed.
'Ya gotta put sometin' up my friend.

'Like my coat?' asked Renyke.

'Na, not in the bank! Your software, course, or hardware, or files, whatever.....just plug in, give some data, get some g-bits innit. They take apps, software, POS.....

Day to Day Data..... is their wayta.....
.....hahahahaha.' The woman cackled.

Renyke pondered the likelihood of a successful transaction in the bank and nodded.
The woman bashed on the metal door and a hatch opened.

Dark peering eyes checked Renyke and his companion up and down.

'Not the dog', said a loud booming voice after tentatively opening a heavily armoured door.

Inside was well guarded by large-framed characters who looked menacing to say the least. They were standard issue security droids, the like of older versions that had been discontinued and recalled, disassembled and disposed of. Security in the Midcasts was controlled by forcefields and lasers with little need for big ugly droids.

Renyke was ushered to a small cubical with an array of plugs and wires. Everything looked antiquated, from the early tech years.
There was a chair and Renyke was motioned to sit down.
He hesitated.

'How does it work?' He asked a large droid.

The droid seemed stupefied, slow and sluggish, as if he had been drained of power. He spoke slowly with slurred words. There were intermittent beeping noises and error warnings. coming from inside his head.

'Here is the current exchange rate,' said the droid, pointing to a monitor with flashing figures. 'As soon as you are plugged we see what you got and make an offer. Then we transfer. You get a voucher here.'....he pointed to a small printing machine, 'then take it over there and get g-bits or s bits.'


There were hundreds of wires and plugs seemingly for extracting and monitoring every device from the last couple of centuries. Anything from antique video machines to digital clocks seemed to have a lead on offer.

Renyke spotted the mark 3 Droid Cable and shuddered.

He checked his applications. Then all the add-ons. He checked for any temp files he could get rid of. Then he checked the POS and asked if there was a clean-up they could run.

System is currently set to factory install. Removing program files or data could be detrimental to smooth function....this action is not supported.....

more searching......then finally

one file found
unknown origin 
possible memory file from last OS 
surplus to current operational needs......unable to access file contents

Renyke weighed up the odds.

To be continued
© 2023 Sarnia de la Maré FRSA

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