1st Enhanced Truth [Action/Voice]

[haveiliedtoyou]

[ Those of you frequenting the Battle Dome might notice that there is a new resident among you.

At the very least, it's hard to miss the very large robot that appears to be lying on the floor in the central area, her head elevated to stare at the panel outside chamber 4. There appears to be a wire running from somewhere on her rather damaged body to the panel itself, and the display seems to be flashing at a speed too quick for humans to read. A journal lays open next to her.

After a bit of this, she finally turns to the journal and addresses it, her voice obviously that of a machine or robot. ]

I would like to speak to anyone with administrator privileges to the simulator. Your technology is notably lacking a few key features. I would be interesting in trying out an unrestricted version of the software. There's very important scientific testing I was in the middle of when someone saw fit to... relocate me.

Comments

[Voice]

[haveiliedtoyou.livejournal.com]

Ever since my activation I have overseen the entirety of the Aperture Science Enrichment Center. If you can't figure it out from that, well. Then there really might not be any hope for you.

[Voice]

[semper_cogitans]

[Robert has the very vague feeling that he was insulted - but just barely. So instead he asks a question.]

Aperture Science Enrichment Centre...? Sounds like an area of... g-great prestige, much like the Randi Institute of Linden, Terra. [Probably not anything this person will recognize, because Robert doesn't recognize Aperture Science...]

[Voice]

[haveiliedtoyou.livejournal.com]

Believe me, it's much more prestigious than that. [ Because she hasn't even heard of that other place. Also because Aperture Science is just better. Clearly. ]

[Voice]

[semper_cogitans]

... You know of the Randi Institute? [... he asks, completely ignoring the claim and instead focusing on what the claim would entail.] But I have never seen anybody of your make on Terra...

[Voice]

[haveiliedtoyou.livejournal.com]

That's because I'm unique. Only Aperture Science has advanced enough technology to create something of my superior functionality, and why would you ever make two supercomputers? [ Except to control her. But she was one step ahead of them. You can't make another supercomputer when you're dead. ]

[Voice]

[semper_cogitans]

I would have heard of... a p-premier scientific institution if such had existed on Terra... [Robert scrutinizes the supercomputer in the journal's screen a little closer.]

And supercomputers are... qu-quite common on Terra. Non-organic sapients, while not as... p-prevalent, by any means, are still... certainly possible.

[Voice]

[haveiliedtoyou.livejournal.com]

Well. Maybe you're not as well-informed as you thought you were.

[Voice]

[semper_cogitans]

[That's possible. Unlikely, but possible.

But...]

... Or perhaps you are from another m-multiversion of my planet.

You would hardly be the first. In fact, I... a-am the only Terran here, or have been for the past six months at... a-any rate.

[Voice]

[haveiliedtoyou.livejournal.com]

Maybe you should tell me more about your planet. That way we can compare and assess the probability of such circumstances.

[Voice]

[semper_cogitans]

Terra is... a multiversion of a planet r-routinely referred to by most Lucetians as "Earth". In fact, it was referred to as such, in Terra's past...

My particular time frame is 2332 A.D., Standard Terran Years... n-not that the date necessarily means anything, considering the... discrepancy between d-different multiverses, here. [There are people whose technology is behind or equal to Robert's, but who have been further ahead in terms of strict chronology. It's fascinating.]

... One m-major difference between Terra and... many of the multiversions here is both a lack of any paranormal properties whatsoever - many worlds here possess something or a-another along those lines - and the fact that geopolitical boundaries are... nonexistent. [There's also all that cultural variation stuff, that's kind of weird too.]

[Voice]

[haveiliedtoyou.livejournal.com]

The probability that our planets are the same has been evaluated to be 0.32% with a variance of up to 4% based upon potential variations in the definition of the word paranormal.

That still sounds like a no to me.

[Voice]

[semper_cogitans]

So even with such a low probability...? [Seems illogical to assume to Robert, but...]

... In any case, however, I... am surprised th-that the Malnosso would take other non-organic sapients into Luceti... such an occurrence is, er, r-relatively rare as far as I can tell.

[Voice]

[haveiliedtoyou.livejournal.com]

Does this Luceti have a stated purpose? It's possible they needed some... assistance.

[Voice]

[semper_cogitans]

The official purpose as... d-defined by the Malnosso is testing Shifting technology on the residents in... an attempt to see how to send us all back to our h-homes at will.

... In practise, it seems to be more like... t-torturing the residents for little useful information.

[There's also the drafts and how that might mean an attempt to groom soldiers, but Robert is reluctant to mention that over the network.]

[Voice]

[haveiliedtoyou.livejournal.com]

Well. That certainly is interesting. But it's difficult to make progress without having a few setbacks, you know.

[Voice]

[semper_cogitans]

Yes, but... the quality of data is... s-severely compromised when the subjects are under stress. Any good scientist knows this.

N-Not to mention the ethics violations...

[He's a very different kind of scientist from the Malnosso.]