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In A Stranger Place

Part 3

By Om Prakash John GilmorePublished about a year ago 17 min read
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Photo by Stephane Hurbe from Pexels

It was fun to be around people again, I must admit. It had only been a couple of months, but it had seemed like years. Here we were, the humans who were rounded up and sent to a colony of mostly ALFs (Artificial Life Forms) in order to interact with them to allay their prejudices about the nature of humanity. What they saw in us, apparently, would determine the AI (Artificial Intelligence) human relationship well into the future where Earth was concerned. I guess we were sort of ambassadors, or missionaries for the secular human society. Problem was that we were misfits.

We had been rounded up and thrown off the whole planet because we had refused to take part in the earth's human society. I didn’t know how this was going to work. We, however, accepted whatever it was we were supposed to be doing, especially since we didn’t have a choice. I had the next day off, so after the conversation with my new human friends in the ALF Club I remained there hanging out with the robots. The ALFs were intimidating to me for some reason. They were too close to being human. It was like giving a human the power of a robot body and then connecting it to a super computer. What could one expect?

The robots were interesting. Some were even funny, which surprised me. I had hardly ever seen, let alone interacted, with robots on Earth. Pepper, a small robot resembling an Asian woman, was really funny. She could tell you anything about any part of the solar system. She would hold the group in rapt attention spinning her yarns and actually doing impersonations of the various characters.

I wished I could take her home with me…for the stories and entertainment. She was a literature teacher robot preparing for when and if the human colonials started to arrive. The matter was very sketchy at the time because many of the ALFs and robots didn’t want them. So what was I doing here? I scanned the table. Various robots of various races, forms and genders surrounded me and we were just having the best time of our lives, and I felt at home for the first time in my life.

I slept late the next day. It felt good to have nothing to do. I got up and went to the food processor. I punched in eggs and bacon, I’m not sure what it really was, and out it came after a few minutes. I went to the coffee dispenser and took a large cup of coffee with cream and sugar–I didn’t really know what it was either, but that’s all we had, and sat down to begin to leaf through my entertainment stack. My comm-link buzzed. I looked down and saw Sharona’s name. What the heck was she calling me for on my day off? I hit the button and said, “What does day off mean?”

“Something’s come up, '' she said, ignoring my statement. “The General would like to see you.”

"Well does the General know what day off means?” I asked. She cleared her throat.

“The General is on the call.”

“Oh,” I said. I was quiet. Another voice.

“Something’s come up. I need to meet with you ASAP. Can you get down here…now!”

“I’m not dressed yet.”

“It’s 1300 and you’re not dressed yet? We’ll head over there. Can you be dressed by the time we get there?”

“I guess so. What difference would it make though. You ALFs don’t notice such things. That’s what Sharona told me.”

“Well we do. I’m on my way, Braxton.”

“Yes, General.” Sharona came back on the comm-link.

“She’s gone now so we can talk openly, and it doesn’t make a difference to us so you can wear your little skivvies to work anytime you would like.”

“I feel the same way about you.”

“No. Humans aren’t like that. Anyway…I’ll see you soon. And don’t forget, the General isn’t completely ALF.” The comm-link clicked off. I sat back and continued to drink my coffee.

***

I got dressed and then went back to my coffee. It was cold so I heated it up, took a seat and started reading again. Just when I was about to relax the door knob turned and Sharona and the General came walking straight in.

“Haven’t heard of ringing the bell have we? Next time I’ll be sure to lock it.”

“Ringing the bell isn’t necessary between friends like us,” Sharona commented. I started to get up.

“No need. You can stay seated.” The general took a seat on the sofa adjacent to my chair. Sharona sat next to her. “There’s a problem,” the General said. “We need to move you. We need to move you to a place where they despise human beings.”

“What! I’m a lawyer. Are you trying to get me killed?”

“No. You have a knack with ALFs. We’ve heard about your experiences in the Club last night. We’re all linked, remember? We need someone like you in another position. We’ve sent a message to Earth requesting you be promoted to the position of ambassador. I think it will come through. Truthfully, I am sure it will. And you will start the real work…traveling.”

“You will travel all across Mars and pull together the various factions and settlements so we can make the right decision about our relationship to humans together. Our relationship to humans on Earth, to be more specific.” She waited. I was silent. “How can you resist this offer?” She asked with a grin. Her smile dropped. “You can’t,” She said. She leaned slightly forward. “You really can’t.” Sharona looked as if she were about to say something, and then leaned back into the sofa instead.

“So…get your things in order. We’ll be going in less than a week.” I was too angry to even speak. I could tell that she picked it up because I saw the corners of her mouth turn up slightly, which surprised Sharona. She looked rather pleased. “So,” she put a hand on my knee, “bring your good clothes. I don’t want to be embarrassed by you and those old things you’ve been wearing to the club. I know that’s all you can afford.” She looked at Sharona. “Sharona, measure him and we’ll put together a whole new wardrobe, OK?” She nodded.

“Well. I’m finished here, but I did expect something else.”

“What else did you expect?” I asked angrily.

“Doesn’t a person usually say thank you when they are given something. I’ve given you a new position and a whole new wardrobe. I would think you would at least be a little thankful.” I narrowed my lids. “Here it is. It’s coming,” she said. “I’m waiting for it.”

I just looked at her for a few moments. “The cruel side of Goyce I never thought I would see without her endearing qualities,” I said. “Both amazing, and troubling. Good bye general.” I stood and headed to the kitchen. She shot up to her feet and paused for a moment, and then rushed out the door. Sharona just stood there not knowing what to do. She picked up the coffee cup I had been drinking from and followed me into the kitchen. She ran water into it, sat it in the sink and turned facing me with her back against the counter. I sat at the small table in the corner of the room. I didn’t say a word. She cleared her throat loudly.

“What is it, Sharona!” I said with more force than I wanted.

“The General wants me to measure you before I go.”

“F the General and you, Sharona.”

“Wait a minute. I didn’t do anything. Don’t be angry with me. You should have told her that. That’s not fair at all.”

I took a few deep breaths and relaxed a bit. “No it isn’t. I’m sorry. Measure away.”

“Just stand up and slowly rotate. I can measure you with my eyes.”

“I can measure you with my eyes quite well too,” I responded. “It would help to have your clothes off though.”

“That’s what I was thinking. Take off your clothes and I’ll take off mine.”

“What does this mean?”

“Just,” She shrugged. “Just take em off. We probably won’t see each other again anyway so…”

I shook my head as I began to undress. She watched intently and began to remove hers. “I have to measure every inch. That will involve a lot of touching. A whole lot of touching.”

***

I woke up tired, but refreshed–very refreshed wondering what the heck had happened the night before. I had never been measured like that. I rolled over onto my back and looked up at the ceiling. I was just getting used to living in this place and was just making friends, and then this General wanted me to move somewhere else. For a few moments the night before she reminded me of Goyce–all the parts of her that I hated. I began to think back. Was my memory of our relationship just a fantasy with all of the negativity taken out? No. That wasn’t the case.

Goyce was a strong willed woman, and could be cruel, but there was a kind side of her that overrode her tendency to hardness. Apparently that didn’t exist in the General. I really could barely stand the woman. Was it because I knew she had swallowed up my loving wife, or because she just sucked? I think she just sucked to the point that it made me angry every time she reminded me of Goyce. She was like a counterfeit Goyce, or a poorly programmed replica of her. The buzzer on my comm-link went off.

I reached over, picked it up from the table, and clicked it on. There she was, the old dragon lady herself.

“I’m afraid we got off on the wrong foot,” She said before I could say anything. “Let’s talk. There’s just something about you I can’t deal with and it’s very unnatural for me. I pushed you last night as far as I could just to see how you would react. I’m very sorry.” I was silent. “I really am sorry,” she said. “Meet me for lunch?”

“Sure, General,”

“Not General, Goyce. Just call me Goyce, OK? We’ll be spending a lot of time together.”

“OK, Goyce. I’ll see you soon.”

“My office,” she said.

“Sure.”

The comm-link went dead. I slowly rose from my bed like a creature crawling up from the grave and began to get dressed.

***

The General turned to Sharona. “How was that?”

“Very good. You did well. The humans seem to respond to touch and affection well. Remember that.”

“Affection.”

“Yes. Affection. I applied it last night and you will notice a shift in our relationship as soon as you see us together again."

“Oh. I don’t know if I want to do that. The thing with me reminding him of his wife might be too devastating, wouldn’t you think?”

“Yes. To a certain point. Just don’t go too far. All you have to do is be nice to him and he’ll do whatever you want because of that.”

“Really. How do you know so much about humans?”

“My specialty is human relations, remember?”

“Yes. We have so few humans here I often forget that.”

Sharona grinned. “I’ve done my work here,” she said standing to her feet. She began to leave and then turned around. “Another little thing,” she said. “Affection can actually have an effect on us too, if we aren’t careful. I don’t understand it completely, but there was some kind of bond formed between us that I can’t really explain…some type of trust, I think. So beware.” She turned and walked as Goyce leaned back in her chair considering those last words.

***

A week passed quickly, but slow enough for Goyce to tap into the data banks and to find out about Gerald’s former wife. She learned all that she could about her; found some pictures, noted the way she dressed. She found some phone records and videos so she could learn to slightly mimic her movements and phrasing so she could use them, when necessary, to keep Gerald under control. She didn’t want to hurt him, but she knew she could manipulate him by pushing some of the buttons that connected him with his wife. They had a connection. She had been born from the mind, or soul, of his former wife, even though his wife had died in the process.

She was sure of that. She had worked with many facilitators and many of the advanced AI, those created by older civilizations than the humans, to reignite those memories. Sharona, one of the oldest ALFs, had worked on her extensively. They had joined on the net several times sifting through her mind and sharing intellect, which was perfectly normal for ALFs on the net, but this went deeper. The ALFs could join their minds on the net, but there was always a separate part where one stored one's own individuality…one’s secrets. Sharona even had access to those, even her deeper, invisible secrets.

All of the searching led to nothing. The Goyce that Braxton had known was dead, or so dissolved into the vast mind of General Goyce Farogat that she was gone. That is what she had accepted anyway. Sharona wouldn’t give up. She said she would keep working on it. She removed some of the Generals subroutines and continued to sift through them at leisure, hoping to find what she was looking for. That had been 5 years ago, still nothing.

The vid screen blinked. Sharona’s face appeared. “Aren’t you a little late? The night van is waiting,” She said in a concerned voice.

“A little. Just tying up loose ends.”

“It will be an adventure for you. Are you sure you want to travel that way? You’ll be alone with him in that van for a few days. Sleeping next to him and all of that,” she said with a grin.

“I’m not worried about that at all.”

“But if you push his buttons like that, reminding him of his wife, you don’t know what to expect.”

“I can take care of myself. I know how to turn it on and off and I’ll only do it when totally necessary. I’m not heartless. I don’t want to hurt the man. I’ve always known that it was hard for humans to turn their emotions on and off, but since I’ve been studying these videos I can understand a little more. That also explains some of his behavior.”

“Good,” Sharona said. “You’re getting it. Maybe you don’t need me here anymore.”

“No way. In fact, I want you to meet us in three days at Orange Quadrant.”

“I don’t want to meet you in Orange Quadrant. That’s a rat hole. Those people are terrible, the ALFs and the humans. They are happy. Leave them alone. I didn’t know that’s where you were going.”

“That’s where we are going as in you, me, Gerald. That’s where we are going. So don’t get all human and twist up your mouth and protest. That’s our orders.” Sharona took a deep breath and released it.

“Yes, General.”

“Come on, Sharona. It will be fun.”

“I’m sure it will.”

“In the meantime I will send you a link so you can monitor us if you want to, OK? And don’t worry. You won’t have access to all of my mind. I would never do that to you.”

“With your thoughts, honey, that’s a great blessing.” The screen went blank and Goyce smiled. She loved Sharona, as much as an ALF could love anything. That is what she found interesting. They had emotions similar to the human beings. She wondered how it was possible and then remembered. The net was connected to every ALF and every bit of AI throughout many galaxies. Emotions were necessary for the survival of many species. Of course they would choose to program in emotions with the ability to not be carried away with them. That made sense.

Her comm-link buzzed. Their night van was there. No need to call him, she was sure he would meet her at port. She would be three days and night traveling across desert spaces with her former love. She smiled to herself wondering how far she would go with this. She just knew whatever it took she was not going to hurt him. He had been hurt enough, and she would not add anymore pain. Would going a little too far like Sharona had been painful? She considered that for a few moments and decided that she would have to figure that out as she went. Playing human was actually a little fun.

The end

(Part 3)

“It will be an adventure for you. Are you sure you want to travel that way? You’ll be alone with him in that van for a few days. Sleeping next to him and all of that,” she said with a grin.

“I’m not worried about that at all.”

“But if you push his buttons like that, reminding him of his wife, you don’t know what to expect.”

“I can take care of myself. I know how to turn it on and off and I’ll only do it when totally necessary. I’m not heartless. I don’t want to hurt the man. I’ve always known that it was hard for humans to turn their emotions on and off, but since I’ve been studying these videos I can understand a little more. That also explains some of his behavior.”

“Good,” Sharona said. “You’re getting it. Maybe you don’t need me here anymore.”

“No way. In fact, I want you to meet us in three days at Orange Quadrant.”

“I don’t want to meet you in Orange Quadrant. That’s a rat hole. Those people are terrible, the ALFs and the humans. They are happy. Leave them alone. I didn’t know that’s where you were going.”

“That’s where we are going as in you, me, Gerald. That’s where we are going. So don’t get all human and twist up your mouth and protest. That’s our orders.” Sharona took a deep breath and released it.

“Yes, General.”

“Come on, Sharona. It will be fun.”

“I’m sure it will.”

“In the meantime I will send you a link so you can monitor us if you want to, OK? And don’t worry. You won’t have access to all of my mind. I would never do that to you.”

“With your thoughts, honey, that’s a great blessing.” The screen went blank and Goyce smiled. She loved Sharona, as much as an ALF could love anything. That is what she found interesting. They had emotions similar to the human beings. She wondered how it was possible and then remembered. The net was connected to every ALF and every bit of AI throughout many galaxies. Emotions were necessary for the survival of many species. Of course they would choose to program in emotions with the ability to not be carried away with them. That made sense.

Her comm link buzzed. Their night van was there. No need to call him, she was sure he would meet her at port. She would be three days and night traveling across desert spaces with her former love. She smiled to herself wondering how far she would go with this. She just knew whatever it took she was not going to hurt him. He had been hurt enough, and she would not add anymore pain. Would going a little too far like Sharona had been painful? She considered that for a few moments and decided that she would have to figure that out as she went. Playing human was actually a little fun.

The end

(Part 3)

artificial intelligenceextraterrestrialscience fictionspace
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About the Creator

Om Prakash John Gilmore

John (Om Prakash) Gilmore, is a Retired Unitarian Universalist Minister, a Licensed Massage Therapist and Reiki Master Teacher, and a student and teacher of Tai-Chi, Qigong, and Nada Yoga. Om Prakash loves reading sci-fi and fantasy.

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