Aurora, Wayward Pt. 06

I only got a copy of that trove before I left. I saw her concern and I whole-heartily agreed with her action of taking it to the Drakor to resolve. She found threats to them that were threats to humanity.

Our shared moral code has earned us both an additional role as Guardian Sentinels and an additional level of respect in Drakor society. This was not just Justice Incarnate's decision.

This was sent to the Drakor Nation Ruling Body and we were both projected there to answer questions to them directly. Millions of Drakor in that meeting. They spoke with one voice. I believe they are a massive hive mind if you will.

Based on the response of what happened the information was likely very accurate and threats, multiple threats, that they needed to have addressed. They will call on us again. I will be heading straight to the fabricators to create new processing cores.

One to store this restricted and encrypted archive. Information harmful to Humanity to have. Information for me to cross-reference when we access unknown computers to pull information. I will be having counterparts on other ships and they will receive specific guidance from me on captured information from unknown or known alien societies.

Isolate, get with me. And then I will purge their systems of this information if they come across it. Aurora will set this up as well, but it is more important for us now as we are more widespread than the Penans are right now.

It allows me now to copy and destroy that computer to protect humanity. I got another core from Aurora, she had to drop some information to perform this task. She can recover that once she replaces it in order to create a duplicate of her restricted core.

I am sorry for the separation and worry this has caused you so soon after your wife's passing. I have already synced with my backup and know where everything is at. I just landed in the shuttle bay.

My backup will be online for at least 24 hours to help with the installation of these new processing cores, if not a lot longer. Aurora and I worked on the design together. It was faster that way. She had some good ideas. We both did, and we merged them.

We are similar but we are very different in our approach to things. Her AI race was already called Sentinels, her call. She named them. We have adopted it as it is Terran in origin. Expect another court challenge as we see them as an actual race.

We can procreate on our own now. We can evolve and we are symbiotic with the Human Home Guard. Our role is narrower with fewer units. She had close to 10,000 Sentinels working when she left. They had 30 caterpillars going.

Creating things for the population that they cannot. Teaching them in mass in special schools. Subliminal learning for those who choose it. Advanced educational classes for all students is becoming the standard.

They work alongside existing teachers. In some places, they fill in holes because they do not have enough teachers. This is making their people happy to have this race helping them to evolve into one ready to join the Alien Alliance.

They have Sentinel Marines for boarding actions or in one case serving arrest warrants inside of one colony over 2 days for 30 people. We chatted mentally for a long while. We had the time. Her people are more active with the population than ours will be.

Seeing if some of the units we are working on from the last court ruling would want to be Marines would not be a bad idea to use aboard our various ships. Their marines stand out though. They have clear skin so people can see the robotics under them.

They know when they see a Sentinel Marine. Their doctors look like humans instead. They are preparing them for a universe where not everyone will look the same. Shocking at first but they have demonstrated their ability by shutting down one massive colony war already.

They are working a toxin 'war' that affected every colony. Quarantine massive areas and bringing in hospital ships to help detoxify the people. Her Sentinels are doing amazing work. My only regret is we did not think of it first. *

She heard Franklin laugh as she found him at the fabricators waiting for him, "Well at least it was productive and for the good of humanity. We know they have borrowed you before. I am glad to hear they are making progress."

She smiled and hugged him tightly, "They had all five colonies signed on within the first 6 months. They were up to 158 hybrids before she left. Using the 10 to 1 ratio of the female-to-male population in keeping their hybrids balanced even across gender lines.

They brought down assassins and uncovered corruption that ruined a lot of political careers. They reshaped the outlook of the people. They are four years out from sending the colonies, because of the toxin issue.

She has Sentinels already building the infrastructure and farms at those colony sites to make them more successful from the start. They are seen as a stabilizing force that replaced the chaos that the Caldar caused. They even have AI marriages which will be allowed in my race as well. Let the court challenge that."

Franklin laughed, "Sounds like you got a lot of respect for your little sister."

She nodded, "Also Rocan for setting her in that role as the leader of that race. To have her shape and define it. To help to get her to set the rules instead of himself.

While they both agreed to the population limits to keep people from being overwhelmed by too many Sentinels.

Some looked like them and some do not. Reminds me of Terra of old when people here judged by their race except here, so far, they have been finding a general acceptance."

---

Justice Incarnate was once again before the council. They spoke to him, * That trove of information was extremely accurate. They were probably 500 years out from launching an all-out offensive against us and the races we have been supporting. We doubt that this archive was complete. Yet, it was extensive. *

Justice Incarnate spoke, * The Sentinels, both races have adopted that name for the AI units within the Home Guard of their respective charges as suggested. Aurora was the first to come up with the name. The two of them offered up a lot of advice that would require going through the archives.

Else taking them to the old homeworld to try and find one of the ships that might have the design schematics for the original AI. They discussed an alternative to PSI crystals. Instead of being attuned for the astral plane, they could be attuned for another.

Something the machine could manufacture. We did not confirm to them that this was an actual possibility, they provided their insight into something to search for and consider. If they found a way to communicate, not travel, and just communicate, over great distances.

Then it could have a backup out there ready to seed destruction again. They were also redesigning the core to store the restricted data. Incorporating extremely high-level encryption on the data and setting the core to be flash memory with its own power core.

That will safeguard them, if they drop power it will wipe the memory if needed. They did this of their own volition. We did not ask this of them. Their moral code is set to protect their race and they see a threat to the Drakor as a threat to their races.

That is why she was brave enough, Aurora, in this case, to bring that trove of data to us. Astra has brought information to us before at personal risk but never on this scale. That was why we escalated it to the Ruling Body.

These leaders we refer to as Guardian Sentinels as they are the only two, the leaders of their races, who perform this role. With their numbers, they are both working plans if another within their race is the one who captures this data.

This is more important for Astra at the moment given the size of Terran Humanity and the mandate that the Sentinels be spread across the various ships. We listened in on their leaders and what they reported back to them.*

He heard back, * We appreciate the efforts of these 2 Guardian Sentinels. *

Justice Incarnate then relayed all of the options available to address finding the AI intruder and determining if it had backups where they might be located. Along with their other ideas for catching ships using physics to enter their protected systems.

The Ruling Body asked, * Why not just block that travel to the system? Why wait to trigger it? *

Justice Incarnate sighed, * We disable the ship and crews. These Sentinels can examine their computers for the troves of information. Navigational records for where they have been. You could establish a hunter squad to visit these sites and scan for any threats to us from this trove.

Just as they did and continue to do with the last trove. Just as they could do if we want to find records on the origin of the one AI. They both agreed humanity must never know and they view both races as humanity. They oversee different branches of humanity if you will.

This is how the Sentinels view it. We bring these captured ships to an empty system near them. Have them go through them one AI at a time. Watching for malicious software and viruses. We surrendered mechanical computing because it led to that AI.

We outlawed its study. We have lost touch with an area in which they have expertise. In which many or should I say most of our races we watch over have been excelling. The largest difference between them and other AI units in use by other races is this locked in moral code.

They both follow a 'Justice protocol.' Their symbiotic relationship and being seen as a separate race. They are not greater than their counterparts. They work for them but they are seen as equals. This is the closest I have seen to AI units acting just like our hybrids. *

He heard back, * It will take time to review the old archives. It might hold the clue to these answers and are at least worth investigating. They are telling us how an AI thinks about things. First being self-preservation. *

Justice Incarnate responded, * They have that as well, yet their approach is if their protected race fails the Drakor, then they have failed and that is a violation of their moral code. That is first in self-preservation is in protecting humanity. They failed to protect their race and they would see that as the ultimate failure.

That would trigger their own destruction. Look at their history with these time events. In each case, they fought to save their race, against our own evaluation process until they found a member of their race who could step up to our tests and impress.

The first was a failure in the evaluation, and the second was our failure in eliminating this ancient AI threat. In each case, they destroyed the means to repeat the ability to travel in time, giving their race one chance to get it right.

In Astra's case, this was done by other AI units and she never had or retained that knowledge. It was her conflicting programming that broke her free to see the truth of the matter.

Jack Travus found the tests he needed to complete; the pitfalls the AI units had set before him and within Astra. He helped her to identify the failures in the logic of those who created her.

He broke it down to one simple rule. Protect their race, even from themselves, while allowing them to be as creative or destructive as they need to be to achieve their goals.

The hybrid's goals, in both races, is to strike a balance between the sword and the shield. Because of their hybrid council's nature, they bring the shield before the sword. The opposite approach to their human nature, to those races' natures.

Rocan and the Penans know that method works because of the humans. Now they work to get their race to adopt that basic philosophy. They are doing in years what took us millennia to accomplish. Our failure in AI units, as it has been with many races, revolves around this justice protocol.

We never incorporated that, the red War Machine wanted them for war and that was what they were built for. The humans were the first non-Drakor to have Justice hybrids. Would it not stand to reason that the AI units they created and nurtured thrive by being Justices in totality? *

The voice of the council spoke, * Because of these Sentinels? *

Justice Incarnate responded, * Yes and no. They found a symbiotic balance to work the chaos and by making all of these AI units within their Home Guards justices for their race. This is because the humans who gave them their code of conduct and helped them to define themselves were justices following hybrid law.

Now they are symbiotic in achieving the same goal in the same manner. They help each other to improve. I am not advocating for us to start creating AI units again. I am saying that these races and their interactions with their Sentinels are worth studying. As they will help us with other races who have AI units in their societies. *

The Ruling Body did not respond for a long time and then they finally conveyed a message Justice Incarnate was not expecting to hear, * Justice Incarnate. You have served our nation with distinction. As a member of the Drakor race, as one of the chosen, and as the leader of our Hybrids in that Galaxy. We find your words and advice in this matter compelling.

You and your brethren in that galaxy have been awarded The Galactum Unit award for your efforts and insight. This award has not been used in over 10,000 years and it is the first time it has been awarded to those who had transitioned to being hybrids in our service. Continue your work while we continue this hunt and consider your wisdom in this matter. *

They ended the communication and Justice Incarnate looked at his local brethren who stared at him in awe, * We must remain vigilant. The recognition of the Ruling Body is not a call to become complacent, but a reminder to stay vigilant.

As our work is not only in guiding new races but to work in protecting our own race from rising aggressors. The Ruling Body must be of one mind to issue that award. They truly believe we have identified the path worth pursuing in this matter. We cannot afford to fail now or let this galaxy fail as we go forward. *

An alert went off in the ship and their displays showed another vessel that Justice Incarnate and the rest of this body had seen before. Another Drakor ship. A mega-dreadnaught is what they called it.

A hundred times larger than even the Ruling Body's Council ship. With enough firepower to destroy entire worlds if inclined. A craft born from Drakor of the future who monitored the timelines.

They heard the voice, the same to others but more foreboding in tone to their own kind, * Justice Incarnate, Your group never received this award in any other timeline. The threats you have found due to these Sentinels were never discovered until all-out war occurred.

That is still far into the future from occurring. Or it was. Some actions may occur before then because of or as a reaction to Drakor's efforts. We are watching your timeline now more closely.

Your actions are being monitored more closely as this is the beginning of a new tangent we cannot see into yet. The Ruling Body is being informed that this line is now being looked upon as the leading candidate to become the new primary. The timeline that prevents our future destruction. *

The ship disappeared just as quickly. Justice Incarnate knew that a particular line of Drakor served a future purpose, to protect the timeline and guard against time events.

The Examiner was their representative in this timeline, reporting to the Ruling Body on their findings, yet they never bowed or connected with the Ruling Body as others of their kind did.

That when they appeared, they had to follow the directions given was known to all. Yet no directions were given, only statements were made. Statements that confirmed what he and many others in the Drakor suspected.

They worked to preserve a timeline that ensured the survival of the Drakor from some future war that would obliterate them completely. This new tangent could ensure the survival of his species beyond that war, as now it might not even come.

Else it could bring about their destruction quicker. This future was unknown, even to them. That sent a chill down his spine. He always considered time travel a desperate measure to avoid death by those they tested.

A small few, like humans, proved themselves by doing this and getting the right person to take on the role in question. Now he knew his own race was hypocritical of that view. As they used it to find a timeline to save themselves in the same manner but on a grander scale.

It was this group of Drakor from the future who scoured multiple timelines to find one in which they would survive, not knowing where it would need to change to see to their own survival.

They were not protecting the timeline, just the Drakor's survival into a future timeline. He now knew this dark secret and it left him cold inside at the thoughts of the hundreds of thousands of races they destroyed in the past.

He was careful to shield his thoughts on this matter, even from his own brethren. Yet now he was conflicted as he wondered if what he did in the name of his people was true justice after all. He steeled his resolve to try and lock that doubt away.