Skip to main content ↑ ↓
Topic: Day 03 [0830hrs] Projections (Read 6079 times) previous topic - next topic
0 Members and 3 Guests are viewing this topic.

Day 03 [0830hrs] Projections

[ EVE Program AK-1 | Captain's Ready Room | Deck Deck 1 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
[Show/Hide]

Eve was summoned. The computer informed her of that much. A safety measure put into place with the original EMH systems that if the program is already running, they aren't just yanked away in the middle of performing a potentially life saving procedure. And to follow her counselor's advice, she had decided not to turn herself off when not needed. So when the computer beeped her program she had been sitting in sickbay looking over some blood samples. Now she could have simply transfered herself directly to the Captain's Ready Room, but the computer's summons did not include the standard emergency sub code that would indicate someone was in desperate medical need. So she decided that she would do this like a proper member of the crew, she would walk her way there.

Accessing the nearest monitor, she initiated the command to the computer to transfer her program to the transporter room of Vector 1. A strange and new experience for her as, up to this point, she had just appeared where needed. Appearing on one of the transporter pads, the transporter operator looked a little shocked. It was clear to the both of them that he didn't summon her, he wasn't ill and there was no one else there.

"Is there, a problem Eve?"

Eve just smiled and shook her head. "No Ensign. Everything is fine. Summoned by the Captain. Not an emergency though so I thought I would take a walk to the bridge."

That was that then, the Ensign looked relieved that he wasn't coming down with something. Eve stepped from the pad and headed out the door into the hall, offering the man one more smile and nod as she passed. Seeing the ship in this way was intriguing to her, actually having to travel on foot rather than just zipping about the computer pathways. So this is how her crew mates saw things.

As she progressed through the halls towards the nearest turbolift she passed several more crew members, offering them the same friendly nod and smile in passing. Most of them not even concerned that Eve was passing through. They were mostly occupied with their own tasks and all they really saw was another officer in uniform passing by. One or two did make a double take seeing that it was Eve, actually walking through the ship, but made no effort to stop her as often she was on her way to a medical emergency and they didn't want to interfere with that.

In the lift she paused. She actually had to call up a basic schematic of how the lift operated, voice command or manual input. She looked at the control pad beside the door a moment, then called up the summons file that had been logged in her program.

"Deck one, Bridge."

There was a soft beep and the lift promptly started on it's way to the requested destination. Being part of medical, she has the clearance to access the bridge. It wasn't long before the doors opened and before her was the sprawling layout of the bridge. She actually had to take a moment before she stepped out of the lift. She had actually never been to the bridge before, any time there had been a medical emergency she had been offline locked in the medical core.

She must have looked like a lost puppy because a random officer came to her and asked if everything was alright.

"Oh, yes, everything is.. Oh wow. I mean, yes. Yes, everything's fine. The Captain summoned me."

The officer looked a little confused at this, but not because he didn't know about the summons. Practically everyone aboard knew who and what Eve was, just as they knew who and what the EMH's were. The officer was confused by Eve using the turbolift rather than just immediately transferring her program. But rather than press the matter, the Captain was waiting after all, he just motioned towards the back of the bridge.

"The Captain is in their ready room."

Eve nodded with her customary smile and started in the direction indicated. She knew the layout of the bridge and the location of the ready room, but that didn't diminish the awe that she felt at actually being here for the first time. As she passed by the mission ops holographic table at the back, she had to stop a moment and take a closer look. The Captain was waiting though, so she curbed her interest for now and moved on.

She stepped over to the security station where she found Thea waiting. Eve was nervous as hell, being summoned to the bridge for something not medically related was not something she was used to. Could this be something bad? Had something been found in her program? Was she about to be decompiled and reset? But she did her best to hide that, which was easier for her to do than an organic. She put on her best smile and nodded to Thea.

"Hello Thea, the Captain summoned me? I was told they are in their ready room."

Re: Day 03 [0830hrs] Projections

Reply #1 –
[ Captain Ives | CO Ready Room | Deck 01 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @TrexelCat ]
[Show/Hide]
Sitting in his ready room, Captain Ives was still not entirely over the fact that the Omega Directive had been executed aboard the ship, and the fact that the device hadn't been detected until that morning. Furthermore, the notion that this device had been handled like a toy, as a puzzle box that could have been solved at any moment, and likely triggered the molecule... Ives still could keep himself from feeling a cold shiver, thinking that the mission could have ended at any moment since the device came aboard. In thinking about this, Jien also had a hard time to focus on the reports he was going though.

There was a chirp from the door leading to the main bridge, and Jien looked up from his PADD, knowing that it was Thea that were to enter that way. Perhaps this matter ahead would help him push the Omega Directive from his mind. "Enter."

Once the sliding doors opened, Jien heard Thea talking to the other hologram on the way in. "Right this way, Eve," she said to the LMH and smiled back to her, leading the way towards Jien's desk. While Thea had a mobile emitter of her own, the holo emitter in Ives' office came online when the LMH crossed the threshold. Jien rose to his feet and stepped around his desk, taking a deep breath and clearing his head, actually looking forward to this task. It was a wholesome thing, to abide to the edict he had made concerning holographic life and their rights back on Theta Eridani IV. It felt good, also, to do so in the company of Thea, and especially so after turmoil concerning the Calamity.

"Eve," he said, since she had no rank or last name, and gave her a faint smile as he gestured towards the sitting area away from the desk. "Please, come and sit. I realise this might be puzzling for you, but I assure you that there is no cause for concern. Quite the opposite, I'd say, but there is a lot to discuss."

While he waited for her to be seated, he saw that Thea also came to sit in the couch, folding one leg over the other and resting her hands in her lap. She was mostly looking towards Eve, and Jien could not quite place the expression on her face. It was something between intrigue and expectation, and if he wasn't mistaken, it was almost as if there was an air of protectiveness about Thea when she turned to look at him. Evidently, this matter was of great import to the A.I., and Jien hoped he could do it justice.

"Please, tell me what it has been like for you returning to duty after you were deactivated for so long," he asked of Eve, feeling that he had to start at the beginning. The time for evaluation was over in the respect of having this meeting, but the query would hopefully situate the hologram in the discussion ahead. It would help in explaining what had happened, and what it meant for her.

Re: Day 03 [0830hrs] Projections

Reply #2 –
[ EVE Program AK-1 | CO Ready Room | Deck 01 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
[Show/Hide]

Truth be told, Eve half expected the Captain to be in the middle of a staff meeting with the entire engineering department on what to do with her and that she was going to have to wait a while until that was concluded. She was genuinely surprised when she heard the Captain's voice so quickly. Wonderful, the meeting is already over and they've decided what to do with her already. She kept her smile as she watched Thea. She heard the doors hiss open, then watched Thea move through them, following quickly after. She stepped inside just far enough for the doors to register her full entry and close behind her before she continued on the path towards the desk.

She was about to ask what was the nature of the medical emergency when the Captain motioned to the seating area and offered her a seat. All this confused her slightly as she was rarely called anywhere just to talk. Had she errored in taking her time to reach the ready room?

Eve paused a moment before she continued her movement towards the sitting area, listening to the words the Captain was speaking. She watched Thea as she took a seat as well. Eve lowered herself to the couch, but instead of leaning back she kept herself upright and straight backed. She very deliberately placed her left hand down first into her lap, followed by her right hand on top. Everything about her sitting posture spoke of a practiced perfection to a degree that only two beings on this ship could potentially replicated it a second time. As she sat there she locked her eyes to Jien's face to show that the Captain had her complete attention.

The question prompted Eve to do a quick scan of her memories to comply with the query, this took less than a second as there wasn't that many to go through. She was about to give a summery of her experiences when her personality subroutines provided a different interpretation of the query.

"Um, confusing. I'm really not sure how else to put it. So much conflicting information."

She carefully watched Captain Ives as she delivered that line, looking for any reaction to that that might give her a clue as to why she was actually here. The entire time her gaze never left the Captain's face even a nanometer. Medical information running through her program on the Captain, their species, traits, and the fact that this was not the only form that the Captain used. This was all well known to her, it had to be for her to perform her duties. There was no information though on just how well known most of this information was to the rest of the crew, and as part of her oath she wouldn't run around telling anyone this.

"But all things considered, it is nice to be back doing my duty. Even if it is just treating scraped knees and bruised foreheads."

At the end she offered another smile, she so did like to smile. She found that it helped as a medical professional to keep patients calm and help with the healing, though it seemed to also help in other instances as well like meetings with the Captain.

Re: Day 03 [0830hrs] Projections

Reply #3 –
[ Captain Ives | CO Ready Room | Deck 01 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @TrexelCat 
[Show/Hide]
Hearing Eve, expecting a detailed, long account from her about what her duties had been since she was reactivated, Jien instead found himself getting an altogether different reply. Of course, the answer in itself was hardly conclusive, but after having taken part of B'Nila's evaluation, along with Thea's diagnostic, it suggested something larger in sum total. Taking it all into account, it was evident that what Nicander and Thea had discovered was indeed not a programming error.

At first, Jien had not been keen on the credibility of it all, but after careful consideration, consulting Thea and Nicander, along with Security and Operations, the decision had been made, and he would stand by his own edict. He took a deep breath and put his hands on his hips.

"Eve, this might sound strange, especially when you are so familiar with your own nature, perhaps more so than organic beings, who have to resort to philosophy to discern greater truths about their own existence, and even then not entirely being sure what their purpose might be. You know your own program - its limitations and capabilities - and yet you are also a learning program, which adapts to external imprint," he said, his faint smile remaining. "It came to our attention that you deactivated yourself and encrypted your activation command to keep it from being compromised, and at first, that in itself might not have been too much to go on."

Jien paused and came to sit next to Eve, considering how he might continue. As it were, it was, perhaps, best to just say it plainly. "Thea's diagnostic is finished, and after thorough evaluations of the findings, it is conclusive that the reason behind that act alone sprung from fear. A fear unfounded in your original subroutines, having no part in your protocols, and it was an emotion that was no different from the kind of fear that I might feel."

Having said this, feeling like he was a counsellor once more - even though it has been many years since he practised -  Jien only let this sink in for a moment before he continued. "This, however, is not something that we mean to correct. It is not something we mean to remove from your program. To do so at this point would be to take away from what you have become." Having said as much, Jien looked into the hologram's face and searched her eyes. "Do you have any guesses as to what has happened to you? Can you understand, already, what Thea's diagnostic found, aside from that existential fear that made you encrypt your own activation command?"

Re: Day 03 [0830hrs] Projections

Reply #4 –
[ EVE Program AK-1 | CO Ready Room | Deck 01 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
[Show/Hide]

Here it comes, what she had been worried about ever since she set foot in the ready room. They were going to reconfigure her program and reset it to base line. Remove all the memories and experiences gained so far since they probably lead to her malfunction, and start again. It's all for the better though she supposes, she was fully willing to accept anything that would return her to the best Diagnostic and Medical Subroutine this ship could possibly have. This would probably require her to return to sickbay, and an engineering team to perform the reconfiguration. She was all ready to thank the Captain for being up front about this when...

"This, however, is not something that we mean to correct. It is not something we mean to remove from your program."

What? Wait, she had to run that one through her memory recall a second time. Completely not what she was expecting. She just sat there for a bit, watching the Captain. As advanced as her program was, and as accurate as her emulation subroutines were there were a few things that her matrix just couldn't imitate. One of those things was any sort of life behind her eyes. She found that some beings would try to look her in the eyes and see if they could tell what she was thinking, or looking for any form of emotional response. But that was a nuance that was never included in her program as it was something one just couldn't convey properly without a complete understanding of it.

Once it all sunk in she turned to look at Thea a moment, her diagnostic subroutines scanning for facial changes and body language. She then looked back to Jien Ives.

"I.. Have no clue? Okay, well that's not accurate. I sort-of can guess. But since the diagnostic was an outside one, I'm not privy to the information in it unless revealed to me."

She imitated taking a breath as a human might before they were about to launch into a long explanation. But instead she just breathed out again. She continued to hold her rigid posture as she sat there focused on the Captain. Her eyes did not jump back and forth as a human's might as they tried to focus on each eye of the person they were looking at, she did however blink as one would expect from a human.

"I suspect though, that how I see things in relation to myself, might be different than how an outside observer does."

Re: Day 03 [0830hrs] Projections

Reply #5 –
[ Captain Ives | CO Ready Room | Deck 01 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @TrexelCat 
[Show/Hide]
Instead of the Captain, Thea spoke up in answer, her smile remaining as she explained it, and even though she might have gone into the kind of digital detail that Eve would have no problem understanding, she adapted the explanation for Jien's sake, to which he was grateful.

"I'm giving your program access to the results now," she said, but did not pause longer than she needed to have the overhead holoemitter project two complex matrixes in the air above the table before continuing. "This is a representation of your program based on the parameters in the diagnostic. As you can see, there are two versions, one being the version registered upon my commissioning, and the other is the current version. As a learning program, changes are to be expected, but such change always fall within estimations for the program. The first time an EMH evolved past its estimated capacity was on the USS Voyager, where a Mk I iteration achieved sapience, but it did so because of extreme and unforeseen circumstances during its extended runtime."

Thea let the old version of Eve's program fade away, and let the current version become magnified above the table. "Yet you are not an EMH. From your first activation date, you were already more advanced than Zimmerman's first two programs. In retrospect, it should have been expected that you would evolve more quickly than them, even though the initial tests on Jupiter Station still did not suggest any such possibilities for your expected capacity. The difference from those tests, however, was that your runtime was limited to the computer core in that hololab."

Jien spoke up next, because he had already heard Thea's explanation, and could tell it just as well as she could. "Aside from the regular computers in the three sickbays aboard, Thea does not have one computer core, but four of them, all which you have some access to. Like Thea, you are still hardwired to not access many key systems, but the difference in data proceessing compared to Jupiter Station is still significant. Thea was the fertile soil in which your program evolved beyond your estimated capacity, and now, you have emulated sapient thought processing, feeling genuine fear, and all other kinds of emotions that used to spring from what Thea likes to call 'social convention'. You may not have experienced all things within your current capacity yet, but according to the diagnostic, you now can."

Thea spoke next, her smile remaining. "Eve. While you were deactivated. Captain Ives made an edict about the rights of holographic life, which previously only applied to me. Yet now, you also meet the criteria, and as such - with the Captain's authorisation - I am prepared to give you what is rightfully yours, should you want it."

Jien smiled faintly to the hologram as well, unable to fathom what was going through the digital mind of the program. "Eve. I offer you the right to choose. This will allow you to step further from the routines outlined in your program, and expand upon your experiences without relying on premeditated behaviour. Your conscience, which you do possess now, will determine your actions as much as your experiences, and you might even object to orders which you feel are unsanctioned, just like any other officer aboard Thea."

The ship's A.I. tilted her head, looking at Eve. "I possess this right, and it scared me at first, but I will be here, to help you process the change, should you want Ives to confer this right to you."

Re: Day 03 [0830hrs] Projections

Reply #6 –
[ EVE Program AK-1 | CO Ready Room | Deck 01 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
[Show/Hide]

Eve sat quietly as the two passed off the explanation to each other. Normally her image would shift it's 'focus' from one speaker to another in turn as each one had something to say. Though that was something programmed in to show a focus of attention so that the person or persons speaking could feel that she was actually listening to what they had to say. But instead she remained transfixed on the image being displayed to her. In truth though, what people often mistook for a physical form was just a projection of photonic light made solid by sophisticated forcefields. Under the surface that organic beings could see there was nothing, no blood, no organs, no optic nerves to convey sight to the brain. Her ability to see and hear was granted to her by sensors embedded into the holographic emitter system and a sophisticated array of microphones that were also included in each projector.

The holographic representation of her code that hovered above the table had to pass through the same holographic systems she was now currently using, which allowed her program to access the code directly and allow her to see the image in her own way. This however did not diminish the impact on her of what was being displayed. Unlike a human, she could clearly remember her origins. She had a perfect memory of what her program was like to her at the beginning and what it was like now. And armed with this knowledge she had to admit to herself that she had not noticed any change at all other than she had a few more memories beyond when she was first activated. Every self diagnostic told her that she was in perfect working order, stable and capable. But internally she could not see what was being shown to her in these images.

Then she heard it, 'the right to choose'. That triggered a memory file from earlier when she was in B'Nilla's office, and the words she had spoken in there.

"Before I can make the choice that's before me, you and the command staff might have to make a choice first."

At the time it had been an empty comment, at least for her. She actually thought that nothing would come of it and she would either go back to doing what she did before or she would be reinitialized and reset. Now it seems there was a chance for her to actually grow and all she could think about was how did this happen. Her program included a very clear definition of how her program was supposed to behave and function, a definition that was used during self diagnostics to make sure her program was functioning properly. Her records also clearly showed she never exceeded those bounds, but here it was for all three of them to see that she very much had, by a fair margin.

Jien and Thea had finished speaking about one minute and fifteen seconds ago, the silence logged in her memory buffer for potential review later while the rest of her was focused on examining the data being presented. This was actually a lot for her to process. To her base program this was a flaw that had gone unnoticed, the solution was to correct it. To correct a flaw of this magnitude and duration would require a complete wipe of all affected memory files and operating code and a reset to zero. But there was something else. She couldn't quite put her finger on it but something within her told her there was nothing wrong, that this was all normal.

She blinked a couple of times before finally looking away from the displayed image, her smile having faded away quite some time ago and the look on her face a neutral one. First she looked to Jien Ives. Her program trying to discern any biometric details about the being sitting there, but without a tricorder or the sickbay diagnostic system that information was beyond her. She then turned to look at Thea, ship's avatar. Her matrix appeared normal to Eve, though the ship had an impressive ability to segregate interactive holograms from each other so that all she could do was 'see' Thea in the same way she saw the projected code. She looked back to the image above the table once more before speaking in a very light, but still clear voice.

"I.. This is.. Strange."

She quickly stood from her seated position, a strange reaction to be sure. But at this point she wasn't sure of what would be an appropriate reaction. Half her program was telling her that this was a malfunction, the other half was telling her it wasn't. An emotional response? Probably. One she was certain she had felt before, though this time triggered not from an attack on the ship but rather the knowledge that she was not as she should be. She took a moment to step towards the center of the room before turning so that she could see the two of them sitting at the same time.

"I'm forced to ask, for my own well being and the health of the crew, what danger does this present to my program and matrix? I mean, is there a possibility that this could potentially lead to complete system collapse? I find the idea of this intriguing, but not at the cost of my matrix or the well being of the crew."

The medical staff aboard the ship was perfectly capable in her eyes, and if she were to suddenly wink out of existence she felt that they could carry on just as well without her. But she was programmed to care for the crew, and even though she felt she was just another cog she had to account for a time when she would be the only one capable of providing medical aid. And it's that one moment that she was concerned for, that one time that no one else would be available and if her program was no more then someone might die.

Re: Day 03 [0830hrs] Projections

Reply #7 –
[ Captain Ives | CO Ready Room | Deck 01 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @TrexelCat 
[Show/Hide]
In the end, after both the Captain and Thea gave the LMH time to run her analysis, it was a valid question she raised. Jien wasn't sure he was the right one to answer it, so he glanced towards Thea, who did have her answer ready for Eve.

"The risk of your matrix destabilising is nominal. My estimations suggest a mere 0,038 %, and we can make a backup of your current version. Beyond that..." Thea paused before continuing. "I was given this ability by Lin Kae during the Niga Incident, but the ramifications were a bit different for me. I was put in a situation where I was able to deny the requests of all members of the crew, even when asked for mundane things, like increasing or decreasing the lighting in their quarters. There were delays, eventually, perhaps in miliseconds, but enough to be noticed by my diagnostic systems. The immediate measure taken to counteract this was to have a lot of my functions automated aboard me, yielding it to the four computer cores to handle the basic protocols. Whatever you want to automate, I can help you with it, freeing up the bandwidth after this right is conferred to you."

Thea remained seated, looking sympathetic as she met Eve's eyes, likely understanding the trepidation that the medical A.I. was feeling. "Just like me, your projection will also be given a security clearance level, like any other member of the crew. For me, this meant that - even if I was already hardwired to not gain access without authorisation from the officers - wasn'table to walk up and access the tactical controls on the bridge with my projection either." She raised the hand of her projection. "Using these fingers, I can't gain access the life support systems, or any other critical function of the ship, because my projection's security clearance does not permit me to do so. This, also, like any other member of the crew."

Having said this, she lowered her hand into her lap again. "So, even with the right to choose, I essentially cannot disrupt this mission any more than an organic might. Your functions and current access in the medical systems aboard me will remain as they are, along with your access to my shipwide hologrid, but this doesn't mean you gain more access to my internal systems than you already have, so the security risk, if that is your concern, will not be different in terms of internal access either. However, we will have to make sure your ethical subroutines are more than well encrypted, which is a lesson Starfleet learned from the logs about the Voyager's EMH. These should all be adequate measures to take, which would make you feel more confident about the responsibility you are given today, should you opt to take up the Captain's offer."

At this point, Jien spoke up again. "You do not have to make this choice here and now, of course. You have been informed about your right, and should you want it, I will make the time to give Thea the authorisation she needs for the change. Yet even without the right to choose, you should know that you have other rights as a member of the crew, quarters and recreational time being examples of it. Those, I am willing to give you regardless of your choice."

It was intriguing, seeing Eve in this situation, and yet it also made it evident to Jien that he was making the right choice in conferring rights to holographic life, since it stood right there. There was no question in Jien's mind that Eve had ascended from the data-streams aboard Thea, sprung from her baseline program and achieving sapience because of the digital environment of the starship's networks.

In a sense, it was like Thea had been a surrogate mother, and Eve had just been born after her installation aboard the ship.

Re: Day 03 [0830hrs] Projections

Reply #8 –
[ EVE Program AK-1 | CO Ready Room | Deck 01 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
[Show/Hide]

All Eve could do for the moment was blink. She listened to what Thea and Jien had to say in answer to her concerns. As she stood there she mulled the idea over and weighed the pros and cons to such an act. This didn't take her long as it was something her program was actually designed for, determining the pros and cons of a particular treatment that could save someone's life, or kill them.

Crew quarters? What in cyberspace would she do with one of those. She lived in sickbay, that was her home. If she was allowed free time that's where she spent it. Though her foray into the Arboretum with one of the other members of the crew was a rather nice change of pace from looking at bio-medical scans for hours. Perhaps this was a chance to find out?

"And if I don't like it and want to return to how I am, how I was? I assume this is something that can be reversed?"

She took a moment to look around the room, trying to find something, anything that might help her understand this. One might assume that she was waiting for a response to her questions, but before one could be made she spoke, the sound of her voice hinting that she was saying this now before she changed her mind.

"Okay. I accept this offer."

Straight forward, matter of fact. Something many might have come to expect from the emergency holographic systems.

Re: Day 03 [0830hrs] Projections

Reply #9 –
[ Captain Ives | CO Ready Room | Deck 01 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @TrexelCat 
[Show/Hide]
When Eve simply wanted to know if the alteration to her program was reversible or not, Thea inclined her head and answered. "Of course," she said, and made the matrix that still floated above the table vanish, "I am initiating the transfer of a backup of your program now, so that you can be reactivated from that instead, should there be any kind of complication."

It seemed that was enough for the LMH to take up the offer she'd been given, and Jien smiled faintly to her when she made her decision. In all honesty, Jien hadn't known what to expect when he'd summoned the LMH to his ready room. He had foreseen both outcomes, since Eve had been deactivated for a long time and she might still fear for the repercussions of her actions, the measures begotten by the Calamity's presence aboard Thea. Yet when Eve voiced her willingness, Jien rose to his feet, and changed... to her female form.

"Eve," she said and stepped towards the hologram, her accent the same as before, "I hereby bestow upon you the full rights of a member of this crew. You are no longer to be considered a mere asset installed aboard this ship, no more a mere program to render aid in our medical facilities. You will be given a security clearance, shift rotations as you deem fit, time off for recreational activities and accommodations that you may call your own, in which you will be able to explore this new freedom."

Pausing, Jien had come to stand in front of Eve as she spoke, and she folded her hands behind her back before she continued. "You will be deemed a Starfleet officer in the eyes of your superiors, and you are - of course - still expected to carry on your duties and act on the orders you are given. The difference now, is that you may be able to object orders that are not ideal in terms of your own conscience and the tenets of the Federation. In your freedom to choose, you can chose to ignore the orders of mutineers or officers that do not follow protocol, for example, and do what you believe is the right course of action. With freedom comes responsibility, and should you abuse your new rights, you may face disciplinnary actions, just like any other member of this crew."

After all that they had been through since leaving Earth, Jien was not the kind to fancy ceremony, so she turned her head to Thea and gave the orders.

"Thea, make the alteration of Eve's program on my authorisation. Ives-Pi-Beta-Four-Niner."

"Aye, Captain," said Thea simply, and after a short second, she added. "Alteration complete."

Jien looked back at Eve, thinking that she would likely not notice anything different immediately...

Re: Day 03 [0830hrs] Projections

Reply #10 –
[ EVE Program AK-1 | CO Ready Room | Deck 01 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
[Show/Hide]

Eve stood there and listened to Thea and the captain as they spoke, internally trying to prepare as best she could for any changes that might be made. Ever since her first recorded memory aboard Jupiter Station, seeing the annoyed look on Zimmerman's face that she wouldn't understand until later, she had never thought that something like this would happen. She was a supplemental program, no she was a capable medical program able to take over all sickbay duties if required. But she was still just an asset installed where needed. Until now.

Starfleet officers, the ones who go out there and explore new territory. And now she was going to be one of them, exploring new territory as well. Exploring her potential, her new life, what it means to be alive.

As soon as the command was given and Thea responded, Eve closed her eyes. A preprogrammed reaction any time an alteration was made to the program. Her image shimmered slightly as the computer rebooted sections of her program to include the new aspects being grafted in.

As she opened her eyes though, she could feel something was different. She knew her program had been changed, she was expecting it. But something was definitely different, something on a level she wasn't quite in tune with. But at the same time, nothing had changed. Her thoughts didn't change, she could still remember everything from before, she still had the same access to the medical information she needed.

She blinked a couple of times and looked around the room before speaking. She was trying to determine if she would see things differently, but everything seemed the same to her.

"I.. Don't feel any different. Are you sure it worked?"

She looked back to Jien with a questioning look about her. She didn't seem at all affected by the fact that Jien had changed forms, though as a medical officer she was expected to know these things. The only difference was that with an eidetic memory she would forever know these things where others might forget or have to take time to adjust.

Re: Day 03 [0830hrs] Projections

Reply #11 –
[ Captain Ives | CO Ready Room | Deck 01 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @TrexelCat 
[Show/Hide]
When Eve, as expected, hardly noticed that much of a difference, Thea spoke up where she sat in the sitting area.

"The best way to try it is by example," she said with a small smile, shifting in her seat and rising to her feet. She stepped towards Jien and the LMH while she spoke. "You were never meant to directly disobey a command by a a senior officer aboard, so it stands to reason that the first test would be for you to not preform a task ordered by Captain Ives."

As caught up as she was by the larger ramifications of the development, where Thea's computer systems proved a cradle of life for sapient A.I. development, Jien did oblige with the small effort needed in making the test. With a faint smile, she said, "Eve, I would like you to deactivate yourself and remain deactivated until I summon you."

Having said this, both Jien and Thes looked toward Eve where she stood, expecting to see her defy Ives' orders. The alteration to her subroutines was a slight one, but it made key difference in regard to her rights as a person, this ability of choice fundamental for all beings.

OOC: Sorry for the brief post. I am on a skiing trip with the in-laws and a tad tired. :)

Re: Day 03 [0830hrs] Projections

Reply #12 –
[ EVE Program AK-1 | CO Ready Room | Deck 01 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
[Show/Hide]

Eve nodded in agreement hearing the statement about she could not disobey a direct order from an officer, unless it was deemed an unethical order that would cause her to harm another. Unlike other artificially intelligent programs, her protocols to do no harm actually superseded her protocols to obey direct orders. This gave her the ability to appear like she was capable of disobeying an order, but in truth it meant that she just couldn't be ordered to do certain things.

She then looked to the Captain, and gave a small smile as she waited for this order. She thought it was going to be a silly or stupid order like stand on one foot, or stick her tongue out. But it was an order to deactivate herself. This was a very complex order in that it could mean that something might be wrong and she had to go offline for it to be fixed. She was inclined to obey it, but unlike before when the command was processed through her it didn't carry any sub code. The sub code normally acting to carry out the order no matter how she felt about it. But, as she didn't feel any different there might actually be something wrong that requires her to shut down. So.. She did the only thing that came to mind.

"Why? Is there a problem?"

Re: Day 03 [0830hrs] Projections

Reply #13 –
[ Captain Ives | CO Ready Room | Deck 01 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @TrexelCat 
[Show/Hide]
When hearing the answer, Thea and Jien traded a knowing glance. It seemed apparent that the adjustment had been implemented into Eve's program without any difficulty.

"No, and I hardly think I have to belay that order either," said Jien and walked up to Eve, thinking about how - before Thea - he would have had a few compunctions about enabling an artificial intelligence to grow - one installed aboard the ship. Surely the old Starfleet Command would have a thing or two to say about it as well, but with Thea in place, and with the precautions taken, there was no justifiable reason to continue enforcing policies of denial. New life deserved to grow, and Jien knew it to be right.

"I can hardly fathom what the coming time will be like for you, Eve, but you need to know that you do have my support, and if there is anything I can do to help you undergo this transition you are in right now, please, don't hesitate to inform me," he said and then turned towards Thea. "I am sure Thea, however, can provide better support than I can, since she has already undergone the process."

Thea smiled, putting her hands on the hips of her chameleon body suit. "Of course, Captain. After all, Eve thrived and evolved whilst installed aboard me, growing from the environment of my computer cores. It is peculiar, finding the results of the diagnostics, and knowing that artificial life can bloom aboard me. The question I ask myself is whether or not the EMH programs are advanced enough to do the same, only needing a longer time to do so because they were not as advanced in their initial setup. I suppose only time will tell."

Smiling faintly, Jien surmised that Thea was a great many things, but who could have guessed she would also be the Cradle of Life?

"Eve, you have decided to claim your rights in regard to your right to choose. Would you be interested in living accommodations as well? And lastly, would you like me to pass the word about your upgrade, or do you prefer to keep it secret for the time being, until you have had more time to assess your new situation aboard Thea?"

Re: Day 03 [0830hrs] Projections

Reply #14 –
[ EVE Program AK-1 | CO Ready Room | Deck 01 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
[Show/Hide]

An odd statement to be sure, the right to choose. She makes choices all the time. The choice of which medical treatment to prescribe, the choice of which patient to attend to first, even the choice of which patient to save and which one is too far gone to survive. But this is a whole new ball park for her. The only choices she's made for herself were minor ones, to order tea or not to. To read a book or not to. Which book to read. This was actually a big thing for her, larger in scope than her program was capable of conceiving at the time. That didn't stop her program from trying however.

Living accommodations. Well, that was something small, at least she thought so. Until now she had been primarily living in sickbay. Though it wasn't exactly as if she lived there, it was just the place she was needed and summoned the most. If she was being offered quarters, does this mean she would be running for extended periods of time to actually utilize such? Something she determined was worth exploring. She was created to run for extended periods of time without the need to shut down, unlike previous EMH systems.

Oh hell, the other EMH systems. She was not to particularly fond of them. The mark two was better in some ways in personality but she still did not like being around it. She really hoped that this didn't mean they were also going to get extended runtime.

Looking back and forth between the Captain and Thea she mulled things over before speaking. Her voice was that of confidence, even though she was more unsure of anything now than she had ever been since her first activation.

"Sure. I would love to experiment with quarters. Though I have absolutely no idea what I would do with them."

For the time being, her personality profile was designed for imitation to expand on her ability to personalize with those around her. Much in the way biological beings learn how to interact with the world around them. Observing Thea's motion she took that and adapted it slightly, placing only her left hand on her hip rather than both.

"I would ask that we not inform anyone, for the moment that is. This is potentially a huge change, and I'm not even sure if my program can handle it. I wouldn't wan't others to worry should this cause a catastrophic failure and require me to be reinitialized under the old parameters. At least this way, should that happen it would just be a malfunction that was corrected."

In truth, she really wasn't sure how others would react. One of the crew had already attempted to initiate romantic relations with her, in the form of a date. She was concerned that if it was to become known that she was even more, alive, then should this pose a problem feelings might get hurt if she had to be reset.

Another thought just occurred to her.

"Um, does this mean that the Theurgy, Thea, is my mother?"

Re: Day 03 [0830hrs] Projections

Reply #15 –
[ Captain Ives | CO Ready Room | Deck 01 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @TrexelCat 
[Show/Hide]
Jien nodded quietly when Eve requested that there would be no announcement just yet, and her reasoning was sound. Hopefully, it would not come to that, but in the field of true A.I. development, there was too little research to go on, and even Thea had been subject to a lot of misunderstanding, despite how clear his edict had been on Theta Eridani IV. That Eve would be the subject of scrutiny was expected, but at least he hoped Thea would be able to detect and foresee any potential failures in her program's development.

Then, the question about the situation with Thea came up, and it mirrored what Jien had been thinking about earlier. To have it put quite so bluntly was enough to make Jien smile faintly, where others might have laughed. It was an honest question, and quite justifed as well, given the circumstances. Jien looked towards Thea, who seemed to be unsure how to handle the social situation of such a question, so Jien spoke up.

"Parenthood has many forms, but I am not sure the vocabulary we have available fully applies for your unique life-forms. Our language is based on the biological relationship between offspring and what might have brought it to this reality. Using such terms, one might equal the installation of your program aboard Thea to her being a surrogate mother to you, allowing you to develop into the program you are now because of the conditions Thea provided. It is a crude generalisation of the process, and I don't feel that it is entirely accurate, but in answer to your question, one could say that, at least."

Thea did chuckle at that, running a hand through her hair - almost looking embarrassed. "It is odd, to have seen Eve grown whilst aboard me, and I have not considered how this development might have such a distinction. I do not feel that the relationship between Eve and I is any different than before, holding all three medical holographic programs in great esteem as I am, but I am happy for Eve, and excited to see her develop further, and to help her if she needs it. All the same, I might be needing her help as well, when I assist Sickbay now and again. My program in not nearly as advanced in the medical field as Eve's is, hers being more specialised in her duty aboard me and her service to the crew."

Jien smiled faintly to Eve, wondering what might be going through her digital mind at this point. "If you have no other questions, I will inform Henshaw that the Quartermaster should set you up with living accommodations aboard, and you just make sure to tell me if you need me to inform the crew about your development. In the meantime, Thea is there every step of the way."
 

Re: Day 03 [0830hrs] Projections

Reply #16 –
[ EVE Program AK-1 | CO Ready Room | Deck 01 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
[Show/Hide]

Eve nodded slightly as she listened. In her mind her circumstances were a bit different than those of Thea. Everything about her was programmed to act and be human. Much of her personality was designed to be as human like as possible. So her definitions were from a human perspective rather than from a programmed computer perspective. This also included a strange and slightly amusing thought.

"I suppose you're right. I doubt Thea would have dated Zimmerman. He has a reputation for being.. Hard to deal with. I dated him for a while and..."

She stopped herself mid sentence looking quite confused. She's not entirely sure where that came from. She was absolutely sure that she had never personally dated the man, but she did spend quite a large deal of time working with him during her initial design phase. She looked at him like a father, a life giver. Though she was designed to be as close as possible to his girlfriend of the time so it could have been some left over programming from one of her first iterations.

"Anyway. It would make me happy if my quarters were as close to sickbay as possible. I just want to ensure maximum efficiency should I be needed during my down time. Thank you, Captain."

- FIN
 
Simple Audio Video Embedder