Story:The Synthetic Infiltrator (draft)

The Synthetic Infiltrator is the origin story of the android known as SANARI.

Chapter 1
Dimonroff was a place shrouded in mystery. The only way to reach it was to pass through a Stone Ring shrouded in warm radiation in the middle of the Greenwater Nebula. Even after passing through it, one has to navigate the Disk, a thick orange dust cloud surrounding the protostar Dimon, an area located in the middle of dark space. With laws forbidding travel through Stone Rings, Dimonroff was essentially impossible to stumble upon by accident. Most believed such methods of hiding were too clever to exist, but those who did thought it was a government conspiracy to hide some nasty truth. In reality, Dimonroff was just a research facility floating in space, a top secret one where the latest technology was studied.

One particular investigation was titled Project:Philos, overseen by Sirius Alnitak. There was only one goal - to create a perfectly sentient AI with the ability to learn. The challenge was that a typical sentient brain was made of 100 billion neurons. How was it possible to cram so many electrical nodes into such a small object such as a brain? Sure, it was possible to have it rely on a server, but they would not be a true AI, only a platform. The Dhragolon were trying to create a small, compact brain - out of machinery. Progress was going smoothly. Billions of Nras had already been invested into this project with both the Karnasaurs and Eteno pitching in.

However, the project's pace had to be rushed soon after the Gimheldt Incident. Assassin Ahrganot Skizgo was recalled from the Galactic Senate Special Operations Corps and a replacement was needed. In the Federal Monarchy's eyes, there was no other Dhragolon soldier as skilled as he was, and they looked to this project as an alternative soldier. Not only would this AI be able to freely think for itself, it had to be able to fight.

--

The lab itself where the experiments were performed was dimly lit only by screens of holographic computers. There were no windows, and it was a dark, yet tranquil environment. A sleek, chrome feminine mechanical body was built to be able to host this artificial brain. The motionless machine was garbed with purple fabric dress, and it bore a blank expression. Sirius Alnitak was hurrying to add the final touches after at least ten years of research. He sifted through pages and pages of reports on his computer, then proceeded to continue working.

"It's almost done. Almost done..." he muttered to himself as he meticulously entered some codes into one of the computers. As the final touches were finally put on the artificial brain, some robotic arms opened up the feminine mech's head. An object which looked like a hunk of wires and gears was lowered into the head. The arms closed the head, and a message begun flashing on some computer monitors: "Integrating AI..."

After a few moments, the mech's eyes blinked once. Then, as if it suddenly came to life, it begun moving from its static position. It turned its head side to side examining its environment, then proceeded to look at its hands.

"Inquiry: What is this purpose of this unit?" the mech annunciated at a rapid pace. It had a voice box, but its words were shaped by its mouth movement, much like a real organic being.

"By the Pantheon, it works!" Sirius thought for a moment thinking of a rather standardized way to respond to the mech's inquiry. He replied, "Greetings, unit. My name is Sirius Alnitak.  I oversaw your creation.  You are a Stealth Action Neuro-Artificial Recon/Infiltrator, or SANARI.  You were designed to learn from scenarios to become the galaxy's most advanced fighter mech."

"You are Sirius Alnitak - my creator. I am a Stealth Action Neuro-Artificial Recon/Infiltrator," the mech repeated, "and I am intended for combat.  Inquiry: Is that my only purpose?"

"You are also experimental, the only one of your kind. We want to study how you learn."

"I am experimental and the only one of my kind. You wished to study how units such as myself would learn.  Inquiry: What is your purpose?  What were you created for?" SANARI asked.

"You do not need to repeate everything I say, SANARI," Sirius said with mixed affection and frustration.

"I do not need to repeate everything you say. Acknowledged: I will no longer repeat statements during conversations."

"And you might want to control that speed talk of yours as well," Sirius added.

"Acknowledged: I will speak slower that others can better understand my statements. Inquiry: I am aware of my purpose.  What is yours?"

"Ah yes, you were programmed to be curious as well. My purpose was to get you created, the first ever SANARI unit."

"I don't understand," SANARI said. "Inquiry: If you were created to manufacture a SANARI unit, then who created you?"

He was puzzled by the odd question. Then again, other than the knowledge of being able to interpret any language, no other sort of information was uploaded to SANARI's core. "Well, I'm an organic. I hatched from an egg.  Those who came before me...well, we're still trying to figure out where organic life truly came from.  But you are a synthetic, something constructed by an organic."

"Inquiry: How many synthetics are there? "

"There's lots of synthetics. In fact, some assisted in building you.  None of them are nearly as intelligent as you are, and none of them have the ability to learn.  You were designed to be able to think for yourself.  You acquire your abilities not only through uploading data, but through experiences.  Much the same way we organics do."

"Inquiry: Is this unit alive?" SANARI asked.

That moment would probably be the landmark of Dhragolon history. A self-aware artificial intelligence. "Well..." Sirius said, "That's something you have to figure out for yourself. I don't know the answer to that question."

Chapter 2
-to be added