nexus_crossings | Ghosts in the Machine

Ghosts in the Machine

There’s a young woman reading through one of the pamphlets in the plaza. She’s dressed head to toe in a rather odd black garment like a padded wetsuit - it looks like it’s all one piece, soft, elastic and form-fitting. Her hair’s a little disheveled and she has a frown of concentration as she reads, but her location doesn’t seem to worry her.

As far as she’s concerned, it’s obvious where she is. The last few weeks have been nothing but tests and interviews and assessment exercises of one form or another. More than a few have taken place using increasingly sophisticated simulation tech. This is just another program, and presumably somewhere above is the AI overseeing her progress.

Still, this is definitely a new one.

“Who comes up with these scenarios?” she wonders aloud in amusement. Then shoots a look at the tiny silver robot floating at a cautious distance. “No offense meant- and that wasn’t my question, sorry.” The Ghost bobs noncommittally, and she looks around, taking in the strange mix of people and aliens, the unrealistic architecture. “So does it matter what I ask?” The answer is murmured quietly, but presumably boils down to ‘no’. She rolls her shoulders and shifts on her feet, making thoughtful sounds for a minute. She really wants to ask something good. Insightful. Practical. Soldierly.

“Is there something around here you really need weapons for?” She had two when she started here - not to mention the ridiculous armor. The assisting ‘Ghost’ AI removed them for her, but that still leaves the question of why this simulation included them...

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"Ah." He licks his lips and then frowns, shaking his head. "Not really, but sort of."

Han reaches for the glass quick and then, visibly slows himself down as he observes the color of the frothy drink and remembers what he's dealing with. Slow sip, Han. Gotta take it slow with this drink.

And take it slow he does.

With a few moments to compose himself bought by punch of the drink, he then, continues. "Sometimes I think I remember my mother, but it's just a fragment. The fiery red-orange of her clothes and a feeling of comfort, I suppose."

"Years back when I was trying to figure out when I was born and where I came from, combing through public archives, I realized I had a living aunt and cousin. I've met them, but ... they're lousy people it turns out."

Bryn has to hold herself back from asking questions while he drinks, repaying his tactful silence in kind. If she didn't get the feel he was gearing up to say more she might not manage to hold her tongue. She sips her drink a couple of times and that helps, even if they're smaller sips to allow her a spoonful of stew in between.

It pays off, however unhappy the answer. Her mouth twists as she listens. Ghost is giving Han a surprised (and rather curious) look, fluttering in thought, but she doesn't see that. "That's an awful disappointment. But at least now you know about them, right?"

If it were nearly any other subject, he'd press for what the droid is thinking. Mainly because he'd like to give it a lesson on what it's like to analyze Han Solo. All the displaced anger being projected right the hell at it. ~~Or could it know something he doesn't know? With the way machines can share information sometimes, it wasn't impossible ... was it worth asking ...~~

The point is, family is a hard subject for him and he can't very well confront the little bot without potentially having to talk about the subject at greater length. And he'd rather not discuss it any further, even though there was, in fact more to it than just 'I have an aunt and a cousin that are kinda messed up.'

"It didn't take long to realize I'd rather be on the opposite side of the galaxy from them." He says with a shrug. "But you're right. I had to go meet them when I found out about them, you know? I had to see ..."

"Where you came from?" Bryn nods, and if it's any comfort to the captain, now they're both getting that look from the Ghost. Humans are apparently full of bewildering surprises. "I mean, it's like... finding a door you never knew was there the whole time. You can't just not take a look at what's behind it."

But something still isn't resolved. Bryn stirs her stew for a moment, mind elsewhere. She speaks more quietly when she asks, "...Did you, um, find out what happened to your mother?"

It's so important to let humans feel. It's probably the most challenging thing for a little bot - especially one that feels so loyal to its person as Ghost does to Bryn/Blaze - to understand. To let them follow the things that make them be human, even if there's but some combination of pain or danger to come of it.

Perhaps that's what annoys Han the most about droids. They try and often succeed in being helpful, offering themselves up when they think they can assist, but they so rarely know when to back off.

"Gone." Han says. Stabbing an end of bread into stew and swirling it around. "My father too. There weren't a lot of people who seemed to know them, even though the family name is kind of ... old. Not a lot of electronic records to follow. Makes me think they were on the run before they died."

"On the run? You mean from the law?" she asks without thinking, forgetting for the moment how sensitive the subject is. Sorry, Han: now you've shared the story Bryn feels kind of invested in it. Besides, whatever happened it sounds as though things shouldn't have turned out as they did. Just because she can't change it, that doesn't stop her frowning.

"...Wouldn't someone notice if records were altered?" But then the planet he's talking about sounds more like Earth than Venus. Maybe an old world has more loopholes, more ways to hide from the system, not like her colony of a few million people under a Warmind's watchful eye. Where she's from, people who want to hide flee to the jungle, or try to get to Earth. As far as she knows it rarely works.

Han pokes his piece of bread so that it sticks straight up in the stew. It looks like a glorious carbohydrate tower surrounded by a soupy moat. Or maybe ... like a piece of bread in a bowl of thick stew. He then ignores it just the way it is and has another cautious sip of his drink.

He blinks and shakes his head when he feels that 'kick' of the gargleblaster.

"It's hard to explain sometimes the way things are at home." And sometimes, even when you can, some of the fine details are lost, because it is both enlightened and primitive. Ancient and futuristic. Kind and savage.

"Our galaxy is so big it's hard to sustain a military that enforces galactic law. One didn't even exist when my parents were alive." He says pursing his lips. "So if they were on the run it was likely from Bounty Hunters."

As for the records, it's not that they were altered so much as ... the fact that they were never entered in the first place. "I don't think they were scrubbed. It was more like they were trying to stay off the grid. I didn't have an official notice of birth, for instance, it was a strange amendment in a different record altogether."

She frowns when he brings up bounty hunters, but nods slowly in acceptance: he's right that she won't understand it all from just one conversation. How much sense would her world make if she tried to explain it to him?

"It sounds pretty chaotic," she offers, having another sip of her drink. Maybe too much of one, from that wince and cough. Better try not to get too distracted by her new friend's problems. "I can... uh, I can see why you'd have a hard time tracing anyone. At least it's less... disturbing if they did it themselves." Someone with the power and desire erasing all trace of people they wanted gone? That would be truly frightening.

"Are you still searching?" the Ghost asks Han, abruptly (re)joining the conversation. If he's supposed to stay out of it, he doesn't know. And he has an ulterior motive or two for raising the question. Hopefully something important enough to be worth butting in on a delicate subject.

It's kind of a horrible galaxy that he lives in sometimes. And it seemed like Han had been shown a disproportionate amount of the ugly in his home before he was free to see the beauty of it. He takes that bit of bread, finishes it and then pushes his stew away. The drop 'everything at a moment for this thing that's suddenly happening' life he leads has made it rare that Han eats a full meal in one sitting.

Bryn might find herself the same way depending on how chaotic military life is where she comes from.

Oh you. You little droid. You would drag this conversation out a bit longer, wouldn't you? He has the itch to be scathing towards it and mean, but there are two things that stop him. One - he doesn't want to look like a jerk to the someday guardian's robot in front of her. Two - droids tend to interrupt if they think they can help.

So he ends up shooting a look at Ghost that seems to say 'this better be good' and then, he shrugs. "Depends on what you mean? Am I combing through records the way I did when I was 17? No. But I still wonder. Still follow the odd lead when I have the time ..."

Edited 2016-09-01 18:19 (UTC)

For now Bryn's still in the camp of 'polish off your food and move on to the next thing'. She's slowed down, however, taking in Han's apparent discomfort... and shooting a questioning look at Ghost when he speaks up. For some reason the little bot seems like he's paying more attention to her when the captain's answering, like he's expecting a reaction besides understanding.

He's quick to look back when she meets his optic though, making an offer that might explain the question. "

Well, maybe we can offer some assistance next time. Not to brag, but there are very few files I can't get access to. Or doors I can't open.

"

"Are you... supposed to do that?" Bryn frowns, setting down her spoon. She assumed her little friend was a tactical AI, but he's starting to sound something much more. And as much as she likes the idea of helping Han (provided he wants it), it's not the kind of thing she'd expect a military AI to take an interest in. Too personal. She's not even sure what he's suggesting would be legal.

Ghost blinks, then assures her, "Absolutely! ...As long as it's in a good cause."

And provided his Guardian agrees, but he foresees no issues there.

He notices the bot seems to be paying more attention to Bryn during this conversation about splicing through his family records than him. Which is a funny thing for a droid to do. He's starting to think this there's more to this little Ghost than the average astromech from back home ...

"Are you talking about accessing records from my universe through the Nexus?" He hadn't even considered that such a thing was possible, but then, he's not very good with working software. Machines and vehicles are his thing and the only computers he's especially familiar with are the ones on his ship.

It's possible, provided we can establish a link to the right system. I can communicate with ship systems in our universe from here: that's how I'm able to transmat objects from storage, after all.

"

Too bad Ghost is looking at Han right now, so he misses the sidelong frown Bryn shoots him. If he can bring objects to and from their universe - and now she realizes she's seen him do so - there seems to be no practical reason he can't transmat them back, too. She's willing to believe the AI has good reasons for keeping them here, and by no means does she mind staying, but it's starting to look like he's up to something.

"I've seen people access files from outside the Nexus using the local computers," Ghost goes on, caught up in the problem-solving now. "

The real question would be where the records are stored. If they're on a private system or one not connected to a large network, I'd most likely need physical access to the computers.

Han also misses the significance of what Ghost is mentioning with regard to getting the blonde human home and the questioning look from Bryn. But to be fair, it's not as if he knows the ins and outs of the way their tech works in ... Sol? That's what she had called her home. He thinks.

Of course, the first question that's always on Han's mind whenever someone offers to help him for any reason is 'why'. It's different with droid's, though. At least the droids from his home, anyway. If they could help someone in someway, they just would. Providing it didn't interrupt duties assigned by their owner. Owner tasks trumped the non-owner ones. Always.

He figures Ghost is gonna try to be similarly helpful. ~~Although, there were occasions from other parts of the multiverse where he's heard bots aren't so ... helpful. Perhaps he should be more wary.~~

"In that case, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to have you look." He says after another sip of his drink. Han's is now nearly gone. "Little harm in having you try, that I can think of."

Edited 2016-09-08 03:51 (UTC)

"Always happy to help our friends," says Ghost, who doesn't see any harm in it either. Bryn... looks between them uncertainly, setting down her spoon.

"It's definitely a good cause," she says slowly, looking up at Ghost. "Assuming that's all you're going in for. I mean as long as you're not- you know. Taking just anything." It seems tactless to spell it out, but... she just wants to know her new AI buddy isn't getting her to help it spy on the good captain's government. She knows intel and espionage have their place, but she's not remotely comfortable with the idea of befriending someone just to use them as an access point. Not even if a Warmind ordered it somewhere up the line.

Ghost reacts with surprise. A brief touch of shock at the suggestion, even. "Of course not. Captain Solo's people aren't our enemies."

Which means any extra intel collected would be ~~entirely~~ mostly an incidental bonus. Although from what Ghost remembers, there are plenty of people in that galaxy who deserve to have their files cracked open. He thinks Blaze would agree.

"Your droid's a lot different than ours."

It dawns on Han only now that Bryn's ghost is a lot more advanced than the average astromech at home. Even the ones with the most sophisticated programming that Han had come to know couldn't have a discussion about the ethics of information gathering. Or even how to know what information was ethical to search for and what wasn't.

"Are there a lot like this model where you're from or is it special?" He's asking Bryn although, he supposes after the fact that he could have asked Ghost itself. He's just to addressing people preferentially.

Bryn shrugs and shakes her head. The Ghost... is looking between them in what looks rather like an 'uh-oh' moment. At least until she looks at him questioningly. "I've never seen one like this before. I don't think he's a standard type of AI even for the military."

"...Ahhh, no. I'm not. I'm..." Should he lie? So far he's primarily let them make their own assumptions but he can't quite go this far. "

Not human manufacture. I was created by the Traveler to assist... er, humanity. There are other Ghosts, but you wouldn't have encountered them.

"But I have seen another one of your model." Han says with a thoughtful tip of his head. "My friend has one a lot like you."

Han, still hasn't put together than Byrn and Blaze are one and the same, but he certainly remembers the guarding traveling around with another floating robot. He'd be content to chalk it up to Nexus weirdness if the little droid had answered more matter of factly, but it seems to be waffling. Very much like a person does when they're not sure what to say ...

...Whoops. Looks like Ghost's determination to clarify how non-droid-like he is just shot him in the totally metaphorical foot.

"So someone else from our world is around here." Bryn's glad to hear it, though surprised. "Can I talk to them? Can you contact the other AI?" She's hoping that another human will be more willing to give her a clear brief...

"Not exactly." Oh dear. If Han mentions his friend is a robot Bryn will know something's very wrong, but there's no good way to stop him without tipping her off anyway. Ghost looks between them rapidly, realizing he'll half to come at least partly clean and trying to calculate the best way of going about it.

At least Bryn still has some alcohol to hand. She's going to need it in a minute.

"I was hoping not to alarm you unnecessarily," he starts, shooting Han a pointed glance. He hopes the captain will work with him here, but after a whole gargleblaster and their interactions so far it's possible Han will have his own ideas about that. "

But this isn't our first visit to the Nexus, Bryn. You and I are partners, assigned to monitor and patrol this place. Unfortunately, you ran afoul of a temporal distortion that seems to have reverted you to an earlier point in history... which is why you remember none of that.

"

"...What?" Beat. "Are you serious?" It doesn't seem a strong enough reaction but she's just stunned for a minute, trying to take that in. She doesn't know how to react. Ghost nods, watching her closely.

Poor Bryn is lead to be more confused by the turn of events taking place right now, but things are suddenly falling into place for Han. It's fortunate for him that his blonde haired company is focused on her little bot too, because for a second ... when he realizes his two friends with floating robots are actually the same person, his jaw hangs open in disbelief.

The prompt by the doid isn't missed. He's thinking it wants help ironing out these new wrinkles. Whatever programming it's got, it's kind of terrible at being deceptive. Which he supposes is something of mixed blessing. Who would want an AI that was good at lying to you?

Which brings him to another far more important question: Why is it lying to Blaze?

... And what happens to Bryn that makes her into that exo-thing that she is now ...

"I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner." Han says, trying to smooth things over. "It's been weird trying to act like you and I aren't friends, you see. Because we know each other."

Ghost actually manages to convey a relieved slump as Bryn looks away. Thank the Traveler Han's swooping in to the rescue because the little bot is indeed not programmed for lying. Especially not to its Guardian. Breaking security and sabotaging other people's machinery, yes, but lying about it? Nope. He's going to owe the captain one for this.

As for Bryn, her eyes are wide as she blinks at Han. "We do?"

Something about it doesn't seem to add up, but at this point she's thoroughly confused. It's too much to keep up with, too many implications she's trying to get straight in her head. She's inclined to trust both of them anyway, so when Han backs Ghost up so smoothly she's way too off-guard to question it.

"Hold on." She's having that drink now, thanks, swallowing it down hard. "So that armor I woke up in- that's actually meant to be mine? And I suppose it explains why Ghost's been acting so strangely... but why didn't you tell me?"

"We, um, wanted to let you adjust to the Nexus and gauge your psychological state first," Ghost tells her, telling part of the truth. He's a little more convincing when he adds, "And I was hoping it would wear off quickly."

"Something about this place ..." Han says. His voice drifts off not because he's struggling to lie, no, he does that often enough that when he commits to one he typically does a decent job of it. It's because he's trying to find the right words to make his point.

"The way that all these universes are able to meet makes it unstable. I've seen gravity distorted, distances lengthened and then shortened and then lengthened again, inexplicable weather patterns, but it's not just the regions itself."

Han's hazel eyes look upon her with empathy. "Things happen to the people here too. Aging. Body swapping. All kinds of things. They're always temporary, but no way to know how long it's going to last."

Bryn's gaze shifts from Han to Ghost, then down to the remains of her drink. She rests her elbows on the table and lets out a low, incredulous laugh, just absorbing the situation. Because here she is sitting in a diner full of aliens across from a space captain named Han Solo and an AI sent by the Traveler is telling her she's meant to be a dimension-hopping commando in high-tech power armor.

"You know, if this were anywhere else- if it wasn't for half the crazy things I've seen today - I don't think I could buy that. Here it actually kind of explains a few things. Or else I'm actually dreaming all this." Which seems more likely, overall.

"Let's go with 'weird but real' for now. Please." Ghost drifts close to look up at her almost pleadingly. He doesn't want her to stop taking the situation seriously, not while she's human and fragile.

"All right." She takes a deep breath. "So- we all know each other. Everyone I know back home, my family, they're all older than I know them. And I run around interdimensional junctions in powered armor..." She looks back up at Han, mouth quirking. "I wish I could remember it."

~~It's a perfectly fine establishment and Han Solo is a good name for a Captain of Space.~~

Han doesn't have any idea why he's going along with the continued misdirection of his friend. Bryn/Blaze is closer to the truth now than Ghost would have ever had her known if not for Han and his previous observation. Somehow it seems like even more deceit is going on now, although, it could be because he wasn't involved in the lying till now.

She has a right to know what happens. She ought to be able to determine what she wants to do with these fleeting moments of humanity the Nexus somehow gave her back. It's the most important part of being human (he would say) - the right to make choices for one's self.

There better be a damn good reason for keeping Blaze in the dark.

"I've only been here a few months, but in that time you've been a good friend to me. If something like this happened to me, I'm sure you'd be trying to watch out for me too."

"I hope so." Rattled though she is, she manages a smile for Han. "Whoever I'm supposed to be normally, at least she knows how to choose her friends."

It means she's not in this alone. She can handle this, right? They can handle it. Bryn draws another slow breath, trying not to let the implications get to her. It seems unlikely she could have missed anything too awful back home, especially not if her people are exploring other dimensions. And she gets to be in the vanguard, which is a privilege she could hardly dream of. Still, it must have taken at least a few decades for all that to happen. She's almost afraid to ask how her parents are doing now. What home is like. Whether she has a sibling or two after all. Light, what if she has her own family by now?

"...Part of me wants to ask for everything you can tell me about my future," she admits, and to Ghost's dismay adds in his direction, "I think you and I will have to have a talk about that."

Once she's had time to deal with the existing shock. She has to have another drink before she asks, "You really don't know how long I'll be stuck like this? Because if I always come here in heavy armor, maybe I should make the most of getting out of it for a while."

"That might not be such a bad idea," Ghost agrees cautiously.

Taking to Bryn about the future sounds more like Ghost's job than Han's. He knows very little about the danger she faces or even what her life is like outside the Nexus apart from a few brief descriptions from Blaze - and from what he could tell, Blaze didn't retain much if any of her memories of her previous life.

~~Or lives, as the case was.~~

The idea that she does make the most of it does seem to shake Captain Solo out of some somber thoughts, though. Visibly. You could practically see the change taking place in his eyes.

"If there's anything you think you might want to do, I'd be happy to keep you company." He offers almost timidly. "I have to admit, other times when I've talked to you ... you're so focused on work that I know very little about what you like to do for fun."

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