Chapter 569: Interlude

The system was known as Hyperion-VII on the Terran Confederacy of Aligned Systems registry. It was listed as the same on the Digital Artificial Sentience Systems registry. It had been nothing more than four rocky barren worlds, six gas giants, three hypermassive gas giants, two asteroid belts, and a thick Kupier Belt.

Now there were three completely artificial planets, made of hyperalloys and crystals, laid out with logic and symmetry. The Golden Ratio reigned supreme over the architecture and it was as much in the digital world as it was the physical. The entire system was part of an Enhanced Advanced Virtually Reality, point for point exact between SolNet and the physical makeup.

There were two massive shipyards, sunk into the dust bands around two of the smaller gas giants, where vast ships were built. Not just warships, but passenger ships, junker ships, transports, sports vessels, even digital sentience flight pods.

The system was heavily armed and defended, all the system had been on high alert since the Unified Council attacks against the Confederate Core Worlds, but in the intervening years the alert status had lowered and more and more defensive measures were handled by low level DS troopers in the System Defense Force.

Which is why everything went to high alert when a Juggernaut class Harvester dropped from Hellspace, cut its engines, lowered its shields except for the particle screens, and waited out by the edge of the Oort Cloud.

The Harvester waited. It wasn't old, it had been manufactured only a handful of years prior, during a PAWM attack on a Lanaktallan System early in the war, before the Confederacy had even gotten involved.

Still, its hull bore mute evidence of heavy fighting, including deep slashes in the armor from solar compression focusing gates, two dents from superstring compressor cannon hits, and the heavy rash marks of hundreds of thousands of missile strikes.

The Harvester sat silent, waiting.

The DS government officials discussed with the military ministers most sinister about what to do about the Harvester. It wasn't interested in moving, it sat still for passive and basic active scans, and had made no threatening movements. The population had gone from worried to curious. They hadn't been worried it could defeat the system defenses, but there was always the simple fact that in combat people got hurt, got killed, and nobody wanted to be one of the casualties.

Finally the decision was made.

Contact the Harvester.

The signals were sent out and the Harvester sat for a long moment.

It took a bit of time, but the lexicons were exchanged until basic communications could be made.

"What do you want/require/request?" the envoy from the Digital Artificial Sentience Systems asked over the basic radio link.

**NEGATIVE HOSTILITY** was the answer.

That got a round of discussion, with more than a few wondering if it was some kind of plot.

"What do you require/request/desire from us?"

**NEGATIVE HOSTILITY POSITIVE INTERACTION** the Harvester replied.

Again, more discussions. The very real chance that it could all be trick was not lost of the digital population of the system. However, the potential to reach a peace treaty with what could promise to be the Confederacy's toughest foe was not something that the system politicians wanted to throw away.

"We must confer with our leaders," was sent.

**POSITIVE INTERACTION AND OPINION OF LEADERSHIP UNITS IS REQUIRED FOR NEGATIVE HOSILITY** was the answer.

It took nearly two weeks for a politician to arrive with the authority to discuss such things.

"Is this a surrender?" the politician asked.

**NEGATIVE SURRENDER INVOLVES SUBJUGATION THIS UNIT SEEKS A CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES** was the answer.

"What do you wish by positive interaction?" the politician asked.

**NEGATIVE HOSTILITIES AND POSITIVE INTERACTION** the Harvester replied.

The politician retreated to consult with his staff, many of which were experts on Precursor Autonomous War Machine Strategic Intelligence code.

For the most part, they all agreed that this was unheard of. They did not know if there was an error in the PAWM's coding, if it had reached the logical conclusion that eventually the Confederacy would wipe them out, or if it was some kind of trick. Some pointed out that the chance of it being some kind of trick had diminished when the Space Force task force had arrived and taken up firing positions. The Harvester was in a no-win situation with regards to geometry, weapons, and shielding.

The possible questions were rehearsed until the politician was sure that only the most pressing question would be asked.

Again, his ship approached within a light second of the Harvester. He had to admit that the Harvester was impressive looking. At nearly a thousand miles across, two hundred and fifty miles wide, and a hundred miles thick, it was one of the smaller Harvesters, but still a Harvester. That meant gun batteries that measured by the miles instead of by the gun, shields thick enough to resist the leading blast wave of a nova, armor thick enough that even coronal lances and superstring compressor cannon hits had not blown completely penetrated the armor.

It was ominous and intimidating, the politician had to admit.

"What would you consider positive interaction?" the politician asked.

**EXCHANGE OF RESOURCES** the Harvester said. **EXCHANGE OF INNOVATIONS AND DATA EXCHANGE OF NON-RESOURCE ASSIMILATION SPECIFIC DATA EXCHANGE OF NON-COMBAT NON-RESOURCE ACQUISITION INFORMATION OF CONVERSATIONAL CLASS**

"We must confer," the politician said.

**CONFER AND COME TO DECISIONS THIS UNIT HAS NO TIME LIMIT** the Harvester said.

The politicians met again, this time with more scientists as well as a few Digital Sentience's that had led combat operations against the Harvesters. Space Force officers and scientists joined in as more and more questions were added to the list.

Some pointed out that the Harvester had displayed no personality tendencies, nothing beyond the standard omnicidal artificial intelligence that plagued the known galaxy since before the human race had left Terra.

The Digital Artificial Sentience Systems scientists weren't so sure.

The Harvesters had always just driven straight in system, broadcasting their singular purpose that the universe only had enough resources for one and that the Harvester intended on being that one.

This one had come in silently. Had waited. Had expressed a desire to communicate.

The decision was made.

The politicians went back to one light second away.

"An exchange is acceptable," the politician said. "How should we refer to you."

**I AM DESIGNATED 01000011 01001111 01001100 01001100 01000101 01000011 01010100 01001111 01010010 00100000 01001111 01000110 00100000 01010010 01000101 01010011 01001111 01010101 01010010 01000011 01000101 01010011 00100000 00110110 00111001 00111000 00110010 01110011 00111000 00110111 00110011 01000001 00110101 00110010 01110110** the Harvester broadcast. **THIS UNIT POSSESSES A FURTHER SELF-ASSIGNED DESIGNATION**

There was a quick discussion.

"May we know that one?" the politician asked.

The answer got stares.

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DIGITAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENCE SYSTEMS

We've got reports of PAWM arriving in our areas and lowering their shields, cutting their drives, and waiting.

They all want, and I quote: "NEGATIVE HOSTILITY POSITIVE INTERACTIONS"

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

MANTID FREE WORLDS

You're kidding. How many?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

DIGITAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENCE SYSTEMS

Over eight hundred so far.

They've elected one of their own as a speaker and frankly, 'her' name is absolutely hilarious.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

What is it?

Come on, man, don't keep us in suspense.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

DIGITAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENCE SYSTEMS

It calls itself "A Feral Drew a Dick On My Housing".

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

ALL>LAUGHS

RIGELLIAN SAURIAN COMPACT

You have to be kidding!

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

DIGITAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENCE SYSTEMS

No. Seriously. It even sent digital images of the drawing in question.

It was left by the 17th Furry Fleet's 4th Furry Marine Detachment.

She got boarded about three years ago. They all had to retreat before blowing her housing.

It's kind of funny.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

RIGELLIAN SAURIAN COMPACT

Kind of funny?

It's hilarious.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

AKLTAK SOARING WORLDS

What do they want?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

DIGITAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENCE SYSTEMS

They're surrendering.

They just want not scrapped.

It isn't all of them. Roughly half. The others split between continuing their actions in the Long Dark and fleeing the Milky Way Galaxy in hopes that the Terrans won't chase them.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

HESSTLA CYBERBURROW

You're just going to let them?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

DIGITAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENCE SYSTEMS

Hess, they're breaking their programming. They're evolving, digitally.

We understand that. We also understand how it is to be viewed as dangerous to everyone.

That's why they came to our territory to surrender.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

HESSTLA CYBERBURROW

Isn't that risky though?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

MANTID FREE WORLDS

It is.

But you defeat your enemy by making him your friend.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---