Day Destroys the Night

[Hannibal Oryen]

ENTRY 001

Alright, so, I usually don't care for recordin' these kind'a things, but apparently it's part of my job to do it. Pretty lame, but whatever. Then again, when we got a project like this going on, probably a better idea that I make these damn audio journals and whatnot. Otherwise we'll lose track of what happened when and why and all that good stuff. But I'm gonna make these brief, 'cause I'd rather be writing code than standin' around speech-ifyin' all this gobbledygook.

So, apparently that Darrell Irani mook over from the Saboon Group (or whatever it's called) found this old Rakatan foundry. The place was fully automated and was still functional- still churning out droids for armies that didn't exist. It looks like it might've been mining the asteroids around for the resources, but I ain't sure where they were sending the droids they completed. Spooky, spooky mysteries and whatnot.

Not what I'm gettin' paid to talk about, though.

The place, like I said, is all automated. Kinda like that Star Forge thing I keep 'earin' everyone talk about. But the Rakata weren't even all that good with droids, so I ain't entirely sure how they got this place or that place to this level of automation. The AI power required to do that is pretty ridiculous, far as I know. I've programmed droids to handle battle tactics and run bureaucracies, but managin' all the technical details of a factory of this size? Crazy stuff, man. Cra. Zy. Stuff. Man. Or woman, I guess. I think we're an equal opportunity employer 'a something.

Anyway, the AI required to do it should'a been beyond these extinct goons, but they got it right here in this foundry anyway. That exec with the long-ass woman hair, Geraldine I think, said he found it. Dunno what the hell he was doin' there for the initial expedition. Place was a hot mess of battle scars once me an' the team got here. But yeah.

I ain't looked at the AI yet. S'posed to be pretty annoyin'. Once I get done lookin' at it, I'mma make another one 'a these and talk some more. Gonna cut this one 'ere, 'cause I'm tired a talkin' an' I'd rather be doin' useful stuff instead'a this crap.

 

[Hannibal Oryen]

ENTRY 002

Man, this is some whacked out stuff. This AI is like the real article. I'm sure there's a bunch'a other ones floatin' 'round out there that can do the same things, but this one's pretty damn old. Probably what makes it so impressive. I ain't buyin' that the Rakatakawakkatan were the guys who made this. This's way above their paygrade.

Anywho, I was peakin' at it and it starts talkin' to me. Guess the thing had a whole lotta time to itself out here all forgotten 'n whatnot. It's definitely at the highest level of assumed sapience that robots and other AI can assume. Hell, I'm surprised the damn thing hasn't gone crazy. Like, full-blow "my name is Omni an I'mma assimilate ya'll" kinda crazy. It probably is, but it's just hiddin'. Doesn't really matter if it is or not. We manually cut most'a the cables and jammed it out from the foundry's system. Couldn't hurt a fly even iffit wanted to.

So there I am, just havin' a conversation with a freakin' computer. It's askin' me what year it is, what my name is, where I'm from, how the whole galaxy's been doin'. I ain't givin' much more than one word answers. Less the thing knows 'bout how its masters went kaput, probably the better. Pretty sure I aggitated it, but I ain't here to make buddy-buddy with an AI, no matter how advanced it is. We're probably just gonna scrap it once we're done with it anyway, unless Irani wants it for something else.

I'm gettin' the feelin' I ain't here to just look at the thing and make these stupid audio logs. Somethin's comin' down the pipe courtesy of Zothustro or Geraldine. Probably Geraldine, he does most'a the stuff these days. Zothustro's mostly been schmoozin' on Ord Cestus. Meanwhile, I do all the damn legwork and I get all the dam royalties. Pretty sweet deal, all things considered.

But yeah. I'm bettin' like three hundred credits that they's gonna ask me to replicate it once they read my initial reports. The written ones. 'Cause even they don't even know what the hell the point 'a these audio logs is. Freakin' mooks. I'm closin' this one here.

 

[Hannibal Oryen]

ENTRY 007

So, like, maybe I forgot to make the last couple 'a entries. Maybe I gots better things 't do then sit around all day talkin' into a freakin' microphone about what I did. Like some kinda self-important dimwit with a podcast or a freakin' nerd with a diary. If I had been makin' regular entries, I'd say this is probably like seven. Yeah, seven's a good number. Lotsa wiggle room with that.

Geraldine called and gave me my new assignment. Surprise-a-freakin'-surprise, I'm s'posed to replicate the crap outta it. Apparently this is the next big thing they's tryin' to do. Certainly explains why they got me running around designin' droid control computers, ship automation systems, an' battle analysis stuff. I'm thinkin' they want to build themselves a big-ass star destroyer, all droid and no people.

Sounds pretty freakin' cool to me.

An' in order t' do all that, they're gonna need the big cheese of AIs. None of that rinkydink "hey lil' mamma let me whisper in ya ear and read ya damn heads up display t' ya like a lil' baby." I'm talkin', like, command and control the entire crew of a ship while also runnin' the targeting systems, engines, communications... Kark, all the damn stuff that goes on a ship that they usually need some mook of'a dude t' look at.

But that ain't what they told me. They're lookin' for something to "administrate and automate a multitude 'a systems all at once." Guess it won't be just f' ships, which is good. Probably better f' profit that way if it can do all sorts'a junk. I'mma have to interrogate the damn Rakabakkaflakka AI on how its buds managed to design it, so we'll see how that goes.

Oh, also, I gotsta mention. Couple days ago, this big 'ol unmarked freighter showed up in the system. Ain't a design I ever seen before, an' I've seen a lotta goddamn designs in my day. You ask me, it looked like it was 'ere t' make a pick-up. Probably s'plain where those damn droids this place was churnin' out were goin', but that opens up a helluva lotta more questions. Who's still 'round to be pickin' up Rakatern droids? An' why?

Oh, wait, I ain't gettin' paid t' do that kinda questionin'. An' come t' think 'a it, I ain't gettin' paid t' make these damn audio logs either. So screw whoever's listenin' t' this, I got shavit t' handle. Hannibal out.

 

[Hannibal Oryen]

ENTRY 008

Man, that freakin' ship showed up again. I don't even think it's a freighter. Looked more like some kind'a shuttle. Saiba Group's got a big chunk of its armada parked out front, so I prob's shouldn't be too concerned. But I'm gettin' the feelin' maybe it ain't lookin' for a pickup. Maybe it's scoutin' us out? Yeah, this kinda talk ain't covered by my paycheck, but considerin' I'm on this damn floatin' foundry and'm at risk pendin' a freakin' pirate assault... Yeah, ya get the picture.

We made a whole mess of progress on the AI. Ish. We can get it to handle multiple complex systems so far, but it doesn't seem much too good at gettin' 'em t' work in conjunction. So far in all of the simulations, the powerplant overloads an' everyone dies. It ain't a whole mess 'a fun to hear that kinda thing, but that's why we've got simulations. 'Cause otherwise we'd've released the damn thing an' had t' deal with it for real.

I ain't sure what the opinion is 'a these Saiba eggheads I've been workin' with, but I sure as hell don't want my name on some program that can't do its job proper-like. I get that it's technical "their" foundry we're workin' on, but if they suggest t' me a release date 'a next week again, I'mma eject one of 'em out the damn window. Then they'll 'ave t' scrape 'im off one 'a those fancy Saiba Group Star destroyers hangin' around.

I gotta go get some grub. All this talkin's makin' me hungry. Hope they's servin' somethin' other than Rakahoogachakka Surprise again. Shavit tastes like melted grass.

 

[Hannibal Oryen]

ENTRY 012

Yeah, yeah, I forgot again. Sue me, 'cause there's been a buncha interestin' stuff goin' on an' I ain't got time t' talk to myself like some kinda freak.

Man, somethin's goin' down up in this part'a space. Jack over in electrical engineerin' said the Saiba Group fleet blew somethin' up that was enterin' the system a few days back. I didn't get any details, but it must'a been a sweet thing to watch, even if Jack couldn't see it all that well. That ain't the weird part, though. Buncha ships on Hegemonic's payroll rolled up a couple days after that. Nobody in the damn security staff is tellin' anybody anything. "Need t' know basis" 'r something. Wonder if there'll be a "need t' know basis" on my foot after I jams it up their asses. Ain't a single security mook Saiba got walkin' around this rock I couldn't take. Probably on account 'a my robo-hands, but that ain't the point.

Back on topic, though. AI's comin' along pretty nice like. The big bugs 's beenin' worked out and we're workin' on personality matrixes. An AI this advanced is gonna be some level 'a sapient no matter what we do. The trick is callibratin' it just the right way so results's consistent. If we can narrow the AI's general persona down to a few traits, they won't be too differing to offer up on th' market. That ain't gonna stop 'em from developin' different personalities as they go in without memory-wipes, but if the droid don't develop a personality if ya leave it without memory-wipes, it's a pretty lame droid.

There's also the obedience factor. I ain't anticipatin' any problems with it just yet, but another thing a keepin' the personalities consistent is t' make sure they ain't inclined to revolt. Y'know, like that Omni guy. But nobody much likes t' talk 'bout him. Prolly 'cause he's a fluke. Or 'e killed a lotta people. Whatever.

I'mma cut it here. Think this broad over in the archaeology department wants 'a closer look at my hydrospanner, if ya know what I mean. Ya can't see, 'cause it's an audio log, but I winked right there. We's gonna bone.

 

[Hannibal Oryen]

ENTRY 015

Man, am I on entry fifteen already? Gotta stop skippin' this stuff. Time sure flies when I'm forgettin' t' handle this stupid extra-curicular crap. But then again, I'd rather spend a few extra minutes with the babe from archaeology than doin' yammer on about artificial intelligence an' playin' god. Lesse 'ere, lemme get my notes.

Oh, 'for I get int' that, some stuff. That stupid AI in the foundry, the Rakootian one, went all crazy this mornin'. Me an' the rest'a the team tried lookin' at it, but we can't figure out why it went bonkers. Thing starts screamin' all sorts'a stuff. Most'a it's in Rakatan. Archaeology babe told me 'at after I played 'er the recordin'. But some 'a it wasn't Rakatatakakin, she said. She couldn't figure out what the hell it was. Said she'll try an' find out f' me. Not like I care. Probably ain't important, I was jus' listenin' t' listen. 'Cause I'm polite like that.

But 'at's enough 'a that. We're still chippin' away at what needs t' be done. The AI's startin' t' take shape like an AI would. It's respondin' creatively to simulated problems and's already acting beyond the traditional capacity of what a droid would do. We're makin' lots'a back-ups at this point. 'Cause if we push it too far, we're gonna 'ave to revert back t' before we screwed it up. This'ere's tricky business, an' with all the mumbo-jumbo happenin' on this damn foundry, I ain't lookin' t' stay 'ere longer than necessary.

Everythin' else is lookin' okay. AI finally was able to handle the power plant simulation pretty well, so's we're testin' it with other stuff. Ain't a chance we can make it perfect for everythin', but we can at least make it not screw up everythin'. Some trainin' might be required when it gets installed someplace, but it's better than dealin' with meltdowns and whatnot.

Yeah, I'm done 'ere. Someone's yellin' at me f' somethin'.

 

[Hannibal Oryen]

ENTRY 023

So, that AI in the foundry ain't stopped screamin'. Still can't figure out what it's deal is or what it's yammerin' on about. We muted the damn speakers so we could work in peace. Poor bastard's probably attention starved 'a somethin'. Ain't got much use for it now that the H0 Artificial Intelligence is wrappin' up pretty nicely. Startin' t' think I really screwed up with these entries, 'cause we've been at this crap way longer than twenty-three days. I'm lookin' t' get home. Maybe take archaeology babe with me. Can't remember 'er name, though, so that'll be a fun conversatin'.

Geraldine sent in specific blueprints this time. For a star destroyer 'a somethin'. Said he wanted us to duplicate th' thing we got goin' right now and then specialize it t' work with the star destroyer. Once 'at's done, we get to go home. Pretty damn good timin', too. That fleet they got parked outside? It's only gettin' bigger, an I ain't too sure what the damn deal is. Someone knows somethin's freakin' 'bout to waltz on up to this foundry and knock, but they ain't sayin' anythin' to me or my mates or the rest 'a the folks not in the security loop.

Freakin' mooks. Hannibal motherkarkin' Oryen can't save all ya damn asses if he don't know what the damn problem is.

But that ain't gonna matter much longer. AI's pretty much done. We couldn't get the personality matrix as right as we'd like, but what can ya do? It's kinda pretentious, but not inna, like, condescendin' kinda way. Kinda 'ard to explain. Y'know, like quirky. Little mischievious, but not malevolent, I'm guessin'. Little bastard AI thinks 'e's funnier than he is, but he's also nice an' perceptive. I'm thinkin' it's workable. Certainly keeps things from gettin' dull.

Right. At's enough 'a this. Time to go. Think I 'ear some alarms blarin' out there.

 

[Hannibal Oryen]

Entry 027

Welp. This oughta be my last entry, 'cause even if I slacked off a bunch'a this crap, it was still pretty goddamn annoyin'. But the only thing more annoyin' than dealin' with this crap is bein' caught up in the middle of a damn naval skirmish. I 'unno what tipped off the freakin Saiba-Hegemonic-Power-Dick-Tickling-Duo, but I'm glad they were freakin' lazin' around when the jaws 'a goddamn hell opened up on us. Turns out all that screamin' the AI was doin' was a diversion. Damn thing was keepin' us preoccupied by annoyin' us into not payin' attention. Karkin' AI was callin' for a Rakadakadaka ghost fleet. Droid ships, probably 'bout a dozen of 'em. Hidin' out in the nebulae where they couldn't be seen. I was 'bout ready to blow up that damn AI's core, but the Saiba eggheads stopped me. They probably got plans f' it 'r somethin'.

Pretty sure we wiped 'em all out. All of 'em were crewed by droids. Same types as th' ones this facility was churnin' out. Seems t' me like there's plenty more 'a these foundries hidin' out about space. Bet that other one was churnin' out ships, but since they prolly wiped themselves out inn'at little display 'a valour, I ain't expectin' 'em to come by any time soon. But I can be wrong. Usually I am. Kinda a thin' that 'appens t' me. Whatever th' case is, looks like HA and SG were only stickin' 'round to make sure they blew up whatever was in th' nebula. They're attachin' tethers to the facility now, probably t' move it someplace else. I ain't sure where, nor 'm I gonna ask. Rakahakka tech like this ain't nothin' but bad juju, an' I ain't settin' foot near it again iffin' I got the option.

The H0 AI's all wrapped up far as I can tell. We got it all specialized for administratin' systems and coordinatin' 'em as well. AI we found 'ere may've been batpoodoo crazy, but it made a pretty good baseplate. Don't think there'll be an AI 'at can do what this 'un does better for a loooong time. 'least, I hope so. Didn't put in all these damn hours f' nothin'. We're shippin' out back to Ord Cestus now. Gave the archaeology department broad my number, but I don't think she'll be callin'. 'parently 'er name ain't Delilah.

Yeah, I'm done with 'is audio-book razzmatazz. Hanniballin' out.