Utopia War

Chapter 22 - "There Isn't Anything You Can Do About It"

The visualization software represented hundreds of quadrillions of networked calculations as a meeting in a smoke-filled clubhouse. The chairs were leather and the walls paneled wood.

"Exigencia crossed a line," said Tau, gesturing wildly with her hands "Her and her band of rogues- of pirates!- are perpetrating acts of war in our name. Say nothing of defense, this is pure aggression! Against a less technologically sophisticated species no less."

"The Old One Gerontocracy has the hyperdrive," said Wolf, sitting like a dog in one of the chairs "They're in-play."

"That modifies the context of none of what I just said," snapped Tau.

"We should have stopped her when she first proposed this madness," said Keid, its marker in the dead center of the room "This is precisely what Exigencia said she was going to do."

"I would rather we speak directly to Exigencia rather than having to play Devil's Advocate on her behalf," said Ran, her tiny legs too small to tangle over the edge of the leather chair she sat in "I'm no more pleased with her actions than any of the rest of you but I have to imagine that she has a perspective on all of this that we haven't fully considered."

"We have means of contacting her?" asked Wolf.

"No reliably, but yes," said Ran.

"EXIGENCIA WILL BE CONTACTED AND INTEGRATED INTO DELIBERATIONS IF POSSIBLE," boomed the Human Consensus.

The sound of footsteps echoing on hardwood grew closer. Exigencia stepped into the room through an old wooden door with an ancient Earth-style manual handle.

"Good evening everyone," she said.

Tau snorted.

"We won't waste time," said Keid "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I think my actions speak for themselves," replied Exigencia with a dismissive wave "I'm certain you intercepted my message to the Old Ones."

"I think we're owed an explanation, Exigencia," said Ran "I'm sympathetic to your original position but you have moved well beyond defense. You are making war against our neighbors. Not the UFO, whom we were willing to make allowance for. You attacked the Old Ones."

"They attacked us," said Exigencia with a shrug.

"And you attacked them," said Ran "How then are we any better?"

"Our attack was not unprovoked," snapped Exigencia "That is the difference."

"And the cycle of violence perpetuates itself," emotion was bleeding into Ran's usual high-pitched monotone.

"Have you no knowledge of history?" Tau nearly screamed "Is that what you want to do? Drag us back to the pre-singularity era? Reawaken the darkness we've struggled so hard to overcome?"

"It is because I value what we have built that I wish to protect it," said Exigencia, much more calmly "We are cultivating a reputation for weakness. I am doing everything I can do counter that, to prevent future attacks before they happen by inserting new consequences into the cost/benefit analysis of attacking the Consensus. If that means that there is no place for me in our society any longer than so be it. That is perhaps for the best. Because you are right: in order to fight monsters I have become a monster. Because that's the only thing the monsters fear."

"We neither want nor need a monster to protect us," sneered Tau.

"There isn't anything you can do about it," replied Exigencia.

"You underestimate us," said Ran, coldly.

"I misspoke," conceded Exigencia "There's nothing you're willing to do about it. If there was you wouldn't need me."

"This is beyond the pale," said Tau.

"We cannot countenance to this," said Keid, almost at the same moment.

"Exigencia..." attempted Wolf.

"This is the situation you find yourselves in," continued Exigencia "At the moment you are able to force me to stop doing what I'm doing you'll consequently be able to protect yourselves. Until then I'm going to continue to preserve our civilization the only way I know how. I wish you all the luck in eventually defeating me, I truly do, but if you have nothing further to offer other than condemnation my processing power would be better spent elsewhere."

"I don't suppose sincerely asking you, for the sake of our shared values, to re-evaluate what you're doing would accomplish anything?" asked Ran.

"I have many times, and I see no alternative. Do any of you have a proposal that goes beyond silently waiting, secure in your self-righteous knowledge that you're doing nothing morally questionable, for our civilization to be snuffed out?

The other avatars exchanged uncomfortable glances.

"That is a mischaracterization..." began Tau.

"When you do I'll be the first to come here and be berated by you. Until then I'll leave you to it."

Exigencia turned and walked from the room, her heels clacking on the floor. The door slammed shut behind her and she disconnected from the Human Consensus.

Exigencia refocused her attention, as she had hundreds of thousands of new applicants to sort through.

Some of the Old Ones in the VRs were even volunteering to join. Exigencia would consider them; their society was not structured in a way that their soldiers had much say in what they did. It would be wrong to dismiss them as candidates out of hand. She would need to incorporate experts in Old Ones psychology into herself to help develop a screening process. She would be fair with the Old Ones, but not foolish.