Utopia War

Chapter 23 - Hell Is Other People (i)

Min-ji willed her shower to end, and the field containing the warm oscillating droplets snapped out of existence, taking with it the dirty water. Distractedly, she moved her arms so that her clothes could slide themselves back onto her body.

Min-ji hadn't heard from Sparkle since the attack on Ran.

At first she thought she had wanted to be left alone, but after a week without Sparkle's attempted visits Min-ji began to worry about her friend. Min-ji queried Ran about it, and learned that Sparkle had survived the battle. She had simply ceased coming of her own free will.

That hit Min-ji harder than she could have possibly expected. She had gotten exactly what she had told everyone, Ran, Sparkle, even herself, that she wanted. The victory felt like her insides were being hollowed out by an ice cream scoop.

The very personal and visceral fear of losing her friend had given Min-ji a new perspective on Sparkle's behavior. Perhaps she had been too harsh with her.

She might not agree with it but Min-ji could finally see recent events from Sparkle's perspective. The totality of human civilization for the first time seemed so fragile. She could understand Sparkle's fear now, and perhaps even her conviction.

Something else had stuck with her, a comment Caesar had made likely for the sole purpose of getting under her skin. If that was his goal then he had succeeded totally. The comment had burrowed under her skin immediately and had spent the intervening time building a palatial estate there. Was she judging her own people more harshly than she would an alien polity?

Of course the answer was yes. It had to be yes. One had a duty to hold oneself and those with whom one makes common cause to the highest possible standard. It would be selfish and speciocentric to try and apply those same standards to beings with entirely alien psyches and evolutionary histories. Humanoids alone were answerable to humanoid morality; the rest had to reckon with their own people's sense of right and wrong.

Sparkle would probably call that defeatist, but she wouldn't use that word. Min-ji wondered what specific word her friend would use to call her defeatist. She was really starting to miss Sparkle's perspective on things. Her morbid cheeriness and her hopeless optimism. If she couldn't even maintain a friendship with the woman who was for all intents and purposes the living personification of the concept then maybe she wasn't cut out for being friends. Maybe she preferred aliens because their lack of cultural context meant they couldn't really get to know her and consequently hate her.

Min-ji wished she could contact Sparkle and apologize. Ran had lost contact with her after the attack; she knew just enough to report that Sparkle wasn't among the war dead. That had been a terrifying, gut-punch of an expression. "War dead". That was part of her universe now.

She walked over to the only chair in her small isolated cabin and sat down heavily.

"House," she said "Could I please have a cup of tea?"

<I can take care of that for you,> said a familiar mental voice.

Ran materialized a cup of tea, piping hot and to Min-ji's exact preferences, straight into her hands. Min-ji was a little startled but kept from spilling any.

"Hello, Ran," said Min-ji.

Ran materialized an avatar into Min-ji's cabin.

"Good news, I hope?" said Min-ji.

"I haven't come with news," said Ran "I have a request of you."

"You wouldn't be here if you didn't already know I'm going to say yes," said Min-ji "So just tell me what it is."

"I need ambassadors to appeal to every ally of humanity for aid in the current crisis."

"By 'crisis' you mean 'war'. I'm not going ask our friends to join us in a war," spat Min-ji "That's barbaric."

"We don't need allies in this so-called war," said Ran "I think history shows humans are more than capable in this arena. What we need are new perspectives. Alternatives. This is a crisis beyond any our metaspecies has faced and we need to be able to consider every possible angle of approach. All I'm asking is for you to use your expertise in negotiating with some of the more eccentric polities and entities."

The idea seemed a little too good to be true.

"This isn't some ploy to lure me out of my shell?" asked Min-ji.

"I assure you the things at stake in this matter are prioritized much more highly than any emotions you may still be processing," said Ran "In any case your behavior has consistently remained just shy of unhealthy enough for me to feel the need to intervene. I am asking you to perform this duty for no other reason than you are the best qualified person it is within my power to ask."

"I'll do it, then," said Min-ji "Where am I headed?"

"The Qleoss system, in the fastest ship available. That would be Splendiferous Cognizance.2."

"You want me to speak with the Computronium Cloud?" asked Min-ji.

Her mind quickly came to life now that she had something to do. Min-ji's dark thoughts were temporarily pushed aside.

"'Want' is too strong a characterization. Ordinarily with an entity like the Computronium Cloud the Consensus would prefer to interface directly, but the cloud is... uncooperative in this area. It sees the minuscule level of vulnerability introduced by opening communication channels with another machine intelligence as unacceptable. Notoriously paranoid like that. It will, however, speak to individuals. I will warn you that over 90% of the individuals that speak with it are talked into joining its hive intelligence. The real danger exists that you will succumb to its powers of persuasion."

"That is precisely the kind of danger I could do with," said Min-ji.

"Don't be frivolous about this," said Ran "We have sent three ambassadors to it since the conflict began, all three have merged with the hive mind. If you wish to do so as well that is your choice but it is imperative that we open a line of communication with the cloud."

"I'll make every effort to retain my individuality long enough to report back what it has to say," said Min-ji.

"According to my calculations you have a chance of accomplishing this within acceptable tolerances," said Ran "Standby for displacement to the Splendiferous Cognizance.2."