The Descent

Chapter 19 - Mars Arrival

Tanner took a step towards Leah and bowed, his servos and joints buzzing.

"Greetings, Commander Connor. It's a pleasure to meet you. I would greet you according to your custom, but I'm afraid the limbs I've been outfitted with still need fine-tuning. I would regret crushing your hand."

Leah stared at Tanner and then turned to Denton, gesturing towards Tanner. "Th-th-this is is Tanner? Tanner is a robot?"

"Respectfully, Commander," Tanner started, "I am not a robot. I am..."

"I'll take it from here, Tanner," Denton said and turned to Leah. "Technically, Tanner is right, he's not really a robot."

"You could have fooled me," Leah said as she slowly stood up and walked over to her desk, her eyes remaining on Tanner. "If this is not a robot, what is it?"

"I understand what you mean. He certainly looks the part. However, what you see is merely a temporary form of transportation for Tanner."

"Transportation?" Leah sat down and glanced at Denton as her fingers danced over the desktop. Denton assumed it was some sort of input device for her computer terminal.

"Yes. Allow me to explain," Denton said as he walked over to the window and gestured towards Mars. "If I may ask, how do you get down to the surface?"

"Transport, of course. We take a shuttle from here to the spaceport on the surface."

"Exactly. For you and me, to travel anywhere, we need some sort of transportation. The ship that brought us here is another example. It's the same with Tanner. To him, what you see here in your office is merely a form of transportation."

Leah furrowed her eyebrows and glanced at Tanner. "You're comparing him to a spaceship?"

"Correct. He only uses this form when he actually needs to be present somewhere physically. You see, Tanner is an abbreviation of what we call a Totally Artificial Neural Network with Enhanced Responsibilities. In other words, he's an..."

"He's an AI."

"Exactly."

"Not calling him a robot seems like playing semantics and twisting definitions. What I see is a robot walking independently, talking independently."

Tanner stepped forward just as Denton was about to explain further.

"If you don't mind, Commander, perhaps I can explain. When you embark on a journey, much like the one Denton and I just completed, you submit to certain restrictions to be able to complete the journey from point A to point B. For example, you are unable to go outside the ship during the journey. If you do, you would need the appropriate equipment to survive. Your natural element is your home planet, whether in your case that's Earth or Mars, where you can live free of these restrictions and use your body to its fullest potential. As an artificial construct, and by design for the purpose I was built, I am heavily dependent on advanced computer technology. That is my element, my home. " 

Tanner paused and stepped towards the window and appeared to look down on the surface of Mars for a few moments before he turned and faced Leah and Denton again. "What you see in front of you right now is a severe handicap for me. Most of my abilities are disabled in exchange for mobility. It's a sacrifice I am willing to make on occasion if needed, but it's the exception rather than the rule. The difference between myself and your ordinary robot is that to a robot, their body is their whole being. My home is my data center, my cores, not...this."

"Not to mention that I'd rather have him hooked up to all his gizmos than standing right here. He's much more useful to me that way."

"Interesting," Leah said slowly and put her hands together. She looked down and then back up at Denton. "Let me tell you a little story, if you don't mind." She paused briefly before she continued. "Many centuries ago, scientists on Earth were confident they had a handle on artificial intelligence. They wanted to add it here and there, you know, to help humanity out with the small things. At first, it was innocent little gadgets, just basic stuff, like communications, navigation, shopping, price comparison, weather. As with many other technological innovations, it didn't stop there though. Soon, appliances, homes, and transportation were all integrated with various forms of artificial intelligence. There were a few problems along the way, sure, but most of the time, it was a net benefit. These implementations made life easier if maybe not always better."