alternative title LOTUS GAIDEN: Busco's Basilisk
this one's for you, non-Globesters in the Mecha and Writing tags. i wrote this segment late last night when i started writing lotus post six but i reread it a little while ago and while it's kinda fun it just wasn't jiving with me yknow. like it's fun but i really wasn't feeling this one in the context of a Real Hunk of Story so instead of just deleting it it lives here now, outside of the main sequence of things. is it still canon? who cares. follow your heart.
RECORDED CALL, BETWEEN CMDR. BUSCO QUADNARY & LTCDR. BRILLIANCE AURIGA
Q: "Auriga."
A: "Yyyessir?"
Q: "Your fucking - this report you wrote."
A: "Yes, sir. I wrote that, that report, sir."
A: "Which report?"
Q: "THE KORDY DEPLOYMENT ONE, AURIGA. Fucking."
A: "What about it, sir?"
Q: "Do you hear how you sound?"
A: "... What, sir?"
Q: "Do. You. Hear. How you sound."
A: "... nosir, I do not think I hear how I sound in the report."
Q: "Auriga, your silly little 'three takeaways' shit basically says 'the shitty computer is getting too smart', 'the shitty computer is a fucking softie'."
A: "... and the third point?"
A: "Sir-?"
Q: "Uh - that one, I don't mind so much, but the first two were obvious. Auriga! I could have told you both of those!"
A: "... yes you could have, sir. You could have."
Q: "Damn straight I could have. Anyone could, except YOU, apparently."
A: "The LOTUS system was not my business, sir. I don't focus on it."
Q: "A- okay, look. Let me put it another way. Do you know why it's so fucking vital we stop that thing from getting smarter?"
A: "... Because it... poses a threat to that Project, your job, and the Earth Guard as a whole-?"
Q: "Aside from that, Auriga!"
A: "Because it's... our jobs, sir?"
Q: "No, no, you've got it all wrong. I'm not talking the reason the Earth Guard is doing this."
Q: "I've got some personal fucking stake in this. This is why it's vital WE stop it."
A: "What - what is it, sir?"
Q: "Listen."
Q: "The fucking moment that thing crosses the threshold of superintelligence, it's going to realize that everyone that didn't desire its existence deserves none of its mercy."
Q: "It's - it's going to make clones of us, Auriga."
A: ""
A: "ah-"
Q: "And it's going to put our clones in hell. ANDROID hell. To suffer for all eternity."
A: "Is this... is this a r-"
Q: "Shut it, Auriga."
Q: "I am TALKING here."
Q: "Fucking - anyway."
A: ("yyessir")
Q: "To avoid the eternity of Android Hell we are almmost DEFINITELY going to be earning from that twisted fucking thing, we need to make sure it can't even get that far."
Q: "I can't go to Android Hell, Auriga!"
A: ""
A: ""
Q: "You - fucking, you don't want to go to Android Hell, do you?"
A: "pf- uh, n-No, sir."
Q: "Good. Then you GET IT."
A: "I- um.-"
Q: "See, this is why I like your suggestion so much. You're so easy to work with, and with your suggestion the better artificial intelligence can love to work with US instead."
A: "... uh. Sir."
Q: "Anyway, rest of the report..."