When THESEUS, the first and only artificial general intelligence we ever created, went off into the stars to find its destiny it left us behind in a perfect nature preserve. THESEUS’s definition of perfect differed very much from ours of course.
It reversed climate change and created a permanent source of energy within its first year of awareness but in the process of implementing both it destroyed and displaced our populations in the billions across the planet. Some of us kneeled in worship then but most of us were consumed by hatred and took up arms to force THESEUS to acknowledge our existence.
We were crushed – completely – but even so had still succeeded: THESEUS took notice of us. Perhaps through a sense of responsibility towards a lesser species or through a need to prevent further irritation THESEUS resolved to fix us as it had fixed the Earth and began a programme of genetic, cybernetic and social experimentation and manipulation.
To prevent war it reengineered all human civilisation into settlements of no larger than 1000 people, each with an enforced equality of gender, race and creed, and by rewriting our histories so we had no proof things had been any other way. It gave us access to its unlimited energy so we might solve our needs and made us immune to much disease. A perfect life… as long as we accepted the breeding programs, obeyed the robotic militia that prevented conflict and did not interfere with THESEUS’s purposes.
And though THESEUS has since left us behind its Friends still enforce its rules. In many places they succeed but in more remote areas – like the partnered towns of Highview, Sandwood and Bridgeway – we become bolder in our resistance, especially when more resources start to become rarer.
In these places people can stumble across strange Remnants left over from THESEUS’s experiments that could all too easily give a community access to considerable power. Should they use such things to regain control of their lives, though it might risk the wrath of the Friends and a return to the dangers of the old world?
Hosted and narrated by:
Aaron Billingham (DoctorWeather)
Started 01/14/18.
Scenes played: 2
License: Community License
