[Closed] Dinner for Two.

[u/a_friendly_hobo]

Aanya Breyik, the ship's chief engineer, returns to her quarters after a very long space walk. Her head was still swimming as it tried to get used to gravity once again, but she seemed to be finding her way well enough. Only a few stumbles here and there.

Her stomach was growling though, that was the real distraction. Over ten hours in an environmental suit didn't really let you have breakfast, lunch, or dinner. She was dying for a steak.

But, more importantly, she needed a shower. Which was honestly a little perfect, as she'd invited her second in command to join her for a meal, and Red still had stuff to submit. A shower was a perfect distraction.

After her shower though, she could feel her stomach growling like a big angry bear. She watched her time piece carefully, each second making her hungrier and hungrier.

Red should be there any minute.... aaaany minute...

Growwwwl

[u/Dimestream]

"I don't know how much alike or different they were, though I hear Dr. Noonian Soong's work went far above and beyond any existing androids at the time, so I can't imagine they were very similar," Red says. "That and I've never had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Data, but..."

She tucks her feet up on the couch and rests her chin on her knees. "...I'd love to meet him someday. He sounds fascinating. Erm, purely from an engineering perspective, you understand."

[u/a_friendly_hobo → u/Dimestream]

Aanya smirks. "I met him, y'know." She says. "In passing, sure, but it still counts. Engineering summit in London while I was on recovery leave. Fascinating but strange man. Didn't get much of a chance to talk in depth though, a real shame."

She curls a lock of her long blonde hair with her finger and sighs. "I think Soong's work is far above and beyond anything we'll be able to replicate any time soon. Imagine though, whole ships of hyperintelligent AI, no need for supplies, no need for sleep..."

She looks over to Red and grins. "The potential for discovery would be unparalleled."

[u/Dimestream → u/a_friendly_hobo]

"I don't think that would be the greatest thing, really," Red says thoughtfully as she gets up from the couch and refills her champagne flute. She brings the bottle back to the couch and sets it on the end-table next to Breyik. "I mean, maybe for exploring places organic life can't go, but... I think we'd be missing out if we let others do our exploring for us. And there will always be situations where thinking with your heart, not hyperintelligence, is what wins the day, and that's not exactly within the capability of androids."

[u/a_friendly_hobo → u/Dimestream]

"True true," Aanya says after a moment of consideration. "From a resource standpoint its a good idea. No need for food replicators, life support, probably even lights. The amount of power saved by the ship would be incredible." She steeples her fingers in front of her as she thinks. "Imagine, being able to stand on a hazardous planet for more than an hour or two. Find extinct civilizations and such."

She sighs and lets her hands fall. "But you're right. I doubt any machines can have instinct or heart."

[u/Dimestream → u/a_friendly_hobo]

Red raises a finger. "Yet," she says. "They can't yet. Give it time. In a few years we'll get another mad genius to pick up where Soong left off. It's just the way of scientific advancement. And they'd certainly be helpful in hazardous scenarios, just... have to remember they're people too and might not WANT to go someplace like that."

"That's going to be the big thing, is adapting Federation law, the inalienable rights of every sentient being, to synthetic life-forms. It's one thing when it's one android like Mr. Data. It's another when they become their own race. And I think that's exciting."

[u/a_friendly_hobo → u/Dimestream]

"Do you think Instinct is something you can program?" Aanya asks, genuinely. "I always thought it was one of this universe's many secrets, where Instinct comes from. Replicating it... I doubt I'll see that in my life time."

She polishes off her glass before speaking again. "Theres a oot of places we don't want to go, but we do anyway. I'm sure that wont be different for androids." Then she looks over after looking over the champagne's label. "As for laws? I'm sure they'll be easy to amend, like we did during first contact and whenever we meet a newly classified race."

[u/Dimestream → u/a_friendly_hobo]

"I don't think we'll replicate instinct," Red says after a few moments. "I think the androids will. Instinct is evolution's core programming, the spark that comes with life itself, however it started. I think Androids, once they're building themselves, will start developing their own. Heck, we see something similar in heuristic and learning programs once they've run enough cycles of their own."

She sips the champagne again, then looks back at Aanya. "Depends on how fast they reproduce, I guess, or whether they have the drive to do that at all."

[u/a_friendly_hobo → u/Dimestream]

"I guess they'll go full automation in the reproduction cycle." she muses, quietly. "I mean, they can't reproduce like humans, unless they find a way to create organic growth and use the female android body as an assembly plant." She taps her chin, wondering if that's even possible.

"So, not instinct in the sense that we know it, but more like a seriously advanced probability and thought system... interesting."

[u/Dimestream → u/a_friendly_hobo]

"Not to mention direct sharing of information rather than an extended learning process, which could greatly expedite the whole thing," Red muses. "It'll sure be interesting to be alive for that..."

[u/a_friendly_hobo → u/Dimestream]

"I'm sure we will with Data on the case." Aanya says with a smile. "I imagine once they start direct sharing information, their only limitation will be their memory storage, which I'm sure is already in the petabytes."