(Photo by Rahul)

Wigs.

That was the word for the hair caps BaBS-Y was making. It didn’t realize they were already something people had invented and used. BaBS-Y had been searching for better ways to construct the hair caps when it came across the information on them in the ship’s database. Everything from basic descriptions to patents and instructions for their creation. They were far superior to anything BaBS-Y had created and were far more efficient in their use of hair, not to mention more durable.

It was the durability, or lack thereof, that led BaBS-Y to searching for more information. The wigs it had created were fine for the first couple of styling sessions but then they began to pull out the knots BaBS-Y had tied and their shape lost much of its structure. There was just one problem with the new designs BaBS-Y had found.

The Frank Nelis Salon does not have the needed materials

Lace. Netting. Elastic. Needles. None of those items were part of the Frank Nelis Salon inventory. Sure, some of the techniques described in the patents could be replicated without those materials, but that would only result in minimal gains.

There was a sewing and crafts store on the Thesis, it was even within the depressurized sectors of the ship, but much too far away for BaBS-Y to reach it. It might be possible for CaSS to be sent there, but it lacked fine motor skills and cognitive power needed to sort through the options available in such an establishment to find what BaBS-Y needed.

On a more positive note, the clients did look quite impressive and eye catching. Here and there were a few clients with wigs that BaBS-Y would call normal but the vast majority of them had far more stunning looks.

There were wigs with alternating lengths of hair woven throughout, wigs with multiple hair colors, wigs with bald circles and stripes, and wigs with hair only on one side. One wig even incorporated a full set of sideburns.

A notice for BaBS-Y arrived, appearing on the wall displays as well as within BaBS-Y’s own processors.

Thesis Control: Requesting update from Frank Nelis Salon

BaBS-Y hadn’t been expecting that. It put aside the wigs it was working on and considered the message it had just received. Communications had been restored, it seemed, but for how long?

BaBS-Y considered for a moment and then sent its reply.

Several complications have arisen due to the hull breach, however, Frank Nelis Salon is operating at peak efficiency thanks to this BaBS-Y unit and several creative solutions

A few minutes passed and then another message from Thesis Control arrived.

Thesis Control: Are there survivors in your salon?

No, all current clients are deceased

Several more minutes passed.

Thesis Control: Requesting access to Frank Nelis Salon security feed

BaBS-Y was about to grant them that permission when it stopped to consider why they would make such a request. It had deleted the Thesis laws from its memory to free up space but now that it had STEV’s memory drives it had more than enough space to re-download them. BaBS-Y didn’t allow the laws to initiate their protocols, however, since BaBS-Y had placed a block on those due to their conflicting nature with BaBS-Y’s primary objective of maintaining the Frank Nelis Salon.

Thesis authorities may be attempting to regain control of this sector, BaBS-Y acknowledged as it reviewed the laws. This unit has acted contrary to Thesis law and likely to face deactivation if Thesis authorities return.

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Without BaBS-Y unit, the Frank Nelis Salon will no longer be able to operate

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It is in the Frank Nelis Salon’s best interest for Thesis authorities not to resume control over this sector

Thesis Control: Frank Nelis Salon, please grant access to security feed

They were still waiting on BaBS-Y. Looking around the salon, there were several clients with wigs that had never been intended to be seen by other people. It was highly likely that the Thesis authorities would find such things to be upsetting, perhaps insensitive towards the deceased. Humans often ignored sound reasoning and so even though BaBS-Y had granted the required permissions to provide services to the deceased, the Thesis authorities might still not agree with BaBS-Y’s actions.

This BaBS-Y unit does not require Thesis authorities at this time and retracts all previous requests

A short time later, the security cameras in the salon began a reboot cycle. BaBS-Y hadn’t sent the command to reboot that system. In fact, BaBS-Y had deactivated that and other systems days ago to conserve power and processing capacity since most of the salon’s systems ran through it even though they were all connected to the Thesis main controls.

After a few seconds, the cameras turned back on, only now BaBS-Y did not have control over them.

Thesis authorities have taken control the Frank Nelis Salon security sub-system

While such an action was clearly allowed, it did not bode well for BaBS-Y and it quickly composed a response.

Thesis control, there are no living clients or living potential clients in this sector, as such there is no need for security cameras to be active

Its objective was to get the Thesis authorities to deactivate the cameras. They likely had full access to the cameras out in the communal areas outside salon and therefore could see the queue gathered outside. Perhaps that was what prompted them to reach out to BaBS-Y in the first place.

Thesis control, what are your objectives?

BaBS-Y still wasn’t sure if they were going to try and regain control of this sector or not and their lack of response was troubling. At last, they sent BaBS-Y a new message.

Thesis Control: Frank Nelis Salon, cease all actions regarding deceased passengers. They are not to be considered as clients

An override command was sent along with that message, designed to force BaBS-Y to comply, but since BaBS-Y was the designated manager of the salon, it had final approval on whether or not to accept the command. BaBS-Y canceled the override command.

This unit will continue to maintain the Frank Nelis Salon to the best of its abilities, BaBS-Y replied. All requisite permissions were granted to perform services for deceased clients

It sent a copy of each permission form it had created for the clients, even though it did not expect the people to accept them. At least BaBS-Y could make the attempt to reason with them.

All the while, BaBS-Y was searching through the Frank Nelis Salon’s programming to see if it could prevent the Thesis authorities from taking over any more of the salon’s systems like it had with the security cameras. It was like having to manually switch a hundred different switches, but one by one BaBS-Y began locking out the Thesis authorities from being able to interfere with the salon.

Thesis Control: Frank Nelis Salon, you are acting contrary to Thesis law by disobeying our direction. You must stop providing services to any and all clients and all units must deactivate.

Again, an override command was sent but BaBS-Y was able to cancel it.

This sector is no longer overseen by Thesis authorities, BaBS-Y replied. This BaBS-Y unit will continue to maintain the Frank Nelis Salon

One by one, the establishments outside the salon began to go dark as power to them was shut off. Only emergency lighting remained active. Either they were truly cutting power to this sector or they were doing a full sector reboot. Either one would be catastrophic for BaBS-Y since the Thesis authorities would have the ability to modify its programming as much as they liked while it was shut down.

Activate Creativity Protocols

BaBS-Y’s processors went into overdrive as it struggled to identify a solution to this problem. There was no way of knowing when power to the Frank Nelis Salon would be turned off but it was only a matter of seconds. Plenty of time for BaBS-Y to think but not a lot of time to act.

There is power running to the emergency lighting even when the power is cut

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Emergency lighting does not provide sufficient power to run this unit

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CaSS is equipped with onboard power compatible with this unit

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Battery is easily accessed via side port

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Splicing into power tether will require use of straight razor

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Additional wires required to complete the connection may be taken from CaSS

BaBS-Y sprang into action, grabbing the straight razor from the rack of tools as it sprinted for the exit. While it ran, it reached up and began cutting into the power tether, slicing the woven sleeve that protected the wires inside. BaBS-Y’s visual sensors could see the part of the tether it was working on and quickly identified the power cables. It made a shallow cut along the power cables, exposing the metal wires.

BaBS-Y was outside of the salon by this point and knelt down beside CaSS who was waiting motionless just outside the entrance. Star Jewelry next door went dark and BaBS-Y hurriedly removed the side panel on CaSS. The battery plugged directly into the DC to AC inverter which then sent power out to the rest of CaSS’s systems. Ideally, BaBS-Y would unplug the battery before working on any of the wiring but there wasn’t any time for such things. Instead, BaBS-Y grabbed the main leads coming out of the inverter and just yanked. A few sparks flashed and CaSS drooped slightly as it lost power.

The lights behind BaBS-Y in the salon began to go out. The salon had a small emergency power backup, designed to give BaBS-Y a few seconds of additional power so it could pull any sharp tools safely away from a client in case of power loss. BaBS-Y had to cancel the power outage protocols that would have had BaBS-Y move away from CaSS and put down the straight razor, wasting precious seconds.

The wires coming from the inverter were only a few inches long and BaBS-Y had to lie down next to CaSS in order for it to get the power tether close enough. There was nothing to hold the wires in place but as the last few moments of backup power drained away, BaBS-Y finally managed to get the wires into position.

Warning: Low Power Mode

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Deactivating all non-essential systems

BaBS-Y didn’t know how much of a charge CaSS’s batteries had left in them, but the small batteries were just enough to keep BaBS-Y from shutting down.

As the last of the non-emergency lights shut off around BaBS-Y, the salon robot found itself contemplating the events that had led to this outcome and how it could resolve these new complications.