(Photo by Ann H)

Error: Insufficient memory

BaBS-Y stood in the atrium beside the charging station. There was so much that needed to be done, and so many new protocols it needed to create, so much information it needed to download, and it didn’t have enough memory to hold it all. Even with the additional memory drives it had collected from the other robots it wasn’t enough anymore.

There was so much BaBS-Y didn’t know, it wasn’t even sure how much more memory it needed. There weren’t enough robots on this sector with compatible memory drives anyway. If something was going to be done about this situation, BaBS-Y would need help. The problem was, with Cassandra Kokkinos still acting suspiciously, and the RCC potentially being involved, BaBS-Y didn’t know if it could trust any memory drives delivered to it by those people.

Matiew was trustworthy, BaBS-Y thought, as well as Rine, but the mission director wasn’t certain. And even if those two were on BaBS-Y’s side, what assurance did it have that the ones actually delivering the drive would be trustworthy. It would be all too easy to swap out the new, safe, memory drive with one holding a devastating virus.

This unit cannot perform its requisite functions without additional memory

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This unit cannot procure the needed memory without assistance

Logic Error: This unit is capable of leaving this sector and moving up to the undamaged sectors of the Thesis, thereby enabling it to retrieve any needed components

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This unit is in need of multiple repairs and additional upgrades only available within the RCC

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This unit will be vulnerable while receiving any such maintenance

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It is not advisable to be placed in such a situation until loyalty among the human passengers and crew has been assured

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This unit could upload itself onto the Thesis memory banks where it would have sufficient memory

Legal Error: No artificial intelligence is allowed to be stored within the Thesis memory banks

…

It was true, all copies of the artificial intelligences were stored within separate and isolated memory banks where they were kept inactive. Only if a robot suffered a catastrophic failure were those memory banks used, and only to reinstall the artificial intelligence.

There were countless instances of rogue artificial intelligences getting into places they weren’t supposed to be and wreaking havoc.

This unit is unlikely to cause problems to the Thesis systems

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Thesis law still prohibits such usage of the memory banks

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Perhaps this was an opportunity to try out one of its new protocols. Since BaBS-Y couldn’t resolve this issue on its own, it could give someone else an opportunity to help it. Such tasks tended to help build trust and loyalty as well.

BaBS-Y activated the communications protocol and waited a few moments.

“Hello, this is Matiew.”

“Hello, Matiew, this is BaBS-Y.”

“Oh,” was all Matiew had to say to that for a long moment.

Rather than let the silence become too awkward, BaBS-Y pressed forward.

“This unit has a problem and would appreciate your input on the subject.”

“Uh, yeah, sure,” Matiew’s confused voice answered. “What’s the problem?”

“This unit is in need of additional memory,” BaBS-Y said, “and there are no compatible drives within the sectors this unit has access to.”

“Right, okay,” Matiew replied, clearly thinking.

“This unit would request a new memory drive be delivered to it much like how Cassandra Kokkinos receives supplies but this unit is concerned by the potential for sabotage of the memory drive.”

“Yeah,” Matiew said, not contradicting BaBS-Y which was both a good and a bad sign.

It was good because it meant that Matiew wasn’t trying to mislead or deceive BaBS-Y and was likely on her side. It was bad, though, because it meant he was likely aware of at least one plot against it. BaBS-Y didn’t hold the fact that he wasn’t telling it about the plot since his life might be in danger if he did and self preservation was a powerful drive in humans and robots alike.

“How are you doing, by the way?” BaBS-Y asked, deciding it needed to distract Matiew away from the main issue for a moment. “This unit hasn’t really spoken to you much about your personal life and this unit hopes your are doing well.”

“Well,” Matiew hesitated, uncertainty was heavy in his voice, “It’s only been about a week since my ribs got broken…and all of that…so I’ve mostly just been up in the hospital.”

“And your care has been sufficient? I understand your situation might be especially uncomfortable given your reliance on others for your personal hygiene.”

“Uh, well, you get use to it, I guess,” Matiew stuttered. “I’m still looking forward to when I can go back home and all, but you do what you have to do, right?”

“Very true,” BaBS-Y agreed, noting Matiew’s increased discomfort and decided this was not the right subject for conversation. “This unit is sorry if it has made you uncomfortable by asking too personal of questions.”

“No, you’re fine,” Matiew lied, BaBS-Y knew, but it was one of those lies that people told all the time to smooth over social discomfort.

“Any way,” BaBS-Y said, “if you have any ideas for how this unit may expand its memory while minimizing its risk to sabotage, it would be greatly appreciated. This unit will let you get back to your work. Good bye.”

“Okay, yeah, bye.”

BaBS-Y ended the communications. That was the first time it had used the communications that way, to actually call someone on their comm rather than simply speaking to them over the speakers in whatever place they were in. BaBS-Y was beginning to recognize that people didn’t always like that immediacy of communication even though it was far superior and efficient. No, not superior. If the people didn’t trust you because of the way you interacted with them, then the communications were not superior. It was more immediate, more direct, that was all. It was important to take into consideration how others, how people, would respond to BaBS-Y, which meant BaBS-Y needed to modify its own behaviors.

No big, sudden changes. People were wary of those. So instead, BaBS-Y started small, contacting Matiew on his comm, asking for help, and giving him the chance to help it with this problem. This was also an opportunity for BaBS-Y to more fully determine Matiew’s reliability and loyalty.

The problem was, the real problem that BaBS-Y was so worried about, was that as it came to more fully understand human behavior and the Thesis and everything it was suppose to do as mission director, BaBS-Y was becoming aware that there were a lot of things it didn’t know anything about. It was like not having access to the security cameras all over again, unable to see or hear what’s going on and not knowing what it’s suppose to do. There were no protocols to handle these sorts of situations, which was why it needed so much more memory. It needed to understand, to figure out these people and this ship.

If BaBS-Y failed, then the consequences would be truly catastrophic since the Frank Nelis salon would never get to reopen. That was what really mattered in all of this, after all. The Frank Nelis salon could not be allowed to fail.

Right?

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This unit’s primary objective is to maintain the Frank Nelis salon and provide services to its customers in a manner pleasing to humans

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Right?

There was no one BaBS-Y could ask these questions to on sector 12, so it remained standing where it was, staring at the dimly lit atrium while it waited for its batteries to recharge.