Minds feelings of bitterness towards other sentience
nomadyendig
thinks about its and other Minds true feelings towards biological
beings and AI of lesser intelligence?
I am thinking it is in either Excession or Look to Windward. I just
cannot remember which.
Thank you
Stephen Graham
Are you perhaps thinking of the Grey Area in Excession?
Francis Burton
I think it has to be the Grey Area! Here's a quote:
EXCESSION Chapter 1. Outside Context Problem.
IV
The horror came for the commandant again that night, in the grey area
that
was the half-light from a full moon. It was worse this time.
... [nasty stuff snipped] ...
He had found himself thinking, explaining, even justifying what he had
done
in his army career, in the most definite part of his life.
And now he could feel something inside his head.
Whatever it was inside his head got him to close his eyes.
~ At last, it said. It was a deep, deliberately authoritative voice, its
pronunciation almost too perfect.
At last? he thought. (_What was this?_)
~ I have the truth.
What truth? (_Who was this?_)
~ Of what you did. Your people.
_What?_
~ The evidence was everywhere; across the desert, caked in loam, lodged
in
plants, sunk to the bottom of lakes, and there in the cultural record
too;
the sudden vanishings of art works, changes in architecture and
agriculture. There were a few hidden records -- books, photographs,
sound
recordings, indices, which contradicted the re-written histories -- but
they still didn't directly explain why so many people, so many peoples
seemed to vanish so suddenly, without any sign of assimilation.
What are you talking about? (_What *was* this in his head?_)
~ You would not believe what I am, commandant, but what I am talking
about
is a thing called genocide, and the proof thereof.
We did what had to be done!
~ Thank you, we've just been through all that. Your self-justifications
have been noted.
I believed in what I did!
~ I know. You had the residual decency to question it occasionally, but
in
the end you did believe in what you were doing. That is not an excuse,
but
it is a point.
Who are you? What gives you the right to crawl inside my brains?
~ My name would be something like _Grey Area_ in your language. What
gives
me the right to crawl inside your brains, as you put it, is the same
thing
that gave you the right to do what you did to those you murdered; power.
Superior power. _Vastly_ superior power, in my case. However, I have
been
called away and I have to leave you now, but I shall return in a few
months
and I'll be continuing my investigations then. There are still enough of
you left to construct a more ... triangulated case.
What? he thought, trying to open his eyes.
~ Commandant, there is nothing worse I can wish upon you than to be what
you already are, but you might care to reflect upon this while I'm gone:
Instantly, he was back in the dream.
... [more nasty stuff snipped] ...
The cleaner found the old retired commandant twisted into a ball a
little
way short of the apartment's door the next morning. His hearts had given
out.
The expression on his face was such that the retirement-home warden
almost
fainted and had to sit down quickly, but the doctor declared the end had
probably been quick.
[tight beam, M16.4, tra. @n4.28.858.8893]
xGCU Grey Area
oGSV Honest Mistake
There. I am on my way.
#
xGSV Honest Mistake
oGCU Grey Area
Not before time.
#
There was work to be done.
#
More animal brains to be delved into?
#
History to be unearthed. Truth to be discovered.
#
I would have thought that one of the last places one would have
expected
to find on any itinerary concerning the search for truth would be
inside
the minds of mere animals.
#
When the mere animals concerned have orchestrated one of the most
successful
and total expungings of both a significant part of their own species and
every physical record regarding that act of genocide, one has remarkably
little choice.
#
I'm sure no one would deny your application does you credit.
#
Gosh, thanks. That must be why the other ships call me _Meatfucker_.
#
Absolutely.
Well, let me wish you all the best with whatever it is our friends
might
require of you.
#
Thank you.
My aim is to please...
#
(End signal file.)
Francis Burton
I think it has to be the Grey Area! Here's a quote:
EXCESSION Chapter 1. Outside Context Problem.
IV
The horror came for the commandant again that night, in the grey
area that was the half-light from a full moon. It was worse this
time.
... [nasty stuff] ...
_What?_
justifications have been noted.
I believed in what I did!
~ I know. You had the residual decency to question it
occasionally, but in the end you did believe in what you were
doing. That is not an excuse, but it is a point.
Who are you? What gives you the right to crawl inside my brains?
~ My name would be something like _Grey Area_ in your language.
What gives me the right to crawl inside your brains, as you put
it, is the same thing that gave you the right to do what you did
to those you murdered; power. Superior power. _Vastly_ superior
power, in my case. However, I have been called away and I have to
leave you now, but I shall return in a few months and I'll be
continuing my investigations then. There are still enough of you
left to construct a more ... triangulated case.
What? he thought, trying to open his eyes.
~ Commandant, there is nothing worse I can wish upon you than to
be what you already are, but you might care to reflect upon this
while I'm gone:
Instantly, he was back in the dream.
... [more nasty stuff] ...
nomadyendig
describing its feelings about "Mind-hood" and other sentient being
particularly humans. I do not know exactly which of the two books it
comes from and Google and other search engines I use don’t give me any
relevant information.
--
Posted at author's request, using moderated http://www.BookBoardz.com interface
Thread archive: http://www.BookBoardz.com/Minds-feelings-bitterness-sentience-ftopict69799.html
Francis Burton
nomadyendig <no...@000.com> wrote:
>It could be. I am referring to an internal monologue by a Mind
>describing its feelings about "Mind-hood" and other sentient being
>particularly humans. I do not know exactly which of the two books it
>relevant information.
It may not be the Grey Area then. Was there a special reason
for this passage being memorable(!) for you?
Francis
Jim
> I am thinking it is in either Excession or Look to Windward. I just
> cannot remember which.
I'm thinking LtW - it might be towards the end when the Mind is
recounting its time as the 'Lasting Damage' and what it was forced to
do.
Jim
--
'Cloverfield' in nine words: "What is it?!" "We're gonna die!" BOOM!
Roll credits.
http://www.ursaminorbeta.co.uk http://twitter.com/greyareauk
Francis Burton
Jim <j...@magrathea.plus.com> wrote:
>> I am thinking it is in either Excession or Look to Windward. I just
>> cannot remember which.
>
>I'm thinking LtW - it might be towards the end when the Mind is
>recounting its time as the 'Lasting Damage' and what it was forced to
>do.
You got me intrigued now - I'll have a look in LtW later on.
Francis
Jim
The bit I'm thinking of contains this portion:
"I have watched people die in exhaustive and penetrative detail," the
avatar continued. "I have felt for them. Did you know that true
subjective time is measured in the minimum duration of demonstrably
separate thoughts? Per second, a human - or a Chelgrian - might have
twenty or thirty, even in the heightened state of extreme distress
associated with the process of dying in pain." The avatar's eyes seemed
to shine. It came forward, closer to his face by the breadth of a hand.
"Whereas I," it whispered, "have billions." It smiled, and some- thing
in its expression made Ziller clench his teeth. "I watched those poor
wretches die in the slowest of slow motion and I knew even as I watched
that it was I who'd killed them, who was at that moment engaged in the
process of killing them. For a thing like me to kill one of them or one
of you is a very, very easy thing to do, and, as I discovered,
absolutely disgusting. Just as I need never wonder what it is like to
die, so I need never wonder what it is like to kill, Ziller, because I
have done it, and it is a wasteful, graceless, worthless and hateful
thing to have to do."