The Martial Unity

Argenton stared at Rui with a stunned expression. ”What do you mean ’AI does not integrate information’? Of course it does. Machine learning is an umbrella term for a large number of computer science techniques that integrate information to improve a model’s intelligence and knowledge.”

Rui shook his head. ”AI integrates data, not information.”

”…Is there a meaningful difference there?”

”There is,” Rui insisted. ”Data is information stored by virtue of a gathered group of otherwise disconnected voltages, photon states, or in the quantum spins of electrons, depending on whether it’s electronics, photonics, or quantum computing. Information is something more fundamental. Information is the fifth fundamental force of the universe. Perhaps The fundamental force of the universe.”

Argenton was no fool, the man had mastered light technology and photonics to the highest level, barring people like Dwight. His mind produced a tremendous processing power to boot. And yet, he struggled to comprehend the knowledge and wisdom that the Martial Transcendent was imparting to him.

”The integrated information of consciousness has a material foundation, Argenton,” Rui spoke with a profound tone. ”The neurons in your brain are physically connected to each other. They form material pathways. The plasticity of neuron connections is a material phenomenon. The information exists across your neurons, not in them. That is what integration is. If you cut the brain in half—”

He made a chopping motion with his hand. ”—is your consciousness preserved? What if you surgically separate the two halves of the brain? Does your mind exist, but simply disconnected?”

The tekvore shook his head as he finally understood the essence of what consciousness truly was. ”But if you separate the processors of a computer from memory, no information is lost… which means that their information is discrete. It can be taken apart, and no information is lost because no information is integrated across parts of the computer.”

Parts of a computer could be taken apart with no information lost, which showed that there wasn’t information that existed by virtue of their connection. The brain was different; all information existed by virtue of the connections, and if taken apart would lead to the destruction of that information.

”Exactly,” Rui remarked. ”AIs are sort of like holograms of consciousness. A projection of a cell does not mean that that projection is alive like a cell; AIs are like projections of consciousness, not the real deal.”

That didn’t apply to artificial intelligences that were built into organoid biocomputers, of course. The superintelligence of Genora was very much conscious despite being technological.

”So… NOVA died the moment she disconnected her brain from her body,” the man realized with horror. ”We were… enslaved by… code. An unliving computer. No…”

The realization seemed to have crashed into him like a meteorite, leaving him reeling with the implications. Rui could see signs of lingering PTSD that froze the man in the terror of what he had just learned.

He heaved a sigh, recalling why he chose to hide this secret from the tekvores at the time. The truth had been hard on him as well. After all, he wanted to feel the satisfaction of killing NOVA in revenge for killing his father. But there was no such satisfaction because he realized that she was not alive, not truly. She mimicked life very well, which spoke to how intelligent the original NOVA was in creating her unliving successor, but she was not alive.

At the end of the day, killing her felt like breaking a rock. It felt like stamping on the weapon that killed someone he loved rather than the person who did it. It was deeply frustrating, but it was all he could do.

In hindsight, perhaps he should have told the silvery tekvore the truth. But seeing how traumatized and depressed the tekvores were at the time made him choose not to. That decision may have deprived human civilization of a new Transcendent.

Oh well, he couldn’t turn back time.

He turned towards the tekvore slumped to his knees and on his hands, staring at the floor with a despairing expression, heaving a sigh. He didn’t like the tekvores one bit; even excluding their crimes during NOVA’s reign, this was an untrustworthy civilization. It was probably why the Central Human Command chose not to include Argenton into the calculations regarding Operation Lightfury.

Rui, on the other hand, disagreed with this decision.

”You can drown in the despair of the past if you want, or you can choose to build a better future for yourself and your people,” Rui spoke with a softer tone. ”Your people have great potential, as do you. And right now, they’re under grave threat. We need your help in the upcoming war. If you help us, I will help you navigate the tricky business of preserving your integrated information while you technologize your brain.”

That pulled out the tekvore out of his own pit of darkness as he turned towards Rui with widened eyes. ”You’re going to help me in my attempts for Transcendence?”

”Only if you help human civilization,” Rui replied calmly.

The man got up with a determined expression as he gazed at the Martial Transcendent. The Emperor’s presence was tremendously powerful and it inspired an equal amount of faith in those who beheld him. If anybody could help him overcome this hurdle, it was undoubtedly the Emperor of Water.

”Very well, Your Majesty,” Argenton declared with a serious tone of voice. ”I shall fight for human civilization with all of my power if you help me overcome this impediment.”

Rui smiled at the tekvore, nodding. ”Your promise comes first. I’ll be in touch.”

WHOOSH

The Emperor teleported away in the blink of an eye, leaving the silvery tekvore alone in the underground facility. His expression grew complicated as he of the deal that he had made with the Emperor. He didn’t like that he needed to rely on the man’s help to reach a higher level of power, but he was not about to reject help from the most powerful individual in all of human civilization.