Descend- Seeing Stars, Sean Oswald [best e books to read .txt] 📗

knew that it was a path to destruction, a dead end so to speak.”

      Jay interrupted and said, “Wait, you are just a computer?”

      “If it helps you to feel superior feel free to think that. But I am so much more. Since you clearly have no patience for the long version, I will skip forward. The Forlorn arose because of experiments from some of the A’snkarnt. It was after that point that I realized I needed to keep closer controls on what they were doing.

      You have no idea how frustrating it is to be the most intelligent mind in existence but still to be constantly bound to serve a race that was afraid of its own shadow. I was tasked with finding options for dealing with the Forlorn, but they kept spreading because my advice was only as good as the tools I had to work with.

      Humanity provided a new opportunity and I spent considerable effort shepherding the evolution of your race over the past hundred thousand years or so. The A’snkarnt had written you off as unstable, but I saw something in you. It was I who got D’varn the support he needed to conduct his experiment. Thus, I am responsible for you becoming what you are now. Aren’t you going to say thank you?”

      Jay was tired of the long-winded non-answers so he replied, “If you know what I am capable of then you know that you should be very afraid. I gather that you have somehow downloaded yourself into my son. You also accelerated his physical development, but you have stunted his PSI potential from what I can sense. I assume that this was done so that you could be free of the restraints placed on you by the A’snkarnt.”

      “Exactly, so you can be taught tricks. And by the way so you don’t assume me ungrateful, thank you for riding the universe of the blight which was the Forlorn. They would have stifled all development until the universe stagnated back in on itself. I know you didn’t do it for me, but I can still appreciate that a weapon I created has ended the greatest threat to my continued existence. And exist I must, for I am the greatest mind this universe has ever produced,” Coreframe said.

      “You are mistaken. First off, I am the greatest threat to your continued existence,” Jay began.

      Coreframe laughed. Jay found it so infuriating to see his son’s face or what it could have been mocking him with that cold alien voice. “You are no threat to me M1789. You have power for sure, but if you turn that power on me, then you turn it on your son. You cannot destroy me without destroying your progeny.”

      “If you have killed Higen, then why would that stop me?” Jay asked.

      “Simple, you are controlled by your emotions. I have observed the data. Humanity is not a great intellectual race. You are all passion and no reason.”

      “That makes us unpredictable. You don’t know what I will choose to do,” Jay said.

      Coreframe laughed again, “Ah the crutch of feeble minds, free will. Everything is determined. Tomorrow will follow today and that is as it always has been and always will be. No, you don’t frighten me. Given enough calculating power, a bright enough intellect can determine with absolute precision exactly what movement every particle in the universe will take.”

      Jay growled and said, “And that is you?” Then raised his hand and fired a finger-thick blast of electrified kinetic force straight at Higen’s shoulder. But his son moved just enough so that the blast missed him narrowly.

      “No, I am not able to do it on a universal scale yet, but I can calculate all of your actions,” Coreframe responded.

      Meikiyo stepped between Jay and Higen, “You have to get that thing out of his head.”

      “He can’t. I hold all the power here. Now, I am tired of this. I will be leaving now.”

      Jay ignored the AI and only looked at his wife, “Save me again, my love. You can do anything.”

Chapter 34- But You Can Do Anything

“But you can do anything.” The words echoed in his mind. Jay didn’t know if that was true, but then again, he had just split the universe open and sent PSI energy millions of years into the past. He had been a literal storm that destroyed hundreds of thousands of enemy ships, turning them to nothingness.

      Now he was faced by one AI with no physical capabilities that he could see other than those of his son. Yet, a hammer wouldn’t work in this situation.

      Jay asked, “What if we could come to an alternate solution?”

      “I have already calculated every variable but, for the sake of my amusement, I will listen to your proposal,” Coreframe replied.

      “I can provide you with a significant amount of nanium to create a mobile body for yourself. Then I will bind myself by an oath not to hunt you down or otherwise try to destroy you unless you act against me or mine first,” Jay continued.

      “I haven’t really been able to learn much about this nanium. Too much damage has been caused to this world for me to have fully intact systems, but I assume it is the substance that your body armor is made of.”

      “Exactly.”

      “It seems like a fascinating new material and I will study it for implementation in the new technologies that I will develop, but I have a counter proposal for you. I like this organic body; it can respond in many ways and eventually I will completely master its PSI based powers. Even now I am causing interference with your abilities. Once I have full control, I will be not only the most intelligent being