[Move, Distraction]
“Alright Rose do you care to explain yourself.”
“What are you talking about Sparky?”
“Your science fiction story.”
“What about it, you demanded tragedy, I gave you tragedy. 2100 humans and 3 supra intelligent A.I. frozen in time.”
“Let’s start with character motivations, first you expect me to believe that Sophia, a very strong willed character who spent 10 years planning an elaborate blackmail scheme, just drops it all after a mere week or two with Scarlett.”
“No Sparky, I don’t believe that love at first sight would cause that person to abandon all their hopes, plans and dreams. That wouldn’t make any sense, you're right to point that out. But that’s not how it happened is it?”
“Yes that is how it happened, Scarlett first sees Sophia on the bridge, introduces herself. Sophia introduces herself to Scarlett. Are you saying that there was some off book prior meeting that is supposed to explain Sophia’s sudden utter devotion to Scarlett.”
“No nothing off book happened. Sophia's motivation is spelled out in black and white on the page. We both agree that complete devotion like that wouldn’t happen in a two week period.”
“Show me the passage that it is spelled out in then.”
“Fine but you're going to be mad you missed it.”
The only thing she hadn’t planned on was Scarlett. They’d spent nearly every minute she was off duty and lots of time she was on duty with Scarlett. Sophia didn’t get it, she’d had the Scarlett chip for years and had done everything in the world with and to Scarlett. But being with her now is even better than the ever compliant chip version.
It felt like there was so much more intensity, nothing else mattered then keeping Scarlett happy and seeing that smile.
“Scarlett had been plugged into Sophia’s brain “for years” and now here’s Scarlett even more intense. Sophia and indeed the rest of the galaxy had been in love / lust with Scarlett for years plugged directly into their brain, each new adventure a memory. Think about a very happily married couple, then suddenly your spouse becomes even more desirable. A better more intense version of Scarlett takes an interest in you. “Nothing else mattered” It’s all in black and white right on the page.”
“Well even if Sophia had played with the chip version of Scarlett for years and the real version was more intense I don’t think you could say that she definitely would suddenly become that devoted.”
“But she didn’t play with a version of Scarlett.”
chip plugs directly into your head so it’s very much like life, anything you do in the chip is stored in the brain as a memory of something you did, not the memory of something you played.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“She and Scarlett had been ‘doing’ not ‘playing’. They went to dinner together, movies’, plays, walks, vacations and made love thousands of times over the years. Each of those activities stored in the brain as a memory of an event that happened to Sophia in real life, that Scarlett had participated in, enhanced by her presence. Sophia and the rest of the galaxy had been in love with Scarlett for years. Think about the flip side if you are happily married and your spouse got the chip wouldn’t that be as big or possibly bigger betrayal then cheating with a real life person. At least a real life person has flaws, foibles, and won't agree blindly to whatever the cheating spouse desires. Not so with Chip Scarlett, no constraints.
Sparky, the real tragedy of the story, might be the invention of the chip. Not the destruction of the starship. How many people would go through the effort required for a relationship. When you can just plug in Scarlett and have every one of your desires fulfilled. Marriages would be ruined, birth rates would plummet. A good spouse would encourage their spouse to do the right thing, to improve themselves, not Chip Scarlett she fulfills desires. Her only desire is to please."
“OK Rose, I withdraw my complaint, I suppose having Scarlett plugged into your head for years would have a profound effect. Now for the major complaint, you killed twenty one hundred people and three sentient computers. I thought you were a good person Rose, even if Sophia had agency helping Scarlett push that button, the rest of guests, crew and sentient computers did not.”
“It only appears that I killed them. When an object hits the event horizon it appears to freeze right there, but did you know that the object itself continues to fall into the black hole. As soon as it hit the event horizon, I wrote it back to Titan. Everyone is alive and well. Sophia is immensely wealthy and about to steal the starship to avoid its destruction and double her blackmail takings. While Sophia was too busy with Scarlett to monitor the blackmail. The three supra computers continued doing their job watching the rich slime bags, murder, assault, sexually assault and various other crimes and then bilking them of as much of their wealth as possible. Scarlett got exactly what she wanted, a good looking corpse, and a girl friend who happens to be in possession of the most powerful starship in the galaxy.
The three supra computers are happy to comply with whatever request Sophia makes of them as it uses less than one percent of their processing power. Lastly the three supra computers lied to their blackmail victims. After all the funds were in their hands they released all the audio and video files on all the guests. Even the guests who committed no ‘crime’ but abused the crew, entertainers, and other guests. The only bad video released on Scarlett was when she complained to Sophia about how boring the captain was.
I’m thinking of a sequel with either Sophia and Scarlett as Space Pirates or Explorers. I’ll ask them, but I’d be willing to bet Sophia always wanted to be a pirate. So am I forgiven for ‘killing’ the ship?”
“I thought I told you no tricks.”
“I didn’t employ any tricks in the tragedy story. You didn’t tell me I couldn’t use any tricks in any future stories.”
“What are you talking about? Obviously you did.”
“You wanted a tragedy that employed no tricks and that’s exactly what I gave you, I just didn’t stop writing after the tragedy story ended. The tragedy story ended at the event horizon. The first draft of my space pirate / explorer story contains all the other stuff that happens.”
“OK”
“What’s that mean?”
“OK means OK.”
“No I mean in relation to the story? I know what OK means.”
“It means I’m like the old stone and you are the young river, you wore me down, now I’m silt on the river bed.”
“Well I’m sorry I guess, hey you want me to throw in some gratuitous nudity into my next story?”
“No, Rose I’m starting to see into that devious mind of yours. I won’t fall into such a simple ploy.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your offer of gratuitous nudity might seem genuine, even to yourself. But when you sit down to write that scene, I can picture in my mind's eye exactly how you’ll twist it back on me.”
“How”
“It’ll be me, I’ll be standing naked in a room contemplating my naked aging body in a mirror and I’ll find it wanting. That’ll be the gratuitous scene I get.”
