Sentient (e)

From: "RAPTOR 3:16" 
Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999 00:16:12 PST

Sentient

                             The Story So Far...

     Some time ago, scientists (at a university, involving Dr Luvey) 
were secretly working on a new
     form of biological computer (well it had to happen sooner or 
later). They created Kenyons,
     artificial consciousnesses which were tailored to communicate using 
electronic and chemical
     wave impulses. These were placed in the sun of Xexor. But as the 
experiments continued to
     fail, this has resulted in a massive solar burnout ­ in fact, the 
only thing holding the colony
     together is the sun.

     Garrit, in a literal sense, is a concealed carrying case for a 
computer-simulated conscience. All
     he has to do (yeah, sounds simple enough!) is to get his programmed 
awareness into the cycle
     of the Kenyon communication. This, the scientists believe, will 
create a giant artificial brain,
     composed entirely of Kenyon cultures which are themselves sentient, 
but whose actions on a
     societal level constitute the workings of a giant god ­ a 
supercomputer capable of receiving
     knowledge     s (other minds like Garrit's) and remembering them, 
manipulating them and
     computing on a mass scale.

     The Icarus mining station was chosen to be Garrit's launch site, 
due to Instar being able to
     afford the investment. The instigators of this project knew about 
Dr Luvey's affair, and have
     connection with scientists and doctors who studied with her ­ using 
the computer database,
     you'll be able to find evidence that Dr Luvey is being bribed. 
Garrit's true purpose is to see if
     the computer-simulated awareness is sophisticated enough to adapt 
to new information ­ in a
     nutshell, if Garrit can reach the Icarus and not go loony toons, 
the computer awareness is
     strong enough to deal with the emotions of uncertainty, doubt and 
paranoia.

     So there you are. The scientists instigated the Kenyon 
communication system (brain) by
     charging Kenyon particles with the 'sentient' radiation. Garrit was 
created to carry, test and
     launch the first attempts at placing knowledge into the Kenyon 
societies (awareness, sentiency
     and processing). Yes, it all makes perfect sense now!? 

     Note: The Icarus is not just mining Kenyons; it is, in actual fact, 
charging them with this new
     strain of 'sentient' Kenyons. The solar flares which are exploding 
pretty damn close to the
     station are being caused by the Kenyon communication ­ and as the 
Kenyons step up their
     attempt to contact the Icarus, the flares get worse. 

     THE ANAMNESIS CRADLE
     A side effect of the Kenyon culture is that due to its ability to 
hold information in an intelligent
     way, it can be employed to temporarily store a whole mind. So, 
while this is being done, the
     body can be refined and rejuvenated ­ this is why Instar has agreed 
to finance and facilitate
     the project: its bosses, already overflowing with wealth, now      
for longer life.