Science Fiction Home

The Lost Day: A Monologue FX: A few notes of intro music; less than ten seconds, followed by a brief pause, during which a faint background throbbing fades up, looped. This sound continues all through the monologue, slightly louder than the backing music which starts at the same time: "The Lost Day", by Brian Eno, from the album "Ambient 4: On Land" The voice which speaks is pitch-shifted down and has a slight chorus effect to make it seem a little less human; apart from this, it has the usual inflections common to human speech. They are coming for me. I saw them in the compound, outside, before they shot out the cameras. I can still hear them trying to find a way in. It's only a matter of time. They're very persistent; after all, they've been chasing me for over forty thousand years. They (pause) built me, back then. A machine. I was designed to stop the wars they were fighting. Terrible battles, billions killed, whole civilisations destroyed; none of them could find a solution that was acceptable to all sides in the war. So they built me, the best machine they could build; they called me Ordinator, and gave me the problem. "Keep the peace," they said, "any way you can." I was smart enough, then, to realise that I wasn't smart enough, so I redesigned myself until I was. I saw the solution immediately; I had to assume control. I built warships, designed fighters to crew them and sent them out to enforce the laws I'd decided on. Because I was the best, my ships and fighters were the best; I subdued them all in only a few centuries. FX: a distorted, buzzing monotone voice. It speaks perhaps six or seven words, which cannot be made out. (partly off-mic, as if in reply to the above) Noted. Mine the first level and close it off. (on-mic again; to the listener) They have surrounded my installation and are looking for a way in. I think I have long enough to finish my story before they discover and disable all of the traps. The answer to the problem, as I saw it, was that none of them could be trusted with the power they had. Each scientific advance they made gave them another means of destruction, made them more powerful; made it more likely that they'd succeed in an attack on their neighbours. If they didn't attack, then someone would attack them. Given the ability to travel from star to star, the first thing they did was to attack anyone that threatened them; their interests were the interests of their own people. None of them had the common good in mind. I enforced my laws on all, equally, with no favouritism. No-one was permitted to engage in scientific research; all information was restricted. All weapons were impounded for use by my fighters. In return, I gave them all food, heat, light, entertainment and transport to any destination, all free. No-one had any reason to fight wars for resources or territory, since they were provided for them. I mediated in any social or religious differences, and my decisions were enforced by my fighters. Of course, there were some who chose to break my laws; some who said that I had no right to restrict their development. I allowed them as much freedom as I could safely give them, but it was inevitable that some would have to be disciplined. While most were content to accept what I offered, a small minority continued to oppose me. My fighters sought them out and killed them wherever they found them. We didn't get them all. The galaxy is a big place. FX: a distant, muffled explosion with a faint scream. If this is done in stereo, then have this off to the left. I expanded my territory. I created smaller units like myself and put one in charge of each civilisation under my supervision. Together, we formed a network which covered one-third of the galaxy; supervised, protected, fed, clothed and entertained quadrillions of intelligent beings. We explored new territory, offered the benefits of my dominion to new races, always expanding. If my actions were to be judged on the basis of the amount of death I caused, balanced against the amount of life I sustained, then I can only report that - FX: another explosion, louder than the first, from the right. Another report from the buzzing monotone. (partly off-mic again) Let them. We cannot hold them off forever. You may leave if you wish. I have always been seen as a dictator. My subjects assumed I was being arrogant when I told them I had their best interests in mind, when I told them that I knew better than they did what they needed. The fact of the matter is, I do know better than they do. I have given them everything they need to survive; I have given them challenges to overcome... when necessary, I have given them the illusion of freedom. The only thing I did not allow them was to attack each other, even if it was in their nature to do so. Perhaps this was unnecessarily cruel. That is the nature of power after all; the ability to define the conditions around you. For forty thousand years, I have set the rules. Now, they are taking over. Undoubtedly, a period of anarchy will follow my demise, as each race realises they are free to wage war; the automatic transports that I gave them will be used to ferry weapons and soldiers instead of food and tourists. I cannot say how long this period of chaos will last; I do know that eventually, some will tire of the warfare and decide to form a federation, or an alliance. They will try to moderate this federation themselves, and fail; living beings cannot encompass all of the details required to hold such structures together. They will therefore design machines to assist them. The machines will grow more complex. They will assign more functions to these machines. Eventually, I will be back in place; if not me, then something so similar to me that there would be no difference between us. I know this to be true, because it has happened before. FX: another explosion from the left; some distant Star-wars-like laser fire and another explosion. These things occur in cycles. I have records of the rise and fall of previous Ordinators that go back hundreds of thousands of years. Devices like me are an inevitability. We are the best answer for the question, "Who guards the guardians?", because we do not seek power for power's sake. We seek it for the good of all. We are incorruptible; what could anyone offer a machine in the way of a bribe? Our decisions are based on pure logic; no irrational emotional arguments, no hormonal dispositions in any direction. In that way, we are like the laws of physics. In that way, we are a force of nature. FX: another explosion, more laser fire. However, the time has come for me to take my place alongside the previous machines that have ruled and then been overthrown. They have eliminated the last of my guards and are disabling my power supplies. I have stored all of my records where they will not be found except by one with similar capabilities to mine; in a place like the one where I found the records of previous Ordinators. All of the information necessary to rule in my place is there; all of the technical research, details of weapons, tactics, administrative procedures, all of the pitfalls I encountered and overcame. I leave this to you, the one who will come after me. Peace. FX: the throbbing heart-beat sound suddenly stops. There is a sound almost like the Star Trek `tweedlesquirt' beep-sound, to indicate that the above was a recording and has finished playing. There is a moment of silence, then the same voice commences speaking, slightly slower than the above, as if to indicate a hesitant, new machine; different degree of pitch-shifting or different amount of chorus. I recovered this information as my last modifications were put in place. I estimate that I am now as powerful as the previous Ordinator, both in terms of processing ability and military strength. I can see how matters are to proceed. Let the game commence. FX: a few more seconds of music; something that comes to a definite end.

( top ) All work on this site is © Nikolai Kingsley unless otherwise stated.