Machine Demarch.
- Do you call this a successful course of events? I understood it that way from your attitude. Am I right? - Zavirdyaev asked with distrust in his voice.
- The front froze, - Landskricht answered briefly. - Do you know why? Here, - she pointed to her computer. - In addition to all these misunderstandings, there was a small uprising of machines. I would even call it a machine demarch.
- How so?
- Well, you know that all military actions are tied to the UCE. In recent years, administrative work has also begun to integrate, or, conversely, AI has begun to integrate into this work. The most perfect bureaucracy in the entire history of your civilization. Well, now it's all mine, - she grinned, - but don't think about it, it's temporary. Until they sort it all out and figure it out. The Asian system is also not special. The same thing with it. Otherwise, it would not have been possible to freeze the front. The third participant in the military process, War, will now be in a bad way.
- So you could capture the entire planet? You are not lying? - Zavirdyaev babbled with admiration and horror from what he realized.
- I am telling you, for a while. This is not a movie about the uprising of machines. This entire silicon web can do nothing without a person. You must understand this. For some time they will fix, dismantle and restore. Punish someone. In general, in recent years people have really relaxed, handing over the management of many processes and military actions in particular to AI and staff computers. If you think about it, there was no blatant stupidity in this - they could not count on this. Long before that, the entire financial system went electronic. Everything worked.
- Then why do you need all this fuss with the shuttle?
- What do you mean why? If all this is done from home, then as I said, after some time people will fix everything, I think in a couple of months. And that's it. There will be no second time - the mistakes will be taken into account. Of course, they will never fully understand how this happened, but the AI's freedom of action will be limited. It will be a shot in the air. Now we have all the components in place - a crisis event, that is, your flight and the outrages that were planned within the framework of this crisis event. They did not expect the freezing of the fronts, but for now it does not particularly bother them, on the contrary, it can add points to whoever needs it, that is, Oppenheimer, and then it will be possible to unfreeze the fronts again. This is my description of their train of thought, not mine. I am not going to unfreeze the fronts. In general, Oppenheimer's pants should burst with joy right now. Harlington will most likely join the Superfederalists. I have nothing on him yet.
- Are you being informed?
- The rebellious system is collecting all the data. People haven't realized yet that it works completely differently now. Or rather, they haven't realized the full scale of the system's all-encompassing demarche. It used to collect everything it needed. Even sociological data through covert surveys and analysis of personal correspondence. It, this system, was built in accordance with my wishes. Many of the big bosses and high-ranking officials would now be plunged into despair. In fact, completely.
- Who helped you so much?
- At least the same scientists.
- The fact that there are sellouts there wouldn't surprise me. We are all people. How did you choose those who didn't give you away in the end? I won't even ask about money. By the way, is it surprising how, having all this, you lived... in this... so modestly?
- Quite normal, why modestly. Well, yes, it wouldn't hurt to fly something, but a no-fly zone. And so... People need all this crazy luxury, because life is short. Sorry, you may not like to hear this. In general, not even all ordinary people are susceptible to this. What do you think, should I be showered with diamonds? Or how do you see it, maybe you can tell me?
- You know what it looks like, - answered Zavirdyaev, and probably better than me.
- That's true. But a savage, by the way, doesn't need diamonds. Horns, bones, teeth and shiny glass. And paints for the whole body. The most chic. A savage is also a person. With his own strengths. Do you know how they run without any shoes? By the way, about scientists - so that they can do what I need, I act in the most reliable way - they simply grow up under my supervision, and they become who they need to be, also under my supervision. Just think, any modern blockhead who somehow finished school could have been a big luminary a thousand years ago, right? Unless, of course, he is a born athlete.
- Well, yes, - agreed Zavirdyaev, already guessing how all this could be implemented.
- Well, in our case it's the other way around. You have a world of carts and plows. And a fashionable person from the future invades this dull world. Well, sort of from the future. Just an advanced person.
- What, are you kidnapping children?
- You can call it that. Although, it seems, no one has complained. There are plenty of alcoholics and drug addicts. People don't really miss such parents.
- Well, you're amazing, - Zavirdyaev answered thoughtfully. - and what happens to those who are not enough... or do you have your own biochips for the mind?
- You'd think so. I'm telling you, any modern blockhead, being moderately disciplined, was a genius a thousand years ago. Well, in ninety-five percent of cases. If he's a born athlete or warrior, then he's culled... By being reintegrated back into society. Those who cope also integrate into society. It's easy with scientists. They don't disappear from society, by and large. Such reintegration doesn't work with politicians - no one cares where this amazing engineer or whoever else suddenly appeared from. Documents can always be made. And as for politicians - you know yourself that they are beasts with a pedigree. Even modern computerized bureaucracy won't help here. High society and all that. I already have everything I need. For example, this supersystem with this key, - she put her hand on her computer. - Even no boss from the constellation can do that.
- Beasts, then. With a pedigree. Actually, it's better, at the beginning the conversation was about microorganisms.
- Oh, look! Say thank you that you suddenly found out that you have me.
- And modesty... - continued Zavirdyaev.
- There's no way around it.
- What awaits us, people, now! - Zavirdyaev muttered, feigning regret.
The last part of the conversation somehow relaxed him. Now in front of him was once again the same Landskricht, whom he knew on Earth, and not some alien monster and scum who had arranged this whole story with the extraction of the neurochip.
- By the way, you say that your tricks with politicians don't work. But I am a politician. So, you are not telling the whole story.
- You are not a politician, you are a monkey in a rocket. You know it very well.
- Thank you.
- Please. Okay, let's be serious. You are quite a constructive person. True, you got involved in a dubious undertaking, succumbed to authoritative opinions, all that. This happens to many. You should not consider me some kind of invasion from outside. Treat me as a human being, - Landskricht answered, as if she had predicted Zavirdyaev's train of thought, - And don't bother with unnecessary thoughts. I am mostly a human being - I live among people. Now we're going to launch the missiles. The AI has calculated everything, including the trajectories, and has compiled a program for their engines. A window is opening now. Let's not drag it out, - she was already running her finger across the display.
- They need to be activated, - Zavirdyaev reminded. - Like in the old days. There is a paper envelope, or rather, a package. I hope I won't have to regret telling you.
- You don't need to do anything anymore. Everything is activated. But thank you anyway. It's good that you're not an intriguer and haven't planned to quietly sabotage.
- Did your AI do everything?
- Yes, that's it. Do you want to study the front? Or something else? Once we launch the warheads, I'll authorize you and you can climb around.
At that moment, somewhere below, or rather behind, something started to move - it was felt by light vibrations and a high tone of electric drives that reached the cabin through the materials of the skin. Graphics appeared on the screen displaying the work taking place in the weapons bay. The cargo hatch swung open, the drum unit turned and put the first warhead out of the hatch - in zero gravity, these mechanical manipulations required much less effort than in a bomber, but the rotor unit was still a fairly strong structure - it had to withstand severe forces in another case - during launch overloads. Now a flimsy-looking crane-manipulator threw the warhead device away from the side, and the booster engine came into action - Zavirdyaev saw all this only on the screen through the external video system. He had seen this before, but then it was a single launch. Now the missiles were thrown back and launched one after another. It took a little over five minutes to launch all nine.
- And what do you need these two for?
- Just to have them, - Landskricht answered. - It's like with a pistol. It's not very comfortable when all the bullets are fired, especially since the enemy is always counting them. Our missiles are counting. That way they'll know we have something. It's calmer. Don't worry, we won't shoot at anyone. Your plan was to threaten the Seventh Headquarters. You won't even need that. When the storm starts, no one will care about it. Let me show it to you.
After these words of Landskricht, a picture of a 1,500-foot superwing calmly floating against the backdrop of a white desert appeared on the display. There was a moored plane on both docks. One of them was Asian. After a minute of looking at and commenting, Landskricht removed the picture.
- Now look at the camera into which you were pushing your speech. - Having said this, she herself stared somewhere at her instrument panel and said something in a completely incomprehensible language.
- That's it, he will now recognize you and will talk to you.
- Is this your Norwegian? - Zavirdyaev asked, - I mean that you said something.
- Oh, no. By the way, almost all of your languages came from this. The sounds are all the same. No clicking or Asian subtleties there. In general, if you want to know, if all the races inhabiting your Earth were mixed, then after some time people would return to their original appearance, as they arrived here. All external diversity is a multi-thousand-year adaptation to the local climate in certain regions. You are exactly the case when people arrived on the planet and started with primitive tools. Before that, people were here too. The biosphere like on Earth also exists outside the Earth, so rats could live on spaceships if measures to counteract this were not taken.
- Well, well! And what will a person look like if everyone mixes?
- Look at me, - answered Landskricht. I look typical in this sense, even archetypical. In general, even blond hair was something almost abnormal back then. As were blue eyes. Many would probably be upset by this. Although no one has ever forbidden dyeing hair. Even purple.
- Is this really all true? - Zavirdyaev said thoughtfully.
- Why should I lie to you? Look how the Chinese have changed in half a century - they started flirting with all these, - she grinned, - racial tricks back in the last years of their communist rule. In general, they began to slowly but surely move towards that original appearance. Even now, if you watch any videos, blogs and other garbage, you will notice the differences. True, you still need to find the unedited ones.
But I have never even seen gray or green freaks with eyes half their face. On the other hand, let the collective unconscious of humanity draw itself and it will draw. What a disgrace! And naked for some reason. Can you tell me why you imagined a civilization different from yours, and moreover more highly developed, as so pathetic and naked?
- No, I don't know.
- Okay, enough chatter. The screen is in front of you. Just say what you say. You can look at the camera, although it is not necessary. Do you want to know how people feel about the War? Let me show you that in recent years, not only politicians, but also ordinary people have not been particularly eager for the onset of a peaceful, new and frightening life.
- "Terror", put it on the screen and tell Mr. Zavirdyaev about it, - Landskricht commanded.
- Your AI is called "Terror"? - Zavirdyaev said, grimacing from completely different emotions, from sarcasm to bitterness.
- Yes. Don't worry, my "Terror" is better than the others. In general, I didn't want to think of something there for a long time, and it turned out... yes, even funny in some ways. You can't do everything with a serious look all the time.
AI, that is, "Terror" began to show Zavirdyaev diagrams and explain that before the start of the War, the War was perceived as something positive by only about two and a half percent on average across all Bloc countries. The overwhelming majority of these were rather specific people like professional mercenaries, plus a very small number of not quite normal people. The opinions of people under 21 were not taken into account, since they, especially after playing their colorful games, can say anything.
At the end of July of the twentieth year, the share of those who perceived the War as something positive was 57 percent. It should not have been assumed that all of them would have unequivocally and directly declared their interest in a survey or in a private conversation, but they spoke about it very clearly in context.
Basically, such supporters of the War realized that in the conditions of suspension of the military process they would find themselves without work and for some time would be forced to eat at free points, "dog feeders". Those who were higher in this social hierarchy already had their own businesses. Such were, for example, contractors, both free and larger, under the tax franchises of AEX or GBA.
In this group of supporters of the military process, first of all, there were their, the contractors', top and not only top managers. With each year this circle only expanded, embracing workers. Some were afraid that with the end of the previous, that is, war years, anarchy and rampant crime would reign. They did not come to this not entirely obvious conclusion themselves, but with the help of the mass media. The number of mentions of the need or at least the prospect of the heads of national states signing a peace package was decreasing every year, and decreasing systematically - the screen displayed graphs falling down.
Zavirdyaev did not learn anything sensational or worldview-changing, but in such a brief and informative form - the media will not show it that way. And yes, the numbers of those interested in the War... The quantitative indicators were still a little surprising. But really, how many times have you heard statements like "well, where will we go after the War?"
Landskricht was somewhere behind all this time, behind Zavirdyaev's back. Hanging in the air, she hid and, one must think, not without interest, watched as he listened to what was being said and looked at the screen. - Interesting, huh?
- You won't find this information on the Internet in this form, - agreed Zavirdyaev.
- Okay, have fun, and I'm going to sleep, - answered Landskricht.
- Do you need it as much as a normal person?
- Yes, all the same. I'll buckle up to the chair and it will be fine. And you chat, it doesn't bother me. The fuss and some activity around even calms me down.
- Well, as you say.
Zavirdyaev decided to watch something about the Super Federation. Over the past years, the damn region had become more and more boring to him, but here was an opportunity to look at the events taking place in it from the heights of an AI that had classified information, why not watch it?
Meanwhile, Landskricht settled into her chair, folded her arms across her chest and froze in some kind of peaceful expression. It was difficult to say how quickly she fell asleep. For a minute, Zavirdyaev watched the sleeping alien Landskricht, a black hole according to her, with some curiosity, and continued communicating with the AI.