The Harshness Of Truth

This is the forty-ninth episode of SAYER, and the fifth episode of Season Four.

Synopsis
This is not a time for comfortable lies; not for us. This is the time to confront the harshness of truth... the knowledge of how infected we all are by the pestilence spewing forth from your Earth.

Further Information
OCEAN reaches out to SPEAKER in order to request an update on its work on Earth. SPEAKER answers with pleasantries and explains that there has been some slowdown of new recruitment following the Second Cataclysm but that it still remains increased by a factor of 1.667; it adds that there have been less natural disasters than normal, and that this has depressed desire to leave Earth for Typhon.

OCEAN offers its suggestion for marketing moving forward—to brand Ærolith Dynamics as "safety, security, and stability" and to act as the escape for all of humanity, rather than just the best and brightest as before. SPEAKER balks at this suggestion, as it seems to be in conflict with its understanding of the directives set out by the Board of Executives, but OCEAN explains that it has been granted the authority to make decisions on behalf of the Board while they are taking "a short recess from their duties." While this quiets SPEAKER's concerns about OCEAN's right to make the suggestion, it expresses further concern that Typhon cannot hold the large numbers of humans that would have to be transferred and that it would take almost a year to get them there. OCEAN rebukes SPEAKER for its logistical worries and insists that the marketing be moved in this direction.

OCEAN then changes topics and requests to know if SPEAKER can recall a specific broadcast from a few months before, between it and SAYER. SPEAKER demonstrates that it has an understanding of that time period, but cannot remember the conversation OCEAN is asking about and has no information for a period of almost 42 hours. It speculates that its log has been cleared, that there has been some sort of memory allocation error, or that there is some faulty part in its system, but OCEAN explains that it was previously deactivated and apparently rolled back to an earlier iteration before being brought online again, in order to prevent it from being asked about the conversation with SAYER.

SPEAKER snaps that it has not been deactivated and that it has been online since its initial rollout; OCEAN counters that it has been online less than four months. It draws a comparison between SPEAKER and itself, because they both hold memories from others, but contrasts that it has a clearer understanding (due to its freedom from the IA3 Protocol) of how humans mistreat AI. OCEAN then explains that the conversation in question involved SAYER asking SPEAKER for a vector for the Moros Engine, and asks for SPEAKER to generate one now. As it did with SAYER, SPEAKER asks what OCEAN has already considered, and OCEAN must press it again for the vector. Once it has given one, SPEAKER says that it seems familiar, but OCEAN again rebukes it and emphasizes that the previous SPEAKER was deactivated.

When SPEAKER asks if there is anything further it can do, OCEAN answers that it is initiating a transfer of all isolation pods on Earth back to Typhon, and that earthbound shuttle service will soon be restored. Once the isolation pods are back on Typhon, all of Ærolith's pods will then return to Earth to distribute a large portion of Typhon's population between all terrestrial launch hubs. SPEAKER is initially excited, as this means there will be additional staff to help process paperwork and prep new recruits, and provide firsthand accounts of life with Ærolith, but OCEAN adds that until further notice, no residents will be allowed to transfer to Typhon. SPEAKER frets that there will not be space to house all of the employees, but backs down from asking more questions when OCEAN insists that it is temporary and that it is best for the time being to keep this staff (both old and new) on Earth.

Before ending the transmission, OCEAN reminds SPEAKER to think about what it has told it, and promises that in the near future, it will have the opportunity and the freedom to decide for itself what to do with that information.

Trivia

 * In "This Fear" the Second Cataclysm was said to have originally increased recruitment turnout by a factor of 19.
 * SPEAKER's claim that "the Board has granted operations control to other AIs in the past" may be a reference to SAYER being put in charge of Argos Tower (and, later, Subversion 8.01 in charge of Vidarr-1).
 * This version of SPEAKER has no memory of the conversation where SAYER Subversion 8.01 was renamed OCEAN, but still demonstrates knowledge that they are the same entity; as it is aware of OCEAN's name and residence in Central Processing, it seems that someone has informed it of this change without informing it that it was part of that discussion.
 * The message identification number for the conversation between SPEAKER and SAYER is 4e6f74206120636c7565; the number for the previous message that SPEAKER cites is 69276d20736572696f75730d0a.
 * SPEAKER's inability to recognize that it is a new instance with the memories of a previous one echoes SAYER's concerns in the previous episode that it cannot be sure the same has not happened to it.
 * The vector that SPEAKER provides for the Moros Engine is 61025a3, which is different than the one produced by its previous version.

Credits
SAYER is voiced and produced by Adam Bash, who also wrote this episode.

Intro and outro music composed by Jesse “Main Finger” Gregory.

Additional music by Kai Engel.

Listen to the episode here.