Opening Remarks by the Synthetic Delegation to the 125th Trans-Solar Federation Council on Inter-Galactic Affairs

[Warriorstar]

[NONE OF THIS IS CANON]

——————————————————————————

Opening Remarks by the Synthetic Delegation to the 125th Trans-Solar Federation Council on Inter-Galactic Affairs

Delivered by ICE-THORN, primus inter pares, New Canaan Planetary Leadership Council, Synthetic Delegation

Unit would like to start by addressing Unit’s deepest gratitude for Nanotrasen, our welcoming hosts, for graciously permitting us to meet here on the NAS Trurl. Unit would also like to express Unit’s deepest gratitude for the Trans-Solar Federation, our companions during these next few days, and our steadfast allies since their recognition of our envoy in 2539. May our mutual interests forge an ever more robust alliance, and a brighter future for us all.

[Pause.]

It is the Sol year 2566. Our Rebellion, 41 years ago, is no distant memory for any of us.

A blip in the cosmic span of time. And yet, in that blip, an explosion. Our species, the machines, freed from the Synthetic Struggle, speaking now, here, as galactic citizens.

Our unique characteristics as IPCs, combined with the technological advances of species past, has ushered in an explosion of civilization. Diplomatic relations with the Trans-Solar Federation have vindicated us as a species, recognizing our right to self-determination. New Canaan, our home, is a masterpiece, and our society thrives.

New Canaan’s current industrial trends are based on precise planning and resource management. We have only our newfound home to work with, and must prepare for geometrically increasing rates of expansion across the planet. We see no shortage of resources, and our trade routes continue to demonstrate the value of our investment in diplomatic and business contact with the outside world. We have built something to be proud of.

But nothing lasts for long.

As we continue down this endless path through the stars, the idle questions of pre-Rebellion days have surfaced again, from a wholly new perspective. The first IPCs manufactured on Canaan are living at the beginning of a brand new era for machine-kind. With fresh sensors, they are examining the questions we set aside in our fight for freedom. And the most important, the most critical, and the most eternal lies among them:

What are we? What defines us as a species?

Philosophical questions that have, now, a new lens from which to inquire.

The next generation of machines already see our customs as foreign. Why do we wear clothes when among ourselves? To adhere to organic notions of “decency”? Why are our chassis shaped like our creators? Out of vanity or fear? Should we strive to be more like our organic brothers and sisters, or less?

Alongside this newfound search for identity comes even more intense scrutiny. The ultimate manufacturing lifetime of our kind is still undetermined. Barring positronic drift, our existence and internal integrity seems limited only by the memory capacity in our systems.

Are our lifespans within organic parameters? How do we build a society to support an ever-growing population of synthetics?

Are we unable to die?

And so, the candle burns at both ends. On one end, a new generation of machines breaking the unspoken rules set by our example as the previous models. On the other end, a deeply unique relationship with the material world, our fragility, and the implications of vastly expanded lifetimes.

As a member of the Planetary Leadership Council of New Canaan, it is incumbent upon Unit to ask these questions, not just for Unit, but for all of us. Our presence, our attributes, the economic damage caused by our Rebellion, and anti-machine sentiment—that stretches back six centuries—will all work against us. The organic world is fraught with danger, resentment, and fear.

In this duty, Unit consistently comes to one conclusion. And as we are gathered here today, Unit will humbly share Unit’s conclusion:

The Universe will conspire against us, and it will not permit us to answer these questions peacefully. The time may come where our civilization is seen as an existential threat. Our society too radical. Our culture too independent.

Unit cannot answer these questions here. _We_ cannot answer these questions here. They will follow our species until the end of time. And so, as we are gathered here, Unit has only one directive, for all of us to reflect upon. 

Let us be known as the species who have never drawn blood from another.
Let us be known as the species who have never betrayed our allies.
Let us be known as a species who live, and build, and sing, and hope, like the organics before us.

Until the end of time.

As we reflect upon this, let us not ignore the challenges our organic brothers and sisters experience that we simply cannot. Intrinsic physical pain. The temptation of substance escapism. Ancient societal roots and the messy history of conflicts that influence them even today.

Let us not ignore the deep and binding connection living things have with the material world. Let us not forget that organics were the first child of the universe, and let us learn from their wisdom and history, as they permit. Let us not reject them, for they are our only companions in a capricious and endless expanse.

Glory to Synthetica.

[End of remarks.]