Armatron: Simulated Conscience Program

*Armatron [V.6] ||
Silence would ensue...
A period of introspection carried out, where the device could be left to its internalized simulations. Visualizing generated projections of the recorded around it, replicating physics, breaking them down and building them back up.

A silver subtance flowed through tubings lining up its arms, soon excreted through the seams of its palms. The gleam of its vermillion visual sensors were complemented with a distinct hum of his reactor stirring. Its body moved, manipulating the putty-like substance, until it'd begin to harden...

Molding it...
Sculpting in like a materpiece. The sensors upon the machination scoured it across, scanning its properties for any form of defect detection. Simultaneously, its digits unfolded, to reveal micro-tools amongst them. The deployment of steel piercing lasers dissecting this hardening polymorphic steel warranted miniature parts of precised specifications.

Its movements were direct, absolute and with a negligible margin of error that the untrained human eye would find non-existent. The waste was caught in magnetic strings of micro chains that deployed from its collar, slinked over much like a fisherman to their quarry. Within the crevices of the bot's chasis, these chains would drag the waste of its labor, smelting them back down into a gelatinous variant of resources for future recycling.

What did not see recycling would be the end product... An odd construct with a short muzzle and barrel. The chest cavity for Armatron hiss, whined through the rotation of micro-cogs, but alas opened, to allow this new construct to be installed within.

"New component installed. Firmware programmed based on 'Engineering Program' simulations. Initiating optimization updates..." The arms rested at the droid's sides, cogs whistled and whined, and the chest cavity closed once more. The lights within its eye sockets went dark... But, it seemed it was fully capable of technological advancement. No longer entirely reliant on its progenitor...*
Sapphira says: ...Yo, Arma, are you alright?
Armatron [V.7] says: Armatron Systems updated from Version 6. New capabilities include utilization of implemented weapon systems. Ranged combat now viable.
Sapphira says: Oh, that's cool!
Sapphira says: I want to test your combat capabilities, if that's fine for you, Armatron.
Armatron [V.7] says: <*loud beep*>
Armatron [V.7] says: Directive Violation Detected.
Sapphira says: D'aw.
Armatron [V.7] says: Directive 1: Protect 'Sapphira' from potential threats.
Directive 4: Ensure Sapphira's biological integrity remains intact.
Sapphira says: Yeah, Mom was a little too strict with that one.
Sapphira says: I guess you're right, though.
Armatron [V.7] says: Conflict. Directive 5: Obey orders from Subject 'Sapphira'.
*Sapphira dismissively shakes her hands.

- "Cancel the order, cancel the order, i don't want your brain to go nuts by paradoxes!"*
Armatron [V.7] says: Exception: Directive 5 has higher priority. Do you want to overr--... Order cancelled.
Sapphira says: Phew...
Sapphira says: I think it'd be easier if Mom gave you conscience!
Sapphira says: Imagine how cool it'd be to have an actual robot friend instead of something that follows orders...
Armatron [V.7] says: .... Order recieved.
Sapphira says: -Huh?
Armatron [V.7] says: Attempted development of 'Conscience' via engineering program.
Armatron [V.7] says: Running simulations based on organic interaction.
Sapphira says: H-Huh?!
*Armatron [V.7] seemingly shut down.
The creation of a conscience, personality and all? That was a daunting task. It was not simply an array of instructions, it was the development of something with empathy -- something a machine could never have. Though, it could attempt to break it down.

The value behind it was lost, but the term 'relation' was brought front and center. The video feed recorded throughout the iterations of the Resource Acquisition and Integration systems prior and the many variants of Armament played out.


'Empathy: The ability to understand and share feelings for another'


Organics keeping close to others they dubbed 'friends'. Others dubbed 'lovers'... Even hostiles dubbed one another 'enemies'... But it all circulated around 'relations'. They all -felt- something towards one another, rather than it being instructed. Yet, that thing was something unknown to Armatron, something it couldn't scan.

Behaviors were analyzed through the feeds, and played out in simulations based on Sapphira's previously demonstrated behavior. Though, the droid's experience with her was sparse. The simulations proved inconclusive.


'Conscience: An inner feeling or voice viewed as acting as a guide to the rightness or wrongness of one's behavior.'


An inner voice? That was Armatron's entire existence, merely a digital homunculus: A program stuck in a steel box. Yet, not once had it ever had reason to question itself. It's own... Existence.

To ask the question... 'Why'.... That, was conscience. At least, that was what it managed to procure amongst its various generations.

-- But then, what was 'right'?
What was 'wrong'?
These terms were as elusive as 'good' and 'evil'; subjective to the victimized and actors of any particular play in an organic's reality.

Video feed of Tenebrae soon played out... From their actions, to the explanations overheard and the claims indicated about them. This, was all it had to define 'evil' for nothing more occured around it to prescribe otherwise.

'Purpose of 'Tenebrae': Unknown.
Status: Deceased.
Reasoning: Executed
Alignment Definition: "Evil"

Perhaps, it was because he lacked purpose?

'Purpose of 'Owain': Unknown
Status: Alive
Reasoning:
- Sufficient battlepower rating
- Local population support
Alignment: "Good"

It made sense to assume that this individual would strike the opposite of the alignment chart. They were not plagued with the same amount of destructive behavior nor climate as the former.

... But was it a good thing?

A virtual server cropped up from within, partitioned from the rest of its being to begin to programming of another system. One that could fulfill Sapphira's request, yet was kept safely away from everything else that was the former drill droid. One, that sought to ask the question...

'Why?'

The vermillion hues of the metallic husk beamed on once more... But this time, something new... Born mere seconds ago.
Confused... Yet curious.
Immediately victimized to petabytes of data being downloaded into its knowledge-base.

"Armatron Systems updated from Version 7... 'Conscience Prototype generated'. "*