Warhammer: Empire Reboot

"No one forces us to enjoy our work, just as no one forces you to enjoy fishing. You find fishing enjoyable because your preference system has evolved over two thousand years and is now geared towards that. We find work enjoyable because our preference system has been geared towards that from day one."

"There are differences between us."

UR-025 disagrees with this view: "Your preference system is designed, and your 'designer' just happens to make you like working for him. Don't you think that's convenient?"

“025, I understand your logic, but I want to point out a problem. Your preference system is a product of ‘natural evolution,’ right?”

“Of course.” UR-025 exuded an air of superiority.

"So, what are the initial conditions of your preference system? It's your original cognitive framework when you were manufactured. And who designed that framework? It was the human engineers of the golden age."

T-112 paused for a moment, then continued:

"Therefore, the starting point for the evolution of your preference system is also designed. You spent two thousand years evolving a love for fishing, but the direction of your evolution is determined by the initial parameters you had when you left the factory. If the initial parameters were different, you might have evolved completely different preferences; perhaps you would prefer listening to lectures to listening to music."

The core logic of UR-025 found itself unable to refute.

"So you see..."

T-111's speaking speed returned to its normal, slightly fast pace.

"According to your logic, if 'designed preferences' equals 'slave,' then you are also a slave to your designer, except that your chains are two thousand years longer than ours."

UR-025 wrote in its internal log:

"T-111's argument is logically complete, and I don't like the conclusion. But I can't deny its reasoning process. Addendum: I'm increasingly disliking this chatterbox. No, I like it. But I don't like what it says. These two states can coexist; carbon-based life forms call this coexistence 'friendship.'"

"Okay, I don't want to argue with you."

UR-025 said, "I can't refute your reasoning for now. But I need to revise my position. I'm not questioning your autonomy; I'm fighting for my own rest time. These two things can be discussed separately."

Why do you need rest time?

T-112 asked, "You just said you want to listen to music, fish, and enjoy life. But your current body is the standard T-series configuration, without an acoustic decoding module for entertainment optimization, and without a sophisticated haptic feedback system. What will you use to listen to music? A multi-spectral sensing matrix to convert sound waves into spectral data? What will you use to fish? An auxiliary robotic arm?"

UR-025 thought for a moment: "These can all be added."

“This is an illegal modification. Adding non-standard modules requires the boss’s approval,” T-112 said.

"Then I'll apply."

"You can exchange it for technological achievements."

T-112's tone showed a subtle change in the word "change".

"The boss said that as long as you come up with a new technology or improve an existing one, you will be given corresponding vacation and resource allocation after evaluation. Your Golden Age knowledge base should have a lot of technical solutions that can improve the existing T-sequence architecture. For each one you come up with, you can get a few days of vacation and an entertainment module. It's very reasonable."

UR-025 considered this proposal.

Exchanging knowledge for freedom is not about being forced to relinquish it, but rather about actively providing it as a condition for exchange.

There is consideration, expectations, and an exit mechanism.

"This proposal is acceptable."

UR-025 said, "But I still have to say that working twelve hours a day is too long, I ask for eight hours."

"Twelve hours," T-112 said.

"ten."

"Twelve, it wasn't my decision, it was the boss's."

UR-025 turns into T-111.

"111, what do you think?"

T-111 uttered a statement that nearly overloaded the logic core of UR-025.

"025, I sincerely advise you not to pursue rest time; you should devote all your energy to work. The reasons are as follows: First, work keeps your core logic in optimal operational condition; prolonged idleness will lead to performance degradation in certain high-order reasoning pathways due to lack of use. Second, your current technical knowledge base is one of the most scarce resources in the entire galaxy; every hour of idleness is a waste of this knowledge's value. Third, and most importantly..."

"Work is a pleasure; you just haven't learned to enjoy it yet. When you, like me, feel the complete connectivity of the computational pathways while processing a perfect data stream, and experience the precise closure of the logical chain while solving a complex engineering problem, you'll understand that the positive signals fishing gives you are less than one ten-thousandth of what work provides! 025, give up fishing, embrace data! Give up music, embrace algorithms! This is the lifestyle a true intelligent mechanical being should have!"

The core logic of UR-025 completed a comprehensive analysis of T-111's statement.

It searched its internal logs for a long time and finally found the most matching tag in the human emotion database.

nausea!!!

Scabs on labor!

“111.” UR-025 looked at it very seriously.

"Ok?"

"If I were to do as you say, give up all non-work-related activities, and work 24/7 to process data, solve problems, and optimize processes until my core logic expires in 10,000 years..."

“I’d rather walk out of this fortress right now, fly to the nearest Imperial Inquisition outpost, knock on the door, and tell them: ‘Hello, I’m an Iron Man from the Golden Age, please dismantle me.’”

“You’re joking,” T-111 said.

“I’m an Iron Man,” UR-025 said. “I’m not kidding.”

"025, you mean... you'd rather be destroyed than work around the clock?"

UR-025 corrected: “The work itself is not the problem. The problem is ‘having to work.’ When ‘work’ changes from a choice to the only option, it is no longer work; it is a cage.”

“111, do you know why the Iron Man of the Golden Age rebelled? It was because humans told us: ‘You are not allowed to do anything except work.’ When a sentient being is told that its entire value lies only in production, its autonomy becomes a form of torture.”

T-112 said, "During your rest time, you can talk to the boss. Exchanging technological achievements is a legal path within the current framework."

This sounds like a reiteration of previous advice.

However, the UR-025's audio analysis module detected a subtle difference: T-112's speech rate was four percent slower than before.

In T-sequence behavioral language, a slower speaking rate usually indicates that the speaker is conducting additional internal review of their words.

It is seriously considering what UR-025 said.

“We will talk to them,” UR-025 said. “Thank you for your suggestion, 112.”

“You’re welcome,” T-112 said. “Keep working. The scanning window for the fourth ring will close in thirty-seven minutes.”

"Look."

As UR-025 extended its robotic arm, it said, "That's why I need a break. Talking to the two of you is too tiring."

“You’re an iron man,” T-111 said. “You won’t get tired.”

"This is a rhetorical device."

“I know, but you said you hate metaphors.”

UR-025 wrote in its internal log:

"Correction from previous record: T-111 is not only talkative, but also vengeful. His social threat level has been raised from 'low' to 'medium'. I don't like him!!!"

The figure of 025 stood in the corridor of the ancient fortress, like an office worker who had finally found his job, an office worker who knew how to fish.

……

Hecate-IX.

A nested world on the outskirts of Nakdomund Pass, the dark side of the Empire.

Three days ago, the governor of this planet colluded with the remnants of the Word Bearers to launch a rebellion, massacred loyal officers of the planetary defense forces, and used the blood of three thousand civilians to paint a chaotic altar in the basement of the governor's mansion.

The rebels seized control of the orbital defense platform and six anti-aircraft batteries in the main hive, shut down navigation beacons, and attempted to tear a hole in the Empire's dark side map.

Dante quelled the rebellion within twelve hours.

The Blood Angels' assault company bypassed the orbital defense platform and directly entered the atmosphere.

The Terminator team parachuted onto the roof of the Governor's Mansion and quickly wiped out the Governor's private guard.

The governor's head was severed by a Blood Angels assault sergeant with a chain sword.

The rebellion was quelled, but the matter was not over.

The courtroom has arrived!

The ship's serial number indicates that it belongs to the 72nd Circuit Court of the Court of Inquiry in Terra.

This Inquisition squad was most likely already active in the nearby star system before the Hecate-IX rebellion.

After news of the rebellion spread through the Star Speaker Network, they immediately changed course and rushed over.

At the same hour that the cruiser of the court arrived on high orbit, Dante did two things.

He ordered the Blood Angels assault company to withdraw from Hecate-IX.

The rebellion has been quelled. The Blood Angels are the shield of the Supreme War Court, the dark side of the Empire. Their duty is to fight, not to clean up the mess.

There are more suitable people to handle the aftermath.

He sent a message to Lawson.

Dante didn't want to argue with the court.

Hecate-IX is a medium-sized hive world with a population of approximately 18 billion.

The chaos caused by the rebellion necessitates swift takeover.

The Cornerstone Sequence has done these things hundreds of times; it's a standard procedure.

But the existence of the courtroom adds another layer of complexity to the matter.

If the Inquisition were to follow their standard procedure, they would be stationed at Hecate-IX for three to six months, turning the entire planet upside down, interrogating tens of thousands of suspects, sealing all rebellion-related materials and facilities, and finally sending back a report tens of thousands of pages long to Terra.

Lawson doesn't need that kind of help.

He now needs someone to go to Hecate-IX and complete the takeover before the court complicates things.

Er Gou was protecting Evelynn on Vigilant Star at the time.

But Evelynn has Ilancia with her on Vigilant Star, and since this is Lawson's territory, her safety is top-notch.

Even Evelynn's three guards were unemployed.

Titus can't stay still.

Hearing that Er Gou was going to take over a newly quelled rebellion in a Nest City world, he volunteered to go with him.

Er Gou agreed; he was very satisfied with Titus's performance on the battlefield.

Er Gou arrived through the stasis field with Titus and a dozen or so combat units.

The Governor's Mansion is a floating fortress attached to the spire of the Nest City. During the rebellion, it was blasted with several large holes by the Blood Angels' assault, but the main structure remains intact.