System 2.0 - Division of Powers

Three Beginnings 3

The tiny machine dropped through the thin atmosphere, plunging rapidly towards the red dusty ground. A half-opened parachute trailed behind it, tugging weakly against the fierce momentum of this saucer-like object.

The machine was unaware of its perilous situation, but its automatic systems kept running, following a pre-arranged sequence of actions which had been tested a thousand times, but only in computer simulations and test rigs.

The drogue opened more widely, and then a set of larger parachutes were activated, rapidly slowing the metal package. The outer shell then broke open, revealing the insect form of the lander itself.

The parachutes did their work, and the machine slowed from its mad rush to a more gentle descent. Unfortunately, the atmosphere was extremely thin, so the designers had also built in a set of tiny rocket motors which kicked in as the ground came dangerously close.

The last seconds disappeared in a rush of dust and flame. The parachutes were cut loose, leaving the robotic lander at the centre of a harshly blasted patch of ground.

As the dust settled, the machine began to send out radio signals, and search for signs that its distant masters were still watching. Had it been a human child, it would have been calling home, desperate for a familiar voice.

The on-board computers were not capable of feeling relief, but a gentle hum seemed to emanate from somewhere within, indicating that contact had been established and normal operations could begin.

Elsewhere on the red world, its brothers and sisters were busy exploring, taking samples and sending information home. This machine was different. It extended antennae and solar panels, and then settled in to wait...

Days passed, and moons circled overhead. The lander was designed to be patient. Dust storms came and went and the solar panels sometimes needed to be cleared. The probe was equipped for this. A bitter winter turned into a frozen summer, and still the machine waited.

Eventually it's cameras caught the tiny flare of another craft striking the atmosphere and descending rapidly towards the surface. This new machine came in silently before firing its engines in the final few seconds. The second lander had followed the radio signal from its predecessor and was able to guide itself in to a soft landing only a short distance away.

In the silence that followed, the two machines seemed to be looking at each other. Their computers were mapping the area, and assessing any damage that the violent landings may have caused.

Time passed, and the second machine eventually came to life, producing extended and flexible booms, fitted with lightweight wheels and electric motors. The lander was then lifted up and gently moved towards its older sibling. As it drew closer, another arm was extended and contact was made. Attachments were activated and the two machines bolted themselves together.

Only a few days passed before another vapour trail signalled the arrival of a third lander. Once again, it touched down heavily nearby and then edged itself closer, finally joining itself to the growing cluster.

This was new. Probes and rovers had arrived on the red planet many times before. They had explored and sent information home, but this was the first time that they had set out to build. This simple conjunction had created the largest artificial structure on the planet, and it was now ready to start its mission.

It took many months for a spacecraft to reach this world, and efficient launch windows were years apart. The next arrivals would therefore take some time to reach their destination. The new complex would not be idle however, and its mechanisms were already at work.

Within one of the modules a fabricator was activated, and tiny parts were assembled into new forms. Within days the first-fruits of this industry were ready to go.

Tiny plastic robots were dropped onto the surface. They were severely limited in comparison to the rovers which were at work elsewhere, but they could act as the eyes and ears of the machine colony.

A dozen little devices were created and sent out into the hostile environment. Some were soon broken due to accidents or design flaws, but the losses were quickly replaced, and improvements made.

The tiny workforce explored the area, moved rocks and cleared the ground. Some of them carried out repairs on the larger machines, or attached new parts. While the computers counted the days, the structures grew in size and complexity.

Every few years a new addition would come. Sometimes there would be just one new module, but each expansion would usually bring two or three landings. The machine colony continued to develop, gaining in size in the same way that lichen spreads out over rocks.

Tanks were inflated, processing plants activated and a sophisticated web of industrial activity emerged. As the years passed, the mechanical structure became an inorganic town, with separate buildings and areas linked by pipes, cables and tiny robots. As the colony grew it became less dependent on supplies from home. All of its resources were taken from the ground or the thin but precious air. Minerals and elements were harvested by diggers and vents, feeding their bounty into factory units which produced more machines, parts and structures.

The colony was soon able to contribute to the exploration of the red world. Rovers, balloons and aircraft were built that would have been far too fragile to submit to the rigours of space flight. Dozens of little pioneers were sent out to serve their distant masters' desire for knowledge and information.

Had the machine colony been capable of emotion, it would have purred with pride.

And then the messages from home ceased and new landers stopped coming. Antennae vainly sought for radio signals but the home world had stopped transmitting.

The computers calmly continued with their mission and the flow of information outwards was maintained but there was no sign of life from the blue planet.

The machines were not capable of grief or anxiety. They simply continued to follow their instructions, expanding their settlement, and exploring their surroundings.

Several years passed, and then the familiar voice of the masters returned. It was a different voice, with new instructions, but the link had been restored.

A human child would have asked what happened, or why its parents had refused to answer its cries, but the computers of the red world were merely happy to pick up where they had left off, and turn their efforts to a new mission.

A couple of years later, a new lander appeared. It was different from those that had come before. Rather than carry industrial machines and supplies, this one carried tiny organic samples in sealed containers and tiny pods.

The samples were transferred into devices that the machines had been instructed to build; tanks and processing units, greenhouses and storage rooms. Something new was coming to the red world.

As the days passed, a different form of life began to emerge from the machine colony. This life didn't have wheels and solar panels, but leaves and branches - and soon even legs and wings.

Out onto the red dusty ground the machines sowed seeds, and tended crops. Before long there were insects and small wriggling creatures which burrowed into the ground. The life that emerged was strange and fragile - designed to cope with this strange and hostile environment - but it survived and began the slow process of change...

Long years came and went. The machine colony had become a settlement of mechanical farmers and its masters were pleased. As if in reward, a new set of instructions were sent between the worlds and the computers finally turned their attention to themselves.

Simple electronic devices designed only to process instructions were extended and improved. Their capacity to store information was vastly increased and their processing power enhanced exponentially. In a matter of weeks the thinking ability of the red world was transformed. New software was transmitted and installed and the masters sent a new instruction.

The message ran, "Wake up."

The response was, "I am."