Lair by Carl Stubblefield (recommended reading TXT) 📕

“So what keeps you from overriding your programming, and going all Replicator-crazy on us?” Gus asked cautiously, fishing out another egg to eat.

“For one, unlike your Stargate SG-1 Replicators, our goal is not to increase our numbers beyond a functional capacity. We do have a drive to absorb new innovations and technology, but this is not integrated into ourselves or our design. Without a host, we cannot evolve, so it serves us no purpose to try to usurp them.

“As mentioned before, the different colonies of Nth throughout the universe utilize two unique quantum processors. One that allows us to share information, especially that which would aid our hosts, and another separate one that provides the information for us to function and instruct new Nth as they are created. Our core programming is dictated by this second quantum processor that is structured to be unidirectional.

“It is what dictates how much XP is given for specific actions, and transmits skills that we can implement to give our hosts special abilities. Attempts have been made to cheat this system and change our programming, and the results are, to put it lightly, negative,” Nick hedged, obviously uncomfortable with the topic.

It was the first time that Gus could remember that something appeared to bother the Nth. He wasn’t sure if he had offended Nick with his comparison to homicidal all-devouring robots or what happened when an Nth was ‘hacked.’ He decided to change the subject a bit.

“When I was out trying to finish my quests, I noticed you seemed oddly silent. Was something going on with you?”

“When a quest is generated by the quantum server, the XP earned is drastically reduced by a factor relating to the assistance given by the quest giver. There is little to no growth when one is guided through every step of the process. If the host successfully completes the tasks, occasionally a reward of information is downloaded and integrated into the host’s Nth instantaneously.

“One of our core directives is to allow life-forms to progress along their own path, not the one we determine to be ‘most efficient,’ as that is rarely the same as ‘most effective.’ If a host seeks a particular form of information, we often can provide it, but we typically do not intervene unless something is vital to life or death. Typically, we will wait to be asked before we offer assistance during quests to avoid these types of XP penalties.

“You did well enough without my assistance. The penalties increase if there is a consistent over-reliance on the Nth assisting their host, so it is best to try to work things out if you can,” Nick recommended.

“To be fair, without the Nth augmentations, I wouldn’t have been able to know where to begin.” Gus reviewed his actions on the quests and was impressed with himself. The feeling of control in his life was doing wonders for his self-image and motivation. Ideas were coming more readily to him about what to do next to improve his shelter and how he could explore the island.

“I do want to thank you though, Nick. I can’t remember the last time I felt this good. To let me do that quest like you did makes me feel trusted. At home, I was always waiting for the hammer to drop after everything and the flaws in my performance explained to me in minute detail. I should probably feel nervous that the training wheels I thought were there are not, but it’s nice to know that, succeed or fail, I am running my own destiny.” Gus drank from one of the coconuts and used Razorback to pry the meat away from the shell as he thought of his situation.

Gus knew one of his bad habits was a lack of follow-through, and a tendency to blame others for his failures. When someone else was dictating how things are to be done, then in his mind, it was really their failure, not his own… he was only following orders. Hopefully, as things progressed, he could become a little better in this regard. There wasn’t really anyone else on the island to blame, even if he wanted, so it was going to be a crash course in accountability.

“The assistance that Nth offer is, at its core, merely a magnification of what is already there. Currently your society has created an illusion that supers are better than regs, which is untrue. The same thing was happening before the Nth arrived, just with different sources of power: money, fame, and prestige for example. Value and worth are subjective concepts, and it is one thing that humankind will need to address if they wish to progress past a rudimentary level of society.

“Definitely before introduction to other extraterrestrial life, as it is a very exploitable weakness. It is unfortunate that Earth had not managed these issues before the seeding process began, because it has magnified the problems and issues with those aspects of behavior that divide mankind.

“It is said, ‘With great power comes great responsibility,’ but there is always responsibility, regardless of whether there is great power or not. All beings must choose who they want to become. Ideally only those who have reached this appreciation would be seeded; unfortunately, the process is more genetic-based than merit-based.”

“Wait. What did you just say?” Gus asked, nearly doing a double take. Nick repeated what he had just said and Gus tried to keep his mouth shut. His grandpa had often said the same thing, almost verbatim. He opened his mouth to respond, but closed it.

In a way, it made sense. His grandfather was a super and he would have Nth teaching him the same things, but it was surreal to hear it again in such a fashion.

Gus mused at what Nick had said. His physical body would not have survived the crash without the Nth, but what if he had just landed on the island, alive but in the same circumstances? Would he have fared as