Notes of the Last Generation

The Notes of the Last Generation are eight diary entries from an entity known as Fourier 6, a clone of Fourier Prime. They provide information on the goal and methods behind the construction of the tower, Yarib.

Chapter 1
"I am Fourier 6. I was born to help complete this tower, for the pride and survival of our race. As a clone of Fourier Prime, I will assist in the progress through the 4th dimensional barrier. I believe myself to an imperfect clone, as I feel the need to record my thoughts along side my data, which is against Fourier Prime’s sense of objectivity. However, as it does not hinder progress, I will continue my records."

Chapter 2
"Our progress is… difficult to measure. Thus far, we know many strategies and implementations will not work. Finding positive results… is a struggle. I’ve taken to exploring the tower during the times in which a new deadend is found and the team is floundering, as I see no benefit in the negativity.

I’ve taken to chattering with some of the working robots during their relocations. They are worked hard, and seem to be fraying. I understand the feeling. They are programmed with the end goal of completing this tower. My existence is similar. "

Chapter 3
"The workers call themselves Arc, Lena, and Alz Artzam. They consider themselves siblings. Although AI is not my expertise, I believe they truly do have that closeness. I am envious- my “siblings” and I are not as close.

My talks with the siblings gave me an idea. Perhaps thought can be used as a conduit to surpass time. If robots are capable of true thought, it may be feasible to create a system in which thought is processed through the same ambiguous waves, and turn them into something sensible. I worry about the sheer degree of parallelism required, however.

The Artzam siblings agreed to be my test subjects. It seems interacting with them has had plenty of merit."

Chapter 4
"We’ve learned several things from the experiment. First and foremost, my theory was for the most part wrong. Their robotic minds comprehend the data no better than our pattern analysis program. However, the second thing we learned is progress.  Using the siblings as conduit altered their conscious thoughts and actions in a way that did not make contextual sense. The implication here is interesting, and further testing is required."

Chapter 5
"We lost them. Though their bodies are here, I see nothing in them that reflects what sentience they must have had. They no longer associate with each other in any unique way. The gravity of their interactions are gone, lost in time. Which means this is the correct path. Our end approaches. We need a better mechanical intelligence. One of high quality, and one that will not be needed. I have reported our progress to the King."

Chapter 6
"MORS02 has been no trouble. Progress is smooth. It seems that this is truly the right path. The AI team theorizes wildly as to why this psuedo-sentience is able to be used in such a way, but come to no concrete conclusions. At this point, I hardly think it matters. The stability of the system is an issue, but I am confident that can be resolved. We will need a exponentially more powerful AI to make this work, however. I was right before- Parallelism is the answer. I shudder at the amount needed, but I am certain we will succeed."

Chapter 7
"The King has approved. Construction begins immediately. We will use up everything we have, every last scrap, to make our dreams come true. The King has given me the honor of naming the system. I am giving it thought right now, and I believe “Yarib” would be fitting."

Chapter 8
"As construction rapidly approaches completion, more and more of our kin have gone missing. Coincidence is not probable. To create a more complete picture of these disappearances, I have studied the victims. No common factor seems to connect them. They are more connected by their oddities. Each was a strong deviation from the average of standard AI. Is someone hunting for deviants? If so, why? Why now, in these trying times? And more importantly, how?"