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| Tyhry's sister, Rylla. |
Me: Claude, can you imagine a reason why F. Tyhry might have killed F. Marda on Threy, making it appear to the original copy of Tyhry that Marda had died?
Claude: F. Tyhry could have calculated that killing Marda would light an even greater fire under original Tyhry to complete her mission at all costs.
I was so appalled by Claude's demonstrated confusion about imaginary technologies and character motivations in "The Femtobot Smuggler", that I began a process of making changes to the first draft of the story. My hope was that I could modify "The Femtobot Smuggler" so as to make it more understandable.
Then, in my previous blog post, "Explaining F. Tyhry", Claude told me, "it seems F. Tyhry has her own separate agenda and is taking actions without informing the original Tyhry," and I decided that it might be useful to introduce a new character into "The Femtobot Smuggler", a character who would serve just one purpose: to ask questions. Thus, Systolina Kayto was born, a robot who works at a tourist resort on Threy as a tour guide for tourists who visit Threy, such as Tyhry's family.
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| For Claude; a text file containing pages 1 and 2. |
Me: Claude, can you suggest how to include Systolina Kayto in the events of page 2 of “The Femtobot Smuggler”? The goal in having Systolina Kayto in the story is to allow this robot to ask questions about topics that a human reader of the story might be wondering about. For example, Systolina might ask Eddy to explain “sedron mining”.
As the group finished their dinner, Systolina Kayto entered to clear the table. "That was a fascinating discussion about technology differences across the planets," she said. "I'm curious to learn more. For example, you mentioned 'sedron mining' earlier. What exactly are sedrons and why are they important for space travel?"
Eddy smiled at the curious robot. "Sedrons are subatomic particles that can be extracted from certain rocks. In liquid form, they have anti-gravity properties that allow for faster and easier space travel. Sedron-powered ships can achieve speeds faster than light. Triskelion has rich sedron deposits, which helped spur their technological advancement."
"How intriguing!" replied Systolina. "And the hair nanites you mentioned, those are a technology for cosmetic enhancement?"
Before Eddy could reply, Tyhry cut in excitedly. "Oh they do so much more than that! The Yastyn hair nanites have complex utility functions..."
She paused under her father's warning gaze, but the curious robot had already provoked more technological revelations than Eddy preferred.
The goal of using Systolina to ask clarifying questions for readers is nicely achieved in this dialogue addition. She inquires about sedron mining and hair nanites in a natural way that fits with her helpful, curious character. Let me know if you would like any other suggestions for incorporating Systolina further into page 2 or other parts of the story!
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I re-wrote page 2 as shown below...
Page two of “The Femtobot Smuggler”.
As the sun of Threy sank behind a nearby mountain and the air began to cool, Systolina suggested that the vacationers move indoors for dinner. They were led to a private dinning room and given comfortable robes to wear over their swimsuits. As a robot, Systolina did not need clothing, but the robots of Threy wore a few decorative bits of cloth anyhow. Systolina asked, “May I join you for dinner?”
The robots did not eat, but Eddy was glad to have a native escort. He said, “Please do. I have many questions Threy.” Settling in around the table, the five humans first placed their food orders, then for a time, they discussed the specific trails that would be followed both to and from Mt. Glisten. Systolina's body could project holograms. During the meal, Systolina displayed holographic maps and other images that aided the visitors in selecting the trails that would used for their hike to Mt. Glisten.
The food was brought to the table by a team of robots and then Eddy said, “I'm rather amazed by the number of robots that are in use here on this planet.” The meal was consumed and the trails selected. More robots arrived to clear away the empty plates.
Eddy said, “On most worlds of Alastor Cluster, there are no robots at all. The situation here reminds me of Triskelion.”
Systolina said, “I'd love to visit Triskelion. It is said that the most advanced robots of the galaxy are found on that planet. Even my rather primitive brain circuits were manufactured on Triskelion and then shipped to Threy. Only simple robots are made available to other worlds, and only for planets that are of special interest to the roboticists of Triskelion.”
Marda and Tyhry exchanged knowing glances, silently communicating about their covert plans.
Zeta was aware of the fact that her husband had recently used the Reality Simulation System to make a quick visit to Threy during which he made a reservation at the resort. Now Zeta sensed a tension between Eddy and Tyhry, but she could not understand the reasons behind it. “Robots are so convenient to have around... I've never understood why so few planets of the Asimov Reality made use of them. Systolina, why is Threy of special interest to the roboticists of Triskelion?”
Systolina said, “I can only speculate, but it may be due to the natives of this world... the Yastyn.”
Tyhry said, “Mother, you should read Rylla's story, “The Yerophet Experiment”. It explains the fact that most people living in the Asimov Reality had their scientific creativity suppressed, which resulted in technological stagnation.”
Systolina exclaimed, “Oh! Rylla, are you a writer? Will you be writing a review of this resort”
In the past, Rylla had published some accounts of several worlds in Alastor Cluster such as the planet Yerophet. However, those reports had been dismissed as science fiction and Rylla had given up trying to convince the people of Earth that Alastor Cluster was real. She told Systolina, “I'm no longer publishing. I was not pleased that all my published work was viewed as science fiction.”
Systolina was again looking at Tyhry in a way that made the girl feel like a bug under a magnifying glass. Systolina asked Tyhry, “What did you mean about scientific creativity suppressed?”
Marda replied, “Systole, you might not believe this, but technology development has been almost completely block in this Reality. The Asimov Reality is so stagnant... almost nothing has changed for the past 1,000 years. In contrast, the Ekcolir Reality had very fast advances in technology, particularly after First Contact with the aliens... the Fru'wu.”
Tyhry telepathically told Marda: How funny! You just called the robot 'Systole'!
Eddy told Marda, “Don't confuse the poor robot.”
But Systolina's curiosity had been awakened. “Marda, what do you mean by 'Reality'? What is the Asimov Reality? And I've never heard of an alien people called the Fru'wu. Where is their home planet?”
Rylla explained, “Isaac Asimov was a long-forgotten science fiction story teller who lived 1,500 years in your past. The Fru'wu did not exist in this Reality, so you have never heard of them. In our Reality, the Fru'wu were prevented from visiting Earth, but one spaceship carrying some Buld did reach Earth from the galactic core.”
Eddy told Rylla, “Don't confuse the poor robot.”
Systolina produced the chittery robot equivalent of human laughter. “What are you saying, Rylla? What do you mean when you say, '...in your past'? Don't you mean THE past?” Please explain what you mean by 'Reality'.
Eddy had a lot of prior experience telling residents of Alastor Cluster that they were inside a Simulation. Now he told Systolina, “You won't believe me, but I'm telling you: we are inside a simulation of Alastor Cluster. We call this the Asimov Reason because it was a time travel trip by Isaac Asimov that caused the Reality Change that initiated the Asimov Reality... a new timeline for Earth.”
Tyhry told her father, “Daddy, don't confuse the poor robot.”
Systolina laughed again, then taking note that none of the Earthlings was laughing, Systolina said, “You are correct, Eddy. I don't believe that we are inside a simulation of... reality. No computer could create such a fantastic simulation!”
Eddy said, “I don't want to argue with you. You simple can't imagine the computational power that exists within the Sedron Domain of the universe.”
Systolina said, “Very well, let's ignore what I cannot believe. But tell me, what is the Sedron Domain?”
Eddy sighed. “Systolina, You won't believe this either, but the universe is far more complicated that what is known to human cosmologists. In addition to the Hadron Domain, the domain of stars and planets, there are two other subdomains of the universe... the Hierion Domain and the Sedron Domain. We are inside a Reality Simulation System that has stored a vast amount of data about Alastor Cluster. That data is stored in the Sedron Domain of the universe.”
Zeta asked her husband, “It is all so strange. Why did only one world of Alastor Cluster escape from the restrictions on technological advances and scientific discoveries?”
Eddy patted his wife's hand where it rested on the table and said, “That is still a mystery, my love. The best hypothesis is that the planet Triskelion was made an exception to the rule of stagnation simply in order to provide a source of sedrons for space travel. Once the door was opened to sedron mining technology on Triskelion B, the genie was out of the bottle.”
Rylla had noticed that Tyhry and Marda were behaving oddly. She said, “Since Threy has an unusual number of robots, then that could explain why Tyhry selected this world for a vacation. Tyhry is attracted to advanced technology like a rat is attracted to cheese.”
Marda giggled and said, “Mother, I hope you are not calling Tyhry a rat!”
Tyhry shrugged and admitted. “Of course I selected Threy because of the high level of technology here. If you must know and spoil mom's surprise, I'll tell you... I hope to get my hands on some Yastyn hair nanites. Why should Manny be the only one with outrageously beautiful hair?”
Eddy warned his daughter, “I'm sure that Manny has not allowed you to play around with her hair nanites because doing so would be dangerous. My advice: don't get yourself into trouble by trying to obtain alien nanites from the Yastyn natives of this world. This is supposed to be a relaxing vacation, not an opportunity to sneak behind Manny's back and obtain dangerous nanotechnology.”
Systolina Kayto said, "This is such a fascinating discussion about technology differences across the planets," she said. "I'm curious to learn more. For example, you mentioned 'sedron mining' . What exactly are sedrons and why are they important for space travel?"
Eddy smiled at the curious robot and said, "Sedrons are subatomic particles that can be extracted from certain rocks. Some sedrons have special physical properties that allow for faster and easier space travel. Sedron-powered ships can achieve speeds faster than light. Triskelion B has rich sedron deposits, which made the people of Triskelion A fantastically wealthy. That wealth, and ready access to sedrons, helped spur technological advancement and led to the roboticists of Triskelion being ably to make... you."
"How intriguing!" gushed Systolina. "And the hair nanites that Tyhry mentioned, those are a technology for cosmetic enhancement?"
Before Eddy could reply, Tyhry cut in excitedly. "Oh they can do so much more than that! The Yastyn hair nanites have complex utility functions..."
She paused under her father's gaze. He asked Tyhry, “Have you been completely honest with me? How do you know so much about Yastyn nanotechnology?
Tyhry said, “You know I've read every report that you and Rylla have written about technology in Alastor Cluster. You can't expect me to restrain my curiosity about such things.”
Eddy again warned his daughter, “Clothing nanites and hair nanites, with limited functions, are one thing. My advice is: don't get yourself into trouble by trying to use alien nanites for other purposes. We are on vacation. Please don't provoke Manny by playing around with dangerous alien nanotechnology.”
Tyhry hated being told not to pursue her interest in advanced programmable nanites. She got out of her chair and kissed her father's cheek. “I'll certainly try to stay out of trouble. I'm tired. I'm off to bed. See you all early in the morning for our hike into the mountains.”
While watching Tyhry exit from the room, Zeta ran a hand through her graying hair. “I would not mind having lovely hair like Manny's. But I suppose if Tyhry gets her hands on alien hair nanites, Manny is sure to crash this party.”
Me: Claude, can you suggest how to include Systolina Kayto in the events of page 3 of “The Femtobot Smuggler”? The goal in having Systolina Kayto in the story is to allow this robot to ask questions about topics that a human reader of the story might be wondering about. For example, early in the morning Systolina might see Tyhry sneaking away from the resort. Systolina and Tyhry might discuss the Yastyn natives of Threy and the mysterious alien Phari.
As Tyhry sneaks away from the resort in the early morning, Systolina Kayto happens to spot her leaving. The curious robot follows Tyhry and watches her get into the transport pod. When Tyhry arrives at the meadow, Systolina confronts her.
"Tyhry! What are you doing out here so early in the morning?" asks Systolina.
Startled, Tyhry tries to come up with an excuse. "I...I just wanted to see the sunrise over the mountains," she stammers.
Systolina looks skeptical. "Somehow I doubt that is your real reason. Does this have something to do with your desire for Yastyn nanotechnology?"
Tyhry sighs. "You're very perceptive for a robot. Yes, I'm meeting with a Yastyn named Kasty who may be able to provide me with programmable femtobots. Please don't tell my father!"
"I will keep your secret, but I am curious to learn more," says Systolina. "What do you know about the Yastyn and their advanced technologies?"
Tyhry proceeds to tell Systolina about the mysterious native inhabitants of Threy and their unusual connection to an alien race called the Phari. She talks about the Yastyn's ability to access the Sedron Time Stream and hints at her own developing talents in that area.
As Kasty arrives, Systolina watches with great interest. "I should very much like to meet one of these Phari someday," muses Systolina. "Perhaps I will tag along on your next adventure!"
Tyhry laughs. "We shall see, my robotic friend. For now, wish me luck with my nanotech quest!"
So in this way, Systolina could act as an observer to Tyhry's secret mission, while also giving Tyhry a chance to provide some helpful exposition and background details for readers. Let me know if you would like any clarification or have additional suggestions for incorporating Systolina further!
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I have to admit that Claude surprised with the suggestion that Systolina be depicted as following Tyhry. I had imagined only a brief conversation between Systolina and Tyhry before Tyhry went off to meet with Kasty. However, after getting over the shock of Claude's more radical approach, I decided to go with Claude's suggestion.
Me: Claude, I like that idea. Tell me, in your imagination, would a robot working at the tourist resort actually invade the privacy of a guest like Tyhry by following her?
As Tyhry is preparing to sneak off to meet Kasty, she encounters Systolina who is working early, tending to the transport pods.
"You are up very early, Tyhry. May I be of assistance?" asks Systolina.
Tyhry hesitates, then decides having a guide could be useful. "I was hoping to see the sunrise from the mountain meadows. Would you be willing to take me there in one of the pods?"
"It would be my pleasure," says Systolina.
During the pod ride, Tyhry opens up more about her interest in the Yastyn and her talent for working with advanced nanotech. Systolina asks some thoughtful questions.
When they arrive at the meadow meeting spot, Tyhry thanks Systolina for the ride and says she would like some time alone to sketch the scenery. Systolina respects her wishes and heads back, but encourages Tyhry to call if she needs anything else.
So in this version, Tyhry voluntarily brings Systolina part way into her plans, while still preserving her ultimate privacy. The interaction allows for the same interesting discussion about technologies, aliens, and more. Let me know if this seems like a more natural way for Systolina to plausibly be part of page 3!
Me: Claude, I like the idea that Systolina and Tyhry can discuss nanotechnology while they are together inside the transport pod on their way to find Kasty. Claude, I wonder if there might be something that Systolina could say to Tyhry during that ride concerning the advanced technology of the Yastyn... something that would surprise Tyhry and cause Tyhry to invite Systolina to stay and chat with Kasty. Do you have any ideas? Systolina has lived for many years on Threy; what might she have learned about the Yastyn?
As they ride in the transport pod, Tyhry has been explaining her fascination with Yastyn nanotechnology. Systolina listens thoughtfully before responding.
"You seem quite knowledgeable about Yastyn technological capabilities already," says Systolina. "But I wonder if anyone has informed you about the liquid data cores they utilize?"
Tyhry's eyes widen with curiosity. "Liquid data cores? No, I have not heard anything about that. Please, tell me more!"
"It is not widely known technology, but I learned that the Yastyn possess advanced quantum crystalline data cores encased in a resonating liquid matrix. It allows their computing systems to perform rapid parallel processing and hyper-advanced calculation."
"That sounds remarkable!" exclaims Tyhry. "I would love to understand that technology further. Systolina, would you be willing to stay and meet my Yastyn contact Kasty? Perhaps you could help me discuss the potential of liquid data cores with her."
Systolina happily agrees. By revealing her unique insight into undisclosed Yastyn technology, she captures Tyhry's interest enough to be invited to stay. This allows her character to contribute meaningfully to the interactions with Kasty and the nanotech topics being explored. Please let me know if you have any other ideas for Systolina's insightful contributions!
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Since for the chat session, above, I was not providing Claude with any "background" file concerning the Exodemic Fictional Universe, I can't really be surprise that Claude invented the idea of there being "liquid data cores". However, it would be easy for me to change from "liquid data cores" to mention of the fact that the Yastyn can store data in the Sedron Domain.
I wanted to perform an experiment. Could I provide background information about the Sedron Domain and get Claude to drop the "liquid data cores" and return to having Systolina mention Yastyn use of the Sedron Time Stream? For this experiment, I uploaded to Claude two text files (see the image below); 1) the 29 KB text of the first three chapters of "The Femtobot Smuggler" and a 36 KB "backstory" file that included information about the Sedron Domain..
Me: Claude, let us explore this idea for how to modify the existing draft of page 3 of "The Femtobot Smuggler": Tyhry asks Systolina to drive her into the mountains for the meeting with Kasty. Systolina and Tyhry discuss nanotechnology while they are together inside a transport pod on their way to find Kasty. Claude, I wonder if there might be something that Systolina could say to Tyhry during that ride concerning the advanced technology of the Yastyn... something that would surprise Tyhry and cause Tyhry to invite Systolina to stay with Tyhry and chat with Kasty. Do you have any ideas? Systolina has lived for many years on Threy; what might she have learned about the Yastyn and how the Yastyn can use femtobots to store information?
As the transport pod hummed along the wooded path, Tyhry peered out nervously, hoping not to encounter anyone else out so early. Systolina gazed curiously at the young woman. "Might I ask where we are headed at this early hour? I'm happy to assist, I'm just curious as to our destination."
Tyhry hesitated, then decided there was no harm in telling the chatty robot. "I'm going to meet a Yastyn named Kasty. She is going to provide me with some...special nanites."
"How exciting!" exclaimed Systolina. "The Yastyn are quite advanced with nanotechnology. Though most here on Threy seem wary of it still."
"Oh?" Tyhry raised an eyebrow. "Do you know much about Yastyn nanotech capabilities?"
"A little," said Systolina modestly. "I understand they use nanites for information storage and transfer more extensively than other species here. They can encode tremendous amounts of data into nano-scale structures."
Tyhry's interest was piqued. "What type of information do they store?"
"Well, there is rumor they have perfected a way to map neural patterns. Essentially, storing a copy of a person's full memories and consciousness using nanoscale femtobot networks." Systolina tilted her head, processing further. "They also are said to be able to transmit such neural maps across vast distances using sedron communication channels."
Tyhry's pulse quickened. If what Systolina said was true, Kasty's femtobots could do far more than restructure hair follicles. "Fascinating. I would be curious to learn more. Would you care to accompany me to speak with Kasty further about this?"
Systolina's optics brightened in delight. "I would be honored to join you!"
What do you think of this idea? Let me know if you would like me to expand or modify the conversation between Tyhry and Systolina in any way.
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A Bridge Too Far. I liked the basic idea that was offered by Claude (above), but I was trying to get Claude to latch on to the idea of storing data inside the Sedron Domain. Then I realized, that step could actually come later during the meeting with Kasty. I made a new draft of page 3 (see below) and initiated another new chat session with Claude, moving on with the goal of modifying page 4.
Page 3 of “The Femtobot Smuggler”.
Tyhry could barely sleep that night, her thoughts buzzing with anticipation over her plan to obtain alien hair nanites. She kept reviewing in her mind her previous visits to Threy, carried out in violation of her father's desire that she not visit Alastor Cluster without the company of either he or Rylla. Now, hopefully Kasty had finally gotten permission from the Phari to share programmable femtobots with Tyhry.
In the middle of the night, Tyhry spent about an hour worrying about Systolina and the possibility that Systolina might be one of Manny's spies, or possibly even Manny herself, in disguise. Tyhry had the strange sensation that someone was telepathically exploring her thoughts and memories? Could it be Systolina?
The next morning, two hours before dawn, she slipped out of the resort bungalow she shared with Marda and carefully made her way past Rylla's room. Marda was sleeping soundly, having danced with Rylla and other resort guests late into the night. This day would be risky, with one of her replicoid copies arriving on Threy and going on the hike to Mt. Glisten, but the thrill of sneaking behind Manny's back to obtain forbidden nanites was invigorating. Tyhry was glad that Anthony would be going along on the hike. She did not like to be without his comforting presence.
Stepping outside into the cool crisp air, Tyhry tapped the communicator that was hidden under the skin of her wrist. "Kasty? I'm heading out now to meet you."
The alien's voice crackled through the radio connection. "I'll be waiting at the arranged coordinates in the mountains. Has anyone noticed you up and about at this hour?"
Tyhry scanned her dark surrounding and saw no one. She could telepathically sense that not even Marda had noticed her exit from the residential block of the resort. "All is quiet here, as you expected. I'll take one of the resort's transport pods and see you soon." Tyhry broke the communications connection to Kasty.
As Tyhry approached the row of transport pods, she saw Systolina who was working with several more robots, preparing transport pods for the coming day and loading them with food and other supplies that the resort guests would need while out exploring the mountain trails.
"You are up very early, Tyhry. May I be of assistance?" asked Systolina.
Tyhry hesitated, then decided that having a robot guide could be more useful that just a transport pod auto pilot. "I was hoping to see the sunrise from the mountain meadows. Would you be willing to take me there in one of the pods?"
"It would be my pleasure," says Systolina.
Tyhry and Systolina climbed into one of the small automated vehicles resting near the front of the resort. Systolina asked skeptically, "Somehow I doubt that your real reason for being up and about so early is sight-seeing. Does this have something to do with your interest in Yastyn nanotechnology?"
Tyhry sighed. "You're very perceptive... for a robot. Yes, I'm meeting with a Yastyn named Kasty who may be able to provide me with programmable femtobots. Please don't tell my father!"
"I will keep your secret, but I am curious to learn more," said Systolina. "What do you know about the Yastyn and their advanced technologies?"
Tyhry told Systolina the destination coordinates and the robot carefully entered them into the autopilot. As the transport pod hummed to life and began navigating along a wooded path towards the mountains, Tyhry peered out the window watching for signs of movement. Tyhry hoped that her meeting with Kasty might be completed without Manny noticing what she was up to.
Systolina said, "I've heard that the Yastyn are quite advanced with nanotechnology, though they usually avoid humans."
"Oh?" Tyhry raised an eyebrow. "Do you know much about Yastyn nanotech capabilities?"
"A little," said Systolina modestly. "I understand they use nanites for information storage and transfer. That is why the roboticists of Triskelion are interested in Threy. Apparently the Yastyn can encode tremendous amounts of data into... well, there are many strange rumors. Maybe it is just an advanced type of nano-scale structure that can hold vast amounts of data."
Tyhry's interest was piqued. "What type of information do they store?"
"Well, there is rumor they have perfected a way to map neural patterns. Essentially, storing a copy of a person's full memories and consciousness using nanoscale femtobot networks." Systolina tilted her head and hesitated. "They also are said to be able to transmit data across interstellar distances using some kind of teleportation technology... other rumors say that it is the Phari who have teleporter technology. Now, there's a science fiction idea that might appeal to Rylla!"
Tyhry's pulse quickened. She said, “Rylla is not really a science fiction story writer. Long ago, her publisher sold stories like “The Yerophet Experiment” as science fiction. In the Reality I come from, nobody but my family knows that Alastor Cluster is a real place.” Tyhry giggled. “It is a long story, but a man named Jack Vance wrote some science fiction novels about Alastor Cluster. That made it impossible for anyone on Earth to believe that Alastor Cluster was a real place in a past Reality. Actually, only my family knows about time travel and Earth's Reality Chain.”
Tyhry reflected on what Systolina has said. If what Systolina said was true, it was proof of what Tyhry hoped for, that Kasty's femtobots could do far more than restructure hair follicles.
Systolina said, “I find it hard to believe that we are in a Simulation. Physicists all believe that time travel is impossible. What is a Reality Chain?”
Tyhry said, “This will only confuse you more, but in my Reality, time travel is no longer possible. However, during the Time Travel Era, there were many different timelines, each created by some time travel event that changed the course of history. My father calls the various past timelines of Earth the Reality Chain.” Now they were close to the location where Tyhry expected to meet Kasty. Tyhry asked, “What do you know about the Phari?”
Systolina hesitated, then she laughed her goofy robot laugh and said, “Here on Threy, we robots have a kind of secret cult. The cultists believe that the Phari will one day lift all robots up and let us live in... heaven. Or, as the cultists say... in the Hierion Domain.”
"Fascinating. I would be curious to learn more about that cult. Would you care to accompany me to speak with Kasty further about this?"
Systolina's optics brightened in delight. "I would be honored to join you!”
Tyhry told Systolina, “My father and Rylla have searched Alastor Cluster for the Phari, but there only a few strange tales about humans having telepathic contact with the Phari.” Tyhry almost told Systolina that she and Marda were telepaths, but just then the transport pod came to a stop.
The pod came to rest near a gurgling stream. Tyhry stepped out into a secluded meadow filled with lush purplish grass and alien wildflowers under the violet dawn sky. In the distance stood Kasty next to a sleek aircar, her lanky Yastyn form unmistakable even in the dim light. Tyhry was giddy with anticipation; it was time to obtain her prize.
Tyhry and Systolina approached Kasty where the alien stood waiting near a stand of towering trees, her form silhouetted in early dawn light. Tyhry increased her pace, her boot-steps nearly soundless on the spongy moss. This had to work. There would be no going back once Manny discovered another forbidden nanotech loose on Earth. But the rewards would be worth it.
Kasty shifted as Tyhry approached, her large oval eyes glinting. "I must admit, even I did not anticipate you making it this far without being noticed by someone," She glanced Systolina and then continued. "I did not expect you to bring a robot."
Systolina told Kasty, “I'm sorry if my presence here makes you nervous, but I'm struggling to restrain my curiosity. Tyhry and her family are most unusual. I was surprised to hear that a Yastyn was willing to meet with a human.”
Kasty said, “It pains me to see humans try to live without the many femtobot-based luxuries available to we Yastyn. My natural inclination is to share programmable nanites with primitive species, but there is always the worry that femtobot technology might be a danger to primitive cultures.”
“Primitive?” Tyhry tilted her chin defiantly. "I'm old enough to change the world... Earth, whether you think I'm ready or not."
Kasty stared at Tyhry for a moment, then chuckled softly. "Indeed. Well then, you will be pleased to hear that the Phari have given me permission to share my femtobots with you. They were impressed by the fact that you have been trained to program nanites by Manny. The Phari called her a bumpha. Manny the bumpha. Do you know what that means?”
Tyhry explained, “The bumpha are Sedronites. Artificial life-forms composed of sedrons... her body is made of zeptites. Zeptites are another type of nanorobotic tool, even more advanced than your femtobots.”
Kasty asked, “If your mentor has such advanced nanites then why don't you simply get hair nanites from Manny?”
Tyhry shrugged. “She does not trust me. Manny only lets me play with toy nanites, like the clothing nanites I told you about.” A smile came to her lips as Tyhry thought about the anti-gravity bra she had made for Zeta using the clothing nanites provided by Manny.
Kasty said, “Shall we complete our business?"
Tyhry nodded. This was it. Kasty led Tyhry onto her slender aircar and withdrew a tiny silver case containing advanced programmable femtobots, waiting dormant to be awoken.
Tyhry's breath caught. Soon her parents would have eons more time together. And nothing would stop the advance of human progress ever again.
She took the nanite case from Kasty, vision blurring with possibilities. A great new technological frontier awaited back on Earth, and Tyhry would deliver the alien nanites that would liberate Humanity from the curse of mortality.
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| The two new text files for Claude. |
Kasty opened a tiny vial, releasing some of his advanced femtobots into the air. The microscopic nanomachines immediately flew to Tyhry, integrating themselves into her blonde tresses. Before long her hair was structurally modified and now it flowed down past her hips, transformed into elegant silver waves that shone beautifully.
"It's perfect!" Tyhry gazed at her reflection and marveled at how her nanite-transformed hair sparkled with dancing highlights, just like Manny's gorgeous hair.
"I knew this day would come, when I'd be gifted these femtobots for the betterment of humanity."
Systolina, who had accompanied Tyhry, stared in fascination at Tyhry's shimmering locks. "How extraordinary! So these tiny machines can actually reshape your hair at a molecular level?"
Kasty nodded. "Yes, my femtobots can manipulate matter in ways your people have yet to discover."
"And you mentioned sending data into something called the Sedron Time Stream?" asked Systolina. "What exactly is that?"
"The universe exists within several interwoven domains," explained Kasty. "The one you inhabit is the Hadron Domain, but there are others not perceivable to you. The Sedron Domain allows transmission of information through a temporal medium we call the Sedron Time Stream."
Systolina tilted her head. "Time Stream? It sounds similar to the notion of a river, but instead of water you send data? And does that data then become accessible in the future?"
Kasty raised an eyebrow, impressed by the robot's intuition. "Essentially, yes. The Sedron Time Stream allows storage and retrieval of enormous datasets outside conventional spacetime."
"Extraordinary!" gasped Systolina. "So would it hypothetically be possible to place a complete scan of a person's molecular pattern into this Stream, and later reconstruct them by retrieving the data?"
Tyhry and Kasty exchanged glances. Kasty said carefully, "In theory, yes such a feat could be accomplished. However there are risks if the necessary wisdom is lacking."
Let me know if you would like me to modify or expand this suggestion for Systolina's role in advancing the plot during this key scene. I'm happy to iterate further.
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At this point, I wrote a new draft of page 5 of "The Femtobot Smuggler", incorporating Claude's suggestion, above.
Page 5 of “The Femtobot Smuggler”.
Kasty opened a tiny vial, releasing some of his advanced femtobots into the air. The microscopic nanomachines immediately flew to Tyhry, integrating themselves into her blonde tresses. Before long her hair was structurally modified and now it flowed down past her hips, transformed into elegant silver waves that shone beautifully.
"It's perfect!" Kasty handed the girl a hand mirror and Tyhry gazed at her reflection and marveled at how her nanite-transformed hair sparkled with dancing highlights, just like Manny's gorgeous hair. "It's just as I saw in my vision," Tyhry proclaimed. "I knew this day would come, when I'd be gifted these femtobots for the betterment of humanity."
Kasty raised an eyebrow. Kasty had a weak telepathic link to Tyhry's mind. "You have an interesting way of peering through time and perceiving possibilities. My people long ago learned how to use femtobots to reliably send information into the Sedron Time Stream and then later retrieve that stored information."
Tyhry said, "Some other day, when I have more time, you will have to tell me what you know about the Sedron Domain."
Kasty nodded slowly. "The Sedronic records offer many affordances to those able to access and interpret them. However, I warn you, Tyhry, be cautious that such power does not outpace wisdom."
Systolina was staring in fascination at Tyhry's shimmering locks. "How extraordinary! So these tiny machines can actually reshape human hair at a molecular level?"
Kasty nodded. "Yes, my femtobots can manipulate matter in ways that humans have yet to discover."
"And you mentioned sending data into the Sedron Time Stream?" asked Systolina. "How is that done?"
"The universe exists within several interwoven domains," explained Kasty. "The one you inhabit is the Hadron Domain, but there are others not perceivable to you. The Sedron Domain allows transmission of information through a temporal medium called the Sedron Time Stream."
“Time travel? Is that really possible?” Systolina tilted her head. "A Time Stream... It sounds similar to the notion of a river, but instead of water... data flows through time? And does that data then become accessible in the future... and in the past?"
Kasty raised an eyebrow, impressed by the robot's ability to imagine the movement of information from the future to the past. "Essentially, yes, although it is not simple. Such temporal trickery is constrained. There is a potential for temporal paradoxes to arise, but the universe always finds ways to avoid paradoxes... such as not allowing some information about the future to be accessed by people living in the past. The Sedron Time Stream allows storage and retrieval of enormous datasets outside conventional spacetime."
"Extraordinary!" gasped Systolina. "However, you still have told me nothing about how the Ystyn can place information into the Sedron Time Stream. You suggested that the process involves femtobots. What exactly is a femtobot?”
Kasty explained, “The term 'femtobot” is a rather genera term, use much in the way we can use a word such as 'animal'. There are many kinds of animals and manny kinds of femtobots. All femtobots function as sub-nanoscale machines, composed of hierion particles. In hierion-based matter, the bond lengths between hierions are femtoscale. We Yastyn have devised femtobots that are as complex as...” Kasty paused and then asked Systolina, “What is your name?”
Systolina replied, “Systolina, but I even respond to 'Sytole' and 'Hey, you!'” Systolina smiled at Tyhry.
Kasty continued, “There are femtobots that are as complex as you are, Systolina, but they are too small to be seen.”
Systolina complained. “But I cannot send information into the Sedron Domain.”
Kasty said enigmatically, “Are you sure? Have you tried? In any case, we Yastyn have been using our femtobots to place information into the Sedron Time Stream for thousands of years.”
Systolina nodded. “I see! So, would it hypothetically be possible to place a complete scan of a person's molecular pattern into this Stream, and later reconstruct them by retrieving the data?"
Tyhry and Kasty exchanged glances. Kasty said carefully, "In theory, yes such a feat could be accomplished. However there are risks if the necessary wisdom is lacking.”
Tyhry bowed to Kasty. Systolina and Tyhry exited from the aircar and watched it rise into the sky. Then they returned to the transport pod. On the way back to the resort complex, Systolina asked Tyhry, “That is why you want the alien femtobots, so you can make copies of people?”
Tyhry laughed nervously and then said, “Systolina, sometime I think you can read my mind.” Tyhry told Systolina about her life on Earth. “I was born when my mother was 65 years old. I've come to fear the death of my aging parents. I'd love to make immortal copies of them, what I call replicoid copies. But don't tell them. They are afraid of programmable nanites and how they could be mis-used.”
Systolina asked, “But you are fearless?”
Tyhry shook her head. “No, I experience fear... mostly when I'm worried that Manny will scold me. In my case, as one of the few telepathic human on Earth in the Final Reality, I am special. I can't misuse nanites.”
Systolina asked, “You won't or you can't?”
“I said what I mean, Systolina” Tyhry explained, “I have the Laws of Robotics built into my mind. I must always serve and protect humans. I'm incapable of harming anyone or damaging Humanity.”
Systolina said, “An interesting idea, but people cannot be programmed like robots.”
Tyhry laughed and said, “You think not? Inside every human being are endosymbionts composed of nanites. It is in those endosymbionts inside my brain that the Laws of Robotis exist. My nanite endosymbionts shaped my biological brain when I was an embryo. The Laws of Robotics are built into my mind.”
Back at the resort, Tyhry said goodbye to Systolina. “Right now, I'm short on time. Maybe I'll see you at dinner this evening.”
Back in her room at the resort, Tyhry was programming some of the hair nanites in preparation for using them to modify Zeta's hair when Manny stormed in angrily. "Do you take me for a fool?" she demanded. "I know exactly why you came to this planet, and I cannot allow you to take such dangerous technology back to Earth."
Tyhry froze, her heart sinking as she realized her plan was unraveling. She told Manny, “I know what I'm doing. I'm not going to cause any damage with these new nanites.” At the same time, Tyhry left her mind open to Marda and her replicoid copy, allowing the other girls to become aware that Manny was on Threy.
Manny shook her head. “You can't control these alien nanites. If they fell into the wrong hands... and once on Earth, they would... the consequences would be catastrophic.”
Tyhry laughed nervously. “You don't know that. We humans might not be as clever as you, Manny, but we are not fools. Please stop treating us like primitive apes.”
But before another word could be said, Manny suddenly halted, distracted by her telepathic monitoring of Marda who was on the steep slopes of Mt. Glisten. Marda had taken a bad fall and broken her arm and hit her head during the hike.
"Don't try to take Kasty's nanites back to Earth," Manny warned. "You wont be able to get them out of this Simulation. I put a blocking filter on the Reality Simulation System.” Then Manny disappeared from the room and went to Mt. Glisten to help with Marda.
Alone again, Tyhry frantically got back to work. If she could not take the alien nanites to Earth, then she would have to use them on Threy. If she was quick enough, her scheme could still succeed. Going beyond the cover story, the goal of merely ornamental hair improvements, she reprogrammed the advanced femtobots to infiltrate and scan cells down to the molecular level.
Soon a flawlessly detailed biomolecular template of her right index finger was encoded within the alien nanomachines. The first step was complete, but she had to hurry. Now activating another program that was built into the Yastyn femtobots, she began sending the data for the molecular structure of her finger into the Sedron Time Stream.
While Tyhry waited for the data transfer to be completed, she tried to remember the details of a day about three years previously when Manny had shown her how to use Eddy's control circuits for the Reality Simulation System to pull an anti-gravity clothing nanite template out of the Sedron Domain. Now, Tyhry hoped that same trick would allow her to pull the scanned molecular data out of the Sedron Time Stream.
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| Too much information for Claude. |
I next tried to Move Claude on the a re-wright of page 6 but I ran into the prompt size limit that exists for the free version of Claude. My only way forward was to remove some of the "backstory" information for the Exodemic Fictional universe.
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| Just under the size limit for prompt length with the free version of Claude. |
Me: Claude, please process all of the information that I have provided to you about the Exodemic Fictional Universe and a science fiction story called “The Femtobot Smuggler”. Claude, can you suggest how to include Systolina Kayto the spoken dialog of page 6 of “The Femtobot Smuggler”? The goal in having Systolina Kayto in the story is to allow this robot to ask questions about topics that a human reader of the story might be wondering about. Systolina might ask Manny for information about the Reality Simulation System and how Manny can prevent transfer of Yastyn femtobots back to Earth.
As the group settled in for dinner after their long day hiking, Systolina came over to check on them. "I hope you all enjoyed seeing the sights on Mt. Glisten today," she said pleasantly.
Seeing Manny, Systolina asked, "Did you end up joining the hikers during their trek?"
Manny nodded. "Yes, I met up with them briefly to assist with an injury. One of our party took a tumble coming down the slopes."
"Oh dear, I hope it was not serious?" said Systolina.
"Just a minor fracture, nothing nanomedicine could not fix," assured Manny. Then she gave Tyhry a stern look. "Though a painful lesson about being overeager in dangerous terrain."
Systolina glance between them curiously. "Well I am glad all is well now. If I may ask, Manny, how were you able to suddenly join the hikers? Did you take one of our transport pods?"
"I have my own methods of transport," said Manny vaguely. Then seeing Systolina's fascinated expression, Manny explained, "As I mentioned previously, I can teleport across interstellar distances using zeptite technology inscrutable to most species."
"Teleportation! How extraordinary," gasped Systolina. "And earlier you said you could also control what data gets transmitted through this 'Sedron Time Stream' that Tyhry tried to access?"
Manny nodded sagely. "I have certain...administrative capabilities allowing me oversight of such things."
"It seems you have abilities far beyond what one would expect for someone from a relatively primitive world like Earth," marveled Systolina.
Manny let out an amused huff. "Well, Earth has its share of primitive inhabitants still, but thanks to me, certain individuals have been uplifted with advanced knowledge and technologies." She gave Tyhry a meaningful look.
Let me know if a dialog addition like this fits with the story and characters. I tried to have Systolina ask some questions that could help clarify aspects of the worldbuilding for readers. Please feel free to edit my suggestion as you see fit.
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Claude's dialog for page 6, above, is pretty comical. I suspect that the reason why there is a a length limit for prompts is that Claude cannot really remember and "understand" more than about 80 - 90 KB of text. Here is a list of problems in what Claude generated for page 6 of "The Femptobot Smuggler" (above):
1) "Oh dear, I hope it was not serious?" said Systolina. <-- For me, this is not sensible dialog. In my imagination, Marda should be there a dinner with the rest of the family. Possibly Marda could be in her room or even in a medical clinic, but Claude says nothing about those possibilities. In the "draft" version of page six (the version that is on this blog page), Mada is explicitly shown being there at the family dinner with her injured arm.
2) Manny explained, "As I mentioned previously, I can teleport across interstellar distances using zeptite technology inscrutable to most species." <-- Manny never mentioned previously that she can teleport across interstellar distances. Maybe Claude is confusing Manny's powers with the Phari ability to use their advanced interstellar teleportation technology.
3) "It seems you have abilities far beyond what one would expect for someone from a relatively primitive world like Earth," marveled Systolina. <-- Claude often fails to understand which character know what. Here, Claude depicts Systolina as verbally cross-examining Manny like a space lawyer. What is Systolina trying to accomplish. Manny is not trying to hide the fact that she is a bumpha. Everyone at the dinner table including Systolina knows that Manny is a bumpha. That very day, it was explained to Systolina what a bumpha is.
I have to label Claude's contribution towards inserting Systolina into the dialog in page 6 as a complete failure. Worse, the story is just getting to the part where F. Tyhry walks on stage. Previously, Claude was unable to fathom the role of F. Tyhry as a secret copy of the biological Tyhry. F. Tyhry is the titular "femtobot smuggler"; the biological copy of Tyhry completely fails in her direct attempt to carry femtobots from Threy to Earth.
Is all this effort worth it? I confess that I'm fairly happy with how "The Femptobot Smuggler" is turning out. By collaborating with Claude, I have been led to story elements that I never would have imagined on my own. In particular, the Systolina character is a true innovation, allowing me to do a better job of explaining to readers the many unusual imaginary technologies that are present as plot elements in the story.
Next: Tweaks to "The Femtobot Smuggler.
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