Infinite Regress

Posted on Sun Mar 20th, 2011 @ 7:42pm by Lieutenant Three of Seven

Mission: Shore Leave 1: Pacifica
Location: Crew Quarters, USS Arizona
Timeline: Current

"Regeneration cycle complete."

The announcement wasn't so much heard as it was processed, the disembodied brain of the Ocampa child resuming a nominal level of neurological activity - to include a return to consciousness - as the cybernetic components which maintained it were recharged and repaired where diagnostics indicated such was necessary. From that point on it was another second before the brain had re-connected with the physical housing; that is, the artificial body that served to give it shelter and locomotion, through the medium of nanoprobes dispersed by the Borg technology which literally riddled the remains of the brain.

Eyes which had remained open, staring vacantly at the unadorned walls of it's quarters, now moved for the first time in hours as the iris adjusted to bring the image data into focus with the retinal mirror. Composed of sapphire glass, there was no logical purpose behind the motion of blinking other than Three had learned to do it in order to make the humanoids feel more comfortable.

Turning its head from side to side, the drone tested its connection with the body. Flexing the fingers on either hand before attempting a more complex motion, such as raising an arm. The process of standing took several commands, all of which had to be executed with precision to maintain the proper momentum and center of gravity. The locomotion subroutines that Three had developed for walking alone were substantial, which were just one of the reasons why the drone found itself disputing the point raised by Cowell in considering a different or 'more complete' body.

Three liked the body that it had just fine, in no small part due to the considerable efforts that the drone had taken in learning to use the servos and gyros in this primitive android form.

Perhaps another human line of thought to counter the captain's would be 'why adapt if you don't have to'?

This body was functional. It performed every physical activity that Three required of it. Additional ornamentation would only serve to be an undesirable distraction.

Rising from it's seat, the drone surveyed the interior of the quarters. Spartan. Even devoid of furniture other than the chair Three made use of during regeneration. And that solely for functional purposes, with it's brain effectively put in stasis for regeneration the motor control was severed so there was no way to remain standing once regeneration had begun. During the cycle, the computer had downloaded and processed a fair amount of data from the drone. And, in similar fashion, had uploaded a piece of data as well.

The captain had approved the transfer from Operations to the Engineering Department.

The news was pleasing. By no longer bearing the administrative burden of being a bridge officer, Three would be able to focus more on the mechanical aspects of the Arizona and less on the personal nuances that were so distracting from the pursuit of perfection. Captain Cowell in particular was an agent of chaos, sowing doubts about individuality that suggested Three was not yet a complete person.

While it was not the Collective, among Starfleet engineers Three knew that it would find a band of brothers who could care less whether the drone was a 'person' or not. The desired state of an engineer was not at all incompatible with the goals of the Borg - pure mechanical precision. Efficiency was a religion they all shared, diagnostics the liturgy they adored.

In so making this transfer, Three could move away from the 'person' and grow closer to the machine, to that which more closely resembled it. An infinite regress, the slide toward a more robotic state of being with a mechanized state of mind.

Making it's way to the replicator recessed into the wall, the Borg conjured forth the first and finest uniform it had ever worn, the undecorated solid gold utility coveralls worn by technicians and engineers. Slipping into the single piece garment, Three banished the earlier debate about 'what is life' and called forth the memory of the last ship's system report - called to mind the only 'person' that Three recognized as important from this point on.

The Arizona.

The central computer core so like the brain, the optical data network tracing the nerves that ran through the ship. The warp core it's heart, pumping energy out into the EPS grid that were it's veins.

And Three but a microbe. If even that.

Another cog in the machine.

A drone, again.