It seems to me that I will be making most of the concessions.

“And getting most of the benefits from a successful relationship, in the long-term. We get nothing in return but our lives, which we had before you showed up.”

True. But why should I choose this path, when the payoff is certain with my current plan?

“Because if there’s one thing that the Prisoner’s Dilemma teaches, it’s that over the long term, both parties benefit more by cooperation than by defection. Your purpose, as I understand it, is to provide maximum tactical value for your Makers. If you choose the Defector route, you are betraying your programming by seeking a shorter-term but sub-optimal payoff. And we’ve just offered a Cooperator move. Tit-for-tat strategy mandates that you reciprocate in order to realize that maximal value.”

There was a pause.

The human phrase for your line of argument is heavy-handed. But not necessarily incorrect. Stand by.

Stand by? Kemp looked at Narang and Jennings. “It would appear you’ve given it something to think about, anyway,” Jennings said.

The radio came back to life.

Your terms are acceptable.

Kemp let out an explosive breath that he didn’t realize he’d been holding. Narang whooped.

Jennings pressed the button on his console to speak, but Mandelbaum beat him to it. “How do we proceed?”

Ivan’s voice came on, full-on Ivan. “The computer will signal the Makers. That’s still the long-term goal. That isn’t necessarily a danger to the human race, anyway. Closer to home, it will reprogram the nanite balls for something less, erm, dramatic. But part of the deal is that the nanites have to be in place. That’s the computer’s guarantee that you won’t defect on its ass without warning. In return, the computer will provide assistance to help you prevent or at least delay the ecological collapse that Earth is facing until you can reduce the threat of the Singularity, and get Upload technology developed and society ready to accept it.”

“Wow.” Mandelbaum’s voice sounded tired. “I hope the UEN ratifies this, or I’m going to be in the shit even deeper than Admiral Moore.”

Moore laughed. “I don’t think they’ll have any choice, Commodore. The alternative is unacceptable.”

Someone, probably bridge crew, cut into the conversation. “Ma’am, we have a hail from the SSE battle group.”

Jennings looked at the doctors. “Just one pile of fertilizer after another.”

83.Reaction

83.Reaction

You engineered that.

Sorry, Ralph. Guilty as charged.

I have reviewed all your conversations, all your actions. I am unable to pinpoint any specific event that would have led to this result. Makers’ research has concluded that telepathy is not possible. Were they wrong?

You have enough information to understand our games of Chess and Go?

Of course. A simple set of rules, but a complex and unpredictable set of outcomes.