The following article appeared in Transhumanity Today:
Gateway: “Triglavians No Immediate Threat”
121.05.02
Foundation CityDuring a press conference held in The Nexus Building, Gateway Biko addressed growing concerns about a possible Triglavian invasion. These concerns mostly originated from the subgroups of The Networkers, The Coalescents and the AGIs following messages from the Triglavians that some think may indicate that they are hostile to certain forms of hive minds and Artificial Intelligence. This concern has increasingly spread among the other citizens of Origin in the last weeks as speculation about a possible Triglavian invasion is taking place in the media and GalNet fora. The topic has also been raised in The Digital Council but so far the Board of Coordinators has remained silent on the issue.
Gateway Biko appeared a bit nervous as he approached the podium and glanced around at the assembled press before looking down as he prepared for what was to be his first official address in over a year. However, as he progressed through his opening statement he appeared increasingly calm and confident facing the press, and even a bit cheerful:"Good evening. I stand before you today to address concerns about a possible Triglavian threat to Origin. First of all, I’d like to say that despite some rumors to the opposite, we are keeping a close eye on any developments concerning the Triglavians. Behind the scenes we are actively working to understand the Triglavians and interpret their words. The communication lines with the Arataka Research Consortium, which I and many others consider to be one of the most knowledgable groups concerning the so-called Emergent Threats, are short.
[pause]
Secondly, while they indeed seem to be hostile towards Sansha’s Nation and, to a lesser extend, the Rogue Drones, it is still unclear whether or not this hostility extends to other hive minds and AIs. In fact, there are some signs that the Triglavians, in whole or in part, are themselves part of a hive mind. They also could be AI, or there could be AI among them. We just don’t know enough about them yet to draw any conclusions either way. Regardless, I think it is safe to say that the Triglavians pose no immediate threat to Origin. We have not seen any of them in Origin, or any indication that they even know about our colonies here. As such, if they are indeed planning an invasion, it is likely that they will be targeting Nation and the Drifters.
[pause]
Thirdly, we’ll be consulting with representatives of our population on whether or not to seek contact with the Triglavians in order to determine their position on hiveminds and AI, if and when a means to communicate with them has been established.
[small pause]
Any questions?"During the Q&A, Biko revealed that he had aquired a set of Semiosis Conduction Consoles from ARC, but that they had not been taken inside Origin yet, and that there are currently no plans to do so. “We’re currently investigating wether we can use these devices to communicate with them, but there’s no need to do that in this system yet. We may relocate them to Origin after further investigation will reveal that it is safe to do so, and if it’s worth the effort to do so.”
Asked about wether Alexylva Paradox is capable to defend against a Triglavian invasion his response was a quick but cheery “We are always ready to defend against any and all threats. Next question?”
When asked about ALXVP’s relationship with ARC and wether the corporation may become part of the alliance, he responded by saying that “We’ve been working together on some fronts, mostly…with research. […] We’re…tentatively looking for other possible areas of cooperation, including inside Origin itself, but I can say nothing concrete about this at this time.” He also said that SFRIMs departure from the ARC alliance had no effect on the relationship between SFRIM and ALXVP. “We’re still on good terms.”
The questions then became increasingly more about Biko himself: why he has made so few public appearances lately (“I’ve been busy.”), about the state of his marriage (“Steady. Next question.”), and about the Origin Child Protection’s investigation. He answered that last one with “I think it may be concluded before the end of next week.” before calling an end to the press conference, saying goodbye with a bow of his head and “Thank you, peace.”, then leaving with a blank expression.