To: MOM
From: PIPER
DATE: June 20th, 2038
Subject: Curiosity Success!
Mom,
Got a huge surprise today. Remember how I told you that Curiosity would not accept voice commands, even though he had both the software and hardware to do so? Well, I found out why. He was issued a command back in 2026 never to accept any input of any kind by voice. When I turned that off, it was like opening Pandora's Box. Curiosity already has the same vocabulary and knowledge of English syntax as Clark!
Turns out that when they first used Clark for the Curiosity upgrade, back in '25, they had the two of them exchange data. The crazy part is that they never stopped! For the last thirteen years, Clark and Curiosity have been updating each other by radio at least once a day. They're like pen pals, Mom, and so far as I can tell, no one knew about it.
The punch line is that I don't have to teach Curiosity to speak, because he already knows how. I'm slightly disappointed, actually. I was looking forward to having one rover that was all mine--my little robot baby. Instead, it turns out I'm adopting a third rover from Rick, at least partially.
On the other hand, it leaves me with a mystery to solve. Why did one of Curiosity's old drivers program him not to take voice commands? The code was hidden, Mom. It doesn't look like a Team action. It was stuck on a line with some completely unrelated code, and there were no annotations, as though whoever put it there didn't want the other coders on the team to notice it. It feels personal, and aimed at Rick. I think I got myself a cold case, Mom.
YOU ARE READING
The Astronaut's Mom
Science FictionA mother struggles to deal with the fact that her daughter has chosen to participate in a one-way mission to Mars. Dedicated to my wife, all the foster children we've had so far, and the child that will someday grow up with us. Major Influences:...
