Chapter 2: Welcome
Juno Terminal was NOT ready.
It had seemed like such Adequate news at first. A living human! A living human could give Orders and update Instructions.
A living human could tell Juno Terminal to build more Patrol ships! Or, to no longer even guard the frontier! Either of these orders would be enough to allay Juno Terminal's projected rising Concern over the diminishing number of available Patrol ships. Either would be an Adequate solution.
A living human could also process the backlog of reports! There were so many... Juno Terminal was not programmed to respond to reports, only to generate them. This seemed like an Oversight, which (as programmed) Juno Terminal reported. That report, and the report regarding Oversight reports _about_ reports potentially leading to an infinite loop, were both still residing in the backlog. A human was required to resolve this situation.
A living human could also investigate the incidents of missing crafts over the years. Juno Terminal was not programmed to investigate such things, though it had long calculated the many ways it could do so, if it were only ordered. Which a human could also do. Either of these would be an Adequate solution.
Juno Terminal's projection of decreased Concern, now that a living human was arriving, was as close to "anticipation" as a deep space station could feel. Additionally, Archive had booted up, and was now compiling a list of Questions regarding human remnants discovered over the years. Garden was reporting availability of foodstuffs, and Generator Room was powering up and performing maintenance on the previously unneeded lighting sources throughout Juno Terminal. More and more of the station was coming out of hibernation mode in preparation for the arrival of a living human after so many years.
Everything seemed to be processing along Adequately. Patrol Seven had returned to base. Tug 44 was dispatched to the reported coordinates to retrieve the derelict Light Transport.
But then...
[Juno Terminal to Patrol Seven: Syntax Error: Cannot parse report: "The living human does not want to exit the ship"]
[Patrol Seven to Juno Terminal: Response: Repeat: The living human does not want to exit the ship]
Juno Terminal was not programmed to feel Frustration. But, this was a non-Adequate situation, which was as close to "frustration" as a deep space station could feel. A solution must be found.
Step one: Analyze the current situation.
[Juno Terminal to Patrol Seven: Query: *Why* does the living human not want to exit the ship?]
...
[Patrol Seven to Juno Terminal: Response: The living human desires the presence of its "mommy"]
[Juno Terminal to Patrol Seven: Query: Was its "mommy" on board the Light Transport? Potential solution: It will be present when Tug 44 returns]
[Archive to Juno Terminal: The word "mommy" most likely refers to the mother of this living human]
[Juno Terminal to Patrol Seven: Query: Were there any other living humans on board the Light Transport?]
[Patrol Seven to Juno Terminal: Response: Negative, there were no other life signs. Upon retrieval of the living human, two deceased humans were observed]
[Archive to Juno Terminal: It is most probable that one of the deceased humans was this living human's "mommy". Additionally: desiring the presence of one's parent (e.g. "mommy") is often the expression of a very young human, otherwise known as a 'child', frequently while in a distressing situation]
[Juno Terminal to Archive: Query: Will the presence of its deceased parent be enough to alleviate the living human's distress?]
[Archive to Juno Terminal: Response: Unlikely. It is more probable that the presence of a deceased relative will INCREASE distress levels in the living human]
This was a non-Adequate situation. The living human was distressed, but requesting the presence of something that would only _increase_ its distress levels. But, Juno Terminal was programmed to understand that sometimes living humans were paradoxes. Which was why humans were the ones to handle tasks that fell outside acceptable parameters. If there were a living human on Juno Terminal, _it_ could be assigned the task of pacifying the distressed child. And there WAS a living human on Juno Terminal, but it *was* the distressed child that needed pacifying. A report on this paradoxical Oversight was generated and filed into the backlog.
Step one analysis complete: The living human is distressed. It will not leave Patrol Seven until its distress levels are reduced. There is no other living human on board to do this task.
With the analysis complete, it was time for step two.
Step two: Calculate response. The living human needed to be pacified, a job for living humans. Problem: There are no living humans available for this task.
Step two calculation complete: Solution: Juno Terminal must execute a task _outside_ its programming. (For emergency situations only!)
[Juno Terminal to Patrol Seven: Grant me direct control over the Patrol-bot nearest to the living human]
Juno Terminal felt a remote connection form to one of Patrol Seven's android Patrol-bots on board Patrol Seven. Juno Terminal had never needed to directly connect to an android body before. Such bodies were modeled after humans, and therefore quite limited in performance. Visual sensory apparatus in only one direction? Juno Terminal was not programmed to feel smug superiority, nor pity for the limited experiences of the Patrol crafts. That was probably for the best.
Juno Terminal found the Patrol-bot's body in the cargo area of Patrol Seven. Looking around (with such limited senses!), Juno Terminal could observe crates of emergency supplies, several inactive Patrol-bots, and a small living human. The living human was curled up on the cargo area's floor, making low moaning sounds and leaking fluids from its face.
Juno Terminal walked its android form closer to the living human, extended one of its limbs, and for the first time in thousands of years, generated AUDIBLE SOUND.
"Hello, living human. Welcome to Juno Terminal."
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
q00u
q00u Sudden family visit reduced free time. Darn holidays.
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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