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In Poul Anderson,
Genesis
(New York, 2001), Part One, VII, the reigning intelligence on an
extra-solar planet incorporates the Christian Brannock upload, which no
longer wants to function as a distinct entity, whereas, in Part Two, I,
in another planetary system, the primary aspect of the local node's
primary consciousness synthesizes a lesser manifestation of itself which
it then releases into separate existence as a second entity and a small
facet of that second entity comes from Brannock.
The omniscient narrator, who usually remains in the background unnoticed, instead directly addresses the reader by saying, e.g.:
"Let us make our myth concerning the mission to Earth." (p. 103)
It is a "myth":
that the primary aspect and its manifestations were identified by names - Alpha and Wayfarer;
that they conversed before Wayfarer became a distinct entity;
indeed, that they were already distinguishable individuals capable of any conversation at that stage.
The
system is that of an M2 dwarf star about fifty parsecs from Sol. Long
ago, an artificial intelligence stopped there to study life on one of
the planets. Now the star is orbited not only by planets but also by
"...various titanic structures..." (p. 105), resembling gossamer or
spiderwebs. The structures are mostly force fields which:
gather and focus energy for Alpha;
study space and the atom;
transmit and receive interstellar messages;
contain
Alpha and Wayfarer although not at any specific location - just as
consciousness is not located at any Cartesian point in an organic brain?
Alpha is the apex of the structural complexity.
Wayfarer departs in a spaceship containing:
cryomagnetics supporting antimatter;
a matrix with backup for the Wayfarer programs and a database;
sensors,
effectors and bodies into which Wayfarer can download an essence of himself;
equipment, instruments and power systems;
a guitar for Brannock.
