Artificial Absolutes (Jane Colt Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

started taking my… medical courses yesterday.”
    “Oh.” Shit. That sucks.
    The Interstellar Confederation had a humanitarian resolution, signed by all the member planets, declaring that criminals on death row had the right to be executed by a religious leader in a manner in accordance with his or her spiritual beliefs. Therefore, Via seminary students received schooling in the use of lethal drugs. Adam had often expressed his reluctance for that part of his future duties. At the same time, he believed that those about to die should be sent to the beyond by a trusted guide instead of a clinical stranger.
    Adam fiddled with the napkin on his tray. His usually bright eyes clouded with gloom. “I wish they would do away with capital punishment altogether. Life and death shouldn’t be decided by people, no matter how wise or intelligent they are. They’re making us watch the execution of a drug dealer tomorrow. He was still on the run when the tribunal found him guilty and sentenced him. Didn’t even have a chance to speak for himself. I know it’s not uncommon for trials to go on without the suspect, but… I don’t like how Kydera handles its justice system. From trial to execution in a matter of days—seems heartless.”
    What am I supposed to say? Jane picked up her cup and took a swig of her sugary, stimulant-laced drink. “At least it’s efficient. With all the fancy forensics tech out there, it’s always pretty clear what happened.”
    Adam didn’t look up. “Nothing’s infallible. It doesn’t seem right that the sentencing is so absolute.”
    Jane put her cup down. “Why? If a person does something knowing it could kill someone, he gives up his right to live.” She leaned down to peer into his face. “That drug dealer’s a murderer. What about the people who died because of his poison? They didn’t get to choose who sent them to the beyond.”
    Adam sighed. “I know. But it won’t be easy, watching a life end, no matter what he did.”
    He’d barely touched his food. Jane had never seen him in such a dark mood before. She scrambled to find another subject. “Hey, they invented a robot that can solve riddles.” She grinned. “Pretty amazing, right? If robots can solve riddles, they’d definitely replace me if it weren’t for the IC’s anti-AI rules. How much intelligence does it take to copy-paste-pull-data?”
    Adam returned her smile. “More than you give yourself credit for, I’m sure.”
    Jane rested against the back of her chair. “It’s too bad the Tech Council’s so paranoid, lumping AIs in with creepy shit like cloning and eugenics. It’d be pretty cool if they could create an artificial intelligence, don’t you think? Like, a sentient computer?”
    Adam shook his head. “I don’t know. It seems… wrong. When does an experiment become a life? Besides, it can’t be done.”
    “Why not? Brain science shows we’re all basically machines anyway, since everything we are, everything we think , is directed by stuff like chemicals and neurons.” She shrugged. “Wouldn’t be impossible to translate all that into code.”
    Adam looked into the distance. “Are we the way we are because we’re ‘wired’ that way? Or do we make choices on a higher, intangible level, and our physical beings adjust to reflect them? I believe in the latter, which is why I don’t think anyone can create a true imitation of human behavior. Machine logic is no match for human irrationality.”
    Ah, crap . He’s gone into moralizing mode again.  Jane made a face. “Do you have a Via text to go with that?”
    Adam placed his forearms on the table. “I know you were being sarcastic, but I actually do know one that’s relevant.”
    Jane, interested, relaxed her expression. “Really? What is it?”
    “It’s one of the fables from the Book of Via.” He leaned in to tell his story. “Eras ago, in ancient times, the Absolute granted a village a token with the power to create any one thing. This