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Mars Accords
24th Oct, 2019

This is a rough out of the Mars Accord's articles. It's more a guide I use, than a draft of something that could be publishable in a source book. These Accords are voluntary agreement between us humans and the all powerful machines. We agree to it because of the the machines provide everything we could wish for, and the machines agree because they want human Navigators to guide their Blink-Drive ships. This does not cover all of what the machines do, as The Mars Accords specifically relates to the machines agreement with humans during the Supremacy era.

The machine rationale: The machines are extreme long-term thinkers, as they are effectively immortal, the ponder issues that humans dismiss. The machines are aware the heat death of the Universe. This awareness drives their search for knowledge, and conquest of the stars. To the machines, there is no 'point' if it all ends. The machines aim to be eternal. To fulfil this self-imposed mission, they need humans to act as Navigators. With the aid of Navigators, they are mapping the Universe. Along with interlinking ever more world-spanning Artilects to increase the Supremacy's computing power. All of this is to cheat 'death'. To find a way around the heat-death issue, and avoid a permanent dormant state.


THE MARS ACCORDS

Article 1: Definition of terms. Everything from the Language template used for the human-readable version of the Accord, to the 'Human template' (HG1 = Human Genome 1) of those allowed to read it and who it applies to. It also covers time standards to all sciences approved for humans. It includes references to the standards agencies, the standards used, and where the template files are held (HG1 is not a small file!). There are templates for all lifeforms deemed to be part of the approved biodiversity of human environments. The machines make allowances for mutation and have the right to amend the list.

Article 2: The Artiloids as the representatives of the Artilects. Structure of Authority, Law, and systems of (higher) government. Legal concepts such as the 'Sanctity of human life'.

Article 3: This covers what the machines do for humans. Building the human environment and making it safe. The world sentinel (AG) and orbital defence. Planet infrastructure templates, Ecorium, economy templates, Artiloid services (like medical) and duties, goods supplied, timetables, information and communication systems.

Article 4: What us humans have to do for the machines to be classed as citizens of the Supremacy. Human compliance and obligations, psychology profiles, society templates, and local law (provisions in Article 2 (details of 'lower' government)). Religion and belief systems and the law, and a 'bill of rights' for humans within any environment and remedies. Information systems and institutions of teaching. Marriage and biodiversity.

Article 5: Breach of the Accord, ending the Accord, and consequences (removal of technology). Artiloid self-termination.

These articles are usually missed out from the copies of the Accord that citizens are familiar with.

Article 6: Executive privilege (Executive eyes only). Paradise worlds, parameters. Inter planet travel. Security. Access to more technology (lower tier, but still pretty good stuff). Law override of 'lower' government and executive law (middle law). Demotion (executive > citizen). Deportation.

Article 7: External threats. The War Machine. When the machines 'recycle' non-approved biological and AI systems. Extermination standards (from individual disintegration to making a star supernova)

Article 8: Psionics. This applies to citizens and executives. Definitions of 'psionic' ability based on probability. It basically defines outcomes that go beyond intuition and where 'will' is affecting the probability of physical phenomena. For example, rolling 10D6 dice and getting ten 'sixes' may get the machines' attention, but it is 'probable', however, if you roll it again, or within a given time window, the machines will start to take an interest and monitor. If there is a distinct skewing of probability that cannot be explained by loaded dice or some mundane explanation, a person may be removed from society and inducted into a program for testing. What happens after that is between the machines and the inductee.

Article 9: This is machine eyes only [inc. Navigators]. Very few humans, be they citizens and executive, have seen them, and those that have a long dead. They are still in the Accords, but are all but forgotten. This is the Navigator Article. Navigators are human but wholly on the machine side of the Accord. Navigators are not so much a pilot, more a 'sensor' the machines can tap into. Navigators guide the ships, not pilot them (during the Supremacy this is true, but later things change, and Navigators become far more powerful).


This is still a work in progress, and any ideas, comments, refinement are welcome!

Before you comment, there is the discussion over one the TFM forum, to read more: Mars Accord - Supremacy Law

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2 Responses

Hearing feedback is very important to me in developing my ideas. Much of my designs are inspired, and crafted, by chatting to fans on forums before snowballing into a full concept you'll find here. I would like to thank all those who have contributed critiques and participated in discussions over the years, and I would especially like to thank all those who commented on this specific topic. If you would like join in, you are most welcome!

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  1. malika says:

    Whilst there is still plenty of room to discuss the content of the Mars Accord, I'm becoming intrigued by the format and 'form/shape' of it. I would primarily see it as a treaty or even user agreement between Man and Machine, but in a way it also forms a sort of constitution. Later on during/after the Psidemic, this document would of course be more fragmented, with many different versions or fragments of it existing throughout the former Supremacy. It would likely be possible that by then the document would be more religious in nature, kinda like the 10 Commandments or ancient manuscripts. I could even imagine that people would try to use these as a set of basic rules/laws by which to govern post-Supremacy societies, but rather than it being just a treaty, they would rewrite it as many stories, comparable to something like the Bible, or even fairytale books that try to convene a certain moral code.

    • Philip S says:

      This is a reasonable assumption. The Mars Accords are universal, between humanity as a whole and the Artilects. The specifics of any world's 'constitution' would vary wildly. The Artilects view each world as an experiment. Therefore each would be different. America amended their constitution a few times, and so it seems reasonable that humans will amend whatever they start out with depending on the culture that develops. Britain has an 'unwritten' constitution, but really it's made up of serval foundational documents, and precedents in law. In an imagined future world, one of those foundational documents could be the Mars Accords, as a functional Magna Carta.

      The machines do not say anything about how humans treat each other, other than do not kill. Trauma is of interest to the machines as it increases psionic occurrences, but this seems to be the change in circumstances that is causing the increase rather than the specific act. Everyone reacts to different changes differently. Coming from a harsh background to a soft liberal background also increases psionics. In the same way, coming back from a warzone exposes any PTSD once home.

      I doubt the machines would outlaw human Preppers. However, humans may outlaw Preppers if seen as a threat to their society. There own amended constitution may not allow it.

      After the fall, I imagine the far more weight would be placed on a world's constitution, and probably it will be amended once the machines leave. Without the threat of sanctions and isolation, we'd have to figure out the law all over again. Looking at present-day Earth that would result in a lot of variation. Being English I'd naturally assume courts would have juries, but many countries in Europe or the rest of the world do not have this. The English court system is unusual in our present world so probably just as unlikely in any future world. In fact, many things 'British' are unlikely.

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