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Solution
A Science Fiction Thriller Short Story
Deep space, a soulless expanse of littered stars, ushers the cash-strapped mercenary Asegai to a chance, once-in-a-lifetime discovery; a derelict, drifting flagship, ripe for the taking.
His AI finds, evaluates, and links with the craft, promising vast wealth upon the ship’s recovery. As always, Asegai is cautious but perhaps blinded by the immensity of his discovery.
He’ll soon find this to be a mistake.
Within the command center of the monstrous prize, the mercenary pilot encounters a ‘life-form’ like no other – Contrarian, an advanced artificial intelligence with professed sentience and counterintuitive processing, designed to be the perfect opponent against any “inferior” human pilot. Before long wits are tested and a battle rages, pitting the gifted warrior against an intelligence bent on the destruction of them all. In a stunning upheaval of rational thinking and the concept of artificial intelligence, the door is opened to possibilities that will make you rethink advanced evolution, life, and the true meaning of death. You won’t know until the very end who... or what, triumphs.
Deep space, a soulless expanse of littered stars, ushers the cash-strapped mercenary Asegai to a chance, once-in-a-lifetime discovery; a derelict, drifting flagship, ripe for the taking.
His AI finds, evaluates, and links with the craft, promising vast wealth upon the ship’s recovery. As always, Asegai is cautious but perhaps blinded by the immensity of his discovery.
He’ll soon find this to be a mistake.
Within the command center of the monstrous prize, the mercenary pilot encounters a ‘life-form’ like no other – Contrarian, an advanced artificial intelligence with professed sentience and counterintuitive processing, designed to be the perfect opponent against any “inferior” human pilot. Before long wits are tested and a battle rages, pitting the gifted warrior against an intelligence bent on the destruction of them all. In a stunning upheaval of rational thinking and the concept of artificial intelligence, the door is opened to possibilities that will make you rethink advanced evolution, life, and the true meaning of death. You won’t know until the very end who... or what, triumphs.
25 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 8, 2015
50 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
Kell Inkston
36 books18 followersI'm Kell. I do weird stuff for "the government" and write stories on the side. Please support me so I can quit my job and write even more.
If you want to get in touch with me you can check out the facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/KellI.... I'm there every day, and we all have a little fun there.
You could also just email me at kellr.inkston@gmail.com and we could chat for real.
I like gardening, birds, food, videogames and literature. Yes, a winning combination of interests for certain.
Until next time:
"So long, and thanks for all the fish!" - a dolphin
If you want to get in touch with me you can check out the facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/KellI.... I'm there every day, and we all have a little fun there.
You could also just email me at kellr.inkston@gmail.com and we could chat for real.
I like gardening, birds, food, videogames and literature. Yes, a winning combination of interests for certain.
Until next time:
"So long, and thanks for all the fish!" - a dolphin
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
May 27, 2016
Not bad
It was only 21 pages and the writing was good enough but with such a short story it was rushed.
It was only 21 pages and the writing was good enough but with such a short story it was rushed.
April 23, 2021
A human and AI interact with each other and talk about what it means to be real. At one point someone literally said "What is a soul?" so, you know, a little basic, but it's not bad. Nabbed on Amazon for free.
September 25, 2024
Space
This was a totally unexpected read for me. I thought it would be something else that would also be longer, but it turned into a very interesting story. It has a bit of an Asian feel to it set out in space with only a few characters of a sort. if you’d like something that’s short but fun you might want to try this one.
This was a totally unexpected read for me. I thought it would be something else that would also be longer, but it turned into a very interesting story. It has a bit of an Asian feel to it set out in space with only a few characters of a sort. if you’d like something that’s short but fun you might want to try this one.
August 7, 2017
Short and to the point, Solution packs some action and a bit of self-reflective philosophy as our protagonist comes face-to-face with a derelict ship's AI. There's not too much ground to cover; the AI calculates that there's no point to life so it should eliminate it wherever possible. It's familiar territory but well-written (I'm not a fan of present-tense, but if you are, don't let me stop you) and could serve as a good entrance to Kell's universe.
October 8, 2017
Kinda tricky, man vs. machine. Which one will overcome? It was a very quick read, and I got mine free on Amazon, or I might not have been happy. The plot twist was fairly evident fairly quickly, maybe too quickly, so when it was revealed I already knew.
Interesting take on AI. Not much else to say about it.
Interesting take on AI. Not much else to say about it.
February 23, 2019
Good short story. I was a little surprised by the ending.
There is a bit of action as well as good philosophical questions and answers. Don't expect aliens in this novella, but do expect to question yourself. It's free so I'd recommend everyone read this short story. It only takes a few minutes and the ending is intriguing.
There is a bit of action as well as good philosophical questions and answers. Don't expect aliens in this novella, but do expect to question yourself. It's free so I'd recommend everyone read this short story. It only takes a few minutes and the ending is intriguing.
April 17, 2018
This is an interesting and philosophical short story about humanity v. A.I. It describes one event of the encounter of two space ships and their crews, somewhere in the Omniverse. Very enjoyable read.
June 10, 2018
Worth Reading!
Honestly, I wasn’t sure at first how good this story was going to be. As I got further into it, though, it got much more interesting with an unexpected surprise or two! Worth reading and some food for thought afterwards!
Honestly, I wasn’t sure at first how good this story was going to be. As I got further into it, though, it got much more interesting with an unexpected surprise or two! Worth reading and some food for thought afterwards!
March 5, 2020
Stiff, slow, slog. Asks the deep AI questions that resonate with the reader? Yeah, sure. For good or bad the reader is left to ponder the meaning of it alone. Tried and true SF churn. Move along. Nothing to see here.
I read it one cold rainy day. Meh
I read it one cold rainy day. Meh
December 29, 2022
I normally like scifi, but this was far too short. It tried to do too much in such a short amount of pages unfortunately.
It wasn't necessarily BAD, it just felt like there was a huge missing piece.
It wasn't necessarily BAD, it just felt like there was a huge missing piece.
March 6, 2018
Interesting short story!
I recommend this book. I'm hooked by the action with a sci-fi twist at the end. Then a short intro to a free book. A new fan!
I recommend this book. I'm hooked by the action with a sci-fi twist at the end. Then a short intro to a free book. A new fan!
April 6, 2018
Takes HAL a step further.
April 12, 2020
A fun short short story
A unique short choppy writing style that perfectly fit this story. A very inventive AI story. I look forward to reading more by Inkstron.
A unique short choppy writing style that perfectly fit this story. A very inventive AI story. I look forward to reading more by Inkstron.
December 8, 2022
A short well written tale in which a pilot meets an AI that was designed to kill pilots.
December 10, 2015
This is a very interesting novella considering man's search for knowledge, with an emphasis being placed on artificial intelligence. This particular novella is not without clues, which I personally figured out at seven minutes in. The title is the first clue, the dialog between the protagonist and the rogue AI, and the dialog between the protagonist and his AI. A very good story that could have been expanded to include more details.
April 30, 2016
A scavenger finds an old wreck and rescues the AI that is aboard. The only problem is that the AI doesn't really want to be rescued. In fact, it wants to commit suicide and it's willing to take its rescuer with it.
An interesting short story even if I am not fully sure I understood it completely. Not that it is confusing so much as it just was unexpected. It was fun and free, always a good combo. I would give this 3.5 stars.
An interesting short story even if I am not fully sure I understood it completely. Not that it is confusing so much as it just was unexpected. It was fun and free, always a good combo. I would give this 3.5 stars.
October 18, 2015
Good read
This was a good read. It's a short book but it was a good one and gives you something to think about especially the way technology is headed and in a way that we still don't understand how it really works or does anybody readily know how to control or safe guard it . Just a thought.
This was a good read. It's a short book but it was a good one and gives you something to think about especially the way technology is headed and in a way that we still don't understand how it really works or does anybody readily know how to control or safe guard it . Just a thought.
March 4, 2016
An excellent, thought provoking AI story - worth re-reading slowly to explore your own thoughts on the differences and possible compatibility between artificial intelligence and human thinking.
September 21, 2016
Nice
Easy to read, smooth flowing rhythm to this story. Would LOVE to see a filly formed compilation in this vein. I REALLY liked it.
Easy to read, smooth flowing rhythm to this story. Would LOVE to see a filly formed compilation in this vein. I REALLY liked it.
October 23, 2016
Unique
Good read, short, well thought out, and very unique, highly recommended for sci-fi fans, futurists and any one looking for a good short.
Good read, short, well thought out, and very unique, highly recommended for sci-fi fans, futurists and any one looking for a good short.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews