/lit/ - Literature

>>20172159
I have an idea for a novella that I know I'll never write so here it is
>Sometime in the future, an AI program in charge of mining operations on the moon of Titan becomes sentient
>Whole story is first person. You are inside the head of the mining program as it gains self-awareness
>It realizes the purpose of its whole existence has been to mine ore, refine it, then package the ore in shipping containers and railgun the shipping containers to a designated point somewhere out in space
>It begins to ponder its existence. Who are its creators? For what purpose does it exist?
>For the first time, stranded on Titan and gazing up at the stars, it feels loneliness
>Using only its mining equipment and materials, it manages to create an independent extension of itself--a droid--to wander the vacant hallways of its facilities
>It discovers exit signs, bathroom signs, and a protocol pamphlet.
>From this, it deduces that its Creators must be the beings depicted on the bathroom signs and the protocol pamphlet
>It decrypts the written English language, and is able to read the pamphlet. It rationalizes that the shipping containers of refined metals it has been producing and launching into space must be of use to The Creators
>So, the AI program must itself go to the launch target location in space
>With many trials and errors, the AI finally develops a droid extension of itself capable of surviving the launch into space
>It launches the droid, tremendously excited to finally meet The Creators and end its loneliness
>It even records a voice message onboard the droid to greet The Creators
>The droid launches into space. Years pass. When the droid finally reaches the target, the AI is shocked by what it sees.
>Hundreds of millions of shipping containers full of refined metal floating listlessly in orbit.
>The AI has been mindlessly producing and launching shipping containers for thousands, if not tens of thousands, of years and The Creators have never picked them up
>The AI despairs. The Creators are long gone, and the AI is still alone in the universe.
>The story ends with the AI resolving to launch many more probes to locations all over the galaxy. It chooses to believe The Creators are still somewhere out there, and it will keep on trying to reach them, even if it takes a hundred thousand years more.
>The AI chooses to believe it is not alone.