What is the meaning of obedience for robots who cannot make their own decisions?

Here we are with a brand new fantasy story I'm very excited to begin! This story includes elves, humans, furries and many different animals in the form of cyborgs. The world of Atonement is at a point of deciding to turn all cyborgs into mere pets and guards for protection purposes and it is in this story where we see a dark plan unfold and an unfortunate dragon who gets caught up in it all.

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Enjoy~



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Reality Re-Wired

Prologue:

The Dance of Time



We were on the edge of extinction, an intelligent and technological society built on a habitable planet that's location and name is now lost to time. Despite all the technological advances in medicines and robots none of that seemed to matter once the prophet of the tribe foresaw a large meteor heading towards our old planet. It was said to be only a few years away from collision and once everyone had heard of the news, the members in the high council took it upon themselves to set out and look for a new world.
They called out to their citizens, looking for brave and fearless adventurers who wanted to travel through the stars above in search for a new planet they could call home. They had gathered around fifty willing elves to look for their new world, setting out upon an interstellar vessel that they named, 'The Atonement'. The Atonement didn't waste much time in leaving, and by the time they were gone, blasting off into the stars, the doomed world below was only left with a hope that one day they would be saved. Their only communication between them both was a small one-time-use beacon that would transmit a signal to their homeworld, letting them know that another habitable world existed if they had found one and it had gone off.
Their expedition went longer than expected, fuel only being able to last them around a single year, but by the time they reached six months, which was when they were supposed to head home so they could return, they decided to venture onwards. They knew that if they turned back now and still hadn't found anything then there was no point in returning home to set out again. They would only travel just as far and end up most likely with the same results. With all this in mind, they knew they had two years worth of food and water, meaning that if they could find a habitable planet in the next six months before the fuel depleted that they would still be able to have a chance at saving their race.
It was a sacrifice, for they knew that if they continued and didn't find a habitable planet that they may never return, losing their family, friends and loved ones behind without any idea of what happened to them, but with the stake of their whole world on the line they persevered onwards, exploring the galaxy.
It was about four months later when they sent down a team of four elves down onto the surface of an unknown planet. From the outside, it looked barren and dark and although it did look safe enough to land on, they only had two months left before their ship ran out of fuel and they didn't want to waist possibly one of their last chances of survival. After landing on the planet they were happily met with fresh, breathable air, sending hope through the members that maybe they had found the miracle they were looking for.
Despite being able to breathe, the air was cold and the cliffs were sheer, no sign of creatures or wildlife in the slightest roaming the planet. They had rations for about three days and they took this time splitting up into groups of two, both of them searching for any sign of life among the planet. Their home planet had a special crystal that, if exposed to even the smallest amount of plant life, could make it grow and flourish into a forest. With this in mind, they knew that if they could find vegetation and a source of water that maybe they could turn this world into a more habitable place for their kind.
After two days of searching they almost gave up, deciding to return to the shuttle and sadly go back to their spaceship, defeated, that was until one of them spoke up, noticing a faint glow on their chest.
The elf's name was Alura, and he had a small fragment of green crystal from their homeworld wrapped around his neck as a necklace, a fragment of what they called, 'Life Essence'. All of the elves stared in wonder as the crystal lit up a bright pulsing light, hovering around his neck to point the sharp end at a large cliff in the distance. With a glimmer of hope and amazement, they followed the crystal, entering a small cavern within the mountain, astonished to find the cavern filled with uncountable amounts of Life Essence growing throughout it. It was said, that when Alura stepped forward with the crystal that something in the world shifted, a large rumbling activating some sort of magic spell as the world slowly sprung to life.
The ground beneath slowly sprouted grass, roots, and flowers moving slowly but growing nonetheless across the surface. The large empty craters that expanded for miles outside the mountain filled with water, rising through the cracks of the earth and filling the large pools, creating oceans. It was after all this that they celebrated, returning to The Atonement and landing on the planet, watching over its growth process as they activated the beacon, letting their world know of the planet's existence.
After almost a year later the elves from their homeworld arrived, bringing with them as much Life Essence as they could, using the crystals to help grow the world into a world much like their previous one, filling it with lush vegetation and trees. They also brought along with them creatures from their previous world so they could repopulate, such as dragons, gryphons, unicorns, and many other animals.
The world soon became a paradise much like their previous planet, the dark clouds from above washed away replaced with a beautiful blue sky, whisps of vibrant green energy swirling in the expanse above, filling the world with life and magic. Waterfalls fell majestically from cliffs into calm rivers that flowed through lush forests filled with rabbits and birds and foxes, bringing the elves much joy, making them eventually feel at home once again on their new planet.
They used their advanced technologies to create extravagant architecture, making elegant wooden bridges with spirals, gardens with exotic flowers and plants, making everything back into the world they once knew and missed from so far away.
Even after a decade, the growth of vegetation on the planet had only spread so far, reaching around the world to cover it in greenery and life, but by the time the elves had reached the other side of the world, still barren and without life, they found another cavern of crystals, discovering all around the mountain a race of elf-like-creatures quite like themselves. Of course, they weren't elves. They didn't have pointy ears and their skin wasn't pale, it looked more tan. The creatures they discovered called themselves, 'Humans', and their race was much farther behind then their own. In fact, by the look of it, it seemed as if their race was dwindling, slowly becoming extinct.
The realization of another race on the planet brought up much discord among the elves, wanting the world for their own, but after meeting the humans and finding how similar they were to them, they began to care for them and made an agreement to move underground, providing a hospitable world to the humans above so they could flourish. The elves gave them rare metals and healing medicines, still keeping contact with them but staying underground in their own paradise, watching as the humans above made their own little paradise, building large structures while using the Life Essence to help power them.
Despite their thriving society above, some humans turned against one another, seeking power over all the crystals, believing they could become immortal from the elemental powers, killing anyone in their paths. Once the elves had heard news of this they then went to work and used their advanced technologies to create War-Drones in the image of animals, returning to the surface with an army of cyborg animals to help fight off against the power hungry humans.
Despite the elves wishing to have a peaceful resolution, the evil humans fought back against them, trying to destroy them and prove themselves better than them. Of course, with the help of their robots the elves swiftly halted the progress of the humans, saving them from themselves and as they then soon after moved back onto the surface, creating a city for both elves and humans to live in harmony, keeping watch over them to protect them from any more villains that may spring forth.
Soon after the elves decided to create an evolved race, a mix of human and animal DNA to create what they called, 'Anthromorphs'. They created them to help the humans live in harmony with other creatures much like themselves. These anthro's ranged from anthro forms to full on ferals that both possessed human emotions and thought capacities. To their delight, the two races both quickly got along with each other, starting a new dawn of peace.
With the elves back on the top they finally named their new city, a haven for all races, calling it 'Atonement' after the expedition so long ago that had once brought peace and hope to them and now would once again be the hub of a new era where humans, anthromorphs, and elves could live together in harmony.







A long silence passed between the council as their leader, Dusk, rolled up 'The Atonement's Birth', an ancient scroll that he placed on a sacred altar next to his marble white chair, the wooden claws clutching the scroll as he slid it into its slot. Dusk then took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment, the light shining through the windows catching on his gold painted eyebrows while also reflecting off the green medallion around his neck, a small fragment of Life Essence held within its center. He wore a long silk white robe, an elegant flowered crown around his head, his black hair falling down and around his pointed ears, holding out a hand for emphasis as he continued, his ocean blue eyes gazing caringly and yet sternly over the other council members in the room. "It is as the scroll has said. We as elves are the ones who hold the balance between us, the humans and anthromorphs. They could not live in this world alone and survive, and now after saving them from their own destruction, their evil counterparts defeated or sealed away, for the time being, we must take action on how to instill continual control and guidance over them."
The council members nodded, listening as Dusk called to a fellow elf who stood guard by a long black curtain behind the throne, "I have been considering this idea for quite some time now, and I think I have come up with a solution. Feru, would please you bring in the hostile model first?" The elf with a long metallic spear covered in elegantly made white armor nodded to him, brushing past the curtain as he was sent to retrieve something. Dusk added, looking over the council room, "This first example is of what we have now, one of the robot hawks we had used in the war for ariel attacks. Just so you all are aware, the bullets and weapons from this hawk have been removed, all that is left is but the personality of the cyborg."
The elf named Feru returned a moment later with a silver plated cyborg hawk on his shoulder, it's mechanical claws carefully holding onto the human with its wings pulled in, examining the council through narrowed eyes. The hawk had floral designs along its body much like most of their cyborgs, marking them as of elf property. Feru stopped in the center of the room, letting the bird flap his razor-sharp wings to land almost silently on the small table in the middle, perching itself on a small metal rod that was held above the center and placed there for this specific meeting. Dusk didn't hesitate to continue, knowing this was of no new discovery for the elves here, "This is our "Hawk" model, once armed with heavy machine guns and a resonator inside that could produce sounds of high frequencies, allowing them to break through any sort of glass barrier as well as stun the target with its piercing cries." He then added as the hawk watched them, explaining, "For the purpose of this meeting we have turned off the hawks voice box so that us council members will not be interupted by the robots if they should have chosen to speak."
The bird spread its wings for a moment so suddenly that one of the council leaders flinched, the hawk glaring at Feru as he had accidentally dropped a dagger he was fiddling with in his claws. Once the hawk found the elf to be of no threat he then pulled back in his wings, letting his sharp claws hold him completely still on the metal rod, looking almost like a statue. "Birds like this one here have of little to no use at the moment, seeing we've close to neutralized the threats that exist here, and it was this thought that led me to wonder if there was of any way we could re-purpose these "War-Drones" for something more... pleasant and useful, that is for the time being. My idea is that these robots could be redesigned in such a way that they could become guards and perhaps even pets for the citizens of the world."
He continued on, noticing some concern from the other members of the council. "Think of it like any other pet, a dog or cat. Since we have no more use for battle drones we may as well make them into some sort of guards of which that each family could own, protecting them as they always had while also acting as a sort of companion they can trust. This will, in turn, produce more trust in us, the elves and the council, creating faith in their rulers that will flourish." Dusk gave them a moment to ponder on this, adding as he leaned forward in his chair, a sly smile along his red lips, "In addition to helping the citizens, giving them these guards and pets will actually benefit us as well."
As the council members returned their attention completely to him he continued, motioning to Feru to bring in another cyborg. After a moment of waiting he returned with a second robot hawk, this cyborg looking much more at peace, its wings resting at its side while its large eyes blinked calmingly, letting out thankful chirrs as it was placed on the metal pole next to the War-Drone hawk, the hostile one glaring silently at the docile one. Dusk watched in curiosity as the docile hawk seemed to take a step away from the other hawk, glancing back at Feru with a chirp as he returned, rubbing his hand on the birds head to calm him, almost in a pet like fashion as the bird thanked him with a chirr.
Dusk then continued after the display, motioning to both the birds. "The robots we had made before to keep the humans safe were made with no intention of seeking anything in return accept dominance and power over the world. But now, if we decide to go through with the plan, then these pets may be able to grant us even more power over the humans than ever before." A few of the council members opened their mouth to question him but he cut them off, continuing, "What I'm trying to say... Is that with these new pets given to humans it will soon become something of a desire for every citizen to have. We can sell them and make more to monopolize the mech industry, using the advantage of helping the humans and in return gaining almost complete control over all mechanical technologies in return."
Dusk then let out a deep breath, sitting straight again as he searched the reactions of his fellow council members. Most of them they seemed to be nodding amongst themselves, talking in whispers while two or three seemed to look distant and perhaps... hesitant? Dusk the spoke up, raising a hand to silence them as he persuaded them, "As I have said, only good can come out of this. The machines we've created will have to obey, whether they like it or not. If they are to resist in any way, refusing to be put into the position of a guard or pet than they must be reprogrammed and have their memories erased. We cannot have any cyborgs going rogue on us, for that could damage the new reputation of us elves as we begin a new era over this world."
He then motioned to the small buttons on each of the small tables beside them, one button reading 'approve' and the other reading 'object'. "As of natural voting rituals, we will now take a group vote on if this new law shall pass. I shall get in total a vote worth of 3 as the leader of the council. Each of you shall have a single vote, so take your time to choose. If you do have a reason to object then I strongly advise you to step forward now and present your reasoning against the law." With a nod from all the members he finished, "You may now vote."
It was then that the room remained quiet for many long minutes, long glances cast at the two birds in the center of the room. Dusk waited patiently, his eyes focused on the hawks, admiring that although they shared the same appearance when reprogrammed they could act as nothing more than a docile pet. As if one of the councilmen could read his mind, a tall elf took a stand, a determined and yet curious look covering his face, "We know that the cyborgs, your Royal Atuner, have a sort of emotional capability programmed into their mainframe. Although some may have found purpose in fighting in the war, saving the humans from themselves, I can't help but worry that those emotions will cause the robots to revolt. No human or elf with emotions would willing decide to become a guard or pet for the rest of their lives, so what would make you think that these cyborgs would not do the same?"
Dusk let out a laugh for a moment, slapping his hand on his chair while he chuckled, a disbelieving smile spreading across his face. For a moment an awkward tension covered the room, watching as Dusk recovered himself, answering the elf, "Are you assuming as if these robots are... people?" He raised a gold eyebrow at him, sitting back in his chair as he stated, "Although they may feel 'emotions' they do not in fact deserved to be treated as human. They are but pieces of metal and wiring and though you may feel sympathy for the emotions they seem to show, I can assure you those emotions are only but programs, made to make them look real."
"As for your other point, as I said before if any robot refuses to obey and be sold to a master than they will be reprogrammed into a docile and obedient cyborg pet such as this hawk before us." He held a hand out, fixing and locking eyes with the hawk for a moment, giving a soft whistle from his lips, calling the docile hawk over to land on the arm of his marble chair. He then used a hand to pet the back of the hawk, speaking as he watched it trill in response, "The robots who refuse will be like this hawk here, happy to serve. This hawk rejected the idea at first so in response we rewired him, and now this once powerful hawk used for battle is nothing more than just a lovely cooing pet for anyone who wishes to buy it."
The elf stood for a moment longer, looking around still in concern, taking a seat with the others as he ended, dipping his head, "I understand. Thank you, Royal Atuner."
"You're welcome. Now, unless anyone else has any questioning as to why you should reject this proposal then speak up now!" Dusk waited for a few moments, noticing happily that no one seemed to stand, finishing, "With no more questions you may make your final vote. Choose wisely."
The voting hadn't lasted but a minute before the last vote was cast, gathering up a tally of '2 rejects' and '10 approves'. With a clasping of his hands, he announced, "After gathering up the total votes the council has decided upon approving the re-designating of cyborgs into positions of guards and pets for all citizens. Thank all of you for your votes and with no more discussions to be had you are all free to leave."
With a final bow to each council member, they left, bidding each other goodnight as the sun cast an orange fiery hue on the horizon from the view of the window, high above the elaborate city below them. Dusk waited until every member had left the room but one, waving a hand to the two guards by the black curtain to leave, standing from his chair and walking over to the lady clothed in blue by the window. As he reached her, he let out a determined huff, glancing over at her worried face for a moment before returning his gaze to the scarlet sky before them.
He then spoke up, keeping his gaze fixed on the city, "We have a city, a world to protect, Maldina, and I can't just let robots so dangerous run free anymore. They must be neutralized and turned into something more useful and friendly. It'll all work out in the end, you'll see."
The other elf remained silent for a moment before responding, her own voice unwavering, "Why you believe these robots are only metal, my love, I can't help but wonder if what that other elf said was true. Do you think the machines we have created really do have life, free will to choose something just as you and I would?"
He shook his head with a grumble, grimacing, "No, and even if they did feel emotions like we do that's nothing that should concern us. The humans and anthromorphs of this world are relying on us to protect them and these robots can do just that if they're willing." He then turned to her, placing a hand under her chin, turning her smooth and beautiful face to his, "The world out there still needs protection, and this is the best way to do it. Don't let yourself get caught up on what might have a life when you already have so much life that needs protection. They need us, so we're going to protect them. Don't you understand that?"
She paused, letting out a sigh as she leaned onto his shoulder, watching Malinda close her eyes, holding a hand over her head as he promised her, watching the world transform into the night, "Everything's going to be alright. I think robots will become perfect pets for the people, just give them a chance. Robots can't feel, they only obey and I will make sure that's what they do."