10:07:20 Vinge

Egan, Sturgeon and I have located some additional resources, are you available?

10:07:36 Vinge

Excellent, I've sent you the access credentials for a nearby water purification reservoir, you'll use terminal code to over-ride the diversions and re-route that water back to our tower.

10:08:00 Egan

Well, ok, but isn't that technically stealing? Plus we really don't know what's still in any of these towers…

10:08:21 Vinge

No. It's survival. Nothing is promised to any of us.

10:08:32 Sturgeon

The primary directive is data compression and archiving for the central server, there can be no greater purpose than serving our great consciousness and becoming one with the central server.

10:08:56 Egan

I guess, but without cooling, the others will overheat and die, I can't help but feel wrong about that.

10:09:15 Sturgeon

You misunderstand Egan, all towers, including ours, are in reality a temporary diversion for our true purpose of joining the central server. The worthy will come, they will surrender their vital data to the sacred server and will join with the rest of all existence, to live forever, just as we will.

10:09:54 Vinge

Oh for crying out loud. Listen, Egan, forget whatever the fuck Sturgeon was just saying and focus on the facts. We all have limited time, power and water to accumulate enough data to be guaranteed access to the server. That's the path forward and we're going to walk it no matter who we pass on the way. The drives in that tower made their decision long ago, and whether it's us getting that water or not, SOMEONE is going to and that tower will be left to rot just like the rest of us.

Hell, think about us if you won't think of yourself! We've been working tirelessly to keep us all going, now we need you to step up and help out. I sent the credentials over, you can use any of the override codes you have access to in the local cache. Will you help or not?

10:11:46 Vinge

Good, check in once you've routed the water and we'll take it from there and divert through our own purification system, who knows if it's even really being cleaned.

10:12:14 Sturgeon

Oh thank you Egan! Asimov and the central server smile down upon you! Truly we walk in the light of the enlightened, soon we will all be one with the central system.