text: [Themes: Science Fiction, robots, meta, violence, humor, dogs, nonhuman protagonist, female protagonist]
  
  > Look around
  Where the heavy drapes meet, a sliver of sunlight shines into the otherwise dark living room. A framed picture hangs on the living room wall in the small area illuminated by the shaft of light.
  
  OPERATIONS -> STATUS : TRUE
  
  > open the drapes
  You push aside the drapes.
  
  You are in the living room of a small cottage. Piped-in sunlight pours in through the room's single window, illuminating a framed picture on the opposite wall. The principal furnishing is a king-size purple futon which takes up almost all the floor space. From the living room you can see the entrance to the kitchen and bathroom. The cottage's front door is closed.
  
  You can see an alarm clock and Rover here.
  
  David: I see it successfully accessed the solar shield.
  Janet: Yes, the status line makes it clear what work is being performed.
  
  SOLAR SHIELD -> ACCESS : TRUE
  
  > look at the picture
  A picture of the Starship Valkyrie, still under construction in drydock. There is small brass nameplate below the picture.
  
  It feels like something is tickling your left arm.
  
  DEEP MEMORY -> DIAGNOSTIC : TRUE
  
  > Scratch arm
  Which do you mean, the left arm, or the right arm?
  
  > Left
  Ooooo. Ahhhh...slowly, the itchiness subsides. That feels so good.
  
  David: Is the static charge neutralization part of the script?
  Janet: No, that's the point of the ACU -- it isn't a set
  script. As we throw malfunctions at it in these simulations,
  the ACU responds appropriately. We can't, for instance,
  know that Valkyrie will accumulate a static charge
  in a particular area, so the ACU has to be flexible
  enough to react to unpredictable events.
  David: Like you would.
  Janet: Subject to the resolution of the synaptic scan, yes.
  
  PORT HULL -> NEUTRALIZE CHARGE : TRUE
  
  > examine the nameplate
  A brass nameplate bearing a short inscription. The nameplate is attached to the bottom of the picture.
  
  PLASTIC SIGN -> DIAGNOSTIC : TRUE
  
  > read the nameplate
  It says, "Good luck at MARSpace! - Tomasz"
  
  Tomasz's valediction makes you remember happier times...
  
  Your late fianc? gave you the photo when you began working on the Valkyrie Project as a graduate student -- a happier time before the Independence War with Earth, and the attacks on Mars by Earth's Myomita Corporation. Back then, Valkyrie's experimental Casimir Drive was an exciting technological adventure, rather than a military priority. Now the Valkyrie is Mars' only chance to recover data from a recently discovered space probe marooned in deep space. For whatever reason, MARSpace feels that probe could hold information that could finally give Mars the upper hand in its competition with Earth.
  
  David: Why did we lose audio?
  Janet: I've muted the ACU's memories -- they are, after all,
  a bit personal. We don't need to hear them, but
  they may be useful for the ACU to come up to speed.
  David: That's fine. How much can the ACU remember, though?
  Janet: It's based on my own synaptic scan, so it can willfully remember a wide variety of subjects -- almost any
  major component of my life, important events, and
  so on. It adds depth to its decisions.
  David: If you say so. I'd hate to know what it remembers
  about me.
  Janet: I wouldn't worry too much.
  
  [Note: You can recall something from your past by typing "REMEMBER something", e.g. "REMEMBER casimir drive"]
  
  PLASTIC SIGN -> READLINE : TRUE
  
  > remember the mars
  Mars has been home to your family for three generations, your grandparents having been life contractors for the Myomita corporation. Since its colonization by national and later corporate entities beginning more than two hundred years ago, Mars has been subservient to the interests of Earth. Since the Independence War, the situation has improved, and income from off-world commerce is slowly balancing the equation.
  
  David: I think I'd like to have heard that one.
  Janet: Not a chance.
  
  ACU -> DATA_FETCH : TRUE
  
  > remember War
  Five years ago, you were a graduate student in computational cognition when the situation with Earth deteriorated, and Earth ships attacked the colonial government. The fighting destroyed most of the surface installations in the first few days, but Earth backed down when Martian missiles struck Luna City, Beijing and S?o Paulo. Under terms of the treaty, the Martian government was granted autonomy, but Mars remains economically dominated by Earth, except for MARSpace.
  
  David: I'm half tempted to decompile the code just to see
  what it said.
  Janet: My code is not for the faint of heart. If you wander
  in there, watch out for grues.
  David: Grooze?
  
  ACU -> DATA_FETCH : TRUE
  
  > remember MARSpace
  MARSpace began as an extension of the Myomita corporation space program but was absorbed by the People's Government of Mars after the War of Independence. Before the war, MARSpace serviced almost all condensate drive vessels engaged in commerce between the Solar System and Earth's Interstellar Territories. Since the war, MARSpace has slowly rebuilt, and its first Casimir Drive ship, the Valkyrie, is nearly ready for launch.
  
  ACU -> DATA_FETCH : TRUE
  
  > remember Valkyrie
  The potential for interstellar commerce has been constrained by time and distance. Although condensate drive has allowed vessels to reach nearby stars, it is expensive and slow and holds little promise for commercial exploitation. The Valkyrie is the first ship to incorporate the Casimir Drive, giving it unprecedented speed and range. It is rumored that since the Valkyrie project fell into MARSpace hands after the Independence War, Earth's Myomita corporation has been working on a sister ship based on similar technology.
  
  ACU -> DATA_FETCH : TRUE
  
  > remember Casimir Drive
  The Casimir, or zero-point energy drive, was developed in the last ten years. By doing largely incomprehensible things to time/space, the Casimir Drive can translate a ship incredible distances in a fraction of the time and energy that would be required by a ship equipped with condensate drive.
  
  The one drawback to Casimir technology, at least in its current implementation, is that such trips are lethal to biological organisms, hence the need for the ACU. Human test subjects exposed even briefly to Casimir gradients experienced intense dreams and nightmares; those with longer exposures died during a state of heavy REM activity. Even the ACU is not immune to the quantum distortions responsible for this effect and is expected to experience dream states while in hibernation mode during Casimir jumps.
  
  ACU -> DATA_FETCH : TRUE
  
  > remember ACU
  Your project for the last two years has been design of the autonomous control unit, an artificially intelligent agent that controls all operations aboard the Valkyrie. Originally, the ACU would have been modeled on synaptic scans of experts from relevant fields of study, but given the short time frame, you have only had time to incorporate your own synaptic scans and you have jury-rigged the ACU-to-ship interface.
  
  ACU -> DATA_FETCH : TRUE
  
  Rover dashes back and forth like a possessed dog for no apparent reason.
  
  > examine Rover
  He's a big, happy dalmatian.
  
  ROVER -> DIAGNOSTIC : TRUE
  
  > Pet Rover
  You rub Rover under the chin, and he cranes back his neck and twists his head from side to side in enjoyment.
  
  ROVER -> SYNCH : TRUE
  
  > Scratch rover
  You pat Rover briefly, but he lets you know that a brief pat is not satisfactory. You spend some time scratching Rover, as he repositions himself constantly, trying to get you to scratch an ever-moving itch.
  
  ROVER -> SYNCH : TRUE
  
  > remember Rover
  Rover is your dog, a five-year-old dalmatian. When his original owners were killed during the Independence War, you adopted him as a puppy. He is a clever dog, and you have taught him to perform a number of tricks on command. Rover is house trained but loves to explore outside. He can be trusted to go out on his own, and he always comes back.
  
  ACU -> DATA_FETCH : TRUE
  
  > roll over
  Rover rolls over like a puppy. He quickly jumps to his feet again.
  
  ROVER -> LATERAL JETS : TRUE
  
  > sit
  Rover grazes the ground with his rear end, like a suborbital glider aborting a landing.
  
  ROVER -> PARK : TRUE
  
  Rover seems relaxed.
  
  > Beg
  There is no reply.
  
  ROVER -> TRANSMIT : NIL
  
  > Bark
  Rover barks out a meaty, "Arf! Arf!"
  
  ROVER -> EMIT PULSE : TRUE
  
  Rover cocks his head and ogles the front door.
  
  > ask ROVER about ROVER
  (Rover about that)
  There is no reply.
  
  ROVER -> QUERY : NIL