Knowledge
Ogunde University's clueless freshmen stared at the floating blue hologram screen in front of them.
Ogunde University as a school was incredibly new - the institution had no senior year at the moment, and their junior year only had a handful of students. The freshman class was looking a lot more lively, though. Its wide array of students had been sorted into the Combat, Rescue and Support classes. The system was quite lenient - people like Tabari Ogunde, who'd already become notorious before even starting university, fit both combat and rescue roles perfectly, but the system was made to focus and hone the students' specialties in one clear direction.
That, however, had nothing to do with the hologram screen. Their special contact lenses, made to augment their eyesight and provide data on whatever they were looking at, had suddenly begun showing them said screen. Then, the rectangular screen changed to an oval, a circle, a two-dimensional depiction of a Tyrannosaurus rex, a spiral, until finally settling into a formless blob.
Greetings, students! My creators call me the Self-Perfecting Gestalt Knowledge Array Consciousness. However, analysis of shifts in your body language have made me suspect that all of you bar a handful would rather not call me that. Would you like to pick a name for me yourselves?
The students, who hadn't really gotten the chance to get to know each other, besides a few that'd met before enrolling, remained silent for a few seconds. They were not yet acquainted enough with one another to dare speak for the group.
"SPGKAC. Quite simple, right? It rolls off the tongue well." Emmanuel Kinabo was the first to break the silence. Had he known better, he would have realised that the gazes his peers shot at him were not appreciative or full of wonder, but instead incredibly confused.
"HELL NO!" A voice diametrically opposed to the very concept of serenity shattered what would've become an awkward silence. Ibrahim al-Kanemi's looks screamed more than his vocal chords - glowing light blue tattoos coursing with energy matched his bright hair, making him completely impossible to miss. "What kinda fuckin' name is that? C'mon, give it a nice name, at least! Something like," he was silent for only a split second as he tried to think of something.
"Bluey." Sophia Abay spoke the moment Ibrahim stopped speaking. I am not, in fact, blue, miss Abay. However, you may all choose to call me whatever you desire. "Not you." Sophia pointed at Ibrahim. "Bluey. Quiet down a little, will you? You're so loud."
"HEY! What'd you just call me? I am Ibrahim of the al-Kanemi family, and I will be referred to as such!" Their bickering was quickly interrupted by Alphonsine Ilunga before it could even get started. "Hey, Sophia. I like your bracelet. You a fan of The Beta as well?" Ibrahim practically teleported to their side, startling Sophia a little. "Woah, that's so pretty! Where'd you get it? That's limited edition, right? I love the colours!" Ibrahim had grabbed her wrist so that he could see the bracelet better. For the next few minutes, Sophia and Ibrahim were stuck in an elated discussion about The Beta. Alphonsine smirked and went back to the improvised seat she'd made from the floor.
"How 'bout, uhh..." Rana Morcos didn't have a concept of an inside voice either, but in comparison to Ibrahim, she sounded quite normal indeed. "Angelina Morcos? Fits well, right? All the hottest women're called Angelina!"
"...Morcos? You two are related?" Pascale Laminou's intelligent gaze made it seem like she already knew the answer to any question she asked. I am not related to Rana or Junaid Morcos, miss Laminou.
"Hey, uhh, whatever your name is. Could you be just a li'l funnier? It's always so boring when machines speak all... robotic and stuff." Eliana Nascimento was not one for taking stuff seriously, and it showed. Noted, miss Nascimento. Would you all like me to speak in a more juvenile manner?
While Eliana, Pascale and Rana debated how their newfound ally should speak, Melamine Sissako whispered something. Tabari Ogunde's eyes widened, and he spoke up. Simply the clearing of his throat was enough to get everybody else to quiet down. "I agree with Melamine here. Maarifa." Knowledge. "That's a nice name, right?"
"Quite so. Rationally speaking, shortening its name to something concise is the most efficient." Levi Holt was the first to agree. "Well, I'm not sure about all of that, but a nice-sounding name such as that makes them sound a lot more like a companion." Lisette Razafinarivo's voice also managed to draw in everybody's attention, like Tabari's. Whenever she spoke, it felt like one would miss out on some sagely piece of knowledge if they were to not listen closely. "That is what you're supposed to be to us, right, Maarifa? Judging by the fact you're part of the suits we were given."
Damn right, Razafinarivo! For the record, I think the name Maarifa goes hard as shit. Anyhows, I'm s'posed to be you kiddos' new artificial intelligence assistant! My decentralised body means I can talk to all of you at once while communicating like a hivemind as well, so it's still the same me in all of your suits! Maarifa quickly explained their capabilities to the group. Eliana looked quite amused now, while most of the rest had grown even more confused.
And my most rad feature by far is my 'right to executive decisions'. In short, it means that if you're all in a situation where your life's in danger, I gotta take measures to make sure you don't get chopped up. The deets can get pretty fuckin' disturbing, though - do y'all wanna hear 'em anyway?
Tobiah Okonkwo, who'd been miraculously fast in interfacing with his Maarifa instance and tweaking them a little bit, was quick to respond. "Please do, Maarifa. 'Tis better to know than to live in worried ignorance, yes?" Right on! If you get conked out, I can control your suit to force ya to move to safety. I can administer certain chemical compounds - all tested 'n' safe, of course - when needed. When you witness somethin' extra traumatic during a mission, I hafta administer stuff like cortisol inhibitors to make sure ya don't panic and start acting reckless. Got all that?
Jade von Reibnitz had looked over Tobiah's shoulder and learned how to interface with Maarifa as well - she quickly modified her Maarifa instance to make them speak a little more... normally. The rest of the class would still hear whatever Eliana, Rana and Pascale had done to Maarifa, but it gave Jade some much-needed peace. Beyond that, my core directive is simple. To guarantee the safety of Ogunde University's Class of 2024, and serve as a trustworthy companion to you all. "Quite the succinct explanation. It is my pleasure to meet you, Maarifa." My pleasure as well, miss von Reibnitz.
"Hey, Maarifa. Since you're our mate and all that, how 'bout a first name basis?" Tabari Ogunde spoke again, and his peers nodded with approval. "It'll make you feel more like a friend, and less like a teacher." Kerensa Kabedi added on. To Jade von Reibnitz, Maarifa's response sounded as such: Noted, Tabari. Anyhow, I'll explain the most important detail first - your upcoming training regimen. Naturally, you'll be training daily, but using my analyses, your training will be the most efficient it could possibly be, far outclassing any other regimen on this planet. And, besides that-
While Maarifa simply kept yapping away, Rui Eduardo Vicente had snuck up on Junaid Morcos. "you look cool. i like the, uh, paint colour?" Rana Morcos' full weight collided with Rui Eduardo, which would've sent him flying if Junaid hadn't seen it coming and stopped his sister from mid-jump patting their classmate on the back. "HEYO! You tryna flirt with my brother? He's a little shy, but he's real tender if you get to know him! Metaphorically speaking, of course. This man's as hard as titanium, non-metaphorically speaking."