[SCHEMA]: Do you wish to continue, Tom Nobody?

I realized that I had been standing there lost in my own world for a while. I hadn’t been actually thinking; I don’t know what you would call it, maybe just getting used to being Tom Nobody? I don’t know.

“Sure, what’s next?”

[SCHEMA]: What part of the TUTORIAL would you like information about, next? We can continue with your CHARACTER sheet or move on to another MENU selection. Additionally, there are physical portions of the TUTORIAL where skills and/or abilities may be learned. WARNING! It is not recommended that an individual proceed to the physical portions of the TUTORIAL until the content of the CHARACTER sheet is understood.

Since I still didn’t understand everything on the CHARACTER sheet, I decided that I’d better continue item by item. If I had already had my INTELLIGENCE improved by learning new information, it just stood to reason that I was on the right track.

“Let’s keep going item by item, for now, if that’s all right? I can always decide to change things up later, can’t I?”

[SCHEMA]: Of course. The TUTORIAL is the one part of the SCHEMA that is so USER friendly. How much or how little of the TUTORIAL is completed is all within the control of each USER.

Huh.

“What’s a USER?”

[SCHEMA]: You are a USER.

Not a real answer, I thought.

“What are you?”

[SCHEMA]: We are the SCHEMA.

Hmm.

“What exactly is the SCHEMA?”

[SCHEMA]: The SCHEMA is the Sentient Civilization Hastened Evolution Management Alliance, a coalition made up of representatives of the most Elder Races designed the system which guides the rest of the members of the Greater Galactic Civilization.

“Who or what are the ‘most Elder Races’?”

[SCHEMA]: The most Elder Races are the designers of the SCHEMA who administer the system.

“Are the most Elder Races USERs?”

[SCHEMA]: The most Elder Races are the designers of the SCHEMA who administer the system.

Hmm. Another non answer.

“Are there other entities who are a part of this Greater Galactic Civilization who are not USERs?”

[SCHEMA]: Yes.

“Who are these entities which are part of this Greater Galactic Civilization, but who are not USERs?”

[SCHEMA]: There are various levels of ADMINISTRATORs who participate in the administration of the system, but are not considered USERs.

“Are these ADMINISTRATORs who participate in the administration of the system, but are not considered USERs the same entities that make up the most Elder Races who designed the SCHEMA?”

[SCHEMA]: That information is not a part of this TUTORIAL, please make another selection that is part of the TUTORIAL.

“Since I don’t know what the TUTORIAL consists of, how can I know what is and what is not part of this TUTORIAL?”

[SCHEMA]: The BEGINNER TUTORIAL consists of the information contained in the MENU as well as physical instruction in the various skills and abilities available to BEGINNER USERs so that they may understand how to survive and prosper as a USER of the SCHEMA system.

“O-oookay.” Taking a minute, I tried to order my thoughts, but even though I’d had my INTELLIGENCE raised, my mind still struggled to navigate this way of thinking. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was missing something, or that something was intentionally being hidden from me. The former feelings of peace, or happiness, or even worry were being replaces with something else, something like anger. I realized that I didn’t like things being hidden from me, but for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out how to go on. Obviously, the SCHEMA had a higher INTELLIGENCE score than me, so I decided to just continue on with the TUTORIAL. For now. Clearly, I didn’t understand a lot, but one thing I did understand was that no matter how hard it tried to hide, information always wanted to be known.

*DING*

[SCHEMA]: Congratulations! You have learned the SKILL LEAP OF FAITH! You no longer require exhaustive information before coming to a conclusion; LEAP OF FAITH may make learning other SKILLS and/or ABILITITIES easier to learn! CONGRATULATIONS! You have gained the ABILITY INTUITIVE LEARNER! Learning other SKILLs and ABILITIES without prior training increased by 1%

I was completely floored. On the one hand, I should have known that the SCHEMA could read my thoughts, because it had already told me that I could make selections by just thinking the name. I don’t know why I should be surprised by this, but I was. Not just surprising, knowing that someone—some thing—knew my every thought was just creepy!

“Uh, SCHEMA, will you always be listening to everything I think? I have to admit that bothers me. I’m not used to my private thoughts not being, well, private.”

[SCHEMA]: In order to properly administer the SCHEMA system, some part or parts of us must at all times monitor the thoughts of every USER. It is understood that for many civilizations this may be considered intrusive, so the SCHEMA system is compartmentalized. The parts of the system that are constantly aware of your thoughts, such as those that control the release of SPELLs, SKILLS and ABILITIES, or MENU commands are not sentient in the way that you consider sentience. In other words, these parts of the SCHEMA system do not make value judgments, or what you consider “right and wrong,” on the contents of your thoughts, they only monitor them in order to provide the proper action required by the SCHEMA.

“Okay, I think I understand. Those parts of SCHEMA that you’re talking about that are constantly monitoring our thoughts are kind of like computers, I guess, or maybe artificial intelligences, am I right so far?”

[SCHEMA}: The comparison of these parts of the SCHEMA system with your computers or artificial intelligences is not an exact comparison, but the general idea is the same.

“Soooo, is the part of the SCHEMA system I am speaking with now one of these parts that always monitor our thoughts, or are you, I don’t know, what I understand as a sentient being?”

[SCHEMA]: The BEGINNER TUTORIAL is administered by what you would consider an automated process. We are self-aware and sentient, but we are part of the SCHEMA system that you compare to artificial intelligences and we have confined our awareness to that which comprises the BEGINNER TUTORIAL experience. If you wish to communicate with an ADMINISTRATOR, you may do so at any time by saying or thinking “CONTACT SUPPORT” and filing a SUPPORT ticket. Would you like to CONTACT SUPPORT and file a SUPPORT ticket at this time?

I paused for a moment to think. If what SCHEMA is telling me is true—and I have no foundation to believe one way or the other about it, at this point—then the ADMINSTRATORs are not actively aware of any of my questions. Did I want them to be actively aware? I couldn’t think of any way in which that would benefit me at this point.

“No, thank you SCHEMA. I’m good.”

Maybe later when my INTELLIGENCE score is higher, I can come back to this subject. I had no clear recollections of who I was or how I thought in my life before, but I had a sneaking suspicion that bringing myself to the attention of powerful beings who can change whole worlds didn’t seem to be what I’d think of as A Good Thing. For some reason, that thought bothered me. SCHEMA hadn’t done anything to hurt me, and it said that it was here to help me, quote, “so that I may understand how to survive and prosper as a USER of the SCHEMA system,” unquote.

But … did I even want to be a USER of the SCHEMA system?

That's the million dollar question, now, isn't it?