15. Bob – September 2144 – Epsilon Eridani

Bob eavesdrops on a confrontation between Dr. Landers and Minister Jacoby, a religious extremist who opposes Bob's existence as blasphemous. After an intense argument about the morality of creating artificial intelligences, Minister Jacoby storms out with a veiled threat, leaving Dr. Landers shaken but ultimately dismissive of the danger.

Bob is working with roamers in the lab when he notices Dr. Landers has turned off the intercom system to speak privately with a visitor. Curious, Bob uses a roamer pressed against the wall to capture vibrations and eavesdrop on the conversation. The visitor is Minister Jacoby, a religious official who condemns Bob's existence as witchcraft, hubris, and a mockery of God's creation. Dr. Landers defends the project by noting it is officially sanctioned and funded by the Ministry of Truth, and he cleverly points out that Minister Jacoby's opposition contradicts FAITH itself, the revealed Word of God. After several minutes of berating and threats, Minister Jacoby declares that Dr. Landers has chosen the wrong friends and storms out. Dr. Landers appears visibly stressed afterward. When Bob confronts him directly about the visitor's identity, Dr. Landers identifies him as Minister Jacoby and characterizes him as representing extreme viewpoints. He suggests Jacoby's threats carry little weight since Jacoby resorted to browbeating rather than exercising real power. Bob notes the doctor's careful qualifier and remains skeptical of the reassurance. Dr. Landers also wryly observes that disabling the intercom proved ineffective against Bob's surveillance capabilities.