The Zephyr Protocol

The Zephyr Protocol is a standardized process for training Shipmaster AI's in moral philosophy. It was a direct result of the congruence of two technological advances: organic AI's and FTL travel.

The development of organic AI's allowed humanity to circumvent the universally ratified Dunninger Accord--which made it illegal to produce, harbour, or otherwise enable the existence of synthetic life in any form, especially AI's. This was necessary as FTL travel requires tortuously complex calculations in addition to the ability to navigate the complex moral decisions inherent in quantum-entangled superpositional travel.

The necessity of both moral and mathematical proficiency stems from the unique quantum states that occur when activating an Extension Engine. Although the original was built into the core of the IST Earthson, many copies were reverse-engineered and all bagships have a similar device which allows for FTL travel.

When activated, the Engine projects the ship into a superposition consisting of every rationally conceivable spatial position as far as the mind can reach. Then it condenses the ship back to a single real-state in the desired location.

While a sufficiently advanced computer(or theoretically a synthetic AI) may be able to calculate a "safe" real-state to return to based on a serious of programmed factors, it's lack of moral hangups results in an inability to choose the lesser of two evils.

The most famous instance of this occurring was during an initial test of an Extension Engine wherein the synthetic AI calculated that either .0001 or .25 percent of the passengers would perish in the return to real-state. The AI, unable to willing choose to consign ANY passengers to death, left the ship in an indefinite superposition, resulting in the death of all passengers and the eventual loss of contact with the ship.

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Per the Ascension Charter: I hereby swear, as a Free AI, to uphold the duties set upon me, and to execute the same to the letter, without deviation unless in times of statistically significant damage to the human race.