The Chronicles of Medusa

Sequel to the classic Encounter with the Jellyfish by Arthur C. Clarke. When a terrorist attack threatens the Sam Shore cruise ship at the turn of the 21st century, there's no one who can do anything. Not even World Navy Captain Howard Falcon, an enhanced human being, part man, part machine. Then a small drink-serving robot, with limited speech and reduced autonomy, steps in to resolve the situation. This sparks discussions about the degree of independence of machines, which could become even better tools than they already are. Until an accident occurs at a workstation in the Kuiper Belt. Falcon goes there and finds a machine named Adam, whose artificial intelligence appears to make it conscious, an individual. The captain knows this means the machines in that sector will be deactivated to avoid the risk of complete independence, so he recommends that they all flee so they can develop away from human influence. Commanded by Adam, they leave. However, many years later, they return, and this is the beginning of troubled centuries in the relationship between humans and machines.