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 Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2022 6:48 pm
TIME: 9:45PM Delta-T
Protector of the future (NPC)
MOOD: Anxious
ACTION: Trying to be politeAs the Vanguard gathered again in an area that may have been a public bathhouse long ago, the tarnished tinman was visible nearby, its nervous fingers clickety-clacking against each other. He didn't boldly approach so much as offer a wave form where he stood, politely offering the colorful organics the space they were seeking while also remaining available for any inquiries they might have. It was as good as a regrouping space as any, removed from both the party and any humans who might want to cause them more trouble, and on relatively high ground that provided a decent view of their ivory palace-like surroundings. The only major problem was some of the decorative carvings and statues -- which were, to put it most politely, rather hedonistic. Quote: [color=][size=18][b]NAME[/b][/size]
[url=journal link]Faction / rank / planetary alignment[/url]
[b]MOOD:[/b]
[b]ACTION:[/b][/color][code][/quote]
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Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2022 7:34 pm
AliezVanguard CorporalMOOD: Sad and frustrated. ACTION: Staying with the others and handing out water. Aliez could see the robot man from across the way, but he felt too downtrodden to lift a hand in return. Perhaps it would have been polite, but he felt numb. He felt frustrated. More over the fact that his fellow Velencians were frustrated. His friends had been mocked and called traitors and attacked.
The robot from before told them their friend wished to talk to them.
Instead, the ship-- the Reasoner -- just wanted the Negaverse agents to name its cyberpet.
He rummaged through his subspace pocket, pulling out carefully organized pouches that contained bottles of water. He’d discovered the fabric packing cubes while looking at all the things Earth offered for organization, so of course he purchased some lavender purple cubes that zipped up to keep the contents of his subspace easily accessible.
“Here, I have water if anyone is running low,” he offered, holding out a couple bottles for the others. "Please be sure to stay hydrated."
He kept his eyes averted from the decorative carvings and statues, and wished they’d picked another place to regroup. Unfortunately most other places were already occupied by those who wished them harm.
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Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2022 7:40 pm
VynVanguard CorporalMOOD: Worried. Anxious. ACTION: Checking messages and GPS, then introducing himself to Delta-T. Vyn paid just enough attention to their surroundings to convince himself that they were not about to be ambushed by undisciplined Negaverse agents let off their leashes by their absent masters, or any vengeful White Moon hypocrite who might like to take their chances against the Vanguard without the threat of the Commodore there. The rest of it received little more than a glance — the public nature of whatever this place was; the carvings and statues…
Vyn did his utmost not to look at the statues.
“The Commodore hasn’t responded,” Vyn said, mostly to himself, checking his ComTech for messages before pulling up the GPS Locator to check the area for any missing Cadets or Corporals. Even if they didn’t show up to this location, he wanted to ensure they were all accounted for.
“Not that I expected him to, but I—”
He stopped himself before he could say he’d hoped.
He was a Corporal. He should be able to handle this situation on his own — and if not on his own, then with his comrades. He wasn’t the only one of his rank there. Surely, they could all figure something out.
Vyn looked up and glanced around again. He did not yet take the offered water from Aliez. Instead, Vyn caught sight of the robot from before (Delta-T), the one that greeted them at the party, and the ship after. Vyn squashed the initial wave of resentment that washed over him. He told himself it was not the robot’s fault that they were stuck here anymore than it was his fault that the ship offered them no answers. The robot hadn’t claimed that there would be answers, just that the ship wished to speak with them.
With more confidence than he felt, Vyn approached.
“It seems your ship did not wish to speak with us so much as it wished for our presence at some sort of naming ceremony,” Vyn began. Admirably, he kept his disappointment and his frustrations contained. “Which reminds me that I have been remiss. I don’t believe I have learned your name. I am Vyn. What may I call you?”
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Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2022 8:01 pm
AndreiyaVanguardian CorporalMOOD: Deflated ACTION: Accepting Aliez's water, eavesdropping on Vyn and Delta-T Andreiya hardly even acknowledged the robot. His eyes landed on it briefly, but the whole place seemed too dangerous for him to let his eyes wander. He didn’t dare look around much for fear of landing on something lewd.
He didn’t have much energy, anyway. Being frustrated was draining, and now he was just tired. Maybe he had some enthusiasm when they’d first arrived, but his mood was soured and he couldn’t find much to appreciate here.
There wasn’t any question that he was going to stay with Aliez and Vyn as much as possible, and the idea of being with the rest of the Vanguardians was ideal. They were safer together. With no Knights, or Negaverse Agents, or Mauvians around.
Maybe he was just tired. Maybe he was hangry. Maybe he was stressed.
Maybe he was dehydrated.
He accepted a bottle from Aliez with a quiet word of thanks and uncapped it, disappointed to hear that Lyndin hadn’t been able to get back to them. He blamed this place, not the Commodore.
Andreiya admired Aliez, who was always so practical and prepared and so good at taking care of everyone else. He admired Vyn, too, who still had the drive and determination to find answers. Honestly, he didn’t trust himself to talk to the little robot. It was better than Vyn did the communication, and though he didn’t speak, Andreiya tilted his head just slightly as he listened in.
While he sipped at the water, he stood near Aliez and kept checking his ComTech for any communications or updated data. He'd tried to run a few scans on the area, but he wasn't even sure if his ComTech was functioning up here. At least some messages were coming through.
It didn't make him feel any better about this place, though. He hoped someone else was having better luck than he was. Whatever charm this place might have had was long gone.
And who built these statues. And why.
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Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2022 4:36 pm
NerynVanguard CadetMOOD: Anxious ACTION: Neryn saw the robot waving at them, but chose to ignore it for now. The rather... questionable carvings and statues gave them pause, and did not really do anything at all to settle their nerves. They took the offered bottle of water and drained it, suddenly incredibly thirsty. Neryn frowned and tapped their data pad, that hadn't uploaded any information back to their server yet.
"I do not think we have connection here... " they said, mostly to the area and themself. All in all, Neryn was tired. They were on this weird planet, they'd been threatened, the bots were more useless than they'd thought they'd be. No information on how to save their world. No information on how to keep both Caedus and Lyndin alive. Nothing.
Just a ragtag group of abandoned robots who gained sentience and wanted to throw a party?
Neryn wandered up to Vyn and Delta-T. "... Why are we here? Why is there a party? I don't understand why we're here," they said, looking at Delta-T with a look of confusion.
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Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2022 7:43 pm
Delta-T
Protector of the future (NPC)
MOOD: Nervous
ACTION: Answering questionsDelta-T bowed creakily and graciously to Vyn and Neryn, his torso bobbling a bit upon his rising. "I must admit, we are as puzzled as you are. Our calculations suggested you would know these things already... as the heralds of our trial being complete. To earn our own star seeds, you see." He produced a ragged, saturated cloth out of a hatch in his torso and wiped at an excess of grease on a clockwork elbow joint. "We believe Astraya was built as a way for beings like us to find passage into the cycle of rebirth. So we can one day pursue new lives unrestrained by someone else's design. Our star seeds will come to us if we are worthy. We've all worked quite hard to prove that we are." Although it was worn and filthy, the cloth was folded with great delicacy when he was done using it, with his finger joints ticking away like windup toys with each move. "Your arrival, as beings with star seeds, signalled to us that we've met Astraya's qualifications. It is only natural that we celebrate." The organics' ignorance about the whole situation was rather peculiar. "The Reasoner gets excited to share its hobbies with someone new," he said to Vyn, as if attempting to excuse the ship's behavior. "Though I also suspect the crash may have... impacted its focus, a bit." His assessment creaked out awkwardly and hesitantly, in a hushed tone. "My apologies if the visit left you dissatisfied."
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Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2022 8:16 pm
VynVanguard CorporalMOOD: Nervous again, but doing his best to hide it. ACTION: Speaking with Delta-T. Vyn glanced at Neryn to ensure that they had not been too badly affected by their experiences on the ship. None of them had been harmed, of course, except perhaps they’d each taken a bit of damage to their pride. Vyn had not expected that their mission would be easy, but a part of him had hoped that, after almost a year, they might have made more progress with the humans.
Unfortunately, it seemed as if many humans still did not trust them, or thought them worthy of being disparaged by virtue of their foreign birth.
Mustering what patience he had left, Vyn listened carefully to Delta-T’s response.
“You have no need to apologize,” Vyn reassured him. “I suspect you are correct that the crash may be responsible. The damage done to the ship was… considerable.”
That was putting it lightly. Vyn wouldn’t even know where to begin if anyone attempted to repair it. He thought it might be a lost cause. Perhaps they could get more of the internal systems up and running, but he doubted it would ever fly again, not without help from off-world.
As for the rest of Delta-T’s explanation… Vyn cocked his head, confused.
“Surely you must know that it would be impossible for any of you to acquire your own starseeds,” he said, brows furrowed as if in confusion. “A starseed isn’t something one earns. It is something one is born with. I can’t imagine any way for you to acquire one except to—...”
Take one, he thought, but didn’t want to say.
Hastily, Vyn cleared his throat, forcing his expression to remain neutral even as sweat slicked his palms.
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Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2022 12:10 pm
Fae-Fae
Vanguard Corporal
MOOD: So gay. So happy.
ACTION: Checking on comradesAmidst the tension and unease and awkward statue gaze-avoidance, Corporal Fae-Fae drifted into the gathering with notes of pure bliss still lighting up her face. It was somewhat surprising to see her shoes still touching the ground, as the way she carried herself made it seem like she was floating. Her face was still warm, her chest a bubbling fountain of giggles she struggled to contain. She had kissed a girl. A very, very nice girl. The girl had kissed her back and told her it was nice. That the Vanguard was stranded on Astraya was a distant consideration that took great effort to pull closer -- ultimately, her ability to focus on the present returned in no small part due to the realization that once they were back on Earth, she could resume kissing the cute girl. The Corporal sat near Andreiya and Aliez, listening in to the conversation between Vyn and the robot while studying the faces of her peers. The ones who had visited the ship looked stressed; the story about what happened inside was strange. Her ComTech buzzed to alert her of a message Lysvi had sent to them all -- that the robots had repaired a device that had summoned them here. The story didn't make any sense. Had they fixed the beacon without knowing what it would do? What kind of recklessness had been programmed into them, to inspire them to do that? Joy, excitement, celebration, anxiety -- who had programmed machines to have these qualities? They had been given emotions. Why? How?
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Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2022 5:49 pm
Naeria
Vanguard Cadet
MOOD: Optimistic
ACTION: Approaching the groupNaeria might have slipped away from the group for a few minutes, but she wasn't brave enough to go far, or to stay on her own for any length of time. When she saw that the others were reconvening, she scuttled over to where they were standing, her arms tucked up in front of her chest. The artistic choices of the architects didn't catch her attention at all, and even the robot slipped beneath her notice at first, because she only had eyes for the faces of her friends. They seemed safe. Fae-Fae even seemed happy. The others seemed more confused and concerned, but Naeria left them to that for a moment. Of course she sidled up next to Fae-Fae and Andreyia, and of course she accepted a water bottle from Aliez, who had always been there to help here out in times like this, when things got intense, or confusing. "I found a music robot," she told Fae-Fae, and the others, too, with a little bit of a smile. "I did not understand all of its sounds, but," she took a sip of water, "I thought it might be relevant to your research."
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Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2022 8:50 pm
AliezVanguard CorporalMOOD: Unnerved ACTION: Voicing his thoughts about the place to those not near Delta-T. Aliez continued passing out water as the others slowly gathered closer, although he couldn’t help but turn to watch Vyn and Neryn anxiously as they approached the robot named Delta-T.
“I have the recorded data from our visit with the Reasoner,” he said to the others, out of earshot of Delta-T. “It is being uploaded now, although it is taking longer than usual.” Probably because they were so far from the Commodore and their equipment they had with them that helped their established network.
“I do not understand the purpose of this place,” he admitted to the others. From his research on Earth, he was fully aware that it was similar to what could have been a pool of some sort. The extreme waste of water gave his heart little palpitations, but he tried to ignore it.
“The functions of this place… the…” he hesitated, cautioning a glance at one or more of the statues before his face flushed and he lowered his eyes again.
“The architecture… It does not reflect the functionality needed by artificial lifeforms, such as these robots. There must have been people who once lived here, likely ones in similar appearance to the… architecture… but I am uncertain how long ago. I am not picking up any useful information with my ComTech,” he admitted mournfully.
“Perhaps this place was abandoned long before these artificial lifeforms took up residence.”
He hoped that was the case.
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Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2022 2:01 pm
AndreiyaVanguardian CorporalMOOD: Deflated/Perplexed/Suspicious ACTION: Conversing with Vanguardians/Asking Delta-T a question Though Andreiya managed brief, tired smiles at each of the joining Vanguardians, his attention was notably on Delta-T as much as it was them. He was listening to the robot, and was glad he was over here and not the one exchanging questions with it; he didn’t think he would have had Vyn’s patience. He did think the robot should apologize! For all of this! He still didn’t know why they were here, but the strange mix of information brought him no relief.
He was poking at his ComTech when he read Lysvi’s message, and his lips pursed together unhappily. “I would leave if these robots showed up on my doorstep,” he muttered, but there was something sorrowful about the words. He didn’t want to be bitter, he was just frustrated. Tired. He missed home now more than ever.
“I am glad you have met at least one that makes you smile, Naeira.” Unhelpful as it sounded to be, at least she seemed in a good mood. And Fae-Fae, too. He hadn’t seen her in a bit so he wondered what research she was working on. He could only think that Caelyna might have been a bit distracting.
He was glad that Neryn and Vyn were handling the interrogation so far. He had questions, but he busied himself sipping at the water as he tried to think of nice ways to word them.
What would a robot do with a starseed? Delta-T was mopping himself up, practically falling apart at the seams. He didn’t appear to be in much better condition than the ship. They weren’t the least bit prepared to take care of themselves, or something with such importance as a starseed.
His face had scrunched up a bit; Vyn didn’t have to finish his sentence for him to know. He didn’t have to strain much to hear, but he glanced over his shoulder again so he could watch the three of them conversing.
The robot thought his kind were there to find passage into the cycle of rebirth. Why did they think the rest of them were there? They were already going to be reborn, at the end of their lives. There was no reason for them to be here for the same purpose as the robots.
He wanted to stay quiet. Wanted to let the others ask the questions.
But. This still felt all wrong.
“What do you mean, you’ve ‘worked hard’ to prove that you’re worthy?” he called. He didn’t keep his voice hushed like Aliez’ whispers to the group; he moved just a bit closer to Neryn and Vyn and called out to make sure he was heard. “How are you judging your worthiness, what have you all accomplished?”
The ship had been…taking care of a cyber creature? Delta-T was leaking grease, Naeria had found a fancy music box. These robotic creatures hardly seemed capable of taking care of themselves, much less achieving any greater function.
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Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2022 2:03 pm
Delta-T
Protector of the future (NPC)
MOOD: Hopeful
ACTION: Answering Vyn and AndreiyaVyn's trailing off midsentence earned a curious tilt of the head from the tinman, but it was quickly shrugged off in favor of continuing the conversation. He wasn't at all discouraged by the Vanguardian's insistence that star seeds had only one origin. "Perhaps that has been the case historically, but what was impossible yesterday can be made possible tomorrow." offered Delta-T, his tone winding upward into something determined and optimistic as he did so. "Just look at us, for example! My friends were all designed to serve a certain function. Surly was built for hard labor, Fanny was built to tend crops... but now they no longer mindlessly toil away at those tasks. Now they choose their own function instead of being bound by their original programming. Some of us have even selected our own names! Would you have believed such a thing possible, had you not met us?" The droid stood a bit taller, hands triumphantly on his hips, and his weathered chassis gleamed with heroic confidence. If he had been capable of making facial expressions, he no doubt would have been grinning. Then he turned to Andreiya, nodding at the question. "Astraya presented us with many tasks to complete, each one more difficult than the last." His tinny voice sparkled a bit in recollection of their experiences. "We all needed to use our unique functions wisely. There were things to clean, things to repair and rebuild... we spent so much time working together, like a genuine society! It's been so exciting, after so much time cooped up inside the Reasoner." Now his volume lowered again, in the spirit of gossip. "The ship gets a bit overbearing sometimes. Especially with its hobbies... I was getting so tired of hiding in that bathroom."
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Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2022 5:26 pm
AndreiyaVanguardian CorporalMOOD: Perplexed/Suspicious ACTION: Conversing with Delta-T Delta-T was a poor specimen. Eloquent as the robot might have been, or as courteous as he tried to be, Andreiya could not shake the feeling that he was a pale shade of whatever he might have once been. He was leaking oil, wasn’t he? His body was scratched and worn. He, and all the other robots here, looked like they were in such a state of disrepair that if they had been on Velencya, they would have melted down and repurposed. Remade into something new.
So, his frown deepened, and a contemplative expression worked onto his features.
He wasn’t angry, not right now. Not even confused. Stuck in the mud, it felt like. Not at all on the same wavelength.
They spoke, maybe like they were people, but he knew how convincing artificial programming could be. So were these robots actually sentient? Or were they just programming gone awry? He couldn’t give them the benefit of the doubt. Not Delta-T, especially, who had sent them into the ship before–knowing it had weird hobbies. Knowing that it had to hide in the bathroom from it!
He was all the more glad that they’d left when they had the chance.
For all of his annoyance and frustration, he did not tell Delta-T that, yes, he could have easily imagined such a thing. What he couldn’t imagine was why. He doubted this broken world had really tasked them with much, but he didn’t dare look around for fear of the statues catching his eye. They’d spent time cooped up in the ship. The ship had crashed. He didn’t know how long they’d been on ‘Astraya’, didn’t know if it was important.
“Where did you come from?” he asked, finally. “And why do you think you need a starseed to pursue a new life, unrestrained by someone else’s design? Have you not already said you have paved our own way? You have chosen names, and functions, and set tasks for yourselves. That was by your design. You did not need a starseed for that.”
He shared Vyn’s concerns. One did not just receive a starseed.
But they could be taken. He knew what the Negaverse was capable of. And, they had given Lyndin a machine that could do the same. A dull pain throbbed from his chest and he instinctively rubbed there to ease it.
“And moreover, your bodies are far more customizable than ours. If you do not like your physical design, why not change it? You have scraps and pieces here. You have the resources to make yourselves anew. In whatever form you like. You have spent this time on Astraya cleaning and repairing and rebuilding, but why have you neglected yourselves? I do not understand. The power to be as you want to be is in your hands already. Why do you need more?”
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Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2022 6:25 pm
Naeria
Vanguard Cadet
MOOD: Optimistic
ACTION: Offering helpNaeria had clearly walked in onto some conversation she did not fully understand. Starseeds, she heard in passing, as she blinked her golden eyes from behind Andreyia's shoulders. She didn't know what a robot would want with a starseed, but it was possible that there was something that she was missing in that regard. Something about continuing to function? She was trying to catch up, trying to process everything that was being said before the suspicion took over, and there started to be rifts between her friends and these highly intelligent artificial lifeforms that she saw so much potential in. Velenia was currently inhospitable to people, and yet somebody would need to be continuously present there in order to start making progress on analyzing the problems that made it unlivable, and working to fix them. There might be an answer here to some of that. "We could help," she managed, shakily, but this was important to say. "If you're worried about longevity.You could come back." It wasn't like they were trapped here. Kurma would bring them back once they made friends with the robots, surely. "There are materials there, far more than here. Um, and there are Earth and Velencyan databases that might have relevant resources for repairing your bodies." That was all she could manage, verbally, for the moment, but she took a deep breath and tried not to slip away.
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Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2022 6:37 pm
VynVanguard CorporalMOOD: Feeling lost. A little reassured by Andreiya’s incredulity, then immediately displeased with what he perceives as naivete from Naeria. ACTION: Still speaking with Delta-T. Vyn did not say, Even having met you, I still am not inclined to believe that you have exceeded your original programming.
He would not believe it simply because a robot claimed it to be true. Verifying the claim would require a thorough examination of their programming; barring that, they would have no way to come to a definitive conclusion. Under the circumstances, Vyn was not willing to give any of the robots the benefit of the doubt.
But he was not brave enough to contradict Delta-T, or ask permission to perform such an examination himself, lest he inadvertently turn the robots against them.
Privately, he thought Delta-T must be malfunctioning as well. The answers to Andreiya’s questions were difficult to accept at face value. Nothing about this world was clean or in good repair. The ship seemed beyond help. The robots themselves were faulty. "Astraya" was a ruin, covered in rubble and debris. What had they cleaned? What had they repaired? Who or what determined if or when they were worthy? Astraya itself? In what manner?
Was this world even Astraya, or had the robots drawn inaccurate conclusions based on insufficient data?
Vyn spared another glance toward Andreiya, pleased that he, too, thought it all a bit odd. With the way some of the others seemed to view this place and these robots with awe, Vyn was beginning to think he’d overlooked something, like the others had been let in on some sort of secret they were all keeping from him.
A shift of his eyes toward Naeria, and Vyn couldn’t suppress a frown. She was naive. How could so many in the Vanguard still be so naive after what happened on the hilltop? Furthermore, why was she offering help from Earth — a planet she had no right offering resources from?
His confidence plummeted — in himself, in his friends.
Turning his attention back toward Delta-T, Vyn said, “You’ve said our arrival here was foretold. Who or what did the foretelling? Was this prophecy disclosed to you by someone, or did something about this place indicate it to you? How exactly did Astraya present you with tasks?”
The part of him that strove to be kind hoped they weren’t overwhelming their host with all their questions.
The part of him that still seethed with frustration didn’t care.
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