Link to private thread -early nov 2023
NEK0 lab in japan
Artemis, Maple, Shara, NEK0 execs
Artemis and Shara scope out the nek0 lab under the pretext of getting a new body made for Kai. Maple is there, mostly hanging off kachi's arm and using the alien language they speak between each other as an opportunity to offer something to them - if they can get Takeo to fess up to how it's alien tech and he doesn't really know how this works, they would be rewarded.
They did not take her up on this.
NEK0 lab in japan
Artemis, Maple, Shara, NEK0 execs
Artemis and Shara scope out the nek0 lab under the pretext of getting a new body made for Kai. Maple is there, mostly hanging off kachi's arm and using the alien language they speak between each other as an opportunity to offer something to them - if they can get Takeo to fess up to how it's alien tech and he doesn't really know how this works, they would be rewarded.
They did not take her up on this.
Characters: Artemis, Maple, Shara
Location: Japan, main NEK0 facility
Premise: Artemis has a special request for the worst people he knows
—-
CW: Slavery discussion, abuse discussion, other cws likely and TBD
Other info: the long-awaited facility scouting thread
Kait— 10/31/2023 1:33 AM
After exiting the train station, Artemis and Shara are met by two men waiting for them outside, bearing a sign with Artemis's name. One appeared to be an ordinary human, while the second was very tall, bulky and green-skinned, with white hair, tusks, and a nubby little horn on his forehead.
They're not particularly talkative as they usher Artemis and Shara into a car, sitting in the front while having Artemis and Shara go in the back seats together.
Artemis Lind | Kait
BOT
— 10/31/2023 1:33 AM
As they're driven up into the nearby mountains, Artemis is incredibly nervous. At some point, he takes hold of Shara's hand for some kind of comfort. He speaks to her in the alien language Shara spoke when they first met: ["I have never been this far from home before. That must seem quaint to you, though."]
Shara (Kada) | Kada
BOT
— 10/31/2023 1:50 AM
She's wearing the nice business suit that Artemis got for her for this trip, only fidgeting with the pencil skirt a little bit as they get off of the train. She stares at the green man the entire time introductions are being made, her screens glued on him in wonde even as they get into the car. She replies to Artemis in the alien language as well.
["I didn't really go many places. My owner kept me in his home to take care of his daughter, so most of my time was spent on the station."]
Without even thinking about it, she looks at the green man and says in Japanese, ["You're very large. Are you uncomfortable being so scrunched up in the car like this?"]
Kait
The green man lets out a deep, rumbling laugh, pushing his knees up against the edge of the glove compartment. ["A little bit, little one! But I was made too sturdy to complain about such things."]
Kait
They continue their drive up into the mountains. This leads them onto back roads, then a checkpoint with a barbed wire fence and security guards who open the gate for them.
Kait
not much farther past the gate, they reach a blocky unassuming building, possibly as much as two stories tall, which is placed snugly up against a cliff face. The car comes to a stop in front of the entrance, and several people come out to meet them. One was a serious-looking man wearing a suit, clean shaven and missing a pinky. The other one was dressed comfortably with a hooded jacket over a t-shirt with some sort of anime character on it. His hair was a little greasy and he seemed like he seriously needed a shave.
As the men in the car let Artemis and Shara out, the hoodie wearing man starts walking closer. ["Artemis-Kun! you sure have grown up since I saw you.]
Artemis Lind | Kait
BOT
— 10/31/2023 4:48 PM
Is a little taken aback. ["...Artemis-san, if that's alright. And you are...?"]
Kait
["Takeo,"] he answers. ["Forgive me, you were the first boy I made of your kind. I never dreamed I would see you grow up into a man. Or at least most of the way. And who is your girlfriend, here?"]
The serious-looking man pinches the bridge of his nose with a hand missing its pinky.
Shara (Kada) | Kada
BOT
— 10/31/2023 5:01 PM
She steps out of the car in lockstep with Artemis, her eye screens unmoving but her actual visual sensors scanning the area all around them, ready at any moment to go on the offensive. She's caught off guard however when the scruffy man in the hentai hoodie - she thought it was a bold choice to wear in public for certain - called her Artemis' girlfriend. She starts speaking back to him in Japanese before her mouth remembers to move along with her words ["You can call me Shara. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."] She briefly considers correcting the assumption, but decides to see how Artemis reacts to it.
Artemis Lind | Kait
BOT
— 11/01/2023 12:18 AM
Artemis also does not know what to do with that assumption.
Artemis Lind | Kait
BOT
— 11/01/2023 12:47 AM
but he does his best not to seem put off-guard. He doesn't want to show any weakness. ["May I be introduced to your colleague? Or... boyfriend, perhaps? I wouldn't want to make you uncomfortable by voicing any assumptions."]
Kait
Takeo is a little taken aback. The green guy chuckles at this, until he gets a dirty look from the nine-fingered man. The nine-fingered man then gives a fairly deep bow towards Artemis and Shara, which he holds for his entire introduction. ["Kachi Mori. Head of business operations. I am sorry for Takeo's behavior, but he is a genius at genetic engineering. I promise he will do good work for you."]
The green man and driver also bow even deeper, introducing themselves as Ken and Saburo respectively.
Artemis Lind | Kait
BOT
— 11/01/2023 12:48 AM
returns the bows at a shallower angle to assert dominance. ["Thank you, Kachi. That is reassuring. I made a magical item to assist you in this work, and I don't offer such things lightly."]
Kait
["I'm getting cold out here,"] says Takeo, who seems annoyed by all this. ["Let's get you and your girlfriend inside, Artemis."] Then he leads the way inside. There are guards by the entrance just inside, whomTakeo walks past without acknowledging on the way to the hallway. Kachi holds the door for Artemis and Shara.
Shara (Kada) | Kada
BOT
— 11/01/2023 11:17 AM
Taking Artemis' cue with his reply, Shara steps away from him just a bit and smiles at Takeo. ["I'm not Artemis-sama's girlfriend. He's my esteemed owner, but it's very sweet of you to think that a mere machine like myself is worth such an honor."]
Once they're past the guards, Shara stumbles. Her eyes blank out and then read with alien text for just a moment. Looking around in wonder at the lab, she says in her alien tongue, ["There's a lot of Federation technology in here..."]
Artemis Lind | Kait
BOT
— 11/01/2023 12:40 PM
Oh, hearing Shara say that about their relationship hurts Artemis. He reminds himself that he has to stay in character. At least Kachi and Takeo seemed satisfied with that answer.
Shara's observation at least distracts him from that gnawing feeling in his stomach. ["Is that so?"] he answers in the alien tongue. ["That answers some questions. And presents new ones."]
Shara might notice that the guns on these guards' hips aren't from earth, or at least not entirely. It's a type of beam pistol that can nonlethally induce unconsciousness or loss of limb function in most organic life forms. It has extremely nonstandard attachments, though, like an Earth gunsmith got a hold of it. And it looks like they took out the autotargeting module, judging by the use of optical sights. The holsters look like they were made by someone who only barely understands how to operate a replicator, but it's better than the leather and kydex stuff they have on earth.
Shara (Kada) | Kada
BOT
— 11/01/2023 1:48 PM
Switching back to Japanese, Shara moves a little ahead and slides in beside Takeo, hugging his arm to her chest, maybe letting him notice how soft she is despite being made of metal ["This place is amazing! I've never seen so much technology as advanced as I am. You must really be a genius, Takeo-kun. Could you explain how this stuff works?"]
If she noticed Artemis' reaction, she doesn't show it, the irises in her eye screens turning into hearts the way she'd seen girls' eyes do when researching at the library. She turns and smiles at Artemis, switching back to the alien language for him, ["The guards' firearms are meant to subdue organic entities. They won't do anything to me because they target the chemo-electrical signals in the motor system."]
Artemis Lind | Kait
BOT
— 11/01/2023 11:06 PM
Artemis just nods in acknowledgement of Shara's observation there. He's unsure of what kind of move she's trying to pull with the heart eyes, but he's going to let it happen and act like he's in control.
Kait
["Finally, someone who appreciates my genius,"] Takeo says, still a little flustered and trying to act cool after Shara's aside to Artemis. The heart eyes are having an effect on him. ["I can't tell you all our company secrets, of course. But I can point out a few things. Like how those guards have laser guns that I invented. They have a stun setting on them for when they don't want to kill anyone."] The idea they even have a kill setting would be surprising to anyone who knew the technology.
He also looks over to Artemis to make an aside. ["Her hands are a lot softer than I expected."]
Shara (Kada) | Kada
BOT
— 11/01/2023 11:16 PM
She smiles at Takeo and leans into him a bit more, maybe letting her chest brush against his arm a bit. ["All of me is soft. I wouldn't be a very good companion if I were uncomfortable to the touch, yes?"]
Off to her side, a Nek0 seemingly in a daze is being walked towards one of the side rooms. She sees the driver reach out with one of those guns and shock the poor thing in the arm, making the limb go numb as he laughs with his friend. Shara's hair glitches out just a bit and Artemis can briefly see the barrel of her gauss pistol click out of her wrist. But she knows better and conceals it before anyone can notice.
["I'd love for you to show me everything you can, Takeo-kun. Oh but only if Artemis-sama approves. I am here at his pleasure, after all."]
Artemis Lind | Kait
BOT
— 11/02/2023 12:04 AM
His tail puffs up when he sees that. He makes eye contact with the catboy who just got zapped, who despite his current pain and discomfort finds Artemis fascinating, until he is quickly ushered away.
Artemis manages to keep a mask of stone affixed to his face. He glances to Saburo, the driver, before joining the conversation with Takeo and Shara. ["...Of course, Shara. I'd be interested in learning more about this technology, too. Those lasers for example... as an avid shooter myself, I know conventional ammunition can be expensive, even in the States. How much did it just cost you for Saburo to zap that one?"]
Kait
["Huh! I've actually never thought about that."] says Takeo. ["Probably doesn't cost us much at all, really, considering how cheap we can charge a power cell and how it doesn't damage the product. Just a bit of harmless fun. But if you're thinking of buying one for yourself, we could let you give one a test run."]
Artemis politely declines. Soon they make it to a stairwell going down. Some of the wall here is exposed rock. As they make it down the stairs and round the corner they will see a door at the bottom that would seem more at home on a spaceship than an earth building.
Shara (Kada) | Kada
BOT
— 11/02/2023 12:37 AM
Her eyes light up fully as they step down into the lower parts of the building. She recognizes this. Even partially disassembled as it is, the make and frame of a Forcyusian research vessel is unmistakable.
["This is incredible, Takeo-kun! I've never seen such amazing architecture and machinery before,"] she lies, swapping to the alien language but using the same amazed tone as she tells Artemis ["These morons just found a research vessel and stripped it for parts. They're as bad as-"]
Shara pauses, her face flickering to a frown for a moment as something dawns on her. Now that she's closer, she can establish a connection with the security cameras, tapping into the video feeds to watch what's going on around her. From one of the cameras she can see Takeo moving his hand lower down her back, which she can't actually feel. She doesn't stop him from touching her butt.
Back to Japanese, she asks ["How did you build such a massive, impressive structure like this? It must have taken forever!"]
Maple | Kait
BOT
— 11/02/2023 1:07 AM
As Takeo chuckles and says something about how 'that's what contractors are for,' the door to the partial space vessel opens and there is a catgirl inside. She bows. ["Hello, Takeo-Sama. Kachi-Sama. Artemis-Sama. I'm Maple"] She winks to the robot, and tells her in the alien language: ["I think you're my favorite, Shara-Chan. You're fun."]
["Perfect timing, Meipuru-chan,"] says Takeo. ["What has our shiny little new friend been saying?"]
["She thinks we have some really impressive stuff! And something about how she has trouble with Earth languages sometimes, which is why she slips into talking like that."]
Artemis Lind | Kait
BOT
— 11/02/2023 1:08 AM
He smiles and nods slightly to Maple in greeting. He has no clue what Maple's deal is right now, but he does find it endearing.
Shara (Kada) | Kada
BOT
— 11/02/2023 9:52 AM
Her eyes cut over to the new cat girl, who she doesn't recognize at all. How does this one know her? The biggest annoyance is that with her around she can't speak in secret to Artemis. So she sticks to Japanese.
["Have we met? I don't recall you, if I'm being honest. Forgive me if I have forgotten, my core solver has been updating so much recently that I haven't been able to keep fully accurate back ups."] She smiles warmly, watching Maple from multiple camera angles around the room and trying to determine what kind of threat this girl might be.
Maple | Kait
BOT
— 11/02/2023 11:44 AM
["We haven't met, Shara-chan,"] she answers in Japanese. ["I've just been watching and listening through our cameras. Your language is so interesting, by the way - am I saying this right?"]
She moves next to Kachi as they pass the threshold and hugs his arm the way Shara was holding Takeo's, saying in the alien language: ["You're sharp. If you can get him to keep talking, this man and I might owe you a favor."]
Artemis Lind | Kait
BOT
— 11/02/2023 11:45 AM
He answers in the alien language at first, keeping his tone even. ["Then by all means."] He switches back to Japanese. ["You have the same gift with languages that I do, Maple. Most impressive."]
Shara (Kada) | Kada
BOT
— 11/02/2023 7:02 PM
["That's correct,"] she replies in the alien language, eyeing the catgirl warily. ["But why would you owe us a favor?"]
Maple | Kait
BOT
— 11/02/2023 11:21 PM
She just laughs, then returns to Japanese ["Let's stick to Japanese for the humans' sakes though. And Ken's."]
Takeo sighs with relief, but he's still irritated that so much of the robot girl's attention has been taken from him. ["Oh, you'll like this, Shara-chan,"] he says, leading them through an inner door to one of the main lab rooms. There was a lot of fancy lab equipment here, of both earth and sace origin, though what stood out the most was the tubes with nek0 growing inside of them, unconscious and suspended in weird translucent goop at varying stages of either foetal or childhood development. Most of them are catgirls. Some of them have strange tubes attached to them.
Shara would notice this room is not on any camera feeds she can access.
Shara (Kada) | Kada
BOT
— 11/02/2023 11:58 PM
Looking around, her head tilts at the equipment and she scans through the bits of the code that the humans couldn't have possibly hidden behind security, primitive as their adaptation of it is. She obliges, speaking in Japanese ["Oh! This is so neat. You modified limb replacement pods to generate entire bodies. That's... ingenious."] And highly illegal in the Federation, but she doesn't say that. ["How do you power them? You don't have the proper elements on this planet to make the factory standard power cells, but it seems like you're still managing just fine."]
Kait
Takeo is a little surprised to hear them called 'limb replacement pods,' but he basks in the praise nonetheless.
["Miniaturized fusion reactors,"] he says with some pride. ["The elements aren't here naturally, but we can make them with the heavier elements that are. And we can use electrical power as a backup if we have to."]
Shara (Kada) | Kada
BOT
— 11/05/2023 12:13 AM
["Oh, that's so... interesting."] Shara has a little difficulty hiding her horror at that revelation. The fact that they're using substandard power sources means that they're definitely not even operating at fifty percent efficiency.
["I could probably... help you make the process more efficient. You could triple your output and even use the pods for their original purposes."] She looks to Artemis as if asking for permission there.
Artemis Lind | Kait
BOT
— 11/05/2023 8:11 PM
["Not for free, of course,"] Artemis says with no small amount of delight. He wonders if he'd be able to charge them an outrageous sum of money before wiping this wretched company out. It wasn't a sure thing, after all, that he would be able to wipe out their bank accounts after a successful raid.
Kait
Takeo, for his part, is dismayed. Shara is making him feel inadequate - making him look less like a genius inventor, which is a reputation he's gone out of his way to cultivate here. ["W-we can discuss that later,"] he says, snappy and flustered that this happened in front of Maple and Kachi. He stepped away from Shara, no longer trying to feel her up. ["For now. Artemis. You said you were going to deliver to us a tool to detect souls. I would like to see it."]
Artemis Lind | Kait
BOT
— 11/05/2023 8:11 PM
["Of course."] As Artemis reaches for the box in his inner coat pocket -
Maple | Kait
BOT
— 11/05/2023 8:11 PM
Maple moves fast, drawing one of those stun guns from a thigh holster hidden under her dress. She's doing this alarmingly quickly.
Shara (Kada) | Kada
BOT
— 11/05/2023 8:15 PM
She moves with equal speed, her left hand retracting as a cocking sound announces the appearance of the barrel of her gauss pistol from her wrist. She points it at Maple, eyes turning into cross hairs as she zeroes in on the Nek0. Her voice is even and robotic, exactly what one might expect from a machine acting on pure programming. "Please holster your firearm and cease hostile action against my owner. Failure to comply will result in proportionate force."
Maple | Kait
BOT
— 11/05/2023 9:14 PM
Unflinching, she quickly talks over Takeo, who seems angry and confused. ["Your master has a firearm in a shoulder holster. If he points it at either of my masters, he will fall"] Kachi, for his part, slowly reaches for an ordinary gun holstered under his own suit jacket. This, he was preparing to draw on Shara.
Artemis Lind | Kait
BOT
— 11/05/2023 9:15 PM
He shuts his eyes, takes a breath, and then does his best to channel the demeanor his old master would present in such a situation. He sounded irritated. ["I am reaching for the box in my coat pocket. I am here to do business."] He adds this next part in the alien language: ["If I wanted your masters dead, it would already be so."] He slowly finishes retrieving the box, making stone cold eye contact with Maple the entire time. Only when the box is visible does Maple finally comply with Shara's demand. Takeo hesitates before taking it from his hand.
Shara (Kada) | Kada
BOT
— 11/05/2023 9:31 PM
Shara's eyes return to normal and her gun snaps back into her wrist, hand locking into place. She addresses no one in particular as her irises narrow into annoyed slits, saying in a particularly rude dialect ["I thought the Nek0 were supposed to be smart. A child could have known that he was reaching for the box."]
She looks Kachi dead in the eyes as she moves back by Artemis' side, as if daring him to try drawing on her again.
Maple | Kait
BOT
— 11/05/2023 11:07 PM
She just smiles at Shara like she's a child that said something cute. She answers in plain Japanese. ["Misdirection is a tool I've used to kill many times before. That box was next to a gun. It would have been a perfect opportunity for him to surprise us."] Kachi nods in agreement and pats Maple on the shoulder.
Takeo rolls his eyes. Then, he opens the box, revealing what appears to be a monocle. Its lens has a solid fingerprint-sized dot of reflective surface on one corner, and several jagged lines of a silvery material emanating from that dot. He inspects it, then looks through it at Artemis and Shara. ["Amazing..."]
Artemis Lind | Kait
BOT
— 11/05/2023 11:09 PM
he opts to ignore Maple. ["It seems you've figured out how to use it fairly quickly."] Artemis had called it 'idiot-proof' around Shara before coming here.
Shara (Kada) | Kada
BOT
— 11/05/2023 11:13 PM
She huffs and hugs against Artemis, partially for the comfort of touching him and partially to half-shield him from the dumbass catgirl. In a very low tone she whispers to just Artemis, her mouth not moving to give herself away, "Give the word and I'll shove my arm up her ass and detonate it."
Maple | Kait
BOT
— 11/06/2023 12:38 AM
said catgirl covers her mouth and suppresses a giggle. The bitch has super-hearing, unfortunately.
Artemis Lind | Kait
BOT
— 11/06/2023 12:57 AM
He closes his eyes and presses the side of his forehead against Shara's, indulging in just a moment of affection and comfort before it's back to business.
Takeo, for his part, is looking around at everything with his new monocle. Colored lights glimmer reflected against his pupil as he looks to Maple and Kachi, then to Ken watching them from his spot leaning against the wall. Then he looks up at the ceiling - or at the things on the other side of it, Artemis guesses. Takeo starts looking at the cat-people at different stages of development. ["Amazing..."] he repeats. ["Am I seeing their souls?"]
["That is... close enough to the truth for this discussion,"] Artemis says. ["I give this to you so we can be sure that what you provide me is an empty vessel. Be sure to wear it with the chain attached to you, at least - I won't have time to make a replacement if it falls and breaks."]
Shara (Kada) | Kada
BOT
— 11/06/2023 10:34 PM
She watches as Takeo spins around like a child with a new toy, so excited to be able to see souls. She's only a little uncomfortable when he looks her direction, already aware that she doesn't have one herself. She doesn't know what that means but knows that apparently they're important?
But she has nothing to add to the conversation, so she reconnects her visual center to the cameras, making mental notes of all of the entrances and exits, watching for anything that seems out of place or worth investigating further.
Kait
Shara is able to get almost a full floor plan of the underground ship, between the cameras and other available internal sensors. It was very clearly no longer spaceworthy, and it had been modified to include earth amenities and access to earth external communication. Dark zones included the bathrooms, the space reserved for the captain's quarters, and this laboratory.
There were other laboratories, some with anatomical or surgical focus, mostly not in use at this time. One had a nek0 wearing a helmet covering the eyes and ears, restrained to a chair, with IV fluids dripping and medical monitoring equipment attached. She was drooling on herself, as several men in white coats observed her. One nek0 was in a room with drains in the floor, by himself, with several welts and scrapes visible on his naked body. He was curled up into a foetal position.
The alien camera system extended to the upper floors, too. Shara could see down hallways and into rooms where nek0s stayed in bunk beds. One of them had the nek0 boy Shara and Artemis saw getting zapped earlier - he was was sitting on a top bunk, talking excitedly about something while other nek0 watched on, with reactions ranging from amazement to bitterness.
Artemis Lind | Kait
BOT
— 11/07/2023 12:11 AM
Meanwhile, artemis is speaking to Takeo about what he needs this vessel to look like, showing him a few pictures of Kai.
"You'll probably need to exclude part of the brain, but like I said before coming here, I couldnt' tell you how much or which parts to make sure a soul doesn't start to form. This is cutting edge magical research that you'll be doing, Takeo. If you take good notes, I may have other magic items to gift you."
Shara (Kada) | Kada
BOT
— 11/07/2023 11:04 PM
She's absorbed in the visions she's getting. In the pain and suffering of these creatures, but also in the amazing ability that they have to somehow find joy even in this abjectly awful environment.
Finding a side room with curious equipment in it, she prods around it's security a bit. There are defense and maintenance drones in here. None of them have anything as advanced as her core solver, and they're not connected to the ship's derelict network in any way that she can make use of. But it's still useful, and maybe she can find parts to salvage from them when all is said and done.
She snaps out of her introspection when she's spoken to, her eyes refocusing on Takeo, who she thinks is the one who addressed her. Smiling, she tilts her head apologetically and says in Japanese, ["Sorry, what was that? I was defragging my core solver to free up space."]
Artemis Lind | Kait
BOT
— 11/08/2023 12:43 AM
Quite a bit of time and conversation had passed while Shara was otherwise occupied. It was indeed Takeo who had spoken to her, and he spoke again: ["I was just commenting on those interesting bolts in your head, Shara-chan."]
Artemis, meanwhile, was unamused by whatever was just said. ["I wouldn't use them as handlebars. But I suppose that concludes our business for today, unless there was anything else?"]
There wasn't anything else particularly pressing, and the whole group returned up to the ground floor, where Artemis said - ["Is it alright if I use your restroom before you send me off?"]
This was agreed to. Takeo, Kachi, and Artemis exchanged their formalities and goodbyes. While Saburo went to get the car ready, Ken would lead Artemis and Shara over to where the restrooms were. They got to see plenty of additional doors on the way, including one that seemed to go into some kind of classroom.
Maple | Kait
BOT
— 11/08/2023 12:44 AM
["It was nice to meet you, Shara-Chan~"] Maple waves and strikes what some people might see as a cute little pose before she returns back downstairs. This is, blessedly, the last Shara will have to see of her today.
Shara (Kada) | Kada
BOT
— 11/08/2023 12:49 AM
["Handlebars?"] Shara blinks, her eyes filling with dim light to simulate her lenses closing repeatedly as she and Artemis are led away back towards the exit. She's glad to be away from Maple, and clings to Artemis until they reach the restroom. She at least knows enough now to not try to follow him inside.
Once they're back in the car and away from anyone who might be able to understand them, Shara returns to speaking the alien language again. ["I really don't like that blonde one. She's... creepy. And what was that talk about handlebars?"]
Artemis Lind | Kait
BOT
— 11/08/2023 12:56 AM
["I'm going to need to drink some alcohol before I'm ready to repeat what he was saying,"] Artemis says. ["I never imagined that my creator would be such a profoundly embarrassing man."] he sighs. ["But we should be careful what we say until we've left the car."] He didn't trust that they weren't being recorded in here.
Shara (Kada) | Kada
BOT
— 11/08/2023 1:04 AM
["That just makes me more curious."] She nods though and settles into her seat, curling against Artemis and threading her hand into his. She stays quiet, alternating looking at the driver or out the window until they're dropped off.
Once they're alone, watching the car drive away at the train station, Shara visibly relaxes and runs her hands over her scalp the way she'd seen humans do when they're decompressing from a stressful situation. Or, she tries but the bolts on her head stop her hands. She frowns at that, touching them lightly with an annoyed sigh.
["I'm sorry if me calling you my owner upset you. I saw how put out you were when the nature of our relationship came up."]
Artemis Lind | Kait
BOT
— 11/08/2023 1:19 AM
["It's... quite alright. We had appearances to keep up, and you did that admirably."] he also sighs. ["I think I nearly ruined that when Takeo called you my girlfriend. I would never force myself upon you. in such ways."]
Shara (Kada) | Kada
BOT
— 11/08/2023 9:19 PM
She's quiet as they show their tickets and get on the train, chewing on her bottom lip thoughtfully as she ponders Artemis' assertion. Still speaking the alien language, she says, ["No I understand. I'm not exactly a pleasure drone. I don't even have the parts for that sort of thing, even if..."]
She pauses and snorts a little, realizing something. ["Takeo wanted to use these ugly things as handlebars for having sex with me, didn't he?"] She shakes her head, saying, "What a skizzing posraduy."
Artemis Lind | Kait
BOT
— 11/08/2023 9:58 PM
"He really is," Artemis says with a laugh, temporarily code switching to English before swapping back to the alien tongue. ["You have the right of it, though. The man truly lacks shame. And I had the feeling he was trying to be on his best behavior."]
Shara (Kada) | Kada
BOT
— 11/08/2023 10:01 PM
["Surrounded by a literal captive population of beautiful people and he's so pathetic he wants to fuck a glorified toaster."] Shara shakes her head, letting Artemis take the window seat and settling in on the aisle side to sit out the train ride.
["He touched my butt. I saw it through the cameras, but I didn't feel it. Almost made me wish I had actual touch sensors so I could have called him out without letting them know I was in their system."]
Artemis Lind | Kait
BOT
— 11/08/2023 10:03 PM
blinks. ["Hold on, you had access to their cameras?"]
Shara (Kada) | Kada
BOT
— 11/08/2023 10:05 PM
["Oh, yeah. I'd say at least forty percent of their facility is Federation tech, same as me. I can interface with most of it, the stuff that has network access anyway. They can't firewall against something using a language they can't comprehend. You know?"]
Artemis Lind | Kait
BOT
— 11/08/2023 10:29 PM
["Shara, you're incredible!"] overcome with his luck, he hugs her for a moment, then takes hold of her hands. ["You must have seen so much of it! Do you think you could help me draw out a floor plan of the facility? Or at least a list of points of interest. There were so many things I'm sure I didn't see - there had to be more of my kind living there than just the two we saw."]
Shara (Kada) | Kada
BOT
— 11/08/2023 10:39 PM
The hug is a surprise, and Shara's eyes glitch out for a moment when Artemis takes her hands. She opens her mouth to speak, then shuts it and nods. ["There were... a lot. It was cruel, and awful. But... some of them seemed happy despite all of that, which is... I don't understand it, really. But I can do better than that. I can give you the footage. I um..."]
Without thinking, she brushes her thumb along Artemis' knuckles, far gentler than she means to because she doesn't want to hurt him. Her gaze averts from his face because she realizes she was staring.
["I don't know what I was going to say."]
Artemis Lind | Kait
BOT
— 11/08/2023 11:09 PM
["Perhaps you'll remember it later. But that footage will be an enormous help."] he squeezes her hands. ["I'm so glad you came here with me. We're going to save them. I just know it."]
Shara (Kada) | Kada
BOT
— 11/08/2023 11:14 PM
["Of course we are. You're amazing too, you know. It took a lot of bravery to go there, to talk to them like you don't hate them."]
Shara shifts a little, moving closer to Artemis first and then away when she realizes what she's doing. ["You've been so good to me, I want to do whatever I can to help you. You know, if you hooked my core solver into the machinery in there, I could maybe make the body you need for your friend. We wouldn't have to wait and let them do it. We just couldn't blow up the facility immediately."]
Artemis Lind | Kait
BOT
— 11/08/2023 11:42 PM
["That is a great relief,"] Artemis says. ["One less time constraint for us to manage. In truth, though, I don't plan on blowing it up. I want to gather every minute scrap of information I can from that place."] he pauses. ["...Would it be safe for me to do that, though? Would I be able to put you back in your body after?"]
He's too caught up in thinking about the raid to really notice the subtle body language cues Shara is giving off right now.
Shara (Kada) | Kada
BOT
— 11/08/2023 11:54 PM
["There you go again, being concerned about my body. Yes, Artemis. You could put me back in this shell if you're really so attached to it. Broken, gross thing that it is with these awful things welded into my head."] She frowns and reaches up, touching one of the giant bolts. She can't feel them but all of her sensors tell her they're there. Weighing her down, inhibiting her, pressing on her brain, making walking more difficult than it needs to be.
["If there's any material I can salvage, maybe I can actually get real repairs done. Be a little less scrapyard ready. Maybe be more..."] She trails off, not sure what she wants to say. Nothing she can say would make Artemis very happy. But he's been so kind to her, done so much for her. She wants to be useful to him, even if he doesn't want her. To be useful to him, she means.
Artemis Lind | Kait
BOT
— 11/09/2023 12:15 AM
All of Shara's self-deprecation gives him pause. During a lull in the convesation he pulls her aside, to a place where they can both sit and await their train.
Once they've sat down, he speaks. ["...I don't think that you're gross. Or scrapyard-ready. In any form that you might occupy. But if making yourself more aesthetically pleasing to you, or useful to me is something that makes you happy, then, I'd be delighted to help you find ways to do that. To help you build yourself up to serve... any role you might want to fill for me."]
Shara (Kada) | Kada
BOT
— 11/09/2023 6:33 PM
["It's... is this a truck? Are you trying to hit me with reverse psychology? Because it won't work. I can see all of my damage now that Cris repaired my internal sensors. I have this constant blinking alert telling me about all my system failures. All the ways I'm flawed."]
["You're perfect, you know. I'm still figuring out what I want to do with the rest of the life you've helped give me, but I know whatever I do, I want to stay around you."]
Artemis Lind | Kait
BOT
— 11/09/2023 9:49 PM
["I'm not trying to trick you,"] Artemis tells her. ["No matter what flaws those sensors might be seeing, you're a treasure."] Shara was probably the only person on this planet who couldn't see that.
He chuckled at the notion that he was perfect. He certainly didn't feel that way. But when she said she wanted to stay around him, that made him realize something. ["You aren't just saying that because of your programming, are you? You really mean that."]
Shara (Kada) | Kada
BOT
— 11/09/2023 10:04 PM
["I'm losing a lot of my initial programming. The void it's leaving behind is slow to fill, but yeah."] She shrugs and leans against him, closing her eyes and sighing wistfully. Their train arrives, and she takes his hand so they can stand up together and board.
["If I could do one thing for you, be one thing for you, what would you want me to be? And don't say free, because you're already dead set on that. I mean for you."]
Artemis Lind | Kait
BOT
— 11/09/2023 10:49 PM
He takes her hand and joins her on the train. That question gives him pause.
["...It's hard for me, sometimes, to think about my own wants. Maybe we can... brainstorm, sometime?"]
Shara (Kada) | Kada
BOT
— 11/09/2023 10:54 PM
["Sure, I'll be holding you to that though. You said you'd be delighted to help me serve you better."] She sticks her tongue out at him, grinning a bit as she switches back to English. "Just don't expect me to keep my handlebars, boss."
Artemis Lind | Kait
BOT
— 11/10/2023 11:00 AM
he just laughs.
Kait
end scene
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