• If you were supposed to get an email from the forum but didn't (e.g. to verify your account for registration), email Wes at [email protected] or talk to me on Discord for help. Sometimes the server hits our limit of emails we can send per hour.
  • Get in our Discord chat! Discord.gg/stararmy
  • 📅 February and March 2024 are YE 46.2 in the RP.

RP: YSS Kaiyō Post-Mission Nine: Replacement Parts

Status
Not open for further replies.

Soban

Convention Veteran
YSS Kaiyo

Sacre gently unwrapped the bandages that covered her forearms in the medical bay of the Kaiyo. She was wearing a tanktop that revealed the scars that criscrossed her upper arms. However, as she slowly revealed her lower arms each had no scars, except for two long parellel wounds where the Corellians had been implanted in her arms. About half an inch below each of her wrists there was anouther slit that appeared to be healing slightly oddly.

Care had, for the better part of the day, spent her time on the observation deck. She had spent infrequent but often lengthy times there ever since she had visited it with Miko. She made a point to try and not stay in the medical offices as long as she used to, after all spending most of her hours in them was bound to slowly drive her into discontent. Sacre was bound to notice her there previously, even if she was ultimately doing nothing of use or interest. Stepping back into the medical bay, her metallic eyes locked onto Sacre's serpentine form, as well as what she was doing. The bandages on the table caught Care's eyes, and her quite evident artificial voice sprang to life from some speaker in her throat. "Miss Sacre-" She paused as she glanced around. "Do you require assistance?" A trained response, something she was bound to have heard Care say before, even if it was almost always followed by a much more human response.

Sacre shook her head, "Not really." She said, then she twisted one of her arms and Care's eyes could see that it actually did hurt Sacre a little bit. Sacre looked at Care and knew she had been caught. "Ok, perhaps I do need some help. I shouldn't have done both arms at the same time."

It wasn't hard to miss the grimace as she twisted her arm, though Care's face showed little sign of high concern, something more akin to some strange, morbid curiosity. A shift of plates from her face, her jaw shifting as well. The mechanical woman broke the distance between them in short strides, heavy eyes scanning over the fresh wounds, not avoiding but not quite taking notice of the old scars. "Wounds from a procedure then." She said to no one in particular. "How bad is the pain?" Was the next question, obviously a bit more heart to it, despite keeping the odd 'recorded' tone to it.

"On a scale of one to ten? A three or so, it's not bad but it hurts when I turn my arm, so I try to avoid it. But on the other hand, you turn your arm like that pretty often, so it's frustrating. I'm off duty while they heal, and they should be healed by the time we leave. Most of the time, I don't let it bother me, I've suffered worse. However, changing the bandages and doing the aftercare is pretty twisting intensive if I do it myself." Sacre explained, although she had worked with Care, she really didn't know Care as a person, well robot. However, her conversations were starting to reveal some pretty intresting people that were around her.

"Previous wounds aren't quite relevant, pain is still pain." Care mused, not quite scolding but it was hard to find a positive tone in the statement. The automatons eyes were glued to the wounds, looking over them with some deep level of interest. With little range between the two Sacre could pick up on small noises, clicks, like that of a camera adjusting its lenses. Very quiet, but it could be told that her eyes made the noises quite frequently as the adjusted and moved. "I could assist you with the bandages and aftercare, I don't expect you to do it improperly but pain and soreness can leave..." She paused, a great many of her facial plates shifting at once, as if realizing that she was saying something that could be taken improperly. "...A lapse in judgement. The pain you feel can tell a lot about how your body is healing, and with the added soreness of twisting it can be difficult to read such signals." A human gesture followed by logical and mechanical reasoning. A mix of both, really.

Sacre held her arm out for Care to finish removing the bandages. With a careful examination, Care would notice that Sacre's scars were not just on her arms, but also on her torso and down. Her hands had a tiny web of tiny scars that likely meant Sacre's hands had been smashed at least once, if not multiple times. Surgury had restored the functionality, but the scars remained. She tried to smile at Care. "Well thank you." There was a pause for a moment as Sacre thought what she might say to Care. "I've got a question, I've noticed that a lot of robots use much more natural sounding voices. Why is yours, well so differrent?" Sacre asked.

The heavy scarring didn't go unscrutinized as Care undid the bandages. Her touch was soft, the skin on her fingers clearly being some replicated texture using an odd silicon mixture. There was obvious caution in her movements to keep Sacre's arms from twisting, as well as keeping her touch from applying pressure to the newest wounds themselves. Even with a goal in mind morbid curiosity dragged Care's eyes slowly along the older scars, tracing pathways and cracks, as if they were some masochists idea of art. "I never asked." Her voice was feminine, it flowed naturally like an organics voice, it wasn't comprised of a preset list of sounds that every word has like early models of AI had. Yet it still had a tone to it, as if it were coming through a radio, pushed from her lips which only mimicked the sound to give the impression of organic speech. "Perhaps it was decided as unneccesary or otherwise misleading, I wasn't given a say. My own preferences were hardly considered with the creation of this body." It wasn't a topic there was much information on, after all Care's chasis lacked a general model name, and came from some strange place in a secluded Freespacer society. "I haven't changed anything on this body. It feels odd to think of doing so."

Sacre appreciated Care's gentle touch as she undid the bandages, first of one arm, then of the other. "I'll admit to knowing that feeling. It felt weird to consider the Corallians being added to my arm. That I was going to have something be a part of me that nature would never have given me. On the other hand, I don't know yet, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to be happy with the change."

"Nature." Care repeated softly, carried by a tone of thoughtfulness. Placing the bandages aside, her attention turned to scrutinize the wounds. As one hand was underneath the arm she was inspecting, the other reached to the ointment within reach. Sterilizing agent, assisted in healing, as well as the reperation of tissue. Care couldn't help but think of the the older methods to carry out such a mean, high purity alcohol and salt water were popular for a great many years, and would still be effective given their use. The only downside accompanying both was the stinging pain of sterilization on raw tissue. More recent ointments were better in that regard, the same, if not better effect without the extreme but temporary side effect. "Hold your arm steady please- And this may sting a little." Both hands released Sacre's arms, as she doused a piece of cloth in a small dose of the ointment. "Your body is heavily scarred." Care commented lightly, a tint of concern, but phrased as a precursor to something else. She continued as she lightly began to dab the mixture onto Sacre's wounds, being very careful to be light, and to not rub or drag against the irritated flesh. "What are your opinions about the others who choose to replace their very bodies when their old one is too damaged?" Odd phrasing, but it definitely seemed to be pushing the attention to what others did rather than lingering on the scars of the separa'shan's body.

"When all scars can be healed with a minor medical proceedure, having scars means something. I wasn't sure why I kept them, they are a reminder of a very bad time in my life. Now, looking back on it, I think I understood viscerally that my scars were a part of my history. Erasing them would be denying a part of who I am. Not that I could have articulated that when I decided to keep them. Now, well I'm starting to see them as a Kintsugi. I don't know if you know what that means. What it means to me is that being broken like I was and my long journy to recovery is a part of my history, not something to hide. When I got the coralians, I had to overwrite some of the old history with new history. I don't know if that means anything yet, but perhaps it does." Sacre explained.

"What do you think about it? Your original parts are going to start breaking down eventually, just like mine. Or more closely, we are both in the army, they might get hit by like an artillary shell or something. Do you think you might replace them then?" Sacre asked, turing the question to Care.

Scars did mean something, both physically and mentally. Some people could make them vanish without a thought but others took them deeply, likening it to as much as who they are as the color of their eyes or the way they talk. "I'll replace them if they begin to impede me, but I'm a..." She paused, and the word seemed stuck. Why? Why did the word trouble her? "-Machine, parts are more easily replaced, and unlike organic beings some parts of me are designed for ease of replacement when damaged." Her thoughts on her own being were replaced with memories, thoughts and recollections of her brief, young history. Continuing the application of the ointment, moving to the other arm after being satisfied with the condition of the first, she continued talking. "-Back when I was just moving into Yamatai space, I did brief tours of hospitals and their wards. Despite their advanced technological state they're still sectioned for specialization, yet I most firmly recall the burn ward." She paused, trying to find the words. "I spoke to a few people there, some of them kids, some adults. Burns can be healed but that doesn't make it a perfect process, and there were a few there who chose to keep their scars, even with extensive damage. It perplexed me at the time, but as I've spent months and endless time thinking on it I believe I'm beginning to understand it. Perhaps it's similar to my lack of want to change my body, even if it is... Ill-suited."

Sacre nodded thoughtfully as the ointment was applied. It was soothing and had a slight painkilling effect that relieved her. "Perhaps, in many ways we are more alike then we are diffrent. Although I do kinda wish my parts were designed for easier repair and replacement. Who knows, if I could I might have like five arms, each designed for something diffrent and then swap them out as needed." Sacre shook her head. "Sorry, I'm just thinking about replacement parts at the moment. For obvious reasons, I think." She was quiet for a moment, thoughtful.

Putting the ointment and the cloth aside Care moved to bring forth fresh bandages, pulling their container open as she pulled the lengthy strip aside, the design allowing for it to be wrapped, as long as you had something to tear or cut the bandage once you had pulled enough. Begining to gingerly wrap the white bandages around Sacre's arms, it was tight, but wasn't constricting. "Perhaps I'm just the odd one when it comes to replacements and upgrades." Care mused. "I agree that things must be fixed and upgraded when they prove too restricting, but it feels very... Unnatural, as odd as that sounds coming from a machine."

"I get it. But your an unusual machine, a unique one. I'm an unusual Sepra'Shan, a unique one. By our powers combined, this crew won't die! Well hopefully won't die, we are kinda in a dangerous profession." Sacre said with a small smile. She admired the wrappings and nodded her thanks at Care. "Thanks for the help with the bandages, without you I might have been here anouther twenty minutes getting them off and back on. I know we're usually not off at the same time, but next time we are, we should do something."

As Care finished the wrappings on each arm one of her hands would pull away, fragmenting themselves and revealing a hint into the overly mechanical nature within them. From the fragmented plates, a pair of gleaming scissors were produced, which cut the bandage, allowing the wrapping of each arm to conclude before it vanished back into her appendages. Satisfied with the job, Care would see to putting away the ointment, bandages, and disposing of the old ones. "It's no problem. Please let me know if you require more help." She offered a smile, her lips curving first followed by a pause as her facial plates adjusted to further the friendly expression. "And I'd like that, you know where to find me, most of the time." She responded once more. "For the moment, is there anything else you need help with?"

Sacre shook her head, "Nah, I'm good. You'll probably be the first to know if something changes. I should probably get out of here." She said, heading for the exit.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
RPG-D RPGfix
Back
Top