E
Edto Xar'Sivaree
>Gallows Tree Square.
Zahen had spent the better part of the last few days working on her mech, and she finally had something worth while to show Arccos. She hoped the Freespacer wouldn't scoff at it, but something about the whole situation told her that the cyborg lady would have an issue with it. After looking around, she was directed to the Courthouse.
Walking up the steps, she walked in and was promptly directed to Arccos's office. With no concept of personal bounds or doors for that matter without them keeping air inside, she walked into the office. "Hello Arccos, I hope your day has been rather uneventful" She said, sitting in a chair without being offered.
The actual concept of a lack of personal space seemed about well in keeping with Arccos' office. It didn't seem to be a thing that actually existed as a room, rather it was a series of wooden platforms bolted into the rafters of the vaulted cieling of what was the Osman High Court chambers.
Access was gained by a wall in the roof access stairwell that had been bashed through, and hung with a curtain. Furniture and random junk was located across the 'office', or slung from the roof in cargo netting. Late evening moonlight trickled in from the large window at one end of the room, and there didn't seem to be lights in here.
Everything was quiet now, but when busy one could see the whole courthouse from up at this vantage. But instead of watching anything down below, Arccos was sat in a fanciful sofa suspended in mid-air in its own drooping cargo net. This late things had quieted, and she had at least hung up the poncho and taken off her boots, sitting in just her jeans and tank top as she tapped away at something unseen in mid air.
"About as eventful as you'd expect." the Thieftaker General said, "There a problem, or is this social?"
Zahen looked around the room, taking stock of everything that inhabited the room. She liked it... It wasn't as wide open as others would be. The Freespacer wasn't wearing shoes... Which seemed more normal to the alien than the rest of her attire. "I thought social. I thought we agreed on the whole VDTF/USO justice sort of thing. I wouldn't come to you for a judicial issue unless it involved your citizens, which I try to stay away from," she said, placing a Datapad on the table. "Actually, I was coming over to ask you your opinion on the Mobile Suit I am designing" She said, looking at Arccos.
Arccos didn't really look up, still tapping away as if typing on an unseen keyboard. Chances were she didn't actually need to use the prompts, but something was going on there.
"Well, you could have had a problem other than judicial." Finally she looked over... Sort of. Her head didn't turn, just one eye twisted in its socket to look over at Zahen, the other keeping a solid focus on the job. "I'm also manifestly not a Techhead or Freethinker. I'm not sure if I can help with engineering issues."
Zahen shrugged "I'm not explicitly an engineer either, but I am still designing a mobile suit. Obviously you are smart enough to make quite a large amount of interesting things. I thought I would get your opinion" She explained. "If you would rather just talk, then I can do that as well"
"I'm working right now, so mere talk will have to wait." One hand raised, crushing something invisible in her AR overlay. She fully turned her attention on Zahen, and swung her seat forward a little so she could kip off it and stand on the platform. "What were you going to show me, then?"
Zahen pushed the Datapad over to Arccos, showing what looked to be a rather... Robotic Vekimen. "My device. If the actual engineers I have working on its robotics are correct, then it should have the exact same range of motion as a normal Vekimen. Coupled with a full sensor suite that the pilot can utilize so it won't be startled by a whole new way of seeing when they "wake up" so to speak" She explained.
Arccos took up the datapad, running her finger over it to twist the image around this way and that. Looking over the specifics very briefly.
"It's kind of cute I guess. What of it?" She eventually said, sounding quite dispassionate. Not looking up.
Zahen seemed to deflate at the cute comment, looking down at the Mech. "Hmm... That wasn't quite the... Plan I suppose..." She grumbled, pulling the datapad in front of her and looking at it again. "I didn't think it would be seen as cute by you... Inadequate, ineffective, what have you... but cute?" She asked, pushing the pad away in exasperation. "Didn't think I was that bad at designing weapon systems"
Zahen was grouchy, then something dawned on her. The mech was designed off a Vekimen. She would admit she had some vanity about her, and used many of her own assets to design it. "Wait... Do you think I am... Cute?" She asked, more curious now than agitated.
"I just find Automata cute." Arccos said with a little shrug, sticking her hands in her pockets as she looked over at Zahen fully since the first time she came in the room. Or rather, half looked at her, her eyes flicked this way and that slightly as if she was looking between the Vekimen visitor and other things around her. "I guess you Vekimen people are pretty cute as well... Or was it meant to be intimidating?"
Zahen shrugged. "Most aliens we have met find us less than desireable to be around. The locals at least find us intimidating. When you are a creature that is described as "Toothy" you tend to not be liked. In a fight, well those teeth just move to serve as an extra weapon. We are not a kind that is pleasant to fight"
"As for being cute... I didn't think anyone would find me or any other of my kind to be cute. Scales and cute do not mix well it would seem. So I guess thank you for the complimet?" She said, now going back to seeming a touch aggrivated.
"You're welcome." Arccos said simply, "Although at this point I just don't know what sort of input you want on this. I can't talk about functionality since it's not my field. I guess the sensor thing will stop you needing to sort out all the sensory stuff without needing too many needles in your skull or what have you..."
"Hmm... Needles in skull would be a bad thing for a Vekimen" She said, tapping her finger on the datapad. Eventually she pushed it aside. "Why do you people wear clothing?" She asked abruptly. It had bothered her for some time.
"Well the software requires some sort of mind-machine interface. Maybe a headset, or something built in the pods themselves. I just say needles because what we use is just built right in there, and you said you didn't accept implants." Arccos tapped her skull, right above her mindware ports.
"And it's inadequate biological adaptations to the environment. Most species around can't take scrapes on abrasive surfaces, nor can they handle extremes of weather."
"Huh... Well..." She said looking around the room. "I don't see any extreme weather or abrasive surfaces in here. Nor on your ships. You all wear them all the time. We Vekimen have our uniforms, but we wear them because they keep us warm in combat, as well as protect us from bullets. You seem to wear them for a sense of aesthetics otherwise" She thought aloud.
"You've never been on a Deoradh ship, have you?" Arccos asked with a little smirk, "There's not many safe surfaces, and enough background radiation to let you cook food in mid air because there's no gravity. Some of my people don't take their clothes off for years at a time because of it."
"That is a good excuse... If we were on such a ship" The alien said coyly.
"I'm also on call in case there's someone needing backup in the city for the night patrols." Arccos pointed to a nearby table with a communicator on it. "Are you trying to get me to take off my clothes?"
Zahen let out a series of clicks. "Maybe, you are warm by the looks of it" She said, blinking her eyes slowly. "That does bring up a question though. Would you like me to set up some Vekimen Patrols? We can see better in the dark than the local population. Plus many people wouldn't expect to be attacked by what they would call giant flesh eating lizards. With guns no less. We may seem barbaric, but we are effective soldiers when we need to be" She explained.
"Is heat an issue for you?" Arccos asked, something in her mindware ticking over as if to weigh up the possibilities of Vekimen patrols. That compared with public opinion going against them, manpower shortages, and conflicts within their agreement for judicial treatment of prisoners... She just stuck with the heat question while mulling over the implications.
Zahen shrugged. "Depends. Vekimen are cold blooded, but we can be frozen solid without any negative side effects. More a comfort issue. Too much heat however will cook us like any other flesh and blood creature" She explained, flicking her tail a little. "As a boon though, we can naturally see the Infrared spectrum. Not quite like a camera dedicated to seeing it, more as a light overlay" She explained.
"How do you hold up against radiation?" Arccos asked, something in her head still calculating.
"Radiation? From what I know we can handle more radiation than a human, but anything you would deem "Face Melting" is just as dangerous to us, as it is to everyone else. Our bodies can regenerate surprisingly fast. If I were to lose an arm for instance. With enough food and sleep, I could grow it back in about a week" She explained.
"If you can handle a little bit of radiation, I can probably procure you some RTG's." Arccos paused, wondering if she actually needed an explanation of that.
"Little generators that make a good amount of heat, and have a long half life. We use them to warm our void suits, if we don't just straight up install them into ourselves. If you can see heat, then that's what's about... Here." Arccos indicated somewhere around her abdomen.
Zahe nodded. "I noticed it. I was wondering why you had such a nice, warm stomach" The lizard cooed. It was a little teasing. "I'm curious as to how warm your insides are though" She added, her voice deepening slightly.
Arccos slipped a hand from her pocket, pulling out a small datapad and connecting cable. One end of the cable jacked in to her ear, and a few swipes brought up her diagnostics. She held up the screen to show the exact figure to her guest.
"That warm."
Zahen blinked, tilting her head as if trying to process the comment. "You... You don't take hints do you?" She asked, smiling again. "Quite the literal person aren't you?" She added, standing up and wandering around the room.
"I understood it perfectly." Arccos chirped informatively, putting her diagnostics back to the pocket they came from.
"Then I suppose a friendly cuddle is out of the question" She asked, taking a more direct approach. "Or friendly anything. I am still confused as to your kinds idea of modesty" She said with a sigh, picking something up that looked important.
"You can touch me so long as you don't get in my way, and don't go for groping without asking. Nothing around the chest, crotch or ass." Arccos said plainly, "And Modesty varies according to who you speak with out here, we're all from different places with different values."
Zahe frowned. "So... You say to groping without asking... Then list off places I can't go. Would it be considered... Impolite to ask if I can go there now? Otherwise I don't know what I am asking for" She said with a smile, putting down the object. "And define getting in your way. What is in the way of someone who can communicate with machines using their mind?"
"Kind of impolite, yeah." Arccos said, clearly no malice in her voice though. She moved to the edge of the platform she'd been planted on and pulled the swinging couch suspended in cargo netting a bit closer. She flopped down back in her seat.
"And I'll define 'in the way' as 'can't reach my drink.'" She indicated a nearby green glass bottle. "And I guess 'Can't stand up if someone calls me to help with a raid.'"
"Well, I can make sure you can get up. Vekimen are a swift lot" She explained, crawling up and curling her body around the freespacer so her head could lay on her lap. She was quite flexable. Certainly more so than a human. But, she took the close proximity as an opportunity to examine the finer details of the woman. Mainly her legs, and by extension her feet. "Hmm... Such... Weird legs your kind has. They don't seem particularly efficient. Is there any advantage to them?" She asked.
"I can walk on them." Arccos said simply, not really knowing what the Vekimen meant by them being inefficient... They were inefficient compared to other kinds of legs, but the specific aspects that were inefficient wasn't clear. "And I think that I'll just send your people bounty scripts rather than set up patrols. Go after the heavy criminals and ride back in to town with them, should help your image."
Zahen seemed to slither down Arccos's legs, bringing her closer to her feet. "They are like smaller versions of mine... Without the claws. Plus your calves are longer" She said, running her muzzle lightly along the tops of the extremities.
At this stage, Arccos had gone back to fiddling with that invisible thing in the air, over Zahen's head. She didn't seem to be paying that much attention to anything else, "Well I originally had shorter ones, then replaced them with mechanical ones. I could have gone for a more efficient model, but it's hard to adapt to cybernetics."
"Hmm..." She pondered, opening her mouth a little. "Mind if I examine them? Your kind might find it a little weird but our scaled hands aren't that sensitive" She explained, not looking to Arccos.
"Keep it over the pants, too much time on the upper thigh and I shoot you." Arccos said simply, "If you're after mechanics I can just remove the synth skin casing..."
Without actually answering, the Vekimen slid her tongue between the digits of Arccos' foot, the well protected tongue being one of the most sensitive parts of their body.
There was a slight jerk of Arccos' leg, almost like a reflexive twitch, but as fast as it came it disappeared. For a second, the 'spacer looked down at what exactly was happening, but before long she'd gone back to her work.
"You might have to get me a towel when you're done."
Zahen blinked. "A towel? Why?" She asked, her tongue slipping back into her mouth. The womans feet would be totally dry, despite the cool, wet feel of the lizard like tongue. "My tongue isn't wet... Or is there something else you are trying to tell me?" She asked, her tail swishing a little.
Arccos bent a knee, pulling her foot closer and peering at it.
"You actually just set off a failsafe I have. Deactivates sense of touch if I'm tickled. Just felt cool for a second and I've seen you eat." The foot returned to its prior position, "And while I'm normally quite fond of people licking my feet, I'm afraid I don't know you that well to go for it."
Zahen frowned. "I was starved ok?" She mumbled, looking at the feet. "And you like people licking your feet? Well... If you felt comfortable with it I would probably keep going" She offered.
"Finish your examination or what have you," Arccos said curtly, "I don't actually have a sense of touch right now to get any benefit from it. No need to linger."
"No point now. Without the sense of touch I can't feel the muscles move. May as well examine the prosthetics without them getting any input" She frowned, shifting back up to where she was, curled around the freespacers waist.
"Pretty sure there's no muscles in my feet." Arccos said, looking down, before returning to her semi-slouch. Half using the lizard wrapped around her as a cushion. Luckily she wasn't that heavy.
Some time passed after that with little more than Arccos waggling her fingers in the air.
"You're just going to stay there aren't you?" the 'spacer eventually asked.
"Well... You are rather against relaxation it would seem, and you've made all the fun parts off limits. Honestly I am curious as to how much of our bodies are similar" She said, rubbing the side of her head against the spacers stomach. "Why? I haven't really gotten any time to myself, and well... If you are always so stoic and work focused I figure you wouldn't mind me using you as a heater while you worked. Seems like a simple enough arrangment" She said softly, seeming to be quite relaxed.
"I'm actually quite relaxed right now. It's just that relaxation looks very different in my species." Arccos half-explained. "And I don't mind, I just have to do a shift over at the workshop in a little while."
Zahen sighed. "You know, all I ever hear about you doing is work. Do you ever have fun? I understand you are part robot, but you seem to have bological responces as well. Why don't you like... Take a day off or something? Focus more on talking to people than this cool, minimalist sort of thing? I may be a workaholic, but you make me look like a lazy git" She said, shifting to lay her muzzle along the Freespacers sternum and look up at her.
"With mindware you can subdivide your brain functions, and control your senses." Arccos explained, reaching a hand across herself to get at the datapad in her pocket. Simultaneously pushing Zahen's head back down to the agreed upon areas, "Essentially any time I'm working, I'm doing it while a whole bunch of other stuff is going on. If I want to go to the beach, I can feel like I'm at the beach while still working. Total realism too. Right now I'm on a pleasure cruise in my own skull. Taste fine foods, see magnificent sights, whatever... Fluke entertainment pales in comparison even, you can do things literally physically impossible, pleasures and experiences that would be considered miraculous in the real world..."
Arccos flipped a few commands on the datapad, jacking it back into her skull and handing it to Zahen. The inbuilt camera allowed it to work as a lense into Arccos' own HUD, showing that from her perspective she was working to weave together the roots of a colossal tree that breached the skies, while apparently soaring through those same skies over some sort of crystalline landscape. There seemed to be little continuity to it, or even logic. But it looked majestic in its own way.
"Draw what conclusions you like on how it impacts one's relations to physical interactions though." She added almost wearily. "I'm sure many would have taken you up on the flirting bit, but there's some just... Impossible shit out there on the Polysentience. Stuff you have to feel to believe..."
Zahen tried to comprehend everything, but failing, she looked at Arccos. "Well... Then why don't you just demonstrate? You said you had ways to connect me to machines, why not connect me to this?" She asked, diverting her eyes from the screen. "Show me how this is better than physical relations"
"Not able to without cracking open your skull and cramming your head full of wires. Theoretically I could program a bridge with a VR headset, but I don't really have one lying around on desert craphole land." Arccos sighed, almost in frustration, taking back the datapad. "Although I'll say the orgasm button app is pretty much a decent enough substitute for most physical relations, I've found."
Zahen smiled. "You would be shocked by what I would do to experince something new..." She stated softly as the Datapad was taken from her. "I figure this could be another win win... So long as you don't kill me in the process. Hook me up, let me experience this, and then unplug me. You get to poke around my brain, and I get to see this. However, coming out of your shell and enjoying what you can of this world, and this reality can be just as rewarding" She smiled.
"In this reality I lived through losing most of my people." Arccos softly snapped "This reality? Kind of bullshit."
"You are preaching to the choir... I spent my entire life on a station where death was a near constant. This planet it a paradise compaired to what I have had to live on before. I can wake up, and see the same people again. Spending your life in a computer doesn't make anything go away... It just makes it easier to forget about it for a short period of time" She explained, laying her head back down. "Doesn't stop hurting, and it doesn't stop bothering you. I've killed more than my fair share of Vekimen over laws I may or may not agree with, but I keep going. Seen family members die. Seen those Vekimen who couldn't handle having their whole family wiped out go feral in a heartbeat. Totally gone, lost to an animal that inhabits my entire race. Living in a fantasy isn't good though, no matter how real it may seem" She finished, going silent again.
"That would be almost poignant if I didn't know that 'finding reality rewarding' was intermingled terminology with fuckin' you." Arccos said, a little acidly.
"That actually wasn't on my mind when I said that, but if you made that connection I suppose I cannot stop you" She said, her tone unchanging. "I was being completely sincere. I feel I dropped the whole "Let me examine your body/ lets "fuck" as you so colloquially stated was off the table when you enticed me with the idea of making entire, realistic worlds in your own mind where you could experince anything you want to" She added.
"Never hurts to prevent backsliding in intent from being an issue."
"Certainly not, but I believe a bit of tact is required. I wouldn't go and tell you what bothers me on a day to day if it was to get in your pants. Honestly, I have more than enough suitors, and while you are attractive, I do not just spill my emotions out like that for a fling. I was honestly trying to help you, as you seem lonely in general, not just intimately" She added, her tone going a little cold.
"Try and help all you like." Arccos practically hissed, "Standards are high, and until reality raises its game I got nowhere better to be but my own head."
Zahen just hummed a little. "Take this how you will, but my kind has a saying. When you are digging, you do not know what is ahead of you. Only behind. No matter which direction you go, all you see is the dirt before your muzzle. If you stop digging, then you will never know what is past the next handful of dirt. Thus, all you will ever see... Is dirt" She sighed. "In my laguage it's much shorter, as we have words that string most of that together. but I believe the message gets across rather clearly" She said, slithering out from under Arccos and standing up. "I feel I may have over stayed my welcome... But if you take any advice... Try to disconnect and experince the moment now. You never seem to stop" She said, her tone holding no malice.
"And you don't see the problem with that phrase here?" Arccos' expression hardened.
"I think my kind has a much shorter expression of what you escape into... A Vivid Imagination" She said simply. "Take it how you would like, again. I do not intend to step on anything or hurt your feelings. While my kinds idea of physical relationships are totally different from yours, my interest in you is nothing but the highest compliment my kind can make. Think of it as an... Invitation, rather than a fling. You fed me, you are helping me pursue my goals, and you let me stay warm while you worked. These are things my kind pales to in comparison. Our families are usually rather selective, but the rewards they bring to us at least are more than we get on our own. You may not appreciate it, as it seems so little, but my kind has had very little for over a thousand years" She shrugged.
"I just find it odd that you want me to stop and experience the moment, using an example of always having to move forward." Arccos' fingers twitched just that little bit faster, "You're welcome to my help, and hospitality any time... And while I might not accept your invitation I can understand the sentiment behind it. At the same time, I would like to be left alone for a while."
"Doesn't matter how slow you dig, or if you take break here and there. Remember, us non-mechanical folk don't see things the same, and personally I take time to enjoy every stroke my claws make to sift away the dirt. While each one may not be memorable in of itself, they are still something... Sometimes I find an interesting rock, or some bugs I haven't seen before. I enjoy what each stroke brings me, even if getting to where I need to go takes that much longer" She sighed. "Anyway, I will await those bouty scripts. I hope to provide a drastic decrease in crime aroud the area in short order. Maybe I will gain your trust enough to get information on the rebels eventually" She said, heading to the door, her datapad still on the table.
"If you can promise me Lewis and his hostages aren't going to get eaten, tell Cyrus I've recommended your help on the operation at the mountain." Arccos sighed, raising one hand from her work to run fingers through her hair; before standing up and snatching her drink from the floorboards, putting it to her mouth and taking a long swig of whatever was inside. "Don't forget your robot plans."
Zahen waved a hand as she walked out the door. "Gives me a reason to come back later Arccos. See you then" She called, shutting the door.
The only reply incoming was the sound of smashing glass on the doorframe.
Arccos went back to work.
Zahen had spent the better part of the last few days working on her mech, and she finally had something worth while to show Arccos. She hoped the Freespacer wouldn't scoff at it, but something about the whole situation told her that the cyborg lady would have an issue with it. After looking around, she was directed to the Courthouse.
Walking up the steps, she walked in and was promptly directed to Arccos's office. With no concept of personal bounds or doors for that matter without them keeping air inside, she walked into the office. "Hello Arccos, I hope your day has been rather uneventful" She said, sitting in a chair without being offered.
The actual concept of a lack of personal space seemed about well in keeping with Arccos' office. It didn't seem to be a thing that actually existed as a room, rather it was a series of wooden platforms bolted into the rafters of the vaulted cieling of what was the Osman High Court chambers.
Access was gained by a wall in the roof access stairwell that had been bashed through, and hung with a curtain. Furniture and random junk was located across the 'office', or slung from the roof in cargo netting. Late evening moonlight trickled in from the large window at one end of the room, and there didn't seem to be lights in here.
Everything was quiet now, but when busy one could see the whole courthouse from up at this vantage. But instead of watching anything down below, Arccos was sat in a fanciful sofa suspended in mid-air in its own drooping cargo net. This late things had quieted, and she had at least hung up the poncho and taken off her boots, sitting in just her jeans and tank top as she tapped away at something unseen in mid air.
"About as eventful as you'd expect." the Thieftaker General said, "There a problem, or is this social?"
Zahen looked around the room, taking stock of everything that inhabited the room. She liked it... It wasn't as wide open as others would be. The Freespacer wasn't wearing shoes... Which seemed more normal to the alien than the rest of her attire. "I thought social. I thought we agreed on the whole VDTF/USO justice sort of thing. I wouldn't come to you for a judicial issue unless it involved your citizens, which I try to stay away from," she said, placing a Datapad on the table. "Actually, I was coming over to ask you your opinion on the Mobile Suit I am designing" She said, looking at Arccos.
Arccos didn't really look up, still tapping away as if typing on an unseen keyboard. Chances were she didn't actually need to use the prompts, but something was going on there.
"Well, you could have had a problem other than judicial." Finally she looked over... Sort of. Her head didn't turn, just one eye twisted in its socket to look over at Zahen, the other keeping a solid focus on the job. "I'm also manifestly not a Techhead or Freethinker. I'm not sure if I can help with engineering issues."
Zahen shrugged "I'm not explicitly an engineer either, but I am still designing a mobile suit. Obviously you are smart enough to make quite a large amount of interesting things. I thought I would get your opinion" She explained. "If you would rather just talk, then I can do that as well"
"I'm working right now, so mere talk will have to wait." One hand raised, crushing something invisible in her AR overlay. She fully turned her attention on Zahen, and swung her seat forward a little so she could kip off it and stand on the platform. "What were you going to show me, then?"
Zahen pushed the Datapad over to Arccos, showing what looked to be a rather... Robotic Vekimen. "My device. If the actual engineers I have working on its robotics are correct, then it should have the exact same range of motion as a normal Vekimen. Coupled with a full sensor suite that the pilot can utilize so it won't be startled by a whole new way of seeing when they "wake up" so to speak" She explained.
Arccos took up the datapad, running her finger over it to twist the image around this way and that. Looking over the specifics very briefly.
"It's kind of cute I guess. What of it?" She eventually said, sounding quite dispassionate. Not looking up.
Zahen seemed to deflate at the cute comment, looking down at the Mech. "Hmm... That wasn't quite the... Plan I suppose..." She grumbled, pulling the datapad in front of her and looking at it again. "I didn't think it would be seen as cute by you... Inadequate, ineffective, what have you... but cute?" She asked, pushing the pad away in exasperation. "Didn't think I was that bad at designing weapon systems"
Zahen was grouchy, then something dawned on her. The mech was designed off a Vekimen. She would admit she had some vanity about her, and used many of her own assets to design it. "Wait... Do you think I am... Cute?" She asked, more curious now than agitated.
"I just find Automata cute." Arccos said with a little shrug, sticking her hands in her pockets as she looked over at Zahen fully since the first time she came in the room. Or rather, half looked at her, her eyes flicked this way and that slightly as if she was looking between the Vekimen visitor and other things around her. "I guess you Vekimen people are pretty cute as well... Or was it meant to be intimidating?"
Zahen shrugged. "Most aliens we have met find us less than desireable to be around. The locals at least find us intimidating. When you are a creature that is described as "Toothy" you tend to not be liked. In a fight, well those teeth just move to serve as an extra weapon. We are not a kind that is pleasant to fight"
"As for being cute... I didn't think anyone would find me or any other of my kind to be cute. Scales and cute do not mix well it would seem. So I guess thank you for the complimet?" She said, now going back to seeming a touch aggrivated.
"You're welcome." Arccos said simply, "Although at this point I just don't know what sort of input you want on this. I can't talk about functionality since it's not my field. I guess the sensor thing will stop you needing to sort out all the sensory stuff without needing too many needles in your skull or what have you..."
"Hmm... Needles in skull would be a bad thing for a Vekimen" She said, tapping her finger on the datapad. Eventually she pushed it aside. "Why do you people wear clothing?" She asked abruptly. It had bothered her for some time.
"Well the software requires some sort of mind-machine interface. Maybe a headset, or something built in the pods themselves. I just say needles because what we use is just built right in there, and you said you didn't accept implants." Arccos tapped her skull, right above her mindware ports.
"And it's inadequate biological adaptations to the environment. Most species around can't take scrapes on abrasive surfaces, nor can they handle extremes of weather."
"Huh... Well..." She said looking around the room. "I don't see any extreme weather or abrasive surfaces in here. Nor on your ships. You all wear them all the time. We Vekimen have our uniforms, but we wear them because they keep us warm in combat, as well as protect us from bullets. You seem to wear them for a sense of aesthetics otherwise" She thought aloud.
"You've never been on a Deoradh ship, have you?" Arccos asked with a little smirk, "There's not many safe surfaces, and enough background radiation to let you cook food in mid air because there's no gravity. Some of my people don't take their clothes off for years at a time because of it."
"That is a good excuse... If we were on such a ship" The alien said coyly.
"I'm also on call in case there's someone needing backup in the city for the night patrols." Arccos pointed to a nearby table with a communicator on it. "Are you trying to get me to take off my clothes?"
Zahen let out a series of clicks. "Maybe, you are warm by the looks of it" She said, blinking her eyes slowly. "That does bring up a question though. Would you like me to set up some Vekimen Patrols? We can see better in the dark than the local population. Plus many people wouldn't expect to be attacked by what they would call giant flesh eating lizards. With guns no less. We may seem barbaric, but we are effective soldiers when we need to be" She explained.
"Is heat an issue for you?" Arccos asked, something in her mindware ticking over as if to weigh up the possibilities of Vekimen patrols. That compared with public opinion going against them, manpower shortages, and conflicts within their agreement for judicial treatment of prisoners... She just stuck with the heat question while mulling over the implications.
Zahen shrugged. "Depends. Vekimen are cold blooded, but we can be frozen solid without any negative side effects. More a comfort issue. Too much heat however will cook us like any other flesh and blood creature" She explained, flicking her tail a little. "As a boon though, we can naturally see the Infrared spectrum. Not quite like a camera dedicated to seeing it, more as a light overlay" She explained.
"How do you hold up against radiation?" Arccos asked, something in her head still calculating.
"Radiation? From what I know we can handle more radiation than a human, but anything you would deem "Face Melting" is just as dangerous to us, as it is to everyone else. Our bodies can regenerate surprisingly fast. If I were to lose an arm for instance. With enough food and sleep, I could grow it back in about a week" She explained.
"If you can handle a little bit of radiation, I can probably procure you some RTG's." Arccos paused, wondering if she actually needed an explanation of that.
"Little generators that make a good amount of heat, and have a long half life. We use them to warm our void suits, if we don't just straight up install them into ourselves. If you can see heat, then that's what's about... Here." Arccos indicated somewhere around her abdomen.
Zahe nodded. "I noticed it. I was wondering why you had such a nice, warm stomach" The lizard cooed. It was a little teasing. "I'm curious as to how warm your insides are though" She added, her voice deepening slightly.
Arccos slipped a hand from her pocket, pulling out a small datapad and connecting cable. One end of the cable jacked in to her ear, and a few swipes brought up her diagnostics. She held up the screen to show the exact figure to her guest.
"That warm."
Zahen blinked, tilting her head as if trying to process the comment. "You... You don't take hints do you?" She asked, smiling again. "Quite the literal person aren't you?" She added, standing up and wandering around the room.
"I understood it perfectly." Arccos chirped informatively, putting her diagnostics back to the pocket they came from.
"Then I suppose a friendly cuddle is out of the question" She asked, taking a more direct approach. "Or friendly anything. I am still confused as to your kinds idea of modesty" She said with a sigh, picking something up that looked important.
"You can touch me so long as you don't get in my way, and don't go for groping without asking. Nothing around the chest, crotch or ass." Arccos said plainly, "And Modesty varies according to who you speak with out here, we're all from different places with different values."
Zahe frowned. "So... You say to groping without asking... Then list off places I can't go. Would it be considered... Impolite to ask if I can go there now? Otherwise I don't know what I am asking for" She said with a smile, putting down the object. "And define getting in your way. What is in the way of someone who can communicate with machines using their mind?"
"Kind of impolite, yeah." Arccos said, clearly no malice in her voice though. She moved to the edge of the platform she'd been planted on and pulled the swinging couch suspended in cargo netting a bit closer. She flopped down back in her seat.
"And I'll define 'in the way' as 'can't reach my drink.'" She indicated a nearby green glass bottle. "And I guess 'Can't stand up if someone calls me to help with a raid.'"
"Well, I can make sure you can get up. Vekimen are a swift lot" She explained, crawling up and curling her body around the freespacer so her head could lay on her lap. She was quite flexable. Certainly more so than a human. But, she took the close proximity as an opportunity to examine the finer details of the woman. Mainly her legs, and by extension her feet. "Hmm... Such... Weird legs your kind has. They don't seem particularly efficient. Is there any advantage to them?" She asked.
"I can walk on them." Arccos said simply, not really knowing what the Vekimen meant by them being inefficient... They were inefficient compared to other kinds of legs, but the specific aspects that were inefficient wasn't clear. "And I think that I'll just send your people bounty scripts rather than set up patrols. Go after the heavy criminals and ride back in to town with them, should help your image."
Zahen seemed to slither down Arccos's legs, bringing her closer to her feet. "They are like smaller versions of mine... Without the claws. Plus your calves are longer" She said, running her muzzle lightly along the tops of the extremities.
At this stage, Arccos had gone back to fiddling with that invisible thing in the air, over Zahen's head. She didn't seem to be paying that much attention to anything else, "Well I originally had shorter ones, then replaced them with mechanical ones. I could have gone for a more efficient model, but it's hard to adapt to cybernetics."
"Hmm..." She pondered, opening her mouth a little. "Mind if I examine them? Your kind might find it a little weird but our scaled hands aren't that sensitive" She explained, not looking to Arccos.
"Keep it over the pants, too much time on the upper thigh and I shoot you." Arccos said simply, "If you're after mechanics I can just remove the synth skin casing..."
Without actually answering, the Vekimen slid her tongue between the digits of Arccos' foot, the well protected tongue being one of the most sensitive parts of their body.
There was a slight jerk of Arccos' leg, almost like a reflexive twitch, but as fast as it came it disappeared. For a second, the 'spacer looked down at what exactly was happening, but before long she'd gone back to her work.
"You might have to get me a towel when you're done."
Zahen blinked. "A towel? Why?" She asked, her tongue slipping back into her mouth. The womans feet would be totally dry, despite the cool, wet feel of the lizard like tongue. "My tongue isn't wet... Or is there something else you are trying to tell me?" She asked, her tail swishing a little.
Arccos bent a knee, pulling her foot closer and peering at it.
"You actually just set off a failsafe I have. Deactivates sense of touch if I'm tickled. Just felt cool for a second and I've seen you eat." The foot returned to its prior position, "And while I'm normally quite fond of people licking my feet, I'm afraid I don't know you that well to go for it."
Zahen frowned. "I was starved ok?" She mumbled, looking at the feet. "And you like people licking your feet? Well... If you felt comfortable with it I would probably keep going" She offered.
"Finish your examination or what have you," Arccos said curtly, "I don't actually have a sense of touch right now to get any benefit from it. No need to linger."
"No point now. Without the sense of touch I can't feel the muscles move. May as well examine the prosthetics without them getting any input" She frowned, shifting back up to where she was, curled around the freespacers waist.
"Pretty sure there's no muscles in my feet." Arccos said, looking down, before returning to her semi-slouch. Half using the lizard wrapped around her as a cushion. Luckily she wasn't that heavy.
Some time passed after that with little more than Arccos waggling her fingers in the air.
"You're just going to stay there aren't you?" the 'spacer eventually asked.
"Well... You are rather against relaxation it would seem, and you've made all the fun parts off limits. Honestly I am curious as to how much of our bodies are similar" She said, rubbing the side of her head against the spacers stomach. "Why? I haven't really gotten any time to myself, and well... If you are always so stoic and work focused I figure you wouldn't mind me using you as a heater while you worked. Seems like a simple enough arrangment" She said softly, seeming to be quite relaxed.
"I'm actually quite relaxed right now. It's just that relaxation looks very different in my species." Arccos half-explained. "And I don't mind, I just have to do a shift over at the workshop in a little while."
Zahen sighed. "You know, all I ever hear about you doing is work. Do you ever have fun? I understand you are part robot, but you seem to have bological responces as well. Why don't you like... Take a day off or something? Focus more on talking to people than this cool, minimalist sort of thing? I may be a workaholic, but you make me look like a lazy git" She said, shifting to lay her muzzle along the Freespacers sternum and look up at her.
"With mindware you can subdivide your brain functions, and control your senses." Arccos explained, reaching a hand across herself to get at the datapad in her pocket. Simultaneously pushing Zahen's head back down to the agreed upon areas, "Essentially any time I'm working, I'm doing it while a whole bunch of other stuff is going on. If I want to go to the beach, I can feel like I'm at the beach while still working. Total realism too. Right now I'm on a pleasure cruise in my own skull. Taste fine foods, see magnificent sights, whatever... Fluke entertainment pales in comparison even, you can do things literally physically impossible, pleasures and experiences that would be considered miraculous in the real world..."
Arccos flipped a few commands on the datapad, jacking it back into her skull and handing it to Zahen. The inbuilt camera allowed it to work as a lense into Arccos' own HUD, showing that from her perspective she was working to weave together the roots of a colossal tree that breached the skies, while apparently soaring through those same skies over some sort of crystalline landscape. There seemed to be little continuity to it, or even logic. But it looked majestic in its own way.
"Draw what conclusions you like on how it impacts one's relations to physical interactions though." She added almost wearily. "I'm sure many would have taken you up on the flirting bit, but there's some just... Impossible shit out there on the Polysentience. Stuff you have to feel to believe..."
Zahen tried to comprehend everything, but failing, she looked at Arccos. "Well... Then why don't you just demonstrate? You said you had ways to connect me to machines, why not connect me to this?" She asked, diverting her eyes from the screen. "Show me how this is better than physical relations"
"Not able to without cracking open your skull and cramming your head full of wires. Theoretically I could program a bridge with a VR headset, but I don't really have one lying around on desert craphole land." Arccos sighed, almost in frustration, taking back the datapad. "Although I'll say the orgasm button app is pretty much a decent enough substitute for most physical relations, I've found."
Zahen smiled. "You would be shocked by what I would do to experince something new..." She stated softly as the Datapad was taken from her. "I figure this could be another win win... So long as you don't kill me in the process. Hook me up, let me experience this, and then unplug me. You get to poke around my brain, and I get to see this. However, coming out of your shell and enjoying what you can of this world, and this reality can be just as rewarding" She smiled.
"In this reality I lived through losing most of my people." Arccos softly snapped "This reality? Kind of bullshit."
"You are preaching to the choir... I spent my entire life on a station where death was a near constant. This planet it a paradise compaired to what I have had to live on before. I can wake up, and see the same people again. Spending your life in a computer doesn't make anything go away... It just makes it easier to forget about it for a short period of time" She explained, laying her head back down. "Doesn't stop hurting, and it doesn't stop bothering you. I've killed more than my fair share of Vekimen over laws I may or may not agree with, but I keep going. Seen family members die. Seen those Vekimen who couldn't handle having their whole family wiped out go feral in a heartbeat. Totally gone, lost to an animal that inhabits my entire race. Living in a fantasy isn't good though, no matter how real it may seem" She finished, going silent again.
"That would be almost poignant if I didn't know that 'finding reality rewarding' was intermingled terminology with fuckin' you." Arccos said, a little acidly.
"That actually wasn't on my mind when I said that, but if you made that connection I suppose I cannot stop you" She said, her tone unchanging. "I was being completely sincere. I feel I dropped the whole "Let me examine your body/ lets "fuck" as you so colloquially stated was off the table when you enticed me with the idea of making entire, realistic worlds in your own mind where you could experince anything you want to" She added.
"Never hurts to prevent backsliding in intent from being an issue."
"Certainly not, but I believe a bit of tact is required. I wouldn't go and tell you what bothers me on a day to day if it was to get in your pants. Honestly, I have more than enough suitors, and while you are attractive, I do not just spill my emotions out like that for a fling. I was honestly trying to help you, as you seem lonely in general, not just intimately" She added, her tone going a little cold.
"Try and help all you like." Arccos practically hissed, "Standards are high, and until reality raises its game I got nowhere better to be but my own head."
Zahen just hummed a little. "Take this how you will, but my kind has a saying. When you are digging, you do not know what is ahead of you. Only behind. No matter which direction you go, all you see is the dirt before your muzzle. If you stop digging, then you will never know what is past the next handful of dirt. Thus, all you will ever see... Is dirt" She sighed. "In my laguage it's much shorter, as we have words that string most of that together. but I believe the message gets across rather clearly" She said, slithering out from under Arccos and standing up. "I feel I may have over stayed my welcome... But if you take any advice... Try to disconnect and experince the moment now. You never seem to stop" She said, her tone holding no malice.
"And you don't see the problem with that phrase here?" Arccos' expression hardened.
"I think my kind has a much shorter expression of what you escape into... A Vivid Imagination" She said simply. "Take it how you would like, again. I do not intend to step on anything or hurt your feelings. While my kinds idea of physical relationships are totally different from yours, my interest in you is nothing but the highest compliment my kind can make. Think of it as an... Invitation, rather than a fling. You fed me, you are helping me pursue my goals, and you let me stay warm while you worked. These are things my kind pales to in comparison. Our families are usually rather selective, but the rewards they bring to us at least are more than we get on our own. You may not appreciate it, as it seems so little, but my kind has had very little for over a thousand years" She shrugged.
"I just find it odd that you want me to stop and experience the moment, using an example of always having to move forward." Arccos' fingers twitched just that little bit faster, "You're welcome to my help, and hospitality any time... And while I might not accept your invitation I can understand the sentiment behind it. At the same time, I would like to be left alone for a while."
"Doesn't matter how slow you dig, or if you take break here and there. Remember, us non-mechanical folk don't see things the same, and personally I take time to enjoy every stroke my claws make to sift away the dirt. While each one may not be memorable in of itself, they are still something... Sometimes I find an interesting rock, or some bugs I haven't seen before. I enjoy what each stroke brings me, even if getting to where I need to go takes that much longer" She sighed. "Anyway, I will await those bouty scripts. I hope to provide a drastic decrease in crime aroud the area in short order. Maybe I will gain your trust enough to get information on the rebels eventually" She said, heading to the door, her datapad still on the table.
"If you can promise me Lewis and his hostages aren't going to get eaten, tell Cyrus I've recommended your help on the operation at the mountain." Arccos sighed, raising one hand from her work to run fingers through her hair; before standing up and snatching her drink from the floorboards, putting it to her mouth and taking a long swig of whatever was inside. "Don't forget your robot plans."
Zahen waved a hand as she walked out the door. "Gives me a reason to come back later Arccos. See you then" She called, shutting the door.
The only reply incoming was the sound of smashing glass on the doorframe.
Arccos went back to work.
