RP: YSS Eucharis [Post-Mission 21] Kyoto Blues

Aikiko just nodded as she walked slowly with Tony. "They tell me I have been designed for war. But of a weaker model than first ones. We just make up for it in armor and tech. But the longer I live. And experience things. I don't feel like I'm a soldier. Maybe I started out defective by living first as a hard rock miner in a territory that actually rebelled against Yamatai...I'm .. would say being more comfortable as... cop? That whats the Peace Keepers were mainly... Paramiltary Police with armed spaceships."

“My last assignment ended in failure.” Sheila replied honestly. “I was assigned as a supportive android to an exploration team to serve as their technician and vehicles operator with more basic programming in other areas such as combat and medical care. Having been designed to replicate one of the planet’s native species I was often sent out to do a preliminary inspection of the landscape to map out dangerous areas, potential sights of interest, and so on without as much risk of being attacked on sight. During one of my scouting sessions the camp that the others were residing in came under attack, due to a combination of the lack of security that had been provided and an underestimation of the threat of the natives several members wound up being killed and equipment destroyed, resulting in a loss of their backup memories we had with us. After an evaluation it was deemed that the lack of security funding and the combined purchase of my model was not suitable for the smaller teams. As such when they were reassigned they were provided with custodians to be able to better protect them for when combat would arise again."

"In order to make better use of my purchase I was reprogrammed to be a more beneficial supportive unit for combat troops by serving as both a unit capable of disabling and obtaining improvised means of transportation and one providing treatment for their injuries should the primary medic be incapacitated or occupied with another patient. For the past month I had been stationed here after my training was completed; assisting the base with more mundane tasks while one of the officers searched for a suitable starship to assign me to. So when he noticed your vessel had docked and was having transfers he contacted me so that I might offer my services in person instead of waiting their offices to finish with the process of contacting starship captains to confirm all of the transfers they had received before assigning me to one.” The android continued on politely as its gaze never wavered from the superior office before it, causing it to fail to catch the look that one of the crew members was giving it.

Outside Restaurant

"We are on our way to the shopping district. We should walk and talk," Hanako said, making a gesture for people to get moving towards the rental limousine where it was dry. She is rather verbose, Hanako observed, unsure as to whether or not that was desirable. "Right now our only other tech is on our night shift so you would be the sole technician during the day. The Eucharis is a ship with a lot of history including combat, so she has been damaged and repaired many times over the years, usually, but not always, very well. I need a technician who can deal with both the challenges of working with a patched-up ship and repairing us during combat. If you feel you have the skill set for that, I will take you on as the ship's technician." She ducked into the limo door and took a seat on one of the leather bench seats inside, interrupting her conversation just long enough to give directions to the driver before returning her attention to Sheila. Vonderbrink-Hei, Are you able to fit your head in a power armor or spacesuit helmet?" Hanako asked. It was a legitimate concern. As she waited for an answer she shook the water off of her cap and starting brushing it off her skirt and shoulders.

The android’s head nodded slightly in acknowledgement as it fell into step beside the woman and just slightly behind to allow her to take the lead while the construct absorbed the information. Being the lone technician during the day shouldn’t cause any issues as long as the workload was manageable, if there would ever come a time when it would become overwhelming it would most likely be during combat; something that the second technician would already be at work on if so. When they came to the limousine it ducked its head and slipped inside at one of the edges, allowing anyone else to enter behind her to sit with their friends and not have some stranger between them.

Once inside and seated across from the captain Sheila ensured that its head was slightly bowed to prevent any chances of the horns from damaging the roof should they hit any bumps. The leather seat beneath it stretched as the android’s weight caused it to sink down into the cushion far more than the lighter nekos as the construct was completely unconcerned with the water droplets coating its body. Its response was just about to come out of the voicebox before being contained as it waited patiently for both the directions to be given and the final question to be asked. “I have full faith in my ability to be your ship’s technician ma’am, or else I would not risk your lives by having someone incompetent charged with ensuring it would continue running. In the terms of repairs during combat an android is one of the best technicians for the job, due to us not requiring protective gear should we be repairing systems exposed to the vacuum of space or hazardous materials. Allowing us to get to work on fixing them as soon as possible to prevent further damage; as for your concern over my horns and spikes.” Sheila answered as it reached up with both hands to wrap around each of the horns.

While Sheila replied each hand twisted to detach both of the horns and hold them idly in her lap, leaving only two white circles in her head from where they were at. “When I was constructed the expedition leader, Veronica Vonderbrink, had the foresight to have the spikes and horns be detachable so that I would be capable of wearing environmental suits and simply having them disinfected rather than having to go through the lengthy procedure of having my entire body processed for foreign pathogens. When my reprogramming started and the question on if I should receive modifications to change my appearance, one of the engineers replied that in the worst case scenario I take five seconds to remove them; in the best case I use them as a tool or weapon to when I have nothing else to fall back on… at the very least few would wish to risk getting me in a full nelson, for fear of a headbutt.” During the majority of the reply Sheila was speaking in the same, polite and respectful tone of voice that she had been using ever since she first approached the captain; one that the vast majority of AIs used. Near the end however it hints of amusement would appear in her tone of voice along with a slight smile.

Limousine

Tsuguka Toyoe sat directly next to Hanako again upon their entrance to the vehicle, quite clearly continuing to take no chances with the other new recruits. The Shosho's life simply took priority over any offense caused. The beads of water glimmering on her coat were mostly left there to dry up on their own, her rigidly mechanical attention span still being dedicated towards the robotic newcomer.

"No actuator noise... high contrast color scheme..." The crimson thing's head arced slightly to the left with a twitch, intense eyes unblinking. "If I my input is still required, Shosho, it would occur to me that they are telling the truth about recon and stealth operations being intrinsic to their design."

"May I ask, Sir or Miss Vonderbrink, how it is you operate in empty space? The problem is heat build up. Your chassis is too thin for any large radiators or heat sinks." Exactly three seconds passed, a toothy smile was deployed, and then it disappeared as suddenly as it had shot out. "I am not doubting that you are an android, of course. But it would be helpful to know your exact operational abilities and components, for tactical and logistics reference... If your power source is highly radioactive or biohazardous, it may be a good idea to keep you away from areas in which food is prepared, for instance."

Restaurant

Ayame blinked up at her new captain, head tilting slightly as she contemplated the offer. "I... I would have to think about it. Thank you for the offer." In truth the little Neko hadn't actually had a shipboard posting before, and was completely out of her depth. Sure, she was competent at her training, but she had never actually had a chance to utilize that training in a real-world experience. "I have yet to perform an accurate assessment of the risks and necessary measures aboard the YSS Eucharis. If you feel it is wise, I would be most pleased to accept your recommendation."

An actual nonbiological lifeform joining the group was unprecedented. Frankly, the irony was far too much for her, and Ayame bowed absentmindedly to the robot. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss or Mister Vonderbrink."

She carefully levitated after the captain, doing her best to remain surreptitious and discrete without letting her new captain out of her sight.

Streets of Kyoto

Aikiko walked at the pace Tony set, while looking at various stores displays as they passed them. She used the reflective qualities of the windows to watch their back trail. She enjoyed the rain as it fell. Soon her star army hat was soaked with water dripping off it onto her shoulders of the coat. She smiled as she loved the rain, even on the misty world of Fort Min as she called it.

Having lived on a desert world where it was a rare occasion that if it rained, the water drops would be evaporated by the time it got several feet from the ground. Everything (clothes) would be wet but the bottom two feet would be completely dry. Unless the weight of the water soaked its way down farther closer to the ground.

But here on Kyoto, it was amazing that water fell in this amount. Aikiko couldn’t help but walk through the puddles of standing water. She would wiggle her toes feeling the water build up in her shoes. This was worth the price for a new set of dress shoes she knew she would have to buy.

She glanced at Tony to see how she was reacting to the rain as they walked side by side, getting stared at. She was enjoying the walk back to the military base and spaceport.

Kyoto

Once everyone going shopping was back in the rental limousine, it rolled through Kyoto's streets, which were well-lit, pristine, crowded, and glistening with rain. Yamataians, Nekovalkyrja, and other silhouetted people of various species with umbrellas of every pattern and color flashed by the droplet-blurred windows. When they got to the shopping district, they found themselves by the thousands of dazzling neon and volumetric signs as far as the eye could see, advertising everything from androids to Zen Arms pistols. There were new bodies on display, mindware programs demonstrated, pets in pens, and robots strutting on catwalks. It was like a seemingly endless mall. Somewhere in the midst of this tremendous bustle of commercialism, the limo came to a halt outside a ladies' clothing store called FHB.

"This is where I wanted to go," Hanako told the others. "We can get out here or the driver can take you to other stores if you prefer."

“The feeling is mutual Miss Umeki.” Sheila would reply with a slight bow of her head to the tiny neko before it had resumed giving its attention back to the captain and entered the limo behind the captain.



As the woman next to Hanako spoke up about her design and questioning it on its specifications Sheila gave the creature an understanding nod before communicating in an informative tone. “I am an asexual construction; either gender pronouns or gender neutral ones are all acceptable for use when referring to me. As for my design details I am an Echo, Mike, Juliett, Two, Three, Alpha Douryo Android Deluxe model that was manufactured by Emrys industries and designed by Tamahagane Corporation’s Research and Development team with alterations to my appearances to suit my previous owner’s wishes. In regards to the recon and stealth operations being intrinsic to our design neither of those were a priority or even an intended use when we were created. There are surely much more suitable models that have unofficially been created for use by the military that are far more capable at the aforementioned roles than my model.”

“Now then, to address your inquiry concerning my exact operational abilities and components I will first set your mind at ease by reiterating that if I had felt like I would be placing your lives in danger I would not have offered my services. Your concerns about having a power source be radioactive or bio-hazardous is a concern that was solved long ago and is now obsolete with the vast majority of operational androids, only those in the experimental phases potentially have the risk of having their power sources contaminating their surroundings unless it was an intended feature.”

“Now that I have addressed your primary concerns and corrected your misunderstanding about my model design, my specifications and potential specifications should I be upgraded using the standard components the company provides for my model shall be explained and listed… you may wish to activate a program so that it records what I am about to say for future reference, should you forget or wish to refresh your memory on it. Keep in mind my model series was not designed as a military combatant, that was a role that the Custodians fulfill and that my model was initially created for noncombat purposes.”

“The first information that shall be given is in regards to my physical attributes of speed, strength, armor, and bone structure within the standard gravity environment. My model has a walking speed of up to Sixteen Kilometers an hour, swimming speed of twenty kilometers an hour and running speed of thirty two kilometers an hour. My muscular structure has come with the upgraded Echo, Mike, Juliett, Two, Mike, Three, Four, Zero, Five configuration that has doubled the density of my muscular structure and allows me to carry two hundred and fifty kilograms of weight. Next is the amount of armor or protection that my body gives me before attacks are capable of reaching my vital systems. In comparison if you know the capabilities of the Harpy armor, the fifth Light Advanced Mechanized Infantry Armor designed by Ketsurui Zaibatsu, than it is best to think of me constantly clad in its protection. Another way in which to view it is that it requires something along the lines of a point defense turret or grenade in order to break through and cause critical damage to my systems. Finally for this segment is the Echo, Mike, Juliett, Two, Mike, Three, Four, Zero, Zero, which is the default skeletal structure for my model series, is composed of a reinforced ceramic material that makes our bone structures twice as strong when put in comparison of the homo sapiens. Our knees have ball joints for additional strength, with the ones on our shoulder and hips being made so that the limbs lock into a socket with a frictionless surface. In order to remove the limb the socket has to be unlocked. In replacement of ligaments are Osmiridium filaments constructed into polymer strands that hold the bones together, and are secured with Ionic Adhesive that allows them to operate within a normal range of motion.”

“The next areas that I shall address shall be my communication system, neural network, and skin structure. My model comes installed with the Echo, Mike, Juliett, Two, Mike, Three, Four, Zero, Two long range communication system. It is an integrated system that allows my unit to have a range of a fifty six kilometers without any supporting satellites or communications network. It has a variety of features such as encryption, audio communication, texts, translations for major languages, wireless networking with starships, shuttles, headsets, and scanners. It is compatible with Sync, Pantheon, and InterNEP with an integrated antenna. In regards to the Pantheon capabilities, I am unable to commit sensitive information to my long term memory. ”

“The standard neural network that I have come installed with, the Echo, Mike, Juliett, Two, Mike, Three, Four, Zero, One, is what allows all of my components to communicate and are secured in place so that they do not come loose. It has three functions with control as its primary purpose. It features a bidirectional communication between my control system, which shall be addressed in the next segment, and my body’s components. They are filaments that are made from fier optic threads, allowing data to be received from my components. For example it allows me to determine the pressure that my body exerts onto objects, so that they are not crushed or held to loosely.”

“The second function of it is to provide power to different areas of my body by utilizing power nodes that are directly connected by my power system, which shall be explained in with my control system. These nodes are located at each shoulder, hip, and neck. The final function of this system is to connect my sensor data from my skin overlay, which shall be explained now. Echo, Mike, Juliett, Two, Alpha, Three, Four, Zero, Two is the delux skin overlay that coats my body for the primary purpose of protecting my interiors from water and dust. It is constructed from a water proof, synthetic polymer that feels similar to tissues such as your own skin and is capable of repairing itself through the use of micromachines that have been programmed to fix only my synthetic skin. This skin overlay has been designed to retain some of the ambient temperature so that it is not cold to the tough; with an upgrade allowing it to have a pulse that simulates that of a heartbeat while also providing more warmth. The only maintenance that is required is washing with gentle soap and water while finally allowing it to feel in the same sense that natural skin feels.”


“The remaining operational systems are my sensors, control system, and power system. For the sensors there are two components that make it up, the basic and advanced version. The Echo, Mike, Juliett, Two, Echo, Three, Four, Zero, Three is the basic sensors that are installed in all of the android models of my series that enables me to utilize several features. These features encompass vision, audio, olfactory and tactile. For vision I am capable of zooming in twenty times my normal sight or gaining a milliscopic vision of a hundred for more detailed work and have the ability to see ultraviolet lights. Auditory wise my normal ranges are similar to the basic human ranges, allowing me to be aware of sounds in the twenty hertz to the twenty kilohertz ranges. At will I am capable of expanding the range up to sixty thousand hertz and gain a twenty decibel boost.”


“In regards to my Olfactory I retain the standard ranges and sensitivity as that of the homo sapiens while having the ability to identify specific scents accurately. Finally in regards to the basic sensors I am capable of recognizing both pressure and temperature when interacting with objects. The advanced sensors from the Echo, Mike, Juliett, Two, Echo, Three, Four, Zero, Four expands my capabilities and allows me to make use of hardware upgrades. These upgrades are an internal organs upgrade to let me consume food, taste it, detect harmful substances in it, and use it as fuel. The next upgrade is my skin, which has already been mentioned and currently the other two upgrades modify my asexual body to obtain the sexual genitals of either gender be it male, female, or a combination of both.”

“If you are still awake, the second to last system is the control system unit called the Echo, Mike, Juliett, Two, Echo, Three, Four, Zero, Zero. This system has three major components consisting of two computers, data storage, and a backup battery supply for emergency shutdowns. The computers are a compact quantum computers that grants my model the ability to have and utilize artificial intelligence. One of them is placed within my torso that is mainly an autonomous system, where as the one that houses my consciousness has been placed within my skull. The data storage grants me both short term and long term memory; with short term being able to be converted into long term either at well or at regular intervals. The short term memory is kept for several hours, with the long term memory being preserved through the usage of the 3D optical data storage method by utilizing a flawless diamond in the shape of an Icosahedron five centimeters in diameter. Surrounding the diamond are various lasers that encode the data onto it, granting me the ability to have near instantaneous access to the data coded into it. To prevent my memory from being damaged a rechargeable power cell has been installed in the event of a catastrophic failure by my soon to be explained power system, granting power to safely power down the system into a standby state.”

“Echo, Mike, Juliett, Two, Golf, Three, Four, Zero, Zero is my power system and the final major system that shall be discussed in layman terms. My capacitor is capable of keeping me operational for one hundred hours and can be charged through a variety of ways. One of the ways in which to charge it is by something as simple as plugging me in and recharging me using another source of power. The other way is through the usage of induction that recharges my battery when in the presence of EM energies, with a safeguard system to protect from massive surges, and when in an area of high energy levels such as a starship. It does so by recharging whenever the capacitor reaches ninety nine hours of operation up to full before shutting off, only to repeat the process for as long as it is capable of. From below ten percent power to full it takes one hour from being plugged in or five hours when using the induction method. If you have any other questions regarding my model none of it is classified so a simple search is capable of informing you of all that you require. However in the meantime I am afraid that I’ll have to leave you to prepare for my transfer to your crew.” Sheila said in the exact tone of voice that she had from the start, never once seeming to be out of breath.

Limousine

"Thank you for the detailed response." Toyoe had survived, somehow, with an entirely blank and unassuming look still on her face. She knew perfectly well what she was getting into, and had patiently sat through it. Her left hand was of course thumbed onto her communicator, which had recorded the entire thing from her perspective, anyway. Sheila could have just sent her the entire thing as a text document over the SYNC, too, but interrupting her once she had already begun didn't seem too wise. "I will study this information in better detail later, once I have time to learn the correct maintenance procedures involved."

The eyes of the sharp-faced neko strayed slightly for a moment, then returned with a twitch of the ears. She was choosing her words carefully.

"Let me give you some advice." It was comforting to talk to someone so utterly without judgement or biased preconceptions, but Tsuguka was a creature of efficiency, and she had the health of the team to think of. "Alrough Nekovalkyrja are effectively bioroids, their memories and attention spans are still limited. Sometimes providing too much information at once can be less efficient than underdoing it. For the sake of compatibility, you should cross-reference what information you give out with the details that the crew member logically would already know, or have no functional use in knowing. I can help you clarify your speech in future, if... Well, if you desire it."

Could the seemingly empty shell desire anything? Tsuguka didn't know. But she wanted to give it the best chance.

The Shosho seemed more than a little eager to begin shopping, so rather than cause any more awkwardness, the lithe oni moved out of the limousine herself, before turning back to face Vonderbrink through the open door.

"I was given an off-the-record mission to increase my friendship level with Joto-Hei Murakami. I must obtain clothing items from a select set of locations before our departure tomorrow." She wasn't talking that way for the android's benefit, her voice was clear and verbose. She believed things were true exactly as she set them out to be. Using her communicator, she sent the map locations over to Sheila via the SYNC system. "Once your transfer is completed, you may join me at one of these locations if you wish, in order to benefit from the arrangement also."

Restaurant

Mitsuko's eyes had bulged out behind her glasses as the alien creature joined them. She'd been so shocked she hadn't even let out her signature squeak, mouth gaping open silently. The Neko just stared at their new crew member as the pack shuffled outside.

Limo

...and continued to do so for most of the ride. Her mouth had finally shut sometime during the long, technical speech, her eyes relaxing to merely widened in horror. She was having a much more extreme reaction than she had to the Mini, who had been mostly forgotten by now. All of that data had honestly been interesting, even if it wasn't really her specialty, and it had all been conveyed with such impressive organization. Even so, it was hard to resist the urge to flee in terror. Of course, if she was wearing a Star Army uniform, she must not actually be something to worry about.

"Oh, n-no, I'm sure....she...has better things to do." Murakami managed to croak out a comment finally, laughing nervously as she fumbled to open the nearest door. "This store is just as good, l-let's go!" She hurried to exit the vehicle, planning to rush into this FHB they'd pulled up to, fleeing quickly enough to not even bother with her new umbrella, bags left in the limo.