etrayalogs | MISSION 011 Sidelogs

You mean on Earth? [ The bot's voice pitches up a little, skeptical, then hums. ] It's not impossible at this point... But I'm hoping "Lambda" just the designator they've chosen. Otherwise, we're far away from Aurora...

[ And given that they have the bodies of companion bots right now, that's a worrying prospect.

Setsu looks at the readout again, confirming that Clea's reading was correct: This vessel was headed towards the light. ]

Anyway, let's head that way. We can keep talking as we go.

[ Setsu carefully steps out of the vessel and waits for Clea to keep pace alongside them before continuing.

Her questions make it clear that robotic technology is far out of her depths, and knowing that, Setsu can adjust the way they explain things, but first— ]

I don't think this hole was from an explosion alone. There are additional, distinct points where the metal's been bent that aren't consistent with an explosion. Something else forced the initial hole open more than it already was. It's unlikely it was an animal or anything organic. Most likely, it was some form of machinery...or other bots with stronger bodies than ours.

[ Setsu says this now, gravely, so Clea can be on her guard. It's hard to see anything down here, but they also don't know why Amy was headed towards Lambda or what it contains, or if something there might have cut her off at the pass.

Regardless... ] I'll do what I can to preserve you and your consciousness. The cortex chips, if properly removed, should be able to be implanted in other bodies. That's usually how it works with bots like these. The pieces can be removed, repaired, upgraded, or replaced over time, as parts begin to degrade or fail. If the cortex chips contain the bots' consciousness, then it should be the one piece that can transferred.

[ Hopefully that explains things. ]

Usually, bots can go into sleep mode, but I have no idea about these ones.

[ There's a rumbling sound like a chuckle at that. Probably because Setsu finds such an honest question kind of amusing, even if they suspect it's not being asked simply in case the two of them become tired... ]

Is it common to use Greek letters as designations?

[ On Earth? Where else would they be? Mars or Venus? How would they get there? Are there people who live in those places? Clea wonders briefly what it would be like to live on another planet - she's spent her time under foreign skies, but those were crafted by artists. ]

Are we? What would be considered 'far' depends on technological progress. In my great-great grandparent's age, travels that take us weeks would have taken months. Our days were their weeks. Perhaps what is far to us is easily reachable to Aurora.

[ Not that Clea thinks they should trust Aurora. She is limited to what Echo will allow, and Echo clearly has no interest in their wellbeing. It's likely the tale they were told is a lie. Nevertheless, she thinks her point is something to consider. If knowing Aurora may find them reachable regardless brings Setsu some manner of comfort, there's no reason not to share the thought.

She follows Setsu out of the vessel, feeling some trepidation at leaving it behind and stepping into the darkness with only a far-away light to guide them. Is this how her brother had felt as a child when he had been scared of the dark? Not knowing what lurked there, creating monsters in his imagination?

Other mechanical creatures or tools... perhaps there had been a battle using mechanical bodies. Clea's eyes slant with worry. What would be the best way to defend themselves? She knows the weak points of flesh. She does not have this knowledge with machinery. She dislikes this.

They trudge through the dark toward the light, lacking any other option. Clea does her best to keep aware of her surroundings, but how is she to know what would be out of place here? What sounds would be a sign of disturbance as opposed to something normal? ]

If we end up bisected or otherwise disabled, the wisest course of action may be to put the other to sleep, if we can figure out how, and take only the chip with us.

[ If they're actively under attack, having to haul the other body with them may be the difference between survival and death for the one who remains. A chip is easier to carry and would be less cumbersome.

Clea keeps the green light in her sight. Lacking her breathing, she uses the sound and feel of her steps on the seabed to keep herself grounded. Instead of inhale, hold, exhale, it's left foot forward, right foot forward. Focus on the here and now.

Focus on the green light. ]

[ Distances are hard to judge on the lake bed, and it takes quite a while for the hazy green light to start resolving into a flood light covered in algae and plant life. It arches over a structure of the same industrial design and tech level as the vessel, with a massive round pressure seal door at the front, currently closed.

It's hard to make out further details yet. Thick tentacled aquatic sponges spread across the rocky floor, making it slow going.

At one point, an enormous coelacanth-like lobe-finned fish emerges from the darkness, lazily crossing their path. It's six meters long, so it's a bit like a train crossing, demanding they stop and respect its precedence. ]

Although...that's true, if we're no longer in Etraya, that means contacting Aurora if something happens to these bodies will be difficult. I don't know if the technology level of whatever world we might have landed on will be able to handle the maintenance.

[ She must get that, right? It's not Aurora reaching them that Setsu is worried about: It's either of one of them hauling the other's body out of the water and finding they have no means to repair them.

Setsu was willing to end Amy's life because she begged for it, but they don't want either of them to be in the position where they feel a need to do the same. ]

... Anyway, companion bots should be relatively self-sufficient; we should be able to "shut down" our systems ourselves. That would be like "going to sleep" for a bot. When we have more time, we can try to find how to access that option mentally, so we can do it whenever we need to.

[ Hah... Setsu's own eyes slant sadly. They're really just...accepting this situation, aren't they? Where are their real bodies? Are their real bodies still living, even without a consciousness? It shouldn't be so easy to discuss something like "shutting themselves down," like it's normal... But for the sake of continuing on and being a reliable companion for Clea, they choose not to think of all of that right now. Their eyes return to normal.

They don't really want to have to think of how to remove the chips themselves. A human consciousness is delicate...

The facility is up ahead, and somehow, it feels more alive than the rest of this space. Setsu stops a respectable distance away from the large fish that swims past, giving ample space for its fins and its massive body. It likely has no interest in a pair of inorganic beings on the sea floor, but that doesn't mean it can't damage them on accident. ]

You can't tell from the vessel?

[ Clea somewhat understands, but there are gaps: She knows her world could not fix or maintain the robots. They'd likely be able to take them apart, but they wouldn't understand what they were seeing. She understands there is something beyond the purely mechanical, but general purpose computing only exists as basic esoteric theory. The intermittent steps between the technological levels are a mystery to her: Both the robots and the submarine exist only as 'future wonders'. That the existence of one doesn't imply the other isn't understood.

She listens and considers Setsu's idea. Clea somewhat worries there will never be a better time, but it isn't worth the fight.

The going is slightly slowed further by Clea bending down to examine the sea life on the bottom of the floor. She's never seen an aquatic sponge up close, and she would enjoy stopping to look at them further, but there is no time. They're different than the replications she'd made from drawings.

Where Setsu stops at a respectful distance, Clea steps towards the giant coelacanth-like fish with what is (even in this body) clearly fascination, eyes slanting to a 'pleased' state and standing as close as she can without disturbing it, hand raised ever so slightly in a desire to touch but refraining.

Even here, there is beauty.

Once they can proceed, Clea looks behind them to watch the fish swim away, enchanted.

She appreciates the view as the majestic creature recedes, then returns her attention to the cold, sterile looking building. ]

Do you know how we can enter?

[ Will the door open? It doesn't look like any door Clea is familiar with. ]

If I were going by the vessel's appearance, I would say this world is too far in the past for me to rely on their ability to repair our bodies. But it's possible that the vessel's design is only an aesthetic choice.

[ A very useless answer, all things considered. Their shoulders slump regretfully. ]

Sorry, I don't know how to analyze the equipment itself well enough to be sure either way. A lot of Etraya is designed with the aesthetics of eras that, from my perspective, are from the distant past. The vessel's designer might have had similar tastes.

[ Even the D.Q.O. was built like that, and Setsu themself didn't realize it until someone else pointed out that the outdated design was only aesthetic.

Setsu continues to stand and wait as Clea looks at the sealife. It really is interesting, being in such an alien place, yet Setsu can't let their guard down enough to enjoy it. They just stay in place, watchfully, in the event that something might change.

Clea admiring the scenery and Setsu standing watch, it's the way things should be. It really is beautiful, though...

Thankfully, this moment of peace isn't interrupted. The large fish swims away, revealing the building that could previously only be seen from a distance before that fish wove past it. Seeing it now...it's amazing the light is still on. With the amount of plantlife on it, it gives the appearance of having not been maintained in a long, long time.

Does Setsu know how to enter? They narrow their eyes at it, then turn to Clea. ]

It might become more clear once we're closer. Let's give the handle a try and see if it opens.

[ As they approach it becomes clear that the huge circular door doesn't have a handle but a button, with a tiny yellow light beside it indicating that it's closed but not locked.

Pushing the button will result in the door shuddering to life, metal groaning as it winches open. Behind is a small pressurization chamber, a kind of waiting area with a second door exactly like the first not far in, with another matching button.

The second button makes the first door close and red lights flash in warning as the water is slowly pumped out of the chamber from top to bottom. Once it's completely empty, the inner door finally opens to admit entry to the facility... which is dark, beyond. ]

When are you from?

[ Setsu's distant past is Clea's future, but more than that, it appears that even Etraya's wonders are old-fashioned to Setsu. Does Setsu feel like they would if she were to awaken in the 14th century? Or further back? During the times of the Romans? The Mycenaean Greeks? Such an experience must be profoundly disorienting in a way that is very different from Clea's own.

She follows Setsu into the underground facility (another wonder), looking around in clear interest even when the lights flash red - the universal technological warning languages have not been established in Clea's time, so the effect is lost on her. ]

This facility is for humans, isn't it? If it were only for mechanical creatures, they wouldn't need to drain the water, would they?

[ They'd certainly been fine beforehand. The lack of water does make moving different in a new, annoying way, but it doesn't seem to change how well they function. ]

For me, it was 3020. That's on the Gregorian calendar. [ It's worth specifying, when Setsu doesn't know when or where Clea is from. Earth, they assume, but they're pretty sure various Earth cultures have used different calendars throughout history. ] What about you?

[ Once they reach the door, Setsu is grateful that it's fairly normal and straightforward; it's essentially an underwater airlock. The process of adjusting the space to two different environments is actually less interesting to Setsu than Clea's curiosity. Despite how worrying their situation is, it does take a little bit of the edge off.

A little bit, which is as much as Setsu feels is appropriate to let their guard down. ]

Mn. [ Setsu hums and nods. ] I think you're right.

[ It's so dark inside. Their screens emit some light, but it's not enough to easily find their way around. Nevertheless, Setsu begins walking forward, keeping themself in front of Clea. No matter what, they have to keep moving, or they'll never learn how to solve their current situation. ]

If the vessel was headed here... Do you think there may have been humans onboard?

[ 3020. Clea had been correct when she'd thought of the Romans. One thousand years. Does the world continue to change as it had in the past century, or does what is available to the average person stabilize as it had between the fall of the Roman Empire and the Industrial Age? It is a dizzying amount of time. ]

1906 in the French Republican calendar.

[ She must seem so primitive. No wonder Setsu doesn't seem to take her seriously. One benefit, however, is that the dark does not perturb Clea. Paris may be lit, but she'd been in the countryside where true darkness reigned, and she lived in a time where light was a wonder, not an expectation. The light given off by their screens is more than a candle. ]

I don't know. When we looked over it, did you see indications of food storage or sleeping quarters? Most humans need to sleep and eat regularly, but these forms don't seem to. Or something like the water to air room?

[ Clea also doesn't know the term 'airlock'. ]

The French Republican calendar... I'm not familiar with that one. [ They admit, apologetically. They're not even sure when the Republic of France was established to get a rough idea of the time period. ] But, to be honest with you, although Earth does exist in my world, I'm not from there. Our "worlds" are probably pretty different, even without accounting for time differences.

[ In a way, sometimes it's easier to connect with people from entirely different worlds. That way, there aren't any expectations on either side. As it is, Clea is from an entirely different world as far as Setsu is concerned. One they know nothing about beyond the fact that, for both of them, Earth is likely where humanity originated.

Setting that odd sense of loneliness aside, Setsu focuses on the sounds and shadows around them. Compared to the quiet of the seafloor, their footsteps seem to echo loudly inside here. It's desolate. ]

That's true... There might have been an airlock or some other chamber in the place where that hole was blown out, but even so, there wasn't enough space to prepare for a long voyage...

[ A very short voyage, maybe, like a pickup or drop off? Setsu really doesn't know... They wish it had been easier to tell how long ago Amy and that vessel had set off. Whatever her crew was after, it might be long gone by now...

Nevertheless, Setsu doesn't allow their uncertainty to show in their voice. ]

Let's keep an eye out. We still don't know why that ship was headed here.

It is a calendar derived in the late part of the 18th century. The length of the year and the numerals correspond to the Gregorian calendar, but the months are standardized in length. It is 1906 for nations using the Gregorian calendar as well.

[ There is no need for any manner of apology: likely only a historian would be aware of such things from a thousand years prior. Clea is somewhat surprised the Gregorian calendar is still in use so far in the future.

Setsu isn't from Earth. There are people who aren't from Earth. What a breath-taking idea (or it would be breath-taking, if Clea needed to breathe in this form.) Is Setsu from Mars? Venus? What sky do they see when they look up at night? Does it have a moon or is their sky cold and empty?

This isn't the time to contemplate it. Setsu is correct: They need to focus on their surroundings. ]

Or if it was attacked to keep it from reaching its destination.

[ As they go further in, it becomes obvious that this place is, indeed, for human residence: there's storage lockers just beyond the pressurization chamber, a changing area, advanced deep-water dive suits packed into shower units for sterilization and cleaning. It's all completely abandoned. Closer examination reveals personal effects here and there -- a personal photo stuck inside a locker, a zip-up hoodie left on a bench, toiletries in the adjoined communal bathroom. It's still narrow, confined quarters given the environment, but it feels like someone lived here, once.

There's a hall stretching down from the changing area, and in the distance are open doors with dim emergency lights blaring. To either side are occasional thick plastic windows, revealing a beautiful, moody seascape outside, currents trailing the long arms of sea sponges and translucent shrimps drifting by.

A voice, feminine again but distinctly not Amy, echoes sharply down the hall. ]

Hello? Is someone there? I heard the pump going-- I need help!

[ It really is over a thousand years... That's a little dizzying to think about. It's even further back than the Earth they visited during the last mission. That really might as well be another world.

It's hard for Setsu to even visualize, centuries and nations both blending together in a way that would probably sound ridiculous if Setsu tried to make conversation about them. The past, at least, is less alien than things like magic and monsters—but maybe that's just because Setsu hasn't asked if magic and monsters do exist on her Earth.

Another time, Setsu's curiosity might win out and they'd ask more. Much like, another time, the view outside the windows would draw their eye, and they'd take a moment to observe.

Right now, there are more important things.

It's not Amy's voice (thankfully?), but they turn to look at Clea, momentarily debating if they should tell her to hang back, but Setsu doesn't bother. They don't have that authority over her, and they're fairly sure she can assess the danger level on her own to choose if she wants to investigate.

For Setsu, anyone being in distress is reason enough for them to pick up their pace and rush over. After all, it's their duty to protect. ]

What's going on? Are you injured?

[ Everything Clea sees as they search is foreign, even when it's familiar. She's never seen garments like these, or such clear photographs before her arrival in Etraya. The underwater suits are a point of great puzzlement for her: she can figure out (loosely) what their purpose is, but do they work? Could she walk on the seabed once she's returned to her body? She stops to look out the windows once or twice: She may never see a view like this again, and even in the midst of such uncertainty, Clea wants to appreciate it.

It only makes sense for them to head toward the lights.

Their effort is rewarded: a voice.

Setsu is a good person; they rush over immediately. Clea follows, but more cautiously, staying behind. It may not be safe to help the woman. They will if possible: there's no reason not to and she may prove useful, but Clea has no intention of endangering herself for a stranger.

She calls down a question of her own. ]

Is it safe where you are?

Uh... no? [ There's a confused hesitance to the voice. ] It's not really safe anywhere? But I'm not injured. Technically.

[ As she keeps talking, it becomes apparent which room the voice is coming from, the door ajar and crookedly hanging off its hinges.

If they rush forward down the darkened hallway to the lit room, they'll discover a bare work station, computer terminals resembling those in the vessel they'd found lining the walls here and there between more windows. In the middle of the open floor is a four-legged clunky robot, its appendages skinny spindles and its body bulky, with a screen much like their own offered up as a face but much larger.

The screen is glitching, pixels streaked with color, and the robot is cracked apart and strewn open. ]

Hi, um, could you help me?

[ The voice comes from the robot, of course. ]

[ How unsafe is this building - or this sea - that she's saying that? Hearing that puts Setsu on edge, questioning the security of the place they're in now. So far, the two of them had been okay, but...

There's a door there hanging from its hinges, and Setsu take a cautious look inside. ]

I... [ They already know Clea can't help with this. Setsu wishes someone like Remnan were. Someone like Remnan could have probably even repaired Amy. Setsu...isn't sure how to fix a robot like this. It might be the one time the powers they gained in Etraya might actually be helpful.

But they kneel down in front of the bot to survey the damage to the best of their ability. ] ...I don't know, but I can try. What do you need?

[ Their mind goes back to Clea, and they add: ] What did this to you?

[ There's no secure door on this room, but who knows what's lurking in the halls and doorways they haven't traversed yet? ]

[ Unlike Amy, who struggled to retain her sense of time and place and was overwhelmed by deep existential trauma, this voice is crisp and clear. The speaker's faculties are all fully online. ]

We have to move fast before they come back, [ she urges, the robotic parts twitching in a futile attempt to get her spindly feet under her. That's not actually an answer to what Setsu asked, but she's not trying to be difficult -- she's just fixated on her goals. ] I'm going to eject my cortex chip, and you put it in the terminal over there, okay? This helper unit is fried but if I can get into the station's systems, I can actually do something.

[ Who is "they"? If she's concerned about "them" coming back, why did she call out to Clea and Setsu? Setsu can rationalize it, but this is still suspicious...

They look over at the terminal over there and then back at the broken bot. Their dot eyes are narrow, but nevertheless, they kneel down to accept the cortex chip. ]

All right. Give it to me. I'll put it in the terminal for you.

[ This person is putting a lot of trust in Setsu by giving them her cortex chip. Either she's desperate or she's underestimating the two of them... Well, if they are being used, then... Setsu will take that risk, and if necessary, they'll ensure Clea's safety first before making any other moves. ]

[ "It's not safe anywhere." A fair point, but not one that makes Clea feel more at ease. She follows Setsu silently, taking the same position she did back on the other vessel and spending her attention on their surroundings while Setsu interfaces with the situation. They know more and understand more than Clea does, and therefore it makes sense to have them lead. Insisting otherwise would simply be inefficient.

Clea stays near the door, having a similar thought to Setsu: There might be other people or creatures here. Keeping an eye out would be wise, and that she can do to contribute.

She can't make sense of what the new bot tells them. What is a terminal? How would the cortex chip be inserted into it? Clea understands that the 'chips' can be put in different bodies - is a terminal a particular type of mechanical body?

Watching Setsu take the ejected chip, Clea takes the opportunity to talk. If the bot's chip isn't a body, it can't hear or see, can it? ]

We need to press her on who is coming. I do not want to be stuck down here if there are hostile presences.

[ There's no delay -- the helper unit powers down, slumping onto the floor, and a cortex chip just like Amy's extrudes from a slot at the rear of the view-screen. She is, actually, extremely desperate.

There's various terminals on the wall, but only one has a place to insert a cortex chip. ]

Neither do I. [ Setsu confesses as they walk through the room, cortex chip held gingerly in their fingers as they search for the one they need. ] That's why I want to finish this mission as soon as possible. She wouldn't have called out to us if her enemy was within earshot. If she can control this base's defenses from the terminal, then I would rather trust her to handle that.

[ If this bot is also a hostile presence, then putting her chip in the terminal could be to their detriment. She could call for backup, for one. Setsu just...hopes that won't be the case.

The priority is still to provide protection. Whatever consequences result from this, Setsu has resolved to take them on themself.

And so, when they find the correct terminal, they simply slot the cortex chip into it. ]

[ The screen above the terminal boots to life, and a static image appears of a woman's face. Her voice now comes through in better quality from a non-busted speaker beside the work station. ]

Oh, that's so much better. [ She sounds immensely relieved, and even a little distracted. ] Now, let's see here... the network connection is down, no surprise... but there's enough equipment working that I think I can track movement throughout the station.

[ a split-second pause ]

We should be okay for the moment. There's nothing nearby. [ In tones that approach cheerful: ] Thanks for the save, I really appreciate it.

[ Clea is uncertain whether she agrees with Setsu's assessment. Setsu does understand much more than Clea, but Clea is aware that people (even ones in robot bodies) don't always act rationally. It's possible this is a trap of some sort. But if it is, what could she hope to do about it? Clea's eyes slant in displeasure. She has never enjoyed being helpless, unlike her younger sister, who seems to revel in it. In being taken care of.

Trust can be a fool's game, but they appear to have no choice.

The appearance of the woman on the screen makes Clea step backwards. She's seen films, of course, but films are not alive. Don't talk to you about strange networks (is this network like the Etrayan network?) and expect you to respond. How can she track movement? Is that real?

Clea looks over at Setsu for confirmation before looking back at the film woman. ]

Who is they and why are they coming back?

[ She's not going to say 'you're welcome' as she didn't do anything. Clea finds it odd the screen woman is so cheerful now. If she's in the screen, won't she still be here if 'they' come back?

If 'they' are coming back, they may not have time to waste. It would be prudent to get straight to the point. ]

You're welcome. [ Setsu says it, at least. They exchange a look with Clea, and Setsu's expression doesn't change. Surveillance... If that's all they have, then that will have to be enough.

After that, Setsu turns their head to scan the room, taking inventory of their space and if any visual changes have occurred. Clea has asked the more pertinent questions, and Setsu wants to hear the answers. ]

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Sorry for the delay; I had a shitty couple of days

Sorry to hear that. ;o; Hope your weekend is better!

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o/

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