[Nexus] NO XIII: Do Clockwork Penguins Dream of Mechanical Fish?

[Lost_Deep]

The Hall

CB-484 rolls down the hall outside the bedrooms. The dark doesn't bug him; he can operate in the dark just fine. He can't see color... but he knows all the colors anyway. This hallway is grey.

And it's smooth. Just like the hallway of most space ships. This is no space ship, though. This is not the world he used to know. He has realized this now. And he has had a lot of time to think about it. He moves silently... or he would, if he wasn't...

humming?

hm m mm hmm mmhmm...

This is what Karaglen might hear as he rolls past her door... an artificial, but almost happy humming like sound.

[Chaotic Bob]

[His Home]

Morry draws away from his guardian, watching as his meager efforts do little to sway that fire lurking behind her features.
Maybe...maybe he should go sleep again.

This will go away when he wakes up?


[Her Bedroom]

tock

That which is broken, must be repaired.
Isn't that what Uncle Xeni did? Fixed broken things?
Karaglen isn't sure, but it seems nice.

She would like to think she could do that too.
Fix this broken place.
It's something that's flitted into her mind on and off for months, an arrogant goal. But no one else is fixing it.
Are they?
Can't keep...thinking that she means to fix it. Then not.
Selfish, noncommittal. Not how a champion of the land should be.

A champion would be confident and strong, pushing onwards regardless of the opposition.

tick

There will be much opposition in this task.


[The Hall]

The door to Karaglen's room slowly opens, revealing its for-once-clean nightgown clad occupant.

The humming robot.
It was a doctor, wasn't it?

Lurking in the crack between the doorframe and door, the little girl calls out to CB.
"...hey."
tick

[Lost_Deep]

The Hall

CB stops. He turns his head toward Kara, his three red eyes glowing obviously. Not a very reassuring sight in the middle of the night.

"Trouble sleeping, I presume. Common enough from time to time. Is there something you think I might be able to help with?"

He's not humming anymore. He's just back to being creepy now.

[Chaotic Bob]

[The Hall]

Does she have problems sleeping?
She isn't sure. Karaglen never remembers falling asleep...just periodically waking up.
Usually in an alley or behind a bush.

The girl stares off to the side somewhere, for a moment, hiding behind her mass of hair, before glancing back towards CB.
"I...slept earlier."
tock
"You're a doctor, right? Help people?"

[Lost_Deep]

The Hall

"I am an advanced medical robot, capable of diagnosing and treating 95% of ailments. I am trained in the anatomy of a wide variety of different species, and can do any kind of surgery required. I think faster than a human, have an allmost negligible margin of error, and never sleep or need breaks. I am designed to be the ultimate doctor."

As he says this, the rest of CB's body rotates to face Karaglen.

"I am currently in the employ of this organization. You are currently under the care of this organization. If you have anything you think I might be able to help with, you just need to ask."

[Chaotic Bob]

[The Hall]

A robotic response (expected) and confirmation of what she already thought.
CB is not in and of himself a part of the problem.
Healers are good things...they fix what is broken.

"I am fine."
tocktick
"What do you...think of the other people here?"

[Lost_Deep]

The Hall

CB is quiet for a moment.

"I am familiar with Human, Nocrus, Nekoken, Derran, Elryan, Zessarus, Jaliam, Xurusus, Grengarun, Keroren, Tez-Het, Cetori, Deridan, Veiln, and Hendom anatomy."

"Note that "Goblin" is not on that list. Nor is "Elf." Nor any such hybrids, or a great number of species in NO, much less the Nexus. There is worlds and worlds of medical information I do not have. Is it annoying? Yes. But it's more than that."

"It piques my curiosity."

"I want to know. I want to know more about the species here... and how that magic thing interacts with medicine."

"The other people here are a challenge. No matter what happens, I will treat whatever comes in. No matter the issue, the anatomy, or what kind of freaky magic shenanigans might walk into my infirmary, I will treat the problem or fragment trying."

...

"Why do you ask?"

[Chaotic Bob]

[The Hall]

This is not a question Karaglen immediately answers.
Lurking behind her waterfall of silver hair, she thinks and ponders and considers.

There is a risk, somewhere, in this robot.
She can't quite put her finger on it.
tick
But it's there.

Instead of answering the question, she presses onwards with her own query, almost desperate for these opinions.
"What do you think about the...specific people here? Like u- Kirk, or Mr. Dipsnig?"

[Lost_Deep]

The Hall

"Dipsnig is healthy and efficient, taking a very professional look at everything. Kirk is similarly healthy, but I'm not familiar with his personality. The truth of the matter is, the bulk of the individuals here avoid the infirmary unless necessary. However, given the kind of work that NO gets, I think it says a good bit about them that they stay out of the infirmary. I would like to get to know various NO members better, I was expecting for the infirmary to be a more frequented location."

As is, he is left alone to do whatever he very well wants with his time...

[Chaotic Bob]

[The Hall]

That's inconvenient.
She expected much the opposite opinion. Wouldn't a bunch of mercenaries need healing services a lot?

Karaglen frowns slightly, peering down the other side of the hall.
tock
"Okay...maybe you could just try talking to them sometime."

A pause, another thought.tick
"We don't have any prisoners at the moment, do we?"

[Lost_Deep]

The Hall

"Not that I'm aware of."

She's asking questions. Certain questions. She's suspicious of something. Asking about the character of the people here, and about any prisoners...

"You don't feel safe here, do you?"

While not necessarily the right conclusion, it is a logical one.

[Chaotic Bob]

[The Hall]

This place is not an immediate issue then. Karaglen can focus her efforts elsewhere.
That's good. She likestock Mr. Dippy.

CB's question doesn't really draw an unusual response from her, just a little glance back into her room, towards Morry.
"Safety is hard to make."
In the land that breaks, no wall is steadfast.

[Lost_Deep]

The Hall

"Indeed. No where is truly safe. All that matters is that some places are safer than others. This place, NO, is full of trained fighters. Food is readily available, as is medicine. The main thing that NO might lack is individuals for you to call your peers. A small army appeared on the doorstep, and was quickly dispatched with minimal injuries. All said and done, NO is one of the safest places to be. Of course, the best way to help ensure your safety is to enforce it yourself."

...CB, what are you thinking?

[Chaotic Bob]

[The Hall]

"I don't need peers."
That is a painful lie.
But they always get taken by the chaos.

"There should always be true safety...the lack means something is wrong..."
Conflict and strife, while perhaps important as a function of nature, should not be stretched as far as the "sentient races" take it.
There is never an excuse for the murdering, thieving, warring, manipulating.

tock
It should not exist.


Karaglen looks down at her hands for a moment, slowly moving her fingers, seemingly testing their function.
Yes...enforce the safety herself.
She knew she should. Needed to.
But sometimes...sometimes the motivation seemed to fade away.

Hearing someone else say it, made it better. Easier. More tangible.
Maybe CB couldn't help...but it meant that she was not alone in her belief.
Not wrong.
tickJustifiedtock


The fire she conceals behind her hair is joined by a smile, small at first, but growing surely to a large size.
Too large, perhaps, but fitting of her confidence.
"Yes...I will. Myself. Safety for everyone, not just me..."

[Lost_Deep]

The Hall

"Haa haa haa."

"There is only one way to do that, little one. It must be done perfectly, or you only create more problems. And when it is done perfectly, it's never worth it. If you want to keep truly everyone safe, I would like to recommend three books to you: 1984, By George Orwell. Animal Farm, By George Orwell. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury."

"They won't tell you how to do this... but if you're smart enough, you can look at them and see why it can't be done."

[Chaotic Bob]

[The Hall]

CB is discounting two very importable variables to this particular equation of perfection.
Divine will and magic.

Karaglen has both of these, doesn't she?
What could assure success more than the will of the gods?
All must bow to Their will.tick


Two of those books sound familiar (she did briefly spend a living time in a library), but she's only actually read one. Partially. It wasn't really to her taste at the time.
Dragon mind or no, she still preferred the cheerier, simpler stories at the time.
"Aren't those...government-failure stories?"
She doesn't care about rulership. Though perhaps current ones may need to have individuals within replaced, if they fuel the chaos, she doesn't necessarily see the need to overhaul that system.

Unless, maybe, there was a safer one...

[Lost_Deep]

The Hall

"In a way. They are about attempts at the perfect society... and all the problems that causes. There is no such thing as perfect societies. This is because societies are made of people, and people are not perfect."

Okay, that actually comes off as a deep insight.

"In fact, people are all insane. It's what makes them people."

...Presumably there is some logic behind that. He's a robot. He has to be logical and stuff, right?

[Frozen Messiah]

[Front Door]

A man knocks slightly at the main door. He stands there perfectly straight in a black suit and tie, everything about him is professional. He is nonchalant in his stature as if knocking on the door of a heavily guarded organization is common event for him. The only feature about him that shows that he is human is the cigarette that he is smoking. His hair is grey and well groomed, actually everything about him is well groomed down to his shined shoes and his manicured hands. "Anyone home," The man asks with a small smile curling across his face, "I would like to have a conversation with someone of some merit within this little organization of yours." After saying that he pauses and stands statue like with the exception of his right arm handling the cigarette in his mouth.

[Morty]

[Front Door]

The door slides open for the mysterious unflappable person. Behind it, he'll find the very leader lounging in an armchair. Said leader happens to be the small brown-skinned goblin pictured in his player's avatars, only without the wolves.
I have as much merit as you can find here, he says, scanning the newcomer. What business do you have here?

[Frozen Messiah]

[Front Door]

The door slides open for the mysterious unflappable person. Behind it, he'll find the very leader lounging in an armchair. Said leader happens to be the small brown-skinned goblin pictured in his player's avatars, only without the wolves.
I have as much merit as you can find here, he says, scanning the newcomer. What business do you have here?

"Well I am Mr.Winters." The man says as he flicks away his cigarette. "If I am correct then your organization likes to keep on top of things, namely the other organizations. I can help you with that." He takes this time to pause and light another cigarette, it is a flip lighter of a dull silver colour. "Now you are probably smart enough to not trust the random smoking man who showed up on your doorstep. As a sign of good faith if you are willing to work with me I will handle that factory problem that you have, free of charge." The hand that put away his lighter pulls out a card and hands it to the goblin, the card is black with Montgomery Winters written in light blue ink with a small snowflake in the top right corner. "Think about it for a bit, if you want to talk more about my offer then you can meet me at the Black Dragon. I'll be waiting." The man then walks away casually as if he has done this hundreds of times before.

[Morty]

[Front Door]

Well, if the mysterious man wanted to come off as trustworthy, he failed rather thoroughly. Dipsnig really doesn't appreciate people who try to show off how smart they are. He appreciates being spied on even less. So for now, he leans back in his chair, thinking about whether he should go to the Den...

[Gullara]

[Main Room]

It seems the often absent Kirk Locke has decided to spend some time around the base as a change of pace. He sits in a recliner, feet up and reading a book. He's lacking his hat, which would be odd to anyone that knows him at all.

[Morty]

[Main Room]

Dipsnig strolls back into the Main Room after the discussion with the mysterious man. He looks even grumpier than usual.

[Gullara]

[Main Room]

"Problem boss?" Kirk asks as he spots Dipsnig's expression. He sets the book aside, not having been particularly invested in it.

[Morty]

[Main Room]

Dipsnig looks at Kirk when the drow speaks up. We just got a visit from some guy who knows much more about our busiess that I'm comfortable with and claims he can help us keep tabs on everything. He wants to meet me in the Black Dragon's Den. I'm not sure whether it's worth it to show up.

[Gullara]

[Main Room]

Kirk frowns. He's never liked people that know too much. "No idea who he is then? Might be worth looking into, if only to find out more about the guy."

[Morty]

[Main Room]

He gave me his card. Says on it his name is Montgomery Winters. Of course, I'm inclined to trust him about as far as I can throw him. Which isn't a whole lot, seeing as he's twice as tall as Dipsnig. Still, I guess I will go there, on the off-chance the guy might know something useful.

[Gullara]

[Main Room]

The drow nods. "Sound like a good a plan as any. Want me to come with? I'll just stick nearby while you two talk, just in case."

[Morty]

[Main Room]

Dipsnig taps his fang. Might be a good idea. I mean, there're always my wolves to help me out if things go south... but the owners of the Den don't appreciate this sort of mess. Anyway, let's head out. Dipsnig puts two fingers in his mouth and whistles, which causes Kullervo to arrive in a trot.

[Gullara]

[Main Room]

Kirk nods and gets to his feet. "Lead the way."