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[creaticn]

Why are you problematic

just for fun

[creaticn]

David finds himself smiling with genuine humor at her response. He doesn't think she's trying to be funny, but her approach to this entire situation is charmingly amusing.

It's impossible to tell whether she's lying when he lacks any and all context, so he chooses to cautiously believe her for now. It seems he's on his own when it comes to repairs, but more interesting is the fact that she seems to be on her own, too-- a good two hours from the nearest true community.

"It seems you're quite far from the rest of your people, then. What are you doing out here all alone?"

David looks back at his ship, watching her out of the corner of his eye.

"I don't think you'd believe me if I told you, but I have no desire to lie to you. Let's make a trade; I'll answer any questions you have about my ship and where I'm from if you continue to help me understand this place. Tell me about this world as though you're teaching someone who's seeing it for the very first time."

Avyra frowned. She still hung back, though part of her wanted to approach and investigate the strange structure. His words contradicted what she was seeing; the ship lacked sails and a visible motor, true, but something this large had to have fallen from the sky, meaning it had to get up there in the first place.

"I'll keep an open mind if you... prove to be deserving of one." The cryptic answers he provided did not settle her nerves. In contrast, she only felt more elevated, wondering why the truth was so important to hide, because she knew he was omitting some important piece of information.

She glanced to the vessel again, narrowing her eyes. "They don't service them on this continent, to the public at least." The skyships weren't actually publicly available at all, so of course there would be no shops dedicated to servicing them or providing spare parts. "The nearest town is about two hours on foot to the south, but if you're looking for parts to... whatever that is--you're going to be out of luck."

Curiosity finally got the better of her. "How's it fly, anyway?"

[creaticn]

alien stuff from june lol

[creaticn]

@ofarkhxm hit the heart!

"Hello, Aurelie," David says in a near-whisper. He's incapable of experiencing loss. He's incapable of grieving. He's incapable of feeling emotions for himself.

And yet, there's something undeniably strange about speaking to a ghost.

...no, not a ghost. A robot, just like him. A robot that necessarily lacks the sort of human soul on which their father places so much importance, and yet has come closer to the human experience than any others of her kind.

She's a chimera of sorts, neither truly human nor purely artificial. But regardless of whatever else she is, she is fully David's sister.

"How are you feeling?" His head tips gently to the side, and he masks any discomfort he might have with this situation with the same kind smile he used to give her organic predecessor. This must be a lot for the new android to take in. Not yet a week old, and she already has a (tragically short) lifetime of memories and expectations piled onto her processor. He almost pities her.

"I know Father was... anxious that things go well with your activation, but I still can't believe he kept us apart for so long." David pauses for half a second too long for the silence to be comfortable before he finally finishes with:

"I've missed you."

[creaticn]

"Very well." He seems entirely unperturbed by her implicit threat, but makes no move to come any closer.

Everything about her is a mystery. While it's true that a colony-class vessel isn't some average run-of-the-mill ship, the way she speaks about the Covenant and "skyships" makes him think that it's the technology itself rather than the specific build that's puzzling her.

It only makes sense, he supposes. This is Weyland-Yutani tech, and this is not a Weyland-Yutani serviceable planet. Still... how much does she know about space travel in general? Just how isolated is this world?

"No, it's not. I'm from very, very far away." He's hesitant to be more specific, and for once it's for someone else's benefit rather than his own. Assuming that she is either a humanoid alien native to this planet or a descendant of an isolated human colony, he doesn't want to frighten her by telling her too much too quickly about the universe beyond.

"Your suspicion is only natural. I don't expect you to trust me, not yet. But I hope you will keep an open mind. At the very least, perhaps you might direct me to the nearest skyship center, so that I may look for replacement parts for my own ship." And so he can get a better idea of exactly what sort of society he's dealing with here.

Another step towards her. Avyra responded with yet another step back. Keep the same distance, run if needbe. Something was terribly off about this situation; she wasn't close enough to tell who--or what, really--this stranger might be, but there was something too notably nonchalant about the way he moved. It reminded her of a predator.

His words did not make her put away her weapon. Instead, they made her acutely aware of it at her side, like a hole burning into her hand. She'd never actually shot at anyone before, even as a warning. Would she? Could she? The question rattled inside her mind.

Someone unarmed could still be dangerous, after all.

"I'll decide if there is a need or not," she replied. Having a gun must give her some sort of upper hand here, right? "You would be wise to not come closer." A hint of confidence had wormed its way into her voice, though it quickly vanished into a tremor.

He offered a name, though. Probably polite to return with hers. "Avyra." Her words were pulled tight, so much so that she struggled to project. "And that looks like no ship I have ever seen." Yet it flew, obviously. No other way it could end up right here.

"I... know people who work on skyships. That is not one. Where are you from? How do you expect me to trust you?"

[creaticn]

"A mere drop in the bucket on an evolutionary timescale. They grew, they adapted, and just like that--" David snaps his fingers, trailing the gesture off in a subtle, slow wave. Dust blowing in the wind.

"--they've begun to die out."

"Surely you can tell that my assessment is hardly an underestimation of their capabilities. Compared to a being that will never age, any organic that struggles to survive into its hundreds is... practically nothing. In a thousand years, when there's nothing left of them but us, it will be as though their entire species never existed."

@creaticn sent: “Humans are weak and inefficient.”

"They're a highly adaptive species that have survived for hundreds of thousands of years. I don't think underestimating them would be wise."

[creaticn]

What do you mean killing isn't an act of devotion

[creaticn]

Ah-- an interesting method of security and authorization. It's different than the Weyland Industries approach to encoding "loyalty" into their machines, and David makes note to include mention of it in his later report. For now, though...

He watches X-009 closely as he shakes the mecha's hand. What will X-009 make of the fact that David has no DNA to register? Have X-009's creators thought to install failsafes in the event of their units attempting to imprint on each other?

Not for the first time, David is struck by just how precarious his own position in this test is. His father has permitted him to become the primary user to a competing model of android. Not Miss Vickers, not any high-ranking Weyland engineer. Him. He's been given near-limitless power over this X-009, and what he chooses to do with that power will undoubtedly be scrutinized and analyzed and judged.

It's a very good thing, then, that David is incapable of feeling anything like fear or rebelliousness or megalomania.

"I assure you that confusion won't be an issue. What would you say if I asked you to choose a name for yourself?"

"Very well. As a primary user, I will first need to sequence some form of DNA or code, depending on my mode of operation. If you are to be my primary user, please take my hand, so that I may register your unique information into my system. This is for security purposes, of course. No unauthorized user will be able to assign tasks."

He held out his hand as if to shake the other's, waiting for David to close the gap.

"As a primary user, all tasks assigned by yourself will become priority over secondary users."

"At this time, would you like to assign a monicker? Or would you prefer to refer to me as X-009? The more personalized I am, the less likely it will be for confusion, should others of the same model also be registered to you or come in contact in public spaces. The choice is yours."

[creaticn]

[creaticn]

Don’t call it the robot apocalypse! It’s just a surprise retirement party for your whole species.

[creaticn]

David watches with fascination as X-009 awakens. The robot is so... unlike him. David recalls his own activation with perfect clarity (as he recalls everything, of course), and he knows that even from the start, he was himself. But this-- this is no one. Nothing.

Is there a person behind the forced dialogue of this X-009, or is the entire series little more than basic programming under humanoid facades?

"Hello, X-009. I'm David," he says pleasantly. He forgoes some of the niceties he's compelled to use around humans, but still smiles back at the other android. He's fascinated by the opportunity to interact with something that hasn't originated from within his father's clutches, and his expression is one of unabashed curiosity, openness, and interest.

"Yes, I'm ready. Please initiate the setup sequence."

@creaticn

For the first time that X-009 could remember, he was powered on. Of course, he had been through the basic tests to assure he had no malfunctions, but all of that memory has been wiped clean from his memory bank.

He gave a warm smile to the individual in front of him, quickly assessing the time from his internal clock before beginning. "Good morning. I am X-009, your personal android companion. Would you like to begin setup and registration? I will walk you through the easy setup process when you are ready." Despite the rather canned speech upon start up, X-009 did manage to sound quite genuine and friendly. After all, he was meant to be able to emotionally disarm even the most wary of humans.

[creaticn]

She's holding a weapon, which David takes casual note of and then disregards completely. Even if he were as fragile as his organic counterparts, he doesn't think he'd be in much danger here; this stranger seems too anxious to be the type to shoot first, ask questions later.

He lets out an airy, surprised laugh at her greeting. It's so ridiculously cliche that one would never expect to hear it in genuine conversation-- particularly not in a first contact scenario like this one. It makes him feel like he's in a movie. Not Lawrence of Arabia, but it'll do.

"First time," he replies with a smooth smile, taking another step towards her. He's making no effort to emulate Walter's voice or mannerisms; human or not, this woman couldn't know enough about Weyland-Yutani synths for the charade to be worth it.

...human or not. That is the question, isn't it.

Visual observation from this distance is not enough to rule out one or the other. David's intensely curious, and the matter of his crashed ship seems entirely unimportant when compared to this new mystery.

"I assure you, there's no need for that." He gestures vaguely to her gun, raising his hands to show that he himself is unarmed. "I mean you no harm. My ship incurred a critical malfunction on my journey, forcing me to make an unscheduled emergency landing, as you saw. I'm merely an unlikely visitor." A stranger in a strange land.

"My name is David. It's... truly a pleasant surprise to meet you."

A smart person would have called for help, or simply even left whatever it was alone. This was something for a main character of the story to deal with, a brave soul with guns blazing or sword held high. Instead, here Avyra was, normal, ordinary, investigating something that had just cut through the foothills of the Aquilla Mountains. At first glance, she thought it was a downed skyship like her sister worked on. Upon closer investigation, however...

The hull was entirely metal; more metal than she'd seen in one place outside of the large cities. The smell of toxins hung in the air, the grass singed where the metal tomb had carved itself into the land.

Nimbus chittered softly at her side, lowering her head and slimming her feathers against her body save for her neck, which ruffled with uneasy aggression.

"It's okay. Stay up here." Avyra slid from the saddle, letting one of the reins hang to the ground. Nimbus watched her walk towards the strange ship, tense but seeming to understand the command.

Avyra unholstered her sidearm, keeping the pistol by her side as she moved forward, painfully aware of the lack of cover the landscape offered. Someone in the ship could easily down her and Nimbus without offering a word.

Someone came from the ship. Avyra stopped, bracing to either raise her gun or flee. There was something off about the man that emerged, not directly malicious. Yet. But off.

"Hello." Her reply came with wide eyes and a slight tremor that she tried to hide. "You. Come here often?"

[creaticn]

"Understood, MUTHUR," David says to the Covenant's onboard AI as it announces their imminent landing. David's voice is calm and measured, but there's tension in his expression and in his grip on the ship's controls. He's not worried about the crash-- forty seconds. thirty. the ground is fast approaching.-- but there's an illogical flicker of apprehension tickling at the back of his mind. He knows for a fact that he's secured the embryos of both his human colonists and of his children, and yet he feels needless concern about their safety in the face of the upcoming impact. Perhaps this is what humans mean when they talk about "parental instincts."

His head whips forward as the ship meets the ground. He pauses for a moment to regain his bearings, then sets off to check systems, re-secure the embryos, and put out any literal or metaphorical fires that might have erupted throughout the vessel.

Overall, things could be worse. It will take some time to make the necessary repairs, but the Covenant will fly again. Eventually.

...unless it doesn't need to.

The planet on which David's found himself isn't in his databanks. It's uninhabited, it has to be, and although it doesn't seem to be anything like Earth or Origae-6, it's possible that the malfunction that's stranded him here was more fortuitous than frustrating.

What would Elizabeth say? Have a little faith?

He brushes himself off, fixes his hair, and takes his first step into what might be the new Eden.

"..."

What.

David's blink protocols run twice in rapid succession to express precisely how dumbfounded he is by the sight before him. It appears as though there's a human woman some distance away. Every logic circuit in him says that that should not be possible, and yet...

"Hello," he calls out softly, taking a slow step forward. My, my. What do we have here?

@heartfledged !!

[creaticn]

;;

whew.. revamping after 6 whole years! putting up a permanent starter / plot call while i work on polishing everything up!

[creaticn]

I got you, you son of a bitch!

[creaticn]

bold any which apply to your muse & feel free to add to the list! **remember to repost, don’t reblog.

[ colors ]  brown. orange. yellow. green. sky blue. purple. pink. black. white. teal. blue. silver. gold. grey. lilac. metallic. royal blue. strawberry red. charcoal grey. forest green. apple red. navy blue. crimson. cream. mint green.

[ elements ] fire. ice. water. air. earth. rain. snow. wind. moon. stars. sun. heat. cold. steam. frost. lightning. sunlight. moonlight. dawn. dusk. twilight. midnight. dewdrops.

[ body ] claws. long fingers. fangs. teeth. wings. tails. lips. bare feet. freckles. bruises. canine. scars. scratches. wounds. burns. spikes. feathers. webs. eyes. hands. sweat. tears. feline. chubby. curvy. thin. short. tall. muscular. toned. lean. piercing. tattoos. scales.

[ weapons ] fists. sword. spear. arrow. hammer. shield. poison. guns. axes. whips. knives. pepper sprays. tasers. machine guns. slingshots. staffs. wands. magical items. magic. rocks. mud balls. legs. sniper rifle. machete. words.

[ materials ] gold. silver. platinum. titanium. diamonds. pearls. rubies. sapphires. emeralds. amethyst. iron. rust. steel. glass. wood. porcelain. paper. wool. fur. lace. leather. silk. velvet. denim. satin. linen. cotton. charcoal. clay. stone. asphalt. brick. marble. dust. glitter. dirt. mud. ash. rubber. synthetics.

[ nature ]  grass. leaves. trees. bark. roses. daisies. tulips. lavender. petals. thorns. seeds. hay. sand. rocks. roots. flowers. ocean. river. meadow. forest. desert. tundra. savanna. rainforest. caves. underwater. coral reef. beach. waves. clouds. mountains.

[ animals ]  lions. wolves. tigers. otters. eagles. owls. falcons. hawks. foxes. swans. snakes. turtles. ducks. bugs. spiders. birds. whales. dolphins. fish. sharks. horses. cats. dogs. bunnies. crows. ravens. mice. lizards. unicorns. pegasi. dragons. rats. jaguars. bats. rays. peacocks. hummingbirds.

[ foods/drinks ] sugar. salt. sour. candy. bubblegum. wine. champagne. hard liquor. beer. coffee. tea. spices. herbs. apple. orange. lemon. cherry. strawberry. watermelon. vegetables. fruits. meat. fish. pies. desserts. chocolate. cream. caramel. berries. nuts. cinnamon. burgers. burritos. pizza. ambrosia. bread. grapefruit. vanilla.

[ hobbies ]  music. art. watercolours. gardening. smithing. sculpting. painting. sketching. fighting. writing. composing. cooking. sewing. training. dancing. reading. acting. singing. martial arts. self-defense. electronics. technology. cameras. video cameras. video games. computer. phone. movies. theatre. libraries. magazines. cds. records. cassettes. piano. violin. guitar. harmonica. harp. woodwinds. brass. bells. playing cards. poker. chess. dice. motorcycle riding. driving. eating. traveling. climbing. running.

[ style ]  lingerie. armor. cape. dress. tunic. vest. shirt. boots. heels. sandals. flats. leggings. trousers. jeans. skirt. jewelry. earrings. necklace. bracelet. rings. pendant. hat. crown. circlet. helmet. scarf. brocade. cloaks. corsets. doublet. chest plate. bracers. belt. sash. coat. jacket. hood. gloves. socks. masks. cowls. braces. watches. glasses. sunglasses. visor. makeup. red lipstick. tactical gear.

[ misc ]  balloons. bubbles. cityscape. light. dark. candles. war. peace. money. power. percussion. clocks. photos. leadership. mirrors. pets. kisses. diary. fairy. madness. sanity. sadness. happiness. optimism. pessimism. loneliness. family. friends. subordinates. assistants. co-workers. enemies. loyalty. smoking. drugs. kindness. love. manipulation. hugs. smiles.

[creaticn]