#woman who cackles evilly and then sympathizes with you about the wack ass 'food' you're forced to eat up there in space

[the-valiant-valkyrie]

One thing I don't really see discussed a lot surrounding Solaris is how… oddly normal she is for a Zoraxis operative? She is by no means normal, just… you know, comparatively.

We've either seen or have been shown implications on how John and the Fabricator interact with people who aren't the agent. While their tones vary depending on who they're speaking to, they keep either a condescending or an outright hostile air to their voices no matter who they're referring to- something that only escalates when communicating with Phoenix or the Agency directly.

Solaris… doesn't really do that, though. The interesting thing about her in Death Engine (from a coding perspective) is that her lines of dialogue are split into pre and post the agent getting caught for what they are, because of how drastically they vary. After their cover is blown, Solaris has no qualms with being outwardly hostile to the agent, but until that point is reached she's strangely cordial for a member of Zoraxis.

While she still thinks the agent is their assistant, she'll do her best to keep them safe while she follows through with protocol (“Oh, right… There’s radioactive waste in your docking bay. You can get to that after you’re cleared by ground control.”, “I appreciate your proactive attitude. Just mind the high voltage?”). There's also a handful of general quotes that Solaris will bring up just to make light conversation with who she thinks she'll be spending the rest of her space flight with, implying at least an intention to be amicable (“Automatic computer? Agh… Who wouldn’t want to do their own computing?”, “Crafty and dangerous… I approve!”, “Ehh… Enjoy it if you can. Yes, that’s all we get to drink.”)

The thing that gets me the most though needs to be the variation of her Death Engine reaction lines that play at the beginning of the level. Not only do most of them address the player directly- implying, again, that Solaris is willing to make light conversation with her new crewmate- but the ones that result in her breaking out into a manic cackle always end with her reeling herself back in. She'll have her fun, notice her conduct, clear her throat and immediately compose herself. No one else is on the shuttle, and there's no one else on the phone, leading to the only logical conclusion being taking into account her 'assistant's' comfort or impressions of her and adjusting accordingly.

Solaris can no doubt be megalomanic, cruel, arrogant, and cutting. But what's more hilarious is just how… regular a person she can be, in comparison to everyone else she works with? Her villainous small talk kind of just takes me out?