get berry, tell her she needs to come in here and state "unit swallow, i am here to perform maintenance, shut down"

an order by a human telling it what it wants to hear should work.

but stay with her in case it gets crazy.

"Query: Any persons with access to gear storage?"

"E-E-Error. M-M-Memory d-d-damaged. R-R-Require m-m-maintenance."

No luck. You retreat from the room temporarily, finding Berry waiting outside. She glances up as you reappear in the hallway, getting to her feet within a few moments. You suppose it is better she is ready to move so quickly.

"Query."

"O-ok."

"Possible to generate memory anomaly?"

"Wh-What?"

"Memory anomaly detected in room marked 'Lier'. Possible to replicate?"

"Y-You mean... you want to kn-know if I can do that?"

"Affirmative."

"Uh... I... um... I can't... c-control that... the A-Aether fields do wh-what they want... I j-just feel the r-results..."

... Aether fields? You file this information for later questioning, instead focusing on the matter at hand. If she can't cause an anomaly on command, then simple deception will have to suffice. You instruct Berry in what you require of her, and she nods her head hesitantly, asking at least three times if you'll be nearby to guard her. You assure her you will be, and then you both enter, Berry trying to appear confident and failing somewhat.

"U-Unit Swallow!"

"H-H-Human p-p-presence d-d-detected."

"I'm here to perform m-m-maintenance. Shut down."

The thing clunks and whirrs, apparently processing this command, before letting out a loud clank and stepping forward.

"A-A-Affirmative. Sh-Sh-Shutting d-d-down."

The other automaton shuts off, its body going still and a hatch on its back popping open. Berry looks incredibly relived, while you regard the room with new interest. Where to look first? And what to do about this automaton?

Berry, find any pieces inside Swallow that look broken, and take them out. Put them in your inventory so that you have a reference for what parts need to be replaced.

Thorne, take items from storage. And Swallow.

Take a glance in the popped access panel. Anything obviously broken, even to the unprofessional eye?

Search the chamber for useful stuff. See what still looks in good condition.

>And what to do about this automaton?
Well, we spared it with the trick. If it can be repaired, it's memory might be useful. We might have to leave it if that's not possible, though. It would kind of be problematic to have to transport him out for repairs. (Unless automata have a core / hard drive we could pop to put in a different frame later?).

carrying them shouldn't be too hard, being a combat frame our strength should be pretty good.

You move up behind Swallow, taking a look inside. For you, it is an interesting look into your own interior. Masses of gears are fitted together within to provide the motive function automatons require. Still, you are no engineer, and have little clue as to what exactly could be considered broken. You notice a particularly set of gears, which you can feel is different from the rest.

The "heart" of Swallow.

You don't notice anything wrong with it in particular, however you do note that if anything could be considered the "core" this would be it. You do not, however, have the technical knowledge required to remove it intact, nor the tools you assume would be necessary.

"Query."

"Y-Yeah?"

"Investigate Unit Swallow. Identify possible damage."

"I-I can try... I'm not an e-engineer though..."

Berry moves to take a look, somewhat uncertainly. You, however, move to investigate the rest of the room. Most of the boxes appear to be normal gears, rusted from age. The shelves behind Swallow, however, contain contents of far more interest. Another two gears that appear to be in perfect condition, these ones bronze in appearance. You carefully extract them from their resting place, placing them next to the silver one within your grasp, but are still unsure of why they are important. Regardless, if they have survived without harm for so long, they must be worth something.

"Um... Th-Thorne?"

You turn to regard Berry, who seems to have finished her inspection. She looks apologetic and somewhat ashamed, a combination you find is indicative of her success with the automaton. Her next words confirm your suspicion.

"I... um... I c-couldn't really find anything... with the uh... Swallow, was it?"

"Understood."

You are left with choices then. It is obviously time to move on, there is not much else you can do within this desolate factory. The question then becomes where to go. This Emily seems a fair lead, although it might be best to find somewhere more permanent to make your home as well. There's also the guards currently unconscious in the lobby, as well as what to do with the now inactive Swallow.

give berry the gears and carry swallow. this emily is supposed to be more technically inclined.

>no obvious damage in Swallow
I wonder if we could compare his innards to the others in the room we woke up in? ...although they're damaged to the point of inactivity. And we'd still lack tools and the skillset for repairs.

>although it might be best to find somewhere more permanent to make your home as well
Hmm. Setting up a base of operations kind of depends on where we find ourselves. Is this factory in the wilderness, the outskirts, or inside the slums of the city mentioned earlier? Having a place to rest and retreat to might be useful.

We're going to be very dependent on Berry's knowledge of local geography, initially.

>carry Swallow
How difficult would that be?

But yeah, if we ever hope to get him repaired, and maybe see what answers lie in their memory banks, you need to take him with. This place will be searched thoroughly when they realize Berry is gone, and he'd probably be trashed, then.

If we are going to set up a temporary base of operations somewhere before venturing to see Emily, it would probably be a good idea to store him there, instead of traipsing through town with an automaton draped over your shoulder.

>There's also the guards currently unconscious in the lobby
Er. The brutal, practical part of me kind of wants to make them dead, so they aren't in a position to report who freed their prisoner. The enemy won't be looking for an automaton with gauntlets.

I really doubt Berry would react well to an execution, though.

Unless of course, with access to time magic and/or some kind of cyborg gear necromancy, that death doesn't really silence them. In which point it's moot.

Tell "Berry" that we think we're done all we can in a brief investigation of this area, and ask if she has any ideas about how to handle the thugs.

"Query."

"Y-Yes."

"Inspection of area complete. Require advice on resolution of captured hostiles."

"Wh-What?"

"Recommended course of action is termination."

"Ah... I-I... um..."

You hand over the gears in your posession as she stutters, which serves to distract her from your words a little, while you haul Swallow onto your shoulder to test the weight. It turns out to be a relatively light frame, you should easily be able to carry it around, although you will be unable to perform your normal combat functions effectively while doing so. You proceed to make your way back into the lobby, Berry trailing along behind you still stammering somewhat, where you find one of your hostages has managed to awaken.

"Oi! Hey! You mechanical piece of- Hey! What the hell are you doing out of your room? When the boss hears about this, you bitch, I'll be sure to make you death slow and fucking painful, you useless piece of meat! I'm gonna-"

"Th-Thorne?"

You turn to Berry, who is looking somewhat sick to her stomach, but there's also a clear determination in her eyes.

"T... Terminate them."

You say nothing as you deposit Swallow as gently as you can on the ground and move to comply. The thug looks appropriately frightened, trying to wiggle free of his bonds, but you waste little time in ending his life swiftly and painlessly. Anything else would be inefficient.

You turn back to collect Swallow and find that Berry has retrieved and put on some of the spare clothing tossed on the floor. It's far too big for her small frame, however it does well to cover up her bruising and malnutrition. It should serve well enough to keep her warm as well. You pull Swallow back onto your shoulder, confirm with Berry that she has no other reason to be here, then exit through the doors and into the world beyond.

What you emerge into is a street, dirty with grime and muck. Buildings are enclosed together, although most look dilapidated and abandoned. You would assume this area has not seen much use recently. There are no people you can detect on the streets, which only makes this place seem more desolate. Looking up you see gears turning high above you, lending a constant groaning noise to the atmosphere. Before you can get much farther, you feel something press against you side and glance down to find Berry sticking close, eyes scanning the street a bit more carefully than you were.

"Wel... Welcome to D-District One... Um... This... This is the abandoned z-zone... I think... Sh-Should be. N-No one really c-comes around here... Um... E-Emily... should be... that way? That way. And... Th-That way is the inhabited area..."

Berry points down one street, which you peg as east, which she believes will get you to Emily. Another street, headed south, will get you to this inhabited area.

we shall see this emily.

Destination: Emily
Query:Aetheric fields?

Query: Is Emily an Engineer?

If not, we may wish to cache / store Swallow somewhere until we can locate one willing to assist. (Needs to be far enough from the factory that the searchers who follow up on Berry don't stumble across him, and hopefully somewhere scavengers / looters won't find him quickly, either).

Query: Does Berry posses a domicile or residence in this district? (Although this might not be much use if her enemies already know it).

Ask the manner of her relationship with Emily. Friend?

Queries: Is there a good reason not to go visit Emily's home first? Are we likely being tracked now that we're out in the open? Can you think of when and why to go to the inhabited sections?

"Query."

"Y-Yes."

"Emily is an Engineer?"

"Uh... I-I'm pretty sure? I-I mean, yeah."

"Destination: Emily."

"A-Alright."

Berry starts step down the right street, pausing only to ensure that you are following behind her. She seems to be wary of her environment, and always stops every few minutes to check you are still behind her. There is silence for a good while, the only sound Berry's muffled steps and your own much heavier ones. Eventually, however, you decide this would be the perfect opportunity to get answers.

"Query."

"Ah! Oh... um... y-yeah."

"In possession of a domicile?"

"Domi- Oh! A-A house... um... no... I... yeah... n-no..."

"Possible others may follow?"

"Uh... i-it's possible? I don't th-think so though... uh... n-not many people h-here..."

"Possible reasons to enter inhabited areas?"

"Uh... none r-really? I-I mean... um... I j-just... I th-thought... maybe y-you wanted to kn-know?"

"Relationship with Emily?"

"Uh... S-Sorta... h-helped her? Sh-She's... uh... k-kinda important... in s-some circles... uh... y-yeah..."

There is silence for a few more minutes as you continue along in your journey. You process the small amount of information you've received, before recalling an earlier term you had questions about.

"Query?"

"Y-Yeah."

"Term Aether Fields. Define."

"Ah... u-um... E-Engineer's know more about th-that... uh... th-the basic idea is th-that there is this f-field that s-sorta... encompasses everything, I-I guess? It's s-supposed to b-be really i-important for l-life, and... uh... I-I've been told automata- u-um... you... u-use it as a p-power source. Uh... I don't kn-know much m-more th-than that... Em-Emily would know m-more..."

You go silent again as you process that. If it was something you run off, than you gather that she must be talking about the Ebb and Flow, although clearly humanity has a separate name for it. Perhaps they also have a deeper understanding of it, as you are only instinctively aware of it.

Regardless, your journey leads you into a slightly more inhabited area. You can spot the signs of life, at least, the occasional person. You wouldn't call it exactly bustling with activity, however. Berry eventually leads you to a particular building, surrounded by a high, metal wall. She stops at the gate, fiddling with some sort of device attached to the side that you identify as a speakerphone. There's silence a moment, even as Berry repeatedly taps a button on the machine, before the thing blares to life.

"Yes, yes. I hear, I hear. What is it you want? This had better be good, I was in the middle of dressing up Rin."

"Ah... um... uh..."

Hmm. Berry's hung up again. You might have to butt in. (Figures we choose the role not optimized for communication and still end up having to speak for the group).

Engineer Emily? Autonomous unit designation Thorne wishes to speak with you. Current intelligence indicates your cooperation may be beneficial, and that you may find this of interest.

Then go silent and let Berry handle the "you found an automaton?" and "autonomous?!" commentary.

i greet emily, i am thorne, i am here becuase you are an engineer that knows things.

It would certainly be in your favor to have your bot buddy fixed, and he can scout ahead for you for any terminatable or befriendable subjects

It would certainly be in your favor to have your bot buddy fixed, and he can scout ahead for you for any terminatable or befriendable subjects

>>638098
So, the Aether Field is kind of like some "The Cyborg Force"?

Proposition: This Unit possesses three abnormal artifacts (the gears).

Query: Will Unit Emily request negotiations?

Attempt a less idiomatic speech pattern:
"Greetings, I became acquainted with your friend 'Berry' here recently and she tells me that I am someone you would be interested in speaking with. May we come in?"

You ready yourself, seeing if you can overcome your hard wiring to speak in idiomatic patterns. You prep, and then begin speech.

"Engineer Emily. Autonomous unit Thorne offers greetings. Intelligence indicates Emily is capable of aid. Request audience."

Well... that could have gone better. Perhaps you'll need some sort of adjustment to your speech systems. There is silence, although the slight crackling sound come from the speaker is indication that it is still on. After a few more moments of silence, a response, somewhat hesitant and somewhat excited, come through.

"Autonomous, you say?"

Berry glances at you, but seeing you make no move to reply, she gathers up her own limited courage and speaks for you.

"Uh... y-yeah?"

"Oh? A woman? Who's this? More importantly, how is it autonomous?"

"Uh... yeah, it's I- Um... I h-helped you a few m-months ago... s-sorta? Uh... my n-name's Berry..."

"Hm? Oh, yes, yes. Berry you say? Sure. More importantly, the automaton?"

"Oh! Y-yeah. It's... um... au-autonomous? Um... can... c-can we come in?"

"Yes, yes. In you come. I'll send Rin down to meet you. An autonomous unit. Gloriou-"

The speaker cuts out as the gates open, and Berry leads the way further in. The door to the building is open as well, and Berry lets you enter first before slipping behind you, staying close and looking generally nervous. The foyer is rather bland, although you can see various papers, patches of cloth and pieces of metal strew about haphazardly. Within seconds of your entry, however, a door opens to the side and a woman enters, halfway dressed in what appears to be a uniform of some sort. Berry jumps slightly, but calms upon seeing who it is. You own eyes focus mainly on the exposed portions of her body, noting the obvious signs of fitted pieces. She's an automaton.

"Uh... h-hey, R-Rin."

"Good Afternoon. I have been instructed to take you to Mistress Emily at once."

"O-Ok."

You follow the automaton designated "Rin" silently, eventually arriving at a room literally covered in various articles of clothing ranging from ragtag to clearly of good make. Seated to the side, cackling softly to herself, is another woman, this one dressed in a haphazard fashion, hair in disarray and eyes wild. She hardly seems to notice your entrance, although she spins to face you when Rin coughs lightly. There a split second as her eyes pass over all of you, eventually fixing on you and the automaton on your shoulder.

"Is that it? The autonomous unit? Or is it the broken one?"

"N-no. It's the s-standing one."

"Marvelous! It's truly self-governing? No master?"

"N-no?"

"Simply marvelous! I've never seen this frame before. Great War era perhaps? Must be. Rin, get me the old codex, would you? Need to know what era its from at least. Oh, and retrieve Manny, if his repairs are done. Can't be too careful and all that. Pah, caution. Curse my mother with enforcing such standards on me. What's that other one? And you. If you're autonomous, start acting like it and speak for yourself. Can't have Inari constantly speaking for you."

"Berry" starts slightly at the name before burying her face in her hands. You file the name away for later interrogation, but it is low priority at the moment. You have other issues to deal with. It's not like the name means anything to you anyway. Of course, Emily has continued to prattle on despite her questions never being answered.

"Of course, what does it matter anyway. Regardless, you must be here for a reason. Repairs for the broken unit? Easily done, although I might need parts... hm, another Great War era frame, from the looks of it. Although of later make? Hard to say. Rin! Where's that codex!? Pah. No use yelling, that one always takes her time anyway. Necessary for the Figurine frame, you understand. Snipers, the lot of them. Always worried about the perfect shot. Where was I? Oh yes. Repairs. And an autonomous unit. Thorne, you said it was? Is it male or female? Might not identify as either, if its autonomous. Pointless question. Gah! So much to think about. Aether! Answer some questions already!"

>Can't have Inari constantly speaking for you
Apologies. This unit is not optimized for interpersonal communication by default.

>Is it male or female? Might not identify as either, if its autonomous. Pointless question.
This frame does not seem designed to emulate the appearance or function of either human gender. Concur, irrelevant

>you must be here for a reason
This unit was activated in an abandoned factory, that did not appear capable of your manufacture, in its current disrepair. Furthermore, this unit did not possess preprogrammed objdctives, a designation, or a master. These circumstances appear anomalous. Current objectives: investigation and survival.

>What's that other one?
Damaged unit, designation Swallow, was the only remaining opperational unit at place of this unit's activation. Memory compromised. If repaired, it is hoped Swallow will posses relevant information about the facility or this unit's origin.

>>638258
yep, sounds good. we are not a good talker due to weaponry skills.

>>638258
>Not optimized for communication
Processing input takes time, increasing with each input.

Query: Great War. Matches conflict beginning year AD 1914?

Query: Aether Fields. Please provide further information. Matches ebb and flow?

Also, request: Please recommend method and resources for becoming aware of general and local socioeconomics, and recent political history.

"Apologies. This unit is not optimized for interpersonal communication. Require time to process input."

"Hm, seems like a bit of a drawback to me. Wouldn't you want faster processing power? Perhaps additional gears would allow for that. Need some sort of framework to begin with. What is it you're for again?"

"Primary function is combat."

"Ah. You ARE from the Great War era than. Marvelous. And there is it! Thank you Rin, be a dear and set it there for me. Open it up to the index while you're at it, need to look him up. And his friend while I'm at it, I suppose. Manny, there you are! Retrieve that Swallow machine, would you? Get him to the workshop, we'll need to look into getting him fixed up. I'm sorry, what frame type did you say you were?"

"Marionette."

"Marionette... Marionette... Hm. Odd. I don't have that in here... Rin. Do you recall anything about this Marionette frame?"

"Little. Recall frames within testing procedures as late as a year before Aether Field Incident. Have no further information, as was in combat during war."

"Mm. Perhaps one of those test models than. Well, I can take a look inside you if you desire, fiddle around with anything, but I can already tell you that you seem in mint condition, at least from the outside. Unless you have gears for me to add, I can't do much."

"Uh... um..."

"Yes, what is it, Inari?"

"P-Please stop c-calling me that..."

"Why?"

"P-please..."

"Oh, fine. BERRY! Happier?"

"Y-Yes... um... Th-Thorne has th-these..."

Berry produces the gears you'd given her to hold on to, and Emily quickly scoops them up, examining them carefully. She mutters to herself for a few moments, than she smirks with a barely contained glee. She is quite clearly pleased.

"Well, this I can work with! Aetherium gears! Two bronze and a silver. These bronze ones are useful, plug em straight into a heart and they enhance basic functions. Silvers are add-ons though. Augment or add new abilities, that sort of thing. Fun! Did you want these in you, or should I be using these to fix up your friend? Not that I'll need to use these on that one, could be it's just basic gear damaged, some replacements and he'll be good as new, but if there's damage to his core, well... that might require more delicate procedures. Ah, but I digress. Come come, to the workshop. Rin, bring the codex, I'll need it for that Swallow fellow. He's bound to be in there somewhere. Doubt we have two experimental automata in my house right now. Autonomous and experimental! Marvelous! I wonder if that was part of the design? Simply amazing what war era engineers thought up. You see, I've been-"

Emily continues to prattle on as she leads the way out of the room and down a few hallways, eventually reaching another room almost identical to the last, only this time covered in metal, gears and schematics. Swallow has already been placed in some sort of maintenance bay, back open and internal gearwork exposed. Emily takes a brief look inside, mutters some things to herself again, than gestures for you to step into another bay already prepped. You hesitate slightly, loathe to simply make yourself vulnerable, but you eventually decide it best to get looked at, and potentially have any damage spotted now before it becomes an issue. You feel a hatch on your back open, and than a hum of interest.

"Clearly mint condition. Odd for a war era auto."

"This unit was activated recently in an inoperable facility."

"Really? How odd. Very odd..."

Emily grows silent, and you take the opportunity to jump in with questions. Hoping they'll be answered.

"Query."

"Hm? Oh, of course. Of course. Ask away. I'll answer as I can."

"Great War. Matches conflict beginning Year AD 1914. Correlation?"

"What? AD- Rin?"

"No memory of event. Possible issue with core memories, or unknown events uploaded to core. Also possible recollection of Pre-Clockwork era information."

"Pre-Clockwork... how odd. Still, look at these gears. Pristine. Even newly build automata in operating factories have some damage to them, this one... Thorne, you are simply astounding."

"Query: Aether Fields. Information required. Matches known phenomenon."

"Ah... yes, the Aether fields. Marvelous thing, that. Take a little time to explain. Especially because I get sidetracked. Ah... any other question? I think I'll try to answer all at once, instead of one by one."

"Additional information on politcal history and local economics is desired."

"Find out the lay of the land, eh? Good, good. Always useful. Before I begin, did you want these gears installed in you? The bronze one's I could definitely install right away, but this silver one I might need to repair your Swallow friend. Haven't taken too close a look, but his heart is on the fritz. Might need more gears even, but I have a few handy. Wouldn't hardly harm me at all. Or I suppose I could get that installed into you as well, if you prefer. You are the thinking automata after all."

>Information requested will be provided in Dis Thread, Location: http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questdis/res/90512.html

>These bronze ones are useful, plug em straight into a heart and they enhance basic functions.
>I could definitely install right away
This seems a no brainier. If they enhance function at no cost, we should take advantage of that.

>Silvers are add-ons though. Augment or add new abilities, that sort of thing.
Query: Possible to determine effect of silver gear in advance of installation?

>Use it on Thorne or Swallow
I would point out that Swallow was damaged and on guard duty when recovered, and his objectives are unknown. There is a non-zero chance his objectives will not be compatible with ours, or he will react with hostility. From a security standpoint, it is not wise to bestow unknown additional capabilities in ignorance.

That said, it is your hope that if his memory is recovered, it will contain relevant information about the facility and your own origin. If appropriate precautions are taken, risking the silver gear on Swallow's repair may be permissible.

(Out of robo talk- I'd prefer not to put it in Swallow. If it's required for his repair, yes, but only if we take precautions in case he boots up hostile with a new power).

>other information to ask after?
We're already asking after local history and politics, the great war, and aether?

History / rise to power of "Gregory"?
How common are autonomous units? Notable examples?

>>638381
even while damaged swallow obeyed human commands. was probably assigned simply to keep away other automatons from getting the gears. so if they do not agree with us they can be TOLD to change their parameters.

i suggest slow power up. adding all the gears at once could cause us to overload or something. and a bronze may be needed to repair swallow as well as the silver. so i want to have 1 bronze gear installed in us and then we move around a bit practice combat moves to see how it changed us.

>>638392
Plausible, but it's also reasonable that Swallow's failure to properly recall the order-giving authority behind their order triggered a safety/security measure. With no clear source of authority for the order that would register as critical damage to their ability to understand their orders and tell the difference between valid and invalid orders. In such a case the default behaviour should be automatic shutdown you'd think... but maybe there's reasons why that wouldn't happen.

Also, the important thing in the triage is recovering what's in Swallow's memory, unless it's likely that Swallow has sentient intellect and potential for autonomy to rescue. We can't get too sentimental about a golem from the ancient past if they don't actually know anything from that ancient past and have no self-consciousness, or rare skills, or other such individual value.

"Query: Silver Gears may have predetermined placement?"

"Oh sure! Maybe not WHAT exactly it will give you, but certainly where it will focus its efforts. See, if I install it here-" You feel a tingle run through your body as Emily prods something within your system lightly. Information begins to flood your skull, but you can hardly focus on it as Emily continues speaking, "-it'll probably integrate into you combat systems. Here-" Another shot of tingling, "-I'd guess is... wait... that's another combat sub-system... maybe it's more specific? You're a very specialized machine, aren't you? How odd... Still, I'd guess this second one is more designed for keeping your frame and heart intact. Defenses if you prefer to call it that? This one here is more built for augmenting your somewhat limited sensory functions, not really a problem for your frame, really, given its design specifications. And... you have a lot of unused space in here. It's like you were built with the bare minimum in mind. Definitely War era. Augmentation could come later, they just needed more soldiers on the battlefields. Still, if I'm forced to guess, I think I could add more sub-systems given the right gears. Or any Engineer could, really, assuming they had sufficient training and the tools to do it. Gold gears are needed for that, though."

"Understood, request installation of single bronze gear at this time."

"Done and done. It'll take a few minutes... don't mind me, might cause some twitches in your systems for a little..."

Emily begins fiddling around inside your body, likely prepping the gears inside you for another to be installed. In the meantime, you review the odd bits of information provided by the Engineer when she prodded you earlier. It seems this allowed you some brief insight into what a placement of a silver gear in each will do to you.

Just as you finish reviewing, you feel power run through you again, this time, far more straightforward. The bronze seems to be helping the Ebb and Flow run through the frame more efficiently, increases your base capabilities.

-----
1 Stat Point Available

Current Upgradable Stats
Str: 4
Con: 4
Per: 3

Silver Gear Possibilities

Offensive: Application of the Ebb and Flow directly to your arms, and the weapons attached to them, allows you to penetrate into armored targets, negating points of DR equal to your Strength.

Defensive: The Ebb and Flow naturally siphons energy from attacks, lessening damage further. Gain Additional DR equal to your Constitution.

Sensory: The Ebb and Flow reacts to the area around you, picking up on disturbances. Aetherium Gears, other automata, even Aether Sensitive individuals become easier to detect and locate.

Hmm. I'm thinking we should upgrade str, but take the damage tank or sensory upgrade.

>>638827
i agree with point of strength but i say we wait on special ability. the silver gear is still needed to fix swallow. and this shows that she wont just be jamming a gear wherever, she at least roughly knows what adding it where will do.

We should wait on advanced triage of Swallow if possible, we don't know either if the silver aetherium gear is necessary for their repair, or if their repair is worth the expenditure of the gear if so. I do like the idea of improving our sensory capabilities to be able to detect aether field phenomena (ebb and flow) best of those three options described, but I'm not in a hurry.

Query: How do we make fair exchange for aid from of Engineer Emily?

Increase Perception. You'll likely need it to aim weapons that Emily crafts, and a higher perception rate should help you find more gear upgrades.

You are soon closed back up and allowed out of the bay, mostly to test the newest gear connection. A simple diagnostic check finds nothing wrong, but actual movement you quickly realize is using more strength than you previously had. You run an internal re-calibration, so you don't accidentally terminate someone without meaning to. The process is quick and easy however, and you are soon satisfied with the changes. You turn back to Emily, who is already fiddling with Swallow's internals, although she notes your movement and quirks an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Query: What might be used in trade for provided services?"

"Hmph. You have nothing I want particularly, Thorne. Nothing at all. Your very existence is payment enough. Another mystery to occupy my time discovering the answers to. If you are truly that set on payment, I could demand years worth of silver, I AM the only qualified engineer in the District, but silver I have more than enough of and Aetherium is precious enough that I won't make someone else squander their's on simple installation and repair costs. No, just continue as you are, and if you discover anything interesting about yourself, come tell me about it. Perhaps with more information I could find out more myself. Speaking of information, I have a bit I'd like to share myself."

Emily pulls her hands from inside Swallow, a cracked gear coming with them that she promptly tosses aside without care before striding over to a desk and seating herself on it, flipping through the automaton codex from before. She eventually halts at a specific page and turns back to you, looking smug.

"Your Swallow friend here is a frame usually designed for Scout work, but of the less than overt kind. You'd have likely ripped the thing to pieces if it ever came to direct conflict. More importantly, it's from halfway through the war, which means it's even more ancient than you are. Well, it's design is, at least. The frame itself is called a Mannequin, designed for covert operations among humans, which would suggest it could disguise itself, except it clearly isn't capable of doing so, judging by this one. I can't tell if its simple damaged gears or because it was ordered not to, but I can keep looking. Ah, and about repairing it enough to start up again?"

"Negative. Security concerns."

"For what?"

"Uncertain orders within unit. Require stricter security measures be in place to avoid injury."

"Oh, hush up. Rin can certainly handle anything. And there's Manny... Where's Manny?"

"Repairs still incomplete."

"Ah. Thank you Rin. But we have Rin here. And you, I suppose. Certainly capable enough on your own. Besides, if you're that worried about security and what to be sure it won't attack, I don't see why you can't just have Inari do her little Aether Field tricks and order it to cease hostile action or something along those lines."

The minute it became apparent that Emily was suggesting Inari do something, the younger woman started waving her hands in a futile attempt to stop the engineer. Berry eventually sighs, dropping her head into her hands before wearily raising her head again to address the other woman.

"D-Didn't we agree n-not to t-talk about that? And it's B-Berry..."

"Not so, Inari. Berry. Whatever. You agreed not to talk about it. I agreed to avoid bringing the subject up. Clearly it is useful in this situation."

"B-But... I..."

"Just because you are Aether Sensitive doesn't mean the world is going to end. You have your life still, and it seems fairly certain that you have something... er, SOMEONE, who is at least bothering to help keep you that way. Nor are you still in District 4. If Thorne here is trusting you enough to travel with you, you should at least be able to trust it enough to give it information that might help keep both of you alive. Although that begs the question of how trustworthy a machine inherently built for what is basically slavery actually is. Would it might not decide to attempt freeing the rest of it brethren somehow? Or perhaps it might turn us into the sl-"

"B-But... I... it's... I..."

Berry seems to be wavering over a difficult decision, at least for her, while Emily is now prattling on about the actual amount of trust one should be able to put into a seemingly autonomous machine. You, one the other hand, simply stand as you test your fine control over your new strength, even as you regard Berry and compute the implications of what was just said.

Explain to Berry that you have no intention of harming her. Her abilities might assist in your continued survival, but you need to understand them. Better that she explain while you have the time, and develop strategies on how to co-operate based on your squad's individual abilities.

Also, request an encyclopedia from Emily to ruminate over. More information could mean a better chance of survival.

>Although that begs the question of how trustworthy a machine inherently built for what is basically slavery actually is
Point out you are uncertain how a lack of predetermined orders make you any less untrustworthy than any other autonomous actor, ie humans.

Or non-autonomous actors, for that matter. They can only be trusted as far as you trust the one issuing their orders.

>Would it might not decide to attempt freeing the rest of it brethren somehow?
Do other autonoma even desire 'freedom'? Would it even be possible to do so without reprogramming / rebuilding them into a new entity? (If you have to kill / overwrite them all to free them it's very much a fruitless endeavor).

>Or perhaps it might turn us into the [slaves]
Illogical. Humans are markedly less suited to preform the manual labor usually assigned a slave class.

>Berry has a robot mind control power
Ah. So that wasn't our obedience circuits failing to kick in. That was her reaching out. Interesting.

No real reason we should take offense. We weren't harmed, and she was imprissoned, reaching out with one of the only tools she had. She did not act with malice or deadly intent.

Query: Berry posess the ability to compel automotan obedience, overriding permissions? *beat*
Discovery of something interesting: Suspect this was attempted and failed on this unit in initial interaction. Possible superior wartime security? Possible flaw in ability- depends on presence of native obedience controls to hijack?

then yes, i think it's perfectly safe to restart swallow, two versus one automata where we have the element of surprise and a possible ace in the hole.

Request: State revised costs of and projected gains from restarting Swallow please. Confirm that this does require use of the salvaged, silver aetherium gear and is likely to give us access to previously-unaccessible memory after repair?

>>639147
cost could be any number of dears, gains are a new ally that could have information on any number of things. who we are, what the factory is, when/why it's now broken. and as an ally they could assist in various other goals we can think of.

>>639044
We should, however, ask she not do it to us again.

"Query: Berry possesses ability to override automaton obedience functions?"

Berry starts at this, while Emily seems to be lost in her own thoughts and missed the question entirely. Berry fidgets a moment, than replies, a little hesitantly.

"Y-Yeah... I... I'm s-sorry, about... uh... trying to do it b-before... I mean... back at the f-factory... I was j-just..."

"Apology unnecessary. Intent to harm undetected, Berry distressed and searching for escape. Situation understood."

"A-And, uh... it's not really... o-overriding? It's more... uh... e-emulation... of a person or idea. S-Sorta? That's what one of them is. I have other t-tricks... but... uh... they... I don't really... like... using them..."

Emulation?

"Define."

"Uh... define what?"

"Specifics of Emulation function."

"Oh! Uh... Um..."

"I shall endeavor to explain, as I was the first to classify as such. Inari here, sorry BERRY, is capable of emulating a person's Aether Field presence. She can sustain the effect for quite awhile, but she needs either the person or something closely connected to the person in order to begin the emulation. She can't change her appearance or anything as drastic as that, but she can essentially convince anything that relies heavily on Aether Field interaction that she is that person. Automata, for example, but Aether Field security systems, controls schemes and the like will also respond. It does, however, tax In-Berry considerably, as well as having a number of unpleasant symptoms, including memory confusion, heightened empathy with the emulated individual, sometimes complete immersion. Her other abilities follow a similar patterns, dealing mostly with emotional responses and memories. They are-"

"Emily!"

"Oh... what, don't want to talk about those?"

"I-I swore, remember? I s-swore I wouldn't use th-those ever again... n-not after..."

"... Yes. Right. I forgot. My apologies. Regardless, with all that, I still say it should be perfectly safe to start up Swallow again. Although I suppose we will need something for Inari here to emulate from if you wish her aid. Or we could simply go with the "I have two automata, and it is only one" and just assume you can hold the thing down if violence ensues."

>Emulation function
Oh, it's an ID spoof. She changes her aether field signature to match someone the automaton would accept orders from. That's why it didn't stick with us.

If this society has all kinds of security measures based on people having unique aether identifies, I can certainly see why a ruler would want their hands on natural aether hacker. That's all kinds of exploitable, and this is apparently the least morally questionable application of her powerset.

>Although I suppose we will need something for Inari here to emulate from if you wish her aid.
Do we need an object for her to pull a signature from, or just an identity for her to assume?

If the former, uh, did we take anything of that place with us besides the gears? If the later, perhaps one of the two men we saw in the temporal anomaly? They presumably held positions of authority there.

>what do
Let's boot him up. We can fall back on force of arms or force of aether as necessary. Two contingencies should be sufficient.

We'll try just talking, first, though.

yeah, of the things in the factory, a guy in an office seems like a good bet.

>>639361
We don't know who that person is, they're probably dead, and we should ask Berry if she thinks it's a good idea and wants to help that way or not instead of asking it of her directly.

"Request repair of unit Sparrow. Query: Berry willing and able to provide aid if needed?"

"Oh... uh... y-yes. I can... I can try. I will t-try."

"Possibility of memory human is valid master for Unit Swallow. Request impersonation of individual."

"Huh? What's it going on about now?"

"I- We... um... had a r-run in with a... ah... aether field mem-memory..."

"I see. Haven't I told you not to tax yourself too much? I'm no expert on sensitivity, but I thought we both agreed it was a bad idea to go poking around in the aether fields like that."

"I-I didn't m-mean to! B-But... um... I can... I can do th-the... impersonation... just... um... j-just let me know when t-to start... I... I still have th-the feeling in me... so I... sh-should be able to handle it..."

Emily, despite her earlier warning, seems gleeful to be starting up the damaged unit. It take only a few minutes of tinkering before the engineer has backed away from the maintenance bay, gesturing for Rin to come forward and place herself in between the fragile humans and the possibly hostile unit. You follow suit, ready to pin the other unit if necessary, while Emily whispers something to Berry you can't make out before her voices rises in volume.

"Unit Swallow, its time to wake up."

A flick of a switch and you feel the Ebb and Flow begin to shift. For a moment, it feels somewhat off, like it was out of alignment, and then suddenly it snaps into perfect rhythm, the gentle tick tock felt once again before it fades entirely. There's a moment of silence, and then Swallow straightens itself as much as it can, confined as it is within the bay.

"Unknown location. Observations suggest humanoids within location. Query: Identify location and state of Unit Swallow."

"Swallow? My name is Emily. I'm an engineer, and I've had to replace some of your components that were damaged from corrosion. You're currently in my workshop."

"... This Unit is pleased at repairs. This Unit requests permission to return to its designated orders, as dictated by Master John Calvin, Manager, Factory Number 34682."

"Ah... I'm afraid I can't let you go just yet. My associate here has questions it requires answers to, and we were hoping you could answer them."

"Denied. Require immediate termination of restraints, and direction to Factory Number 34682."

"Swallow-"

"Continued obstruction of primary orders will invoke hostility. Require immediate termination of restraints, or face immediate action."

Emily glances at you, clearly not certain what approach you'd like to take. Berry has her eyes closed, her lips moving as if saying something, although you can only guess at what it is. Perhaps she is preparing her trick. Rin, however, assumes a ready stance, clearly expecting confrontation. It would appear now would be a good time to step in one way or the other.

"unit swallow, possibility of hostile forces being encountered en route to Factory Number 34682 is high, attempts to return without preparation has high probability of destruction and thus mission failure. query, importance of standing orders."

I think the correct approach is to try reasoning within the confines of his orders is the thing to attempt before the impersonation- if that fails he'll likely be hostile.

Step forward. Unit Swallow. Restraints will be removed if your primary orders do not include harm to humans present. No location known to this unit designated "Factory Number 34682". Is this acceptable?

(A white lie- we know where he means, but it's not designated as such to us).

If he accepts, release him, and query after his orders. Can he share them, or are they classified? Can he describe the operation or purpose of the factory in order to aid in locating it?

Further follow up- does he recognize our make or model? Information about our line?

If he refuses, or turns hostile- prepare to engage (defend persons present, disable threat) and request that Berry make an attempt.

Digging for infomation about the factory Swallow is ordered to protect could be *interpreted* as a threat. We need to de-escalate and not interrogate until stability and lack of threat is assured.