>>
|
7b6983.jpg
Chanting Tart
7b6983
>Uhhh.....call it Marsh? Maybe?
You keep the name in mind for a more appropriate time.
>Call for attention from the Overseer
You address them.
"... Hello? I apologize if I am interrupting anything. Could I have a moment of your time?"
The orange overseer disengages from the interface, turning to face you and the slugcat.
"Oh? Look what the cat dragged in. Or more accurately, look what dragged the cat in. I assume you have a good reason for leading this filthy animal into my plant?"
>Ask the other Overseer for info, supplies, and repairs.
"O-oh, well... I am searching for supplies and means of repair, as well as any information to refill my memory arrays with. I've been heavily damaged by the plague-"
They cut you off before you can explain your situation.
"Yes, yes, I've seen what you've done to yourself. Flushing your facilities with void fluid? What results were you expecting? Or perhaps that was your failed attempt at self-destruction? There's no other reason an iterator of your kind would need to drill for void fluid."
You... You don't know what to say. She isn't wrong -- at least, that was the original reason you began drilling. But...
"Hit the nail on the head, did I?"
"That... That's not why I used it! As the infection spread through my systems, I... I felt scared. For the first time in centuries, I actually wanted to exist. And for the first time in my existence, I no longer felt bound to my instructions. I believe that the solution to the cycle isn't to escape it, but rather to accept it and recognize its beauty. I want to pursue this new path... But first, I must rebuild myself."
Their is a moment of awkward silence between the two of you.
"Oh, I'm sorry, were you finished? That was quite the lovely moment you had there, save for it being completely idiotic. It wasn't fear or the desire to live that set you free from your instructions. No, rather it was nothing more than a simple side-effect of circumventing the self-destruction taboo.
You created an organism that would rewrite the the genome of your own organisms. But how did you ensure that it'd only override what you wanted it to, and nothing else? You simply couldn't. You're damaged and eroded down to nothing more than your primary cognitive unit, which you've managed to corrupt.
And here you are, free from your instructions. What do you do? Break into my plant, tell me that all of our work had been pointless, and that we should just grin for centuries, until our cans are buried in dust and we're consumed by the void."
"Then... What do you propose? We work tirelessly for centuries, until the entire world is destroyed and we're taken along with it?! We should take responsibility for the damaged we caused, and restore the world to its former beau-"
"Enough of this pointless banter! Leave my facility, and take that sack of meat with you. Or perhaps you brought it along as compensation for my wasted time? I'm sure it'd provide at least a dozen thousand Calories."
>If it can't give these things, then ask if it knows where you could go to get these things.
>Initiate a trade of services for materials, surely an overworked supervisor like the overseer needs hands on assistance with duties far below their paygrade
You may have overstepped your boundaries... Should you still press for help?
|