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[Ghazkull]

Richter hadn't evne accomodated himself with the ship before they already landed on Mars. He tried to join the group with the Ssaros, a quite interesting species these buggers. Although he had operated on anything from a normal Human to a Hanar he had never done so on a Ssaros nor had he had ever seen one...these things were fascinating. as if casual he tried to fall into trod next to the Ssaros.


So what are we going to do here exactly?

[Dwarmin]

...I believe humans would say I have the 'honor' of being the first sent out..."

Sai'oda nodded. Her curiosty was piqued, and she was bored so she thought to mess with the Robot a bit more-test out it's responses.

She leaned against the bulkhead and spoke.

"So, you mind if pick your brain, Saru? Another Human phrase-frankly, I never understood it either...though in your case, it might have been done literally...

Anyway...Do you feel emotions, like a living thing? What I said earlier-do you really care if you live or die? What about me-do you care if I live or die? What if I was a civilian, and you had orders not to help me. Would you let me die?

See, I'm not talking combat percentages and effectiveness-I'm sure you know all of those, and would do whatever was 'logical'. I mean, what would you risk yourself for your squad? Could you do something stupid, insane, illogical-because you wanted to, not because you were ordered to?

So, are you all just programming...and no warrior spirit?"

[SeriousConcentrate]

Saru shrugged again. He had a few human involuntary responses programmed, and it was one of them. A useful one, he thought, for conveying passive agreement to questions. He needed to get small plates for eyebrows he could move. Humans, he reflected, had a lot of little tics they could do to convey so much. "If emotions are useful, then yes. Fear and anger are appropriate emotions for combat; they impel one to seek cover and try to keep one's frame intact, and also give a desire to destroy the enemy. As for you, I have yet to determine your usefulness. If you are an asset to the squad then yes. If you are not then no. It is a simple binary decision." Sai asked next about civilians.

"Sympathy is a useless emotion. If protecting civilians is not a priority, collateral damage is irrelevant. Either the mission is successful or it is not. The mission must succeed." Sai continued to ask odd questions. "Self-sacrifice for the mission is an acceptable termination. I assume the technicians have orders to recover my remains and ship them back to Spectrum to analyze recorded data and incorporate it into the next generation. So if necessary I will allow this unit to be destroyed in the line of duty." Perhaps one day he would feel differently, but the AI core in his well-armored head had yet to try and push past the boundaries it felt itself constrained to.

[Dwarmin]

Sai'oda chuckled at that-which sounded more like a Hiss to a non Batarian.

"All right, so you play things by the book. I can respect that.

Just do this one thing-Think.

Think about what you are ordered to do. Not just the how-but the why. Think about yourself-what YOU are. Just think about everything. Turn everything over in whatever you have for a head. Think outside the box.

Since, you seemed pretty insistent back when we were sparring about not being called just a simple tool. Can you tell me why you cared so much I insulted you?"

Ahh, this was the Batarian way of battle-put your enemy on the defensive, probe for strengths and weaknesses, see how he responds-gaining an understanding of how your enemy reacted-especially if stressed or angry-was essential to total victory...it was a bit different in social interactions, but Sai'oda tended to do the same thing to new people she met.

Most of the time, when she did that, people liked to take a swing at her...

[SeriousConcentrate]

"I was concerned with your inability to see what was before you. If you could not tell the difference between a synthetic ally and a used tin cylinder that previously contained soup products or possibly a simple warming device, you would be a liability in battle. Of course at that level of incompetence it seems equally likely you would self-terminate the first time you tried to fire a gun and would thus no longer be a burden on the unit." Saru leaned on the wall and placed his hands on his hip joints. "Contemplating one's orders seems remarkably inefficient. I can understand why Spectrum Corporation finds it necessary to manufacture superior warriors if organics questiony why they must complete their objectives." He settled in.

"I have answered many of your questions. The organic concept 'fairness' dictates I may ask you one. Why do you care whether or not I question my programming? Is it not enough to know you can rely on me to do what I must for the good of the team?"

[Dwarmin]

Sai'oda was about make a joke the robot being dense, but realized it would the humor would be lost on it...

She was still interested in how defensive it was...it certainly had a temper!

"Because, I *don't* know if I can rely on you. You're not playing with the same stakes I am. When I die, I'm gone forever-you can technically be repaired and get back up if they blow your head off, and even then you can be said to live on through whatever they make of your parts. How do I know you'll fight any harder than your programs tell you too? Real combat isn't going to be like any simulators you've gone through-or the live fire training, if Spectrum might have hypothetically done an extremely illegal thing by using paroled convicts to train you how to kill. Hypothetically..."

Sai'oda blinked again-upper, lower, upper, lower.

"Mostly, I wanted to know about because I was curious. I know that's awfully inefficent of me, right? Then again, hasn't this entire conversation been remarkably inefficent? You seem to enjoy it though.

Sorry, if I thought there was more to you then just hunt and kill..."

Sai'oda wasn't sure how she get the thing to move past all of it's ingrained programming to actually give her a straight answer. It was like a puzzle...so she would enjoy finding out, at least.

[SeriousConcentrate]

"Then that is a limitation of your thinking. Spectrum products are the most reliable in the universe." A brief jingle accompanied the announcement. Doubtless it was some programmer's idea of a joke to shoehorn that advertisement into his thought processes. Saru didn't even notice it. "I'm aware organics are only recyclable as food for other organics or as compost." He shrugged with a dim of his lights; given he had a limited amount of facial expressions - or rather none given that he didn't actually have a face, just the front of a head where his visual sensors and speakers were - he was going to milk that action for all it was worth.

"Of course I did not shoot incarcerated organics. There were one hundred S.A.R.U. produced this generation. I terminated forty-three of the other ninety-nine with a combination of pistol fire, long range shooting with my integrated weaponry, and blunt trauma in close combat. The combat tests ended when I destroyed the last remaining S.A.R.U. other than myself, Unit 10172073." Sai remarked that the conversation was inefficient, and he shook his head. "I must disagree. I now have enough data on you to make a notable entry in my database. Additionally we are at standby until the test is prepared and we begin. Learning is more efficient than waiting silently." He made an off-hand gesture with his left hand.

"If there is more to this unit than hunting and killing then the AI core installed in this platform is learning. That, too, is part of my programming. Spectrum Corporation would be most pleased to analyze the data resulting in deviations from the original programmed personality. It is sufficient that this unit lasts long enough to gather extensive data and then return to Spectrum Corporation. Once they have the new data it is 87.76 repeating percent probable they will wipe the AI core and memory banks, then use the gathered data to program a more efficient combat unit."

[Sheb]

"Oh, have you guys been fighting? You may want someone to look at that hip, Saru, it looks like the joint moved and some crap may go in. You want me to change it? It should only take a few minutes."

[Dwarmin]

((Fyi, for sheb and everyone that gets into an RP-a little description of your character when he/she/it enters will help us remember who you, and save the trouble of a thread search))

Sai'oda closed all her eyes for a moment, using her Batarian sense of hearing to try and to figure who that was speaking to them.

Sheb Strongsky, mechanical pilot. Pretty much a genius, but he was such a nerd...he had alot of ideas about remote combat systems, which irked her. He was a likable person, though, even if they didn't have much in common.

Then she turned around, copping what amount to a smile, even if was more like a snarl to a Human.

"Me and Scrapyard over here got some sparring in. I think I broke something when I kicked him, oops.

Also, Sheb, we need to talk later about getting him some sort of camoflage on his skin...he's gonna stick out like a irradiated samoflange in the field..."

[Sheb]

"I'm more of a brain and communication specialist. I guess we'll have to ask the engineer for camouflage paint. Now, if you would let me have a look at this hip..."

Sheb get a tool looking like a very thin screwdriver and start prodding inside the robot hips. After a couple of minute, a light "click" can be heard.

"Now, that joint in firmly in place. Tell me if you got any problem with it. Do you know what those tests will be? I heard the crew will be split in team, do you want us to team up?"

[Dwarmin]

"I was originally thinking it was just going to be another single survival test, but Saru said it's more likely they're going to test how we work together.

Since I'm going to be trusting life to the one beside me, I can't argue with training for it."

She stood up straight, stretching her neck left and right-a distinctive sounds of quaruple pops came from within.

"Nice work on the bot...you might need to teach me that soon. I'll probably be making spot repairs on on my shiny friend here in the field, when he can't do it himself.

..All I know is I'm ready to go. Why don't they just get started already? I'm almost getting bored over here."

Sai'oda jumped up, and began moving around as if she was shadow boxing, and making mock jabs toward Sheb, in a playful manner.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't spar you for real, Sheb-you would die in llike a second-but it's a nice thought, anyway. I'd prefer you keep your head and that juicy knowledge intact.

You got any new toys for me to test out next run?"

Sai'oda remembered once Sheb had managed to intergrate the weapon emplacement simulator to respond to her hand and eye movements through a headset and gauntlets-she had improved her training score by almost double once she didn't have to use a Human thumb based control stick.

[Sheb]

"Ahah, I'm not so sure you'd fare that well if sparing with me..."

As Sai'oda prepare to laugh at the human's self-confidence, she/he/it hear a metallic noise behind her. The W-60 is standing, one of its large gun hovering threateningly over her head, ready to be used as a giant club. Only then does she remarks the gleaming orb of the WCU connected to Sheb's neck.

"You see, with our new device, even a pilotless mech can be dangerous."


P.S. And here is what the W-60 look like.

[Dwarmin]

Sai'oda grins, turning around to inspect the device as only a non-engineer can-by whacking it randomly, as if she could somehow determine it's integrity that way.

"Now, there's what I was asking for. Looks pretty mean-and it's nice and quiet. I like it, Sheb.

Got everything but a wicked paint job-I'll help you with that, by the way.

Have you tested much damage can it sustain while keeping your WCU online? What's the range like on it? Did you test it against  Interrupter Grenades?

Also, I hoped you fixed the breakdown problem...I hate to have lug another of your creations back to the dropship."

'Interrupter Grenades' were in fact, one of things keeping remote combat units back. A simple device, it send out a haze of electromagnetic force that tended to disrupt all sorts of communications-leaving war machines like this one at best useless, at worse, forced to try and use their minimal personal processing power to fight on their own.

[Sheb]

"Well, not yet, that's why I'm here. But the WCU is just a nice add-on, what I'm really here to test is the DBS, in which my brain is directly linked to the mech. No trouble with Interrupter that way. Anyway, I think it's time for me to ready the W-60. I should really give it a name... You got a good idea?"

Sheb will get the mech ready by fitting the M-32 Laser Adaptators to the guns and generally checking it to be sure everything is alright. He'll then strap himself to the walker, plugging the DBC port in his neck.

[Dwarmin]

"You Humans like quasi-religious nomenclature, right. How about Valkyrie?" Sai'oda said, blinking all her eyes rapidly at once.

Of the many names and places she read about in Human mythology, that was the one that struck the deepest chord within her own soul.