The Corporal understood what needed to be done, running to the door, but quickly grabbing a laser pistol from the arms locker Kato unlocked, running past Kato, heading out screaming at the top of his lungs, with a tone of concern, “MEDIC! WE NEED A MEDIC OVER HERE!!!”
Now that things were settling down, Riley had a couple extra brain cells to spare wondering at the weird look Ike was giving her. And he was thanking her? Not knowing how to respond, the girl just let her gaze soften on him, and gave a little nod, more of acknowledgement that he had spoken than acceptance of his thanks. Only then did her eyes turn to glare monstrous steel rails at Kato. The instant the gag was untied, she spit it out and immediately barked
”Learnna’ shoot ye’ditzy @#$%!”
Because how else was one supposed to talk to their superiors in the Navy?
As soon as her hands were free, the girl yanked away from him and began untying her legs herself, hastily and fumbling with them in her anger, and talking rapidly enough that one almost might have needed a translator.
”Oy’git’avina bad’aim’like bu’woy’da @#$%’s ye let let’m go!?” She railed, glancing with incredulity mingling in her anger. Pointing a hard, accusatory finger down the hallway in the direction that the Mort had fled she said, more slowly and intensely, and looking the captain dead in the eye; ”That @#$% @#$%ing shot one crew member an’ try’d a kidnap two. An’ you’re gonna’ just let ‘em go, so’s they can @#$%ing try again later?!” She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
And then her brain processed the rest of what he’d said. It took her a second to reboot her brain in order to comprehend it, staring at him with horrified, furious incredulity for a moment before busting out an equally unmeasured ”WHAT?!”
And it took her another moment to remember how to formulate words into sentences. When the skill did return, it was in the same slow, hoarse, shout. ”Are you kidding me? Are you @#$%ing kidding me! What are you @#$%in’ braindead?!” Momentarily pausing at untying her ankles, she lifted a hand and began to count off her fingers.
”One, I’m a @#$%ing engineer, not a prison guard. Two, she ain’t a @#$%in’ prisoner if you @#$%in let ‘er walk away. Three, if I see that @#$%in’ sack’a subhuman trash again, I’mma @#$%in’ kill it. I don’t give a @#$% what’chu say. You needa’ kick me off this boat? Fine.” Undoing the last knot, Riley got to her feet - a little unsteadily, but ignoring that fact - hands in fists and looking up at Kato with death in her eyes. ”But I’ll be @#$%ed if I let someone shoot a member of my crew in the back an’ get away with it!” She pointed an accusatory finger at him. An’ if you value us so damn little that you’s willin’ ta’ overlook @#$%ing attempted murder and kidnapping then kick me off. Court marshall me f’all I care, ‘cause f’that’s how little your crew means t’you then I don’t wanna’ see you or this @#$%ing boat ever again.”
”Learnna’ shoot ye’ditzy @#$%!”
Because how else was one supposed to talk to their superiors in the Navy?
As soon as her hands were free, the girl yanked away from him and began untying her legs herself, hastily and fumbling with them in her anger, and talking rapidly enough that one almost might have needed a translator.
”Oy’git’avina bad’aim’like bu’woy’da @#$%’s ye let let’m go!?” She railed, glancing with incredulity mingling in her anger. Pointing a hard, accusatory finger down the hallway in the direction that the Mort had fled she said, more slowly and intensely, and looking the captain dead in the eye; ”That @#$% @#$%ing shot one crew member an’ try’d a kidnap two. An’ you’re gonna’ just let ‘em go, so’s they can @#$%ing try again later?!” She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
And then her brain processed the rest of what he’d said. It took her a second to reboot her brain in order to comprehend it, staring at him with horrified, furious incredulity for a moment before busting out an equally unmeasured ”WHAT?!”
And it took her another moment to remember how to formulate words into sentences. When the skill did return, it was in the same slow, hoarse, shout. ”Are you kidding me? Are you @#$%ing kidding me! What are you @#$%in’ braindead?!” Momentarily pausing at untying her ankles, she lifted a hand and began to count off her fingers.
”One, I’m a @#$%ing engineer, not a prison guard. Two, she ain’t a @#$%in’ prisoner if you @#$%in let ‘er walk away. Three, if I see that @#$%in’ sack’a subhuman trash again, I’mma @#$%in’ kill it. I don’t give a @#$% what’chu say. You needa’ kick me off this boat? Fine.” Undoing the last knot, Riley got to her feet - a little unsteadily, but ignoring that fact - hands in fists and looking up at Kato with death in her eyes. ”But I’ll be @#$%ed if I let someone shoot a member of my crew in the back an’ get away with it!” She pointed an accusatory finger at him. An’ if you value us so damn little that you’s willin’ ta’ overlook @#$%ing attempted murder and kidnapping then kick me off. Court marshall me f’all I care, ‘cause f’that’s how little your crew means t’you then I don’t wanna’ see you or this @#$%ing boat ever again.”
There wasn't much change on Kato's face as he watched her speak, more an almost detached awareness of everything going on around him without really being there, like the events were stirring more memories, ripples in the ocean that was the life he'd lived. Only when she had finished speaking did his eyes solidify in on her.
"Riley Miles, I don't know much about your personal situation, but I know this. A single human life is far, far more important to be preserved than to be taken, I refuse to take that privilege away from people. Not anymore. What they have done and what they have attempted to do is irrelevant, they are still people. They deserve the same rights as any of us in this crew do." He paused sighing. "Sinking to their level or worse does not solve anything."
There was another momentary halt in his speech, in which he stood up and glowered down at the cadet. "And one other thing, I don't know much about the ringworld below, it's been over a thousand years since I've visited it, however, I still learn things and I know that you and she are from places, that don't really like each other. The fact that you can even see someone as sub-human is stupid. Hopefully, this teaches you both something about the reality of humanity."
Ike watched them in confusion, a worried look in his eyes as he surveyed the two arguing soldiers. The large, but ancient hulk of metal and skin which passed itself as a human and the young, small and very angry mechanic. "Hey... Riley, please don't go."
"Riley Miles, I don't know much about your personal situation, but I know this. A single human life is far, far more important to be preserved than to be taken, I refuse to take that privilege away from people. Not anymore. What they have done and what they have attempted to do is irrelevant, they are still people. They deserve the same rights as any of us in this crew do." He paused sighing. "Sinking to their level or worse does not solve anything."
There was another momentary halt in his speech, in which he stood up and glowered down at the cadet. "And one other thing, I don't know much about the ringworld below, it's been over a thousand years since I've visited it, however, I still learn things and I know that you and she are from places, that don't really like each other. The fact that you can even see someone as sub-human is stupid. Hopefully, this teaches you both something about the reality of humanity."
Ike watched them in confusion, a worried look in his eyes as he surveyed the two arguing soldiers. The large, but ancient hulk of metal and skin which passed itself as a human and the young, small and very angry mechanic. "Hey... Riley, please don't go."
How she hated that glazed look he kept getting. It only seemed to solidify the gradually developing image of him in her mind as some detached, half-mad romantic stuck in a universe that had died lifetimes ago. She didn’t want to think of him that way. She wanted him to be the hero she’d read about - but just as life didn’t work the way he wanted it to, people couldn’t always be the way she wanted them to be.
As he spoke, Riley’s anger grew colder, though no less potent. She crossed her arms, leaning her weight on one leg, cocking her shoulder and looking up at him with a contempt that was gradually becoming the dominant feature on her face.
”Yeah. Yeah.” She said with obvious sarcasm and disbelief, nodding her head just a little. ”You been up ‘ere a thousand @#$%in’ years, an’ you can tell me ‘bout humanity. Right.” Her voice had become low and throatier than usual. Pointedly, she reached a thumb to the corner of her lip. ”It’s real @#$%in’ easy t’be all pious an’ non violent an’ ’turn-the-other-cheek’ when you’re a @#$%in’ invincible, immortal hunka’ metal, innit’.” In a gesture that somehow seemed more disrespectful than everything else, she smeared the blood from her lip onto his metal chassis, painting a faint crimson streak. "You ain't gotta' live in fear'a nothin', do'ye? You don’t needa’ worry ‘bout gettin’ shot in th’back on y’own boat, do ye’?”
Then, suddenly, in perfect contrast to the low tone she had taken, Riley glanced down the hall and positively screamed at the top of her lungs ”OY! WHE’DE@#$%’S THAT @#$%IN’ MEDIC HARRYIT UP!!” Before turning back to look Kato up and down, sizing up with a disdainful contempt she didn’t even know she was capable of.
”Don’t you @#$%in’ tell me ‘bout bein’ human.” She spat, voice hoarse from the shout, turning away from him and moving over to Ike. Crouching behind him and beginning to work at the knots with much more care than she had fumbled at her own, she glanced up at Kato only once more. ”You keep that @#$% the @#$% away from me, y’hear? I won’t go outta’ my way. But th’nex’ time she trys somethin’, you’d better hope you’re there to save her ass again.”
And with that said, she ignored the captain completely, focusing on Ike’s ropes. ”Can ye’stand?” She asked gruffly, again glancing up to see if the medic was here yet, helping Ike to his feet if he thought he could, and supporting him over her shoulder. Working, assuming that slow-@#$%ing medic arrived within the next century, to help them get him to the medbay.
As he spoke, Riley’s anger grew colder, though no less potent. She crossed her arms, leaning her weight on one leg, cocking her shoulder and looking up at him with a contempt that was gradually becoming the dominant feature on her face.
”Yeah. Yeah.” She said with obvious sarcasm and disbelief, nodding her head just a little. ”You been up ‘ere a thousand @#$%in’ years, an’ you can tell me ‘bout humanity. Right.” Her voice had become low and throatier than usual. Pointedly, she reached a thumb to the corner of her lip. ”It’s real @#$%in’ easy t’be all pious an’ non violent an’ ’turn-the-other-cheek’ when you’re a @#$%in’ invincible, immortal hunka’ metal, innit’.” In a gesture that somehow seemed more disrespectful than everything else, she smeared the blood from her lip onto his metal chassis, painting a faint crimson streak. "You ain't gotta' live in fear'a nothin', do'ye? You don’t needa’ worry ‘bout gettin’ shot in th’back on y’own boat, do ye’?”
Then, suddenly, in perfect contrast to the low tone she had taken, Riley glanced down the hall and positively screamed at the top of her lungs ”OY! WHE’DE@#$%’S THAT @#$%IN’ MEDIC HARRYIT UP!!” Before turning back to look Kato up and down, sizing up with a disdainful contempt she didn’t even know she was capable of.
”Don’t you @#$%in’ tell me ‘bout bein’ human.” She spat, voice hoarse from the shout, turning away from him and moving over to Ike. Crouching behind him and beginning to work at the knots with much more care than she had fumbled at her own, she glanced up at Kato only once more. ”You keep that @#$% the @#$% away from me, y’hear? I won’t go outta’ my way. But th’nex’ time she trys somethin’, you’d better hope you’re there to save her ass again.”
And with that said, she ignored the captain completely, focusing on Ike’s ropes. ”Can ye’stand?” She asked gruffly, again glancing up to see if the medic was here yet, helping Ike to his feet if he thought he could, and supporting him over her shoulder. Working, assuming that slow-@#$%ing medic arrived within the next century, to help them get him to the medbay.
Robert didn’t like most of the medics on the Last Light, always took longer than needed, when the medic finally, For what seemed a small eternity to him, they finally got to the scene, and Robert told the medic what happened, “Ikes been shot, multiple times, i’m Surprised he’s even conscious right now, and Rileys been hit in the head, might want to test her for a concussion, given the bleeding from the nose and the large bruise she has, now get a stretcher or whatever, and make it quick, we don’t have much time to lose.”
There was another look in Kato's eyes now, an old memory perhaps, something stirring in the vast depths of his memory. Slowly, like a glacier churning its way across a particularly rough landscape, he turned and looked towards the girl, casting his strange, almost hardened eyes over towards her.
"Its very easy to be non-violent when you've committed every crime possible, broken every convention of law in the name of victory. You think that your war down on that little artificial rock is somehow unique? That your war has not been replicated over the entire galaxy for centuries? I've killed more people in a day than ten times than all of the remainder of humanity put together."
He paused his eyes for once smoldering in what could look like the distant rage of far-off thunder. "I've been blown up, fired out off airlocks, shot to pieces, cut up, even partially melted on many different occasion, and watched everyone I knew die around me. What else is there to fear?"
Slowly he turned and began a loping walk, his left leg seeming inexplicably to be limping. "I may be out of touch with the world below, but I'm not out of touch with the lengths humanity will go to, to win wars. That is a pit from which there is no escape."
Ike for his part watched with fascination as the small runt spoke her mind to the captain of the Last Light, something he'd seen her do before, but not to this degree. He'd never dreamed that anyone, especially not a fed would have the courage to do something like that, he'd come from a world where everyone agreed with their superiors without question, that's how it had always worked, they ordered, you did.
Upon hearing Riley's shout he winced slightly, the sudden noise landing loudly on the sound receptors inside his ears, both of which had been slightly knocked about during the whole ordeal. The mild look of discomfort changed completely when Riley arrived, a look of relief speaking out across his face and limbs as the ropes began to slacken, one by one.
"I ... think so." He spoke in direct answer to Riley's questioning, allowing her hand to grasp his before levering himself up and onto his right foot. Taking great pain and care to not put any weight on his left, doing his best to ensure the small hole through the wounded leg did not get any worse.
"Its very easy to be non-violent when you've committed every crime possible, broken every convention of law in the name of victory. You think that your war down on that little artificial rock is somehow unique? That your war has not been replicated over the entire galaxy for centuries? I've killed more people in a day than ten times than all of the remainder of humanity put together."
He paused his eyes for once smoldering in what could look like the distant rage of far-off thunder. "I've been blown up, fired out off airlocks, shot to pieces, cut up, even partially melted on many different occasion, and watched everyone I knew die around me. What else is there to fear?"
Slowly he turned and began a loping walk, his left leg seeming inexplicably to be limping. "I may be out of touch with the world below, but I'm not out of touch with the lengths humanity will go to, to win wars. That is a pit from which there is no escape."
Ike for his part watched with fascination as the small runt spoke her mind to the captain of the Last Light, something he'd seen her do before, but not to this degree. He'd never dreamed that anyone, especially not a fed would have the courage to do something like that, he'd come from a world where everyone agreed with their superiors without question, that's how it had always worked, they ordered, you did.
Upon hearing Riley's shout he winced slightly, the sudden noise landing loudly on the sound receptors inside his ears, both of which had been slightly knocked about during the whole ordeal. The mild look of discomfort changed completely when Riley arrived, a look of relief speaking out across his face and limbs as the ropes began to slacken, one by one.
"I ... think so." He spoke in direct answer to Riley's questioning, allowing her hand to grasp his before levering himself up and onto his right foot. Taking great pain and care to not put any weight on his left, doing his best to ensure the small hole through the wounded leg did not get any worse.
She couldn’t believe it. An enemy insurgent was being allowed free reign of her ship. It was madness. How could anyone on the Last Light possibly feel safe in their own home knowing that every new face could be their murderer? Knowing that nobody was there to help keep the wolves off their back?
It was just like home. She had been wrong to tell herself otherwise, she realized now. She had been wrong to think that anywhere in the world, anywhere in the big, empty universe could be different than M’Draan. Kato was right - it wasn’t a unique war down there. It was the same story as everywhere else, simply compartmentalized.
So be it then. Riley knew how to live in a place where everyone could be a potential enemy, where anyone could pull a gun on you and blow your head off. The “schools” like wild woods filled with feral dogs battling for supremacy, for a chance at the biggest bone. Except here it wasn’t competition - here it was merely survival.
Fine.
If there was one thing Riley knew how to do - more than her engineering prowess, more than her natural abilities to antagonize and infuriate - it was survive. Those who couldn’t survive? She glanced to the wounded Ike - too bad. @#$%’em. All that mattered was being the last one standing now. Or the last one crawling on hands and knees, lurching inch by inch to the promised land that resided over the infinite horizon. And this sorry weakling-
”Oy. N- this way. No, like- there.” she was muttering as she tried to maneuver Ike into a position where she could actually support him, ending up with his arm over her shoulders, and the girl acting as a crutch to lean on. A sturdy little thing.
She was just turning to again scream down the hallway, demanding the medic - when a new sound came to her perception, and the girl froze with a furrowed brow and narrowed eyes. It sounded like a siren. Like the ridiculous wailing of ambulances in ancient noir movies. Almost like an air-raid siren (A sound she was all too familiar with) but disorientingly tinny. It was accompanied by a rhythmic clank clank clanking. There was a voice, too - something clearly robotic, and badly distorted by speakers that must have been positively ancient - and with…
A farsi accent?
Or at least, it would have been, if she had any idea what ‘farsi’ was.
”Ouut of the way ouuut of the way rrrescue coooomingthrough move your bodies everybody chop chop!” The contrast of just how absolutely ridiculous that voice sounded in comparison to the serious @#$% that was just going down made Riley reel internally. Not that she was in any state of mind to actually find it funny, but surely in this grave moment she couldn’t actually be hearing-
It burst around the corner like a monster in a horror survival movie. It was the size of a mighty ostrich and twice as lanky, a rust-coated robot with spindly limbs and cracked, glowing green lens-eyes hanging from a wobbly neck that flopped about as it loped clumsily along. Its hands were waggly metal jellyfish, multi-jointed fingers wiggling about wildly as it propelled itself forward on clawed feet. A simple stretcher was held over its shoulder like a ladder.
Across the body - which looked like an old gas generator repurposed as a robot - was the faded designation ST3-V3 - but apparently someone didn’t want the bot being called the obvious nickname that would come with such a designation, and so in hastily white letters was scrawled over it DANESH. The source of the sound was from a small, red and blue flashing light mounted on its shoulder.
Riley’s eyes widened at the sight of the thing as it pushed past Firth with a hasty, but polite ”Excuse me thank you please” More concerned with the fact that it was sprinting toward them, wobbly limbs flailing, with a purpose than by the thing’s gruesome facade. Instinctively, she took a half-step to the side, putting her about an inch closer to the thing than Ike was - though clearly the thing was here to take him to the medbay.
The robot - Danesh - came to a clumsy, stumbling halt, looking almost as if it was about to tilt over forward before catching its balance and righting itself, bouncing slightly more due to the springy design than to the nervous energy it seemed to possess.
”Coming with me now yes thank you please very quick-quick-quickly so as not for bleeding out in viscera pools of sadness yes yes!” It said, foice emanating from a speaker in the thing’s body as the eyes leaned in much too close for comfort, prompting a bewildered Riley to lean back on her heels. ”The small one will relinquish the squishy one to Danesh now yes good now please for making rapid transit authority entrance exam desperate struggle for inordinate sums of pulled pork thank you.” And, as if not even hearing the absolute madness that the insane robot was spouting, Riley merely snapped back ”Oy who’s you callin’ sm-” Only to be interrupted by the robot wailing and shaking several writhing, tentacle-like fingers in her face, forcing her to lean back a little more, nearly sending both of the cadets toppling over backwards. ”ooooOOOOOohhhhhnooooooOOOooothankyou.” It said(?), then haphazardly spun the stretcher down from its shoulder, holding it out before it like a platter. ”Depositing fancy robo boy onto stretching now excellent good yes!”
Riley started to argue ”He’s not-” But was interrupted again by the robot swinging its hanging head into her face and wailing ”OOOOOoooMYYYYynoooooothankyou!”
The next few moments passed in a chaotic blur as Ike was loaded onto the stretcher - held between the robot’s piston-like arms which seemed much too spindly to hold his weight between them, yet somehow managed to do so with only a slight bowing of the limbs. It all happened so fast that Riley, essentially left in the dust, didn’t realize that the thing was bouncing off with Ike until it was halfway down the corridor.
Well, at least the synth was out of her hair now. She wasn’t going to have to deal with him for a good while. She could go about her business, make sure her head wasn’t about to fall off and that she wasn’t any more brain-damaged than when she’d started, then maybe go find her quarters and run some diagnostics before passing out.
The weird way he had looked at her crossed her mind again. Riley scowled to herself. The guy was weird and annoying. She was going to have to make a concerted effort in the future to avoid him. She didn’t want him dead, obviously, but she didn’t want to be around him, either.
Taking a moment to compose herself and push down the dizziness that was continuously creeping into the sides of her head from where she was probably still bleeding, Riley leaned against the wall, and huffed.
This whole thing really was starting off on the wrong foot - but that was fine.
At least she wouldn’t have to deal with him for a while.
When Ike awoke, it was to the gentle sounds of the medical bay recovery room. An aimless background sound of people talking in hushed tones, the unobtrusive little noises of medical equipment as they went on working to keep their people alive and well - though there really weren’t many people aboard the old boat to keep alive, and the only other occupant was on the other side of the long room, having suffered a broken leg in a miraculously non-mortally-wounding faulty airlock incident. The lights were low, but not so that one could not see with ease. Long centuries had passed since this was a place of chaos, with wounded soldiers filling up all the beds, the lights burning bright as desperate nurses and techs tried to keep a crew alive as the vessel suffered beneath the bombardment of those who would destroy them.
A utilitarian place at it’s heart, Ike’s designated section consisted only of the bed, the monitoring tower, and a small table. He had been given the last bed in the row, farthest from the door, against the wall. Weirdly, there were four empty paper coffee cups on the table beside him, and one that was half-full. He was alone, save for the curious, blue-green glow that was emanating from somewhere off to his side.
It was just like home. She had been wrong to tell herself otherwise, she realized now. She had been wrong to think that anywhere in the world, anywhere in the big, empty universe could be different than M’Draan. Kato was right - it wasn’t a unique war down there. It was the same story as everywhere else, simply compartmentalized.
So be it then. Riley knew how to live in a place where everyone could be a potential enemy, where anyone could pull a gun on you and blow your head off. The “schools” like wild woods filled with feral dogs battling for supremacy, for a chance at the biggest bone. Except here it wasn’t competition - here it was merely survival.
Fine.
If there was one thing Riley knew how to do - more than her engineering prowess, more than her natural abilities to antagonize and infuriate - it was survive. Those who couldn’t survive? She glanced to the wounded Ike - too bad. @#$%’em. All that mattered was being the last one standing now. Or the last one crawling on hands and knees, lurching inch by inch to the promised land that resided over the infinite horizon. And this sorry weakling-
”Oy. N- this way. No, like- there.” she was muttering as she tried to maneuver Ike into a position where she could actually support him, ending up with his arm over her shoulders, and the girl acting as a crutch to lean on. A sturdy little thing.
She was just turning to again scream down the hallway, demanding the medic - when a new sound came to her perception, and the girl froze with a furrowed brow and narrowed eyes. It sounded like a siren. Like the ridiculous wailing of ambulances in ancient noir movies. Almost like an air-raid siren (A sound she was all too familiar with) but disorientingly tinny. It was accompanied by a rhythmic clank clank clanking. There was a voice, too - something clearly robotic, and badly distorted by speakers that must have been positively ancient - and with…
A farsi accent?
Or at least, it would have been, if she had any idea what ‘farsi’ was.
”Ouut of the way ouuut of the way rrrescue coooomingthrough move your bodies everybody chop chop!” The contrast of just how absolutely ridiculous that voice sounded in comparison to the serious @#$% that was just going down made Riley reel internally. Not that she was in any state of mind to actually find it funny, but surely in this grave moment she couldn’t actually be hearing-
It burst around the corner like a monster in a horror survival movie. It was the size of a mighty ostrich and twice as lanky, a rust-coated robot with spindly limbs and cracked, glowing green lens-eyes hanging from a wobbly neck that flopped about as it loped clumsily along. Its hands were waggly metal jellyfish, multi-jointed fingers wiggling about wildly as it propelled itself forward on clawed feet. A simple stretcher was held over its shoulder like a ladder.Across the body - which looked like an old gas generator repurposed as a robot - was the faded designation ST3-V3 - but apparently someone didn’t want the bot being called the obvious nickname that would come with such a designation, and so in hastily white letters was scrawled over it DANESH. The source of the sound was from a small, red and blue flashing light mounted on its shoulder.
Riley’s eyes widened at the sight of the thing as it pushed past Firth with a hasty, but polite ”Excuse me thank you please” More concerned with the fact that it was sprinting toward them, wobbly limbs flailing, with a purpose than by the thing’s gruesome facade. Instinctively, she took a half-step to the side, putting her about an inch closer to the thing than Ike was - though clearly the thing was here to take him to the medbay.
The robot - Danesh - came to a clumsy, stumbling halt, looking almost as if it was about to tilt over forward before catching its balance and righting itself, bouncing slightly more due to the springy design than to the nervous energy it seemed to possess.
”Coming with me now yes thank you please very quick-quick-quickly so as not for bleeding out in viscera pools of sadness yes yes!” It said, foice emanating from a speaker in the thing’s body as the eyes leaned in much too close for comfort, prompting a bewildered Riley to lean back on her heels. ”The small one will relinquish the squishy one to Danesh now yes good now please for making rapid transit authority entrance exam desperate struggle for inordinate sums of pulled pork thank you.” And, as if not even hearing the absolute madness that the insane robot was spouting, Riley merely snapped back ”Oy who’s you callin’ sm-” Only to be interrupted by the robot wailing and shaking several writhing, tentacle-like fingers in her face, forcing her to lean back a little more, nearly sending both of the cadets toppling over backwards. ”ooooOOOOOohhhhhnooooooOOOooothankyou.” It said(?), then haphazardly spun the stretcher down from its shoulder, holding it out before it like a platter. ”Depositing fancy robo boy onto stretching now excellent good yes!”
Riley started to argue ”He’s not-” But was interrupted again by the robot swinging its hanging head into her face and wailing ”OOOOOoooMYYYYynoooooothankyou!”
The next few moments passed in a chaotic blur as Ike was loaded onto the stretcher - held between the robot’s piston-like arms which seemed much too spindly to hold his weight between them, yet somehow managed to do so with only a slight bowing of the limbs. It all happened so fast that Riley, essentially left in the dust, didn’t realize that the thing was bouncing off with Ike until it was halfway down the corridor.
Well, at least the synth was out of her hair now. She wasn’t going to have to deal with him for a good while. She could go about her business, make sure her head wasn’t about to fall off and that she wasn’t any more brain-damaged than when she’d started, then maybe go find her quarters and run some diagnostics before passing out.
The weird way he had looked at her crossed her mind again. Riley scowled to herself. The guy was weird and annoying. She was going to have to make a concerted effort in the future to avoid him. She didn’t want him dead, obviously, but she didn’t want to be around him, either.
Taking a moment to compose herself and push down the dizziness that was continuously creeping into the sides of her head from where she was probably still bleeding, Riley leaned against the wall, and huffed.
This whole thing really was starting off on the wrong foot - but that was fine.
At least she wouldn’t have to deal with him for a while.
When Ike awoke, it was to the gentle sounds of the medical bay recovery room. An aimless background sound of people talking in hushed tones, the unobtrusive little noises of medical equipment as they went on working to keep their people alive and well - though there really weren’t many people aboard the old boat to keep alive, and the only other occupant was on the other side of the long room, having suffered a broken leg in a miraculously non-mortally-wounding faulty airlock incident. The lights were low, but not so that one could not see with ease. Long centuries had passed since this was a place of chaos, with wounded soldiers filling up all the beds, the lights burning bright as desperate nurses and techs tried to keep a crew alive as the vessel suffered beneath the bombardment of those who would destroy them.
A utilitarian place at it’s heart, Ike’s designated section consisted only of the bed, the monitoring tower, and a small table. He had been given the last bed in the row, farthest from the door, against the wall. Weirdly, there were four empty paper coffee cups on the table beside him, and one that was half-full. He was alone, save for the curious, blue-green glow that was emanating from somewhere off to his side.
A soft glow, produced from the illuminated screen of some small device.
The light shone on the face of a steely-eyed redhead, who appeared to be reading something on an olive-green hand-terminal of some kind. Bandages wrapped around her head, with smaller ones across the bridge of her nose, about her cheek and knuckles. The remaining damage from that most solid hit Annag had gotten on her could be seen about the corner of her lip, as eyes ringed with deep, dark circles of exhaustion darted back and forth on the screen.
She was curled up in the chair, socked feet pulled up onto the seat, boots discarded on the floor beside along with her coat. With only the dirty T shirt on her torso, the barcode tattoo on the side of her neck was clearly visible, as well as a sturdy steel chain that hung around her neck beneath the shirt. As to where the chair itself had come from, was a mystery. The other beds did not have such accompaniments. It didn’t look excessively comfortable, either.
Absently, Riley reached for the fifth cup of coffee, sipping at it with a visible grimace of distaste without halting her reading. It took her a while - or until a sound was made - to glance away from the screen and toward the newly conscious Ike. And when she did, it was with a curious, soft melancholy that danced on the edge of concern and regret, shadowed by some somber thing that lurked behind the iron eyes, which seemed to glisten ever so slightly in the glow of the screen. She blinked twice, then looked with disinterest back to the screen.
”’Ey.” She said lowly, almost sadly, barely a whisper in the dull half-silence that surrounded them, not looking away from the screen.
The light shone on the face of a steely-eyed redhead, who appeared to be reading something on an olive-green hand-terminal of some kind. Bandages wrapped around her head, with smaller ones across the bridge of her nose, about her cheek and knuckles. The remaining damage from that most solid hit Annag had gotten on her could be seen about the corner of her lip, as eyes ringed with deep, dark circles of exhaustion darted back and forth on the screen.She was curled up in the chair, socked feet pulled up onto the seat, boots discarded on the floor beside along with her coat. With only the dirty T shirt on her torso, the barcode tattoo on the side of her neck was clearly visible, as well as a sturdy steel chain that hung around her neck beneath the shirt. As to where the chair itself had come from, was a mystery. The other beds did not have such accompaniments. It didn’t look excessively comfortable, either.
Absently, Riley reached for the fifth cup of coffee, sipping at it with a visible grimace of distaste without halting her reading. It took her a while - or until a sound was made - to glance away from the screen and toward the newly conscious Ike. And when she did, it was with a curious, soft melancholy that danced on the edge of concern and regret, shadowed by some somber thing that lurked behind the iron eyes, which seemed to glisten ever so slightly in the glow of the screen. She blinked twice, then looked with disinterest back to the screen.
”’Ey.” She said lowly, almost sadly, barely a whisper in the dull half-silence that surrounded them, not looking away from the screen.
The corporal almost chuckled when he saw Riley’s reaction, as it was his when he first saw The rusty, lanky abomination of a droid, but he learned to adapt, he had to, as it was a damn good medic, nearly the only medic on this ship. Robert then went back to Kato, loading his pistol with a energy cell, put on its holster,took some spare ammunition, and said, “I’m keeping the gun, all lives have value, that’s what you say, but if they try that again, the other cadets might not be lucky enough to have an arms locker near.”
It was to the strangest of sensations that Ike awoke, it was like the feeling one got when waking for the first time in an unknown room with no recollection of ever being there, which to the damaged Synth, was exactly what he thought about the room. That in itself spooked him, he'd always been aware in at least some capacity of what was going on while sleeping, but this time was different, everything here was new.
While attempting to take a slow look around at the room, the first thing he noticed when doing so was the monitor. Gently he pushed himself upwards to get a better look, his damned eyes not having faded into focus yet. He looked curious while doing so, almost animal-like as he crawled along, pressing one hand up against the glass of the monitor, its soft glow lighting up the pale skin which covered his face. For a few seconds, he was motionless, all apart from the faintly shining violet eyes which flickered back and forth as they scanned the data. He was fine, he was alive.
His leg! He'd felt the hole be torn right the way through, how was that doing? Hurridly and almost tumbling over in a knotted ball he pulled up the leg of his trousers to reveal, well it wasn't as bad as he remembered it. A slightly off-colour patch of lightish skin covered the area where the laser had tunneled its way through his flesh and wires, now only a small scaring around the entry point marked the remaining damage.
Only then, when satisfied he wasn't about to fall apart or some other hideous malfunction did he relax and look further into the room, spotting the mass of coffee within seconds. Who here in the sick bay could be drinking such an amount? It wasn't that medic bot, that thing didn't need to... His internal thoughts gave way to a horse giggle, not quite a laugh, but with still the same amount of merriment. He didn't remember much of the machine, but what he did, brought a bit of joy to the crazy spinning world that was his life. What else was there in the room, more beds, and a glow?
Riley?
Had she been waiting for him to recover? Was she concerned about him? No, that wasn't Riley, was it? Yet the cups beside her, that device she'd been reading from and the chair, especially the chair now he thought about it, that wasn't from this room at all, she must have brought it there to watch over him. Suddenly, despite everything of the previous activities, he was filled with a deep sense of joy.
It barely registered on his face, the muscles there kept under tight control as to not betray much emotion, this was still Riley after all, he didn't want her leaving if she thought he was going to harp on about it. Only in his eyes was the feeling displayed, the same shining, almost star-like quality creeping back into the violet iris'. Slowly and in a motion that would look almost nervous to most people he rubbed the nape of his neck, desperately thinking of something to say to her.
His voice, when it spoke was almost as low as hers, although there was a more hopeful note attached to the Synth's "Heya ... uh Riley, have you just finished your checkup?"
Kato sighed deeply, "I know the value of lines from having taken more than I could ever count ...." That was a lie, he knew exactly how many he'd taken, he'd always done the numbers afterward, it didn't help, but he did. It was something, anything to keep his mind from ripping itself to bloody shreds in the aftermath of each.
"We'll just have to hope there won't be a next time won't we?" Another statement, just as empty as the first, he felt they were coming back, that they would be regardless if he had allowed the attacker to leave or not. Somethings like that were just innevitable, he only hoped he could do something with the one who'd stayed behind, teach her something before .... Well he didn't have to think about that now.
While attempting to take a slow look around at the room, the first thing he noticed when doing so was the monitor. Gently he pushed himself upwards to get a better look, his damned eyes not having faded into focus yet. He looked curious while doing so, almost animal-like as he crawled along, pressing one hand up against the glass of the monitor, its soft glow lighting up the pale skin which covered his face. For a few seconds, he was motionless, all apart from the faintly shining violet eyes which flickered back and forth as they scanned the data. He was fine, he was alive.
His leg! He'd felt the hole be torn right the way through, how was that doing? Hurridly and almost tumbling over in a knotted ball he pulled up the leg of his trousers to reveal, well it wasn't as bad as he remembered it. A slightly off-colour patch of lightish skin covered the area where the laser had tunneled its way through his flesh and wires, now only a small scaring around the entry point marked the remaining damage.
Only then, when satisfied he wasn't about to fall apart or some other hideous malfunction did he relax and look further into the room, spotting the mass of coffee within seconds. Who here in the sick bay could be drinking such an amount? It wasn't that medic bot, that thing didn't need to... His internal thoughts gave way to a horse giggle, not quite a laugh, but with still the same amount of merriment. He didn't remember much of the machine, but what he did, brought a bit of joy to the crazy spinning world that was his life. What else was there in the room, more beds, and a glow?
Riley?
Had she been waiting for him to recover? Was she concerned about him? No, that wasn't Riley, was it? Yet the cups beside her, that device she'd been reading from and the chair, especially the chair now he thought about it, that wasn't from this room at all, she must have brought it there to watch over him. Suddenly, despite everything of the previous activities, he was filled with a deep sense of joy.
It barely registered on his face, the muscles there kept under tight control as to not betray much emotion, this was still Riley after all, he didn't want her leaving if she thought he was going to harp on about it. Only in his eyes was the feeling displayed, the same shining, almost star-like quality creeping back into the violet iris'. Slowly and in a motion that would look almost nervous to most people he rubbed the nape of his neck, desperately thinking of something to say to her.
His voice, when it spoke was almost as low as hers, although there was a more hopeful note attached to the Synth's "Heya ... uh Riley, have you just finished your checkup?"
Kato sighed deeply, "I know the value of lines from having taken more than I could ever count ...." That was a lie, he knew exactly how many he'd taken, he'd always done the numbers afterward, it didn't help, but he did. It was something, anything to keep his mind from ripping itself to bloody shreds in the aftermath of each.
"We'll just have to hope there won't be a next time won't we?" Another statement, just as empty as the first, he felt they were coming back, that they would be regardless if he had allowed the attacker to leave or not. Somethings like that were just innevitable, he only hoped he could do something with the one who'd stayed behind, teach her something before .... Well he didn't have to think about that now.
It took Riley a skipped beat to actually register that Ike had spoken. When it did get through, she spent another skipped beat staring at him more or less uncomprehendingly - blinking much too rapidly and unevenly, which only seemed to accentuate the dark circles under her eyes.
”Huh? Oh Uh...Yeah.” She lied, too tired to take into consideration the overwhelming sum of evidence to the contrary, and proving herself to be terribly unskilled in the art of fibbing in general. Even if there hadn’t been a heap of empty cups, a chair that didn’t belong, and all manner of other signs which suggested ‘settling in’ it would have sounded suspicious.
Then, as if realizing that she was getting caught in a lie without anyone actually saying anything, she looked back to her lap in a way that was almost cowed, squirming just a little bit where she sat. ”I mean, few minute’ like,” She amended, and it wasn’t technically a lie. It had been a few minutes ago. It had also been a few hours ago. In truth she wasn’t sure how long she’d been there. There was even a spot of blood on the head bandage that had turned to brown.
There was that sparkle in his eyes again. Unable to possibly comprehend what it might mean, it made the girl a little uncomfortable. What, was he angry? That, she supposed, would make sense. Stil, something about it didn’t seem right to Riley. Nothing about any of this seemed entirely right, since the small girl curled up in the chair, exhibiting signs of what could only be described as mild, apologetic embarrassment simply could not have been the same loud, angry kid from earlier. Maybe she had a secret twin? Except that the wounds lined up too perfectly.
It almost seemed as though she had something she wanted to say, but was stalling, though such could not possibly be proven. And besides, she of all people did not have a problem with saying what she wanted to say, and that was a serious understatement.
”Ain’t too badlike. ‘Ad worse.” She then added after a moment, she herself looking for something to fill the silent gaps as well. At least she didn’t present any signs of intending to get up and leave, which was good - though an apt comparison could be made to some small, but sharp-toothed predator animal just skittish enough to nip and flee at the slightest movement, but that was more due to who she was in general rather than how she was acting presently. She appeared to still be trying to read, but was having a difficult time focusing due both to the sporadically fluttering eyelids and the sudden lack of will to actually continue for the moment. Besides, t was complicated and confusing stuff in there.
Unable to bring herself to say anything else for risk of giving him the totally incorrect impression that she had been sitting here for hours because she cared, Riley stayed silent, and realized with some frustration that she had been reading the same sentence over and over again, for no reason other than lack of focus.
Upon realizing that, Riley gave up on trying to read and instead just stared awkwardly at the screen, distressingly uncertain as to exactly what she wanted to happen next. She hadn’t thought this far ahead.
THe whole thing was just so surreal, on both ends - and nothing seemed to add up. Clearly she didn’t care about his condition, because she hadn’t asked. But those were a lot of coffee cups...
Having said three whole things, none of them beratings or insults, it seemed she had produced as much civil conversation as she was capable of, intentionally or otherwise.
”Huh? Oh Uh...Yeah.” She lied, too tired to take into consideration the overwhelming sum of evidence to the contrary, and proving herself to be terribly unskilled in the art of fibbing in general. Even if there hadn’t been a heap of empty cups, a chair that didn’t belong, and all manner of other signs which suggested ‘settling in’ it would have sounded suspicious.
Then, as if realizing that she was getting caught in a lie without anyone actually saying anything, she looked back to her lap in a way that was almost cowed, squirming just a little bit where she sat. ”I mean, few minute’ like,” She amended, and it wasn’t technically a lie. It had been a few minutes ago. It had also been a few hours ago. In truth she wasn’t sure how long she’d been there. There was even a spot of blood on the head bandage that had turned to brown.
There was that sparkle in his eyes again. Unable to possibly comprehend what it might mean, it made the girl a little uncomfortable. What, was he angry? That, she supposed, would make sense. Stil, something about it didn’t seem right to Riley. Nothing about any of this seemed entirely right, since the small girl curled up in the chair, exhibiting signs of what could only be described as mild, apologetic embarrassment simply could not have been the same loud, angry kid from earlier. Maybe she had a secret twin? Except that the wounds lined up too perfectly.
It almost seemed as though she had something she wanted to say, but was stalling, though such could not possibly be proven. And besides, she of all people did not have a problem with saying what she wanted to say, and that was a serious understatement.
”Ain’t too badlike. ‘Ad worse.” She then added after a moment, she herself looking for something to fill the silent gaps as well. At least she didn’t present any signs of intending to get up and leave, which was good - though an apt comparison could be made to some small, but sharp-toothed predator animal just skittish enough to nip and flee at the slightest movement, but that was more due to who she was in general rather than how she was acting presently. She appeared to still be trying to read, but was having a difficult time focusing due both to the sporadically fluttering eyelids and the sudden lack of will to actually continue for the moment. Besides, t was complicated and confusing stuff in there.
Unable to bring herself to say anything else for risk of giving him the totally incorrect impression that she had been sitting here for hours because she cared, Riley stayed silent, and realized with some frustration that she had been reading the same sentence over and over again, for no reason other than lack of focus.
Upon realizing that, Riley gave up on trying to read and instead just stared awkwardly at the screen, distressingly uncertain as to exactly what she wanted to happen next. She hadn’t thought this far ahead.
THe whole thing was just so surreal, on both ends - and nothing seemed to add up. Clearly she didn’t care about his condition, because she hadn’t asked. But those were a lot of coffee cups...
Having said three whole things, none of them beratings or insults, it seemed she had produced as much civil conversation as she was capable of, intentionally or otherwise.
She was lying, he knew it, but didn't really care, the moment was good enough as it was. She'd been watching over him, waiting for him to wake, did that mean she cared? He couldn't quite tell, but the sudden realisation did little to halt the ever growing impression he'd been developing of her. Ever since the two had ended up with both of them almost being carried off like animals, he'd been reevaluating his initial overview of her personality, now... she was there for him.
In a small way, he found it almost humorous the way she kept on lying poorly, even in the face of insurmountable evidence, the impression of the same determination playing on his mind as the one he'd seen when she held his gaze during those moments. Not in a mocking way, but more a good-natured, friendly way, as if he was watching the antics of a close and well-liked friend.
Ike opened his mouth to speak once more, yet any words he'd intended to say failed him, the surreality of it all hitting him, the vast difference from their first meeting, all colluding together to destroy and planned words he'd been building up. In a way it didn't feel like Riley, she was just too ... normal, sitting there in a cocooned position on the chair, apologetically reading whatever was on her device.
In the end, only two solitary words trickled out of his mouth, almost held back by a gulping motion beforehand. "Thank you." It was all he could think of on the spur of the moment, yet it was exactly what he wanted to say, he'd never been so scared, so injured before and she had been there to help him.
Suddenly it all came gushing out, no longer did he care if she listened and scurried off halfway through, he just needed her to know, to express how grateful he was. "Thank you for coming back for me, for protecting me, for being there for me!"
The synth trailed off, any further words jammed by a lump in his throat, bowing his head slightly, so that for a second Riley would be unable to see his face. A movement swiftly followed by his left arm being swiped in front of those shining violet eyes.
When he looked back up again the explanation for the sudden set of motions would become explicitly clear, small drops of water had pricked their way into his eyes and begun to trickle down his cheeks, the eyes above still sparkling like they'd been doing for a while. The corners of his mouth had twitched up into a smile that spoke of overwhelming relief and the tiniest hint of happiness. For once he'd been unable to control the muscles which ruled his face and the emotions it displayed.
Sitting there, he no longer had any of the traces of the government made, uptight and so far in status above Riley left. Now he looked more like a just another soldier, the same age as Riley herself, crying tears of happiness at having survived an ordeal that could easily have claimed their life.
In a small way, he found it almost humorous the way she kept on lying poorly, even in the face of insurmountable evidence, the impression of the same determination playing on his mind as the one he'd seen when she held his gaze during those moments. Not in a mocking way, but more a good-natured, friendly way, as if he was watching the antics of a close and well-liked friend.
Ike opened his mouth to speak once more, yet any words he'd intended to say failed him, the surreality of it all hitting him, the vast difference from their first meeting, all colluding together to destroy and planned words he'd been building up. In a way it didn't feel like Riley, she was just too ... normal, sitting there in a cocooned position on the chair, apologetically reading whatever was on her device.
In the end, only two solitary words trickled out of his mouth, almost held back by a gulping motion beforehand. "Thank you." It was all he could think of on the spur of the moment, yet it was exactly what he wanted to say, he'd never been so scared, so injured before and she had been there to help him.
Suddenly it all came gushing out, no longer did he care if she listened and scurried off halfway through, he just needed her to know, to express how grateful he was. "Thank you for coming back for me, for protecting me, for being there for me!"
The synth trailed off, any further words jammed by a lump in his throat, bowing his head slightly, so that for a second Riley would be unable to see his face. A movement swiftly followed by his left arm being swiped in front of those shining violet eyes.
When he looked back up again the explanation for the sudden set of motions would become explicitly clear, small drops of water had pricked their way into his eyes and begun to trickle down his cheeks, the eyes above still sparkling like they'd been doing for a while. The corners of his mouth had twitched up into a smile that spoke of overwhelming relief and the tiniest hint of happiness. For once he'd been unable to control the muscles which ruled his face and the emotions it displayed.
Sitting there, he no longer had any of the traces of the government made, uptight and so far in status above Riley left. Now he looked more like a just another soldier, the same age as Riley herself, crying tears of happiness at having survived an ordeal that could easily have claimed their life.
Robert started walking away, and headed to the security office, when he finally got there, he told one of the droids there, “there’s been an attempted kidnaping, so can you make sure that security checks and patrols get a boost for the time being?”
Riley was all ready to just blow it off. She hadn’t decided between a thumbs-up, finger-guns or dismissive wave of the hand, though was leaning toward the third option. She would say something equally trite and dismissive like ”No prob” or ”Ain’t nothin’ or ”F’geddit” or maybe ”Yeah I’m pretty great”, or even a snippy ”Yeah, you betta’ thank me.” and then just drop the whole thing.
And then, before she knew what was happening, a hot blush was crawling up from her neck and onto her face, the same baffled look of half panic, half deer-in-headlights that had come over her when first facing the android Danesh returning with a vengeance. She even pressed back into her seat a little - completely and totally unprepared for the bizarre display she was facing and having absolutely no idea what to do.
”I, ah, uh, I-” Her sputtering attempt at speech was closer to a noise than actual words, little more than a collection of syllables. Device leaning up against her thighs, her hands were free to fidget with nervous energy, the fingers of one hand sort of aimlessly kneading the fingers of the other. She blinked and then, as if realizing that she was totally floundering under that gaze of his which she even still could not place, an obviously forced scowl fell over the girl’s face - but mingling with the helpless blanche it looked more like slightly frustrated confusion than her usual biting snarl.
”Oyoy y-you stop that.” She said, trying to make it sound contemptible or hateful or something, anything except the nervous stutter that it ended up coming out as anyway. ”W-whatchu’ lookin’me like’at for. I-it ain’t nothin’ personal’like or nothin’. Jus’ business’right.” She continued, sounding as defensive as though she had just been caught in the act of some con or theft, and was trying to justify her way out of it. ”J-jus’ takin’ a shot at an enemy’s all, jus’ cause you ‘appen’a be there- An’ ‘sides, ‘elpin’ crew’s in th’job description.” And apparently so was consuming unhealthy amounts of caffeine and commandeering chairs from dithering robots because @#$% you I’m going in there
It seemed that she could go on sputtering that way forever, but abruptly the girl ceased her excuses as a wave of dejection fell over her like a wet blanket. Her shoulders sagged, eyes becoming introspective as she folded her arms over her knees, and rested her head on them so that only eyes and nose peeked out from over forearms. The position only seemed to make her look smaller. She did not look at him. ”An’ ‘sides.” She said, her voice musky with the same same rainclouds that had fogged over her eyes. ”I didn’t even do nothin’. ‘Cept git my ass ‘anded t’me an’ end up nabbed like you.”
With a little shake of the head, she looked downward a degree further, tucking her nose behind her folded arms so that only her cloudy eyes peered over, looking at the floor as if it were a barred window. Just as the shell of government-certified superiority had dissolved from Ike, so did Riley seem equally altered. It didn’t seem right - this small, soft, lonesome looking thing with the misty eyes that seemed to stare into some distant horizon through an iron-barred window could not be the same plucky brat who had snubbed him, talked down to the captain, and leap at an attacker armed only with a reasonably heavy wrench.
”Y’should thank the cap an’ that othe’guy, not me. They th’ones what did all th’work’n savin’ our asses. All’s I did was @#$% it up.”
And then, before she knew what was happening, a hot blush was crawling up from her neck and onto her face, the same baffled look of half panic, half deer-in-headlights that had come over her when first facing the android Danesh returning with a vengeance. She even pressed back into her seat a little - completely and totally unprepared for the bizarre display she was facing and having absolutely no idea what to do.
”I, ah, uh, I-” Her sputtering attempt at speech was closer to a noise than actual words, little more than a collection of syllables. Device leaning up against her thighs, her hands were free to fidget with nervous energy, the fingers of one hand sort of aimlessly kneading the fingers of the other. She blinked and then, as if realizing that she was totally floundering under that gaze of his which she even still could not place, an obviously forced scowl fell over the girl’s face - but mingling with the helpless blanche it looked more like slightly frustrated confusion than her usual biting snarl.
”Oyoy y-you stop that.” She said, trying to make it sound contemptible or hateful or something, anything except the nervous stutter that it ended up coming out as anyway. ”W-whatchu’ lookin’me like’at for. I-it ain’t nothin’ personal’like or nothin’. Jus’ business’right.” She continued, sounding as defensive as though she had just been caught in the act of some con or theft, and was trying to justify her way out of it. ”J-jus’ takin’ a shot at an enemy’s all, jus’ cause you ‘appen’a be there- An’ ‘sides, ‘elpin’ crew’s in th’job description.” And apparently so was consuming unhealthy amounts of caffeine and commandeering chairs from dithering robots because @#$% you I’m going in there
It seemed that she could go on sputtering that way forever, but abruptly the girl ceased her excuses as a wave of dejection fell over her like a wet blanket. Her shoulders sagged, eyes becoming introspective as she folded her arms over her knees, and rested her head on them so that only eyes and nose peeked out from over forearms. The position only seemed to make her look smaller. She did not look at him. ”An’ ‘sides.” She said, her voice musky with the same same rainclouds that had fogged over her eyes. ”I didn’t even do nothin’. ‘Cept git my ass ‘anded t’me an’ end up nabbed like you.”
With a little shake of the head, she looked downward a degree further, tucking her nose behind her folded arms so that only her cloudy eyes peered over, looking at the floor as if it were a barred window. Just as the shell of government-certified superiority had dissolved from Ike, so did Riley seem equally altered. It didn’t seem right - this small, soft, lonesome looking thing with the misty eyes that seemed to stare into some distant horizon through an iron-barred window could not be the same plucky brat who had snubbed him, talked down to the captain, and leap at an attacker armed only with a reasonably heavy wrench.
”Y’should thank the cap an’ that othe’guy, not me. They th’ones what did all th’work’n savin’ our asses. All’s I did was @#$% it up.”
His eyes were glistening now, the tears now streaming in uncontrollable rivers down his face, yet even more so than before there was no sadness in his expressions, more a joy of being alive. The grin too had become wider, a vast wave of emotions sweeping over his internal defenses and gushing out all at once, he was alive, she had watched over him. He was alive.
It took Ike a few moments of heavy gulping before any intelligible words could get past the choaking happy sobs which clogged up his lungs, consuming all breathing space for their own. Tears spilling out over his shirt and the sheet that'd been covering him until then, staining both with blotchy patches, creating the look of some sort of poorly made camouflage, to hide away from all of one's problems inside.
"Yeah, bu-" He paused, fresh tears and gulping interrupting any and all words for a few more seconds. "B-but you didn't have to put yourself into the action, you could have just sounded an alarm then hid safely away, y-yet you came and helped me!" He gave her the biggest grin his mouth could achieve, he was this far into saying exactly what he intended to, he may as well let his emotions show plainly. "An 'sides." a little giggle escaped his lips as he copied her inflection, a warm giggle, devoid of any of the mocking tones which had been there in their first conversation. "You didn't have to comfort me w-w-when we were trussed up."
He would have kept on stammering praise of her indefinitely it seemed, had he not just seen the dejected nature which had stolen across her like a particularly sneaky thief on a moonless night. The synth's eyesight was blurred through the tears yet the movements were unmistakable, the small engineer sitting curled up opposite him, the one he so admired was distinctly unhappy. Without even thinking or allowing time for his brain to process the actions his body was taking, the synth pushed himself out of the bed.
Slowly he attempts to approach her, doing his best not to make any sudden charges or movements, if she was in the same state as he was or anything like it, then any fast bursts of speed from anyone would be incredibly disturbing. That would be if he was even capable of speed himself, which considering the way his leg sent a small zip of pain, something he felt, but completely ignored, he couldn't have achieved anyway.
If he could reach her without any interruptions, or Riley herself moving out of the way he would begin to wrap his arms comfortingly around her in a gentle embrace. "Hey Riley - " He would gulp before continuing on, "You didn't @#$% anything up, you bought enough time to save me, you didn't need to chuck knives at me or gun me down, you were simply there with me. I - I - I admire you!"
It took Ike a few moments of heavy gulping before any intelligible words could get past the choaking happy sobs which clogged up his lungs, consuming all breathing space for their own. Tears spilling out over his shirt and the sheet that'd been covering him until then, staining both with blotchy patches, creating the look of some sort of poorly made camouflage, to hide away from all of one's problems inside.
"Yeah, bu-" He paused, fresh tears and gulping interrupting any and all words for a few more seconds. "B-but you didn't have to put yourself into the action, you could have just sounded an alarm then hid safely away, y-yet you came and helped me!" He gave her the biggest grin his mouth could achieve, he was this far into saying exactly what he intended to, he may as well let his emotions show plainly. "An 'sides." a little giggle escaped his lips as he copied her inflection, a warm giggle, devoid of any of the mocking tones which had been there in their first conversation. "You didn't have to comfort me w-w-when we were trussed up."
He would have kept on stammering praise of her indefinitely it seemed, had he not just seen the dejected nature which had stolen across her like a particularly sneaky thief on a moonless night. The synth's eyesight was blurred through the tears yet the movements were unmistakable, the small engineer sitting curled up opposite him, the one he so admired was distinctly unhappy. Without even thinking or allowing time for his brain to process the actions his body was taking, the synth pushed himself out of the bed.
Slowly he attempts to approach her, doing his best not to make any sudden charges or movements, if she was in the same state as he was or anything like it, then any fast bursts of speed from anyone would be incredibly disturbing. That would be if he was even capable of speed himself, which considering the way his leg sent a small zip of pain, something he felt, but completely ignored, he couldn't have achieved anyway.
If he could reach her without any interruptions, or Riley herself moving out of the way he would begin to wrap his arms comfortingly around her in a gentle embrace. "Hey Riley - " He would gulp before continuing on, "You didn't @#$% anything up, you bought enough time to save me, you didn't need to chuck knives at me or gun me down, you were simply there with me. I - I - I admire you!"
”Oy, com’ere Riles. Gi’over’ere a’ready. Lookit me. Why’s ye’all tear’d up’like? Ain’t nothin’a cry ‘bout. No, no I insist. Everything’s gonna’ be right’n’right. Wh- oyoy, gitback’ere. Okay, now ‘ug back. Wit’ye arms’like. No, take your arms an- like- no-... ‘right’en, I’ll jus’ hug you’then. Nope, y’ain’t goin’ nowhere kid. You’s stay right’ere’like ‘till them tears’is gone...Now see, ‘at’s bett’r ain’it? Right’n’right i’is. Oy'got’cha Riles. Oy'got'cha. Okay...”
She managed to squeeze in an almost offended ”A’did not.” at his mention of her comforting him, as if he had accused her of some embarrassing faux pa, before burying her face in her folded arms. ”A-an’ I a’ready told you it wan’t nothin’ personal’like s-so quit’ye cryin’.”
It was definitely for the best that Ike didn’t move quickly. Even now, the knowledge that an enemy combatant was being allowed to freely roam her own home base was eating away at Riley. That mort @#$% could be right outside the door, disassembling Danesh and preparing to burst into the room and murder them all. She needed to be on constant guard now. She hated herself for having had the horrendously stupid notion, even for a moment, that this might be a safe place. There were no safe places. Only places with varying degrees of peril. How the @#$% was she supposed to sleep at night knowing that there was someone on this very ship who she had every reason to believe would try to kill or kidnap her and h- Ike? Again! How could she feel any degree of security knowing that the captain of this ship cared so little for his own crew that he was willing to keep murderers and kidnappers aboard, putting everyone at risk, all over some stupid, holier-than-thou moral bull@#$%?
Surely he, of all people, must understand that there were some instances where it was either us, or them. One or the other. And this was such a clear case of aggressor and defender - why wasn’t he at least kicking them off the ship! Why! He didn’t want to kill them, fine - but wh-
Riley blinked. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ike get up. ”Sid’down ye’@#$% you’ll bust a fuse.” She grumbled, not looking directly at him. He didn’t take her advice. Riley blinked again.”Whatchu’ doin’.” She demanded suspiciously, but not viciously. As if he were up to some mischievous hijinks that were going to end in some inconvenience for her.
He moved closer. Her eyes widened marginally. ”W-what-”
He moved closer, and Riley seemed almost as if to break out into a sweat as synapses long unused fired off in her brain, only to find that they had no idea what to do. What was this? Why? What?
”O-oy cu’it’out. Stoppit. What’e’you- oy c’mon now-” She tensed, voice growing more uncertain as alarms blared in her head, and she found herself unable to flail out of the chair and go occupy herself with something else. Her body tensed, but she didn’t move. Her face was almost as red as her hair.
Almost as if expecting to be whapped on the forehead, Riley hastily buried her face the rest of the way into her folded arms, not unlike some kind of hermit crab curling panicked into its shell, preparing to weather some vicious attack. Or maybe as if she were expecting him to dump ice water onto her head.
And then he was there, wrapping his arms around her. He could feel the tension in her body increase some, but she didn’t try to shove him off or make a daring escape. If he didn’t know any better, she almost seemed somehow frightened, as if some shadowy demon was lurking just around the nightmarish corner, and if she only closed her eyes and willed it away, it couldn’t hurt her.
”S-stoppit.” She protested again, voice small and muffled. ”Go’way. Qui’it. You’s annoyin’like.” She continued, squirming uncomfortably in his arms, refusing to look up as if to acknowledge it with her eyes would bring some unwanted consequences. ”D-don’t do ‘at. ‘At’s stupid.” She demanded weakly, possibly referring to his admission of admiration, or maybe just the whole thing. ”I’don’t like you. @#$% off.” The words were a little harsher that time, but the tone and voice were just as pallid, and she had already made it quite clear that she was both bad at lying, and willing to attempt it anyway even when the evidence against her was overwhelming. ”I-I didn’t even mean to. Was’n’accident’like. I’s tryna’ ditch ye’when they got me.” That one even she realized was an incomprehensibly stupid thing to say, but she was tired and getting desperate. ”J-jus’ leave me’alone’like would’ye. Go’way. I got @#$%’a do.” As if she wasn’t already planning to just sleep in that chair for the rest of the night. And then, coming full circle, she repeated ”Stoppit. I ain’t nowhere f’nobody. Go’way. Shoo. @#$%off.”
And then, finally coming to the conclusion that no amount of humiliatingly unconvincing insistences were going to make him go away, and similarly coming to terms with the fact that she was just going to have to sit there and take it, because it wasn’t as if he was weakened and she could easily flail her way out of the chair and away from him. Clearly she had no choice in the matter and would just have to tolerate it without further protest.
So from that point on, Riley just sat, and squirmed in silence. Guess this was just her life now. No point in fighting it. But she didn’t have to appreciate it. And she totally didn’t. At all. Like, not even a little.
After finishing his sentence, The corporal realized how much danger they could be in, and start running to the infirmary wing, opening doors, waiting on elevators, until he got there, asking the receptionist, “hello I need the room number of an Ike... has laser blast wounds? Rushed in by Danesh?” He wanted, scratch that, NEEDED, to check and guard him, and from the what he was told, Riley was there too. “Two birds with one stone.” he thought.
Before Robert could reach the actual room in which the pair of them stood huddled up, he'd feel a soft tapping on his shoulder. If he didn't turn around immediately the tapping would become a solid if a tad rough touch on which shoulder deliberately attempting to spin the man around to face the opposite direction.
If he did turn around he'd come face to face with Kato who grinned apologetically down at him and the Ai working receptionist duty. The captain making a small mental note like he did every time he came down to the med bay, which was rare indeed to finally unfuze the machine from the chair it had been almost welded into by years of rusting in one place. However the sight of him wasn't the unusual thing, it was the two metallic arms which he had tucked under his which at first would draw the eye, which naturally would fall onto the girl half hiding behind the captain's massive cybernetic body.
A large robotic hand ruffled hand the girl's muddy brown hair, followed quickly by the same hand beckoning her forward and out from the safety that his inhuman body provided. The half pouting look the teen directed towards Kato spoke of someone who'd dearly like to have been able to gently but firmly push Kato's hand away, that was if she actually had arms.
Annag's emerald eyes glanced upwards at Kato before back towards Robert, "uhhhh." She stammered, looking completely out of her depth. "H...Hey Kato, I thought you said I didn't have ta interact wit no others!" The connectors for her cybernetic arms were still there, yet nothing was currently occupying the slots, they were simply empty, rendering her completely defenseless.
For a while Ike considered doing what the girls voice told him to do and simply back away, give her some space and cease his efforts to comfort her. Yet that wasn't him, not really, even after all he'd been through he was still stubborn enough to keep going with what he had originally intended. He'd come this far to wrap his arms tightly around her on his gammy leg, he wasn't going to give up now, besides he'd heard that tone before, not moments earlier and now he knew what it meant, she was lying.
It was strange almost he reflected, only hours, possibly days before, he didn't quite know. In the end his brain settled with it had only been before they were captured, however long ago that was, that he'd wanted nothing more to do with her, now he couldn't imagine a world in which she didn't exist to comfort him and vice versa. Without her, he'd almost certainly have ended up being dissected for some experiments back down on the Ringworld.
For a long time he didn't even say anything or even move much, wholey concentrated as he was on covering Riley in as large a hug as he could make it. She'd been through a lot, he could tell that, far and beyond what he had and if nothing else Ike was determined to use the time he had here to use his body as a shelter to protect the small engineer from the harsh realities of the world around her, whatever had gotten to her in the past, now had to go through the plucky and determined Synth.
When he did move it would be with the same slow movements he'd used to approach her, slightly widening his grip and lowering himself down to be on eye level with her, although he made no move to push away the knees that blocked the view between the two pairs of eyes, allowing her whatever privacy she needed. A fresh wave of happy tears trickled down his cheeks, he knew what he wanted to say next.
"You-" He faltered if only for a second, a tear choking his words before he reasserted them. "You're something to me, even if you don't like me, you'll be my friend. No matter what, I want to be there for you, to help you face the world like you helped me face it! I give you the promise not as a Fed or as a machine, but as a person, a person who think's you're amazing."
He didn't know what was coming next, but in a way he felt a lot better, he'd managed to say it, the thought that had been chewing away at his mind ever since he'd spotted her sitting opposite him in that chair. For him the thought of a rogue operative running around the ship didn't bring any immediate terror, he'd got Riley with him to support him and he was there for her. Besides, the synths mental process muddled along, even if was allowed to be free she'd be kept under careful watch by someone high up. In a way, he'd been right.
If he did turn around he'd come face to face with Kato who grinned apologetically down at him and the Ai working receptionist duty. The captain making a small mental note like he did every time he came down to the med bay, which was rare indeed to finally unfuze the machine from the chair it had been almost welded into by years of rusting in one place. However the sight of him wasn't the unusual thing, it was the two metallic arms which he had tucked under his which at first would draw the eye, which naturally would fall onto the girl half hiding behind the captain's massive cybernetic body.
A large robotic hand ruffled hand the girl's muddy brown hair, followed quickly by the same hand beckoning her forward and out from the safety that his inhuman body provided. The half pouting look the teen directed towards Kato spoke of someone who'd dearly like to have been able to gently but firmly push Kato's hand away, that was if she actually had arms.
Annag's emerald eyes glanced upwards at Kato before back towards Robert, "uhhhh." She stammered, looking completely out of her depth. "H...Hey Kato, I thought you said I didn't have ta interact wit no others!" The connectors for her cybernetic arms were still there, yet nothing was currently occupying the slots, they were simply empty, rendering her completely defenseless.
For a while Ike considered doing what the girls voice told him to do and simply back away, give her some space and cease his efforts to comfort her. Yet that wasn't him, not really, even after all he'd been through he was still stubborn enough to keep going with what he had originally intended. He'd come this far to wrap his arms tightly around her on his gammy leg, he wasn't going to give up now, besides he'd heard that tone before, not moments earlier and now he knew what it meant, she was lying.
It was strange almost he reflected, only hours, possibly days before, he didn't quite know. In the end his brain settled with it had only been before they were captured, however long ago that was, that he'd wanted nothing more to do with her, now he couldn't imagine a world in which she didn't exist to comfort him and vice versa. Without her, he'd almost certainly have ended up being dissected for some experiments back down on the Ringworld.
For a long time he didn't even say anything or even move much, wholey concentrated as he was on covering Riley in as large a hug as he could make it. She'd been through a lot, he could tell that, far and beyond what he had and if nothing else Ike was determined to use the time he had here to use his body as a shelter to protect the small engineer from the harsh realities of the world around her, whatever had gotten to her in the past, now had to go through the plucky and determined Synth.
When he did move it would be with the same slow movements he'd used to approach her, slightly widening his grip and lowering himself down to be on eye level with her, although he made no move to push away the knees that blocked the view between the two pairs of eyes, allowing her whatever privacy she needed. A fresh wave of happy tears trickled down his cheeks, he knew what he wanted to say next.
"You-" He faltered if only for a second, a tear choking his words before he reasserted them. "You're something to me, even if you don't like me, you'll be my friend. No matter what, I want to be there for you, to help you face the world like you helped me face it! I give you the promise not as a Fed or as a machine, but as a person, a person who think's you're amazing."
He didn't know what was coming next, but in a way he felt a lot better, he'd managed to say it, the thought that had been chewing away at his mind ever since he'd spotted her sitting opposite him in that chair. For him the thought of a rogue operative running around the ship didn't bring any immediate terror, he'd got Riley with him to support him and he was there for her. Besides, the synths mental process muddled along, even if was allowed to be free she'd be kept under careful watch by someone high up. In a way, he'd been right.
Robert turned around, seeing his friend, and a foe, he then said out of confusion“Oh, it’s the girl I threw A knife at, and I see you’re a bit...unarmed to say the least,” and thought, “why is Kato showing me...the...enemy?” and then it clicked, “it’s a sign to ease up a bit, or at least for the time being!” He then strapped the Velcro on the holster for the laser pistol, “well, that’s one down, another to go.” He sighed, realizing how conspiracist it would sound, but it is pretty believable, at least to him. “But I thought about something else, there could be others, and something tells me she wouldn’t tell who, or where, they could be.”
For one brief moment, Riley’s limp hands hanging to either side of her knees balled into shaky fists. ”I don’t need-” She snapped through gritted teeth, more harshly than her other insistences, though it also sounded close to breaking. Don’t need what?
A friend?
Help facing the world?
Someone to be there?
Your empty promises?
Your pity?
Your iies?
You?
But whatever it was she didn’t need, the girl didn’t get to saying it. Her words had the effect of a candle flaring the instant before burning out. Her hands went limp again, and her shoulders seemed to sag slightly, some - though not all - of the tension draining out of her with a sigh. Tiredly, she rubbed her eyes on her forearm.
”Ugh. Fine. Wh’ev’ye say. I’m great.” She said almost dejectedly, clearly not believing it, but surrendering regardless. ”Plastic fantastic.” She added, using an innocuous sounding M’draani-Mortugan slang term for ’cheap piece of trash’, a phrase which had come in quite handy given how few actually knew what it meant. There were a lot of terms in the M&M dialects like that.
”Jus’...” With that, Riley lifted her head just enough to just barely peek over the tops of her forearms, still beet red from what little could be seen, and with a similar expression of earnest concern and introspective fretting to the one which Ike had awoken to. But when she spoke, the implication of a faint, weak half-smile could be heard in her voice, even if not seen. ”Jus’ quit cryin, a’ready ye’rook.”
A friend?
Help facing the world?
Someone to be there?
Your empty promises?
Your pity?
Your iies?
You?
But whatever it was she didn’t need, the girl didn’t get to saying it. Her words had the effect of a candle flaring the instant before burning out. Her hands went limp again, and her shoulders seemed to sag slightly, some - though not all - of the tension draining out of her with a sigh. Tiredly, she rubbed her eyes on her forearm.
”Ugh. Fine. Wh’ev’ye say. I’m great.” She said almost dejectedly, clearly not believing it, but surrendering regardless. ”Plastic fantastic.” She added, using an innocuous sounding M’draani-Mortugan slang term for ’cheap piece of trash’, a phrase which had come in quite handy given how few actually knew what it meant. There were a lot of terms in the M&M dialects like that.
”Jus’...” With that, Riley lifted her head just enough to just barely peek over the tops of her forearms, still beet red from what little could be seen, and with a similar expression of earnest concern and introspective fretting to the one which Ike had awoken to. But when she spoke, the implication of a faint, weak half-smile could be heard in her voice, even if not seen. ”Jus’ quit cryin, a’ready ye’rook.”
Kato looked almost pained by the quality of the joke Robert had made as if it had actually wormed its way through, past his pain dampeners to have a stab at the metallic monster. Annag for her part merely rolled her eyes, taking a stance which showed she'd be furiously crossing her arms at this moment if she had any.
"This girl's name is Anna, she's under my protection now, she chose to voluntarily give up her arms after we had a quick discussion about it, try to think of her as one of us now."
The emerald eyed teen nodded slowly and warily, as if just the act of agreeing with Kato would suddenly transform her into a Fed, wiping all Mortugan history and blood away before replacing it with the same stuff that ran through the veins of all the others who lived in the biggest and most well-controlled cities. "There ain no one else on wit me on this ship, t'was only me and Angie " The words sounded harsh, like everything spoken in her rough dialect, yet there didn't sound to be any hints of maliciousness there, either she was very good at lying or telling the truth.
In that second, when he heard her voice snapping at him, Ike almost took an involuntary step backwards, even more, tears pricking their way into his eyes as she admonished him. Or at least it felt like an admonishment and in that moment a tidal wave of concern hit the Synth, had he overstepped some unknown boundary? Or did she simply just not believe him?
Whatever the answer was he stared wide-eyed at her, a million different possibilities running through the wiring in his brain. In the end, his processors settled on the simplest answer it could, it didn't matter what the actual answer one, the person he admired, saw practically as his personal hero was angry at him. The thought sent a shiver through his spine, yet even then he didn't stop doing his best to wrap his arms around the runt.
When she spoke next he managed against all the odds to actually put a smile back on his face, facing her with that same warm, relieved and above all, friendly grin. "Sorry I - I'm trying, but I don't think I can help myself much..." He tried bringing one arm across to brush away the tears that trickled down his face, only succeeding in rubbing them in, further muddying his face. In a way it only served to humanise him more, for a machine whose skin had been so artificial in look that to tell it apart from a normal human would have previously been easy, now the small scars, scrapes, and lines of tears that streaked down his face made the difference almost non-existent.
In that second an idea popped into the Synth's brain, he tried to push it down, yet it popped up within seconds. Like a jack in the box, it toyed with him, popping out whenever he tried to hide it away. Yet perhaps ... it couldn't hurt to try it at least. It was the one way his creator had shown warmth and friendship towards the Synth, the one expression that to that being could comfort him down no matter the situation.
Gently he reached forward with one finger and after a moment's hesitation pressed it forward. Attempting to place the finger, just for a second on the tip of her nose. Following it up with the friendliest smile available to him. "Boop"
"This girl's name is Anna, she's under my protection now, she chose to voluntarily give up her arms after we had a quick discussion about it, try to think of her as one of us now."
The emerald eyed teen nodded slowly and warily, as if just the act of agreeing with Kato would suddenly transform her into a Fed, wiping all Mortugan history and blood away before replacing it with the same stuff that ran through the veins of all the others who lived in the biggest and most well-controlled cities. "There ain no one else on wit me on this ship, t'was only me and Angie " The words sounded harsh, like everything spoken in her rough dialect, yet there didn't sound to be any hints of maliciousness there, either she was very good at lying or telling the truth.
In that second, when he heard her voice snapping at him, Ike almost took an involuntary step backwards, even more, tears pricking their way into his eyes as she admonished him. Or at least it felt like an admonishment and in that moment a tidal wave of concern hit the Synth, had he overstepped some unknown boundary? Or did she simply just not believe him?
Whatever the answer was he stared wide-eyed at her, a million different possibilities running through the wiring in his brain. In the end, his processors settled on the simplest answer it could, it didn't matter what the actual answer one, the person he admired, saw practically as his personal hero was angry at him. The thought sent a shiver through his spine, yet even then he didn't stop doing his best to wrap his arms around the runt.
When she spoke next he managed against all the odds to actually put a smile back on his face, facing her with that same warm, relieved and above all, friendly grin. "Sorry I - I'm trying, but I don't think I can help myself much..." He tried bringing one arm across to brush away the tears that trickled down his face, only succeeding in rubbing them in, further muddying his face. In a way it only served to humanise him more, for a machine whose skin had been so artificial in look that to tell it apart from a normal human would have previously been easy, now the small scars, scrapes, and lines of tears that streaked down his face made the difference almost non-existent.
In that second an idea popped into the Synth's brain, he tried to push it down, yet it popped up within seconds. Like a jack in the box, it toyed with him, popping out whenever he tried to hide it away. Yet perhaps ... it couldn't hurt to try it at least. It was the one way his creator had shown warmth and friendship towards the Synth, the one expression that to that being could comfort him down no matter the situation.
Gently he reached forward with one finger and after a moment's hesitation pressed it forward. Attempting to place the finger, just for a second on the tip of her nose. Following it up with the friendliest smile available to him. "Boop"
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