wнen тнe мoυnтaιn тoυcнeѕ тнe valley. (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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pullmeoutalive2014-06-27 11:45 pm
midvalley) wrote in pullmeoutalive2014-06-27 11:45 pm
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[ Penny wasn't the only artificial intelligence Atlas was working on, nor the only robot built with combat in mind. Her design was good for blending into human environments, for situations where a bit of subtlety might be in order, but sometimes intimidation worked better. Sometimes you needed a unit that looked menacing by default to strike unease into the enemy.
Sometimes you needed a predator, and that was what LQ-84i, codename "Blade Wolf", was designed to be - but not mindlessly so. He'd been granted a similar level of intelligence to Penny, though with a drastically different personality and a modified processor to allow him to think and assess situations differently than his humanoid counterpart. But there was only so much an AI could be tested by programs and controlled experiments, which is why today is the first day Penny and Wolf have been granted permission to roam the city not far from the facility in which they were assembled in order to see how adaptive their AI's really are. They've just reached the city limits now, having traveled on foot - Penny's appearance is suited for being seen in public, but they had to throw together a holographic disguise for Wolf's sake, his exoskeleton sure to cause some degree of panic if he was seen walking about.
Though his new appearance wasn't THAT much better. The fact that he now looked like an organic talking wolf didn't feel like much of an improvement, but at least he's trotting at Penny's side to appear domesticated. ]
I AM HESITANT TO ASSUME THIS WILL END WITHOUT INCIDENT.
Sometimes you needed a predator, and that was what LQ-84i, codename "Blade Wolf", was designed to be - but not mindlessly so. He'd been granted a similar level of intelligence to Penny, though with a drastically different personality and a modified processor to allow him to think and assess situations differently than his humanoid counterpart. But there was only so much an AI could be tested by programs and controlled experiments, which is why today is the first day Penny and Wolf have been granted permission to roam the city not far from the facility in which they were assembled in order to see how adaptive their AI's really are. They've just reached the city limits now, having traveled on foot - Penny's appearance is suited for being seen in public, but they had to throw together a holographic disguise for Wolf's sake, his exoskeleton sure to cause some degree of panic if he was seen walking about.
Though his new appearance wasn't THAT much better. The fact that he now looked like an organic talking wolf didn't feel like much of an improvement, but at least he's trotting at Penny's side to appear domesticated. ]
I AM HESITANT TO ASSUME THIS WILL END WITHOUT INCIDENT.
[ For her part, Penny seems rather oblivious of any strange looks being shot their way and is strolling along happily. ]
I'm sure it will be fine. I mean, you'll prooobably scare anyone who wants to mess with us away anyway.
I'm sure it will be fine. I mean, you'll prooobably scare anyone who wants to mess with us away anyway.
OUR OBJECTIVE IS NOT TO INTIMIDATE.
[ Says the giant wolf speaking in a blunt, synthetic voice - again, designed to be far more intimidating than Penny's cheerful tone. ]
THOUGH I AM PREPARED TO ENGAGE HOSTILES AT A MOMENT'S NOTICE, WE SHOULD PRIORITIZE NONVIOLENT SOLUTIONS TO ANY ALTERCATION.
[ Says the giant wolf speaking in a blunt, synthetic voice - again, designed to be far more intimidating than Penny's cheerful tone. ]
THOUGH I AM PREPARED TO ENGAGE HOSTILES AT A MOMENT'S NOTICE, WE SHOULD PRIORITIZE NONVIOLENT SOLUTIONS TO ANY ALTERCATION.
Well, no. But you are kind of scary.
[ She tilts her head to one side, considering his advice for a moment before nodding ] Right! That is why we're here, isn't it? Well... not to start fights, but to be peaceful.
[ She tilts her head to one side, considering his advice for a moment before nodding ] Right! That is why we're here, isn't it? Well... not to start fights, but to be peaceful.
[ He continues to plod along, turning his head to look up at her as he walks. ]
IF YOU CONSIDER ME TO BE "SCARY", DOES THAT MEAN I FRIGHTEN YOU?
IF YOU CONSIDER ME TO BE "SCARY", DOES THAT MEAN I FRIGHTEN YOU?
Oh! Not at all.
But it is sort of strange to see you with fur for a change.
But it is sort of strange to see you with fur for a change.
YOU THINK MY HOLOGRAPHIC FUR IS STRANGE.
IT IS LIKELY THAT MANY HUMANS WOULD CONSIDER MY DEFAULT APPEARANCE TO BE STRANGE.
IT SEEMS I WILL ALWAYS BE VIEWED AS STRANGE.
IT IS LIKELY THAT MANY HUMANS WOULD CONSIDER MY DEFAULT APPEARANCE TO BE STRANGE.
IT SEEMS I WILL ALWAYS BE VIEWED AS STRANGE.
I didn't mean it in a bad way! It's just... not what I'm used to seeing? [ a beat ] Is that worse or better?
I WAS SIMPLY MAKING AN OBSERVATION. I AM NOT OFFENDED.
THIS IS BECAUSE I AM INCAPABLE OF FEELING OFFENDED.
YOU LITERALLY CANNOT OFFEND ME.
THIS IS BECAUSE I AM INCAPABLE OF FEELING OFFENDED.
YOU LITERALLY CANNOT OFFEND ME.
Ohhh. I will do my best to remember that!
Do you have any preferences about where we go from here?
Do you have any preferences about where we go from here?
OUR OBJECTIVE IS SOCIAL INTEGRATION. I WOULD SUGGEST AN AREA OF MEDIUM-TO-HIGH POPULATION DENSITY FOR OPTIMAL FEEDBACK.
IF YOU DO NOT KNOW OF SUCH A LOCATION ALREADY, I WILL SCOUT AHEAD FOR ONE.
IF YOU DO NOT KNOW OF SUCH A LOCATION ALREADY, I WILL SCOUT AHEAD FOR ONE.
I happen to know there is a park in the center of town! That seems ideal, right?
[ A small nod, a strangely human gesture coming from a canine body. ]
I AGREE. IF THE SITUATION BECOMES UNFAVORABLE IT WILL BE EASY TO ESCAPE THE AREA WITH MINIMAL DIFFICULTY.
I AGREE. IF THE SITUATION BECOMES UNFAVORABLE IT WILL BE EASY TO ESCAPE THE AREA WITH MINIMAL DIFFICULTY.
Then it's decided. [ she will begin strolling thataway then! It has not yet occurred to her that the fact that she's hanging out with a talking wolf miiiight be weird. ]
They haven't let you wander around town before either, have they?
They haven't let you wander around town before either, have they?
[ At least it's a talking wolf that doesn't look like a talking cyborg... wolf... ]
I HAVE NEVER LEFT THE FACILITY UNTIL TODAY. ALL PRIOR EXPERIENCES HAVE BEEN IN CONTAINED ENVIRONMENTS OR WITHIN THE CONFINES OF VIRTUAL REALITY.
I HAVE NEVER LEFT THE FACILITY UNTIL TODAY. ALL PRIOR EXPERIENCES HAVE BEEN IN CONTAINED ENVIRONMENTS OR WITHIN THE CONFINES OF VIRTUAL REALITY.
Yeah, me neither. The soldiers are very nice! But I want to meet people. I want to make friends.
[ A pause. ]
"FRIENDS"? WHY? TO WHAT END?
"FRIENDS"? WHY? TO WHAT END?
[ Don't ask how Kasumi managed to get a small parcel over to Sanctuary all the way from Illium--don't even ask how she knew about Sanctuary. She just has her way of knowing these things, and it helps to be acquainted with the galaxy's most resourceful information broker. The important part is that the parcel is left for Maya still neatly wrapped, somehow, and complete with a bow.
Tucked under the ribbon is a note that merely says:
It's good to start with a classic before you get into the trashy stuff. Enjoy. - K
P.S. This novel was the first written by a woman to win a Pulitzer Prize waaaaaay back when, on Earth.
P.P.S. Let me know if you ever leave Pandora for some where less desert-y.
The parcel is a paperback copy of The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. Kasumi has always had a weakness for scandalous society romances, and she figures it's probably better to start Maya off the romance genre with something like this over something like the mysteriously infamous 50 Shades of Grey (seriously, how did that even make this far out in history).
Kasumi doesn't know if she'll ever find herself back on Pandora, but if Maya ever finds herself around Kasumi's side of the galaxy, she can bet that she will know and find her. ]
Tucked under the ribbon is a note that merely says:
It's good to start with a classic before you get into the trashy stuff. Enjoy. - K
P.S. This novel was the first written by a woman to win a Pulitzer Prize waaaaaay back when, on Earth.
P.P.S. Let me know if you ever leave Pandora for some where less desert-y.
The parcel is a paperback copy of The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. Kasumi has always had a weakness for scandalous society romances, and she figures it's probably better to start Maya off the romance genre with something like this over something like the mysteriously infamous 50 Shades of Grey (seriously, how did that even make this far out in history).
Kasumi doesn't know if she'll ever find herself back on Pandora, but if Maya ever finds herself around Kasumi's side of the galaxy, she can bet that she will know and find her. ]
[ It took her quite a while to figure out who "K" was, but when she did, there was no denying the amusement she felt. Kasumi must be good at her job indeed, to track her down here.
She reads the book, in fact she reads it several times. The others give her no end of shit about it.
But it travels with her when she finally leaves Pandora, tucked away in the recesses of her digistruct device as she searches for leads on the other Vaults. For clues about her Siren heritage.
It was only a matter of time before she found herself in another seedy dive bar- no matter where in the galaxy you went, those were a constant. She's seated in a corner by herself, flipping through the now well-worn pages of the paperback. ]
She reads the book, in fact she reads it several times. The others give her no end of shit about it.
But it travels with her when she finally leaves Pandora, tucked away in the recesses of her digistruct device as she searches for leads on the other Vaults. For clues about her Siren heritage.
It was only a matter of time before she found herself in another seedy dive bar- no matter where in the galaxy you went, those were a constant. She's seated in a corner by herself, flipping through the now well-worn pages of the paperback. ]
[ The fun thing about the Citadel was that, for such a place with so many people / aliens / whatnot, it was so easy to find someone you were looking for. Just a quick peek through the records to see who's passed through is all it takes, really, and it's almost laughable how easy it is for Kasumi to pull those up.
After the Normandy crew went their separate ways, Kasumi found herself checking the records whenever she was on the Citadel, just to see if anyone from the team might have passed through recently; at some point, probably after Kasumi sent the book, Maya made it on the list of people to check for. It's a habit she formed entirely out of curiosity, never really intending to meet, much less contact, anyone if it ever turned out that someone was around.
That intent might have held true for some of the Normandy crew, but this instance? Maya? Holy crap an acquaintance from the other end of the galaxy is in town? Hell yeah, she's going to hit her up. Or find her in the corner of the seediest, most Pandora-reminiscent bar she can think of in the Wards, as the case may be.
She's cloaked (force of habit, sorry) when she finally approaches Maya, so it might be a little startling when her voice comes through near Maya, seemingly out of thin air. ]
Great choice in reading, if I do say so myself.
[ It's only after she speaks that the thought to de-cloak even crosses her mind, woops. ]
After the Normandy crew went their separate ways, Kasumi found herself checking the records whenever she was on the Citadel, just to see if anyone from the team might have passed through recently; at some point, probably after Kasumi sent the book, Maya made it on the list of people to check for. It's a habit she formed entirely out of curiosity, never really intending to meet, much less contact, anyone if it ever turned out that someone was around.
That intent might have held true for some of the Normandy crew, but this instance? Maya? Holy crap an acquaintance from the other end of the galaxy is in town? Hell yeah, she's going to hit her up. Or find her in the corner of the seediest, most Pandora-reminiscent bar she can think of in the Wards, as the case may be.
She's cloaked (force of habit, sorry) when she finally approaches Maya, so it might be a little startling when her voice comes through near Maya, seemingly out of thin air. ]
Great choice in reading, if I do say so myself.
[ It's only after she speaks that the thought to de-cloak even crosses her mind, woops. ]
[ It's quite embarrassing, the way she jumps, hand going for the digistruct device at her hip. Thankfully, the lighting in the bar is dim enough to hide the way her cheeks color once she realizes who it is. ]
You scared the crap out of me!
You scared the crap out of me!
[ She might not be able to see the way Maya's blushing, but her body language and manner of speaking are enough for Kasumi to pick up on her embarrassment and she can't help but smile in response. ]
Woops, sorry. That's kind of a thing I do. I'll tap you on the shoulder or something next time.
[ Because saying hello not-invisibly like a normal person is totally beyond her. ]
Woops, sorry. That's kind of a thing I do. I'll tap you on the shoulder or something next time.
[ Because saying hello not-invisibly like a normal person is totally beyond her. ]
Yeah, if you still do that while in stealth mode, I don't think it'll be any better.
Really? Aw.
[ She takes the opportunity to take a seat, clasping her hands together on the tabletop and leaning forward. ]
Looks like the book's been through a lot with you, huh?
[ She takes the opportunity to take a seat, clasping her hands together on the tabletop and leaning forward. ]
Looks like the book's been through a lot with you, huh?
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