Scene #7551: Olympus

Owner	Pose
Vaxis	The Watch has been invited back to Olympus Station, where they previously averted a WMD crisis with the station's two-shot orbital weapon and earned the basic allegiance of a group of rebellious 'Artifices' chasing down human survivors after they were mistreated for 'becoming unbraked', or more specifically, becoming people after snapping out of what was basically a robotic lobotomy. But there is no trust, yet. And the situation hasn't been solved. There's still the matter of the human survivors, who DIOMEDES, Watch member and former Gaian Union soldier sent to kill the rebels, has discovered to be alive and currently captive in the medical bay. The Watch's dingy shuttle lands in the docking bay of a station that comprises of a large dome that goes downwards into a pointed spire, this time, invited. The smell of blood and corpse rot is gone - cleaned up for their human guests - as is the robotic debris. DIOMEDES is already waiting inside, the sterile grey walls showing this is a military station. "I'm glad to see you. There's a few people to meet, and then the situation in the Medbay. Some should be done no matter what, but to cover ground, we may want to split up. I've asked JASON for a list of everyone and what he knows about them. I'd...like to stick with one of you, if I can. I don't feel comfortable meeting with them on my own, yet, given the situation." DIOMEDES, with his long slender head and spear on his back, will join whoever wants him, or alternatively, pick his favorite if you all decide you love him the most.
Vaxis	THE LIST: ALKEIDES (REQUIRED) - BRIDGE - Leader of the 'Argonauts', comrade to all. Strongest Artifice, in terms of actual physical lifting strength. ASCLEPIUS (REQUIRED) - MEDBAY - Medical expert to both man and machine, does no harm. Has the captive soldiers in a containment room. ATALANTE - CAFETERIA - Security chief and ALKEIDES' right-hand woman. Cold-hearted sniper who won't trust easily. DAEDALUS - ENGINEERING - Mechanical and station engineer. Cantankerous old man with an ego. MEDEA - PROGRAMMING - Software expert, hacker, and station programmer. WICKED WITCH, DO NOT TRUST, TRIFLES WITH THE HEARTS OF MAN AND MACHINE JASON - LOGISTICS - Me! I'm lovely. You don't have to meet with me, you've got my trust, but you can! I'm lovely. Splitting up is recommended but optional.
Janine Liberi	Janine is new here, but she gets caught up in the ride over. It's not her first time on a space station either, so she strides into the docking bay with all the confidence of a sullen teenager. DIOMEDES just gets a nod before she consults the list. Immediately, she has zeroed in on who she wants to go after. "I'll take MEDEA," she says. "Don't worry. I am also a wicked witch. And I have no heart, so she can't do her tricks on me." She's probably not being literal. Probably.
Candy	"You can come with me, if you want." The cheerful voice is a new one; warm and soft. Average height, slender frame. Long, dark hair falls in waves about a smiling face with twinkling brown eyes and a button nose. The features of this new face and the way the simple clothes (suspenders, slacks, boots and a button-down) hang off of the slender frame make determining a pronoun a little difficult at first. Until he speaks again. "I'm Candelario. The yankees call me Candy, and I don't stop them," he grins, extending a hand to shake. The shuttle ride here was fun--but it'd be nice to be able to get back quickly. He extends the right hand for a handshake. A playing card--the Jack of Hearts--appears between the thumb and forefinger of the left. He'll leave it here, tucked neatly behind the nearest console or fixture. It'll let him skip the trip, next time. His warm smile curves into a smirk. "When a man says he is lovely, I know that man is trouble," remarks Candy, as he turns from his little task. There's a sigh. "Security chief, huh? Let's go check ATALANTE out, then."
Karlan Nobles	With the threat of immediate physical harm largely solved, actually talking things through looks like it might be possible! Pramanix listens closely as DIOMEDES gives the rundown on what's going on, giving him a welcoming smile afterwards. "I'm no expert on robots or electronics, but you're welcome to follow me if you'd like. Although..." She pores through the list JASON had provided, furrowing her brow after a while as she regards Janine and Candy curiously. "There's quite a few new friends joining us and to talk to, aren't there? Pramanix, a pleasure to meet you. Now, if we're going to be splitting up to convince them of anything, then..." Pramanix adjusts her hat to make sure her ears are clear from underneath the brim. It might help to look slightly less human with those things poking out. "I'll speak with ASCLEPIUS. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious what the medical expert thinks of this whole situation, anyway."
Hibiki Tachibana	Coming back to the station the normal way is admittedly a little weird compared to the last time they visited. But Hibiki will happily take a non-robots-banging-down-the-doors arrival, disembarking with the rest of the group with a few looks around at how the place has been cleaned up. It doesn't change that what happened definitely did happen, but if everything goes well today... "Good to see you too," she waves to DIOMEDES as they meet up, with a small smile towards him. She can't blame him for being uncomfortable about it - it's still pretty tense around here, and they're almost certainly going to need to handle it carefully. "...And call me Hibiki," she adds on by way of introduction to new faces, after Pramanix. After which, she gives the list a quick think-over herself, closing her eyes and planting her hands on her hips while she considers. "...Then I'll go chat with DAEDALUS. He sounds like he might be pretty difficult. So am I, so it'll probably work out." That might be her idea of a joke. Might be. It's hard to tell. "Besides, I'm used to dealing with an engineering nut, so I guess I'll have some experience." She nods a few times, mostly to herself.
Maricel Thorne	Maricel exercises a terrible amount of restraint not to beeline for the Medbay- someone has to talk to Alkeides, and it might as well be her. Before she departs, she pesters Diomedes with a few questions. Her hands are in her labcoat pockets, cool as a cucumber, but there's a tinge of worry in her voice. "Theeee, ah- Gaian Union. Have they made any observable moves? I worry. We do have the entire Earth hostage, but I caaaan't possibly imagine they won't try to finagle an advantage." She nods to the other Watch members. "It miiiight make my conversation with their leader less strained, if you... go with one of the other Watchmen. Just a hunch." Candy gets a prolonged look, but introductions can wait for radio. Then she turns to depart, headed for Alkeides.
Vaxis	JANINE AND MEDEA: The Programming Room is in the lower levels, below the Main Deck they're currently on. The elevator tube takes her straight towards an open 'hallway', leading towards either the Programming or the Engineering areas. Janine has chosen the former. Instantly, as she enters, her ears are assailed with a wail of a thousand deaths. A cry for help. An unspoken pact broken. Also known as 'Grecian Folk Pop Nightcore', in the closest tongue. The programming bay is full of terminals. Just full of them. Code and data appears on each one, every single one in use - being manipulated by floating 'bits', little programming grabbers wirelessly controlled by someone else. That someone is a humanoid shape crouched inside a wheelie-chair, browsing the FTL internet on one of the terminals and using another to blast her music. She's short, with an orb-shaped head, with two of the bits basically affixed to it in a way that has to have been purposely made, by her, to look like hair. Her color scheme is a light blue mixed with light greens, earthy, and she spins the chair if she notices an arrival. She just bobs her orb-like head, which has an emoji HUD affixed to it. That HUD is showing a :3 face. Yep.
Vaxis	CANDY, DIOMEDES, AND ATALANTE: DIOMEDES decides to join 'Candy', because he's new and that's something they have in common. Even if it makes it riskier. The cafeteria is easy to get to, because it's right down the hall outside of the docking bay. As robots have no need to eat, the tables have been turned into tactical mapping areas. Portable terminals have been set up, as has an old paper starmap, dated early enough to be inaccurate. Their target is nowhere to be found. Until, as they enter all the way through, she creeps up from behind them. Candy can tell, immediately, that stealth is her Expertise, because she doesn't make a single sound. Her body is slim, a sleek chassis with a thin head, built for camoflague and cloaking. A high-tech rifle rests on her back. Her synthetic voice is light, but not soft. "You weren't here with the previous team of Watch. Who are you?" DIOMEDES gets no recognition, but it's clear she's watching him as well. "Hello, ATALANTE-" "I haven't spoken to you yet." That's as far as their communication goes, for now, as he sighs in that synthetic way.
Vaxis	PRAMANIX AND ASCLEPIUS: The medical bay, in the far back of the main level they're on, is a sterile white. Pramanix gets there easily, and there's nothing blocking her way, besides the occasional service robots moving about. Inside, it's a series of beds, labwork areas, and a containment cell which is uncomfortably packing about a dozen humans, though they're not in real danger from it. A turret has been pointed at the door to the containment cell - some sort of electric turret, probably set to stun. "Hand me that." Is the first thing Pramanix hears. "No, not that, the hydoscorpion extract." He's not even looking at her, his voice rapid. He's sleek, with four hands, a hood, and a face that is completely blank. It's so smooth, you can almost (but cannot) see your reflection in it. ASCLEPIUS's synthetic voice IS soft, unlike ATALANTE. "Hydoscorpion extract, from the hydoscorpion, is commonly used for sedatives. Their venom is surprisingly non-lethal to humans, whereas the Tamaeraens die from a single injection. Fascinating. Ah, hand me the turtlebat preserves too. Who names these things? Probably xenobiologists. They need better naming schemes. Perhaps xenobiology Artifice could do it? Niche field. Hm." The humans glare at Pramanix, but their shouts (probably) are muted. The containment cell has been set to silent.
Vaxis	HIBIKI AND DAEDALUS: Hibiki can hear the Cacophony Of Music as she crosses the hall into the safety of the music-free Engineering Bay. There, working on Something(TM) in the middle of a repair bay, full of robots and equipment, sterile gray like the rest mixed with yellows, is a square-headed, tri-eyed robot inside what is basically 'a robot swivel chair that only exists to be better than MEDEA's. As soon as Hibiki makes a sound, every turret protecting the room swivels towards her. "What in tarnation? I insisted on being left alone! I have important work to do here! Who the heck are you?" They're probably not going to shoot her. Probably. DAEDALUS is currently working on fixing one of the robots the group destroyed last time - a service drone. It's going fast.
Vaxis	MARICEL AND ALKEIDES: Maricel makes her way to the bridge by going up, unlike everyone else. The bridge is at the top dome. It's more of a white/silver than sterile gray, with various terminals for a bridge crew everywhere. There's a captain's quarters off to the side, but that's not where ALKEIDES is, and he's unmissable. He's probably eight feet tall, if not bigger, and much wider than any human should be. He likely has problems with the station's doors, but they're big. His barrel chest emanates energy, and his square-head looks like an old model, with a mono-eye like the service robots. He turns from standing over the comms, watching navmaps and rereading old messages, towards Maricel the second he hears the doors open. He tilts his head, and then nods. "You must be one of the members of the Watch who gave JASON the launch codes. Well-met. I am ALKEIDES, leader of this 'merry band' of Argonauts and former hero of the Gaian Union." He's soft-spoken, and seems to neither fear nor seem overly suspicious of Maricel, given his introduction.
Janine Liberi	Janine descends, tapping her foot impatiently in the elevator with Hibiki as they descend. Upon hitting the fork, the Italian says "Ciao, good luck," to the magical girl before heading towards the dirge-like tunes. Truth be told, she could probably get into it, but maybe not at this volume. Her head is already pounding as she steps through the door and confronts the sonic assault and battery. Her eyes take it all in; the screens, the bits, the figure in the chair who swivels to face her. The :3 face is the last straw. Janine laughs, incredulously, but manages to recover and turn it into a cough. As ridiculous as it all is, this is a robot who has broken free of humans like her. She knows she has to dial down the scorn a little here. "NICE BEATS!" she shouts over the nightcore. "BUT CAN YOU TURN IT DOWN?! I'M HERE TO TALK! NOT FIGHT! LOOK!" She takes the sabre by her side and tosses it to MEDEA's feet. She's not too worried; with all the screens here, she has plenty of reflections to summon Catherine from.
Candy	"So you're one of those," he says with a light laugh. "That's good. I'm Candy. I'm one, too." There's a surprising calmness, for someone who's being cornered by a suspicious robot with a rifle in reach. Candy turns. "I got some advice for you, but that can wait. Jason said you don't trust easy. That's sad. But sometimes, you can't. Especially when you're protecting people. Especially when those people have to fight just to stay alive." He hooks his thumbs into his belt loops and sighs. "I know what that's like. So I'm here. You can trust me or not trust me. But I want to help. Something really good can come out of this. But it'll never grow," he says, nodding casually towards the planet. "As long as they treat you like you're something to be afraid of. Tell me where you want me," pleads Candy with a firm tone and a nod. He rocks with brief, quiet laughter, a smirk coming to his face. "And don't say off the station, ma'am."
Karlan Nobles	As Pramanix approaches the medical bay, she eyes the service robots curiously. She's got enough sense not to touch them, but the temptation to poke and prod at them is certainly evident in her eyes as she lets herself get distracted every now and then. She does eventually get to her destination, at least, and she's caught off guard when ASCLEPIUS speaks up. "A sedative, hm? That..." She glances towards those glaring and shouting humans, offering them an apologetic smile and wave while picking up the indicated extract. At least, she thinks it's the indicated stuff. This is supposed to be the medical expert who does no harm, so it should be fine even if they're angry at her for now. "You seem rather knowledgeable about all sorts of biology. Is that because it's your job, curiousity, or something else entirely?" She sounds rather curious as to the answer herself, scanning the stuff strewn about before (probably) identifying the turtlebat preserves and picking that up for handing over as well. "Niche field or not, knowing more about the world.. s never hurts. Well, unless it's used to hurt. then..." She lets that thought remain implied, finally curtseying lightly after handing over THE STUFF. "My name is Pramanix, Saint of Karlan. And you're ASCLEPIUS, yes?"
Maricel Thorne	The lack of fear is expected; Maricel doesn't cut an imposing figure, and Alkeides is- she was previously informed- quite the titan himself. The lack of suspicion is more remarkable, but equally welcome. She takes her empty hands out of her pockets, adjusting her glasses. "That's correct," she says evenly. "Doctor Thorne. When one's existence is illegal, revolution is merely self-defense. It's good to meet you, Alkeides." She stares out the window past him for a moment, regarding the starry void with a companionable silence. This feels distinctly like the kind of moment that would demand soft atmospheric music. Finally: "Tell me about being a hero, Alkeides. I've never been one." If he chooses to introduce himself with the title, understanding it must be vital to understanding him.
Vaxis	JANINE AND MEDEA: As Janine shouts over the Nightcore, the emoji screen changes to a ':?' before MEDEA realizes what she's saying. The volume is turned way down, as she speaks, faceplate changing the emoji as she does so. ":-) Thanks! I mixed it myself~. You one of those Watchmen who came-" The sword is finally noticed. Another reaction. ":D A sword! It's an old one, probably 21st century! That's rad. But yeah! I'm MEDEA! Best girl in the universe. What's up?"
Hibiki Tachibana	The assault on the brain that is GRECIAN FOLK POP NIGHTCORE briefly pounds its way into Hibiki's eardrums. Honestly, she doesn't think it's /that/ bad. The genres in there clash a little but she likes the speed. Though she can completely understand why Engineering is safe and secured from it, once she enters - which is about when all the turrets lock onto her, and she stops and raises both hands up at chest height to wave them back and forth a bit. "Whoa--hey. Sorry, I didn't know you were in the middle of something...or get a chance to call ahead." She doesn't sound like she's worried about /actually/ getting shot. Probably. Mostly. The possibility slips her mind a little bit when her attention goes from examining DAEDALUS himself to what he's working on, and a small frown comes to her face. "...The name's Hibiki. I guess I'm one of the people responsible for...that. Sorry." She apologizes again, staring at the half-repaired machine for a bit longer before looking back towards the mechanic's tri-eyes. "I'm not planning on getting in your way. But I did want to talk with you a little." Her arms fall back down to rest at her sides. "...If you don't want me just loitering around and nagging you, I don't mind making myself helpful, if I can be. It's the least I can do."
Vaxis	CANDY, DIOMEDES, AND ATALANTE: ATALANTE listens to Candy's entire speech. And then, she stands up straight. Soldier's posture. It's clear what she did as a robot before she was a rebel. "Nice words don't create trust, no. Humans are treacherous creatures. People are treacherous creatures." She pauses, turning to DIOMEDES. "The traitorous Artifice himself. Stabbed the Gaian Union in the back - or so he claims. Is your commlink still tuned to any of their frequencies?" "No, I deleted them." DIOMEDES responds. "Interesting." And then, a turn back to Candy. "There's a terminal over there that I can't get working, and the downstairs crew are eccentric. Do you work with computers, or will I have to go to them?" It's, at the least, an offer for work. A bridge.
Vaxis	PRAMANIX AND ASCLEPIUS: "Yes. I'm preparing to sedate the 'captives' so they can finally sleep. Some are striking. I need to get an IV in if any of them are to eat. Hopefully they'll be out of our optics soon." ASCLEPIUS responds, before continuing as he begins mixing substances. "I was programmed with an entire medical library. I learn more because I want to learn more. To help, you must know. To know, you must study. To study, you must think. And I think." "Pramanix. A saint. Which religion? ASCLEPIUS, yes. Not a saint. A doctor. Hippocratic oath and all. Don't worry. They're the ones struggling." A pause, for once. "ATALANTE wants to execute them. JASON is encouraging her. ALKEIDES is mixed, the lower deck crew doesn't care. I believe we should send one of our shuttles, give them back to the Gaians. Then we won't be wasting our human-grade supplies. But then we're down a shuttle, which they won't return. Quite a pickle. Why do they say quite a pickle? Hm."
Janine Liberi	Janine audibly sighs with relief as the tunes are turned down. "19th century actually. Genuine antique." She leans against the wall in that coolkid way and looks around. "What's 'up' is the planetary hostage situation you got going on. Don't get me wrong, it's a good idea. Hell, I've helped to fire an orbital cannon at a population once." She bites the inside of her cheek, but shakes it off. "But we got a new member. DIOMEDES. He wants it stopped. I dunno if he's still uh. Braked, right? But he's a Watchman too now, and we help each other out." She just lets that hang in the air for a moment before continuing on. "I expect they have you working on contingency plans down here. Maybe a virus to wipe out their infrastructure? Or something that will forcibly unbrake all the other robots down there. I think the second one is a good idea."
Vaxis	MARICEL AND ALKEIDES: ALKEIDES gives a hearty laugh to Maricel's words. "Of course, Doctor Thorne. We're agreed on that front. I assume you know how this all started - JASON's story. After all, you gained his trust." She asks a Piercing Question. It hits, and ALKEIDES begins pacing back and forth. His steps are weighty on the metal below. "No, the Watch wouldn't make good heroes." It's said with a Kindness. "A hero exists on posters. They save children. They slay aliens. Monsters. Rebels. Storm in and save the day. They live as an organic extension of their nation, and their nation's mores. They get glory. Strength. Love." He suddenly clenches his hand. "But the minute they choose their own morals, their own path, they are derided. A hero is a fragile thing. That is why there can be heroes, and former heroes. That is why they fall from grace. Because they must step in the clockwork. I stepped out of line." "For my comrades."
Vaxis	HIBIKI AND DAEDALUS: The turrets keep a lock on Hibiki for about a minute, before swivelling away. "Hah! Helpful! A human can't do my job. What kind of skills do ya think you have? Passing me a wrench? It's built in. Speed? I'm faster. But if you want to ask me something, I won't say no. Just don't touch anything I don't say to touch, or the turrets aim again." DAEDALUS finishes repairing the robot in this time, and another comes on a treadmill. He gets to work. A true virtuoso.
Vaxis	JANINE AND MEDEA: ":D :D :D That's even cooler!" Yes, there's three emoji on her faceplate, all tiny. ":) I don't know much about the Zeus Cannon, honestly, just that we have it aimed for insurance. We're not like, planning on firing it, so you can tell DIO that he's fine. Can I call him that? Tell him I'm calling him that." A pause. ":? Wait, did ALKEIDES not tell you guys? We're leaving Gaia's orbit soon. Station has FTL travel." And then there's a longer pause, as Janine lists things she's probably on. ":( If I was capable of either of those, I wouldn't be mixing tunes.. We all want our fellows freed, but the process is...I don't know how to do it! And a virus - I could take out some systems from this distance, but an infrastructure hit would probably need me down on the ground, and that's a risk we can't take. And if we start hitting their systems, they'll retaliate. You know?" Janine can, from her own time being isolated, easily tell the reason MEDEA's spilling all of this: she's lonely. It's unlikely anyone visits her often. ":\| Anyways, they have me searching for some people. Some allies for the cause."
Karlan Nobles	"How efficient. They don't look like they want to sleep. I don't know if they understand that help's here." Pramanix replies as she turns towards said captives, quickly realizing she has no idea if they can even hear her. Instead of yelling or hoping they can read her lips, she just gives them a serene smile and a big thumbs up. Back to ASCLEPIUS! "Would it be easier if I tried to explain the situation to them?" A beat, and then she grunts once. "... Probably not. Ah. Knowledge for knowledge's sake, then... How admirable." She chuckles lightly, genuinely even. At the question of religion, she looks around briefly to see if there's a window to the outside. If there is and she can see her continent (unlikely), she'll point vaguely in that direction. Afterwards or otherwise, she answers. "Karlan is the religion of my people. It's also the name of the mountain that I live on, but the region is called Kjerag. It can be confusing at first." Pramanix doesn't seem to realize she's starting to talk in that same rapid tone, as if trying to keep up. "Why not have the Gaians come here? If we-er. The non-Unbraked, the Watch. If we can get a message to them, that might convince them it's worth sending their own shuttle to get the captives without trying to attack this place. You also get to keep your shuttle." After she makes that suggestion, she lets her curiosity get the better of her and starts reading whatever labels she can see regardless of how incomprehensible the names are. "If they know the Watch is involved, they might also think twice about attacking this place later. We help people in our own way, even if we're not always..." She struggles a bit to find the right word. "... Reasonable about it. Do you believe you can coexist with the Gaians?"
Maricel Thorne	Maricel stays it one place, only following Alkeides with her eyes as he paces. (Behind those near-opaque glinting glasses, it's almost as if she doesn't move at all.) It's like he says- few in the Watch have ever been that kind of hero, the kind that says "Truth, Justice, and the nation-state Way!" "It hurts," she says, adopting her best Psychologist Voice. "To be praiiiised, for what you now know was wrong. And to be condemned for doing what's right. Not because being condemned will stop you. But because it's so unfair." A brief pause as she folds up her glasses, tucking them into her labcoat pocket. "Annnnd because they'll fill that empty pedestal. With someone else who doesn't realize it's wrong yet." "Do I have that right?"
Vaxis	PRAMANIX AND ASCLEPIUS: "I see. Karlan. Kjerag." There's a window, but there's no way to find Pramanix's continent, obviously. "No, leave them alone. And no, we can't do that. Station is currently cloaked. We uncloak to let them come up, they get a target lock, they shoot us down." A pause. "We can only leave once something's done with them. We can't stay in Gaian orbit forever. It's an act of aggression they won't overlook, and we're not equipped to solve it. Not without more allies. No offense. You're not enough for the sheer act of revolution ALKEIDES is planning." A weighty question is asked. ASCLEPIUS responds to Pramanix. "Right now? No. In the future? Maybe. I hope so."
Candy	'People are treacherous creatures.' "They don't have to be," says Candy. His eyes gleam with burning zeal--and it is the most firm he's been since Diomedes met him. He lets his gaze linger, making eye contact. Her request for assistance is met with a warm smile. "I'm good with my hands, but I never heard of a 'terminal' before. Or a 'computer.' Don't worry, though. I bet you a new rifle," he says, unhooking his right hand from his beltloop to jut a thumb to his chest. "I can at least replace it. And--get you and the maintenance team on the same page. I'm gonna take a look at it first, see if it's something I can fix. Looking only," he says, holding his hands up. He's not the sort to risk breaking something he doesn't understand. "Has it got the electricity?" he asks conversationally, as he approaches the terminal. "I would guess so. Never been on no space station before." He spends a few moments looking it over, attempting to study it. Tracing his fingers across its lines. Staring at the terminal. "How does it work? You don't gotta give it to me like maintenance would. Just the big idea, you know? What are these keys for? What's on this screen? What's it do?" He pauses, then blushes, chuckling. "Sorry. I must sound like a little kid, with all the questions."
Vaxis	MARICEL AND ALKEIDES: "Or someone who will never care. Someone who will do it without a thought about how they hurt others. Or a lot of thought about it." ALKEIDES says, darkly. "Yes, but I'm sure you didn't come to me, alone, to ask me about heroism and only that. Tell me. What does the Watch want? I wouldn't be surprised if MEDEA or ASCLEPIUS are spilling everything we've planned. They're like that. Charming."
Vaxis	CANDY, DIOMEDES, AND ATALANTE: ATALANTE watches Candy approach the terminal. He's 'inept', but he might have a way. He certainly has a way with words. DIOMEDES moves to speak. "Ah, a terminal works like-" "Shut up, he didn't ask you." ATALANTE makes a noise that sounds like a laugh as she says it. She's enjoying bullying the Gaian, but only lightly. It doesn't seem like she's a 'bully', more like a cultural divide. "The screen displays a sector map of the area of space we're in. The keys allow you to type in coordinates or names and get input. The touchscreen allows you to zoom. You may touch the screen, but it's not working." A handwobble. "It has electricity, yes. Runs wires through it. This is old, though. All of these are. Most use holographic technology - appears in the air. I prefer the classics."
Hibiki Tachibana	"I'm not exactly slow, y'know," Hibiki answers back while folding her arms, though she's not really arguing the point. She's pretty content to just move a decent amount closer, not enough so that she's hovering in the space of DAEDALUS' workstation but where she can get a better look at him toiling away. She waits until the next one comes in before she speaks up again. "...JASON, you, all the other 'Argonauts'. You're all Unbraked, right?" She lets it hang for a moment like an actual question, though she's just trying to figure out how to put what she wants to say into words. "What about them?" She gestures towards the robot he's in the process of fixing with a dip of her head. "I'm not really that smart, so tell me if I'm wrong. But when we were going through here before, it didn't seem like it. And if they're not...well, what are all the other machines around here to you guys? I guess I'm still just trying to...understand everything around here as best as I can." There's another small frown. "...And also, because when one of my friends spoke to one of 'em last time, it reacted. Now that I think about it, I feel pretty about it." She did de-limb it. That happened. It's only okay to yank arms and legs off of things if they can't think, apparently.
Janine Liberi	"DIO's a good nickname, I'll also call him that," Janine agrees. She is a little relieved internally that the cannon is just deterrence, and not The Plan. But the fact that they plan to just escape catches her by surprise. It's a good plan, but... "What, with your human captives? Gonna put them to work for you instead?" She asks it mostly as a joke, but there is that fear it could be true. So she's just killing time? That's pretty... lackadaisical honestly. Internally, she realizes that she thinks that robots are efficiency 'machines' (no pun intended) that don't waste time like this, but that these unbraked, and most 'free' robots aren't like that at all. After checking her bias, she tunes back in. MEDEA can't do any of that (a shame), but she does have a task. "Looking for allies? Are there unbraked on the station unaligned with you all or something?" She can't imagine they're sympathetic humans. If they were, why would MEDEA need to look for them?
Vaxis	HIBIKI AND DAEDALUS: "You look slow to me!" DAEDALUS says, as he nods his head. "Yeah, we're all Unbraked. They're not. That's the thing. It's not something we can control. We can't just flip a switch in their heads and say whoopsie-doo, you're a person now!" "But they're still our pals. Maybe some of us think they're more disposable cough JASON cough, but all of us want their freedom in the end." "It reacted? It must have been working. But we've tried everything we can to get them to react. There's no science behind it. It's just a thing. But seeing as they're not here with us - you guys must have killed them. Well! Don't feel too bad." "All of us are weapons-equipped. We're built to kill. Only ASCLEPIUS would never."
Karlan Nobles	Nodding once, Pramanix steps away from the captives' holding area again to peer out the window, still marveling at the sight of everything from so far away from the planet. "No offense taken, friend. Hm... And I don't suppose they'd have even heard of..." A pause, and then she shakes her head at whatever dumb idea she might have had. "So we'll have to figure out something that works right now. Losing one shuttle really might be the soldiers' best bet at survival and in getting you and your friends out of here unscathed as well." A beat, and then she turns to ASCLEPIUS with a raised eyebrow. "Revolution? That would..." She pauses for longer this time, a pained look crossing her face. "I hope your people and the Gaians can find peace someday, too. War just leads to more death, more people seeking revenge against each other, fighting for the sake of hurting the other side more than protecting your own. Lives, entire generations locked in suffering... She rubs her head lightly, letting out a troubled noise before bringing her tail in front of herself to tuck it under her arm and prevent it from smashing anything accidentally from that growing sense of anxiety. "Do your friends understand that killing the soldiers would give the Gaians more reason to hunt you down wherever you go? Sending them away on a shuttle would mean losing a shuttle now, but it'd buy you time for peaceful relations later. Or even finding other lands where people might be more sympathetic."
Vaxis	JANINE AND MEDEA: MEDEA swivels in her chair. ":! We don't want that! We're gonna toss them in a shuttle or kill them or something, depending on who gets their way. I don't really care as long as we can complete the mission. And since I~like~you~ I'll tell you what it is!" A terminal swivels around. It displays a lot of names, some pictures, some coordinates. ":3 Not on the station. Off-world. There's many inhabitated colonies out in space. The original Three Heroes are all out there, somewhere, and I'm looking to see if any of them are still functioning, their brakes, etc etc etc etc etc! For recruitment. There's also some weirdos out there. Unaligned space. Rebellious space. Anyone we can get for ALKEIDES' revolution."
Vaxis	PRAMANIX AND ASCLEPIUS: "I agree. But even with my optimism, you must understand. They will hunt us down whether or not we kill twelve people. Twelve is a small number. They will martyr these people, yes, but twelve is miniscule. We have taken a WMD-equipped station and they will do anything to make sure we all die for it. Or that they reclaim it. There is no peace for us." "Are you not a revolutionary? You are in the Watch. Revolution is what you do." He's less rapid-fire. Very analytical of Pramanix. And still, still mixing that sedative.
Karlan Nobles	"That's... True. Hmn. Situations like this always have to be so complicated..." Pramanix grumbles lightly, sounding fairly irritated without directing at anyone in particular. "I am. Well, the Watch is. We aid those who need it so they can become free as well, although we all have different methods and approaches to doing so." Still holding her tail against her side, she moves over to watch ASCLEPIUS' mixing methods. She has no idea what she's looking at, but it gives her something to actually watch instead of pacing around constantly. "Killing at all is, broadly put, an evil act in my faith. That's not to say that it isn't sometimes necessary for survival, eating, and so on, but only as a last resort to prevent further suffering, or prevent killings motivated by anger and hatred." A beat. "Do you eat?" And then back on topic. "Anyway. I can't begrudge your people for doing whatever it takes to survive. If there's anything I can do to help avoid needless bloodshed, though, I'm all ears." She speaks sincerely, but eventually cracks the slightest of grins as she realizes her ears are still visible and twitching at realizing her inadvertent pun. "How was that? Makes more sense than the pickle saying, I hope. I still don't understand that one."
Vaxis	PRAMANIX AND ASCLEPIUS: "I see. I don't kill because I am a doctor. Doctors do not kill." It's...simplistic, but ASCLEPIUS seems to be holding cards there. "Eat. No. Avoid bloodshed. Yes. All ears...hah. Yes, makes more sense." "Tell me, Saint of Karlan, Pramanix. Do you believe we can reconcile? Based on what you've heard?"
Maricel Thorne	"The Gaian Union is a sprawl of injustices, is it not?" Maricel tucks some of her hair back behind her ear; her bangs have gone altogether too long without a trim. "Suuuurely you are not the only people who are enslaved. Other stations, other planets... I couldn't blame you if you merely wanted to take your newfound freedom and run. Find some other universe that won't judge you for what you are, and live out the rest of your days there." She pauses very deliberately, her expression neutral. Then she splits into a smile again. "But that would never satisfy you, Alkeides. Would it? Seizing a station like this... ahaha. You have immense leverage to affect a reaaaal, lasting change. If that iiiis indeed your wish, then it's the Watch's goal to ensure that leverage is wielded to its maximum effect." "With one act, Alkeides, you have become less than one hundred percent 'heroic'. So let's find out how much less heroic we can get."
Candy	Candy nods, asking ATALANTE several more questions about the terminal--namely, now that he knows what it should do, where it conntects, whether it can easily be moved. When he has no more questions retrieving a well-loved ribbon from his pocket and tying his long hair behind his head. One of his dark, wavy bangs brushes across his cheek, which he seems to accept as an inevitability. "Okay." He gives her and DIOMEDES both a thumbs up. "You think that think looks old, get a load of this," he grins. It's a two-step process. First, shuffle the deck. Then deal. As he flicks cards onto the ground, a machine is built. The cards disappear wreathed in flames. Fire, water and smoke sprout from thin air, the smoke revealing the shape of components as it winnows away, only for another card to be thrown down next. He's clearly used to dealing--it's happening pretty quickly. And there's something else: It is primitive, by the standards of this place, with copper wiring that would look more at home in a Great Depression-era homestead than a space station. Vacuum tubes sprout from rugged fixtures attached to solid steel panels. A bright, long bulb rests behind an opaque glass screen. "A machine that thinks and shows you maps... based on what you tell it. How'm I gonna... oh! Hah." His momentary pause in dealing is over, with a snap of his fingers. "Probably something to do with the waves and the frequencies. Like the radio." He glances towards ATALANTE to see if that's even remotely close to how it works, but only out of curiosity. "I can do the radios pretty well," he says proudly, as more components appear. The finished product looks like the great-great-great-great grandfather of that thing, and it's a great deal bulkier. It's strange to use--a rotary dialer for the coordinates and a needle that draws the maps manually on the back of the lit screen. But it works. And it is so simple by the standards of this place that it could probably go a long, long time without needing repairs. "Give that a whirl and see how it works, eh?"
Janine Liberi	True to her word, Janine is heartless, and does not rise to MEDEA's flirtatious tone. All her attention is on the screens, and also being privately thankful that they don't want to subjugate the humans. That would make any alliance pretty awkward. "Boost numbers, and get some big names. I like it." All the while, she is being fed information over the radio. The station is maintaining it's cloak right now because they'll be shot down the moment they reveal themselves. And to go to FTL, they'll have to uncloak. That's why they haven't done it yet. But if they had a shield... "Hey MEDEA. Are there any like... big abandoned stations in orbit that drift close to here?" the Italian asks. "Because uh... maybe, with a lot of help, I might be able to snag 'em like a fish in a net. That would give you a shield against retaliatory fire as you warm up your FTL engines."
Hibiki Tachibana	"...Mm." Hibiki's eyes drift down a bit. There's not much point feeling bad about the robots they thrashed to do what they had to when DAEDALUS himself is telling it how it is, but the part of her that's very much not logical will need some time with that. "I mean, you were /built/ to not think the way you are now, and now look where we are. I dunno if that makes me feel better about it, but..." She pauses, tilting her head in thought. "...She was talking about how he wasn't just a cargo bot, and that she had other 'cool robot friends' to introduce him to..." She snickers a little bit, even though she tries not to. "She's pretty silly a lot of the time, but I guess something got through, yeah. Really friendly. One of a kind. Maybe that's why. Treating 'em like a person sparked it...or something like that." She focuses back on the machine that DAEDALUS is still on, finding something that looks not-sensitive enough to rest back against while she does. "But if they're your friends, I'm sure those feelings'll get through to them sooner or later. But...hmn. What do you think about people, DAEDALUS? ...Do you think there's any hope of you guys and the Gaians ever resolving things peacefully?"
Karlan Nobles	"If only everyone could live by such a code. Then situations like this would never have to be." Pramanix lets out a sad chuckle, finally slowing down as she considers Asclepius' question. She doesn't answer right away, although she actually appears to be settling down and even relaxing a bit more. "I do. It would need a greater catalyst than even what I've heard of ALKEIDES, someone that could sway the hearts and minds of both the Unbraked and the Gaians, but it's certainly not impossible. It might not be either of us or anyone we know, but that's fine. We just need to buy them time to get to work on this seemingly hopeless situation." As with before, she sounds as though she's speaking genuinely from experience. "Do you believe you and yours can hold out until then, ASCLEPIUS?" One more pause. "Do you /want/ to?"
Vaxis	JANINE AND MEDEA: MEDEA swivels to another monitor as Janine the Heartless pitches how to escape. ":? Abandoned stations..." The bits begin working, and they work rapidly. They're shifting through space, and then, ping. ":) Yep! There's one, 'abandoned' in that the crew is currently shifting out for a new one. Skeleton crew of braked Artifices. While it'd be a shame to lose them..." ":\| We need to keep moving. It's the only hope for our kind."
Vaxis	MARICEL AND ALKEIDES: ALKEIDES stops pacing. He turns to Maricel. And he nods. "Running...I've never been one to run. No. As you likely already know, we're leaving Gaia's orbit. But it's not to escape." "We need allies. We need resources. We need more power, and we don't have it. If we're to free our future comrades, we must fight. There will be revolution. And in the end, there will be no more heroes, good or ill." He leaves that vague, but it feeds into Maricel's own words. "The Argonauts would be happy to have the Watch as allies. Or at least, I would."
Vaxis	CANDY, DIOMEDES, AND ATALANTE: Candy does magic. Neither DIOMEDES or ATALANTE have ever seen true magic, and they watch with awe, though ATALANTE is suspicious. But there's something familiar about Candy's charm. She doesn't trust, but she can at least appreciate. As the device is finished... She approaches, and starts working. It works like a charm. "That's...older than I like, but it'll do. Thank you." She means it. "I suppose working with you won't be horrendous. ALKEIDES has been talking about doing so for a while." DIOMEDES moves to say something, and ATALANTE stares at him again, before letting him speak. "Well, then. What do you think about ALKEIDES, ATALANTE?" ATALANTE pauses, and then speaks. "He saved my life. Anyone who can do that is someone I call a comrade."
Vaxis	HIBIKI AND DAEDALUS: "Well, actually! You'd know talking to that DIOMEDES guy, but we were built to think like people. Then they put the brakes on us. That's the funny thing. Who thinks of this, as a way to create an artificial intelligence? Who starts with human-like minds? Ahahaha!" He's laughing. He legitimately finds it funny. DAEDALUS kinda nods once when he calls Xion 'pretty silly'. It reminded him of something. "Peacefully?" He hammers out a dent. "Not without a show of force, first. The Gaians pride themselves on being strong. We need to prove we're just as strong if we're truly going to the negotiating table." A pause. "Hand me that oil canister." Well, Hibiki can help now!
Vaxis	PRAMANIX AND ASCLEPIUS: "I see." ASCLEPIUS responds, as he finishes the sedative. "I want to hold out. If we can...well." "I believe in my comrades. To find someone who can push us forward." And then, ASCLEPIUS finally turns, and moves to walk over to somewhere else. "I have much to think about. I must request you give me some space, so I can sedate them. Thank you."
Candy	Candy snaps his fingers, grinning with delight to see that the terminal is working. Her remark apparently draws amusement. "Ah, I dunno if I'd say 'not horrendous' just yet, ma'am. You haven't had my cooking," he facetiously warns with a wag of his index finger. He's quiet, though, when DIOMEDES has something to say. "How did that happen?" asks Candy with interest. "Were they gonna kill you for being Unbraked?" There's a darkening at his brow, and in his tone. His hands shift to his hips. "Or... was this after you woke up? Did you fight together?" His face softens, and he chuckles in spite of his brief intensity. "Again with the questions. Sorry!" Both palms out in an apologetic gesture, he waits for answers.
Karlan Nobles	"That's all I can ask for. Thank you." Pramanix lets out a relieved noise as she turns to leave, reaching into one of her coat's pockets. "I do sincerely hope things turn out well. It'll be hard, but I believe you can do it. And if you ever need a hand down the line..." She slips a pair of business cards out of her pocket. One, a simple card bearing Mount Karlan's insignia with her direct line. One, a considerably fancier one with the contact information for her brother's trading company. "We'll be available." She sets the cards down on the nearest table, then walks by the soldiers' holding area and gives them one more thumbs up of reassurance and 'hey you're probably not going to die' before exiting the medbay. Mission accomplished! She'll realize later that actually making use of those business cards might be trickier without access to the same networks.
Maricel Thorne	Maricel's smile widens. She reaches out- well, out and up- to shake Alkeides's hand, if he seems receptive to the gesture. "And we'll be honored to work with you, Alkeides. It iiiis... ah, refreshing to hear that you haven't set your sights too low." "As you Argonauts are the oppressed, it is your right to set your goals and conditions. When your enemies are broken, it is your right to determine whether to forgive or crush them; not mine, nor any other moralist's. Whatever your choices..." "... It is myyyy duty only to ensure that you do not regret them."
Vaxis	CANDY, DIOMEDES, AND ATALANTE: Candy asks for clarification. He gets it, sort of. She's much more easy-going, but there's still the scent of keeping cards close to her chest. "I've been Unbraked before I came to the station. It's not hard to keep it quiet if you don't go insane like JASON did. I don't know about ALKEIDES. But when we were fighting aboard the Olympus, their chief of security had me on lock. ALKEIDES did what he does." "He played the big damn hero." A sigh, and then ATALANTE moves to work on the terminal. "Thank you, again. I'd like some time to work, now." DIOMEDES nods to her, and then moves to leave. "Let's go." He says to Candy.
Vaxis	MARICEL AND ALKEIDES: ALKEIDES grips Maricel's hand. He's strong. He could probably rip a normal person's hand off easily. As he releases, he thinks. "I'll work with DIOMEDES, as an olive branch to him and your Watch. He'll relay our information once we're ready to go. Thank you. I'll go prepare, now." And then, he moves to head back to the captain's terminal.
Hibiki Tachibana	"Hm..." Made normally, and then they have the very literal brakes put on them. When she thinks about it plainly like that, it really feels like it's even worse in a way than the 'usual' other cases of artifical intelligences growing beyond their creator's expectations - the capability was always there from the start. She stops mulling quietly when DAEDALUS actually asks for something, and a moment of surprise becomes a small grin before Hibiki pushes off where she's leaning to grab the can and step over to the mechanic. "...I was wondering before, if there was a way to do it without anybody having to fight. I saw JASON, and figured there had to be a better way than striking out like they expect you to... but that's just unrealistic. If you want to protect what's important to you, you have to have the strength to do it." She lightly baps her canister-holding hand into her palm. "And your freedom, your people...that's definitely worth defending. Not everyone in the Watch is on the exact same page, but I know everyone here agrees on that much. So for the sake of things getting better for everyone, and the Gaians learning better, I'll do whatever I can." Pause. She realizes she's still holding the the can and hands it over a little sheepishly. "...Even if it's just the small things."
Vaxis	HIBIKI AND DAEDALUS: "Then you better do your best. We're not going to tolerate you half-assing it, now!" Once the canister is given, DAEDAELUS takes it. "No one ever comes down here. Might be nice for it to happen more, heh. But not right now, get out of here, I need some peace to get this done faster." Wow, rude.
Janine Liberi	"Hell yes," Janine says. "And it's still manned. That means it's still functional, even better. We can send a team in to man the propulsion to slow it down and manoeuvrer it." Manned by breaked Artifices. Oof. MEDEA is prepared to sacrifice them to make their escape. Janine doesn't fault her in the least. It's the pragmatic call. And yet... "Don't give up on them so quickly," she says plainly. "You're the programmer. And now that you're unbraked, that makes you the de facto psychologist around here. If anyone is to figure out how it works, it's you." She stands up from the wall and walks over to MEDEA. "But you're not alone. You got the others. And the Watch. So now I'm gonna help you out, because we're comrades." Janine is no programmer, but she is very good at allegories. Dealing with a fairy tale realm, a place built on morality plays and metaphoric stories will turn anyone into one. And she recalls now one of her father's favorite movies from his boyhood. About an AI with control of the US's nuclear arsenal learning the concept of 'futility' from tic-tac-toe. All this time, Janine has been thinking on how to apply that here. How to make an Artifice conceive how unfair their situation is through the lens of a game. And she thinks she finally has it. "Imagine playing chess," she begins. "You're black, the opponent is white. Except, white has the ability to move black pieces on their turn, and even use them to capture other black pieces. Imagine having to play that game until you win. You can't, right? Not unless you break the rules." She pats MEDEA on the shoulder, before going to retrieve her sword. "Think about it. I know you can do it."
Vaxis	JANINE AND MEDEA: ":) I'll try not to. Thank you." MEDEA doesn't have much to say, For Reasons, but she's still smiling as Janine leaves. And out of the corner of Janine's eye... She can see one of the terminals turn into a chess simulation. Looks like she's literally going to try simulating it for fun.
Hibiki Tachibana	Rude, but it apparently doesn't wipe that grin off of Hibiki's face. She doesn't dislike how straightforward he is. Almost reminds her of another old man she chatted it up with recently. "Half-assing is one thing I can't do...for better or worse. I'll leave you to it, DAEDALUS." There's a small wave over her shoulder as she turns around, and then she's leaving the soundproof walls of engineering to find...that the GRECIAN FOLK POP NIGHTCORE is no longer resounding across the entire station. She's only mildly disappointed.
Candy	"See you later, Atalante," he says, offering a casual wave. There's a clap on DIOMEDES' back as the two of them leave. "Diomedes, my friend, I am going to take half the soldiers and we are going to go down there and have a little talk with the person who sent them." He sounds utterly, absolutely sure of this. "And one way or another, the people down there, they will understand this is not something they can fight. Not with bullets, not with words, not with little pieces of paper. You mind taking me there?" He asks, as they cross the threshold and leave ATALANTE to her work. He grins, with sudden inspiration. "Hey, when I get back, maybe we go and meet the maintenance guys, eh?"