Once he had pieced together the options he felt he was interested in, Senjen was ready to break his silence with his friends. Light and Jess had wandered off, but Ruk was still there with him. “What do you think?” Senjen asked, passing to her link the options he had chosen. It gave a digital mock-up of the completed frame that could be inspected down to the tiniest detail, inside and out. The base frame mimicked the Utaysi body shape and possessed the normal capabilities that were familiar to them. The non-standard options he had selected were almost all from the private security product lines. It had hardened internal components, protected by armored plating. The claws, which could also be used for climbing, were weapons grade, and its artificial muscles were capable of both exceptional strength and agility. Of course, none of those stood out in particular as far as a security droid was concerned. Plenty of competitors could do the same, even for industrial robots. The most expensive addition was the light energy shielding, and its required fusion core for power generation. A standard Utaysi frame did not have integrated power generation, but rather a battery bank that could hold a charge for between one and two weeks, depending on usage. The lifespan of a fuel cell for the fusion core also varied on usage, to a much greater degree. Under normal load, it could last over a year without replacement. With consistent usage of the energy shield, it would burn through a cell in just under a month, and they were much more expensive to replace than just charging a battery bank. 

All of the options were available for Ruk to review, though Senjen did not seem as interested in talking about the combat options, for the most part. “What kind of frame do you think is the most ‘me’? The longer tail can have more utility, though it can get in the way at times. I’m not as worried about the color, since I would just get a custom paint job afterwards anyway. Let’s see, I could stay male, or go female this time. Oh, and I need to decide on the overall size. A smaller, sleeker form factor would be better for evasion, smaller target, but a larger frame leaves me more space for upgrades later on.”

Before Ruk’s reply, one of the employees chimed in to the conversation, and he did share their [i]apparent[/i] surprise. The fact that Utaysi were rare to see outside their home territory had not changed over the last few years. Though, if he was going to see one anywhere, this was a place where it made perfect sense. “Oh, well...maybe. I guess you could answer some questions the catalogue couldn’t. Other species don’t always get the little things that make a body [i]yours[/i]. What’s it like to actually live in these frames?” 

[hr]

Jess had been shadowing behind Light a short distance. She knew how these sorts of companies worked, and out of the group, she was the one with the best idea of what the company likely knew about [i]them[/i]. They had turned sales into just as much of a science as the products they made. She had to imagine that she was a tempting target, if for no other reason than that she had the most money to spend. She also would have a lot of use for good repair drones, but she was not looking to replace her current set at the moment. And if she did, she would not be buying a Myrmidon. 

It was easy to notice Light staring at the other QV nearby. In truth, there was little she could discern with her own eyes about the other QV. There were programs that could help a Human identify and describe alien physical traits, or even specific individuals, almost as quickly as one of their own species, but she did not like being reliant on them. Particularly with friends, she tried to be more intentionally observant, and she could draw her own conclusions on what Light might have been thinking at the moment. “Friend of yours?” She chuckled.