EliteCommander

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

Senjen gave a look through the windows into the courtyard. “Guess they realized what I’m here for…” He hummed to himself, observing the simulated fighting below. He supposed it was the perfect sort of place to get a feel for what he wanted to buy. “Well, if nothing else, it won’t be boring.” He chuckled, nudging Ruknar.

“I can tell you from the start that I won’t be ready to commit to anything today, but I am interested in seeing how they perform.” Senjen commented to the salesman as he approached the console. It was easy enough to figure out how to sort through the options, with how user-friendly the interface was. He kept the options he picked to what he actually knew he could afford. A standard, armored combat frame with light shielding. He did not elect to have extra additions, as he wanted to get a sense of the performance of what he was actually intending to buy. He preferred to choose an energy weapon, since he was more comfortable with them by this point. The pistol he had taken his first day on Korit had been his sidearm for years now.

---

“Hmm, hoverbikes.” Jess remarked to Light. “This one might get interesting, actually. I do ships and robots, mostly. Ground vehicles not as much. Eh, we’ll see, I guess. I can still disassemble one in my sleep.”

Overall, Jess seemed somewhat distracted as she approached and did not respond too strongly to the bait the Human was offering. It might have made her seem serious and focused, but that was only half-true. It seemed obvious that the point of all this was to try to sell the robot she was competing against, or a similar model. That would at least mean they were confident in it, though if she was being honest, quality was not one of the things she doubted out of Myrmidon. She knew they were capable, but she had different reasons to be suspect of an interplanetary megacorporation.

Jess did not end up being entirely silent. “More curious to peek inside the robot, if I’m being honest, but I guess I’ll see what I can do to the bike.”

Jess had not worked on this specific model of hoverbike before, but that part did not particularly matter. She had worked on other Myrmidon vehicles, and other bikes, so she could judge it by eye pretty well. They had all the tools she needed available, and it often looked like she did not even need to think about what she needed to do next. Attachments and parts of the frame came off piece-by-piece and were arranged nearby in a sort of organized chaos that probably made sense to her. Still, halfway through, even she had to admit she was not at her best. Her mind was split between her task and looking for all the little sales tricks she thought they might be pulling. More than once, she ended up watching the robot to see if it was keeping its best pace, or working as efficiently as it could be. She could disassemble the bike without her full focus, but she was not doing it quickly enough.

Granted, a lackluster performance by Jess’ standards was still solid and professional. Over the course of the whole task, there was not a single mistake from her. Every part came off properly, in sequence, and was put right back together just the same. She simply did not realize her pace was too slow until it was too late to catch up.

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

Senjen ended up following the Utaysi without much thought, as he was occupied in speaking with Ruknar. “It’s nothing unusual for us, Ruk. I mean, I know we’re pretty different in a lot of ways, and I think I understand why it wouldn’t make immediate sense to you. Your bodies are supposed to last you your whole lives. I know technology can replace and regrow a lot of things, but you evolved to keep yourselves going, right? Our creators did too, but that’s one way we’re different than them. Our bodies don’t self-repair. I mean...they do self-repair from damage and stuff, but it’s not the same kind of self-repair that an organic body does, if that makes sense? Our bodies aren’t meant to be used forever. We get them, use them for a while, and replace them when they wear down. Some people might get attached, but more like...a pilot whose really proud of their ship. People love making it their own, making it their home, but at the end of the day it’s still just a thing. It’s not me.”

As they started moving past the barrier, Senjen rubbed his neck somewhat awkwardly. “Admittedly, our frames usually last a lot longer than mine has. I’ve sort of been putting it through a lot that it was never designed to handle. That’s a big reason I really do need a replacement. If I get a body that is actually designed for what I do to it, then it’ll last longer.”

---

Jess sighed. “Well I don’t want to go if you don’t. These sorts of companies harvest all sorts of data for ‘personalized marketing’.” She noticed where Light was looking, and it did not take much for her to draw some conclusions of her own. “Look just...realize that they probably know a lot about you.”

Pausing a moment, Jess continued the conversation through messages instead. “I don’t have to be clinging by your side if you don’t want me to, but at least let me hang out nearby, yeah?”

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

Senjen became more suspicious with the Utaysi’s answer. Two years ago was recent, and he would have expected a company like Myrmidon to have learned how to prepare a computer core for a Utaysi personality matrix long ago. In his story, the company should have just been able to transfer the personality matrix without needing to retain the original core. Maybe the core was damaged? Or maybe this was not even a Utaysi? Honestly, he was not sure how much that would even matter in the end. He knew what he wanted, roughly speaking.

“I, well...I mean no offense, but I do hope Myrmidon computer core can be prepped for a normal personality matrix transfer. I would not want to go through that myself, if I can avoid it.” Senjen answered.

Before they had been interrupted, Senjen had wanted to get Ruknar’s input. “You didn’t get a chance to answer before. What do you think would make for the best version of a new me? I sent you the options I was looking at.”

Briefly, Senjen glanced back at the salesman. “Do you have any models here I can try out?” He asked. He was not actually expecting, nor wanting, to transfer his personality matrix. Rather, a remote control session was much like test driving a vehicle.

---

Jess gave a mild sigh and wiped away a bit of gel from her face. She was convinced that he only pretended not to understand Human personal space, by this point. Regardless, she stayed close to him and spoke a bit more softly. “You know how much they know about us? Wouldn’t surprise me if they’re throwing together a little contest just because I’m here. I am the kind of client they would want to make a sale to. I have money, and a legitimate business reason to buy their products on a potentially recurring basis. So...yeah.”

After a moment, Jess shrugged. “Still, if you’re bored, I could go win a contest that seems made just for me.”

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

“Well…” Senjen began, a bit lost for words for just a few moments. “That must have been terrible to go through. We can stop the pain, but...well I don’t need to tell you what it’s like. How long ago did this happen?”

Without a doubt, it was a shocking story that grabbed one’s attention, but Senjen was still aware of where he was. If there was a Utaysi here, that could actually be quite helpful for him to make a few decisions, as long as he remembered that he was a salesman. There were just a few small holes in the story that Senjen had an inkling to prod. Just in case.

---

Jess gave a brief glance upwards at the disembodied voice. “Oh, they do know me so well.” She mumbled, mostly to herself.

In any case, Jess did not budge from talking with Light. “Ah, ‘she’. I get you now. They hire all types of people here on Korit to better...relate to the customers. Not hard to get the exact type of employees you want when you have Myrmidon’s money to throw around.”

Taking another step forward, Jess nudged Light’s side. “Today’s the first day of the rest of your life, remember? I’ll tell you what, I’ve got something to talk with you and Senjen about. Later, once we have some privacy. I think you might find it interesting.”

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

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 apparent 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 yours. What’s it like to actually live in these frames?”

---

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 them. 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.

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

What Senjen easily noticed right away was how different the Myrmidon showroom felt from the rest of the exhibition outside, almost certainly intentionally. Even this temporary showroom was consistent with their permanent locations, at least from what he had seen online. Myrmidon had a certain image that was universally known, and seemed almost impossible for other companies to approach. They offered the highest quality in robotics available. One would never see advertisements for them, but everyone knew who they were and what they did. It was simply...known.

Senjen politely refused the massage. He had at least some expectation for the tactics such a company would use for the presentation of their products, and his approach was to keep his mind focused on what he actually wanted out of all of this. The service was nice, but it was ultimately about the sale. He was prepared, and he had to remember that.

At least at first, Senjen did not pay too much attention to the displays he could see. Jess was idly observing one of the repair drones, but he instead stood close to his friends and accessed the digital catalogue. If they had something similar to what he wanted on-hand, he might be interested in looking closer, but for now he had to get that picture of what he wanted in his mind. A custom order was certainly what he would end up wanting, unless they had any Utaysi-styled frames as a standard model. There were a plethora of options for every type of utility under the sun, but Senjen focused in on what he needed. Annoyingly, none of the prices were advertised, but Myrmidon was top-of-the-line, and he could only possibly afford their lower-end offerings. Getting the costly additions out of the way first, browsed their private security product lines. Armor plating, light shielding, offensive options...he wanted to put something together that these sorts of companies would consider “acceptable” for private security duties.

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

Senjen took a few steps backwards, raising up both hands. “Hey, I’m just looking...for now. Besides, it’s not like they bring out big ticket items to buy right from the floor of the event. The most I could do would be to place an order, and I could do that anytime. I just want to see, you know?” He answered. It was not a lie; he did not expect to be walking out of here in a new body, but Ruknar could tell that there was more to his excitement than just longing for a hypothetical purchase. He had been thinking about this for a while.

Jess, meanwhile, smirked. “You don’t have to ask me twice. I already swung by here yesterday, but there’s a few things I didn’t have a chance to take a look at. There’s some good stuff coming out. Bunch of bullshit too, but...what else do you expect? Tteranduus Industries is trying to launch a ‘budget’ neural link line that can do neural control on smart appliances, vehicles, and all that, but has no native support for public interface ports. Who the hell is the target market for that? Folk who are too poor to afford a standard link, but somehow still have their own home with a full private network setup? I get that the hardware that translates neural patterns for a multi-species network is the most expensive part of the link, but it’s useless without it. Someone who is poor enough to want a budget link is going to be reliant on public services and networks.”

On topics like this, Jess was someone who could end up going on for quite a while about them without realizing it, so Senjen was quick to get them all refocused. He stepped in between Light and Ruknar and put an arm around both of them. “See, there’s plenty for all of us to do. If nothing else catches our interest, we can always laugh at some of the stupid ideas.”

Naturally, the streets were even more crowded than usual. The event was taking place in a plaza that was usually host to a sort of open air market for private vendors. Normally, just about anyone could set up and sell whatever they liked. No permits were required, and spots were simply first-come-first-serve. The only thing law enforcement tended to do was to make sure angry vendors did not stir up too much trouble if someone took “their” spot. Events like this one were not especially well-liked by local merchants, since it kept them out of business for a few days. Fortunately, the city did at least have the sense to limit how often they rented out individual public spaces to avoid too many problems.

Ironically, despite being so much more crowded, the plaza felt much more orderly than usual. The streets were organized, meticulously and intentionally, by the event coordinators instead of thrown together haphazardly by the public. While tightly packed, the paths around the plaza were wide enough to accommodate the expected crowd size, and all the booths were arranged to keep their products easily in view. Those selling consumer electronics tended to be “outside” and easily-accessible right where attendants tended to be walking. Salespeople would speak directly with passers-by, and since this was a more consumer-focused trade show, some products could be bought right at the booth, if they were not simply advertisements for upcoming product lines.

In the mid-levels of the city, being outside or inside tended to lose meaning. There was no sky above them, no weather nor natural wind, and all of the lighting was artificial anyway. Any street could become like a convention center. Still, there were some companies that brought prefab modules to have an even more private space. Senjen ended up stopping, staring up at the sign above one of them. There were no products on display that were visible from the street, just a name in big letters that said everything that needed to be said: Myrmidon.

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

In the midst of the contest, Senjen felt like he had to split his focus between a dozen things. Poisoning the opponents’ plants, throwing around tumbleweeds, and ripping up whatever plants he could get his hands on that did not belong to them. When light called for his attention, he was, for a moment, suddenly blindsided by the ridiculousness of it all. He was running around in the dirt, throwing weeds at Humans, and now Light had managed to get himself trapped in a bush, inside his own suit. In times like this, there was no other choice but to just stop and laugh.

---

Senjen was less surprised than Light that they had lost. He had been right up front, chasing around the Humans and seeing exactly what they were doing. He saw all their clever tricks, and he could tell quickly how experienced they were. Frankly, what surprised him the most was that there was any percentage of the plot unoccupied after all of that. Even with poisons to kill them, it felt like plants on both sides were always overgrowing what was lost.

Still, Senjen was in about as good spirits after it all as Ruk was. Briefly, he complimented their opponents on their performance, to which they said something he mostly did not understand. He hoped polite waving was the appropriate reply. Jess was the one who took the picture of the rest of their group with the completed plot. She enjoyed the part of the contest that involved “creative” construction, but aside from that, it was clear the others had been more enthusiastic.

---

Given that there was still plenty of time left in the afternoon, the group was not quite ready to call it yet. Though, Senjen supposed they would need to be a bit more responsible about how much they spent from this point on. With how much they had invested at the contest, it was already like they had dined out at a fancy restaurant. Senjen did end up exchanging information with Pclendafuun to leave open the possibility of staying in contact. They had been a good teammate.

It was the Ketlit Market a few levels down to which Senjen suggested they all go next, which was far from an uncommon destination for them. Aside from its plentiful shops and services, there was no shortage of entertainment and restaurants which could fit into most price ranges. Indeed, being that it was Korit, there was hardly a limit on what one could find being sold out in the open. What might be considered black market goods on most worlds might be sold right next to everyday items, and depending on what it was, it could even be just as cheap. For some goods, if they could not be produced locally, they still might need to be smuggled out of their origin world, which could influence the price.

Of course, there was more pulling Senjen to Ketlit today, as part of it was hosting a trade exhibition. This one was a tech show, one of probably half a dozen just in Setia throughout the year. Korit was a melting pot, so the planet ended up as a test market for the new and experimental products of many major corporations. A little microcosm of the galaxy as a whole. Computers, implants, new devices, robots...it was tempting in more ways than one, and this one was open to the public. No admission needed. It had been going on a few days now, and Senjen had almost come out by himself before.

When they came upon the signage for the show, Senjen stopped and looked to the other three. “Do you want to...look around for a little while? We don’t have to buy anything, but it’s...always interesting to see what’s coming up.” He asked. To those who knew him so well, he was failing to suppress his excitement.

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

Glancing up at the drone, Senjen scoffed and threw up his hands. “Where do they keep getting these things? And why do they keep trying that before we’ve even planted anything? That won’t even slow us down. Doesn’t even make sense…” He grumbled, his voice trailing off. “Light, could you go for the seeds with Pclendafuun again? We can get the soil ready.”

---

Since the first round, the team was getting more into the rhythm of working together. Pclendafuun may still have been a stranger, but with them being knowledgeable enough on the subject, Ruknar could coordinate with them reasonably well. It was easiest when they all had their own jobs they could focus on. Senjen was handling planting on the border of their opponents’ side. A Human had little chance of physically interfering with much of anything he wanted to do. If he wanted to plant something, then it was going in the dirt as long as he was standing there to guard over it. If he wanted to rip something up or apply poison, then stopping him was not terribly likely. Whenever the thistle Jess suggested matured enough to form a tumbleweed, Senjen could toss it over into the other plot to distribute its seeds. They were not heavy, but they were more than thorny enough to potentially make them difficult to handle. To counter what he was doing, one would have a much better chance by acting more efficiently wherever he was not.

Senjen was not the one directing their strategy, so he tried to keep his thoughts just on his own tasks in front of him, though in the back of his mind, he did worry about what tricks their opponents might have picked up through experience. He might not even recognize the ways they could get one over on him. Regardless of how it turned out, though, he relished the competition. The prize money was not as important to him as just trying to win.

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

“Well hey, if that’s how it’s going to be, then I think we have the edge here. If we need someone for guard duty, then you’re in the presence of a professional” Senjen laughed, giving an exaggerated bow. “Most people out there don’t really have a chance of overpowering me. A Tindrel can maybe do it, but the only Tindrel here is on our team. I mean, I’m not looking to hurt anyone over some plants, but I can be a wall if we need one.”

Pclendafuun’s suggestion was not immediately clear to Senjen. “Do you mean defensive items as in barrier plants, a literal barrier, or something else?”

Jess was standing around, arms crossed and looking down at the plot. “If you need me to build something defensive, I can do it. Otherwise, I reckon I’m not going to have too much else to do this round.”

Officials had not yet announced their time had started, but it looked like their opponents were already looking to get their seeds. They needed to get moving too. Senjen might have been more of the muscle in this round, but he still took a moment to think. “I actually know some really resilient plants from Orostro. Not native, but used there. A lot of native plants were lost in the extinction, so they’ve been importing plants to re-seed the badlands and get them to the point where they can support native plants again. They might make a good core to base our plot around, since they’re so hard to kill. Speaking of defenses, though, maybe we should plant some sort of barrier on the edge of their side? Something herbicide-resistant, and maybe hostile like before?”

Surprisingly, out of all of them, it was Jess who actually spoke up right away. “Russian thistle.”

Senjen appeared mildly startled as he glanced back. “Huh?”

“It’s a really stubborn weed back home. It’s hard as hell to poison, for how long we’ve been trying to get rid of it. It’s thorny, hard to handle, and when it gets past a certain point, part of it breaks art and starts rollin’ around in the wind to spread its seeds. I’ve seen them bury houses when they bunch up enough. You could push it right into their plot and make it their headache.” She suggested, shrugging.