EliteCommander

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

Even though he never really left his own body, Senjen still took a moment to collect himself after returning to conscious control over it. After having control over a brand new, top-of-the-line Myrmidon model, he felt like he was becoming immediately aware of the extra resistance his worn joints were putting up just to move. “Well I...guess I just have more experience taking advantage of this sort of body than the AI programs.”

Senjen seemed eager to talk to Ruk about the fight. He mimed the motion of toasting with her, his gaze fixated forward, and his tail moved excitedly. “I felt fast, sharp, even with the delay. I really need to show you Pertiktin’s studio sometime. He’s a great teacher, and he really emphasizes how to keep yourself safe.”

There was not time to talk for long before Senjen found himself being handed a potted plant. He looked shocked, for a moment. It was a gift that seemed random, but weirdly relevant to him in particular, and he briefly did not know what to think about it. “Oh, um, thank you.” He took it from the droid. “The frame was tough. Durable. I do like that about it. I do think protection is the priority if you’re in danger. Like I said, I’m not ready to buy anything today, but...I’ll keep it in mind.”

---

Jess was hesitant to follow, and only grew more reluctant the farther she went. Yet, she did not stop, and she kept all of her grumbling internal. She only ceased for a moment when they came right up to the edge of the gel room. ”Seriously...” She said under her breath. ”End up getting soaked...why do I do these things...could just walk away...”

Nevertheless, with a long sigh, Jess stepped forward and took the plunge.

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

Senjen did not have time to stop and think. His last remaining ally, even after having been shot up from the start and damaged near to the point of destruction, had managed a surprising last stand, but he still doubted it would last long. It had bought time and kept him from being outflanked, but he needed to capitalize on that immediately. If he played this too patient, they would just use their numbers against him.

It was not a second after the grenade detonated that Senjen ran up next to the wall towards the doorway. The enemy team leader had used the grenade as cover to push up, but evidently it had not expected Senjen’s aggression. They met, a bit to Senjen’s surprise, right on the other side of the doorway. Even more of a surprise to him was how natural his reaction ended up being. His training had his body moving almost without thought. The moment the robot started raising its rifle, Senjen used his shoulder and left arm to push the weapon back up against its chest while driving his claws into its shoulder joint and slamming it back up against the wall behind it.

Senjen heard a metal footstep behind him and ducked his head as a shot from a sidearm flew high over him. The other robot was back in the fight. Meanwhile, the blue team’s leader headbutted him and pushed him back, then started to slash at him in retaliation. However, as deadly accurate as it had been at range, these robots did not quite seem programmed for hand-to-hand combat. It did not know how to make full use of its body as Senjen did, and did not react in time when he whipped his tail around the robot’s wrist to hold back its arm, then jammed his claws down through the gap in the plating at the neck joint. Being a Utaysi model, he knew just where to find some important parts.

Though it did had not closed the gap in time to save its team leader, the last robot had rushed in much closer in those few moments. Senjen had only an instant to react, and even all his practice has not made him that fast. He turned to face it, but could not block the incoming swipe. His shields had been stressed considerably by the grenade and the claws went straight through, but he was able to at least angle his body so they just scraped across his armored chestplate. Senjen’s reprisal was immediate. He jabbed his claws into the neck of the robot so he could control its head and hold it still, then pressed the barrel of his own rifle against its head and pulled the trigger.

The simulation arrested Senjen’s movement quickly, and a bit jarringly. It had declared his victory.

---

Jess was not particularly impressed with Symphony’s rather “corporate” answer, but she did not let on to that for the moment, instead just humming and giving a nod. She had a feeling that what Symphony wanted and what Light wanted were two very different things.

“Gel-rooms...you’re going to have to remind me what those are again. Is that somewhere I could go, or is drowning going to be something of an issue here?” Jess asked.

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

Senjen only caught glimpses of what was happening outside after finishing off the downed droid. He knew it was not going well for his allies, and as soon as he rushed up to the door and peered outside, two shots flew past, one of which glanced against the energy shielding just in front of his face. He had expected both of the remaining enemies to be bearing down on him, though surprisingly, he was not out of allies yet.

The first robot that had been shot down twice now still had some life left in it. The other robot had moved around to finish it off, but found it laying on its back with a shot lined up. Despite some damage to its shoulder joint, it managed to fire off a shot that hit the opponent’s forearm, causing the opponent’s shot to go wide as it stumbled down on the other side of the very same barrier the robot was laying behind.

Since Senjen had no angle to help, he fired a burst at the opposing leader, though it ducked behind its barrier.

---

Jess raised her brow at Symphony. The fact that she used a Human expression was not lost on her; many people did the same, or at least attempted to, when talking to members of other species. It could help them relate to one another, or cause drastic misunderstandings, depending on how knowledgeable they were. “That’s quite a change. What caused you to go from that, to a relatively normal corporate job?”

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

Senjen, it seemed, had the same idea as his opponents. The covered rooms on the sides offered flanking opportunities. The opposing team directed one of its members to the left, and Senjen followed suit. He kept low, dashing under cover from shots flying above him until he managed to make it through one of the doors.

Meanwhile, both of the remaining two enemy robots moved up towards cover positions closer to the middle of the arena, keeping low the whole time. Senjen instructed both of his allies to keep their positions and establish a base of fire, especially since one was damaged. Both sides exchanged bursts of fire that lit up the room, striking cover and the walls behind, though there were no solid hits for the moment.

Senjen, though, got into the side room just ahead of his opponent, and did not stop his momentum for a moment. It was time to put some of his training to use. From where they were, he could close the gap quickly, firing while moving to keep the pressure on the robot. Getting up close and personal, he managed to push its barrel aside just before it fired with his own weapon, then swept its feet out from under it while getting his claws around the arm that was trying to guard its neck and jabbing them down into its torso from the gap in the plating. Amid all of it, he was impressed with how realistic the simulation felt. None of the hits were landing, nor causing real damage, but they certainly felt like they were.

---

Jess was not terribly enthused about getting her shirt wet, but she was used to Light by this point. Every species had their own ideas of boundaries, and QV were maybe the...closest. At least this time, she put more focus on their new acquaintance. “Ain’t so sure about that. Definitely not with bikes; I do robots. Ships too, but...robots are the interesting ones.” Jess shrugged.

While she might have been paranoid, it might have also been the case that there could be a lot to be paranoid about in a place like this. “I’m curious, what was that about rescuing people?”

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

It was a very sudden shift to being in the arena, from Senjen’s perspective. Not a surprise, but jarring nonetheless. Remote control did not feel the same as a personality transfer, though it was hard to express exactly why that was the case. He could see through its eyes, feel through all its senses, while his own were suppressed from his perspective. On paper, it should have been indistinguishable from the real thing, but there was something at the back of his mind always letting him know it wasn’t quite right. Regardless, that did not matter for now. He could still get a good sense of what he wanted to know.

Senjen rushed forward and crouched down behind a piece of cover in the arena. Being that his movement initiated the fight, he got to it first and fired a shot at the middle robot. It tried to move, but the shot struck right on the chestplate. Unfortunately, it seemed like the armor took the full hit, absorbing and dispersing the energy. It rushed to cover and shot at Senjen’s ally to his left. That shot hit closer to the droid’s leg joint, which was enough to cause it to fall to the ground right behind the wall. It was still active, but it looked like the shot had done some damage, as it was taking a moment to get up. Not the greatest start, honestly, but at least he was in cover.

---

Jess had been so occupied with how they might try to sell to her that she did not realize until it was too late how they had actually ended up using her. It was not really about her at all, but rather how she could demonstrate their product. They knew what she could do, at least roughly, and that she could put up good enough of a performance to make the competition engaging. She showed herself as a professional, which meant the robot was being compared, in the minds of the audience, to a professional. If only she had been disassembling a robot, then she might have given them more than they bargained for.

With a sigh, Jess shrugged to the Human. “No sense in blaming luck. I just need to keep my head in the game and pay attention. Less chance of making...mistakes, that way.”

Jess had at least been focused enough that she could not pay too much attention to the crowd during the contest, so it was her first chance to look around for Light again, and...of course that other QV was here. Jess had to imagine she knew why she was here, though she supposed she had already been tricked once. It was probably best not to fixate too much on seemingly obvious conclusions.

“Excuse me.” She said to the Human, thanking him for the “prize” before heading out into the dispersing crowd.

“Was the contest what you hoped, Light?” Jess asked once she was close enough.

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.