Home of the Happy Robot Corporation

[multiandmany]

Shifter has to take a moment to figure out how to say it how they do. "Tamed. It translates to something... unpleasant. What does it mean exactly here?"

She still has her ears back. She's not any more upset than before, but she's also not any less.

[robotic-friends]

"Ah, that word." Nero knows they need to be careful with how they phrase this. They're not going to lie, but they want to make sure there isn't any misunderstandings either.

"The word 'tamed' can have multiple meanings, depending on the context that it is used. Some of those meanings are……not nice." There's a little hesitation, still calculating a nice way to say their next words. "In the context that I used it, the word 'tamed' means to change an animal from a wild or savage state, so as to be gentle and friendly to not attack whoever is caring for the animal."

Amari is just going to keep working. Yep. Juuuuust gonna stay out of this conversation and hope that she still has a friend later.

[multiandmany]

It was hard to follow Amari but it translated. She however, got caught up by a word Nero said.

However 'tamed' translated fine. She doesn't seem to like what was said. Her ears are back while she listens to the rest of the conversation.

"Sorry accepted. But I don't think we have the same words for what you said Nero. Can you explain what exactly it means?"

[robotic-friends]

Uh oh. If Amari is right about reading body language, she can recognize that Shifter is upset based on how the alien wolf's ears have gone back like that. Oh, she really messed up! She's just going to keep her mouth shut to avoid saying anything else that might get her in trouble.

Nero's eyes have turned into question marks that have started scrolling across the digital display that makes up most of their face. "I'm sorry, but I said a lot of words just now. Could you be more specific on which words you want me to explain?"

[multiandmany]

A... Shifter cranes her head to look at Amari, knowing she didn't mean it that way, but wondering exactly what was going on, she wants elaboration.

"We have symbiotic relationships back on my planet with other smaller creatures, is that what Nero is referring too?"

"Also you should ask next time, it would be more polite. I am not that concerned about contact since if I get an unwelcomed lick on my mane I can just shift."

"However most times outside of family groups we ask before grooming one another, otherwise you will more than likely get bit."

[robotic-friends]

Amari feels even more embarrassed about what she's done. "Yesssss, that issss-" She puts her hands over her mouth, suddenly self-conscious over how her forked tongue flicks out to elongate the 's' sounds in her words. This only ever happens if her emotions start to get out of hand!

"Uh, what I mean issss……" She groans, knowing she probably sounds completely ridiculous right now. She really hopes Shifter's translator can understand her. "We have ssssomething ssssimilar here on our planet, which issss called a 'pet'."

"A pet is a domestic or tamed animal kept for companionship." Nero chimes in before Amari can embarrass herself further. "But I can guarantee that Amari didn't mean to treat you like that. However, I'm sure she's learned her lesson and will ask first before attempting to comfort you like that again." They turn to give Amari a pointed look. "Isn't that right?"

Amari nods, her face still bright red in embarrassment. "Sssssssorry……" Was all that she mumbles, as her tail coils tightly under her, while she turns her attention back to making repairs on the ship.

[multiandmany]

Friends. That word translates, she knows that one. She goes to reply but Amari starts to pet her.

She's not sure why, the action has to mean something, but its not something she knows. Its kind of like brushing but smooth brushing?

She hears Nero and waits for him to finish before speaking up.

"Thank you Nero. Can you set to the side."

She focuses back on Amari, still confused. "What exactly are you doing?"

Shifter doesn't sound upset anymore, just confused.

[robotic-friends]

Nero takes the materials and moves them over to the side until they'll be needed later.

Amari is a little embarrassed. She just wanted to help Shifter feel better, but now she's not sure if she should've started petting the alien wolf without permission. She certainly hopes that this isn't some highly offensive gesture and she's started an intergalactic war or something!

"Uhhh, well I was just……" She pulls her hand away and sheepishly looks down at Shifter. "Sorry, I probably should've asked before doing that. You just seemed so upset and I thought that maybe I could help you calm down a little bit."

"By treating her like a pet?" Nero inquired.

That got Amari really flustered! "Wh-What?! No! Of course not! Th-That wasn't my intention at all!"

[multiandmany]

"I mean... You have to know enough to get your own ship! I just... Just not this much... Not all of this damage!"

She sighs and lays on the floor. "When I woke up to the ship going off to Draky eating it, I did a lot of things in a hurry and I'm not sure I put things in the right spot. So much is missing, my notes from repairs and from before when I learned are missing."

Her ears droop and she whimpers. "I'm not able to repair it. I can't remember how. I'm an adventurer who can't remember how her own ship works besides the basics."

"I got it working again, then others helped! Other systems are still down, because I don't know how to fix them or even what parts to use. I've tried a few things with the communication system, my fur wouldn't stay down for days afterwards."

[robotic-friends]

Watching Shifter look so sad just tugs at Amari's heart. She slithers over next to the alien wolf laying on the ground. "Hey, it's ok. We'll do our best to help you get your ship back in working order. And both you and Draky are welcome to stay with us for as long as it takes." She offers the other a smile. "That's what friends are for, right?"

She reaches down and starts to gently pet Shifter on the head. Was it inappropriate to pet someone without their permission? Probably. But Amari wasn't really thinking about that at the moment. All she wanted to do was help comfort Shifter and help her feel a little better.

After a few moments of silence, Nero comes back into the ship, carrying some scrap metals. "After analyzing everything, I've found that these are made of the same materials as the damaged panels. We should be able to use these for welding!"

They pause and take in the scene in front of them. "Uhh, am I interrupting something?"

[multiandmany]

"Oh I know how it works, the technology from my home anyway." Shifter starts working again, this time by hunting for tools in her mane. She knocks one out quickly enough.

"I already can't contact my home."

As for her engine? She has to take a moment to figure out what exactly that means due to translation issues, after a moment she points out the route of circuits for it.

"It isn't broken. I wouldn't be able to travel otherwise. The system was built for system failure. We adapted it from another system. Its a long story. This is a ship kind we've been working on and making better over many..."

She pauses. Another word she doesn't know. "It has to do with those before me and before them. I am not sure if the word will translate given the others not translating."

[robotic-friends]

Now Amari is just plain confused. "Wait, didn't you just say you didn't know how your ship works? Then why are you saying you do know how it works?" She thinks long and hard for a moment. "Unless I just misheard what you were saying earlier?" She's rubbing at her head as a headache starts to form. If she really did misunderstand what Shifter was saying, then she feels like an idiot now.

She instead decides to focus on what was said next, helping do a few repairs while she thinks. "I think the word for what you're saying is 'generations', which is just a group of people that are all similar ages." Shit, how does she explain this one?

"It's like you said before. Your ship started with one generation, then it was passed on to the next generation, and so on, until it finally came to you." She's a little tense, not sure if she did a good job explaining that. "Did that make sense or did I just confuse you?"

[multiandmany]

"It was helpful of them to help in the first place. As an adventurer, I've come across so many creatures and places, all different. They all have a reason for what they do. You had a reason for making Nero and his siblings." She stops all her perpwork and focuses on Amari.

"If someone came by you didn't know and asked you for all your information on Nero and his siblings because they needed it, you wouldn't hand it over. Its the same with them. They were protecting something important to to them."

[robotic-friends]

There's a sigh as Amari relents to what was said. "When you put it that way, I suppose you've got a point." She definitely wouldn't give over any information on her robots, no matter who asked. Especially when there are people in organizations like GUN, who would use that information to do bad things.

"But it's still worrying that you don't know much about how your own ship works." She wrings her hands together as she looked at the alien wolf. "Aren't you worried that something important will break? What if you get stuck on a planet with no way to fix your ship or call for help?"

Despite the fact that she's known Shifter for less than a day, Amari already considered the other as her friend. So it's only natural that she worries about her friend's safety during space travel.

[multiandmany]

"Some worlds are like that. Not everyone is nice out there. I am just happy they helped me! It was exciting to get to experience such places first paw!" Her tail wags behind her as she talks.

The mention of her companion has her tilt her head a bit before realizing they don't understand.

"Oh Draky can't eat things in my mane. They have to exit to do that. My powers protect whats in there, I can brush my mane without damaging anything, if its in there, its safe. It also can get lost. I have to ask Draky to get my brush sometimes, they bring out things I forgot I put in there and it can take a few tries to find it."

[robotic-friends]

"It would've been even more helpful if they told you how this stuff works……" Amari grumbled, still annoyed.

She couldn't believe how reckless those other aliens were! Didn't they consider that Shifter might need repairs in the future? Keeping their secrets just makes repairs even more difficult! Because if Amari makes one tiny mistake without being able to understand how anything works, she might accidentally break something really important, leaving Shifter stuck on this planet with no way back home!

"Oh, that's quite useful!" Nero comments. "At least you won't have to worry about Draky eating all of your things!"

They start to head for the door. "I'll go look through those things I took out of your ship. I've analyzed those broken panels, so I should be able to find some materials we can use for welding."

[multiandmany]

"Any big supplies I have are outside. I might have saved some smaller things in my panic to keep Draky from eating them but...." She makes a face, kinda looks like unease, kinda looks nervousness.

"It's going to be buried in my mane somewhere. It could be a quick search, it could take several... um... what ever your unit of light and dark are."

As for welding she picks up a tool and holds out for Amari to take. "It uses plasma!" It fits in the palm of her hand!

The circuit board and crystal has Shifter thinking.

"The structure was from creatures who lived under their planet's surface. I think its part of the structure itself."

"The other... I'm not sure. I wasn't allowed to ask. It was part of the deal I made with them. They are rather... uh..." She can't think of the word so she becomes nervous and acts like she inguard while cowering.

"They were like that." After showing how, she returns to standing normally.

[robotic-friends]

Nero nods their head. "Right, all of those things you wanted me to move out of the way. I'm sure I can find something if I go look for it. Unless I'm needed in here instead." There's a pause before they speak again. "Oh! And our unit of light and dark are called 'days'."

Amari smiles as she takes the tool. "Great! This will work perfectly!" She then holds out her other hand and Nero gives her a pair of goggles that she then slides over her eyes. "I've got an extra pair of goggles, if you need them to protect your eyes."

At the explanation of the circuits and crystals, Amari frowns. "I see. They were wanting to keep their methods a secret from you because the way these things work are meant to be kept unknown from others."

She puts her hands on her hips. "Which is pretty stupid if you ask me. How are you supposed to repair these things if they don't tell you?" If Shifter doesn't know how to repair her own ship, then Amari isn't sure how she can help either. Hopefully nothing important is broken……

"Question," Nero starts. "Didn't you put Draky in your mane earlier? Because if you need to search through your mane, then isn't there a risk that you won't find it because Draky might be eating it right now?"

[multiandmany]

Shifter gets out another one and does the same on her side, the pannel doesn't want to budge but she gets it by standing on her hind legs and prying more of the pannel off by the sides.

The wires, cabling, and basically everything about the electronics were different than Earth's. The ship had a lot of different kinds of tech in it from the look of things.

Some wires glowed, circuits as well, some boards had floating parts while another looked to be nothing but a crystal with markings on it.

"There's some cracked pannels, wires, and such in here, I just haven't had anything to replace them. Others have help, but there's only so much they could do. Not every planet is as... good at electronics or allowed to help much." She looks over the different fixes, then looks at Amari.

"If you know of any fixes for the pannels that are broken, I can cut power to this section and we can work."

[robotic-friends]

Amari's eyes were practically sparkling when she looked at everything. She's got an opportunity to work with technology that's way more advanced than anything she's ever seen! It was both exciting and terrifying at the same time. She's definitely going to pay close attention to any instructions that Shifter has!

"Broken panels? We can try welding them to fix them." She picks up one of the panels to look at it. "Do you have any spare materials that's the same type of metal as this? It would be best to use the same materials to ensure it retains its structural integrity. But we can use other materials, if necessary. It just won't be as structurally sound doing it that way."

Nero, the ever helpful dictionary, chimes in with, "Welding is where someone uses extreme amounts of heat in order to melt parts together. Although, it is recommended that organics wear eye protection because welding makes sparks of light that's bright enough to hurt your eyes."

Amari looks over the rest of the circuitry, taking careful consideration of the floating parts and the crystals. "How exactly do those work? Some kind of magnet or gravity alteration?"

[multiandmany]

Shifter takes a little longer than she hoped but she comes running over, slower than when she took off into her ship, at the end she slows to a prance by the time she reaches Amari and Nero.

She's got a container with a handle in her mouth. She sets it down while wagging her tail!

"Now we can get to work! Let me remove these pannels..." Shifter looks at them, then tilts her head.

"Is it alright if you get the panels closest to you if I hand you the tool?" She digs through her mane and pulls out said tool. Its similar to a screwdriver. The handle is made to fit Shifter’s hold though.

[robotic-friends]

Amari and Nero were ready and waiting for the alien wolf when she arrived, though it took a little maneuvering for Amari to get herself in a position where she wasn't in the way of anything (one of the downsides of having a twelve foot long body). Nero was standing off to the side, setting down the bag with Amari's tools on the floor nearby.

"Sure, I can do that." Amari smiles as she takes the tool from Shifter. The similarity to a tool she's used to made it easy to figure out how to use it, even if the handle was a bit awkward to grip, since it wasn't made for her hands to hold.

While Amari was busy getting the panels closest to her, Nero was patiently waiting, ready to dig out a tool from the bag should Amari need one of them.

[multiandmany]

Shifter looks to Rex. The translated conversation had her in disbelief, he wasn't truthful?

Her attention was quickly drawn to Amari when her ship was asked about and she nods, tail wagging.

"I have my tools were the controls and in my mane, let me grab the ones near the controls and I'll then head to the back of the ship, I'll meet you there! I'll be fast!"

Shifter takes off right after she's done speaking, racing inside her ship and to where she needs to go. There's no sounds of her crashing into anything so she knows what she's doing.

Excited puppy energy!

[robotic-friends]

Amari, Nero, and Rex are all amused by how excited Shifter seemed to be when she ran off like that.

"Well, I'm sure you guys won't need me for anything. I'm just gonna go and-" Rex stops himself before he says he's going to go for another run. He remembers how Shifter had wanted him to not do that, so that his systems could cool down for a race later. Ultimately, he decided it would be better to not go for a run this time. "……I'm just gonna……go relax in the mansion."

Amari and Nero are completely surprised by what Rex just said! They watch the dino bot head off into the mansion, wondering if maybe he's finally damaged his head from crashing one too many times. That would be an issue to figure out later. Right now it was time to get to work.

Amari slithers deeper into Shifter's ship, heading to the back where the alien wolf said to meet her. Nero followed closely, carrying Amari's bag of tools for her.

[multiandmany]

Nope it didn't translate. She'll ask again about time later, probably tomorrow, if she doesn't forget.

She they get there there Amari and Nero are waiting, she goes to apologize but Rex speaks first.

Then Nero doubts him! How rude! She barks once at the eldest bot to get his attention.

"He stopped the moment he spotted me! We had a talk and we took a slower pace back, then when I spotted some animals i asked Rex about them so we stopped! He's been helping me learn. Birds are very interesting."

She keeps her tail still, a full seriousness of body language here is a must!

"Rex is telling the truth!"

[robotic-friends]

Amari and Nero look at Shifter when she barks, listening to what the alien wolf has to say, before looking back at Rex.

"Rex going at a slow pace? Never thought I'd hear that. I kinda wish I was there to see it for myself!" Amari giggled. "But I'm glad to hear that he wasn't causing any trouble."

Nero crossed their arms over their chest. "Sorry for doubting you, bro. But if you didn't lie so often, I would've believed you sooner."

"What? I don't lie that often!" Despite his protests, Rex knew that Nero was right. He considers that he probably shouldn't be making up so many excuses just to go for a run.

"Anyways," Amari returned her attention to Shifter. "You ready to get started on the repairs? This is unfamiliar technology for me, so I'll be following your instructions on what to do."

[multiandmany]

"Its okay, they probably needed to go do other things anyway." She'll get to see more animals later on!

Once Rex starts heading back, so does Shifter, keeping pace with him. Back to her ship! She's so happy she landed near these guys!

She's also happy that Rex is cooling down, he needs that! Though she's curious... what all exactly did she have on her ship? She has no idea! This is going to be exciting! She can finally correctly catalog everything for the first time in a very long time!

"So going at this pace, how long will it take us to get back? I noticed the terms we use for time are different. I was wondering about that."

[robotic-friends]

"At this pace, we should get there in 10 or 15 minutes. It's not going to take too long." Rex should've expected that there would be different terms for time between the two of them. He just hopes that it translated correctly for Shifter……

Soon enough the trees of the forest have come to an end, with Amari's mansion in the distance. Rex makes his way over to the front gate, so that he and Shifter can head over to where the ship is located.

Amari and Nero are waiting out front, with Amari resting on her coils and watching a cartoon on a tablet while Nero was looking over her shoulder to also watch the screen. "Why is that kid yellow? Does he have a skin condition or something?"

Amari shrugs her shoulders. "I don't know. I haven't seen this show in years, so I don't remember if that was ever talked about."

Both of them look up as Rex and Shifter arrive. Amari has her hands on her hips as she gives a stern look at Rex. "Shifter went out to find you over an hour ago. Where have you been? Were you avoiding her and making her chase you around all over the place?"

Rex shakes his head, a look of panic on his face. "N-No! We were just hanging out and talking to each other! I swear I wasn't avoiding her at all!"

"Yeah, sure you were. Keep telling yourself that." Nero had a hard time believing Rex, since the dino robot usually makes up excuses to go run around in the forest.

[multiandmany]

"It was. I think. Not much is written about it that I could access. The study of the past wasn't my strongest either, but I did okay." Shifter admits. She realizes something then becomes a bit embarrassed.

"Oh, sorry if I implied it was anytime recent. The Great Galaxy is older than some planets! I know this because I've heard tales of her other places of her own travels while on mine. She is quite the interesting wolf! Lots of legends and information to sort through, rumors too!"

She's snapped out of her story by the mention of her ship. That's right! Her ship!

"We can go back. There's always more time to talk! With how much there is to repair I could be here awhile, besides, I did promise you a race later. Now lets go see about what we can find! I don't even remember what all I had!"

The wolf gets up slowly, her tail wagging faster now. "Lets keep going the speed we did before though, I don't wanna race yet, there's still so much to see! Is that okay with you?"

[robotic-friends]

It wasn't a recent event? That's good to know. At least it sounds like Shifter herself didn't get caught up in what had happened.

Rex also stood up, watching as the birds and squirrels all scattered back into the forest at the sudden movement. "Oops. I didn't mean to scare them……"

He nods his head to Shifter's request and gets ready to move. "Alright, let's get going." He takes off at a leisurely jog, leading the way through the forest and back towards Amari's mansion.

[multiandmany]

"So they did it to run, they just the lost ability to fly to do it with a gradual change..." Or to swim instead of fly.

"That's the other word then. Not the one I mentioned. The one I mentioned is much more sudden. It didn't happen over passed families, but rather the same event it shared its name with."

She looks to the squirrels, watching them run around, she still can't figure out how to translate it into other words or anything similar. Guess the story will do, a shortened version.

"The details are all passed down, but the evidence is still around. Where I come from used to be a lot different and we weren't colored like this. No one remembers the name of who or what, but the planet was attacked. During it, a wolf stood up to protect another as the sky crashed from deep above, turning fur abright and mane flowing with the local nebula. She drove the attackers away, but she wasn't the last to change. They all worked to repair their home, with her as their protector."

A pause, a topic change slightly. "Until the powers in the others started coming in. It was colors were it at first. The other story goes that once she felt her home was safe, she went out into nebula to explore. Some say to make sure they weren't still out there. Other's say she became one with the stars! I like the exploration option. Thats why I'm out here. Following in her paws."

[robotic-friends]

Rex listened to Shifter's story and he felt a deep sadness at what he heard. "Shit……that's horrible. I'm glad things worked out in the end, but still. Having your entire planet be invaded sounds terrible!" He certainly hopes that doesn't happen to this planet, since he's not entirely sure if anyone could stop an invasion force like that! ………well, maybe Sonic and his friends could stop an invasion, but he'd rather there not be an invasion force in the first place!

Before he could say anything else, a message pops up on his internal systems and he reads what it says. "Amari just sent me a message. She's wanting me to tell you that Nero has finished moving things out of the way in your ship and now she's just waiting for you to come back to assist with the repairs."

He gives Shifter a curious look. "Should I tell Amari to wait a little longer or should I let her know that we're going to return soon?"

[multiandmany]

"I believe you, don't worry. Why can't they fly? What caused them to... Evolve? That is the right version yes? What caused them to do that?"

She picks up her feather and puts it away, then continue. "Evolve... the closest we have is one I can readily think of is one I know won't translate, I know it by heart though. It means to change. But in this case, its to an event too. The change part of this one might not mean the same thing... given whatever the definition of evolve is."

[robotic-friends]

Rex nods his head. "Your definition of evolve is actually pretty similar to the definition used on this planet. Our definition of evolve is the gradual change in a population over generations."

He begins to look through his database for the answers to Shifter's questions. "It's mostly because of living in certain environments where there wasn't really a need to be able to fly. Some species of birds lost the ability to fly in favor of larger bodies and stronger leg muscles for running. Other species of birds develop solid bones instead of hollow bones, which help them become heavier and more streamlined for swimming and diving."

He watches as a few more blue birds hop around on the ground near Shifter, not at all bothered by her presence. Even a few squirrels have come down from the trees to gather acorns on the ground near where Shifter was.

"Of course, these changes didn't happen instantly. It probably took thousands of years for those species of birds to evolve and change until they were able to thrive in their environments where they no longer needed the ability to fly."