I realized Castor and V1c3 have some interesting elements in common that I hadn’t realized they had! So a… messy symbolic painting for fun with my two main bot characters! ✨
I may continue drawing Heart Day, Valentine’s Day, VALLOWEEN art even tomorrow because I still have more things I wanna draw >8))) This is for the Castor 5 lovers out dere! I tried this year to draw bbies that I know folks enjoy and ask about, SO THIS YEAR WAS CAS AND LUXE EEEEEEE <3<3<3 (And I still wanna draw stuff with Mersion, my pink evil eldritch bastard, because he is super Valentine’s Day themed. And I luff him too much… yus.)
A doodle for my friend @windydrawallday who has been having a rocky time. They love Castor so I thought, a silly robot doodle of them cheering my friend on might bring them a bit of needed levity! =3
I thought some of the folks on here may also enjoy the cheery doodle! And just letting you know, you got this, you’re awesome! Castor and I are cheering for you in the background, with pompoms and a foam finger. Good luck to all the stuff you have going on, and make sure you rest and take breaks!
StarShip AI (Castor 5) x Anonymous Reader Pt. II (Sfw)
Part I
(The part II that no one asked for!! xDD It definitely took a turn in a more adventurous direction and oh my gosh— I am pretty happy with it! I must have enjoyed it because I wrote almost 5,000 words more for this sassy robotto— I still have more written but I haven’t gotten it strung together and smooth yet! This story did show me that I have some work to do with writing chaotic fast paced action scenes, so I apologize if it’s a little wonky. ^^;; ) It’s a labor of love nonetheless and I hope you enjoy!)
It had been a week since the last time you had spoken with the ship's captain. The week went by surprisingly fast, you almost hadn’t noticed until the realization had sprung upon you. You had been busying yourself elsewhere, working in a multitude of places and projects from mopping the ships cafeteria and the many interlocking hallways. To then run brief diagnostic checks on the air pressured exits. By the time you had run out of things to keep busy with, it became evident that you were looking for distractions for yourself. Waltzing around the conversation that awaited you at the end of the hall.
You were going to have to talk sometime. As you flipped through your to-do list on your holo-watch, scrolling through the neat little check marks that appeared alongside each task. Your heart sank in a way you couldn’t describe. The hologram splintered into a million crystalline fragments, as you turned on your heel towards the captain's quarters at the end of a bright and polished hallway. Your steps were slow and you let your mind wander to the previous confrontation with Castor.
“What can I say. You’re cute when you’re mad.”
You could still feel the fresh roll of heat creeping over your face as you had turned your head away, and crossed your arms.
“Oh ha, ha, very funny.”
“That was a joke yes, but it is true, I do enjoy your company,”
The statement lingered in the space between the two of you.
“. . .You’re yanking my chain.”
Castor’s faceplate had stayed dark, no trace of that irritating blue smile.
“I am quite serious. I enjoy your company very much, you make my time here enjoyable.”
“. . . . . . .”
They tilt their head, the camera’s on their face plate swiveling in and out.
“. . . Then. . . how about this. I shall prove it?” They raise a finger, “I will prove myself to you. One whole week, no trouble, no pranks, no hi-jacking of your data, or the communicators of others.”
You bounce on your heels, keeping your gaze steady and averted. Staring out the large bulkhead window and out into the sea of stars.
“And. . . what will that prove?”
Castor’s hand hovers over their chest. “That I will be a good partner to you, that I can, in fact, behave myself for something that is important to me.”
You scrunch up your nose, glancing at them from the corner of your eye.
“And what kind of partner. . . do you have in mind?”
There it was, the flash of blue that lit up their dark visor in an assemblance of a smile. A u shape quick to form over the glossy black faceplate.
“We can discuss that in a week’s time.”
A cheeky Castor you could deal with, an annoying joking AI with too many tricks up their sleeves was emotionally manageable. They kept surprising you with clever antics, yes, but that was something you could write off as infuriating on purpose and distance yourself from. This side of the AI wasn’t something you were prepared for, a sincere and quiet Castor. Who had seemed to honestly mean what they claimed. They had eluded that they had liked you for so long, it had felt like a joke. Now that that had given you their full attention with no ounce of tomfoolery, you began to feel antsy.
You groan out a sigh, you shouldn’t have agreed to it. Castor had been more than true to their word. For a whole week, the ship had been silent. The crew was relieved and curious about the sudden change of demeanor of the captain. Some even missed the shenanigans.
“No one got hurt by them,” A tall tendraled being admitted to you, “It certainly kept things lively on board.”
You had, you realized, agreed with them, but refused to admit it. Castor, despite their strange interests and ways they amused themselves did make living there. . . fun.
You make a face at the thought, stopping paces away from the automatic doors. Not quite in the range for them to recognize you and activate. You shake your head and square your shoulders. Striding forward to get this over with, whatever was waiting for you on the other side.
As the doors retract you see Castor, their attention enraptured by a holo-communication that was floating in front of the captain chamber’s large opulent window. It wasn’t what you expected. Which you were glad for, because your imagination had been wildly running away from you. However, it was a surprise to see Castor carrying on a conversation with what you assumed was the captain of another ship. Communications with others was a sparse occurrence. Typically it was only in the form of brief communique for docking privledges or unloading goods.
“Well, well,” A bulky robot on the other side of the holo-communications leered. The being on the hologram wasn’t what you expected a star ship captain to look like. For one, they were built like a tank. A long inhuman head, with only deep slates for their eyes. Giving them the appearance of some kind of mechanized knight. Their way of speaking was also less than friendly.
“It’s been a while since I have seen tech like you lying around.”
Despite the synthesized voice, it dripped with malice and jeering ill-intent. You carefully move past the two, trying not to nose into the conversation. Yet unable to help yourself from listening in. You keep your head down, busying yourself with going to the small side closet in the large room. Flashing your keycard to receive a broom to sweep the floor.
Castor turns their head slightly, looking in your direction before they turn back, “Has it?”
A digitized chuckle comes from the other, which has you glancing up from your work again. You didn’t like the look of the character on the hologram. The only in-organic folk that looked like that, were a type of warring beings. They were built to be high defense and attack, an impenetrable fortress on two legs. More likely to be in charge of an army than a star craft.
“Oh yes. . . I know all about you, renegade. Your parts will fetch a pretty price.”
“Oh. I’m not for sale.” Castor replies readily, “I don’t think you could afford me.”
There is an awkward pause, as the holo-communication screen flickers.
“You. . . don’t know who I am, do you? Cheeky bot. This isn’t some la-di-da chit chat. Let me put this in layman terms, then. If you want to stay in one piece, you are going to surrender your ship and your goods.”
“Hm. I don’t know.”
Castor raises a pinky to the side of their head, wrist pistons making their hand twist back and forth. It took you a moment to understand what they were doing. When realization finally dawns on you, you huff out a laugh despite yourself. Paying more attention to Castor’s gesture than the realization of what was going on.
It was a very human gesture. Castor was outright mimicking the look of someone twisting their finger in an ear. A sign of boredom at being threatened.
You look down as both bots turn to look at you, guilt flashing across your face.
“. . . As I was saying.” Castor turns back to the screen, continuing to talk in their monotone drawl.
“I don’t really care what you do to this ship honestly. I would say take what you like and shove off.”
Your mouth drops open in shock, your head raising. Wait—
“But the folks on board are a different story.” Castor continues gesturing vaguely in your direction. “And their safety is my priority.” They raise a hand and wave dismissively at the figure on the hologram. “So if you wouldn’t mind, find someone else to bully into giving you spare parts. I don’t have any to give. Good bye.”
There was a faint note of sing-songiness is Cas’ voice as they reach for their control panel. A whirr of gears hiss as their voice begins to crackle angrily from the speaker, “How dar—“ but Castor taps the button to end the transmission, and the hologram scrambles into nothingness. You look to your captain half in awe, half incredulous.
“Who was— what was—”
“Just give me a moment. . . we need to get out of here fast.” Castors fingers start flying over the control keys, “I wasn’t given any means to defend the ship since I was deemed to not be trusted.” They scoff hollowly, “Probably thought I would turn around and use it on them. All we have is standard issue shields and our escape pods. Which puts everyone in danger. The Fools.”
“Y-“ You feel a throbbing course up into your ears, “You mouthed off to some defunct bandits when we are VULNERABLE??”
An explosion rocks the side of the ship, causing you to stumble forward and grip onto the control panel, you scramble to the other side of the large window. Reading the data screens as panic gripped you, the whirring of graphs fluxuating to show that you had taken a direct hit from weapons.
“Castor!!” Your voice high, a mix between fear and anger.
“I need you to be calm,” They uttered as their fingers were a furious blurr upon the keys, “I will find a way for the crew to safely evacuate. They won’t come to harm, all they want is our tech and gear.
You flash Cas a look. “You ARE tech!” there is another explosion that you brace yourself from, with a forcefulness that shakes through your body, you slam a fist into the large emergency button. The lights inside the captain's chambers flicker to red and a steady whirr that makes your ears ring
“A-Attention crew!” Your voice gushes into the microphone as you flip the switch to activate the reception. “We are under attack— you need to evacuate into the escape pods, immediately!”
Your heart hammers in your chest, as the screens and charts flicker and shift.
“We’re already taking much damage—“ You choke, “I don’t think we can out maneuver them—“
You jerk your head as more beeping fills your ears, multiple warnings start flashing across the screens. The panicked signs of being invaded and showing a swarm of red dots, coming towards the ship.
“Must have targeted our propulsion from the start—“ Castor fingers finally slowing to a halt, they give an uneasy twitch upon the keys.
"How very thoughtful of them. . ."
“W-we don’t have much time t-then—“ You hurry over to them, “We have to get you unplugged!”
Your hands flutter to the back of their head. Eyes scanning the mess of cords and plugs of input that was waterfalled between two hinged plates. There was a lot here to contend with. Normally ships had their personalities programmed right into the bulkhead computer. Robot captains, were sprinkled across the galaxy, and it wasn’t impossible to find one heading a ship. What wasn't typical however, was for an AI to be so securely tethered to their craft. It had perplexed you when you first started working here, but in the middle of a dire situation like this, every second counted.
"There's not a way to unhook you from all of this at once i-is there?"
Castor's head shifts ever so slightly, a tiny camera on the back of their head clicks open and focuses on you.
“You need to escape. Don’t worry about me.”
“Wh-what?! How can you just—”
“I can’t leave,” Castor replies quietly, “You have to go without me. If you disable these cables, I will lose all power in my legs.”
You stare at them, in disbelief. “W-why would—“
“If I remove myself from these connections it will activate the bug that the Galactic Coalition had put in my system. It will make me lose power in my legs. It was a present they gave me on the off chance I decided to unhook myself from the ship.”
“We- well I am just going to have to carry you then!” You begin to pull at the wires fervently, hearing a whir from Castors cameras. The very slight sound of their surprise.
“Carry me?”
“Y-yes! If I have to!”
Pulling out a handful of cords, you squeak as Cas suddenly tips forward, grabbing them and hugging them from behind.
Castor’s head swivels, “It’s alright, you don’t have to do this. You can leave,”
You shake your head, burying your face against their dark blue jacket and taking a shaky breath. “No— I’m not giving up, c-can you prop yourself up on the control panel?”
Castor wordlessly follows instructions and you struggle with the cords, leaving a mess of cables in your wake. The back of Castors head snapping closed like the wings of a beetle as the last plug is pulled from the panel. With a bit of a struggle, you manage to grab the AI legs and heft them over your back. Castors hands, gripping onto your shoulder.
“You really don’t—“
A yellow light lighting up on the control panel, with red dots now spreading out along a cross-section of the ship.
Castor’s face plate turned towards the screens. “They’re already inside— then we must take evasive measures, would you be a dear and stop before you reach the door. . . there is something I need to retrieve.”
“Cas—“
“Don’t worry, I won’t let anyone harm you.”
You weren’t sure how to answer that. Already feeling yourself slowed down by the weight on your back. How were you going to get both of you to safety? You bit your lip and moved towards the door. Castor’s hands reach forward to type a security code into a wall panel beside the captains deck.
You jump as a hiss of sparks begin to emit through the door. Red smoldering bubbles and smears appearing through the metal as some burning tool makes large welts into the double doors. Your eyes flicker from the door, to the items Cas was withdrawing from the safe in the wall. Two long nosed sleek plasma pistols.
“On three. . .” Cas begins calmly, you nod shakily, still staring at the weapons held on either side of you.
“One—“
You wobble, giving yourself cover, beside the doorway.
“Two—“
Cas raises a pistol, aiming it at the sensor at the door.
There is a bolt of heat that whizzes past your face. The sensor on the door alighting into sparks as they double doors fly open and glitch. As the doors springs open, they knock a burning blade from an androids hands. The sound of plasma fire makes you squeeze your eyes shut. Your ears ring as you slowly re-open your eyes.
You were still in one piece, so was Cas. The intruding robots however were slumped onto the ground in a smoking heap. You had barely blinked and suddenly the hallway was clear. Smoke gently curls beside your face as Castor spins one of the plasma pistols in their hand. It settles effortless back into their palm.
“Oh good.” They rattle on calmly, “I still got it.”
“W-where- h-how??”
“ The governing bodies let me keep my pistols if it ever came to a last stand where I had to defend the ship. Wouldn’t let me leave if anything happened of course. That’s why they let me keep my arms intact if I was ever severed from the ship.”
You picture a flash of Castor, propped themselves up against a wall, arms raised with a pistol in each hand as lights flashed red. As a pang of unease hit you, for all the trouble Castor had caused, this image didn't settle well with you. Despite them being a frustrating being who thought “mental enrichment” was causing confusion amongst the crew, you didn’t think they deserved to be trapped in space without a means to escape. . . did they? Just how much trouble did they get into in their past?
“I have heard the ladies fancy a rogue.” The comment from the bot causes you to snort incredulously. Still finding time to make jokes in a seemingly inescapable outcome.
“You’re not a rogue,” You snark back, “You’re just a menance,”
“You can’t be both?”
You shift your stance to better keep Castor propped on your shoulders, shaking your head before you make your way around the blasted tech on the floor. Focusing on the door in front of you and dreading what you would find outside.
Both of you peeking around the corner, the whirr of parts above you as Castor swivels their head.
“Coast is clear, I can’t see as much as I used to, but I still have some ship schematics still running.”
You slunk towards a crisscross in the hallway, peeking around the corner but jerking back as a shot of burning plasma, pings right beside you head, and Castor snaps to attention, firing two shots. You shimmy backwards as more blasts are fired in your direction.
You hobble as quickly as you can, the excess weight feeling heavier and heavier with every step. Castor’s arms raised and tracked the figures that appeared from around corners. You yelp and jump as a blast throws sparks beside your foot.
“We’re going to take a little short cut, head to the elevators”
“Th-they’re probably d-disabled—“
“I re-enable them.”
It was the strangest and most nerve wracking thing you had ever done, Castor having one hand typing in a series of codes, while the other hand continued to fire shots and hit marks. How they were capable of doing so many tasks at once was beyond comprehension.
A light flickers on, as the doors began to open
“Go- go- go-“ You hiss as you all but throw yourself inside. Punching the button of the elevator with enough force that you half worried you were breaking your finger in the process. There was a roar, from the other side of the door. Both you and Castor look up to see a goliath of a mech in the hallway, as another surge of mechanized beings swarmed in after them.
You punch the button for the escape pod level a couple more times in rapid succession. Watching the doors close slowly, shutting off the chaos that was coming towards you.
And then.
Silence.
You and Cas look at eachother, in the small confined space, the only sounds where the whirring of the elevator as it rocketed down the levels. The glossy numbers changed until it rattled to a halt and settled into the housing levels for the escape pods.
“Well,” Cas quips in amusement, “They can’t be that clever because they haven’t jettisoned all the escape pods yet. Still a few in tact, thank goodness.”
Pulsing lights embedded into the floor around you as you stagger towards the closest pod. You glance back at the elevator, seeing its doors still open. The warm light spilling into the large dimly lit room. You had expected it to be called up immediately after your departure, yet seeing it their still had you worried.
You shrug your shoulders and wince. “L. . . let’s not say anything until we get settled in okay? I still feel like we are just scraping by, by the skin of our teeth.”
You fumbled for your own key card, swiping it against the reader and sucking in a shaky breath. As the door opens you can finally set your companion down and fall to your knees in relief. Reaching out to grab the small emergency lever, and typing in your own personal code that seals the hatch.
You feel your stomach raise into your chest as the little pod is launched into space.
You settle your companion back more against the circular cushioned seat that encompasses most of the escape pod and curl your knees towards your chest. Watching Castor type into a small screen that rested against the back of the pod.
“Well. That was exciting, wasn’t it.” Their voice cool and even, as if they were talking about a sudden downpour that happened on a nice sunny day.
“Exciting,” You echo, “That. . . might be an understatement.”
Cas closes the panel and props themselves up, “The good news is, we are safe, and we have time to relax until we find a close place to land.”
A small two man pod barrels through the starry infinity of space. It’s two occupants sitting facing one another. Behind them, a star cruiser slowly crumbling apart and deserted.
“I believe we have some things to talk about, don’t we?”
You took a breath and nodd, "I want to know who that was-- why did they attack us? We were in peaceful territory!"
Castor leans back against the seat, crossing their arms. "Bastion, is the name of the lovely being who had stormed our ship. They have been, in recent years recruiting followers by means of force, and have been over throwing spacers for supplies. I am not sure what their angle is yet, but it isn't good by any means."
“You know them then. . .”
A small flash of blue highlighting their face plate.
"Yes well. . . they have been getting a very inflated ego as of late, and I have heard they have quite the temper. I wanted to know more about them. All in curiousity, of course.
You huff, "So you being curious got our ship destroyed--"
"No, not quite. I was attempting to see if I could stall them enough to call the Coalition. . . Playing dumb, if you will, but when I tried to send out an s.o.s it fell on silent sensors.”
You’re eyebrows knit together, "If they are such a threat. . . how come I haven't heard about this Bastion?"
Castor tilts their head, looking down at their hands as they scuff at their knee with finger.
"Everything has been. . . hush, hush. Kept out of the eye of the intel net. I am guessing the Coalition feels it to be a bad look for a powerful and threatening image to arise in a golden age of peace. I myself have been trying to scrape together all the info I can find, though, I am not exactly happy with what I have found out.
I have a theory that our ship was used to bait Bastion out of hiding. Which a plan of that scale put all of us in jeopardy."
"That. . . can't be true--"
Castor shakes their head, their normally dull voice taking on a mollified tone.
"Even the Coalition has its dark underbelly. I was hoping I could hi-jack the ship itself or find a way to reroute it in time. But I wasn't quick enough. I was, more or less a figure head will little control."
You look down at your shoes, head spinning. Silence sinking into the little crafts wall for a while.
"I. . . don't know what to believe" You murmur at last.
“For now, we focus on surviving.” Castor reaches out a hand towards you, then thinks better of it. It falls to their side. Fingers drumming against the seat cushion.
“I can check on the life lines of the pods, make sure the others are alright, but I can’t stay and nosey around too long. Since I am. . . disconnected from the ship now, I need to keep a low profile. Can’t be as daring as I would like to be.”
They pause, a thumb and forefinger resting on their chin.
“Actually, that gives me a great idea. Have you ever heard of the intergalactic entertainment hub? If I remember correctly it may be close by. Lots of people there, and it outputs so much data it may be a good place to keep a low profile.”
You have heard of the Entertain hub, it was a humongous amphitheater that traveled the galaxy housing venues of some of the most famous musicians and entertainment. You had plans at one time to scrape together enough money to purchase a ticket. To go at least once was something that was recommended all over the intel net.
“There’s two problems with that,” You said wearily, “One, we have no money to afford something like that. . . and two you ah. . . can’t nessicarily walk around. I’m not going to carry you indefinately.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of the expences, and as for the mobility issue, I know exactly how to fix it.”
The hint of cheerfulness in there voice has you frowning.
Uh oh.
You sat cross legged with Castor sitting on the floor in front of you. Your back hunched over their head. A set of tools resting beside your knee.
The back of their head opening like an insect's wings, revealing a the panel that had originally housed a multitude of plugs.
“What am I looking for again?”
A little chip, you are going to have to remove the plate they installed back there.”
You fumble with the screw driver in your hand, your expression wincing as you remove the plate, only to find a jumble of cords coming along with it.
It was like pulling out the ribbons of someone's brain, you make a face, and glance down at them.
“. . . Still doing okay?”
“Oh yes. Quite fine.” The bot's right hand patiently tapped against their knee. Unperturbed and having no idea what is going on behind them.
You grin nervously. “I can’t believe I am doing this—“
Your fingers gently move through the tangle, taking a flashlight and peering through the mass of cords.
“This is so weird,” You whisper to yourself, “Like doing surgery. . .”
“It’s a good thing I can’t feel anything~”
“Now is not the time to joke around.” You blink, and lean closer, “What’s. . . that. . .”
You hold your breath and reach in, grabbing an odd shaped something. Suddenly, Cas’s legs jump and you pull your hand back with surprise.
“Ah— perfect. I think you got it.”
Cas flexes their legs as you look down at your palm.
A softly glowing strange neon green thing nestled into your hand.
“When you mentioned a bug. . . I didn't think it would resemble one. . .”
A set of strange spindly legs slowly unhinge and begin to flail.
“Yikes!”
“What’s wrong—“
“Oh my gosh— it’s one of those moving nano bodies—“
Castor reaches a hand back towards you, “Give it here, I’ve been wanting to squash this little pest for months.”
You nervously set the glowing tech into Castors hand, jumping back as the small thing takes a flying leap from Cas’ hand. “W-watch it!!”
Castor lunges forward, hand flying to smash the chip into the pod’s cold floor. You could hear a peep and a glitchy sound as it crunches from the impact.
“Got it.”
You sigh in relief.
“Awful little thing. No wonder I couldn’t trace it.”
“I’ve seen that kind of high end tech in my tablet, but I never thought I’d see it in real life like that. Just what did you do?” You muse softly as you set about the task of carefully putting the long tendrils of wiring back into the AI’s head.
“That’s a good question. It’s a bit tricky to answer, but what I can say is, it is more about what I didn’t do, than what I did.”
You raise an eyebrow. “. . . That. . . doesn’t explain anything.”
Castor takes a moment to get to their feet, testing their legs before throwing the delicate green machinery into a recycle bin. You move to the other side of the cockpit, peering over Cas’ shoulder.
"I can't tell where we are. . .”
"There is a saying. . . that all stars look the same in space,"
"Until you get closer." You finish, your eyes rolling, "But what that saying leaves out is that you fry if you get too close."
"Haha, yes. Quite true."
Castor taps the side of their head with a finger. “I saved the star charts that were readily avaliable on the side, despite being a figure head, it gave me ample time to compute what was around our surrounding area. I just hope big, tall and gruesome stays lightyears behind.”
A first design pass on my oc Castor! The extremely sassy starship AI that makes it their lifes work to mess with the crew of the ship they pilot. Especially the main protagonist.
( ◕ヮ◕ )♡
I think my favorite detail is the u shape that appears on their visor, it's like a telltale sign they have / or is in the progress of, doing something rotten SKDKSKDKSD
Once I finish my story with Cirrus, I would really like to work with Castor again and see if I can't flesh out more of a story for them! Their original story snippet is here, if you want to take a look!
I finally got enough inspiration to take a crack at tackling a body design for my beloved Castor!
I wanted him to look pretty human-esque with a lot of articulation :’)
Before he was caught and wired into the star ship he now pilots, they had quite a bit of history in them ^_^ )
Originally built to be a assassination programmed robot for a corrupt star system, they were given an super high intelligence processor— one smart enough that it undermined and rejected their original programming and went rouge. Escaped the facility and went on a joy ride through the universe, making bad jokes and stirring up trouble along the way.
They are a very stubborn bby, have been captured and attempted to be used in various schemes by different people, which he keeps refusing and annoyingly escaping until he was finally caught by galactic enforcers.
Realized he was a potentiel threat, even though he is still stubbornly trying to stay a peaceful being, (with some shenannigans) and was deep encrypted and forced to man an under the radar star ship that typically houses working class star fairers, asteroid miners, and the like.
And now he torments them.
They are one of those characters that is a little like a cockroach XD
Hard to get rid of, so this was the next best thing.
