Be forewarned y'all, this is another installment in this series that tackles some pretty dark subject matter. Reader discretion is advised.
Huge thanks to OwOCandyBean for the design work she did for... Ah, but I'll say no more, or I shall spoil the story. >;]
Happy New Year! I want to thank everyone that follows me and my art, both new and old, and I look forward to keep improving and doing more ambitious things with my art in the coming year!
I love writing shit on a whim that Iâve meant to work on for ages
Stowaway
[Power on.
Error: Irregular Shutdown.
System Check:
Disabled. Please consult Fleet personnel for repairs.
Charging Error.
Thereâs a hand on either side of their face, when they finish rebooting, and they find themselves looking at a troll that they donât recognize.
Database Search: Unavailable.
The troll before them has wide fins and wild hair, and the droid can see their housing reflected in a pair of wing-shaved sunglasses. They can feel the current running from the trollâs palms, past the speakers that they talk through, and one side has already been heavily damaged.
They lift a limb to push the trollâs hands away as gently as they can, given the fact that their systems are still recovering from running out of power. The troll is rattling off something too fussed for them to care, so M594275 just raises their volume over the voice.
âWhile I appreciate the power, youâre going to do unnecessary damage if you continue like this. Please return me to a charging station, or consult my mechanics, if Iâm unavailable, in the future.â
Theyâre sure that the troll can hear their annoyance, even if one speaker is cutting in and out as it dies. Who would try to recharge a robot through the face plating? Just because this model hasnât got the detailed expressing that others do doesnât mean that there arenât still delicate pieces under the surface. Maker, this fuchsia must be stupid. Or under duress. But even if thatâs the case, it was still a poor decision. One that risked one of their fastest means of communication, until replacements can be brought in.
âWho needs examination?â
The troll blinks at their question, her fins pressing back against her hair.
âWhat? What sort of exam-â
âYou restarted a medical droid in one of the most absurd ways Iâve come across yet, obviously thereâs an emergency, or youâve just tried to fry my speakers for nothing.â
The air between them sparks a moment, and the troll cocks their head to one side a little.
âWhy the hell were you shipping a medic with navigational equipment? This wasnât even supposed to be a- shit. Res, fuck off-â
The droid follows her eyeliner to another seadweller, this one with bright red fins and an eyepatch. One who seems to have very little intention of fucking off, even as the fuchsia tries to wave him off.
âYou got it back on, nice! Whatâs it do?â
If they had teeth, they would threaten to bite the man, with how heâs prodding at the mesh vents on either side of their face, intended to protect their speakers from debris. When one isnât running psionic currents directly through said speakers, at least. They spare the first troll a glare, but sheâs spared the brunt of it by their bangs.
âIâm a medical unit. I specialize in surgical procedures, but-â
âItâs fleet, dude, fuck off. Fisvetâs gonna lose her shit if heâs gotta cover your ass twice in one week, and I canât do shit if Iâm having to power the ship!â
âThatâs what we have backup power for, chill-â
âBackup power that weâve been using for nights now so I can help you get shit sorted, yeah!â
M594275 just wants them to stop.
âTechnically, Iâm not combat ready, and my connection to any systems is offline. If youâre worried about getting reported for a mutant, donât. I donât care if you live or die, so long as itâs not on my watch.â
It would hardly be the first time theyâve turned a blind eye. Pandor hardly monitors their data anymore, and sheâs always been enough of a bleeding heart that they doubt it would be of much concern even if she did. They sincerely doubt that, if this person got hurt, it would be remotely connected to their presence. Thatâs simply not what they were made for.
Not that the information has done much for the bickering, though.
ââŠIf the two of you are going to continue on like this, could you either power me back off or charge me enough to have mobility? This is stupid.â]
