Stones of farspeech; within a day of the intro log

[conscientiousobject]

This is very sudden, and perhaps badly timed, for which I apologise.

[He really hopes he's not wasting the time of people trapped in rockslides or something, but--well, he would also hope someone trapped in a rock slide would be focusing on that and not. This.]

But I've just... returned to this place after a long absence and I've been informed there are other robots here now?

Is this true?

My name is Epsilon, and I am--was? Am. A robot myself.

So if anyone who can hear me has any kind of AI, or a similar form of existence... at your convenience, I'd like to speak with you! It's been a long time since I've known any others.

.... also, if you do need help, Ginko and I are able to move a great deal of earth between us, so please say something.

Comments

[solperierat]

And what am I, chopped liver?

[conscientiousobject]

.... I didn't want to volunteer you without asking.

[solperierat]

It's not like I was gonna say no!

[forwearemany]

(The voice that answers is so obviously mechanical it's painful.)

Greetings Epsilon. We are Legion, relict of the Geth.

[conscientiousobject]

[If by 'painful,' you mean such a relief that if he were human, he'd probably physically feel it, then yes. Absolutely.]

I've not heard of the Geth, but... relic?

[forwearemany]

Relict. We are the last.

(Not just of the Geth though. Of all machine life in their universe of origin.)

[in4apounding]

[Very, very cautiously.]

Are- um. Are there? You. ...Robots, I mean? ...Would that be a good thing?

[Nailed it.]

[conscientiousobject]

[....hm.]

I'm sorry?

[in4apounding]

Oh. Um.

[Okay. Not nailed it. Start smaller, maybe?]

You're really a robot? Like someone built you.

[counterblows]

Your name is...Epsilon.

[Oh, boy. That's not going to get horribly confusing any time soon.]

[conscientiousobject]

Yes.

Is there a problem?

[counterblows]

No. No, no, no problem. Christ, this is going to get confusing. Just - word of warning. [It's clear that this is Not Fine due to how vehemently Wash tries to smooth that over, but he just keeps talking.]

There's someone by that name from...where I come from. Someone else.

[vagabone]

[This is fine, really. Well, no, it's boring as hell and he did get bashed around a little, but other people are much worse off!! What with the needing to breathe and drink and eat and all.

At least he has his... rock-radio for company.]

Oh, cool, another robot. [He's not being sarcastic, it's a little on the cool side.] Hey, you met Ginko already?

[conscientiousobject]

Yes; I used to be a robot in the same fashion that he used to be human.

[He isn't not a robot now, mind, but Ginko is also still essentially human.]

Are you two friends?

[vagabone]

Por supuesto, I see him all the time. [Someone who sticks around after learning all your dirty little secrets is definitely a friend.] I'm Héctor.

[Huh. What the heck, he's stuck, no reason not to go all the way and just ask.]

So you're not a robot now, how does that work?

text;

[a_shadow]

[ Epsilon. It's Epsilon. Good lord. She thought Epsilon was gone. But in these places, did it matter whether someone was dead or not?

She never interacted with Epsilon, so she doesn't realize this isn't the voice he had used after his recovery. She doesn't know anything about that. So she replies. ]

What happened to you?

[conscientiousobject]

I don't understand the question.

[eudaimonikos]

Oh! My best friend is - well, she's not a robot, but she's definitely an artificial entity. She's a Janet.

Also, I'm trapped in a buried house.

[conscientiousobject]

[Wh--

Okay. Priorities. Epsilon is very good at those.]

Can you describe your location before you were buried? Do you have or need air?

[motherfucking_ghost]

Oh! Uhhhh. That's cool. That's really--that's awesome, that's cool, love meeting other robots. [And AI stuffed into robots! But that's still...touchy.] You've been here before? How'd you leave?

And, hey, has um, has an Agent Washington talked to you yet? Maybe made an entire asshole out of himself?

[conscientiousobject]

I don't know how I left.

I cannot say I know how I returned, either.

And I am not... one hundred percent sure whether I've spoken to Agent Washington or not.

[He's so unable to answer your questions that it's somewhere between comical and pathetic, but he's not really capable of feeling embarrassed about it.]

[technicallytechnically]

You're a robot! Wait, are you like, a killer robot, or are you like...

[She tries very, very hard to think of... literally any other type of robot. Unfortunately, she's not from season one, so she's not very experienced with automatons of any type.

She's met one. It was not very eloquent.]

...uh, another type of robot that's really calm and nice and not covered in knives? You seem like a robot that wouldn't be covered in knives. But if you are, that's fine, I don't judge you know.

[conscientiousobject]

What?

[He is openly appalled by this, and he almost opens his mouth to say that robots are not meant to kill humans, but--

Well, there are now two robots who have killed humans, and he... killed Edward Elric.

So he does not say that.]

I don't own any knives, actually. I'm a pacifist.

[deathfindsaway]

Can you explain how you were a robot? Forgive me if that's an intrusive question.

[The voice pauses for a moment, then returns as if it forgot something.]

Are you from Ginko's world?

[conscientiousobject]

No, not intrusive... but I don't know much about the 'how' outside of my experiences of the process.

Ginko and I came to these islands from the same world, but that world was neither mine nor his. It was not a world that supported the existence of robots... they were centuries away from that kind of technology.

I was briefly.... human... in transition to becoming what I am now, but it was a precarious thing, and short lived.

[There's a pause over the word 'human,' marking an obvious hesitance to ascribe that term to his existence, even temporarily.]