driftfleet | (no subject)

SOrt of. It's hard to explain really. The best I can I say is that it's a modified cat that the Orokin released and sometimes can be found on derelicts. Infestation is another thing entirely and much more needing of explanations.

That's true. He can show quite the stubbornness when he desires to so I would probably go with quite a bit. [That was honestly a severe understatement.]

Infestation just sounds like it's very bad.

Very determined poop, then. Okay. Well, I'm determined too. He can't be as stubborn as my partner, so I'm ready.

It's incredibly so. I'm hopeful that something like doesn't ever exist here.

Clash of the stubborn, hm? I never got to ask much but what was your partner like? I know you miss him.

Yeah. I hope so too. I also hope there isn't dysthrophe here. There was something kind of like that on the Iskaulit, back when we first found the ship and there were still Nunilis on it. Scared the shit out of me, but it didn't affect humans.

Maine? Maine's great. He doesn't talk much. And he's huge! And grouchy. But... he's a good guy beneath it all. He's a good guy to have at your back, always. He doesn't let anything bad happen to the people he cares about.

If it's not too much of me asking, what exactly is dysthrophe? Or for that matter Nunilis? [How was he supposed to clear out an infestation without his gear?]

He sounds like a worthy partner and I can see why you miss him so much.

Dysthropes are people that got infected by the dysthrophe. It makes them mutate and get weird looking and huge and then go crazy. They eat other people, and the only way to stop them is cutting them up or blowing off their heads. It's really fucked up. The Nunilis are these aliens that built the Iskaulit. We've seen them on other planets too. They're actually really friendly, but on the Iskaulit they'd been infected with this fungus thing that basically ate their brains.

That's why the Nunilis let us keep that ship. They didn't want to risk taking it back in case putting it in hard vacuum wasn't enough to kill the fungus stuff. And that's why I started the big memorial mural in it. The people on the ship deserved better than what happened to them, but there wasn't anything we could do.

It's... really rare to find another person that really gets what kind of fucked up shit is crawling around in your head, right? I was lucky to find him.

That sounds...horrendous. Much more aggressive in infection than what the infestation sometimes does. That and well at least the infested don't eat people. Sounds like hell.

But what happened to Nunilius sounds similar to the infestation. It's not really an infection but takes over a host and controls them. I can understand why they wouldn't want the ship back. Dramatic memories like that can cause some resentment of places and the like.

Indeed it is. [He doesn't know if he's ever truly found one like her partner.]

It's... not good. If someone gets infected, you shoot 'em. It's the merciful thing to do. Cause there's no cure.

[She nods. Okay, so maybe that infestation thing is kind of here. But it could be worse.]

Someone who listens, too.

The same thing with the infestation. However with the strain in the origin system, all Tenno are immune to it. I don't know why exactly.

...cephalons are not.

Listening is a good skill. Especially in someone to be close to you. It's a shame your partner isn't here now. But maybe you'll be reunited.

Being immune is really good. There are Immune people where I'm from, but they're all from different worlds and got...brought, somehow.

Wait, so it can infect computer people even when they're not in human people bodies? [Whaaaaaaaaat thefuck]

I think... Maine would be happier here than in Proles. So I can hope he'll show up some day.

At least not everyone is affected by such things. Still it would be better if more people were lucky enough to be immune or not have to experience the dangers of such things.

The infestation can affect robotics and corrupt AI if given the chance. Ordis and I encountered one cephalon that had been corrupted and his name was Jordas. I...I had to end his suffering.

That's a good hope to have.

Yeah, I'm glad the new people are Immune at least, but they're not exactly happy to be there. As you can imagine.

That's what you have to do, sometimes. It's better than letting them turn into a monster. But I'm sorry, that must have been hard. It's never easy, even when it's the right thing to do.

I certainly can. [They probably feel like he does here. Out of his own time and place without reason as to why.]

Jordas was far gone by the time that we encountered him. Ordis was the one who took it the hardest since he wanted another cephalon to converse with. Sometimes I don't think that I'm a good partner if he wanted someone else to confide to especially over things involving me.

I don't know if that's how it works. Being partners, I mean. You have each other's backs, and that's the most important part. You can depend on each other.

But... I don't think that it's good for one single person to be everything to you. Maine was my best friend and the best partner I could ever have, but I still had other friends and so did he. People we could go bitch at when we were driving each other crazy, because that kind of stuff happens.

[She snorts, her habitual smile going crooked.]

But I might not be the person to listen to about stuff like that. Like... I think I'm okay at having friends. And I think I'm okay with having a partner. But this is the longest I've gone without being... wiped. So I don't know. And the one time I tried having an actual boyfriend, it was a fucking disaster so I'm never doing that again. Because I couldn't be everything.

Which isn't the same as having a good partner, but. [Shrug.] I'm more saying I'm not an expert or anything.

[He takes in all of the information and glances away to get his thoughts together before nodding.] That makes sense. You may not be the person yes but you're certainly better than nothing. Expertise isn't necessary.

Ordis has been the only person for a while though. The other tenno are good for support but not as friends in my experience. So I'm used to it being only us two when it comes down to companionship and partnership as a whole. And well I don't know about boyfriends or such either.

But what do you mean wiped?

It'd probably be good for you both to make some more friends, then. That doesn't make you less important to each other, but it means you have more than one person to lean on. And you have more than one person to help out.

[A little one-shouldered shrug.]

There's this thing called Compliance, in Proles. I don't know when it started. I don't remember. But if you engage in non-compliant behavior, you'd have to go talk to the compliance officer. And she's really nice. Or at least you remember her being really nice. And you have a nice conversation and go home not wanting to do bad, non-compliant things any more.

I know that I would get sent to Compliance sometimes once a year, sometimes after six months, sometimes longer, like two years. I don't remember a lot of things. I don't remember anything before I was sixteen. I have a lot of holes in my memories after. Delta thought--and so did Maine, so did a lot of the Immune, and I think they're right--that my memories kept getting selectively wiped, over and over again. And I don't know what I've lost.

I can't speak for Ordis but I'm trying to get familiar with my crew mates at the very least. Not too sure about friends yet but an attempt is being made I assure you though. So there's that.

[Well that's rather concerning.]

Almost as though you or rather memories were being specifically targeted. Maybe that so called compliance was an attempt to hide something that wasn't meant to be thought over or possibly shared. So I guess I'm with your partner Maine and this Delta in that way of thinking.

It sounds like forcing a memory archival with a cephalon. Not that I have done that but Ordis seems to have gone through that when I lost my memories.

So maybe make new memories in the meantime?

Good. I think you're going to do fine, Tenno.

Yeah, that's basically what the Immune concluded. I guess after they arrived there was some kind of city-wide, targeted memory deletion that some of them caught because they kept offline records.

How much did you lose?

[Smile.] That seems the best idea here. So far no one seems to be able to take them away.

Thank you.

I lost everything for awhile and now it's bits and pieces. Mostly I remember parts of after the void accident but before that nothing. So if anything it's as an ostracized teen before growing out of that.

In short, a lot.

[A grin is offered in return.] That's good.

Is it the kind of thing where you think you might remember stuff some day, or where it's just gone?

For me, it's just gone. Like a sharp cut.

...void accident?

After the Zariman, it's fuzzy and broken up. Maybe it will all come back. Maybe it won't. Everything else is gone. I think it's why I don't have a name aside from what I am.

The accident is what made me into Tenno. Gained powers I couldn't control and separated me and others from the rest of the Orokin.

[She... kind of understands. Maybe? ]

Do you want a name other than that? [Curious.]

[Shrug.] I don't know. I've only ever been called Tenno or that's what I remember. Never thought about taking up another one.

That's okay. Names are important... but not the way other people say sometimes. Your name's important to you. So if Tenno means you and helps you remember who you are, then you keep it.

After I got discharged, I had some people who tried to get me to change my name since I wasn't that Wrath any more. But then I wouldn't have known who I was.

I suppose it is easier to use that as my name now that it seems I'm only Tenno here so it works. Back in the origin system, it obviously isn't as unique so there was more of necessity to distinguish yourself from the rest in some manner. Most of the time they would merely use my frame's name during excursions to help keep things clear.