action + text.

[coinstability]

Who: Connor + you
Broadcast: Yes, fleetwide text
Action: Marsiva and the Starduck
When: November 2nd - 4th

the marsiva - action.

[Connor can't say that he likes waking up with no idea where he is or how he came to be there, but he'll concede that it's something different, at least. He rolls that concept around just long enough to get a look out of the viewing windows at the unfamiliar planets below before he gets to work.

The communicator is the obvious place to start, though Connor quickly realises that he can't bypass any of the security systems in the network. All he can do is scan through what's available. He does that over the course of a minute, frowning down at the device in his hand, before he pockets it and starts looking around the hospitality deck instead. Anyone coming across him there will find him in the process of placing his hand on various electronics and robotic equipment - the skin of his hand sliding away leaving only white plating - with an ever increasing look of mild frustration on his face, the LED on his temple spinning bright yellow.]

the starduck - action.

[Well, he knew it was coming thanks to the network information, but it's still startling when the sudden jump to another spaceship happens. Connor blinks with surprise, then takes a moment to brush the scattered confetti off his hair and jacket. The plate of pudding nearby gets only a passing glance before he leaves the bridge. He can't eat it, after all.

Instead he seeks out the other crew members of the Starduck, checking the other rooms until he finds someone.]

Hello. My name is Connor. I'm-- the newly assigned Communications officer on the ship.

[Nearly said something else there for a second before he caught himself. That's a habit he needs to break.]

fleetwide text.

I understand from going through the network that these communication devices sometimes activate on their own. Is there a pattern or cause for when they do this?

[He's got some theories himself, but the network isn't the full story. Best to get an idea from the actual people trapped here.]

Comments

[privateeyed]

shouldnt be but ive got proof if youre one of those types

[ha ha so the Detroit police have always sucked, he knew it]

why am i not surprised
november 11 is veterans day but that specific day doesnt mean anything no
why? should it?

[coinstability]

If you have evidence I'd like to see it.

It was yesterday for me. Some events occurred that I would also expect to noteworthy in the future, even decades on.

[privateeyed]

ok then im switching this stupid thing to the video option
getting tired of typing one handed anyway

[he switches the feed to video and answers the second part as he does, the video unsteady and shaky as he attempts to set it on a flat surface]

Fuckin' thing - yeah, can't think of anything that happened back then that'd be that noteworthy, man. You wanna share with the class? Maybe it's something that slipped my mind - I mean, it's a hundred years after you, could be just everyday stuff to me and all.

> video.

[coinstability]

[Connor considers Ben's appearance on the video - well, his personality matches his typing at least. It's pointless to keep being cagey at this stage, given the small quarters they're all in. So Connor switches to video as well.

It's a much more stable image from the outset than Ben's, with no apparent sign of Connor having moved to place it down somewhere first. Connor himself appears as a relatively nondescript young man in a suit jacket and tie. Nondescript, except for the blue LED clearly illuminated on his right temple, and the serial numbers stamped on his jacket.]

On 11 November androids rebelled against humans and demonstrated for equal rights in a siege situation. I might not know what's going to happen in the future - but that seems like the kind of thing that would go into the history books.

[Maybe that last is a little dry - it's hard to tell, given how mild his overall tone is.]

[privateeyed]

[hmm. Ben barely gives the LED a second glance, because - well, shit like that's perfectly normal to him. So's the clothes, for that matter, though the style's a little different from what's familiar to him. He shifts off his jacket, muttering about "proof".

Both eyebrows do shoot up at the explanation, though, and he pauses]

Androids? [he looks interested] Nah, we don't have those. We got AI and shit, but nothing that qualifies as android. Think folks tried, but nothing really came of it.

But uh - good for your androids, doing that. Good day to do it, too, I guess.

[coinstability]

[In return, Connor actually looks surprised. Eighty-odd years later and no one had even made functional androids? That's not a matter of the technology being discarded, awful though that idea is. This is saying they never made it that far.]

You never had androids at all? That's ... hard to believe.

[From the time difference alone. He pauses a moment before continuing.]

Thanks, though I don't think the date factored into it much for us.

[It might have, he supposes. He wouldn't put it past Markus to choose a date with significance.]

[privateeyed]

I mean, we've got robots, and we've had folks who go all out making it look as human as they can, but that's about it. Not really what I think of when I think of androids, though.

[he kinda shrugs, and goes back to shrugging off his jacket and then rolling up the sleeve of his shirt. He isn't particularly hiding it, so Connor will see the skin on his right arm isn't right - there's tears and weird discoloring that normal skin does't get, but it is the kind that artificial skin gets all the time when it's damaged]

Probably not, just pointing it out. [he gives Connor a brief look before he fiddles with something in his arm before he pulls out a small box, holding it up to the camera so Connor can see the serial numbers and date of production] There's your proof by the way.

[coinstability]

No, they are not the same thing. [You may as well compare them to roombas.] The first widely accepted android was made in 2021 for us. The idea that your society didn't succeed in creating androids even by the twenty-second century is difficult to imagine.

[Though rest assured, Connor will spend a chunk of time trying to reconceptualise his own Earth's history to figure out a course that would end up there. It may be a terrible thing to picture, but it's interesting in its own way. He's well-versed in the consequences of different actions.

Viewing this through the communicator's camera doesn't give him the same level of information he would if he were watching Ben in person. If he were, he would definitely be scanning him to see the hidden details. It's clear enough though that Ben's arm is artificial; some kind of cybernetic prosthetic. The skin doesn't appear to be of the same type that Connor and other androids employ, a liquid-based synthetic. Once Ben shows the box, Connor takes note of the serial number and nods.]

I see. That could be easily faked but based on what you've told me so far and your lack of reaction to what I've told you, I'll accept that.

[privateeyed]

We went in a different direction, that's all. Focused more on like, cybernetics and better personal technology, AIs and whatnot. And a lot of military tech too, US in particular poured a shit ton of money into research making all that top of the line.

[he rolls his eyes a little and puts the box back into his arm, hooking it in before he pulls his sleeve back down]

Yeah, yeah. You're welcome to scan it or whatever if you wanna knock that up from "acceptable" to "irrefutable". You can do that, right? Scan and analyse on the go? Please tell me that's like - common tech.

[coinstability]

I'd be interested to know how different it is. Advances in android technology were not separate from other systems and devices.

[Maybe the key was Thirium. If Ben's world hadn't unlocked that particular puzzle, then androids would of course never become as advanced and prolific as they were in his own.]

I was designed specifically for assisting law enforcement and engaging in investigations. Scanning and analysis are vital for that.

[There's also the small matter of his other intended function - but he doesn't intend on bringing that up.]

[privateeyed]

I could give my totally unbiased and personal opinion on why it's different, but I know some stuff. Mostly military, but I mean - military's linked to the rest of it, and they get the fancy new tech first.

[wow. He actually cracks a grin, 'cuz that's fucking awesome]

Assisting and engaging and probably fuckin' running circles around them. Meant in general, though, like humans too. Guess that ain't a thing yet for them?

[coinstability]

[Connor doesn't smile exactly, but he does tip his head slightly to the side, something brighter in his expression. It's a strange conversation to have - Connor's skills are formidable and there are few who would say otherwise. But no human has ever said so in a way that lets him lay claim to it.]

No - it isn't, not without external devices and tools.

[privateeyed]

[he hums a little] Thought so. Most of the guys still used the external gear where I'm from - at least the older guys. Not too keen on the implants yet. [he taps the side of his head, next to his right eye, the artificial one] I already had the port before I joined, but I kept mine afterwards.

[coinstability]

[That confirms what Connor already suspected. It wasn't a hard leap to make, from artificial skin and limbs to personal enhancements. Humans in his own world aren't keen yet to make that kind of change to themselves.]

So it's a relatively new procedure for those in the armed and protective forces.

[privateeyed]

Relatively. [he kind of. Makes a face] Younger guys - younger than me, mind you, they're real into that shit. So they're the ones who'd always go for it. There were like, different mods for different departments, too. Lot more when I left, but it was just really getting going when I joined up.

It's a fad, the uh - cybernetics and all. In general, I mean People adding shit to themselves they don't need, it's kind of really stupid.

[coinstability]

It would make sense for there to be specialisations based on work requirements.

[Still, that's curious, calling it a fad.]

Is that so different to other things people do? It correlates with human behaviour on a broad level.

[Herd mentality. Popularity and seeking personal gains. Doing dumb shit because someone else they know also did it.]

[privateeyed]

[there's the face again. Okay, he's going to try and explain this not like an asshole]

It's one thing to go get a tattoo 'cuz you wanna piss off your mom, it's another to get a fuckin' lighter implanted in your index finger 'cuz you think it's cool.

Ain't that different, I just think it's stupid. [his nose wrinkles] Which - yeah, I get, is real rich coming from me. But I didn't get a choice.

[coinstability]

They do have very different consequences.

Were your own cybernetic additions a necessity then?

[privateeyed]

Something like that.

But yeah, they were. Lost the arm and the eye in the army, plus a few other things. The other things are the more - you know, necessary parts.

[coinstability]

Internal organs.

[He's just going to say it, don't mind him.]

It must have been a bad injury.

[privateeyed]

[he doesn't mind, judging from the look on his face. Like, the sudden realization that he doesn't have to be delicate about shit. How nice]

Yeah, it was bad. I don't recommend being anywhere near an exploding drone.

That's how I ended up in Detroit, to bring it all around. They flew me in there and I've been trapped ever since. [he makes sure to do air quotes around "trapped", just in case Connor doesn't pick up on the sarcasm]

[coinstability]

[Good call on the air quotes. Thankfully Hank is old fashioned enough that he's seen air quotes before.]

Yes, being near an explosive device would do it.

[Connor's picked up some level of tact after bringing up Russian Roulette and dead children in conversations, but only a shade. He doesn't know enough about Ben yet to hash out what is and isn't acceptable to say.]

You haven't considered moving elsewhere? Unless that isn't possible for you.

[privateeyed]

I mean, I wasn't near it, I was trying to barricade against it. But - whatever, details.

[ah see, this is the part that gets kind of complicated and into things he doesn't talk about with anyone]

It's possible, but I'm kinda limited. Stayed for a shit ton of reasons, don't have most of them anymore, so now I'm just like a bad penny that won't go away - that's how the saying goes, right? We don't have pennies anymore. At least not like, the kind you can spend.

[coinstability]

I'm not familiar with the saying. But I understand your point.

[Namely, that Ben was in Detroit for reasons that are no longer valid. With the exception of one or more.]

[privateeyed]

Mmhmm. [there's a faint drumming sound, like Ben's drumming his fingers against something] What about you? Why'd they stick you in Detroit of all places? They that desperate for help or were you like, born there? [...] Created, born, whatever you prefer, I don't fuckin' know.