- Pronouns
- He
[X] In which Quote and Syn remain your favourites to work with
He might not be able to guess why Arthur is tense about this but I sure can!
He might not be able to guess why Arthur is tense about this but I sure can!
Machine Learning: A Cave Story Quest
- Thread starter Lepidoptera
- Start date
- Action
[X] In which Chevron cannot be left to his own devices
Lepidoptera
Mother of Monsters, Unverified Impuritas Civitatis
- Location
- Indeterminate Unknown
Memory time!
Lepidoptera
Mother of Monsters, Unverified Impuritas Civitatis
- Location
- Indeterminate Unknown
I've been busy with work recently, so today's update has been delayed. I'm not sure when it will be up, but it is still in progress.
Recovered Data 6 - Indecision
New
Lepidoptera
Mother of Monsters, Unverified Impuritas Civitatis
- Location
- Indeterminate Unknown
Machine Learning - Recovered Data 6 - Indecision
The village had been impressive when your team arrived. Even knowing that it was relatively small and undeveloped by modern standards, the simple wood and clay walls and thatched roofs came together to make something more. They filled the space of the valley, crowding around the edges against the pair of hills that enclosed it and stretching down to follow the stream that ran down its length. At one end of the valley, a small waterfall connected the river to the larger stream above. Buildings rose up larger close to the waterfall, still the same simple wood and earth. Short rock walls cut the settlement into layers extending out from that end of the valley, each one less occupied than the last. By the sixth division, there were only a scant few houses overlooking a wide stretch of farmland. A mix of grains, trees, and some sort of fruit-bearing vines all mingled in a delicate pattern over the field, forming blocks of color. Mimiga wandered the loosely-paved streets without a care.
Now, everything is ashes and ruins. The low evening sun burns just barely above the valley's edge, its harsh orange glow mirrored in the spreading fire that rises with every moment. Embers float through the streets and fields like fireflies. The air is filled with the sound of crackling fire and the groaning of burning wood caving in. Black smoke chokes the streets and curls around unmoving bodies. The fields behind you are a sea of ashes long since burned through. If you listen carefully, you think you can still hear Paren's cheering and cackling drifting over the scorched farmland.
She and Curly had struck directly, starting at the valley's unpopulated end, while you, Quote, and the Commander all snuck deeper into the colony to break up any potential response and search for any Demon Flowers. Chevron was stationed along one edge of the valley as a spotter. The plan went off flawlessly, with some small exceptions.
Everything was not supposed to be on fire, for one. Burning the Red Flowers here would be a disaster. The smoke is still potent enough to turn Mimiga who inhale it, if slowly. A colony of this size all turning rabid at once would be a disaster. You had killed the third rabid Mimiga spotted on-site minutes ago, so there were Red Flowers here. That too had not been part of the plan, but all three had been encountered alone and dispatched by whoever found them without issue. Not an issue of any consequence. What's more problematic is how it's limited your searching prospects. There are Red Flowers here; suspicion of such a thing is why your team was sent, and now it's been confirmed. But with the whole colony in flames, actually finding the flowers has become exponentially more difficult. Three doses may have been all they had, but if there were any more it would be reckless to keep searching for them through burning buildings. You'll have to comb through the ashes once the fire dies down. One way or another, the mission will still be accomplished. Again, not an issue of any consequence.
No, the issue is Chevron. Specifically, the fact that Chevron is standing in the town square just a block ahead of you. The fire has already churned through this part of the colony, leaving behind the smoldering skeletons of buildings standing as a forest of blackened scaffolding around the circle of rough cobbled streets. Bodies litter the square. The dead Mimiga are splotches of white against the burnt-out ground. Many of them are stained black, soot clinging to fur in sickly patches. Your attention slides over the scene and the bodies alike, unable to settle on anything other than your fellow soldier.
Chevron would look out of place standing here even if you didn't know where they are supposed to be. With their hair tied back in a loose ponytail and a plain grey jacket adorned with stickers and pins of all kinds, they don't look fit for a war zone. You know this impression, at least, to be false. Chevron is still one of you, and you are all killers. Even as the least physically able model, his aim is better than any of the rest of you except Commander Syn. No human could ever hope to match the flawless aim of a machine, but Chevron takes that a step further than the rest of you. It's why he was supposed to be positioned above the valley colony where he could freely target any fleeing Mimiga and keep the battlefield locked down. There is no good reason for him to be here, staring blankly at one of the dead bodies with his gun not in his hands.
The crunch of your feet over burnt timbers announces your presence. Chevron turns slowly, far too slowly, towards the sound. What would he have done if it had been a Mimiga instead of you? Drawing and firing still takes time even for a machine and Mimiga can move fast when they want to. Even when they're wounded.
"You're too unaware of your surroundings, Chevron." you chide. "What if I had been somebody attacking you? Such a slow reaction wouldn't be able to protect you."
"But you'd never try something like that, Bracket." Chevron says in reply. Completely missing what your actual point was. You catch the ghost of some other expression vanishing under a carefree smile as he turns towards you.
"You couldn't have known it was me." you point out. "A Mimiga could have killed you, being so inattentive."
"Ah, but I've got all of you looking out for me!" Chevron cheers, still completely missing the point. His weapon is still holstered, not in his hands.
"You do not." The words feel too heavy on your lips, but they need to be said. "You were not supposed to be here. None of us knew to expect your presence. It was chance alone that I found you." Chevron looks away from you, smile dimming. You dismiss the guilt that wells up inside you. Chevron has to learn these things. He should already know them by now in the first place. "And on that note, what are you doing here? You were supposed to stay at the cliffside."
"Well, Paren wasn't supposed to set the colony on fire, so plans clearly should've been adjusted." Chevron says. There's not a trace of accusation in his voice, just observation. As if it isn't Paren's explicit fault that everything caught fire.
Later, you'll look back on memories like this with fondness. Of when Chevron didn't fold to the slightest critique. His arguments were never well-reasoned or convincing, but the complete lack of pushback will never not feel wrong no matter if it's more efficient or not.
"This isn't about what Paren did, but I'm sure the Chief Engineer will have words with her after this." you say. Not that anything will come of it. Paren has always been like this, and burning down a settlement that was going to be destroyed anyways is hardly a step too far. Unless she becomes an actual liability, nobody will step in. "This is about your safety. What made you believe this was a good idea?"
You keep your voice level through effort alone. Chevron doesn't have to do the same. The feeble diversion he offers doesn't carry even a hint of irritation. "Shouldn't you be looking for the Red Flowers right now?"
"There's no point while the colony is burning like this. Either the flowers will burn, or the villagers have already used all the doses they had. If anything remains once the fire has died out, we'll find it. But as long as none of the Mimiga manage to escape the valley, there won't be an issue. And if you had stayed in position, we would have that under control as well." you explain. Chevron's posture worsens as your explanation drones on, like he's trying to hide behind something that isn't there. It's only once you finish that he snaps back up to his full height.
"Well…" Chevron rakes his fingers through his hair nervously. "I won't do it again? I was just…"
An emotion you can't place flickers across Chevron's face, but it's gone as quickly as it appears.
"Don't." you insist, shaking your head in disapproval. You fully expect Chevron to break his promise. It's just the way things go. It's really only the Commander and Quote who follow instructions more than half the time. For now, you simply have to correct course on this operation. "There's no time for you to get back in position. We'll split up and try to clear out more of the survivors."
Even you can't miss Chevron wince when you mention survivors. "Do we…"
"Yes," you say in anticipation to Chevron's question. The next words turn out heavier than you had wanted. A cold, lifeless weight that settles in your mouth as you speak. "It's necessary. We have our orders."
"Is that-"
Whatever protests Chevron has are drowned out. One of the fallen Mimiga, body stained black and red with soot and blood and missing patches of fur that were burned away, moves. It's barely more than a twitch. Just moving their arm and pushing themself up off the ground ever so slightly. The motion is slow and clumsy, like their body is being controlled by an inexperienced puppeteer. They're so, so close to Chevron, enough that if they could reach out they could touch him. But they cannot reach out. Not with the few embers of strength that remain in their charred body. They raise their head, fur matted with blood and soot, and Chevron meets the dying Mimiga's gaze.
You can't see either of their faces. Chevron's normally-relaxed body is wrought with tension. Not the tension of a battle, wound back like a coiled spring ready for motion. Not your own tension, ever-present and waiting to be called to act. Just… strain. Weight.
You take a careful step forwards.
The fallen Mimiga stops moving. You lower your gun, which had been trained on their head the entire time. Not quickly, and not in time to prevent Chevron from seeing. When they look at you, you can already hear the question that follows.
"Why?"
It's barely a question at all. You answer it regardless.
"They're the enemy. If we don't kill them, they aren't just going to let all this go. From the moment we began the mission, it was either us or them." you say. You take another step closer to Chevron. A human would be expected to fill those words with passion. A soldier might be asked the same. But a machine is free to hold only apathy. Not regret, but the two sound similar enough.
"And why are we here in the first place? Because these people are dangerous?" Chevron continues. This time, it's not a question. It's an accusation. That weight you had seen has coiled into readiness, but there is nothing for Chevron to do. Only waiting.
"Enough." you command. Some of your own tension leaks into the word, and Chevron flinches. You step back instinctively. You hadn't realized how close you'd gotten.
"…just search in that direction," you say, pointing a stiff arm in the direction you know will be covered last by the others. "and I'll continue my planned route. Confirm your kills next time. We don't want surprises."
Without looking to see what Chevron does, you start walking with your gun in hand.
Sometimes, the fighting and killing is easier.
\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\
Chevron's Insubordination
Nobody else saw what you did. It's up to you to decide who has to know.
[] Nobody.
It's not important anyways.
[] Commander Syn
At least they deserve to know.
[] The Chief Engineer
They might actually do something about it.
The village had been impressive when your team arrived. Even knowing that it was relatively small and undeveloped by modern standards, the simple wood and clay walls and thatched roofs came together to make something more. They filled the space of the valley, crowding around the edges against the pair of hills that enclosed it and stretching down to follow the stream that ran down its length. At one end of the valley, a small waterfall connected the river to the larger stream above. Buildings rose up larger close to the waterfall, still the same simple wood and earth. Short rock walls cut the settlement into layers extending out from that end of the valley, each one less occupied than the last. By the sixth division, there were only a scant few houses overlooking a wide stretch of farmland. A mix of grains, trees, and some sort of fruit-bearing vines all mingled in a delicate pattern over the field, forming blocks of color. Mimiga wandered the loosely-paved streets without a care.
Now, everything is ashes and ruins. The low evening sun burns just barely above the valley's edge, its harsh orange glow mirrored in the spreading fire that rises with every moment. Embers float through the streets and fields like fireflies. The air is filled with the sound of crackling fire and the groaning of burning wood caving in. Black smoke chokes the streets and curls around unmoving bodies. The fields behind you are a sea of ashes long since burned through. If you listen carefully, you think you can still hear Paren's cheering and cackling drifting over the scorched farmland.
She and Curly had struck directly, starting at the valley's unpopulated end, while you, Quote, and the Commander all snuck deeper into the colony to break up any potential response and search for any Demon Flowers. Chevron was stationed along one edge of the valley as a spotter. The plan went off flawlessly, with some small exceptions.
Everything was not supposed to be on fire, for one. Burning the Red Flowers here would be a disaster. The smoke is still potent enough to turn Mimiga who inhale it, if slowly. A colony of this size all turning rabid at once would be a disaster. You had killed the third rabid Mimiga spotted on-site minutes ago, so there were Red Flowers here. That too had not been part of the plan, but all three had been encountered alone and dispatched by whoever found them without issue. Not an issue of any consequence. What's more problematic is how it's limited your searching prospects. There are Red Flowers here; suspicion of such a thing is why your team was sent, and now it's been confirmed. But with the whole colony in flames, actually finding the flowers has become exponentially more difficult. Three doses may have been all they had, but if there were any more it would be reckless to keep searching for them through burning buildings. You'll have to comb through the ashes once the fire dies down. One way or another, the mission will still be accomplished. Again, not an issue of any consequence.
No, the issue is Chevron. Specifically, the fact that Chevron is standing in the town square just a block ahead of you. The fire has already churned through this part of the colony, leaving behind the smoldering skeletons of buildings standing as a forest of blackened scaffolding around the circle of rough cobbled streets. Bodies litter the square. The dead Mimiga are splotches of white against the burnt-out ground. Many of them are stained black, soot clinging to fur in sickly patches. Your attention slides over the scene and the bodies alike, unable to settle on anything other than your fellow soldier.
Chevron would look out of place standing here even if you didn't know where they are supposed to be. With their hair tied back in a loose ponytail and a plain grey jacket adorned with stickers and pins of all kinds, they don't look fit for a war zone. You know this impression, at least, to be false. Chevron is still one of you, and you are all killers. Even as the least physically able model, his aim is better than any of the rest of you except Commander Syn. No human could ever hope to match the flawless aim of a machine, but Chevron takes that a step further than the rest of you. It's why he was supposed to be positioned above the valley colony where he could freely target any fleeing Mimiga and keep the battlefield locked down. There is no good reason for him to be here, staring blankly at one of the dead bodies with his gun not in his hands.
The crunch of your feet over burnt timbers announces your presence. Chevron turns slowly, far too slowly, towards the sound. What would he have done if it had been a Mimiga instead of you? Drawing and firing still takes time even for a machine and Mimiga can move fast when they want to. Even when they're wounded.
"You're too unaware of your surroundings, Chevron." you chide. "What if I had been somebody attacking you? Such a slow reaction wouldn't be able to protect you."
"But you'd never try something like that, Bracket." Chevron says in reply. Completely missing what your actual point was. You catch the ghost of some other expression vanishing under a carefree smile as he turns towards you.
"You couldn't have known it was me." you point out. "A Mimiga could have killed you, being so inattentive."
"Ah, but I've got all of you looking out for me!" Chevron cheers, still completely missing the point. His weapon is still holstered, not in his hands.
"You do not." The words feel too heavy on your lips, but they need to be said. "You were not supposed to be here. None of us knew to expect your presence. It was chance alone that I found you." Chevron looks away from you, smile dimming. You dismiss the guilt that wells up inside you. Chevron has to learn these things. He should already know them by now in the first place. "And on that note, what are you doing here? You were supposed to stay at the cliffside."
"Well, Paren wasn't supposed to set the colony on fire, so plans clearly should've been adjusted." Chevron says. There's not a trace of accusation in his voice, just observation. As if it isn't Paren's explicit fault that everything caught fire.
Later, you'll look back on memories like this with fondness. Of when Chevron didn't fold to the slightest critique. His arguments were never well-reasoned or convincing, but the complete lack of pushback will never not feel wrong no matter if it's more efficient or not.
"This isn't about what Paren did, but I'm sure the Chief Engineer will have words with her after this." you say. Not that anything will come of it. Paren has always been like this, and burning down a settlement that was going to be destroyed anyways is hardly a step too far. Unless she becomes an actual liability, nobody will step in. "This is about your safety. What made you believe this was a good idea?"
You keep your voice level through effort alone. Chevron doesn't have to do the same. The feeble diversion he offers doesn't carry even a hint of irritation. "Shouldn't you be looking for the Red Flowers right now?"
"There's no point while the colony is burning like this. Either the flowers will burn, or the villagers have already used all the doses they had. If anything remains once the fire has died out, we'll find it. But as long as none of the Mimiga manage to escape the valley, there won't be an issue. And if you had stayed in position, we would have that under control as well." you explain. Chevron's posture worsens as your explanation drones on, like he's trying to hide behind something that isn't there. It's only once you finish that he snaps back up to his full height.
"Well…" Chevron rakes his fingers through his hair nervously. "I won't do it again? I was just…"
An emotion you can't place flickers across Chevron's face, but it's gone as quickly as it appears.
"Don't." you insist, shaking your head in disapproval. You fully expect Chevron to break his promise. It's just the way things go. It's really only the Commander and Quote who follow instructions more than half the time. For now, you simply have to correct course on this operation. "There's no time for you to get back in position. We'll split up and try to clear out more of the survivors."
Even you can't miss Chevron wince when you mention survivors. "Do we…"
"Yes," you say in anticipation to Chevron's question. The next words turn out heavier than you had wanted. A cold, lifeless weight that settles in your mouth as you speak. "It's necessary. We have our orders."
"Is that-"
Whatever protests Chevron has are drowned out. One of the fallen Mimiga, body stained black and red with soot and blood and missing patches of fur that were burned away, moves. It's barely more than a twitch. Just moving their arm and pushing themself up off the ground ever so slightly. The motion is slow and clumsy, like their body is being controlled by an inexperienced puppeteer. They're so, so close to Chevron, enough that if they could reach out they could touch him. But they cannot reach out. Not with the few embers of strength that remain in their charred body. They raise their head, fur matted with blood and soot, and Chevron meets the dying Mimiga's gaze.
You can't see either of their faces. Chevron's normally-relaxed body is wrought with tension. Not the tension of a battle, wound back like a coiled spring ready for motion. Not your own tension, ever-present and waiting to be called to act. Just… strain. Weight.
You take a careful step forwards.
The fallen Mimiga stops moving. You lower your gun, which had been trained on their head the entire time. Not quickly, and not in time to prevent Chevron from seeing. When they look at you, you can already hear the question that follows.
"Why?"
It's barely a question at all. You answer it regardless.
"They're the enemy. If we don't kill them, they aren't just going to let all this go. From the moment we began the mission, it was either us or them." you say. You take another step closer to Chevron. A human would be expected to fill those words with passion. A soldier might be asked the same. But a machine is free to hold only apathy. Not regret, but the two sound similar enough.
"And why are we here in the first place? Because these people are dangerous?" Chevron continues. This time, it's not a question. It's an accusation. That weight you had seen has coiled into readiness, but there is nothing for Chevron to do. Only waiting.
"Enough." you command. Some of your own tension leaks into the word, and Chevron flinches. You step back instinctively. You hadn't realized how close you'd gotten.
"…just search in that direction," you say, pointing a stiff arm in the direction you know will be covered last by the others. "and I'll continue my planned route. Confirm your kills next time. We don't want surprises."
Without looking to see what Chevron does, you start walking with your gun in hand.
Sometimes, the fighting and killing is easier.
\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\
Chevron's Insubordination
Nobody else saw what you did. It's up to you to decide who has to know.
[] Nobody.
It's not important anyways.
[] Commander Syn
At least they deserve to know.
[] The Chief Engineer
They might actually do something about it.
Lepidoptera
Mother of Monsters, Unverified Impuritas Civitatis
- Location
- Indeterminate Unknown
My sincerest apologies that this and other works of mine have been late to update recently. I have been swamped with work and haven't had time to sit down and write in a while.
[X] Commander Syn
questioningmeme
Just be yourself
- Location
- River of Light
Ooh great! PTSD and war crimes! My favorites!
Is it a must to just limit it to the three votes? Or can we write anyone within reasonable limits?
[X] Commander Syn
Is it a must to just limit it to the three votes? Or can we write anyone within reasonable limits?
[X] Commander Syn
- Pronouns
- He
[X] Nobody.
Lepidoptera
Mother of Monsters, Unverified Impuritas Civitatis
- Location
- Indeterminate Unknown
You could tell somebody else if you wanted to, but in an official capacity only Syn and the Chief Engineer have any authority over Chevron. Whether you tell either of them is what's most likely to have consequences.
Red_Knight25
Unofficial Edgelord Advocate
[X] Nobody.
Lepidoptera
Mother of Monsters, Unverified Impuritas Civitatis
- Location
- Indeterminate Unknown
Nobody needs to know!