Not-Quite-A-Jedi Girl and the SUPER NEATO BOT! [9.108 ABY]

[Siyndacha Aerin]

(Continued from here (http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showpost.php?p=385998&postcount=33).)

Never let it be said that Siyndacha Karolle Aerin dragged her feet when it came to anything technological that even remotely fascinated her. She wasted no time whatsoever in making a bee-line toward Cirr, the boy who just had to be younger than her –

So obvious. He’s got to be a padawan.

– And the fascinating-looking bot, just as Cirr and the boy walked right past her in the opposite direction.

“HICIRR.” She blurted out as she speedwalked past him and the boy and right up to MARCUS, at which point she merely decided to contain her near-boiling interest and keep her mouth shut for long enough to observe the bot.

At least, until she could no longer contain herself.

“Umexcuseme.”

Sindy’s hands clapped over her mouth almost as quickly as the words had tumbled out of it. She had been lectured innumerable times to contain her excitement and anxiety and jumpiness before she spoke. She had been taught hard over several, several years to compose herself before uttering a single word. She breathed in long, breathed out quick, removed her hands from her face and tried again.

“Um, excuse me... Hi…”

[MARCUS]

In the midst of carrying a forty kilogram cargo box, the Lupine MMU paused, canting its head in the direction of the female humanoid who was approaching. His protocol subroutines activated, dictating that it was polite and acceptable among organics to set aside current tasks to engage in conversation, even if that delegation was inherently inefficient. Easing the box down, the bipedal droid stood casually, focusing his photoreceptor on the girl once more.

"Hello."

There was nothing to be said further until new data was available. In the meantime, MARCUS ran background programs to identify his visitor. Her biometrics matched a woman that had been documented as a visitor aboard Novgorod, although no nomenclature had been assigned as of yet.

[Siyndacha Aerin]

Sindy nearly jumped clear out of her boots and dropped the bag in her hand on the deck with a rather audible thud and the lower-volume clanking of the bag's contents.

“Ohmigods you talk. That I was not expecting!"

She took a cautious step forward, leaning forward and peering at the Lupine MMU, right in its… his… oh, she didn’t know!... photoreceptor. A slightly nervous, but mostly excitable giggle slipped unintentionally from between her lips.

“What are you? I mean, what kind of model are you? Who made you? Do you have a name or designation? You can’t possibly be a labour droid… oops. Geez, I’m sorry. I somehow manage to come out rude to everybody and after nineteen years you’d think I’d know better! But I just can’t help it and… eech, there I go again. So, so sorry.”

She stood up straight and looked away for a moment, admiring nothing in particular, before collecting and calming herself enough to look at the unit, at which point she felt the giddiness bubbling up again. The pixie-girl swallowed hard.

“I should introduce myself. Yes… well, let’s do this proper-like, then. I am Siyndacha Karolle Aerin.”

She forced a vaguely calm smile onto her face.

“And my prior questions still stand.”

With that, she promptly shut her mouth and zipped it tight, to give the unit a chance.

[MARCUS]

MARCUS's photoreceptor zoomed out in response to the inquisitive girl's innocent violation of his personal space, a reaction intended to keep her within optimal focus.

Her questions came at a pace which was frenetic for an organic, but perfectly serviceable for a droid. He assigned them FIFO priority, and waited patiently for an opening in her queries with which to disseminate data.

"I will respond to your queries sequentially, Siyndacha Karolle Aerin.

I am a modular droid network. The hardware you see is one of my three pieces of firmware.

Your query of model is vague. You wish to learn of this chassis? This is a Lupine Mobile Mainframe Unit.

My makers vary. This chassis was designed by Lupine artisans. My manufacture datestamp is incomplete. Artisan guilds traditionally created such platforms as individual creations.

My name is MARCUS. My nomenclature is an acronym, representing my designation, which is Modular Autonomous Rapid Coordination Utility System.

Your assumption is partially correct, Siyndacha Karolle Aerin. This chassis was constructed for command and control interface aboard a starship. However, a bipedal humanoid configuration is an adaptable design."

[Siyndacha Aerin]

Siyndacha listened with rapt attention to the unit, which was a rare feat in and of itself, which meant that she was ultimately picking through every even minimally useful piece of information and tucking it away for safekeeping in the most amazing part of her fair body: her brain. As information was put through this process, questions derived from the given data arose and began pounding at the front of her consciousness to be let out. Which with a measure of control, she managed to resist the urges and just listen while maintaining what passed for eye contact with a nonorganic entity. Of course, once MARCUS ceased to emit data through his vocalizer she couldn’t keep the questions at bay beyond the point of managing to queue them one at a time.

“So, um, okay.”

The girl sucked a small bit of her bottom lip in-between her teeth and nipped at it, rolling her shoulders under the weight of her pack.

“That’s pretty cool… but… buuut…”

She looked at the bot that was only looking back at her and her eyes rolled.

“…honestly, I don’t mind if you talk and do your work at the same time. In fact, if there’s any way I can help, I’ll help… and…”

Her eyes swept over the scattering of crates, but despite not maintaining eye contact, she continued to talk.

“…and what are Lupines? Language derivation begs me to say something having to do with canines, but clearly there’s a gap in my knowledge so I could be in error.”

[MARCUS]

Appreciative of the girl's understanding of task efficiency, MARCUS resumed his cargo-carrying responsibilities as he continued to converse with her. Further, she insisted on working with him as well, which would further speed the job along.

"Thank you, Siyndacha. Please reference the portside egress hatch. Numerous cargo container lie within and to your left. Recommend payload of twenty-five kilograms or less, to minimize repetitive stress injury."

As he returned from delivering his current parcel, the droid tackled her other query.

"Your supposition of word origin is correct, Siyndacha. Lupine. An artificial genetic derivation from baseline human stock. Polymorphic traits merged with canine species native to Myrkyr, known as Vornskr. Genetic modification intended as a defense mechanism to force adept enemies of the Lupine people."

[Siyndacha Aerin]

“I see.”

Sindy nodded, taking in the suggestion of MARCUS and went looking for a cargo container to pull out that was within her limitations as her mind processed the information on Lupines that MARCUS had imparted to her to come up with subsequent queries. Within minutes after beginning her search, she retrieved a container of approximately forty pounds in weight. She began to talk again as she lifted.

“But… so… um… Marcus, I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a Lupine and if I had, given that they’re, as your information suggests, capable of being in humanoid form, I probably wouldn’t have known if I’d encountered one, anyway. My question is this: What is the likelihood that I have ever encountered one of these Lupines without knowing it, considering that I’ve never heard of them until now (which gives the possibility that they are not great in number) and given that I’ve spent the majority of my life between Cularin and Brentaal IV?”

She figured already that such a chance meeting was already unlikely, mostly based on the fact that until now, she hadn’t even been aware that there were such a thing as Lupines or that they were extant. She followed his motions and moved to deliver the forty-pound, awkwardly shaped container to its destination.

"And force adept enemies? I hope you don't mean Jedi."

[MARCUS]

"Processing query. The likelihood of interacting with a living Lupine while along given galactic grid coordinates is one chance in 2.98x10^17."

MARCUS's photoreceptor shutter-blinked momentarily.

"A highly unlikely possibility." He added.

Still working as he talked, he carried his load in tandem with her, so they could walk and converse without undue delay.

Her second comment carried inflections with it that were important, and indicated that Sindy placed some value in the Jedi.

"That is correct, Siyndacha. In the case of Lupine histories, an isolated sect of Jedi known as Guardians. The progenitors of the Lupine race felt persecuted at the hands of the Guardians, and developed genetic therapy to improve themselves as a defense mechanism."

[Siyndacha Aerin]

She almost, almost looked dejected at the extreme lack of possibility that she had ever, or would ever, encounter a Lupine. Spaces in her experience that she could reconcile her knowledge to bothered her on a regular basis. But she got over extinct races, eventually.

Still, even pictures would be nice.

Sindy walked alongside MARCUS and eventually, they released their loads to the place they were meant to be, turning almost in exact timing to go and retrieve another load.

"The Guardians, huh."

She pursed her lips.

"So these people made themselves more animal to gain an advantage to protect themselves? Okay... but why were they so despised that they felt it necessary to do this in the first place? And not to be impolite, but it seems modification didn't do them any favours in the end, because, case in point, I've never even heard of this until now. What happened?"

[MARCUS]

Her questions demanded introspection that was of questionable worth. Nevertheless MARCUS complied to the best of his ability to interpret the archives.

"The motives of the Lupine precursors are not extensively documented. What is documented is that they felt existentially threatened by the Jedi."

A pause as he considered further analysis.

"Fear of the unknown is historically consistent with organic thought processes. Further analysis - if moral considerations are taken separately, Jedi Knights possess abilities and the potential for violence that exceed the capacity of basic humanoids."

The droid biped reached his destination, easing his cargo down effortlessly. When he righted himself, his photoreceptor regarded the young girl again.

"The Lupines conquered and enslaved the force sensitives of their worlds, but their descendants overthrew Lupine control, and fled. These descendants became known as the Guardians, and they checked the expanse of the Lupines for thousands of years to follow."

[Siyndacha Aerin]

"Oh."

The Guardians, Lupines. Holes in her knowledge she didn't know were there that had, in some way, something to do with the Jedi. Her questions ceased utterly for approximately two minutes as her mind attempted to make connections and categorize this new knowledge. It made other thoughts appear, in essence, connected to the main thoughts.

"What about..." She chewed on her bottom lip, mulling over the words she was trying to say. "...if a Lupine was, say, force sensitive? What then?"

Most species she was aware of would bring these adepts to the attention of the Jedi, or the Jedi would find out these adepts for themselves. But that was a long time ago. She didn't have the slightest clue how the Jedi worked now.

"I mean, my personal expanse of knowledge says nothing about Lupines, as far as the Jedi go, but that knowledge is largely tainted with perspective."

She knew the force was in everything and the sensitivity to it could be found in many, many, many species. There was Hal, after all, and even the Tarasin back home had force-sensitives.

"Were any of them ever Jedi or... you know..." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "...Sith?"

She always felt a shiver at that word. Not all of Papa's stories had been nice and full of flowers and beauty.