Star Trek: Starbase 777 - temple-depths

Down, down, down, past slick stone walls and intricate paintings that had been destroyed in the flood. The only sound beyond their combined breathing and the echoes of their footsteps was the gentle drip-drip-drip of water. Further into a looming darkness, the true scale of this place starting to weigh down on them as the stairs kept going deeper. (edited)

Ed shivered slightly at the sound of falling water droplets, the seemingly unending darkness making the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

Silver, however, was very calm. Her eyes glowed slightly in the dark, and she had very good night vision, so she was fine. Unsettling, but fine. The horror in this temple was actually just Silver, guys. Nothing to worry about.

1

He glanced over at the other ensign, furrowing his brow. “How are you so calm?” He whispered, although his voice still stood out amongst the silence.

"Incredible," Karavix murmured under her breath. It was difficult to see in endless darkness, of course, but the scale and craftsmanship was still something to be admired.

“This place seems structurally stable. Why wouldn’t I be calm?” She whispered back, continuing to walk ahead.

1

Tarsek observed the paintings, using his light but careful not to shine it directly into what was left of the paint. He knew light could contribute to the decay. It was indeed a pity that they had been washed out. However “primitive” the elder might have described it, Tarsek would not agree. The dept was impressive. The manpower he knew was probably needed to accomplish this without “current technology”, as she had put, was even more impressive. “Indeed most impressive.” He agreed with Karavix.

At this point Shay had to put her PADD away. Squinting to see in the darkness, she descended the stairs with the rest of the team, her steps silent and careful on the stairs. She didn’t want to fall into someone and cause a domino effect. She’d probably leave Starfleet out of embarrassment if that happened.

5

Allan nodded to Saren, following with Syrax down the left path, hanging at the back of the group, very careful with his steps. He in fact decided to flip on his Starfleet Issued Flashlight, but spoke to Syrax as he walked down: "So, I think we could get you, like, a hat, maybe," he whispered, "I think it could help. Like, Indiana Jones style hat for things like this, I think the branch would like... smack that off first, spare you, probably..." As if that was how it worked.

”Yeah, but… again, endless dark. Super quiet.” He gestured towards the area in front of him and Silver, “You’re really not at all nervous?”

”This structure is fascinating. How old is the temple exactly, madam?” The Vulcan addressed the elder making her way down after their group.

"At least a hundred years, perhaps more," she answered in a hushed voice. "I can't say for certain."

“I’ve been in very dark and quiet places before. They were only distressing for reasons besides the dark and quiet itself. I believe you are more afraid of what might come from the darkness than anything else.” She said casually, like that wasn’t the most unsettling thing to come out of her mouth so far.

Ed blinked, staring blankly at her for a moment with a frown on his face. “You scare the shit out of me.” He muttered underneath his breath.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” She actually was very apologetic, even if she couldn’t exactly get her tone right with it.

He huffed out a soft chuckle, shrugging. “Not really a bad thing, mind you. No hard feelings.” He shrugged, continuing to whisper but trying to lower his voice further, “But you do kinda have a point. You got any guesses as to what’s down here?”

“I doubt there’s going to be much.. at least, nothing alive. Everything here is underground. It would be completely flooded. So I doubt we need to worry about something attacking us.” She said, her voice as somber as she could get it. Anything in here probably drowned, or at least, that was what she thought happened here.

”Are there records of its construction? And if I may ask, would you oppose on us taking readings on it?” The Vulcan asked. The anthropologist in him nearly singing in excitement, but soon suppressed. Illogical. There was no use for that feeling as if he hoped to study this temple he would need his mind calm. He realized he could be misinterpreted in his intentions though. “I ask out of personal curiosity. I am an anthropologist and one of my fields was the study of religious sights such as temples. There have been many years since I have had the opportunity to study one.” He revealed. “I am sure there is much to be learned here. But I will respect the wishes of the locals.” He would not explore without permission. His primary mission was to help, not satisfy his own scientific curiosity.

He nodded, letting out a quiet sigh. “That’s… probably true, yeah. Worst comes to worst, we have to go for a swim.”

He had been there the entire time, in awe of his surroundings, while also saddened by how much it had been affected by the flood.

Victoria was absolutely not a fan. Already out of her element in the wet mud, she did not appreciate the sketchiness of the steps leading down, and ended up near the back of the group by the time she arrived at the foot of the stairs. Maybe if things were dry, she'd have been more interested in the ancient architecture, but as things stood, she stood with hands on hips, looking back up at the way they came.

Lio was clearly distracted, focused on the descent rather than the questions. Sorry, Tarsek. Maybe later. "I— can answer once we've solved this, yes?.."

1

The smell of water and the darkness ahead created a stale, oppressive combination. He felt the people around him, heard them even better, and to chase away some of that ink, he turned on his trusty flashlight, pointing it ahead of them...

"Aw man, I would look too cool, the department couldn't handle that..." came a hushed reply to Allan, as the Romulan carefully trailed near him. Perhaps extra mindful to prevent both of them falling, because that would suck.

2

"Ugh, so true, I mean - I'm sure I could get in, like... a hat day, maybe, I'm sure I could convince someone..." Someone being, well, the Command Department's boss and all that. The chances were perhaps low, but it never hurt to try! "Might be kinda fun. I'd love to see someone in a top hat if that happened, I haven't - I mean, when's the last time you saw a top hat, in like, real life?" At least for Allan, he hadn't seen one in quite a while.

Finally, the descent ended — the pitch darkness didn't lessen as the away team came to a landing, their footsteps lightly splashing against the stone. Flashlights swept along the ground, up, to find their surroundings. A screen mounted on the wall, lifeless. Torches that went unlit. The platform ended, and dirty water began, the depth unknown. ...and a hand. Rusty, copper-colored metal, ball-jointed. A hand that was, alone, easily the size of most of the officers present.

5

"Goddess," Lio called out into the darkness, stepping out in front of the group. "Forgive our intrusion. I've brought someone to help," The hand twitched. Fingers flexed. Something began to rumble.

4

Ed froze, eyes completely glued to the hand. Something that big… made of metal, slowly rusting in the water, it hit him as simultaneously beautiful and absolutely intimidating. It could kill him with a finger, but he was more interested in the way it moved.

He would've replied, if not for the Massive Fucking Hand in front of them coming to life, holy fucking shit, what do you MEAN GODDESS-- he grabbed onto whoever was in front of him and dragged them a few steps backwards.

3

Allan immediately leaned back to Autumn and whispered to them. "Holy fucking shit, do you think I was right? I think that's like, actually robot Bigfoot. Or like. Robot goddess. They worship this shit, oh, that's awesome, actually," he was clearly Very Excited and In Awe about this, but definitely keeping his voice to a whisper to not, well, interrupt.

As soon as his questions were brushed aside, Tarsek stayed quiet. He took no offense in it, right now they should focus on the task at hand. It was enough for him that the answer had not been a no. He had not been talking, if he had been, his voice would have been cut as soon as the giant form began moving. Goddess, the elder had called. He stopped himself. He believed in no gods, however anything as big as that deserved respect. That was logical. He would not want to become a Vulcan-pancake on the ground.

Autumn, who had been here the whole time - was aghast, agape, awestruck, [insert other A word for being in awe here]. Mechanical figures at this scale were purely hypothetical (emphasis on 'were'). Somehow this society had worked out the physics needed for a robot of this size to be viable. Insane. Autumn leaned over to Allan and whispered back. "Too bad we didn't wager anything on it, missed opportunity."

2

Karavix nearly dropped her flashlight, completely frozen in place, staring up (up... up...) at the thing submerged in darkness. Oh no. Oh she is not surviving this mission completely normal, is she.

2

1

She stumbled back a bit, mumbling something under her breath that was barely audible. At least she didn’t fall down, so character development. Jayrehi stared at the hand, for a minute forgetting the possibility it could be mechanical before being swiftly remembering the division she was in.

Diahjir looked up at what was called a goddess, eyes wide, and completely lost for words.

A screen flickered to life — went out, came back online, metal joints screeching as the figure moved forward to perceive the group. A purple beam swept across them, scanning.

The Goddess surveyed them with no visible human expression to speak of, leaning down very, very close to look at the away team properly. She raised an impossibly massive hand. 'Hello,' she signed.

5

Karavix took a deep breath, remembering to collect her composure, and responded in kind. "Hello." Fuck. Fuck. Fuck, this is so cool. Oh gods. "Do you permit us to help you?"

Allan lowered his flashlight as he watched the purple beam sweep across them, silently signing a 'hello' back, not wanting to interfere with it at all... and, to be honest, he was similarly trying to collect his composure while Karavix asked her question. Leave it to engineers to Not Be Normal in situations like this.

She turned her head to look at Lioohn. 'Query: Friends?'

"There are more officers above ground aiding them now." Lioohn fidgeted with the end of her robes, looking a bit guilty. "I know you said you're fine, and how noble it is indeed, but you're barely functioning. Your sacrifice saved our lives, certainly, and now it is our turn to help you."

A soft whirring noise stirred from her chassis. 'Affirmative. Access granted.' Pause... 'Query: Names?'

Rozamal hummed as they looked at the goddess. “Ah, you can call me Rozamal. Would you prefer goddess, or another name, my friend?”

”Hello. We come to serve.” Since he was signing, and he was unsure on how the signal would be interpreted, he decided not to offer the ta’al in this instance. “How may we be of assistance?” Sure, there was water all around this… goddess. But he would like to make sure what she actually needed before making assumptions. Upon the name question, he also decided to simplify. “ Tarsek.” He signed.

At the query for their names, Diahjir gave his own, feeling that would be the best course of action. He wasn't sure if he could help the goddess, however, his speciality was flesh and blood. "Diahjir, you can call me Diahjir," He clarified as well, deciding just to use his first name.

Sacrifice? Holy shit, okay, okay. Saving all the questions that came to his head, he simply answered the question. "Allan," he said, also just using his first name, though that was normal for him.

She regarded them all in turn as they spoke, mechanisms whirring and beeping. 'Exael. Angel. Goddess. Protector. Whatever you prefer.'

Woah... Big robot. Ezran stood near the back of the group, just admiring the scene in front of him. And a giant robot that apparently was the Goddess of this civilisation? Very interesting.

“It is a pleasure to meet you Exael.” He said with a warm smile. “You watch over the people of this planet, I take it?”

"Name's Syrax," he said and signed at the same time, still staring a bit dumbfoundedly at the.... at the whole... woah. What the fuck. "Pleasure to, um, meet you."

"Saren," while infinitely better at hiding his surprise, there was still awe in his faze. Suddenly, Lioohn's words and behavior from before made sense. "The imprints in the forest... was it you?"

"I'm sorry," the Elder said finally, turning to address the group. "I am sure you all must have so many questions. I'm sorry for keeping this from you, but you must understand how... " She gestured vaguely, to all of the Everything about her. "Odd this seems, as a request."

6

“Of course Elder, you will have no complaints from me.” He said, giving her a gentle nod and warm smile.

Lieutenant Shay smiles gently at the Elder. “Hey, weird is part of our job as Starfleet officers. Don’t sweat it.” She waves dismissively.

'Affirmative,' Exael responded, her focus settling on Saren. 'My mission. Was it,' she paused, struggling. 'Successful?' (edited)

”Our job is to help all habitants of this colony.” Tarsek said. “With Exael being an habitant of this colony, and one with such an important task as a protector, it is also within our mission to also help her.”

Not know what else to do for a.. mechanical goddess… she was confused, she gave a head bow. “My name is Silver, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

It would be possible for any other part-Bajoran former Borg to wax poetic about a mechanical goddess, almost incomprehensively big, for a sentient machine, and yet all One of One could think about was wanting to study how the worship of such a thing came to be... and how the robot came to be here in the first place, maybe, as a secondary interest. "I am One of One," they introduced themself. "If your mission was to make sure the colony survived, you have succeeded. They are not without casualties, but they weren't wiped out."

'Thank you.' Exael shifted, rising back up to her full height. (Half height. She was sitting down. Gods.) She paused a moment longer. Did her...whatever they were on top of her head, antennae, ears, wiggle...? 'Query: Do you intend to fix me?' (edited)

Oh. Oh, okay, she was actually - taller than this. Wow. Right, right, okay. Questions. Needed answers. Mhm. "Yeah," he said quickly with a firm nod and a smile, "we have, uh, a lot of engineers here, including myself, and other officers that are willing to help in whatever ways could be helpful, too."

"If you're not up to the task, I would understand. Even outside of the water damage, I'm afraid she is showing signs of wear. Being over a century old... Whatever parts she needs, they may be out of service by now, or otherwise inaccessible to you." She exhaled, eyes locked firmly downward. "Not exactly Federation technology, either.."

“I think most of us have enough tools with us to… at least try something. Even if it isn’t Federation tech.” She motioned, her eyes looking at the large figure ahead of them, trying to take note of anything.

Allan nodded, truly listening and understanding what the elder was saying, and yet... "Yeah, I mean, definitely understandable, but um, at least - I definitely up to the task, I mean - honestly, having had experience with older and non-Federation tech, getting more experience with it, is like... fun? Exciting? Something I enjoy doing, basically." He smiled, very genuine about that. "We'll figure the parts and such out together, I'm sure." Starfleet ingenuity and all that!

"Our shuttles also have replicators. Necessary parts can be designed and created as needed," One pointed out.

2

1

Right about now, Silver was wishing that it was Tavek on this mission instead of her.. he was a roboticist, he’d know what to do better than her.. but it’d be wrong if she didn’t at least try and help. “I’m also up to the task.” She said.

"She normally communicates by connecting to the screen, but it went out of function thanks to the flood." She gestured to the small-ish one propped up on the wall. "Whatever I can do to help, I will happily. Do you — how best do you want to do this?" How do you fix a giant robot, lads?

Having been stunned by this beauty of a person the entire time, the open ended question brought Autumn back to reality. "I think we should take a look at the screen first, that way it'll be easier to diagnose the things that need fixing."

"For sure," Allan nodded when Autumn said the screen was a good place to start for the purpose of diagnosing things, gesturing for them to come down the stairs a little with him, "if.. that's alright with you to get started on, of course-" he paused, deciding which of the names he would use before settling on the first one she'd given, "Exael?"

'Affirmative', came the simple reply, as she slowly, slowly, made her way to her feet, displaying her impossible height as she lifted herself from the depths. 'Request: Please make room for me to sit on the platform.'

“Ah yes, we can start doing that.” He said as he backed away to give her room.

Autumn backed away post haste. "I'm Autumn, by the way."

Karavix made an odd little strangled noise, watching her rise up to her full height. Right— she should probably move, or remember how to speak. She staggered back beside Autumn. "Karavix," she chimed in, somehow managing to keep her voice in check.

Diahjir did the same, backing away so there was more room on the platform. At the same time, he was wondering how he could use his medical knowledge to help aid the Goddess.

Allan paused for a moment as she stood up fully, trying not to stare too much and definitely, definitely not blushing. Nope. Never. (That's a lie). "Absolutely," he said briefly as he backed away, moreso towards wherever the screen was - looking at it to see where the access panel would be, and, if he found it, opening said panel to see where the water damage had affected it.

Whoever remained standing was gently pushed aside by a hand impossibly gentle for her size and stature, and Exael took a seat on the platform facing the away team, watching them work with a quiet curiosity displayed somehow even without a face to speak of.

Mostly just fried circuits. Corrosion and minerals, that sort of thing. The screen would need to be replaced, but it was still salvageable and would be fine for the time being.

“Who made you, if I may ask?” He asked softly as hd looked at her body. “Or did you simply…awaken on this world?”

'A name I have long forgotten,' Exael answered, her movements slow, calculated. 'My model is that of a prototype. Discarded.' (edited)

Hal Gertie was not an engineer— his days of hot-wiring small vessels were far behind him. It was better to have the real engineers work on her. He was still incredibly glad he came; seeing Exael was not something he would forget any time soon. He very normally was focused on not turning red as he moved over wires and rocks, careful not to bump into anything or break anything, just… looking around.

"Oookay, so it's just, like, some fried circuits, mostly, so it'll just be... like-" He ran his tricorder across the circuitry, getting a more in-detail picture of what was wrong and fried exactly - the chips, the capacitors, et cetera... and then compiled a little list of things they'd need to be replaced. "If someone can get these, we can solder them back in place," he said, handing off the list to whoever wanted to do that, "in fact, we can already start, well, taking the old ones out," with a handy dandy set of tools the engineers all had! Basic tasks like these didn't need much, really.

Rozamal hummed as he placed all of his tools down near Allan. “Everyone, let’s place our tools in one place so we can work faster. If anyone needs anything, shout out and we can pass them about.”

Karavix started calling for the list on comms, and whatever was needed was beamed down before long. Hooray.

1

"If the rest of you have any questions while the engineers are working, I'd be happy to help. I owe you that much for leaving you in the dark." Still so apologetic...

2

Diahjir was curious, so he decided to ask a question or two, thinking it might shed some light on the situation. "Do you know who made her? Or was she already here when you settled here -- the Goddess that is?"

"She was a gift from the heavens. That's all we knew, at first," Lioohn said. "We were able to identify her years later, belonging to a corporation that practically owns the space in this area. As time went on, her parts became more scarce, until she was beyond repair."

1

He nodded, thinking about what the elder was saying. "I am sure our engineers will be able to help restore her -- at least to some capacity. I have complete faith in them." He said with a smile on his face, a comforting one.

".. I hope so as well. Have I said how much this means to me?" You have. Multiple times. But it's ok I think they like you.

"And we will make sure to do right by you and the colony as a whole," He reassured calmly, trying to be a good sport about all of this, thinking that he should be helping more than he was. (edited)

Having completed a lap around the room, Hal Gertie circled around back to where Exael was seated. The lap had cleared his mind— he was going to shoot his shot. It would be interesting, if nothing else. He came to stand next to her, keeping his gaze similarly focused on the engineers. “You know, I’ve seen a lot of tech, Federation and not. But yours stands out to me. It’s very impressive, I’ve never seen anything like it. You’re impressive.”

Mechanics whirred as the machine looked down at Hal (at least five times his size) (and thousands his weight) (on account of the metal). "Prototype," she answered simply, raising an arm— more mechanisms clicking into place, and Hal was staring down the barrel of what had to be one of the biggest fuckoff arm cannons to ever exist. "Other models are sleeker. More efficient. I do not function as intended," she explained, finger spelling since she couldn't use both hands, before her normal arm closed around it. She flexed her fingers experimentally. "A machine of war. Of bloodlust. Turned angel and protector," (edited)

He face palmed as he worked quietly. Go on Hal give us nothing (affectionately). (edited)

Hal Gertie looked away from the engineering to stare down the barrel of the cannon. There was no backing down now! He hadn’t started this endeavor without realizing that she could easily crush him if she wanted. “Yeah, well… there’d be no sleeker designs without the prototype. If the best mechanic or inventor in the known universe couldn’t see the value of a prototype, they’d never get anywhere even with all their skills. A prototype is the most important version of something, if you think about it.” He tilted his head a bit, considering what else she had said. “Being turned from something cruel into a protector— that’s what happened to me. I protect them,” he gestured at the other officers working, “and anyone else who needs it. I think it’s one of the best things someone can do.” He offered her a small smile even though she couldn’t reciprocate. (edited)

Exael listened quietly, leaning down a little closer to better survey Hal as he spoke to her — it was a unique thing, being spoken to like a person, instead of a machine to be commanded, a goddess to be worshipped. She didn't quite understand it. He tilted his head, and she followed suit, screen flickering. The (external) screen surged to life thanks to the Engineer's efforts, revealing... A console. A purple rectangle flickered as she considered her response now that her preferred communication method came back online. > AN ANGEL, THEN. Text flew across the screen like someone out of sight was typing it. > HOW FITTING. > FOR SOMEONE LIKE YOU TO SHOW KINDNESS TO A MACHINE LIKE ME.

4

Hal Gertie turned to the console, somewhat startled. He hadn’t realized the engineers were that close to fixing her. He put together what had happened quickly, though, and after reading what Exael had said he turned back and nodded to her. “An angel.” He stared up at her for a moment before realizing something. “Do people not come down here to talk to you or keep you company? Even if you’re their goddess, they don’t just… leave you out here, do they?” He furrowed his brow in concern. Even though he knew she wasn’t human, that still sounded… miserable. For anyone or anything.

> NO. I AM NEVER ALONE. > THIS IS MERELY THEIR PLACE OF WORSHIP. I AM OFTEN ON THE SURFACE. HELPING. PLAYING WITH THE CHILDREN. KEEPING WATCH. Exael shook her head simply. Their existence was a quiet one, but it was theirs, and she couldn't be happier for better company. > THEY ARE KIND TO ME. I KNOW ALL OF THEIR NAMES. I KNOW ALL OF THEIR TROUBLES. I KNOW ALL OF THEIR TRIUMPHS. > THIS IS SIMPLY WHERE I 'LIVE'. > MY OWN PLACE TO CALL HOME. Mechanisms whirred as she processed another thought. Concern over her wellbeing was never uncommon. She was a thing of war, of violence and destruction, but one hundred years teaches you to be gentle. How to keep the ones you love safe without hurting them. > QUERY: WHERE IS YOUR 'HOME'?

6

He smiled towards Hal, this was rather sweet, and he was happy to see a bond being made between the smaller creature and the much larger one. “You remind me of my mother.” He said, reading her words. “Large family, bless her soul. She cared for us in the same way you do for us, it’s admirable.”

He was comforted to hear that— that sounded significant better than living in a dark temple thinking about nothing but helping the people who worshipped you. His brow relaxed. “A starbase not too far from here. It’s not different from the colony, if you ignore the fact that it’s substantially bigger.” He chuckled, imagining how she would play with children. “I have my own kid to play with and take care of, actually. The officers here are from the same starbase as well.” He realized somewhat abruptly that aforementioned officers had… mostly paused their work. It occurred to him that they might have questions for Exael, so he cleared his throat and made some distance between them. He turned to Allan, recognizing him from the list of senior staff. “Lieutenant, was there something you needed?”

Having slipped in near the back of the group, Vara'l watched the current situation with silent interest. He'd been there for a little bit and helped out where he could as and when asked but well. This seemed like it wasn't something that needed the skills of someone trained more to disassemble tactical threats to the crew. He didn't know how something like this could be fixed. He was a tactical officer, not a engineer, repair of machinery happened to not be within his function. Wasn't how he was trained, what the drone he'd once been had been designed for. So he just.. watched and helped if someone needed somebody to carry stuff. Listened and read, was struck by the statements the machine had issued as his jaw twitched a bit.

Allan had been leaning against the wall, 'listening' to the conversation, which consisted of, well, looking at the beautiful robot woman and then looking at the screen they'd fixed that conveyed her thoughts. It really was beautiful to see a piece of technology... bring thoughts to life, and this was no exception to that. He almost didn't recognize that Hal was speaking to him. He only noticed it when he looked away from Exael and to the man speaking. Oops. Looking only a little bit flustered at having been distracted like that, he leaned off of the wall to stand up straight, nodding. "Y-yeah, sorry to interrupt, just, ah - with the screen fixed and all, I was wondering if there's any other damage you need looked at? Happy to do it while we're here, you know, even if it's, like, something small, like a little upgrade to something or if there's like, some cool crazy feature you've really wanted like, forever, we can like - make it happen, for sure."

> 'MOTHER'. Exael said nothing more, almost like she was playing with the word, considering it in regards to herself. Seemingly satisfied, she nodded, and said nothing more in response. She turned her attention to Allan, something whirring as she processed the request. > MY POWER CORE IS FAILING. MY WIRES ARE RUSTED. MY CIRCUITS She flickered, struggling, > MY CIRCUITS > MY CIRCUITS. MY CAPACITORS > FAILING AS WELL. A gentle scrape of metal against metal as the white circle of light in the center of her chest sank in, and her chassis slid open in three even parts, sinking into doors elsewhere on her frame. > I AM OLD. I AM FAILING. > I AM NOT PREPARED TO SHUT DOWN. > QUERY: IS THIS WHAT IT MEANS TO BE 'TIRED'?

7

He hummed grimly, ah, that was the problem. She was dying, in a round about way. “Ah I can take this one. To be tired is to have lived my friend. You are old, you are weary but that is because you have mattered.” He said, looking towards the white circle of light that must be her core. “Even if we fail today in our repairs, you have mattered to these people, you have mattered to your family for generations upon generations and have brought them joy and comfort and peace. You have saved their lives, you have played with children who had children who had children, and you have always mattered to them.” He said softly. “It is not often we get that opportunity to matter in such a way, and it is a cherished feeling. If you go softly into the beyond today, you will never be truly dead, because you have mattered to generations of these people.” He said with a smile. “But, that won’t happen will it?” He said, giving slaps on the back to Allan and Mega Simp Hal. “We shall fix you up without delay, eh?”

He observed the robot. The angel, the goddess. Indeed there would be a lot to be done and he was no engineer. There was no way for him to know how badly the damage was or what it would take to fix it. Or even if it was within the realm of possibility. “This is what it means to be dying.” That old Vulcan honesty, though for a machine such as Exael maybe logic was a good way to address the issue. Tarsek’s voice though was a bit more soft than it usually sounded.

> 'DYING'. Again, she took a moment with that word, considering quietly. Shutting down, becoming nonfunctional, it all meant the same thing, didn't it. Dying. Like she was something flesh and blood. > I DO NOT UNDERSTAND. She had witnessed much death in her long, long life. She had lost plenty of friends, young and old. At first, she didn't understand. Can they not be fixed? Repaired? That old man from all those years ago, he would put a hand on her arm and say, 'People don't work like that. They can't be fixed like you. Not as easily.' > MY FRIENDS. > MY TIME HAS NOT YET COME. > I WISH TO KEEP FUNCTIONING. > I WISH TO KEEP 'LIVING'. She regarded them— expressionless, as always, but one could fool themself into thinking there was some sort of sadness there. A moment's heistation, and she activated something from within, effectively cutting off the power from all but her head so as not to shock the Engineers if something went wrong, but still allowing her to communicate. Her limbs went slack. > REQUEST: > PLEASE DO YOUR BEST.

7

Silver had stayed quiet, so as to not interrupt anything. He felt for Exael. He, too, was artificial, though he had the luxury of still having the people who built him, and easy access to anything he could ever need repairs-wise. But.. there had once been a time he didn’t have that. That year, abandoned in the ice before he shut off, when he was sure he would die. He had powered off for the last time fully expecting to never see another day again. But.. he had lived. And, he hoped with all his heart, that Exael would too. “We will.” He said simply.

"Of course," Karavix answered simply. How could they do anything but their best? How could they treat this being with anything but the utmost care? A goddess, an angel, a protector. How marvelous she was. She looked to Allan for direction, since he was the senior officer in the room.

”Only the living can die. This is proof that you have, indeed, lived. Existed as something sentient.” He said. “ Upon her request, her living quality only became more evident. She wished. She searched for survival. “Be certain that our engineers will comply.”

He smiled kindly. “Of course my friend, for a soul as kind as you how could we do anything less?” He said, giving surprisingly gentle Gorn slaps on the back to his fellow engineers in Karavix and Allan.

Iviaan, who had totally not taken a backseat to allow for giant woman posting and Karavix drooling, was silent, awestruck. What an amazing feat of technology this was. What an incredible universe they lived in.

Tarsek did not wish to be in the way of the engineers while they performed such vital work. He moved to the background, finding himself again next to the Elder. “I can see why you were worried. Be assured you did right by requesting our help.”

Lioohn sat on the stairs, her head down and expression unreadable. She lightened a little when Tarsek spoke. "Thank you," she said for the hundredth time, "She is so ... Stubborn. She wouldn't ask for help if her life depended on it. Not knowing the rest of us were in danger. But I knew something was wrong."

Allan noted what she said as she said it. Circuits, capacitors, wires rusted, power core failing... it seemed pretty straightforward. He looked up - and up, and up - as her chassis slid open, and the first thought was... how the hell he was gonna get up there, and he was sort of thinking about that while Rozamal talked, until of course Rozamal slapped his back. "Wh-" He reacted instinctively, turning around to look at the Gorn engineer and then laughing a little once he realized what he'd actually said. "Yeah, oh, yeah, abso - absolutely, we will," he said in reply, looking back to the screen to see what Exael had said. "Don't you worry, yeah, we'll be doing our best. It's an easy job, all things considered. We'll just need, ah..." he looked up again, then back at the other engineers, then back up. "A way to get up there. I mean, I could probably, just... okay, hang on. I'm gonna try some shit," and then he very carefully climbed up her leg, to the top of her knee, and as he learned in the parkour days of his youth, jumped over so he could actually work on the power core. He laughed a little once he'd successfully done it, honestly quite amazed - and then looked down at the others. "Alllright! Not bad. Okay, so we're gonna need some..." he took a proper look at the power core now that he was up close to it, trying not to get too caught up in just being in awe at it and sticking to the practicality of the job needing done, "wires, first of all. A whole lot of fuckin' wires, like, just get us like, huge variety of 'em, that's probably the first thing, here? Also, uh - I can help lift you guys, if you're not feeling like jumping all that much," he said with a smile downwards. Yeah Allan, not everyone was a parkour pro.

Karavix did not feel like jumping. Uppies please, Allan. "Very well, then, I'll be reporting back to the shuttle for them to begin transporting over supplies." She glanced back at the rest of the group. "Would a few of you mind passing them up as they arrive?*

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”She helped with the flooding I assume. We saw the barrier.” He sat next to her. It was always good to keep conversations on the same level. Helped with comfort for the other part. “I also assume she has helped you previously many times.”

He looked up at how far Allan had had to parkour up before looking to some of the… shorter crew members. “I can help lift people from the ground and you can help pull them up if need be,” he called up to Allan.

"You have no idea," she chuckled, rubbing her eyes. "The dam started cracking, and before we could react, she was on the move. Trying to keep the flood from reaching us, knowing it could be harmful to her. The water and trees kept knocking her down, but she kept getting back up until her work was done. And she retreated to the temple to hide her damage from us, I presume..."

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”Most illogical.” He commented. Yet another indication of Exael’s personhood. Of feelings. “You mentioned she was a present from the heavens. How long has it been since she arrived?”

"More than a hundred years, this I know for certain. She's been with us for generations." There was the faintest little smile there. "Most illogical indeed. She cares about us very much. We do what we can for her in turn."

He looked at Allan climb with a smile. “Sometimes I wish I were a younger man.” He said with a small hum. “I can help lift, but I will likely need to stay on the ground.” He said, motioning to his cane.

“I can jump, and take some supplies with me too.” After all, what were her legs useful for, if not for doing shit in the same of Engineering? And so, she gathered quite the variety of wires, as well as a toolbox, managing to balance it all as she climbed up Exael’s leg one-handed (thank fuck for her strength) and then leapt up to where Allan was at.

”I am not familiar with your colony’s founding. How long has it been since?”

"Exael's arrival was very early on. I want to say only five or ten years after people started moving in?.." So, also more than a hundred years. "We do our best where we can."

"Works perfectly," Allan said to Hal when he said that he could help lift people to make it easier for Allan to pull them up. Teamwork makes the dream work, right? "And hell yeah, whatever you wanna do," he said to Rozamal and Silver, gesturing for her to come over to the other side where he wasn't - it was a big area to cover, after all. When Karavix got back from reporting back to the shuttle, he also reached a hand down to her. "Alright, you ready?" And if she was he lifted her up!! Yipee, 3 engineers on the job here!

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He hummed as he moved over to help on another section of the giant woman, keeling down with his cane on the floor and kit out to examine her motor systems.

She put down the wires and the tools wherever she could find space, and made her way to the other side that Allan gestured to. It was.. certainly a strange feeling, to be on top of a person, ready to reach into her insides like this.. she wondered if this was how doctors felt. By that she meant reaching into the insides, not being on top of someone. Unless there were species that big?? She wasn’t a biologist.

Hal Gertie considered patting Exael comfortingly but decided that was weird and so refrained. He dutifully helped various engineers up, and when he was done he turned back to her. “They will get you fixed up, I’m sure. They’ve all trained for years and are very skilled at their jobs.”

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”So this temple was built for her by the first colonists I imagine.” The Vulcan concluded. “I must say it is an impressive structure and I understand why, if she protected your people for so long, that honor has certainly been well earned.”

> I TRUST YOU. she answered simply, her body still lifeless, just ... sitting there. (edited)

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"Yes, we've done our best to keep it intact. We'll have to redo some of the paintings, and reinforce the structure now..." Lioohn sighed wistfully. Oh well. "But that's our work to be done, nothing for you all to worry about. Nothing we haven't had to do before. "

Up she went! "Thank you," Karavix said, dusting her hands off on her pants and adjusting her toolbox. "Now, let us see just what we can do..."

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While not an engineer, Syrax decided to help out with the heavy lifting - so that rather bother going up and down, the engineers could fully focus on their work.

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On the other hand, Saren decided to take a place by the elder's side, and do the only thing he could right now, really - and that is offer some support. "Our engineers know what they're doing. Do you want to hear what sort of things we've had to deal with before, back on our station?.."

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Curiosity piqued, she leant forward a little, glancing over at Saren. "That sounds fascinating," she said, smiling faintly. Can Aurelians smile? Idk. "I heard one of the science officers telling little Rira about dragons?.. "

He hummed softly. “For a stationary place, we get into many strange adventures on Strange New Worlds.” He said with a hum as he worked.

"No problem," Allan said, grinning at Karavix as he moved aside to let her work where he'd been working, further having the engineers distributed among the different areas, because man, was this a big space. "Try not to get too caught up in her beauty." After all, that's what he had been struggling with, like, two minutes ago. Was there just a little bit of teasing in his voice? Maybe. And so he got focused in on the work. With the engineers working together on the damage - and the other officers assisting with handing up parts and whatnot, it was pretty straightforward. There was the initial mapping of how the circuits were currently laid out, the replicating of the new wires and capacitors and said circuits, and then figuring out to re-wire those circuits. The rewiring was smooth, with insulated, oxygen-free copper and polymer sheathing, heat-shrink applied at every junction that was soldered, and each connection was tested before the next went in. Power distribution was rerouted to reduce resistance, cut down on wasted heat, and balance the load across multiple rails instead of forcing it all through corroded buses. They added protective diodes, surge suppressors, and an extra set of failsafes. They didn't have to, but like...? They could. And so, they would. divider

20:51

Capacitors were replaced with solid-state units that could shrug off moisture and handle higher cycles without wearing out as much. Every board got cleaned down to raw traces, scrubbed with solvent until the copper shone again. Where the old solder pads had been eaten away, there were new traces laid down with conductive epoxy, rebuilding the pathways like stitching torn arteries. All in all, at the end of it, Allan took a few steps back (and really, just a few - otherwise he might fall to an untimely death by falling off giant robot) and observed the work. There wasn't a single sign of rust, and oh - extremely neat wiring. If there was something to be said about Allan and 777's engineers as a whole, they knew how to do some pretty damn good cable management. And it all gave the same power to Exael that was there before, but now, it was being rewired to be more efficient, in a way that - like most tech of the modern, non-capitalist era these officers were used to - was built to last. "Guyyys, I thiiink we did a pretty awesome job here," he said, smiling at the other engineers, and then looked up at Exael, and gave her very small, gentle pat, "and I think that means you're alright to power back on now, whenever you're ready. Let us know if anything feels off, okay?"

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Exael whirred, the deep violet screen flickering as she adjusted to feeling brand new after a few decades. She flexed her fingers, she wiggled her not-ears, she moved her feet back and forth... The white light on her chest shone brightly, indicating a strong power connection. > I FEEL... > I FEEL SO...... > STATUS: FUNCTIONAL > EXECUTING GRATITUDE With all the gentleness of someone who had done this thousands of times before, whatever officers were directly around her (including non-engineers) were gently scooped up, cradled against her chest in a hug. It was easy enough to dodge if they didn't want that physical contact. > THANK YOU. > I AM INDEBTED TO YOU. I AM FOREVER GRATEFUL.

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This was the best day of Karavix's life. Like, officially. "There is no need to thank us. We were only doing what we were asked." And going above and beyond, because, well, that was what they did best.

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He let out a boisterous laugh. “HA! Great work my fellows.” He said as he looked towards Exeal. “Could I hug you my friend? I know our size is much different, but I could find a way to make it work!” He said, very happy to be of help. “My sons will be jealous that I met a giant robot.”

Ok old man get in here. Yoink!

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He laughed slightly in whatever way the hug worked. “Ha! I am overjoyed for you, my friend.”

Whoa, they were getting a hug!? Oh, that's crazy. He was officially having an amazing time too. It seemed they all were, really, and that made him super happy to see! "Yeah, what she just said," he said after Karavix, "and if you ever need us again, well - you can call us, we're pretty easy to contact. There's a lotta us. And hey, you know, I can't see why we wouldn't come to hang out, either."

"Thank you," she said to the group after a delightful conversation with Saren (what do you mean, hallucination fog and sentient warbirds? Hello? What an incredible life these officers lived.) "There is still much work to be done, and when our goddess has had some time to rest—" with a pointed stare at Exael, whose not-ears swiveled downwards in a way that nearly mimicked a pout— "I am sure she will make everything go much quicker. In the meantime, if there is anything else I can do for you while we are down here...? "

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Silver didn’t dodge. Actually, she tried her best to hug back, but it was futile considering Exael was so large. She was happy that she and her fellow engineers had managed to repair Exael, Silver would have died inside if they hadn’t been able to. “I know what it feels like. To have systems broken in a way you don’t know is fixable or not.. to be dying. I hope you may live for centuries more.” She said.

> MAY YOUR LEGACY LAST GENERATIONS. came the reply, as Exael gently set all the officers she'd scooped back down. She rose to her full height, double checking everything was still in order— legs, joints, her freak ass arm cannon— all good to go. Incredible.

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”It seems they completed their task successfully. It is gratifying to see.” The Vulcan commented, still seated next to the Elder.