ABS FIESTA REDUX

[Mr. Hurricane]

Jaakko appears nervous.

"Maybe-" he says quietly.

[Ad Bot]

[carolcat]

Cualli looks impressed. "Huh, I'd love to talk with them."

[Mr. Hurricane]

There is a tangible pause from Jaakko.

"It's unnerving," he responds.

[carolcat]

"Is it really? Or is it just because you're not used to it?"

[Mr. Hurricane]

"It is. Imagine an object that you feel isn't alive, but it is ostensibly is thinking, and thinking deeply at that. It is more than a machine, except that if you were to look at it you wouldn't feel that it is alive," Jaakko says.

[carolcat]

Cualli frowns a bit. "I'm sure it just takes time to adjust to the idea of machines thinking. Surely if we receive them well, then there's no reason for us to worry about them harming us?"

She pauses briefly. "I, at least, always make sure to treat machines well-- even if I know they're inanimate."

[Mr. Hurricane]

Jaakko huffs.

"It expressed apprehension around certain people, it expressed self-reflection," he replies, "It is unnerving to think, but I believe that it is certainly capable of human intelligence. It even wondered why its Imperial masters reset its memory regularly!- It is deserving of human respect for its human like intelligence."

Jaakko turns to Tippy.

"Tippy, don't loving tell it to kill itself next time they loving storm the base. And don't try to pick it apart either,"

[carolcat]

A very brief look of horror flashes across Cualli's face. "You told it to do what?"

[Badger]

Walter splices into the conversation again

"It's a justified action, it's pulled enough information that it could easily be a security threat given it fell into the wrong hands."

[Tayasaurus]

"Tippy, don't loving tell it to kill itself next time they loving storm the base. And don't try to pick it apart either,"

"With all due respect. I think you should take one of these VHS tapes and stick it wayyyy up your ass. I didn't think it was sentient at the time as it spent most of its time stonewalling me. I didn't think it any different than one of those fancy food kiosk robots from Kintharia. The base was under attack and i was intent on setting a trap for the enemy if they had the nerve to enter the room."

"You spent 5 minutes talking with it and you're already sitting there on your fat ass telling me what i shouldn't do with it when i'm now already well aware of the fact that its sentient. I wouldn't have let it go walk the dogs in the first place if i was still in that mindset right now. i would have it dismantled already. Hell, its lucky i wasn't intent on leaving it to the stuffheads who were standing there kicking it and its very lucky Yukamo was able to fix most of it. If i had KNOWN any better i wouldn't have asked it to blow itself up. You know jack stuff so shut kindly the forget up, preacher."

Tippy stands up and paces the room angrily.

"I've been THINKING of a way to apologize to it. Don't think i don't want to, but how do you communicate with something that hates you and never took the opportunity to help me realize that it WASN'T just a non-sentient AI? It will see me approaching and think "Oh great, here comes that person who in their ignorance attempted to open me up to aquire lubricant for her mechanical jawpiece. forget that person! how could she!"

Tippy stops in front of Jaakko's sitting place.

"This has been weighing on my mind and guilting me for quite some time. I cannot justify what I did and nor will I even try. The robot reminds me of Yukamo and it makes me feel bitter. It's even worse knowing that i unintentionally wronged it. But I don't need my best friend to sit there and tell me what i shouldn't have done at Tocatlan. Don't you ever go there..."

Walter splices into the conversation again

"It's a justified action, it's pulled enough information that it could easily be a security threat given it fell into the wrong hands."

Tippy glares angrily at Walt.

"If we get sieged or captured would you like it if i pulled my gun out and shot you because you knew too much? Or if I handed you a grenade and told you to blow yourself up? I wouldn't like that if someone did it to me."

[Badger]

Walter sinks down in the couch more in response to the backlash but keeps his attention on tippy

"I was saying that in the mindset that it wasn't sentient. No, I wouldn't like it."

[Gojira]

Yui sits there awkwardly, avoiding getting involved.

[Mr. Hurricane]

Jaakko stares daggers at Tippy and clenches his teeth. Angered by being scrutinized by a squadmate, he chooses his next words carefully. It takes a few moments for him to find words.

"It seems you have a better grasp on this than I was to believe, Taylor. It is your responsibility to make amends to the robot. You'll have to forgive me for being- mistaken, considering that you share so very little about your troubles or activities, I could not have understood them or the extent to which you know anything about your robot," Jaakko replies slowly and angrily.

He shifts to a normal sitting position.

"If you'd like to continue this conversation, we can do it somewhere in private, not in the rec room," Jaakko says more calmly.

[Tayasaurus]

Tippy returns the glare

"Then you'll learn hopefully to gain insight before opening your mouth."

Tippy disengages Jaakko and shoves the tape into the VCR

"If anyone wants snacks, I'm not pausing the movie."

The tape flickers to life on screen as the title "Game of Drones" displays itself on the opening credits.

[carolcat]

"Alright then," Cualli mutters as she settles into her seat.