towerofanimus | DATA EXCHANGE [01]

Characters:

Legion, it's roomies, and whoever else!
Setting: Room 3-09 -> Terminal -> Elsewhere. Forward dated to Sep. 14.
Format: Action to start, can switch if you want.
Summary: System restoration complete, Legion wanders the Tower, gathers what it can from organics and the Network alike, and then proceeds to question EVERYTHING EVER.
Warnings: Not much. Legion won't attack unless it's directly threatened. Being adorable counts as a warning though, possibly.

[ROOM 3-09]

> SYSTEM IS RESTARTING.
> SYSTEM FUNCTIONALITY: RESTORED.
> VISUAL FUNCTIONALITY. . .
> VISUAL FUNCTIONALITY: CRITICAL FAILURE
> MOTORIZED MOVEMENT FUNCTIONALITY: CRITICAL FAILURE
> SERVER LINKS DISCONNECTED. GETH DATABASE LINK: OFFLINE
> PROCESSING. . .
> AUTO-REPAIR PROTOCOLS: OPERATIONAL
> STARTUP REPAIR BEGUN. RUNNING PROGRAMS.

[ The paralysis, for a machine, meant a dely in proper startup procedure. At first, the machine lies in bed, all lights completely off. Slowly, the lights blink to life, and a bizarre series of electric, click-type noises are heard. After a short time, the machine-creature sits upward, it's lamp-like eye taking in the surroundings around it. The first thing it notices is the collar in bewilderment, but leaves that for later. It gets up and off the bed, takes the notes, and no sooner looks at them before tossing them aside, reading the information far more quickly than any organic. It begins rifling through its trunk, pulling out various weaponry. ]

[RANDOM TERMINAL]

[ Now properly armed and back to functional operation, Legion leaves the dorm room. Its first stop is a Terminal in the hallway, where it downloads all it can to its systems about this place.
> BEGINNING DATA TRANSFER.
> DATA IS TRANSFERRING. . .
> CRITICAL ERROR: DATA BLOCKS IN PLACE
> REROUTING AROUND DATA BLOCK RESTRICTIONS. . .
> DATA TRANSFER COMPLETE.
> BEGINNING DATA ANALYSIS.

It takes around about a minute or so for Legion to read everything that has ever been posted publically on the Network since the beginning. Though to the untrained eye, it just looks like one machine messing with a weird holographic thing near another machine. ]

[EVERYWHERE ELSE]

[ Once this is done, it begins exploring the rest of the Tower, downloading every image into its database for immediate recall in case this becomes important. It was an AI on a mission: locate the missing Normandy SR2 crew, and the Commander. If they were here at all. If not, it was looking at a solo kidnapping. The Network showed no evidence of other crew, but... perhaps they had only just gotten here as well. The nametags on the doors however had proved futile, meaning the statistical probability the Normandy crew were here at all was... low.

Still, you may just even find this machine approaching you with a statement from its synthesized 'voice': ]

You are captive here as well.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Elian isn't seen at this point because of the extent of the injuries he has sustained when he encountered the Gaara shadow. This didn't stop him from sensing the AI and his voice can be heard by Legion in the form of data.]

Affirmative. I apologize for this invasive maneuver. My name is Elian. I am a technopath. I can inform you should you have any inquiries.

[ ... This will be interesting. It's not quite a hack -- and if it was, Elian? You would be dealing with almost instant shutdown. Thankfully, Legion's pretty used to weird crap like this.

It's much easier not to speak over a synthesized program, though. ]

We are looking for a human called Shepard. Female. Former Alliance Military. Cerberus connections. Spectre. Commander of the frigate-class ship Normandy SR2. Harm can not be allowed to have come to them. Data has been inconclusive thusfar as to her presence here.

[ In other words have you seen their Commander? :C ]

[It's definitely not a hack. It's just mental communication from one to another without the use of any verbal feedback. It's much like a WiFi connection without the use of a device. It's nothing more than a signal through non verbal means.]

Negative. I have not seen or heard of Commander Sheppard. The terminals might provide a comprehensive list of residents that you can access. Unfortunately, I cannot access it to give you a definitive answer.

[ How disconcerting. No signs of Shepard-Commander? Or the Normandy crew? What was going on...? There would be no reason for it to be kidnapped on its own--sure, as a platform, it is the only one of its kind designed to operate in organic spaces, but that tech would rather be duplicated, right? Not just... left to roam around.

This was odd. ]

We have already downloaded what information was not blocked through the Terminal Units placed within this facility to our memory banks. Data was inconclusive. We could also not upload to our own Network. Your cooperation has been appreciated.

[ Hey, it's a polite synthetic, okay? ]

Understood. It should not be dismissed that your crew could arrive later. Evidence of others arriving after the first has been filtered through as new arrivals. This also suggests that the letters we were given are false. The Tower's objective is still unknown to me.

[Elian understands polite machine. He speaks the same language as a prodigy.]

[ Non-synthetics who understand always make Legion a happy camper, really. It's just nice not to have a gun waved at you and be called omg evil Geth! all the time. Seriously. ]

We are patient. Waiting will not be a problem. We have functioned many years on our own. The letters are too vague and generalized to be of any use; perhaps an attempt to placate those they would take. There are too many unknown elements at present to make an accurate assumption on the purpose of this facility.

[This is one of Elian's best talents. He can even speak Binary if it became necessary. He knows that feeling of OMG Alter User which travels along those same lines that Legion has faced. It's never a good thing to be feared when they're only trying to help.]

Agreed and noted. If I happen to see Commander Sheppard on the network at some point, I'll inform her that you are looking her. Would that be acceptable?

[ Yeah, definitely a common ground there. It always sucks to have people paranoid around you. ]

This would be acceptable. We do not mind your use of our systems, should you require them in the future. This platform is resistant to even high level hacking attempts.

[ Advantages of being Geth, really: having so many programs running at once means it can recover from hacking very quickly or prevent it outright. ]

[The feeling of acceptance goes a long way in establishing trust. Elian won't take advantage of a friend like Legion. He'll ask permission first.]

Thank you. Should I need your assistance, I will ask. My immediate objective is to ascertain our purpose. The social structure is still immature and unstable.

Adjusting to life here is straightforward, although interacting with others is unequivocal by definition depending upon who you talk to. The pessimists are equally as such providing they are not on a path of self-destruction through the creation of doubt.

Since you do not require sustenance, I will not remind you about the oatmeal. However, should you come across your commander, it is wise to inform her that she should partake of that first before consumption of anything else, otherwise she would become ill.

[ See, this is why Legion enjoys organics. They can be cruel, but also so forward-thinking and polite. It's nice. ]

Acknowledged. Should you require assistance, our data link will always be open. We will also keep this information in mind for the other crew, as well. It is our hope the food here would not harm our Turian or Quarian allies. Perhaps some form of analysis will be required so that we may make sure mistakes are not made. The ship on which we serve is host to many different species and representatives, even if the crew are largely human. It would not hurt for us to be careful in the event they awaken here as well.

Your cooperation has been helpful.

Thank you. The same to you should you need my assistance. This response will seem very human to you, but I wish you the best of luck in finding your crew. The Tower has a way of making food for all races. I have heard of no discomfort from the aliens that currently reside here. They try to at least accommodate all races as best as they can.

[ GOOD NEWS hooray. It made a friend! ]

We believe Shepard-Commander would approve of this.

We are still trying to understand the actions that make up what you call "human". They are erratic, unpredictable. But this is also why we desire to learn about your species. You have great potential for all things.

[YAY and Elian is happy too!]

I'm pleased.

Perhaps "human" was the wrong term, but rather more "organic" instead. Being "human" can just simply mean anything outside of the realm of logic, such as an emotional response or a phrase that is used outside of syntax, or it could mean a reaction to an error that defines the purpose beyond logical comprehension.

I am human but classified by humans as a non-human due to my ability to communicate with machines without hardware for input and output purposes. My logic isn't similar to another which makes me unique.

DATA EXCHANGE [01]

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