There were many systems to go over in the computer systems, and TO was more than happy to sit next to DH as they showed them how everything worked.
ÔÇ£I know you could figure it out on your own!ÔÇØ DH Insisted at one point, ÔÇ£But itÔÇÖs faster if I show you, isnÔÇÖt it?ÔÇØ
Even if TO knew how to manage the computer, they would still have let DH teach them. Even after several hours the only reason they stopped was because of the sudden grumble that echoed from DHÔÇÖs stomach. They stopped mid-sentence, their ears flicking down and flushing.
ÔÇ£I suppose I forgot to eat our second meal.ÔÇØ They said with a soft chuckle, ÔÇ£I didnÔÇÖt even notice the time!ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£Me neither.ÔÇØ TO admitted, ÔÇ£Without the schedules of the Training center, I feel like IÔÇÖve lost time!ÔÇØ They pulled up their chip and checked, their eyes growing wide as they realized how late it was.
Well. TO said, At the training center, wed be late for our third meal Supper, as they say on Arkane. Evening Meal.
ÔÇ£No wonder IÔÇÖm so hungry! IÔÇÖm surprised I didnÔÇÖt get hungry earlier.ÔÇØ They gave a little laugh, ÔÇ£I suppose itÔÇÖs because I was so excited to be picking at these systems.ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£We should be careful of the time,ÔÇØ TO warned, ÔÇ£We should set alarms-ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£Wait!ÔÇØ DH reached out and took TOÔÇÖs wrist, stopping them before they activated their chip, ÔÇ£No, we should adjust to Arkane time!ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£Right!ÔÇØ TO said, ÔÇ£Yes! We were told to do that! Ark-1 mentioned it.ÔÇØ
DH gave TO an odd look, ÔÇ£Are you alright?ÔÇØ they asked, ÔÇ£YouÔÇÖre more likely to remember this stuff than I am! YouÔÇÖve been a little off lately.ÔÇØ
Well TO felt their wings tighten around their arms, I dont like space travel-
ÔÇ£No, even before this!ÔÇØ DH said, ÔÇ£YouÔÇÖve been distracted lately.ÔÇØ
OH! I I have a lot going on in my head! TO said, the words tripping over one another as they fled TOs mouth. Weve been learning so much in the last week. The information wasnt what was running through TOs head and keeping them distracted. They couldnt tell DH what distracted them - not yet.
ÔÇ£Fair.ÔÇØ DH said, ÔÇ£IÔÇÖll change us over to Arkane time and Calender.ÔÇØ
They turned back to the console and started typing furiously. A moment later, the lighting in the ship changed, shifting to a deep, low blue light. It was bright enough for TO and DH to see, but some things were fuzzy and obscured by darkness.
The light from the computers illuminated DHÔÇÖs pale skin, making it almost seem like they were glowing. Their eyes were deep pools, reflecting dots of light back to TO. They were certain they could see a thin ring of light around the pupils.
ÔÇ£Oh...ÔÇØ DH said as they looked back to the glowing screen, ÔÇ£I guess itÔÇÖs nighttime.ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£It must be!ÔÇØ TO said as they realized they had been staring.
ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖre in the local time zone for the city weÔÇÖll be in.ÔÇØ DH said. they reached out, their hand fumbling on the wall next to them before their palm pressed against a small square on the wall which suddenly flickered with dull illumination.
ÔÇ£I had to check the lights earlier.ÔÇØ DH said, ÔÇ£One of my tasks was to make sure they worked. The squares on the walls are lights.ÔÇØ
TOÔÇÖs eyes adjusted to the dimmer light quickly. ÔÇ£ThatÔÇÖs useful.ÔÇØ They said as they checked their chip, which was syncing to the ship. The new time came up. ÔÇ£Oh.ÔÇØ They said, ÔÇ£itÔÇÖs near uh- the 28th Hour.ÔÇØ Arkane ran on a 28-hour clock, and though the hourly number system was simple enough, they had odd words for certain times. ÔÇ£Midnight, as they say planetside.ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£Right. Midnight, morning, afternoon, evening, night.ÔÇØ DH said, ÔÇ£Planetary clocks are so odd. Why donÔÇÖt they use the normal Galactic system?ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£Day-night rhythms and seasonally aligned solar cycles might make that confusing,ÔÇØ TO said with a grin. ÔÇ£The galactic time system makes no sense planetside.ÔÇØ
DH signed and got up, ÔÇ£Well then.ÔÇØ they said, ÔÇ£I suppose we should eat and then sleep?ÔÇØ They headed to the table where the food dispenser sat, ÔÇ£IÔÇÖm not tired, but weÔÇÖre supposed to get used to the time change.ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£Right.ÔÇØ TO said, ÔÇ£And itÔÇÖs best if we get used to it fast. ThereÔÇÖs less time to sleep on Arkane, so we need to be ready for that.ÔÇØ They went to the table. They got up and headed to the food dispenser. As they pressed their hand to the chip reader, it rewarded them only with a small, hard looking block that fell onto the table with a dull thunk. The piece sat on the table for a moment before it suddenly expanded; it wasnÔÇÖt the cubes they normally ate; it was a single block of food. Confused, TO poked at it with a finger.
ÔÇ£... Is this food?ÔÇØ DH asked as they copied what TO had done. Another small, hard block landed on the table and then expanded.
ÔÇ£I think so? WhereÔÇÖs the plate?ÔÇØ TO frowned as they waited for a plate to drop out of the dispenser. It never did. It was then that TO realized what was going on with their food.
ÔÇ£ItÔÇÖs condensed,ÔÇØ TO said as they picked up the block of food. They pulled off a corner and squeezed the slightly squishy substance between their thumb and forefinger before they ate it, ÔÇ£I suppose we donÔÇÖt need plates if the food is in bar form.ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£Why is our food in a bar though!?ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£If I had to guess-ÔÇØ TO said as they recalled how the little block of food had expanded into this slightly squishy, dull tasting thing they were now eating, ÔÇ£ItÔÇÖs easier to vacuum pack the food for transport in space.ÔÇØ they looked around, ÔÇ£Think about it; the ship looks big from the outside, but it has to hold all the machinery that lets this machine fly, food, fuel, water, and air. That all takes space, so they probably condensed the food to save room.ÔÇØ
DH gave a deep sigh, then picked up the food. They sniffed it, wrinkled their nose, then ripped off a piece and started eating. ÔÇ£This tastes like dust,ÔÇØ they said. ÔÇ£How does it taste worse than the stuff weÔÇÖve been eating?ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£It could be leftover from the last trip. IÔÇÖm unsure what its shelf life is.ÔÇØ TO said.
ÔÇ£At least we donÔÇÖt have to eat this stuff when we get to Arkane.ÔÇØ DH said as they forced themself to eat another piece, ÔÇ£I canÔÇÖt wait to try new foods though!ÔÇØ They suddenly brightened, ÔÇ£Do you remember though? The first conversation we ever had was about food.ÔÇØ
TOÔÇÖs ears perked up as they remembered that first day that they spent with DH. ÔÇ£I remember.ÔÇØ They said, ÔÇ£I was so confused when you sat next to me. Happy, but confused, and-ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£And scared because everyone was staring.ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£A little!ÔÇØ TO said, their ears flushing, ÔÇ£I was more nervous back then. After we beat Q10 and the others in that simulation, I calmed down.ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£Well, they said theyÔÇÖd leave us alone if we beat them,ÔÇØ DH said. Their ears sunk as they chewed on their food. ÔÇ£HeyÔǪ Do you think thereÔÇÖs a way to...ÔÇØ they glanced down at their food, ÔÇ£To reverse the whole ÔÇÿcorrectionÔÇÖ thing?ÔÇØ
TO nearly choked on their food. They dropped the bar and worked to dislodge the piece that had gotten stuck in their throat.
ÔÇ£I... Fix it?ÔÇØ they asked, ÔÇ£I mean-ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£I mean, For Q10,ÔÇØ DH muttered. ÔÇ£I still feel a little bad-ÔÇØ
It wasnt your fault! TO protested, It it was no more your fault than it was mine! If anyone was to blame, its 55H75; Hur-13 now, I guess. TO remembered the Commanders reaction to being called by their trainee number, and didnt want to call Hur-13 by their old assignment accidentally. It was their fault!
.... Fault or no. DH said, I still feel bad for them. I-. They sighed, They were awful to us, I know but in the end, they just looked so scared. I dont think they deserved what happened.
TO gave a deep sigh. Ages ago, they had wondered the same thing. They had done some research on the topic, but it hadnt been promising. Potentially, there are ways. TO said, Depending on the brain. However, its all They hesitated as they fished for the right words to say. Dangerous? Untested? Experimental. they finally settled on. And its very specialized. Its not something that could be done in a training facility. One of King Decons Advanced Medical facilities MIGHT do it... But I dont know.
ÔÇ£And a synth like us wouldnÔÇÖt be sent there for treatment anyway,ÔÇØ DH said.
Right. Especially not a corrected synth. Wed have to get them out of the center and then find someone capable who would try a very dangerous procedure that may or may not work and corrected synths dont leave their stations.
DH gave a deep sigh, ÔÇ£I... I knew it was impossible.ÔÇØ they said, ÔÇ£I thought about it when GiDi was being taken away. I thought, Maybe we can fix them if they get corrected-ÔÇØ They gave a panicked glance to their chip, then seemed to recall the work they had done. ÔÇ£After that, I just wondered if we could repair anyone else.ÔÇØ
TO frowned, ÔÇ£ItÔÇÖs funny, isnÔÇÖt it.ÔÇØ they said, ÔÇ£We talk about fixing corrected synths, but the very act of correcting a synthÔǪ well, itÔÇÖs called a correction. ItÔÇÖs how they ÔÇÿfixÔÇÖ Synths that donÔÇÖt suit King Decons needs.ÔÇØ
DH was quiet for a long few moments, their ears flicked back in concentration. Do you think.. they said slowly, That Q10 should have been corrected? Or that GiDi should have been? I know we didnt want them to be, but. If its for King Decon, thats better, right?
ÔÇ£If King Decon wished for you to be hurt.ÔÇØ TO said, their eyes narrowing as their ears pinned back, ÔÇ£I wouldnÔÇÖt comply.ÔÇØ
I know. I dont mean that. DH said, though their ears flushed I mean I mean, outside of just us, and what we want. Is it better for synths that are too strange to be corrected?
I dont think Im able to judge that., TO said quietly. I I would imagine... Well, if King Decon does something, its good, right?
ÔÇ£Right,ÔÇØ DH said. ÔÇ£I mean, weÔÇÖre tools of King Decon. We have to function a certain way.ÔÇØ
Whenever TO heard any synth referred to as a Tool of King Decon, they could just hear GiDiÔÇÖs voice echoing out, the way their ears pinned back, their eyes narrowed, and their lips curled up to show their teeth.
I am not a tool.
ÔÇ£We must all make certain sacrifices,ÔÇØ TO said, parroting one of the many things they must have learned in the tank. ÔÇ£I imagine that running an entire galaxy is a taxing job, and He created a species of his own to assist with that. We have a job to do, and a purpose we were designed for; we canÔÇÖt just do as we please.ÔÇØ They reached out, hesitated, and took DHÔÇÖs hand. They could feel the heat rising in their ears, but DH had held their hand earlier. This should be fine, right?
They just didnÔÇÖt want DH to look so sad.
ÔÇ£I guess there are some things which are good for the galaxy that can still upset some people.ÔÇØ TO said. ÔÇ£Like when civilians have to relocate. They donÔÇÖt like it, but we know itÔÇÖs for the best, right?ÔÇØ
DH didnÔÇÖt respond. They gently squeezed TOÔÇÖs hand before letting go and returning to their food.
TO looked down at their food, but they werenÔÇÖt hungry anymore.
It was for the best. They were designed to serve King Decon. It was a privilege to serve King Decon. Correction, or being repurposed, was a way that otherwise useless synths could serve. Even as TO told themself this, the one thought that always scared them bubbled up in their brain. It was the one thought that scared them more than the way DH made their heart swell and there was fire under their skin.
If anyone tried to hurt DH, even if that someone was King Decon, TO knew that they could fight to stop them. Still, they wanted to serve King Decon; there was no greater privilege.
I am not a tool
All TO wanted was to be with DH as they served King Decon.
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