An Error in Execution [Hope/Open]

[eldin]

The red-tinted vision of her combat mode faded gradually, small text scrolling up the side of her vision. Reboot codes, the usual report of errors plaguing her systems. It was the usual case when re-awakening; as a precautionary measure, she had set her default operating status to combat mode, in the event she was captured. Her photoreceptors slid open, bright light temporarily flooding her vision until the automatic adjustment finished. Eldin's uncorrupted data files implied that she had been damaged significantly before entering a shutdown status, but observing herself now... someone had repaired her.

She sat up on what looked to her like a medical bed, but much less advanced than ones she was used to seeing. She turned her head to peer about, but before she could turn her head much she felt a tug on the other side of her, and reaching up felt several cables connected to the side of her head. It led to a power generator nearby. The last vestiges of red tint faded from her sight, the world rendering itself in its proper colors now. She was in a residential tent with many scientific objects strewn about. Eldin gave the cable screwed in to her head a single tug to restore her ability to move, closing the small port it had been hooked in to. She observed that she had been clothed in a white lab coat with white garments beneath, swiveling a bit to make the fabric flit about. She did enjoy wearing clothes, even if she didn't need them.

The automaton exited the empty tent and looked around. Metal scaffolds wound around what looked to have been a town square, many machines of unknown make scattered about. Some were more advanced than others, but none of them matched her level of technology, and the various people wandering about spoke of research. An archeological investigation site of a sufficiently advanced precursor society, her databanks offered up. But oddly, she could not place what society it may have been. The sun was blotted out an instant later, and her gaze turned upwards to a huge mechanical form in the sky. It was an automaton as well, though its make was far more advanced than anything she had seen before. It was too far away to conduct a proper analysis, but the idea that there were sufficiently advanced machines was slightly troubling. That meant the Federation could easily sum up means to contact the planet.

"Well lookit that, the Director fixed it up after all," a man in a uniform said from a distance, pointing at her. He was far enough away that a human would have been unable to hear him, but her auditory receptors were more sensitive than the average life form. "Someone'd better get him before it decides to wander off," he said, and a woman in a similar uniform trotted off to the largest tent, which judging by the energy readings coming from it also contained the command center. Since it seemed that the researchers were already sending for the person that had repaired her, she remained where she was for the moment, observing her surroundings. Perhaps here would be a good place to blend in. A scientist would definitely understand the benefits of a tireless worker with a large information database... and maybe someone here could fix her errors.

After a minute or so, Eldin noticed a man with silver hair coming in her direction in a uniform slightly different than the rest. The director, no doubt, or a fill in. She offered a smile as he approached, extending a mechanical hand towards him. "Hello! It is to my knowledge that you are the leader of this group, or is my observation wrong? I am Eldin, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance sir." Eldin gave a deep bow to the man, still smiling as warmly as she was able. If nothing else, she could use the computers here to clear her databanks and buy her systems more time to continue functioning...

[Hope Estheim]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,bottom][atrb=cellspacing,0,bTable][atrb=cellpadding,0,bTable][atrb=style,background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/mBgMc.png); background-position: bottom right;background-repeat: no-repeat;background-color: #040404;][atrb=width,421px,true] [STYLE=margin: 10px 20px 0px 20px; width: 381px; background-color: #040404; opacity: .7;filter:alpha(opacity=70);color: #eeeeee;font-size: 10px; text-align: justify; padding: 5px;]Propping his left elbow firmly on the large, bowed table, Hope sunk down low so he was nearly parallel with the reflective surface, struggling to keep his hand perfectly steady. The forceps balanced delicately in his dominant hand were bracing the sides of a small sliver of crystal that had come loose within the Oracle Drive; intending to use the excess material in an analysis of the properties of the crystal itself, his mission was to extract the sample without damaging the recordings inside. He was working blind, as well; the hexagonal plating of emerald panels was thoroughly opaque, and he had the smallest gap between the base of the device and one of those panels to work with. His mouth tightening when the forceps accidentally brushed up against the panel, Hope took the moment to pause and readjust his position, shaking out his non-dominant arm. Next to him was a small glass vial, with a rubber stopper. Its height was less than the length of his thumb from base to tip, and its interior no wider than the nail - and within it, the crystal shard should fit comfortably. It was that small of a piece, and it was a struggle not to fracture it as he gently teased with the forceps, searching for the end of the sliver again. At the tiny bit of resistance he felt at the ends of the tool, he smiled faintly, and tilted his wrist three degrees to the right, beginning the tedious process of extracting the sample without causing any imperfections upon its surface. He was quite pleased that no one had disturbed him yet - had a member of the ASR or another scientist come traipsing loudly up the scaffolding that led up to the hill that the Oracle Drive was found upon, he might have lost his concentration... Unsealing the vial with his left hand, he used the forceps to gently place the fragment inside, inserting the stopper once again. Only then could he relax, when the slight tink of the shard hitting the side of the glass interrupted the silence. And it was well that that was so; the moment he laid the vial and forceps down upon the large desk, Gardner came around the corner of the half-tent that sheltered the Oracle Drive and the rest of the command station from the elements. She was in a tizzy, looking somewhat harried as her short-cut bob had begun to frizz up (she complained about that a little more often than he could comfortably ignore, and he thought privately to himself that a woman so concerned with her looks didn't belong in the wilds of Gran Pulse, no matter how brilliant she seemed to be). Stifling the immediate response of a stiff jerk as she surprised him, Hope turned to meet the woman halfway. "Rebecca-?" "Director," she cut him off, looking vaguely apologetic as she did so and paused. His nod for her to continue brought upon him an onslaught of an explanation. "Your - the automaton that we recovered in the nearby Tsubaddran Highlands has awoken, Mr. Estheim. She appears to be fully functioning, and I saw no signs of a nearby paradox effect." "Thank you for the report, Gardner," Hope responded sincerely, checking once more to see that the vial was safe and motionless on the table before following her around the corner and into the open. Above them, on a set of nearby scaffolding, he saw - to his surprise - Freedman, engaging the automaton, whom one could almost mistake for a genuinely human girl. This he had seen, of course, when they had recovered her, but he was still taken aback at just how fluid she seemed. "Director," Freedman said stiffly, as Hope scaled the slope of the scaffolding to arrive at their level. He adjusted his glasses on his face and stepped aside as the younger man nodded at him in recognition. Passing by his subordinate and taking control of the situation with grace, Hope extended his hand to the automaton before him with a smile. "Welcome to the Paddra Ruins, a site of excavation overseen by the Academy," he said casually. "My name is Hope Estheim, and I'm the director of this facility. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss - ?" [/style] [STYLE=margin: 25px 0px 10px 20px;width: 335px;color: #e2e2e2;background-color: #040404;opacity: .9; filter: alpha(opacity=90);padding: 5px;font-size: 10px;][style=float: left;height: 100px;width: 100px;-webkit-border-radius: 100px;-moz-border-radius: 100px;border-radius: 100px;background-image:url(http://i42.tinypic.com/357kiaf.png);margin: -20px 5px 20px 5px;][/style] Music: memories of happier days - ffxiii ost Notes: done; freedman is pwnt Words: 733 Tagged: hi there eldin[/style]

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[eldin]

Director. The name brought to mind a feeling of mixed fear and anger, though directed at whom she wasn't sure. Perhaps that was just a glitch too. Or had someone called the director brought such emotions to her in the past, and she could no longer remember the event? Whatever the case, Eldin's warm smile faltered only slightly at the thought, and she gripped his hand at a strength she'd found was appropriate for such a gesture. She logged the location in her database, noting the small update in the top of her vision indicating that her systems would begin mapping out the area as she wandered it.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Director Estheim. I go by the name of Eldin, though technically I am not in possession of one," she replied, smiling and releasing his hand. He was remarkably young for someone of so high a research position, previous experience supporting the option that either his father was high ranking in the Academy or pointing to him being a child prodigy. Telling which one based on one sentence was difficult to do, but she didn't particularly need to stick around. Though, the fact that this was a research site would be an excellent place to find a computer and at least attempt to clear out some of her corrupted data files and see if the people here knew any way to remove her various glitches...

"I am curious. Do you have any programming experts at this site? My system is currently running with a dangerous level of errors. If I am incapable of removing them, then my systems will collapse completely in a time span of three hundred and fourteen cycles at current rate of degradation. Unfortunately, I am incapable of actively accessing my code without first being in a shutdown state, otherwise I would be able to pinpoint the exact locations of these errors. However, I am certain they affect my memory core, active modes and central power core. I would be glad to cooperate with whatever assistance you may require at this site in exchange for help, no matter how marginal it may be."

[Hope Estheim]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,bottom][atrb=cellspacing,0,bTable][atrb=cellpadding,0,bTable][atrb=style,background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/mBgMc.png); background-position: bottom right;background-repeat: no-repeat;background-color: #040404;][atrb=width,421px,true] [STYLE=margin: 10px 20px 0px 20px; width: 381px; background-color: #040404; opacity: .7;filter:alpha(opacity=70);color: #eeeeee;font-size: 10px; text-align: justify; padding: 5px;]Her grip was firm, firmer than he had expected; but then again, the girl was an android, so such surprise should be unwarranted. Nevertheless, he was surprised at her general demeanor. She seemed so human - technology had progressed to a point where an AI could successfully mimic even the smallest of nuances, it seemed. He wondered what time period she had come from, and if perhaps a paradox was responsible for her being here. "Well then, Eldin," he said, testing out the name. It seemed fitting for her, oddly enough. "Welcome. Is there anything I can do for you?" Before he could ask anything else, she launched into an immediate slew of words. Aventurine eyes widening slightly as he absorbed and translated her almost-speech, Hope was left somewhat speechless as he thought about her request. He spoke at last, tentatively. "Assuming a cycle for your intelligence is twenty-four hours, that is a problem. Our technology at this site is almost primitive compared to your programming, Eldin, so I'm not positive anything we're capable of would even be compatible with your interface... but I will see what I can do. "In exchange..." he shook his head. "I wouldn't feel comfortable asking for anything in return. You have a problem, and it might be within my ability to help. That's enough for me. "When would you like to begin?" He shifted his posture, the weight slipping from right hip to left. "Perhaps you'd like to give me an explanation of your data cores before we get into things... I'll be careful, but I'd hate to damage something vital." His smile was small. Despite the risk, he was actually quite looking forward to the experience. He wasn't sure if he could trust anyone else with the project, despite there being two or three other scientists on-site that might be a better fit for the task than he. And secretly, he relished the opportunity to research through practice another form of technology. Perhaps he'd learn something that could immediately be put to use in the Academy's own mission. [/style] [STYLE=margin: 25px 0px 10px 20px;width: 335px;color: #e2e2e2;background-color: #040404;opacity: .9; filter: alpha(opacity=90);padding: 5px;font-size: 10px;][style=float: left;height: 100px;width: 100px;-webkit-border-radius: 100px;-moz-border-radius: 100px;border-radius: 100px;background-image:url(http://i42.tinypic.com/357kiaf.png);margin: -20px 5px 20px 5px;][/style] Music: hope's theme ~confessions~ - xiii-2 ost Notes: let's hope he doesn't break anything Words: 359 Tagged: hi there eldin[/style]

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[eldin]

Eldin continued smiling cheerily, even though the director expressed doubt at his abilities to properly fix her systems. Easily enough fixed, she figured; she pulled open the back of her hand and removed a fairly thick booklet written in Galactic standard and handed it to him. It didn't occur to her when she did that this planet may not have recognized standard, and she jumped a bit when she noticed. "Oh! I'm sorry, that was rude. I don't even know if this world uses Galactic Standard as its writing form. Maybe translating it will be fun? I have no particular use for it any longer; I am incapable of acting on the information in it, but perhaps you'll find something. I tend to be a bit... loose, as far as memories are concerned."

She rested a hand on her hip after flipping the panel closed again, smile not fading despite the levity of the situation. Maybe not having memories made it hard to be too attached to anything like that? Who knew? She pondered the question of how long a cycle was, but she wasn't able to come up with any data as to how long it would be in relation to this world. It was too close a deadline either way.... When he mentioned their computers being insufficient, she just laughed.

"Don't worry director, that won't be a problem! I'm sure I can update your computer systems to be adequate for interfacing with my code, or I could construct one? It won't be a problem either way. As to my memory core, don't worry; there's no way to access and remove vital programming from my system without the backup initiating. If you mess up, I'll simply revert to the last backup date, which I'll set before the operation begins," Eldin said cheerily, clasping the taller human in a hug and laughing merrily. She released him again and quirked her head backwards, peering up at him with her slightly glowing eyes. "Thank you for your help! Even if my programming errors can't be corrected, wiping my memory files will at least prolong my operational capacity by at least fifty cycles. That's more than enough for me. If you need further information, I'm certain I can add whatever files you may need to a computer system."