Carpathia IV: Episode 100 - The Cat and the Robot
Bridge, NCCS Shadowdancer
A rampage of emotions. Just minutes earlier, Amenaru was focused on Phobos but now that he was safe, though quite different, the only thing left for Amenaru's mind to brood upon was the Shadowdancer. Barely 100 meters away from Phobos's crash site and Amenaru was already tearing up. No, the explosion wasn't big enough to be an engine core, but that didn't mean the ship wasn't destroyed.
Phobos: Lieutenant, are you okay?
Amenaru stopped, dragging his foot the last step, and wobbled where he stood.
Amenaru: I need to sit down for a minute.
Amenaru found a nearby rock and slowly lowered himself onto it, fearing he might collapse if he sat too quickly.
Phobos: You might have hit your head when you landed. Let me look.
Phobos climbed onto Amenaru's back began his examination.
Amenaru: I do have a headache, but it's not just that. When I was at the academy, we had this surprise training. They took me and two others in the middle of the night, flew us out to the middle of nowhere, and told us we had to get back on our own. Survival training.
Phobos: They did that to me too.
Amenaru: It was scary, but we did it. There's a difference between knowing that you're in training and the real thing. Back then, we only needed to worry about ourselves. I can't stand it if I just lost everyone I care about.
Just as Amenaru finished, Phobos, as gently as he was rooting around in Amenaru's thick, unruly hair, still managed to touch a tender spot. Amenaru winced and inhaled sharply.
Phobos: Sorry. You do have a bump back there and you were out for awhile. You should at least get some water in you.
Amenaru wiped his eyes while Phobos collected the stump of a small tree from the ground. It was only about 15 centimeters in diameter.
Amenaru: I know I'm supposed to be the senior officer, all calm and stable, right now, but I don't think I can manage it. If you don't mind, I'd rather you used my name instead of my rank for the time being. No use for stuffy ranks right now and there's no way I'm going to be the cool, in-charge superior officer right now anyway.
Amenaru only tangentially noticed how Phobos continued to fiddle with the piece of wood, mostly using the tools that were built into his hand. In no time, he had the stump sliced up and he was now hollowing out the inside.
Phobos: You're doing fine, Amenaru. It's a lot to take in. I won't tell you to push it out of your mind, but you can manage if you focus on what you need to do next. That valley between the mountains over there? We need to go through that first. After that, we'll set our next goal.
Phobos finished hollowing out the wood and switched his hand tool to a burner, which he used to cook the outside and inside of it, causing the leftover sap to harden into an imperfect glaze. Taking Phobos's advice, Amenaru focused this, what appeared to be a cup.
Amenaru: You're very wise. If you don't mind my asking, are you able to switch off emotions or anything?
Phobos: I deleted that feature years ago. I used to be able to flick a switch to change my personality. I deleted that too. I thought I'd like to be more natural. Anyway, it's ready. Can you walk?
Amenaru nodded and grunted his way to his feet. Phobos led the way while Amenaru trudged from behind. In a few minutes, they reached a dirty pond, black with sediment and with a thin layer of green on top.
Amenaru: I don't think I can drink that.
Phobos: No, this would definitely upset your tummy in terrifying ways, but I can take care of that.
Phobos set the cup aside and leaned down, touching his lips to the lake and sucking up rather more than a mouthful of the sludgy water. Once he was full, Phobos unzipped his pants and dropped them to the ground. Amenaru watched, bemused, while Phobos peed the water he just drank into the cup. It seemed quite clear, but Amenaru felt a bit squeamish about what was sure to come anyway.
Amenaru: Um...
Phobos: Don't mind what that looked like. I filtered out all the impurities. I assure you it's as clean as a glacial spring.
Though apprehensive, Amenaru had every reason to trust Phobos and he picked up the cup. The water was just as pure and refreshing as Phobos said. He could feel the cool water slide down his throat and fill his stomach.
Phobos: More?
Amenaru: Thank you.
Amenaru didn't realize how thirsty he was until he had that first cup and he greedily guzzled down three more. No food yet, but with his thirst quenched, it was time to set off for the long walk to find the Shadowdancer.
After many hours of hiking, Amenaru and Phobos decided to settle in for the night and make a campfire. Phobos proved to be most useful for survival than any piece of equipment on he could have chosen from the Shadowdancer, mostly because no tool could replace the companionship that he provided.
After reassuring Amenaru that there were no dangerous animals in the area, Phobos set out into the night, leaving Amenaru alone to stew in insecurity and dread. Phobos did an excellent job of keeping him distracted while he was there, but now that he was away, Amenaru couldn't help but imagine all the worst possible scenarios. What would they find when they reached the crash site? He simultaneously didn't want to think about it and yet couldn't stop dwelling on it.
After an hour and a half, Phobos finally returned, carrying the carcass of a small animal and another object that looked like a small, battered case.
Phobos: I found some dinner and more! There are bits of the conference room bridge wing all over the place and I found a medkit in the debris. I think there might be some salvageable items in here. Let me see your head again.
Amenaru nodded while Phobos set the animal aside and rummaged through the shabby medkit for supplies. A smile on Phobos's face indicated to Amenaru that he must have found something and he immediately climbed onto Amenaru's back.
Phobos: Found some disinfectant and cleaning wipes. I don't know if this will sting a little, but it might.
It did. Just as when Phobos touched the sensitive spot before, Amenaru winced and inhaled sharply while Phobos applied the medicine. Looking for a distraction, Amenaru started yapping about whatever popped into his mind, not minding so much that his rambling might be a bit cringey.
Amenaru: Um... so... it seems you were built with functional genitalia.
Amenaru felt the fiddling on the back of his head suddenly cease and then a chuckle.
Phobos: You've hardly asked me anything about what I am and that's the first thing you come up with? Well, I guess that would be the first thing you, of all people, would think of.
Amenaru wriggled uncomfortably where he sat, feeling rather silly.
Phobos: I wasn't built with a penis at all, originally, but you should have seen my dad's face when I asked for one. Also, yes, it is fully functional. My shell body was also fully functional, but not now, obviously.
Amenaru: It's strange to think about. I'm already forgetting that you're a robot. You can do amazing things, but I'm mostly glad to have you here as a companion.
Phobos: Thanks for saying that. I'm glad I could catch you. By the way, minor point, but the correct term is "android," not "robot."
Amenaru: Ah, sorry. You know, I was thinking of that old TV show, Astro Boy. He always called himself a robot.
Again, the fiddling on Amenaru's head stopped, but this time, Phobos suddenly appeared before him and he could swear he saw a twinkle in his eyes.
Phobos: You know Astro Boy!
Amenaru couldn't help but smile at Phobos's gleeful face.
Amenaru: I loved that show when I was a kid. I still watch it sometimes.
Amenaru was looking for a distraction and he found it. He and Phobos engaged in contemplative discussion of their favorite moments for the show until Amenaru finally relaxed enough to fall asleep.
After yet another half day of walking and weaving around the mountains with nothing but a grey, rocky landscape as their view, Amenaru and Phobos finally started to encounter bits of patchy, yellow grass and the occasional scraggly tree. The greenery increased rapidly as they walked, still sliding a bit down the slopes, but much less than before, until they were traversing a lush, green plain. Still a few stray mountain peaks jutted from the ground, but they could see much farther than they could before, most notably a massive scar of upturned soil in the distance which stretched into the horizon.
Phobos: I'm detecting some zeta radiation ahead. It's consistent with a quantum nacelle.
Indeed, a couple of hours later, they crested a small hill and saw a massive black crater in the ground. Behind them was a small mountain peak that looked as though it had its top knocked off.
Amenaru: If that's nacelle radiation, it looks like one of them must have clipped that mountain and sheered off. Is the radiation level safe?
Phobos: 1,200 zetines at its worst. Three hours exposure is fatal. If you're up to it, we can break into a sprint for about 20 minutes, curving around the center of the blast, and get through the worst of it without it causing you a problem. If we walked all the way around, it would take much longer.
Amenaru: Ready when you are.
Phobos nodded and Amenaru, keen to get this over with, took one deep breath and took off in a flat run toward the crater. It only took a few seconds for Phobos to catch up and scold him.
Phobos: Not so fast! Conserve your energy. Just follow me and I'll take you the safest way.
Without a word, Amenaru did as he was told, slipping in behind Phobos and slowing his pace. Normally, Amenaru found intense exercise soothing while focusing on controlling his breathing and paying attention to his heart rate. Running through this hellish landscape, however, pulled his mind away from cardiovascular considerations. He didn't know if a nacelle had ever exploded on the surface on a planet before and the result certainly looked stranger than he imagined. Inky blackness abounded, but in the charred land were chunks of glass, deep red spherical objects that shattered with the slightest touch, and other oddities scattered all around. The Exploration Force would surely want to send a team of scientists out to study all of this.
Twenty minutes later, Phobos stopped as promised. They had reached the end of the dangerous area.
Phobos: Two zetines here. Nothing to worry about. You should take a quick dip in that lake to wash off any dirt you picked up. It won't be comfortable walking around with a wet uniform, but it should dry up soon in this sun.
Amenaru did not reply, but stood very still, his ears twitching madly on top of his head.
Amenaru: You hear that?
Phobos stopped to listen.
Phobos: Wind. Leaves. Water. There's a small animal somewhere far away making a lot of racket. It sounds a bit like a cat.
Amenaru: That's not just any small animal!
Amenaru cupped his hands over his mouth and called out.
Amenaru: TIGGY!!!
Amenaru and Phobos listened again as the meowing grew far more excitable. In less than a minute, they saw a black speck moving rapidly through the grass. Mrs. Tiggywinkle rushed toward them, making a little noise with each time her feet touched the ground.
Mrs. Tiggywinkle: Mao mao mao mao mao mao mao!!!
Amenaru kneeled on the ground ready to catch his beloved pet as she barrelled toward him like a fuzzy, black bullet. When she was finally in range, she leaped into his chest and immediately commenced to nuzzling him all over with her head and chin and meowing incessantly. Phobos stood off to the side and watched with a hearty smile.
Mrs. Tiggywinkle: Meow! Meow! Meow!
Amenaru couldn't say anything through his tears, holding Mrs. Tiggywinkle close and scratching behind her ears.
Phobos: If Mrs. Tiggywinkle made it, that means everyone else could have too!
Mrs. Tiggywinkle wrenched herself from Amenaru's arms and trotted a few steps away before turning around to face them again.
Mrs. Tiggywinkle: Meow!
Amenaru: Ha! She was always a bit like a dog sometimes. Let's follow her!
With renewed optimism, Amenaru and Phobos followed Mrs. Tiggywinkle back to the Shadowdancer.
Commissioned art in this episode from:
AvareonArt
Zelbunnii
Thatwildmary
Colourbrand
