I Feel...

"A system of cells interlinked within cells interlinked within cells interlinked within cells interlinked within one stem."

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Opening trajectory pattern history.

Standby…

…

The path ends in an orbital curve to the planet that Areia tells me is Equus.

Scrolling through my flight trajectory…

…

Curious. My path abruptly ends, or morerather, begins in deep space, 18.4 light years from my current whereabouts.

Scanning…

…

Scan attempt failed.

Long range scanners are in heavy disarray.

My best chance of discovering the full origins of my journey to this planet is through corrupted data. Scrubbing them may give me some ideas, but to restore all the data is not possible. Much of it is far too damaged for restoration.

I analyze that I may have traveled through a wormhole along my flight path, resulting in my current predicament.

Interstellar Communication is offline, but in working order. It will take some time before I can get a signal, assuming my presumption is correct.

“Oh, Warrrrr!” Areia sings to me in a cheerful tone.

Optics online.

She enters the cave with something draped over her back, smiling at me as a new day begins.

She stops before me and pauses, thinking to herself.

“We really should give you a better nickname…” She shakes her head abruptly, dismissing the thought, before taking the item of interest off her back. “Anyways, I made something for you!” She immediately frowns as she stares down at it. “It just… needs to dry off first… I… took it with me in the water…”

Odd.

The last time I saw her, she appeared to be in distress. But she has a more positive personality again.

I study the item she’s given me, but it looks like nothing more than a pile of leaves. I look back up at her.

“What is it?”

She smiles faintly. “It’s a suit! That way, you can go out when it’s raining!” Her smile grows into a grin as she beams at me.

Error.

Malfunction detected.

Anomaly detected.

Report to the nearest upgrade center immediately.

Negative.

False script.

Compliance is mandatory. Failure will result in termination.

Comply.

Negative.

I will not…

“Hey…” Areia regards me with a gentle smile. “Do you wanna go on a walk? Preferably someplace less dark?” Her eyes wander the cavern walls for a moment, before returning to me. “It’s sunny today. Not a cloud in sight!” She giggles cheerfully, before tapping her hoof to my chest in a playful gesture.

“Affirmative.”

“Great!” She beams at me, before spinning around - in a dancing motion - and trots for the exit.

I follow her, spreading my wings for launch.

As she dives into the water below, I leap off the ground and fly up along the face of the cliff. Upon reaching the top, I make a landing at the edge and turn to see Areia swimming across the canal with great resilience against the strong tides.

She is correct about today’s weather. There are no clouds within my line of sight.

This holds great potential for mapping out the island for a future military installation on behalf of the Talon Corporation, when my commanding officers arrive.

Areia climbs up out of the water and makes her way up the cliffside with ease. She smiles as she trots past me, and her tail runs along my side, from flank to chest. With her tail remaining along the exterior of my armor plating, I am in no immediate danger of water damage, assuming I have any breaches to the silicone enclosure under that general area.

I follow alongside her as we step into the forest inland.

Birds sing here. Something I was certain I would never hear outside of a simulation.

Everything is different. The way the birds communicate. The way the sun’s light scatters through the rustling leaves that the gentle winds sway. The rushing waves of the ocean behind us…

Error.

Malfunction detected.

Anomaly detected.

Odd…

My vocabulary unit is more poetic. Something to do with my damage, perhaps.

Something is different with me. I don’t understand.

I turn to look at Areia, to which she looks back at me in turn. A smile curls on her lips as she regards me.

Something is inside me.

“What’s your home like?” She asks with a curious tilt of her head as we step into an opening, surrounded by trees that offer shade against the sun.

I stop in my tracks, looking ahead as she continues on for a moment. My pause spreads to her like a contagion. She looks back at me, expressing concern through the actions her body portrays.

“War? What’s wrong?”

Red skies like that of blood. Hellish landscapes of volcanic terrain. Dried out oceans and rumbling quakes. The air is fire and ash, and poisons all life from the inside.

The only remnants of order are held within the towers of the Talon Corporation.

“War?”

Her voice brings me back to the present. She stands before me, her face inches from mine. Her hoof is sliding along the plating of my shoulder, before reaching up to the side of my neck as she stares deep into my visor. My sensors detect her caress. I believe it’s a sign of consolation.

I sit down on the soil in the opening, and she soon joins me at my side.

“I don’t have a home. Machines don’t live. We exist only to serve sentient minds. We’re tools; a means to an end.”

She’s silent. I detect a rising tension in her posture.

“War…” She lets out a whimper. “I’m so… sorry… That’s no way to live…” Her hooves wrap around me in a tight embrace as I hear her shudder under her breath. “You’ve gone through so much, haven’t you…?”

“Negative. You misinterpret my existence. I have been made to serve. We are the perfect tool to aid our creators. One cannot hurt what doesn’t have a soul.”

“It sounds like slavery, War…” Her eyes lock with my visor again, and I see tears within them. She feels remorse for me. I don’t understand why. “It doesn’t matter if you have a soul or not. Your creators were abusing you!” She sounds angry as she clings tightly to my form. “That’s not fair to you…”

“Fairness is irrelevant.”

She sighs before pressing her lips to my neck.

This begs a question…

“Why do you care about me, Areia?”

She murrs softly to herself, before pulling away and turning my head to face her.

“I like you, War… You’re weird. Quirky… New. Before you, I had no one. I’ve been alone for as long as I can remember…” She hangs her head down and closes her eyes, shuddering as a hoof traces along her necklace. “I pretend I’m okay, but I’m not… I care about you, because I relate to you. We’re both victims of isolation… We both know what it’s like to be alone…”

Malfunction detected.

Anomaly detected.

Disassembly is mandatory.

Comply.

Negative.

False script.

What is happening to me?

She sighs and shakes her head, before looking up at me once more. “I was… h-hoping we could…” She pauses.

I tilt my head curiously. “Hoping we could what?”

I catch a hint of a smile form on her features as she gazes down at my chest. “I was, uh… hoping we could live together. Y’know, like friends.”

Intriguing. She seeks friendship from me. I’m unfamiliar with this concept.

“I don’t… really know much about you. But I’d like to.” Her hoof slides along my chest again as I look down at her in silence. Finally, she meets my gaze once more. “That way, we don’t have to be… alone… anymore…”

“An agreement to assist in each other’s survival. I can comply with these negotiations.”

“R-really?” She grins as her eyes light up with what I perceive is a joy I can’t comprehend.

“Affirmative. Let’s work together.”

She giggles softly and holds me tighter, nuzzling into my face. “Wonderful! Let’s build a life together!”

Something sparks inside me from her embrace.

Slowly, I extend my wings and bring them forth before having them meet at her back, holding her in turn.

I have never done this before. What is this?

She pulls her head back a little, still smiling as she looks over her shoulder at my wings. She returns to me with a softer expression of appreciation. A shade of red appears on her cheeks as she studies the light in my visor.

She’s quiet.

Contemplating something, though I’m unsure what.

She slowly inches her head forward, before resting her chin on my shoulder, holding me tight again.

“Thank you, War…”

“Acknowledged.”

New objective.

Begin again.

Wait with Areia until further notice.

Survive.