|
|
Post by vodka on May 31, 2009 16:09:59 GMT -6
Phew, so it wasn't too rude of him to be coming crashing in to look at the machination. That was a relief to know, but the nagging feeling never quite left the back of Chekov's mind. Sentient machines were still rather new and rare, and it was hard sometimes to tell what kind of manners and quirks were put in their programming.
Especially if the programmer in question was the semi-infamous Dr. Vestari. Ace seemed nice enough, but Chekov didn't want to trip up any nasty paranoid surprises the old man may have left in wait. That thought hadn't occurred to him before. Hm. Well, it wasn't like he was going to poke around with the machine itself unless invited to. Despite what the old professor had said, robotics and the actual physical components of machines weren't his area of expertise. Chekov was all math and stars and theories. Working bits were for the engineers, like Mr. Scotty.
Come to think of it, Scotty might be more excited to hear of this than Chekov. Though considering how easy it was to work the kid up into an excited frenzy, probably not. Chekov practically bounced down the entire flight of steps, face split into a wide grin.
When Ace spoke up Chekov's smile faltered slightly. What? Oh. Was Ace bring modest? "Oh no!" He protested. "It will be exciting no matter what!"
|
|
|
|
Post by ace3 on May 31, 2009 18:04:36 GMT -6
"That's...nice." Ace said, his mind trying to formulate an answer to Chekov's sentence.
He may be sentient, but he wasn't perfect. He was far from perfect, even in the late Vestari's eyes. Ace looked and saw the wide grin on Chekov's face, and couldn't help himself from also having a wide grin. He wondered what caused that oddity, that urge to replicate emotion, but didn't ask that out loud. Ace was too focused on looking corporal, and trying to remember where his dorm room was. The dorms were pretty compact, at least the building that Ace entered was compact.
It was similar to the building that they had been in only a few minutes ago, besides the fact that there were a lot more rooms, and there were cadets bustling everywhere. Ace tried to keep from walking through people, because of "politeness", but he ended up going partway into a few visitors who thought he was corporal. The cadets who lived there, evident by their uniforms, were not surprised and ignored the hologram. Ace was just another cadet in some ways. He smiled, saying outloud to himself mainly:
"Last floor- deserted one, actually, as I like to call it."
Ace walked up the stairs, his form transparent and fizzing because of a malfunction in his computer. He hoped that it was alright, and didn't need repair. Ace didn't want to have to call the Robotics Professor back to help him repair himself. It was just...humiliating. It was pure humiliating to be treated like some sort of child while another guy was repairing him. Ace knew he was going to have to give up that pet peeve, but he wasn't required to yet, and he wouldn't...yet. Ace stopped at a electronic sliding door with a number pad next to the right side. It also had voice recognition, which Ace had put in himself with the help of a friend. He waited for Chekov to catch up, not wanting to lock the poor man out. |
|
|
|
Post by vodka on May 31, 2009 19:32:03 GMT -6
Was Chekov skipping after Ace? No, not quite, but there was enough bounce in the young ensign to be more than a little annoying to any observers who happened to be in a foul mood. Or had a general disdain for excessive perkiness, which Chekov had in spades this fine sunny day. After all, how could he not be in a good mood? Shore leave, visiting his old professors, getting to see super advanced technology? He couldn't think of how to make the day better. Well, maybe seeing his parents. But family visits had always been infrequent to him, almost to the point where they felt like little more than acquaintances he chatted to infrequently.
Oh yeah. He should probably call them tonight.
The dorm building that the pair entered was a familiar one, as Chekov had been housed in this very building when he had been a Starfleet cadet. As such, he saw a few faces he recognized from the years lower than him in the press of people. A few even seemed to recognize him and call out to him, in which he waved or called back in reply. He didn't pause to linger and chat with them; he was on a mission!
When Ace spoke he cocked his head, but Chekov didn't quite catch what was said. It didn't matter. Ace seemed to not have focused the words at anything, and so replying was probably optional. Hopefully. He'd be mildly embarrassed to admit he hadn't caught what exactly had been said.
The last floor was certainly quieter than the previous one, but Chekov was not much surprised. A few classes were still running today, and with it being so nice out many would have probably fled the confinements of the bland dorm rooms to the pleasant sunniness outside. He had managed to keep up with Ace decently well through the crowds, managing to not tread more than a dozen paces behind the other. And now... now he was going to see the machine itself! Perhaps he would have to tell Mr.Scott about the event after. Surely he'd appreciate and have some interest in it... Hm!
|
|
|
|
Post by ace3 on May 31, 2009 19:57:55 GMT -6
"1094"
Ace spoke the succession of numbers in a quiet, and very fast-paced voice, and the door in front of him slid openly with only a bit of noisy grating. He could have just walked through the door like he usually did, but then Chekov would have been locked outside and not able to come in. Ace gave a wide smile to the man, and walked into the room.
The room was a palace of spiderwebs and dust, although it didn't matter that much to Ace. It was also barren, except for a table, and a rickety chair, plus something on the desk itself. There was a dusty window in front of the desk, and so some light went into the dorm room. Shraps of paper littered the walls- posters that had been hung by previous occupants. Ace didn't decorate because he didn't need too.
The box on the desk was a mishmash of rusty metal parts, connected to a view screen in the middle that had a small green light on the top. Ace felt his face flush slightly with embarrassment over the condition of his computer. All of a sudden, the hologram disappeared, clicking off as Ace re-appeared in the view screen. It was only his head that popped up on the dusty screen. Surprisingly, his form look far more computerized on the screen, and faults similar to holes in old video tapes flashes across the screen ever once and a while, dispersing Ace's image.
Bzzt- "Well, this is me...physically." Bzzt
The box had a bit of redness to it, from circuits inside glowing red-hot from their constant workload. Ace was a mishmash of junk, in his own opinion. Like the outfit that he'd been assigned when he was first created.
|
|
|
|
Post by vodka on May 31, 2009 21:45:01 GMT -6
Stepping in the room, Chekov coughed. Whew! It was in need of a good cleaning in here, but for some reason Chekov was not surprised. With no physical form other than that of a computer, cleaning would be difficult, no? He was equally unsurprised at the lack of decorations to spruce up the place, other than the shredded and peeling posters of whoever it was that had occupied the place previously. It wasn't much to look at, but it was doubtful Chekov even registered it much.
Instead, he was focused on the jumble of parts that comprised Ace's physical form. It didn't look as fancy or elaborate as Chekov had made it out to be. Surprising? No. Ace had vanished by the time Chekov finished his initial appraisal, forcing him to move further into the room so as to make eye contact with the digitalized Ace in the view screen.
"It's..." he couldn't find the proper words for it. Not that he was disappointed in what he saw, but... "interesting."
Interesting, yes? That was the proper word for it? Besides, it was a little hard to tell when one could only see the chassis of the machine. If he opened it up perhaps Chekov could make more sense of it, but he wasn't about to go poking around Ace's innards...
|
|
|
|
Post by ace3 on Jun 2, 2009 15:29:16 GMT -6
"Sorry that it isn't cleaned. It's kind of hard to clean when you're a computer, to be honest."
Ace had gotten his vocal chords fixed inside of the machine, so his voice was coming in clearly, without a ringing tone to it. He checked his time, and noticed that it was getting ever closer to his test-taking time. Ace needed to study a bit, so he tried to devise a way to get Chekov out of the dorm. Of course, he didn't say anything out loud- his politeness measures were strict in that regard.
However, he saw the way that Chekov reacted to the dust as moved into his dorm room, feeling all the more guilty for how bad it looked. He tilted his head to the side on the computer monitor, an eyebrow raising at the comment. Ace wasn't quite sure how to interpret the comment. He'd have to ask his psychology professor about it later.
He suddenly heard a loud ringing from outside, announcing the hour. Ace suddenly teleported outside of his machine, giving a lopsided smile and saying as kindly as he could:
"Well, I have to get to my Robotics class- have a test next. So, if you could kindly?"
Ace didn't know how to say it any other way without incuring wrath of some sort. He gave a sigh in his head, or at least, what he thought was a sigh. Ace really would have liked to speak to Chekov more, but he had to leave. He had a est next, after all. When he first teleported out of the machine, he was in an odd mismatched suit of sorts with a patchwork coat and striped pants. A fizzing image later, he was back in his cadet's uniform. Ace looked down at his hands and feet, and made sure that they were corporal. They were, for once. He smiled again and said:
"Sorry, I wish I could have given you a bit more of an explanation, but- time is time is time, I guess. Now, after you- I have to lock up. A group of students tried to pour water on my computer when I left the door unlocked."
|
|
|
|
Post by vodka on Jun 2, 2009 19:37:44 GMT -6
Once he was here in the room with Ace and his physical form, Chekov found himself drawing a blank. It was always like that when one found themselves faced with the exciting unknown. It was worked up to be the most greatest and amazingest thing ever for man ever to lay eyes upon in one's mind, but when they saw it....
Even though Chekov found himself a little disappointed by what looked to be a jury-rigged jumble, he managed to keep the frown away from his features. It was still pretty... what was the word? Neato? Yes? Yes! He'd heard that phrase used now and again, so it must be good, right? Briefly, he wished he could get a look at the insides of Ace, though again. Rude. Ace hadn't invited him to look, and despite Chekov's curiosity, he knew better than to intrude where not invited.
Only... now what? He hadn't thought of what to do or say beyond this. Neither did Ace, it seemed. Ace seemed to initiate conversation by apologizing about the room's dusty state, to which Chekov blinked at before letting out a half laugh. "Oh! No no, do not worry."
....This seemed to be the wrong response, as once again the room fell into silence. If he knew a way out of this odd pause, Chekov would have gladly spoken up. However he didn't, so the young ensign had to content with shifting rather uncomfortably, tearing his gaze from Ace to glance around the room.
A ring from the outside made him jump, head snapping involuntarily towards the window. However, it was just the bell announcing the hour. Wow. Had so much time really passed already? Perhaps he should be going soon, if not now. He turned back, mouth opening to mumble out a polite excuse, and-- "Oh."
Good timing then.
Chekov nodded, returning the lopsided smile to the now materialized Ace. "Oh no, it would be no problem." Tests. Funny how he realized how little he missed them. Regardless, he turned to begin his exit. "Good luck on your test." Did Ace need luck, though? Hm.
He waved off Ace's apology. "Oh it is to be no worry! Tests are tests." A pause and a grin. "I hope we are to be meeting again soon." Nod. "Perhaps even on the Enterprise." Another nod and a wave, and the young ensign was off.
|
|
