Private Returning to the Nest

[Evelyn Shaw]

Evelyn’s cheeks seemed to become permanently red. This time due to the compliments from Amea, being called special and the beautiful comment a few moments earlier. She spared a glance over to her grandpa, who had shifted his attention to preparing dinner again. He flashed her a knowing smile, before turning back around.

“Oh, is that so?” Dolores raised an eyebrow, watching as Evelyn immediately wrapped an arm around Amea the moment she was close enough. “It’s quite rare for someone to influence my granddaughter.”

She turned around to start helping Lionel, when Amea spoke up. What she revealed had Dolores immediately turning around to them. It wasn’t because of the recipe, but something else.

“You’ve been cooking for her?” There was a measure of surprise in Dolores' tone, her gaze fixed to Evelyn but did glance over at Amea a couple times.

“Y-yeah.”

This time Dolores turned her attention fully to Amea. “Better put a ring on that soon, Evie doesn’t cook for just anyone.” Cue the Echani’s cheeks burning red again, as if they had barely faded by that point. In part because of her grandma’s teasing, but knew that little tidbit would give Amea her own ammunition later.

“Dolores...stop teasing them.” Lionel finally spoke up, admonishing his wife. But there was no hiding the amusement behind it.

“Spoilsport,” she replied with a slight pout. “It’s always fun to tease the youth of today. Besides, it’s been years since I’ve seen Eve and she brought a girlfriend too. How can I not tease ‘em a little?” The two elderly Shaw turned their focus back to the cooking, talking amongst each other and leaving the younger two to their own devices.

“It’s a family recipe, one of my favourites growing up.” Evelyn explained quietly, giving Amea a little squeeze. “I’ve been trying to cook it, but I’ve lacked the particular ingredients to make it perfect.”

Which was exactly why she had suggested it to her grandparents when making dinner plans.

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

Evelyn Shaw

Rare to influence Evelyn? Amea looked at Evelyn for a moment with surprise at the statement. It seemed to her they both were able to influence one another fairly often. Much more so the cooking hadn’t seemed all that odd to her either, it had felt like one of the most immediate routines they picked up together. Another curious look went in Evelyn’s direction at the fact before Amea glanced back at the elder to listen.

This family dynamic had a warmth to it and in truth Amea found herself jealous for a moment. If this was what her family had been like as well, then maybe there was something to be had in such a connection. But then, the chances were also that it was more dysfunctional than a spice smuggling crew. The risk was not worth it, and that alone had her discard the idea yet again. She had Evelyn, she had a few friends to back her up. Nothing more was required.

And hey, speaking of family and the idea of forming one…

Amea’s cheeks burned, her lips pursed. The idea of marriage seemed like such an alien concept, and one that she didn’t feel even remotely ready for. As lovely as Evelyn was, they still didn’t know as much about one another as either party would have wanted. Amea kept her secrets and Evelyn kept hers. It was one of the final few safety nets that they still had, and if Amea knew herself it was a net she wouldn’t really be able to cut by herself.

The elderly grabbed each other’s attention and Amea turned to give Evelyn hers. A thumb slowly wandered up and down along the Echani woman’s shoulder as Amea sought not to comfort Evelyn as much as herself and reaffirm that Evelyn was in fact still there.

“And, what exactly is that?” Amea smiled at Evelyn. “Decades of love and some bell peppers?” Her embrace tightened for a moment as she looked at the two married elders as they cooked together. “Maybe even some radishes.”

“You know, you look almost a bit like radish when you’re that red.” Amea said and placed a kiss against Evelyn’s forehead with a playful grin. “I’m still thankful we had that talk on the ship. It’s… Been on my mind for a long time now, it feels like.”

 

[Evelyn Shaw]

The Echani chuckled at Amea’s response. “Something like that, yes.” Honestly, Evelyn wouldn’t be surprised if there was some merit to that old corny saying. Her grandparents had been a source of love during her darkest years. Comfort food was an easy go to when one was emotionally drained.

“It’s why I want to do a bit of shopping before we leave, stock up on some local ingredients for us.”

Us.

At some point in the time between, it had crossed Evelyn’s mind just how easy that was to say. Even before things had become...more official? Somehow they had ended up together while not technically being together, but now they were officially together? It was a confusing time in the Echani’s mind then, until she realized it had just been that simple with Amea.

Hindsight would scream that shouldn’t have been so easy, their differing ideologies when it came to violence was a particular clashing point. But then again, opposites attract right?

She gave Amea a playful glare at her radish comment, knowing it was true. But she melted into the embrace after the brief kiss. “Me too, now that it’s been said it feels like a weight’s been lifted off? Not in a bad sense, but like...I think it was inevitable for us.” Evelyn leaned into Amea, a giddy smile forming.

“Not to interrupt you two lovebirds.” Dolores' voice broke the silence, a warm smile as she watched the pair. “Given you’ve arrived a bit early, dinner will take a little longer to finish. So why don’t you show Amea around, take her upstairs to your room perhaps.”

“Wait, it’s still there?!” Evelyn’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Of course sweetpea. We’ve hardly touched or moved anything, beyond keeping it clean.” It didn’t take much more than that before Evelyn took Amea’s hand and left the kitchen.

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

Evelyn Shaw

It was a hauntingly simple word; us. Amea kept her arm wrapped around Evelyn. For the moment she had forgotten where she even was until a voice from the kitchen called out to remind her. For a second she twitched, and then she blushed. Amea — the woman who liked to think herself unbeatable and unfeeling — blushed before her girlfriend’s grandparents. The feeling of insecurity and comfort struck all at once, but only one of them was embraced — and quite literally so.

“Sneaking off to your room for a one-on-one?” Amea spoke as she followed Evelyn out of the room to grant themselves even more personal space. A happy laughter parted Amea’s lips into a toothy grin. “Feels like I am getting a quick tour of my teenage dreams right now.”

They continued down the hallways and Amea proceeded to glance around each wall and corner she could find on their way. This place was big, it seemed a burglar’s wet dream from the outside, but the interior just solidified it. There were some aspects she could have pointed out for the owner… But then, it would be a hard sell.

Oh yeah, by the way, I am a burglar and I’ve spotted some security flaws in this place. It didn’t have quite the ring to it and might have been something Amea would simply have to bide her time with until the grandparents were more in-the-know of who she actually was. At least, the parts she felt comfortable with sharing.

“So hey, Evelyn, wait. Wait.” Amea stopped her before she opened the door to her room. “Are you sure you want to share this with me?” Amea rubbed at her neck. “I- I don’t exactly have anything like it that I could share with you in return.” She said and stepped closer to her now-girlfriend. “I just don’t want you to feel… Cheated, or… Worse.”

 

[Evelyn Shaw]

Evelyn let out an amused snort. “We would need more time if we were going to do that.” She looked back at Amea, giving her a small playful smirk.

As they continued through the hallways, Evelyn occasionally caught sight of the looks Amea was giving, looking around as they passed. It took a bit for the Echani to realize it, but she recognized the look of a burglar. Though of course, she knew that wasn’t why Amea was glancing around like that, she was identifying security flaws.

It was a line of work Evelyn had been out of for years now, severely out of practice. She’d made a mental note to pick at Amea’s brain before they left, pass on any concerns that came to mind.

She could feel the slight tension, the grip against her hand tightening as they neared her room. Evelyn didn’t miss a beat as Amea stopped, tugging her hand. The Echani turned to face Amea.

“I’m absolutely sure.” She grabbed Amea’s other hand, using her thumbs to gently rub circles across the back of them. “I want to share this with you, not expecting anything in return. Nor would I have if you did have something, only when you were ready to.” Amea took a step closer, and Evelyn closed the gap. She kissed her on the lips, a simple peck before she pulled back and smiled.

“Ready to get a glimpse into my teenage years?” Slipping a hand from Amea’s grip, Evelyn unlocked her bedroom door and stepped in.

It was a clash of two personalities, with the typical decor that was expected of an estate this big. Similar aesthetic as the rest of the house, with a large bed as the room’s centerpiece. But all around was the madness of a teenager. The walls were littered with posters, all of various sizes, designs and quality. Ranging from HoloNet stars, musical bands to even the odd Swoop Racing champion.

There were a couple desks too, one was clearly more of a workshop than anything else. Whereas the second had a built in terminal. Books could be spotted all over the place, mostly in the bookcase but also in random stacks around the room.

Shelves lined the less occupied walls, filled with all kinds of stuff. A few trophies, some picture frames, and a random assortment of small items that could fit in the space.

There were two additional doors across from where they stood. One lead into the attached bathroom, while the other; unsurprisingly, led into a walk-in wardrobe.

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

Evelyn Shaw

At some point the message would be bashed into Amea’s skull. Each step she took going forward was followed by another step back, and yet each time she tried to step away she found herself pulled back in again. The waters were safe, she didn’t have to fear anything here. It was just Evelyn and Amea, going past another bump they had set up for themselves along the road.

They stepped into the room and Amea’s immediate reaction was a, “Huh.” Followed by a, “I am not quite sure what I expected.”

A chuckle echoed around the room as Amea laughed at herself and shook her head. She took in the sights of what was a surprisingly standard teenage room. There were celebrities on the wall, there was a walk-in closet. There was even a personal bathroom. If there was ever a good way to drive home just exactly how different their two worlds were this felt like it would be it. The runaway daughter of wealth and opportunity, and the bloodied street rat.

Amea let her hand release Evelyn’s. With a few determined strides she found herself with a strange urge to go look at the posters on the wall to see if she could identify any of them. Her finger touched against their plastic surfaces with an amused grin before she glanced back over her shoulders.

“Did young Evelyn spend a lot of time fantasizing about this…” She squinted. “Wait, is this—”

She carefully detached the poster from the wall and held it before her.

“Karkin’ osik!” She exclaimed in surprise mixed with marvel. “You have a poster of ‘Crawling from Yavin IV 4’, signed by Corine La'toya herself!” There was no denying the wonder in Amea’s eyes. “I loved that movie.”

A story of a woman in deep trouble, again, on the surface of Yavin IV as swamp monsters and creepy exes stalked her throughout the swamps, also again. It lacked for story but certainly not in ‘visuals.’ Once the heroic and strangely beautiful swamp guide entered the picture (again again) Amea had been pretty much sold on it already.

“Not because it was all that great, but because—” Amea stopped herself. Her face began to burn, her eyes wandered to the side in embarrassment. “Of the, uhhhh... I... Think you get it. I was single at the time.”

 

[Evelyn Shaw]

She laughed lightly at Amea’s reactions. It was these moments that Evelyn oddly cherished a lot. Where she was able to surprise her girlfriend, be it something small or significant. Like the appearance of her room right now, or previously turning up with a whole new get-up.

As they parted to look at different parts, Evelyn began to wander around her old room; through old memories. The smile that formed never faltered as she was reminded of little moments from years ago. A lot of the items held a story that still held firm in her mind. Be it good or bad, they were things that had shaped her into the person she was today.

Evelyn was across the room when Amea spoke up, drawing her attention. She raised an eyebrow, wondering what she had found. Only for Amea to suddenly burst out in a different tongue other than Basic.

It was something about her girlfriend that Evelyn really liked. She didn’t know why, it wasn’t like it was such a rare thing, they lived in a huge galaxy after all. But there was just something about Amea when she spoke in that language...

Evelyn quickly forced that line of thought down in the depths of mind. Now was definitely not the time for that.

She walked over to see Amea holding the poster in hand, eyes wide and full of wonder. Evelyn chuckled as she stood just to her side.

“Personally signed too, got to meet her when I was like...fifteen-sixteen maybe?” Evelyn glanced over at Amea, catching her look. “I was kinda obsessed, so my grandma figured ‘why not go all in’ and arranged things for me to meet her at an event.” Even though Dolores had very much severed all ties from her past life, she still knew the type of people to know, to access such benefits.

Evelyn couldn’t help but chuckle as she watched Amea become increasingly embarrassed. The Echani gave her a gentle nudge of the shoulder. “Oh I definitely get it, not like I wasn’t much different either. You just end up with...repeated viewings.” She threw Amea a teasing smirk, then winked at her.

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

Evelyn Shaw

Personally signed? Amea’s eyes went wide as she glanced over her shoulder at Evelyn. It was a holy relic then. Her fingers pushed the poster back in place against the wall before she backed off and merely looked at it. Evelyn mentioned repeated viewings and Amea felt that burn come right back around again.

“Especially that one scene.” She said and turned around to face Evelyn. “You know, the one with the…” Amea cleared her throat. “The uhh…”

Screw it. The scene in question was the one that their interactions had all built up towards. The guide had eased her hand around Latoya’s back and up her shoulders to rest her hand against the pink-haired woman’s neck, and Amea mimicked the move to the best of her ability. Their lips had met, one small breath between them before the guide lowered her lover to lean into her arms and went in for another kiss. They both stood back up again and that was it.

“That.” Amea exhaled as she separated again. “Always wanted to do that.”

Granted, in the movie they hadn’t stood back up again, but much like Evelyn was saying they did not have time for it at that very moment.

 

[Evelyn Shaw]

For a moment Evelyn tried to figure out what scene Amea was alluding to. But right as it clicked she was sweeped into Amea’s arms. Evelyn melted into the moment, her memory of that scene and her girlfriend’s mimicry of it blending into one. Though reality was sooner than the scene, cut short before it got really good.

Evelyn would be lying if she said she wasn’t disappointed, but reminded herself that they really didn’t have time for that.

That didn’t mean she couldn’t tease Amea about it though.

“I’ve definitely been missing out it seems.” Evelyn smiled, bringing a hand up to Amea’s face, brushing a few strands of loose hair back. “But I’m sure you’ve been wanting to do all more than just that.” The smile shifted into a flirtatious grin.

“You two lovebirds better not be doing something.” Dolores' voice managed to echo out across the distance between Evelyn’s room and the stairs the elder Shaw was standing at the foot of. “Dinner is ready, we’re setting up the table.”

Evelyn lowered her head, laughing quietly. She looked back up at Amea, slipping a hand into hers. “Come on, we better hurry before she decides to drag us down.”

They had returned downstairs, following the hallways until they reached the kitchen again. Only this time they entered a side room, separately by open archways. Within was a moderately sized, round table. It was no grandiose piece of furniture, but something much more intimate. Large enough to fit four people, maybe five.

As they entered, a mix of different smells wafted in from the kitchen.

“Feel free to take up a seat, we’ll be all set in a minute.” Dolores spoke as she continued setting up the table, placing down the cutlery.

A moment later Lionel appeared with two plates in hand full of food. “Want anything in particular to drink?” He asked, casually moving with ease with his hands full. Placing the plates down before two of the chairs.

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

Evelyn Shaw

“Since the day we met.” Amea grinned back as she gave Evelyn one more kiss before she stood back up again at the sound of her grandparents calling them out with a keen and efficient strike to kill any and all attempts for Amea or Evelyn escalate this moment into something else. They both laughed it off and grinned at the whole thing and left for food.

Once they had found the table and once Amea got herself seated she continued to glance around the place. This room felt different. It wasn’t as elaborate as the others, or maybe it was simply less... Old. One might have even called it modern. Amea let a finger trace along the oaken table top and pinched the non-existent dust between her index finger and thumb before she pursed her lips in surprise that something could be quite so clean. It was certainly not a standard she could claim she held herself to, at least not when Evelyn wasn’t around.

“Water?” Amea asked and gave Evelyn a pleading glance that asked for help. “Or, what are we eating? I mean, red or white wine apparently goes well with different sorts of dishes.”

“What would Evelyn prefer?” Amea asked and passed the ball over to her partner. “Some may, uh, experience nervosity at drinking with their parental figures, I’ve read once.”

 

[Evelyn Shaw]

Evelyn opened her mouth to speak, but she failed to formulate an answer herself. She wasn’t exactly super knowledgeable of alcohol, usually keeping to familiar favourites and whatever was suggested by the host. Since meeting her, she had turned to Amea for recommendations, even though more often than not she’d refute being a decent source for that.

Drinking oneself into a stupor isn’t something I’d advise.

Not like it hardly took a lot for Evelyn to get drunk to begin with.

“Red wine sounds lovely to me.”

“Wine? Hmm, I think that’s a splendid idea. Lionel?”

“Sounds good to me, can you go grab a bottle and some glasses? I’ll go and fetch the remaining plates.”

The two elder Shaws disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Amea and Evelyn to their own devices. The Echani had obviously taken the seat next to her girlfriend, and immediately reached beneath the table and took her hand.

Always here.

Evelyn knew Amea was just as nervous as she was. For both shared reasons and their own personal ones. But she was here for her, just as she knew the opposite was the same.

Minutes passed and the table was further set. Lionel was the first to return, with the remaining two plates full of food. Dolores was shortly behind him, carefully placing the glasses down at each placement. With an almost expert touch, she poured out equal measures of red wine in each glass.

Once everything was finally set, and both Shaws got seated, everyone began to eat. But it wasn’t long before someone spoke up again.

“So, how did you two meet?”

Evelyn damn near choked on the bite she had been in the process of swallowing in that moment.

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

Evelyn Shaw

Metal through tendons like a saw through a piece of fabric. A fork pierced straight through its core with a vegetable pushed against its top. It lifted from the ground, its red liquids mashed between a set of teeth that gnashed it all asunder accompanied by a sound of delight. The red juices of the meat mixed with those of the wine, and Amea slowly let her eyes open to nod in approval at what she was eating.

Yet no sooner than the brief moment had come to her it was swept right away again at the pointed question. Her muscles tensed up for a second, her eyes refrained from going wide open. The most intense struggle to maintain a poker face raged within Amea’s very soul as Dolores slashed through to the core. Amea tilted her head, raised her brow and gave Evelyn a warm smile.

“Oh,” She said and looked back at Dolores. “We met at work, so to speak.”

“There was a problem with a prospecting customer, and I had to help expedite their departure before things got way out of hand.” Amea kept her cool. It was technically only half of a lie. “I helped her with a few other errands after that, and here we are.”

Quick throw back into Dolores’ part of the court before she could ask a follow-up question. “What about you two? Was a while since I met a couple as happy as you two seem to be. What is your secret? How did you meet and what keeps you together?”

 

[Evelyn Shaw]

“Dolores, we already know how they met. Evie told us.” Lionel shook his head slightly, taking a sip of his own wine.

“I know, I know. The ‘absolutely-not-smuggling’ work. Besides, I wanted to hear it directly, the girl knows how to talk her way around an answer.” There was a knowing twinkle in Dolores eye, gaze flickering to Amea as she spoke. An equally knowing smirk appeared in response to the question thrown her way. “On a battlefield, literally.”

“We met during a skirmish between both forces. I was enlisted in the Engineering Corps, while Dolores was in Medical.” Lionel took over the speaking, while Dolores returned to picking away at her plate. “My squad was escorting back a group of injured we were transporting, Dolores happened to be in charge of the tent we stopped at.”

“Lionel’s platoon got new orders to guard our location, until evacuation could be arranged. Being side by side on a battlefield helps forge an unbreakable bond.” Dolores chimed in as she took a sip of her wine, gaze shifting over both Amea and Evelyn. Though she immediately noticed the latter was staring down at her plate, doing her best to not look at anyone else at the table.

Not all bonds were made unbreakable…

There was a slight shift under the table, a foot tapping against the other’s leg. Lionel spared a glance over at his wife, before focusing on Evelyn. His lips thinned, before he opted to change the subject.

“Tell me Amea, the bit of tech you have on your arm. It’s Andromeda tech, yes? You must’ve had that for a while.”

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

Evelyn Shaw

Soldiers who just so happened to have met. Truth was that in some sense Amea knew the story, but they didn’t have to know that much. While they undoubtedly had served with valor and distinction, something made Amea hide her skepticism at how they could afford such a big estate. Naturally, it also went with assuming that they applied what they had learned in other fields of the galaxy, but that was also something Amea figured didn’t have to be said.

She observed the silence between Dolores and Evelyn for a moment, her hand moving on instinct towards Evelyn right as Lionel asked his question that caught Amea off-guard. The watch was the only thing she really had that linked her back to her past. All she knew about it was that it had been set up as a back-up unit that since had become the primary unit. She had built it herself, and that was all she really knew about it.

“For as long as I can remember.” Amea added with an uneasy smile. Did they know? “Haven’t seen many others who appreciate it, but there’s something about this particular device that makes me feel oddly nostalgic and I don’t quite know why.”

“A bit like it talks to me, you know? I know it like the back of my hand.”

 

[Evelyn Shaw]

“Is that so? Interesting.” Lionel’s gaze never shifted away from Amea, catching the uneasy smile. But he said nothing of it, but it clear the older man had filed it away in his mind. “Andromeda had some sophisticated bits of tech, I had a look through the schematics when they appeared up on the HoloNet some years back.”

Probably wasn’t too shocking that Lionel had come across that. Someone with a hobby of freely uploading schematics, would keep an ear to the HoloNet floor for any other movement in that scene.

“I getcha though, you use something for so long you just don’t ever want to replace it. You learn everything about it, down to the slightest of things.”

Lionel made a joke shortly after, pointing out Amea’s watch was literally on the back of her hand. Well her wrist, but it was close enough. The joke got a groan from Evelyn, while Dolores snorted in amusement, shaking her head. But it had succeeded where intended, as the young Echani was laughing, if the subtle shake of her shoulders was anything to go by.

“Speaking of tech…” Evelyn spoke up, finally lifting her head to look over at her grandpa. “Where’s Bob? I figured he’d be the one to greet us at the door.”

“In my workshop right now.” Lionel grimaced slightly, his turn to look away slightly, but returned his attention to his granddaughter seconds later. “About a year or two ago he started malfunctioning, only very small things but they grew more frequent. I powered him down, opened him up and had a look inside. Turns out there’s a flaw in his base programming, from the original basis I built off from. I’ve been trying to figure out a solution, but I’ve found nothing that doesn’t also carry the consequence of erasing, resetting or replacing his personality matrix.”

Evelyn opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Just a particularly crestfallen expression settled across her face.

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

Evelyn Shaw

“Down the the smallest of circuits.” Amea nodded and huffed a laugh at the joke. Through the corner of her eyes her real attention set on Evelyn to assess how she was dealing what was happening, and for the moment it would at least seem like she laughed.

Evelyn asked about Bob. She thought it a servant at first before her mind skipped back to the pictures on back on the ship. It was a servant, but more of a robotic butler. Amea frowned as she looked at the way Evelyn seemed disappointed to hear the news. Instinct got the better of her, the idea of a disappointed Evelyn too much to witness. At the very least over something that Amea herself was an expert in.

“On it.” She pushed up out of her seat but quickly stopped halfway out of her seat to look at the surprised faces that the others sent her way. Amea quickly blinked and eased herself back into her seat. “After… Dinner. We’ll fix it after dinner.”

A nervous grin tugged at the corner of Amea’s lips as she glanced away from the others and out through the window. Her hand rubbed absentmindedly at her neck.

“I… Know my way around droids.” Amea felt her entire body burn. The embarrassment raged within. “It’s a matter of connecting the right signals, or finding a jury-rigged bypass.”

 

[Evelyn Shaw]

Silence followed immediately after Amea had pushed up from her seat, the chair sharply brushing against the floor. Each Shaw had a different look of surprise on their face. Dolores had the most general one, whereas Lionel had a more knowing smile on his face, as if he expected such a reaction.

Evelyn on the other hand had a bright smile on her face, eyes never leaving her girlfriend. This wasn’t the first time Amea had suddenly outburst into action after discovering something or someone had upset or angered the Echani.

She found it incredibly adorable, and she’d never forget the embarrassed look that followed the first time it had happened. Once Amea was seated again, Evelyn leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

“We’ll have a look at it once we’re finished.” Lionel chuckled as he looked between the two of them.

The group continued eating, idle chatter commenced around the table with Evelyn chiming in more frequently now, her mood having been lifted. Food and wine was consumed, followed by a dessert that to no surprise was one of Evelyn’s favourites when she was younger. Once everyone was finished, Dolores got up to start cleaning everything up, while Evelyn went about gathering the used plates, glasses and utensils.

Lionel on the other hand threw Amea a look, motioning for her to follow him. It seemed he knew well enough that the young woman wouldn’t want to waste anymore time.

“I’ll show you the way to my workshop, I’ve got Bob set up there.”

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

Evelyn Shaw

As much as Amea had wanted to have Evelyn along she still followed behind Lionel as they left the other two behind to work on the dishes. It was a quiet walk for the most part. Amea played with a dozen different scenarios in her head as she tried to predict what her next few steps would be. Faulty wiring? No, Lionel would definitely have been able to fix that. Firmware? He was already bypassing that with his own exosuit. Most likely a broken piece of hardware, but Amea suspected that as long as Bob remembered something as opposed to nothing, Evelyn would be all the more happier for it.

They stepped into a workshop. A few different projects were scattered about the place, but none as evident as the big metallic body that sat dormant on one of the counters. She approached the machine and quickly gave it a prod.

“Two years like this, you said?” Amea asked and looked over at Lionel before she went to work, opening hatches and detaching limbs with surprising ease. “Kept him clean for the duration or should we do that too while we are at it?”

Amea opened the service panel on his back, and...

 

[Evelyn Shaw]

Lionel’s workshop was surprisingly large, and seemed to be combined with a garage. There were two landspeeders; one looked to be in mid-repairs, both station before two wide horizontal doors. Despite the vehicles there was still plenty of open space around them, and a large open area beyond them where the inanimate Bob resided.

The walls were lined with workstations against them, with various tools and gadgets hung up above. At some spots was the occasional photo, poster and even a couple awards. At the furthest end was what seemed to be Lionel’s personal desk, various personal picture frames decorating it.

He led Amea around the landspeeders and over to the area where Bob was. The large robot was seated up on the counter, which had been separately lowered to allow easier access into the wide chassis. Even from an approaching angle, it was clear the machine had been attended too frequently, with numerous different parts scattered around the counter.

“Roughly so yeah, unfortunately I still haven’t been able to make any substantial progress. But I have kept him clean as often as possible.” Up close, it was clear what Lionel was saying. It appeared he had even cleaned as recent as a few days ago.

Lionel kept his distance, leaning against the counter to watch Amea work. He had figured she was the type that preferred not having someone looking over their shoulder. Albeit, in Lionel’s mind that was the case for every mechanic.

Popping open the service panel, Amea would find that the elder Shaw had been busy. It was evident that over the past two years he had been replacing individual internal components, connecting them up and testing them. All alterations were of compatible models, but it was also clear Bob hadn’t been switched back on in the past two years.

“Been running scans, simulations of the new component combinations. It’s been the only way I’ve been able to test if they run without outright booting him back up.” Which could ultimately cause a reset of his personality matrix.

A close inspection would reveal that at the very base level, Lionel hadn’t completely stripped apart the basic model. It’s origins was a simple manual labor droid, but Lionel had modified it, built upon the foundations to make Bob much more unique. He had a personality, and while he lacked the emotions like a sentient being, he was capable of perceiving them. Enough so that he could defend Evie should the need arise.

The flaw of the system was that the base programming had reached its natural lifecycle. It’s basic model was never meant to last forever, rather to be used for the short term then disposed of to be replaced with another. Lionel’s initial modifications had extended that, but it could only go for so long.

“Ultimately, I haven’t been able to find a combination of new hardware, that doesn’t result in a software wipe when rebooted. In an ideal scenario, I’d be able to bypass that, allow for the personality matrix to reconnect without it needing a clean slate.”

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

Evelyn Shaw

“I can tell.” Amea nodded in appreciation as she promptly began to poke around inside of the droid’s innards. “Limbs oiled properly. Insides as sparkly as a Zeltron on prom night. Circuitry showing barely any sign of wear or tear. If I didn’t know any better I’d say you even improved the cable management in here.”

She let a finger trace along one of the cables within the droid’s spine that led all the way up to the head. Gut feeling said that the head wasn’t where the main processing unit was though, too much of a risk with something so crucial to continued operation. Besides that it was far too much of a human mindset. The human body was inferior to the mechanical one, at least when it came to the placement of certain parts. For the most marvelous part of the body, the brain was still far too exposed for its own good.

Amea closed the panel and got to work detaching the protective shell. Her free hand grabbed a piece of paper that she plopped down right next to her. A pen soared through the air and into her hand. As the last screw came loose she eased it down onto the floor with a nod at Lionel.

“We’re looking at something that was just a matter of time before it happened.” Amea said and began to draw a map of the circuitry on the paper next to her. Symbols and complex coupling diagrams began to take shape as she explained what she was thinking. “This unit responds to this one, right?” She poked at two different points on her diagram. “One is bound to be a memory hog, and the other has a problem with the, uhh…”

She snapped her finger and pointed at Lionel. “The uhhhh…”

And this was just Amea getting started. The problem was very much far from resolved.