This logfile is imported from aitelogs2 and may contain errors or wrong timestamps.
#SummerMechanics – June 22, 2017
Summer Mechanics is experiencing a quiet day today. The lobby, consisting of only a few chairs, a table and a counter, stands empty. The two doors in the lobby, one leading to the garage itself and the other into an officer, are closed. A gentle dusting of snow peters down from the grey covered sky and, to any who approach, find the doors leading into the quiet building sliding open.
Samantha approaches the quiet building and quickly proceeds inside, not breaking from her speedy gait until she nears the center of the room. One hand holds the neck of her sleek coat closed and as she comes to a stop she prys it open and releases the hand to her waist. Her unnaturally grey hair is thrown loosely over either shoulder, the ends resting against her shoulder blades. She's
dressed for the weather but manages not to forgo a certain clear sense of personal style. Momentarily swivelling in the center of the lobby, she turns toward the door to the office and reaches out to gently knock, clearing her throat with the other fist.
Pip immediately opens the door as someone knocks upon it. The redhead, with her hair tied into a thick braid that falls down to the small of her back, is wearing her onyx black trench-coat that falls down to her knees along with crimson red cargo pants, utility belt and shin high flight boots. A tight fitting white t-shirt layers underneath her coat and a simple red cap adorns her head. She blinks in surprise, before br
into a broad smile. "Oh! Hello there, luv'! Welcome to Summer Mechanics." She extends a hand for the woman to shake. "I'm Pip Summers, the owner."
Samantha keeps her hand up, palm in and and fingers splayed from knocking. Blinking once, she cocks her head a little and smirks, lowering the hand down to meet Pip's. "Here I thought you were the advertisement. You could be on a mudflap, you know? Real look about you." She points with the other hand as she gives the woman a firm shake. With eyebrows raised and head nodding slightly,
Pip grins and laughs lightly, her bright blue eyes shining with mirth. "Thank you! I like to think I have style," she says as she tilts her head slightly to look up to the woman. "So, what can I do for you today?" She steps past Samantha and motions for her to take a seat at the table as she does as such.
Samantha lets the smirk slip into an ever-present, if not a bit disingenuous, slight upward tilt of her lips. Before following Pip to the table, she unclasps the waist of her coat, revealing the navy top underneath. She touches a hand gently to her throat as she lightly coughs again, slipping into a seat across the table. "I just came to this area and heard about your shop. Live marketing
must be doing the trick." She insists, nodding her head forward to reinforce the joke. "While I'm hear I'd love to be touching something metal." Curling her fingers in and out with the words she displays the intensity of her sentiment. "Could you see making use of another employee?"
Pip smiles once more, a sincere one that stands in stark contrast to the other woman's disingenuous curling of her lips. "Ah, a fellow mechanic! I'll be honest, there have been points where I have been in need of another pair of hands," she admits, folding one leg over the other. "First of all, though, I think it'll help if I know your name, luv'?" She tilts her head and, despite her youth, there seems to be a keen wit
Samantha meets Pip's gaze as she finishes speaking, holding just for a moment before tipping her head back lightly and chuckling. "Well, I'd really rather not, but I understand why you'd insist. My name is Samantha. Granger. Sam is just fine." Bringing her hands up, she holds them palms in and grins across the table. "More importantly, my pair of hands could certainly help you out if
you're feeling extra worked. No doubt about that." She grins, placing an unclear emphasis on the last word. Allowing one hand to fall back into her lap, the other makes a quick run through her hair, gathering it all between her shoulders as she seems to look right past the woman.
Pip gently perks an eyebrow, a barely noticeable shift of movement as she maintains the smile on her face. "So, Sam," she starts, resting her hands upon one another on her lap, "What experience do you have? Cars, trucks, ships, shuttles, mechs and so on? Because here at Summer Mechanics, we do a little bit of everything." She straightens up in her seat for a moment and shifts her torso a little bit to just remind the ot
Samantha rests her eyes back on Pip after a moment, giving her what could be an apologetic smile before returning to her neutral in consideration of the question. "Well, I've been station-side for many months now. Been seeing a lot of ships and shuttles coming through. That's some enjoyable work." She nods along, giving the woman a look of mechanical comradery. "I've seen my fair share
of trucks and other things like that," she starts with a dismissive wave of the hand. "But mechs? Not as much as I'd like. I've read plenty but haven't had much opportunity to work on those systems. Do you get a lot of mechs coming through?" She asks with a hint of hope.
Pip smiles and nods slightly, taking a mental note of the woman's words as she speaks. "So, you've dealt with both simple and advanced systems and the more practical side of things when it comes to engines and the like. Awesome." She glances to the door leading into the garage itself and, picking up on the tinge of hope that lingers in her voice. "I've had a few. Mostly a personal support mech, but I work on others too.
Samantha raises her brows and nods. "Oh yeah. I've been moving all around the terminus for a while now, taking up jobs like that, and sometimes jobs like this." She explains, noding her head toward the garage Pip indicated. "And sometimes jobs you should think twice about taking." She confesses under her open palm as if to hide her words from someone else in the room. A preceding laugh
disarms a majority of the statement, and she continues without skipping a beat. "And I've got some pet projects of my own, of course. Makes up the bulk of my luggage. You know how it is." For the first time her smile reaches her tawny eyes, crinkling the edges in fleeting sincerity.
Pip giggles lightly and nods, canting her head to the side. "So you've had experience. Alright, good! And, don't worry luv', I ain't goin' to judge you on a few... shady jobs here and there. This is the Terminus after all!" She stands, her boots creaking as she smiles to the woman. "Well, so long as you don't bring any overly dramatic baggage along with you, I think I want to hire you. Obviously I'll put you on a testin
period, to make sure you ain't all talk. But otherwise, Sam, welcome to Summer Mechanics!" She extends a hand out to the woman. "If you give me your details, I'll do all the formal stuff later on. You have any questions before I take you in to meet your fellow employee?"
Samantha releases the genuine smile as Pip's giggling subsides, relaxing into a pleasantly neutral expression. "That's what I love to hear." She replies, reaching out to take the offered hand as she too stands. At her last statement Sam gives a tilt of her head, shuffling the pushed back hair. "Fellow employee? Must be a quiet fellow. I don't think I've heard a peep this whole time."
Pip heads towards the door, chuckling. "He's hardly quiet. I think he's been takin' his break, you know?" She presses the interface and the door slides open, revealing a rather large garage which seems to take up the majority of this buildings design. Able to hold three rather large vehicles, complete with lifts and other various tools, it certainly is impressive. However, the furthest bay seems to be curtained off and
doors shut that lead into the courtyard. Pip steps in, looks around and whistles sharply. "Oi! Wake up! We've got a guest!"
Watty makes a rather loud bang as he stands up. A large, metallic fist grabs the curtain and pulls it aside revealing the other employee. Watty is a smaller YMIR mech, having much of his armour stripped down and replaced with lighter metals and material. His head tilts as he looks across the room, raising his other hand in a small wave. His armour has long since been worn, the white faded and dirtied.
Samantha follows at a short distance, a slight stiffness in her walk that one could attribute to the cold outside. She steps around Pip in the doorway, glancing about the shop before the mech quickly grabs her attention. She swivels quickly to find the sound but manages not to jump, and soon finds herself very interested in the other employee. "Alright, alright!" She exclaims, the sight
of Watty bringing her back out of the neutral haze. "Who is this?" She asks delightedly with upturned palms as she makes her way over to greet the metal worker.
Watty steps forwards and looks down at Sam. He moves to one knee before her, the lights on his head shifting to a calming blue. "I am Watty. Pip's companion and protector. It is a pleasure to meet you," he says. Before, his voice was that of a rather upper class British gentleman. However, since having his voice box destroyed, it has since been replaced with a slight tweaked, default voice modulator.
Samantha reaches out to feel the mechanisms of Watty's hand, murmuring softly to herself. "Oh, that's wonderful. Just look at him! Well of course you look at him." She quickly corrects, laughing as she glances back at Pip. "Where'd you get this fella?" She asks, quickly seeing how much she'll be allowed to inspect the mech's casing.
Pip giggles again, smiling brightly at Samantha's enthusiasm. "I found him. In a junkyard back on Earth when I was... sixteen? I spend three years fixin' him up and upgradin' him before he was reactivated. It was hard rebuildin' him from next to nothin'. He's come a long way since then, haven't you Watty?" She steps over, giving the mech an affectionate pat on his arm.
Watty nods to Pip, turning his gaze back to Sam. The lights alter to give the impression of a smile through a creased eye. "That is correct. I have got through many design variations and alterations since my reactivation. What you see currently is my default state to allow for ease of mobility and to provide a less intimidating visual."
Samantha continues running her fingers across the outer materials of the mech, glancing up occasionally as either speaks. At Watty's last she gives a scoff and raises a mock fist. "Nonsense, what's the point if you're not going to scare people off? Just because we have to be little doesn't mean you have to be." She insists, having worked her way over to the mech's other hand which she
inspects closely at the finger. "That's a pretty neat VI you're running in there too." She says in a regular tone back to the human counterpart, either not expecting Watty to reply or just not giving him the chance. "Love that voice."
Pip smiles knowingly as she looks up to Watty. Her inspection yields that the digits, while clearly painstakingly custom-made, are very well kept and move smoothly. The chassis itself has been stripped down and replaced with much lighter metal that has been scratched, burned and occasionally shot at. More of his internal mechanisms are shown, but nothing too detrimental should they be struck. The overbearing shoulder pi
have been completely removed, cutting a few inches from the mech's overall height. Finally, and probably most importantly, there is no clear weapon systems on him. He looks more akin to a loader-mech than his original purpose of a combat support platform. "Thank you. People joke that he is an emergent AI with how smoothly he responds to others. I don't mind them thinkin' that one bit."
Watty just kneels there, turning his hand to allow Sam ease of inspection. "It is best if I am not too overly intimidating. It makes it difficult, otherwise, to move about. But when the need arises, I will protect Pip and her allies."
Samantha blinks and looks up, not entirely expecting a response from the mech. "Well, you're not kidding." She replies to Pip, struggling to hide just how impressed she is. Losing interest in her inspection, she releases Watty's hand and steps back with a pat on his arm. "I'm sure you would, giant friend. I think we'll get along just fine." With a half grin she turns back again, giving
Pip beams a bright smile, pride mixing in with the look. "So, you've met the other employee! I'm glad you like him. Most people look at me as if I was crazy or somethin'. You know, it's fine if people can get attached to their guns or gamin' platforms or cars, but if you get attached to a robot that has been with you through thick and thin, nooooo, you're a crazy person." She scoffs, turning to walk back towards the lob
"Anyway, we're open from eight in the mornin' till six in the afternoon. You're welcome to come in whenever and work as long as you want or as little, just so long as you do some time in here. Just so I know I ain't hired a freeloader." She grins back to the woman. "When can you start?"
Samantha considers the question for a moment with a thoughtful hum. "I should take a day or two to get things settled at the place I'm staying. But after that, should be no problem at all. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be seeing a lot of me." She laughs, which quickly turns into a cough and she turns away to address it. Quickly she works up a smile and tries to get back on track. "Do
Pip blinks and pauses for a moment, regarding Sam. "Are you alright?" She asks with a slightly tilt of her head.
Samantha waves dismissively, "Oh, It's nothing, really. I'm just not used to this damn cold anymore." She answers quickly with a what-can-you-do kind of expression. "The air down here doesn't sit right in my lungs, I swear it."
Pip shrugs, though there is a faint smile albeit a tad more hesitant. "I get you. Anyway, if you could just send me your omni-tool details and the appropriate information," she says as she brings up her own omni-tool, "I can get to work on settin' up payment plans for the hours you work and any other admin stuff that needs to be done." She now grins a little sheepishly, looking up at Sam. "I'm still kinda new to ownin'
business, but I'll make sure everythin' runs smoothly. If you could also send me details of where you used to work, that would be great too."
Samantha nods and brings up her omni-tool, wasting no time sifting through the information listing there. She pauses, hovering a hand over the device as Pip finishes. "Well, you're doing a great job so far." She compliments, a warm smile permeating her features. "As for these last jobs, though." She begins, visibily considering how to phrase what she wants to say. "They might not be
great places to call up on if that's what you were getting at. You know how it goes with this informal kind of thing. I might not even know how to get a hold of some of those guys anymore." She frowns, offering Pip an unsure expression and waiting expectantly.
Pip glances up at her and gives her a small, knowing and reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it. Just send me what you can. I won't... pry too deeply," she says with a wink. She accepts the information that is sent initially, before waiting expectantly for the rest. "As I said. We've all done what we've needed to do out here from time to time."
Samantha shrinks under Pip's understanding tone, nodding sharply and slowly scrolling through more information, sending off small pieces for Pip. A small colony town, a company name, even an employer. Likely enough to put together just one actual job, but enough to give a broad picture of past work. "I appreciate the understanding." She says, unable to hide a stiffness underlying her
Pip remains quiet as she examines the files sent over to her. And then she decides... now might be a good time for a little test. She subtly goes to open a back-door into the omni-tool on Sam's wrist, testing its defences and firewalls if it has any. After all, her own omni-tool is like a fortress in terms of defence and countermeasures and, with the hedging of what Sam's past experiences were like, it's probably safer
broader understanding right now. She continues to test and examine, but not directly push in. At least, not yet. Just watch and observe and, if there is even a slight hint that Sam sees her scouting, she would retreat the program as quickly and subtly as possible.
Samantha | Pip would encounter basic countermeasures on Samantha's omni-tool, but nothing she couldn't press through if she truely wanted to. If Sam has caught on to Pip's snooping she gives no indication of it, nonchalantly scrolling through her information before speaking again. "You know, I do have a pretty good reference in here. It's a little older, but it should do." She sends
off the packet, detailing one of the first jobs she worked back on Bekenstein. Looking up, she regards Pip a bit more mutedly than before. "Anything else?"
Pip withdraws the program. "No, that should be good enough!" She smiles at Sam, accepting the information before deactivating the omni-tool. "Well then, welcome to Summer Mechanics, Sam. It'll be fun workin' with you, I'm sure!" She steps out into the lobby, canting her hip and resting a hand against it. "Wrap up warmer maybe, yeah? Don't need you catchin' a cold."
Samantha nods tightly. "You've got a neat little operation here, and the most interesting coworker I have yet to see." She retains her light smile as she steps off a ways, closing her jacket again. "Warmer may be a good idea. Can't be sick for my first day, right?" She winks, working her way up the clasps.
Pip chuckles, reaching up to adjust the cap on her head. "You got it, luv'." She looks back to the garage as the door closes, Watty raising his hand and offering a small wave. "Yeah, he's interestin' to be sure. Hopefully you two get on well." She looks back to the woman, clucking her tongue. "I'll get to work on all the formal stuff and things," she says, jabbing a thumb over her shoulder and towards the office. "It'll
Samantha | "I'm sure we'll get along fine." She assures. "Wonderful, great. Like I said, a day or two to take of things, and I'll be here more than you can stand me." She takes a few stiff steps toward the door and turns back. "It was a pleasure, Summers. I'm looking forward to getting started." She says, words bordering on polite and affectionate.
Pip nods and raises her free hand in a small wave. "I look forward to workin' with you, Granger. You take care now and I'll see you in a couple of days, bright and early." She winks once, lowering her hand back to her side as she watches the woman shift towards the door.
Samantha nods deeply in response. "Bright and early." She repeats, finally turning to depart, right hand coming up to clutch the jacket at her neck as she ventures back out into the cold weather.