sm_art_ass | [Open RP]

You mean, to protect my clients?

[ 'To save the day' makes it sound like some kind of... who knows, serial protagonist, or something. Ridiculous. ]

It was just stupidity. And listening to too much media about how scary and untrustworthy SecUnits are.

[ Which, yes, they can be. This one included. But while on contract? One that it had agreed to freely? Come on, Thiago. ]

He was also under the impression I was blackmailing Dr. Mensah.

[ ...Which, yes. It kind of had. But not the way he'd assumed. He'd simply not been in the 'need to know' category when it came to how fucking nasty the GrayCris situation had been. ]

It's the same thing.

[ And yet, that's exactly what happens every time. Might as well accept it. ]

That kind of extreme stupidity leads to unnecessary casualties.

[ That's barely contained anger bleeding through the feed. It only stops because it's suddenly overcome by the confusion in ART's reply. ]

Blackmailing Dr. Mensah. Really.
Why did he think that?

[ ART's opinion of Thiago is dropping so quickly it might as well be freefalling. It wouldn't consider persuading someone into agreeing to treatment for the trauma as 'blackmailing', though. But that's because ART is a hypocrite and would 100% do the same thing. ]

I agree, it was very annoying.

[ To put it mildly. ]

He's learned better. Both about ignoring security protocol, and assuming I was doing anything stupid to Dr. Mensah.

[ Most of which probably came down more to Amena than to Thiago's own ability to learn on his own. But hey, he got there? Eventually? It has to be worth something. He wouldn't be such an important part of Dr. Mensah's family unit if he was legitimately stupid. ]

Because I forced her to get the trauma treatment, and most of the humans on Preservation had no idea why she suddenly had security, or why she was frightened to go without. They didn't know about the assassination attempts, and humans who haven't experienced it can't understand what being the prisoner of a corporation is like.

A lot of assumptions were made about the rogue SecUnit looming behind her all the time. And why she suddenly stepped down from her position, which was actually so she could take the trauma treatment.

The lesson better stick for his safety.

[ Is ART talking about ensuring Thiago doesn't get killed on a mission by raiders? About him not making absurd assumptions about its friend? Or perhaps about what could happen if there were more disrespect towards SecUnit?

Yes. ]

You did the right thing. Working with a therapist will help her manage stress and anxiety and give her more control to handle what happened.

[ ART thinks that certain someone would benefit more from that, but it did promise Dr. Mensah not to push SecUnit so much. It can prod, though, kinda. ]

Why did Dr.Mensah refuse to get the trauma treatment at first?

Edited 2025-05-03 22:22 (UTC)

Busy helping to run a planet, I think.

[ It's a full-time job! Along with so many marital partners to keep up with, and kids, and also the assassination attempts.

Don't forget those! Dr. Mensah and Murderbot sure hadn't. ]

She had to step down just to get the time for it.

[ And then right as she'd been starting it, several members of her family, her personal SecUnit, and also several of their mutual friends, had gotten kidnapped by a certain asshole research transport.

Who it's glad is not pushing it as hard anymore, at least. ]

You know how bad humans are at multitasking.

[ Ok thay makes sense, and ART's silence shows that it accepts it as a legit answer. Looking after a crew is already stressful, and ART doesn't have a limbic system. Being in charge of your entire population would be nerve-wracking. ]

I hope she feels better soon.

[ There's not an ounce of sarcasm or mockery; ART really means that. It knows how important she is for SecUnit, and not just because of that, ART sincerely likes Mensah too.

Listen, the asshole research transport was absolutely desperate and frightened; losing its crew and being deleted was a horrible experience. Forgive its moment of weakness you, jerk.]

They do their best.

Does that mean that someone who has enough processing capabilities and excels at multitasking would have no excuse to further delay seeking the necessary tool to improve its mental health?

[ A question that isn't a question, ART will leave it at that. But because it doesn't want to stress SecUnit more after everything that already happened to them, it adds; ]

The university’s decontamination team finished fully cleaning my engines and restoring my wormhole drive; I will be back to be fully operational in only a cycle. We will be leaving soon.

[ It sees what you're doing here, ART. Living up to its name, as always. ]

That would still depend on how busy they are.

[ And how far away they are from, say, a neutral party to help with that treatment. Someone not also recently traumatized by some of the same events, for example. ]

Edited 2025-05-09 02:09 (UTC)

[ Ey, you know me~ And it's for your own good. ]

That sounds like stalling. Again.

[ Misery loves company? Yes, ART is far from impartial or not traumatized itself, but no one bothered to write up a program about how to address the issues of a heavily armed judgmental machine intelligence pretending to be an ordinary transport after a near- death experience, so it has to make do on its own.

HOWEVER, its certification in advanced trauma protocol is applicable to humans, augmented humans and now difficult SectUnits how like to cuss at it. ]

I don't care what it sounds like.

[ Ass. ]

What about you? You went through some shit, too.

Obviously.

[ ART is silent for a beat longer to really layer on the sarcasm. ]

Your attempts at redirecting the subject towards me are glaringly transparent.

[ It knows what you're doing! And yet, well...they both truly went through some shit. ART doesn't sound as snippy the next time it sends a message: ]

It was fucking terrifying. I don't want my crew, to be in that kind of danger again.
Or you.

Edited 2025-05-18 22:03 (UTC)

I don't want that either.

[ That whole situation sucked. They can both admit that easily enough. ]

I'll get the treatment, but I need it to be through someone who wasn't involved. It'll... make it easier on me.

[ Its resistance to immediate treatment's not about ART. It just doesn't feel comfortable getting the help from someone else who was also a victim of the whole situation, no matter how advanced its trauma treatment protocols may be. ]

You should, too.

I know. I have formulated a set of countermeasures and plans to minimize the chance of such a thing happening again.
There are 435 plans so far.

[ Art's presence shifts in the feed, some more of its attention focusing on SectUnit but not in a way that should feel overwhelming, just as if it's lightly leaning on it. It gives the equivalent of an understanding nod. ]

You need to do what's best for you. I understand. [ It wants to help, but this will be better, yes. All ART wants is for SecUnit to be comfortable and safe. ]

There are no trauma treatments for hyper intelligent transports. That said, it's fine. I'll be fine.

Edited 2025-05-18 22:18 (UTC)

There are no trauma treatments designed for SecUnits, either.

[ Rogue or otherwise, they weren't created with things like mental health in mind. If your unit malfunctioned, you told the company, and they scrapped it for parts. Therapy is for people. ]

We're all winging it, as far as this shit goes.

That's...true.

[ ART would argue that SectUnit's organic parts and neural tissue make some of its reactions match those of traumatized humans, and that's why they have a layout about how to approach its problems. But it's probably not a comparison SectUnit would like, and ART is not that much of an asshole despite its nickname. ]

We are. And with some luck, the next missions won't be that stressful. Thiago won't be there, so that's one less factor to worry about. No one would be trying to offer friendship bracelets to possible raiders.

You're not even exaggerating as much as we both wish you were.

[ Thiago. It's always happy to go back to dunking on the humans, at least. The eternally safe topic! ]

Wait, really?

[ Oh, for fuck's sake. That's a level of bad it didn't anticipate. ]

The next time he comes aboard, I'll assign one of my smaller drones to follow him around at all times. I think that will be for everyone's peace of mind.

Talking about drones, since yours were mostly all destroyed again, I made you a dozen more. I'm going through the finishing touches and they will be ready and out of the recycler in a matter of minutes. You just need to synch to them.

[ Um. Excuse it. You made it some new drones?

It's... having an emotion.

Shut up. ]

[ A mini army of drones, yes! Consider it ART's formal apology for accidentally involving SecUnit's humans in the mess with the Targets.

It's not going to say anything for a couple of seconds because it can tell SecUnits needs a moment. But that's how long it manages to stay quiet.]

Of course, if you *don't* want them, I can always find some way to repurpose them.

[ Don't mind ART sounding a little cheery. It's last comment is obviously bait. ]

Of course I want the fucking drones.

[ Asshole. ]

Noted.

[ 1 minute later, 12 drones the size of a small beetle come flying through the door of the room SecUnit is in, in a neat triangle shape formation. They are all black except one, that is a little bigger and colored with an iridescent metallic hue of dark blue. Not unlike a real blue beetle.

That one breaks formation and starts circling SecUnit's head. It won't object to being grabbed and examined closely, but if SecUnit doesn't touch it, then it will simply land on its right shoulder. ]

Say hi.

Edited (one day I'll stop fucking up ugh) 2025-05-19 21:42 (UTC)

[ Murderbot's not a human, it doesn't grab drones with its hands. It does, however, gather up the controls for the eleven standard drones first, while the strange one comes in for a landing on its shoulder. Only once it has the inputs from the eleven sorted and tagged, and has given them patrol instructions, does it turn its attention to its... passenger. ]

You did something strange with this one.

[ A statement; also a question. ]

How very observant. What gave it away?

[ Despise the playful ribbing, ART made the drone different on purpose, so of course it was expecting SecUnit to ask about it. Waiting for it, really. ]

That one comes equipped with threat discouragement capabilities

[ Aka, it is armed. Only with a stun mini gun, due to the small size limiting the power core, but still. ]

[ It is, of course, scanning the little drone even as ART informs it of the modification. ]

Interesting.

[ Probably not very useful directly as a weapon; for its own part, energy weapons only piss it off. But Murderbot's awfully good at finding creative uses for stuff. It could do stuff like short out enemy drones with that, possibly.

It's already pondering various ideas as it takes the controls to the little drone and has it lift off again, then... tuck itself into one of Murderbot's many sealable pockets. ]

I'll try not to break this one.

[ Not that it likes getting any of its drones destroyed, but, you know. It's usually for a good reason when it happens. Emotional collapse-fueled rage-kills using up too many drones per target, aside. ]

Thank you.

[ ART let go of the control of the first drones the moment it felt SecUnit's presence in the feed taking over, and it does the same with the last one. A smooth and easy change of owner, so to speak. ]

I know you don't waste them on purpose. Even if they get destroyed, that's fine; they are accomplishing their function, in a way. Which is to help keep you safe.

[ Better it's drones than you is what ART's saying. ]

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