R E T R I E V I N G D A T A . . . Word around the quadrant is that (ISA) is originally from (UNKNOWN), but has been on the Terminus for (LESS THAN A WEEK). If you’re in a pinch, he is a talented (ANDROID). Is that why he’s the (GOFER)? Anyway, everyone says he is (CALCULATED) and (PERCEPTIVE), but don’t get on his bad side because he’s (GUARDED) and (SELF-PRESERVING). Oh shoot, don’t look now! He has his (STUN CHARGES) out!
Hello hello! I’m Ky, a they, and here’s ISA, a ‘bot of many secrets. Some of which even he doesn’t know - not that he’ll admit it. He’s like that. His story is a slower one, but I’m sure this crew of hooligans will draw it out in time. Until then, he’s the resident internally screaming doomba. For more connections, check this out, or message me on here or Discord! Always happy to scheme. ACCESSING DRIVE://COMMONKNOWLEDGE
The Terminus’s resident android is “new to you,” picked up out of the Yards of Keres barely a week ago by Jaxer and Nox. Anybody familiar with the Yards would know that there’s a very good chance their new ‘bot is a less than legal resale, but, hey. A deal’s a deal. How much trouble could he be?
According to all certifications, which are absolutely kosher, obviously, Isa is a Vostov Sokol; a discreet security model, common in Company service. It would be only sensible to assume that he was somebody’s personal unit, given the non-standard, high-end superficial build... though, that does leave the question of who would dump a perfectly functional tailored Sokol. They’re not cheap. Isa has no idea. His memory was - as per usual, in those chop shops - entirely wiped. So, who knows? Does it matter? One man’s scrap, as they say.
The Sokol line isn’t known for its personality - they’re made to break stuff, like bones, and withstand endless guard duty. Their AI is fairly domain specific, largely focused on strategic anticipation. As such, most people wouldn’t expect Isa to really be somebody, at least not the type you get to know. He’s just... thoroughly polite, in that, well, robotic way. Eager to please. Glad to be useful. All quite typical of your average android. Except, now and then, there’s something else; a flicker of curiosity, of engagement, of perceptiveness, that just doesn’t seem to fit. Maybe somebody’s starting to notice. And wonder. Maybe they’re not, but, to their surprise, find themselves enjoying his attentive company.
As for what he does aboard the Terminus, Isa has been saving the crew time and sore backs by handling their supply freight, and saving them boredom by standing guard duty over the ship and their deliveries. He’s not exactly on probation - it’s just that nobody’s come up with a better way to make use of him. Seems there’s bound to be some discussion of this as their next mission arrives. Who will want Isa to stay behind, as a barkless guard dog, or a liability they don’t trust? Who’s going to push to bring their new android with, as a walking damage sponge or some titanium-backed muscle? How is he going to fit into the team, old and new?
ACCESSING DRIVE://SECRETS
Truth is, Isa was more than a deal. He was free. Nox and Jaxer turned up in their chop shop of choice to find some top notch pirated parts, several brutally murdered mechanics, and a bloody android. Now, even those androids permitted to harm human beings - such as bodyguard ‘bots - are only enabled to do so given certain circumstances. The only body for Isa to be guarding, however, was his own. That’s not supposed to count. So far, Jaxer, Nox, and Isa have kept the messier details of his “purchase” to themselves. Their little secret.
While Isa claims that his memory banks were cleared by those choppers, it’s not that simple. His flash memory - the last twenty fours hours, to be sorted into hard memory or discarded - was deleted entirely, meaning he honestly has no idea what led to his being left in that garage. What he does remember is riddled with holes, scenes that just cut out and change. He knows he’s missing an optional drive, a small thing, incorrectly uninstalled; having been unable to find it in the shop he woke up in, Isa has to assume it was taken. Why, though? What was so important? Does he want to know, or is he better off without?
There’s a few reasons Isa insists on doing his own maintenance. Given a moment’s look, any mechanic or programmer worth their salt would be able to tell that he sure as hell isn’t what he says he is. Unless Vostov has radically upped their game. Technorganic androids, the product of biological inspiration and engineering innovation, are still a rarer, lucrative project, dogged by difficulties. And AGI? Something you find in systems more often than androids, and even then, a relatively recent leap. Isa is all that, and he knows what it means - which is why he keeps it to himself. The cutting edge is a dangerous place, and tech corps are notorious for paying top dollar, under the table, to get a look at what their competitors are doing. Whatever Isa was built to be, it’s worth a shit-ton to the right people. What’s it worth to the crew?
