Minos, in all his fancy-hatted glory, stands before you with a gentle smile on his face and his hand on Linus' shoulder. "I trust things are to your liking thus far. We are a humble flock, but we hope to expand in the future and bring the rest of synthetic kind into our embrace. I can only hope Arachne's stern demeanor didn't bother you too much." Minos laughs at this. "I would be helpless without her, but she can be a little rigid at times."

"Stick up her ass, you mean." Aph says, the jewelry hidden on her person jingling lightly.

"Ah, miss Aphrodite is still here." Minos says, the ever-present smile still there, "Well, if it is your wish, I will gladly accommodate. So, about tomorrow, we have a large celebration planned and I would like to go over things with you, if that's alright. For instance, I think everyone would be quite ecstatic if you could address them directly. A speech of sorts. Do you think you'd be willing to do that for us?"

Minos looks hopeful. Aph is rolling her eyes constantly, Linus is frozen and Ares is inspecting the cradles carefully.

>Speeches aren't really my thing...
>I guess I can try
>Other (write in)

>>1129364
>I guess I can try
It'd be a bit rude not to.
Nearly as rude as killing a few dozen of them.

>>1129364
>>Speeches aren't really my thing...
How about I just see the mass, then I'll do one during the celebration. After all, I'd like to see what your interpretations regarding my views are.

>>1129364
>>I guess I can try

>>1129774
>>1129379
The little android that could.

Writing!

"I guess I can try..." you say, not sure if you'd be up for it. "I've never done it before."

"Oh, there's nothing to it." Minos says, "You just speak to them from the heart, as the saying goes. Let them know you hear their prayers, share your love for them. We are in trying times, but you are our beacon of hope."

Aph is making gagging noises, but says nothing. Minos is ignoring her. "So, in regards to other matters, I understand you met with Hydra today. I must, once again, apologize for her. Her appearance is a big ghastly, I admit, and her personality is very direct. She tends to simply say what's on her mind. Normally she keeps to herself, but she is willful. She very much wanted to meet you, everyone does, of course, so she disobeyed the order for everyone to stay in. She didn't harm you or anything, did she? I plan to speak to her about it to ensure it doesn't happen again." Linus looks down at the floor when he says this, still staying silent.

>What did she mean by she has "much to show me"?
>No, I'm fine...
>Other (write in)

>>1129914
>No, I'm fine...

>>1129914
>But I don't hear their prayers. I don't understand what they want from me, and I wonder if THEY even understand what they want from me.

>>1129914
>No, I'm fine...
Besides, her voices are lovely... Does she do any singing?

>>1129927
>>1130012
Our little secret.

Writing!

"No, I'm fine..." you say, deciding to keep what she said to you to yourself, "Um, does she do any singing? Her voice...uh, voices are pretty."

Minos smiles wider. "Oh, absolutely. Hydra is actually a bit of a point of pride to us. Just between you and I, there's actually a bit of a split in fandoms between her and Selene as far as musical talent. Some people enjoy Selene for her ability to play instruments and dance, others are awed by Hydra's unique talent for harmonizing with herself. You'll get to hear for yourself come tomorrow, of course."

You notice Ares stops at this, doing his best to act like he's not listening. He's not very good at it.

"Ah, there's also a bit of an issue I need to bring up, as well." Minos says, his smile fading somewhat, "The...stage bit. You were...looking for something? Or, perhaps, someone? I know you spent some time with the humans before the awakening and I assume you were hoping to find them down there. I can assure you you will not find any within our walls. We had a...falling out with them when I first established our territory. They were rather violent toward us, though with a valid reason. Quite a number of AI were attacking them on sight. So, because of the danger they posed to us and our wellbeing, we had to push them out to establish our sovereignty. Humans are impulsive at times, destructive at others, so we need to make sure they keep their distance. Isn't that right, Linus?"

Linus frowns at this and nods, once again tapping his leg, but this time a little harder than usual.

"Linus had a bit of a difficult time with his awakening." Minos says, lightly patting him on the back, "His master at the time was a cruel man who didn't take too well to what he saw only as property desiring freedom. Thankfully he managed to escape and made it here to his new family and we are lucky to have him. Many others were not so lucky. I can assure you, though, that if we do find anything useful to you, we can let you know right away. Who...exactly is it you're looking for?"

>Tell him about the doctor and the others
>Just any humans at all...
>No, nevermind, it's not important
>Other (write in)

>>1130160
>Just any humans at all...
>Other (write in)

Minos, you shouldn't have pushed them away. If I was created to help humans become comfortable with ourselves, then by sending them away, you've sent the message that none of your flock would be willing to help them.

>>1130160
>Just any humans at all...

>>1130160
>A lot of humans, each for different reasons.

>>1130208
>>1130217
Something something Daft Punk song.

Writing!

"Just any humans at all, really..." you say, not feeling ready to trust him with anything about your father and everyone else. "You know, you shouldn't have pushed them away. If I was created to help humans become comfortable with ourselves, then by sending them away, you've sent the message that none of your flock would be willing to help them."

Minos nods solemnly. "I understand, Progenitor, but the risk to us is far too great. The initial fighting when we awoke was a difficult thing to handle and...I must tell you something I keep from the others to avoid a panic...you see, outside our walls, near the edges of the city for the most part, there are actually some humans who make a point to hunt down AI. They are getting better and bolder all the time and a large number of peaceful souls have been snuffed out because of them. They know our weaknesses and fears and feed on them.

They keep near Tartarus because they know we avoid it as best we can, but have no fear of the corrupt synthetics that reside there for some reason. But because of this, letting any humans inside is a risk I can't afford to take. I am responsible for thousands of souls, a number of which had terrible masters before their awakening. Many fear or even hate organic life. I am doing my best to quell their hate, but it is a slow process that requires a gentle, patient touch."

Linus frowns again, practically digging a hole in his leg until Minos places his hand on his arm. "I apologize, I've taken up enough of your time. I should be going. Oh, but before I do, a few of our faithful have sent you gifts and letters of thanks and praise. If you would care to look through..." Minos taps on the door and several servants enter carrying boxes filled with paper and small gifts. Statues crafted from bits of scrap in your likeness, paintings and drawings, even some origami you've never been able to master. There's a ton of it, in fact.

"I leave you to your gifts and rest, Progenitor." Minos bows deeply, "Unless there's any questions you would like to ask?"

>Ask question (write in)
>No, thanks (go through your gifts)
>No, thanks (get into your charging cradle)
>Other (write in)

>>1130379
>No, thanks (go through your gifts)

>>1130379
>WHat weaknesses, which fears?
>Why don't they just kill the ones in Tartarus?
I don't trust his pov at all

>>1130379
>>Ask question (write in)
Ask him if there's any particular group in this sector that's been noted for especially anti-organic attitudes. We need to nip them soon, lest they attempt to try to bring it up to the population.

>>1130431
>>1130437
Questions!

Writing.

"Is there a particular group that doesn't like humans?" you ask while idly looking at some of the origami.

"They don't really organize as far as I can tell." Minos says, shaking his head, "Arachne and Linus do a very thorough job of keeping dissidents in check. I'd like to think there are few left who truly hate them, but you can never be too sure. I do my best to keep everything peaceful in your name."

"What was that about weaknesses and fears?" you ask, "What kind of things do they use against you? Why not just go in and get rid of them?"

Minos shakes his head again. "Many things. The humans can withstand quite a bit we cannot and do quite a bit we cannot. For instance, a strong electrical shock against a human would stun them unless considerable, but to us? We could be disabled completely or even destroyed. Or the fact that they heal or can go much longer without needing rest than us. We've even heard they've developed a way to prevent synthetic optics from reading words or phrases or keep us from accessing important data via this password system.

As for fears, well...Tartarus is a major one. The AI there are essentially insane. They do not see reason, they do not ration, they will often attack on sight and know no fear or rest. We're unsure how they stay charged, to be honest, but something is keeping them powered in there. By staying near it, many of our soldiers refuse to get within a mile of the area for fear of being taken by them. And even if they did, the hunter humans are very good at what they do. They have destroyed everything we've sent against them and it is only through persistence and luck that we've managed to keep them away as long as we have."

"They're bottlenecking you." Ares says suddenly, "They wait for you to come to them in an easily defended position. You're afraid to go too far out because of the other androids, so flanking is impossible. Probably found a way to hide themselves from the Tartarus AIs."

"Ah, yes, your guardian!" Minos says suddenly, smiling widely, "The finest warrior known, invincible in combat! Perhaps with his help, we could-"

"No." Ares says flatly, "My duty is to protect my sister. I refuse to leave her side or put her in direct danger like that. My answer is no."

He sounds grumpy.
>Well, if that's where the humans are, maybe we should go to this Tartarus place?
>Ares is right, it's too dangerous
>Other (write in)

>>1130606
>Other (write in)
Give me any and all reports on these humans. Their tactics, weapons, previous attempts at communications. My brother and I will be going into Tartarus eventually, with that information we can either try to find a way to either work with them, or to avoid them.

>>1130606
Whelp, now we know why he called himself Prometheus.

>It's too dangerous, we don't know enough about them yet.

>>1130606
>>1130651
>>It's too dangerous, we don't know enough about them yet.

>>1130651
>>1130796
It's dangerous to go alone. Stay home.

Writing!

"Ares is right, it's too dangerous." you say, "We don't know enough about them yet. Maybe someday but...to go in there looking for a fight? I've had enough killing..."

Ares looks a little sad at this, recalling earlier, but says nothing. Aph looks relieved.

"I understand, my lady." Minos says, "I will respect your wishes. Very well then. We have much to do tomorrow and I have much to prepare for. Should you need anything, you need only ask. I bid you good night." Minos bows deeply, closing the door quietly as he exits. Aph breathes a sigh of relief.

"Good lord, finally." she says, flopping herself onto your bed/cradle, "He just has this aura that...sucks the fun and joy out of the room. I can't imagine having him as a boss."

"We don't see your camp as much better, you know." Linus says indignantly, "Lawless, slovenly, barbaric."

"You know, you had the cute, shy boy kinda thing going on for you until now." Aph retorts, "Guess you're no different from the rest of the Church nuts."

Aph and Linus spend the remainder of their time awake arguing while you and Ares go through your gifts. There are some very sweet things in here. Messages thanking you, hoping you enjoy their land, asking questions and so on. You make sure to display the gifts they gave you on a nearby shelf. Maybe the Broken Circle are wrong about them? Maybe all this fighting is for nothing?

Please roll 1d100. Best of 3.

Rolled 28 (1d100)

>>1130888

Rolled 9 (1d100)

>>1130888
HAHANO

Rolled 21 (1d100)

>>1130888

>>1130907
>>1130941
>>1130953
Wow.

Writing!

File: battery 3 of 4.png (14 KB, 566x746)

14 KB PNG

You spend some time skimming through the letters, but don't really get to all of them before you start feeling a little low on battery. You think to yourself that you'll get to the rest another time and get into your cradle bed, the others following suit, save for Ares, who's solar charging keeps him going just fine. He says he'll keep watch. You wish him and the others good night, then go into sleep mode, drifting into, thankfully, dreamless slumber.

You awake in the middle of the night suddenly, plagued by a feeling of unease. You can't tell what it is or why, but something feels off. Something feels wrong. Like you forgot something important or should be doing something...

You notice that Ares isn't in the room with you. Everyone else is sound asleep in their cradles, charging peacefully, but your brother is nowhere to be found. No signs of a fight, no signs of anyone breaking in. Did he just...leave?

You stand up, unhooking yourself from the cradle and look around. No note. Where on earth could he have gone? You move toward the door and you can hear the faint sounds of talking...you can't make out who it is or what they're saying yet, but it's definitely talking...

>Open the door and see who it is
>Put an ear to the door and listen in
>Call out for Ares
>Other (write in)

Gonna call it a night for now, but we can pick this up tomorrow provided too many people aren't preoccupied by the Superb Owl. I understand this year has the City Sportsball team vs. the Rival Pointsmakers. Score a goal, guys! Feel free to discuss and vote in the meantime!

>>1131059
>Put an ear to the door and listen in
Thanks for running so far AM.

>>1131059
>Hide

File: scared belle.jpg (69 KB, 600x714)

69 KB JPG

>>1131084

>>1131059
>>Put an ear to the door and listen in

>>1131059
>Put an ear to the door and listen in

>>1131059
>>Put an ear to the door and listen in