By Hammer and Hand

Posted on Wed Mar 11th, 2026 @ 10:01am by Lieutenant JG Mellifluous Song & Ramielos Volsunga & SubCommander Saa Ni-Eng & Petty Officer 2nd Class Tas-engta

865 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Shoreleave [3-4]
Location: Engineering Workshop 3
Timeline: Late Shoreleave

Volsunga and the armour were present when Lieutenant Mellifulous Song arrived. She was early, they were alone.

"Brother Volsunga. I am Lieutenant Mellifluous Song. I am here to discuss your armour. Subcommander Saa will join us shortly." Song said as a greeting. Her voice was even and measured, it had a certain synthetic perfection, but just enough variation to show that the words were understood and intended.

"You're a machine?" Volsunga asked, more instinct than certainty. As he beheld her he saw none of the signs of vitality one found in organic life.

"Correct." Song nodded. "I am of Coppellius. We are a world of beings like myself. Our creator was a human, of Earth." She explained, hoping that might somehow familiarise her to him.

"Do you obey him?" Volsunga asked.

"He is dead." Song clarified.

"Oh. I'm uh.. sorry." He said, trying to recall which emotion was meant for such a situation. As a Space Wolf, one did not usually express condolences.

"Thank you." Song said with another nod. "May I ask what your people think of machines like myself?"

"Abominations."

"And do you share that view?" Song asked.

"Where I come from, it is true. Here, it may not be." Volsunga said hesitantly.

"Your willingness to consider alternatives is encouraging. I hope we are challenging any preconceptions you may have had about us." Song said, hoping to sound optimistic and friendly.

"Why do people keep making machines like you? For a recent time there was only one. Then none again. Now, hundreds." Ramielos asked.

"There are a great many motivating factors found in the human psyche, which I believe you would understand better than I. The libido. The creative force. That which drives man to build, to discover, and to improve." Song supposed.

"Good answer." He said after considering it for a moment.

"Do you consider yourself an improvement?"

"My specifications and capabilities are slightly above those of my predecessor siblings. It is the case with each of us that we are an improvement on the last." Song explained.

"What do you think about humans?" Volsunga asked.

"They are curious and unpredictable beings. When their needs are met, they will pursue the better angels of their nature. When their needs or wants remain unfulfilled, things are less certain. But they are the reason I am here. I am a descendent of humanity, and I am grateful to them for that." Song explained honestly, realising she had never verbalised such thoughts before.

"Hm." Volsunga made a noise to acknowledge her. "So, when are we taking a look at the armour?" He asked.

"The Subcommander will be along soon, we will begin when she arrives." Song said, turning once more to the suit of armour.

Saa hadn't looked in on the 'Space Wolf' cyber-suit analysis since responsibility for it had been handed over to the newly formed Multiversal Sciences department, so having received this summons, she'd pulled in her leading cyberneticist to brief her on the way.

"So it's really come to this?" she asked as she exited the turbolift after him. "You've had the thing for over a month and you still can't even turn it on? I'm surprised with you, Tas-engta. I thought you were more eager than that."

"I'm eager, but I'm not stupid," the choblik replied in his usuall unbothered tones, his ostrich-like strides keeping easy pace with her unhurried fluke strokes. "Anyone can tell that this artifact doesn't want us messing with it. If you thought getting all these Romulan computers to work for us was a challenge, try to imagine what unlocking a weapon system built on forty thousand years of paranoia is like. I think it's worth a risk to find out what the user has to say."

Saa said nothing, remembering the bloody gore that had been left of the tactical officer who was left alone with Volsunga for just a few minutes only a month before. Admittedly, Saa had seen enough during her own brief conversations with the 'prisoner,' as she still considered him, to be able to tell that there were some layers to the man. But everyone on this station seemed just a little too willing to take chances with him her liking. She felt her skin crawl as her final gravitic stroke carried her into the room where the warrior and the android were waiting.

"Welcome, Subcommander, Mr Tas-engta. I believe you know Battle-Brother Volsunga." Song observed the niceties.

"Yeah. Hi." Volsunga said. His last interaction with the Chief Engineer was before efforts had begun in earnest for the crew to get to know him. He had not been pleasant.

"Let's get started." Saa said, focusing on the work.

"I am prepared to follow your lead, ma'am." Song told the Chief Engineer.

"What can you tell us about the power source?" Saa began, the first in a long day of questions that the questioned didn't have particularly insightful answers for, and the questioners own extensive experience in their field proved largely useless. Despite the obstacles, by the time they called it a day, they had developed an understanding of the armour's functionality that could be generously called rudimentary, and organised another session.

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