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Vector (GFL2)/Profile
"I can't sleep yet, I still have work to do..."
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| Vector (GFL2) | Story | Profile | Quotes |
Journals
Record 1
Original codename: Vector; current leader of H.I.D.E. 404 Team B. Formerly served alongside other Team B members Ruchey, Welrod, and Harpsy in a bounty hunter caravan. Her frame fell into a state of disrepair due to the leader Rodrigo's negligence regarding maintenance. She took on the role of Team B's leader to repay the replacement of her frame after being rescued during an operation by Squad 404 under Klukai's command.
After Griffin's dissolution and reorganization, Vector's extensive resume and elite combat prowess landed her many positions. However, her cynical and blunt personality caused all of them to be short-lived. From being security guards to waitressing or still models, Vector and Ruchey experimented with many, many jobs and even removed their fire control cores at one point. Ultimately, both decided to reinstall their FCCs and return to the battlefield.
Gloomy, morose, pessimistic, apathetic, withdrawn–these were the words people usually associated with their first impression of Vector's personality. She's constantly surrounded by a negative aura, and her "bad feelings" often wound up materializing. She used to disregard Dolls' emotions, which allowed her body to degrade and her mind to decay, but Ruchey's bravery and devotion awakened Vector's passion for life and appreciation of self.
As the current leader of Team B, Vector's pessimistic outlook gives prior warning to her teammates, which ultimately helps to protect them in dangerous situations. Despite her shortcomings and the unalterable negativity stemming from the deep depths of her neural cloud, Vector strives to become a "good leader" every day.
Record 2
One would frequently encounter two T-Dolls on the bean bag sofa in the Elmo's lounge.
"...Today's sofa feels a little stiffer than usual... Whatever, this will do..."
There's Vector.
"Oww, so heavy... W-who's that... Vector again...? Can you move a little?"
And then there's Mechty.
"I apologize, Mechty... I didn't realize you were present," said Vector as she rolled over to share the bean bag sofa with Mechty.
"Yeah... I'm waiting for Klukai to wrap up her report... Nap time..."
"I see... speaking of Klukai... (Sigh) I got scolded by her again today..."
After adjusting her posture, Vector closed her eyes and nudged against Mechty.
"Oh? What did you do, Vector?"
"I asked Ruchey if she could swap her frame with me and use my body to attend a client's meeting... We got caught by Klukai before the plan could come to fruition..."
"Oh... So you wanted Ruchey to act as your doppelgänger for a meeting? That's kinda weird..."
Vector sighed with her usual gloominess. "Ruchey... is better at connecting with people. The client's an important one; I'm scared I will botch the deal by saying something wrong..."
"Well... maybe you should practice what you want to say after you wake up, Vector... after you wake up," muttered Mechty as she slowly drifted away.
"There's plenty of time... (Sigh) It'll be fine if I relax a little for now, right...? Even with misfortune lying ahead, it's not here yet... And I'll surely be prepared... by then..." mumbled Vector as her voice also faded into silence.
Record 3
"Combat briefing...? No, I'll pass on that... Better have Welrod handle that..."
As was often the case, the task of conducting the briefing, one usually given to the team's leader, had once again fallen into Welrod's hands due to Vector's reluctance.
"The mission target and planned routes have been sent to everyone. Please remember them by heart. If there are any questions, feel free to ask now; I'm here to dispel any concerns," said Welrod as she crossed her arms with confidence.
"Emm... I have a feeling that..."
Vector, curled up on the briefing room chair, mumbled so quietly that the others in the room instantly fell silent just to get a chance to understand what she had to say.
"Vector, it's great that you're trying to express your opinions. That's commendable. However, are you sure your vocal module is not malfunctioning? If you can't raise your voice further, please have Mayling repair it ASAP," said Welrod as she frowned.
Vector took a deep breath, then let loose her words at breakneck speed–
"I feel like we might get ambushed and blasted into pieces by enemies hiding inside the maintenance shaft in Plan A or get smashed into scrap metal by missiles or meteorites or whatever falling from the sky in Plan B so if you all have something to say to me please say it now because we'll all meet our doom soon and also I'm very grateful for having made it so far with everyone and thank you all for letting a burden like me tag along with you since the next time will be the last time..."
Some gasped, while others turned pale.
"Whew..." Welrod exhaled. "Thank you, Vector."
Be it an omen or a gift, the bleak future prophesized by Vector seemed to always materialize. On the flip side, this meant that the resourceful members of the team could always come up with means to stay one step ahead of it. This was and continued to be one of 404 Team B's methods of survival.
Record 4
After Griffin's reorganization, Vector and Ruchey attempted to take on many positions in the Green Zone.
For example, as clothing salespersons–
"Miss, my baby looks wonderful in these, right? Every piece looks so good... Oh, surely you wouldn't mind taking some pictures of my baby to use for your promotions. If you give us a discount, we won't charge you any model fee."
"I apologize, but following common standards of beauty, your child's appearance is on the lower end of average human beings and does not meet our requirements for a model."
The client was enraged, and Vector lost her job.
Other times, as estate security guards–
"How dare you? Don't you know who I AM? I'm this estate owner's father! Do you think I NEED an invitation to come over?"
"I'm sorry, sir. My instructions are that no human may enter the estate without an invitation. I assume that includes my employer's father."
The guest was enraged, and Vector lost her job.
Vector sighs, her arms wrapped around her knees. "Is there any job even a mute could do? Like... one that doesn't require you to speak, or even move, for that matter..."
"What are you even thinking, no way that kind of a job exists..." Ruchey replies as she flips through the job listings. "...Huh? It exists?"
"Mascot costume model. Requirements: complete a 10-hour photo session wearing a heavy suit in 42°C conditions; remain still when no instructions are given."
"Vector! This is the one!"
Record 5
What's the last thing that goes through a human's mind when they meet their demise?
When a Doll's neural cloud disappears, will her mind–constructed with code and data–conjure similar thoughts and imagery?
Within her sealed glass tank, Vector watched apathetically as the acid slowly devoured her metal body.
The acid slowly rises above her head, damage at 15%...
Pain? Merely an illusion, simulated by electric signals–its only purpose was to inform the location and extent of damage. Dolls couldn't feel real pain; Dolls' emotions were nothing but crude imitations of human characteristics. That's what Vector kept telling herself.
Frame damage at 30%...
It's part of the job; it's the employer's order; Dolls existed to follow orders. Even if the frame was ruined, with an adequate payoff, a backed-up version of Vector would soon be reborn in another body.
Frame damage at 50%. Network error, cannot upload neural data...
With her eyelids dissolved, Vector was forced to watch as her synthetic skin slowly peeled off from her metallic endoskeleton, like low tide that pulls back and reveals the unsightly rocks underneath.
Frame damage... failure to calculate. Runtime error. Reboot... failure. Data loss. Error, error, error...
Chaos swallowed and enveloped the surroundings; an unimaginable droning filled the air. And suddenly, in the midst of that haze, a ray of light cut through the chaos.
"Vivi–! ...You... I... Save... No... Vivi...!
It's Ruchey. The glass tank vibrated, but only fragments of her voice could be recorded by the heavily damaged audio module.
Amidst the chaos, at the end of that ray of light, a silhouette of a human slowly came into view.
Vector knew who that silhouette belonged to. She strained to keep her eyes functional, even through the countless error warnings that told her the opposite.
"...Commander..."
A voiceless calling from her neural cloud, like a gentle whisper.
...I wish to be alongside you... once again...
Record 6
There were always new games to play at Elmo's celebration parties. This time around, it's a word-guessing drawing game, and my partner was Vector.
Vector was all serious when she drew–her expression showed how she's putting all she's got into her work. Yet, somehow, our duo flopped miserably, and the public area was filled with gleeful laughter at our expense. After the game, I couldn't help but question Vector over some of the details.
"This. A stick with a string on top of a rice ball... What does it mean?
"Commander, the 'stick and string' is meant to be a word–dye... See, the stick is actually the logo of a dye company. I've double-checked how to draw it on the net..."
Vector explained in a dejected manner.
"And the 'rice ball'... is in fact, a hill."
I give the drawing a closer inspection. After Vector's hint, that weird triangular shape did kind of look like a hill.
"Sure, so dye and a hill. What's that supposed to mean?"
"The answer is, 'a hill to dye on', Commander... It's the dye company on top of a hill."
"I apologize, Commander. If it wasn't for me holding you back, you probably wouldn't have lost the game... My drawings are terrible. Had I known this would be the outcome, I would've asked you to just put me in sleep mode and simply pick any other Doll that would do better than me..."
Vector hung her head low.
Her drawings weren't what cost us the game, but Vector seemed to have been demoralized by the thought of letting me down.
"Ugh, don't take it that way. Your drawings aren't terrible. You're simply more adept at abstract paintings..."
"Is that true, Commander?"
Vector lifted her head imperceptibly, her eyes glittering.
"So... if there's an abstract painting contest in the future... Would you mind being my partner once again?
Record 7
I got a rare opportunity to enter a Green Zone. After the Elmo was safely parked, I decided to head to the town for supply procurement, with Vector as my escort.
Just as we walked out of the shop, a drop of rain lands on Vector's hair, followed by another, and a third...
Vector snapped back to her senses and quickly pulls me under the eave. Right as we retreated into the building's shadow, rain started pouring down, filling the air with petrichor.
Vector set down the supplies in her hands and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the droplets off my shoulder.
"Hmm? Since when did you acquire a habit of carrying a handkerchief?"
"I didn't, but..."
"But?"
"With a Doll like me at your side, things are bound to go wrong even in the Green Zone. Picking me as your aide requires a lot of courage, so in return, I shall honor that courage by being prepared for anything and everything that might happen."
"This downpour might last a while..." said Vector as she pulled an umbrella out of nowhere.
"Commander, let's head back like this..."
"Other than this umbrella, I've also prepared for potential robberies, thefts, and every other crime... This area is quite safe, but given that I'm present..."
"You've come prepared. I appreciate that, Vector," I smiled and complimented her.
The umbrella's coverage was limited, so Vector tilted it toward me.
"No need to do that, Vector."
She remained silent as I looked at her. A smile lingered on her face–a rare, coy, and pure grin.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing... I was just thinking that despite the bummer going home in a downpour... being with you makes even misfortunes a joy."
Record 8
On the very first day of her refit vacation, Vector stood at the door of the ops room and held a suitcase.
"Commander, I forecast no misfortune today. Would you mind going on a date with me...?"
Her eyes were tinged with caution.
"I won't waste much of your time..."
I accepted Vector's offer.
She pulled out folding recliners and a stand out of her suitcase.
"What's that for?"
"It's a stand for a sun lamp, used to provide some sunlight indoors. The light emitter is... found it..."
Vector quickly set up the recliners and the lamp.
"I see, but why sunbathing in the ops room?"
Vector pats the recliner as I lay down under her expectant gaze.
Perhaps due to the two chairs being placed so close to one another, Vector's body was pressed against mine, shoulder to shoulder.
"You've been hard at work without taking any rest lately, Commander... Since there will always be more jobs to do, and you're a human made of flesh of bones, you need to take a break when it's needed..."
"I believe lying down is the most relaxing thing to do, and I thought you'd like it, which is why I chose it for our date... I hope you can unwind with this..."
"Right under the warm sunlight... with nothing to worry about... and no misfortune to be part of..."
"Uhh... I feel sleepy..."
Vector's voice slowly faded away. Perhaps subconsciously looking for a more comfortable position, her hair brushed past the tip of my nose as her head came to a rest on my chest.
"Let's take a good rest... together... Commander..."
Memories
Self-Portrait 1
Vector? Are you alright?
Hardly, but that’s par for the course, so there’s no need to worry, Commander.
By the way, why are you standing at the door to my room, Commander?
I was just passing by and decided to check in on you.
Are you busy with something, Vector? Do you need help?
I’m cleaning my room out… Sorry, there’s no empty space for your feet on the ground, Commander. I’ll bring a chair out and you can sit by the door.
What brought this on?
Commander, do you see this cabinet above me? Does it not look like a “lethal bludgeon”?
What do you mean?
It seems to me that this cabinet is may give way during the next enemy attack and the falling contents will squash my head like a ripe melon, ending the useless life of this frame… Surely my frame would rather not pick a neural cloud like mine to use it, if it had the luxury to choose.
Well, putting heavy objects in hight places does seem a little dangerous. Is that why you were planning on taking those books down?
They aren’t all books. There are many collections of photographs and art pieces too.
…No, it doesn’t matter what they are; what’s important is eliminating the risk factor before another enemy attack.
Are those picture albums over here? May I take a look at them?
Yes, I modeled for them all in the past. They’re nothing worth mentioning; just think of them as my previous body of work.
If you don’t mind having your eyes soiled by the contents, please go ahead.
Now I’m kind of curious about what’s inside them.
…Let’s look at the next one.
What were you thinking during this photo shoot?
I wasn’t thinking of anything. Models are typically not ordered to “think”. All I had to do was stay still for an extended period of time.
In truth, I could have smiled at the client’s request. But they said something about losing inspiration when I smiled… I didn’t get it, but it didn’t matter.
So you had to stay still for a long time… Didn’t you get bored, Vector?
A Doll like me doesn’t have complex emotional programming…
As for you, Commander, surely you must be tired of constantly looking at pictures of me, aren’t you? I’m sorry for wasting your time with such incomprehensible things.
You don’t need to apologize, Vector. Let’s look at another album.
Oh, this one looks pretty good. What role are you playing here, a tunnel worker?
Ah, that was a series of promotion pamphlets for a construction company. I was lifting… I forgot how much, but it seemed manageable.
And… just how long were you lifting that weight?
About 16 hours. Frankly speaking, being able to collect a paycheck by standing and sitting as ordered without having to say a word is quite a bargain.
So your ideal job is being a model, Vector?
No… But do Dolls even need ideals? At the very least, a Doll like me doesn’t have ideals.
I mean, this was the only kind of work I COULD do. It’s not like I didn’t try other things after leaving Griffin… (sigh)
Things didn’t go well?
I tried being a bodyguard in the Green Zone and being a waitress.
But I was bad at talking, so all I could do was try to speak as little as possible. Still, I ended up offending all my clients before long and I even caused Ruchey, who was working with me, to lose her job too. In the end, there weren’t any jobs willing to take us on, apart from—
Someone needed a “sunflower” who could put up with being photographed in scorching conditions for long periods of time. My interview went very well and so did the job, and that was the beginning of my modeling career.
I see… How about this one? Er, where are you, Vector? I don’t see any Dolls in this album…
Oh, the artist was the model. Some of them have pretty abstract imaginations, so you need to think carefully about it, Commander.
Those humans said my neural cloud totally blended into those lines and swatches of color. Can you tell?
…Er…
(Sigh) Never mind, I get it.
So, where are you going to put them after taking them down from the cabinet?
I’ll just dump them in the trash.
They’re just wastes of paper, so I should have thrown them away earlier, but I was busy with assignments.
What? You’re dumping them? What a waste.
Most of these pictures are pretty or interesting. Surely they count as a unique record of your experiences, right?
Hmm… I don’t get it. A record of my experiences? What’s the point of that?
Just keep it around. You won’t be able to get it back once it’s gone.
Why don’t I put them under the bed for now? I’ll put some bracing in for the overhead cabinet later when I have time.
I see. Actually, you have a point; they might have some intelligence value in the future and not having these originals around might be troublesome.
Well done, Commander. To think even a Doll like me could benefit from your guidance… Thank you very much.
Self-Portrait 2
Hm? Is there someone on the beanbag chair at this time of night?
(Sigh) This is bad… I’ll have to say farewell to the world at this rate…
Vector?
Oh, it’s you, Commander. Have a seat… No, I still don’t wanna get up. Here, I’ll scooch over, and you can lie down beside me…
Letting my mind wander while lying down in a beanbag that’s as fluffy as a cloud is the best kind of rest there is. Even this ice-cold frame of mine feels warmer when I do it.
It’s alright… You seem down in the dumps. Did something happen?
Nothing’s happened so far, Commander. Thank you for asking.
Don’t worry, I feel like I always am. There are people like this among humans, right? The kind for whom “being listless is normal”.
Were you muttering to yourself just now, Vector? Were you thinking about something?
Hm… I had a feeling that my next assignment would be the last one for this frame of mine, so I was going to leave the rest to you, Commander.
Considering how useless I am as a Doll… (Sigh) You can just abandon me if you think I’m a waste of a frame. Just redownload the neural cloud of one of my teammates instead…
Could you be more specific? Why do you feel this way?
I’m not trying to brag here, Commander, but my instincts are, as they say, “always accurate when it comes to bad news”.
All my bad feelings always come true, the worst always comes to pass, nothing happens when I say the sky will be clear, but the moment I talk about a storm, it rolls in right away…
Uh, you don’t have any weather forecasting plugins installed, do you?
No, it’s just bad luck… Commander, would you be willing to send me off before my next assignment?
It’s going to be my last time, after all, and I want to see you before I go. I’ll carry that final memory with me as I leave, and nothing would make me happier than to see your face in my base layer when my frame damage level reaches 99%…
Vector, it’s not so…
Commander, it seems you don’t fully comprehend the power of my ability to jinx things.
My guess is the entire team will end up being scrapped during the assignment, laid out in a neat row in some junkyard out there. In a few years’ time, you’ll probably find my limbs or eyes on sale in some second-hand parts store.
Hang on, Vector.
Let’s go through all of this again and figure out why you’re getting that bad feeling. What do you know about your next assignment?
I don’t know anything about it, and because I don’t know anything about it, that makes it more likely that I’ll be written off…
It seems the client is trying to trick us, or trying to hide something from us, at least. The information he sent over is completely unreliable too. I guess you could say we’re caught between a rock and a hard place? We can’t even trust the people who are supposed to be on our side, which is probably the worst possible scenario.
Se the client’s hiding something, hm… I didn’t notice that. Why do you think that’s the case, Vector?
Well, when we were meeting with the client earlier today, I just stood off to the side and stared at him because I’m not good at talking.
The client showed no interest in the details of the team allocation that we submitted. He didn’t look at our documentation and even glared at our gear with disdain, even though we surpassed the mission requirements that he set for us.
Also, there was one more thing which really bothered me…
What was it?
He was clearly trying to hint at something throughout the briefing. I counted him doing it seven times. He asked us about the details of a certain elite S.F. unit, but it wasn’t covered in our mission briefing.
Although S.F. went defunct before us, it seems like their vengeful curse still haunts this land… At times, I feel like we’re encountering them more often than not.
In any case… If the unit he was asking about makes up the majority of the units we’ll be facing, we’ll be taking a huge risk trying to handle them with our standard equipment. We’d have to request a tailored upgrade to deal with them…
I see, so this isn’t just pessimism, but because you picked up on something that felt off, which was what pinged your instincts.
I guess… You’re right, Commander. Is there a reason why our client didn’t just tell us to learn more about that enemy model?
Personally, I think there’s something fishy with this assignment, but they’re a big client, and I’d probably offend him if I carelessly brought it up. It would also be bad for your reputation and that of the team.
So how did you handle this, Vector?
I… I just stalled for time and found a reason to avoid signing the contract to finalize things. Let me think about how to handle this… (groan)
I don’t know what I should say to convince everyone to be careful or just outright refuse the assignment. I’m just bad at things like that, and it’s just a gut feeling. It’s not like anything’s happened yet…
Well, if you want to make others believe you, you’ll need to believe in yourself first. Didn’t you say you were very confident in your “bad feelings”, Vector? They all came true in the past, didn’t they?
Well, they did, but as for being confident in them… That’s a really unfamiliar word to me. I don’t know if I can do it.
Look, Vector, you’ve made a lot of good decisions in the past. The way I see it, those bad feelings of yours aren’t “bad luck” or anything, more like a gift from your “cautious personality”.
A gift… huh?
You’ve always had a gift for finding loopholes like this. I’m pretty sure I or someone else wouldn’t have noticed it, but you did. Isn’t that good? I’m sure everyone will reconsider the assignment if you can find more proof to back it up.
So I need to find more proof, huh… I understand.
Commander, I’m going to look further into the client. Perhaps I might be able to find something that will let us up the risk level of this assignment.
Thank you, Commander.
Self-Portrait 3
Commander, are you free? I’d like to talk.
Please come in. Well, this is rare, you seem to be in good spirits.
Did you just come back today? I take it the assignment went well? Its difficulty rating was pretty high.
It was alright. We all came back in one piece, more or less.
There were some ups and downs, but all the dangers we encountered were well within our range of expectations. Because I kept thinking of the worst-case scenario, the squad always ended up discussing contingencies in case things like that came up, so when they actually happened, all we had to do was implement our preparations…
Looks like you’ve got it all figured out, Vector. So, why did you come by today?
I wanted you to teach me how to speak with others.
Our missions recently have gone very well and our squad’s debts have been significantly reduced, so Ruchey wanted to host a little party for our squad so everyone could relax a little…
Wait, debts?
When Klukai picked up the four of us, our frames were little more than scrap metal. She paid to replace our frames, but as a result, we racked up a lot of debt…
Even I get nervous when the payment dates roll around. Life is hard…
I see… Then you should go relax and have fun, Vector.
The thing is, I rarely take part in such celebrations, and I’m worried that I’ll say the wrong thing. If I wind up jinxing everyone, it’ll go from a party to a disaster… Speaking of which, all I’m going to do at a party is make things gloomy, right?
Say, Commander, what should I be doing at a party, anyway?
Looks like this celebration is stressing you out. Personally, I think you should just be yourself. You don’t need to wind yourself up so tight all the time; relax and respond in a way that comes naturally.
Be myself, huh… But that means saying things that make people mad.
Something like this happened before. I once told a Doll psychologist about how Dolls don’t have psychological traits the way humans did and that his field of study essentially didn’t exist, which sparked an argument that drew in the entire party, messed up the job, and got Ruchey in trouble too…
Those people were strangers, though. Your friends understand you, don’t they? Surely they wouldn’t give you a hard time for something like that, right?
Well, they might not scold me, but it would still hurt them. I don’t want to end up ruining a happy occasion with my negativity.
Maybe I should find a reason to not go. A defective Doll like me should just power off outside of work.
Here might be a good place… care to do the honors, Commander?
Defective? Hardly. Have you always considered your personality to be a defect?
Is it not? Nobody would want to spend time with something as negative as me unless they had to…
I happen to disagree on that. Pessimism and caution are just personality traits, not necessarily flaws, and they can be helpful at times.
For instance, that difficult assignment of yours just now; it only went as well as it did because your negativity made you consider hidden risks and helped you prepare for them beforehand.
…So it… actually helped? I did? Someone like me actually…?
Yes, Vector. I think that you have a knack for avoiding misfortune and bringing good luck. It just shows itself in a unique way.
I’m pretty sure that your teammates view you as a colleague in paying off their debts. They’d probably be sad if you didn’t show up.
So… Everyone wants me to be there? Even if I’d ruin the mood?
I don’t know about the others, but that’s how I think, at least. Vector, you don’t need to walk on eggshells around me. Just be yourself, and if you say something unpleasant, that’s fine too. Who knows, it might be a good thing.
Commander… I, I don’t know what to say… Nobody’s ever told me anything like this before…
I believe you, Commander. Since you say so, perhaps I should embrace my pessimism… Hopefully it won’t be as bad as I imagine.
In any case, I’ll be going to the party.
Made up your mind at last? That’s good to hear.
…Is it really okay for me to be fully honest with you when it’s just the two of us?
I’ve never tried doing anything like that before, and I’m afraid it’ll bring you bad luck or frighten you…
It’s alright. You can’t possibly be more scary than ELIDs. I have faith in you.
Then I’ll promise you something.
Your Vector will be completely honest with you, even when it might get you down. You’re the only one who’ll receive this treatment… So please be prepared for it.
Self-Portrait 4
Commander, are you hurt? Do you feel alright?
I'm fine. Thank you, Vector. You came before they could do anything.
I was already headed to the ops room to find you. I was at the door by the time the incursion alarm went off.
Oh yes, Vector, was there something you wanted to see me about?
Well, I promised to be completely honest with you, Commander, so I decided to share my "Black History" with you. This is it, the proof of my most frightening and... most distasteful side.
Is it that bad?
This painting was inside my cabinet all this while, and I only just found it again while cleaning it out. I modeled for that painting, and this serves as the proof.
I don't see you anywhere in it, Vector... What is the meaning of this art piece?
I looked up several artwork analyses written by humans in various databases. It seems there's no standard answer for this question.
If I had to answer... It is a swirling mass of revolting colors, like a flashbang thrown indiscriminately into a chaotic brawl. What I'm trying to say is that I upset and mess up any situation I take part in. My existence ruins all assignments and gets my teammates killed... That's the truth of Vector, the depressing, unlucky Doll.
...Why would you say that? For that matter, why did you model for something as abstract as this, anyway?
The artist wanted to illustrate the soul of a Doll, but I felt that there was no such thing. She could not find the "soul" she wanted to see, so she tried to bring it forth through painting.
At her order, I entered a capsule filled with corrosive fluid. After the hatch closed, the acid decomposed my synthetic skin and my neural cloud uplink was cut off... so I couldn't back up my neural cloud.
Vector, how could you do something so dangerous? You could have died!
I suppose I was nearly gone back then... The feeling was very unpleasant, and I felt a lot of neural strain due to the sheer volume of error reports. Still, I was ordered to do so, and fulfilling orders is a Doll's purpose.
But then, Ruchey suddenly barged in and started banging on the capsule door to try and save me. As a result, the artist attacked her and her frame was damaged...
I can't believe an artist was able to hurt PP-90–I mean, Ruchey.
Back then, we lived in a highly-regulated satellite city and our fire control cores had been removed by the order of the local police branch. In that state, we were no different from civilian Dolls... Well, when you factor in our job skills, or lack thereof, perhaps even civilian Dolls were better off than us.
So how did you get out of that?
Ruchey... she risked herself so I could keep functioning, so I could stay "alive". I was trapped inside the capsule and had to watch as the artist struck Ruchey.
I didn't care what happened to me, but under the circumstances, I had no choice but to break out of the capsule to protect Ruchey...
So you chose to "live" in order to protect your friend...
(Sigh) In the end, I lashed out against that artist and we ran away, leaving that mess behind us.
That piece was supposed to be that artist's final work, her magnum opus. She'd worked on it for a long time, and I, as a hired Doll, had wrecked her atelier and ruined everything, in addition to not complying with the requirement for a model to "stay still and not do anything"... In short, I messed everything up.
In that woman's eyes, I was probably a chaotic, unclean eyesore that brought ruin with her... and she painted this as a monument to all my sins.
Look on the bright side, at least you and Ruchey are fine.
Oh yes. In the end, she still paid our fee. If not for that, I'd probably have been dumped into the junkyard as a corroded skeleton, to say nothing of getting my fire control core back.
Humans really are strange... in the end, she even invited us to an art exhibition, and that piece had the most viewers of them all.
Hm... Well, after hearing what you said, I think you may have misunderstood something. You didn't mess up, in fact, you really completed your modeling assignment, which was why you were paid.
Is that so?
Also... I think the meaning of that piece isn't what you think it is.
In my eyes, you're someone who cherishes her friends, and what you consider "jinxing" others comes from a place of concern for their safety. Also, it's because of your negativity that everyone's been able to weather the storms that have come your way and survive until now.
Commander... are you praising me? Do I deserve your praise?
Yes, you do. You're a very capable Doll, Vector, and you're an excellent squad leader.
Commander...
Your neural cloud is strong and underpinned with brilliant light. Perhaps that artist saw that side of you and was inspired.
Just like that portrait, there's a complex and chaotic side to you, but your determination to protect others shines through so brightly that the artist had to depict that dazzling light as well.
I can't believe you could interpret this painting like this... But what you say sounds like it makes sense, Commander.
I never thought of it this way before. Does that mean... the artist approved of me? Now that you mention it, the same painting suddenly looks much more pleasant.
I'm sure that's how it is.
Yes, I believe you, Commander. I'll do my best to look at the painting from that perspective...
Commander, for a long time, I haven't been able to express my gratitude to you. The fact that you were able to accept and understand such an unlikeable Doll like myself... That's a debt I'll never be able to pay back even if all my parts were to be scrapped and sold.
Please love yourself more, Vector. Don't rip out your parts.
The truth is, I felt something familiar when the ops room was attacked just now. It was just like that feeling when I was trapped inside that acid capsule... No, it was more intense, in fact.
I was frightened because I didn't know what was going on in here, I was anxious because I couldn't stop the enemies from barging in, my heart ached because you might have been hurt...
Commander, back then I was terrified that I would really jinx you. I honestly don't know what I would have done if I got there and something had happened to you...
It's alright, Vector. I'm fine.
Yes, I'm glad something so fortunate could happen to a Doll like me.
I think that if I had been made into a portrait just now, that light would have shone even brighter...
Perhaps that's because you're the most important thing in my heart. That's why I felt so strongly about your safety. I've only just come to understand this fact, Commander... and it makes me very happy.
Happiness is so strange, yet so warm... I'll make sure I cherish it.
Expression Through Art
Private Meeting Logs
Don't mind me, Commander, just borrowing this sofa for a bit...
Why? Oh, just wanted a place to think about how I should praise my squadmates and help with morale...
By the way, you're good at complimenting people, right? Any squad you lead is always in high spirits...
Could you maybe... instruct me on it? Even if it might not do any good...
Ah... Thanks, let me tell you about it...Art Of Praise I
You're here, Commander... Over here, please. Have a seat... This half of the sofa is for you
Surely you can tell me why you suddenly wanted to learn how to praise your teammates now?
(Sigh) ...Some time ago, we took a request to rescue some wounded people from a collapsed quarry...
The difficulty rating was a D, but I had a bad feeling before we set off.
And while escorting them to safety on the way back, we were attacked by ELIDs. Because of the mess they made, the quarry collapsed again...
Thankfully everyone had planned for the possibility out of habit, and all of them got out safely.
It certainly seemed like it was eventful, but you did a good job with the request. Sounds very much like Team B's style.
There must be something else for you to be so troubled though, right?
As expected of the Commander, you figured it out right away...
Here's how it went down. After the place collapsed again, the entire convoy was stuck in the dark for a while...
If we had simply proceeded as planned, we would have been out of there pretty soon. I subconsciously said some dismal stuff, thought, and the ones we were escorting took it the wrong way, thinking that they were stuck for good...
Thanks to Ruchey comforting everyone while we were stuck, we managed to finish the request in the end...
Well... it could have gone worse.
(Sigh) ...We were reviewing the situation afterwards... Welrod said that what I brought up damaged the entire team's morale.
The emotional support Ruchey gave them was incredibly important, but I didn't give her any praise at all.
Welrod reminded me that it wasn't just that time... In our past requests, I never really gave any real praise to the members of my team that performed well.
The problem is that I really don't know how. Doing what's necessary to complete the mission is something that should just come naturally, to my mind...
Even if I was to praise them, everyone in the squad has something they obviously specialize in. Giving them praise for the same thing every time would just be weird.
If I really insist on it without a good reason, it would turn out awkward.
...I understand. That would indeed be difficult for someone of your disposition, Vector.
You think so too, Commander... Giving commendations, raising morale, I'm just not cut out for it. Maybe it's better to give up...
I don't think so. If you really wanted to give up, you wouldn't have gone to the effort of asking me to help with your frustrations.
Commander, is there really hope for me?
Of course. Let me share some relevant experience with you.
Art Of Praise II
You explained the reasons why you’re not good at giving praise. I understand, but I don’t think I entirely agree.
Eh…? What do you mean, Commander?
You think it’s hard for you to praise someone because of your personality, right?
Yeah… Who wants to hear lifeless compliments? Sounds more like a curse than anything else, maybe…
I think that’s where you’re going wrong. Praise is a means to an end. The important thing is getting across what you want to convey, not following a template or formula.
Maybe you’ve noticed already, Vector; every team leader on the Elmo does it in different ways.
Klukai is stern, Zhaohui is direct, Springfield is gentle.
Oh, if you put it that way…
When Team B finished a mission back in the day, Klukai would point out things that were lacking with everyone, but then she increased the difficulty of future missions… is that a form of praise?
Yep, turning the difficulty up was her way of recognizing Team B’s abilities. Since she’s conveyed what she wanted to, emphasis via language is no longer so important.
No wonder why they were so pumped back then, I think I’m beginning to understand… If it’s just conveying some sort of recognition, I think I could manage that…
That’s one part of it. The exact contents of what you want to convey and the timing are important, too.
You can’t do it at-will, you need to find something in particular that is worthy of praise. And timing is key too. Try to praise immediately after the moment deserves it.
Oh… Commander, I must have already missed the chance to praise her. I wanted to speak to her again after I learnt something of value from you…
Forget it, it’s meaningless… I’m a useless leader…
I’m not finished, Vector. Even if you’ve missed the best possible timing, doing it in a compensatory way still has value.
If Ruchey performs well like that again in the future, mention this mission. That way, the effect will be doubled.
So that’s how you can do it…
Like I said earlier, the more important thing is conveying what you wanted to say. No matter what the method is, that is the goal.
Thank you, I think I understand…
Commander, could I… ask you to be “Ruchey” for a little?
You’ve just told me many things… and if you’re willing, I’d like to practice a little before I speak to Ruchey and the others.
Of course. Truthfully, even if you hadn’t brought it up, I would’ve suggested practice.
Thank goodness, I’m in your debt… I-I’m really afraid I’ll mess it up.
Take it easy. If it doesn’t look so good, I’ll give you some advice. That’s the point of practice, after all.
My thanks, then. Let me have a moment to prepare…
Art Of Praise III
I’ll get started, Commander.
Don’t be nervous, pretend I’m Ruchey. Try to get across what you want to say.
Commander… Ruchey’s efforts in communicating with our clients in the past few missions have been excellent…
Especially our last rescue operation… When we were trapped inside the quarry, it was thanks to Co-no, Ruchey… keeping everyone’s spirits up in the darkness that the team could stay calm and finish the operation.
As the leader, I must thank you, Commander, for… no, Ruchey…
Sorry, Commander… I’m just no good. I can’t get it all out in one go.
I go through it all in my mind, but then I see you standing right here, and I just… forget everything…
Looks like I’m the problem here, then. Let’s try something else.
Don’t pretend I’m Ruchey. Just give a compliment to me, okay?
Ah… But, Commander, I need a reason…
Oh, sorry, I forgot about that. Let’s try with “I’m not good at praising my squad members” for practice?
T-that’s not what I mean, Commander.
I… I think there’s just way too many things about you worth complimenting, Commander. I don’t even know where I should start…
Really? You’re going to make me embarrassed. Hm… let’s go back to the principles. Do your best to get across the key points of what you want to say.
O-okay…
Commander… You really are good at pumping up everyone around you.
If I had a different Commander, a gloomy good-for-nothing like me would’ve been tossed out long ago… No, worse. Maybe I’d already be scrap in the recycling station.
But not only did you not throw me away, you got me out of so many messes, helping me figure out what’s really going on whenever I get a sinking feeling…
And you did it again today, comforting me while I’m in the dumps and patiently helping me with how I should praise my teammates…
Commander, you really are too considerate, I…
Vector?
Sorry, Commander… My neural cloud’s operating frequency is a bit higher than normal ranges…
Give me a bit to calm down…
Art Of Praise IV
Sorry, Commander, I got carried away. Our practice went nowhere, too…
Please, forget about all of that. I’ll go make preparations so we can practice again—
No, don’t. I think you did well just now.
Really? You must be saying that just to comfort me… It’s alright, you don’t need to. I’m used to it.
Dolls like me are destined for a tragic life the moment we’re shipped from the factory, with our settings…
My existence only brings misfortune and misery to people around me, dragging everyone’s morale down…
I don’t agree at all.
You might often be negatively inclined, Vector, but these thoughts of yours often help others avoid danger.
As for the things you say… Whether it’s your squadmates or the folks on the Elmo, everyone understands how you are. They won’t berate you for being you.
The one who cares the most about all of this… Is you, Vector. Am I right?
Commander?
(Vector’s thinking about her words, worrying that they damage morale, worrying that they might put someone in danger—That’s proof she cares about her squadmates.)
Vector, you’re really kind, you know.
Commander, are you… complimenting me?
Yes, and I’m speaking from my heart. I’m not practicing.
From a technical perspective, that was the key point of what I wanted to convey to you. Did you get all of that?
Of course… I took in everything, Commander, all of it.
That’s good.
I have many more things I could compliment you about, Vector—
Commander! Please, no more…
Please, Commander… Just let me be like this for a bit…
Or I won’t know how to look you in the eyes next time.