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Voymastina/Profile
| Voymastina | Story | Profile | Quotes |
"I can't sleep yet, I still have work to do..."
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Record 1
Unit 1 of the "Wolf Pack" T-Doll research project. Directed by Statesec and funded by a certain individual of high standing in the URNC over a decade ago. She holds the title of the "World's Strongest Doll".
As Samantha Shaw had hoped, Voymastina was a most excellent weapon, executing a large number of anti-terrorism missions soon after she was put into action. With unmatched results, she took the spotlight with a string of dazzling performances, garnering widespread acclaim for the "Wolf Pack Project".
Equipped with the "Wolf's Eye", an integrated data collection & analysis system developed by Samantha Shaw, Voymastina is capable of grasping every available piece of information within her vision. Its permanently active nature means that whenever Voymastina's eyes are open, a veritable ocean of information continually pours into her neural cloud. The vast majority of her computing power is used for processing this data.
Undoubtedly, such functionality was a fine asset for a weapon. However, neither Shaw nor Voymastina herself came to realize this system's hidden inherent flaws.
Record 2
Like other Dolls, Voymastina is rich in emotion.
This truth, as objective as it was, went unadmitted by those around her for quite some time.
Driven by Dr. Shaw's expectations and, more importantly, the influence of the Wolf's Eye system—whose design prioritized functionality—Voymastina's emotions remained repressed for extended periods. Frankly speaking, the Wolf's Eye demanded the majority of her neural cloud's computing power, thus leaving her bereft of the impetus that would be needed to drive her emotional simulators. Subjectively, though, her creator, Samantha Shaw, also wished for her to almost never display emotion.
Shaw defined Voymastina as the ultimate weapon, a definition that bled into others' perception of her. Voymastina readily accepted this interpretation and worked to realize it, viewing displays of emotions as weakness and even rejecting the existence of her emotions altogether. She applied every notion that defined a "weapon" to herself.
In the end, this course of action yielded results that surprised both Voymastina herself and her creator.
Record 3
After being defeated by AK-12 in a one-on-one duel with the "principle of overcoming strength with weakness", Voymastina committed herself to studying combat techniques with fervor, even greatly changing her combat style in the process.
In her initial mission outings, out of her faith in her own armor, Voymastina did not consider any damage short of fatal damage as any loss at all. She would barge through the enemy formation like an armored engine, making a beeline for nothing but her target. She would call these methods "efficient", though they had the cost of the amassed repair bills that bore a great weight on Statesec.
After her showdown with AK-12, she found value in moving judiciously. Even against a foe far weaker than herself, she would take a far more measured approach, making sure to minimize her own losses. In her revenge battle against Gray, this difference in her was of particular note, having led her to defeat that shrewd and powerful adversary with only minor damage to her exterior plating. If not for the obstructive wave tactics Gray employed later, she would have been confident in her ability to end the encounter unharmed.
"Oh dear, she was already terrifying enough. Now she's gone and grown a brain, too. If she was like this from the very beginning, I wouldn't have suggested that duel with her in a million years—I'd wager she'll never lose to anyone else ever again."
Record 4
Voymastina cares not for her appearance.
This comes as little surprise to most, considering the impression she always gives off. If not for her previous Leader's and logistics crew's insistence, chances are that she wouldn't even bother to mend her damaged synthetic skin during her ten years of wandering the Yellow Zone.
To prevent the scenario of Voymastina taking after an Aegis' visual style, Alva took up the duty of taking care of her appearance, including maintaining Voymastina's synthetic skin and a variety of other processes that were completely meaningless by Voymastina's standards—such as doing her hair.
Voymastina even displayed a rare instance of resistance towards this initially. She typically paid no mind to what Alva did with her, but she found herself unsettled by this without being able to find a proper reason as to why.
This didn't continue for long, though. On a certain day, she took the initiative in putting forward a request that shocked Alva. She had never received a single bit of feedback or suggestions from Voymastina about the matter of looks, aside from this instance.
"You said you had a hairstyle in mind, right? What might it be?"
"...Braids."
Alva quickly understood what Voymastina meant.
She couldn't put a finger on what exactly that feeling was, just like how she wouldn't know just what was going through Voymastina's head—at the sight of that familiar hairstyle in the mirror again.
But from then on, that hairstyle would be Voymastina's.
Once more.
Record 5
"Envy."
That word comes from a Doll Voymastina would rather not speak of. As they would describe it, Voymastina harbors the emotion named envy towards AK-12, another member of Task Force DEFY.
Many people attribute the cause of this to the intense emotions and obsession felt by Voymastina after her defeat in a privately arranged bout, considering her pride in herself as an ultimate "weapon". Or perhaps they're but mere inanities spewed by a Doll well-used to bantering deliriously, spoken as nothing more than taunts.
Alva gradually grew to understand what those words truly meant after working as Voymastina's partner for many years, however.
"Envy" casts the shadow of "loneliness".
The "Wolf's Eye" grants Voymastina unmatched prowess in combat, but also strips her of her right to come to grips with the world conventionally. There was not a second individual who viewed the world in the same way she did, and Voymastina instead felt an incomprehensible loneliness, even if she herself didn't realize it.
For that exact reason, we must imagine Voymastina expectant when she first heard of AK-12's existence, looking forward to the birth of her only kin.
This yearning vanished when AK-12 appeared before her eyes.
What Voymastina despised was not AK-12's spontaneous disposition or unique command style, but her unique "eyes", furnished with features that Voymastina did not have.
By simply closing her eyes, AK-12 can observe the world as other Dolls do, only activating the "Wolf's Eye" system when her eyes are open. She was Voymastina's kin, yet she was different. She couldn't feel the same loneliness, nor did she bear the same expectations to be a "weapon". All of this felt like a betrayal to Voymastina.
...This is why, as of now, her animosity towards AK-12 has largely faded. She feels lonely no longer, and her compulsion towards AK-12 has naturally disappeared.
Even if the Doll that eased the loneliness is no longer with her, she has no lack of trusted companions by her side who understand her.
Record 6
Voymastina is rarely seen without the "Sinbreaker" nowadays, always bringing this piece of equipment that is nothing short of a lethal weapon. Even so, she hasn't let up on her training, which piqued my curiosity.
"...The Sinbreaker is no conventional armor."
When I asked her out of pure curiosity, I had expected an answer like "It's not good to rely on equipment too much and ignore one's own strength". I never foresaw an answer as straightforward as the one I received.
"Unlike the 'Sinner', the 'Sinbreaker' was designed for Dolls from the moment of its conception. Put more precisely, it was designed only for me."
She speaks calmly as she wipes down the Sinbreaker's chassis.
"It is capable of covering allies, but has next to no protection for the pilot—That is why I still carry a firearm while operating it. Handling it requires significant strength, and a human inside would be turned into nothing but minced meat. An insufficiently strong Doll would be torn apart as well."
"Alva can manage three minutes inside."
"...I had no idea it was so terrifying." I can't help but be amazed. "By the way, is this another work of Dr. Shaw's? Why was something this impressive kept hidden away for so long? Same for... when your frame was upgraded."
"A great wall stands between design on paper and in reality." Voymastina answers me coolly. "There existed a series of challenges with material science when I was first being created. The one who solved those problems was Dr. Persica."
"Strength cannot be attained by simply fusing sturdy materials with expensive instruments. Even the purest steel can only be compressed so much."
"Ah, I get it." I nod. "I can score 100 points with 1 million Sardis gold, but even with a hundred million, I would not be able to score 101."
"The task for Dr. Shaw and the others was how they would surpass the limits in place. While designing me, Dr. Shaw's passion for her work came to its peak, and many of her concepts were retained as possible future modifications and upgrades for me."
"To Dr. Shaw, the AK-15, though considered the strongest at the time, was only the result of compromise after compromise, a far cry from the creation she had envisioned."
"...The Sinbreaker was one of Shaw's leftovers. Nele took over most of what Shaw left behind, and the Sinbreaker was the one deemed most replicable and beneficial to me among them. It took Nele quite some time, but the project was eventually a success."
"So that's how it came to be..." I nod, lightly caressing the powerful armor.
"...If Shaw were still here, she would have made Voymastina even more powerful, wouldn't she?"
The thought naturally came to me as our conversation reached this point. I knew well that those words should never be spoken.
"..."
Voymastina's hands stop wiping.
"Dr. Shaw has done all that she can."
As if she had perfectly seen through me or come to the same thought, she lightly mutters as she looks up at the Sinbreaker with absolute calm on her face.
"The rest should be left to me."
"...And the rest of us, too." I smiled, picking up the other towel in the bucket and began to work alongside her. "How long do you reckon I would last if I sat down in there?"
"No such thing will take place. I will not allow it."
Her expression is even more grave than usual.
She's still no good at making jokes.
Record 7
Voymastina is fond of more stimulating foods.
To be more accurate, she doesn't eat very often at all, but when there is no need for her to be out and about, she occasionally appears in the public area and eats in the same space as others.
At times like these, one gains the rare opportunity to find out about her personal tastes.
To start from the drinks she partakes in most, she rarely opts for Springfield's signature tea and coffee, drinking high proof vodka almost all of the time. Before downing it she tends to add pepper and accompanies it with raw ginger if the circumstances allow... I once tasted her brew and remember nothing of what came after, save for the resolve to never taste it again.
On top of her unique preferences in drinks, Voymastina is also rather avant-garde in her choice of food—she enjoys eating bones.
To be more accurate, she enjoys harder foods with sharp flavors.
Once at a meal gathering, she silently placed the remaining bones from the meal into her mouth, chewing them into bits with loud crunches and swallowing them without a single hint of emotion on her face.
It was such a disconcerting image that if Helena or Mayling were present, chances were they would've been scared to the point of tears.
That was far from the most disturbing instance, too.
"Oh... hey! I was practicing my cooking and accidentally made too much. Since you're here, y-you might as well help me finish all of this!"
Those words from Makiatto made me immediately regret walking into the public area.
I couldn't help but be curious, though. Makiatto's leaps and bounds in the culinary arts have been observed by many, but most of the time, she knows well how "potent" her work is. She rarely presents me with her "non-military small-scale lethal weapons".
For her to approach me like so, she must have been at least a little confident that time.
Catching onto what's going through my head, Makiatto places her hands on her hips, discontent. She raises a thumb, gesturing behind her: "See, she's already going at it and she's fine. Don't underestimate my abilities, okay?"
I look in the direction she's pointing to find Voymastina, gulping down the food on the plate before her in large bites.
She didn't look to be under duress (not that anyone on the Elmo could have placed her under duress), so could the food this time really not be that bad?
Naively coming to such conclusions, I had a taste, only to be immediately hauled off to the emergency room by Colphne.
After I came to, I learnt that Makiatto was virtually bouncing off the walls. Thankfully, the food was not toxic enough to do any real damage. Florence and Colphne initially wanted to dispose of the dangerous substance as medical professionals, only to find that Voymastina had already consumed all of it, and looked as though she wanted more.
...After that incident, everyone, myself included, gained a newfound reverence for Voymastina.
Record 8
Once Voymastina stopped maintaining a massive distance with everyone... to be exact, once Krolik bit the bullet before everyone else and approached her, many individuals became interested in sparring with her. Voymastina displayed no aversion to this, and rather, it became the only "group activity" she had any degree of enthusiasm for.
While passing by the training room, I often see her training against other Dolls.
Her opponents would often be Krolik, Klukai, and Qiongjiu. Occasionally Groza, Jiangyu, and Faye took part as well. Even Alva herself would join in the action from time to time, and in those cases the other Dolls would stand by and observe.
I've been part of the audience a few times, too. The pressure she exerts on her opponent is absolute, though it's different in nature from her presence on the battlefield. She never exerts any more force than would be necessary for "training", and even so, no one has managed to take a round off her yet.
I happened to spot her finishing up a spar with Krolik one day.
"...Gah, no way that's happening!" Krolik tumbles to the ground, catching her breath. "You've gotta be some kinda monster, right?!"
Voymastina only returns to a neutral stance, remaining silent. Watching as she moves without a single wasted motion, the soldier in me that had long lain dormant was stirred awake.
"Voymastina," I say before thinking it through. "Could I join in too?"
The training room immediately falls silent as Krolik and the Dolls in the audience look at me with disbelief.
"Hey, Commander, you sure about this?" Krolik puts a palm to her face. "I'm sure she'll hold back, but..."
"...Yes."
Voymastina nods. I wave my hand, reassuring Krolik: "It'll be fine. Voymastina won't hit me too hard."
As much as everyone trusted Voymastina to not do anything that would hurt me, they all still looked concerned... But it's not like that can be helped. Even I began to wonder if I was just being silly after the impulse had worn off.
We stand apace in the center of the training room, facing each other.
Voymastina remains emotionless while I let out a long breath. Speaking earnestly, in terms of CQB technique, I would be proficient among humans, but nowhere near the finest in the world. Even so, having practiced for as long as I did, I had some faith in myself... But what would faith do against the iron bastion before me?
"Swish—"
I make the first move, trying to take the initiative. The very next moment, I find myself landing on the ground backside first.
"Gah... that hurts..."
For once, Voymastina appears a little caught off guard. She remained emotionless, but her movements were no doubt frantic.
She helps me up, quickly assessing the state of my body—most likely worried for my bones.
"Apologies. I placed too much force in that."
"Oh, it's fine... ahaha... I'm only human, after all." I rub my posterior with a smile on my face. "Rather, you did pretty well not making it any worse for me."
Voymastina stares at me as if in thought.
I lament my poor decision made on a whim, preparing to leave and vacate the training room so that they could continue.
Voymastina places a hand on my shoulder.
"...Voymastina? What is it?"
"You're leaving many openings in your movements. I can help you train."
"Huh? No, wait, I'll be alright... It was just a spur-of-the-moment thing, h-hold on.... Help me, Krolik!"
What came after could be summarized as a piece of good news, and a piece of bad news.
The bad news is that no help came. Whether they wanted to simply watch me or were confident that Voymastina wouldn't hurt me I do not know, but the Dolls only observed, and a crowd even formed as time went on.
The good news is that Voymastina's training was highly effective.
An extra piece of bad news: my ass hurts.
An even further piece of bad news: Voymastina said she would be designating training regimens for me regularly.
"..."
Watching as I clutch my rear with a pained expression, Voymastina slowly closes her eyes.
"...The stronger you are, the more likely you are to come back alive."
I couldn't quite catch what she was muttering, but whenever she suggested again that she would help me train, I gladly accepted.
Memories
Bared Edges 1
After formally joining the Elmo with Alva, Voymastina and Alva are spending time on the crew deck. The Commander notes that Alva has been able to integrate with the Elmo crew. Meanwhile, Voymastina remains isolated despite Alva's efforts to help her. She sits stiffly by her lonesome, drinking vodka with crushed peppers. Away from her, some of the Elmo dolls and Mayling wonder if Voymastina hates them - a notion that both the Commander and Alva dismisses.
Alva explains that over the last decade the two of them have been fairly isolated, with much of their social interactions being with their support team. Even in those contexts, Alva does most of the talking. The Commander is reminded of how soldiers struggle with PTSD in peacetime and agrees to help Voymastina adjust to her new environment.
Bared Edges 2
The next day, the Commander finds Voymastina in the training room. She is told that everyone on the Elmo has a day off, and the Commander asks of her a private favor. The two of them go to the crew deck again, where Colphne, Krolik, and Qiuhua are in the middle of a TTRPG session. The three dolls hesitate for a moment before welcoming Voymastina to the table and do their best to help her get started. Voymastina creates a combat-optimized character with no backstory.
As the game progresses, Voymastina's playstyle is increasingly causing friction between her and the other dolls. Eventually, the others abandon the game, even with the Commander attempts at steering things away from a downward spiral. Voymastina apologizes to the Commander and states flatly that she was only attempting to win the game. The Commander realizes that the reason Voymastina fails to fit in is because she never intended to do so, and that the Commander's understanding of Voymastina is far too lacking.
Later on, the Commander confides in Alva about the events at the game table and their hidden observations of Voymastina. Her daily routine is utterly mechanical: she activates, checks her assignments, trains and maintains her equipment for the full day, and then returns to her dorm to enter standby mode. Voymastina is the polar opposite of the very human Alva, exhibiting almost no human traits. The Commander, however, is not discouraged. They believe that Voymastina is hiding something, and that this indicates that she must have some inherent, underlying emotion. Alva simply smiles mysteriously.
Bared Edges 3
Springfield had been observing the game session from her corner of the crew deck. Thinking back on it, she confers briefly with Centauressi and Makiatto before seeking out Voymastina on her own in a bid to help the Commander. Springfield finds Voymastina resting in the garage and invites her back to the crew deck bar under the guise of needing help with preparing a drink for the Commander. Voymastina follows her to the bar, but quickly indicates that she has seen through Springfield's lie.
Springfield offers Voymastina peppered vodka and a private conversation, but Voymastina only accepts the former, leaving Springfield to speak on her own. Confident in her plan, Springfield presents her observations and conclusions about the doll in front of her - that Voymastina cares about her allies, but also that she purposefully sabotaged the game out of fear of more intimate relationships. Voymastina quickly grows fed up and stands to leave. In a final attempt to break through, Springfield offers her support and asks Voymastina to trust her.
The word "trust" sets Voymastina off. In that moment, she sees RPK-16 in Springfield's place. In a flash of anger, Voymastina pulverizes a table by the bar and shuts Springfield up with a harsh and curt command. The Commander steps in and stops Voymastina. They send Springfield away for some rest and bring Voymastina with them to the top deck for air. Voymastina begins to apologize, but the Commander reassures her that Springfield will be fine. The Commander then, with some hesitance, lays out their own thoughts on the matter.
The Commander reveals that Alva has told them about how Voymastina has refused to add new members to DEFY. Voymastina explains that Alva and she are enough for their missions, but the Commander presses the issue and posits that Voymastina hasn't let go of RPK-16.
Bared Edges 4
Up on the top deck, in the cold night air, the Commander briefly reflects on the fact that their coming actions are cruel, but presses on. Voymastina listens as the Commander recounts what they have learned of her and DEFY's history from public records and from Alva. They touch on Shaw's expectations of Voymastina and how she met those ideals, the doll's clash with AK-12, the lost duel, Voymastina partnering with RPK-16 and how it changed her, and finally RPK-16's betrayal.
The Commander continues despite Voymastina's protests and the terrifying pressure she exerts. They walk through the pain and anger Voymastina must have felt back then, how the betrayal had stripped away her trust for others, and how she now prefers isolation. Voymastina's anger swells briefly before dissipating. The Commander reassures her that she is not at fault for having been betrayed, and that there is value and strength in new relationships. Voymastina is unable to give an answer to the Commander's faith in her strength and is left contemplating on the top deck. On their way back inside, the Commander comes across Alva, who admits to eavesdropping.
Alva confides in the Commander again. She had been unwilling to reopen the scars from DEFY's messy past, but when she saw how Voymastina acted on the Elmo, she couldn't sit idly by and involved the Commander. The Commander does not understand why Voymastina trusts them so much, having previously had little contact. Alva explains that Ange's trust in the Commander is reflected in Voymastina. She also assures that DEFY isn't trying to replace Ange with the Commander, but that they trust the Commander with their ideals. Before she leaves, Alva comments that Voymastina will come around.
A while later, Voymastina offers an apology to Springfield for her outburst. Over time, she manages to interact with the Elmo crew more and more, but at the same time begins to avoid the Commander. The Commander resigns themselves to the idea that they have traded their relationship with Voymastina in exchange for her getting along better with the crew, but that it's a price they are willing to pay. A week later, Voymastina is the assigned as adjutant for the day, and the two finally have some time to talk.
Voymastina reflects on her past actions and admits to having avoided the Commander. Over the course of their conversation, Voymastina reveals that their talk on the top deck gave her much to consider, and that with so much of her processing power dedicated to her combat systems, it has taken a full week to reach a conclusion. She has come to terms with the fact that the Commander is no longer the same as Ange in her mind, and that she is finally willing to accept the Commander as their new commanding officer, rather than someone extended trust because of Ange. Voymastina offers the Commander a salute, who returns in earnest.
Sheathing the Sword
Following Voymastina's declaration, the Commander muses on Alva's growth over the last decade and how she managed to lead the Commander into helping her partner. Voymastina simply agrees with Alva's judgment. The Commander takes the chance to compliment Voymastina on her own growth and curiously wonders aloud why she simply referred to Ange by name in the past. Voymastina is unable to answer, and the Commander leaves it at that. When they then ask for documents, Voymastina uses their name instead of calling them "Commander". The Commander is surprised, but when Voymastina does not react, they return their focus to the work at hand with newfound energy.
Private Meeting Logs
Commander, I see that you've assigned me a new mission.
Hm... No, it's nothing. I just found the nature of the mission a bit unusual.
However, you don't seem to have approved the funding for the mission yet...
Please process the funding application when you have time.
Roger that. I'll get to it right away.Out Of Control Relationship I
Out Of Control Relationship II
Out Of Control Relationship III
Out Of Control Relationship IV
Tea Time
About the Elmo
It's been a while since you came aboard the Elmo. Feeling at home yet?
My feelings are irrelevant, but why do you ask? Is my performance not up to your expectations?
Uh...No, I'm just asking out of concern.
Please don't worry about me. I will always complete the tasks you assign to me in a timely manner regardless of what state I'm in.
About Nostalgia
Do you ever feel nostalgic - Uh, I suppose you don't experience such feelings, am I right?
I see you have come to know me very well during the time we've spent in each other's company.
You're right, the sentiment known as nostalgia is merely redundant data to me.
Though lately I have found myself pondering whether all this seemingly pointless data is not so pointless after all.About Hobbies
Do you have any hobbies?
No.
Huh...? Uh, way to kill the conversation...
I understand your intentions, but the trust between us needs not be maintained through such time-consuming small talk, Commander.