"I... work for myself. I used to be on a research team."
He does not notice Sonucus.
"So what did you research?"
"Ehm. Physics, really. Optics, particle physics, mostly. I did some work in chemistry, molecular biology... I was really something of a Renaissance man."
"Ehm. Physics, really. Optics, particle physics, mostly. I did some work in chemistry, molecular biology... I was really something of a Renaissance man."
"Ehm. Physics, really. Optics, particle physics, mostly. I did some work in chemistry, molecular biology... I was really something of a Renaissance man."
"So whatcha doing now?"
"Studying. It's interesting to see how the robot's animals interact with the natural animals here."
"Ehm. Physics, really. Optics, particle physics, mostly. I did some work in chemistry, molecular biology... I was really something of a Renaissance man."
He looks up and sees Sonucus. The being is clearly not nanotech.
"Well, hello there. It's a fine day to be hiking."
Sonucus shoots a wary glance at the Order Vahki
"Yes, much so. Who are these?" he asks, modulating his voice to sound like himself as Carlinus remembers.
His eyes flash with recognition. "They're... ahm... robo..." Carlinus trails off, then calmly, mechanically puts away his pencil and sketchbook, returning them to a pocket in his coat. He rises and looks at the Vahki. "This is about to be very important business. I'm sorry to cut you off."
With that, he walks up to Sonucus and punches him in the face; his knuckles only remaining intact with the assistance of his leatherlike gloves. Carlinus then steps back and looks the fellow scientist in the eye. "I apologize for my conduct. It was unwarranted."
"Yes, much so. Who are these?" he asks, modulating his voice to sound like himself as Carlinus remembers.
His eyes flash with recognition. "They're... ahm... robo..." Carlinus trails off, then calmly, mechanically puts away his pencil and sketchbook, returning them to a pocket in his coat. He rises and looks at the Vahki. "This is about to be very important business. I'm sorry to cut you off."
With that, he walks up to Sonucus and punches him in the face; his knuckles only remaining intact with the assistance of his leatherlike gloves. Carlinus then steps back and looks the fellow scientist in the eye. "I apologize for my conduct. It was unwarranted."
The Vahki look at both of them undecided on what to do.
"Yes, much so. Who are these?" he asks, modulating his voice to sound like himself as Carlinus remembers.
His eyes flash with recognition. "They're... ahm... robo..." Carlinus trails off, then calmly, mechanically puts away his pencil and sketchbook, returning them to a pocket in his coat. He rises and looks at the Vahki. "This is about to be very important business. I'm sorry to cut you off."
With that, he walks up to Sonucus and punches him in the face; his knuckles only remaining intact with the assistance of his leatherlike gloves. Carlinus then steps back and looks the fellow scientist in the eye. "I apologize for my conduct. It was unwarranted."
The autocompensators built into the Phantoka Nui keep it perfectly still.
The suit folds outwards, allowing Sonucus to step out with a tired and rather annoyed expression on his face. "What happened to you all? You've all started.... Meddling again. Galaxia, I don't even know what the others are going on about, etcetera, etcetera. The robot accomplishes its job, I get back, and most of you have all gone stark raving mad!"
His eyes flash with recognition. "They're... ahm... robo..." Carlinus trails off, then calmly, mechanically puts away his pencil and sketchbook, returning them to a pocket in his coat. He rises and looks at the Vahki. "This is about to be very important business. I'm sorry to cut you off."
With that, he walks up to Sonucus and punches him in the face; his knuckles only remaining intact with the assistance of his leatherlike gloves. Carlinus then steps back and looks the fellow scientist in the eye. "I apologize for my conduct. It was unwarranted."
The autocompensators built into the Phantoka Nui keep it perfectly still.
The suit folds outwards, allowing Sonucus to step out with a tired and rather annoyed expression on his face. "What happened to you all? You've all started.... Meddling again. Galaxia, I don't even know what the others are going on about, etcetera, etcetera. The robot accomplishes its job, I get back, and most of you have all gone stark raving mad!"
Carlinus is driven too far. "I've gone mad? I've gone mad? This planet is what went mad! Look around! We've had a hundred millennia of insanity! Do you know what happened after the giant death machine left? The people here started an organized fighting circuit to compete for resources! It was driven so deeply into our culture that we aren't even called the same name anymore. We're Glatorian -- warriors, and that's all anyone seems to think we'll ever be. If you think I'm the one who has too much conflict, how about you look around you?"
He sighs, and seemingly self-defeated, sits back on the rock, slumped over. "I've been in the outside world for two hours, and all I can see is that nothing's changed."
The autocompensators built into the Phantoka Nui keep it perfectly still.
The suit folds outwards, allowing Sonucus to step out with a tired and rather annoyed expression on his face. "What happened to you all? You've all started.... Meddling again. Galaxia, I don't even know what the others are going on about, etcetera, etcetera. The robot accomplishes its job, I get back, and most of you have all gone stark raving mad!"
Carlinus is driven too far. "I've gone mad? I've gone mad? This planet is what went mad! Look around! We've had a hundred millennia of insanity! Do you know what happened after the giant death machine left? The people here started an organized fighting circuit to compete for resources! It was driven so deeply into our culture that we aren't even called the same name anymore. We're Glatorian -- warriors, and that's all anyone seems to think we'll ever be. If you think I'm the one who has too much conflict, how about you look around you?"
He sighs, and seemingly self-defeated, sits back on the rock, slumped over. "I've been in the outside world for two hours, and all I can see is that nothing's changed."
"No, I don't know what happened after the robot was launched, because unlike most of you I actually cared if it worked. And it has changed. It's gotten worse from what was in the robot. Sure, there were the Makuta, but they were fightable. Now all of the others are meddling, Atero's spiralling towards Metru Nui's Dark Ages, and there's just about nobody actually interested in anything useful."
Carlinus is driven too far. "I've gone mad? I've gone mad? This planet is what went mad! Look around! We've had a hundred millennia of insanity! Do you know what happened after the giant death machine left? The people here started an organized fighting circuit to compete for resources! It was driven so deeply into our culture that we aren't even called the same name anymore. We're Glatorian -- warriors, and that's all anyone seems to think we'll ever be. If you think I'm the one who has too much conflict, how about you look around you?"
He sighs, and seemingly self-defeated, sits back on the rock, slumped over. "I've been in the outside world for two hours, and all I can see is that nothing's changed."
"No, I don't know what happened after the robot was launched, because unlike most of you I actually cared if it worked. And it has changed. It's gotten worse from what was in the robot. Sure, there were the Makuta, but they were fightable. Now all of the others are meddling, Atero's spiralling towards Metru Nui's Dark Ages, and there's just about nobody actually interested in anything useful."
"You can say that again... But what do you mean, Dark Ages? I thought Atero was going somewhere. Instilling democracy."
"No, I don't know what happened after the robot was launched, because unlike most of you I actually cared if it worked. And it has changed. It's gotten worse from what was in the robot. Sure, there were the Makuta, but they were fightable. Now all of the others are meddling, Atero's spiralling towards Metru Nui's Dark Ages, and there's just about nobody actually interested in anything useful."
"You can say that again... But what do you mean, Dark Ages? I thought Atero was going somewhere. Instilling democracy."
"I don't deny that some of them are trying. But too much democracy leads to tyranny."