Nollel Meet K9

Posted on Tue Feb 1st, 2022 @ 9:09am by Nollel Livaam (*) & Chief Engineer Michael Burnstein

Mission: Mission 14: Holoworld
Location: Main Engineering
Timeline: MD01 23:00
1596 words - 3.2 OF Standard Post Measure

The woman who walked into the engineer in space was tired. She wore pyjama bottoms, a vest top and an old baggy cardigan thrown over the vest against the chill of the ship. She looked in the engineering chiefs office first and then moved through the engineering space to where she suspected her boyfriend was when he was not in the first four places. She was correct as she just stood in the entrance of the compartment and started at what he was doing.

“I thought we were going to be having an early night tonight?” She finally called as she saw a pause in the tinkering.

Absorbed in his project, Burnie hadn't even been aware of anyone coming in, so at Nollel's voice he startled slightly. "Oh! Nollel... " He looked around sheepishly. "I, uh, got into a project and kinda lost track of time. Again. Sorry."

“Again.” Nollel chuckled pushing off from the door wrapping her arms around herself against the chill wishing she had brought a hoodie. She was more than aware that he lost track of time, it was endearing most of the time.

"I know, I know..." he pulled at the back of his neck and gave her an apologetic look. "But I almost have him working." He gestured to lean lines of robotic limbs attached to an equally streamlined body and neck topped by a canine head with a long pointed nose. A bluish light shown from several sections with a power source was humming softly.

Nollel wandered over to look at what exactly he was doing there. She frowned and raised an eyebrow at what she was seeing in front of her. They had discussed weeks ago getting a pet or something but she had thought it was nothing more than a joke. “I knew I said that I said maybe we should get a pet I did not think you would feel so suitably inclined to build something like this.” She mused crouching a little to look at it from all angles.

"You didn't?" There were times when wondered whether even people who seemed to know him very well really knew him at all. "Gregnol isn't keen on pets and I'm... well, not great at remembering meal times and such ...so an android dog seemed like the perfect solution," he explained with a flourishing gesture to his mechanical frankenpooch project. "I call him K-9."

"I just... Sometimes I am trying to push my ideas of family and future on your and it scares you. So I have taken to small steps." She said amused as she leant out to squeeze his hand. "I am sure if Jeassaho said to him let's get a cat. He would find a cat in the middle of a holoship just for her." It was well known that the Captain had the biggest soft spot for his Engineer wife. "So what does android dog do?" She wondered.

Burnies brows lifted. "You have ideas of family and future ...with me?" He couldn't help a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Most people would not consider him much of a prospect for that (some in fact would find the idea of the habitually disheveled explosion-loving engineer as a dad downright terrifying), and mindful of the fact, he had avoided giving any indication of wanting anything that serious for fear of scaring Nollel off. "It doesn't scare me, Nollel. Take steps as big as you like - though we might have to enlist Jeassaho to get approval for anything but an andriod dog. Even for an artificial pet, I made sure I could argue he'd be useful. The basic design goes back to dog-like robots in earth's early 21st century that did everything from assisting at construction sites to working for police, but I gave K-9 a lot more personality," ," he added with a grin and pressed an activation code. "K-9, say hello to Nollel."

The android lifted its head, ears rotating into an attentive (and fairly cute) 'perked' position. A whiplike tail tapped the table with small wags as it said "Hello, mistress. What may I do for you?"

Nollel just nudged the man. “We will have that discussion later.” She promised him that they would be talking more about the future very soon. It was not something she was going to be dropping now it was out there. Nollel jumped up as the android lifted his head. “Nothing K-9 I am just happy to finally know what my boyfriend was up too.” She chuckled.

"Am I a surprise? A good one?" K-9 asked with a hopeful wag of his tail. " I want to be a good dog."

“Very much a good surprise.” The woman laughed absolutely delighted with the dog. “You are a good dog.” She assured quickly trying to not laugh at the fact a robot canine was asking if he had been good.

"A very good dog," Burnie agreed proudly, running a hand along K-9's back. "He can sit, stay, guard, fetch, and carry up to ten times his own weight. He's got a camera and sensor grid built into his eyes that's nearly as good as LaForge's old visor, so he's going to be a great helper in engineering. Plus, his power source generates just enough heat to make him warm to snuggle." He patted the robodog's shoulder. "Isn't that right, boy?"

K-9 gave a sharp yip. "Yes, Master. I will help and I will snuggle and I will be a good boy."

"You two are adorable," Nollel said thinking that the canine would be a good assistance to the man especially if he could carry so much. Maybe he could be help on the ship to explore the unreachable places. "You just got to hope Jesssaho and Cami do not start thinking you are going to replace them with a pack of K-9's." She teased thinking of the two engineers that he worked with full time. At least Liha would just be as amused as she was and probably scoff.

"Nah, I still need people with opposable thumbs for most of the work," he laughed. "Besides, canine level response is close to limit on what's allowed with the AI ban." He suppressed a sigh at that. He understood - he'd lost good friends in the attacks on the shipyards - but it still seemed like the wrong way to handle the issue. "But K-9 wouldn't be primarily a companion if he was a qualified engineer, and what I wanted was a pet. A working dog, but one that comes home and hangs out with us."

Nollel stayed silent but offered up a nod at what he said and just contemplated the situation. "I am sure that your engineers appreciate it that they are not being replaced and I appreciate it that you have someone there to keep you warm when I am not." She carried on trying to keep things light. "So is he coming home with you tonight?"

Burnie gave K-9 and quick assessing once over. "That's the plan. But I thought I'd walk him around the ship first - let him get his bearings and maybe get a chance to interact with a few of the crew." Which would be a good test, especially of behavior protocols, though Burnie didn't say that. Instead he smiled at K-9. "What do you think? Want to go walkies?"

The android dog leaped off the work table, landing nimbly despite how a wagging tail was making his whole backside wiggle. "Yes, Master!" Then seeming to remember his role as helper and companion, he settled, straightening in an alert and ready pose. "Will Mistress be coming with us?"

The blonde smiled watching Michael's work coming alive quite literally. "Oh... um..." Nollel looked down at her bottoms, vest top and cardigan and shrugged. "I am not sure I am dressed to go walking around the ship." She said wrapping the cardigan a bit better around herself.

K-9 cocked his head to the side, the ear on top extending upward, a perfect picture of canine puzzlement despite the limits a metallic face put on expressions.

Burnie chuckled. "You don't need to care about clothes, boy, but people have a thing about them and which ones they should be seen in," he explained, eyes flicking over to Nollel with a grin. "Even the ones who look great no matter what they have on."

“I am sure you would have some strong opinions if I did not have any on.” She winked at him before shaking her head. “Okay okay where should we go then?” She wondered grinning back at him.

"I'd sure be less interested in taking a walk," he replied, waggling his eyebrows with a teasing grin. "But my plan was to start in engineering, since we have to walk out through it anyway, but I figured we might go by the lounge too - let K-9 meet folks in a relaxed setting."

“Well if you had come to bed on time…” She teased back. She had never owned a pet so she was going to have to follow his lead in this venture of his. “I will follow you lead in this.” He knew how her childhood and early adult life had been before she made her own choices. It did not leave much time or space for animals.

Burnie smiled - he was sure Nollel would come to like their new pet, and hopefully everyone else would too. "Okay then. Come on, K-9, let's go meet the crew."