2022-11-19: AI Counseling Session Number 1
- Cast: BC-001 Minae, Zan
- Where: GGG Orbit Base
- Date: U.C. 0096 20 11
- Summary: Minae comes to Orbit Base to help out fellow Super AI Zan at request.
<Pose Tracker> BC-001 Minae has posed.
Minae never really expected part of her counselling job to involve scouring the news for gossip, but sometimes that's how life goes. With rumours swirling around the Ra Mari and its captain, she's been working to keep abreast of both current events and the temperament of the nearby colonies - add to that trying to keep up with everything else going on around the Earth Sphere and it's been kind of a lot.
Minae is very good at filtering out and compartmentalising when it comes to handling information, but it's not the volume that's the problem - it's the cascade of bad with little to balance it out. She's halfway through spontaneously writing a dissertation about confirmation bias and the nature of media as a booster when self-awareness kicks in, and the need for a pause is evident.
A notification from GGG comes in at just the right time.
* * *
It's not her first time back at Orbit Base since GGG's return to the fore, but she still finds herself becoming thoughtful as she disembarks the shuttle. Nine years ago she was little more than an automated nurse; she was sentient even then, but it's difficult for her to look back at those days and say she was 'Minae'. Not for the first time, she wonders about the 'BC-001' in her name.
She shakes the thought away to perk up. It doesn't feel bad to stride into Orbit Base with a lanyard around her neck and a clipboard tucked under one arm. Between her size and her human appearance, it's easy to miss that she's a Super AI at all until you get a closer look at her, at which point the artificial skin and lack of human idle tics become more obvious. What this means is that she's dwarfed as she enters the hangar bay, a small dot of white clothes and green hair scurrying across it.
<Pose Tracker> Zan has posed.
The hanger bay is pretty busy. Repairs from the recent attacks are all over, and one in particular is who Minae has been called for. The latest one to at least start to prove that there are Braves left among the Super AIs. And the one who currently is having a large amount of troubles it seems.
Zan positively is at least a larger robot, tall enough to be one of the Brave Police before they combine and wide enough that he is at least regarded as stout in frame. The reason for all of that is the servos as he is busy moving a series of steel girders and plating with his four arms.
He knew the counselling session was supposed to be today, just not the details as to who or what was supposed to do so.
Seeing an unfamiliar person is at least a good start to him checking the time internally before passing the beams to an apparently automated bulldozer that brings them to the construction area.
Walking over, the larger Super AI looks down at Minae. "Hello. Are you... um..." He seems to pause, "I apologize. I have a lot of construction files I need to close."
<Pose Tracker> BC-001 Minae has posed.
If the height disparity in the hangar is confusing or difficult to handle, Minae certainly doesn't show it on her face. Most of the time she maintains a warm smile - though not a static one, given the way in which her expression flickers at the sight of the damage being repaired. Out of curiosity, she pauses to take an internal glance at the state of the networked machines around Orbit Base, and frowns very slightly. It's not that there's a lot of it offline, but that there's any at all. Seeing it anything other than pristine is a little strange.
But that's not why she's here, and she reorients to turn her smile on the robot headed up to her. "Hello! That's right - my name is Minae, and I'm here to offer my assistance as a counsellor. Don't worry," she's quick to add, an amused note in the back of her voice. "This sort of thing is never really a process you can plan around, so it's alright if it feels a bit odd at first. It can be difficult to get used to. And, please, take your time. There's no rush."
She pings a connection outwards at the same time - and true enough, the identification of 'BC-001 Minae' is coming from her. By Brave standards she's tiny, specifically designed to be a regular human's size, and it's pretty clear from her appearance that she's not about to be combining with a larger unit any time soon, let alone entering combat.
"I'm alright to stand, but I'd rather try to make things a little more comfortable for you. Hmm..." she frowns slightly. "We could steal the table that some of the others use for tea, but they're a bit protective of it and might get a little mad at us. If you'd prefer, I could set up a digital space instead," she offers.
<Pose Tracker> Zan has posed.
The digital identification has Zan staring a bit. His optics, a bit odd to have orange on an orange frame, zoom in it seems for a second. Then he shakes his head, "They are not present at current. The battle with the Triple Zero forces caused much destruction. I..."
There's a small pause, and Zan looks over at where the table usually is, then at the larger hanger. "One moment."
He turns to look at the large train vehicle. All of the automated machinery. Bulldozers, a crane, some sort of giant claw looking machine, and a series of automated looking welders stop for a moment before going about their tasks.
Then Zan turns back to look at her. "There. My core module should not need to watch as much for a while. My apologies. I am BT-001 Zan. The train is my larger body the Iron Railer."
Just like her, he sends over the digital identification.
<Pose Tracker> BC-001 Minae has posed.
There's a touch of mischief in the way Minae grins at the reaction - but she doesn't hold it there, and instead softens into a smile of sympathy and understanding as Triple Zero is mentioned. "I hope everyone's alright," she notes genuinely. "I did consider trying to make my way over sooner, but I'm usually stationed within Londo Bell space, and the amount of combat assistance I can provide is pretty much limited to logistics and medical duties."
She bobs her head at the introduction, and her hand goes up to her chin in thought. "It must have been quite difficult for you. Most of the Brave Corps are--" she hesitates just a little before she says the word, "--designed for sentience, whereas I understand you came into your own in a more natural fashion?" she adds with a hum. "I know of other Super AI who have come about the same way, however, so it's not as if you're alone. Sometimes I think it might be better to gradually grow into it; even a GGG Brave needs time to learn about who 'they' are."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," she adds as her smile notches wider; she heads for the edges of the hangar bay as she talks, to at least get them out of the way of traffic. "And I apologize, but I'm going to hit you with one of the harder questions right away: how can I help?" She lets that hang in the air for a moment, before tilting her head. "Though you don't have to answer it directly. It's okay to just talk about your recent experiences, and whatever's on your mind."
<Pose Tracker> Zan has posed.
"Everyone survived the encounter. Two Mazins were damaged severely, I think the Shuffle Gundams and one... Enact?" He looks puzzled at that one. Or as puzzled as he can look. "Strangely, most of this was done by an infiltration that Captain Shishioh faced."
Following after, and seeing what she is aiming for, Zan moves to settle himself against a hanger bay edge. "I... see. That is interesting. I was not designed as such. I just remember one day being... aware. Being able to look curiously at the crew I had at the time and moving a module to assist that was uncalled for."
"As for the help, I am unsure how to proceed. The core of the matter is the ninth or tenth Angel we faced. It possessed a means to interfere with communication and--" Zan freezes up. Totally freezes.
After a few seconds. He unfreezes and sighs. "It is something I can not seem to talk about without that happening."
<Pose Tracker> BC-001 Minae has posed.
The smaller robot considers for a moment. "It may help if I give you an overview of GGG Braves. We all come with sentience 'as standard', but it isn't like we really know how to deal with that. It takes time for us to learn about who we are and establish our own identity. For most of the Braves this also means awakening to their idea of what 'courage' is, which is a means to establish what they consider to be their heart, and from there, their power."
As she continues, the switch to the third person seems deliberate: "I was the same way. I was originally designed to assist with caring for those suffering from Algernon, a stable presence where negative emotions can exacerbate the condition. I used to act rather more... robotically," she adds with an rueful grin. "It was only after spending time living in a human colony that I began to get a better impression of who 'I' was. It may be that you've already experienced some or all of that growth - I don't think there's an easy way to tell, unfortunately."
Minae takes that pause in without judgement, though the clinical side of her does spend some time checking what symptoms are available; precious few, given that it's as if the other robot has simply switched off entirely. Were it even a couple of months prior she might understand much less about what's happening - but as she is now, she's much better equipped to empathize with the problem.
"... I understand," is what she leads with when Zan returns, alongside a sympathetic smile. "And I want to start by reassuring you that it's perfectly fine. Rather, I think it's important to not proceed too quickly - it's better if you don't push these things past what you can handle. Still, I have a good indication as to what you might be experiencing."
<Pose Tracker> Zan has posed.
That has Zan looking at her with what looks like a curious look. "Oh, I think I just went through that. The recent battle that caused this, they managed to replicate something from the past."
He motions at the damage to the Orbit Base. "I had to find the designation afterwards. El-15. A Zonder Robo. It... tried to use GaoGaiGar's Heaven and Hell on me as well as assimilate me."
Zan looks over at the bulldozers, then back to Minae. "If you have an indication as to what I am experiencing, I would like to hear it. My side research to try to find a similar symptom in biological beings has failed miserably so far."
<Pose Tracker> BC-001 Minae has posed.
If there's anything that makes Minae's seemingly indefatigable smile fail, it's news of the Zondar. "I see. ... to be honest, their return combined with a resurgence of Algernon makes me wonder if I should return to active duty. But I can't say that I'm the same person I was, and I don't know if I'd really be satisfied going back to that, compared to the work I'm doing now. It's a bit tricky," she admits as she scratches at her cheek.
Minae pauses. "I think part of the problem is that you may be looking primarily at physical symptoms. If I'm right, what you're experiencing isn't anything quite as cut and dry. There might not be any easy answer to it other than time, reassurance, and perserverance."
"I was recently part of a conflict that involved DG Cells. ... to be honest, up until then, I hadn't thought greatly about my own welfare beyond how it would affect my friends. If something happened to this body, I could go and hang out in a toaster for a while until it was repaired," the smaller robot adds with a lopsided grin. "I'm joking a little, but you see my point - that Super AI have more of a sense of separation between their body and their mind than humans do. But DG Cells wouldn't just affect the body - they could rewrite my code."
She pauses again as she checks to ensure she hasn't hit a tipping point, and then seems to abruptly switch topic. "There are humans with extra-sensory abilities - Newtypes is the common term for them. I have a few amongst my patients. Some of them recently came into contact with a dampening field - new technology that could suppress those abilities entirely. For them, it was like losing an entire sense, like part of their awareness had suddenly gone blind."
She draws out a breath - for show, surely, given she hasn't been breathing up until now. "My point is that something you thought was an immutable part of you was suddenly threatened. I don't blame you for locking up at the thought of your lines of communication being cut. That's a tremendously integral part of what we are, and... it's alright to be afraid of the thought."
<Pose Tracker> Zan has posed.
Zan looks thoughtful. A few times he freezes. It's a bit obvious if having seen it before. Then he nods a bit.
He is silent through the explanation, and the topics as he listens. Logic definitely has no place in this. It's entirely new territory for him as he seems to be considering the topics. "That is like what happened to myself, only... larger." He notes on the Newtype topic. "I also had a curious encounter with the AT field of an Angel as well, but this is entirely different."
Then he sighs, "So it is the emotion called 'fear' that is a problem. How do biological beings handle such things?" He seems to consider. "Perhaps I could ask for a way to avoid such a situation happening again? Some sort of emergency programming?"
<Pose Tracker> BC-001 Minae has posed.
Each time she spots a freeze, Minae is cautious to wait it out; it's important she doesn't give a piecemeal explanation for something this important. At the end of it all, in response to Zan's questions, she can't help but wince a little. It's not the robot's fault for not knowing what that question might imply, and Minae's spent a much longer time around humans to be able to crystallize her own thoughts on the matter."
"There... are possibly things you could put in place to override your concept of fear," she says slowly. "But from the point of view of a counsellor I would encourage you, as strongly as possible, to not go that route. Fear can feel like a dangerous and unpredictable emotion right now, but it's still an emotion. It's something that 'you' are feeling, and I think that how you end up responding to and coping with it is going to be an important part of your identity. Cutting that out can leave you missing part of a whole."
She pauses to offer another smile, quiet and understanding. "As I said before, the unfortunate reality is that these things can take time. It's important to watch out for any initial signs, to recognize when it happens or has happened, and to tell yourself that it's alright to feel fear. It isn't necessarily a weakness, but it's important to try not to let it rule you. Whatever could have come to pass - it didn't, and you can take steps to ensure it won't in the future."
She pauses, and her eyebrows rise up. "... also, with the initial triage out of the way, this is probably a topic on which basically every member of the GGG could give you advice for hours," she adds in a rather deadpan tone.
<Pose Tracker> Zan has posed.
Zan looks at Minae. And there is a definite blinking of his optics. An on and off.
"I feel as if they just wanted me to meet you for some reason now." Zan says simply.
He looks perhaps a little uncomfortable. "I think the fight that took place did help a bit. The Zonder assimilation felt... like that. It trying to pull my body away. My reaction to it was not pleasant. It was as if something... happened in my subroutines. Something that caused an emotion I am not familiar with? It felt..."
He seems to consider, "... the opposite of what I was fearing? As if I did not want it to happen and was opposed violently to it happening again. I have not encountered or had a reason for that emotion before. Do you know what it might be? All the other times I froze. That time... I acted."
He seems to consider, "... oh. I need to go over the readings from that battle."
<Pose Tracker> BC-001 Minae has posed.
"Well, this sort of thing is what I'm here for. I am accredited, after all," Minae grins back with a much brighter smile. "It turns out that a lot of the younger pilots the Federation take in tend to encounter similar situations. Someone to listen and give some advice goes a long way. In that respect, what you're encountering isn't unusual - it's a very common thing as people or robots are exposed to danger."
She nods along to Zan's thoughts. "... not to sound like a broken record, but the fact you mention that you were 'violently' opposed is also something to be a little wary of. There's more than one way that fear can rule you - just as it might make you freeze up, it can also drive you into a rage. But if you can take that anger and work it into a more positive feeling - so rather than act on pure opposition you instead have a clear aim in mind - I think that would go a long way."
She nods. "When you go back over them, try not to feel upset or angry at yourself for your behaviour. Recognize what changed, take that knowledge, and look forwards. This is much easier said than done, but I do have to say it out loud," she adds with a faint grin.
<Pose Tracker> Zan has posed.
The comparison has Zan looking curious, then he smiles a little. "I guess I am a younger being."
That has Zan looking considerate, "I wonder if I can call the older Triple Zero effected Braves by various younger to older terms to get a reaction?"
He seems to further consider that, "Would that be considered what humans call 'trash talking'?"
Zan seems to consider, then nods. "My reaction was... violent. I rammed my Tie Extractor module into the Zonder and attempted to pull pieces out." He points at said machine, which looks like some sort of six pronged claw that is currently being used to grab steel beams and load them into a bulldozer.
Zan seems to consider her words a bit. "I... did not like my reaction to it. I will have to watch for both sides, at a guess. A clear aim? What should I aim for in that situation?" He looks at her with curiosity again. He seems to consider a bit, "A clearance of the mind, at a guess?"
<Pose Tracker> BC-001 Minae has posed.
Minae might have claim to being one of the most senior Super AI around, which is always a slightly confusing thought. She is certainly the one who's spent the most time amongst humans in a distinctly human setting - as welcoming as the Orbit Base might be, it's still a far cry from being in the midst of a human colony acting as a guidance counsellor for schoolchildren.
"... that depends on the thoughts behind it," she adds with that same mischievous note. "Those sorts of terms can be affectionate just as they can be teasing. I do encourage the experimentation, though. It'd probably be good for both sides of the equation."
She's silent on the final question for a long moment, longer than she needs to be. For better or worse, she's gotten used to acting on human timescales. "... personally, I would say 'purpose'. It's the difference between 'I will defeat this' and 'I will defeat this in order to save someone else'. But that's an outside viewpoint, and I don't know that I'm the best person to ask - I think you'd do better asking someone who does regularly fight how they handle it. Still, I don't think I'm far off of a starting point, at least," she adds with a smile.
<Pose Tracker> Zan has posed.
Zan nods, then moves to stand as there is a small screech and a *CLANG* from where the work is going on. "I believe I may be needed again. I hope that was not the shovel claw and crane. They are the hardest to control usually."
The larger robot seems to consider. "You mentioned that most had to find what 'courage' means to them. I think... I have my definition. It means standing up for others, and standing for beings like us and those that made us." He looks down at her, a smile on his face.
"Thank you for taking the time to talk with me, Minae. I hope next time to be in better shape of mind... sempai." He says.
Then he sighs as he looks towards the train, and the work. As well as what appears to now be a swinging bulldozer on a crane line rising over the train's opposite side.