[ Ah. It was bound to come up eventually, though its a topic he toes a bit more gingerly around than may seem usual for a human. He can chalk up to his sickness for now, but Prompto hesitates a moment before answering that, coughing into the crook of his arm like he had an ill-timed tickle in his throat.
His tone grows somewhat aloof, his gaze drawn to his soup. ]
Oh — yeah, we do. They're, uh...pretty different from you, though. They're just...soldiers that follow orders.
[ At least, that's all they are when they're in that state. ]
Magitek Troopers. They were all a part of the military.
[ Which should give Connor a pretty clear idea of why they were created in the first place: to fall in great number on the swords of their enemies, to win with numbers what they couldn't with strategy. ]
[He notes the shift in tone, the way Prompto's body language becomes something slightly different, his look being drawn down into the bowl of his soup. Interesting -- strange, too, as if the topic might be something that requires a figurative gentle touch.
Why? Was there a stigma attached to these "Magitek Troopers"? Was it because of their status of blind soldiers following orders? That was no different than what an android was supposed to do -- follow orders, adhere to a task -- even if Connor believes that he's different simply because he's more advanced. More tailored to act like a human.
He takes a moment to decide how to respond.]
So they're combat units. To replace a living army? I can see the rationale in that.
[ He asks immediately, letting the question slip from his lips before he can think better of it. It's not a fair question to ask when he hasn't given Connor all the information, and while this might not be the right time or place for it, this...isn't really a conversation he's been able to have with — well, anyone. What he'd seen in that facility had been horrific and unsettling, but after his rescue there had been more important things to discuss, and here...
Here, the others don't even know he was ever gone from the group. Connor also possesses the distinction of not being from Eos. He has no preconceived notions about what to expect.
Carefully, Prompto speaks up again, his words measured and cautious. ]
Their construction is...pretty unusual. Not like the guys we met in Struxta. [ And, presumably, not like Connor himself. ] They're not powered by chips or batteries, but by Magitek cores...that were created using human lives.
[ In essence, they were sacrificing humans to power their mechanical army. ]
...S-sorry. This isn't...probably something you want to hear about.
[The discomfort of the conversation — constantly read, constantly judged — ratchets up by measurable degrees, and the reasoning why (the one that Connor can obviously perceive, at least) soon becomes apparent. He pauses, trying to process that. What it means for human lives, human energy, to be turned into machines made for war. Objects to fall on swords and sheared by bullets for what he assumes is the sake of overwhelming the enemy by numbers.
For some reason, this doesn’t make sense to him.]
No, don’t.... don’t apologize, I suppose I’m just trying to wrap my mind around how this particular army has equated human lives as disposable as clockwork soldiers on the frontlines.
[ That earns a chuckle out of Prompto, though it is entirely and uncharacteristically mirthless. It must sound so horrific, and it is, and yet it had seemed so logical to the Empire, to...to the man that may as well be called his father.
But he's trying to keep his personal role in this as out of the conversation as he possibly can. For as unique of a perspective on his origins as Connor may have, he's not...he's not ready to have that conversation yet. Not...not yet. ]
The Niffs weren't exactly into "morally sound". Kinda...the opposite, actually. They...created humans just to use 'em for the MTs. Didn't even get the chance to be real people...
[Connor, who isn’t even designed to process morality beyond what any given mission entails, sees issue with this. Probably would’ve seen issue with this, when he was hot of the presses of CyberLife; human life to be as weighted as highly as inorganic beings, even if these humans were created (how? cloning?) simply goes against the grain of all he is. The android made to hunt deviants that threatens the stability of mankind’s role in society cannot reconcile this paradox. This flips the tenets of his programming upside-down.
His LED spins accordingly. The issue, then, lies with the “Niffs”, surely; a different way of thinking, of prioritizing victory over the dubious morality of cultivating life to be thrown away.]
‘The ends justifies the means’. I assume this is a notion that these ‘Niffs’ subscribe to.
[ Even if the means are as unspeakably terrible as that, and the creation of MTs was only a fraction of the Empire's atrocities. But he need not go into it any further. Connor has already heard enough about it to reach his own conclusion, and Prompto...
He's tired, and digging into the past, even at a forced distance, is taxing. He drags his spoon around in the remnants of his soup, another moment passing before he speaks up again. ]
Now you can kinda see why it threw me when I first met the androids on Struxta. Guys like you really weren't what I was expecting. I mean, if you didn't have that light on your head, you could totally pass for human, dude.
[ Maybe a sheltered and inquisitive human, but still. ]
[As clear as the words spoken are to Connor, so is Prompto's constant shifting of body language. If anything else, this rings more clearly to the android, whose priority -- despite his growing curiosities, his constant questions he has lined up in his mind -- is to focus on the wellness and betterment of this young man's health. Not to stress him out.
He's tired. He's sick. This is a conversation that isn't doing him any favors, and the prudent thing would be to let up on the gas pedal... just a tad.]
Yes, I imagine your own experiences with robotic beings had its own set of expectations. But if it's any consolation, all the android members of the Circle have not proven hostile or otherwise mindless. Not that I've gathered.
More than willing to help humans, at least. Myself included.
[ Prompto is quick to agree, as to not leave any doubt to his impressions of the Circle's androids. As strange as it had been for him at first, Prompto is the last person to want to make anyone feel like they're being judged based off of some preconceived notion about them. Connor and the others probably get enough of that as it is. It's not easy, being different, being unlike those that surround you. ]
O-oh, I-I know! Don't worry. I'm sure Astoria wouldn't bring anyone harmful into the Circle. And...I don't ever wanna make you or any of the others feel like you're not one of us. Of course you are.
[ That's not even a question. Honestly, in this ragtag group of individuals from different dimensions, Prompto feels more at ease than he often did socially back home. Go figure. ]
And...thanks for answering my questions. I don't wanna pester you too much.
[ Especially after he went out of his way to bring him food and tissues! ]
[One of them? What a thought, one that he hadn't tried to specifically imply. Connor is content with being useful to the others, with being a vehicle to aid their missions along their paths; being a part of a group, accepted as one of them is nice, but... to hear it spoken in such a way is a little unexpected.
He seems briefly affected by it, falling into just a moment of silence, but offering a grin that looks sincere enough.]
Thank you, Prompto. I never thought that you were. I only wanted to assure you that I'll never be- [What? A mindless machine? His LED spins.] -a hollow machine, with no consideration for those that I've become friendly with.
[But he shakes his head.]
You're not pestering me. You're always welcome to ask as many questions as you like. And if you need me for anything else, please don't hesitate to call on me.
[ At last his smiles, however weary and faint, his posture far more relaxed than it had been moments ago. For all this is a difficult topic for him to navigate, that really didn't go too poorly, did it? Rather, it was insightful — challenging, sure, and he still has more he could say about it, but...for now, he allows himself a modicum of pride for broaching the subject at all. Maybe he's...getting the hang of this, after all. ]
You got it, man. I owe you, like, ten billion favors after this. [ For what he'd brought with him, and for the conversation. ] Just don't forget to take care of you, too, yeah?
[ Whatever that means for Connor. It's a lesson Prompto has hard-learned, and it seems prudent to pass it on at times like these. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
His tone grows somewhat aloof, his gaze drawn to his soup. ]
Oh — yeah, we do. They're, uh...pretty different from you, though. They're just...soldiers that follow orders.
[ At least, that's all they are when they're in that state. ]
Magitek Troopers. They were all a part of the military.
[ Which should give Connor a pretty clear idea of why they were created in the first place: to fall in great number on the swords of their enemies, to win with numbers what they couldn't with strategy. ]
no subject
Why? Was there a stigma attached to these "Magitek Troopers"? Was it because of their status of blind soldiers following orders? That was no different than what an android was supposed to do -- follow orders, adhere to a task -- even if Connor believes that he's different simply because he's more advanced. More tailored to act like a human.
He takes a moment to decide how to respond.]
So they're combat units. To replace a living army? I can see the rationale in that.
no subject
[ He asks immediately, letting the question slip from his lips before he can think better of it. It's not a fair question to ask when he hasn't given Connor all the information, and while this might not be the right time or place for it, this...isn't really a conversation he's been able to have with — well, anyone. What he'd seen in that facility had been horrific and unsettling, but after his rescue there had been more important things to discuss, and here...
Here, the others don't even know he was ever gone from the group. Connor also possesses the distinction of not being from Eos. He has no preconceived notions about what to expect.
Carefully, Prompto speaks up again, his words measured and cautious. ]
Their construction is...pretty unusual. Not like the guys we met in Struxta. [ And, presumably, not like Connor himself. ] They're not powered by chips or batteries, but by Magitek cores...that were created using human lives.
[ In essence, they were sacrificing humans to power their mechanical army. ]
...S-sorry. This isn't...probably something you want to hear about.
no subject
For some reason, this doesn’t make sense to him.]
No, don’t.... don’t apologize, I suppose I’m just trying to wrap my mind around how this particular army has equated human lives as disposable as clockwork soldiers on the frontlines.
How is that morally sound?
[It isn’t.]
no subject
But he's trying to keep his personal role in this as out of the conversation as he possibly can. For as unique of a perspective on his origins as Connor may have, he's not...he's not ready to have that conversation yet. Not...not yet. ]
The Niffs weren't exactly into "morally sound". Kinda...the opposite, actually. They...created humans just to use 'em for the MTs. Didn't even get the chance to be real people...
[ Well. Most of them, anyway. ]
It's not...something that's really widely known, though.
no subject
His LED spins accordingly. The issue, then, lies with the “Niffs”, surely; a different way of thinking, of prioritizing victory over the dubious morality of cultivating life to be thrown away.]
‘The ends justifies the means’. I assume this is a notion that these ‘Niffs’ subscribe to.
no subject
[ Even if the means are as unspeakably terrible as that, and the creation of MTs was only a fraction of the Empire's atrocities. But he need not go into it any further. Connor has already heard enough about it to reach his own conclusion, and Prompto...
He's tired, and digging into the past, even at a forced distance, is taxing. He drags his spoon around in the remnants of his soup, another moment passing before he speaks up again. ]
Now you can kinda see why it threw me when I first met the androids on Struxta. Guys like you really weren't what I was expecting. I mean, if you didn't have that light on your head, you could totally pass for human, dude.
[ Maybe a sheltered and inquisitive human, but still. ]
no subject
He's tired. He's sick. This is a conversation that isn't doing him any favors, and the prudent thing would be to let up on the gas pedal... just a tad.]
Yes, I imagine your own experiences with robotic beings had its own set of expectations. But if it's any consolation, all the android members of the Circle have not proven hostile or otherwise mindless. Not that I've gathered.
More than willing to help humans, at least. Myself included.
no subject
O-oh, I-I know! Don't worry. I'm sure Astoria wouldn't bring anyone harmful into the Circle. And...I don't ever wanna make you or any of the others feel like you're not one of us. Of course you are.
[ That's not even a question. Honestly, in this ragtag group of individuals from different dimensions, Prompto feels more at ease than he often did socially back home. Go figure. ]
And...thanks for answering my questions. I don't wanna pester you too much.
[ Especially after he went out of his way to bring him food and tissues! ]
no subject
He seems briefly affected by it, falling into just a moment of silence, but offering a grin that looks sincere enough.]
Thank you, Prompto. I never thought that you were. I only wanted to assure you that I'll never be- [What? A mindless machine? His LED spins.] -a hollow machine, with no consideration for those that I've become friendly with.
[But he shakes his head.]
You're not pestering me. You're always welcome to ask as many questions as you like. And if you need me for anything else, please don't hesitate to call on me.
no subject
You got it, man. I owe you, like, ten billion favors after this. [ For what he'd brought with him, and for the conversation. ] Just don't forget to take care of you, too, yeah?
[ Whatever that means for Connor. It's a lesson Prompto has hard-learned, and it seems prudent to pass it on at times like these. ]