Year: 3071
Unit: P/N: CYN-MYKX - S/N: N-0X0010010
Exoplanet of Unit Deployment: Copper-9
Upon reaching the floor where the disassembly workshop was located, N skilfully manoeuvred himself through a broken, full floor-to-ceiling window which led into a quaint but currently disused office space. Or, at the very least, N believed it was once an office space…? In all honesty, it was kinda hard to tell given all the weathered decay strewn about the place. The subtle crunch of freshly laid snow which could be felt beneath his feet as he landed only adding to this fact.
Looking down to the snow laden floor beneath him, and then back out the broken window he'd just entered through, N couldn't help but make an observation. "We really should get round to fixing that at some point…" - referring to the open entryway letting the elements in.
No matter how secure and weather proof the Tower theoretically was after all the work they've put into it over the years, water damage was still no joke… In fact, N recalled a few small tidbits of information T had offhandedly mentioned regarding the negative impacts such damage might cause for them in the future if not properly seen to.
Whilst making a mental noting to clear out the snow and fix up this entry point when he next had some free time to spare, N paused for a brief moment - his CPU suddenly slowing down to a crawl as he started to comprehend something. After a few more seconds of contemplation, N steadily broke down into a small chuckling fit as he came to a realisation. "Water damage is snow joke~ Ah… that's a good one!"
N continued to chuckle absently to himself for a few more seconds after that; smiling cheerfully at the unintended pun his inner musings created, before finally making his way swiftly through the quaint little office space to his next destination.
Arriving at the large and robust door which would lead him further into the Tower, N couldn't help but subconsciously admire the sheer amount of effort put into installing it into the wall - despite how many times he'd gone through it in the past.
Made from a sturdy slab of thick steel plating, and braced by a large reinforced frame which spread out across the surrounding wall for bracing, it was obvious that the door in question had not been present during the building's heyday under JCJenson. Indeed, in actuality, the door, its frame, and the accompanying keypad activated security lock beside it were all fairly new additions.
Well… new as in "within" the last couple years, that is… N corrected himself a bit offhandedly.
Similar to the early warning beacons placed around their territory, J had also been hard at work occupying herself with other such projects she viewed as important. One of these other projects - as well as the most extensive of the bunch from which N was made knowledgeable of - saw a comprehensive and thorough beefing up of the Tower's internal security.
"Securing and defending vital areas of the Tower's infrastructure is the primary goal of this project." J had explained during one of their squad's weekly assessment meetings, "Critical areas and entryways past floor sixty should be reinforced and protected against both environmental and none-environmental threats…"
"-The replacement of standard doorways or secondary entryways above or adjacent to floor sixty with reinforced alternatives should be seen as a priority-"
"-installing cameras, motion tracers and heat sensors, alongside any other currently available surveillance systems to monitor all areas holding mission critical equipment-"
And-on-and-on J went… Detailing seemingly every facet of her planned security proposal to them in a precise and professional manner, even to the point of politely answering the occasion question from V regarding curtain aspects such as time and availability of manpower given their other responsibilities in this sector.
From N's own perspective though, J had seemingly taken every possible avenue into account when it came to this project of hers. Plans had been drawn up in advance and were shown off to them throughout the meeting alongside several detailed and extensive lists of locations throughout the city where they could obtain the necessary materials and equipment for the instalment of her proposed security systems. She'd even come up with multiple timetables for the management and completion of the project based on their usual nightly patrols as per some of V's prior inquiries.
By all accounts no stone had been left unturned by J for her desired plan to fashion the Tower into a full blown fortress for them to use however they saw fit. Something which N could only find sheer amazement in.
Truly, no matter which of his squad mates it was, each and every one of them were simply the best at what they did; to the point that N sorta felt a bit inadequate in comparison…
… But, then again, that was more than likely N just being negative towards himself once more… So instead he ultimately chose to simply put such thoughts away for the time being and continue to move things forward just a T had advised him to do.
… Yeah…
After finishing up with her presentation, and answering any further questions V threw haphazardly her way to likely catch her out, all that was left for J to do was to patiently wait for T's final say; who, to N's surprise at the time, had in actuality been rather silent throughout most of the meeting - likely in deep thought if N had to make an educated guess; considering everything that was said and given. As their squad's leader, she did ultimately have total control over if such projects like this went through or not, so of course it would be a lot to think over. More so in this regard too given how extensive and time consuming J's proposal would be.
Still, despite N's own personal amazement at the grandness of what J was able to put together, there was something - right at the back of his CPU - which seemed to trouble him regarding the whole proposal…
More specifically, it was the reason why J thought such extensive measures were necessary in the first place…
Now, of course J had clearly stated on multiple occasions throughout the meeting, as well as later on during the installation of her security systems, that her proposal was merely just a precaution at the end of the day. A final line of defence one could even say. A necessary safeguard which would be able to protect all of them - alongside their mission critical equipment - no matter the time of day, from any "malicious forces".
Plainly speaking, at the end of the day, it was an obvious act of true care which N did indeed fully appreciate; especially from J of all drones given her sometimes prickly exterior.
It was just that… well…
Hmmm…
Thinking back on it some more, to full understand what he was getting at, you'd have to realistically go all the way back to when their squad had first arrived on Copper 9.
Since the very first moment they flew out of their ship to commence their mission, they'd faced next to no resistance from the worker drones on the planet whatsoever…
Of course, N couldn't speak for the other disassembly drone units operating around the planet - their communications were still rather spotty after all, and really only either T or J were allowed to use the ship's radio given their overall authority. Still, from his own experiences, the worker drones in this particular sector of the planet genuinely seem rather none-confrontational overall.
After realising the threat their squad posed to their unsanctioned way of life, the workers he'd personally confronted over the years had almost always chosen to either run or hide away instead of fighting back against them.
In fact, the only cases of true resistance N could actively recall off the top of his head at the time amounted to just two instances. The first of these occurring a few nights into their deployment, involving both T and himself, whilst the second happened a bit later on - about a half a year or so after, if N wasn't mistaken? - and involved only V.
Those early days were frankly a bit of a blur for N if he was being totally honest… A lot was going on without much time to truly comprehend everything efficiently. Besides killing anything that moved which wasn't one of your squad mates, and consuming oil whenever it was needed or available, nothing else really seemed to stick… That said, N could recall some segments of that first incident, but they were just bits and pieces; barely anything truly helpful.
The colour purple… the sensation of falling and crashing into what he assumed to be the ground with a good deal of force… and finally a deep seated feeling of panic from failing to stop… something…
Honestly, these were the only things N could personally remember from that night.
Fortunately though, T had a much more clearer memory of that time and had graciously given N a much more concise picture of what had happened that night which shed a good deal more light on what had actually occurred. It was this kindness, among many others he'd gone over previously, which just continued to speak volumes of how much T truly cared for all of them deep down!
But, getting back on topic, to paraphrase T's own explanation of events, the two of them - whilst flying through the city; scouring the streets for any activity - had come across a roaming band of worker drones heading West through a partially debris filled side street.
Hoping to ambush the group unaware, T had instructed N that they should split up to better cover the available angles of escape which their prey would likely run for once their presence was made known. Using the tops of the buildings to conceal their approaches, T's intention was for them to suddenly dive down on the unsuspecting group on either side and ultimately trap them completely out in the open and with nowhere to realistically go.
… Unfortunately however, their prey must've noticed one of them approaching or something, because as both T and himself dived down from their hiding places to engage and trap the collection of drones below, one of the workers immediately locked onto his decent and proceeded to do… something…?
Now, N wasn't too sure as to what that something ultimately was, because neither had T in all honesty… All his squad leader knew for certain was what she herself kinda saw, alongside the end result.
One moment N had been diving down at full speed towards the group of worker drones, ready to kill them with his usual keen efficiency, and the next there was a brief flash of something vaguely purple from both N's back alongside the hand of the drone who had spotted him fallowed swiftly by N's wings suddenly being sliced from his body. With gravity now taking full control over his decent, the downward momentum from his dive carried N as he fell uncontrollably out of the sky. Without his wings to catch him, it took only a couple seconds for N to crash head first into the roof of some wrecked out car which lay abandoned on the street alongside the now panicking and rapidly dispersing worker drones.
After his violent grounding, T had immediately diverted her attention away from containing the main group of worker drones and instead focused it solely upon his attacker; in the end, allowing the group to freely escape into the surrounding buildings and to believed safely.
The fallowing engagements that occurred - if you could even call it that from the way T describes it - was as swift as it was truly one-sided. Within a moment of reaching the drone who had attacked him, T had proceed to bisect his assailant with one stroke of her sword arm before immediately letting loose an upward torrent of automatic machine gun fire into what was left of the drone's upper torso and head - killing them instantly.
In the end, what was left of the antagonistic worker drone fell to the snow and oil covered ground in pieces, and well before his squad leader had even landed.
T then went onto finish her retelling of events off by explain how, after dealing with his attacker, she rapidly called for the immediate assistance of both J and V before proceeding to retrieved his body from the car and falling back to a safe distance with him slung limply over her shoulder.
From T's own assessment at the time, most of his upper body, arms and head had been so badly damaged by his high speed impact into the car that she felt it prudent to focus on evacuating him to a much more secure position until he was able to fully regenerate himself back to normal than anything else - a decision N couldn't have been more grateful for, especially given the circumstances.
Truthfully though… From knowing the bare minimum to being told all that, well… it was definitely a lot to take in, especially with how relatively unstable their situation was back then compared to how they usually operated nowadays…
To think a worker drone had the capability to do something like that to them with such ease…? Honestly, even now, it boggled N's CPU just thinking about it - especially when considering how the drone had even managed to do what it did to him in the first place. Though T herself had indeed seen the whole even play out clearly before her very eyes, the fact that even she couldn't say for absolute certain what the worker had done to him just seemed to add to the mystery of it all.
Hmmm…
But fortunately for all of them however, the worker drones they went up against after that encounter seemed to generally go back into being the same-old none-confrontational prey they'd gotten accustomed to on the whole since their arrival…
And indeed, that trend continued to be the norm for them until the second incident occurred around half a year or so later. This time with V at its centre instead of both T and himself.
From what N was able to gather regarding this particular incident - which really wasn't all that much if he was being completely honest - V had seemingly come across a couple drones randomly whilst on one of her usual nightly patrols. Now, this in of itself wasn't all that odd as worker drones do occasionally try to test their luck out in the open at night every now and then. No… The difference during this instance was that upon making contact with the worker drones in question, instead of them running away, one - or possibly even both of them - had apparently attempted to attack V.
To what extent? Well regrettably to this very night N didn't exactly know the answer to that question… In fact, it was only after V had come back with a single heavily damaged worker drone corpse and debriefed with J regarding how her patrol went that N even discovered something had happened.
Of course, naturally N had immediately went off to ask V if she was okay; to which his crush casually brushed off his concerns with her usual lofty charm. Stating brazenly, "Ha! I'm more than okay! Honestly, it's about time these dumb drones showed some spine. Things were starting to get way too boring around here for my tastes, so I'm glad for the change of pace. I'm just bummed I couldn't get both of them." before heading off to the workshop to deposit her kill; muttering under her breath, "But oh, I'll find and kill ushanka wearing asshole if it's the last thing I do… Mark my words."
Obviously N still didn't know what had actually happened, with neither V nor J giving him anything concrete no matter how much he ask them…
That said, given V had coming back recently with a dead worker drone, wearing a ushanka atop her head and a satisfying smile on her face, N could at least hazard a guess that she'd kept her word; with V finally managing to finding and killing the drone that had ultimately gotten away from her.
Must have been at least somewhat personal? N pondered almost mindlessly himself, After all, V still has that hat in her quarters and hasn't thrown it away…
Still, V's trophy taking and personal vendettas aside, all-in-all, as N had alluded to previously, these events were - at the end of the day - just minority cases. Most of the time worker drones did indeed prefer to not outright confront them in any meaningful way… which, in turn, just so happens to bring N back to his original inquiry.
"If the worker's were - for the most part - relatively harmless and none confrontational, then why did J believe they need such a heavily rooted security system for the Tower?"
Just what was J seemingly trying to protect them from?
Sure, the drone he was currently carrying had invaded their personal territory to a previously unfounded degree, taken pictures of them whilst they were unaware, and had gotten past most of their perimeter beacons without any of them being triggered…
Alongside another drone showing the potential to easily cripple one of them severely if caught by surprise…
But still… Uhhmmm…
…
Ah…! Well…
…
"Oh… who am I kidding… I'm probably just overthinking things again unnecessarily." N spoke with a defeated sigh.
Such silly speculations on his part were truthful just that after all… silly speculations. He should really just let the whole thing go…
When push came to shove, it was the thought that counted in the end after all, and J's efforts did indeed make N feel safe when entering the protective walls of the Tower - like she'd stated was one of the intended goal of her project originally. Plus, if the body and head he was currently carrying told N anything, then maybe overblowing their security was indeed the correct way forward for them going forward…
I mean, it definitely won T's approval in the end… and she's far smarter then me… N confirmed without any doubt, So that's definitely something…
Naturally after thinking things through thoroughly, T had indeed chosen to graciously accepted J's proposal and commence with the early stages of preparation for the instalment of the Tower's newly approved security overhaul. A fact which might've appeared obviously at first, especially given the security door blocking his path forward currently, yet like N had also stated previously, J did have several other important projects she was busying herself with whenever she wasn't either spending her free time with T, working in the command centre or out on a patrol. So, it wasn't wholly impossible then that the door in front of N now was just apart of one of those other smaller projects of J's, even though such wasn't in the end actuality true.
"And besides," N commented then, regaining some of his prior positivity as a new thought came to him in no small past to one of his prior thoughts, "If there was actually something wrong, J would've immediately told T about it. J tells T about everything!" And, in turn, T would then distribute that information to the rest of them - ie. V and himself. They were a close nit team after all, and as T had stated on multiple occasion, within such a small working dynamic, keeping everyone constantly up-to-day and in the loop regarding any new developments was key to the groups overall success!
So, realistically, what was there to worry about? It wasn't as if J of all drones could wilfully keep a secret from T, much less lie to her face about anything important or potentially dangerous. The two of them were as close as… Well… They were close. Enough said.
But anyways… Enough about all that. N was getting ahead of himself once again and there was no need to go off on yet another tangent when he had a clear job to do; not to mention he'd already waisted enough time as is.
So, giving the large, steel-plated door in front of him one final once over as a sign of his utmost solidarity in mind, N ready himself for the challenge which inherently now faced him. Moving his gaze down to the keypad which would allowed him entry through said door, N furrowed his digital brow and narrowed his eyes at the security device as if he was looking at an age old adversary.
With a swiftness like no other - outside of perhaps the majority of his squad mates - N brought forth his tail so that it's end was now parallel to the buttons of the keypad. N's hope being to use the needle of his stinger to safely punch in the door's access code, seeing as his hands were a bit preoccupied at the moment.
Okay… N assured himself carefully; with a focused expression, It's as easy as flying. Just don't accidentally melt the keypad like last time… or the two or so other times before that…
Honestly, by this point, replacement keypads were starting to become a bit of very rare commodity these days, and not simply because of the occasional accident. Given J's previously stated proposal calling for a lot of them to suitably lockdown the most important areas of the Tower, they had to scrounge up nearly every last working keypads and security lock they could realistically find within their squad's allocated sector - a feat which was just as hard as it likely sounded…
Not that N was complaining, mind you - after all he was always happy to be of some use no matter what the job might be - he just thought it best to be at least somewhat clear regarding these sorts of things. Clarity was key at the end of the day.
Now, getting back to the topic at hand however, could N have simply placed down either part of deceased worker drone he was currently carrying so as to safety use the keypad with one of his hands? Yes… N could've done that…
That said, N was also in a bit of a hurry. He ideally didn't want to waste any more of T valuable time than he'd already done so far by doing meaningless laps around the Tower, so naturally he'd be forgiven for not taking the most optimal path forward in the hope of potentially saving some time.
Control… That's all that's needed… Control… N went on to advise himself as he steadied his tail, Just stay in control and don't accidentally stab the keypad and you've got it…
Fortunately for N, as he carefully tapped each button with the business end of his tail's stinger - zero-three-zero-five-two-zero-one-three - nothing overly regrettable occurred. Tapping the enter key to input the finish code into the system, a small chime was heard; fallowed swiftly by a few click as the door's locks automatically unlatched themselves.
With a smile at this small victory he'd achieved, N let out a thankful sigh before proceeded to wrap the end of his tail around the handle of the door. With a slight twist and tug, the slab of reinforced steel opened outwards with a small, barely audible, hiss; allowing N to then carefully manoeuvred himself through the newly opened entryway - making sure not to bang anything important he was carrying against the door's frame as he did so.
Close the door behind him with a flick of his tail once he was firmly on the other side - getting another chime and several click in return as it re-locked itself - N now found himself within what was once a much more "spacious" room.
Originally, when their squad had first come across this section of the building during their initial sweep, the prevailing theory amongst the likes of both T and J was that this room, as well as the whole floor in general, had been some kind of department dedicated to middle management personnel. Specially, given the open layout of the room, coupled with how spacious it seemed, it was likely a communal workplace for the aids to the higher ups on the floors directly above.
Currently however… Where cubicles and miscellaneous office equipment once lay, only several lanes of large, uniform, metal tanks remained. At least fifty or so all-in-all if N wasn't mistaken; each connected to one another via multiple neatly laid out pipes and control valves.
Of course there had been other alterations made to the room which continued to make it unrecognisable from what it had originally been. For starters, the floor, walls and ceiling were all lined with a protective - none-flammable - white covering, giving the space more of a clinically feel than anything remotely office-like; added only by the white panel lights buzzing vibrantly overhead. Additional steel plates had also been installed here and there throughout the room under the covers for additional protection as well, and given what was stored within the tanks, such protective measures were completely fair in N's own personal opinion, if not entirely necessary.
When T had originally decided to convert this room into what it was now, alongside putting together the disassembly workshop next door, protection of the tanks and pipes connecting them together were of the utmost importance. Yet still, at the end of the day, it was indeed those said tanks which garnered the most attention given the sheer number of them throughout the room.
The pipes which connected them all together were equally as attention grabbing in their own way too, though ultimately not as important - theoretical speaking. Nevertheless, they were still protected with the same none-flammable white wrappings which covered nearly every surface of the room; causing them to stand out somewhat against the barren, flat surfaces of the room which surrounded them.
Getting back on topic however, the pipes ran up and across the length of the ceiling - looping around each other in an almost chaotic harmony - before suddenly cutting off through the opposite wall for where N was currently situated. Similarly, further down that same wall, lay another steel plated security door comparable to the one which N had just entered through which was slightly concealed away behind the several rows of tanks. If you weren't as well versed in the Tower's interior layout, you may not have even noticed it was even there at first… Fortunately for N however, he was, in fact, very well versed in the Tower's interior layout - for the most part that is. Even more so, N knew specifically that that door in particular would lead him directly into the workshop.
So it was with this knowledge in mind that N proceeded to gingerly walk around and past the rows upon rows of tank, and in the direction of this door.
On the way there though, N couldn't help but express a sense of marvel as he walked past the tanks - the culmination of all of the work they've done to secure an easier existence for themselves in essence.
The sheer stockpile they'd managed to amass over the past few years - that hadn't either been used or consumed already by this point - was truly an inspiring achievement in of itself. For within each tank N pasts lay the life-blood of both worker drones and disassembly drones alike - all be it viewed in two vastly different ways by both parties.
Oil…
The warm and deliciously black nectar which disassemble drones - such as N, T, J and V - constantly needed to consume so as not to overheat and, well… die.
And yet, to the humble worker drone, oil was something far more simpler. It was quite literally their life-blood - a substance which continuously flowed through their artificial bodies and made them function… smoothly…? Effectively…?
Huh… N stopped for a moment, Come to think of it, what done oil actually do for a worker drone?
Assumedly it acted as blood would for a human, but what did that actually mean? Blood and oil were two vastly different liquids after all, with equally as differing properties…
Truthfully, N wasn't all that knowledgeable when it came to many of the internal components and mechanisms which made up the worker drones anatomy, much less how they all the pieces worked in tandem with one another. The best N could manage was simply the basics… Enough to do his job as was expected of him, but not much else besides that…
Such inherent technical knowledge was more so T's field of expertise than his if he was being completely honest with himself, and in fairness, N was fine with that. Best to leave the complicated stuff to those who actually knew what they were doing…
Nevertheless, as N continued to walk down and past the rows of oil storage tanks, he couldn't help but mildly recalled something which T had privately stated to him early on into their deployment. Something about how "flawlessly efficient" it all was in an "apathetic sort of way"…
Of course, this was more so in relation to the almost symbolic relationship between worker drones and disassembly drones than how the former used oil to operated, but still… with everything N was pondering, the memory kinda just came to mind.
Continuing on, T had remarked how insightful it all was that disassembly drones such as themselves were specifically chosen to clean up a planet full of rogue worker drones. Not to mention said drones just so happened to run on the same crucial oil their own systems constantly required to operate. In effect, their own survive depended solely on them doing their job and kill as many worker drones as possible, and theoretically, as quickly as possible.
"The perfect self-cleaning scheme…" T had lamented specifically at the time; without much fuss outside a slight show of annoyance within her tone.
Of course, N wasn't completely sure as to what T strictly meant by that last statement, but he had to agree that the principle used by the company was indeed rather expertly orchestrated. Their need for oil kept them on their toes, as it were, which then drove them to work as hard as possible to fulfil their mission! It was absolute genius.
That being the case however… it was also a lot of pressure to put onto their shoulders too. Not to mention with the worker drones preference for hiding themselves away from them, there was a very real possibility that they could all die through no fault of their own simply because they couldn't find their only source of oil for cooling their bodies down. Which is why N couldn't help but continue to fawn over T with praise for her brilliance and ingenuity! For it was her - alongside J - who had come through for them in their time of need with the genius that was this facility alongside what it provided for them in the long run!
… A comfortable safety net…
… A calmer, and less stressful, existence…
Reaching the door which would lead him into the disassembly workshop, N calmly repeated what he'd accomplished with that last checkpoint with thankfully the same results. So with another chime, a few more click and a small hiss, N opened the door with his tail once again and walked gingerly through; arriving at his final destination.
Unlike the previous room which has assumedly been a communal office space during the building's heyday under JCJenson, the disassembly workshop was in contrast likely a lobby or entrance hall of some kind for anyone wanting to meet the higher ups - that is if N recalled T's past assignment of said room correctly. And without question, once upon a time, N could've definitely seen it being a beautiful and well decorated space if how they'd originally found it was any indication… In fact, many of the immaculately crafted marble columns which lined the length of the room going down to the triple elevators and large covered windows at the end, alongside the U-shaped mezzanine overlooking the central nave, were still there, and in rather good condition all things considered.
But similarly with the previous room, this one had seen a rather radically makeover as well…
Stripped away were the luxurious commodities of human wealth and power; leaving behind an almost unrecognisably blank canvas in which T could set out to construct the genesis for her plan.
Observing the room from where he stood, the floor and walls around N - which once consisted of beautiful walnut panelings and red velvet wallpaper - were now covered completely in that none-flammable white material from the oil storage room. Shelves, as high as the mezzanine, also lined the two opposing walls which the marble columns rested closest to; holding miscellaneous trays of parts and worker drones components alongside other complex pieces of equipment. Then there were the racks stapled into each of the marble columns lining the nave - all of them holding securely pristine and bare worker drones shells; with every single one of them facing out over the room's nave like a patient audience waiting on a show to begin.
On the whole, it was all quite neatly arranged, and, in some ways, appeared almost like a strange mortuary. Though, perhaps a butchery would be a more fitting description…? Given the context of what was in fact going on within said hall, such a comparison would definitely be much more appropriate.
On the wall beside the door which N came through; under the shadow of the mezzanine above, lay several older looking operating tables. Each one holding more deceased worker drones at a slight upright slant - just shy ten degrees or so back if N had to hazard a guess. Their bodies were stripped bare like the ones hanging from the racks, though unlike them, these ones showed more signs of damage, with the occasional claw mark or a missing limb being the most noticeable wounds alongside general wear and tear upon their shells. That said, most of the visible wounds were by and large covered by multiple black suction nozzle connections to clear rubbery pipes which ran haphazardly across each drone and up into multiple machines connected to the back wall behind the tables.
This was what T's ultimate plan essentially boiled down to in the end.. With N passively watched the oil be siphoning from the dead worker drones and up towards the collection of pipes which had come through from the oil storage room next door, he still couldn't help but repeat how amazed he was; especially by the sheer simplicity of it all.
It was the reason why they always made an effort to collect the bodies of the worker drones they kill whilst out on patrol, so that they could at the end of the day take them back to the Tower and properly siphoned their bodies of all the oil they had still within them so nothing was unnecessary wasted.
All in the name of a more calmer, and less stressful, existence.
But of course, siphoning oil for their own personal use wasn't the only reason behind all of this. No siree~
For if there was one thing T didn't like, it was wastefulness in its entirety. Also communism… and religion… and a multitude of other thing which didn't fit her primarily economic-focused mindset, but those weren't important to what N was getting at…
Ahem… For you see, T was also preserving the worker drone bodies alongside their oil, and if not their whole bodies, then their still usable parts, because - via her own logical reasoning - why should JCJenson spend more recourses making new drones and send them over to continue mining this planet when they could instead recycle and repurpose the old ones or their parts to do the exact same job for a fraction of the cost? This planet was still theoretically ripe with resources after all, and T naturally figured JCJenson would likely want to continue its operations here after all of the rogue drone were dealt with. If they weren't, then why send them specifically all the way out here in the first place?
Pettiness maybe? Spite? Well, T didn't seem to believe that was the case. At least, N didn't personally believe she did from how she spoke about her plans with them…
No. To her, JCJenson wanted what was on this planet, and they wanted to get it as cleanly and as efficiently as possible - like any self respecting large corporation would. So, with this in mind… why not set things up so as to make it even more easier for them in the long run? It was only the more reasonable thing to do.
Manoeuvring out from behind one of the columns; past the shell of a hanging worker drone, N briefly walked past the row of operating tables before wandering into the central nave of the entrance hall turned workshop. From this angle - looking out over everything situated around him - maybe mortuary or butchery weren't the most accurate ways to describe the overwhelming feel this hall was giving off?
No… to N, it was almost divine in an strange sort of way - similar to that of an ancient cathedral or rural church in fact… Which, given T's distaste towards anything remotely religious, was definitely odd give she spent the majority of her working time either in here or within their command centre upstairs.
Maybe it's just me…? N pondered as he approached a row of five more modern looking autopsy tables. Come to thing of it… looking around the room once again, Where is-
"N?"
"AH!"
Almost jumping out of his casing in surprise, N violently pivoted in the direction of his name being called out-… only to find T casually strolling out from behind one of the marble columns with a clear, plastic apron folded neatly over her left forearm, and, outside of giving N a questioning look for "yelping" out of seemingly nowhere upon hearing her call out his name, appeared the same as she was the last he saw her.
Though… Looking a bit closer, N did note offhandedly that T's long silvery hair - which his squad leader tended to keep tied back with a lengthy strip of grey, black ribbon; forming a messy, but manageable, high ponytail - was done up rather neatly tonight; with even the ribbon she preferred to use being tied into a nice - all be it, slightly limp looking - bow. Similarly, T's "ahoge", which tended to bounce and sway about freely atop her head depending on how she felt at any given moment, seemed far more controlled and calmer than usual.
Huh… N pondered, I guess J managed to hold T back again tonight before going out with V on their raid…
Though not a slob by any meaning of the word, his squad leader did tend to only to do the bare minimum when it came to hair care after waking up in the evening. So, upon sighting her hair actually done up rather nicely compared to how she usually styled it, the primary suspect was naturally J given the twos closeness to one another… as well as the fact that J actually liked keeping her hair neat and well groomed.
Plus, it wasn't like the two of them helping each other with their early evening routines was anything new. In fact, from what N was personally aware of, it happened fairly often, and especially whenever the two of them were working on something important - be it mission related, or something more private.
As for T's uniform meanwhile, it appeared the same as it usually did, but unlike her hair, T instead put a good deal more effort into always keeping it crisp and clean… or well, as crisp and clean as one could in their line of work, that is. Heh…
But anyways, for the most part, T's uniform was rather similar to J's own formal business wear for the most part outside of a few select differences here and there.
Similarities went as far as them wearing pretty much the same shirts and ties, with them both being yellow and black respectively. T's coat meanwhile is where the differences really start, with hers being a double breasted design which included gold epaulettes whereas J's was a more traditional single breasted design - with both possessing the same belt which wrapped around over their midriffs, though T also had a cross strap belt going over her left shoulder. Additionally T chose to wear knee-length shorts - similar to the ones both V and himself wore - whereas J preferred a simple pencil skirt.
All-in-all though, with her hair and wardrobe, T looked just as stunning as any other female disassembly drone N had the pleasure of meeting - which still only counted his three squad mates, but neither-here-nor-there…
However, as he began to feel T questioning gaze harden on him even more, N decided to move things promptly along and away from how attractive his squad leaders was. After all, he has all the time in the world to ponder about such things as beauty and how physically attractive his peers were later - all be it, for the record, N still only had his eyes set on V. Though equally as beautiful and stunning in her own right, N knew from personal experience that J would - without question - throttle him within an inch of his life if he ever tried to seduce T in any meaningful way.
But anyways… Ahem… Moving on…
"Ah… Sorry T, uhh… Right! Serial Designation N reporting as requested!" N stated finally, though with his hands currently occupied, he was instead forced to awkwardly use his tail to give a makeshift salute, "Apologies again for being late."
After a brief moment of scrutinisation, T hesitantly removed her gaze away from him with a low sigh. "It's fine N." she spoke with a calm, though stern, understanding, "But if you wouldn't mind?"
Motioning to one of the operating tables closest to where he was standing, it took a second for N to understand what T was asking him to do. "Oh? Oh, yeah. Absolutely! Sorry. Just a moment."
Moving closer to the table pointed out to him, N gently laid out both the head and body of the deceased worker drone he'd been lugging around this whole time. Once done, and with his hands now finally free, N made to remove the worker's satchel next from around his body. Looking all over the workshop for a place to safely leave it, N soon found a free side present not too far away from the operating table - likely place there by T in preparation for his arrival if N had to guess - and gingerly laid the bag down atop it before moving it closer.
With everything set, N looked back to T who had just finish putting on the apron she'd been previously carrying and was now making her way to the opposite side of the table from where N stood.
"Now then." With a clap of her hands and a small yet satisfied grin on her face, T turned herself to meet N's gaze once more, "Let's finally get down to business, shall we?"