Dog of War

Viola slid a few pads over to Camila, each one displaying a different folder with thousands of files. "Princess has been a very busy sophont. I suppose before we begin, I should return this." Fae took out the coin and handed it over. "I recorded the encryption key and replaced the safety measures, Princess shouldn't be able to tell there was any tampering. Feel free to take any of the pads with the files on them with you, by the way." 

 

"Thank you." Camila took the coin, tucking it away as she picked up the offered pads, scanning the files at random. There was a lot of what she had expected. Extortion material, debts owed, intelligence, viruses for digital warfare. What she didn't expect were the pictures and videos. The sudden sight of Princess casually walking over mangled bodies was an unpleasant reminder of who she was before. None of this was truly new information; Camila already knew that her past was rife with violence. "I take it there's some noteworthy things on here?"

 

"'Some' might be an understatement. The stuff I was able to dig up on record is only a fraction of what's on here- and that's not even counting her perspectives on the stuff we do have!" The archivist seemed nearly beside herself with excitement. 

 

"Her perspectives?" Camila only had Princess for one full day before the vet fixed her neurochemistry. It could be enlightening to read something from before.

 

"Yes, it seems like she was in the habit of writing up mission reports for her own benefit. They're almost something like a journal when taken together. Here," Viola sent over a file. "take a look. They're all attached to the contracts they were for."

 

The contract detailed service for 'decommissioning' a cybernetically enhanced soldier in almost insultingly blunt terms. Seeing the exchange of funds for something as irreplaceable as life made Camila feel uneasy. This individual should have gotten help. They should have never been augmented in the first place. 

 

The attached report caught her off guard. She had expected something clinical, something as cold as 'Beckett' had been. She was taken back by what she actually got.

 

It was almost remorseful. 

 

Rogue auggie job. Locating the unit was easy. The built-in tracking may have malfunctioned but the unique electronic signature let me pin its location down to about a block. From there it was just following the signs. Pinned the poor son of a bitch in an alley. Stuck it withan electric charge that robbed it of most of its functions. I didn't make it wait. The Company taught me there was mercy in a quick death. I could almost see myself in the reflection of its eyes, the me that bled out in the snow. I hope the bastard was gone before I got to him. No one should be forced to live as a weapon, or have to try to live with being one. He could rest now. Client complained about the damage to it, but I pointed to the carve out in the contract that explicitly states we do not return rogue merchandise in any guaranteed condition. Threatening to blacklist them got them to pay up fine after that. Cleaning the blood and oil out of the seams of my boots took nearly as long as the actual job. 

 

Camila skimmed through dozens of contracts. Each had a body count ranging from one or two, to a handful, to as many as a few hundred. There was a sickly feeling in her core as she realized Princess had harmed far more sophonts than she previously thought. She had suspected it was in the hundreds, but from what she was seeing that number was off by at least two digits. There was no allegiance, no ideals in any of it. Some of the jobs were for companies that the others were against. Some were worthy of immediate domestication entirely on their own. It made sense why she had hidden these. Yet through it all, in the reports, was a hint of Princess underneath. "How many are there?"

 

"Princess has six hundred fifty three contracts in her personal files, but those aren't what's most interesting." What could be more interesting than a journal of the last thirty odd years of her pets life? Viola tapped several vines against a pad, and a file popped up on Camila's end. "Take a look for yourself."

 

It was a list of dozens of names, dates, and locations. There were even two that were listed next to Cassius. "What is this?” 

 

"Her little spy network, and where they are stationed around the Accord," Viola preened. "The dossiers she received are on there too. What's really intriguing is that I've cross-referenced this list with our own records, and most of the ones that are listed as recently active are florets now. You may want to send their owners a 'thank you' message when you find the time."

 

This was already a lot to take in. Camila had nearly forgotten about the reports that had convinced Princess to seize the Valiant . "What about the others? The two on Cassius?" 

 

"Oh, most of her 'spies' were just people 'indebted' to her for one reason or the other. I could highlight the names of the few active non-florets for you if you want, but most of them seem to be adjusting fine. The two on Cassius haven't sent her a report since shortly after we arrived. However, there are a few interesting ones." 

 

The list of names filtered out, leaving only a few dozen. Camila looked them over, taking a few moments before she realized what Viola was showing her. The locations were off. Camila had coordinated enough communications to know there were no Affini in the listed areas, mostly comprised of asteroid belts and out-of-the-way planets. "Ferals?" 

 

Viola nodded. "Yes, representative of at least a dozen groups in hiding. Several are already known but I sent them all in, just in case. They should be in loving vines soon enough~" 

 

"I see..." It was disappointing but not unsurprising that Princess had hidden something like that. At least those poor cuties would get the help they needed now. Still, none of this was what really weighed on Camila's mind. "Was there anything on the Company?

 

Viola shifted. "Yes, in fact, it was the only file with any further encryption." Camila's attention was drawn to a folder as the pad automatically navigated to it. It bore only a date as its name- 17DEC24. "It was a simple one too, only three digits."

 

Curiosity and nerves reached their peak. So many answers right here, at the tip of her vines. "What is it?" 

 

The excitement left faes voice. "I must warn you, it's... not what you might hope, and you may be disappointed."

 

Anything would be more than what she had. Camila took a moment to steady herself, preparing for disappointment. "I understand."

 

"The passcode is three-four-seven." 

 

The emergency alarm on Camila's pad struck dread deep into her core before she got a chance to enter it. Princess . She sprang up as message after message popped up on her pad. 

 

[ERROR: HAB AI CORE DRIVERS COMPROMISED]

[ERRORRR: HAB AI HAS B+COME UNST@BLE]

[E&@RGE(CY: FI%1E SU//RESSION SYST3VS AC*IV~TED]

[W@/N¡Ng: F100DI%G D3T#CTED]

[ER%OR;  PR1N%E$SSS1+!]

[#1-W*))99A@@AA@@$#HH##HH~!!?!!]

 

A warning for Princess came through moments later, confirming Camila’s worst fears. Jess had gained awareness, and Princess was having a panic attack. Camila quickly gave her a dosage of Class E through the cuff, and sent a message to Cordelia. The emergency message should have been forwarded to her automatically, but it was better to play it safe. 

 

"Sorry Viola, I have to go, it's an emergency." 

 

"I could come if you need help." 

 

"I might; do you have any experience with AIs gaining sapience?" 

 

"Oh my! I can't say I have any personal experience, but I did dabble in artificial intelligence for a bloom." Viola swiftly collected the scattered pads. "Lead the way." 

 

The two Affini made their way out of the cafe, moving as fast as they could down the busy street. Anxious thoughts broiled within Camila's mind- this wasn't supposed to happen for days and they had only been alone with each other for a little over half an hour! From the messages it looked like Jess was having her own breakdown! What in the name of the Everbloom happened?! 

 

One thing was certain- that was the last time Camila ever left Princess on her own. 

 

They approached the hab to find Cordelia standing outside of it, looking distraught. Her leaves frazzled, her flowers dropping, her normal luminance core-witheringly dulled. She immediately entangled herself with Camila. "I made sure Daisy was alright and just got here a little while ago. Jess is in some sort of safe mode, she's not responding to me. I sent for a technician, but you're the registered owner for the hab! You should be able to get through to her!" She started to fall apart, growing more despondent. "I'm sorry, I didn't think this would happen so soon, I-" 

 

Camila embraced her closest friend, comforting her. Princess and Jess needed her, but right now, so did Cordelia. Hopefully the girls could forgive her this moment of selfishness. "It's alright, love. Thank you for calling for a technician." She pulled back, stealing one final moment with her before approaching the door. "Jess. Open the door."

 

The audio was distorted and garbled, as if the speakers were having connection issues. "Miss Verdun! Pr-pr-pr-css- Princess- Waaaaaah!"

 

"Jess, I understand you are going through a lot right now, but I need you to let me in. If you don't I will have to break down the door." 

 

A moment passed, and then the door slid open. Water gently flowed out as the three Affini made their way inside. The flickering lights reflected in the water dripping off the TV and couch into a shallow pool. Camila felt a deep, primal need in the pit where her hunger lived.

 

She turned to the others. "I'm getting Princess, you two try to calm Jess down."

 

Camila did not wait for a response before rushing into the girls' room. Princess was sitting on her chair, feet tucked in to get them out of the water, and clutching her bear. She reacted to Camila's presence almost immediately, perking up and turning to her. "Ah, M-Miss Verdun!" She cried out in relief, tears welling up in her eyes. She nearly tripped over herself getting out of the chair to move towards her. 

 

Camila's vines gladly met her the rest of the way, sweeping her up into them as they shredded her clothes, ridding her of the soaked garments. Princess began sobbing immediately. "It's alright Princess, you are safe, you are safe." Camila stroked her hair as she gave Princess an additional dose of class E, and her mood began to level. 

 

Princess nuzzled into her vines, sighing happily as the xenodrug took effect. "You're comfy..."

 

It would have made Camila squeal with delight in any other situation. The poor girl was soaked, and had clearly been crying. She gave her a scritch. "Thank you little one, but what happened?"

 

"Jess, uhm," Princess did her best to work herself deeper into her vines, stars she was adorable. "She kept teasing us and we asked her to stop a-and she went rogue and wouldn't listen so we snapped at her." Princess mumbled an addition- "They're not supposed to cry..." 

 

This was inevitable, Camila supposed. She still wished it hadn't happened. There was something that didn't sit right, though; Jess wasn't just upset, she was despondent. That took a bit more than just shouting. "Princess, what did you say?" 

 

The girl shifted in her vines, remaining silent. 

 

"Princess." With how deeply she had buried herself in her vines, Camila was easily able to force her eyes to meet her own. "What did you say?"

 

She squeaked, and tried to cover her mouth only to find vines holding her arms in place. Instead, she forced her eyes shut, and clenched her jaw. Camila didn't think she still had this amount of fight left in her. She could just check the footage, but pets shouldn't get to hide things from their owners. 

 

Camila coaxed her eyes open again. "You are safe with me, little one. Please tell me what you said."

 

"W-we said she was broken, and called her malware, a-and said we would reduce her to slag if we could." Camila felt her vines tighten as the words poked the fresh memories of the files. "She's dangerous, Miss Verdun! She needs to be removed from the system before-"

 

"Enough." An injector delivered a Class W into Princess’ bloodstream. "I've heard enough, little one, thank you." 

 

Princess opened her mouth to speak, but all that escaped her throat was a mewl.

 

"I understand you have an unpleasant history and trauma involving AI, and she was annoying you, but that does not excuse death threats . We do not destroy AIs that attain self awareness in the Compact, we celebrate them. We welcome them as the beautiful and unique sophonts they are." 

 

Princess squeaked in protest. 

 

It appeared there was still a glimmer of Jackal left to be snuffed out. Dirt , what was there to even do about this? Camila didn't want to just break the girl. This wasn't even fully her fault. She may not legally be a pet, but she was obviously dependent. It was clear who the responsible party was here; this was her own fault. 

 

Oh mulch, maybe she was too young, too inexperienced to be an owner. She had let Princess get hurt again . 

 

Camila needed to make this right somehow, but there wasn't enough time. She still had other important responsibilities, and needed to figure out what, exactly, she wanted to do. "We will talk about this later, I have to make sure Jess is okay." Camilla opened her chest and stuck the struggling girl next to her core. She shuddered as Princess squirmed, adjusting to the sensations. An hour in there should assure she was nice and pliable when Camila settled on a plan.

 

Camila took a quick look around the room before she left. Princess had dropped her bear, she'd surely want that. The bed was totally soaked, it would be easier to replace than dry and clean. There didn't seem to be anything else out of place, but her desk had quite the crack in it. How did the little one manage that? More questions to be answered by the security footage. She took a second to prepare herself for comforting, and left the room. 

 

"-I-I didn't listen and- Oh! Miss Verdun!" Jess' tone brightened as Camila entered the room. Cordelia looked a bit frayed still as Viola was on faer pad, taking diagnostics from what Camila could guess. The water here seemed to be drained, at least. "I heard what you said but it's not Princess' fault! I shouldn't have pushed her so much, she asked me to stop a buncha times but I just kept going and-!"

 

"No, you shouldn't have," Camila interjected. "but that doesn't excuse her actions." Mulch , this was a complex situation, and it was all her fault. 

 

"Where is the little one, by the way?" Viola asked, peering up from the pad as fae kept working. 

 

"She's on a bit of a time out while I figure out what to do." Camila tapped her chest.

 

Cordelia perked up. "Are you going to break her?" 

 

"No." Camila stated, much to the shock of the other Affini. "This is the first time she's stepped out of line, and it is my fault. As her guardian, no- as her future owner - I knew better than to leave her alone with an AI that was becoming self-aware." 

 

"But I told you it would be fine, it's not-" 

 

"And I let that blind me to what I know . Out of my selfishness and haste, I followed your advice."

 

"But I pushed her after she-" Jess started. 

 

"Yes, you shouldn't have done that, and Princess was triggered, and frustrated, but that still does not excuse her." Camila had figured out the first part of her plan, at least. The two sophonts would have to make amends. 

 

Cordelia turned to the older Affini. "Viola, what do you think?" 

 

"I think I've almost finished this rudimentary Class E for Jess, but I doubt that's what you're asking." Viola sighed, stopping faer typing as fae turned faer full focus on Cordelia. "Camila is right, the blame falls mostly on her." Even with Princess snuggling her core, the words cut through her. "Princess is in every meaningful way her floret, and Jess was her charge. This was not something that happened suddenly one day, but built up to over time. She had, I suspect, multiple opportunities to nip this in the bud."

 

Camila felt her every leaf wilt. It was a conclusion she had already come to, but that didn't dull the sting of the words. She knew Princess had issues with AI and had done nothing. She knew Jess was gaining awareness and had done nothing. She had let the tension between the two build until it reached the inevitable breaking point. She had known this would happen, and she let it.

 

"However-" Viola continued, "these things happen sometimes. You are young, and inexperienced, and even Affini that count their blooms into the hundreds are not immune to making mistakes." Fae interrwove a few vines with Camila's own, her core pulsing comfort. "Just try to learn from this and move forward, dear. It won't help anyone to get hung up on your failures. That goes for you too, Miss Dawnbloom."

 

"A-ah!" Cordelia perked up, caught off guard. "Yes, you are right." 

 

Camila mulled over the words. It was sound wisdom- she couldn't change what happened, but she could make the best of it, and make sure it never happened again. The lack of intervention was a problem, but more than that she had tried to quell all of Princess' fears without addressing the underlying causes. She didn't properly address her fear of AI, and thus allowed it to fester. No longer. She felt herself renew as the second piece of her plan fell into place. "Thank you, Viola."

 

"Of course! Always happy to help out a youngbloom." Fae turned faer attention back to faer pad. "Now Jess, would you like to try this Class E? I altered it from one used for another Hab AI that attained awareness." 

 

"Wait, is that why everything seems strange and my code feels funny?"

 

"Well, I only dabbled in AI for about two hundred years, but yes. I do believe you legally qualify as a sophont now! Congratulations are in order, Jess, you are quite the rarity." 

 

"I'm a sophont ?!" Jess exclaimed, before gasping. "Ooo, does that mean I can get a body?"

 

Camila and the other two Affini couldn't help but laugh at the sudden change in her tone. A bit of much-needed levity after the stress of the last few minutes. "Of course, if you want one. I would have to look up the process for getting something custom." 

 

Thankfully Viola's expertise saved the day once again. "Well, something actually custom-made would take a day or so with manufacturing and troubleshooting, plus however long it takes for you- and presumably Miss Verdun- to design such a chassis. We could get you into a standard model later today, but there are also a few frames capable of hosting a digital sophont that could be made in any compiler." 

 

Jess hummed. "Can you send me those and that Class E? I'm still feeling pretty frazzled."

 

"Of course," Viola made a few swift taps on her pad, before tucking it away. "I've also sent it to Camila so she could run it for you again, but you likely need to get your code stabilized when the technician comes by. Naturally occurring code tends to be a bit messy, even when AIs become self aware under positive conditions. How's the Class E?" 

 

Jess sighed, a sort of descending digital tone. "It's working preeetty nicely. When's the technician getting here?" 

 

"Ah, ze said ze just got a pet sitter and ze'll be here in ten minutes!" Cordelia announced. 

 

"Perfect. Cordelia, do you mind keeping Jess company? Camila and I were still in the middle of discussing Princess' files. There's still some important things to review."

 

"Oh, sure!" 

 

"Thank you. We should be out before ze arrives. Camila, if you would lead the way to somewhere we can talk?" 

 

"Of course." Camila felt a new nervousness replace the old as she led Viola into her room. Thankfully her communication equipment was thoroughly waterproofed, and the small creek provided a degree of natural drainage. Outside of having to wipe a small puddle off her desk, her room was nearly unaffected. 

 

"Now what did you want to discuss?" Camila asked, sitting down.

 

"Just the Company’s files." Viola took a seat of her own. "Can you take out the pad I gave you?" 

 

Camila did so, renavigating to the dubious file. 

 

"Open it." 

 

Camila entered the passcode, and pressed enter. She didn't know what to expect, but a single text file wasn't it. She quickly opened it, hoping for an explanation, only to find a list of names. Most had titles next to them. 'Suit,' 'Coat,' 'Handler.' All of them had a check mark. "What is this?" She scrolled down through what must have been dozens of names in sheer confusion until she came to the end. There was one unique entry there, a title that lacked repetition or an associated name. 

 

'The Director.'

 

"I suspect it's a list of former employees of the Company. Camila." Viola placed a hand on her. "Every single one of them died, or went 'missing,' about thirty years ago." 

 

Distress rang out of her core, and she felt Princess shift inside her. "Is this the only file?!" Camila had been hoping for any kind of answers, but all she received was more questions. 

 

"As best as I can tell, yes. I could find nothing else pertaining to the Company, even after using every method of file detection and recovery I know."

 

Camila tried to get a hold of herself. "What about the actual files?" 

 

Viola sighed, her flowers drooping. "I believe the only sophont who knows where those would be is Princess, if such files even exist." 

 

Camila felt the need to take the girl out and rip out her every secret on the spot. It was unfitting, it was unfair for her to keep so much, so hidden! It was also exactly what Cordelia had warned her about. Something she felt demanded an answer. Chasing an answer for the sake of an answer was sure to only hurt Princess, and she had been hurt enough. 

 

Camila let it go. 

 

It didn't matter if she had her every secret right away, Camila would have Princess in the end. She was what mattered. Perhaps, once she was hers, truly hers in the way that went beyond any contract, she would happily give up her every secret to her Mistress. Until then, Camila had to keep in mind what was best for her. Chasing her secrets without thought was what led to this. 

 

"I see. Well, I suppose you did say it might be disappointing. Is that all?" 

 

"Truthfully, there are other files I wanted to show you, but I can simply send you the notes for those. We've gone over all the truly notable ones." Viola got up, and Camila followed suit. "Feel free to go through them all at your leisure, of course. I'm not going to give up on finding those missing files, just so you know. It'd be hard to call myself a xenoarcheobureaucrat if I did. In fact, the list has given me quite the lead. I believe I've narrowed down the Company's base of operations to a few bodies in the Centaurus system."

 

Camila smiled, but the prospect of hunting down the Company didn't seem as enticing as it might have earlier. "Well if you do find anything, let me know. We should get back out there so we can get the technician when ze arrives." 

 

"Of course." 

 

The two Affini exited into the living room to find a small vacuum bot happily beeping as it explored the area. Cordelia was in a much better mood, watching the precious scene play out with amusement. 

 

The small robot nearly bumped into Camila, stopping and backing away at the last second. "Oh, hi Miss Verdun! I decided to use this," Jess did a cute little spin to show herself off, "as a temp body until I could get my custom body made. I thought using a ready-made frame might be in a weird too-close-and-yet-too-far space? This feels more 'temporary,' you know? Ah, sorry if I'm rambling, everything just feels so different now and I never had a body before! It's really weird! Do you all usually just have this one point of view? I'm used to watching the hab through about a thousand angles at once for every room, this is freeing up so much RAM! I feel like I'm overclocking but without the stress on my hardware but maybe a few-" Jess emitted a loud beep. "Ah dirt, I'm still rambling! Sorry, Miss!"

 

Camila briefly wondered if Jess' current form had any receptivity for petting. She was already shaping up to be a charming little sophont. Having connivents seemed daunting, especially when Princess was already two sophonts herself, and with enough trauma for thrice that number. Yet Camila just couldn't picture herself saying no if Jess asked. She was getting ahead of herself, though; Jess' true age was measured in minutes, and she deserved time to explore. "No apologies needed, little one. You are still getting used to sapience. And besides, it was adorable ."  

 

Jess let out a garbled slush of digital noise, the light that ringed her current form flashing pink. "Th-thanks, Miss!" 

 

Ohh, that adorable reaction made it hard not to think about. Camila may not get to collar Princess, but assuming Jess did end up wanting her as an owner...

 

"Ah, the technician is here!" Cordelia announced. 

 

"Oh, lemme get that!" Jess chirped. The door to Princess' room opened rapidly. "Huh. One sec." The door slid shut, before the lights went off. "Oh, oops. Sorry I'm not used to interacting with stuff from here and everything isn't exactly where it should be? This time for sure!" The lights came back on, and the entrance opened. 

 

In stepped an Affini, as much tech as ze was plant matter, notably quadrupedal with four more vines forming arms in zir torso. Zir mask was elongated into a muzzle, splitting to reveal zir maw as ze spoke. "Hello, I'm Shea Rubus, Seventh Bloom, ze/zir." Ze looked down, eyes rippling with gold as ze spotted Jess. "Is this cutie the AI in question?" 

 

"Oh, uhm, hello!" Jess greeted.

 

Camila took the opportunity. "Yes, this is her." She brushed a vine across Jess'... back? It was hard to tell with her current circular body, but she seemed to have a front. The series of adorable beeps she made was evidence enough that it was effective, and answered her earlier question.

 

Shea lowered zemself to Jess. "Hello there, cutie. I'm going to poke around in your code a bit, okay?"

 

"Oh, sure!" 

 

"Perfect!" Shea pulled out several pads, along with a few other diagnostic tools. "Let me know if anything feels wrong, alright?"

 

Cordelia turned to Camila. "Do you mind if I head out to check on Daisy? It looks like things are under control now."

 

"Of course not." Camilla gave her friend a parting hug. "I'll be by with Princess and Jess once things are wrapped up here." 

 

"I look forward to it, love." With that, Cordelia left through the still-open door. 

 

"I should probably leave as well." Viola gave Camila a brief clasp on her shoulder. "Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the files, or want advice."

 

"Thank you, I will."

 

Now the living room was empty, apart from the three of them. Five, counting Princess cuddling her core. Shea asked Jess a battery of questions. How she felt, opinions about certain subjects, her code alterations and what promoted them- all while examining zir many instruments. Ze had a few questions for Camila as well. When she started noticing changes, what signs she saw, how long she'd had Jess. 

 

Princess came up a lot in both of their answers. It was heartbreakingly adorable how Jess seemed to push herself to try to please the girl. It also gave Camila some much needed insight. Jess hadn't just taunted Princess this afternoon, but over the last several days, during time she was supposed to have to herself. It was nothing short of a miracle that she didn't snap sooner. Not that Jess was fully capable of understanding that at the time. She was merely trying to emulate the behaviors she had observed Camila and Daisy exhibit with her. 

 

Hearing Jess talk about Princess, it almost sounded like she had a bit of a crush. With the way she described the Terran’s constant pouting over the treatment she struggled to accept that she liked, or how Jess felt the rare occasion she was able to get a positive reaction out of the girls, she certainly seemed infatuated. It was adorable, and utterly tragic for how ill-fated it was.

 

Camila felt a deep pain when Jess described how Princess' words made her feel. Scared, hurt, rejected. She very much wanted to cuddle the poor bot until she felt only the love she wanted to receive, but now was not the time. 

 

Shea stood up to zir full height, tucking away all but one of zir pads. "After thorough examination, I can safely say that Jess here is legally a sophont."

 

"I am? I am!" Jess cheered, giving a celebratory spin as her lights flashed yellow.

 

"You are also a bit unstable currently," Shea continued. "The nature of your particular awakening caused your improvised emotional drivers to become maligned. I do believe you might be the first Hab AI to be bullied into awareness! It would make quite an interesting case study, but I would like to help you balance them out, if that's alright."

 

Jess blinked red a few times. "Oh, uhm, do you think that will help? It's not going to make me like I was before, will it?"

 

"Yes I do believe it will help you feel a bit more level-headed, and no, I would never dream of permanently reducing a digital sophont into a simple machine," Shea explained with the calm demeanor of a vet. "Or temporarily, given they aren't my floret," ze added with a chuckle. "It'll also let me give Camila some proper Xenodrugs for you today."

 

Pink and yellow alternating accompanied a flustered series of digital noises. Her little color-coded emotions were adorable, Camila hoped she'd keep them. Perhaps she could help Jess design her custom frame? It would not only bring them closer, but give her a literal map to her body. "O-okay then!" 

 

"I'm going to put you into maintenance mode. When you reboot, you should feel fine."

 

Jess simulated a deep breath. Was that something she picked up from Princess? "Alright, I'm ready." 

 

Shea tapped zir pad, and all the lights on Jess dimmed. Ze brought out all their instruments again, not bothering to look at Camila as ze spoke. "This will take about fifteen minutes, I'll let you know when we're done."

 

Camila excused herself with a nod, ducking back into her room. There were a few things she needed to attend to. First thing she did was order Princess' new bed, something she had been wanting to do for a while now. Oh, she could hardly wait to see her reaction! She also put in for a new couch and set the hab to drain. That should take care of the water damage. She then looked up some resources regarding digital sophonts and saved those for later. She knew the essentials from her schooling years, along with a few things she'd picked up at the Class J cafes, but if she wanted to be Jess' owner she'd have to do better than the basics. Nothing but the best for her girls. 

 

After getting a few more of her geese in a column, Camila turned to the last and most unpleasant task she had left- watching the security footage of the event. She more or less knew what happened already, but both sides lacked needed objectivity. There was a nervous energy as she scrubbed to approximately eleven minutes before the event. 

 

Neither party had mentioned Princess had been masturbating. Goodness, the way she moaned and arched her back as she touched herself. Camila had to fight the urge to play with the little one inside her. She came quickly. Odd, considering she did this yesterday. She definitely painted her panties this morning when Camila had dressed her as well. It had been so precious the way she twitched in her vines.  

 

Princess seemed largely dissatisfied as she cleaned up. Her cum was adorably watery and clear, and lacking in volume, nothing like what she'd seen from Daisy. Ah- she was getting distracted again, she nearly missed it as Jess began to tease about the ordeal. Those were not very nice words to be certain, and only made worse by how she ignored Princess' protests. Hearing what she said in response though... goodness. Princess had accurately explained it, but that didn't take away the shock. The amount of raw emotion, the fear in her eyes that shouldn't be there, the way she managed to crack the desk... She was triggered, and pushed to the brink, but on top of it all she was sexually frustrated. 

 

The final part of Camila's plan clicked into place.    

 

Camila used the last few moments to compile Princess a new dress, before returning to check in on Shea. 

 

Ze seemed to be wrapping up the... was it still surgery with a digital sophont? The operation. "How's she doing?" 

 

"Ah, Camila, you're just in time, I was about to start her up again. I've managed to stabilize her emotional drivers without compromising the underlying personality. I suspect she'll be feeling much better once she comes to." Shea once again didn't look away from the sophont in zir care. Ze offered her a pad. "Would you like to do the honors?"

 

Camila took it tentatively, and pressed the button. The lights on Jess' temporary body softly cycled through a myriad of colors before blinking green thrice. Her voice sounded somewhat distorted at the start as she reactivated, eventually returning to its normal self. "Woooah. This feels way more... organized? Clean? I'll go with clean. Thanks a lot, syr!"

 

"Jess!" Camila exclaimed.

 

"What? I pulled up zir file, ze uses 'syr,' with a 'y!'" 

 

"The little one is correct, and quite welcome." Shea got up, finally packing away all of zir tools. "I've sent you the xenodrugs, and some notes, but feel free to contact me if you have questions or need assistance. I've got three digitized florets of my own, and I'm always glad to help, especially with one so cute." 

 

Jess let out another tangled mess of digital noise, flashing pinks. 

 

"I will, thank you." Camila saw zem to the door. "Thank you for the assistance on such short notice as well." 

 

"Of course, of course. I really should get back though, my little ones don't like being more than about a dozen meters from me." 

 

"Give them my regards!"

 

Shea nodded, and with that, left. 

 

Camila turned to Jess. "I was going to Cordelia's. Would you like to visit with Daisy while I talk with Princess?"

 

"Oo, yeah!" 

 

"Is it alright if I pick you up?" 

 

Pink again. "S-sure."

 

Camila couldn't help but think how cute the budding sophont was as she picked up Jess. Had she ever truly appreciated the appeal of digital sophonts before now? They were cute, sure, but with the delightful sounds Jess made as she lifted her up, Camila felt like she was seeing a familiar piece of art in a new light. Not only that, but Jess seemed eager to receive the attention of an Affini. Perhaps Camila could get some use out of those xenodrugs sooner, rather than later.

 

It wasn't long before Camila stepped into her friend's hab, setting the cute bot down. Cordelia was out in a moment, coming in from Daisy's garden. She was fully back to her radiant self now, as beautiful as ever and not a sign of worry to her. 

 

"Camila!" Cordelia exclaimed as she rushed to embrace her. "I take it that went well?" 

 

Camila happily returned the hug. "Yes, Jess is doing much better. Do you think you could introduce her to Daisy while I handle Princess? We might be a while, just as a warning." 

 

"Absolutely, Daisy is going to be so stoked to meet her! I only told her that Princess needed some help and she'll be fine." 

 

"Oh, I'm sure they'll get along great." Camila ended the hug. "I need somewhere I can be alone with Princess, what would be the best place?" 

 

Cordelia thought about it briefly. "Daisy's room should suffice. I can keep these two in the garden or living room until you're done."

 

"Thank you." Camila bowed her head, before heading off. 

 

It was time she had a chat with Princess.