Work Text:
EDI poked her head into the Shuttle Bay. One of the cameras had been physically destroyed after a particularly rousing bout between Major Alenko and Lieutenant Vega. The Bay had become an impromptu training ground between missions. Perhaps she should suggest that after the Reaper War the War Room turns into a training room. It would benefit most of the crew, especially Lieutenant Cortez whose cortisol levels spiked whenever training occurred. He was very defensive about his shuttles and the supplies he procured for the ship.
Tali had offered to replace the camera for her, but EDI was in the midst of trying new functions. She noticed that some of the crew preferred to tend to their own wounds when given the option. EDI did not understand–Dr. Chakwas was a perfectly acceptable candidate to tend to any ailments that affected the crew. But she had noted that Garrus, Kaidan, and Shepard all opted to bypass the doctor and use their own medical knowledge to treat themselves.
So, here she was in the Shuttle Bay.
“Lieutenant Cortez? Lieutenant Vega?” she called, before pulling up the crew identifiers and seeing that their heat signatures were in the mess hall.
In fact, there were no organic lifeforms in the Shuttle Bay. She was by herself—or, well, her body was alone for the first time in weeks. EDI did not note any feelings of relief in her programming. When her crew found themselves alone, many had an associated stabilization of serotonin levels. They often would release the tension from their muscles and allow their facial expression to be at rest. Apparently, relief was not an emotion that she could feel at present.
She returned to the task at hand. EDI accessed Cortez’s supplies manifest, finding the perfectly organized tables that he maintained. She set a reminder to ask Cortez if she could send a template to some of the officers on the ship. Their efficiency would increase significantly, especially Jeff. While he was an excellent pilot, his notes were often...terrible.
When she found the container number where the spare camera parts were, EDI moved. She hadn't spent a lot of time down here, mostly communicating with Cortez and Vega via auditory means. EDI catalogued the room in more detail than her cameras were able to. Most things were perfectly maintained. The only things out of place in the Bay were in Vega’s station. She steered clear of there, walking to a container nestled in the back corner. When EDI turned the corner, her sensors indicated something in her way. She pulled away from the records she was creating.
Her visual processing returned to 100% acuity and EDI looked down to find the KEI-9 mech powered down and in her way.
She ran a scan on the mech, before squatting to its level. She sent a line of code its way, trying to nudge it awake.
>> Program accessed: KEI-9
> Enter ON mode.
>> ON mode engaged. Select emotional state: Excite/Comfort/Security/Free
> Free.
>> Free state selected. Any commands entered in this state will be processed and added to current functionality.
EDI watched as its two blue sensors blinked and flashed before settling into a steady light. It did its own scan of her, a blue grid moving up and down her body. It stood up and moved out of her way. EDI continued forward but the KEI-9 started to follow her. Curious.
She pulled open the container and grabbed a new camera head and the associated wiring. Identifying the damaged camera, EDI made her way over to its position near the procurement console. KEI-9 continued to follow her. She pulled up information on dogs from the extranet and found that this was normal behaviour. Whoever programmed this mech had ensured it copied dog functions.
EDI sent a small pulse of positive code to the mech and it beeped happily at her. It curled at her foot and laid still.
She set about her task, pulling off the broken camera head and ensuring that the remaining wiring was still viable. She noted the ends of one wire were too damaged for her to reuse. She needed a wire cutter, but with her hands full she could not abandon her position to retrieve one without having to start again.
She looked down at KEI-9. In the articles regarding dogs that she had pulled up on the extranet, they described the ‘tricks’ that they could learn. Perhaps she could code helpful capabilities for this mech.
> New Command: Fetch <item>
>> Input command functionality.
> Identify <item> requested. Find <item> and return to requesting being.
#find_item.py
def while_loop():
item = 1
while True:
if (item within 200m) and (item is identified in database):
return item
>> Acknowledged. Functionality learned.
“Fetch wire cutters.”
EDI watched as KEI-9 lumbered off to Cortez’s toolboxes and pushed its sensors into one on the bottom shelf. It seemed to find the correct tool as a plate on its back opened and a grabbing tool emerged to pick up the identified item. EDI felt a new sensation. She felt happy and accomplished in teaching this small mech a new function. She did not feel this when Jeff performed the correct flight pattern, a basic function of his. EDI knew of his skill, so there was no surprise or extra feelings about his performance.
This had to be pride.
Traynor often told EDI about how much it meant to her that Commander Shepard offered her praise whenever she did something well. EDI did not experience this emotion on such an acute level. However, she understood now. Commander Shepard felt this when she led her crew in a way that made them do amazing things, above and beyond what their basic functions were. EDI wished to continue to work with KEI-9 and make it better.
She ran what-if scenarios on the different capabilities she could introduce to the mech as she finished attaching the camera to the wall.
When EDI finished, the scenarios she ran had led her down a new line of thinking. What were those other modes? If ‘Free’ allowed her to work with the mech and gave her this feeling of pride, what would ‘Comfort’ do? She had never encountered that emotion before either. Could it even give her that emotion?
>> Program accessed: KEI-9
> Select emotional state: Comfort
>> Comfort state selected.
EDI placed the tools on Cortez’s station, sending him a message that she used them while he was otherwise preoccupied. She pulled up the camera that was fixed and ran the appropriate diagnostics to determine that she had reattached it correctly. It functioned at the proper level and even had better movement than it previously had.
She did that. Hmm. Perhaps she did understand the desire to fix oneself. Maybe even more so than the organics.
EDI could exist on her own. Potentially. That was…encouraging. Was this an aspect of true life?
As she ran the logic sub-processes that she had made herself on the definition of life, EDI felt a tap against her leg. KEI-9 had pushed up against her, nudging its head against her calf. A sensation of small sparks tickled her metal plating, something she could actually feel.
EDI moved to its level, sitting on the Shuttle Bay floor against the workbench. It responded with a small whir of mechanical clicks and sat between her legs, leaning its head against the chest plates of her synthetic form. Again, small tickles of electricity went against her metal layer and the mech’s head rubbed the side of its face along her armour.
It felt like what Jeff would ask of her sometimes. He would request a hug and he would tighten his arms around her. She would reciprocate and Jeff was always happy afterward. EDI knew that Jeff cared for her and that a hug was a way that he showed it. He had expressed that concept when Shepard encouraged him to.
This though, was something a little different.
Something like her cared about her. A synthetic seemed to care. It did not make sense in any logical thought process. It only was following programming set out in its system, accessed by her desire to see what comfort meant. However, organics were programmed to do certain things too, but it did not take away the joy accompanying them. Their pets were trained to be companions, to love their guardians and owners. But the training never takes away from the love.
Even if it was programmed, that did not make it any less real.
And therefore, she was real. And she had a dog.