"Do me a favor... drop the Pilot Markin stuff. I don't like labels. Call me Kaz, or call me Markin. But drop the 'pilot' part." Kaz wasn't much for labels anymore. If he were an officer of the military, then sure, it was tradition to call someone by rank, or using a proper pronoun or prefix. But Lyceum was a privately owned company; such labels only divided people rather than bringing them together, as he thought they should be. Carrying a moniker around like it made him better than anyone else was not worth the conversation or the division that such a fake status could cause. It was enough to wear his rank on his uniform, though he didn't feel like it entitled him to anything other than the respect that everyone who did their job well should receive. He didn't ask any further of Shira after that, figuring that, if she heard him at all, would be getting ready to depart for her own responsibilities.<br/><br/>After roughly another twenty minutes of digging and tweaking, Kaz carefully withdrew his hands and took a step back to go through his internal checklist, making sure that he didn't have any leftover parts and that he had cleaned up the area. Satisfied and comfortable with his work, he grabbed a wipe to clean the dust and grease from his hands, then replaced the panel in it's original position, bolting it tightly to the mech's frame. He then raised the lift to the cockpit and opened the hatch before sliding into the pilot's chair. He flipped a few toggles to boot up the main computer manually.<br/><br/><i>'Pilot Kaz Markin. Please confirm."<br/>
</i><br/>"Markin, Kaziah A."<br/><br/><i>"Voice identification confirmed."<br/>
</i><br/>"Begin diagnostic." The computer screen blinked to life, displaying lines and lines of data. The computer's voice rattled of a series of functions as it ran its checks, following each one with the word 'Nominal'. Once the check was complete, Kaz closed the cockpit, letting it lock into place before moving on with his work. "Initiate protocol One Seven Alpha."<br/><br/>After a brief delay, the computer screen and voice both changed. The monitor displayed a three dimensional digital face, feminine, but lacking hair and fine detail. It was completely blue, but one could make out the basic features, such as eyes, a nose, lips, and the beginnings of ears. At first the eyes were closed, but opened a few minutes after coming into view on the screen.<i>"Hello, Kaz. How are you today?" </i>The voice was noticeably softer, filled with tone and what could only be described as a glance of an emotion, a sense of comfort that came from seeing a familiar face after a long wait.<br/><br/>"Good morning, HERA. I'm good thanks. How are you?"<br/><br/><i>"I'm well, thanks. Is everything alright? The log reports some minor damage to my body and some maintenance work that was just barely completed. Were you injured?" </i>The voice sounded almost concerned for Kaz's well-being. But that was impossible right? Computer could not feel. However, that level of emotional mimicry was very difficult to match by anything other than a living being.<br/><br/>"Everything's fine. No injuries to report. How's the integration coming along?"<br/><br/><i>'Integration is currently at 82%. My efforts have been slowed significantly by your new Technical Specialist.' </i>Immediately Kaz knew she was speaking about Shira.<i>'She is very thorough, and watches for any discrepancies. I am forced to use a minimal amount of power to avoid detection. Estimated time to completion is three days, seven hours, twenty seven minutes.'<br/>
</i><br/>"Well keep it up, and stay out of sight. You and I both know what will happen if you're discovered."<br/><br/><i>'Understood, Commander. Stay safe as well.'</i>