<blockquote><div><cite>thisistheclincher wrote:</cite>Artemis bid the crew farewell as they finished their meal, pondering on what Yuri had said. He was grateful to Dren and his A.I for their openness for peaceful relations. Lost in thought, he began toying with his food, the excess gravy softening the mash into a soggy brown swirl. Slightly less appetising.  Sighing, Artemis pressed a palm to his ear, activating the neural node within, connecting him to his own A.I.<br/><br/>Mainframe loadingâ€¦<br/>â€¦Log-in acceptedâ€¦<br/>CREEPER Onlineâ€¦<br/><br/>Appearing in a hologram before him was a foot-tall, neon blue praying mantis consisting of 38-Bit pixels. The retro-look was intentional, as it reminded him of the gaming consoles of his youth. Raising its insect head to him, its mandibles glitching as the Creeper spoke. Its voice was made up of high frequency static with ticks and clicks rather than human speech.<br/><br/>'...Artemis. I have been offline for two weeks. How am I able to perform my function if you insist on disconnecting me? I see the ships long range scanners have not picked up a habitable planet so far. With my assistance you could have finished these calculations in two days...' Waving his hand over the image, Artemis disrupted the signal. The mantis distorted, crackling loudly. '...I am not impressed...'<br/><br/>The scientist pinched his nose, frowning. â€˜I donâ€™t need your assistance. The human brain must show it is capable of functioning without technology. One day, there may come a time when you are rendered ineffective.â€™ Pushing his plate away, Artemis rose and motioned to leave the cafeteria. 'Plus, I think you're going to give me schizophrenic symptoms.' The hologram appeared on his shoulder. '...Then why have you requested me now?...'<br/><br/>Returning to the elevator, Artemis noticed a new food stain on his uniform, sighing he reached into his chest pocket and took out a pack of cigarettes. â€˜Youâ€™re going to cycle through our new friends data and compile it into a comprehensible file while I get some sleep.â€™ Creeper clicked in his ear, '...You insult me with your paper pushing tasks, I have used a mere 23% of my capacity since my inception...' Lighting his cigarette, Artemis inhaled deeply. '...Smoking is not permi-'<br/><br/>â€˜Mute!â€™ Artemis commanded, glancing at the digital insectoid from the corner of his eye. Exhaling as the elevator doors closed, â€˜And you wonder why I gave up talking to you.â€™</div></blockquote>