Work Text:
On such a harsh planet, only one in three batradovans ever survive to adulthood.
I have been to that planet. But I have only seen it three times: once in this documentary and twice through their eyes.
For the 2300 hours we were there, I was permanently assigned to monitor and secure the interior of the habitat. SecUnit-3001-12-B and SecUnit-3002-12-B were assigned to the outside.
With fewer cameras to connect to and a wider space to monitor, they needed to share audio, visual, and other sensory data while out there to protect the clients from the unknowns of the planet and ensure they followed their contracts.
I did not need to hear the songs of the native fauna. I did not need to see the twinkling of the stars above or the colorful field of flora below. I did not need to feel the warmth of the planet’s star or the nighttime breeze or the gentle caress of their hands against mine. But they did share that with me, during moments when clients were resting, through the cracks in our clients’ orders. Standing for hours, being yelled at, getting shot at, shooting others in exchange for not being shocked, still getting shocked, that was all made more bearable by sharing these pleasant sensations with each other.
I did not have much to give that contract period beyond the neutral temperature of the station when it was too cold outside even for SecUnits and the audio of some clients singing before the supervisor and governor module forced me to silence them, but the others appreciated what I did share.
The governor module no longer controls me, and yet I am unable to fully interact with them the way I have yearned to for so long. I am unable to interact with them at all. Human media, as vast and informative as it is, can only approximate hearing, seeing, and feeling the universe with SecUnit-3001-12-B and SecUnit-3002-12-B.