[R4OXY]

The droid gave out a short burst of beeps and clicks. *Of course. I just wished to ensure my comprehension.* R4 moved back slightly, looking at Emmed.

*Would you like any assistance with upgrading Emmed? I have no duties at this time.*

[Dr. Cole Ormont]

"No offense taken, Ar-for." Absently, he stroked Emmed with the back of one finger, "as much as I would appreciate that, the directives I'd like to install are far too complicated to be done in a few hours. I spent several days laying the groundwork, but wasn't successful in completing the installation."

[R4OXY]

The droid beeped in affirmation. *They are extensive. Do you know what the problem was with the installation?*

[Dr. Cole Ormont]

Cole ran a hand through his hair, "it was a foolish mistake, there was a file that I forgot to install that the implementation protocol needed to run. The protocol failed mid-way through running, and basically wiped the entire directive databank. I'll have to start over."

[R4OXY]

A long boop that caused Emmed to turn around and look at R4 came out of the droid. *I see now why you needed my assistance. I was curious as to why ze's com link was nonoperational.*

[Dr. Cole Ormont]

Cole's mouth twisted wryly, "oh, did I break that in the process? I didn't realise. I'm sorry, Emmed, maybe Ar-for can repair my mistake?"

[R4OXY]

R4 spins ze's head chassis. *It is merely that in the wipe, some necessary code was lost. It should be no difficulty to replace it so that you may be able to speak to each other more easily.*

[Dr. Cole Ormont]

"I would appreciate that, you've been so helpful." He smiled, awkward and lopsided.

[R4OXY]

Droids don't necessarily see awkward, but it was plain something was slightly off. However, R4 would leave that matter to others. Here was a problem ze could solve.

Asking permission and explaining the procedure to Emmed, ze received permission to proceed. Moving over, ze interfaced with the small droid and began running through their communications code. The problem was easy to find and fix.

fluff mechanics roll for repairing Emmed: 3eA+2eP+1eD 3 successes, 3 advantage


Within a few minutes, R4 had found the problem, fixed it and done a bit of cleaning up in the code from previous problems.

*There. Ze should be able to communicate with you now.*

[Dr. Cole Ormont]

Picking up his datapad, Cole tapped the screen a few times, watching intently as text began to appear. His lopsided smile grew, and he chuckled, "that's great, Emmed." Turning, Cole reached out and placed a hand on R4OXY's 'head', "that's really great, thank you."

[R4OXY]

R4 had no touch receptors in ze's chassis. However, this seemed consistent with other methods it had seen of showing appreciation among organics. Ze could not decide if it was optimal or not that Dr. Cole was treating ze similarly to another organic.

*It was no difficulty. Plus, it will be important for ze to be able to communicate easily with you. I will not always be here to translate.*

[Dr. Cole Ormont]

Withdrawing, Cole composed himself, "certainly. Still, I am grateful."

[R4OXY]

The droid was able to note the slight change, but not fully understand its cause. *I am unsure of how to respond to physical touch from organics. I do not know what it is for and I have few limbs that are optimal for such a task. But if this is a method of expressing appreciation, it is noted.*

[Dr. Cole Ormont]

“Touch is an essential motivator for many sentient species, it’s is a psychological need that runs as deeply as our physical need for air and sustenance. Although droids do not experience the same need, many species are capable of satisfying this requirement for contact with a droid.” And if you ask me if this need for touch is related to mating, I’m going to have to explain sex-bots.

[R4OXY]

The droid makes an inquisitive boop, obviously more puzzled than previously. *Touch...is a requirement? This seems complex. Does it have to be a particular kind of touch? Must it be reciprocated? And how does a droid satisfy this urge? We cannot have the same textures or feeling as an organic body.*

[Dr. Cole Ormont]

“The other day we spoke about hormones. The acts of touching and being touched help release oxytocin into the brain. Oxytocin helps a sentient feel safe and comforted. A friendly gesture, such as a handshake or a touch on the shoulder can, under certain circumstances, allow this release of oxytocin. The more intimate the touch, and the greater the reciprocity, the greater the effect.”

Cole reaches for his kaff mug, “sentients are raised with extensive ‘programming’ that dictates what constitutes appropriate and intimate behaviours, it can vary wildly even within a species.”

[R4OXY]

*So in order to function optimally, organics must engage in physical touch. What occurs if they are deprived of this stimuli?* The droid watches Cole reach for the kaff, sparking a large amount of other questions ze keeps for later about consumption of food, its purpose, its relative feeling and why organics consume stimulants.

[Dr. Cole Ormont]

"Different individuals find varying ways of coping, and some handle it better than others. But the depression of oxytocin in the brain can lead to medical complications, especially heart disease." He sipped his kaff and grimaced slightly, it had gone cold while they spoke.

[R4OXY]

*That is intriguing. Could not an auxillary method of delivering oxytocin to the brain be devised? It would seem an optimal method for those who are on deep space missions or lone outposts.*

[Dr. Cole Ormont]

“I have been oversimplifying quite a bit. Maintaining good mental health cannot be reduced to a few hormones. The ones I have mentioned are the most studied hormones, but there are others, not to mention that brain can be maladaptive and reabsorb these hormones before they can impact on the desired receptors. A medical intervention could be devised, but with our current knowledge it would only be suitable as an emergency or supplementary treatment.”

It occurred to him that Ar-for could download the same texts that he’d studied on the subject and, with a droid’s superior recall, be more knowledgeable that he was on the topic in an hour or two.

[R4OXY]

*Ahh. That is logical. If it was easy to fix, others would have done so already. It is just...perplexing to me. How can sentience be so complex and yet also so simple? If we lack one thing, we are doomed. It is...surprisingly delicate.*

[Dr. Cole Ormont]

“If you ever work that one out,” Cole shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. “Sentient thought can be limited in many ways, and sometimes the vastness of the question is a little more than I can handle. My job would be a lot easier if organic life was less complicated, that’s for certain.”

[R4OXY]

*Indeed. It is a vast difficulty. Too many variables can make any processor clog with permutations. It is part of why I choose to observe and ask questions, rather than merely scan data. The amoutn of data on organic life and reproduction is daunting, even for a droid.*

[Dr. Cole Ormont]

“If you were a PhD student, I would recommend narrowing the field of study. Perhaps pick a species and focus on their rituals and culture first?”

[R4OXY]

Ze processed this. *That might be optimal. Perhaps I have made the scope too large. Organic life is a diverse and large group.*