Haggling With the Junkman
Posted on Wed 9th Sep, 2020 @ 9:28pm by Renato Solis & Captain Jason Harrington
2,098 words; about a 10 minute read
Mission:
Resolution
Location: Krios Minor AKA Trader's Moon
Timeline: MD 8, 1135
Previously, window shopping provided a possible opportunity ...
Mia shrugged and said, "Can't hurt to look. That's still free, right?" They headed in the door, looking around for the owner or someone working. Not immediately seeing anyone, Merel moved closer to the display. "Well, they are a little scratched up, but really, not as much as one might expect. I wonder what their main functionality is."
And now, to the haggling!
"Hey, welcome to... my store." Jaren appeared from the back, the door sensor buzzing his comm. They were looking at the mining bots, and clearly had means of purchasing them. Jaren had their backstory all made up, and metaphorically slicked his hair back to make the deal. He continued, trying to build energy on his own.
"Keen eye, I hate to part with them, but I got a crew which I have to pay that does the same job as these buggers, so they just take up space in my ship now. Between you and me, I'd keep the bots, but Commission says I gotta have three people to run my operation, so there ya go. They just need to be charged and you'll have Smart, Clever, Quantum-linked, Worker drones... which are all purpose let me tell ya."
"All purpose?" Mia said doubtfully. "Nothing is truly all-purpose. What's their main function supposed to be? Ship repairs? Exploration? They don't look banged up enough to be hunters or even miners."
Jaren didn't like working for a sale, and she looked the skeptical type. He still mustered enough care to answer with feigned enthusiasm, "Looks are deceiving, this quad is a linked unit. They did some kind of ship service, engine repairs on a freighter when they came to me, before that, mining I think, but they self-repair so there ya go.
Jaren pointed at the smoothest, most polished of the three, whose only flaw was a mangled port above the redundant memory core. Otherwise smooth, the oblate spheroid had a small tool array emerging from the front and heavy lacquer padding at the base. "This one had four Quantum memory cores, I took one as it has my data on it still, but the other three are still upgrades over the factory specs."
He pointed at the one with a long neck, "This one can record and project holograms in full detail, depth and resolution, sensors like a starship, I tell ya." He pointed to the larger bot, "That one is a systems access and repair bot," and then he pointed to the ugly jagged edge one. "That one has a dematerialization chamber." The large boxy body had a clear cargo hinge, "... and can re-purpose raw matter into its replicator wand."
Mia glanced at her boss. She was thinking that if half of what the man said actually was true, it could be a good deal ... depending on the price. She left it to Harrington to open negotiations. She'd add a nudge here and there, if required.
Jason had crossed his arms during the sales pitch the man had given. He was a little bit skeptical at first, but still interested if they worked and the price was right. He wasn't one for being taken advantage of. "I'd like to see them work."
"Good idea, boss," Mia agreed. "No sense buying something that will cost latinum to fix." Turning to the seller she asked. "Are they charged and ready to demonstrate?"
Jaren knew that question was coming. The damn things had shut down on him when he tried to pull an operation. They were fully charged but ignoring any inputs. There were times he was certain they communicated silently about him, but he couldn't detect it.
"They are locked down, once I revoked my Admin privileges they went into a passive state. They uhhh... imprint? Whoever activates them next becomes their Master unit. I can provide my contact, and I am here every few weeks to offload cargo, I'm not hard to find if they don't perform as advertised, there's paperwork and specs on them from Altair mining group in this one's history," he said, without holding eye contact and pointing to Peggy.
Mia tried not to get too greedy or possessive, but IF the machines worked as advertised ... even half advertised ... this would make some money for the ship's coffers. She glanced at Harrington, trying to read which way he wanted to jump. She didn't believe for a minute they would ever be able to track the seller down if there were problems, but it could still be worth it. Maybe they could bargain him down on the price of the four units?
Jason kept his arms crossed, feeling a bit skeptical. "I don't know, I've messed with drones, and I have pretty good knowledge of mechanics and computer systems, so I could figure out what's wrong with them in time, and I might even be able to replate defective parts...." Jason was thinking out loud and glanced over at his companion. He could see that she was interested in the things. He looked back to the storekeeper, "What's the best price that you are willing to part with them? Make us a good deal and we might look around and purchase more items."
Jaren had a other stuff worth selling, this could be a worthwhile day after all. He tried not to seem too eager as he replied, "Well, thiss'n..." Pointing at Peggy, whose open socket gaped at them like a wound, "has three Quantum cores, worth the other three put together. So 10 strips for this, and I can part at 2 strips per unit. discounted for the others, if ya wanna come browse?" Jaren didn't even consider that he was breaking them up as a family, but the four bots were listening.
{(#$$&ENCRYPTED/SUBspace-z.34*)[PEGGY]([NESSY]*[BANSHEE]*[ZOMBIE])\run.dmc/defense.protocol)^Separation:[ANY]))
Peggy whispered to the others to be ready. They would all leave together, one way or the other. Zombie had powerful repulsors and a heavy body, Banshee could exceed 140dB, Peggy would disrupt comms and Nessy, well Nessy was "cute", something they didn't realize was leverage, but social heuristics had nonetheless begun incorporating into behaviors. They sat, seemingly inert, but the potential for sudden action was rising. The bots were no threat to anyone. They had tricks and were clever, but they just wanted to stay together and would act to that end.
"So, you think 16 strips for all four?" Mia clarified, not letting anything but doubt creep into her question. She glanced at her boss and winked when the junkman/owner was turned away.
Jason shook his head in disgust, this junk seller was really trying to take them out to the cleaners. "You're asking a fortune for little bots that aren't even working. Who knows how long and how much it will cost to get them working again. You need a profit, but so do I. I'll give you three strips for the lot, I'd really like to keep them all together."
Jaren didnt like that one bit but keeping the sale from saying no was most of the game. He needed to counter the points ... if even one of them could demonstrate working order, he could make this happen.
"The Quantum cores, on their own, are easily worth that, so let's remember those yeah? I can fire up the smooth one here, so you can be sure the cores are working, and the bot can give you diagnostics on the others, too. It'll get ornery if we don't provide a master unit, so one of you gotta be that unit for 'em. If I turn it on, and it imprints on you, that's a deal yeah? Then if you want others we can talk. 4 strips for her, one per core, one for the unit."
Jaren realized this set the other three at a one strip price point, but the art of the deal was working to make this sale happen. A simple no from them left Jaren with four rebellious robots and no spare coin to spend.
As the seller turned to start up one of the machines, Merel shook her head at her boss. "Too much," she mouthed at him. Even though it was quite a bit less than the original asking price, it was still 35,000 credits for the lot. That was enough to buy a fancy house on some planets.
Jason nodded in agreement and was fairly certain that he would not walk out today with the bots. It would be nearly impossible to make any type of profit from a resale.
Sensing the deal was expiring, Jaren made a desperate attempt to talk reason to the little bot. "Hold on, I've almost got it powered. I promise you, this one by itself is worth it, but I'll bundle it with the other one here. They're computer systems wizards, and you won't regret it!" With a furious whisper, knowing the silver chrome one was the administrator unit, he threatened, "If he don't buy you, I'm scrapping all four of you."
Peggy remained inert, but Jaren knew the bots could hear him. The chirpy one couldn't help but make noise when it talked.
<{[PEGGY]}(Observation:[ALL](NULL/override"zero-energy-resist-method")*(Activate+Emotional:Algorithmic.matrix)}{[JAREN]*(separation[ALL](100%)[PEGGY]*[BANSHEE]U[NESSY]*[ZOMBIE](Separation=temporary>Reunion.protocol(61%))}>
Peggy woke the others, and was well aware of the scope of what was being discussed. Separating the group caused faults along the prediction pathways, and fear of the unknown prevented action up to this point. Jaren's words introduced a programmed response to certain death. Using models of working without comms towards a goal allowed Peggy to adapt its programs and make a plan to fit their reality. If Jaren didnt make this sale they were all doomed, at least in groups of two they could remain alive and go from there.
<{[ZOMBIE](SeekShelterRun-Stab?)}>
<{[PEGGY](Reply[ZOMBIE]-STANDBY!)}{(CMDIMP[ZOMBIE]*[NESSY]=revised"low power resist mode" Add^#"timing is everything" >
Peggy uploaded the reunion protocol, a hastily assembled billion lines of code to allow the other bots to simply choose from a list of cause and effect rather than invent a solution on their own. There were whole sections for Zombie to use its powerful repulsors, Banshee to sound its 120 Db horn. Nessy began actively scanning the people in the room, ready for the holographic doppelganger trick.
Peggy was powered up fully, and Jaren was typing on his control padd as he spoke, "This'n, 4 strips and I'll toss in that'n too since they make a good pair." As he tinkered, he instructed Banshee to start up as well. Cute chirps and small oscillating tools emerged in a pageant of adorable behavior well rehearsed.
All four bots powered, responding to Peggy in under a second after Jaren made his threat. In keeping with his lie, he pointed Peggy's opticals at Miarau, "Meet your new momma."
"They have power, at least," Mia said. "Now let's see them do something. Any coordinated action will be fine." She began to hope that with the drop in price, and the bots actually being powered, a deal might yet be worked out. There was something the least bit slimy about the seller. Could he have stolen the units? Used them in some illegal action, perhaps?
"I expect for the demonstration, we have some form of deal to make, yes?" Jaren referenced his shelf. "This is a discharged Magnetic Constrictor Coil, ok? Takes two poles to charge it up. Watch." Still Holding Peggy with an iron grip he spoke directly to it.
"UnitPiggy-Have your bots charge this coil."
One of the bots perked up, the dark one with switches and toggles.
<{[BANSHEE](resolve:fixedentry;DeisgnationINVALID"PIGGY')}{((Protocol:Resolve fixedentry);bio-unit):audio.methodSYS.)}>
It shouted from unseen speakers, "UNIT DESIGNATION-'PIGGY' INCORRE-!"
Jaren jerked in alarm, the volume was 97 decibels. "Mute system Unit-Banshee." He held his head trying to make light of the scene. "That's a feature of it, it is a communications bot after all."
Peggy coordinated Zombie and Nessy, Zombie held the coil in a fabricated grasping tool it had just made, Nessy created two leads to attach, and both began to rotate the coil. Rather than an inefficient transfer from battery to coil, the rotation and lattice assembly allowed the magnetic fields to charge by supplying power to the system as a turbine. The clever little bots were showing off.
<{[PEGGY]-[ALL](Recall-Worklogs:[MEANY])*(Solution='4instances')}{[MEANY]InputSysparam:"Faradayeffecct/dielectic.polarization@Interphasemethods;ChargeOPS&requests}>
Peggy thanked her old friend Meany for the lesson in physics.
RSS Feed