Test run for yeerk drone vehicles: one

[screamsofstars]

((from here))

Starscream's moving as soon as her feet hit the floor of her lab, weaving briskly in and out among the stations where her assistants and drones are working.

"This way," she tells the human host who's following her with the bucket containing his squad mates. "Through this door."

Silence falls over them as they enter her private sanctum, which is currently dominated by three tables in the middle of the room. On each of those tables is what looks like a body covered from the chest down with a sheet. One of them is a dead ringer for a certain human woman named Natasha Stanton. Another is a fair haired male, and the third is a dark skinned male with strong features.

"Set the bucket here." She turns to look at him, her expression saying that she expects to be obeyed.

Comments

[in-the-cracks.livejournal.com]

//Still... I doubt it would try.// Not unless it could repeat the procedure for interested superiors.

Five decides to go for a little stroll around the room, considering the question. "No," she decides finally, almost reluctantly. "Not part of our division."

[screamsofstars.livejournal.com]

//I'm not going to hurt it,// she repeats. //Have I hurt any of you? I could just want to bring it back in here.//

Starscream blinks slightly. "Would being part of your division make it expendable?"

[in-the-cracks.livejournal.com]

Dallesh pauses, then withdraws its hand and nods, turning back to its work. //Of course, Starscream.//

Five looks round at her. "It might mean I could say it was."

[screamsofstars.livejournal.com]

The drone captures the last yeerk and carries it away, holding it carefully and soothingly.

"Ah." Understanding lights the little femme's face, but then she pauses and looks bemused. "I'm guessing that Three doesn't know the steak he's eating is a giant land snail."

[in-the-cracks.livejournal.com]

Five blinks. "It shouldn't disturb him, though I suppose his host's instincts might give him trouble if he did. We can't afford to be as squeamish as some humans about resemblances like that."

Read: it could be worse - Taxxon-Controllers live at risk of eating their own team-mates.

[screamsofstars.livejournal.com]

"The humans in these parts are only glad to eat them before they defoliate any more planets." Starscream offers Five a tiny sliver of paper, testing her dexterity.

[in-the-cracks.livejournal.com]

Five takes it carefully between finger and thumb: she's not the most dextrous Yeerk, in any body (no matter your exophysiology, you still need to interface with it well). "Yes, but some of those ones we know have peculiar qualms about eating creatures that look like them." Pause, as she nearly drops the paper sliver and has to shift her grip. "Or even creatures they attribute humanlike traits to."

It's very speciest.

[screamsofstars.livejournal.com]

"Hmmm." Starscream watches her performance and offers her a pin. "Well, I personally would rather avoid eating anything sentient. Sentients tend to take abysmal care of themselves. Thankfully, as a Transformer I'm spared the need for protein."

[in-the-cracks.livejournal.com]

Five nods, taking the pin carefully. "A pity some other species don't share your hardiness." Or maybe not. Sometimes that hunger is useful.

[screamsofstars.livejournal.com]

"Not really. It leaves us our niche." She pushes over a bed tray and spreads out paper slivers on top of it, then asks the yeerk to pick them up and put them back into the little bottle that she dumped them out of.

[in-the-cracks.livejournal.com]

The robo-Controller starts picking them up delicately, though she occasionally misses as she talks. "A pity for us, then." She has a thought. "Don't you already have a sufficient niche, anyway?"

[screamsofstars.livejournal.com]

"Hmmmm?" Starhunter has just managed to blow something up in the nursery. Starscream's just a tiny bit distracted.

[in-the-cracks.livejournal.com]

Five frowns. "Being alien AIs. I know no other species with the kind of abilities you possess."