[Video]

[lootsnshoots]

Listen up people of Earth, this is Cayde-6 speaking. First point of order: I have been informed that I'm your new Gun Safety Campaign Spokesman and I am very happy to keep your guns safe. Safe with me because my gun didn't make the trip and I'm feeling so very, very, very naked without it. If anyone can give me a loaner I'll owe ya big time.

Point number two: Just ... think of this as one of those ice-breaking exercises. You know the ones where everybody's awkward and doesn't wanna talk but you gotta answer some stupid question? One of those. Just. Just out of idle curiosity: what is your favorite thing about Earth? It can be anything, doesn't matter how small. In fact, it might be the small things that are the most important. Asking for a friend who isn't used to seeing it so ... intact.

[He counts out his fingers to four, thinks again, and subtracts one.]

Aaand number three: gimme the skinny on good places to eat around Maurita Falls? Extra points for good ramen joints. And I mean the real stuff, none of that instant business.

Comments

[lootsnshoots]

It's Cayde. It rhymes with "spade?" You know, the card suit?

But yes. I am so amazing.

this should be video by the way. I'm just failing at labeling threads tonight.

[pidgewidgeon]

[ If Pidge had been in front of Cayde she's have been climbing all over him in excitement. And her expression might be giving that away if Cayde cares to pay attention. ]

I'm Pidge! Which doesn't rhyme with any card suit, but that's fine.

[ There's a moment where Pidge tries to get her curiosity under control so she doesn't come off as rude, but ultimately that doesn't happen ]

You're not like anything I've seen before. What are you? Where are you from? Are you a full artificial intelligence? Is that rude of me to ask? I bet that's rude, and I don't mean to be rude, I'm just super excited and a bit sleep deprived.

[ She pauses to take a breath so she can continue to question everything about Cayde. You might want to break in before she asks if she can study your programming. ]

no worries I was just assuming that anyway

[lootsnshoots]

I'm an Exo, I'm from Earth, and I think I count as full A.I.? We don't know much about our origins 'cept that we used to be the fleshy kind of humans.

Brilliant.

[pidgewidgeon]

[ Pidge is nodding along, ready for Cayde to pause so she can ask more questions when his last comment stops her. ]

'Used to be human'? How does that work?

[ And then his comment about ramen sinks into her head ]

And how do you eat?

[lootsnshoots]

A-ha, that we have no idea about! Why were we made? How were we made? Pretty much all of that was lost in the Collapse.

[pidgewidgeon]

You don't have any idea about any of it? [ That just boggles her mind. How could they not know anything? Surely something had to have survived. ]

And I'm probably going to regret asking this, but what was the Collapse?

[lootsnshoots]

Oh we got ideas about it, everyone speculates. And not too long ago we found a lab under Mars' ice cap that had a few answers, but nothing concrete.

[This is a lie. Cayde probably knows more than most about the truth behind the Exo project ... but nobody's going to get a word out of him about it.]

As for the Collapse, well that would be when an ancient evil called The Darkness swept through the solar system and destroyed nearly every thing and killed nearly everyone.

[pidgewidgeon]

[ Pidge just blinks at that last bit. Everyone and everything being killed or destroyed would definitely put a damper on any fact finding missions. ]

"The Darkness"? Is that seriously what you call it? [ Not the point Pidge, not the point ]

But I can see how everyone dying would prevent information from being preserved.

[lootsnshoots]

It fits the theme, what with us serving the Light and all that. We're not going to call its ancient enemy, like, Steven. Although it would be kinda funny.

[pidgewidgeon]

'Serving the Light'? This isn't some religious thing is it?

[ A beat passes and then she chuckles ]

Calling Zarkon Steven would have been hilarious.

[lootsnshoots]

For some folks it is. I can't say that I lean too far in that direction.

[pidgewidgeon]

[ Cool, cool, cool.

Subject change time! Since she just doesn't want to get into any sort of religious debate. ]

So you used to be human. You don't remember anything?

[lootsnshoots]

[There's no danger of that; he's not particularly invested any given religious school of thought.]

There are flashes of it here and there. Nothing solid, though.

[pidgewidgeon]

And that’s true of all Exos?

[lootsnshoots]

As far as I can tell, it's a random draw on what we can remember. I'm using the word "remember" loosely, now, what's there isn't that strong.

[pidgewidgeon]

So your memories start when you became an Exo?

[lootsnshoots]

I know that sounds like a straightforward question, but askin' an Exo Guardian when his memories start is real complicated.