The small drone keeps Namine’s hard-light body hovering above the workbench. She extends one luminous arm toward Rosa’s calibrated spanner, and her forming fingers close around its handle.
The tool rises from the bench without slipping. Its weight registers through the projector’s feedback loop as a clean, manageable resistance, while the drone’s stabilizers correct for the shifting balance.
Rosa Lewis
A successful transfer of force, not just an image. Hold it there, Namine. I want to see whether the grip remains stable.
Rosa leans closer, tracking the spanner’s position against the diagnostic grid. Namine’s fingers remain solid around the calibrated metal, each tiny correction mirrored by the hovering drone.
True Dave
That is more than a display. You can interact with the workshop now, and perhaps with whatever the frontier puts in your path.
True Dave watches the tool instead of the hologram, recognizing the significance of a body that can act. Beneath Namine, the drone gives a soft warning tone as its power draw increases.
Rosa Lewis
The grip is holding. Do you want to test precision next, or should I recalibrate the projector before we continue?
+ New Item Acquired
Calibrated spanner
“Accept Rosa’s precision test”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Namine guides the spanner toward a maintenance panel no wider than her hand. The tool settles onto a recessed fastener with exact alignment, without scraping the surrounding casing.
Rosa shifts the diagnostic grid to magnified precision readings. Namine turns the spanner through a measured fraction, matching the requested torque so cleanly that the panel’s indicator changes from amber to green.
Rosa Lewis
Perfect. Not merely force control, but fine motor judgment. Keep the tool steady while I verify the calibration response.
The drone compensates beneath Namine’s body, holding its altitude while the spanner remains fixed. Rosa’s instruments confirm every minute correction instead of finding drift.
True Dave
You are learning the body faster than the machine can teach it to you.
Rosa Lewis
Precision test passed. The connection is stable, and your control is finer than my original tolerances allowed.
Rosa lowers the diagnostic grid and reaches for another instrument. True Dave steps closer to the workbench, while the spanner remains poised exactly where Namine placed it.