Dr. Ella Vash leads, a young adult woman with a lean build, warm brown skin, short dark curls, and a slate-blue utility jacket over black trousers, Aia1 and Dr. Vash through a service door into the adjacent armory. Emergency power still illuminates diagnostic stations and sealed equipment racks.
Behind them, the testing bay remains secured under manual control. Distant alarms pulse through the walls, followed by heavy impacts that make the armory’s quiet feel temporary.
Dr. Vash
Aia1, submit to a rapid inspection. I need to know whether the fighting or the shutdown interface damaged you.
Ella moves to an illuminated diagnostic station and wakes its scanner. Cables hang from the console, while sealed cases display weapons and replacement components behind thick glass.
Dr. Vash
I’ll monitor the facility controls remotely from here. The bay doors are holding, but several systems are losing power.
Dr. Vash links a portable terminal to the armory network, his lean frame lit by shifting warning screens. Ella gestures toward the inspection platform and checks its restraints.
Dr. Vash
Stand on the platform when you’re ready. This should be quick, unless the diagnostics find something the armor concealed.
✓ Quest Accepted
Complete the diagnostic inspection
“I keep my weapons trained on the service door while diagnostics begin.”
SUCCESS (Superb Marksmanship, rolled +1)
Aia1 turns toward the service door, keeping the plasma blaster and integrated M2 aligned with its seams while Ella begins the diagnostic scan.
The scanner’s pale grid passes over Aia1’s armored frame. Cables connect at her shoulders and flank without disturbing her firing posture.
Aia1
The service door remains closed. Weapons are ready.
Dr. Vash
Hold that position. I can work around the weapon mounts.
Diagnostic readings populate the station: stable power routing, intact armor seals, and no immediate faults in either integrated weapon. Ella watches the results closely.
Dr. Vash
The network shows no movement near this armory. I’ll keep the door sensors isolated from the failing systems.
Dr. Vash
So far, the fighting did not compromise your core systems. I’m checking the shutdown interface next.
“I let Ella finish checking the shutdown interface”
Aia1 holds position as the scanner shifts to the shutdown interface. Diagnostic lines trace the connection between her core systems and the facility network.
Ella reviews each authorization layer, comparing the rewritten standby command against protected core functions while the armory lights flicker overhead.
Dr. Vash
The interface is clean. Your override did not damage the core, and the standby command is holding exactly as intended.
She disconnects the scanner cables one at a time and records the results. No fault indicators return, and Aia1’s weapons remain ready.
Dr. Vash
That gives us a stable platform. I’m seeing the same result from the network side, though the facility continues losing power.
Dr. Vash
Inspection complete. You are fully operational, Aia1. We can focus on keeping this armory and the bay secure.
The diagnostic station settles into a steady green status. Beyond the service door, distant impacts continue, but no movement reaches the armory.
Quest Complete
Complete the diagnostic inspection