Commander White hadn't believed the reports when she first received them, but protocol dictated her actions, not even YoRHa protocol, basic android protocol dictated that if there was any chance it could be true she had to make every possible effort to confirm it really was a human and then more actions to keep the human safe. It's why false reports were punished so severely.
But when she got sent live biometric data of a human? Well that warranted action. When said human refused to go to a secure resistance site and 13B refused to explain why the human wouldn't go to said site commander white was decidedly frustrated.
Finally receiving word from 13B that the human was willing to come up and talk to her in person? Well besides the logistical issues it raised it would finally allow her to talk to the human herself.
Only that conversation didn't go at all like white had planned, instead of convincing the human to stay in a secure location while she used his DNA to recreate humanity she instead spent most of the meeting negotiating an alliance.
In the end even if she didn't get what she wanted she got something almost as good. A theoretical end to the millennia long war. She just had to hope the sole human wasn't over estimating himself.
The first collaborative mission would be a raid on a former weapons factory showing suspicious machine activity, in which the "engineer" as the called himself would be supplying 2 of his "mark 2 spidertrons" as well as artillery and air support.
The first of the supplies she had negotiated for, the power armors and a few crates of handheld weapons, would be arriving within the day, and she had to organize trials and testing.
--
Balistraia had been scouting out this new land for a few days, a satellite had finally been launched into orbit with the help of YoRHa so only fine details were needed for the local surroundings, as she now had vague maps of the surrounding area. It was this map data that showed several anomalies.
What looked like a carnival, at least partially in operation, and a village set in the middle of a forest.
It wasn't the resistance, Contact had already been made with the local resistance cell, and their camp location was known, a few couriers had even taken supplies and weapons to it.
And if it wasn't the resistance Balistraia was obligated to scout out and investigate the locations, starting with the forest village. A few spidertrons were sent out, more than capable of defending themselves against the grand majority of threats and possessing powerful sensors they were best suited for scout operations behind enemy lines.
Something Balistraia had already noted was the lacking hostility of the grand majority of machines, sure in some areas they would attack, or if you provoked them. But as the three spidertrons walked un-harassed through the city, straight past or even through groups of machines that didn't even acknowledge them, Balistraia noted that even if they didn't attack, they were more than suitable as mobile cameras or monitoring systems.
That was why any 'non-hostile' machine found within a few blocks of the factory was demolished, but calling this current situation a war felt like an exaggeration, sure there had been coordinated attacks on the outpost by machines, but it was more raids and fast strikes than a continuous assault.
No, there was something more going on. If the machines really wanted to win they would be attacking non-stop, as a part of a self replicating army herself she well understood that, and the fact that the machines weren't only served to raise her guard higher.
As such when she finally entered an area where the machines did attack she was almost relieved, and she gladly let the spidertrons missiles tear the offending machines apart.
--
The shift from city to forest was jarring, even if the city was filled with plants and animals the change was drastic. What was even more jarring were the privative wooden bridges between the trees, and the few floating machines that were watching her with significantly more intelligence than the other non hostile machines.
Still they weren't attacking, and so Balistraia wouldn't, she simply sent her spidertrons slowly in the direction of the village while ignoring her flying shadows as best she could, she was still half a mile from the village when one of the machines swooped down in front of one of the spidertrons, waving a white flag and speaking in a monotone. "Do not shoot, we come in peace, do not shoot" that repeated on loop as the white flag was flapped in her spidertrons sensors.
After the third repetition Balistraia finally used the spidertrons speakers, "I have no plans on opening hostilites" that got the machine to stop its chanting, though the flag was still waving back and forth. It seemed to think for a few seconds before speaking again "we have never seen a machine like you before, what is your business in the forest?" Balistraia decided against lying, even if her next words caused the robots to attack she was more than capable of defeating them. "I am investigating the village in this forest, the one that built the wooden bridges above us"
The white flag the machine was holding finally slowed and stopped, "That is our village, we are peaceful and would wish to avoid conflict, we can guide you there if you would like?" that seemed awfully trusting "that's rather trusting of you" the machine bobbed up and down in the air, seemingly a gesture of agreement, "Pascal always says we must be the first to extend the hand of peace" a short pause, "and you were heading straight for the village anyway, better I show you there to avoid any misunderstandings"
That was a fair enough point, if she did turn out to be hostile the machine could lead her spidertrons into a trap, and if she wasn't the machine probably hoped to smooth over an meetings she could have.
Well she was meant to be a diplomat, might as well get some more practice in "fair enough, lead the way" deciding to take only one spidertron as a gesture of good will she sent the other two back towards the edge of the forest, close enough to reinforce if needed but not close enough to be an immediate danger, at that the machine spoke again "your friends can come too". She had the spidertron shake its head, "no, all of these spidertrons are under my direct control, they aren't separate beings" well technically they were, but these ones only had the most basic programing. They wouldn't mind waiting at the edge of the woods because they couldn't mind it.
The walk through the woods was quite, and the flying machine could keep up with her spidertron well enough, and it wasn't long before she came to the village, it was situated on a massive tree, and it looked to be a few ring platforms around its trunk, as well as a simple wooden wall and similarly simple wooden shacks.
Bulwark would have despaired at the lacking defenses, and Balistraia couldn't help but pick out the myriad of ways she could wipe out the village if the need arose, simply lighting the forest on fire would destroy the grand majority of the machines defenses, and she was more than capable.
But destruction was not on her agenda today, as she could clearly see by the dozens of machines waving white flags on each of the platforms, most of which were of a fairly standard model, only one was unique, and it was the machine standing closest to her approach.
It was the most human like of any machine she had yet seen, with facial features capable of emoting. Figuring that for the leader of these machines she sent the spidertron in its direction, ignoring the various machines chanting about peace and surrender.
When she finally got close to the machine it spoke, "hello, I am Pascal, and I mean you no harm, welcome to my village"
And with that negotiations began.
AN-
kind of rushed this chapter out so I could post the interlude, okay I entirely rushed this chapter out and cut it short so I can post the interlude, don't judge me.
Pt.2 will have the actual convo between Balistraia and Pascal, as well as a bulwark and labyrinthine thing.
likes and reviews are appreciated!