Now it begins, now it starts

"We should be fine, the two of us." Trenn mused, fiddling with a few settings. A holographic display popped up in the space between him and his 'partners', and Trenn quickly got to work manipulating it. A setting here, a tweak there...

"You're going to see a prompt coming up on your PET about now, something about an access request. Go ahead and accept." Trenn waited for a few moments, then continued. "I'm going to route a trace through your PET so I can jack Soundman in directly where your navi is; that way we don't have to start out split up."

"I see the prompt. Accepted."

Rachel tapped her PET without flourish, allowing Soundman the access he would need, while her brother kept a watchful, apprehensive eye on their Navi's status as it traversed whole areas of the Net at high speeds.

"So-- Trey, was it?" Asked Rachel, unabashed at her forgetfulness. "I'm terrible with names. And I take it you've been NetBattling for a while."

"Trenn, and yes, I have. I've had Soundman for- I think it's 7 years, now, ever since I programmed him from scratch. I was 14 then, I think. It's been a long while." Trenn chuckled. "What about you two? You said you're kind of new at this-- how much experience do you two have, exactly?"

"I don't have any," said Guy, slightly embarrassed, looking over Rachel's shoulder. "And Rachel's only ever operated normal-"

"I was an expert with NormalNavis, which was more than my brother can say," interjected Rachel indignantly. "I know how to Operate. The rest is just combat experience. The main difference is that they have extraordinary abilities that I have to-- hmm."

An annoyed hmph sounded through Rachel's voice-link, cutting her off.

Trenn chuckled softly, trying unsuccessfully to hide the noise under his breath. "Combat experience, hm?" He shook his head. "And what of synchronizing with your partner? Learning all of their quirks and peculiar bits just as sure as they learn yours?"

Trenn paused to let that sink in, then continued. "The reason I never liked Normalnavis is because half of them never even had unique personalities. Oh, sure, you can buy one of a dozen or so stock personalities, but I cringed every single time my dad met someone who had a Normalnavi with the same personality as his. So I built a better Normalnavi, so to speak."

Trenn scratched his chin as he remembered, lost in thought. "That one took a long year of tweaking and reading up on codework on the internet-- when I was supposed to be studying for school, of course." He smiled. "But I managed to have it done in time for my Dad's birthday. Not just a personality for the thing that was unique, but a skin for it, too. I remember him telling me how all his friends kept asking him where he'd gotten the skin, or the personality profile, and he said it was sort of distracting bursting out into laughter every time one suggested 'scilabs', or any of the many independent navi dev companies."

"My dad still works with her to this day; unlike Soundman, whose code is a bit more advanced than hers--" Trenn glanced down at the PET and the conversation taking place there, "--she hasn't 'evolved' too much, personality-wise. There have been some changes, but she's never had any great epiphanies, or wondered about the meaning of existence or anything like that." Trenn frowned.

"I would upgrade her code structure to resemble something like Soundman's, but she herself said she likes the way she is, so there's not much I can do about it." He shrugged.

Guy's face stretched itself into an openmouthed stare starting from the beginning of Trenn's speech, until at the very end he resembled a fish gasping for air. "You.. programmed a Navi? From scratch? Like, no help? That's... that's impossible! Like, that would take sooo much training and study, and if you made a single error it would take you, like, a year to go back though everything! And how can you even make custom Busters, and a personality? Like, the personality! It's like... it's like you're some programming prodigy!" His words started to mush together as his jaw slowly dropped lower as he spoke, until by the very end he was less exclaiming and more mumbling, a string of "Wha... Bah... Peh... Uhm..."

"Synchronization with a NormalNavi is a one-way street," said Rachel over her brother's monosyllabic disbelief. "With a NormalNavi, you stick chips in, tell them what strategy to follow, and they do it."

"I learned to think fast and how to slot-in even faster. Those skills help me with everything I do. But..." Rachel grimaced, apparently reluctant to show weakness. "It's an interesting role reversal. Visually and strategy-wise, this Navi is quite unique. I can't even begin to make the best use of their abilities. They know what they can do; I don't. Sometimes I'm still irritated that the're the ones giving me orders. I can't help it, after all this time."

Rachel exhaled deeply, as if admitting her frailty was a release of some kind.

If I were a human, with human imperfections, I would be insulted, replied Oberon. Is this what humans call 'racism?'

A smirk wound its' way across Trenn's features. "Well, I have been programming since I was 11-- that's when I made those modifications to my dad's normalnavi. It was three years of fiddling around with navi code and studying later that I made Soundman... I was 14 then. I've been improving on his code ever since." he scratched the back of his head. "And you're right, to an extent, but that lack of-" Trenn seemed to hesitate for a moment, staring down at the PET.

"-That lack of an intuitive read, the ability to comprehend your partner simply through facial expression, body language, and, in my navi's case, HUD readouts, is what is such a hindrance with Normalnavis for me. I disliked having a servant. I wanted a partner, someone who grew like I did, learned like I did. So I made one that ended up half son, half friend to me." Trenn looked up, a serene smile on his face. His stare bored into Rachel's, and then Guy's, eyes. "I made Soundman."

There was a pause before he continued. "That is what Soundman is, to be perfectly and totally honest; he is a self-editing, self-enhancing, growing, living, learning digital intelligence. In other words, a person like you or me." Trenn scratched at the bottom of his chin with his thumb, and a thoughtful expression crossed his face. "There's some people who call navis artificial intelligences. That is untrue, at least past the template level. The kinds of navis that people refer to as 'Scilab originals' or 'custom navis' are simply navis that have upgraded from artificial intelligence-- that is to say, code that is mimicking actual intelligence somewhat realistically-- to digital intelligence. Or in other words, actual sentience in digital form."

Trenn opened his mouth to speak again, then closed it, a look of regret crossing his face. "I- I did it again, didn't I." He glanced between his PET and the two newbie operators sitting across from him, and sighed. "I'm sorry. I try not to be- wordy, all the time, but sometimes it just comes out."

The sunlight was unforgiving as it hit the face of a 17 year old boy. His jacket shielding him partly as his front pocket hummed with the concerned look of his netnavi. His brow, slick with sweat from the humidity that he was not accustomed to, dripped as Chrono wiped it away with his arm as his necklace moved slightly as if it was following his movements by his reactions. He looked around shielding his eyes from the bright noon light as he walked the streets of Beach Street. He saw several people stray away from him. Some shaking their heads after their one look at his attire. Others telling their kids what happens to them if they don't study in school.

"Are you sure you are ok? I did say I wanted to see the beach. But I didn't mean for you to go right at that instant. It was a long march that you did five days ago from ACDC town. You haven't got any money left since that thief stole it back on the third day." the female netnavi said as the camera built in the Pet tried to look up to the raven black haired boy.

"Don't worry Flerina. A little heat won't bother me. I just need to find a jack in port so we can get some money from the viruses. But what I wouldn't do for some water right now. I'll see if a store can give me some or something like that." Chrono muttered as he entered the nearest door he could find, which happened to be the net cafe. A blast of cool air hit Chrono as he walked over to a table, pulled out a chair and sat down.

"Chrono, you ok?" Flernia muttered, as Chrono pulled out the PET from the front pocket, placing it on the table mumbling something close to the word, "Water."

Rachel said, "It's fine," with a quick hand-wave that said 'Don't insult me.' She didn't seem to notice the other NetBattler kid taking a seat, being too busy trying to make an impression on Trenn. "I'm not so young that I can't understand what you're saying." She sighed, staring off into the distance as she listened to the Net conversation through her headset, and decided to mute her microphone for a while.

"Navis are automatons. At least, that's what I thought. But Titania and Oberon are something new to me. Of course original, from-scratch Navis are different, they're 'sentient' as you say, but Titania and Oberon are something else entirely. I have to learn how to use them to their full potential-- excuse me, not 'use,' I have to learn to understand them." Rachel turned her eyes down, to her Navi, watching the scene intently. "I have to be worthy of their abilities, and of what my Aunty gave me."

She thought of saying something about 'not wanting a servant,' but what should she have said? Rachel knew, even as she listened, that just as surely as she would need to appreciate her Navis, so too would they need to obey her.

Guy busied himself staring at Trenn's PET, as if he could glean some information, some wisdom, from just staring, and staring, and staring...

After a few minutes of catching his breath and wiping his brow of sweat, Chrono managed to calm down enough to hear a small part of the next table's conversation on navis. Mainly Rachel's comment on hand made navis. Chrono smiled at her comment as he tuck that small tip in the back of him mind.

"Worthy of your netnavi's abilities and your aunt's abilities? They're important to any operator, not to degrade them or any navis. But the most important thing is to believe in your navi and yourself." Chrono muttered as he looked over to Rachel, Trenn, and Guy.

"You guys look like you can make it far in any netnavi contest if you entered. You just need trust in yourself." Chrono said smiling a bit.

"Yeah. What separates the average navis and their operator and the best ones is the ability to believe even in the deepest trouble they get into, their trust can open a path that will lead them to success." Flerina said as Chrono grabbed the PET and turned his chair to face them.

"Eavesdropping is kind of rude, you know." Trenn's voice had an edge to it as he tilted his head to look at Chrono, but there was a smile on his face. "If you're going to listen in on our conversations, I suppose you should probably come sit over here." Trenn pulled the seat to his left out a bit, then patted it. "Come on."

Chrono heard the edge in Trenn's voice, but ignored it for the time being. "I'm sorry for eavesdropping. But I like anything that has to do with netnavis." Chrono replied as he got up and sat at the seat next to Trenn.

"I take it you guys are fellow operators? Name's Chrono Tanara. My navi's Flerina." Chrono muttered as he placed the Pet back to the chest high pocket for Flerina to see.

"It's nice to meet you too." Flernia said as she bowed to them through the screen.

"Guy. And my sister, Rachel." Guy tore his attention away from Trenn long enough to give a slightly uncomfortable wave at Chrono.

"Trenn Hiyazaku." Trenn chuckled, holding up the PET. "Melody and Soundman are a bit busy."

((TREEN is not my character's name))

"Hmm. Nice to meet you all." Flerina said. Chrono's mind was back on the comment Rachel said and he decided to ask further into it.

"What did you mean when you said that you want to learn the full potential of your netnavis. Wouldn't you already know your navi's full potential since you are the operator or the creator?" Chrono asked looking at Rachel with a curious look.

"Not everyone knows the full extent of their navis Chrono." Flerina muttered quietly as she swung the PET's camera up at Chrono's face.

"Titania and Oberon are rather unusual," said Rachel, "And they had a lot of combat experience before I acquired them. Simply, it'll take some time before I can fully appreciate their abilities and how best to use them. That's why I said I have to be worthy, and as for the idea that I'm 'supposed to' know their full abilities by now, well..."

Guy looked over as his sister started one of her speeches, and he grimaced, because, in a way, he understood what was being said better than Rachel could. After all, Rachel was analyzing Titania and Oberon's movements in that they were different from a NormalNavi. For Guy, however, observing Titania and Oberon's flashy fighting style was like watching some exotic beast. Rachel saw how Titania and Oberon bent chips to their fighting style rather than letting their Operator's chip choice govern their actions; Guy, who had never known a Navi who would simply use a chip as it was, could only be mesmerized by the way the Navi took Rachel's input and used such limited resources to become a fighting machine, flowing from form to form and destroying enemies with as much style as precision.

"... I'm a good learner. Give me a little while and I'm sure even this advanced piece of work will be totally familiar to me," finished Rachel with a confident sort of flair to her voice. Guy's face showed no signs of his growing distaste for her methods...

"Say Chrono, can you jack me into the network so I meet Soundman and Titania?" Flernia asked.

"Hmm. I guess we could jack in. But we need to get in to start some virus busting. You can say hello to them, but the money comes first. I would like to avoid walking back to ACDC town if I can." Chrono muttered as he decided to hook Flernia to the net and made some final preparation before he jacked her in.

"Ah, it's started. Rachel, try sending those two something to help them kill the Skeeters; Soundman and I will take out those overgrown candles." Trenn held up a hand to the left of the PET, prompting a small, holographic list of chips to display. He flicked his finger down across the list, causing it to spin, and then tapped three icons as they passed by. "Those okay with you, Soundman?"

"Yeah, those should work!" The reply fluttered clearly through the speakers on Trenn's PET, free of the slight tinniness that plagued some models.

"You've probably noticed it by now, the clear speakers my PET's got." Trenn smiled, glancing toward Guy. "At least, I'd hope so with the way you were staring at my pet earlier, ha ha." He laughed, trying to break the tension that seemed to have formed in the inexperienced operator sitting across from him. "But there's a reason for that. A method to the madness, if you will- and you should hear it just... about... now."

Trenn flicked the volume down just a tiny notch, anticipating what was to come, and a loud FWOOSH exploded from the PET's speakers realistically, causing several patrons of the net cafe to look in Trenn's direction with wide eyes. He grinned as the roar of the fire gave way to a slight sizzling, which gave way to the rocking tones of Soundman's Restez signature-- it sure sounded like it was going well.

"That, my friend," the experienced operator chuckled, " is why I have such good speakers on my PET. I don't want to miss a thing."

"Hmm. I'll send Flernia in after your battle so your navis can meet mine and nice speakers Trenn." Chrono muttered as he finished preparing Flerina for her Jack in while sparing a look at Trenn's PET.

"Ok Chrono. Just don't go crazy in battle." Flerina said jokingly as she smiled a little bit.

Chrono only blushed slightly as he double checked his chip folder. The blush only served to get a playful laugh out of Flerina as Chrono tried to hide it, with no success. He also checked on Flerina's customizations and current battle chips and made sure everything was there. Everything was in order as Chrono smiled.

"Everything's a go Flerina. Prepare to Jack in. I'll send you to the net plaza ok?" Chrono muttered.

Flerina nodded.

((Hey there. I don't mean to be rude, but you're... level 0 at the moment... and we're uh- going for a 20-battle stretch, here. Also, while I'm willing to let you be in our Real World thread without asking, you never asked if you could join us on the network, and my answer for THAT is no.

In the future, please ask before you join other people's threads. It's considered inpolite to do so without asking. ^^))