[Callisto Colony, Tessellation Center, 156 years after first contact]
Ivy sat alone on that icy peak as often as she could. Day after day, she'd brave the frigid weather out of spite. Nothing was quite so alluring as a chance to brood.
Regardless of the toll.
Terraforming efforts had made Jupiter's Moon more bearable, yet still the outside world was no place for an heiress of her station.
"You should come down from there," a robotic voice called out from behind, its feminine tone exuding patience and concern.
"I'll be fine. Go away," Ivy hissed, flipping her white hair as she spoke.
If only she could climb higher. But as things were, Ivy could not escape the caretaker, nor her own reflection.
Not for lack of trying.
She had already climbed into a precarious spot far atop the communications array, where nothing but wires, cables, and freezing concrete lay.
Hardly a place for the most treasured daughter of Callisto.
Ivy belonged further down in the warm expanse of the chateau, surrounded by wealth and care. Fortunately, in days past, no amount of privilege could compel her servants to climb the array of dangerous towers. But ever since that thing had been tasked with her life, the heiress had nowhere to run.
"Come now, let's not be broody," the metallic endoskeleton responded as it clambered towards Ivy with alarming speed, its bare face remaining stiff as it spoke. "Your father won't know a thing if you come now."
Ivy groaned, "he already knows. He built you."
The heiress turned sharply in disgust as the silver endoskeleton reared its ugly head. She had always hated its sapphire colored eyes, the way they bored into her soul with unnerving resolve. Holding her tongue was perhaps then the most difficult challenge of the ordeal.
As was usual.
Ivy had found it impossible to accept the machine's existence, even months after her father introduced it to her.
"You're not my mother. She'd understand I need some time alone." Ivy frowned.
"Oh, but you are alone, Ivy," the endoskeleton responded in a voice indistinguishable from her mother's. "With me."
"That's the furthest thing from alone!" Ivy scowled, the fringes of her teal eyes glimmering with crimson. "But if you insist, so be it."
Ivy huffed angrily before flinging herself from the tower's edge, landing on solid ground with a clunk. She only barely managed to balance herself before her heels gave in, smothering a whimper before it could reach her lips. Yet for all that effort, the endoskeleton was seconds behind, its movement just as silent as it was relentless.
"Your form is improving, but do take care of your ankles." The machine pointed in an almost jovial manner.
"Like you care." Ivy rolled her eyes, trying not to press a finger against the small diamonds tied neatly around her neck.
"You know I do, Ivy." The machine cocked its head to the side, carefully shifting its eye plates with each word. There was a clear effort to emulate human emotion. "I understand how you feel. Your mother's departure has not been forgotten."
"So you think that makes you a replacement?" Ivy stormed off. "Just leave me alone."
The heiress opened a small hatch before disappearing into a maze of concrete and metal, where she'd hope to lose the machine. Yet her pursuer seemed hardly fazed.
"See you for dinner?" Its voice faded into the billowing wind.
____________________________________
Bell chimes rang through the manor, marking the tide of digitized chirps from Ivy's window. She had rarely given thought to the barren tundra that lay outside the confines of her home, nor did the heiress care to wonder why her father even bothered programming fake birds into the colony's soundscape.
Such complacency had come to define Callisto. Gone were the days of progress and excellence. For as her Father reached higher and higher peaks, he found little use for those beneath, leaving them to wilt.
Yet there in lay the contradiction Ivy was too sharp to ignore. It had kept her up night after night. What use did she serve?
And why bother to patronize her feelings with that doe-eyed caretaker?
Occasionally, she'd use her time to research other colonies, practice her penmanship, or go through her dance routines. That way Ivy could perhaps escape the endless frivolity of her seemingly pointless existence. However, it didn't take long for her mind to drift.
"Hm?" Ivy looked down to see a circular cleaning bot, its silent hum rousing her mind.
The heiress released an audible groan before pushing off her desk. She knew smaller machines only slithered into her room either during sunrise, which it was not, or if her father had called. And as if on cue, two servant-class frames stepped into the room from behind a curtain, extending their humanoid arms outward with swift determination.
Their coloration was that of spotless snow, like the heiress herself. Everything on Castillo required the signature look. Yet unlike the caretaker she so openly loathed, the two machines carried only the precision of a mindless program.
"Didn't even bother knocking?" Ivy squinted at the frames as they approached her with clothes in hand. "Is my father really that worried I won't show?"
"It is an important day, M'lady," the service frames responded in tandem, their masculine voices slightly obscured by their blank faces. "Your father has called a meeting with the Emissary of The Vjetar. You must be prepared."
The two machines got to work removing Ivy's nightgown, carefully transforming her into the attire her father had chosen. Only the heiress of Tessellation was fit to wear that silky laced dress, the same one her mother had worn. With it came an assortment of jewels and ornaments, foremost among them a large brooch bearing the sigil of her father's company.
A snowflake trapped in endless tessellation.
She didn't hate the idea of getting pretty; in fact, the white gown made Ivy feel quite proud, with its patterned fabric and asymmetrical openings. What she did loathe were the creatures who would witness her beauty.
"Time's up," Ivy sighed upon hearing another bell.
"Hygiene scan complete and approved. Your father is waiting for you," the service frames nodded as they stepped aside with a subtle bow.
"I know," the heiress barked.
Ivy departed her room with a careful stride, feeling the crisp air of the manor upon her face as she did her best to navigate in tight heels. With every turn, she faced another set of machine servants, their presence soiling the atmosphere of her own home.
"Move," Ivy refrained from hissing.
She could remember when the manor resembled something classy from human history, but with each stride of her father's colonial expansion, the royal Chateau had become increasingly technological, with most of its angular wooden shapes replaced with a crystalline metallic surface.
At its prime, the old mansion resembled a large wooden cabin, with each tile of wood nearly as polished as the pearly skeleton that dotted every room with pillars and chiseled outcrops. To enforce structural integrity, the entire building was centered within a frozen mountain, keeping it well hidden from Calisto's weather. Even after terraforming efforts, Ivy rarely had the chance to go outside, living her life sealed inside the Chateau.
"Watch your step, dear," the endoskeleton from the night before waved at Ivy as it pointed towards the bifurcated staircase.
"Yes...Iris." Ivy smiled, using the endoskeleton's formal name. "And thank you."
It wasn't long before the heiress finished her descent and came face to face with her father, his tall figure standing proud at the center of the room as he watched the front door. She had never known her father's real face before his transformation, and yet Ivy could still easily read the expression upon his blank mask. He was uneasy.
"You're early," the man said, his deep voice enhanced by his powerful vocabulator.
Ivy's father turned to face her, towering over her with his sleek mechanical frame, its polished white alloy providing him a simple yet formidable presence. He, of course, made sure to establish himself as the tallest and most sophisticated frame in the manor, a trait that made Ivy almost forget what was behind his mask; that being a living human brain.
"Of course." Ivy bowed her head.
"I was expecting you to run from this, but it is good to be proven wrong."
"They're here already, aren't they?" Ivy curled her lip in disgust.
"Yes, the Vjetar are quite timely for such a recluse species."
The heiress placed a hand on her hip angrily. "Do they know anything about me?"
The tall white frame tilted its head in disapproval. "My product speaks for itself. You will show them."
"But I haven't practiced in weeks!" Ivy complained as she tried her best to remain calm.
"They can tell. And when your talent shines through regardless of your failings, they will know your character is authentic."
Ivy felt a pit in her stomach upon hearing her father's boastful words. It wouldn't be the first time she had performed for an audience of clients. Yet this time, making her father proud would result in nothing short of disaster for her personal life. No matter what action she took, the man named Algernon would have complete control over her fate.
"I'm sure you're wondering why I won't greet them at the landing pad." Algernon waved a metallic hand, its size practically large enough to fit half of Ivy's body.
"I...yes." Ivy hesitated. "I am curious."
Algernon pointed towards Ivy, his black-tinted finger nearly pressing against her nose. "The Vjetar hate wasting time; it's one of the few traits I share with them. They will meet me here, the moment they enter the Consecration."
"And that's when they take stock," Ivy muttered.
"Yes, we must be efficient with our time."
"Well?" Ivy crossed her arms, knowing full well her father could see outside the house using his network of cameras. "Any minute now."
"Seconds, actually," Algernon replied.
The proud man took one step towards Ivy, crossing the distance between the two of them with ease before fixing her posture with a careful hand.
The two oak doors leading outside swung open, revealing two strange figures nearly equal in height to Algernon. Surrounding the pair was a row of automated guards, their white chassis bearing the mark of Ivy's family. But the two aliens, whom Ivy struggled to look at, seemed completely unalarmed by their situation.
"Good time." The tallest creature spoke, a puff of mist spewing out from his reverberator. "Let us hope business goes just as well."
Hardly believing what she was witnessing, Ivy took some time to inspect her future suitors, their appearance seeming both refined and completely foreign at the same time. Each creature seemed to possess an extra set of limbs, several of which were concealed within a long furry coat. Their eyes also appeared unusually sharp, with their blue glow concealing their features. Combined with their esoteric masks and prosthetic legs that resembled something akin to a hexapod, Ivy felt a complete sense of helplessness when looking at them.