Name: Mantis Gardener Class: Ecosphere Maintenance Robot Role: Primarily: Gardener Secondary: Hunter and Landscape Designer Origin: Generic Template - common to all Asgard Habitats. The design is modified as needed, thus all measures given here are for the default model. Size: Torso 6 m tall, 2 m wide, 6 m long Weight: 5 metric tons Power: Fuelcell for normal operation Beta decay nuclear battery for memory core and beacon
"Hello? Ooofoink° tweedelititilie!" When you open your eyes, you are in the shadow of some large body. The head that lower down to you is the size of an office chair, and from its top a flexible antenna emerges the ends in a round ball which blinks green-red-blue-red. Big glassy eyes gaze unblinkingly at you. If not for the faint whine of electric motors, you would have thought the creature to be a monster on the loose. "Human. Male. Communication! I be °finkfincfididilit§." The yellow painted covers over the robotic mantis "mouth" moved like if the machine was really talking through its mouth. "Gracious to meet you!" The machine extended its left tool arm, offering its elbowjoint for a shake. "Ah, Hello, I'm Mark... What is your name?" you say and shake the robots limb. "*finkfincfididilitµ" Its name sounds different than the first time. "Is there a ... you know, shorter version of your name? A Nickname?" "Prononciation issue? Nickname: Fink." "Well, nice to meet you Fink! Can.. I do something for you?" The robot nods in a human gesture: "Politeness. Good! Answer: Yes!" Silence as human and robot gaze at each other. The Lamp on the Robots antenna produces a range of lights. "Ahh... And what can I do for you?" The robot moves its head in a way like if it would be gazing at the lamp at the end of its antenna. "Single channel, single mode. Details. Please move over there," the Mantis squawks and points a meter to the side. Nodding dumbfoundedly you get up and move over, only to see the Mantis roll on its tighs wheels to the point you vacated and lower itself onto its belly. Its sits there, turning its head jerkily to watch a seagull flying by. Then the virtual sun sets. It is a short moment only for these pseudo-tropics. As soon as the stars light up on the inner cylinder above, tortoises start to emerge from the sea, and slowly they waddle up the beach. "No motion now. No loud noise," the Mantis whispers. One of the tortoises waddles up to where the Mantis sits and starts digging in the sand between the robots legs to lay its eggs. This whole process takes about an hour. Each time you make a tiny move the Mantis jerks its head around and gazes at you until you freeze. Finally the tortoise waddles tiredly off into the water again. "What was that?" you ask the robot as it moves carefully away from the buried eggs. "Magic," the robot says.
