Information

Cardia
Legacy Name: Cardia

The

Steamwork Serpenth
Owner:

Estelle

Age: 6 years, 5 days

Built: April 22nd, 2018

Adopted: 6 years, 5 days ago

Adopted: April 22nd, 2018

Statistics

Level: 219
Strength: 548
Defense: 547
Speed: 545
Health: 548
HP: 540/548
Intelligence: 516
Books Read: 511
Food Eaten: 0
Job: Mastermind Incorporated

What did it mean to have a heart?

Cardia listened to the rhythmic turns of the gears in their head.

"Welcome to my home, Cardia!" her owner, a man in his late seventies, rasped. He kicked off his sandals into the corner of the landing, as he shuffled into the apartment, holding the thin metal door open for her with one hand. Cardia slipped past his willowy frame, her belly scraping against tile. Their owner shuffled after them, the door clanging shut, as he padded across gray carpet to flick a light switch on the far wall of the room. Dim lights flickered to life, tinting the cool shadows yellow. From their database: their owner lived alone.

They watched as he dithered and hummed under his breath, a lax expression on his wrinkled, spotted face. He walked with a slight hunch to his back, favoring his right leg over his left. From their database: he'd gotten into a motorcycle accident in his early twenties. The injuries he sustained left with him with a limp.

He pulled the magenta cap from his head, revealing sparse, white hairs underneath. He hung it on a coat rack by the door, next to the faux-leather couch. From their database: he'd been experiencing hair loss since his mid-fifties.

Medical Advancements

"Seti lost one of her legs when she was younger," Nithya Sheri, resident of Veta Lake and owner of a Spectrum Antlephore, said. "She got into an accident–hopped right off a cliff and hurt her one of her rear legs, badly. We couldn't save it."

"Did Seti face any difficulties from losing it?"

Seti's neck stretched, as she nuzzled her head into Nithya's lap. Nithya stroked the top of her head as she spoke, "Oh, yes. She had trouble with balance. She can't run as fast or jump like she used to. She's very timid about that."

"Which is why you reached out to Full Steam Ahead to have a prosthetic built for Seti."

"Yes! Steamwork pets are an amazing feat, when you think about it. To be able to construct an entire functioning, living pet from metal and plastic–well, why couldn't they do prosthetics as well? I reached out to them last year. They took Seti's measurements and created a mold from what's left of her rear leg. Ever since, she's been running and bouncing around–of course, she's still careful about looking over the edges of things. But still," Nithya glanced down at Seti, brushing through the tuft of white fur on her forehead, "Seti's been much happier than before. I'm so thankful to Full Steam Ahead. I can only imagine the possibilities in the future."

The Moral Dilemma of Pet Preservation

"It's just wrong," said Jamaal Leutbert, a locally-known pet activist residing in Riverside. "As owners, we owe our pets respect in life and death. To... to stuff them into metal tins, without their consent, is selfish. Our pets are intelligent, sentient creatures–full of life and feelings and capable of far more than what we know. They should have a say in their own deaths."

Caeso Esau, owner of two Felis, remarked, "I thought about doing it for my two kitties when their time came. I did some research and, well, it just sounds like all they do is transfer their organs and... that's it." He looked down for a second, hesitant. "I love my Wiwi and Lulu, but would it really be them? Would they still be the Wiwi and Lulu I know?"

Ella Xavier, one of the persons who preserved their childhood pet Ruffie, went over their experience: "[The employees at Full Steam Ahead] were very kind and understanding. It was a very easy process. I know some people think I'm a monster, but," teared up, "I couldn't bear to part with my little Bea. I adopted her when I was six. She was a little puppy then–all big feet and big ears. We've been together all our lives. When I came back six days later to pick her up, I couldn't believe it: Bea came bouncing up to me, all metal and wires, but it was her! It was still her. She still does that little ear flopping thing that she does when she sees me."

"There's a misconception that Steamwork pets lack sentience–that they're all metal and plastic, programmed to do our bidding," Katica Louis, owner of twenty six different Steamwork species, said. "I thought that too, of course. How could a machine have feelings? Which, no offense to the owner of Full Steam Ahead."

She went on: "I didn't have the time or space to take care of my own pets, you see. I've always wanted a Mallarchy, but my work has me all over the place. From Atebus to the Arctic Frost–it gets lonely, honestly. When I was back in Ziara, I commissioned Full Steam Ahead to build a Steamwork Mallarchy."

"I wanted a Steamwork pet for a few reasons aside from, you know, companionship. I mean, I wasn't expecting much from a machine, but at least there'd be something with me. With a Steamwork pet, there's no clean-up or feedings. Sure, there's some smog and smoke and oil and... okay, well there is some clean-up. But nothing gross at least."

"Oh and Steamwork pets can't get 'sick' like a regular pet does. If something breaks, you get a replacement part. Boom, easy. Everything is fixable. They'll live forever, if you take care of them. You can customize them too. Ever wanted an Orca the size of a Popoko? It'll be costly, but you can do it. Among other things, I heard they're pretty useful for people with health problem. I heard there's this Cadogre that's... built with some kind of monitor that manages their owner's health. So, yeah, very customizable."

"When I got my little Ducky–don't laugh at the name, please–I was just expecting a cute little robot, you know? But Ducky, she's so feisty." Katica laughed. "She never listens to me. She chewed through all my pens once. I got mad and yelled at her–and I think I spooked her. She ran away every time she saw me for a few days after that. It made me feel bad, so I apologized."

"Then I thought, 'am I really apologizing to some metal tin?' It was ridiculous. Like, was I going to apologize to my microwave for closing the door too hard next? I just thought Ducky had a really advanced AI, but..."

"When I got my second Steamwork pet–a Popoko–Ducky got jealous. Really jealous. She threw so many tantrums–tearing up my work, biting all my pens and pencils–I was starting to think I should've gotten a real Mallarchy instead!" She laughed again. "I separated them for a while. I spent a lot of alone time with Ducky. I monitored their interactions–all stuff a real pet owner would do. And that got me thinking... what if Ducky was sentient? What if she felt like we do–emotions and all? I ended up getting a third Steamwork pet–a Feli. When I made my request, I asked them for a personality similar to Ducky's. I wanted to see if Ducky's behavior really was a result of her programming. And you know what they said? 'We can't influence a Steamwork pet's personality. Though they're programmed with their standard species' behaviors, their personalities are a direct result of their environment and owners."

Katica frowned, crossing one leg over the other. "So, this whole 'Pet Preservation' thing doesn't sit right with me. All it is just transferring organs–and maybe a few hairs. The body is made from scratch, which is the same process as building a new Steamwork pet. Basically, you're getting a whole new pet; not the one you already had. It's misleading, I think."

"Full Steam Ahead can't guarantee that your pet is your pet. The build essentially preserves parts of your original pet, but nothing else. So, there's this idea that little Fido gets to live forever, but it's not really Fido. At least, I don't think so."

"I own 26 Steamwork pets and they all have such different personalities. They're all incredibly intelligent and they each have their own dynamics with each other. Not all of them get along. Some of them get along better than others. My Mallarchy and Popoko are best friends–it's like they'd forgotten they'd ever hated each other."

"So, now you have all these unprepared, grieving owners with all new pets; but, they treat them like old Fido. Which, no judgement. I get it. Loss is hard and I don't blame anyone for being unable to deal with it. However, is that fair to their [Steamwork] pet? What happens when they gain their own personality? Will their owners still love them? Will they be upset? What about the pets, themselves? How would they feel, knowing they're a replacement? I know I'd be upset and worried I'll be abandoned."

"There's just too many unknown variables. To anyone who plans or is considering to go through with Pet Preservation, please; do your research and ask yourself if this is really right."

"I asked Priska if they wanted to be preserved," Alix, who asked to remain anonymous and given a false name, said. Priska is a Steamwork Lain. "They were getting on in years and it broke my heart to think we couldn't be together. It felt wrong not to ask, though. I didn't want to prolong their life if they didn't want to. But, they wanted to. And ten years later, here we are."