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Unaha-Closp
Physical details
Type General-purpose drone
Worker
Allegiance Vavatch Heterocracy
Location Vavatch
Worker
Allegiance Kraiklyn's Free Company
Citizen
Allegiance Culture

Unaha-Closp was a sentient general-purpose[1] drone. It joined the Horza-led Kraiklyn's Free Company at Vavatch Orbital and later became a citizen of the Culture.

Biography[]

Creation[]

Unaha-Closp's Retrospective Construction Agreement made the drone liable for an Incurred Generation Debt. It began working to pay off the Incurred Generation Debt Loan Agreement.[2]

Vavatch Orbital[]

In 1331 CE, Unaha-Closp was employed on Vavatch Orbital and near to paying its Incurred Generation Debt. The drone was an Accredited Free Construct, recognized as sentient by the Greater Vavatch United Moral Standards Administration, and a citizen of the Vavatch Heterocracy. It gained admission to a university and intended to pursue a degree in applied paratheology after paying off the debt.[2]

Kraiklyn's Free Company[]

The drone was assigned to help repair Clear Air Turbulence when Kraiklyn's Free Company docked in The Ends of Invention. It was completing repairs aboard the Company's ship when Horza, an Idiran agent disguised as Kraiklyn, returned and instigated an immediate and spectacular departure to escape the Culture agents pursuing him.[2]

The drone loudly protested being inadvertently kidnapped but had little choice but to accept, under protest, temporary employment in the Company. The alternative was being dumped into space to make the long journey back to The Ends of Invention by itself. Horza accepted the responsibility of paying a portion of the drone's generation debt for removing it from its place of work. Horza and Unaha-Closp's relationship started off strained and remained so. The Changer almost never called the drone by its name.[2]

Schar's World[]

Main article: Raid on the Command System

Unaha-Closp accompanied the Company into the Command System on Schar's World. It was used to carry supplies and other equipment on a pallet. It complained frequently about being used as a cargo carrier.[3] The Company initially sought to reactivate the System's power and use the transit tubes. This was not immediately possible and Unaha-Closp was forced to carry Balveda, a captured Culture agent, as well.[1]

After the fight in station six the drone noticed Xoxarle was alive and the Idiran was taken prisoner. Balveda spoke privately with Unaha-Closp and inquired whether it had any hidden military-grade equipment to use against Horza; the drone was sympathetic but had no such equipment.[1] On the journey to station seven the drone saved the Company from an escaped Xoxarle by ramming the Idiran in the chin and knocking the soldier down.[4]

In station seven Horza sent Unaha-Closp away to search the repair area and the train there. The station was searched except for the train's reactor car; Wubslin could not get its doors open. Yalson recalled the drone from the repair area.[4] On the way back to the main station it felt a very faint draft which it believed was caused by the now-active ventilation system. Horza sent it to try and gain entry into the reactor car. The drone's small size allowed it to enter the car via a cable conduit. It had to cut wires away which caused Horza some alarm. The Mind was hiding where the reactor used to be and detected the drone moving beneath the reactor space.[5]

The Search Ends[]

As station six's train, activated by Quayanorl, approached station seven, the collision alarm aboard station seven's train sounded. Only Unaha-Closp heard despite being deep in the reactor car. It did not immediately realize what it was hearing and only belatedly warned the Company, by which time very strong winds were sweeping through the station. The drone raced out of the carriage and exited by blowing out a hatch. It exited at the same time as the Mind and both were caught in the crossfire between an escaped Xoxarle and the Company. The drone evaded but the Mind was struck and disabled. Unaha-Closp planted itself on the ceiling to avoid the train collision below.[5]

After Horza disappeared into the side tunnel in pursuit of Xoxarle, Unaha-Closp came down to examine the Mind. It was joined by a wounded Balveda who then passed out from the wreck's suffocating fumes. The drone carried her to the station's control room away from the wreck's hazards where she started to come round in the fresher air. They were interrupted by Xoxarle. Unaha-Closp tried to ram the soldier again but this time the Idiran caught the drone in one hand and slammed it into some computer equipment. While Unaha-Closp was stuck in the equipment Xoxarle took Balveda hostage and moved on. The drone freed itself and went in pursuit but initially went in the wrong direction.[5]

Unaha-Closp realized the error when the sounds it was tracking started coming from the opposite direction. By the time it turned around Horza and Xoxarle were already engaged hand-to-hand in the tunnel beyond the maintenance area. It passed Balveda on the maintenance area's catwalk and powered into the tunnel. The drone struck Xoxarle in time to prevent the Idiran from shooting the Changer with the laser rifle. Unaha-Closp was crippled when Xoxarle struck back with an arm and bounced it off the wall. The Idiran then used the drone as a club to disable Horza. While Xoxarle was occupied Balveda arrived and killed it with a memoryform plasma gun.[5]

Unaha-Closp could still float but was unable to communicate with Balveda. The Culture agent fashioned a stretcher on the drone and used it to carry a gravely wounded Horza back to Clear Air Turbulence on the surface. However, the Changer died before they could return to the ship.[5]

Culture Citizen[]

Unaha-Closp was repaired and accepted into the Culture. It served on the GSV Irregular Apocalypse and the LSV Profit Margin until the end of the war. After the war it moved to Erbil Orbital to work in a transport systems factory. It retired and pursued a hobby of building steam-powered automata.[6]

Physiology[]

Unaha-Closp was equipped as a general-purpose drone at the time of its abduction from The Ends of Invention. It had light "finger equivalent" fields, a cutting field unsuitable against armour, and an anti-gravity forcefield. It had no effector or means to interfere with hardened circuits, and required external implements for heavy duty work.[1]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Consider Phlebas, chapter 11
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Consider Phlebas, chapter 8
  3. Consider Phlebas, chapter 10
  4. 4.0 4.1 Consider Phlebas, chapter 12
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Consider Phlebas, chapter 13
  6. Consider Phlebas, Dramatis personae
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