Art by me
Story by

The door slid open with a hiss, light spilling into the room as three individuals stepped inside. “Lastly, I wanted to show you this, my liege.” Galatea said, motioning as lights flickered on in the room to reveal large tubes with pale, white shapes inside. Each one was human in appearance yet held no distinct features beyond outlines of where ears and eyes would be, hands gripping their legs as they lay curled and suspended in a glowing blue liquid. “These are some of our newest items, Service Droids, designed to assist in managing areas where it’s hard to find work for. Think menial tasks like cleaning and cooking in dangerous areas we can’t risk bringing in large amounts of individuals to, or in places where resources are limited and difficult to send, meaning we need to cut down on how much is brought in at a time. They can run on anything, food, solar energy, wind energy, if you could make the adapter they could use steam power.” She said proudly, a smile on her face.
“And you promise they aren’t… Sentient? I don’t want a repeat of what our species went through. Machines are all well and good but I’d rather we don’t create artificial life only to shackle them down.” Midnight said, wings folded behind him to avoid bumping into either individual beside him.
The second girl spoke up, her voice soft yet deep, like someone who had just awoken from a wonderful, deep rest. “That is why I am here, your majesty. Instead of just viewing this scientifically, Galatea has asked for my assistance in making sure these creatures have no definitions of life to them, whether it be in a moral, ethical, or even spiritual sense.”
“Debora is correct, we have made sure to avoid any contentious nature that might make them suffer as a result of providing them too much independence. While artificial intelligence is still on the table for certain situations, the overwhelming majority will never feel an emotion more complicated than acting as a nanny to a child or handling unruly patients at a hospital.” Glasses adjusted, the elf nodded in agreement with her nun companion. “We will never allow the suffering of your species’ history to be repeated, and if at any point we feel there could be the risk of such an event, we have several procedures in place to handle them.”
The pair once again smiled up at their king, the equine scratching his chin for a moment as he looked at a vial. “...Alright. I trust your words, so long as we continue to see progress and there are no violations of the Life Creation Act, you are free to continue and we will discuss funding with Cleo. I understand my request to see this place had been made on short notice but I must take precautions where necessary.”
Wings spread as the habit-wearing girl bowed deeply. “It is an honor to have you as a guest at our facility my lord, please do not be concerned. My only wish is to help provide insight into this project that may hopefully one day ease the burden of our people, be it here, Gaia, or elsewhere.”
Galatea bowed as well, a shorter one to keep her skirt from riding up, but respectful all the same. “As is the same for me, my liege. It brings me great joy to hear your praise, as both a scientist and as your subject.”
Midnight smiled, reaching out and petting the girls happily. “To think you two were wandering Gaia only a few months before, retreating from the terrors of famine and fighting. I am glad to see my decision to bring you both here wasn’t a mistake.” The pair blushed at his touch, with Galatea seemingly more embarrassed while Debora melted in appreciation for her idol’s words. “Once you’ve made more progress on their abilities, please let me know. I’d be more than happy to start testing them myself. For now, as a celebration, let’s get something to eat. My treat~” He said, teeth shining in a proud, parental grin before they left, the doors shutting behind them as the lights turned off, only the sounds of bubbles echoing in the room.