These two chipper young lads are Spalling and Spalling, twin brothers in the employ of Niko Lahner.

They're working for him to pay their way through the prestigious Uncanny Valley University (UVU, for short). They enjoy their job, and see it as both a a way of advancing science, and a kind of community service. But let's not mince words here folks:

These two are grave robbers.

Grave robbing is something that the citizens of the M.S.A. have mixed feelings about. On the one hand, they're disrespecting the dead by dredging them up out of the ground where they rest in peace. On the other, the mad scientists of the Uncanny Valley are always on the lookout for fresh corpses, and have made more than a few advances with them.

In the end, the people went for a moral compromise. As with their government, whether prospective grave robbers will be allowed to get away with their crime or not is decided by competition on an individual basis. The grave robbers will not be persecuted, so long as they can avoid the grave keepers, and any traps they may have set. If the grave keeper manages to catch them, they suffer the normal punishment for robbing graves elsewhere in the world. Police are not allowed to interfere, unless hired onto the grave keepers list of deputies. However, as deputies have to be paid for out of the grave keeper's own pocket, this is rare. The grave keeper can hire anyone as a deputy. Prospective grave robbers should note however, that the grave keeper may not be the only thing standing between them and profit...

These two are notable in grave robbing circles for having a perfect 'score' of graves robbed versus times arrested. Their notability is in fact why Niko gave them the one thing all grave robbers desire. A permanent position. You see, due to the rapid rate at which their usual stock in trade (dead bodies) decays, most grave robbers have to work by commission. That is, they have to be hired by one scientist for one job. This can make a steady paycheck rather rare.

Signing on with Niko has proven to be a great decision on their part. He gives them a regular monthly paycheck, with a slight increase depending on how many bodies they brought in that month, plus a bonus for completing any odd jobs he may have lying around, AND they get to have him tutor them while they're enrolled at UVU. Whether or not their higher education works out for them, they feel safe in the knowledge they've got a reliable fallback career.

Fun fact. The Spalling brothers DO have first names! However, since they are functionally one person, have the exact same personality, and are never seen apart, you don't need to know them! Nyeh!