An old Grey

As you turned, you saw a single odd-looking Grey. Based on his wrinkles and the spots on his skin, he seemed vastly older than any of the other Greys you'd encountered thus far. He also wore something like goggles that covered his eyes, and he seemed to be wearing some kind of bandoleer that held an assortment of odd-looking tools.

"I'm Sky. We brought 6T9. She appears to have suffered serious damage in the waste processing area," you explained. "She needs help."

"Leave it there. I'll get to it later," replied the Grey. "See yourselves out, and please keep the noise down. I'm trying to work here."

You weren't about to be dismissed so easily. "According to the MPAD scan, over eighty percent of her core processing elements have suffered radiation damage. How serious is that?"

The alien tilted his head slightly and looked closer at 6T9. "If it's that bad, we'll probably just scrap the unit. It's hard to repair that much damage."

"But she's a sentient! Doesn't that matter?" you persisted

The Grey retorted, "Look, I don't know what species you are, nor do I care. Maybe your kind is fond of machines. I don't care. I just fix them. This bucket of bolts is a standard issue multi-bot, a few generations old already. This model is programmed to make you think they care, but it's just a machine. Some say machines can be sentient but I have my doubts. Is this one sentient? It sure doesn't seem to be at the moment. I don't know why you're so interested in this one, but take it from my experience, don't get too attached to something artificial. Synthetics like this usually wear out or break down within a decade or two. Next time we dock, we'll pick up a replacement. Now please go. I've got other work to attend to."

Getting into an argument with a crotchety old alien was going to get you nowhere fast. You would need to appeal to his reason or experience somehow. "I was in the process of touring this level when we found 6T9. Would you mind if I tour the rest of this area before I leave?"

The Grey contorted his face and remained silent for several seconds. "Fine, but keep the noise down, and don't touch anything."