DrumBot Brian

Drumbot Brian (played by Ben Below) is the pilot of the Aurora, and the drummer of the band (although he is also seen playing multiple other instruments). He is entirely mechanical, except for his heart.

## Origin

Brian's origin is described as follows on the Mechanisms' site:

*"Brian crashes onto primitive settlement on distant planet with no memory of past life. He begins work as a scientist, to mixed responses, from those who believe he is doing good for the people, to the religious sorts that believe he is messing with things best left for deities – lead by a strong spoken priest. Brian works out how to use his mechanical prowess to revive the deceased, but hesitates to put it to use. The priest falls fatally ill, and his daughter brings him to Brian as a last resort, who revivifies him. Being brought back using the very technology he resents is the last straw for the priest, who leads an angry mob against Brian, resulting in them strapping him to one of his own machines and blasting him into space, to his death.*
*However, this is where Dr. Carmilla stepped in. As blood retreated from his extremities to protect his vital organs from the icy touch of hypothermia, she picked him up when all that remained functioning was the heart, and rebuilt him as a Mechanism, largely using technology reminiscent of that he himself had been using."*

### Morality Switch

Brian's sense of morality is driven by a binary setting, described as follows:

*"Highly amused by the moral ambiguity of the events leading to his supposed demise – where both Brian and the priest believed themselves to have the moral high ground, [Carmilla] rebuilt Brian with a slight modification – an inbuilt morality core, with two settings. They can be crudely approximated to “Means Justify Ends”, wherein Brian will not commit deeds he believes morally wrong, and “Ends Justify Means”, where he will happily commit all kinds of atrocities as long as he believes it’s for the greater good.*

*The rest of the crew prefer the second one."*

## Appearances

### Once Upon A Time (In Space)

Nastya and Jonny refer to Brian during their exchange about the Briar Rose in Once Upon A Time (In Space). He is also present in the throne room at the end of the war.

### Ulysses Dies At Dawn

The Drumbot is present in the city during the events of Ulysses Dies at Dawn. According to Orpheus, Brian works for Teiresias’ near-omniscient Oracle database—the combined memories and observations of every brain in the Acheron, analyzed and translated into news articles. Brian works as a consultant, giving out ‘’’’moral’’’’ advice that always boils down to “everything is excusable so long as the ends justify the means.” He apparently also provides the City’s investors with “fascinating glimpses of future technology”; whether this statement refers to potential ‘prophecies’ or simply Brian’s own body is not specified. The album liner notes show a book of matches from The Oracle at Delphi ("Brighten your future, today!")

### High Noon Over Camelot

In High Noon over Camelot, Brian appears as the Hanged Man in Camelot, known (mistakenly) by the name of Merlin. He gives advice to Gawain, Arthur and Galahad; alone of the three, Galahad heeds him, which ultimately to the quest for the GRAIL.

### The Ignominious Demise of Dr. Pilchard

See Tales to be Told

Drumbot Brian is marched to the brig at gunpoint.

While captive, Brian offers to show Dr. Pilchard to Doctor Carmilla's laboratory so that he can find the secret to the Mechnisms' immortality. Pilchard refuses, instead going into the lab alone and unarmed, where he meets his ignominious demise. Brian seems hurt that Dr. Pilchard assumed his (genuine) offer of help to be a ruse; Jonny deadpans that Brian sent Pilchard into the (scary vampire doctor’s) lab alone and unarmed, to which Brian sighs, “Point taken...”

### Miscellaneous

Drumbot Brian was present when Carmilla went out of the airlock. He was the Ace of Clubs.

## Death

After Brian misses a beat for the first time, he knows his time has come. Not wanting a violent death like the rest of the crew, he casts himself out into space, drifting aimlessly, forever.

## Track Appearances

* Iphis (Tales to be Told)
* Prometheus (Tales to be Told)
* The Ignominious Demise of Dr. Pilchard (Tales to be Told)
* The Hanged Man Rusts (High Noon Over Camelot)
* Stranger (Tales to be Told, Volume II)
* Alice (Tales to be Told, Volume II)

## References

1. ↑ https://themechanisms.com/the-crew/drumbot-brian/
2. ↑ https://themechanisms.com/fiction/ever-after/
3. ↑ https://themechanisms.com/fiction/orpheus-dionysus-muriatic-acid-and-the-strange-whirring-thing
4. ↑ https://themechanisms.bandcamp.com/album/ulysses-dies-at-dawn
5. ↑ https://themechanisms.com/fiction/who-killed-doctor-carmilla/