Giant Robots? Say no more. I’m in.

Giant Robots? Say no more. I’m in.

Volume 2: Chapter 3

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Free Chapter: Word count: 2500

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While piloting a giant robot was still my raison d’être, having other things to do made it better.

Cina-140 and a bunch of other gynoids took care of the ship. Since I was getting up in my years, I was starting to be appreciative of the fact that my administrative staff was a bunch of buxom blondes with braids in nicely fitted maid outfits. The fact that they were cyborgs created from the deceased stopped me from indulging in my hormones, but they were good eye candy.

Someone out there would surely call me a coward for going with pornography, lube, and my hand instead of fucking corpse maid administrative cyborgs.

I’d like to meet them and politely ask them to jump off a cliff.

Humanity’s already fucked. One less necrophiliac in the world would make it better.

Where was I?

Right, hobbies and things to do.

I was taking up gardening.

Hydroponic gardening, but still gardening. One of the benefits of being able to fly around the planet was being able to go around places and find leftovers. Despite all the conflict and destruction, the biosphere was relatively intact. Arcologies just had dozens of kilometers of dead zones because they were cleared out with thermonuclear saturation. Clear lines of fire and landing back on the planet were easier to achieve when the surface was glass.

But back to gardening.

The ship already had a hydroponics bay. It was the length of a super-battleship, and if it could be operated and maintained by robots, it was. That meant there was a lot of space to spare. Most of the space was dedicated to ammunition and spare parts to keep it in fighting shape, but living quarters and a hydroponics bay to supplement the supplies weren’t out of the question. We had an entire laboratory on board as well, and they took up a stupid amount of the outgoing data.

Augh, I’m getting distracted from the gardening.

Earth still had plants, and if I found plants, I got them and tried to grow them. Most of my focus was on food. If there was anything to laud current humanity for, it was the fact that they retained a lot of our foodstuffs and had the genetic data needed to recreate most of the flora and fauna on the planet. For the most part, though, the genetic data was in genetic vaults that were carefully maintained; all the data was in triplicate and suspended in stasis fields. They got what they needed from it, didn’t open it unless necessary, and so my new hobby was both fulfilling and gave me a good payout.

But in the end, it was a way to pass the time productively while I waited for my next sortie.

Sometimes, I tried out their games, watched some media, or did other stuff, but that was for relaxing and not thinking.

Gardening actually lets me see the fruits of my labor.

The door to the hydroponics room hissed open, and Cina came through it with one of my former classmates.

“My lord, Lady Remington is here.” Cina stated, I stood and turned their way. Remington was two heads taller than me and wore a blue, formal navy uniform complete with a hat. Unlike most of my other guests, she was serving aboard the ship as a commissioned officer. “She has a report that fits under what you deem interesting.”

“Let’s hear it then, lieutenant.” Technically, Remington was still above me on the social hierarchy. However, I was the commander of the vessel. Cina was technically a civilian, so she had to address Remington by her title. Me, I just needed to call her by her rank. Still, as much as I wanted to keep looking through my plants, I stood in front of her and returned her salute while giving her all my attention. “What’s the possible target?”

“Analysis of this region has been completed. We’ve determined that there are four massive machines dedicated to suppressing a massive hive in the northeast on this continent through constant cryo-bombardment.” Remington gave me the background, and I nodded along. I was interested in the target, mainly, but certain information was welcome. “Their bombardment’s secondary effect is creating the anomalous weather pattern in this region. Their target structure is an above-ground Class 5 hive structure.”

“Class 5? They don’t get that big anymore, right? Too many resources are in danger of being hit… and they never make hives aboveground anymore.” Remington nodded sharply at my words. Her eyes were a piercing blue, and her hair was cropped and short against her skull. Given her unflattering uniform, if you passed by her while walking, you’d think she’s just a particularly tall officer. Not the heiress to one of the largest corporate houses back in the arcology. “Any reason why we can’t nuke it while it’s frozen? Why’s it a target for me?”

Remington replied instantly.

“A leviathan-class organism has been located near the above-ground hive. The Empress has designated it a priority target.” Remington pulled out her communicator from her pocket, and with a few taps, a wireframe hologram appeared. “It is over sixty meters tall, covered in incredible amounts of armor, and has four scaled biological cannons mounted on its shoulders. Numerous auxiliary weapons all over its body. Estimates show that barring saturation bombardment that will turn the upper half of the region into glass, it will awaken from an assault, destroy the ancient technology, and release the hive from its current imprisonment.”

“So, we unfreeze only it, kill it before it kills any one of the freeze rays, and bring it in for dissection while keeping the hive nice and frozen for our researchers. Sounds good.” I looked over at Cina. “Transfer my recommendation to the Empress. Make sure Lieutenant Remington is properly acknowledged for providing all necessary information.”

I considered going back to my garden but decided against it.

“Also, get me a line to engineering and all information on previous battles. Spool up a nuclear charge, too. Landscaping yield.”

I got an eyebrow raise at the landscaping mention.

Right, these guys were uncultured.

“Enough to make a mountain disappear.”

Cina bowed at my words, and Ryleigh gave a crisp salute while I passed them both.

Oh boy, it’s time to throw around nuclear-tipped missiles at a massive target.

If there’s anything better than throwing around nukes, it’s throwing nukes at a target that needs to be hit with more than one.

…

Interlude: Ryleigh of House Remington, Rising Savior of Earth

…

None of my class or generation held the title of admiral.

The highest ranking any one of us achieved belonged to Priscilla. She was the head of a subsidiary business between her household and mine. Not only did she lead the rising corporation, but she was also barely behind the Empress’s own research centers when it came to Seidan reverse engineering. Her breakthroughs in replicating Seidan armor led to the fabrication of new armor twenty percent lighter than current standards, but with the same toughness and durability.

Most of the others were starting their own businesses or political careers. They are rising steadily, gathering influence, and acquiring funds at incredible rates. Compared to previous iterations of Empress’s genetic line, our results were far more promising. If not for the Empress ensuring that our seniors would not interfere with us, I was sure that we would’ve all been targeted already, as they fear our swift rise to power.

Compared to the previous generation, we were beyond reproach.

Compared to OS-549, we could barely keep up.

“Lieutenant on deck!” The whole bridge stood and saluted. They should have been beneath my notice. Minimal genetic engineering and augmentation. Only a dozen individuals were trained to operate their station. Each one of them had little potential to be an ally or an enemy. They exist in their own reality, working to ensure the ship functions properly, and I should pay them little heed. That should have been the case. Instead, after OS-549, I acknowledged them all in fear that I would miss another rising star. “Good evening, Lady Remington. The bridge is yours.”

“Thank you, Sira.” I gave the officer a nod and took note of the awards on her chest, the scars on her face, and the bionic eye on her face. Most definitely a hand-picked officer by the Empress. Everyone on this ship was. By her will, humanity moved. “We have a new target and mission. A leviathan-class organism has been found. Ancient technology holds it in place. We will overcome it, study it, and prepare for when they return to the field.”

There was no murmur amongst the crew. They received their assignments and moved to complete them. The bridge was present to adapt to circumstances once battle began. Software and digitized minds can handle most tasks. It is during battle, when overrides to safety come into play and when critical moments require more than equations to decide battles, that they need to speak and act.

Our heading was set, and now it was time to wait.

Or so I had believed.

“Lady Remington, a priority call.” Lieutenant Sira informed me, and our eyes met. She mouthed the word ‘private’ to me, and I gave her the smallest of nods. I activated the field and separated myself from the crew.

The contact on the screen was a familiar one.

“Priscilla. I am currently on course to confront a Leviathan-class organism of the Elerans. What do you have for me?”

“I’ll news.” Priscilla’s words were clipped, and streams of information came through my link as she provided information. I saw multiple assaults on Class 5 hives. Hundreds of thousands of troops. Streams of cruise missiles. Primitive assault walkers and hundreds of tanks and self-propelled guns. Humanity threw themselves against the hive. Swarms that blotted out the sky, tens of thousands of warrior phenotypes lost to time, and finally then the Leviathan classes. They swept through armies with contempt. “I don’t believe that you have enough firepower to handle that beast.”

The large beasts were struck with tactical nukes and were unscathed. When the battle turned against humanity, strategic weapons were unleashed, and that was what brought them harm. Even then, with only one strike, they were left injured.

Not dead.

“What do you propose? We cannot ignore the Empress’s command.”

“Kinetic strikes from high orbit, followed by artillery, and finally nukes. Crack the shell, shatter it, and then smash it apart with nuclear weapons. Other than that… there is the plan that OS-549 has forwarded for evaluation.”

I stilled at my ally’s words.

“He has not shared any plan with me besides the initial strikes with nuclear weapons.” For a moment, I feared that I had made a mistake. Priscilla intervened.

“He sent the plan in for evaluation mere moments ago. A method for him to kill the beast on his own.” Priscilla forwarded the data. It was in wireframe. The ship would attract the attention of the beast. Dueling it after it wakes from its ancient slumber. He would confront the horde, defending it on its body and feet, traveling up the massive, sixty-story Elaran, and then he would use a series of weapons to punch into the base of its neck and create a narrow crater. A crater large enough for a tactical nuclear weapon to be inserted into. “It is madness, but our simulations show it would work. Enclosed deep enough in the body of the beast, past its layers of armor, it will turn the creature’s defenses against itself.”

I grit my teeth as I make the calculations myself.

Past encounters with the creature’s kin. Dissections of their armor. The yields of the munitions used against them. Information flowed through my mind while I ingested more and more information from the past.

Until I forced myself to stop.

It was unseemly to try and find fault with that plan when Priscilla had already put the plan forth.

There was no reason for me to doubt her.

“Thank you for informing me. Supplementing that path with the destruction of auxiliary units that will defend the leviathan is the most productive course of action, then.” The plan was insanity. Using anti-armor weapons to burrow into a massive creature, getting through its defenses, and then embedding a fusion bomb into the creature? He was treating the creature like it was a fortified position rather than a living monster. “Priscilla, do you have a plan in mind?”

Priscilla took a breath in when an alarm suddenly ran through the bridge.

I turned to the sensor station, and its attendant was already looking my way.

“Unknown human signature has been spotted. It’s approaching at high speed. Only optical sensors picked it up. All others report nothing!” I brought the information onto my command console. Datalinks fed me directly with data. I ‘saw’ through the records of multiple machines that we set wherever we passed. Sensor buoys were seeded in our path because of the region’s weather patterns. OS-549 had insisted on adding as many sensors as possible to each one while fusing their sensor readings. It increased their cost and the time to construct them, but now we were able to see an otherwise invisible enemy approach. “It’s heading for the Leviathan!”

I verified the information and nodded.

“Priscilla.”

“I heard. I will forward the plan your way and look for perpetrators here at home. I suspect that someone is trying to gain the empress’s favor.” I agreed with a grunt. Those who were not brought along were scrambling to prove themselves. What better way to do that than seize our own mission objective while using fewer resources? “If this is a stealth-based unit, it is highly likely to be a knight with significant backing. One that will fight against OS-549 if he proves to be an impediment in their path.”

The reminder almost brought a chuckle to my lips.

I hadn’t even considered the possibility that OS-549 would impede this mysterious stealthcraft.

“I worry more that he will have the blood of a powerful knight on his hands rather than him falling to them.” I admitted it freely, and Priscilla gave a breath loose at my words. Was it due to being surprised or disturbed? I knew not, but I moved ahead. “I’ll report it to him. I already know what his orders will be when he hears of it.”

Priscilla spoke in my stead.

“It’s a race then. Full speed ahead.”