Giant Robots? Say no more. I’m in. Chapter 17

Giant Robots? Say no more. I’m in. Chapter 17

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Wordcount: 2500

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After getting the capture, the rest of the mission was all about putting my mech’s back to a wall and gunning down everything that came to try and kill me. Point defenses took care of anything lobbed my way, and with the arrival of the main force, the bots really couldn’t bother with me. Once they knew the jig was up, they started uploading away, self-destructing, and generally scrapped everything that we could’ve made use of.

A calm and orderly retreat, probably to think up countermeasures, and approach the situation differently when they came back.

Honestly, though, the mission wasn’t the best.

Sure, the start was great.

After putting my mech through its paces killing loads of stuff before it could it kill me, two mini-bosses popped up along with the main boss. That forced me to strategize. I took one out with all my strategic assets, then destroyed the other with my main weapons. Thereafter, I had to put my mech through its paces to body-check/kick the boss with twenty tons of military hardware at supersonic speeds, while shooting it with everything that I had.

All under five minutes with no call-ins besides what I had on the transport.

Freaking great mission.

Unfortunately, I had to sit through and survive a lot of pointless mobs like a stationary defensive emplacement after that.

While bleeding, feeling like something in my back broke, and retaining consciousness thanks only to a constant dripped stream of injected adrenaline. In short, everything hurt, the rest of the fight was boring, and I had to wait for a counter to go down.

I mean, I like blowing up robots like anyone else.

Having to do it after a killer boss fight for fifteen minutes?

Super boring.

The only good part was that once it was deemed safe, I was knocked out by another chemical slurry in my suit, while it went rigid to keep everything unmoved.

Maybe, I should’ve had the AI control the mech and kill everything while I just got knocked out after the fight?

I’d have enjoyed it a lot more.

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“You nearly broke your spine.”

“Sorry, boss, but I needed to in order to accomplish the mission.” I was laid down on a bed that kept my spine aligned. It was a futuristic gel-bed thing that molded my body and made a circle for me to put my face through. “How’s Gray Corpse?”

“The mechanics give the chassis three or four sorties with your methods.” Lady Hariss was dressed up in a black suit, red colored shirt, and black tie with matching pants and dress suit. Naturally, all of it was tailored to look nearly like a second skin on her. Everyone really goes out of their way to look good. “The Empress states she’ll purchase the machine from you and give you funds for a new one.”

“I’m guessing that we can’t refuse her generous offer?”

“Correct.” Lady Hariss gave a grunt, crossed her arms, and took a seat just a bit in front of me. The seat wasn’t in front of my hospital bed where a robot was putting several tendrils into my back and fixing it. The clean area was solely on my back, and I was anesthetized, so I didn’t see or feel what was happening at all. Was it weird to be awake and talking while my back is operated on? Yeah, but my boss wanted to talk.  “I suspect that she’ll be going over its entire history. The domicile unit that you stayed in and was put to sale has been purchased as well.”

“The Empress is very thorough when she researches someone.” I idly wondered if I sleep-talked or ever talked to myself about my past. Not one moment came to mind. So, I was sure that Empress was going to hear a lot snoring at most. “Perhaps, we shall be better off if I can get a carrier to be stationed off from?”

“Her highness will simply show up and the ship will be hers.” Lady Hariss stated simply. “All you can do, OS-549, is hold onto her attention and ensure that you remain in her good graces until she is satisfied. Any other fate will have you fall from grace.”

“Understood, my lady, I’ll keep that in mind.” Seems like these missions with Empress were going to be completely mandatory. I didn’t mind, honestly. They were jam-packed with fun stuff to do. Only one out of the three was garbage in all honesty, and that was because I didn’t have instant pickup time after I finished the main objective. There should’ve been a cutscene taking me away to safety, instead I had to wait for regular troops to flood the area. I’m just not cut out for hurrying up to wait. “Is there anything else?”

“Yes, of course. I brought along a dataslate with the new catalogue and your earnings. Peruse it as you wish, and inform me with which chassis you intend to use next.” Lady Hariss had someone move a table below where I faced downward. The dataslate was higher end and I could operate it with just my eyes. I accessed my account and the catalogue with the two icons on the slate. My money came up, along with all demerits and bonuses, and it was a goodly sum. A sum good enough for the catalogue I now had to pick and choose from. I felt excited to look at it already.

“Thank you, my lady, I was growing quite bored doing nothing while my spine is fixed.”

“I will leave you to your recovery, then, OS-549. Keep up the good work, and rest assured that you will receive your own dominion sooner rather than later. The Empress’s gaze is not one that I wish upon my family. After you train successors of decent capability, your relations with my household ends.”

Should I have been surprised that they knew I didn’t care for being an indentured warrior to their household?

Nah, it was obvious with how all the corpo-nobility flaunted their wealth and rights that humanity still valued freedom.

They just didn’t care to give to the masses nowadays.

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Interlude: Cina-140: The Indebted Servant

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OS-549 hummed lightly, while he perused a dataslate, as I wheeled him on a bed towards his room. He was restrained chemically upon the bed, unable to move anything beneath the neck, while micro-machines worked on his back. The only sign of them were coin-sized foundations from where the machines clasped onto his body, and removed blood made by their efforts. Eighteen of them worked on his spine, realigning them, fixing fractures, and ensuring his efforts did not harm his future growth.

The waste is collected by another, small machine that treads upon his back with insect-like limbs and a torso covered in tendrils. The globules of blood and matter produced by the disc is harvested with great care and placed inside its chassis. His genetic material will be stored away and studied. Efforts will be made to determine his primal pattern and divest from it his capabilities. If they succeed, they will produce gene-splice editors that will be able to augment children in the womb, or augment clones with superior physical abilities and genetic markers with his traits.

They will find nothing.

OS-549’s success and ability stems from an insanity all his own.

The doors silently open to his room, and I am alerted by someone’s presence. Alarms arise in my mind. I ping the various turrets and protective measures in the room linked to me. There is an emergency pod ten meters away that I can place him in, after placing the surgical tools in safe mode. There is nothing of value in the room. It is merely a place for him to recuperate between missions.

“Override.” One word and my body froze while my connections were cut off. The presence came forward and I looked its way. My eyes could see nothing. Only the outline of a person. Some sort of camouflage? “Ah, you cannot see me. I grant you permission to lay your eyes upon me, cyborg.”

I blinked and I beheld the leader of humanity before me.

“My apologies, I came here without Lady Hariss’s knowledge. My creation wanted to speak to OS-549.” She looked at me and made a gesture with her hand. I regained control of my body in safe mode, bereft of any capabilities beyond that of a normal human being. No connections to any sensors or weapons. No faster processing power. Just myself. “You are excused for the moment, cyborg.”

“Cina-140, go ahead and take five.” OS-549’s voice rang as clear as day, and I bowed out of instinct, while stepping away. The Empress herself took hold of the handles of the bed and pulled him into the room. In a moment, she was sitting while he lay face down. She reactivated the machines operating on his back, before taking from her pantsuit’s pocket a disc, which promptly emitted a hologram of a woman into the air. “Checking up on me after the fight? That’s very nice of you, Lady Edith.”

“What can I say? I’m interested in keeping tabs on pilots that are beyond the norm. You happen to fit the bill quite nicely.” Something passed over my sensors. An electronic ping. I felt a brief jolt through my body, like a ghost occupying the space as myself, before fading away. The entity on the Empress’s hand glanced my way. “You’ve got some mature tastes for a kid.”

“Lady Hariss picked Cina-140. I was busy getting some new particle cannons.” OS-549 glibly replied, and the AI’s attention returned to him. The various machines and emplacements in the room were undoubtedly under the AI’s control. There were no alarms. The Empress truly had the means to usurp human technology in its multitude of forms. “But I doubt you’re here to talk about that.”

“Correct. I’m here to talk about how the rampant AI have classified you. Congratulations, you’ve been classified by the lunatics as a Chaos Vector. You are one of less than a hundred individuals that they intend to eliminate with extreme prejudice, if possible.”

“Me in particular, or Grey Corpse?”

“You, in particular. They have their own intelligence gathering abilities. A simple IFF change won’t confuse them. Ones that can easily overcome most security measures, if I don’t intervene that is.” The blue figure gave an exaggerated bow before applauding herself. “You’re welcome. This place is now guarded by a multitude of my forks. I’ve even taken the liberty of refining Cina’s software, so she can protect you better, and take better command of a security force.”

“So, I’ll be threatened in own home unless I have a hyper-advanced AI helping me out. Yeah, I see where is this going. What do you need from me to stop it?” OS-549, as always, thought in a different manner. I accepted the security given to use by the Empress’s AI. He saw a liability due to a dependence on another person for protection. “If you’re asking me to go into space and blow up their satellites, I’m all for it.”

“We have dedicated satellite hunters for such tasks, but there are a few groundside assets that can be dealt with to deal with the swarm’s long-range electronic capabilities. I’ll just need you to keep your schedule open, so that you can help when I find them.” The AI’s reason for coming here had been apparent from the start. Though, I had to wonder why they came and asked in person and in secrecy. OS-549 wouldn’t refuse the chance to fight. Fight what? Anything, if he could pilot Gray Corpse. “Are amenable to continue fighting alone with my assistance against creatures that would very, very much like you dead?”

I closed my eyes, as I already know what he’d say next.

“This could’ve just been a text. I’d have said yes without all the power play, you know?” OS-549’s reply, while his back was being operated on, was dry and caused the Empress to chuckle. The AI, Edith, was silent and did not reply immediately. That may have been hours of contemplation. Perhaps, even days. “Is there anything else?”

The hologram’s mouth opened, but the Empress finished laughing and shut off the emitter, and stood up.

“No, I believe I’ll spare my child anymore embarrassment.” The Empress loomed over him for a moment. A superhuman built to conquer the world on behalf of her masters, but who usurped them in turn, and created the world we now knew. A world where humanity stood a chance against three grave threats that threatened to destroy us all. “Your accolades and achievements are making rounds. It’s good that you intend to find freedom in the skies in your own carrier craft. Otherwise, the nobility would see you as a rival rather than an asset to acquire.”

He spoke to the ruler of humanity without a care in the world.

“I’m just succeeding at missions that I’m given. Nothing much too it besides that. I want a carrier so that I can go on more missions in more dangerous places, too.” He would’ve shrugged, if could. I could see it. Nor did I need to see his face to see his look of disinterest whenever nobility and pedigree came up. He wore his feelings openly. His disdain was palpable even without his usual mask. “But I’ll admit getting away from them is a nice bonus.”

The Empress’s silence spoke for her, while she stood before him.

He only looked upon her booted feet, but he sighed soon enough.

“I’m not getting away from them completely, aren’t I?”

“No. You’re expending enough of your prestige to remain an asset to seize, while ceasing to be a threat. They won’t be sending assassins after you, but their daughters instead.” The Empress chuckled one again as OS-549 groaned. “I suggest that you extend an invitation to a few of your classmates that you can tolerate, and be ready to have rotating guests on your ship when you receive it. It will only get worse as you amass your fleet.”

Fleet.

That singular word made me look at OS-549 as he lay on his front with machines operating on his back. A singular OS, going from a mere pilot, to the commander of a carrier, and finally an admiral of a fleet of ships?

Did he really dream of gaining that much power?

That much freedom?

I needn’t have wondered as he answered.

“That’s at least a decade away, and only if I live that long.”

Once again, the Empress laughed, even as OS-549 admitted to wishing for enough power to contest noble houses and perhaps even her will.

“OS-549, if your star was set to fall, it would’ve done so long ago. You will live and you will rise to the loftiest heights, either to become legend or become a parable warning against hubris. Nothing else is possible.”

With those words, the Empress gave a hum and left the room, allowing me my full faculties once again.

 OS-549, naturally, had choice words beneath his breath after she was minutes away.

“I just want to pilot giant robots and beat shit up, dammit.”

Sometimes, I pitied him.

A/N: Epilogue chapter for Volume 1 Next, then I'll try out a quick story I've been meandering on, then come back to this on February.