May I Write of Heroes – #4: Scout Unit 11
This one starts and ends a little differently. But hang in there, it does go somewhere.
unit 11 startup BIOS: FrontRunnerInit.02.34.01 initializing system… memory scan… 001………025………050………075………100 memory working starting SIDEWINDER_10.10_OS identify class… Infiltration scout identify server… frontrunner_HS_75 armor… 01 sentinel_LVL_07_chassis 01 frontrunner_LVL_10_visor 04 10Y_LVL_19_bracers 04 10Y_LVL_19_shin assets… 01 sitya_LVL_27_cannon 02 sitya_LVL_26_handblades 37 doolray_LVL_10_stickbombs battery… 01 betdear_LVL_100_energear 02 betdear_LVL_100_backbattery startup time… .0001 nanoseconds calibration start… start visual… visual calibration complete start audio… audio calibration complete start sentience… sentience calibration complete calibration complete begin consciousness… …………………………………………………………
I hate startup. Or perhaps it’s my programming that hates startup. I’m unsure. I do not allow any complications such as that to affect me.
Orders came through immediately. We were to go to the docking bays. Since the new versions of scouts were released, we were relegated to menial tasks. Our strength was still formidable, but our processing power was what had been improved. That, and many newer ports for weaponry.
Our new lives were of transporters.
Travel was quick. Pausing input allowed me to save processing heat and battery time. It felt like three seconds. It took fourteen hundred seconds.
Falling in line behind unit 07 and unit 12, I joined the ranks going to our goal. Two large crates were standing in the middle of the docking bay floor. No other workers were around. The lights were dimmed. I referenced the time. After hours. Odd.
The cargo was larger than it may have appeared. There were little standard references and my version was not equipped with beam-based gauges. Five meters tall. Seven meters wide, square. Each.
Sounds. Footsteps. Four sets. We all turned, activating our cannons and handblades. Red lights from our targeting systems revealed four shrouded figures coming from the darkness. They were assuming biological status, wearing clothes, using bipedal motion. But they were scouts. Dominators.
<Mod_link_status_2311>
Parent status. Damn. Our logic systems re-calibrated. We were now under their orders. They had the credentials, our store of unit addresses matched their IDs. They were from our faction.
<Packet_transfer_01 — 05 + 12>
The info was recognized and unpacked instantaneously. Plans had changed. We weren’t told why. We didn’t need to be. We were to take one crate in the new transport. An old four track rumbler. Loud. Easy to track. It didn’t make sense.
The Dominators grabbed the first crate. They moved it quietly into the vehicle they commandeered. It wasn’t long before they left the premises. The blast pads flushed, sending a wave of blue and white arcs along the ground. It was quiet, nearly silent. As it gained speed, the pads dimmed and settled on recuperative power.
Our cargo was heavier than it had appeared. Approximately three hundred kilograms. Possibly new equipment. I couldn’t understand why we had to go in separate groups. There was more than enough room, more than enough power to bring both crates back on the skimmer.
04 closed the door while 12 and I tied everything down.
The screeching started soon. The rumbler was automated. Apparently.
We hooked in. Our latches grabbed ahold of the walls.
I shut my input down, leaving emergency detectors for, well, emergencies.
Three minutes later, from a reference of my clock, I was jarred awake. Partially. A shrill sensation signifying unwarranted movement outside of the vehicle made me aware of the massive object coming at us from the south. The sound of wrenching metal preceded my shielded backup maintenance unit’s activation.
……………………………………………………………………… init_panic_alarm_203 checking internal memory 001………025…… 001……….025…… memory error backup system restore start backup system maintenance check... damage assessment 70% of central unit unaccessible 10% of chassis unaccessible armor destruction… 100% self destruct priority… 0 not applicable security erase 1 applicable end backup system maintenance check start memory wipe 001…… error… retrying 001… error… retrying 001… error… retrying 001…
Posted on 05/05/2012, in Hypostatica and tagged aaron shively, character, characters, computer, concept, dark, errant studios, fantasy, literature, personal, robot, sci fi, science fiction, shively, story, Story a day, writer, writing. Bookmark the permalink. 3 Comments.
Boyd Dodgen
Alyssa Shively
Gabriela Lessa
Halima Shah
Juan Villagrana
Kimberly Packard
Huh! Wow… Not sure what I make of it… I feel like I’m missing something, but whether it’s because I’m not “into your world” yet or because of another reason, I’m still unsure. Interesting characterization… clearly you see more to these synthetic beings than just machines. I’d be curious to know more about the world in general.
The world is revealed in small parts through all the stories. If you start with the first and then continue on, you’ll get a better idea. The only thing I wanted to achieve with this specific story, however, is portraying a computer-like being who deals with issues we view from a different side (obsoletion, total subordination, etc). I’m using a larger plot to give rise to little views into different characters’ lives on this world. The basic idea is actually a relatively simple one (compared to my larger projects), but to add complexity and dynamism, I wanted to put as many different viewpoints as possible.
This is one of my less orthodox attempts. Last year was far more typical of a group of short stories… mostly.
Thanks for the comment!
You’re welcome. It was an intriguing experience for me, coming into things as I did.