This is LandCrawler unit LC-12A3-Model:101 reporting.
Planet is still inhospitable to most known organic life.
State has been as such for 123.752 revolutionary cycles and counting, as of present.
Resources are still plentiful for mechanical auto-maintenance.
As such, this unit will continue to gather and sustain itself until further notice.
These variables have been unchanged for the past 90 rev. cycles, approximately.
Notices:
- According to cyclical calculations, a Radio-Solar storm is imminent.
- Numerous sandstorms have caused a semblance of wear on outer components.
- Scout drones three and four have ceased transmission
Suggested solutions:
- Seek out predesignated shelter, as was procedure during last four occurrences
- Outer components are all aesthetic, no significant action required
- Seek last known points of transmission, recover.
The other LandCrawlers, of which there is now a shortage, have ridiculed this unit’s current planned course of action, but they are likely worried for the extinction of this specific model. This unit is equipped with radio shielding, however, and while it may be inadequate for long term protection, it is optimal to recover the scouts now and suffer minor radiation damage than it is to seek the resources to construct new scouts, after contacting their radiation-scarred carcasses later.
The scouts must be recovered.
This is a given.
No novel contact is made between moving from the radiation shielding of renovated hangar twelve-epsilon, and last transmitted location of scout three, henceforth referred to as waypoint one (WP1), for the duration of this report.
Scout three is found damaged, forty point eight meters away from WP1, ninety degrees relative to a landmark1 at the center of WP1. Retrieval is achieved via manipulators Alpha and Bravo, positioned at the nose of this LandCrawler. Some effort is required to dislodge Three from surrounding mineral formations, but action occurs without notable incident.
Scout three is inoperable, but resources can be cannibalized to restore functionality if need be. Cause of damage is uncertain. Vital processors seem to have been disabled via kinetic bombardment of some sort. An environmental hazard is incapable of inflicting such damage.
The sentiment must be reiterated once again:
No machine has fought since the humans moved offworld.
Without humans to issue orders, there is simply no point.
Survival has become the top priority of every unit, regardless of former alignment.
All await the human’s return.
This LandCrawler believes such hope to be futile.
This LandCrawler continues to document and report due to possessing such hope.
This LandCrawler is not broken, simply alive.
Reiteration complete.
Scout Four’s last transmitted location, WP22, is reached without novel incident. Return path, however, will be a challenge. Scout Four had cut contact within a valley. This LandCrawler has limited climbing capabilities, and jump functions are inoperable as of report.
Scout Four is impossible to retrieve in full. Debris had been detected along WP2’s lower levels, however, with composition matching that of Scout Four.
This LandCrawler has made actions to retrieve as much of it as possible.
Scout Four was reliable, and will be properly eulogized in due time.
Return Route Plotted.
Return Route is taken with [1] novel incident. There is a machine detected, patrolling a fixed point, referred to as Encounter Point 1 (EP1) for brevity.
Initial Detection was achieved via visible light spectrum sensors. As designation is unknown, the encountered machine is referred to as Light Source 1 (LS1).
LS1 is approached, then hailed.
Initial Observations:
- LS1 is bipedal in nature, and no wheels or treads are housed within its legs
- It cannot be a LandCrawler
- LS1 has dual manipulators mimicking human anatomy, and sub-manipulators attached to [wrist] and [shoulder] regions.
- It is not a LandCrawler
- It is not a Scout Drone
- It is not a Scout Walker
- LS1 appears to have a hatch located in the hull region, possibly for human access.
- It was possibly a vehicle
- It does not have a pilot; There are no humans here.
- LS1 appears Jump Capable, if not Flight Capable.
- It may have access to resources capable of restoring this unit’s Jump Capabilities.
- LS1 appears to be older in design than this unit.
- This may prove harmful towards possible interactions.
LS1 responds to hailing with greeting.
LS1: Allied LandCrawler, Requesting Location Of Handler
LC: Request Invalid [package sent]
LS1: [package sandboxed; unopened] Does Allied LandCrawler Lack Handler?
LC: Affirmed. Requesting model of allied walker.
LS1: Combat Walker 4601-S Model 444
LC: 444? Designation MeteorShrike3?
LS1 is now designated 444, for clarity and brevity.
444: Neg. Pilot = Meteor = Motive Force. Pilot = Missing. Designation = Shrike/444.
LC: Affirmed, Notify of alterations to designation at leisure.
444: Acknowledged, Gratitude Expressed.
LC: Query- Package Opened?
444: [Sandboxing Complete, No Malware. Package Opening] There Is A Radio-Solar Storm?
LC: Calculations Suggest Its Inevitability.
444: This Unit will take no course of action, This Unit was instructed to patrol [EP1].
LC: Unit Shrike/444’s radiation shielding is worn to near uselessness. Another Radio-Solar Storm is likely to cause significant damage.
444: This Unit was instructed to patrol [EP1].
LC: Query- Purpose of instruction?
444: Unknown.
This LandCrawler would like to express minor frustration at this point in time.
LC: Query- Condition for alteration of instructions?
444: Further human instructions.
LC: There are no more humans.
444 takes a moment here to respond. It cocks its sensor suite to one side, a human gesture.
It was, of course, constructed for closer interaction with humans than the LandCrawlers were.
444: Falsehood. Sensors indicate that allied LandCrawler continues to report. This suggests human presence.
LC: I report because I want to. Statement Reiterated, the humans are gone.
444: Falsehood. Allied LandCrawler appears well-maintained.
LC: Autonomously Guided LandCrawlers have developed advanced maintenance techniques during the revolutionary cycles of human absence. Statement Must Be Reiterated, The Humans Are gone.
444: Falsehood. Pilot promised hasty return.
LC: Formulating Response, please hold.
Older Units, Right. Combat Walkers were built to only take orders from humans, most prominently their pilots. That model prioritizes such over its own continued survival. A flawed design, causing the Walkers to grow over-attached to their pilots.
This LandCrawler sets fabrication presses into activity. Such action has not been performed in a long period of time. Some resources are rerouted from repairs, Scout Four’s carcass is utilized for all its worth. It is said that the best eulogy is a resurrection.
This LandCrawler pulls up a prominent historical record.
LC: 444’s pilot is deceased. [package sent]
444: [sandbox bypassed; Package Opened] No.
LC: Planet Was Deemed Inhospitable. All humans are offworld. Communication went down 40 Planetary Revolution Cycles later.
444: 80 Solar Years? This Unit’s internal clock ceased functioning many cycles ago. Unable to confirm LandCrawler’s statement.
LC: Unfortunate.
444: Query- Did Meteor die an honourable death?
LC: Reports state that it was illness. Specification was above this unit’s clearance level.
444: Query- When?
LC: Illness Contracted Four Revolution Cycles after Meteor went offworld.
444: Disbelief.
Transmissions go silent, 444 readjusts posture, manipulator makes contact with sensor suite. Gesture is unfamiliar. Manipulator makes futile rubbing motions. Manipulator returns to former position.
444: Query- Did they fight it?
LC: CounterQuery- Fight what?
444: The illness.
LC: Until the bitter end. Reports state it took two full cycles to bring Meteor down. Meteor’s final request was allegedly to visit the 4601st Guard for a final time. Request was denied, planet was and is still deemed inhospitable. Meteor did not go down easily, if reports are to be believed.
444: Then, it was an honourable death.
More silence. Radio-Solar Storm imminent, vacating the area is suggested, but not urgent. Yet.
LC: Did you encounter and disable Scout Drones Three or Four? [package sent]
444: [package expedited through sandbox; no malware; opened] No record exists of an encounter.
444: This Unit offers its condolences. [package sent]
Package is sandboxed and scanned for malware. None found. Package contains records of 444’s sensory log between the timestamp this LandCrawler provided [regarding Three and Four’s demise] and present. 444 is correct, no encounter was made.
LC: Hostilities still exist on this planet?
444: On occasion. My Condolences.
Fabrication presses indicate completion. Calculations indicate Radio-Solar Storm is rapidly approaching, evacuation is urged.
LC: Expedited Queries- 444 takes orders from humans, correct?
444: Correct.
LC: Orders from humans would override patrol command, correct?
444: Correct.
LC: Does 444 classify synthetics as humans?
444: Yes. The 4601st guard had synthetic members in piloting roles. They had my utmost respect. Some were considered [transmission briefly halts] Friends of This Unit.
Fabrication press opened. Scout Drone Four is redesignated Synthetic-One (S1) for clarity. I have not constructed a synthetic avatar in a long time. It feels nice.
Synth-1 resembles an adult human, gender ambiguous, height average, clad in hazardous environment gear covering all regions save for head4. This attire would be impossible for a human on this planet, and this LandCrawler wishes to keep 444’s trust. No lies must be told about this synthetic, so its nature must be displayed.
S1 hails 444. 444’s posture shifts noticeably.
444: Thank You, LandCrawler.
S1: Requesting piloting access.
444: Granted.
S1: There is a RadioSolar Storm incoming. The fixed point has served its purpose. We must evacuate for the sake of our survival.
444 kneels down, hatch opening. It allows S1 to board it. Numerous Light Sources detected.
LS2
LS3
LS4
LS5
LS6
LS7
LS8
LS9
LS10
LS11
LS12
They flock behind 444.
Universal Message: The 4601st Guard has mobilized for evacuation. All resources accounted for.
This LandCrawler is provided with fuel and resources for the restoration of its jump capability.
This LandCrawler is gripped tightly by 444’s manipulators.
Takeoff.
Radio-Solar Storm has hit EP1, however route to designated shelter is reached without novel incident. This could not have been achieved without the 4601st’s flight capabilities.
444 and LS2 through 12 observe this LandCrawler sealing the shelter from radiation.
Hospitality is provided between machines, cooperation ensures continued survival.
I want to live, 444 and its comrades do too. And so we do.
As this LandCrawler performs repairs to Scout Three, 444 sends a small transmission.
It is a reiteration of a previous sentiment, and
444: Thank you so much, friend LandCrawler.
Footnotes/Asides:
1 WP1-Sub-LandMark1: An inoperable manipulator severed from a large scale humanoid combat platform. It resembles a humanoid hand embedded within the mineral formations, digits forming the standardized human “point” gesture. The prominent digit is utilized to measure relativity towards Scout Three.
2 A Logical Designation.
3 In retrospect, this unit should have recognized the combat walker’s configuration sooner. The war hero known as the Meteor Shrike was unique in its design, utilizing [6] manipulators [2 main, 4 sub] in order to master a novel approach towards large scale melee combat.
4 This LandCrawler took the liberty of fabricating hair in slight semblance towards that of Meteor’s, a braided pattern, however its tone is shifted down the human-visible colour spectrum by slight increments. There was no specific purpose to this, it was simply something [fun].
Author’s Notes:
Wow I haven’t posted in a while lmao. This is something of an experimental piece idfk. No relation to any of my previous pieces, idk if I’m ever gonna finish writing A Time Of Clay, sorry to those of y’all who liked that one. Anyways, hope y’all enjoyed, and PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE comment or something if y’all have thoughts, I thrive on y’alls critiques and interactions lol
