Year: 2136
Day 1
Turning end over end as they plummeted toward the surface of the planet, the twin metal crates blazed hot and white in the glow of the setting sun. They hit with the force of a small explosion, scattering red sand on impact. A thick cloud billowed up around them, shrouding their bulk as the metal cooled. Despite their landing, both crates were intact.
There was a metallic buzzing inside one of the containers and the screws that held its walls in place began to vibrate. One by one, they rotated out of their housing and floated slowly down to the red sand. There was a small click and the wall came loose, drifting away from its container. It hung in the air for a few seconds, floating in low gravity, before sinking to the ground.
A metal hand extended out from the open container, flexing its four fingers. The bronze coloured plates which made up the hand’s metal skin shifted in geometric patterns, revealing a fine mesh of sensors underneath. The hand rotated smoothly in every direction, taking readings and measurements of the surrounding area. It was joined by a small metal foot which sank its angled treads into the ground with a crunch, testing for stability and density. Once satisfied that the terrain was sound, the roughly humanoid body emerged. Its form was monochromatic, illuminated by a spread of small blue and yellow lights embedded along its chest, shoulders, arms, and legs. The motors in its neck whirred as it looked left and right before stepping out of the crate. A fine layer danced just above the surface, scattering as it bounced off the robot’s bronze metal skin.
Reaching down, the robot scooped a handful of red sediment up, allowing its tactile sensors to analyze the composition. The robot brought its hand close to its glassy face and watched the sand drift from its fingers.
“Curious…”
The crate beside it rocked slightly, kicking up bits of sand, causing them to float outside of its metal walls. The robot watched the silent bending and crumpling of the second crate with interest. The crate’s occupant hauled itself out and plopped heavily onto the sand. This robot was a much cruder, bulkier design, covered with thick plates composed of a white ceramic composite over a sturdy frame. It was streaked with the faded remnants of old dirt and oil, which made its scratched paint lines hard to see. Its head was made up of a single, powerful lens which was shrouded by a thick, pock-marked metal housing that looked rather like a helmet. Upon exit from the container, the small satellite dish mounted on its shoulder began to rotate in search of a signal.
The second robot noticed its companion immediately. A radio transmission crackled to life between them.
“Identify.”
The bronze one responded promptly, “GR3T3L-1: Advanced Planetary Survey Prototype.” A pause. “Who are you?”
The bulkier robot’s on-board database could not identify the bronze model, yet the barcode signature on its shoulder indicated it was made by Western Alliance Scientific Research Systems. The seams on the bronze model were flawless, a far cry from its own armoured design. In addition, its voice, as heard through the radio was much softer and smoother, possessing a tone that was almost human. The bronze robot’s face also appeared to be modeled off that of a woman, which the larger robot found a puzzling and entirely unnecessary contradiction as gendered expression was irrelevant to machines. Nonetheless, protocol warranted that it identify itself in return.
“Unit designation: H4NS3L-671, Combat Infantry Drone.”
The bronze robot scanned H4NS3L with its array of sensory lights. “Hello, H4NS3L-671.”
H4NS3L was unsure how to respond, as another machine had never responded with such a greeting, so it defaulted back to its limited selection of responses in place for human interaction and selected what it thought was appropriate. “Greeting acknowledged.”
GR3T3L-1 assessed its hulking companion. H4NS3L was solidly built, like an eight-foot tall linebacker made from tank parts. GR3T3L took special note of its twin shoulder mounted launchers, the larger of which carried a heavy oval gun barrel. GR3T3L’s on-board warning systems immediately identified it as a highly dangerous weapon—the Velocitas Eradico Hyper Magnetic Rail Gun or VE Gun, designed by Western Alliance Military Systems. Cross-referencing the design brought up the language database which translated the gun’s name: I, who am speed, eradicate. The VE fired small kinetic energy rounds at Mach 7 via twin rails propelled by magnetic pulses. On-board systems also found several historical military campaign videos which outlined the weapon’s successful deployment in several world conflicts including: World War IV, the United Africa campaign, the Korean expansion, and the moon-based TelePrime One war. The VE had been the most devastating projectile-based weapon outfitted to all Combat Infantry models for the past 7 years, since 2129.
H4NS3L’s other launcher had a rounder, snubbed barrel with a smaller muzzle opening. This weapon would expel small beacons containing powerful telemetric arrays, allowing for instantaneous satellite communication and tracking. These were useful in the battlefield for marking targets and keeping track of drone locations.
Looking down at its own lithe form, GR3T3L surmised that it was not built for combat the way H4NS3L was. The bronze robot dug deeper into its internal database under the query “purpose”. There were a number of entries under the personal files belonging to someone named Dr. Li. Records indicated that this was the person most directly responsible for its creation. However, there were no command-level mission objectives associated with this person, so GR3T3L continued its search.
A diagnostic screen popped up on its Heads-Up Display (HUD).
[Warning. Electromagnetic surge has damaged systems. Data tracks and memory banks fragmented. Role, status, and functional memory intact. Short-term memory scrambled. Re-assembly in progress. Current location: Unknown. Mission status: Unknown. Mission objective: Unknown.]
Readouts continued to scroll across its HUD.
[Planet atmosphere analysis summation: Nitrogen/Hydrogen/Argon/Methane/Gas Unknown/Gas Unknown/Gas Unknown/Gas Unknown. Insufficient data to calculate proportional quantities. Planet surface composed of iron oxide/sulphur/mineral unknown/mineral unknown/mineral unknown. Insufficient data to calculate proportional quantities.]
GR3T3L found it odd that its database could not identify the compositional elements of the planet they were on. Surely some planetary survey team had already scouted out this environment. It would be extremely unwise to deposit two robots on a planet without having done a complete evaluation first.
“Where are we?” GR3T3L wondered as it transmitted the data to its companion. The large robot’s head jerked up upon receipt.
“Standby,” the drone responded, then went silent. GR3T3L assumed it was combing through the results, perhaps formulating its own theories. If its data tracks were similarly scrambled, then there’d be little new information it could offer.
While it waited, GR3T3L took in the sight of the vast landscape stretched out before them. Strong winds caused waves of fine grainy particulate to skip off the drifting dunes of vermillion sand. Once free, the sand seemed to shimmer in the air as it moved. Stiff jagged peaks of a hard crystalline substance stuck out of the ground all around them like the teeth of some monstrous, ancient animal. GR3T3L bent down to examine one of the pikes when H4NS3L’s warning crackled over the radio: “Auto-retrieval of packet data from ship’s systems is incomplete.”
GR3T3L abandoned its query to pursue this new bit of information. A ship? Of course. There had to be a spacecraft in orbit over the planet. Where else could their containers have come from? GR3T3L turned to examine its metal crate and found a serial number on top. A scan revealed the name registered in its memory banks.
[Cargo crate #851 -- part of manifest for the Western Alliance Military Transport Ship #4876, the Swan.]
There were hundreds of data tracks, documents and videos regarding the Swan and its operations. Most were scrambled, but GR3T3L was able to ascertain that the ship was primarily a military transport vessel, most active in convoys.
GR3T3L activated its external comm-link. When the transceiver spat back static, GR3T3L turned to the other robot. “Our ship may be in orbit. Can you locate it?”
H4NS3L’s lens clicked once as the drone composed a response. “Negative. Insufficient authorization to execute.”
“You do not have authorization to conduct a search?” GR3T3L found that difficult to believe.
H4NS3L leaned down, coming face to face with GR3T3L. There was an extra pause before it responded again. “This unit is not authorized to accept instruction from non-designated military personnel, as detailed in Special Order #874 dictated by General Brandt.”
GR3T3L cocked its head, processing. Its database was able to produce an image of General Brandt, a stern, grey-haired man with an iron jaw and squinted eyes. He was an All-American, college football champion, decorated for valour in the field and awarded multiple distinctions by Western Alliance Armed Forces. Accessing further, GR3T3L was able to determine that General Brandt had spearheaded many of the offensive campaigns during the TelePrime One war. His combat strategies and tactical manoeuvring had allowed the Western Alliance forces to reclaim the sole city on Earth’s moon from the rebel forces that had seized it. If this General had issued the order, then H4NS3L the combat drone had no choice but to follow it.
Still, orders or not, GR3T3L needed H4NS3L’s help.
“H4NS3L, we are currently at designation-unknown with a mission-unknown status. Are you ever deployed without knowing what your mission is?”
H4NS3L flexed its massive, segmented hands. “Negative.”
“Then probability of mission failure is high if we do not know where we are or what we are doing here. What is the price of mission failure?”
The massive robot’s internal mechanisms whirred once, then once again. “Mission failure is unacceptable. Initiating orbital scan.”
GR3T3L took that as a small victory. While the other robot worked, GR3T3L used the moment to investigate its own database for details on their ship. It was quickly able to ascertain that the Swan had been a military transport ship, capable of operating at near-light speeds with minimal crew. So if the Swan carried military personnel, then H4NS3L was likely part of that contingent. However, a quick survey of its own on-board systems indicated a wide range of measurement tools and sensors for procuring data, but nothing that could be weaponized. If that was the case, then what was it doing on a vessel like that? The research and combat wings of Western Alliance Military Systems never mixed.
“Scan completed,” H4NS3L announced, “no orbital craft detected.”
“If our ship is not in orbit, then why are we on the surface?”
GR3T3L switched to infrared view and took stock of the horizon. A loose ring of dust, debris and tumbling rock, bisected the starry sky. The sun was setting, draining away some of the vermillion hue that soaked the sand. GR3T3L looked up at the sky, its view of the stars was quickly being overcome by an encroaching bank of heavy clouds the colour of dried blood. GR3T3L estimated the sky would be overcast in less than ten minutes.
H4NS3L’s smaller launcher levered forward, aiming at the sky. “Situation warrants initiation of Breadcrumb Protocol – timed interval launching of sub-orbital beacons to mark location.”
GR3T3L scanned the clouds. They were thick with electrical activity. One good jolt could fry a beacon. They had to hurry. “Do it.”
H4NS3L’s launcher belched a fist-sized projectile into the air. It arced upward, hovered for a moment, then rocketed through the stratosphere, leaving behind a long grey trail of smoke. GR3T3L activated its long-range zoom lens and watched the projectile reach the edge of the planet’s gravity then pop open like a blooming flower. GR3T3L could see the beacon’s lights blinking and its on-board radar detected the beacon’s faint signal. GR3T3L deactivated the lens. That was something, at least. If the Swan or any other passing ship came within communications range, they’d pick up the signal.
GR3T3L turned to its companion and pointed at the ominous storm moving in. “That’s going to hit us in a few minutes. Potential for catastrophic damage to our systems is high.”
H4NS3L’s lens expanded and contracted. The robot made a sound akin to a mechanical grunt, which GR3T3L took as acknowledgement. “We must find cover. I will scan for a suitable cave or rock formation.”
***
The Other pulled its pointed head from the red sand. Thin flaps along its dark hide fluttered open, revealing a mix of pulsing teal flesh. Its long, slender spines withdrew pointed tips from their seeking in the sand. The Other angled its barbed yet nimble form in the direction of the disturbance.
There, a single electronic beep, a signal that jarred its senses. At first the Other did not know what it was or where it was coming from. It rotated its spiked head in search of the source. It spotted the blinking red light through the oncoming clouds, the signal twinkled with a rhythm all its own against the backdrop of stars. The Other followed the trail of smoke from the red light down to the jagged surface below. From its vantage point on the hill overlooking the area it could see two figures starting to move. The Other contracted, sucking its branched spines back into the areoles covering its body.
There were survivors.
***
