Tag: droid

The Droid Apocalypse (Part 2)

Dr. Lenz’s heart filled with dread. The reports confirmed his darkest fear. This civilization had been destroyed by its own creation. Something similar had almost befell humanity just a few centuries previously. Something that he still had vivid memories of.

Candace was waving him and the rest of the squadron on. She knew there was little time to spare but Dr. Lenz grew wary when he saw that she was leading them down an alleyway between two decrepit and overgrown buildings.

He barely heard the “incoming” warning before being blown off his feet.

Lying on the ground for the first few seconds afterwards, he was unsure where he was as he tried to open his eyes. His head was pounding. The first thing that he noticed was that his protective visor had been activated. It was programmed to do so if there was a threat to life. There was a repugnant smell of burning flesh. He looked up and could see that Candace wasn’t moving. From some deep well inside, he found the strength to get to his feet and surveyed his surroundings. There was a small crater behind him. His communications units back online. The only other person from his squadron with life signs was Candace.

The other squadrons were either in full retreat under orbital cover fire from the Danu or had been obliterated.

In the distance, he could see large metallic monsters approaching. They looked almost exactly like the dreadnoughts that had once plagued humanity. Instinctively, he ran and picked her up over his shoulder and ran.

Soon, he could here the sound of fire being him. He knew that he didn’t have much time left and stopped to see if there was a place of safety. Much to his surprise, there was a perfectly preserved building to his right. With little other options, he ran straight towards it. Just before, he reach it, he had a strange feeling pass through his body. Instinctively he knew that it was a force-field. The door to the building was taller and slimmer than what he was used to. Nevertheless, he got through and collapsed on the floor after closing the door.

He was unsure how long he spent there passed. When he regained consciousness, he found himself in a large cavernous room with a statue at the other end. Candace was still on the floor beside him. Her visor had been damaged and was only partially functioning. Carefully, he took it off and slowly rubbed a bit of blood away.

Her eyes opened and still dazed, asked “Where am I?”

The Droid Apocalypse (Part 1)

Dr. Lenz thought that he would never again want to set foot on an alien world but he was wrong. The Danu was a large ship, but he still found it somewhat claustrophobic. He missed the company of other scientists too. There were few of his intellect to converse with on the ship, a life of loneliness appeared to await him. It had never crossed his mind that he would feel this way in his fifth century.

He spent his free time in the holo-decks, virtually visiting cities that no longer existed admiring their magnificence. Sometimes, he would pass Candace on the corridor. She was always sweaty, perhaps using the facilities for combat training. Occasionally, she would give him a warm smile. She was beautiful and he would think of holding her dark body in his hands. A thought that probably never crossed her mind. It had been many years since his last relationship, he had immersed himself in his work and casual sex had only ever been a few clicks away. Now, he longed for human connection.

Two time cycles ago, the Captain had told him that the latest planet with negativum had been located. The doctor had been trying to gather as much evidence about the system on long range systems. The Captain didn’t want any more surprises but supplies were running low. At first, there didn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary. Then, he realized they would once again be going to a planet in the habitable zone of a star. The odds of this being a random occurrence were quite remote. But things were to get far stranger once they entered the star system. It was a planet very similar to Earth, with just slightly more gravity and an oxygen rich atmosphere. They would find it easier to breathe here than on the former polluted Earth itself. Then, as The Danu entered orbit, it became clear that it was a world of ruined cities on a planet that had healed itself from civilization, an alien civilization. This would have been first contact had they survived.

There was no time for sentimentality and the doctor once more found himself on one of six landers heading to the planet with Candace and what was now considered her squadron. There was little of the boisterous chatter of the previous occasion.

“So what can we expect to see this time Doctor?

“I have no idea.”

There was no other conversation, only nervous jitters.

The lander landed with a thud and they quickly exited.

The doctor had never seen anything quite like it. They were surrounded by collapsed buildings, with vegetation now taking over and slowly engulfing them. The sky had a beautiful purple colour. It was hot and humid. The squadron had immediately staked out a defensive perimeter. The negativum they were tasked with collecting was close by. Candace led the way and Doctor Lenz instinctively followed her.

Only a few minutes passed, before reports of other squadrons coming under attack. Not from aliens but from machines.