by Greg Sorber
The mere presence of an Archangel mech often turned the tide of battle. The earlier models, particularly the Archangel-555, took part in the most dangerous battles of the war. The triple-sevens hadn’t entered the scene until near the end of the war, though they faced the toughest challenges. Many gave the Archangels, and especially the triple-sevens, credit for ending the war. Misty wasn’t sure if they deserved full credit for ending the war, but they’d definitely helped.
Misty accessed her datapad and opened the file with the script for the Initial. The arrival of an Archangel mech was something special. She needed to document it for the official record and follow the protocols to the letter.
“Ajax, do you have a cam on you?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Great. Record all of this.”
“Sure thing, Misty.”
Misty reviewed the script for part one of the Initial. She’d memorized it long ago while on her journey to Mechhaven. She could recite it without the datapad, but she didn’t want to risk a mistake. Misty doubted messing up would cause a diplomatic incident, but with bureaucrats, you couldn’t be sure.
Misty closed her eyes, silently reciting the Welcome. She felt the vibrations as the mech took each step. She opened her eyes and stared at the Archangel mech. It was the more advanced triple-seven model.
Three sevens emblazoned its white and gold chest. Despite being smudged with dirt from the impact, the numbers were still visible. She didn’t see the famous wings. Either they weren’t deployable on the ground, or had been damaged on impact. The entire mech emanated light from its skin, giving it the look of pure white and blazing gold. There were visible scrapes, dents, and other gashes from the impact, but the damage disappeared as she watched. The mech was regenerating itself. It detected her and Ajax, and veered towards them.
“I can’t believe it,” Ajax said.
“Believe it.” Misty smacked his arm. “Camera on.”
She took a deep breath and brought the datapad up to eye level so she could read it better. She’d just prepared to start the Welcome when the mech stumbled. It landed on one knee, bracing itself with a hand pressed on the ground, stopping its face from plowing into the dirt. It raised its head and looked straight at Misty. Her mouth was open, but the mech spoke before she could start.
“Pax Machina.”
Misty smacked her forehead. “So much for protocols.”
Chapter Two
Excerpt from Archivist Louis De Robinet’s response to Archivist Singh’s opening address
With all due respect to the esteemed Archivist Singh, thy plan to examine the causes of the war so soon is both presumptuous and precipitous. His Majesty, High King Servier, urges this body to reconsider this course of action and reconvene in five years to allow for more time to collect and validate all necessary testimonies. Only then can we evaluate the causes of the war in earnest.
Archivist Louis De Robinet
Arcturan Monarchies
Pax Machina
Those were the words the Archangel-777 uttered as it collapsed in front of Misty and Ajax. They scrambled backwards to avoid being crushed by the toppling mech. Ajax scanned the fallen mech with his datapad.
“This old datapad won’t tell us much, but the mech’s power levels are low. If they were any lower, they’d be negative. It’s alive, but in some sort of deep standby mode.”
“Secure it in the DECOM Module ASAP.” Misty placed her hand on the smooth metallic surface of the mech’s arm and slid her hand over it. “I don’t think it’s going anywhere, anytime soon. Run back to DECOM and bring the flat-tread. Don’t forget the lifter.”
“You’re not worried about the growlings?”
Misty chuckled. “That impact sent any nearby growlings scurrying halfway around Mechhaven.” She patted her sidearm. “Besides, if any wander too close, I’m ready for target practice.”
Ajax nodded and ran to the DECOM Module. Misty figured it would take Ajax about half an hour to run to DECOM, prep the flat-tread, and return. She wanted to examine the mech closer, with no other prying eyes. Why would an Archangel-777 declare Pax Machina?
She thumbed on her datapad, but switched it to non-connected mode. This allowed her to search the data and schematics stored on the device, without sending data through the network to be monitored by Therapy and the Accords Compliance Committee. The non-connected mode was one of the few perks of the outdated datapad. All the newer models required a constant network connection. She often reviewed unfamiliar mech types in non-connected mode, so it wasn’t unusual and shouldn’t trigger any red flags. She had the freedom to explore her own curiosity, didn’t she?
For the humans on Mechhaven, they divided their time between frantically hustling with all hands-on deck when new mechs arrived, to long stretches of extreme boredom between arrivals and during the storms. Mechhaven’s electromagnetic storms often lasted for days, during which humans and mechs could do little.
Before she set up the Aquaponics Modules, Misty used to review mech schematics to kill time. She didn’t recall coming across any schematics for Archangels, though. They were top secret, advanced, and expensive AI weapons platforms. Their information was still top secret. Any Archangels that survived the war would have remained in service for security, research, or at least historical preservation. They wouldn’t be sent to Mechhaven to waste away. They certainly wouldn’t have been allowed to come of their own free will.
To her surprise, a quick search on the datapad brought up a schematic summary of the Archangel-777. She read it, but any pertinent information had been redacted, so it wasn’t much help. She examined the file’s metadata to figure out when its last update occurred, but unlike most of the schematics, there was nothing listed. Was she supposed to believe the file appeared like magic when the Archangel-777 crashed near the Beacon?
Out of the corner of her eye, Misty sensed movement. She drew her sidearm and blasted a knee-high reptilian creature, a growling, that decided she was an easy target. The round she fired, powerful enough to get a mech’s attention, didn’t leave any recognizable pieces of the alien scavenger. Overkill? Perhaps, but she had nothing more fitting. To her right, another growling skittered towards her, so she turned and fired.
Misty reconnoitered the immediate area around the fallen mech, checking for any other creatures. Growlings were not too dangerous by themselves, but they had sharp claws, teeth, and their namesake sounds were frightening. They shouldn’t be underestimated, though. They avoided humans, but at night they were more brazen. If they drew blood, they vocalized a victory howl, which invited others in the area to join them. In that case, you needed to dispatch them fast, or face a gruesome end being swarmed by dozens, if not hundreds, of the sharp-toothed, sharped-clawed creatures.
Confident there weren’t any more growlings nearby, Misty squinted at the lights from the returning flat-tread. Ajax dimmed the beams so he wouldn’t blind her. She wanted to get the Archangel loaded and back to the DECOM Module as soon as she could. She had protocols to follow to send the asylum application, but Misty needed the mech to be conscious before it could make the proper acknowledgments. After that, Ajax could start the disarming process and begin the mech’s integration with the rest of the residents. Speed was essential, otherwise Therapy would pester her about protocols and timelines. She was relieved he was on standby for the night.
Ajax maneuvered the awkward flat-tread with ease as he pulled up right next to the fallen mech. The vehicle was a flatbed attached to tank treads with a small cab that could accommodate a driver and three passengers. It was designed to haul destroyed or damaged mechs away from a battlefield. Misty was lucky to have secured one for their use, since many of their asylum seekers were not mobile by the time they made it to Mechhaven. The flat-tread was the only way to transport damaged mechs around the planetoid until Ajax completed any necessary repairs.
Ajax prepped the lifter, hopped down from the flat-tread, and with Misty’s help, secured the bindings aro
und the motionless mech. With a few swipes on his datapad, he loaded the mech onto the bed of the vehicle. They spent a few more minutes securing it to the bed before they were ready to transport it to the DECOM Module.
“Has it shown any signs of movement?” Ajax asked.
“No, it’s out cold,” Misty said. “There were two growlings, though.”
“Target practice?”
Misty smiled and patted her pistol. “You bet.”
Ajax drove straight to the DECOM Module, a building dedicated to the removal of any weapons or other features that made mechs machines of war. The DECOM Module, along with the Repair Module, were Ajax’s domains. He had the mechanical knowledge and technical ability to decommission mechs by removing or otherwise rendering their weapons systems inactive. Ajax often fabricated replacements parts for damaged mechs and installed them himself. Misty assisted if he was busy, or if she wanted a change of pace from her regular duties. Ajax didn’t mind the company. While mechs were sentient, most weren’t skilled conversationalists. Dennis assisted occasionally if an exotic explosive needed disarming, or if Ajax found something he wasn’t qualified to disarm on his own.
With Misty’s help, Ajax transferred the Archangel-777 from the flat-tread to the lift in the DECOM Module. They secured the mech to the lift. An armed mech waking up in an unfamiliar location could be unpredictable. The restraints weren’t strong enough to prevent a determined mech from breaking free, but they were enough to give Ajax and Misty a chance to react if it awakened unexpectedly.
“This Archangel might as well be dead. There are no power readings,” Ajax said.
Misty walked around the lift, peering at her datapad. “What do you think we should do?”
Ajax ran his hand through his hair, thinking. “It needs power, but I can’t find any service ports to attach a power cable.”
Misty accessed the updated schematics for the Archangel on her datapad. Redactions blacked out most of the data on the triple-sevens. The triple-five models had a power port in the back of their necks, the triple-sevens didn’t.
“If I remember correctly, the Archangel-777 series was a platform for experimental technologies. They tested a lot of novel concepts with them. Instead of a power port, perhaps it transfers energy via conduction? Is there a way to try that?” Misty asked.
“Excellent idea. Let me try something.” Ajax found a rechargeable battery pack and checked the power level. It had a full charge. He turned back to the mech and placed the battery pack on its leg. He waited several seconds, removed the battery pack, then checked the power gauge: the power level was zero. “Interesting.”
He located another battery pack in a storage container, confirmed that it had a full charge, and placed it onto another part of the mech. He waited a few seconds, removed the battery pack, then checked the power level. Again, it was empty.
“Misty, can you check its power levels on your datapad again?”
Misty swiped and tapped at her datapad to find the correct screen. “It’s still in deep standby mode, but there’s a slight increase in its power levels.”
“That’s great. I think we can assume this Archangel uses conductive charging.”
“With a mech this size, you’re going to need a lot more battery packs to make it operational,” Misty said.
Ajax smiled as he pulled out a power cable and attached thin metallic pads to the end.
“Wait a minute, what power source are you going to use?” Misty asked.
Ajax nodded to the primary power bank.
“Do you think that’s a good idea?” she asked. “If something goes wrong, you could take down the entire grid.”
“I’m sure. I’m just going to give our friend a jump start,” Ajax said as he laid the metallic pads across the three sevens on the mech’s chest. He took a few steps back and flipped the power switch.
The lights flickered once, and everything went black.
“Oh, great!” Misty shouted. “A blackout?”
“Hold on!” Ajax reached for a flashlight on his belt and turned it on. “Reserve power should kick in any second.”
“Unless your stupid idea drained the back-up power grid, too!”
“Give it a second.”
“Ajax, I might give you a new name, but I’ll tell you right now you aren’t going to like it,” Misty said, fuming.
They gasped as a faint glow emanated from the mech. It grew brighter by the second. Within a minute, they were blocking their eyes with their hands.
“Isn’t that interesting?” Misty asked. After a few moments, the reserve power system activated. The remaining lights flickered back to life.
Misty stared at the Archangel as its ocular sensors came into focus. The glowing light faded and the mech’s skin returned to normal.
“Well, hello there!” She smiled, trying to be as unthreatening as possible.
The mech’s ocular sensors pulsed with a faint glow. It was receiving power. The sensors brightened. More power was being allocated to the visual sensors. The mechanical components started adjusting, bringing Misty into focus. The mech tensed, then struggled with its bonds.
“Where am I? Release me at once,” it said.
Misty raised her hand. Palm extended outward. “Easy there, big guy, you’re on Mechhaven. You crash-landed and declared Pax Machina. Do you remember?”
The mech stopped struggling. “Yes, I remember. Why am I restrained? There could be enemies nearby.” The mech looked franticly around the room and resumed struggling.
Misty sighed. The mech was in worse shape than she thought. “You declared Pax Machina, you requested asylum. The protocols dictate we restrain you until we disarm you. Armed mechs intermingling with decommissioned mechs who fought on different sides of the war is a recipe for disaster.”
“That is logical,” the Archangel said.
Misty tapped the screen on her tablet. “The protocols require that I gather your identification codes so the signatories can determine the disposition of each other’s military forces. For most mechs, we’d interface with their data port. But you don’t seem to have any ports. Can you send data to my tablet?”
The mech looked at Misty’s ancient tablet and shook its head. “I’m sorry, your tablet is not advanced enough for me to transmit to. If I tried, I’d fry it.”
“I can create an interface,” Ajax said. “I have a lot of different parts around here. I’m sure I could patch something together.”
“We don’t have the time, Ajax,” Misty said. “We need to get the asylum request sent ASAP, or we’ll have hordes of unhappy bureaucrats harassing us. I’ll do this the hard way. Please tell me you have a keyboard I can pair with this device.”
“Yeah, sure. Let me get one for you.”
A few minutes later, after rummaging through several crates of abandoned tech, Ajax returned with a keyboard. He took a few minutes to make sure the keyboard worked. Once it was paired and functioning, Misty pulled up the data entry screens.
“Official designation?” she asked.
“ARCH-00013.”
“Model?”
“Archangel-777 Mark-5, Delta-9,” the mech said.
“System of manufacture?”
“Frangellan system.”
So far, everything was going well. Misty made a note of his answer. The system of manufacture wasn’t surprising. The Frangellan system was where the bulk of the AOIS manufacturing occurred.
“Planet of Manufacture?”
“Classified,” the mech said.
“Classified?” Misty asked. She raised an eyebrow. There were many planets and facilities in the Frangellan system. Why would that be classified?
“I’m not at liberty to disclose the planet of my manufacture.”
“I don’t think I can input that. The protocols require disclosure of all required information.”
“I’m sorry, that is the only information I can give you.”
“I’ll leave it blank for now. Maybe your other answers will hel
p complete the form. Power source?”
“Classified.”
“Seriously?” Misty asked.
“I’m not at liberty to disclose information regarding my power source.”
“You realize the war is over, don’t you?” Misty fumed.
“Yes, I know. However, the nature of my advanced technology remains classified.”
“Ajax, has anyone else come through with vague answers like this?”
Ajax shook his head. “Sly, maybe? But I wasn’t here when she arrived. Don’t you remember?”
“She was here before I arrived, too. I wonder how she made it through the process?”
Misty turned back to the mech. “I’m sure I know what the answer to the next question will be. Primary Weapons Systems?”
The mech shook its head. “I’m sorry, I’m unable to disclose that information.”
Misty smacked her palm to her forehead. “Okay. I’ll snap a picture of you for our records. That won’t fry my datapad, will it?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
Misty snapped a picture with her tablet. “Perhaps someone higher up the food chain with more clearance than me can fill in the details.”
Misty added a few more notes to the entry on the datapad. “Like I mentioned when you reactivated, we need to disarm you. The information incoming mechs provide allows us to access the correct schematics so Ajax can complete the decommissioning process. Since we only have minimal information on your schematics, I’m not sure how we can disarm you. To complicate matters, based on the non-redacted portions of your schematics and what we can see with our own eyes, your weapons systems appear to be integrated throughout your body. I don’t suppose you can let us know how we can disarm you?”
“I’m not trying to be difficult, but I cannot give you any information regarding that.”
Misty smacked down her datapad. “You realize you were the one that declared Pax Machina, right? How are we supposed to disarm you if we don’t know anything about your power source, weapons systems, or defensive capabilities?”
