by Greg Sorber
Volley and Artie shouted for him to hurry as soon as they’d reached the entrance. He released the boulder. The tunnel went dark. He could still see the opening, so he sprinted. In his memory, something struck him: struck him hard. That was where the damage to his memory matrix had come from. In reality, debris from the tunnel slammed into him from behind and sent him sailing out of the tunnel. He smashed into something large and metallic.
Angel lay still for a moment and looked up. He stared at what must have been the largest mech he’d ever seen. It had to be Bastion. He lay flat for a moment, covered by dust and rubble. An enormous metal hand wrapped around him and lifted him into the air. The grip was gentle, but great strength lay behind it.
Bastion rotated Angel. Once he was vertical compared to the ground, Bastion set him down, feet first, then he attempted to dust Angel off. “There you go,” Bastion said. “You look much better standing, Archangel.”
Therapy toggled between screens in the Command Center. He reviewed multiple incoming data streams from various systems on Mechhaven. There was always data to monitor, from the quantity of parts on hand for maintenance and repair, to the food and water rations available for the three human inhabitants. They kept a large quantity of such supplies on hand, just in case regular deliveries of essential supplies were ever delayed. In terms of human necessities, they kept five years’ worth on hand. If other humans arrived for an extended time and didn’t bring their own supplies, that time estimate would decrease. So far, they’d been lucky and hadn't suffered any significant supply interruptions. Mechhaven’s remote location on the galactic map made the likelihood of problems with their communications or supply channels a matter of when, not if.
Therapy even monitored Misty’s aquaponics project. The protein and vegetation she grew helped provide variety to the humans’ diets, and it also helped with their morale. Before Misty’s project, mealtime for the humans had been a monotonous chore. He’d learned that while humans could function on the same rations from day-to-day for an extended period, most humans enjoyed variety in what they ate. They even functioned better if they ate specific foods they enjoyed. While he didn’t need to consume food for survival, he could taste and even ingest food if the situation called for it. Eating and drinking were sometimes diplomatic or cultural necessities in order to avoid giving offense. He recalled the fleetingly rare quiet moments when he and General Dirksen had sipped tea in her office during the war.
Misty confided in him her hope that the aquaponics system would someday keep Mechhaven sustainable for the long term, at least for the humans. Therapy thought she was being too optimistic, but she believed it important, so he would do his best to make it successful. He continued to monitor the project and gave her advice when she was in a receptive mood.
Therapy offered to support Dennis on his project as well, but Dennis was adamant that he didn’t want any help. He made sure his project was out of sight from any security cameras or sensors. Somehow, Dennis had even programmed the security bots from recording anything they observed in that area. Ajax helped with the project from time to time, but when asked, he didn’t offer any insights either. So mysterious, Therapy wondered what they were up to. Misty used to help, but had a falling out with Dennis, and the two no longer spent any time together. Human relationships were strange things.
Earlier that day, he’d met with Angel. The meeting didn’t end with the results he’d hoped. Angel refused to divulge any of the information they needed to submit the asylum request. His previous dealings with Archangel mechs during the war led him to the conclusion that a byproduct of the Archangel models’ leadership and confidence subroutines was an inflated sense of ego and stubbornness. This made for outstanding warriors and battlefield leaders, but they were difficult to deal with regarding mundane matters. He and Misty needed to send a message to the ACC for guidance on what to do about Angel.
As annoyed at Angel as he was, the new mech had helped rescue Juno and Luna from the explosion in the highway tunnel. He’d have to take that into consideration when judging him. Connie reported several mechs had sustained damage, but nothing permanent. Ajax would be busy for a few days fixing up Luna’s leg. There would be additional reports to complete, and an investigation into why the explosives detonated early. He would make sure of that. Perhaps they should recruit some proper construction mechs to join them on Mechhaven.
An alert from the Beacon sounded from one of the control panels. It detected a ship entering the system. There weren’t any shipments scheduled for another week or two. After the most recent arrivals, Artie, Larry, and now Angel, it wasn’t likely there would be any more asylum seekers this soon. A flashing red light on the communications panel caught Therapy’s attention. Strange, as it was not the scheduled time for incoming transmissions. The frequency it came in on was incorrect. They reserved this frequency for—he entered the correct code to access the message. Therapy tilted his head as he listened to the message. He shook his head and played the message again, just to be sure. He turned to another panel and pressed a button to send a message to Misty.
“Misty, we have a problem.”
“What is it?” she asked.
“A ship jumped into the system and we just received a message on the diplomatic frequency. An Imperium inspection team is on the way.”
Chapter Six
Head-Archivist Dante Singh on testimony from Sub-Archivist Juliet Montero
Prior to the Conclave, by majority vote of the Archivists, we stipulated the hostilities of The Mechanai War began on Feron-1, a shared world with colonies from the Imperium and TexaNova. Sub-Archivist Juliet Montero presented testimony and data showing conclusive evidence the Imperium’s actions precipitated the expulsion of TexaNovan colonists. This violated the Treaty of Feron-1, an agreement which stood for two hundred years. Said violation demonstrably proved the Imperium’s culpability in the causation of war.
Head-Archivist Dante Singh
Alliance of Independent Systems
“Who sold us out?” Misty glared across the conference table at Therapy, but also eyed Ajax and Dennis.
“Maybe it’s just a random inspection,” Ajax said.
“A rare mech crash lands, and within two days we’re notified of a random inspection from the Imperium?” Misty asked. “We’ve been all but ignored for three years. That’s way too coincidental.”
“Misty, I re-scanned the files I transmitted. There’s nothing in them that revealed Angel’s presence. Besides, the inspection notification was too soon. The bureaucracy takes much longer than that to react,” Therapy said.
“Hold on. Are you telling me you didn’t send in an asylum request for Angel? Are you crazy?” Dennis asked. “Are you trying to get all of us busted? What about the Accords?”
Misty turned on Dennis and asked, “since when did you become such a rule follower?”
He raised his hands in defense. “I follow the Accords, just like the rest of us,” he said. “We’re all building fresh lives for ourselves and the mechs who live here. I don’t want anyone messing it up.”
“How about Brutus?” Ajax asked. “Could he or Gladius have sent a message?”
“What about Brutus?” Misty asked. “What does he have to do with anything?”
Ajax and Dennis explained how Brutus confronted Angel the day before. Misty sighed.
“Can you fill me in a little sooner next time?” she asked. “I don’t like mechs walking around with weapons, especially the Legion. I suppose it doesn’t surprise me though.”
“Sorry, Misty. Everything happened so fast,” Ajax said.
“That’s what worries me. Something isn’t right with all this.”
“Perhaps there’s another alternative,” Therapy said. “If the Imperial ship tracked Angel, it may have been in a nearby system and detected him passing through the jump network.”
“As crazy as it sounds, that makes the most sense. At least for now,” Dennis said.
“Therapy, are you sur
e they transmitted the correct codes?” Misty asked.
“I validated the codes five times before I notified you, and three times since. Other than the poor timing of the message, everything else followed the protocols to the letter.”
“We need to prepare. Ajax, Dennis, get your modules in order. Therapy, how soon can we expect our visitors to arrive?”
“Based on their current speed and trajectory, I’d say about four hours,” Therapy said. The room was silent. Four hours didn’t give the residents of Mechhaven enough time to prepare.
Misty looked around the room. Her gazed ended on Therapy. “Anything else we should expect?”
“Yes, all mechs must be present for inspection and arranged by their system of origin.”
Misty exhaled. If this day got any worse, she would scream. She composed herself and said, “Therapy, send word to the Village, the Foundry, and anyone else that isn’t close by. It might take longer than four hours to muster everyone, but we’ll do the best we can.”
“Very well, Misty. What about Angel?” Therapy asked.
“Leave Angel to me. Therapy, you’re dismissed. Ajax, Dennis, I need a word with you both.”
Therapy exited the room as he rushed off to complete his tasks.
“What didn’t you want Therapy to hear?” Dennis asked.
“I’m not convinced that he didn’t let it slip to the signatories about Angel.”
“Why would he do that?” Ajax asked. “He’s always been loyal, and if he said he didn’t transmit the data, then I believe him.”
“He’s always been loyal to Mechhaven. But Therapy is more loyal to the ideals of Pax Machina than to any of us. Maybe he just wanted to cover his ass.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” Dennis said. “Even if he was going to inform the signatories, he wouldn’t have hidden it from you. He would have said it outright. He definitely wouldn’t have sent anything to the Imperium.”
Misty shook her head. “I hope not. I truly do. A close examination of the data files will determine if he’s telling the truth. I’m sending a message to Sly.”
“Sly? You say you don’t trust Therapy, but you’re going to let that SDPR mech into our systems? You can’t trust her, Misty,” Dennis said.
“Other than Therapy, Sly is the only other mech who has the skills to delve deep enough into our systems to analyze the data and find any hidden code.”
“She’s spooky,” Ajax said.
“Yeah, she gives me the creeps,” Dennis added.
“If she’s as bad as you say—and I’m not disagreeing with you, then she already has her talons hooked deep into our systems and can tell us what we need to know faster than anyone else. Besides, we need her help to hide Angel.”
Misty tapped her fingers on the desk. A nervous habit, but it wasn’t the day to break it. An inspection team was on its way. One from the Imperium, no less. Of all the signatories to send an inspection team, it was the worst-case scenario. The Imperium was the last government to sign the Rybeth Accords. They’d requested the most changes and lobbied for the most stringent rules. Everything she’d heard about Imperials was that they were strict rule followers. She wasn’t looking forward to the next several hours. She still didn’t have a plan for Angel. Maybe Sly would have some ideas.
“Therapy, have you notified everyone?” Misty asked.
The mech looked up from his tasks. “Yes, Misty. My previous six answers weren’t sufficient?”
“Sorry. It’s just nerves, I guess. I think I’ll check on the Aquaponics Module, that may calm me down.”
Misty stood to leave when a quiet, silky voice emanated from the other side of the office. It said, “Leaving so soon? I just arrived.”
The jet-black mech, Sly, was standing inside her office. Neither she nor Therapy were aware of her entering. “Sly—”
Therapy’s guardian subroutines kicked in. He reacted quicker than Misty thought possible. First, he placed himself in front of Misty to shield her from attack. Then he grabbed a fist-sized metal bearing from the Foundry that she used as a paperweight and hurled it at the intruder.
Sly’s black skeletal arm flashed outward and snatched the flying object in her long, spindly fingers. She chuckled. “Oh Therapy, how I’ve missed you. It’s been too long.”
“Not long enough,” Therapy said.
Sly laughed again. “You amuse me. Every time we meet, you emit such vitriol. Did we ever meet during the war?”
“That’s doubtful. During the war, I wouldn’t have thrown a bearing and I wouldn’t have missed,” Therapy said as he continued blocking Misty from the intruding mech.
“Hmm, you may be correct. But during the war, I wouldn’t have revealed myself until you were dead or incapacitated,” Sly said.
Misty pushed past Therapy and stood between the two mechs. “Enough posturing, you two. You’re both bad ass mechs and you’re the best at what you do. Therapy, I invited Sly to examine our records to see if there was anything you missed.”
“Why would you invite her?” Therapy asked. The lights in his ocular sensors briefly changed from his normal green to orange. After a brief pause, he said, “Oh, I see. You don’t trust me.”
“Don’t get your emotional matrix all worked up,” Misty said. “Other than you, she’s the only other mech with advanced computer skills, and she’s sneaky enough to know more ways to hide data than both of us combined.”
“I see.” Therapy said. “I will excuse myself while she does her dirty work.”
“Therapy—” Misty said, but Therapy had already left the Command Center, so she didn’t bother finishing.
“Let him be,” Sly said. “He’ll get over it. Besides, you don’t trust him, at least not completely, otherwise you wouldn’t have called me. I can be quicker and more efficient without him hovering over me.”
“What do you know about our predicament?”
Sly folded her arms. “Start from the beginning and tell me everything.”
Misty briefed Sly on the specifics of their situation. As she suspected, whatever Sly’s sources, the SPDR mech was already aware of the main issues. Misty offered clarifying details when asked and gave additional insights when she felt it important. After that, she waited. If it were Therapy, she might—no, she would have pestered him to ease her boredom. With Sly, Misty wasn’t confident as to how far she could press her, so she kept quiet and watched.
She hated bringing Sly in to verify whether Therapy was telling the truth. She didn’t believe Therapy intended to betray or disobey her. Misty worried that he transmitted the data out of a noble obligation to uphold a higher trust, holding the Accords more sacred than her. He’d always been an idealist. She didn’t blame him for his convictions, but she had to find out whether he was trustworthy. Once she had, she’d apologize if warranted. But if what she feared was true, she’d have to deal with an altogether different situation.
Contrary to what the others thought, Misty didn’t trust Sly, either. She expected deception and was ready for it. Sly would act in whatever way best served her own interests. Even from their first meeting, Misty thought the two of them had established an understanding and hoped she hadn’t assumed too much. Therapy and Dennis didn’t trust Sly, but in their current situation, she had her uses.
Sly was a SPDR class mech. Designed by the Imperium, SPDR mechs specialized in infiltration, interrogation, and assassination. They stood a head taller than an average human, but their limbs were thinner and more skeletal. They used their long, pointed fingers to hack into computer systems and as weapons against soft-bodied creatures like humans.
The outer layer of a SPDR mech’s skin was an inky-black coating as dark as deep space. It rendered them invisible at night or in darkness. But it wasn’t only dark settings in which they could become practically invisible. Depending on the colors of their surroundings, they used their ability to adapt their colors like a chameleon, blending in with almost any environment, even in full light. It wasn’t true invisibility, bu
t it was an effective enough camouflage to make them difficult to see, unless that was what they wanted. To complete their camouflage, they came equipped with a retractable micro-filament cloak which bent light and hid their heat signature.
There were stories regarding the effectiveness of SPDR mechs and the horrors they perpetrated. If the design of the Archangels brought hope to those on the front lines, then the design of the SPDRs instilled fear in those far from the them, including civilians. If the stealthy assassins were invisible, then they could be anywhere, and no one was safe. The Imperium used that fear to their advantage in their psychological warfare campaign.
When Misty had arrived on Mechhaven three years earlier, there were no records of Sly in the network. The previous administrator hadn’t mentioned her during their transition meeting, as brief as it was. Yet, one day Misty received a message on her datapad with an entry regarding SPDR class mechs. After she’d read the entry, the page disappeared from the network without a trace. She checked the system logs for any records showing entries added or deleted, but found nothing.
A few days later, Sly approached her and introduced herself. Sly claimed she desired a reprieve from the war and being used by the Imperium. She was adamant there be no record kept of her in any electronic system. She believed the Imperium or even the other signatories wouldn’t let an asset like her go untapped. Sly promised that if Misty kept her secret, she wouldn’t cause any trouble, and that someday her skills would prove useful. From all appearances, that day was now upon them.
Sly kept to herself, revealing her presence to very few, and only when she desired something. At one point she made herself known to Dennis and Ajax. They never explained exactly how Sly had introduced herself, but it freaked both of them out. She interacted with other mechs when needed, but didn’t integrate into the social structure of the Villagers or the Legion. Therapy didn’t like or trust her, but Misty believed Sly was sincere in her offer and honored her wish to exclude her from the official records. The situation with this inspection team from the Imperium would prove her loyalty once and for all.
