---

It was another day in the world of Bladine. Daily activities carried out as the city continually expanded to become bigger and accommodate more people for the reclamation of this planet.

But Bladine was not without problems, out in the planet's unclaimed wilderness were robots that chose the path of the criminal. These pirate robots may have their identities expunged from the main Data Centers and thus will die final deaths, but it appeared it was a price they gladly paid for fleeting glory and power. Some believe, however, that they have their own crude Data Centers from which they can store their identities.

These pirates represent a threat to those attempting to settle in the frontiers of Bladine as well as supply trains and caravans that move across the planet's cities. As such, much effort was being poured into dealing with these rogues once and for all.

You were summoned, by order from Leo himself, to a border station in the capital city of Sanginum. Upon getting there, you see a large column of vehicles that utilized anti-gravity technology to float just above the ground. A variety of human Knights filled the area, inspecting their weapons and loading equipment into their personnel carriers. You see the emblem in their armors, a black raven with a white star embedded in the middle of the bird.

You were approached by one of the Knights. His Cherubim armor was a shiny silver and his head covered by a helmet styled after the great helms of old. "Greetings, Miss Hyouka. I am Hospitaller Gordian of the Order Of The Astral Ravens. Sir Leo told us you would be coming. Let me explain the situation." He then faced the train of floating vehicles. "This caravan carries vital properties, supplies and equipment for a company in Guillian, the city to the north. We were hired by this company to protect this caravan as its contents are very attractive to pirates and raiders."

"However, we were contacted by Sir Leo to take a certain robot with us. Miss Camille, if you please?" A girl quietly approached upon the Hospitaller's request. She was a girl a bit smaller than you with fair skin, orange hair and green eyes. Her light armor was a light red like the coat and headwear she wore. Her weapon, though, was big. A heavily-customized minigun, slung over her back.

"Miss Hyouka, this is Miss Camille. Sir Leo told us that Miss Camille is... unused to humans. He said that this escort mission will help her get to know us, and you were summoned to help her out and to have another robot to talk with instead of being alone surrounded by humans." Gordian briefed you.

"Will you be alright with this task, Miss Hyouka?"



The planet of Dostrex was unstable. In fact, a volcano near a city erupted violently just yesterday. But the citizens of Dostrex were used to that and once the evacuation was lifted, it was back to normal.

However, the hostile environment of the world meant that not many venture out into the remote volcanic landscapes of Dostrex. It was a perfect refuge for those who do not wish to be seen. Those who hide from the eyes of the laws. Still, living outside of the main cities in Dostrex was difficult. The typical pirate do not have the resources to establish a base in such an unstable land. Thus, only the most capable of criminals dare operate in Dostrex.

You were summoned to a military base in Vulkan, the capital city of Dostrex. You were to join an assembled task force on a raid against a group of scientists who have gone rogue. They were conducting dangerous experiments using illegal methods. This all sounded just like your past, a mad scientist breaching the code of ethics to achieve something great. However, these scientists were apparently more concerned with Swarm aliens than robots.

In a hangar in the military base, you see a large assembly of combat robots. Some of them appeared human while others were most definitely robots. One thing in common though, they were well-armed and ready for a fight.

A figure approached you. She was a tall woman with blue-colored officer attire with a cool hat. Fair-skinned, she had long cerulean hair and fierce red eyes. Her blue armor was themed after sharks, fearsome in appearance with its sharp, glowing teeth. Her weapon was a strange, large sword but you realized it was no sword, it was a shark's jaw. At least, it was modeled after a shark's jaw. You see the gold-colored teeth in the middle of the weapon.

"You there. Vilkas, right?" She called you. "I'm sure you've already received the mission briefing. Do you have anymore questions or are you ready to go?"

This situation... Vilkas was one to keep things simple and logical, emotional behaviour was seen to her as often foreign, but, this once, she found herself gritting her teeth ever so slightly. It brought back bad memories, though even worse than those memories was the realization she only had learned they were bad not too long ago. One just doesn't know how dark things really are until they see a glimpse of light. In such a situation she was caught by surprise by the sudden approach of her superior, her tail tensing up.

"Ah! Ma'am! Yes, I am VILKAS." she said in a startled tone, a rare one for her, it took her a moment for her typical behaviour to return. "Not quite, it seems this mission won't deviate from my typical use in battles, outside of the change to the closed space the illegal laboratory will provide. Well... I do wonder a bit about the nature of these labs..." she vacillated for a moment. "No, I am sorry for my behaviour, it is not my place to wonder about non-vital aspects of the mission. I am ready for deployment."

Now that she was done talking, she really took a moment to observe her superior's outfit. Vilkas really didn't understand fashion, it seemed, and the people who cared about clothing really seemed to have such unusual choices. For the robot who walked with her frame exposed, fancy jackets and hats were really alien, shark themed or not.

Hyouka saluted upon meeting Hospitaller Gordian and listened to his instructions. Though she had wanted to work alongside the Knights, her intended foes were the alien swarm, rather than other robots. Still, orders were orders, and if piracy ravaged the planet, then they wouldn't be prepared if and when the Swarm returned. When Gordian finished up the briefing, Hyouka replied, "Absolutely, sir!" and turned her attention to the other robot. "Pleasure to meet you Camille."

Hyouka extended a machine-gauntleted hand to shake. "I can teach you all about humans," Hyouka boasted, considering herself uniquely suited to such a task thanks to her particular upbringing.

"Pleasure to meet you Camille. I can teach you all about humans."

Camille was rather taken aback by your display of confidence. However, she did take your hand to shake. "O-Okay." She shyly responded in a cute, little voice. You get a feeling that Camille was more than just unused to humans.

------

The caravan soon set off into the remote wilderness of Bladine. Among the planets of the Ark Sector, Bladine resembled Earth the most thanks to its smooth terraformation. The planet harbored a variety of temperatures, allowing all sorts of biomes to exist in the planet. From verdant forests to lush jungles, from wide deserts to arctic poles. All of this unclaimed land was once settled before, during the First Expansion, but then the Swarm arrived and the rest was history.

Despite your offer to teach Camille about humans, she was quiet during the trip and asked no questions. Some of the accompanying Knights attempted to start a conversation with her but all that was yielded was smalltalk that ended as soon as it began. Right now, Camille was above the personnel carrier that you, her and a few Knights rode on. The transport was a boxy vehicle that traveled in tank treads with a single Arachnid Turret above for defense.

Camille was currently above the carrier, watching the scenery of rolling grassy hills and the high mountain ranges in the horizon. You were told to check up on the shy robot and upon joining her, she was surprisingly the first to speak. It appeared she has finally mustered up the courage. "Miss Hyouka, right? You told me back in Sanginum that you can teach me about humans, right?"

"How did you come to know so much about humans? Did you grow up with them? Did you have human parents? Err, I mean raised by humans?"

---

"Ah! Ma'am! Yes, I am VILKAS. Not quite, it seems this mission won't deviate from my typical use in battles, outside of the change to the closed space the illegal laboratory will provide. Well... I do wonder a bit about the nature of these labs... No, I am sorry for my behaviour, it is not my place to wonder about non-vital aspects of the mission. I am ready for deployment."

The woman let out a small chuckle. "I was told that you could be a bit rigid but come on, relax! You're allowed to know these things." She patted you in the back. A pat that felt more like a hard slap. "Anyway, all we got from the reports are that these scientists have ran off with some samples from Swarm aliens. It appears they've been doing this for quite a while now since they have secured labs and all."

"But that's all about to change, isn't it Vilkas? Hahahaha!" Pointing her thumb at herself, she continued. "Also, you can call me Captain Cura. My full name's kind of weird. Pleasure meeting you!"

------

You and the strike force boarded some VTOL aircraft that took the force as close to the labs as possible. Seeing through the windows of the flying vehicle, you see the usual landscapes of Dostrex. Lifeless and scorched rocky terrain with the occasional river of lava from a leaking volcano or pit of molten rock.

Upon disembarking from the aircraft, the searing temperatures of the planet quickly hit you. Fortunately, you and the strike force were robots and your mechanical bodies were built to withstand such scorching heat. At least for a while, lingering in these temperatures would soon bring damage to the circuitry and the smaller parts within several hours. And that's assuming you do not stray too close to any sources of lava.

The strike force quickly found the labs, having made no effort to conceal themselves. The structures were mostly circular and white-colored, connected to each other through wide tunnels and tubes. The buildings were built on top of a narrow gorge with a river of lava a couple of kilometers below. The labs were well-lit with visible searchlights and camera monitors, powered by geothermal energy from the lava's heat.

"Mmm, we're not really equipped to sneak our way in. We'll have to force our way in but that'll alert the scientists and allow them to escape." Cura lit up when she came up with a plan. "Aha! We can have half the strike force come knocking on the front door and distract the entire lab, then have the other half strike where the scientists are. They can also come up from behind for a rear attack should the lab defenses prove too tough."

"So where will you be, Vilkas?" Captain Cura asked. "Gonna join me at the frontlines or directly for the scientists?"

"Rigid?" ironically, the comment would made Vilkas stiffer, as if her alloy had just lost all of its malleability, was she weird? Even a fellow robot was saying she needed to relax, and it wasn't only her as well. The change of topic did more to relax her than the call for her to ease up.

"Swarm aliens? What could one even do with those that hasn't been done already. I can see why they became a priority target in comparison to the average rogue scientist. And for sure! We won't allow it." she tried to have some enthusiasm, as she had seen other robots show, but Cura did drown her with her overbearing confidence.

"I...I-it's a pleasure to meet you too, Captain Cura...!" she would say in a shy manner.

-----

Dostrex was Dostrex, it never changed. few places were beautiful on this planet's surface, and even then, it was a type of beauty you had to learn to enjoy. On the other side it did provide absurd amounts of materials and geothermal power, one of the two factors that made it so friendly to long term illegal bases.

Vilkas would have been in the scouting group to search for the lab, but the operation barely lasted, the lab barely bothered to hide itself, Vilkas assumed it was because so few ships ever came to this accursed area.

"Captain, my calculations make me believe that I will be better suited to go directly for the scientist. My superior speed is suited for this type of mission and if I do not superheat my tail it is actually useful for the non-lethal take down of target. Furthermore, with this environment, I believe they will try to escape through tunnels or vehicles, even the most armoured of robots can't survive the heat for long, so I will make sure to inform you if I spot their escape method."

@PaulHaynek

Hyouka smiled to see Camille opening up. "Actually, my parents are robots; big, agricultural tractors. Their model number is actually my surname. But when robots were granted to same rights and privileges as humans, my parents believed that coexistence was something that needed to be nurtured; it wasn't something that was just going to happen overnight. So they built me to look as human as possible, and made sure that I grew up around humans. But for the most part, humans and robots are pretty similar. Sure, they're organic and need to eat and sleep and such, but they based our sentience on their own, so we have similar thought patterns...emotions."

Hyouka pondered on the possibility that robotic minds would deviate from human minds over time, especially if robots transcended biological issues such as mortality. Technically they already did with technologies like the memory banks, but even those had limits. Or the possibility of a single, networked collective consciousness, what to a biological would be the impossible to achieve telepathic hive-mind, but to a machine entirely possible. Hyouka hoped that all robots were wired to have as much a desire for individuality as humans that such a horror never came to pass.

"I am curious though, is your becoming accustomed to humans mission-critical? Are you...mission-critical?" Hyouka asked, somewhat teasingly, wondering if Camille held a greater importance to this mission than had been revealed. Perhaps this escort mission was not merely to escort supplies.

"I am curious though, is your becoming accustomed to humans mission-critical? Are you...mission-critical?"

"Huh, what?!" Camille was taken by surprise by your question. "N-No! I'm not mission critical! Nor is my mission about humans!" She sighed, calming down. "It's just that I--"

*WHIZZ*

The undeniable sound of a bullet was heard. The vehicle you and Camille were on suddenly accelerated until it was stopped by the much larger cargo transport in front of it. The inertia from it launched you and Camille from atop the transport and into the ground. More bullets whizzing was heard as the personnel carriers deployed the Knights. "They're killing the drivers! We're under attack!" You hear Hospitaller Gordian over the radio.

The road was surrounded by hills tall enough to conceal what was behind them. And apparently what was behind them were an entire raiding party of robot pirates riding their crudely-built war trucks, shooting their boorish-looking weapons and raining bullets upon the caravan. Some charged forth with rudimentary melee weapons: Large cleavers, buzz saws and modified clubs.

Despite being surprised, the Knights were quick to reorganize. Knights with auto rifles and plasma guns joined the Typhoon Knights who revved up their miniguns and began firing back at the pirates. Some Knights wielded shields and swords or axes, ready to greet the melee pirates in hand-to-hand combat.

Camille readied her minigun weapon while Hospitaller Gordian approached you. "Are you two al--" He was cut off when a harpoon bolt pierced through his torso, nailing him to the personnel carrier. Blood quickly flowed from his wound but he was still alive, albeit losing that status pretty quickly. Camille saw the entire scene play out and completely froze. Her eyes were wide with horror and confusion and shock as she silently watched Gordian bleed out.

---

"Captain, my calculations make me believe that I will be better suited to go directly for the scientist. My superior speed is suited for this type of mission and if I do not superheat my tail it is actually useful for the non-lethal take down of target. Furthermore, with this environment, I believe they will try to escape through tunnels or vehicles, even the most armoured of robots can't survive the heat for long, so I will make sure to inform you if I spot their escape method."

"Very well then. You will join a small detachment of our lightest robots and make your way to the inner structures." Cura pointed at the buildings located at the center of the complex. "Once we begin the attack, start moving and move as fast as you can. We can't give these rogues a single second."

"Alright, let's do this."

------

The main entrance to the illegal laboratories was a large structure with a couple of lookout towers and an enclosed hangar, most likely for the rogue scientists' vehicles and aircraft since how else would they be able to traverse the hostile planet.

*BOOM*

A loud explosion rang through the area. The hangar doors were blown open, the oxygen being visibly sucked out. The Dostrex robots, led by Captain Cura, charged forth. Typical of Dostrex robots, they were mostly large and heavily-armored. They wielded huge weapons like miniguns, autocannons and launchers. It was no surprise, robots of Dostrex emphasized strength and they liked to look the part, imposing their mighty presence upon their enemies.

Sounds of gunfire and battle filled the air. It was high time for you to move. You and your group infiltrated the facility by inserting yourselves on top of the enclosed structures and making your way to the inner structures, avoiding or destroying any cameras that stood in your way. Soon you reach the central buildings, the ones hanging over the gorge. Despite the distance, you could feel the melting heat from the lava river below.

"Vilkas-san." Your attention was called by a fellow light robot. She was tall but petite with bluish hair tied to a ponytail, wearing blue-gray light armor. In fact, her armor was so light she was showing off a bit of skin. Her weapons included a pair of curved blades, one longer than the other. On a closer look, her swords were actually a katana and a wakizashi. Besides the oriental blades, you spot a belt of shuriken around her waist. Was this robot some sort of ninja wannabe?

"There is very few of us but there is a lot of ground to cover. We have no choice but to split up." As she spoke, the other robots begun cutting open holes into the structures. "The other robots will try and locate the exits and block them. Meanwhile, you and I will be the ones to chase down the scientists and subdue them. I hope you're as fast as you look, Vilkas-san."

Once the holes were open, you dropped down into one of the complex's tunnels. The ninja robot followed in a moment and sealed the hole to prevent the oxygen from escaping and the heat from entering. Conveniently, that part of the tunnel had a couple of signs that pointed to two destinations: 'Command Center' and 'Holding Cells'. "Holding cells? For the Swarm aliens? Damn these scientists! Don't they know how dangerous they are?!"

"I guess we have to split up further, Vilkas-san. Taking control of the command center will let us control much of this facility and locate the scientists. Meanwhile, we also need to deal with the aliens in the holding cells." The ninja robot said. "So where will you be going?"

@PaulHaynek

After the initial shock of ambush, once the violence had commenced, it was like a switch had been turned on in Hyouka. Was it discipline, or merely a subroutine being mechanically rerouted? The friendly, cheery Hyouka took on a serious and stern demeanor. She was about to report that she and Camille were fine before her response was cut short by Gordian being impaled. Hyouka barely flinched, but turned on her comms and reported, "Medic! Hospitaller Gordian is down..." and gave their position relative to the caravan and their downed transport. As much as she wanted to help Gordian receive medical attention, she knew that if every soldier turned to help their downed brethren, there would be no one to fight off their attackers and prevent further harm. Hyouka had built herself to fight, and that was what she was going to do, and let those equipped to help perform the functions they were trusted with. But Hyouka had another matter to address. "Camille! Pull yourself together. Can you fight? If you can, fight! If you can't...get Gordian to the medics. But whatever you do, don't do nothing!" Hyouka regretted the fact that Camille had to be thrust into this situation, though the sight of her weapon indicated that she must have had some degree of training. Hyouka also felt the irony that she had just said how humans and robots weren't that much different, when one of their biggest differences, their mortality, was staring Camille in the face at this very moment.

It was also unfortunate that Camille had just said that she was not mission critical, because it meant that Hyouka had to de-prioritize Camille's safety for the collective safety of the caravan, and could not waste any more time babying Camille. Leaving Camille to her own devices, Hyouka activated her defense field, climbed on top of the flipped transport, and attached her main cannon to the generator in her chest. As the weapon warmed up, the cannons on her shoulders swiveled about, firing searing magenta beams at the enemy's backline in an effort to disrupt whatever support they provided, while thinning out reinforcements to the front. When her heavy particle beam bazooka had fully warmed up, she would fire it at anything that looked like a command center or command group. If none could be found, she would draw a swath of devastation along the enemy's rear lines.

Vilkas watched as the main attack started, led by the more typical robots of the region, the ones with heavy armour and weaponry, so different from her light build. But that was in part what made her a valued asset in such missions. As they entered the structure she kept an eye out for any camera, her tail quickly reacting to slice apart the devices as Vilkas ran into the building.

A fellow light robot would call for her attention, she was similar to something she had seen in a few shows her comrades forced her to watch to ease up, a Ninja, if she remembered correctly. Though why would she fashion herself after an ancient group of people from earth she did not know. "You are correct, we should not meet heavily armed resistance nevertheless, so splitting up wouldn't lead to a risk." she smiled. "And I am quite fast, perhaps so fast you might have trouble seeing it." she said, attempting a jest, to 'ease' up as her commanders had requested, only issue was that she forgot that she needed to smile to sell her part.

"Holding cells, as I expected, they had to be doing something really nefarious to justify hiding like this." the robot sighed. "I will be going towards the holding if you don't mind, I feel I am better suited to deal with whatever is there considering my equipment. Please take care on your way to the command center." she said, bowing gently to her comrade, though on one side this was a decision out of a careful analysis of the situation it also had a clear hint of curiosity on her side.

"Camille! Pull yourself together. Can you fight? If you can, fight! If you can't...get Gordian to the medics. But whatever you do, don't do nothing!"

Your beam cannons laid waste to the raiders, giving much needed breathing room for the outnumbered Knights. You even took out a few of their war trucks, destroying what passengers they had. You were racking up the body count in this battle but these were robots, their deaths right now may only be temporary. Meanwhile, shots thrown your way were deflected by your forcefield and it was still holding up for now.

Initiates had come to assist the severely wounded Gordian but you see several pirates break through the Knights' line and went directly at the vulnerable Hospitaller. To fire your cannons this close to friendlies would be dangerous but fortunately, Camille had stepped up and mowed down the incoming pirates with her minigun weapon. She moved to join the Knights in returning fire at the raiders.

The battle raged, both sides incurring casualties, but you and the Knights were slowly but surely beating the pirates. Until a small green robot with a red cape emerged into the air and landed in the Knights' formation. With just a single blade, he slashed and cut and stabbed through the humans. He was taking down an alarming amount of Knights, none of whom could land a solid hit on him. He was just that good of a fighter, a champion among the pirates.

Spotting you, the green pirate leaped to slash at you but he was knocked away by Camille's minigun. The green pirate quickly recovered and closed the distance. Camille realized she was not getting the opportunity to fire and wielded her weapon in melee. The two robots clashed but it was clear who had the upper hand. Camille was receiving wounds, the cuts and slashes exposing her alloy and circuitry.

The Knights were busy dealing with the pirates, leaving you to find a way to help Camille.

---

"Holding cells, as I expected, they had to be doing something really nefarious to justify hiding like this. I will be going towards the holding if you don't mind, I feel I am better suited to deal with whatever is there considering my equipment. Please take care on your way to the command center."

"Very well, Vilkas-san. Good hunting."

------

You make your way to the holding cells of this illegal facility. A big automatic door parted to let you in the area, and you were greeted with a surprise. The area was huge and divided into two: The ground floor and the catwalk modules above. The cells themselves were average-sized rooms with reinforced glass but one block of the place was a row of large tubes that probably housed a specimen. A circular room was located at the upper end of the area filled with computers, likely the control room.

But the surprise was, there was nothing in any of the cells nor in the tubes, save for scratch marks and a bit of blood. The cells' glass covers were open and the tubes shattered. The emptiness was eerie and you feel that something had gone horribly wrong. As you explored, you soon find a closed cell in the catwalks above. Inside was a person with spiky brown hair and fair skin with a pair of glasses to hide his eyes. He wore a simple lab coat and he was in the corner cowering.

"What have we done? What have we done? What have we done? What have we done? What have we done?" The scientist repeated like a mantra.

---

You were in Dostrex, hanging around in one of its military bases checking out all sorts of equipment and hardware when a distress signal was received. It was apparently from an escape pod that was stranded in the middle of nowhere, and 'nowhere' in Dostrex meant volcanic wasteland. However, there was no ship orbiting Dostrex that was in danger. So where did the escape pod come from? It was an ominous signal that still needed to be answered.

A small party of three robots was assembled that included you. One of the other two robots was another Support robot with white dress-like armor and headwear with two 'ears' that look like that of a rabbit's. She was human in shape but her skin was too white to pass as one. Her name was Dia and she came packing with medical supplies for humans just in case there were any in that escape pod.

The other robot was a combat one for protection, but she did not look the part. She looked like an innocent humanoid robot that had large twintail 'hair'. Her entire body was white in paint and her face was completely robotic but still appeared cute. Her name was Dross but she did not have any weapons though. At least, she did not seem to have any weapons. Perhaps they were hidden really, really well.

Dia piloted the small VTOL aircraft and the party went off, entering the desolate landscapes of Dostrex. There was nothing of note on the way, just the usual rocks, lava and volcanoes. Sometimes there was a river of magma or a pit of bubbling molten rock but other than that, there was nothing else in this planet. At least, that was how it should be. You knew that criminals sometimes make hideouts in this planet.

The aircraft soon arrived at the escape pod's coordinates. Except that it was not an escape pod, it was a white, enclosed buggy vehicle with wheels built to traverse Dostrex's rocky terrain. It was fortunate that the vehicle was stranded in a stable area of ground so there was no rush to rescue those inside. The VTOL was also allowed to touchdown which Dia did, a few meters from the vehicle.

"I'm staying here just in case we need to take off quickly." Dia said. "If there are humans inside, tell me if they're injured and if they don't have protection against the heat, I've prepared a couple of thermal suits here. Just come get them if they need it." The Support robot briefed you and Dross.

You and Dross deployed and the scorching temperatures of the planet quickly hit you. Being a robot, your mechanical body can withstand the heat. At least for a while, staying in these temperatures would soon fry your circuitry and other smaller parts in hours. Fortunately, the area was stable so the heat was not that bad. Relatively, it was still pretty bad.

"I'm seeing several figures inside the buggy. Heat signatures too so they're human." Dross told you as the two of you made your way to the stranded vehicle. "They look cramped in there though." The combat robot reached the vehicle and began knocking. "Hey, we're here. Come to rescue you. You folks in there have any suits for the heat?" There was no response, oddly. Not verbally, nor in the comms. "Hmm, weird. Anyway, we're gonna have to assume the worst that they don't have protection against the heat. Do you wanna head back and get them or should I?"

You get a feeling this decision was going to be important.

W-Salz

Visalz flipped the blast screens on her armor up. It wasn't a permanent solution, but it at least deflected some of the blustering waves of heat from her face. She could handle it for quite a bit, especially since she was used to Dostrex's "unique" climate, but whoever was inside probably couldn't. She always felt a little nervous looking directly after humans, since they needed be handled much differently than most of the other hardware she worked on. But she always stuck to what she was taught and it usually worked out. Perhaps the nervousness could also be attributed to the situation itself being a little off, but Visalz brushed away the thought.

"If they're not responding, they're definitely in trouble! I'll get the suits, you keep an eye on them." Visalz turned and made her way back to the craft. "Dia! The ones inside aren't saying anything. We're probably going to need the suits just in case."

@PaulHaynek

Seeing Camille join the fray made Hyouka feel that her little pep-talk earlier was redundant, and perhaps a little unnecessarily judgmental. The hope of pushing back the pirates momentarily appeared before being obscured by the appearance of the green pirate ace. Too focused on fulfilling her tactical objective, Hyouka had been unable to defend herself when the green robot lunged at her, only for Hyouka to be saved by Camille's support fire. But now Camille had engaged the ace in melee, and there was no one available to support her against the superior onslaught. Hyouka couldn't fire at such close proximity, not onl ybecause the enemy machine moved to quickly for Hyouka to get a bead on them, but too many of her allies would be caught in the collateral of her blasts. There was only one, stupidly desperate thing Hyouka could think to do. From her position on top of the toppled truck, Hyouka sidled towards the edge and lifted her heavy cannon over her head. She watched and waited for the fight between Camille to approach beneath the shadow of the truck and for a moment when Camille would make a good strike, or at least one good enough to distract her opponent. When such an opportunity presented itself, or whenever Hyouka felt Camille's situation became too desperate to wait any longer, Hyouka would leap from the truck, swinging her tw-handed cannon down like a bludgeon backed up by the full, falling weight of her ensemble, hoping to either deal a disabling blow, or create an opening for Camille to finish the fight. It was stupid, it was reckless, and it was a gross misuse of her weapon.

@PaulHaynek

Entering the area, Vilkas was fully alert, her 'antenna' up, her tail waving about silently, as if ready to strike at any minute. All that sneakiness would go away once she entered, traded for shock.

The pieces of the situation at hand were concerning when scattered, but as they started to fall together, a sense of fear and revulsion started to take her over. She took a deep breath and would eventually manage to find a living soul into that blood-stained desolate room.

"What have we done? What have we done? What have we done? What have we done? What have we done?" The scientist repeated like a mantra.

She gasped at that, there was no denying the situation any more. "What have you... done?" she said in her typical shy tone, but then her eyes flared and she gritted her teeth. "Bastard." she seized the scientist by the collar of his jacket. "You better start speaking now while you have the chance."

But she would not wait for cooperation, she needed to warn everyone, this was her role as a scout, she was not here to play detective. Her team was isolated and vulnerable, she needed to meet up with them as soon as possible, so she started to leave, making way for the command centre where the ninja robot had went. She tried to reach for communication while moving as quickly as she could with the scientist in hand "Captain Cura? Can you listen? We have a situation! I found holding cells for Swarm aliens, the issue is, they were empty, I fear a breakout is taking place at this very moment. I found one live scientist and I am trying to get more information from him, but the situation in the room... it was..."

An opportunity presented itself! Camille managed to get a good hit in with a swing of her minigun. The pirate champion blocked but it was a weak guard. He was stunned for a moment and you did your move, leaping up to crush him with your massive beam cannon.

The champion recovered enough to narrowly evade your bold attack but Camille used the distraction for one mighty, unavoidable swing of her minigun. But the pirate made no attempt to evade, instead he slashed at Camille's weapon and sliced it into two. Her minigun had been used to block the champion's attacks enough to wear off its integrity until it was no longer able to withstand another. Camille lost her balance and crashed into the ground.

With no one else opposing him, the pirate ace turned to finish you off with one clean swing of his blade. Your weapon was too heavy to fight him in melee combat so you were good as dead. Except that the blade's swing was blocked by another, a sword that glowed with power and belonged to Hospitaller Gordian. You saw his wound just had a couple of bandages on it and he was still back in action, protecting you with his own sword.

The champion hopped back to increase distance and he and the Hospitaller appeared to go for a showdown. But then the former leapt away, one huge jump away from you and Gordian. The Knights had repelled the attackers, the surviving raiders running for the hills and abandoning their wounded fellows to be finished off. The pirate ace probably knew that, realizing he would be surrounded soon and opting to retreat alongside his fellow raiders. The battle was won.

"Miss Hyouka, are you alright?" Gordian asked, clutching his wound in lingering pain and making it weird he was the one asking that question.

You saw Camille gather her broken minigun. She stared at her sliced weapon with a sad sigh.

---

"You better start speaking now while you have the chance."

The scientist behind the reinforced glass looked up. "Who...?" He quickly pressed up to the glass in a frenzied panic. "Whatever you do! Don't break the glass! This is the only place that's safe! They can't break through the glass!" He yelled at you. "I've jammed this cell's controls so they can't open it through the control room. So please, don't break the glass!"

He turned away from you and began pacing around the cell. "We fused... we fused Swarm specimens and humans together. Hybrids. We would use the Swarm against itself." He muttered to himself but still within earshot. "But... we didn't know. We couldn't have known. That they would establish contact with... with... whatever's controlling The Swarm. What have we done? What have we done? What have we done?"

"Captain Cura? Can you listen? We have a situation! I found holding cells for Swarm aliens, the issue is, they were empty, I fear a breakout is taking place at this very moment. I found one live scientist and I am trying to get more information from him, but the situation in the room... it was..."

"What?! Damn it." Cura took a moment to organize her thoughts and form a plan. "Okay, here's what we'll do. We've taken out the lab's defenses so I'll be doing a sweep through this facility to find and destroy all signs of Swarm presence. Meanwhile, you take that scientist and go to the main entrance. You know, that hangar part of the lab we blew open. I'm calling for extraction to take you and the scientist to the base. We need him safe and sound as soon as poss--" The comms was suddenly cut off.

"Vilkas-san!" The ninja robot opened. "I'm at the command center and I'm seeing cameras showing Captain Cura and her forces being attacked by alien creatures. They're Swarm most likely. I'm... they're everywhere. They've killed all the scientists and they're all heading to the hangar." Jin regained her composure with a declaration. "I'm going to help Captain Cura. Jin out."

"The specimens are probably trying to take the vehicles in the hangar to escape." The scientist said, having heard the conversation. "The escape vehicles are probably already taken by them. That's why the rest are going for the hangar." He chuckled and sobbed at the same time. "Smart buggers, aren't they? They waited for the entire lab to focus all its defenses on repelling you guys before breaking out. We never saw it coming."

Captain Cura ordered you to secure the scientist and your tail could easily break open the reinforced glass. However, if you bring him then you will probably be slowed and therefore, miss all the action that was happening. On the other hand, the scientist said the aliens could not break the glass so you could leave him to fetch later. But the scientist also admired the aliens' enhanced intelligence, can they really not break the glass?

---

"If they're not responding, they're definitely in trouble! I'll get the suits, you keep an eye on them. Dia! The ones inside aren't saying anything. We're probably going to need the suits just in case."

"Copy that. I'll get the suits ready." Dia responded over the comms.

You were right at the VTOL when Dross spoke over the radio. "Ah! They're opening their vehicle!" You turn around and indeed, the buggy was opening up but what happened next, neither of you could have seen coming. From the vehicle emerged not humans, but strange humanoid creatures with four arms that ended in sharp claws. Standing in two feet, they hissed and snarled and showed off their razor teeth. Their skin was... It was not skin, it was their exoskeleton. White in color and appeared quite hard. Their general appearance was eerily similar to...

"SWARM ALIENS!" Dia yelled over the comms. "Get back in the ship now!"

But Dross was next to the buggy and you saw an alien take advantage of the surprise when it managed to hack off one of Dross' arms with just one swing of its claws. The combat robot did not wince and retaliated, a blade of pure plasma emerged from the palm of her remaining hand and struck down the alien with a diagonal slash. Two more aliens faced her down and it was doubtful that she was going to survive this engagement. She was a robot though, she can take the loss.

"Go! Leave me!" Dross did her best in fighting two of the aliens with just one arm. A claw managed to rend her torso, exposing inner machinery and circuitry, but she held up. "Don't let them get the craft!"

You see two more aliens emerge from the buggy, making a beeline towards you and the VTOL. They were quick with their feet but you also saw them jittering. As if they were continuously being stung by pain. "Visalz! Get in!"

@PaulHaynek

"I'm alright," Hyouka replied, grateful for Gordian's concern regardless, "But we really need to get you back to a medic." Hyouka realized that she had left Gordian to be taken care of by someone else during the fighting. Part of her felt guilty, considering how he had reciprocated by saving her life, but part of her knew the realities of combat. His grit also reminded Hyouka what was amazing about humans, while a robot could measure 'damage' and mathematically determine when it was too disabled to continue fighting, humans, despite the uncertainties of their own bodies, could often push through damage and pain and perform extraordinary feats. She let him lean on her if he needed, hoping to provide him with the camaraderie and care that she hadn't offered previously.

Looking over to Camille, Hyouka apologized, "Hey, sorry for being harsh earlier. You did great. Let me get Gordian to the medbay, and we can visit the engineers together and get your weapon repaired."

Visalz winced as she saw the swarm aliens tear into her teammate. She had considered the situation somewhat atypical, but even she hadn't considered the possibility of Swarm aliens hiding within the craft. While she wanted at least in part to help out Dross, she knew that even if her chassis were destroyed she'd be okay in the end. That didn't make it any less horrifying to see such a sleek machine be harmed in such a way. But ultimately, it was more important that the craft did not fall into enemy hands.

Visalz scrambled onto the ship and turned, drawing her magnum pistol. "I'm on! Let's go!" She quickly fired several shots at the aliens. "How did they even GET here?!" She was hoping that even if the slugs did not pierce their exoskeletons, it would at least put them off balance enough to buy time. In theory, of course.

@PaulHaynek

"Wait, Jin..." she wanted to ask a few more things but the communication channel were a mess as chaos became king around the compound. She glared at the scientist, a cold stare showing great annoyance. "Smart..."

She took a moment to ponder over this situation. It irked her in a wrong way. A group was attacking Cura but another seemed keen on escaping with their lives as soon as they could. Why? To regroup? With who? The swarm? Would they be accepted? After all, they presented abnormal behaviour and intelligence, Human intelligence, and if that much changed...

Her heat started to heat up, glowing as she prepared herself. "You have been far more trouble than your abhorrent life is worth, cooperate as much as you can while you still can." she said, her tail penetrating the glass and starting to circle around creating an opening.

"How smart are these things? Can they communicate? How do you neutralize them without killing them?" At least a few could be interesting to save, she thought, or it would be cruel to let such broken being live, time was short and she did not have the time to reason properly. "To where do you think they want to escape to?" she wrapped her tail around the scientist once she had her opening and pulled him out.

"I'm alright but we really need to get you back to a medic."

"Miss Hyouka, I AM the medic. Hahaha!" Gordian laughed. "I'm a Hospitaller, remember?" He laughed some more.

"Hey, sorry for being harsh earlier. You did great. Let me get Gordian to the medbay, and we can visit the engineers together and get your weapon repaired."

"Thanks." That was Camille's sole reply. "And it's okay, it was the heat of battle. Things get a little stressful. "

------

The caravan gathered their bearings. The damaged vehicles were repaired, wounds were patched up and the casualties being organized for transport. Gordian was already busy reporting the situation to the authorities as well as drafting letters for the families of the fallen while the rest of the Knights repaired and prepared the vehicles. Some of them, however, took the time to grieve the dead Knights who were laid down in the grass fields and covered with a clean white sheet.

The Knights killed in the battle was not numerous but it was still beyond a dozen. You recall that almost half of them were slain by that small green robot ace. Camille joined the Knights mourning the dead but she did not cry, instead she stood there looking baffled and confused. When you approached, Camille noticed but did not turn. Her gaze still fixated upon the dead Knights.

"Why?" The robot asked quietly. "Why do they do this? We're here, aren't we? We can die as much as we need. But not them, they can only die once. So why are they still here? Protecting us, no less?"

---

"You have been far more trouble than your abhorrent life is worth, cooperate as much as you can while you still can."

When your tail pierced the glass, the scientist freaked out. "What the hell are you doing?! Didn't I tell you not to break the glass?! Stop this right now! It's the only thing keeping me safe!"

"How smart are these things? Can they communicate? How do you neutralize them without killing them?"

"Wait, you want to keep one?" The scientist was baffled at your intentions. "Weren't you listening?! We couldn't keep them in! We thought we could but we were wrong. What makes you think you can?! They have the intelligence of humans and the precise coordination of the Swarm. No cage will keep them!"

[quote=Vilkas][color=8dc73f]"To where do you think they want to escape to?"[/quote]

"I don't know! Somewhere other than here, I'm sure. If I had to guess, I'd say they'll be trying to rendezvous with any Swarm presence." The scientist replied. "Wait, what are you--"

The scientist could do nothing when you wrapped your tail around him and dragged him out of his cell. He screamed and struggled but his flesh was no match against your steel. With the scientist in tow, you made your way to the facility's hangar. All the while being careful with your escort, slowing your progress a bit.

As you traveled through the tunnels and got closer to your objective, you detect movement. Right at the end of the tunnel that split off to left and right, you saw them. Humanoid creatures with four arms that ended in sharp claws. Their exoskeleton was white in color and appeared quite hard. They were not any Swarm alien you have ever seen or learned but you were sure these were Swarm.

You soon realize these were the human-Swarm hybrids the rogue laboratory was breeding. You could definitely see the human influence in their appearance but that was the extent of their humanity. There were three of them and they all say you and your escort, wasting no time to get close to tear you apart.

"Oh, we are so dead..." The scientist muttered.

---

""How did they even GET here?!""

Your question went unanswered as Dia focused in taking the VTOL to the air and escape the incoming aliens. The Swarm aliens evade your shots but one of them still gets hit, a large wound opening up in his chest. But it was not deterred that much, more was needed to take it down.

The craft made it into the air but two of the aliens still managed to get on it, clinging on the hull. "Damn it, we have to shake them off!" Dia made the attempts but the Swarm creatures were fast, immediately crawling onto the windshield. With their sharp claws and immense strength, they punched through the glass and made Dia cover herself.

One of them had entered the cockpit and slashed at the retreating Dia, taking off the Support robot's right arm. But Dia was not helpless, her remaining arm grabbed a steel bar within the craft and broke it off. Dia used the makeshift stake to stab the alien in the neck, red blood spilled but the alien was not dead and struggled hard against Dia.

The other Swarm creature had now also entered the craft, ready to join the fight. "Visalz! Help!" Dia yelled at you.

@PaulHaynek

Hyouka smiled, glad that Gordian was well enough to have a sense of humor. "Well, you better not be the only Hospitaller in the caravan or we're screwed," she said, hoping to add some mirth to the otherwise depressing situation. Had he patched himself up through the pain and in the heat of battle just to come to their rescue? True heroism was in pushing past one's fears and limits. Still, she made sure to hand him off to some other Hospitaller just to make sure he didn't have any lingering injuries.

As the caravan got back on its feet, Hyouka spent some time solemnly mourning the dead. As she approached, Camille asked a question that Hyouka took some time to ponder. "Well, there are two sides to it. The first being that, tactically, they didn't have a choice. In a single skirmish, your death or mine is equivalent to one of their deaths: it's one less soldier on the field. Sure, we can come back, but even if you had an identical backup body with all your gear already set-up, you'd still have to travel from your data center. By the time we got back here, the battle would be over, and the casualties might be higher since we weren't there to participate in combat. As robots, our combat capabilities are higher on average, so keeping us alive and in battle ironically keeps more humans alive. The option of having only robots engage in combat can only be considered if robot soldiers far outnumbered human soldiers, but that might mean a decrease in robot combat efficacy since it would likely rely on mass-production." Just because robots were technically immortal didn't mean that the limitations of time and distance didn't apply. "The other thing is that this is what they know. Death is inevitable so they have to seriously weigh what they consider to be a life worth living. For many of them, living and dying for a greater purpose allows them to not have regrets. Perhaps I can introduce you to human literature. Since they evolved sentience, they have told tales of heroism. In a way, to have people tell stories of your bravery for generations to come was, to them, a form of immortality, perhaps the only form of immortality they can attain. You can think of it like vicarious memory preservation." Hyouka realized it might be a lot for Camille to take in, so she stopped to let the other robot ruminate.

W-Salz

'This isn't good. We need to make sure these things don't make it out of here.' W-Salz thought as she quickly reloaded her pistol. 'As they taught me, stop at all costs.' She briefly was reminded of her "raising" as a fledgling AI, and one of her first lessons: While still an inconvenience, she could come back - any humans killed would not.

Visalz quickly reloaded her pistol, but at the same time she primed her explosives. If she couldn't get control of the situation, it was better to take the entire craft out than give the aliens a chance to leave. "We take this one out, and move to the new one, all right?" Visalz started firing on the alien wounded by Dia, hoping to incapacitate it and concert their efforts on the second one. If the gunfire wasn't enough, Visalz planned on physically intervening by jamming the makeshift spear that Dia used further into the attacking alien's neck.