ONE WEEK LATER

Bryd has just been awarded the highest honor any Bot could receive, but he's not happy about it. In fact, he's just the opposite. Yes, he ended the war. Yes, he brought peace back to Ironia. And yes, he can now be an Explorer again. But in order for all this, he had to kill his own father, one of the Bolbot leaders.

"If bringing peace to my world meant that I had to kill another bot, my father, what makes the Promos different than the Bols" Bryd wondered in his head, but tried to understand in his soul.

Later, Bryd left the ceremony only to be greeted by his mother, but it wasn't much of a greeting as she slapped him in the face. "How could you kill your own father! He was doing the right thing! How could you do that!" she was demanding an answer from her son, but he had none to give her.

"I don't know. It's not something I wanted to do, but it needed to be done. For peace, for Ironia."

His mother just stared into his eyes with a look of rage. "How can you even say that knowing what you've done."

"Because I know what father had done. He was responsible for the death of thousands of other Bots, including his own daughter, your daughter, my sister. That's exactly how I know that what I did was right." Bryd said, lying not only to his mother, but to himself. He felt terrible, there was nothing more he could do but pretend it didn't happen. He needed to get away from his mother, from Ironia. He needed to be his own Bot again, and being an Explorer would do just that…

Bryd's mother looked at him with, not rage, this time, but horror in her eyes. She knew he was right, even if neither of them wanted to admit it. She knew he was right, but he didn't even believe it himself.

"Your father was a good man…" she began before Bryd could interrupt, this time believing his words for the first time.

"He was a murderer!"

Bryd took off, flying into the sky and landing at the Explorers Union building. He needed a direction, an assignment, somewhere he could go to get away from her.

After a short while of waiting, Bryd get into the Director of Exploration's office.

"Huhes! Come in my bot! Come sit."

"Thank you Director."

"What can I do for you son?"

"Well sir, with the War ended, the Promos back on top, and Ironia finally at peace, there's no more need for me to be in the Militia any longer. I've already resigned and I need something to do. I was going to be an Explorer before I got involved in the War, sir, and I want to be one again. I just need a direction to start flying, sir."

"Well that is quite the proposal Huhes… I don't see a problem with a Bot, who just won a War mind you, to want some time off and alone to think…" The Director activated a Holomap of the galaxy and pointed to a small planet that he said the natives called "Earth".

"This is where you can go Huhes. I need you to see if there's any intelligent life on that planet. I need it scouted and reported back to me."

"Why such detail on Earth, sir? Isn't it a primitive planet?"

"You see Bryd, can I call you Bryd? Ironia is starting to get to big for all of the Bots here, and since we live such long lives and more and more Bots are being made… We're looking to expand."

"I see. And what about the beings that live there now?"

"Not sure. That's above my pay-grade. So, what do you say, in or out?"

Bryd took a long pause. "Is it right for us to invade someone else's planet, take their land, their food, their people and just because we 'don't have enough room'?" "Maybe I can warn them. Tell them what's coming, show them how to defend themselves. But do I really want to see more Bots die? I could prepare the people for the invasion, set them aside in their own habitat…"

"Bryd? Are you in or out?" the Director repeated impatiently.

"In."

The next day, Bryd was gearing up for space travel. All his weapons were unlocked again, the first time since the Civil War, he was in shape, and his jets were working perfectly. He was ready.

"I'm going to have to warn these people that I find about the planned invasion… Or should I just report that the planet isn't suitable for Bot life… Yeah, that's what I'll do."

Before Bryd could talk off he read a familiar voice say, "Bryd, wait!"

It was his mom. For the first time in a few cycles, his mom talked to him again.

"Bryd, I just want you to know, that I'm proud of you. I know you didn't enjoy what you had to do, and that makes you better than some of the other Bots in the world, but most of all, I now realize how misguided your father really was. I'm sorry Bryd."

Bryd looked at his crying mother with a lone tear going down his face. "Mom, I love you, and thank you."

Bryd and his mom hugged and Bryd took off, making a new story for himself.

ONE MONTH LATER

Bryd is approaching the planet Earth and sees a storm forming.

"Here we go"

THE STORY BEINGS IN THE BRAD BIRD FILM "THE IRON GIANT".