Save the Bot

- Well, we fly anyway, unless we land somewhere, then we just walk around and beat things. Sometimes we set something on fire, sometimes we beat someone up, but usually we don't bring death and destruction, unless we do, but that rarely happens because Bina gets angry, and she gets angry a lot, especially when she talks to Itel because they argue all the time, usually when Bina wants us not to do something and Itel wants us to do something and it's the same thing or vice versa and sometimes Eti also annoys Bina when she is too much Eti but Eti sometimes annoys Itel and they argue even though Itel likes Eti a lot but probably not like Eti likes Itel, and Alatar argue with Eti and tease each other, but usually only by talking, because if they needeled each other they will be bleed, and they know when stop, otherwise Alatar will breathe fire, and the Eti will shoot unless he strikes. And I like chocolate, see?

Wrongdak smiling slowly shook his head.

- I don't understand you at all, but its fine. I don't understand half of what my friend is saying to. But I like listening to her. Not many are patient enough to let her say everything she has to say, and only my older brother seems to really understand what she is saying. - Wrongdak said with a friendly smile.

- That's… good. - Lilka said with satisfaction in her voice. Itel sighed heavily. She wasn't sure if Lilce really cared if anyone was listening to her. She had the impression that her friend simply did not like the silence that now prevailed. They were on the outskirts of Saltmarsh, if that godsforsaken hole could be compared to a city. There were only a few houses surrounded by low walls and parking lots, mostly empty, and warehouses. Many buildings looked unfinished, as if the builders lacked motivation. Saltmarsh was considered an abandoned planet where mostly the desperate lived.

"What can they know about abandonment. They have the whole globe to themselves. We Kesler orphans have nothing, not even ashes." She clenched her fists. She summoned and recalled the blade, trying to calm down.

- Is Itel going to fight someone? - asked the strange alien they had freed.

- No, she does that when she's pissed off or thinking hard about something. - Lilka replied, tilting her head.

- And now? - Wrongdak stared at the Elf's back.

- Well, I'm not sure ... - the redhead folded her hands and cried out - Itel, are you pissed or are you thinking hard?!

The Solarian looked up and turned to the others.

- I'm trying to think hard about something but you won't let me so I'm pissed, happy!? -she screamed.

- Don't worry, sometimes she just has to argue with someone and Bina is not around. - said Alatar in a bored voice staring at his datapad. She hoped he was studying a map of the city or looking for objects to hack, not playing silly games. She turned back in the direction they were going and asked on the comm

- Eti, do you see anything?

- I have pretty good eyesight. Although, considering I hadn't eaten anything this morning, and I haven't had a piece of meat in my mouth for TWO weeks, I should be going blind by now. - the scout complained

Itel took a deep breath.

- You know what I'm asking!

- No I do not know. You could learn to express yourself with precision instead of expecting me to develop telepathy. I know I'm absolutely perfect, awesome and unique, but I haven't developed any psionic talents yet. - Her friend's voice was as calm as ever.

- I'm asking if you haven't seen any dangers! the solarian said, clearly emphasizing each word.

- If you are asking about that, no i hanen't see nany dangers. Though some birds bother me. - said their scout.

- Leave the birds alone! - she snapped at her friend.

- As long as they leave me alone,- Eti replied with a threat in her voice.

Itel screamed and turned off her communicator.

- Let's go! - she ordered without turning around

- I'm beginning to understand what you were telling me. - Wrongdak said after a moment's thought.

Lilka nodded at him.

Itel was annoyed. For many reasons. She didn't like this planet. She hoped to find some useful information about their destination here. After all, this place was on the edge of the most mysterious corner of the known universe. There should be some clues here. They found… She turned and looked at their new companion. …Him. The Wrongdak belonged to species she had never heard of, but there were plenty of creatures in the galaxy she had never heard of. Only she had serious doubts that he could be one of those legendary White Demons. She looked over her shoulder at him. He was tall and white, the latter was obvious. He had light pink eyes with no pupils or irises, large bat ears, and no nose. His hair was braided in dreadlocks, dyed in various bright colors. He was wearing an oversized multi-colored shirt, one of those Skittermanderers would invent for the Vesks, one that no self-respecting citizen of Veskarium would ever wear. If you deduct the skittermander embellishments, he could hardly pass for one of the White Demons ... But his character was completely didn't fit. He was friendly, curious about the world and probably if it wasn't for the problem with Emily, he would be quite cheerful. Exactly, Emily…. They were supposed to look for her in the junkyard… That meant that Wrongdak's friend was most likely dead. It is why someone was sent to the junkyard. Now she's probably lying in some crushed wreckage, crushed, unrecognizable. She didn't know how their new companion would behave when he saw what fate befell his friend. Of course, she will have to tell him the tragic news, because who else? Lilka and Alatar can't put such things into words, they'll probably cry themselves. And Eti could have put it into words all too well. She could talk about gruesome things and the time of normal conversation without batting an eyelid. It's easy to imagine how Wrongdak would feel if she described to him in detail the appearance of Emily's mangled corpse ... But Eti could be insensitive, mean and lacking in empathy. And also, "Is Emily pretty?", she asked so openly and without hesitation! „Well, it sure not anymore" she thought wryly.

The junkyard was located on the very outskirts of the city. Beyond that was the only fusion power plant that provided power for the city and probably half the planet. The junkyard was actually sort of a multiple-recycling facility here. In a place like this, everyhing that could be repaired, even if it would later dangle on duct tape, was reused. The great square was surrounded by a high wall with barbed wire placed on it. The gates were remotely slided open. To the left of them, there was a camera in front of which anyone who wanted to enter had to stand. Itel stood some distance away and ordered the others to do the same.

- Eti, there are any security? - she asked her friend.

- Maybe. - their scout replied coldly. "Oh, now she's offended"

- Eti, why don't we put it off until later? We don't have time for your sulks! - she said slowly, trying not to explode with rage.

- Sulks?! My sulks?! I'm sorry, but who hung up on me and didn't talk to me for a whole quarter of an hour, and a few hours earlier you blamed me for not talking. So tell me my dear how it is. I'm only supposed to talk when you like it, right? - the shooter asked over the communicator with barely a hint of annoyance.

- Then don't jump out with your hunting paranoia, because you know how you sound ... Like a cat! - Itel screamed. This time it was Eti who turned off the communicator. She turned to see Alatar, Lika and Wrongdak kneeling in a circle on the mismatched and cracked concrete slabs that made up the roadway.

- It's going to take a while for them to argue. - We're sorry you have to watch this. he said, embarrassed.

- Is not so bad. My friends had a argue once, and one of them basically blew up the planet, but they made up and they're friends. - Wrongdak said with a reassuring smile. Alatar and Lilka stared at him for a long moment.

- I don't want to meet your friends. - Dragonkin said carefully. Lilka nodded vigorously.

- And for me, blowing up a planet is an extremely funny punchline. - said Eti from the roof of the building, probably some abandoned warehouse, where suspicious individuals were probably hiding at night. The scout began to waked down parade style the vertical wall and approached them. She stood in front of Itel and saluted derisively.

- Senior scout Eterna reports to Captain Itel that the order has been carried out, - she said in the tone of a soldier addressing a commander. Itel clenched her teeth in fury.

- Are you kidding me! - The green-haired elf screamed.

Eti tilted her head to the side, resting it on her shoulder.

- Sure. If you can't act like an adult. - Eti said, but before the Solarian could answer, the scout continued. - There are four guard bots in the junkyard that appear to be made by the owner. It is Shiren technician, quite competent looking. He employs two Damai, I think sisters, quite pretty, but also dangerous looking. I cut the wire in one place, but Alatar will have to hack into their system.

Itel didn't even comment on the bit about the pretty sisters, she just turned to Alatar.

-Can you do it?

The silver dragonkin nodded.

- It shouldn't be difficult. I just need to get closer. - he murmured uncertainly.

- You will fly, just like me- and Lilka will climb the rope. she said, and Alatar sighed.

- A little exercise won't hurt you, drako. - Eti said, the technomancer gave her an offended look

- I'll go on the rope too. Emily is my friend, I have to help her. – Wrongdak said with emotion. - My brother and my friends entrusted me with the task of looking after her. We went to the stars to prove that He lied, that He was not the ruler of the known universe. He... Horde Prime was a liar! But… I failed my friends! I failed Emily... I have to save her. She's my friend too... We were together on Vesk III and had many wonderful adventures there. I wouldn't forgive myself if something happened to her. I will go and help you. - He had a tight mouth.

Itel winced and groaned. „If he goes with them, he will surely see her friend's corpse... He won't survive this encounter."

- You know... It's going to be a serious fight against a real opponent, you understand? - And maybe something will happen to you... - She tried to explain it calmly and slowly, just like Bina did when she was explaining to Lilka that she couldn't fight with a land shark in the arena.

- I can handle it. I'm a born soldier, although I don't like to fight… But for Emily, I will not hesitate to face ten Skitterwanders – he said with great confidence.

"Yes, of course," she sighed, seeing that it was a hopeless case. - All right, let's go! she called and summoned the moonblade, then pointed towards the junkyard.

Eti turned to their new companion.

- Just one question, is Emily a lady?

- Of course! She is a very great lady! - Wrongdak exclaimed excitedly, and Eti scolded with a soft "perfect"

- I've always wanted to save a damsel in distress. - Eti said with almost palpable joy in her voice.

One more word, Itel thought, and with murder in her eyes, she moved forward.

Eti stalked in the shadows and was almost content with her life. The whole day had been great. First, she had obtained the crucial and necessary information, and then she had been instrumental in saving Wormdak. She was practically the pillar of their little scuadh. And most importantly, she's going to rescue a beautiful and noble lady... She'll be a true hero... Not what she told her to be... She took a deep breath and leaned against the wall. "Calm down, you're close to creating a storm, and storm days haven't been good. Especially so soon after rainy days…". She raised her google and pressed her fingers to her eyes. She felt the hardness of the surprisingly warm metal and the smoothness of a leather glove. She pressed so hard that the protective sponge crumpled and she felt an unpleasant pressure on the tips of her fingers where claws had once been. "I shouldn't mean to Itel. She's my friend and all. That's right, buddy." She took the braid in her archaeotechnical hand and wrapped it around it. She'd have to apologize to her somehow, but she wasn't good at talking about feelings… How could she talk about them if she didn't even fully understand them. She wanted to go to the ship and pet Toshi, but she had to help her friends, didn't she? Taking a deep breath, she climbed onto the water tank, picked it up, and held the telescope to her eye. She had a view of most of the junkyard area.

- How are you getting in?- she asked her friends.

- Alatar is breaking security right now. - Itel told her. Eti looked around and saw a dragonkin balancing on the wall. She nodded and looked around for the guards. She saw three of them. Two patrolled the area along the walls. They were relatively small and somewhat coarse. It had four spindly legs and a cylindrical head with two electric cannons. The third was standing by the workshop. The body was square, slightly blocky. It had two broad legs and on the sides it had two guns firing pellets. She decided to take care of the big one first, because the small ones have a limited range, and if necessary, she'll take them out in one shot anyway. This one will be a more difficult target and prefers to focus on it. Especially since he was guarding the owner of the entire property, a tall Shiren in a helmet with holes for antennas. He carried a heavy metal cane and wore decent work clothes. Beside him stood Damai with a shotgun and dressed in similar work clothes. They were both studying some strange spherical bot trapped on the repair ramp. It had one purple eye and three legs. It was painted in bright colors, somewhat Skittermander style. Eti thought for a moment and then turned to Itel via communicator.

-Ask Wormdak if Emily has three legs.

- What?- Itel asked, clearly disbelieving her.

- Just ask him. - Eti said impatiently. It was a simple and obvious question!

- Yep, she has three legs,- Itel said in surprise.

- Then tell Wormdak she's safe and sound.- Eti replied.

- A robot, not a robot, counts as a lady.

Wrongdak felt relief spread throughout his body. He didn't feel that way even after death of Him. Then his heart was flooded with sadness mixed with fear, although it was only a shadow of what his brothers experienced. He was just calm now. He knew somehow they would manage to save his friend. His new friends looked brave and resourceful, if a little scary.

- Give me any weapons, I'll be really useful to you.- he asked the elf. She looked at him skeptically.

- But it will be very dangerous, you may get hurt.- Itel spoke slowly, as if she was addressing a child or someone who did not understand what she was saying. He was used to the fact that most beings outside the empire did not see him for who he was - an artificially created soldier whose meaning of existence was to fight and die for Him... He came into this world trained better than Vesk warriors. However, he had no idea about many even the most basic things, and for this reason many thought him dumb.

- I'll be fine, trust me. - he said with a friendly smile, but then Itel bristled. She narrowed her eyes and nodded sharply.

- You won't get any weapons, over my dead body! - And she turned her back on him. It wasn't a problem. He could also fight hand to hand and was really good at it.

Itel lurked behind a pile of scrap metal, signaled them to stay in wait. He felt someone tugging at his sleeve. He turned to see Lilka, who signaled him to be quiet by putting her finger to her lips and making a loud "Szzzz", then pointed to a gas tube sticking out of a pile of scrap metal. He understood what she meant.

- Trust is not Itel's strong point - said Lilka in a whisper as he reached for the iron. He grabbed the tube and pulled hard. As soon as he pulled it out, the whole pile of scrap metal tumbled onto the cobblestones. Itel shot him an angry look and went to fight.

In Eti's opinion, the idea of collapsing a pile of scrap metal was as effective as it was uncomfortably loud, at least for her sensitive hearing. Without waiting for the thud to stop, she found the boxy robot and aimed hers rifle at it. As she fired, a ball of incandescent plasma hit the target. The hit damaged the weapon, rendering it unusable. She fired twice in a flash, aiming at the legs of the machine. Then she intended to find and destroy the two smaller robots, but with her keen hearing she heard someone trying to climb onto the reservoir. "Ah, second sister, I almost forgot." She saw that the second Damai had just climbed up. She put her arm above the ladder and shot at Eti, who, however, deftly dodged and jumped towards her, then jumped down grabbing the junkyard worker's sleeve and dragging her down. The scout landed on her knees bent, and her opponent hit the hard cobblestones with a groan. But then she felt movement behind her. She dodged to the side and saw the last robot, the one she had completely forgotten about. He had legs with inverted knees like those of a dinosaur and a long jaw capable of crushing bones. A homemade version of the popular pest control robot. She hit him twice with the butt like a mace, but only pushed him away. So she shifted the rifle to her left hand and clenched her metal fist. She took a wide swing and hit the machine with all her strength, releasing all the power contained in her hand. The metal flashed blindingly, and the ancient symbols became visible to all for a moment. Energy flowed through the metal body, tearing it into tiny pieces. She walked away from the wreckage of the machine and walked over to Damai and put her boot on her back, then hit her head with her now half-inert arm. Her opponent lost consciousness and Etti slowly made her way to the square in front of the workshop. Her companions were safe and sound, except for Lilka, whose hair was sticking out in all directions. Itel was already taking a deep breath to yell at her, but when she saw her hand hanging limply by her side, she softened. That explained a lot. Wormdak stood over the remains of one of the bots, holding a gas-tube in his hand, and pointed at Emily. He looked quite menacing now. Alatar simply walked over to the repair ramp mechanism and freed the robot. Emily immediately ran to Wormdak and he hugged her. They stayed like that for a while. Eti looked at the wreckage. She managed to disable the robot, Damaj was cowering with a wound in her side, and Shiren was holding his maimed hand.

- It's my droid, what right do you have to steal from me! Shiren exclaimed indignantly.

- Technically, while Emily is not a beautiful and curvaceous lady, she is a fully self-aware entity and as such cannot be traded. What you were doing falls under the slave trade, which is punishable on the pact worlds from twenty years in prison to life sentence in a penal colony. - Alatar said. The junkyard owner clicked a few times in annoyance, but said nothing more.

- Well, we did quite well. And you fight really well Wrongdak, where did you learn that? - Itel asked with appreciation in her voice. Wrongdak stood up and smiled brightly.

- I did not study anywhere ... I was created to do this. I'm a clone. - he said, as if confessing some shameful secret. Itel nodded, but Eti walked over to Emily. The bot chattered at the sight of her as she knelt before him. The ranger saw that there were claw marks on the front of the body. With a bad feeling, she placed her left hand against them. They fit the heck out of it.

- No. She was never there. She is a lie. a fraud.- She stood up abruptly, pushing Emily away from her.

- Did something happen?- Wordak asked anxiously.

- I don't like your bot. But you won't understand it. You're just a clone, a poor and pathetic imitation of the original that will never be anything real. - she said, aware that she had probably hurt him. She pulled up her hood and walked forward.