Page 62 of Salvation for the Alien Mercenary
"I know, I'm being ridiculous." She crouched to Spot's level. "They can handle themselves. Probably haggling over prices."
Spot chirped again, nudging against her palm. The cool metal pressed against her skin, which was strangely comforting. She smiled despite herself.
"You always know how to make me feel better." She ran her fingers along the robot's smooth surface, then frowned. "I still don't know what you were before the scrapyard. I know you're a Drakeen core, but what does that actually mean?"
Spot danced in a small circle, chirping and waving his front arms.
"Yeah, that's helpful." She laughed. "Maybe we should research you while we wait. Give me something to focus on besides imagining those two in trouble."
She straightened and tapped her comm. "Jex? You busy right now?"
"Just finishing diagnostics on environmental systems." His voice came through clearly. "Need something?"
"Could you come down to engineering? I want to research something, and I could use your expertise."
"On my way."
She cleared space at her workstation, pushing components aside. Spot trotted around, chirping at equipment as if greeting old friends.
The door hissed open. Jex stepped in, helmet tilted toward her. "What are we researching?"
Mira froze, blinking. Someone had drawn a simple smiley face on Jex's blank faceplate… two dots for eyes and a crooked curve for a mouth. The childish doodle stood out against the featureless surface.
She cleared her throat. "Jex, have you done a full shutdown recently?"
"Yes." His head tilted in confusion. "I required one last night to debug interface issues. Why?"
"No reason," she said, struggling to keep her expression neutral. Covak had been suspiciously cheerful at breakfast. "Just curious."
Jex continued staring. "Is there something wrong?"
"No! Nothing!" She gestured to Spot. "I just want to know more about Drakeen cores. What they were for, what they could do. Everyone freaked when I brought Spot aboard, but I never understood why."
"Interesting project." Jex moved to the console, metal fingers flying over the interface. "The ship's database should have some information, but I might need to access restricted military archives."
"Can you do that?"
"Please." His voice carried a hint of mischief. "Who do you think you're talking to?"
She watched him work, impressed by how quickly he navigated security protocols. Spot climbed onto the counter, chirping curiously.
"Here we go." His fingers paused. "Drakeen Combat Units, Latharian Military Division. Full schematics and specifications." His helmet turned her way. "Ready to see what your friend was part of?"
She nodded. "Show me."
He tapped a command. A holographic display sprang to life in the center of the bay.
Her jaw dropped.
The hologram showed a massive battle unit, eight legs, and at least eight feet tall, bristling with weapons systems. Its sleek, armored body was designed for power and speed, with articulated limbs that could transform into combat configurations. At its center glowed a processing unit with the same optical sensors as Spot.
"Holy shit," she breathed, eyes wide. "That's what Spot was part of?"
"Not just part of," Jex corrected, enlarging a section. "The Drakeen core is the heart and brain. Everything else is hardware that the core controls."
She circled the hologram, taking in details. Weapon specifications scrolled alongside… plasma cannons, projectile launchers, sonic disruptors, and more she didn't recognize. Damn, Spot washardcore.
"These were walking arsenals," she murmured. "No wonder everyone freaked when I brought Spot aboard."
