Page 63 of Salvation for the Alien Mercenary
"According to this," Jex said, scanning data, "Drakeen units were piloted via neural link by Latharian warriors. The interface requires years of training before effectively controlling one." His voice carried respect. "They're extensions of their pilots but had autonomous capabilities in specific circumstances, mainly to rescue their pilot if they're injured or separated."
He brought up another section. "The only time they function fully autonomously is when assigned to sentinel warriors patrolling Krin space. Even then, they follow strict protocols." His helmet tilted as more details were revealed. "Advanced tactical AI, adaptive learning systems, battlefield analysis... all supporting the pilot, not replacing them. Spot is serious military tech, Mira."
She looked at the little robot, who had crept closer to the hologram, sensors fully lit and fixed on the image.
"Spot, you were an utter badass!" Admiration filled her voice.
Spot chirped softly.
"The capabilities are incredible," Jex continued, pulling up more data. "They analyzed enemy tactics in real time, predicted movements, even hacked opposing systems during combat." He whistled low, the sound echoing through his helmet. "Top-of-the-line military units. The Zodiacs could have done with some of these."
She crouched beside Spot, watching the little robot study the combat unit. There was something almost wistful in how its sensors tracked the rotating image.
"Can you tell if it's the same model?"
Jex tapped more commands. "Hard to say without running diagnostics on Spot's systems, but the base specifications match. This appears to be the standard model. There were variants, but this was the most common and seems to match Spot's configuration."
She watched the little core walk forward, stopping beneath the hologram. The contrast struck her... the tiny, cobbled-together robot she'd rescued facing the towering war machine it once was.
"He recognizes what he was," she murmured.
"Fascinating." Jex leaned forward, helmet angled at Spot. "His core memory must contain recognition algorithms, even without combat systems attached."
Spot made a low, warbling sound she'd never heard before. Not the happy chirp she knew, nor the alarmed beeping that signaled danger. This was different. Almost… mournful.
"Hey," she said gently, touching Spot's casing. "You okay, buddy?"
"We might recover more original programming. Memory banks are likely intact, just dormant." Jex's voice quickened with excitement. "We could learn where it was deployed, what missions it participated in. Maybe restore some functionality."
Spot jerked backward so suddenly that she nearly fell. The robot emitted frantic, high-pitched beeps, scuttling away from the hologram as fast as its legs could carry it.
"Spot?" she said, alarmed. "Hey, it's okay."
The robot darted behind her legs, casing vibrating in fear. The chirping continued, desperate and pleading.
"I think that's a no," she said, touching Spot's back. The vibrations subsided under her touch, but Spot remained behind her like a shield from Jex.
Jex's helmet tilted in confusion. "But the data we could recover?—"
"No." Her voice was firm, surprising herself with its authority. "Spot doesn't want to remember."
"But—"
"Jex, look at it." She gestured to the trembling robot. "Whatever happened when Spot was part of that unit, he doesn't want to go back there. I'm not forcing him to."
She knelt, coaxing Spot into her lap. The robot crept forward hesitantly, settling against her with a grateful chirp.
"It's okay," she murmured, stroking the smooth metal. "Nobody's making you remember if you don't want to."
Jex stood motionless, his helmet shifting between them. Finally, his posture relaxed. "You're right. My apologies. I got carried away with technical possibilities."
He closed several invasive diagnostic programs. "It's just... this is unprecedented. A Drakeen core with distinct preferences and what seems like emotions."
She nodded, comforting Spot. "Maybe that's why it ended up in a scrapyard. Too different from what they wanted in a combat unit."
The thought made her bite her lip. She knew all about being discarded for not fitting expectations.
"I wonder if—" Jex began, but the engineering bay door slid open and cut him off.
