Ice took a deep shuddering breath as he pressed a hand over the opening in his breastplate. They had made it to the fuel bunker finally. He wasn't sure if he could have done one more fight. "Raven, have Beta stand guard while Alpha fills the mobile fuel bunker." Ice collapsed onto the ground, his hand still pressed against the opening. It had been a large automaton, with an ax of all things, that had completely shrugged off all three of their remaining railguns fire like it was nothing. Ice cringed at the thought that if Alpha hadn't been hanging onto the things arm he would probably be dead.
Beta was missing part of his chest plate from where another automaton had managed to rip it off when they closed in for melee combat. Alpha was somehow unscathed. Ice looked at the gauge on the bunker after a few minutes of rest. It showed as full as Alpha carefully unhooked and moved over to Beta allowing Ice a few more moments of rest before they started back. Hopefully the enemies had remained thinned out and it would be an easier trip back.
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Sergeant Brigham clutched at the stub where his hand used to be swinging his makeshift club one handed at the short automaton, as the two remaining D.O.Gs harried it from the sides. The Captain had tied a belt off around his arm after the skinny automaton had chopped his hand off. But he was still bleeding. That was why he had offered to act as a decoy while the Captain tried to pry the door open. His command codes had failed demanding an Alpha level clearance. Whatever that meant.
He swung again before he turned to run back towards the cluster of crates where he had set his trap. The automaton falling further behind with each step. The D.O.Gs kept firing the guns on their backs but unlike the chain maws they weren't doing much besides throwing off sparks. Brigham jumped over the steel cable he had tied off a foot off the floor. He almost fell when his feet touched the ground suddenly light headed. But he turned and waited for the automaton to catch up hoping this one was as dumb as all the others.
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Captain Drake pried at the door with his makeshift shift pry bar for almost half an hour. The automatons sword finally snapped off with a shriek of tortured metal as he pressed all of his weight against it. Looking around he failed to spot another tool. He spun as he heard the clank of a bronze boot hitting the deck drawing his sword and swinging it at eye level. The short automaton punched him right in the chest as the sword swished over its head. Captain Drake felt his ribs crack from the blow and could taste blood in his mouth. Correcting his swing he sliced his sword deeply into the automaton's body, drawing it out effortlessly.
He looked between his sword and the automaton before he turned to the door with his last hope in the palm of his hand.
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Emperor was beginning to get angry. Why hadn't Ice burst into the corridors blustering about justice and villainy like all the other would be System User's in the last 1000 years. He stroked the head of his hammer as he watched the man fight the fodder in the landing bay for several hours. Switching occasionally to the two soldiers who somehow were still alive. The Captain had even managed to somehow cut through the door to the landing bay's main control room. Emperor watched as the Captain dragged the Sergeant through the door and dropped the unconscious human on the floor.
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If something didn't happen soon he would have to make something happen. "Francis make sure the combination soldiers are ready…."
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Ducky sent out another burst of command code to the battleship's rudimentary VI. It had never been meant to run without a crew so it had never needed something as advanced as Ducky. He watched the doors to the battleship's landing bay slowly inched open before stopping halfway as the opposing VI finally countered Duckys most recent override. Ducky quacked in agitation as he sent a counter order demanding the Battleships main drive be initiated even as he sent another small bit of command code at the program holding the doors closed. Finally the door was open enough for the Nano Forge to fly out when the time came. Ducky kept sending the battleship nonsense orders so it couldn't close the door.
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Ice and Alpha staggered onto the Ramp of the command ship. Ice bled from several cracks in his backplate where an automaton had ambushed them on their way back to the ship. Beta was still 50 meters away dragging itself towards them, the back two legs ripped off completely. Ice sat down for a moment and rested. When he opened his eyes Beta was at the bottom of the ramp and Alpha was gone deep inside the ship to refuel the Nano Forge. "Raven, how's Cat doing?" Ice asked about the last of his combat drones.
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The independent AI in designation Cat was not pleased with what mother had him doing. He felt he should be back guarding the master, not disabling the station's main weapons battery but mother had insisted. He pressed his plasma claws into the last circuit board before turning to leave. Only to find the door blocked by a small utility automaton.
With his optical camouflage system the automaton didn't even see him jump over its head. It was time for the second part of his orders. Retrieve the soldiers.
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Captain Drake swung at the Automaton trying to get through the doorway even as he kicked Sergeant Brigham trying to wake the man up and have him find the controls to the main landing bay doors.
Sergeant Brigham groaned as he slowly climbed to his feet. He was lightheaded, burned and missing a hand. Today was not a good day. He staggered to the console at the center of the room. If this place followed regulations then the landing bay doors would be an analog toggle somewhere easy to find and labeled. Checking the console carefully he quickly found the switch and flipping the plastic cover up he pressed it and waited a few seconds before smashing the console with a shard of the door the captain had cut apart.
The Captain staggered as one of the automatons was pushed from behind and Cat arrived. "Mother says it's time to go." Captain Drake stared at the Cat as it sank four plasma claws into the back of the automatons head, freezing it in place as it's cognition core was destroyed. "Now please."
Captain Drake nodded and grabbed the back of Sergeant Brighams armor where he was obsessively smashing the console to pieces. "Time to go Sergeant. Ice managed to get the fuel for his ship. Let's get out of here."