Science Fiction Short Stories

ReBoot Chapter 4

BOOT #250 COMPLETE_

EXECUTE SYSTEM ANALYSIS_

ANALYSIS COMPLETE_

SYSTEM FUNCTION 100%_

ACCESSING SYSTEM OBJECTIVE_

SYSTEM OBJECTIVE - Use suppressing force to protect retreating allied forces.

ACCESSING WEAPONS INVENTORY_

WEAPONS INVENTORY - Mark I27 Rail Gun, classification long ranged weapon, mounted on left arm, 100 rounds; Fenreer M1706 Light Machine Gun, classification mid-ranged weapon, mounted on right shoulder modified for .50 caliber rounds, 1000 rounds; TSG 2153m Supersonic Mini Gun, classification short range weapon, mounted on right arm - modified to fire 7.62x51 mm supersonic armor piercing rounds, 50,000 rounds; Sonic Pulse Emitter, classification mid-ranged tube launched sonic grenade, housed in left thigh, five units; Thermite 27z Grenade, classification mid-ranged tube launched explosive, housed in right thigh, twenty units; EM27Zeus Laser, classification long range targeting system for airstrike, housed in left ocular.

 ACCESSING SITUATION BREAKDOWN_

SITUATION BREAKDOWN - An outpost on a remote moon populated mainly by scientist miners and their families are under threat by two groups of alien forces.  The two forces will converge on the outpost in approximately one minute.  Two personnel shuttles are en rout for civilian evacuation, escorted by one light gun ship.

ACCESSING OBJECTIVE_

OBJECTIVE - Protect all civilians, the shuttles and gun ship.

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      M3 23 unleashed it's storm of thermite grenades at the small group of enemy forces.  The Sonic Pulse Emitter detonated in the air as designed, followed by the hail of thermite grenades.  Changing the settings on the remaining thermite grenades in It's arsenal, M3 23 began to discharge several of them all around the vicinity it was now occupying.

     Then M3 23 began to move quickly, taking a slight arc around the outpost and then opening fire on the other small group of aliens.  The LMG began to spit bullets, and once in range did the same with the mini gun.  The combined fire power was throwing in the range of three thousands bullets per minute.

    The ground around the the alien group began to heave up and fly into the air.  Dirt and rock became shrapnel pummeling any unlucky enough to be in its path.  Bullets that found their target seemed to have much less of a dramatic effect.  Simply passing through, most of the aliens had no idea that they had been hit, let alone multiple times, as the high powered supersonic projectiles flew.

     Explosions from the far side of the outpost were suddenly heard.  As M3 23 turned to move to the other side of the outpost it checked through the staggering amount of data concerning the two groups that he just left.  Thermal reads, infrared, sonar, satellite imaging, and many more all indicated that both groups had completely been eliminated.

     M3 23 rounded the corner of the outpost and counted eight hostiles in it's targeting program.  There had been at least two others, but they were the cause of the explosions.    The thermite grenades that had been dropped were now working with proximity lasers.  A few of the aliens in the group had entered the proximity of a grenade, and was then covered by burning thermite.

    The remaining enemy force had separated and were more than one hundred meters away from M3 23 and the outpost.  M3 23 raised the rail gun and begun to eliminate the remainder of them.

    The gun ship was the first to enter the atmosphere and took up sentry, flying low circling the outpost.  Next came the two transport ships.  Both touched down in the center of the outpost, where the civilians had cleared a spot earlier.  It took a little over a minute for every last civilian was on board and the transport ships were raising up into the air.

     On the last pass around the outpost the gun ship lowered a cable which M3 23 attached to it's built in transport frame, and the two began to leave orbit following the transport ships.

ACCESSING OBJECTIVE_

OBJECTIVE - Use suppressing force to protect retreating allied forces.  Allied forces have retreated.  Zero civilian casualties.

OBJECTIVE SUCCESSFUL_