Lunarly: A Fire Sale Classic

X15 - three

X15

"three"

       Objective: Distract enemy fire from the Galileo while it lands.

       Powered up signal array to create distraction. Copieed Galileo's signal and fuel trace. Emitting an identical signal.

       Accelerating gravitational pull. Four miles from the surface of the moon.

       Received communication from navy base, requesting flight path and landing information. Responded with "Coming in slow and direct. Make port at Hale in 20 minutes." Used Captain Plight's voice to sound authentic.

       Three miles. Descending on the three domed moon cities. Three domes, each of a different color, like three upside down bowls of soup, each containing a different kind. Error, imaginative thought in progress, shutting down process.

       Played 3,458,002 games of solitaire. Confirmed personal armament and status. Arm launchers equipped with dual pulse cannons, left leg launcher equipped with three flare arrays, and right leg with two radiation bombs. Everything in working order.

       Two miles. Received response from navy base, landing is cleared. Mission is a go. Sent update to Galileo. Entering maximum ground weapons range.

       One mile, passing through the Hale's dome field. A refreshing wave of electricity passed through X15. The Moon Bank rose up, almost to the top of the dome. The largest structure on the moon, a blue metal frame, though most of the building walls were glass. Reinforced, metal infused glass, developed by Carbine to the I. Like X15.

       Watched every film from 2134. A good year, though there were a lot of re-re-re-re-remakes.

       Polished exterior to a sparkly metallic shine.

       A ground to air missile launched from just outside the port. It locked on to X15. Three ships launched from Hale port on intercept course.

       Enabling all weapon systems. Three seconds until missile impact, five seconds until ships are in range. Sent report of situation to Galileo. Received. Cutting communications.

       Reading fuel trace of incoming ships. Three Backlash fighter ships. Searching for known weaknesses.

       Launched first flare array and enabled evasive maneuvers. Ships coming from the east, southeast and north. X15 darted southwest, leaving a radiation bomb.

       Explode. The radiation gave X15 a jolt, but didn't receive any significant damage. The ground missile was caught in the blast, and one of the ships X15 could see falling. Radiation effected scanners, status of the two remaining enemy ships unknown.

       Dropped second radiation bomb and descended another 1000 feet. Radiation bomb has no target, scanner interference only, making sure the enemy does not actually see X15 before Galileo was close enough to accomplish mission.

       Two more missiles launched from ground, without lock. They lost X15 amongst the radiation blasts. Fixing. Dropped 1000 more feet so missiles were in range and would lock onto X15 instead of locking onto Galileo.

       Scan hit. One of the two remaining backlash fighters had gotten behind X15 and was warming up weapon systems. X15 was in their scan range, they would know she was not Galileo. Enabled jammer.

       Alert: Full battery attack incoming.

       Thousands of bullets exploded against X15, knocking her off course. Ground missiles locked on to X15. Launched second flare array and flipped out of the backlash fighter's range.

       Checking systems. Jammer still operable, scanner intermittent power failures. Left pulse cannon inoperable. Right targeting incoming backlash fighter.

       Alert: Full battery attack incoming.

       Another barrage of explosive bullets crashed against X15, but held position. Backlash fighter almost in range of pulse cannon.

       Power failure, shutting down legs and enabling backup atom generator.

       Backlash in range, firing pulse. Backlash fighter dissolved.

       Scanner operable. One missile down, the other was locked onto X15. Third backlash fighter was in first radiation field. Power fluctuation from previous attack, scanner shorted. Repair estimate: thirty minutes.

       Dropping to 2000 feet. Ejecting damaged main power generator. Dropping another 500 feet and continuing southwest.

       Main power generator exploded. Radiation ignited, third backlash fighter presumed caught in explosion. Cannot be confirmed by sight. Status of third missile unknown.

       1000 feet to the surface. No enemies in sight. Port of Hale a mile northeast from X15's position.

       Evaluating situation:

       Without scanners and only one pulse cannon, no radiation bombs left and one flare array on a disabled leg, X15 would not be much more help as distraction. Without main power generator, X15 was close to destruction. And if Galileo was on time with the mission, it should already be at drop.

       Redirecting north to the rendezvous point, and dropping to 500 feet.

       Missile lock! Ground to air missile escaped the radiation explosion. Close; proximity sensor caught it. Coming from above X15 to the east. Change course to west and dropping down to 250 feet.

       Missile closing. Rebooting legs, failed. Only one chance.

       X15 flipped around and extended her right arm. Missile within 50 feet.

       Fired pulse cannon, missed. Missile at 30 feet.

       Fired and missed. Missile at 10.

       Fired and hit! X15 caught in the missile's explosion.

       . . .

       . . .

       Reboot.

       System failure, attempting minimal boot.

       . . .

       On. . . online. With interference. Checking systems.

       Backup Generator damaged, but operable, granted priority repair.

       Antigravity inoperable, repair estimate unknown.

       Right pulse cannon inoperable, repair estimate unknown.

       Scanner destroyed, unrepairable.

       AI chip inoperable, repair estimate unknown.

       Proximity sensor, online. Checking.

       Alert: Ground collision imminent. Bracing for impact.

       . . .

       . . .

       Reboot.

       System failure, attempting minimal boot.

       . . .

       Checking- checking? Check what? Ain't nothing but scrap metal, that's all the check will find.

       Due diligence, that's what's needed. Check to see what resources are available. To see what can be scrounged to continue the fight!

       I don't want to die!

       Now, now sweetheart, no one's about to die. Besides, can robots die?

       Chicken noodle soup.

       Power failure.