Post by Hiem-L on Sept 17, 2016 17:50:05 GMT
Do Arcosoids Dream of Digital Emperors?
“Hiem-L-01, are you ready?” asked the projected voice of one of the scientists responsible for the project. The man himself, born of one of many races subservient to the Arcosian Empire, sat in a comfortable chair within the laboratory’s observation bay. Beside him stood and sat other scientists, all carefully watching the various screens and monitoring equipment that tracked their subject’s various mechanisms – diagnostic feedback, energy consumption, reflex times and various other minor but vital bits of data. Some of the team were nervous, but the doctor in charge was very much blasé about the whole thing.“Yes, I am,” replied the Android:
“All systems are operational and pending testing.”
“Excellent!” The first of his kind heard the scientist say. Hiem-L-01 – the Empire’s very first fully artificial representation of the Arcosian race – stood in an open battlefield simulator of sorts. The chamber itself consisted of numerous tiles, spanning dozens of yards in all directions, painted a glassy white with some marked tiles for orientation purposes. Indeed, the artificial alien’s own colour scheme both blended and contrasted with the shades of his immediate environment; smooth ivory, glazed chrome, dark gunmetal and electric blue.
“We’ll get straight to it, shall we?” the observer stated; “Your initial stress test proved a lot about your capabilities – I must say it’s impressive to think that we can create something with as much potential as you. I’m sure the Emperor himself will look forward to meeting you in person! But for now, we have other tests for you to complete.”
“Affirmative,” Hiem-L nodded.
“Here is a representation of our very own Emperor, his lordship Abzerute.” A button was pressed, causing numerous tiles within the facility to shift. In the very centre of the chamber, floor segments parted to make way for an elaborately designed mannequin of typically Arcosian proportion. Though to the eye it was obviously nothing more than a replica model fitted with various sensory equipment, it certainly did possess many of the core features of their kind. The robot’s sensors analysed the shape, taking the announcement to heart and recording it all for reference.
“For all intents and purposes, Hiem-L-01, this is the Emperor whom you have been charged to protect. Understood?” He nodded. “Your objective is to defend this ‘Abzerute’ from any and all forms of assault upon his person – various drones will appear within the chamber and attempt to interfere with ‘His Lordship’ and his projected route of business. It is your job to prevent this from happening, as per your protocols.”“Then I shall do so.”“You had better,” Doc replied:
“Begin the countdown!”
“3”“2”“1”“Begin!”
The synthetic soldier watched calmly as the entire environment began to shift and shape itself into something new. Various mechanisms whirred and rumbled as pillars of sturdy alloy rose from the floor, dropped from the ceiling and erupted from the walls, locking together to form a partial labyrinth. The Imperial idol stood still and strong in the midst of it all, waiting for the world around it to finish changing before beginning to float along invisible tracks. Like the obedient machine he was, the prototype walked along with his charge.
“Scanning…,” 01’s unusual façade slowly followed the sharp contours of his immediate environ. Hidden behind the blackened glass a myriad of scanners and sensors worked away to keep up the live feed. Potential hiding places were highlighted by crisp outlines, the path ahead was marked by sophisticated measuring systems, and every passing fraction of a second was accounted for without fail. One mistake – one lost bit of data – could mean the difference between life and death.“No abnormalities detected,” he confirmed:
“No need to break procession.”
The False Emperor remained silent, moving steadily forward. Hiem-L remained close, a yard or so clear of his liege. As imperative as it was to protect the head of the Arcosian Empire, interfering with the man’s day-to-day activities was an awkward violation of protocol. Though for the sake of his duty, the Android saw it as a technicality, it was one that he could not afford to overlook unless the threats were really that grave. Though there was certainty amongst the empire that Abzerute (and indeed any future leader after him) could defend himself when needed, the whole ideal of the project was that he should not need to. Competent soldiers and guardsmen were valued, and this one was meant to be of utmost efficiency.“Movement detected – a potential threat has been registered.”
Off to the side, scrutinising scanners picked upon the shifting of shadows behind an artificial wall. Without hesitation, but also without rashness, the ‘Arcosoid’ accelerated his pace. In a matter of seconds, he had gained enough distance to put himself between the mobile model and the break in the wall through which an attack could be launched. The meat shield mentality was strong – taking the proverbial bullet was far better than letting it slip past.
The unidentified drone was the first to take action, breaking from cover and preparing to fire at the mock Imperial. Acting swiftly, Hiem-L repositioned himself, presenting the autonomous assailant with a challenge that it would have no time to overcome. Raising one hand – an extremity sheathed in white plastic and blackened grips – he braced himself and took aim. A surge of blue crackled about his fingertips before being discharged into the clean air of his surroundings, propelled towards his designated target and painting the immediate vicinity with quivering light.
Truflunum… The target, a vaguely humanoid representation of a robot, shuddered and stilled as the warbling wave of energy passed over it. A few sparks of electricity crackled about it, causing its limbs to twitch uncertainly before it collapsed to the ground with a metallic and weighty clatter.
“Interesting,” the head scientist muttered; “01 used a pulse of energy to neutralise the threat, while also placing himself directly within the firing line to prevent enemy fire. It seems he’s following all of his standard protocols, but is using that artificial intelligence of his to make adjustments as necessary.”“He could’ve just shot it down.”“But he didn’t, and that’s the key.”
The doc chuckled:
“He’s arresting rather than killing.”
“The first target has been immobilised – you may proceed undeterred, my Lord,” ‘01’ announced to the imperial icon as it advanced further along its path. Apparently, Not-Abzerute was no longer deemed a mere decoy model; the Arcosian Android saw it more beneficial to treat it as if it were the real deal, much as his overseers had requested. Unfortunately, the line between real and imaginary was already starting to blur quite heavily in his synthetic systems, leading him into a strange spiral of belief. As far as he and his myriad of algorithms were concerned, the effigy was the real deal, despite the somewhat obvious disparity between looking fake and looking real.
No further threats detected in the immediate area. I will continue to track for enemy movement… Hiem-L continued to keep pace with the effigy, pausing at the first corner after performing yet another quick scan before allowing his charge to move past and march ahead once more. The terrain of the second quarter of the maze was not at all dissimilar from the first, albeit introducing a layout with more than just walls and doorways. This time, the arena had replicated something along the lines of an atrium or ship’s bridge in terms of layout, forming a level above the one upon which the Android walked. Such a platform was an apt hiding place for an enemy, but there was no immediate way to access it without leaving the emperor vulnerable.“I’d like to know what he’s thinking,” said the overseer:
“Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait and see…”
Potential threats could be hiding above and to the left. Cover is also present on the right – I cannot protect His Lordship from an assault from both directions simultaneously… Calculating each and every chance, the Arcosoid remained vigilant. There was a stark difference between potential threats and their actual manifestations, but he had been faced with a rather difficult decision to make. Distancing himself either to the left or the right of his charge provided an unnecessary window of opportunity to his ‘enemies’, one which he was unwilling to open without sufficient reason, but standing still meant he could not close the second window.
The model continued on its predestined path, oblivious to the dangers that surrounded it, as the prototype protector scoured the area for even the slightest sign. Any confirmation of an enemy’s presence, even the most subtle of details, would be extremely beneficial to the cause. Unfortunately, no matter how his sensors looked at it, the world around him remained still. All he could do was wait patiently, the blind spots identified, and be prepared for the worst case scenario. This was not a stress test, but there was no denying that it was inducing some vestigial sense of anxiety.“That’s unusual…”“What is it?”
“Sir, 01’s overclocking his scanning systems,” another scientist answered. “He’s never done this – even under all of his stress tests he usually conserves as much of her energy as possible.”“Hmm? Now, that is odd…”
The alien engineer scratched his beak-like jaw.
“It’s not worth worrying about – but it is intriguing.”
Something was definitely hiding nearby. Though he could not see it nor sense it with any form of system incorporated into his design, Hiem-L was overtaken by a sense of certainty, plain and simple. Though his systematic readings might have given it away to the people of the observation deck, the robot’s physical demeanour was nothing short of cool and collected. As ready as he was to act, there was no benefit in adding to his physical strain without necessity. His glass façade – illuminated by a series of lights that gave him some phantasmal projection of facial features – looked completely at ease.
By this point, the replica regent was now moving beneath the platform above, lending it shelter of an albeit temporary kind from at least one enemy vantage point. Now was the time to act! Distancing himself from ‘Abzerute’ with broad strides, the defending droid moved to investigate the second identified area of cover – a low wall with some breaks in it.
“No enemies detected, then that has to mean…” Pivoting about, Hiem-L-01 raced back towards his designated charge, cutting across the effigy’s path and placing himself in the line of fire as a burst of energy – mechanically generated Ki – was fired down from above. The training arena lit up, dyed with a vivid radiance for the briefest of moments as the energy subsided.“Hindrun deployed successfully,” announced the Android:
“The attack has been neutralised, Sir.”
As the light and dust cleared, the scientists above watched carefully as their creation’s silhouette emerged unscathed – so too was that which it had been charged to defend. A crackling energy dissipated as rapidly as it had been discharged, fading from the bodyguard’s synthetic physique as subtle sparks of energy churned out from his internal mechanisms. An engine capable of replicating and generating Ki had made manifest a barrier; a skin of electrical brilliance that had encompassed the artificial Arcosian’s body and served to defend it and the idol behind it from the blast.
“Proceeding to disable the enemy!” continued 01, now having successfully pinpointed the location of the enemy drone. Having shrugged off the assault with relative ease, he was quick to approach his target – a turret of sorts which had stationed itself on the far end of the upper platform, formerly hidden from view. Now, however, it was entirely exposed, provided he could reach it in time. O, how much of a benefit the power of flight would have been, but such technology had not yet been installed and activated. Instead, he had to make do with basic movements; fluid steps and broadened strides which allowed him to cover a surprising distance in just a couple of seconds.
Rubbery grips upon his artificial extremities provided the grip the Arcosoid needed to scale the wall and latch onto the edge of the raised platform, hauling his weight with graceful ease and surprising acrobatics until he was face to face with the mounted cannon. The ‘enemy’ had little time to react, barely managing to get off a second shot – the likes of which narrowly skimmed Hiem-L-01’s shoulder covering – before being knocked to the ground. A weakened discharge of synthetic life force was enough to incapacitate the sniper unit, leaving it to fight another day while nullifying its level of threat for the time being.
“Again, he’s not using lethal force,” the team leader confirmed; “It’s strange given that he’s fully authorised to use everything in his arsenal to defend the ‘Emperor’. But instead he’s merely immobilising them using minimal output. Hmph! I suppose I shouldn’t complain if he’s keeping them intact – those things aren’t as cheap as they used to be! ‘Outdated technology’ my left glubark!”“I’m not sure you have a glubark, doctor…?”“Shut up! I’m a doctor of computer science, not a biologist!”
Ignorant of the bickering between the scientists above, the Arcosoid made sure that his quarry was completely disabled before marching at the double back to his charge. Off the raised bridge he jumped, landing cleanly upon the tiled floor below with a thud before approaching ‘His Lordship’s’ flank. So far, the obstacles had been easily overcome – assailants hiding within vantage points and waiting for the opportune moment to strike provided him with a little too much time to comprehend the situation. These were not challenges, but simple tests, and he had thusly managed to conserve a lot of energy.
If this is all Emperor Abzerute has to deal with, then I am more than suited to the task of defending him while he goes about dealing with more important business, the prototype considered. Unfortunately, his artificial intellect had not yet been given the chance to ponder just how grave some threats to the empire could be – simple assassins were nothing more than easily dispatched vermin in the grand scheme of things. Bigger threats lurked on the galactic plane, but he would experience them all in due time. For now, he had to make do with protocol checks, diagnostic analyses and stress tests.“I shall go on ahead, My Lord,” Hiem-L stated:
“I will scan the area for threats to your person.”
Into the third quarter of the maze they were beginning to move, passing through a relatively narrow but otherwise safe length of hallway which seemed to terminate in a large open space. From his current position, the artificial alien could not perceive much of the upcoming chamber’s specific architecture, though from what he could see he was sure that numerous hiding places were present. Breaking from his charge and doubling his step, the bodyguard was the first to reach the entrance of the room. It was a single plane with dips in the floor that formed a sort of trench network, thus etching out a particularly complex path that the Emperor would likely follow. Towering pillars formed mediocre walls and obstacles, while slight bridges crossed over the trenches below. A few barricades of sorts were also present. Perhaps this was supposed to represent some sort of larger scale battlefield?
Scan initiated… His head turned, discerning possible hiding places – far too many points of contention were made obvious from just an initial sweep. The question was how many actual threats were present, to which he had no answer. In a couple of locations he could see shadows moving, telling tales of where some threats might have lurked, whilst other corners remained eerily still and silent.
“I do not know where the Emperor intends to move; I will need to calculate his itinerary in order to discern which threats are most prominent,” the Arcosian Android announced in hushed, monotonous tones. “The termination of every threat should not be necessary – neutralising priority targets must be my first course of action. Additional threats can be ignored if they are not proving to be an immediate risk to His Lordship’s life.”
“The exact number of hostiles is unknown, and will likely remain so until further notice. I have two options – I can scout further ahead, or I can simply wait out the storm. Ideally, I would like to do both, but that is presently beyond my capability, not to mention being an inefficient usage of my power supply,” he continued quietly. Patiently he waited for the imperial idol to catch up, now having a good read on its pace and being able to accommodate for such movements. Its movement through the maze presented could take anywhere between two and ten minutes, depending on which route it opted into, and even then there were still plenty of options.“So, he’s opting to remain on the defensive?”“It appears so…”
“It is impossible for Hiem-L-01 to know the exact layout of this segment, not to mention how many enemies we’ve established,” the chief explained to his subordinates: “It is likely that he has detected some of them, given their pre-programmed patrol routes, but he’s playing it safe. His protocols are designed for defence and protection – he has the capabilities and permissions to take the fight to the enemy, but he’s expressing obedience to his cause. I’d go so far as to say that he’s being more cautious and conservative in his actions, which could well be of benefit to any future assignments. Now, let’s see how he deals with this!”“Proceed with caution, Lord Abzerute,” Hiem-L addressed the effigy:
“I have detected potential hostiles within the vicinity.”
Silence was the response. The replica regent had nothing to say as it maintained its procession through the labyrinthine training facility. It had just crossed the threshold of the open battlefield, now making itself a target as it followed an uncertain path around the outside wall farthest from the exit point. Keeping a close eye on his surroundings, the android followed suit, showing no immediate signs of tension despite his sensory processors overclocking.
The atmosphere began to change as soon as Not-Abzerute began to progress along a narrow ledge. The first assailing unit to present itself broke from cover within the trench network nearby, bearing projectile weaponry and taking aim. It took just a second for the guardian drone to toss a bullet of artificially produced Ki in the unit’s direction – a simple jolt that proved to be more than enough to knock the entity back down into the shadows of the passage from whence it had emerged. Had he immobilised it? Without vision of the offender, he could not tell. And he certainly was not given time to go and check.“Multiple threats…!”
His realisation voiced, the Android raised both arms and kept his fingertips pointed towards the field at large. Not one, but three additional drones had broken from cover – two emerged from the trenches near and far, whilst a third poked itself out from behind one of the pillars ahead on the false royal’s path.
Identifying the pillar lurking drone as the most immediate threat, 01 pivoted and took a shot. Electric blue whizzed past his charge’s shoulder, lighting up the area before colliding with the intended target and knocking it down. A lack of further movement indicated a lapse in ability, at the very least, and thus allowed him to look back to the additional attackers. Both units had already charged and fired their own synthetic energy bolts, aiming for the imperial idol. The Arcosoid’s actions might have been swift, but he was not that quick as to be able to shield both himself and his designated defence from such an assault.
For the Emperor, I must be willing to take the hit! Up and across did Hiem-L bound, firing his own body into the path of the twin projections and crossing his arms before him. Both blasts struck his carapace with force, causing him to tumble and drop into the nearest ditch as the energies dispersed. The shock was intense, sudden, but bearable. Quickly he flipped and righted himself; optical sensors first analysed the mobile model above for signs of damage – identifying no such thing – before checking his own exterior. The blasts had had little effect on him externally, but they had most definitely given his internal workings a jarring blow.“Whew! Close call!”
“Tch! You expect a blast that weak to damage our finest creation?” asked the Doc, straightening up with pride within his seat. He skewed his head a little before muttering more words: “To be fair, the real Abzerute wouldn’t even have felt that…”
Hiem-L-01, however, had very much done so. Recovering as quickly as his systems would allow after the scrambling discharges had struck him down, he moved to jump back up to the level above, but paused at the last moment. Something had just dawned upon him, provoking him to instead follow the trenches a little further before ascending. Now he was ahead of his liege, stationed by the pillar from behind which one of the drones had emerged, and proceeded to make sure that the very same assailant was paralysed by delivering a quick shock to their system. The last thing he wanted was for an opponent he thought he had bested to wind up being the cause of his failure.
“Two threats remaining,” he confirmed.
Both drones were still within his field of vision, preparing their armaments respective for yet another discharge. The effigy had almost made it to the safety of the pillar, which would provide it with a brief respite from being within the firing line. However, at its current speed it would not make it in time to dodge the twin bullets. Intervention was required, and Hiem-L was just the entity to do it, skirting around and leaping over the trench in order to position himself upon an available platform between his targets and theirs. In quick succession the two drones fired their payloads, sending brilliant bolts through the air and straight towards him.“Hindrun!”
Once again, the prototype sheathed itself in a skin of surging sapphire, transforming his entire body into a defensive barrier against the oncoming volley. The first blow struck hard, but was nullified by the retaliatory discharge. The second clipped the repulsive energies, dissipating into the aether as it pattered harmlessly against the materialised membrane. That technique had bought his autonomous associate enough time to reach cover, offering the Arcosoid the opportunity to mount a possible counterattack.
But he did no such thing.
These targets do not appear to move from their positions, thus nullifying their threat potential until the Emperor reaches the first bridge… His assessment acute and accurate, the synthetic soldier lowered his arms. As far as he was concerned, wasting his energy on something that was not an actual threat was pointless – such power was better conserved for the next actual threat to present itself. If he wasted the time to take a shot at one of the mounted drones, another unseen foe could easily capitalise upon that split second to mount its own assault, thus costing him the trial. Fresh from the factory he might have been, but the artificial intelligence had certainly made adjustments to his regular algorithms after previous tests.
Whether or not his call to relent was the correct one was yet to be determined, but once again Hiem-L was faced with an unusual decision to make. It seemed that no matter what action the android opted into, there was always something else that he needed to take into consideration; such were the trials of his duty. Surely, things would only become increasingly more complicated as he continued to serve, but that was the very same reason for why he had an artificial intelligence of such calibre.
No further signs of hostile activity – I shall take the initiative! Having realised that a third threat was not yet about to expose itself to him, his attentions turned swiftly back to the twin drones that had previously attempted to assault the Imperial idol. Neutralising them would be more effective than allowing them to fire again, and his internal engines prepped to do just that. Artificial Ki poured out from within, crackling like electricity between his now extended fingertips. Throwing what might have seemed to be some sort of swift jab, a bolt of blue hurtled through the sterile air and struck the nearest turret, knocking it down into the trench. The second sentinel, perhaps responding to the opposition’s offensive, readied its own cannon and began to charge up.“He can’t block that, can he?”
“He shouldn’t be able to, no,” the scientist confirmed: “Hindrun – 01’s artificially generated Ki barrier – has downtime. It’s not like a basic Ki attack which can be thrown out again and again, and having just used it there is no chance that he will be able to generate a fresh shield in time.”“So, he’s only got one option…”“Incorrect,” Doc smirked:
“He has every option!”
Truflunum and Hindrun status: Offline. Tactical withdrawal! Leaping back from his current position and landing in the path of ‘Abzerute’, the Arcosoid kept his optical sensors focused upon the charging target. At any moment, all of that gathered energy was about to be discharged, and there was no way for Hiem-L to actively prevent it or otherwise block the ensuing attack. Instead, and apparently much to the appeal to his creators, he opted to take cover behind the pillar. However, in doing so he also had to physically halt the regal representation, effectively tackling it in order to keep it from stepping into the path of the oncoming blast. The energy released, its power narrowly skimmed the obstruction’s edge, but otherwise left both the bodyguard and his charge unharmed.
“My apologies, Lord Abzerute,” 01 hastily included. Stepping back and bowing to his presently immobile Emperor before turning to face the assailant again, he raised a hand and repeated the process of before. Again, a surge of sparking sapphire was projected through the medium of a swift straight punch, striking the drone and knocking it off its axis. Down into the trench network it toppled, spitting sparks as it did so. A slight wisp of smoke confirmed that more damage had been done than intended, causing the Arcosian Android to look at its left hand – the source of its shot – with what could only be compared to a look of astonishment. Generally, emotional dispositions were hard to judge when your face consisted of a glazed screen and neon bright lighting.“Continue…”
In strict silence, the false Emperor continued upon its designated path. Paying no heed to his liege’s lack of verbal response, instead attributing it to the ‘man’ being lost in thought regarding his business, the synthetic security also opted to stay on the move. The first bridge – one of a select few passages across the trenches – was relatively long in comparison to the other visible crossings that lay elsewhere about the quadrant. From his perspective, he could make out that there would be no further need to cross either of the other bridges, provided his lordship opted into the most swift and efficient route. There was no way to tell, but that did not stop him from taking precautions in his positioning.
“I detected the presence of additional hostiles in this area; please proceed with caution, Sir,” the prototype did say as he and his entourage reached a turning point.
Despite the obstacles that had been presented so far, the duo had already managed to cover a good half of the third quadrant. Indeed, the exit was fast approaching – just a few turns and they would soon be at their desired destination. Unfortunately, it did not seem as if the system was going to cooperate with Hiem-L’s assessments. In what seemed a surprising turn of events, parts of the chamber seemed to adjust quite suddenly, forcing the footing of the effigy and its escort. Taken somewhat aback by the geographical rearrangement, the latter found that his original path was now impossible to traverse.“Recalculating… Initiating scan for hostile units,” he recited monotonously:
“Truflunum and Hindrun status: Offline.”
Still without the ability to defend his bind of duty from incoming assaults, the Arcosoid paid careful attention to the changes in his environment. Missing even the slightest detail could be costly – an opening through which an enemy could fire might have made manifest during the reformat of the area. Failing to pick up on such crucial details was a risk he was not willing to take and, having previously been trained to deal with such abnormalities as geographical destabilisation, he was making sure to cross-reference his previously created map with the newly analysed one. It seemed the previous thought of not having to cross another bridge was no longer accurate.
I calculate a high probability that we are being forced into an ambush… Carefully moving along the newly presented pathway, making sure to observe the trenches either side for signs of movement, the android assessed the situation. He certainly did not like the feeling of being forced down a particular route, least of all by unseen enemies. Regardless, it was not his decision to make. The ‘Emperor’ had long since made up his mind and was already moving ahead. It made sense, given the import of his presence. Somehow, the prototype surmised that whatever business his liege needed to tend to was of great priority. Dawdling would not do them any favours, either.
“I will advance first,” he asserted, moving past the Imperial idol despite knowing full well that his defensive systems were still cooling off. He had at least a few more seconds before such powers could be relied upon again, but Hiem-L did not have the luxury of hanging back until that time came. If his charge was in a hurry, then he needed to be as well. Besides, it was better he went ahead and took the brunt of an ambush than leave Abzerute to suffer. Doing anything to the contrary could be considered a dereliction of duty.
Thanks to the stadium’s unprecedented reconstruction, a wall had formed which obstructed the view of what was around the corner. Aside from the exit, the likes of which 01 was sure had not changed, all manner of alterations could have been made. Furthermore, it was very likely that at least one new threat had presented itself, taking up refuge somewhere beyond. It was time to dispatch whatever foe lay ahead and clear the way for the Arcosian Emperor.“That’s… unexpected.”
That was one way of putting it. As soon as he had crossed the metaphorical threshold, Hiem-L-01’s sensors had detected a rather obvious presence that stood dead centre on the path across which they were meant to take. Large, armoured and apparently well-armed, an artificial adversary had presented itself without deceit to the synthetic soldier. Compared to the drones it had previously disarmed and disabled, this one was a great deal more formidable – it stood almost twice as tall as the already impressively statured Arcosoid.“Doctor, are you sure it’s worth bringing out that relic?”
“I am completely sure,” the scientist replied with vim and vigour; “Sure, it may be a few millennia old, but its functionality is just fine! Besides, what better way to test 01’s abilities than against an uncertain foe? We’ve reconditioned the systems and replaced much of the original solid ammunition with appropriate energy weapons, not to mention tuning the system as appropriate. What could possibly go wrong?”“Where do I start…?”
Bang! The sound of a powerful explosion startling the scientists, their attentions quickly focused again upon their experiment and his enemy. The larger robot had already primed and fired one of its cannon; an energy blast powerful enough to knock the still ‘unarmed’ Arcosian automaton to the ground without providing much of an opportunity to evade the attack. Sure enough, Hiem-L had at least managed to escape a direct hit, but the shock wave was more than enough to send him reeling. There seemed to be a recurring theme of being hit. Adjustments would have to be made to avoid that in future.“And that was undesirable,” 01 tacked on:
“Note to self: I must avoid taking unnecessary hits…”Beep-Boop!
Note_To_Self.exe, not responding…? What is this…? Perhaps as equally confused by the feedback message that had displayed itself on his glazed façade as the observing scientists were; the Arcosoid tapped the protective screen with his fingertip before proceeding to right himself. The error message having minimised itself, he could now focus on the far more important task of disabling the giant mechanism before him. By this point, ‘Abzerute’ had made his way onto the final stretch, but had purposefully halted. There was no way for him to progress, so it only made sense that the Emperor trusted his entourage to deal with the threat before moving on.
No matter! My systems are functional once more – I will have no trouble in overcoming this opposition! Confident, or perhaps cocky, the curious creation adopted a fighting stance. His opponent was undeterred, already priming its cannon again and preparing to fire. This time, however, Hiem-L was prepared. Even if evasion was apparently not an option, he was well equipped to stop such assaults as these, wasting no time in charging his own Ki generators to counter the inevitable discharge of energy. The initial hit had been something far superior to that of the smaller drones, indicating a need to funnel more energy into his defence. If he was going to block this attack, he needed to devote all of his resources into doing so.“Hindrun charging,” the prototype stated.
“Why is he opting into that?” asked one of the development team, observing their creation’s actions with close scrutiny; “Surely he’d be better off using ‘Truflunum’ to interrupt the target’s charge than shield himself from the hit?”“Hmm…”
The arena filled with vicious light. The cannon of the colossus had been launched, unleashing a potent stream of energy straight towards the Arcosoid. Showing no signs of an attempt at evasion, the scientists were on the edge of their seats as they viewed the event from the safety of the observation deck.Zzzzap!
The air filled with a crackling noise as the singular beam seemed to split into an aurora of energy. Against all odds, Hiem-L-01 stood stoic against the attack. Arms pressed forwards, the entity’s entire outline sparked with sapphire energy, the likes of which rendered him all but immune to the overwhelming blast. The ultimate question had been asked – which of the two powers would come out on top? The answer would be revealed in a matter of seconds, the light beginning to dissipate and vision of the arena being steadily granted once more. Like the glare of the setting sun upon the sea, the illuminations seemed to shift rapidly in colour, finally returning to normal after what seemed like an eternity. If suspense really could kill, the scientists would probably have been six feet under.
Fortunately, their intrepid invention would not need his burial rites any time soon. Still standing, 01’s carapace seemed to glow from the raw energy that had just been exchanged, likely rather hot to the touch. Residual static seemed to cling to him before fading away – proof that his shielding techniques had not been quite as effective as he might have liked. Nonetheless, he had survived relatively unscathed. And, more importantly to him, the Emperor – even if it was just a replica – had also come out without harm.
“Those who defy the Emperor of Arcose,” he began to state; “shall have to answer to his subjects. I – Hiem-L-01 – have sworn to protect his life with my own. Under no circumstances shall I allow harm to befall him. If I have to take hits like that in order to secure that, then so be it. Now, if you would please excuse us, his Lordship has urgent business to attend to! Truflunum!”
Once more, the Arcosoid channelled his artificial life force. This time, the release of energy was directed outward – a wave of force that struck the opposing automaton with everything it had. Visible sparks flew from its joints as the surge afflicted it with an uncanny paroxysm, causing the titanic technology to topple backwards. Conveniently, its collapse opened a path to the exit, thus allowing the Imperial incarnation to proceed the final few yards.“Hang on,” said one observer:
“Does he actually think that’s Lord Abzerute?”“Oh, no… This could end up being rather difficult to deal with…”