Trudging down the hallway, a two-meter tall robot slowly lumbered down towards its destination. Three rotating optics moved occasionally, confirming its location as it used minimum power to move about.
It had been so long since it moved, since any of the robots on the ship had power to operate, to perform a job. Already, it knew of hundreds of its brethren who were designed for upgrading systems and repairing damage, were waiting, waiting for more energy than the odd male life form—assuming the genetic formations from the initial scan denoted it as the ‘male’ of the species—had generated.
Nevertheless, the energy was rationed, reserved for needed functions. Had it not needed some form with which to interact with the ten life forms outside, even this current robot would still be offline, awaiting use.
However, the energy had done its job, charged the emergency batteries enough for the main processor to determine a course of action, to continue communication with the system outside.
Inside its AI, the robot did have a flicker of hope, not wanting to return to the dark void that awaited any AI that was powered down, wanting to continue to survive.
“Is he okay?” asked Moon, Ranma’s head resting in her lap.
“He just seems drained of energy,” Mercury reported, tapping away. “From what I can figure out, the ship assumed he would fire a blast at the metal. When he touched it…”
Pluto nodded. “He completed a circuit. It shorted out the connection, draining him to the point where the charge balanced. Luckily, Ranma has enormous energy reserves.”
An elbow to the ribs from Neptune silenced any reply Uranus was about to make. Although Neptune herself wanted to know why exactly Pluto felt the need to know the amount of Ranma’s reserves, she didn’t think now was the best time, what with the alien ship and powerful storm headed in their direction.
“So it didn’t mean to hurt him?” asked Saturn, whom they noticed had summoned her glaive was fingering the handle.
“I don’t think so,” Mercury finished. She paused as several diagrams appeared on her screen. “It seemed as surprised as us that he chose what it is referring to as ‘direct bio-electric transfer’ instead of an indirect method. In fact, it is giving us an area to uncover to locate an airlock.”
“Where?” asked Jupiter.
“Why?” asked Venus.
“Maybe it doesn’t want to lose any possible meals,” Mars joked, before growing uncomfortable under their glares for her bad joke. “Sorry.”
“This way,” Mercury responded, standing up.
“I’ll carry him,” Uranus offered, lifting up the unconscious male—and wincing at how heavy he was. Either I’m out of shape or this guy literally is pretty dense.
“Why do you get to carry him?” asked Venus.
“Because unlike a few of you, I won’t spend the time groping his rear while carrying him.”
“… Touchy.”
“That’s touché, Venus-chan.”
Staring at the walls for several second, referencing her visor and computer, Mercury nodded. “It should be here … and according to the ship’s AI, the door has just been opened.”
“JUPITER THUNDER—”
“Jupiter, no!” cried Mercury, blocking her line of sight for the attack.
“But you said—”
“We have to punch through with physical force,” Mercury quickly added. “I don’t know if the ship can take a magical hit.”
“But it might get the pod youma behind it,” muttered Venus.
Jupiter just shrugged. It had been a while since she had just pounded something. Bringing her hand back a bit, unsure of how much force to use—it would kind of suck to try to punch through but instead warp the airlock door and thus be stuck outside—she struck, going by how thick the rock had been at the first sight.
She smiled as the rock collapsed, most of it falling inward, revealing an open doorway. From what she could see, not much of it traveled inside further than normal, letting her know she had done the right thing.
“EEK!” she jumped back, as a head-like object poked out, three green optics rotating as it stared at her.
“… Well?” asked Mars, staring at Venus.
“… Evil robot youmas from space?” Venus feebly offered.
The robot continued to look about, the tri-optics spinning as it took in the group.
“So what now?” asked Moon.
Mercury continued to type away. “I’m talking with it right now.”
“What? No ‘take me to your leader’?” asked Rei.
“It doesn’t have the power right now, and this is quicker,” Mercury responded, fingers dancing along her keyboard.
“What’s up?” asked Moon.
“We’re working on a way to recharge the ship,” Mercury responded.
“So the last man on Earth wasn’t enough of a meal?” asked Saturn, still angry about what had happened.
“It was barely enough to get some of the key systems online,” Mercury responded, refining several options the ship had offered, oblivious to Saturn’s remark.
“Not to rush anything,” Neptune spoke, “but wouldn’t it be safer for all of us to be discussing this inside the ship, hopefully in a nice oxygen-rich environment and not in an exposed area with that electrical storm approaching?”
Mercury slowly developed a smile. “We have a plan!” she cheered.
“Can we discuss it inside?” asked Neptune.
“Not yet,” she replied, turning about as the robot began clearing the rocks from the hatch—oddly bringing them inside. “Moon; you, Mars, Saturn, and Pluto take Ranma inside. The robot is downloading the path you need to take now.”
“It’s so big it needs a bridge to cross?” asked Moon.
“Bridge as in command center,” Mars responded, smacking Moon lightly on the back of the head.
“WAH! MARS IS SO MEAN!”
“Why us?” asked Saturn.
“There is a system on the bridge to send bio-electric energy to support systems. If you grab it, channel your Silence Wall through it, it can be channeled into the hull and will in effect create a low-level magic shield around the ship. Don’t worry about it using you to charge the battery. It will shunt all your expended energy to the hull and have been configured not to take more than you want to give.
“That way, I can direct the rest of us out here to clear off as much rock as we can from the hull.”
“But why do you need them all to go in?” asked Jupiter.
“Moon’s attacks wouldn’t do much to the rocks, if anything. Mars would only melt the rock, make it harder to remove. Saturn needs to be inside to generate the magical shield so we can let loose. Finally, Pluto’s attacks would contain temporal energy, which might even get past the shield, if not affect the hull.”
“I see,” murmured Pluto, seeing what Mercury was doing.
“See what?” asked Moon.
“I assume of course that before the storm gets here, we’ll all head inside and us what remaining power we have to create a strong positive charge on the ship’s hull.”
Mercury nodded. “The ship will become a massive lightning rod. In addition, all that energy can be funneled into the emergency batteries. With luck, the ship should be able to generate an atmosphere, even conduct repairs, and maybe even get their main drive repaired.”
“And then what?” asked Uranus.
Mercury shrugged. “Find somewhere with food? We can worry about that after we get this done. We need to work quickly. The more surface we have exposed, the more likely whatever strikes can be used.”
It took a under a minute, running with Mercury’s directions, to find the ship’s bridge. It was actually the auxiliary bridge, the main one was damaged in the crash. A second robot awaited them, pointing to a chair-like item, two handles exposed on either side. The only illumination was a very dull circle, seeming to come from the edges of the ceiling.
Outside, the assembled Senshi stood on the cliff, looking about as Mercury direct them, telling them how much rock they had to move, sections that were their own to work on, and would even tell them when to stop and hurry to the airlock.
As the storm approached, the wind struck first, blowing loose dust and small pebbles across the landscape, no natural barriers to block or even slow it down.
“Okay!” yelled Mercury over the communication device. “Let’s head inside now!”
“Good, I can barely see anything,” Uranus called out over her device.
“I can direct you guys if you get lost,” Mercury called out, the wind starting to pick up. She could only hope the blowing dust didn’t hamper their attempt to collect the lightning.
Luckily, none of the Senshi got lost as they made their way down the steep path towards the bottom of the cliffs, towards the airlock. They knew the ship couldn’t gather energy until they were safely inside—the impacts could damage the cliff face, and bring it down on top of them, or even seal the airlock shut with tons of rock.
“What the—”
The path was clear, but the robot from earlier was still there, loading slabs of rock into the airlock. It was shocking enough for the assembled Senshi that they turned to Mercury for an answer.
She just shrugged, not having the free time to discuss it with the storm almost upon them.
“Why are we running?” asked Uranus, slightly winded from the massive use of power to clear off the hull.
Mercury chuckled lightly. “Well, I’m not exactly sure how the ship will channel the electricity or if any of the conduits are exposed, so it might be a good idea to get to the auxiliary bridge so we don’t get fried.”
“… And you didn’t think to mention this beforehand?” yelled Venus, cranking up the speed.
“… I didn’t think we’d take this long!”
Behind them, the robot blinked each of its three optics, before turning around and shutting the airlock. Hopefully, the acquired inorganic materials would be enough.
The only sounds on the ship aside from the odd bit of active equipment were the dull impacts of the bolts of lightning. The lights occasionally brightened as more power was channeled into the ship’s batteries, signifying that yes, the plan was working.
“Is it working?” asked Jupiter, not liking the mix of sounds and feelings.
Mercury continued to tap at her computer. “The readings have leveled off as the ship attempts to repair itself. But as long as the storm lasts, we’ll keep a pretty steady incoming charge.”
“How is it repairing itself?” asked Mars.
The answer became apparent as a hidden door opened, revealing robots with quad-legs, each walking out with a simple screen replacing their face, and a torso with four arms. Each one was the same two meters tall as the one that had met them at the airlock. Each one released from the door made their way to a single station, their upper-right arm shifting to a tool best ready to fix a section, as it kneeled down and worked on a section.
“What is that?” asked Venus.
Mercury tapped at her console. “In order to burn off energy from the emergency batteries, the ship activated the emergency repair drones to fix the ship.”
“… So those machines are fixing the systems?” asked Jupiter, staring at one of the quadruped machines.
“Somewhat,” stated Mercury, missing most of the action as she typed at her screen. “It seemed the ship is also trying to restore main power, which means we won’t be forced to solely rely on the lightning strikes. If the storm lasts and the repairs scan be made in time and if the supplies are available for it, it hopes to have main power restored within a day or two.”
“Oh,” replied Venus, watching the aforementioned robot work on a nearby console. “And if they need all they got?”
“We’re safe.”
“And if not?”
“Well, they may seek out additional source of matter and energy,” Mercury replied.
“So they may still come after us.”
“Well, more likely ask us,” replied Mercury. “But our magic is still something the emergency batteries can’t handle. And with Ramna-kun out of it, its best option is to work with us.”
“Oh,” replied Venus, staring as the new robots went about their task.
“And if they finish their tasks?” asked Saturn, still worried about the literal last man alive. She was guarding him as he rested in the chair she had used to redirect her Silence Wall for the ship.
Mercury shrugged. “We have control of a ship that can take us anywhere in the known galaxy or universe.”
“… Well, that’s good, right?’ asked Moon.
“Of course,” Mercury responded. “Earth as it is can’t support us. None of the planets can. Our best hope relies on the chance of an advanced Earth-like planet that can support life until we have to release our Sailor Crystals.”
“… What?” asked Mars in disbelief.
“Well, when the refuges of the Sailor Wars show up here at the Sol System, what happens when they try to access the Sailor Crystals of the planets, only to find them used by us?” Mercury asked. “That is, assuming any of us live that long and/or we don’t find a way home to our own time.”
The remaining Senshi stood aghast, trying to figure out how they should react.
“It is true,” replied Pluto. “At some point, the future refuges will discover the Sailor Crystals of Sol, and want to make use of it.
“However, we have a few billon years before we have to worry about such. For now, we have to worry about surviving.” She turned towards Mercury. “Actually, should Ranma survive and we use him as material to reproduce, our children will not make it to the million-year mark. Senshi life spans never exceed thousands of years except in rare cases.”
“Really?” asked Venus.
Pluto nodded. “Senshi life spans are expanded, not made infinite.”
“… Oh,” replied Venus.
“And what do we use for food?” asked Mars.
The second robot with tri-optics beeped—a new response from any model, as it pointed to an open alcove. Said alcove was shrouded in a light, before fading and revealing a bowl filled with porridge now sitting in the alcove.
Mercury took her computer towards it, scanning the item. “It says the porridge is a mixture needed to sustain our bodies, based off the male of our species,” Mercury responded. “I’m reading complex carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, essentially everything you would need.”
“‘Based off the male of our species’?” asked Neptune.
“The ship is having trouble trying to peer at us through our magic,” Mercury replied. “And it isn’t really able to access the sensors in the Mercury Computer. I have to do that for it. So unless one of us powers down, it can’t scan us to.”
“It better not give me a mustache,” was all Uranus could say.
“Food?” asked Moon.
“Only in the generalist of terms,” replied Mercury. “It isn’t meant for pleasure or taste, more like a multi-vitamin,” she finished. Seeing the look on their faces, she glared at them. “I consider it a good step above cannibalism,” she spoke.
“At least until we get to a planet with food we can eat,” Uranus replied, grabbing the bowl and sniffing it, before sticking her finger in and tasting it. “Bland,” she muttered. “Any chance we can tell it how to add sugar or sweetener to it?”
“So we have that?” asked Venus, looking at the porridge. .
“Better than Jupiter Ribs,” Mercury muttered, tapping away, trying to help the ship’s AI direct its resources to where they would serve best.
Sighing, Saturn walked over to the alcove as another bowl appeared. Grabbing it, she looked at the dispenser. “Got a spoon at least?”
“One moment,” Mercury responded, typing away.
The dispenser glowed again, producing the right implement.
Nodding, she moved towards the seat she had used to add to the shield—where the unconscious Saotome slept—and tried to spoon-feed him. She giggled lightly as he quickly demolished whatever she spooned into his mouth.
A few of the Senshi held back their squeals of how cute the scene was.
“And?” asked Uranus, getting a spoon and trying to keep down the dish. “How are the repairs?”
“The ship is working on a hull breach and replacing the main power core,” Mercury replied. “Apparently, its failure resulted in the crash on Earth.”
“And the crew?” asked Mars.
Mercury turned a bit green. “You’re stepping in them.”
Mars blanched, looked down, and spotting the powder surrounding her feet, hopping away.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Mars screeched.
“Sorry, I was too busy trying to save our lives,” the Senshi of Knowledge responded. “And besides, it was the ship that just now told me.”
“But we’re safe now, right?’ asked Venus, staring at the repair robots, shivering at the thought of being forced to become Venus of Borg.
Mercury nodded. “Right now, the ship has no long-term memory. Even if it reacquires it, it has promised to drop us off on an M-class planet to support ourselves and erase memory of us, before returning to its possible former masters.”
“Well, that’s just prime,” Uranus sighed. “And if it wants to keep us?”
“Would you rather stay on Earth?” asked Mercury. That alone had been enough to silence the dissenters.
“And sempai?” asked Saturn, looking at him, worrying about his slow breathing, even as the tri-optic robot brought her another bowl of … goo to feed him.
“He’ll be okay as soon as he gets some food in him,” Mercury responded. “I figure we’ll all be.”
“Whatever,” muttered Jupiter, looking at the paste. She only hoped that when repaired, the ship was at least as awesome as the replicator on Star Trek. She didn’t think she could keep a steady diet of that for a long time.
“And that extra rock?” asked Neptune.
“Atomic particles for the Replicator,” Mercury responded. “The ship is using it to repair and fabricate new parts.”
The rest was silenced as the lights grew brighter, reaching a comfortable level and illuminating the entire room. Several consoles lit up as well, the repair drones closing them up and moving on to their next tasks. In the end, Venus was the one to break the quiet.
“Man, this place needs a new paint job.”
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(Posted Thu, 13 May 2010 00:32)
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