Short story
Location: Cerna
Hans trudged upon the Cerna Islands, a terrain of virtual landscapes brought to life by the relentless march of technology. The glow of a setting sun reflected off his weathered face as he approached a slanted hill. There, he discovered the body of a woman, struggling futilely against the constraints of her diffuser, the technology that allowed her to live in this atmosphere.
Only fourteen hours had passed since Queen Rensea was reported missing from Otrus. Her unexpected presence on the Cerna Islands puzzled Hans, prompting him to question why she had ventured so far from her base.
"Stop," he commanded, glancing at her with a Y-bracket in hand. The weapon was designed for simplicity- one shot one kill-, but Queen Rensea's high-tech plating had proven nearly impenetrable. Hans, however, had managed to find a vulnerability.
"The blood won't cease, and your diffuser is about to shut off. " he informed her coldly.
"It's not over," she defiantly retorted.
Unfazed, Hans delivered multiple shots to her torso until, finally, a lucky strike found its mark. "It is over."
Queen Rensea, programmed never to fail, lay still, realising the severity of her injuries. Hans, a bounty hunter with opposing views, confronted her amidst the artificial glow of the Cerna Islands.
"Where were you going?" he asked.
"To my programmers."
"Your programmers have abandoned you. They're probably in the Werhen Region, an ENTIRE galaxy away. So, I doubt you'll reach them in time..."
Her mechanical heart slowed, and despite still breathing, she struggled to make sense of anything.
"They're gone?" Shocked at what she was hearing.
"Yup."
Rensea, placed her metallic hand on her chest, where her mechanical heart resided, closed her eyes for a moment. She tightened her lips, unable to utter a word.
"What's wrong, robot?" Hans lacked sympathy, a sentiment not uncommon for someone facing Queen Rensea.
"Even with these metal parts, I still couldn't make my parents proud," she confessed, surprising Hans.
"Your parents? But you're a robot?"
"I was their daughter, who was once human—until my father destroyed me, over and over and over again… to later 'fix' me." There was despair on her face as she spoke. "He always said he would show up at my best"
Hans, now slightly intrigued, probed further. "Show up at your best? What did he mean by that?"
"I don't know anymore, maybe I'll never be my best." she responded, her detest replaced by a hint of vulnerability. "People never saw that side of me."
Hans, accustomed to unfeeling machines, found himself witnessing a rare moment of humanity. The revelation lingered as Queen Rensea, the embodiment of artificial intelligence, faced a moment of introspection.
"What was I truly made for?" she pondered aloud before drifting to a forever sleep.
Hans, standing over the lifeless body, pondered the same question, realising that sometimes, even in a world of advanced technology, the most profound dilemmas were born from the simplest human desires.
His hatred for AI changed directions to a new person. Her Father.