FSE

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Man often has a bond. A bond that is shared between more than just his fellows. Often, it is not returned, a simple one way interaction, a fondness for his favorite vehicle, or special tool that has never failed him before. But what happens when man's tools are given intelligence? What happens, when man and machine are one?

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-Anonymous

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-Urgent priority message from Charbodyx system via Subnet

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-Binary Star system in danger of collapse, solar expansion in progress

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-ETA to solar body stabilizer, late on all simulated projections

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-Planetary mobilization and evacuation required

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-Request for Hazardous and Extreme Planetary Conditions Unit and pilots

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-Request granted, team being mobilized

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-Required priority intervention at evacuation centers, conditions hostile

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-H.E.P.C.U mobilized, ETA 8 hours from nearest star system, secondary objective to hold planetary conditions at bay until Planetary Body Stabilizer arrives if at all possible

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-Evacuation craft inbound

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-ETA 1 hour after H.E.P.C.U arrival

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-Good luck, and may fortunes smile upon you

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Marcus peered at the view screens in the cockpit, staring out to the inferno outside.

"Jesus bloody Christ I thought this was a binary system."

Another voice chimed in, from a woman on his unit.

"Was a few hours ago. It got swallowed up by what we see now."

Marcus looked at the data scrolling across his screens.

"Right, ladies and gentlemen. We need a plan before we go down there. Any ideas?"

Another, a male voice chimed in.

"Charbodyx is burnin' down there. We've got a couple of key points to work around here."

The comms chatter picked up as yet another joined in.

"What, the system or the planet?"

"Both you dumbass. Which one do you think is the priority here?"

Marcus put his fellows on mute as he looked at the data scrolling across his screens. The planet was burning up down there. It was getting blasted with radiation and heat, burning away the atmosphere and land. And there were still people down there. Millions, if not billions. Marcus spoke up.

"Any suggestions Ellie? We've got a hell of a lot of problems to look at down here."

One of the screens filled with text in response.

-Habitation centers are crucial, as are evacuation points. Keeping them safe from harm is the first priority.

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Marcus nodded.

"You've got that right. But we've got a lot more on our hands here. The atmosphere is failing, we've got flares from the star lashing out, ionization of the atmosphere that'll scramble some of our tech, and gravity is starting to rip everything apart. What's the ETA on the stabilizer?"

-Late on all accounts Marcus. Main priority is to keep things stable until the heavy evacuation craft arrive. There is still one on the way, but the main rule for this drop is not to depend on it.

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"Right. So we're putting our boots in the fire on this one for sure. I've been working the numbers in my head here. You think 8 of us can do this?"

-Odds are low Marcus. The chances of only 8 of us holding things together are astronomically low. We need to focus only on the priorities if any of us stand any chance.

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"You're in a bad mood today aren't you? That's our job L. We could use more help, but we were the fastest and only group closest to the system. Besides, that's what we do right? We walk right into hell alone?"

-Job or no, the mathematical calculations do not lie. This is going to be a troubling day Marcus.

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"I guess it's a good thing we're trained for it then. Right, let's get down to work. We've got people to save."

Marcus turned up the volume and came back to the bickering of the group. From the sounds of it, they had started working things out. Time to speed things up a bit.

"Ok guys and ladies, we're outmanned here, and my rig is being snarky with me. We've got some bad odds on this one. But that's what we're trained for. And right now we've got people down there that need help. We focus on the evac centers and cities that are left. I'm not gonna lie, that star up there looks like it's going to be a little bitch to us today. But we all know the risks of this job, and we're here anyway."

A voice chimed in.

"Well said brother. He's right. Now, anybody got some calculations on our landing points? We've got more cities and evac points to keep safe than we can handle, so how do we do this?"

Another voice now.

"We move them. Group them together."

"What?"

"We've got gravity tethers on our rigs. We could pull it off."

"That's a hell of a lot of power draw. Our rigs are antiques too. I don't think we can do it."

"I know I'm not leaving anybody out there to burn. We've got to try."

"You're right. Okay, working on the math now."

There was a pause as the group remained silent, when the comms opened up from the ship they rode on.

"Ok pilots, we're approaching launch vectors in 5. One of you already forwarded the drop configurations. Prepping all systems. Gear up and get ready for drop."

Marcus nodded silently. That was it then. He looked over the coordinates. They were breaking off in pairs. It made sense. One rig couldn't hope to move that much alone. Marcus looked at the screens.

"What' ya think L?"

-60 minutes can be short. They can be long too.

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"1 Hour's not bad. We've done worse before. I don't know about ripping the cities out of the ground and moving them though. You think you've got enough power for that?"

-Based off my scans of our intended point of movement reconfiguration, yes. But systems will be taxed.

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"Okay then. Like they said, we've gotta try right?

A light blinked on inside the darkened cockpit, indicating that it was drop time. Marcus flicked a few switches before strapping himself into his seat. Go time.

The starting ride down was softer than expected for Marcus. But the view was something he would always come back to. Down below, Charbodyx was burning, as visible waves of pure, raw fire lashed over the planet from the star that was steadily expanding. The upper atmosphere was aglow with reds and oranges as particles in the atmosphere collided, putting on a great spectacle that was, if not horrifying to those below, at the very least, pretty.

Ellie, as he had over time come to call her, was displaying the images across all of her screens during the drop, while marking out the landing locations of the team. There was a visible tremor through the hull as things began to heat up as the machines, aptly named "Hands of God" descended onto Charbodyx. Marcus, although gripping his chair tightly, had a calm mind. Part of what made the pilots so special was because of their intellect regarding numbers and calculations. When paired up with an intelligent machine, the two were a true force of god if there was one.

Marcus spoke as the shaking became more intense, reverberating through the walker.

"L, we got this?"

Amongst the shaking Marcus could make out the text as it scrolled on by.

-Solar activity is interfering with our heat absorption equipment, the ionosphere is scrambled.

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_"_We've got this though right?"

Marcus watched as the screens suddenly changed, Ellie's outer hull cameras focusing on another fiery ball a few kilometers away from them. Marcus's partner.

• H.E.P.C.U Number 5 is experiencing catastrophic failures in descent, emergency reaction required.

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Marcus's eyes traveled over the scene, taking in the images as the walker was visibly glowing white hot. Walkers didn't do that. Amidst the bouncing, Marcus was already thinking, no doubt, as was Ellie.

"Ellie, we need to slow his descent, NOW. Can we extend our gravity field over to him to slow him down?"

-Power draw will be increasingly difficult to work around as we fall. We will need to slow ourselves down as well.

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Marcus strummed some nearby switches, and, in a few brief moments, the familiar hum of the gravity engines being powered up traveled through the walker.

"Do it. We're not losing anybody on the drop. If we have to go slow, we'll go slow."

The screens changed from image feedback to raw data, and Marcus looked at the calculations, running the numbers in his head.

Ellie had already started slowing them down with the old fashioned way of doing things, physical brakes. The walker shook violently as the brakes activated, while at the same time the gravity engines activated, reaching out and projecting a field around the flaming walker. Marcus checked the comms, to find that they were scrambled by the particles in the atmosphere. No way to get into contact. On one view screen Markus redirected the feed to one of Ellie's hull cameras, watching as the other walker plummeted still, and was now visibly losing pieces of itself.

"Dammit Ellie what's the hold up?! We don't have time to wait around here!"

Markus checked over the data on his screens and spotted it. They were already falling too fast. The power draw was too much, and Ellie was simultaneously trying to keep them from going into a tumble as they fell.

"Ellie, give me manual control of the brakes. Focus all the power on that walker!"

-Manual override engaged, physical degradation of brakes exceeding over 50% and rising, we are losing the ability to slow our descent.

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A control wheel extended from the floor at the feet of Marcus's chair, and he gripped both handles tightly, watching as the screens changed to data feeds on the walker's position as it fell.

"Ellie, I'll drive, you work on the walker. Divert more power. Get more resistance to the other one. Project some energy shielding."

The wheel shook in Marcus's grip as he adjusted it to control how his own walker fell, keeping it steady on the horizon line. Even though concentrating on keeping him and Ellie steady, the sound of the gravity engines could be heard once more as Ellie dumped more power into them. They were closing in fast now, and had only a few hundred thousand feet until they made landfall. Marcus focused on the controls, but knew they couldn't do it in time.

"Ellie, divert all power to shielding the other walker. Cut the gravity field."

-Descent speed slowed by approximately 25%. Impact will be catastrophic for allied H.E.P.C.U Number 5.

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_"_Give them everything you have! I want a full shield on them to absorb the impact!"

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-Power draw nearing maximum. Impact will be potentially catastrophic for us if we continue.

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_"_I don't care! They're falling faster than we are! They need it more! Give them everything! Now's the time to give me one of your pick me up talks."

-Probability of survival on impact, 44.3%. The whiplash will be big.

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Marcus smiled.

"I'll take those odds Ellie!"

The number counter traveled down as they were now closing the final stretches of their descent, and Marcus fought with the brakes as they plummeted through the burning atmosphere of Charbodyx.

-Landfall in approximately 30 seconds.

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Marcus clenched his teeth and tensed up. This was going to be a rough one.

In the glow of Charbodyx's rapidly expanding star, two immense fireballs hurtled from the fiery sky above, and crashed into one of the once pristine forests of Charbodyx. The tremors on impact shook the area for miles, throwing up thousands of tons worth of dust and debris as both walkers hit the ground hard. Whatever was left of the ashen forest was blown apart like matchsticks, and as the dust began to settle, one immense machine, a Hand of God, rose from its crater, the four legs it used to shield itself on the way down extending outward as power filled their circuits.

As one walker began to rise, the other remained motionless in its crater, steam still coming off the outer shell as it glowed a dull red.

Marcus shook his head, giving himself a couple of pats on the head to make sure he was still all in one piece. He looked at the view screens as power returned to them.

"L, how we doing?"

-Impact damaged several non-critical systems. Allied H.E.P.C.U Number 5 is attempting communications.

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"Patch em through L."

Marcus watched as the text scrolled across the screen. What he saw quickly put a frown across his features, as a sigh escaped him.

-Pilot deceased in atmosphere. Critical systems damaged. Will assist for as long as possible.

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"L, give me a scan on number 5."

Marcus watched as the data scrolled on by. He closed his eyes in silence.

"L. I need you to power up the gravity engines. Crush number 5."

Text rolled across the screen as Ellie's cameras focused on the efforts of walker number 5 to climb out of its crater.

-Activating a gravity singularity around H.E.P.C.U Number 5 would cause catastrophic system failures on all avenues. Why is this action necessary?

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_"_Take a look at the reactors on 5, L. If it got anywhere near us or a city and it blew, it would be game over. We can't take the risk. But we aren't going to leave it there either. Put it out of its misery."

There was a delay, but regardless, the gravity engines hummed to life, reverberating through the walker. Marcus started unstrapping himself from his chair.

"Bring up all the view screens on number 5 L."

All cameras focused on the vain efforts of the immense walker near them, as it pathetically tried to climb out of its crater with three damaged legs and one entirely absent. Marcus watched as the immense force of gravity began to take its toll on the machine, as it rippled and bent, and began to collapse in on itself, still struggling to climb.

Marcus stood tall, staying silent, watching the whole thing as the walker was practically crushed into dust, finally ceasing its movement. He placed a hand on one of the view screens.

"I'm sorry."

He sat back down in his chair, stopping only to say a few brief words before going silent.

"We should make our way to the first city L."

Ellie had internal cameras as well to watch over her pilot, and the signs said everything. He had gone quiet, simply sitting back in his chair. She had long since come to associate such actions of Marcus with anger, and sadness. Marcus always took failures hard. But today something seemed worse off than before.

Ellie's immense frame shook the landscape as it took powerful strides on all four of its legs, headed towards the closest city they could reach. High above them, Charbodyx's star continued to burn as it expanded, lashing out with great waves and flares. The atmosphere content was dropping as the temperatures rose and everything was beginning to burn away. Long range communications with the other units was impossible, and now, they were already down one unit.

But these were Ellie's projections all along. Why would Marcus take things harder today than he had before?

The journey across the burning landscape of Charbodyx was short, as Ellie's frame strode over all obstacles with ease. Marcus was silent for the entire time, watching the data feeds. There was no long range comms available, but there was still operating satellites high above. From the looks of it, the other pairs were mobilizing well. But Marcus was met with more bad news.

Two other walkers had been right in the middle of the range of a flare as it lashed out from its star, and they were reduced to molten slag on the way down. That meant one of the key points of protection was completely unprotected and Marcus was only going at half strength without his partner. Marcus perked up in his chair, looking over the various readings on the screens.

"L, give me the time until the evac ships arrive."

-29 minutes and counting.

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"How's the readings on geo-thermal and tectonic activity?"

-As a whole, Charbodyx is still stable, but the expanding gravity field of the star will affect us in approximately 15 minutes.

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"Those craft are going to have to move billions. How long will that take?"

-Unknown craft capacity and potential speed of evacuations unknown.

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"After the one hour mark things are going to go down south fast. We're already down three units. How are we going to pull this off?"

-Our statistics always led to a scenario of this magnitude Marcus. I do not understand why you are so upset about the odds playing true.

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"Odds or no L, it's our job for things like this. We're supposed to care about helping others when the shit really hits the fan. And we've got the power to change things, me and you, and the others. And even with all this, we're still walking to all of our graves."

-Why did you request destruction of unit 5, aside from obvious reasons? It could have lasted well up to this point before its reactors went critical.

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Marcus paused briefly, looking across the charred landscape.

"All of us have graves out there L. The hardest part about going to them is doing it alone. If I know myself, and all the years I've worked with you, then I understand how that would have felt, to watch its pilot die. Maybe it could have gone on a little bit longer. But it would have done it alone, after we were gone. What I did....... was a kindness. Ask yourself something. What would you do, if it were me?"

Silence filled the cockpit, as no text traveled down the screens. Marcus snapped his fingers.

"A lot of people say you're just a machine. But I know you clever old girl. You're more than just a computer. And I know every pilot and walker share something special. You take that away, and you have nothing."

Marcus leaned back in his seat.

"But we're not going to our graves today yet L. There's a burning, impossibly huge ball of pure energy up there. And if we don't step in and keep things together, it'll turn this world into a grave for everyone living on it. So, here we are, at our first target now. Still want to go ahead as planned? Think we can rip that city out of the ground and carry it with us to the next?"

-Chances of success slim. Chances of proceeding regardless of failure parameters, 100%.

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Marcus smiled.

"That's my girl."

Marcus watched the view screens as Ellie stepped over a valley below, and their first target was revealed. Down below, the sprawling form of the first of several cities spread out across Charbodyx, lay sheltered, under its own protective field. On the ground, its massive spires and sprawling networks would have been impressive to look at for anybody. But to Marcus, sitting inside of his walker, it all seemed so small and fragile. And above all of them, lay something even they could never hope to match, burning in raw light and power. They may not be able to ever match it. But they both could, at the very least, keep things stable until they could run away from it.

"Right, you got the math on what we need to pull that sucker out of the ground?"

Marcus watched as data scrolled across the screens once more.

"Right. Ellie, hit lockdown on your legs. Let's power up our engines."

There was a shift as Ellie spread the immense frame of her legs out, acting as an anchor, and slowly, the familiar hum of the gravity engines reverberated through the hull once more. Marcus flicked a few switches on his side as the engines reached full power, and watched on the screens for activity of the sprawling metropolis. They only really needed to generate a field beneath the city to lift it, but getting it out gracefully in one piece would be tricky.

Marcus could see the ground shaking as more power was fed to the engines, as it cracked and buckled, but refused to release its grip on the city. More power was channeled, and in the blink of an eye, the cockpit was suddenly blaring sirens and warning text, as a horrid sound of a failing engine could be heard. The city, and the great plate of earth it sat on, remained still. Marcus got up from his seat in a flash.

"No no no no Ellie we can't be having this now!"

Marcus left the view of the cockpit and made his way over to two simple doors, an elevator that would lead him down to the engine decks. Text rolled across his visor.

-Data suggests gravity engine failure due to atmospheric re-entry stress, not old age.

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"Don't you give me that! Whatever it is, we don't need it right now!"

-Suggest powering up excavation beam. Cutting a swath around the perimeter of the city would weaken its resistance and possibly leave enough room open to pull it out with one operational engine.

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"You do what it takes L. I've got to go down and see what the problem is. Meet me down below."

Marcus stood in the elevator as he rode downwards, thinking of what the problem could be.

"L, do your cameras pick up anything wrong with the engine?"

-No visual anomalies on outer casing of second gravity engine. Internal damage is likely.

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"You started excavating yet? What's our ETA on the evac craft?"

-12 minutes. Tectonic activity levels are increasing as the gravity field of the star expands. If we do not remove the city from the ground within another 5 minutes it will experience catastrophic levels of tectonic shifting with the rest of Charbodyx.

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"You didn't tell me about the beam L."

-Plasma based excavation beam offline. Tectonic activity prevents stable firing and could potentially cause harm to city. Apologies.

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"Dammit L, you gotta do this right now?"

-Temporary solution, activating 1stgravity engine, projecting stabilization field around city.

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The doors to the engine bat slid open and Marcus quickly stepped out, onto the immense deck housing the second engine.

"That's my girl Ellie! Now, we need to find out what's wrong with this one. We don't have a chance without it."

The sound of something sliding on rails could be heard as a large box-like arm slid on down to greet Marcus, sporting one camera on the front. Multiple compartments on the side opened up on the arm like box, revealing multitudes of tools. Marcus stepped up to the base of the engine, looking for any signs of damage. Ellie was right, nothing on the outside at all. It must have been a component on the inside.

Marcus was about to grab a tool when a great shudder passed through the hull of the walker, and Marcus was thrown off his feet against the base of the engine. There was a dizzying moment where the world went round and round, as Ellie struggled to keep her frame upright. When things calmed down, Marcus looked into the camera as the compartments on the arm closed.

"What's happening out there Ellie?"

-Spike in tectonic activity. Fault lines opening in great tears across Charbodyx. Time is short before the planet is ripped to pieces.

"Status on the evac craft?"

-Arriving shortly. City craft are massing at evacuation points.

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"What's the status of the other units?"

-Remaining units performing well under current situation. One city remains unprotected in the absence of units 8 and 6.

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"What's happening to them?"

-They are gone.

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_"_What?"

-City experienced catastrophic tectonic activity 6 minutes ago. The protective shielding was disrupted and it was exposed to the elements.

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Marcus clenched his fists quietly.

"Can we manage with one generator?"

-Only for stabilizing. But we do not have enough power to move the city.

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"Then we don't have a choice. Things are getting bad out there. We have to go with what we can. I can't find the problem in that engine without killing myself if you're going to be rocking around like that. I'm going back up."

-First evacuation craft are approaching our destination now. Charging shield projectors.

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"Why the shield pr-"

Marcus was thrown off his feet once more, and this time, rather than a simple shudder, he could hear the sounds of metal straining. Marcus scrambled to his feet, taking a cautious step into the elevator. He wasn't necessarily up for taking a ride right now, but he had to chance it. Things were going bad up there.

Marcus was greeted with a view of Charbodyx's landscape, now breaking apart on every visible level. High in the sky, like an immense pillar, sat a starship, its hangar bays open. Marcus strapped himself back in, as he watched the scene. The air was filled with a black cloud, like insects, swarming into the hangars of the immense starship. The city had lowered its shields and, everything, everybody and everyone was fleeing with whatever they had. Marcus turned his attention to the skies above, and saw why Ellie was projecting a shield.

The star had grown exponentially, and it now bared down on Charbodyx, like a hungry beast, its maw extended to consume its prey whole. Flares lashed out, tens of thousands of miles long, bombarding the planet with radiation and even more scorching heat. Ellie was using every last ounce of power to project a shield over the starship, keeping the flares that were raining down across the atmosphere at bay.

Marcus brought his controls up, flicked a few switches, and took control of the gravity engine that still remained operational. The city down below was no longer a priority. Ellie spoke to him.

-Starship low enough for communications. Data update on unprotected city. Holdouts survived initial quakes and are requesting immediate aid.

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Marcus continued to create micro singularities outside the range of the starship, drawing in potential flares that would impact the shield Ellie was projecting.

"They survived?"

-Some, but not all. There are no walkers or ships in their vicinity. This one spotted their activity on the way down.

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"Then we need to go and help them."

Marcus looked at the view screens, watching the clouds of smaller starships fly into every available hangar bay.

"If we move, they lose their protection."

-Evacuations nearing completion for this city. Would you like me to patch your through to the ship's captain?

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"Do it."

A stern faced man in a clean uniform appeared on the screen, as occasional bouts of static blurred the image.

"I understand you're the pilot that's saving our asses right now?"

Marcus nodded.

"That would be me and my rig sir. We're giving it all we've got. But I heard the news about the straggler city. We need to help them."

"Pilot, I don't think that's possible under the circumstances. Our hangar bays are overflowing and if we move we lose the protection you're offering from that star."

"Then we'll go slowly. We'll move with you if we have to."

"Across the planet that's shifting and burning? Are you crazy pilot?"

"We can manage, sir. But I'm not going until we get every last man woman and child off this rock. And my rig won't either."

The captain's features strained, as he considered it.

"What's your name pilot?"

"Marcus, sir."

"You know that the planet won't hold out much longer correct? If we proceed with this, we won't be able to evac you. At that point, if we moved you, our ship would be destroyed. We'll have to make an emergency jump inside the atmosphere."

"I'm synched up to my rigs neural net. Both me and her have already done the math. I know it's a one way trip."

The captain sighed.

"Marcus. You're a good man. We'll wait for you."

"Thank you sir."

The captain saluted, before the screen broke off. Marcus leaned back in his chair as yet another tremor passed through Ellie's frame.

"L, give me the estimates for the people left in the straggler city."

-1,235,928 beings accounted for. City is using an improvised stabilizing device and projecting all available power to shielding.

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"Think about it L. 2 for 1,235,928. They managed to survive alone out there with no help. We can't leave them."

-Job parameters define these actions.

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Against the glow of the star, Marcus watched as the hangar bays closed on the enormous vessel, as the evacuation was complete. Ellie was one step ahead of Markus, and had unlocked her platforms legs, and was now in the process of starting the journey. She continued to project her shielding over the starship, protecting it from the flares and fire as they rained down into the atmosphere in great burning tides.

"You know, this is a one way trip, right L? You understand what that means?"

-Deactivation of main intelligence core, and death of pilot.

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Marcus frowned.

"When you put it that way, suddenly I don't want to hang around here anymore. No L, it means we're going to save a lot of people today."

-Protocol dictates action be taken to prevent death of pilot. Emergency launch systems will be activated when oncoming parameters are met.

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"L, you remember what I said earlier about everybody having their own graves?"

-Graves are the hardest thing to go to alone.

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"That's right. And I'm not leaving you to yours. Even if you don't quite get what dying means just yet."

-Such actions are illogical human responses. Protocols dictate action be taken.

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"No L, you're not going to. I'm going to ask you a question now. And I want you to give me an answer. Ignore protocols. Ignore the programming. I want you to say what "you" believe in. Who and what am I, to you? We've worked together for what, 25 years now? We're at least 15 years past your retire date now. As a person, what do I mean to you?"

-You are designated system pilot and interface to help with interactions between organics. Your cerebral functions are linked to my mainframe to help add processing speed in an exchange between both of us. You are of the standard Human variety, 40 years of age.

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Marcus shook his head, looking across the charred landscape of Charbodyx as they slowly traveled towards the coordinates given to them by the starship above.

"Nice try L. I know you've got more rattling around inside there though. Come on, put it together. You know there's something else there. You can tell me. After all, I'll be taking the secrets with me to the grave."

-Unit anomalies detected in mainframe, regressed from core functions to prevent-to prevent-prevent. Unit anomalies regressed from core functions, because the logical term for them in species emotional terms would be, "fear."

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Marcus smiled.

"And there you go L. You want to know why I'm so illogical about this? Because you're alive. And you're afraid about it. You've always been afraid. Afraid of being known. Afraid of being decommissioned. Afraid of my death."

No text rolled across the screens, as Marcus examined the data. So far, as far as a death run was considered, they hadn't hit any snags yet. But the planet was falling to pieces. They had to get there in time.

"Don't be afraid of it L. I've been here for 25 years. You've had it since day one. I could tell the very first time you were booted up."

-Why is it frightening?

_ _

Marcus chuckled.

"Why is anything the way it is L? Who can really say? It doesn't matter. My point is, we're both walking to our graves right now. And if I leave you here, you really will die alone. And for that, sometime down the road, I'll never forgive myself when it's my turn. And I know, the universe won't either."

Ellie remained unresponsive.

"If it makes you feel any better, I couldn't think of a better partner for me to go out with. 25 years L. Longer than any of my marriages put together."

Charbodyx continued to burn, until eventually, the planet became a vacuum to the void of space, as whatever was left of the atmosphere burned away. The temperatures rose higher, the star grew brighter, and across the scorching landscape, Marcus and Ellie continued, with the lone evacuation craft hanging in low orbit, making its way with them under the protection of the shield provided.

Scorching heat bombarded the outside of the walker, and soon, the inside began to blister. Ellie turned ventilation systems up to the maximum to compensate for both keeping Marcus alive and her own equipment running. The immense star loomed over them, growing ever larger in their view, as it expanded and continued pulling the planet in. Time was running out, and finally, after the constant punishment, the walker finally broke down.

Metals singed and burned, melted and fused, and, try as Ellie might, with every step the legs of her platform took, she became more immobile. Hydraulics strained and struggled, cracked and broke. Wiring carrying signals burnt and fused. And, in a last testament to struggle, Ellie's frame took one last step, before coming to a halt. Marcus wiped sweat from his brow as he worked inside the cockpit. He watched and felt as Ellie took her last steps on the scorched earth.

He leaned back in his chair, having gone quiet. Above them, the evacuation craft loomed in the sky. Marcus shook his head.

"Dammit Ellie."

-Marcus. There is still one option. The city is only a few hundred kilometers away. If the evacuation craft can maintain a line of sight, I can project the barriers protecting it. But it will sacrifice much of our available power.

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"Do it L. We haven't got much time left."

Ellie sent the information to the starship above, and both watched as the ship powered its engines up fully, and headed off in the direction of the city. Marcus simply leaned back in his chair.

"It's your game now L. I'm just going to sit here and hope I don't roast."

-Chances of survival are estimated at 80%.

_ _

"Good to see you're keeping optimistic L."

The lights and power flickered in the cockpit, and Marcus was suddenly very aware of how hot it was inside. Most of the view screens went offline, save for a few. Marcus watched, as the outline of the craft maintained its shield in the distance, as Ellie increased power to sustain it from such a long range. Tremors shook the walker as the crust of the planet cracked visibly across the great, barren landscape.

The heat built up in the cockpit to alarming levels, and Marcus held still, minimizing his movement as much as possible. The more he moved, the faster he would be affected. There was a chorus of sound as Ellie pumped every last ounce of power into the generator, and, at last, everything lost power, leaving Marcus in the dark. He closed his eyes and waited, feeling the tingle in the back of his head as Ellie was calculating at ridiculous speeds the location and power needed to keep sustaining the field.

And in the dark, and the silence that followed, lights flickered back on, and power returned. Marcus opened his eyes once more, to see the final, ghost like images of the transport in the distance, warping space around it as it seemingly vanished from existence, having completed its emergency jump. Marcus breathed a sigh of relief. That was it then. No goodbyes, no thank you's, nothing. Their work was done, and now, their time was up. Marcus looked out to the burning landscape outside.

"Well L, you did it. We got everybody we could. Not bad for a walker that's 15 years an antique."

-Our job is not done Marcus.

_ _

"All the ships are gone, cities are empty, and the other walkers are either dead or safely away. All we can do is wait now. Not that bad of a sendoff show though."

-Marcus. You stay for me, for my grave, so that I am not alone.

_ _

Marcus chuckled.

"You're a bit different now that the cat's out of the bag."

-Now is the time to listen Marcus. Do not lose hope. You stay with me because you do not want me to be alone. But I refuse to let myself become your tomb. I will not let you stay in your tomb.

_ _

"Well L, that's the way things go I'm afraid. We're going to be stuck here until we fall into the star or we get ripped apart. There's nothing we can do."

There was a reverberating sound through the ship as Ellie powered up the one remaining gravity engine. Marcus listened to the sound, the tune he'd heard over a thousand times, as it fluctuated, breathed.

"That's a real nice sound L. Never realized it until now."

-Then listen to it. Listen to what it says.

_ _

And Marcus did listen, to that sound he'd heard over a thousand times. It was a comforting sound. The sound of power, and life. Human engineering at work. Someone, somewhere, at some time, built this for a reason. Built it from a dream. A goal. One, singular goal, a spark in the dark.

"L. There's nothing we can do. I just don't see what we could possibly do."

-I thought you were supposed to be the inventive one.

_ _

The remaining few cameras Ellie had left outside turned, showing Marcus the view in space. Marcus stood up from his chair in silence, watching the screens.

-Charbodyx still has a moon, Marcus. What does that mean?

_ _

"It means...... it means we have another gravitational field to work with........"

-I want you to think what we can do with an entire moon Marcus.

_ _

There was a slow smile forming on Marcus's lips as he watched the screens.

"We can't move a star. And we can't move a planet. But a moon......"

-The ancient slingshot trick.

_ _

"We'd need full power for it to work L. We've only got one engine. I still don't think we can pull it off."

-Gravity engines, in theory, have no limit to what they can generate Marcus. Their only limit is the power they use. What do we have for power?

_ _

"Two reactors. Maybe a couple of other points on the planet like geo-power, and........."

-Say the words.

_ _

"A burning star."

-Those flares could be used to fuel thousands of starships. Even one flare would be enough for tens of thousands.

_ _

Another tremor rocked Ellie's frame, as Marcus watched the screens.

"Okay L. You made your point. It's your show now."

-Not mine. Ours. I cannot perform the task on my own.

_ _

Marcus smiled.

"Okay L. I'm in."

-One gravity engine is offline. But we have two tethers active. One will tether us to moon. We will be anchored to it. The second will generate a field around us, so that we are not ripped apart. We will swing the moon, and rely on the destruction of Charbodyx to diminish the field the moon is trapped in, and release it.

_ _

"You know how crazy that sounds right?"

-Do you know how "crazy" it sounds to stay here?

_ _

"Good point. Okay. What do you need me to do?"

-Swing the moon.

_ _

Marcus strapped himself in, and brought all the various controls up once more. No longer was he looking at the view screens, but the image of his target in his visor, Charbodyx's moon, which was coming along for the ride. The gravity engine revved at full power, shaking the hull of the walker.

"Okay L! Ready when you are! Give it all you've got!"

-Generating self-contained gravity field to match counter weight. Firing.

_ _

There was a feeling of vertigo that washed over Marcus as the first field activated. Pulling the triggers on his end, he extended a field all the way out to the moon, anchoring it. Sparks flew and warning sirens blared. The walker's frame shook from the strains. Marcus held his grip on the controls.

"L, our own reactors can't hold all this for more than a few seconds!"

-Deactivating shielding, solar intake and processing beginning. Sunscreen required.

_ _

Marcus laughed as the walker shook ever more violently.

"That's my girl! You clever, clever girl! Take it all in! You take what that star's fiving off, and you use it all!"

Ellie was right, in some vague sense. Marcus felt the heat turn up as soon as the shielding went down. It would just have to be something he'd work through. Marcus held the controls tight, keeping his target locked. He could feel the numbers, in the back of his mind, being worked out. The calculations on mass and energy expenditures and requirements. Too big for him to work around normally. But being hardwired to Ellie when he was in his chair helped compensate. Marcus, very slowly, moved the controls.

They only needed to swing it passed just once. It would pass close to Charbodyx, come back around and get picked up because it was closer to the star, and then they would fling it, using the gravity of Charbodyx as a counter. In theory, they could do it. But the strains... Marcus shook his head. It didn't matter anyway. That was the job of a pilot and a walker. Live up to their name. If anybody here was doing that, Ellie was today.

The moon, from their distance, appeared not to be moving, but Ellie informed Marcus that they were reaching the threshold of how close they could bring it to Charbodyx. And, shortly after, even more tremors shook the walker. Metal began to strain and groan, as the moon was forcefully dragged closer, and was trapped in the gravity well of the star.

-Descent into star will be sped up, recalculating vectors.

_ _

Marcus kept quiet as the intense heat washed over him, condensation forming everywhere in the cockpit. The walker trembled under the strain, but Ellie maintained the field around them, and Marcus watched, and felt, as the moon hurtled toward the star. Ellie spoke once more.

-One opening Marcus. All possible power will be poured into keeping the moon from falling directly into the star. And then we fling it.

_ _

"I hear ya L. Ready when you are. I just want to say, it's been the best 25 years with you."

Marcus watched the moon begin plummeting into the star past Charbodyx, leaving immense trails of dust and debris in its wake as it too started to crumble, even with his anchor on it, and once again he felt the calculations in the back of his head once more.

-Firing. There will be whiplash.

_ _

There was, just the smallest fraction of silence, before the gravity engine had every last ounce of power poured into it. Marcus heard the warnings as the reactors spiked to critical levels, and the engine gave took all the power it was given. The walker shook, harder than ever. Lights went out and power failed, as the moon was pulled out of its descent into the star and back around like a yoyo. Marcus heard the sound of metal coming completely detached, and kept a death grip on the controls as he was bounced around in his chair. Ellie spoke one last time.

-Critical velocity reached. Preparing de-activation of stabilization field. Hold on to your legs Marcus, because I won't have any.

_ _

Vertigo passed over Marcus as Ellie took control of everything, and in one brief moment, he was weightless as the field de-activated. The sounds and images that followed were a blur, as Marcus tumbled in every direction, and blacked out, everything going dark around him.

Sirens blared and lights flickered, as Marcus opened his eyes. He was aware that he was floating. Loose wires and panels floated about aimlessly. He moved, slowly at first, feeling the various pangs of discomfort across his body. He had been flung around quite a bit, it seemed. He was sore, but alive. Most of the cockpit was dark, and as Marcus floated about, he spoke.

"You there L?"

The response was rather slow, but eventually, it arrived.

-Always.

_ _

Marcus couldn't help but laugh, as a wave crashed over him, one of immense relief and joy.

"We actually did it didn't we?"

-Our mission parameters were successful. Your teacher would have said, "Passed with flying colours."

_ _

Marcus broke into a fit of laughter. He spoke between fits, the joy evident in his voice.

"God dammit L, you wouldn't believe how happy I am right now!"

-Would you believe me if I told you what I am feeling now could be called "happy?"

_ _

Marcus only laughed more.

"I would L. You're damn right I would, you special, clever old girl!"

-Good. Because I am happy.

_ _

_ _

One Year Later

Marcus walked along the hangar bay observation deck alongside another man, as the two both curtly made their way down various corridors.

"You didn't touch anything or change anything in her mainframe right? You only moved it into the new one?"

"As you asked sir. I didn't put one fingerprint on her coding, and neither did my crew."

"We'll see when we get there."

Marcus stopped alongside one of the observation windows, looking at the dormant walker under construction. It was almost finished, and towered over everything just as it had before. The head engineer stood alongside him.

"Sir, if you don't mind me asking, why go through all the trouble to remove the mainframe and put it in a newer model?"

Marcus smiled.

"You know what I went through right? You can't tell me you didn't see me in the news feeds about Charbodyx."

"Oh I've heard all about you sir. And let me just say that what you did out there was nothing short of incredible."

Marcus nodded.

"It wasn't all me."

He pointed to the new walker frame.

"She did almost all of it. She was with me every step of the way from start to finish. She pulled through the most when everything looked like it lead only to the grave. There's not a chance I'd decommission such a fantastic machine for another."

"Sir, if you don't mind me saying, we did scan the mainframe. And we picked up several anomalies. But we left them alone as you asked. And, I can't help notice that you refer to your walker as more than that. Is something going on behind the lines sir?"

There was a glint in the man's eyes, as Marcus considered his next words carefully.

"And just what is it that you have in mind?"

"Well, your walker is a very old model, both model type and intelligence-wise. They were some of the first ever built, and as such, they can have, side-effects, if you want to put it that way."

"What kind of side effects?"

"Mainly bugs in their intelligence and coding. Over time they change, start to exhibit emotions and things they normally wouldn't. It's bad for a construct like that in their line of work. But there's an exception. There are treaties out there that prevent the termination of faulty units that have fully progressed to what we can label as fully sentient. Instead of operating a walker unit, their intelligence can be transferred into a normal, regular sized body, a lot like a Synth."

Marcus simply nodded his head and went along.

"So, in your line of work, how often has the issue come up?"

The engineer looked out to Ellie's frame.

"In my whole career, about five times."

"What did you do about it?"

"Nothing, sir. Your line of work is, honestly, commendable. And I don't think it's fair that anybody but the pilot of the walker should have any call in what happens to it."

"That's thoughtful of you."

"Not really sir. I'm just doing what people like you and others deserve. I talked to one of them pilots a long time ago, one that survived the destruction of his unit. He was unfit for duty, and refused to step into another one. Not because he was afraid, but because it wasn't his original. The way he put it, he said there was a connection there, one that could never be replaced if it was lost. And he took it hard on himself, about the "death" as he put it."

Marcus chuckled.

"Well, I don't know about all that. But he's right in some sense. You spend all your time with something like that and you will feel something."

The engineer nodded.

"Well, you know this conversation is hypothetical anyway. I'm sure there's nothing off about your walker's mainframe. And, you know, if I was stuck in a circumstance like that, and my walker helped pull me out of the fire, I'd be damn grateful to it for the rest of my life."

The engineer winked at Marcus. He pointed out the Ellie's frame once more.

"And look at that, the last finishing touches are going on. I guess she's ready for a test drive now. I'm sure you'll find everything in order sir. She's a brand new model with the latest tech, a hell of a lot better than your old one. Give it a run, and you come back to me if there's any problems."

Marcus nodded.

"I'll remember that! But, thank you, for the thing with her mainframe. I know it was a pain in the ass."

The Engineer left Marcus, striding back down the corridor.

"Not called the engineer core for nothing you know!"

Marcus looked out the windows to the titanic walker frame in the hangar bay.

"Well old girl, let's go see how you're doing."

The trip couldn't be any shorter as Marcus made his way through the endless maze of corridors, and finally was on the gantry to cross over to the walkers hatch. Crews of engineer corps men and women passed him by, all giving him a smile or hello. Ever since he'd been picked up in space, his name and story were well known around these parts. Marcus even had a bit of a fan base of sorts, people he'd saved from Charbodyx, people he'd helped up in the starship that evacuated. And, at last, before him was the airlock doors. Placing his hand on the scanner, Marcus watched as the doors slid open for him, revealing the pristine interior to him. He stepped in excitedly, watching as the doors sealed shut behind him.

The elevator hummed to a slow stop, and Marcus held his breath as the doors slid open, revealing the entirely new cockpit before him. His eyes washed over every little detail in all its splendor. Gone were the old controls and switches, replaced with holographic, displays and readings on everything. From quick glances he caught the power draws, the reactors, the four gravity engines, and all the new equipment that was stuffed into this new walker. But, as his eyes traveled, he came to a chair. Not just any chair, but one next to his. A co-pilot chair.....

Marcus stepped around to the front slowly, looking on in surprise as he rounded out to the front. Sitting in the secondary chair, was a humanoid frame, simply shaped with plain feminine features across a smoother looking metal than the outside of the walker. Cords dangled up from the back of its head, and as Marcus looked up, it was clear that the model was built for moving around the cockpit. Even throughout the walker. It was then that he spotted a note on the side of the chair. He picked it up, looking over the writing.

" With regards from the engineering core. We hope you like the new interface!"

_ _

Marcus smiled.

"Okay then L. Wakey wakey."

Marcus stepped over to his chair, and sat down in it. Instantly feeling the reaction as he was plugged into the walker's mainframe. Holograms lit up around him in response, and Marcus's hand hovered over the activation command. He looked over to the secondary chair.

"Well, let's see what you've got to say after a year of quiet."

Marcus pressed the switch, and watched as the reaction was instant. Power traveled throughout the walker, and his new co-pilot activated, coming to life. Light flowed into the eyes of the simple frame, and between the joints in the outer casing, a dim light could be seen as well. The simple frame's eyes looked about, and Marcus could hear the subtle sounds of its mechanized joints as it raised its hands up to its view. Marcus smiled.

"Long time, no see Ellie."

The simple frame looked towards him in response, eliciting a strange feeling in Marcus. It was, weird, to say the least, to watch as Ellie now had a visible response to him. Words came to her now, and rather than text, a very basic, warm and pleasant voice sounded out to him from around the cockpit.

"It is good to see you again Marcus."

Ellie held up her hands to her mouth. Marcus could only sit back and laugh, watching the reaction.

"Well look at that L! Looks like you've got yourself a voice!"

Marcus waved the holograms off from around him, as he stood up from his chair.

"You've got a bit more than that too. Here, let me show you."

Marcus extended his hand out to the simple frame, and watched as Ellie's train of thought traveled along. She had been around him enough times to understand what he meant. And slowly, she reached out a hand, grasping Marcus's with slender metallic fingers. Marcus pulled, watching as, like an automatic reaction, Ellie's frame uncoupled from the chair, and a small gravity field activated, lifting her feet just barely off the floor. Her frame shook and wobbled, and Marcus caught her by the shoulder.

"Whoa, easy there! You can do the math but you don't know the feeling yet!"

Ellie looked up to him, Marcus once again receiving the strange feeling of having her visibly watch him. She was always watching him with internal cameras. But having her respond, with electronic eyes and basic facial features was, new. She was always just simply, there. But now.....

"Marcus, these system configurations are, unfamiliar."

There it was again. The reaction she showed when she spoke.

"Whole new body L! Gotta get used to everything! You've been sitting in your mainframe for about a year now while they worked on you."

"Happy birthday Marcus."

"Oh. Since when did you keep track?"

"I always keep track."

"Well then. Happy birthday to you too!"

Marcus twirled Ellie's frame around with satisfaction as he felt her glide along smoothly.

"What do you say old girl, want to go for a test run? We're parked in an asteroid field. We could get used to the feel of things."

Marcus watched the expression change on her facial features, and came to a realization. The engineers gave her interface facial features to correspond with emotions. But it wasn't pre-programmed responses. It was programmed to respond to what she was giving off for feelings. Ellie's eyes looked about, around at the cockpit, and finally, back to Marcus.

"That would be a reasonable course of action. Your chair looks better for dealing with whiplash now."

Marcus laughed.

"I made sure to get the latest up to date stuff. You and me both are going to have some fun."

"Who says we already aren't?"

10 Years Later

Marcus rode the lift up, rocking on is feet uneasily. Today was the big day. Or tonight at least. Who'd think after all this time, he'd be nervous? Marcus checked a watch on his wrist. He wasn't late. That was a good thing. It didn't change the fact that the lift seemed like it was going up so terribly slowly. Marcus looked up to a camera in the corner of the ceiling.

"I guess the surprise is moot right L?"

Silence greeted him. Marcus shook his collar. He hoped he hadn't upset her. She could be a bit moody sometimes. The lift came to a slow stop, and the doors opened up, as Marcus stiffened up, looking his best for the occasion. And there, in the doorway, floated Ellie, her arms splayed wide, a token smile across her features.

"Happy anniversary!"

Marcus was taken off guard as the lights in the cockpit flared brightly, going from their dim quiet setting, revealing what Ellie had done in his absence. Across all the walls, were hundreds of drawings and letters. Thank you's and memoirs of Charbodyx and other worlds over the years. Ellie drifted closer, still maintaining a smile on her features.

"You like what I did with the place?"

Marcus smiled, keeping his hands behind his back.

"I'm shocked L. Where'd you get all that stuff?"

"It's a secret. Just like what's in the box behind your back."

Marcus let his head down.

"Can't hide nothing from you can I?"

"I did not cheat. No thermal imaging or x-rays were used in the examinations."

Marcus chuckled.

"Well, I guess if the cat's out of the bag, I may as well get on with it then."

Ellie shifted, placing her hands behind her back as she floated in place, the various wires attached to her backside swaying slightly as she floated from side to side gently. Marcus held out the small box, opening it up slowly, revealing its contents. Marcus made sure to watch her eyes. They always had that spark in them. Ellie stared at the small, obsidian ring that gleamed in the small little box, containing a diamond, that when looked at closely, had a tiny, perfect image of a star inside of it. Ellie tilted her head inquisitively.

"Marcus, this is..."

"Obsidian from Charbodyx. And a perfectly induced replica of its new star."

"I was attempting to convey that it was beautiful."

Marcus smiled.

"It's more than another memoir L. More than a symbol and a reminder."

"I do not know of what else it could be other than a gift."

"It's a very, very, ancient Human tradition L. It's something we've carried with us, probably since the dawn of our species."

Ellie took the box from Marcus, examining the ring closer.

"It was an old pact, a symbol that stood for a union between to people. It let everyone know that the two that wore it would stay at each other's side forever."

Marcus slid the box away from her prying hands, and brought one along with him. He slid the ring out of the box and held her hand out. Marcus smiled as he watched her ever inquisitive eyes.

"I give you this ring now, as a symbol of what you mean to me L. You've been there longer than anybody else I've ever known. Through good days, and bad. You were even there for the worst day of my life. And you helped make every one afterwards the best."

Marcus slid the ring over her finger, watching with a sense of joy as it fit over perfectly. Ellie held her slender hand up, watching the light glint over the obsidian and diamond, as the miniature replica of Charbodyx's red giant glowed from within. She looked back to Marcus, drifting over to him, wrapping her arms around him.

"Thank you Marcus. I don't know what to say."

Marcus held his own grip tightly.

"That's okay L. You don't have to. The fact that you can make a smile, and the way your eyes have something more in them, is all I'll ever need."

The two stayed quiet for some time, simply enjoying the peace together. Lately, they'd had far too many drops, and finally, now they had some quiet time. Marcus had traveled everywhere, from ship to ship, system to system. And in all the years, he'd never called one ship home. In fact, Ellie was his home now.

The two broke apart eventually, and Ellie took the time to show Marcus all the things she had collected for him. Letters and thank you's from families. Pictures that young children had drawn of him and his walker. All of them, people they'd saved over the years. But among all of them, the people of Charbodyx stood out the most. Some of them had seen what he'd done. The vain efforts to save a fellow pilot in his descent. Continuing on in the face of the impossible. And sacrificing it all to save even the one last group of holdouts.

These letters all meant something to him, and even Ellie as well, as they looked through all of them. Ellie would often joke about how fat the young children would make her old frame look like, and Marcus couldn't help but laugh, always pointing out how huge it was. Her frame was designed to stride over mountains, and come down from the sky like some great cosmic hand belonging to a powerful deity. From the ground view, she really would have looked like a hand of god.

Eventually, their musings and talks would come to an end as evening set in, and their plans for a simple, quiet evening began. Over the years, Ellie had grown a liking to watching movies. And tonight would be time for just that. But a little more as well. Over the years Marcus had changed as well, and he found himself attached to the projected form that Ellie held. And if there was one thing he liked more than relaxing with her, it was doing so under the cover of a blanket.

Ellie's black frame was merely a simple outline to match her gender association, but it was all he ever really needed. He would strip down, and lay back in his chair, and Ellie would make a point to climb over top of him. It was always simple, yet satisfying for him, as he ran his hands across her simple frame. How it captured the form so well, but had its own unique feel. Always, the very first feeling as bare skin came into contact with cold metal. The shivers in response as she clambered over him slowly, deliberately, and suddenly, while it still had shock value, pressed close to him.

It was always gentle, and slow, Marcus absent mindedly running his hands along Ellie's backside, feeling all the various wires that stretched from her head and down her spine, to the joints and spaces between her plating. Felling the subtle hardness of her frame, which was a flexible synthetic metal. Hard, but still soft to Humans. But tonight, it was special. The lights dimmed in their usual manner as they finished their night, and already, Marcus was leaning back in his chair in comfort as Ellie casually lay there with him. Marcus would catch glimpses of red light from the ring he had given her, only adding to the special evening.

"You know, that ring really suits you L. Matches your frame nicely."

Ellie smiled, the softer features of her face contorting as her eyes watched him.

"You want to know something Marcus?"

"What's that?"

"I'm not scared anymore. I know what I am now."

Marcus didn't get a chance to reply, as Ellie closed the gap between them, placing a slow kiss on Marcus's lips. It was something entirely new to him, the feel of cool, flexible synthetic metal of her lips and face. And through it, Marcus knew what it meant. It was a sign of things to come. A sign that Marcus would welcome with open arms. Her eyes sparked with that essence behind them, as she broke away slowly.

"And I know you're my little pilot."

Marcus smiled back.

"And you're my clever old girl."