The Miner

Silence followed as a small horde of semi-mechanical robot bugs came flowing down my arm onto my waiting claw and then flooded forward into the exposed components on the chest of the poor Starter Mining robot. A sharp pain hit my arm, not physical but more an extreme case of pins and needles that I felt keenly in my mind. The words struck me then.

Nothing is gained without cost.

Thirsty and hungry. It was the only way that I would be able to describe it as a human mind trapped in a robot form. Along with aches, pains, and the sensation of breathing it should be a sensation that shouldn’t have existed. My sensor array was attempting to track the movements of the tiny bugs as they focused on reconnecting essential systems, repairing those and ignoring the rest. Never had I felt so thankful for not giving direct instructions to put on a new pair of legs or a missing arm.

I now fully understood why the Campos System, no Vincent had forced my human mind into a state of deep unconsciousness where I had been completely unaware of my physical surroundings and the pain that must have followed. An arm for an arm, legs for legs, pain for pain.

As I was tracking them, I was able to identify with detector lenses that small lights began to flash up and glow brightly on the upper body of the starter repair drone. The process was working but at the same time it was absorbing amounts of energy from my internal battery, it was not pleasant at all. I blanked out for a moment with my outstretched arm as I thought the voice of the system was talking to me, but what passed for my ears failed to hear anything.

<….stop. I said stop! The power drain is too much. You successfully performed an activation but you need to save some more energy for yourself at least. Don’t try and be a hero now or we’ll both be dead to the world. Same as the->

I struggled to form the words in my mind. My brain was stuck. Kinda odd. Ugh. It had become so hard to talk suddenly and my mind was working at a far reduced speed than normal, like working when you’ve had no decent sleep for several days and you need to seriously focus on a vital project.

[External toolbox, return to sender. You bugs can stop the repair process now.]

The message hit my eyes as a bright light shined in my mind.

-External Mechanical Tool Set (10% Damage – In process of deactivation. – Warning! Gradual power drain until complete.)

The poor broken fool in front of my arm had now been partially restored. Aside from the missing legs and arm which I was going to fix up over a bit of time, perhaps the little robotic repair bugs could help me to convert existing materials into usable parts.

[The main base of oper-operations.]

A valid little bit of advice. I was sure that if the mining robot caused me any grief or issues later on, I’d take the easy option of dealing with it outside of an immediate kill switch. Ripping his guts out would teach him a good lesson, not quite sure who would need to clean up the mess though. The battery supply was an unpleasant surprise. Energy was a necessity.

-Power Supply (Battery Pack 66% Charged – Mainly Functional. Excessive Power Drain requires cool-down period.)

Less than I thought, more than I’d hoped. Not better than nothing because absolutely anything was better than nothing but usable. I was interrupted at this point in my thoughts by a noise in front of me, the starter drone had woken up.

{ZZZZZ.}

It lives!

{ZZZZZZZ}

[Shh….Campos system, did you need to be installed on this thing to create a sub-partition control mechanism?]

Rather than choosing to answer, the best thing that I was capable of doing when a badly damaged mining drone woke up with no self-awareness, legs, and a missing arm. I pulled back my arm, stretched the pair of them open wide and hugged it as softly and slowly as I could manage in this form.

[I’m so sorry. You need help and I can’t give it enough yet.]

<…Buddy…..Buddy…uh...>

Still gently hugging the broken starter mining drone as softly as I could I then chose to release my grip and took a strong hold of it under both its arms.

[Yes, oh mighty Campos system?]

First the Vincent, sorry, Vin system or whoever was meant to be in control of the support mechanism that was enabling me to do my job and provide some guidance had hugged me and then criticised me when I did the same in turn.

[What is your problem? I’m showing my respect to the recently dead. I bought him back to life, I and a little bit of kindness are deserved.]

The system failed to respond to me, no doubt calculating an answer that would be designed to make me work harder and accomplish my set tasks. To be a slave was no easy job. Perhaps death for both of us would be a good option, I could self-detonate what was left of my battery and the poor mining drone would both be free from suffering.

{ZZZZZ.}

The broken mining drone continued to flash several lights according to my 3D scanner, although it hadn’t attempted to move or take any further action. I did hope that it would understand that my attempts at kindness were from sympathy, not pity.

{ZZZZZ.}

I carried on with my gentle hugging to try and make the pain and fear that the now awakened starter mining drone felt. I held it closer towards my chest area, careful to not use too much strength for the risk of damaging it further.

[It’s ok. It’s ok.]

Current Objectives

: Successful Minor Repair/Full Repair needed for Mining Drone

: Detect Scavenger Presence

Temporary Objective: Bring Mining Drone to Supply Building

-Partial Reward: 30 minutes in Mind Palace, 15 XP

- Full Reward on Completion: 2 Hours in Mind Palace, 50 XP

Failure of Objectives: Physical Restriction>

{ZZZZZ.}

I saw my current mission status and after what had felt like so many long days, I had finally achieved part of it, I’d be able to take my rest in the fancy escape room without distraction and eat some pastries and drink my buckwheat tea. But first, the poor soul trapped inside the broken mining drone in front of me needed support and understanding. Perhaps we both did. An unforgiving artificial intelligence god controlling our actions and if I was right about the failure of an objective punishment would be a physical restriction. A body turned into a prison for a broken mind.

{ZZZZZ.}

Yes, he and I were both born to suffer. To remedy it we would need to find a new place to exist, one free from chains and constant demands. I considered a book I had read once during the second time that I entered the so-called Mind Palace. It was a prison really for my soul and physical form. If my current body was hell then I would call that place purgatory.

The book had been called ‘A Guide to Asymmetric Warfare: How to Win a Conflict a Rock at a Time.’ If a priority was to both fight back against the scavengers if they proved an immediate threat and also to ensure the everlasting safety of the Campos system, the broken mining drone and myself then by overloading both batteries stored in us an explosion would remove the need for any scavenger to come here.

To ensure that nothing would be left behind it could even be done in the supply place. Destruction. The book had a section on scorched earth tactics, to deny an enemy your supplies you first needed to render them incapable of taking them. All of the batteries detonated together should be enough to send everything into peaceful oblivion.

{ZZZZZ.}

I would first need to take my new best friend and take him to the supply depot first, he must be in constant suffering from the noises that he’s been making. To turn off the sound that he was making would be kindness. Yes, a pure form of kindness. More hugs would not fix the pain that he was in but it would at least relieve some of his anxiety.

My poor friend, soon we shall be in oblivion and past this point, no more masters, no more gods telling us what to do. Peace. Let this hug soothe your pain and heavy burden, soon weary traveller you may rest your head for both of us shall be completely dead.