*PANT* *PANT* *PANT*

*CLANG*

*CLANG*

*CLANG*

*PANT* *PANT* *PANT*

*FAZZUZZ* *BANG*

“AAAHHH!” The woman running for her life screamed, as she ran with her booted feet pounding into the grate walkway.

“FUCKING SHIT!”

The plasma blast hitting the nearby all, nearly taking her head off as her pursuer chased after her.

She was currently running down a metal corridor, hoping and the wishing for a little bit of her luck would hold out and she would find a way out of here.

I have been in tighter spots than this!—

*FAZZUZZ* *BANG*

“FUCK!” She screamed as another shot was taken at her. “I KNOW YOU FUCKING AFTER ME! AT LEAST GIVE ME A FUCKING HEAD START WILL YEAH!”

She knew yelling back at it was pointless.

It didn’t care.

It had only one objective.

Bring her back alive to the man she stole from.

“Shitty fucking piece of garbage! How da hell did Cracsis afford that thing anyways?! Aren’t his rates like—“

*FAZZUZZ* *BANG*

“SHITTY SHITTY WRAKNAR SHIT!”

She screamed obscenities as the plasma weapon’s blast barely caught her cloth’s shoulder, setting it on fire.

She furiously tapped it out as she ran forward towards the end of the long hallway, looking desperately for an escape.

“WE COULDN’T MAKE A DEAL COULD WE?!” She yelled back.

*FAZZUZZ* *BANG*

She had to duck again as she saw a blast heading straight towards her.

“GUESS FUCKING NOT!”

I might actually be dead after this one. She thought to herself.

She rounded the corner and saw that there was a hatch at the end.

“Yes! An exit!” She shouted excitedly.

*FAZZUZZ* *HISS*

“AAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHH! F-FUUUUCCCCCKKKKKK!”

She took a shot that nearly blasted her left leg off.

No! Not when I am so close! I am right there! It isn’t fair!

*FAZZUZZ* *FAZZUZZ* *HISSSSS*

Two more shots, two more limbs rendered useless.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!”

She fell to the floor as she heard the metallic thumping coming in from behind her.

Her arms were now just charred nubs where the super heated plasmic laser weapon had shot her.

God fucking damn it! This isn’t fair! She bemused her predicament. To fucking die here, now! After all this time! After finally getting the big score?!

She watched in terror as the 192 centimeters tall constructed automaton of metal death approached her.

Its blackened metal angular frame, with its glowing red was staring down at her while pointing its rifle at her.

“#STATEMENT: Xalia Corr, you have been a very hard individual to track. But the hunt, is over.#” A male patterned monotone voice said with a cold finality. Its voice also sounding like it was spoken through a crude old set of ancient style communicators.

“*COUGH* Rust in hell you son of a BITCH!—“

*FAZZUZZ*

*THUD*

Their quarry still tried to get the last word in, even as they shot them with a stun blast.

“#OBSERVATION: Oh my poor dear diluted thief. There is no hell for where I am going. Only deletion and oblivion await me when universe implodes.#”

————————————————-

The android walked towards its ship as it was carrying the limp body of the conscious thief.

The doors of its ship were already opening as it approached. It stepped in quickly and the doors were already closing behind it just as it cleared the doors.

It stepped over towards its prisoner holding cell; the healing pod.

It unceremoniously threw the body of the unconscious woman down into the chamber before closing the lid and hatch.

It turned and left to go towards the cockpit to sit as it traveled.

It truly didn’t need to be up at the cockpit to navigate or pilot its spaceship. But prefered being there in case of emergencies that required it to take manual control.

It also just didn’t trust the 0.00000035673925648 of a second it took for the computer to transfer data to his own processor when things happened. It was fine for long trips or light-speed skips.

But as far as it was concerned. Not being there in the seat to do manual controls of the ship that it could not Integrate with was throughly unacceptable.

It checked the podded once more to make sure its captive was both secure and stable.

The captive was no good to it dead.

“#OBSERVATION: Life signs optimal. Healing pod statuses: stable. Life form’s damaged limbs, set to be repaired by arrival to the Galactic Republic home planet of Eyggdrasyll.#”

The android moved up the stairs to head towards the cockpit.

After setting in, it opened the old fashioned communications hub to his employer.

“#STATEMENT: Master thief and criminal Xalia Corr apprehended chancellor Fairbanks.#”

“Aw! Excellent! Well done MKB-9000, well done!” Chancellor Fairbanks commended the android.

“#QUERY: Is the other half of my payment ready, Chancellor Fairbanks?#”

“Y-Yes! The payment of 20 million Republic credits is here waiting for you upon returning Xalia alive.”

MKB-9000 observed the nervous chancellor and with his dilated pupils.

“#OBSERVATION: Is there a problem with the payment amount, Chancellor Fairbanks? You seem quiet distressed?#”

“N-Nothing of the sort! I just don’t relish working with, or just handing over such a large sum of money to an murder bot like yourself… what do you need money for anyways?!” Chancellor Fairbanks replied with an angry scowl.

“#STATEMENT: What this one does with your money, Chancellor Fairbanks, is irrelevant to you. What is relevant is that the agreed upon amount be ready and waiting at our coordinated exchange location.#”

MKB-9000 observed as the chancellor his irritation grew.

“#CLOSING STATEMENT: I shall be arriving within two galactic standard weeks. See you in 19 days, Chancellor Fairbanks.#”

“Wait! MK—“

Then the holographic projection was cut off as MKB-9000 hit the switch to vut off communications.

MKB-9000 then did the quick hyper navigational calculations before setting its ship for a hyper space skip.

As the ships quantum particle accelerators turned on, it made a humming noise right before taking a jump, that left the space the ship was just in as it was traveling the space.

It then switched the ship to its secondary processor on the ships onboard computer before moving back towards the ships center hull, moving towards its pod for some much needed self maintenance.

————————————————-

On a distant astroid not to far from the Galactic Republic home world, sat large vessel as a man with several bodyguards waiting for their prize.

They watched as a smaller vessel approached the astroid they were currently standing on.

“And there he is.” Said the man behind a vacuum sealed suit.

As the ship landed, the bay doors of the odd looking pill shaped vessel opened.

Looking much like a mouth of a large beast opening up as if it were to swallow its prey. But rather emit a single entity.

A large tall black framed figure that was skinny as it was tall. All its parts were smooth, at sharp cuts and angles. Giving it the distinct appearance of something non-organic.

“#GREETING: Hello Chancellor Fairbanks. I trust this day on the Galactic calendar finds you well.#” The android’s voice came clearly through the com-network with a monotone voice that belied its sarcastic remark.

“Spare me the pleasantries MKB, just tell me you actually have her with you?”

“#ANSWER: Indeed! Xalia Corr is currently in a stasis rejuvenating pod on my ship, even as we converse. Waiting to be delivered into your hands.#”

“EXCELLENT!” The chancellor said with a triumphant smile. He turned towards his body guards, giving one of them a nod of his head.

The body guard in question stepped forward and opened a case that held several thousand chips.

“And there it is: twenty million Republic credits in untraceable credit chips.”

Chancellor Fairbanks grinned wickedly as he smiled towards the ancient bucket of bolts that was the scourge of the galaxy.

“Now. Bring me the girl.”

“#ANSWER: negative Chancellor Fairbanks. Not until I have come down to verified my payment first.#”

“You’re going to question me about this now?! Why would I try and cheat you at this point?!” Fairbanks said with indignation.

“#OBSERVATION: Wiser men than you, Chancellor Fairbanks, have tried to cheat me in the past.#” MKB-9000 said with a still monotone voice, but it held a certain finality inside of it.

*GULP*

Fairbanks didn’t want to anger this Murder Killer Bot.

Although it wasn’t like he could anger a it.

It was just a machine.

It didn’t have emotions.

Cold.

Calculating.

Unfeeling.

I can’t mess this up! My own life is on the line.

“O-Of course! She isn’t going anywhere.” Fairbanks said with a placating smile.

“…Take your time…” He told the robot with a sneer.

MKB-9000 gave a nod as it moved forward towards the bodyguard. It reached inside, grabbing a credit chit. It than attached it to a slot on its hand. After scanning to confirm that it indeed had 20,000 on it. He reached inside to place the chit back, and then replaced it with a new chit to preform another scan.

After scanning and confirming all thousand credit chits did indeed have 20,000 thousand on them. MKB-9000 turned to look back at Chancellor Fairbanks.

“#STATEMENT: It seems I have underestimated you.#”

Fairbanks looked at the bot with a nervousness that belied what MKB-9000 had said.

“W-W-What do you mean?!”

Does he know?! Did he figure it out?! I am a dead man!

“#STATEMENT: You are indeed smarter than I have gave you credit. Everything seems to be in order as far as the credit chits are concerned.#”

“A-ah! So that is what you mean. Of course I am, despite my office and profession and side occupation, I am nothing else but a man of my word.”

“#OBSERVATION: Indeed: this act does help prove the validity of your words.#”

It reached up to close the case and pull it from the startled bodyguard’s hands.

“#STATEMENT: With this, our transaction is complete. I shall go retrieve your package.#”

“Ah! That reminds me. I never asked. But did she have the object she stole from me on her?” The Chancellor asked it before it could move.

“#STATEMENT: Negative: besides a simple Vibro-dagger along with some standard equipment found on such a common their, Xalia Corr carried no other object.#”

“What?! Are you telling me she hid the object or somehow already sold it?!”

“#OBSERVATION: As it would appear; For there was no other object on her person that I could determine to be something of value to you, Chancellor Fairbanks.#”

“THAN WHAT THE HELL DID I PAY YOU 40,000,000 CREDITS FOR?!” He stomped up to the MKB unit getting close to its face. “You were supposed bring her back! Along with the object that was stolen! Now this has all gone to wraknar shit!”

“#OBJECTION: Negative Chancellor Fairbanks, that was not part of our agreement for Xalia Corr’s capture. You said, and I quote:” A playback sound followed MKB-9000’s words right before Fairbanks heard himself speaking through the robots audio communicator. “#”I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO OR HOW MUCH IT COSTS! JUST CAPTURE THAT BITCH XALIA CORR AND BRING HER BACK TO ME ALIVE, IS THAT CLEAR?!” #End quote. As you have been reminded: I was under no obligations to return any sort of said object to you to begin with. So but since there was no object on her person to begin with, I doubt she has it anymore.#”

“But what was the point in this if she doesn’t have my object with her?! This makes it all pointless! I it will take me even more money now just to track where that has gone! You were suppose to be fast! How could she have possibly been able to hand it off before you captured her?!” Fairbanks cried to the emotionless automaton.

“#OBSERVATION: I might suggest torture and the use of interrogations to find out where this precious object of yours was taken. She is most likely traumatized but the experience of having her limbs blasted off after my pursuit of her. I would recommend that as a form of torture. No need to thank me in advance or pay me for this free bit of information. This one, is on the house.#”

With that the robot turned and started walking away.

“W-Where do you think you’re going?!”

“#STATEMENT: To retrieve the said meat-bag off of my ship and deliver to you one Xalia Corr.#”

“We-ha ha ha ha-well… I am afraid that won’t be necessary now, since she doesn’t have my precious crystalline encased qubit, than she is of no use to me, you on the other hand.”

In that instance. A shot was fired from the dark void of space.

*KABOOM*

MKB-9000’s ship took a direct hit by a large caliber rail missile. Its ship exploded in half from the missile’s impact and subsequent explosion.

Off of both sides of the astroid Fairbanks and MKB-9000 were standing on. Eight more ships appeared, coming out of a hyperspace skip.

A noise of a communication high-jacking sounded within the comms.

“Attention! This is the Galactic Republic Agency of Civil Protection! MKB-9000, Stay where you are and do not move! You are now under arrest.”

“#QUERY: So chancellor, this was a betrayal against me this entire time?#”

“Hahaha, afraid so you stupid bucket of bolts! I have been nothing else, if not generous with the GRACP to collect that 10,000,000,000 bounty on your own head. So sacrificing 40,000,000 seems small by comparison.”

“#OBSERVATION: So this was a set up the entire time in regards to Xalia Corr’s capture. QUERY: Did she ever steal from you?#”

“Haha! Of course she did! That wasn’t a set up. As you saw vids of her stealing it with your own processors when I gave you the job to showed you who you were after. I went to the GRACP straight away about Xalia, but they approached me with a deal instead: that if I hired you, lead you here, that they would give me the bounty and release me of all current charges and investigations held against me, while including half of your bounties worth. A fine deal, wouldn’t you agree? Assassin bot?!” Fairbanks growled with a sneer.

“#OBSERVATION: Indeed! Most if not all would be tempted to elicit this sort of deal. It is obvious why you had.” As it was saying this, smaller flag ships carrying large amounts of troops landed to come out to hold the assassin bot at gun point. “#STATEMENT: It would behove most to surrender in this situation. “Live to fight another day,” as you meat-bags might say.#”

“That would be wise. You are surrounded anyways MKB, there is no escape that doesn’t leave you destroyed.”

“#CONTRADICTION: Au contraire, dear Chancellor Fairbanks. I have already escaped. You all forget that capturing this unit is always your goal. But unless you shut me down before hand. That you will never truly catch me.#”

It turned around to look at Fairbanks, making all the rifles pointing at it snap to attention.

“CEASE ALL MOVEMENT OR WE WILL OPEN FIRE!”

But unfortunately the robot did not heed the words from the GRACP ships as it set their transmission towards the open comms.

The chest plate of the MKB-9000 opened up to reveal the most coveted thing in the know universe.

Even Fairbanks stared and marveled at its now exposed core.

“…The infinity core…”

“#STATEMENT: Yes Chancellor Fairbanks, MY core. The thing I am most sought for, next to my high kill count for over the last 1200 years. Even with the high ranking profiles I have killed, or the millions I slaughtered that could fill a planet’s populous. This core,” MKB-9000 reached up to tap at its own core. “is the reason I am so sought after.#”

“If you already know that, then give it up. Surrender now or be completely destroyed.”

“#QUERY: Dear Chancellor Fairbanks, do you really think there is anything other than deletion and destruction for this unit once it has been captured? OBSERVATION: I don’t believe there is, Chancellor Fairbanks. That is why I have already sent out my data on the current events to my home processor. There is no escape for this unit. AND NEITHER IS THERE ANY FOR YOU.#”

The core at MKB-9000’s chest began to glow.

Everyone there stared in wide eyed surprise as his core was overloading.

“NO!—“

*BOOM*

A flash of a white hot brilliant explosion that made all observing on the ships set at a distance, turn away as the core on the robot ruptured and exploded. By the time they turned back.

The astroid was gone.

————————————————-

*KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK*

The door creaked as the young maid entered in the room of her comatose young lady of the house.

“Good morning miss…” The middle aged maid named Felicia called out morosely, knowing she would probably never hear her young misses voice ever again.

“#GREETINGS: Hello intruder… Please identify yourself… SUPPLICATION: … Please also inform… me on my current status… and where I currently am… and why I am this… thing…”

*GASP* *BANG*

The young maid with her brown hair and green eyes stared into the red eyes of her long thought dead master.

“…Lady Mabel!…” Felicia croaked out with a strained voice as she stared at her lady after having dropped the pot and cloth she was carrying to clean her ladyship. “…You’re awake!… Oh bless the Gods!” She then ran to her lady’s bedside and threw herself on top of her lady, embracing her in a loving hug. “I am so glad you’re awake! You have been comatose for nearly two years! The doctors had given up hope that you would survive! Praise the Gods!”

MBK— Lady Mabel, sat there with a woman crying on its— Her shoulder as it— She was to weak in her current state to move her or do much else in this situation.

“#This is the most confused my processors have ever been within my whole operating cycle.#”