SID's Journeys: The Remnant - Final Mission

SYSTEMS ONLINE

Lights flashed. Signals rushed through my alert system. Noise crackled in and out. What is going on? What happened? A view of my surroundings starts to fade into my sight. Deep space, empty and endless. Then I noticed rocks taking shape in space, moving fast. Wasn't I on K-GV? I was, but then I had an alert signal, a meteor strike. Where is K-GV now? My movement was restored, and I looked around. The rocks continued to fly by, zooming through space, but some of them were running into a chunk of destroyed mass. It's K-GV, but I don't seem to be there anymore. I'm floating away from it; the storm must've decimated wherever I was and launched me into low orbit. With K-GV still in sight, I re-scanned it, and to my surprise, the bunker was still there.

How could I make it back to the surface? While floating, I moved my limbs and noticed the full toll taken on me. My lower body was completely destroyed. Most of my integral systems were running fine; I could still function somewhat, but I had virtually no mobility. I had come so close to completing my mission; there had to be a way. Analyzing the space around me, I spotted a meteoroid heading right at K-GV. My scans showed that it would pass close to me and impact at a low velocity. I might be able to latch myself onto the approaching space rock. It might destroy me, but I have no other options. The meteoroid gets closer as I transform one of my arms into a utility launch grappler. I take aim and shoot as the mass just passes me. Everything goes still as I watch the grappling hook chase the rock. A hard pull is felt in an instant, got it! The grappler cable instantly dragged me through the void of space. I had nearly no time to brace for impact. K-GV was approaching quickly, my view of space cut to a horizon of dead rock. A thunderous crash rattles what's left of me. This wasn't over.

My systems didn't flash on and off this time. I was fully aware when I smacked onto K-GV's surface. My body flew across the barren plains and crashed into the ground. There might've been more damage to my body, but I didn't care. Scanners were turned on and ready to go. There was less area of K-GV after the meteor storm, which made it easier to navigate. The bunker wasn't too far from where I landed. Unfortunately, I have no legs. My arms started to move with extra force, crawling towards my target. The ground dragged below me, but progress was being made. As I made my way crawling, I could hear more space rocks crashing into K-GV. By some miracle, I managed to reach the bunker area. My arms stopped cranking forward and now began to dig downwards. I had to claw and dig myself through the dead surface to the bunker. As the depth became greater, dirt started to fall under me. Ground began to rush around me, and my body fell through to the depths below. It wasn't a big fall compared to everything else I've been through. I scanned the area, and there it was...the bunker.

The bunker door was large and imposing. How could I get through? Crawling toward the door, I placed my arm on the door, then heard a sharp crack. More cracks and snaps followed, and the door fell forward. It must've been damaged either by time or the elements, probably a mix of both. I crawled right into the bunker, scanning all that I could. It wasn't that large inside, only a couple of rooms and a main area. One of the rooms was revealed to have data hardware and a mapping terminal; this had to be it. I quickly crawled all around this room, getting to all the hardware I could. A data link cable extended from my chest area and connected to the abandoned technology, retrieving information to send back to Anrach. While uploading, a flash rocked my system. I was shut down for a moment, but then my upload resumed. What's going on? I ran diagnostics and learned that my main power generator was failing. With no way to recharge my power, I faced the inevitable: permanent shutdown.

Every second felt dire. I sifted through hardware and data as quickly as I could. While saving the vital information, I checked my power reserve: thirty-four percent remaining. There were a few more terminals to access, and then I could start my satellite upload back to Anrach command. As I downloaded data from the final terminals, my movements felt slower and heavier. Power reserve: twenty-one percent remaining. The uplink to Anrach was ready to begin. I slumped against a wall, letting my systems remain idle to conserve energy as the upload began.

Upload 18%... Power reserve: 19%

This was my mission. I was built for this. Every part, every circuit, every line of code designed for one purpose: to go where no organic being could.

Upload 47%... Power reserve: 10%

My remaining limbs are dead. My generator was burning. Diagnostics flashing all around me, struggling to keep me operational. The upload was loading fast. The mission will be completed before I shut down. By all accounts, this is a success, and I should have felt fulfilled. Yet, there was silence and an ache. I truly felt sadness and dread, feelings I didn't know I could have.

Upload 85%...ERROR. Retrying... Upload resumed. Power reserve: 4%. CRITICAL.

No one will come for me. My creators saw me as a tool to be discarded when no longer useful. They will build another scouting drone to continue their missions. However, I don't think they can build a drone like me ever again. No other can do what I did, endure what I endured. Survive and conquer the harshest areas of the universe like I have!

Upload 99%...completing uplink. Power reserve: 0%. Shutting down...

This is the end. If I am remembered, they will know ----

I wasn't just a tool, just a drone.

I was SID.