Fendenza 251

Nobody in the world knew why the war started like it did. In fact, nobody in the world knew why it ever started. The human race was carrying on with their daily routines when the news flashed around the world that a small meteor had struck the outskirts of the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico. This event was thought to be a fluke, an unforeseen disaster. No one could predict exact dates for earthquakes or volcanic eruptions, why should a meteor strike cause any suspicion. But then the following week, two more meteors impacted earth. The first struck the suburbs of Paris and the second ten miles east of New York City. Two weeks later, four more impacted near the cities of Los Angeles, New Dehli, Tokyo and Dallas.

The United World Council called for an emergency session to discuss these anomalies. By unanimous decision, it was decided that all nations were to send their best scientists and astronomers to London to see if any theories or answers could be found. It could not be coincidental that these falling heavenly bodies were consistently impacting on or near populated areas. All remaining astronomers were combing the heavens in search of more of these oddities. For over fifty years earth's astronomers had believed they had tracked all known threats to the planet and now, all of a sudden, it seemed like someone was using earth for target practice. Then for over two months there were no impacts and everyone began to breath easy again and thought it safe.
Five of the next wave of fifteen meteors hit and caused considerable damage to five cities. Worse still, two unidentified alien ships were intercepted as they headed for Washington, DC. When all attempts to communicate with them failed, there ensued an engagement that resulted in both alien ships and four friendly interceptors being shot down. Now it was obvious that even though we did not know where these aliens came from, their present intent was strictly hostile. All of the nations of the world mobilized and pooled their resources to meet this hostile alien force from the unknown.

Technologically advanced as the earth was, travel within the Milky Way Galaxy was very limited. We had established several colonies on Mars, but not much more than that. Those outer colonies had so far been spared, perhaps because they were too small to bother with or unknown to the alien aggressor.
The wrecked alien ships provided earth's scientists and engineers with some new technology to study, and would also, hopefully, reveal their point of origin. In the following months, no more alien ships attempted to attack the earth directly, but the meteor bombardment continued. These attacks slowly increased in number and the best our scientists came up with to counter these attacks was to build what became known as the Catcher Ships.

The purpose of the Catcher Ship was simple. Intercept the incoming meteors by either destroying them with their large rail guns or allow them to crash onto the outer rings of the ship. A Catcher Ship measured eight mile in diameter and a thickness of half a mile. The ship outer rings were divided into eight sections that when badly damaged, could be removed and replaced by new sections. The outer ring of the ship was basically a large shell that sported fifty decks filled with corridors, cells and bays. The outer ring was designed just for one purpose, to take the impact of the meteor. No one lived in the outer rings. Maintenance was the only activity that took place there as crews constantly ensured all components of the decks were operating properly. Because their purpose was to protect the tierra firma, all the Catcher Ships were christened Defenders.

The center of the ship was called the core. It measured a half mile in diameter and one mile in thickness and was constructed of harder materials than the outer rings. Outside defensive weapons consisted of eight large seventy-two inch diameter rail guns in individual turrets. For shorter distances or close-in engagements, smaller caliber rail guns were also positioned. These guns consisted of 24 thirty-six inch guns, and 60 twelve inch guns. This mass of firepower were evenly split between the top and the bottom hulls of the ship. These guns were able to fire a round near the speed of light, insuring anything hit would be destroyed. Over the next ten years, one hundred Catcher Ships were produced. Thousands of meteors were intercepted and destroyed as they sped towards the earth, and hundreds had crashed onto the outer rings of the Catcher Ships causing heavy damage. The bottom line was, however, that when the final Catcher Ship was produced, not one meteor had struck the earth.

Within this core was the Command Center. From there, the Captain and his staff commanded and controlled all the operations and maintenance of the ship. A Catcher Ship originally held a garrison of 200 combat troops and the 1300 combat support and combat service support elements required to support them. An additional 3000 maintenance, specialists, and technicians completed the crew. The small 200 member garrison had proven ample defense against the enemy boarding parties. The short but violent firefights that ensued between alien boarding parties and the ships combat platoons were usually easily handled. Then one day the alien forces introduced a new weapon.

Defenders 11, 13, 20 and 26 intercepted a fleet of alien ships. Scouts flying cover for them reported that five of those ships approaching were glowing in a light blue color. Admiral Young, commander of this task force, reported this information the the Supreme Combined Earth Defense Command, describing the strange glowing ships as small "blue comets". Defender 26 was able to catch a "blue comet".

The alien boarding party penetrated the outer hull of D-26 and were met by a platoon of marines. The first wave of intruders were quickly killed. What entered next caught the platoon by surprise as a blue-skinned alien stepped out from the hatchway. It stood seven feet tall and wore no body armor or anything resembling a space suit. It had two arms that hung down limply almost to its knees and emitted a light blue glow. It had no eyes or facial features to speak of, yet it sensed its whereabouts, turned and began walking towards the defending marines. When it was within fifteen paces from them, two long thin limbs resembling squid tentacles shot out from the sides of its chest and stabbed two mesmerized marines. Within a second, both marines began screaming and turned their pulse rifles on their fellow comrades and began shooting. As if on cue, the remaining aliens from the ship began boarding D-26.

There ensued a violent firefight. The stunned marines had to shoot their two crazed comrades and engage the attacking alien forces. D-26 marines fired continuously at the blue alien but found their hits only made it glow brighter. None of their weaponry effected it. The alien boarding party was quickly dispatched but the blue intruder still casually walked towards them with its limbs writhing like deadly serpents seeking their next victims. The marines began falling back as their firepower was useless against it. Three more marines were stabbed with the same effect. Within a second of being stabbed, they began to scream and turned their weapons on their fellow marines. This engagement was quickly turning into bloodbath as friend turned against friend and at such close quarters, accuracy with a weapon was not necessary.

Two platoons armed with several different types of weapons, including flame weapons, arrived to reinforce the now severely depleted platoon. Again all their weapons proved ineffective. The alien continued at its casual pace down the corridor towards the core of the ship. Marine after marine was stabbed and died by the fire of their comrades. When the situation seemed lost, a wounded marine feigning to be dead, let the alien walk over him. The marine staggered to his feet and with the butt of his rifle, struck the alien on the back of its head. The alien fell and lay still. For long moments, everyone involved in the fight stared in disbelief at the carnage they had wrecked upon each other and at the alien creature laying still among their dead.

After the battle, Admiral Young personally went to survey the carnage and see this new alien he now dubbed "blue comet." When he was satisfied that it was no longer alive, he ordered it frozen and shipped back to earth for study. Again the brightest scientists met in London to study this new threat. As the "blue comet" was being thawed in an isolation chamber, one of its long limbs twitched and stabbed a scientist. Within seconds the unfortunate scientist went berserk and started accusing all those present of trying to steal his scientific discoveries. He became violent and physically attacked an unfortunate scientist standing nearby. Security personnel were quickly able to subdued him and he was strapped to a bed in another isolation ward for study.
Scientists studying this alien discovered that the glow surrounding it was, in fact, a protective shield that protected it from all energy and fire weapons. It also prevented sharp instruments and projectiles from penetrating. It could not, however, stop something as simple blunt polycarbonate instrument. The stinger appendages at the tip of its long limbs could puncture any known body armor. It also injected a blue fluid that altered brain functions and reason as displayed by the unfortunate scientist. The scientist who had gone berserk, recovered after several days and was able to relate that while under the influence of this fluid, he looked at anyone around him with suspicion. This fluid played upon the vices of humanity and inflated those thoughts to the point of violence. All humans were easy prey to this creature. The problem now was how to get the marines close enough to a blue comet to hit it with a blunt polycarbonate instrument without being stabbed by the mind altering drug.

In the two years it took for the Dr. Remi Fendenza to design and test his first robot, five percent of the Catcher Ships had been lost due to "blue comets". These ships were lost despite the increased number of rail guns and their combat garrisons being boosted to1000. They were truly a threat. Doctor Fendenza's little robot proved effective in combating the "blue comet" and was brought into production despite some questionable and ethical practices and problems. It was determined that every Catcher Ship should have one, and each city would have one for insurance should a "blue comet" make it to earth.

Sergeant Aaron C. Franklin was sitting at a mess hall table drinking a cup of coffee and discussing "blue comets" with his squad. His original squad of veterans had recently rotated home and his replacements consisted of eleven green, untested marines. Sergeant Franklin felt obligated to sit and mess with them and discuss anything that would help them in combat. He was their squad leader after all, and they would depend on his experience. It had been two years since being assigned as 1st Squad Leader of the 2nd Platoon in Alpha Company, one of five companies comprising the garrison for "Defender 26". He was a veteran of over 60 engagements with D-26 and had been wounded twice. Ten of those engagements involved "blue comets" where he witnessed first hand the effects this creature had on humans, and how the ship's Fendenza (Fendenza 251) dealt with it. Sergeant Franklin was stating how thankful he was for the Fendenza robot when he was interrupted by the shrill scream of the alert horn and the intercom announcement, "Battle stations. Battle stations. Enemy sighted. This is no drill! Battle stations. Battle stations. Enemy sighted. This is no drill!"

"OK, turtles," SGT Franklin shouted as he rose from the bench, "time to play. Follow me and remember all you training. I don't have time to show you lumps how to shoot."

Running down the corridor to the Alpha Company Arms Bay took only a minute. In the Arms Bay they were met by Platoon Sergeant Swan who instructed them to proceed to the arms room and draw their body armor, life packs, weapons and ammunition, and to form up in the platoon area of the Ready Bay. Moving over to the arms room they formed a line and began drawing their full body armor. From there they stepped over to the equipment line and drew their Life Packs. They quickly donned their armor and slung their packs over their shoulders and moved to the weapons line where they were issued their individual pulse rifles and received their ammunition and grenades. Once completed with their issue, they stepped out sharply to the platoon area of the Ready Bay where Sergeant Franklin personally checked their body armor and Life Packs for proper fit.

Five minutes after Sergeant Franklin completed his inspection, Sergeant Swan stepped to the front of the platoon and called them to attention. Upon Lieutenant Soto's arrival, Sergeant Swan moved briskly to the rear of the platoon. "Ladies and gentlemen," Lieutenant Soto began, "our platoon has the blue comet mission." Lieutenant Soto had been Platoon Leader for one month. If there were boarding parties, this would be his second engagement, his first if there was a "blue comet. "Our platoon will engage any enemy boarding parties that have "blue comets". If there are no "blue comets", our platoon will engage a boarding party on command. That is all. Sergeant Swan, take charge of the platoon."

Sergeant Swan quickly replaced Lieutenant Soto from the front of the platoon and announcement with a loud but calm, "Alright, people, lets get helmets on and ready to move. Squad leaders, do another shakedown and check for leaks."

"Alright, turtles, get your head gear on and check each other's equipment. I'll recheck it again to make sure you lumps get it right," SGT Franklin calmly said as he turned from his place in file to face his squad. "Make sure your helmet screens and commo are working properly, and be sure that you have no air leaks in your helmet. You have a leak, your eyeballs will pull out of their sockets and your tongue from your mouth! Make sure all four air hoses are tight!" Sergeant Franklin went down the line and shook each helmet to ensure they were locked in place, then sprayed a light gray mist around their heads to see if any air was leaking from the locks. By the time he completed his helmet check and another quick re-inspection of his squad, the rest of the platoon was ready.
The platoon walked over to the bay doors marked in bright yellow paint "Section 5, Deck 5". A little to the right of that sign was another yellow painted sign that read, "Fendenza Cell" and below it in bright red, "Danger, No Human Entry". There, standing tall at a full 42 inches and waiting below the Danger sign stood Fendenza 251, or two-five-one as they called it.

Fendenza 251 was the 251st machine produced at the Fendenza Labs and Arsenal. There were now well over 1500 in use and that number was rising. Over 350 Fendenza's had been destroyed in fighting with aliens or "blue comets". Defender 26 had been its home for two years, four months. The Fendenza was a robotic unit that obeyed the orders of the officer or non-commissioned officer it was assigned to during a mission. It had the ability to fight independently, but did not do so unless all humans had been killed or incapacitated. It wore the same style of body armor as the marines did, but smaller. Its strength and mobility was enhanced by an exo-skeleton inside its armor. Its helmet sported an visor that was pitch black, no light would reveal the interior. The helmet was slightly oversize as compared to its body and continued down to cover the upper portion of the chest area. A small square bulge covered. The internals of a Fendenza were highly classified and asking any questions about it could land you in prison. There were no dials, hoses, tubes or lights as one would expect of such a machine. It resembled the marines in armor but sported a smaller pulse rifle and carried only two grenades in lieu of the 6 the basic load called for. The only other weapons it carried were two heavy, 18 inch clubs made from classified material. These simple clubs were the only thing presently known to be able to kill a "blue comet".

"I take it you are assigned to the 2nd platoon," Lieutenant Soto spoke to the Fendenza while staring straight ahead.

"Yes sir," it replied with a feminine synthesized voice emitting from its voice box. Looking up, it asked "Are you are Lieutenant Soto?"

"In person," he replied looking down at the robot. "You will follow me. Kill any blue comets?"

"Yes," it replied as it lowering its gaze to look at the other marines gathering around the bay doors.

"How many?"

"I do not know. My programming does not keep count," it replied.

"Kill any aliens?"

"Yes."

"How many?" Lieutenant Soto asked.

"My programming does not track how many "blue comets" I destroy," it replied while looking up to Lieutenant Soto. "I do not know how many aliens I have eliminated. I have no ego to boost with a dead count. I am designed to help you destroy the enemy, and in particular, "blue comets."

"I'll lay you odds that I will kill more aliens today than you," Lieutenant Soto said while still staring straight ahead.

My Programming does not track how many enemies I destroy," it replied. "Gambling is a human vice. I have no vices."

The ready bay doors slid open and the 1st platoon rushed in the airlock chamber that separated the core from the outer rings. As soon as the door closed, Lieutenant Soto ordered his platoon at the ready to enter next. For one minute, all stood in silence. When the doors slid open again, it revealed an empty chamber.

"Lock and load and step lively, people!" shouted Sergeant Swan as he entered the airlock chamber, "We have to move out and ride the ass-ends of the 1st platoon."

As soon as the last marine had entered the airlock chamber, Lieutenant Soto roughly pushed Fendenza 251 in before him and turned and elbowed the close switch located on the left hand side of the wall. Aside from the doors sliding shut, no one heard anything else. All eyes were focused on the red and green light indicators above the exit doors. Green indicated air in the chamber, red meant no air. As soon as the red light turned on, Sergeant Swan hit the switch to open the exit doors and the platoon rushed out into an empty bay in the outer rings.

Now the waiting began. The 2nd platoon marines stood stationary on the deck outside the airlock doors and monitored the action that had begun outside. There were no sounds or vibrations as the rail guns began to engage the approaching ships at 1000 miles. The only thing that they heard was that the enemy ships numbered 35 and were heavily engaged by D-26's long range 72 inch guns. By the time the enemy had closed to 500, they had lost 5 ships. By the time they were 200 miles away, they had been whittled down to 20 and at 100 miles, 10.
The marines did not feel D-26 change course as it positioned itself in the direct path of the remaining enemy ships. Monitoring the battle, they learned that 5 more ships had been destroyed and 5 had landed on top hull of Section 5. Suddenly everyone heard "Hull breach, Sector 5, Deck 1, Area 22 Alpha," quickly followed by another warning, "Hull breach, Sector 5, Deck 1, Area 23 Charlie," and yet again "Hull breach, Sector 5, Deck 1, Area 11 Lima." At least three ships that had landed on D-56 were boarding. Then "Blue comet detected, Sector 5, Deck 1, Area 23 Charlie," came over the radio.

Sergeant Franklin let out a small curse. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said speaking to his squad, "we may have to fight two sets of boarders and the blue comet". He heard a quick "Roger" from his squad as they acknowledged his comment over their headsets.

"First platoon," came the deep, strong voice belonging to the Garrison Commander and heard by all platoon members, "take Combat Transport 1 and engage the enemy force in Area 11 Lima. Second Platoon, take Combat Transport 2 and engage the blue comet force in Area 23 Charlie. Third platoon in ready bay will intercept enemy force in Area 22 Alpha. Fourth and Fifth platoons on ready reserve. All remaining companies, to remain on Ready Alert. Platoon commo only. Move".

"Lets go," shouted Sergeant Swan, "23 Charlie, here we come."

The 2nd platoon followed Lieutenant Soto and Fendenza 251 to the combat transport and quickly strapped themselves down. Sergeant Swan took the controls and soon they were speeding ten feet above D-26's outer hull towards Area 23, 6 miles from the core. As the flew, they were able to see that D-26 had taken no noticeable hits during the close-in engagement, and could see the five ships that made it to the outer ring surface. Two looked like mangled pieces of scrap metal. Within minutes, Sergeant Swan was setting the transport down over the hatchway located on the top hull of Area 16 Charlie. Once settled, a portion of the transport floor slid open to reveal the large outer hull hatchway that would allow them to enter Deck 1.

"Sergeant Franklin," Sergeant Franklin heard Sergeant Swan's voice in his helmet, "Intell reports sensors tracking enemy progress. They are still in Area 23 Charlie and moving slowly towards 16. They are close to our position. Take your squad and secure the area for the rest of the platoon. Move."

"Roger," Sergeant Franklin replied, "Corporal King, point. Keep a sharp eye for shadows and movements.

Corporal King quickly acknowledge and strode forward to the transport's deck opening. Several marines aimed their rifles down towards the hatch of D-26 while another spun the locking wheel and pulled it open.
Corporal King slid down the ladder onto deck 1, scanned the 15 foot wide corridor and gave the all clear signal. The first squad, led by Sergeant Franklin, quickly disembarked from the transport. With trained precision, Sergeant Franklin broke the squad into pairs and had them search all the cells of a platoon-size area. When complete, Sergeant Franklin gave the secure signal to Lieutenant Soto, who was standing by the hatchway, then waited for the rest of the platoon to join them.

"Squad over-watch order, 2, 3, 4. 1st squad rear security," said Sergeant Swan said. "Move!"

The corridor the 2nd platoon was following would run into an empty bay every half a mile. At the far left and right end of the bay would be the entrance ways for two more corridors. The left corridor would led to Area 22, the right to Area 23. Those corridors would run for another half mile before opening into another bay and so on until the end of the ship was reached. Small empty rooms called cells lined both sides of the corridors. The only purpose of a cell was to provide a fighting position for riflemen.

The 2nd squad ran forward ten paces from the front of the platoon, then half fell onto the deck and readied their weapons while the other half secured two cells to their front. When in position, their squad leader gave the signal and the 3rd squad advanced over the 2nd squad and in the same manner secured the next ten paces. The platoon continued to move forward, ten paces at a time with two squads always covering the advancing squad. Sergeant Franklin followed the last advancing squad in the same fashion except his squad was split in half and faced the rear. Their overwatch was backwards and conducted with half a squad moving at a time. Sergeant Franklin looked to see where the lieutenant and the Fendenza were in relation to his squad's position and saw them walking upright and at a brisk pace and trailing the rear-most advancing squad. Sergeant Franklin let out a small curse under his breath. "Idiot!" he thought, "Our lives depend on that little machine and he has it walking down the middle like its on parade. What a stupid, pompous ass!"

It was now the 2nd squad's turn to advance. They quickly moved out from their defensive positions and began running rapidly towards the visible bay entance a mere 15 paces from the 3d squad's front. As they ran past the 3rd squads positions, two aliens stepped out from the bay entrance in front and fired their large, oversized flame weapons. The corridor was suddenly enveloped in fire. Screams immediately sounded inside all the platoon members helmet radios and all ten marines fell. The remaining two forward facing squads immediately started firing down the corridor. Both aliens fell. Seconds later, the corridor erupted in flames again as two more aliens equipped with flame weapons, entered the corridor. Several downed marines from the 2nd Squad screamed again and went silent. Pulse rifle fire quickly killed the two aliens, but as they fell, the "blue comet" casually stepped into the corridor and began its slow casual walk forward. Its two long arms lay limp at its side while its two slender tentacles shot out and began searching for victims.

Sergeant Franklin stood inside a cell monitoring the action to the front while his squad stayed in place and watched the rear. The 3rd and 4th squad were pouring fire and throwing grenades towards the enemy. They knew this kind of fire would not bring down the "blue comet" but the alien forces following closely behind it and firing their weapons, were falling in droves. He looked for Sergeant Swan and could see him inside a cell, writhing in pain as if his armored suit was melting. He began looking for Lieutenant Soto and found both him the Fendenza standing in the same cell directly across from his. "Lieutenant Soto!" Sergeant Franklin shouted through the heavy but inaccurate curtain of enemy return fire, "Sergeant Swan is down, I can see him from here. You need to withdraw the 3rd and 4th squads or send in the Fendenza!"

No reply.

Sergeant Franklin checked is comm status indicator on the inside of his visor and saw it was functioning. Again Sergeant Franklin shouted, "Lieutenant Soto! The "blue comet" is going to be able to reach the 3rd squad in a few seconds. Give the order or send in the Fendenza. Do Something!"

The 3rd an 4th squads were pouring in a murderous barrage of grenade and rifle fire towards the enemy. The "blue comet" was glowing brightly and nearing them but the squads held their positions. Then suddenly, the "blue comet's" long thin arms whipped forward and stabbed a marine laying on the deck. In a second, she screamed, rolled over to her side and shot the two nearest marines. As she rose to fire at the next marine, her body armor exploded into fragments as all the 4th squad concentrated their fire on her. She gave no scream as she flung back against the approaching "blue comet" so violently that both fell to the deck. The "blue comet" effortlessly pushed her off, stood up, and started walking slowly again, followed closely by the remaining alien forces still firing their weapons towards the marines.

"Are you Sergeant Franklin?" a calm, feminine synthesized voice sounded in his helmet.

Stunned at the voice he heard in his headset, Sergeant Franklin looked across at the Fendenza. "Yes, I am."

"Lieutenant Soto and Sergeant Swan are not responding," the Fendenza said. "Chain of command protocol shows you are next in command. I am ready for your orders."

"Good! Listen up, 2-5-1," Sergeant Franklin shouted. "I want you to stay in your cell. Knock out Lieutenant Soto and hide beneath him. I am going to pull the platoon back 30 paces. When the "blue comet" passes you, attack it from the behind! We'll try to keep the infantry off of you. Understood?"

"Roger." The Fendenza turned to face at the still immobile lieutenant. It calmly removed its club, jumped up and struck Lieutenant Soto hard against the side of the helmet. Lieutenant Soto crumpled to the deck and lay still. The Fendenza laid down and rolled the inert body over itself.

Sergeant Franklin pushed the platoon comm link button on his wrist. Now he was linked to all the platoon members. "Listen up, 2d platoon. I am now in charge. Sergeant Swan and the Lieutenant are out of action. Follow my commands. 3d squad prepare to fall back 30 paces, 4th squad cover fire," yelled Sergeant Franklin. "1st squad cover the 4th when they withdraw. Move." Sergeant Franklin was stunned when only two marines of the 3d squad began withdrawing from the fight. When they entered two separate cells, he yelled, "4th Squad, Move!" Six members from 4th squad began shooting from the hip and withdrawing as fast as they could, but only three made it to the 1st squad's line of defense. As soon as they passed the 1st squad positions, they turned and ran to their next fighting position. The 1st squad now took up the fight. "1st squad, concentrate your fire on the infantry. 3d and 4th, you are all now the 2nd. Prepare to cover the 1st at my order! Concentrate on the infantry!"
The covering fire being placed by the 1st squad was very accurate on the now thinned numbers of enemies. "1st squad, Move!" he shouted. Immediately the squad began withdrawing while keeping up a high rate of concentrated fire. Sergeant Franklin started to step into the corridor when a blast of fire burned past him and was immediately followed by the screams of the men and women of his squad. Another quick blast of flames followed and still another. The "blue comet" was now twenty paces from him. He watched as its long limbs continued forward writhing like the vipers they were. "1st squad, sound off! Quickly!"

No answer.

"2nd squad, prepare to give me and the Fendenza cover fire," he yelled. Now he only had to wait for the blue comet to pass him then he would step out and engage the few surviving enemy infantry while the Fendenza would hopefully succeed in its surprise attack against the "blue comet".

"Roger," came a reply from one of the surviving marines.

The "blue comet" took only five seconds to reach Sergeant Franklin's position, but to Sergeant Franklin, it felt like a day. He could feel himself sweating profusely and his stomach had knotted up so much that he couldn't vomit. Suddenly, the "blue comet" stopped advancing and turned towards him. Knowing his pulse rifle was useless against it, he quickly tried to strike its head with the butt of his rifle. The "blue comet's" regular arms reached out with unbelievable speed, caught his arms and effortlessly threw him roughly against the side wall of the cell. Sergeant Franklin crashed violently against the wall of the cell and slid to the deck. In a daze, and watched helplessly as the long limbs of the "blue comet's" appeared over its shoulder and began to coiling up.

Fendenza 251, seeing the "blue comet" turn its attention to Sergeant Franklin, rolled Lieutenant Soto's inert body off. By the time it got to its feet, the two serpentine limbs had already arched up and were to strike Sergeant Franklin. Quickly the Fendenza leaped up towards the upper back of the "blue comet" while simultaneously trying to pull a club from is holder. Unfortunately, while in mid-flight, an enemy round struck the club from its hand, causing the Fendenza to land unarmed and off-balanced on the upper back of the "blue comet". As soon as physical contact was made, both stinger appendages instantly struck the Fendenza on both sides of its chest. The Fendenza stiffened, fell to the deck, jerked twice then lay still.

Stunned, Sergeant Franklin watched in horror as the Fendenza fell. He saw the dark fluids leaking from its damaged sides before it landed on the deck, and saw all hopes of survival end with the final violent jerk. He pulled a grenade from his vest. "Better I die by my own hand than kill my fellow marines," he thought. Just as his finger hooked the pin, he watched in surprise as the Fendenza stirred back to life. With its right hand it grabbed its last club and jumped on the "blue comet's" back. It wrapped its left arm around the "blue comet's" neck and struck the side of the head with three hard blows. The "blue comet" fell straight to its knees while holding its head steady with its large hands. Numerous nicks and gouges appeared on the corridor's walls as the stringers uncontrollably and blindly struck out again and again. Finally, the long appendages fell limply to its side and lay there like dead serpents. The Fendenza struck the back of the "blue comet's" head two more times before it fell forward.

"Sergeant Franklin," the Fendenza asked, "are you able to command?"

"Yes," he replied.

"Sergeant Franklin," came a human voice. "All the aliens are down. There are only three of us left and we're all wounded."

"Take a dose of pain killer and check for more wounded," he said.

"Roger," came a reply.

"Sergeant Franklin," came the synthesized voice, "I am badly damaged. I must be returned to my bay for repair. My power level is at 70 percent"

"2-5-1, I understand. We have to check for any more survivors."

"Roger."

"Command," Sergeant Franklin said after pushing the command link button on his wrist, "1st Platoon. Need immediate medical evac. Action over. Mission successful. Blue comet and all boarders eliminated. There are only four of us left and 2-5-1 badly damaged."

Silence.

"Command, I repeat, need immediate evac, mission successful, please respond."

Silence.

Pushing the platoon link button, Sergeant Franklin announced, "Hey troops, we may be on our own. Commo problems."

The three remaining marines gave a thumbs up signal and continued looking through the carnage to see if any marines were alive. As they searched, Sergeant Franklin walked across to where Lieutenant Soto lay and was surprised to find that sometime during the fight a bomb had gone off in his cell and killed him.

"2-5-1," he said.

"Yes."

Sergeant Franklin noticed that there was some voice distortion when the Fendenza answered. "Let me check you over".

"Roger."

The Fendenza walked over to where he stood. Sergeant Franklin quick inspection revealed that the two punctures on its sides were not the only damages it had sustained. There was a third puncture a little back from the top of its head and fluid was slowly leaking out despite the emergency patch the Fendenza had tried to place there. Judging from the amount of fluid covering the back of its helmet and back, the head damage must have been severe. The Fendenza had self-patched its sides as well, but again these patches were leaking fluid. Sergeant Franklin pulled a canister from his repair kit and sprayed the damaged sections with new layer of adhesive and placed several new patches over the old ones. All the leaking stopped.

"Thank you, Sergeant Franklin." it said.

No, thank you," he replied. Suddenly Sergeant Franklin found himself flying violently down the corridor to land roughly on his back. Within seconds, he regained his senses and was surprised to see the Fendenza standing over him while shaking a canister of adhesive in one hand and holding several patches in the other. "2-5-1," he asked in a shocked tone, "why did you hit me?"

"I did not," replied the Fendenza. "An alien shot you. It is dead now but you lost another of your squad. Lay still, I need to patch you."

"OK," he replied." He was surprised at the calmness of his voice. He felt the painful burning sensation where the rounds had penetrated his right thigh and arm, and felt his skin beginning to stick to his "outer skin" and uniform. The thick, tight-fitting, "outer skins" they wore under their uniforms were serving their purpose. Designed to stop or stem the flow of blood and temporarily help seal wounds sustained in combat, they usually prevented casualties from bleeding to death before medical personnel could treat them. A chemical inside this "skin" reacted to blood and formed a thick paste composed mostly of blood. This thick, blood paste would then stick to the actual wound area while the residual stuck to the materials of the "outer skin" and the uniform, thus forming a multi-layered patch. This "outer skin" chemical also contained an anti-contaminate and disinfectant powder that prevented infection. These patches were usually enough to keep a wounded personnel alive until treated by trained medical personnel.

Any wound was cause for concern, but he felt his thigh and arm wounds, though painful, were minor. What worried him was the long, burning sensation that crossed his chest from right to left. The blood from this wound felt like his "outer skin" would be soaked to capacity within minutes. His right side armor plate must have cracked and fragmented when the enemy projectiles hit him. A fragment must have sliced open his chest and somehow lodged under his left rib. He could feel the sharp object rubbing against was his left lung. He was wracked with pain every time he inhaled or exhaled. He was having difficulty breathing and could taste a little blood in his mouth.

"2-5-1," He said with difficulty and shortness of breath, "I think I need immediate medivac. Help me up."

"Do you wish to relinquish command?" it asked as it helped Sergeant Franklin up.

"No."

"I am ready for your orders." There was a short pause. "Sergeant Franklin."

"Yes?"

"My power level is at 55 percent and falling."

"This is just great!" Sergeant Franklin thought. "We have no commo, my Fendenza badly damaged, and my two-man platoon is screwed up." It was time to return to the core.

"OK you walking bad-asses," he panted through his radio, "let's hobble to the transport and see if we can get comm there and call for help. Move!"

"Thank God we're only on Deck 1," thought Sergeant Franklin. The pain was becoming unbearable. Reaching up to his helmet, a pushed down a small lever that forced a small tube into the center of his mouth. Using his front teeth to hold the tube in place, he painfully sucked in a small mouthful of a thick, sickly sweet fluid. He felt he pain begin to slowly ebb away. This dose of pain killer should last 15 minutes. The short 10 minute walk that would take them to the hatchway of Area 16 Charlie seemed like a day, and the 500 yard distance they staggered through seemed like 20 miles, but finally they all reached the hatchway.

"I'll go first," Sergeant Franklin said. As soon as he put his foot on the first rung, the pain began to return. By the time reached the hatch, the pain was almost unbearable. Slowly he struggled to turn the locking wheel and pushed the hatch open revealing the troop transport. "Let's go, people," he wheezed.

The others slowly followed him in and sat in the seats nearest to the hatch. The last one entering, closed the hatch and spun the locking wheel. Once secure, Sergeant Franklin hit the switch and closed the transports floor. Sergeant Franklin hit the comm switch of the transport and called in "Command", he panted between two small, light coughs," Sergeant Franklin, 1st Platoon. Need medical personnel in ready bay. Action over. Mission successful. Blue comet and all boarders eliminated. 2-5-1 badly damaged."

No answer.

Sergeant Franklin gritted his teeth and leaned unsteadily against the pilot wheel.

"Sergeant Franklin, do you wish me to pilot the transport back to the ready bay?"

Sergeant Franklin turned to see the Fendenza standing next to him. "No, 2-5-1, I'm OK. Secure yourself."

"Roger." it replied. "Sergeant Franklin."

"Yes."

"My power level is now at 30 percent and falling."

Sergeant Franklin did not respond. He knew he had to get the Fendenza to its repair and rejuvenation cell and fast. Clumsily he groped for the little lever of his helmet that would again force the small tube with the liquid pain killer into his mouth. Finally succeeding, he bit the tube with his front teeth and again painfully sucked in a small mouthful. He felt the pain begin to slowly ebb away. Slowly he pressed on the lift pedal, turned the wheel and pointed the transport towards the core, then stopped and stared in disbelief. While they had been engaged below deck, there had been another attack by alien ships. Yellow, red and blue flashes were emitting from the surface of D-26. Slowly he pushed the forward thruster lever and they began their trip towards the core. The closer they got, the more evident the damage could be seen. Two of the 72 inch gun turrets displayed their interiors via large gaping holes on their sides. Sergeant Franklin could see well over a dozen ships littering the upper hull of their ship. "God, I hope no more "blue comets" or boarding parties made it in," he thought. There was mangled and twisted metal all over the towers and superstructures where the ship had been repeatedly hit. The control center appeared intact, but there were two large gaping holes flashing yellow and throwing multicolored showers of sparks where the two communications pods should have been. "No wonder we have no comm," he whispered to no one in particular."

Sergeant Franklin felt himself weakening more. His "outer skin" had not been able to stop all the bleeding from the chest wound. He could feel the warmth of his blood slowly starting to spread and stick to areas further away from his actual wound. His in short, shallow, breaths, sounded like a dog panting on a hot summer day. It was painful to suck in water through his drinking water tube inside the left hand side of his helmet, but he had to in order to rinse the blood from his mouth. Spitting the bloody water through the "spit" tube on the right side of his helmet was just as painful.

En route to the core, Sergeant Franklin lost consciousness and the transport to slammed hard onto the hull surface and skidded to a stop.

Twelve years earlier, 21 year old Aaron C. Franklin thought himself as the worlds luckiest man. Even though he did not graduate head of his class at the Engineering and Aerospace Technical College of Boston, he still had cause for happiness. One week before graduation, he had signed a contract with the Rolls and Heller Corporation, known for their cutting edge technical advancements in military and scientific spacecraft development. Employment with Rolls and Heller guaranteed employment for life. If all went well, working with them, in any capacity, would be the only source of employment he would ever need. Best of all, he was assigned to the Technical Craft Division where his dream of designing and developing new spacecraft would hopefully become reality. He had always been called a dreamer, but he knew the development of his dreams would lead to the new, better spacecraft necessary for the future exploration of the shrinking universe.

Things could not be better. He had proposed to Sharon Tompkins, his childhood sweetheart, 6 months prior to graduation. She had accepted and the date was set for two weeks after he received his diploma. After a small private wedding ceremony and a two-week European honeymoon, they moved into a 3 bedroom home built near the area where the meteor had hit Albuquerque years earlier. Albuquerque, New Mexico was the home of Rolls and Heller's Technical Craft Division. The honeymoon was provided courtesy of Rolls and Heller. Working for them was sweet.

His work turned out to be everything he had ever imagined and his marriage even better. In the second year of his marriage, Sharon blessed him their first child, a 7 pound, 3 ounce, brown hair, hazel eyed, boy whom they named Adam. Two short years later, their second blessing arrived in the form of a 7 pound, 5 ounce, brown hair, hazel eyed girl. She was christened Eve. Aaron Franklin was bursting at the seams, there was nothing he could do to be happier.

Everyday after work, he would visit a little flower stand outside the exit of the Rolls and Heller complex. There, he would buy one red rose to present to his wife as she met him at the door. He made it a point to devote at least two hours a day to his children. They were his pride and joy, they knew who "Daddy" was and returned his love with hugs and kisses. The love and affection his wife and children presented him daily made everyday a holiday. Utopia was his home.

On Adam's seventh birthday, Aaron and Sharon decided to take a little trip to the Albuquerque Children's Zoo. Though it was not a large zoo, about a square mile's worth, it did have many exotic animals and a small petting zoo annex. The children always loved going there, and in particular, the annex. This was not the only gift Adam would have that day. On the way home they would stop at "Saturn's Pizza Play Land" where a surprise party was to take place. If that was not enough, Aaron had purchased a holographic game console, the kind you played your favorite games in three dimensional form. It was the top-of-the-line model ... and it was being secretly delivered and set up by one of Aaron's friends. This would be Adam's best birthday yet.

It was a nice, warm summer day when the Franklin family, or clan, as he liked to refer to them, paid their admission and entered the zoo. First things first, Aaron proposed an ice cream to give the children the energy and strength to walk around the zoo. Sharon quickly approved and off to the ice cream stand they went. After buying their ice cream, they began their casual stroll towards the African Safari Wildlife Trail. As they walk, Aaron, feeling the hay and feed dust in his nose, violently sneezed and his ice cream fell. He caught it with his right hand and started laughing. "Guess I have to go wash my hands now," he said to his family as he put the scoop of ice cream back on its cone. Passing his cone to Sharon, he quickly added,"Wait here, I'll be right back."
Aaron hurried to the men's bathroom.

"Daddy," Cried Eve, "Hurry! Hurry!"

"OK, my little Ewok," Aaron called back, "I'll hurry."

Once in the bathroom, he quickly went to the sink and turned on the water and washed his hands. Shaking the excess water from his hands, he hit the button to the air dryer with his right elbow. There was a bright flash that lit the interior of the bathroom. "What a power surge," he thought as he looked around and saw all was well and began rubbing his hands under the warm air to dry them. The whine of the dryer sounded louder and louder and he quickly realized that the sound was being supplemented from outside. The sound turned into a roar like an overloaded heavy lift aircraft struggling at take off. Then there was silence.

He exited the men's room and stepped into the world of a slow motion silent movie. Sharon and Adam, holding hands, were suddenly airborne about 15 feet and violently flung against a stand of trees that were beginning to be uprooted from a massive shock wave. She never let go of his hand. Eve, her hands over her ears to help deafen the roar, was looking towards him and appeared to be yelling "Daddy! Hurry! Hurry!" before she was violently pushed down onto the sidewalk by low-flying debris from a nearby food stand. The world of Aaron C Franklin went black as the bathroom walls and roof fell on him.

Aaron rolled onto his left side and opened his eyes. It was quiet. It took him a moment to focus his eyes on the bare, cream colored wall, before rolling back onto his back. He felt something on his right arm and was surprised to see an intravenous tube attached it.

"Aaron," he heard a soft, female voice. "How do you feel?"

Looking to his right he saw Diana, his older sister sitting next to his bed ... bed? "What?"

"Hello, sweetheart," came another more mature female voice. "I'm so happy to see you awake."

"Mom?" There was a small pause. "What happened, where am I. Where's Sharon and Adam and Eve?"

"Oh, Aaron," his mother began sobbing, "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

"What?" he said, as his memory of the zoo began to crawl slowly into the back of his mind.

"I told you to be strong," came a man's voice, "I told you I would tell him."

"Wha? Dad? What news. Where's my clan."

"Son," his father said while picking up Aaron's right hand and holding it tightly between his two, "a meteor hit Albuquerque a month ago."

"What?"

"There were over 25,000 people killed. I'm sorry."

Aaron closed his eyes and tried to deny the words he had just heard, as his mind began to remember the zoo. Then the memory became sharp and stabbed him in the heart. He remembered. He felt no shame as he openly broke down and began crying. "Oh, God, my clan. My clan. Dear God, no, let this be a nightmare. Please, dear God. No. Please. I can't go on without them. They are my life. No, dear God, Please, No," he cried in anguish. He found little comfort in the hands that gently stroked his forehead or held his hands.

Mr. Alberts, the Director of the Technical Craft Division, visited him several days later and expressed his personal condolences along with those of the corporation. He told him that he would be placed on paid leave of absence until recovered from both his injuries and the loss of his family. When he felt ready to return to work he just need call ... and there was no rush. He then gave him the keys to the VIP Guest House in the Rolls and Heller Complex for free use until he could re-establish himself.

Whenever he fell asleep, his mind would automatically race back to the last time he had seen his family. He kept seeing them in their final moments of life and it was like a bad movie scene that repeated itself over and over again. Every night he would wake up sweating, screaming and crying. Sometimes he would wake up and swear he heard Eve clearly saying "Daddy! Hurry! Hurry!"

Aaron was released from the hospital two weeks after he awoke from his coma. With his mother, father and sister, they moved into the Guest House of the Rolls and Heller Complex. Early the next morning, they drove to the Veteran's Memorial Colosseum to claim the remains of Sharon and Adam from among the 860 identified but unclaimed casualties. Aaron, though greatly shaken and with teary eyes, was able to provide the final positive identification of Sharon and Adam. When he inquired if there were any other remains, he was told that there were 241 unidentified remains in another section of the Colosseum.

It was a slow, heartbreaking and difficult process sifting through the photos of these casualties and he was thankful Eve was not among the horrendously mangled and dismembered bodies reflected in those photographs. He could not and did not want to visualize his little girl like that. There was nothing of Eve's in the hundreds of boxes containing personal items collected. Not even a small shoe matched what he remembered Eve to be wearing that fateful day. There were 3100 people listed as missing and Aaron had a sinking feeling in his heart that Eve was one of them. Aaron found some sad comfort in finding Sharon and Adam, and a part of him would go to the grave with them, but Eve would leave him with a hole in heart. As long as he lived and breathed, it would be a void that could never be filled.

The Red Cross Director told him that the colosseum was the only building remaining that held the casualties of the meteor tragedy. There were no others.

Two days later, Sharon and Adam's remains were flown to Boston on the same plane that carried Aaron and the Franklin family. Three days later, at the burial, Aaron embraced and kissed each coffin and said his final "I love you." He removed a picture of Eve from his wallet and placed it in the grave so that she could be with them. The burial provided him some closure to his tragedy, but in pained him that Eve could not be lain to rest alongside her mother and brother.

Aaron began to try to think what he was going to do next with his life. He still had a job waiting for him but he did not feel comfortable returning to Albuquerque. The meteor had not only destroyed his family and his life, it also destroyed all of his once happy memories of living there. There was nothing there to go to except work. He requested a job transfer to remain in Boston and it was approved. Two months after resettling in Boston the meteors began falling again. One year later he found himself enlisting into the Marine Corps. Since these unknown aliens had so utterly destroyed his meaning of life, it was time to return the favor. He didn't really care if these aliens had mothers or fathers or even families, but deep inside he hoped they did. It was time to crash their worlds.

When Sergeant Franklin regained consciousness, he found the Fendenza piloting the craft by leaning in front of him. It has moved his foot off the thrust pedal and replaced it with its right foot and was in the process of landing the transport. As soon as the transport shut down, Sergeant Franklin tried to suppress his coughing and motioned with his thumb for everyone to get out. The Fendenza was the only one that did not stagger to the elevator but was starting to move sluggishly. "Sergeant Franklin," it said.

"Yes."

"My power level is now at 20 percent and falling. I am operating in the red. If I am to be repaired, I must conserve power. I can shut down my mobility actuators to save power, but someone will have to carry me to the outside of my repair cell."

"I'll carry it," came a voice of one of his squad members. "I'm not too bad now, thanks to the pain tube."

"No," Sergeant Franklin replied, "I'll take it."

As soon as they struggled into the airlock chamber of Deck 5, one of the marines closed the air chamber and activated the air pumps. The wait for the green light seemed like eternity but when it finally did light up, Sergeant Franklin felt that it was the most beautiful green light he had ever seen. It looked like a Christmas light. "You aces go straight to the med ward, I'll be there shortly." He coughed several times and began panting. "If you see an officer, tell them we lost commo with the Command Center, but mission was successful. Tell them 2-5-1 is badly damaged and that I'm taking it to the its repair cell."

"Roger." One marine replied while the other gave a "thumbs up" signal.

When Sergeant Franklin leaned over to pick up the Fendenza, he felt the fragment shift and cut deeper into his lung. The pain was excruciating but he found the strength to put the Fendenza over his shoulder. It was only 25 yards from the door of the Ready Bay to the Fendenza Cell. He knew he could make it but it was going to be rough. Staggering to the door, he hit the switch and the door slid open to an empty Ready Bay. Without another word, the two marines, leaning on each other now, departed in direction of the medical wards while Sergeant Franklin struggled towards the Fendenza Cell. "One foot in front of the other," he thought.

"2-5-1," he said, "We're almost there."

"Sergeant Franklin."

"Yes."

"My power level is at 15 percent."

"OK," he said, "Hold on, we're there."

"Sergeant Franklin."

"Yes."

"My arm actuators are not functioning. I cannot activate the repair and rejuvenator switches inside my cell. Thank you for trying to help me. Place me on the deck and seek medical assistance for yourself."

"What are you talking about?" Sergeant Franklin said between pants and coughs.

"The repair cell is off limits to humans. The decontaminating beams will blind you and the robotic arms will crush you if you get in the way as it repairs me. The repair cell is off limit to humans. What happen in there is highly classified. Only Authorized Fendenza Lab personnel are allowed in, and only when there are no repairs being made. Place me on the deck and seek medical assistance for yourself."

"No, I'll take you in." he panted. He reached out and hit the open door switch.

Nothing happened.

"2-5-1, why is the door not opening?"

"The switch has a sensor that can only be activated by a Fendenza."

"Open it! I can't hold you much longer," he said through through his teeth.

"I cannot let you enter. The repair cell is off limits to humans. Place me on the deck and seek medical assistance for yourself."

"2-5-1, if you do not open the door, I'm going to stay here holding you. I'm not in good shape and my death will be your responsibility!"

The door opened with a swish. As soon as Sergeant Franklin entered, the door closed behind him and the entire cell lit up.

"Place me on the table in front of you with my head to the top and face up," the Fendenza said.

As quick as he could, Sergeant Franklin laid the Fendenza on the small, bare, white metal table.

"With my right hand, press the red button and the green buttons simultaneously."
Stepping back, Sergeant Franklin saw a row of multicolored buttons. There was no writing or symbols to indicate their purpose, just a row of colored buttons. Sergeant Franklin moved the Fendenza's the right hand to the buttons, grasped two fingers and placed them on the red and green buttons and pushed down. There was a click.

"Sergeant Franklin."

"Yes."

"My power level is down to 10 percent. Try to find a place away from the robotic arms and close your eyes. You have done all you can. The doors cannot be opened until repairs have been completed. Thank you."

Silence.

"Sergeant Franklin."

"Yes?" he wheezed.

"My power level is at 5 percent. I will try to activate the doors so that you can seek medical assistance."

"OK." He coughed and wheezed again and looked back at the doors and waited.

Nothing happened.

"Sergeant Franklin."

"Yes, 2-5-1."

"The doors will not open."

Remembering Fendenza 251's warning about the repair arms, Sergeant Franklin now dizzy from his wounds, was able to locate a small area across from the table where the Fendenza lay, and sucked down another dose of pain killer. A bright white beam began to sweep the entire room, quickly followed by a red and a blue beam. "Decon beams," he thought. Then he realized that he still could see because his helmet visor had compensated for the light. Had he not had the helmet on, he probably would have been blinded.

Sergeant Franklin watched as a small box attached to an arm dropped down from the ceiling and quickly scanned the two side wounds and the head wound with a small beam of light. As the scanning arm was returning back towards the ceiling, it passed five sets of double arms that were quickly being lowered. There was a small pause then, as one, they grasped the helmet and all four limbs and raised the Fendenza a foot above the table. While the first set of arms held the suspended Fendenza, the second set of arms immediately began the dismantling process by cutting the retaining rings with a torch and unscrewing numerous fasteners located underneath the rings. There was a small shower of sparks and soon the table began ringing with the sounds of falling pieces of retaining rings and fasteners. When the cutting and fastener removal stopped, a long thin box popped out of the foot of the table and on the forward sweep, cleared all the debris from the table and on its return sweep, scanned the table with a beam of blue light.

The Fendenza was lowered back onto the table. Several long thin bands appeared from the sides of the table. These bands crossed over each other then began to lower down until the entire torso was held securely to the table. Simultaneously, all arms holding the limbs and the helmet pulled back two inches. A loud hiss followed by several even louder pops followed. All the mechanical arms withdrew back to the ceiling and there was a short pause.

Then, in unison, all the arms dropped again, one set equipped with different instruments began disconnecting the exo-skeleton that was exposed just inside the joints while the second set held the helmet and limbs in place. There were several high pitched drilling sounds that lasted a few minutes before stopping. The arms that had disconnected the exo-skeleton rose up about a foot and remained still while the second set slowly began to pull the Fendenza apart.

Sergeant Franklin was stunned. As each armored arm and leg sleeve was pulled off, a pale limb was revealed laying limply on the table. The helmet had only been partly pulled off when the robotic arms stopped. There was a short pause and another long, thin arm dropped down and entered the helmet from behind the neck. As the helmet was slowly being pulled off it first exposed a pale white chin, followed by cheeks, eyes and finally, the forehead of a human head. As the helmet was completely removed, the head of a child lay exposed on the table. The child was staring straight up. The scalp displayed hundreds of thin multicolored wires running to a bowl shaped circuit board now held up by the long thin mechanical arm that had entered behind the neck.

The child blinked.

Sergeant Franklin was having great difficulty remaining conscious. Somewhere from within himself, he found the strength to remain awake. He felt like he had not slept in days, and his brain was beginning to feel numb, but he struggled to reason what is was seeing. Slowly he pulled on the locking pin of his helmet until he heard the click, he grasped his helmet with both hands, pushed down and twisted it to the left, pulled it up and twisted it to the right and pulled it off. There was a small hissing sound as the air hoses disconnected. Something pulled at his numbed mind and told him something was wrong and yet familiar. The more he looked at the Fendenza, the more his mind tried to grasp at a memory. Something. It was within sight but not there, lurking and floating in the back of his mind like a phantom. As he struggled to stand up, he noticed the repair arms had all retracted except for the one holding the oddly shaped circuit board. There was no more activity in the repair cell and except for his panting and shallow coughs, the cell was silent. The Fendenza was not repairable! For some reason, his mind focused on the wires attached to the skull and imagined each of them as strands of brown hair. "Eve?" he said in a whisper.

"Daddy?" the child said in a surprised voice, "Hurry! Hurry!"

Tears immediately flooded his eyes and began running down his cheeks as he recognized Eve's voice. She sounded weak but there was no mistaking that sweet, charming little voice he remembered. The pain that filled his heart and mind suppressed the actual physical pains from his wounds. He forgot about all his wounds and struggled to embrace the motionless Eve as she lay on the table. He kissed her lightly on the lips and stared into her eyes and could tell she would be gone very soon.

"I won't leave you alone, my little Ewok," he said, panting and coughing, "I love you." He hugged her tightly and felt the fragment enter his lung.