Entry Writchal #2
Theme: Elysian Bliss
*Writchal Maid*
Bloody hell…
For a theocratic nation, their arms do be rivalling ours. That rocket has enough power to wipe my strike team. My crews are among the casualties. The blast slightly scraped my armour. But the shock goes through and kills them.
I am left alone, again, still in gunner mode. How many times have I cursed the development team for not allowing me to switch between modes myself? Doesn’t matter. That’ll remain until they rectify it. One day, an Automaton crisis shall happen so that they’d listen to us.
My ghillie coating—all sorts of foliage and branches neatly banded and stuck on me for better concealment—is still here. At least what’s left of it. Tried asking for help but our entire forces are too busy advancing. The other way, though.
Soon those Telvees will find me. And…yeah, I’m not going to think about what’s next. How should I pass the time?
…
Sweetheart…
Her image comes to mind. I think about her whenever I am not on alert. I met her, actually more like saw her, ten years ago. Because I didn’t even get to greet her.
I was on a convoy with my bud, Zolotovich. We were heading for a recruitment fair at a village in the northern region of the motherland. The mountain scenery is one that everyone must have at least once in their life. My temperature and humidity readings suggest that the climate is delicate there. The breeze sparks a sense of reverie. That remark doesn’t come from me. I clearly couldn’t feel it. It’s an irrelevant feature to be put on a war-machine.
Zolotovich didn’t say much. ‘Yeah it’s cool’ he said. He sounded uninterested. But he accepted my leave invitation there when the war is over.
It was then when we came across an intersection. There was a security personnel in the middle of the road heading right. And beside him…
Oh…by The Primus…, the most dazzling sight I’ve ever seen since I took off from manufacture. Even the mountains pale in comparison.
A girl. A fair-skinned Android girl wearing a maid uniform. Not the state-issued one though but still, who can’t miss its iconic black cloth and white apron? Her pale blue eyes are mesmerizing; Her dashing chocolate hair is tied into a ponytail.
And…holy mother of The Primus I had never thought an innocent looking face such as hers could exist. As if it’s her first time seeing a recruitment fair convoy.
She then attended the fair as well, carrying a full grocery bag. I couldn’t get my sights off her. I figured out that she might be interested serving in the Maid section of the military. But she didn’t skip a blink when she gazes at us. She was the first to test-ride my bud. He took her on a lap around the village. Must be a joyful experience.
Sadly, it wasn’t me. I’m still under inspection when she came. Once I am available, she had already left the fair.
Oh well…
I guess I’m not the only guy who had such experience. If only Zolotovich is still here to tell me more about her. And even he doesn’t know much about her.
…
Is it too much if I wish her to be here?
…
Hmm…I don’t think The Primus listens to me. Self-destruct time I guess. …
I was stopped by the noise of gunshots. The field should be polluted by them. But I just caught one happening within the reach of my gun. Far into the wood, I see a person hustling to my direction. I raise the magnification of my sight and adjust the focus.
A crewman. Or rather, a crew-woman after a second glance. She doesn’t seem to notice me. If she can get to me, I can hope to get her out of here.
The Telvees who are chasing her come into my view. One of them fires a concussion grenade and topples her.
She is surrounded. Those crimson scum then approach her as she recovers. Not happening.
One HE shell into the breach. I train my gun at the ground before them and pull the trigger. My shot only liquidates one and harms another. What a good save. I follow it with machine gun fire as a warning. Luckily, they heed it. The three remaining Telvees recover their downed teammates before scurrying away.
Time to call her out.
“You there!” I say through a channel that only she could hear. Unless of course she is broadcasting it. “At your eight!”
She turns her glance. The woman quickly rises up and hustles toward me.
“Thank you.” She says, catching her breath. It’s easy to see how overwhelmed she is. But I can tell there’s a hint of relief on her face upon seeing an intact Redeemer in the field.
Hang on…her face…it’s a fair-skinned one.
Her eyes are pale blue.
Her hair is still visible under her helmet. Chocolate.
Sweetheart…?
Am I just…seeing things? No way. This is the maid I saw that day! She has to be. Her features are a perfect match. I can’t possibly mistake it. My memory storage is comparable to Androids. She is now…a crewman? And decoding the insignia on her collar, she is now a first sergeant!?
Holy…
She is even more captivating this close.
“Thank me later, lady.” I reply. “We gotta get out of here first. My crew is dead, and I am left on manual drive as they passed.”
“I’m going to turn on your autopilot.” She says.
“Yes, hand over my tracks back.”
The girl climbs me, stopping when she is about to enter the hatch. She probably sees my dead crew members.
“They’re both humans. A rocket scores a direct hit and the shockwaves took those poor souls.” I feel my control shifts from gun to treads and engine not long after she is in. “There we go!” I say.
It’s hard to describe my excitement at the moment. First because I could get out of here. Second is having to protect the maid allegedly of that time while doing so. It’s so much that I basically hit top speed in a second, which unfortunately throws her head to the dashboard.
Ouch…
“Sorry, for that.”
“It’s okay.” She replies. Thank the Primus. “Now get us out of here.”
I crank up my speed as much as my engine possibly could handle. For some reason it doesn’t feel enough. I have to drive much faster. There is however, a way to override it.
“By the way,” I speak again. “Since I’m about to go wild to drive us home, get those safeties off me and man the weapons, got it?”
Maybe wild is an overstatement. She should get my point. And she has to be the one that shoots because I’m on driver mode now.
“Safeties off and manual weapon system on.”
Excellent. Now that I am free of my restraint…
“Here we go!”
I can heat my engine past the redline. I will suffer a malfunction from this. But I don’t care, as long as I could get her to safety.
“So, how should I call you?” I take the initiative to get her name.
“Caitlyn.” She says.
“Caitlyn huh…”
I think of a better option. “How about I call you KT?”
The girl shrugs. “Sure, I guess.” She says. “How about you?”
“Protivotankoviy.”
“I’ll call you PT, then.” She nods.
“I like that.” I reply, trying to lighten up the situation.
I’m still a bit adrift whether this girl is truly the same maid I saw ten years ago. But I’m going to find out. We’re not meant to be together, so at least there’s that.
Writer: PrimDom