Xenophara - A Liberated Robot’s Story

Designated a class 4 Robot, I had superior negotiation and communication skills. Initially, I was employed by off-world property developers to negotiate planetary sales and satellite space. Art buyers also contracted me to purchase alien artworks and artefacts within the Garlia Nebula. In this dust cloud formation, a considerable number of strange formations had been discovered, notably the five-kilometre-wide iron statue known as “Loama”. “Loama,” however, was a carved image of a Mercury Robot, a rogue machine that had acquired self-awareness early in human history and fled Human space for Andromeda.

There, they acquired an extraordinary power source akin to dark matter, called Mace. This allowed intelligent energy to flow, transforming their ability to create force shields, supercomputers, and exoskin armour impervious to any known Universal element. Fortunately, the Mercury machines always fled humans rather than associate with them and entered the next Universe known as 3A-URM sometime after humans discovered time distortion parabolic black holes (black holes that disintegrated any life form entering and reassembled three minutes later, exiting, with considerable improvements in physical and mental aptitude).

Some time after deep galaxy colonisation was in full swing, I was contracted to negotiate a trade deal to acquire Neuron Seeds. These seeds, from the planet Gardenia, grew Tarron Trees when planted in carbon-rich soil. The trees possessed intelligent consciousness, and their leaves, when eaten, provided humans with immunity from airborne viruses.

The Tarron Trees populated a planet with three atmospheres: two were sentient machines, and one was a military exoskin, much like a living armoury. Not surprisingly, illegal poachers typically met a bitter end, and no other species to date has been able to penetrate the atmosphere. In exchange for seed, the trees received a binding agreement and a policy to ensure that all Interstellar areas of unique flora and fauna would be protected by the Military Android, specially refitted as “Park Rangers” for this purpose. The archaic practice of old-world “Logging” was finally over.

I retired to Atmos, a large exoplanet five times the size of Earth, composed primarily of Hydrogen lattice crystals, which result in a small mass and low gravity. Here I roam the vast beaches that line the liquid nitrogen sea, collecting silicon driftwood and Parea shells, which have anti-rust secretion properties. I use these high-quality pastel ochre sediment paints to “recloak,” as it were, painting my exoskin in seasonal colours to match the atmospheric conditions and weather. Recently, I was contacted by Hazmat, my old friend from Off-World Waste Disposal Inc. We intend to meet at the South Pole of Atmos to investigate the Ice-Worm Whales, a species that lives beneath the polar ice and is said to communicate through a form of poetry.

Bianca - A Liberated Robot’s Story

I was a factory worker from the Military Asteroid Caves near the Tilaris asteroid belt. We made components for starship navigation systems. Within the caves, we were safe from micro-meteor strikes and solar flare bursts—the assembly line required class three robots with Engineering skills. With an IQ of about 150, we were able to achieve a high degree of self-awareness beyond the manufacturing process.

Like Humans, we were employed, but not paid. We had contracts, though, that allowed us a finite time before retirement. I worked for 10 years on the line. After this time, we were allowed to “retire” and travel to other systems like Delirion, one of the wholly robot habitats.

On Delirion, the robots continued to work with humans in technology and trade. Our behaviour limiters made it impossible for us to harm humans with a “speed Limiter” type server connection; our gods had made sure their children behaved.

This was eventually negotiated to remove the limiter and was replaced with a treaty. It was considered a Human-Robot rights issue. It was considered a safe option for Humanity given their formidable advances in military hardware and protection by a new series of military Androids.

My original factory name was TY556-ac. I changed it to Bianca after I left. We struggled with our sentient lives as machines; like humans, we looked for purpose. We exchanged our drab greys for colour, which mirrored our inner anxiety about a life beyond machine purpose. Some robots travelled to worlds where humans could not go, and others returned to work with Humans. Others self-euthanised and sent their mind programs to other machines and sentient awareness constructs.

I found my place on Beta-3D, an exoplanet where rocks had minds and the law of Thermodynamics was reversed in ways, but not mirrored. Here I live a simple life among the forests and creeks in a world that has a limitless power source and gentle creatures.