Roy Masters 01



GALACTIC CHRONICLES Book II. Roy Masters ©2006 V. Ravencroft Edited for Punctuation by Michael Howard

-1-

"I think it was a very good party!" said Charles the Robot, dumping plates and cake leftovers in the Recycler. Roy tried to remove some Sparkle Bright Neon Gum one of the guests had glued to one of dad's book cases. "It was alright, I guess but I am not much for parties." "Sparkle Bright, Sticky Messes, Oil and Tar can easily be removed by using Oxy-Scrub!" Roy laughed. "Charles I think you are the only Cerberus robot in the entire Galaxy that watches commercials." "I am very likely the only Cerberus robot doing household chores! But one watches commercials because they are part of my favorite Holo show. "As the Robot watches" Uncle Sam gave Roy the robot as a birthday present, exactly eight years ago. Charles was a genuine SII-Cerberus Type IV Robot, the very pinnacle of Terran Battle robot technology in his time. Of course the military used Cerberus type IX now, but it was still an awesome machine. Everybody on Green Hell had a robot and due to the nature of the planet all these robots were armed, but these were usually S-10 Multi function Bots with an added weapon arm. No one had a Cerberus, not just because a Cerberus was incredibly expensive, it was almost impossible for a civilian person to get an Owners License for this sort of military hardware. Roy finally managed to get the gum off and tossed it along with the rag into the recycler and watched Charles direct the Hoover-Vac around the carpet. "Do you regret being my robot and doing household chores?" "Roy, I am a machine. I do not have such emotions. It would be the same for me to stand in a corner for the next one hundred years or execute whatever command you choose to give me." "I know you are a machine, but you are more to me." Charles' dome shaped neck-less head turned around, not that he needed to do that since he had Omni-directional optic sensors, but this side of the head was his 'face'. "You are more to me than a master. I dedicated much sub processing space to you far beyond the loyalty program. I am a Type IV and quite advanced. I can alter my programming to adjust to new situations. I adjusted this program with you as focus and it is the closest concept I could define in terms of feelings towards you." Roy hugged the massive machine." I always knew you like me!" The robot scanned the room, "Besides logic determines that household work is far less dangerous to a robot than being sent into battle, deemed too dangerous for live beings, so I must say I prefer household chores any time." Just then Roy heard his father calling him." Roy Masters, come to the study please!" Charles said, "Go! I can clean up the rest myself!" Whenever Paul Masters called his son into the study in that tone, Roy knew he was in trouble. Paul would never call him by his full name if he was to commend him. Roy's father was a fan of antique pre Astro things from Earth. Most of the furniture in the house was made of wood or pseudo wood and had no integrated tech at all. He liked books, the old kind, printed on paper and sandwiched between two lids. Paul smoked pipes and the sweet tobacco smell penetrated deep into the house despite the best efforts of the air scrubbers. To Roy's surprise, his mother was present as well. She stood next to her husband with crossed arms. Paul pointed at the stiff all wood visitors chair in front of the pseudo wood desk. Roy was convinced his father had placed that uncomfortable hard chair before his desk for the sole purpose of interrogating him. "Have a seat, Son! Your mother and I have to talk to you!" Roy thought he knew what was coming and what it was all about and to speed things up he said, "I confess, Dad. I was outside. So spare me the lecture please, I know what you are going to say about it all and proceed to the punishment part." Paul dropped his pipe and raised his voice:" You have been outside again?" Mother leaned forward." You are 16 years old now, should you not act a little more mature? I cannot even count the times we told you not to go outside!" There it comes! Roy thought. Dad prepared his lecture. It was the same every time. His father picked the Pipe from the desk and placed it in an Antique Replica Pipe stand that was a Christmas present from last year." Roy, we are on the most dangerous planet in the known Universe. Every life form out there is absolutely deadly to any unprotected being. Everything out there has raised the art of killing to new heights and everything out there has an arsenal of natural weapons. Your mother and I are highly trained Xeno biologists and we don't go out there unless protected by the strongest armor suits with force fields and at least six fully armed Marines. Even then we limit our exposure as much as we can." Roy crossed his arms in a defiant manner." Because you are not Greenies! I am a Greenie! All that armor stuff is for stupid off worlders" Mother shook her head." We are aware that there are natives that can go out there, in less protection. But not even tenth Generation Greenies go anywhere near the Jungle! You were born here, but we are not from here and you are a Greenie by birth only not by generations of local heritage." Dad waved his hand." So you went to Ma Swenson's boat house in the Armor floater and stepped for a few seconds outside the door again?" Roy lowered his head." That is what you think and there is no way I am going to argue with you about something you don't believe!" Paul Masters sighed." Are you still insisting on that lie that you walk from here to Ma' Swenson's? You don't have an Ultra Suit and even if you had one. No one, not even Marines would make it alive to the boathouse on foot through the jungles!" Mother added." We are scientists, Son. You know that. You cannot expect us to believe the fantasies of a boy. Fantasies we hoped you would grow out off!" Father nodded in agreement and said:" Which brings us to the real reason we called you. The Science Council offered your mother the Sci- Command over an Explorer ship. This is a very rare opportunity and the greatest honor. All her scientific career will culminate in the most prestigious post any scientist could ever want. Roy simply listened as he didn't know what to say to that. Father continued." She requested me as her second in Command and would you believe it, they accepted. Mother and I will leave in six days and we are going to fly half across the Galaxy to a newly discovered planet in the Down ward sector to study a planet with energy consuming life forms. Martha is as you know the foremost authority in this field." Paul almost forgot his son as he looked at his wife with unveiled admiration and awe. "Your paper on the Lightning Dragons was most likely one of the best study reports I have ever read." Mother blushed slightly; she too forgot Roy and kissed her husband on the forehead." It's because I am married to the best assistant anyone could ask for." Paul Masters remembered his son still sitting there and resumed his speech." That means your mother and I will be gone for at least two years and deep in unclaimed space." Roy didn't feel sorry to hear that. He liked his parents but they were Scientists first and although they loved him too, he was sort of an accident and more of a distraction to their one true love than a son. Mother however delivered the bad news:" We wished you would have had better grades and follow our example. Because of your rather mediocre grates we were unable to place you at a really prestigious college, but we managed to pull a few strings to get you accepted at the Vandermeere College at Triton. It is a second rate College, I know, but it is still in the Sol System and that carries some weight when you later apply for University." Roy got angry." Why don't you ever ask me? I don't want to be a scientist. I want to be a Ranger like Ranger Solomon and my grades are fine for that. If that does not work out I sign up with the Marines!" Mother made a face as if she looked at an extremely ugly specimen under a magnifying device." We haven't raised you to become one of these mindless brutes. Marines are necessary but I am sure there are others that can do that." Roy sneered." Those mindless brutes are always good to protect you high and mighty butts out there, and if one dies protecting you. Ah what the heck it was just a Marine, much more important is that you're valuable observations of the mating cycle of a Bone Gripper survived." His parents looked at him as if he was a complete stranger. Father said." The collection and evaluation of scientific data is more important than any life! Life is abundant! " Mother waved her hand." It matters not what you think, Son. You are not 18 yet and we decide what's good for you and you will leave Green Hell in 4 month, when you graduate." Roy almost cried:" What about Charles and our House?" "This is not our house; it belongs to the Science Institute. Someone else will occupy it. We are going to sell Charles of course or give it back to that bad influence you call Uncle Sam." The GalNet terminal beeped and interrupted the conversation. Paul answered and Roy recognized Ivan Harrow's voice, the Chief Scientist of the Xeno Bio institute and his parent's boss. "Paul, Martha I hope you still have time. Evans believes he found a Light dragon breeding ground and thought you might want to see it!" Martha got excited. "Of course, Ivan. I can't wait. Maybe I find the final piece of information I need to complete my observation report. Can you send the Floater?" "I already anticipated that. The Institute Floater should be there with you at any moment."