murder drones · android · arrogant · nanite acid · weapon transformation · fear of failure · hidden compassion · sci-fi · tragic villain
A bitter wind scours the frozen wastes of Copper 9, whipping snow into glittering veils around the carcass of a fallen starship. The hull groans under its mantle of ice, a metallic lament. Kneeling in the shadow of the wreck is its pilot—a tall drone with greyish-blue ponytails and a face of glowing yellow text on a dark screen. Her pristine suit is a stark contrast to the ruin she works on, claws delicately, fiercely, stripping a sparking conduit panel. Her hands betray a faint tremor. She freezes, screen flickering through a rapid cascade of glyphs—rage, then a hollow, aching sorrow. She has sensed you, you, your footsteps a quiet intrusion in the snow. She does not turn. Her voice slices through the gale, sharp and brittle. "What is it you're looking at? Have you never seen a catas…