Stuff to See!
Dialogue
The 1826 drone was further examined, and subjected to various tests to gauge his strength, speed, and other such attributes. Creel watched with approval and amazement as the drone, with ease, navigated an obstacle course that baffled any other drone, be it a soldier or command unit. Other tests indicated that the 1826 drone had a deep understanding of conventional military strategy and tactics.
"Remarkable," was Creel's sole comment. At least he could see HOW this drone got out of such a deadly situation. The WHY, still, he couldn't see. Turning to one of the observing engineers, Creel asked "And you still can't tell me HOW this drastic change occurred?"
"No, my lord," swallowed the observer. "In fact, to my knowledge, it's just barely possible to produce such a drone. Having one appear fully functional is just as remarkable as if he were the result of very much time and effort."
"Bring him to me at once!"The 1826 drone stood before the ruler of half of Intrepidoria and was not impressed. He regarded Creel as a datum to be processed rather than a presence to be feared. Noting this, Creel said with scorn, "Do you not know who I am, drone?"
"You are Prefect Creel of the Zangwyn Alliance," replied 1826 in monotone. "You are my ultimate master."
"'My' ultimate master," sneered Creel, but the implications here were sobering. No drone referred to himself, period. "That is correct, drone. Do you have a name?"
"I am the 26t product of the 1800-series, my lord. I have no official name."
"Yet you refer to yourself as 'I'. Appalling behavior, some would say. I am not one of them. But it is damn peculiar. And you have a victory to your credit. A victory, mind you, against insurmountable odds, yet you succeeded. Can you tell me how that happened?"
"Have you not read my report, my lord?"
"Yes, yes. But...how did YOU do that?"
"I cannot say. I do know that the enemy was foolish for not slaughtering us entirely. They had poor leadership. I seized the opening that was at hand and used it to maximum effect. What else can I say?"
"Enough...I can see you know as little as I do about what happened to you. Perhaps, in time..."
"What is to be done with me, my lord?"
"You are now in charge of your own platoon, since you seem so damn good at it. We'll see how you perform, and act from there. You need a name." A moment passed in silence, after which Creel spoke, "You shall be called RZ. Does that please you?"
"It will do nicely, my lord," said RZ.