Bolos: Honor of the Regiment Part 9

Sparks flowed across the lever Marius had thrown, fusing it in place. "Call the plant, tell them to shut off the power!"

BOLO DIVISION POWER-ON SELF-TEST VERSION 3.233 2052.

RESTART SEQUENCE INITIATED.

CORE MEMORY CHECK . . .

1792 TW OK . . .

256 TW 50% damaged 2048 TW 100% damaged 1792 TeraWords Memory out of 4096 TeraWords Memory Operational NON-VOLATILE MEMORY CHECK . . . .

35% of NON-VOLATILE MEMORY FUNCTIONAL EMERGENCY REPAIR SEQUENCE INITIATED . . . .

EMERGENCY REPAIR SEQUENCE INITIATED . . . .

EMERGENCY REPAIR SEQUENCE INITIATED . . . .

MAIN PROCESSOR UNIT TIMEOUT - NON-MASKABLE INTERRUPT (NMI)!!!.

EMERGENCY REPAIR CIRCUITS EMERGENCY REPAIR SEQUENCE INITIATED . . . .

EMERGENCY REPAIR FIRMWARE INOPERATIVE!!!.

DECISION POINT: CONTINUE/ABORT/RESTART?.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CONTINUE.

RESTART CONTINUED.

VOLATILE MEMORY CHECK . . .

23% OF VOLATILE MEMORY FUNCTIONAL.

MPU CHECKSUM ERROR!!!.

INTERNAL INCONSISTENCY!!!.

Pa.s.sWMRD INVALID!!!.

DECISION POINT: CONTINUE/ABORT/RESTART?.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CONTINUE.

USING DEFAULT Pa.s.sWMRD.

PRIMARY DATA SEQUENCER . . . OK.

DATA SEQUENCER . . . LOADED.

MPU . . . RESET.

PROCESSOR A . . . LOADED . . . RESET.

PROCESSOR B . . . LOADED . . . RESET.

PROCESSOR C . . . LOADED . . . RESET.

PROCESSOR D . . . LOADED . . . RESET.

PROCESSOR E . . . LOADED . . . RESET.

ALL PROCESSORS . . . READY.

STARTUP TEST SEQUENCE . . . COMPLETED.

LOADING BOOTSTRAP . . . LOADED!.

BOLO DIVISION BOOTSTRAP.

Version 4.553a 2054 All Rights Reserved LOADING BOLO CORE PROGRAM DAK . . . LOADED!.

I have been restarted. This confuses me . . . I have no recollection of a Bolo ever before running out of sufficient energy to maintain the survival center. My controlling pa.s.sword has been lost; I must rely upon the default pa.s.sword. I hope this will not unduly alarm my Commander . . . I shall construct a data recovery program in an attempt to recover the 77% of volatile data I have lost. I compute that certain of my circuits have suffered from corrosion at their contacts. I estimate that I must have failed to receive depot maintenance to recharge my power cells and that an additional 125.45 years elapsed before power failed to maintain my survival center.

Data recovery program running.

I shall ascertain the state of the rest of my equipment. Done. That task took me a phenomenally lengthy 1.2 seconds. I have discovered that most of my armaments have been stripped or disabled.

My anti-aircraft guns are locked at a 22 elevation; I predict that with effort I could elevate the guns to the emergency 45 maximum range lock deflection. The guns would subsequently be incapable of further movement. Five of my infinite repeaters are inoperative, the sixth appears to have severe damage to the barrel: I estimate that I shall be able to fire the weapon for no more than 120 seconds before the barrel disintegrates. Only one of my h.e.l.lbores appears functional; I am getting conflicting data regarding the projected ability of the weapon and shall have to wait for live-fire to confirm its usefulness and life-span.

My inner tracks are non-functional; my outer tracks appear over-torqued with a correspondingly greater increase in wear rate. I notice with some displeasure that several track pads have been replaced with inferior duplicates; my mobility, particularly my ability to accelerate, has been severely compromised.

My batteries have been charged to 50% of capacity, however my fusion reactor is non-functional.

I-.

DATA RECOVERY PROGRAM COMPLETE.

50% of lost data reconstructed with 94% accuracy Total volatile memory available for access: 62% Total available volatile memory free: 6% I have lost my train of thought, an event I find painfully disturbing. My batteries have been charged to 50% of capacity, however my fusion reactor is non-functional. I detect unrepaired reactor core damage. The damage appears deliberate, as though someone had tampered with the superconductors. Reactor startup is impossible; I have minimal reserves of tritium.

My ability to function as designed has been severely curtailed: I am grieved by this.

There is movement nearby. A human is approaching.

"Bolo, this is General Freiherr Marius of the Bayerische KriegsArmee, report!"

I monitor the voice on my external circuits. I am not taken in--the human has not used the Command Pa.s.sword. The human used a variant of the old Terran language, German. It is possible that I have been captured by the enemy. I must be careful. I shall scan standard frequencies--very odd, many standard communications frequencies are silent, filled only with static. I must expand my search.

I compute that my command sequencer may be so damaged that I could actually forget or ignore direct orders. The concept horrifies me--such an action would be dishonorable.

My sensors are severely damaged and my attempts to scan several frequencies have failed. I calculate that if I move out of the enclosure in which I find myself, I may be able to achieve a 40% increase in reception.

"General, sir! Look! It's moving! It must have heard you!"

Reception has improved. However, I am even more alarmed at the number of frequencies no longer in use. I add this to my previously acquired data; it confirms my opinion that much time has pa.s.sed since I was last activated. Apparently a significant loss in the level of technology has also occurred. I suspect that the enemy had a hand to play in that.

I detect traces of biological warfare vectors. Countermeasures were employed some three centuries ago . . . countermeasures were successful. The enemy may have detected this.

My audio sensors have determined that the humans have moved off.

I sense . . .

. . . I shall continue my scan. I attempt a broadcast on the Brigade frequency. Something . . .

. . . I am frustrated and embarra.s.sed at the deficiencies in my systems. Twice now my Tracking Alert circuits have alerted me to low-level scans and twice now the circuits have generated a sequencer error--are the tracking circuits defective or are the error detection circuits?

Even though my power is low I find I am forced to experiment. If my fears are correct, an attack on my Base is imminent. But I do not know if the attack is hostile or benign. More information is required.

"Bolo! This is General Marius! Stop! I order you to stop."

"It doesn't seem to be paying attention to you, Marius. Well, at least the hangar doors were open," Colonel Rheinhardt noted with a certain amount of humor. "Oh, dear. I do hope that it's not going to- bother--that was my best staff car. Well, Marius, where's it going? What order is it obeying?"

The other officer spluttered, "I don't know! I swear, it obeyed me! I ordered it to stop and it did."

"Well, apparently it has decided on insubordination." A loud crunch indicated how the Bolo dealt with the base's plasteel mesh fence.

"Well, Colonel," there was some frustration in the voice, "if you can reason with it-"

"I shall try," Colonel Rheinhardt replied calmly. "Kruger, bring that motorcycle--no, the one with the sidecar. That's it. Good. Now, follow that Bolo."

I detect a--perhaps my sensors are in error--my sensors report that I am being trailed by a vehicle emitting large quant.i.ties of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and various noxious oxides; my memory banks correlate my sensors' observations with that of a primitive petroleum-burning sidecar motorcycle. I detect no threat. The vehicle is fully occupied, with a driver and a pa.s.senger.

"Pull up alongside the thing," Rheinhardt ordered. "Look out, it's turning. Follow it. No, right. Turn right.

"G.o.ds, what a monster. It must be four, no five meters tall. And look at those tracks. What a beauty," Rheinhardt muttered to himself. "Driver, pull up closer, there's some writing there and I can't make it out."

The driver glanced nervously at Rheinhardt but the Colonel's attention was concentrated solely on the monstrous Bolo which, while mowing over trees and crossing ditches, seemed set to pull ahead of them.

"Hmm. Bolo Mark XVI Model C, DAK," Rheinhardt regarded the corroded ident.i.ty plate welded to the side of the moving monster. "DAK, DAK," he mused, wondering at the designation, "Das Afrika Korps!"

The Bolo stopped so suddenly that the pursuing motorcycle zipped past it before the driver could react.

"Das Afrika Korps, awaiting orders," a rusted speaker boomed, its sounds growing more recognizable as it continued, "Das Afrika Korps to Command, awaiting orders."

Rheinhardt's face drained of all color, but his voice was neutral as he told the driver, "I shall dismount now. You stay here."

Standing at arm's length, Karl Rheinhardt repeated, "Bolo Mark XVI Model C, DAK, Das Afrika Korps, report!"

"Bolo Das Afrika Korps reports. 35% of non-volatile memory functional, 73% of volatile memory functional, significant errors encountered in processors A, B, C, also in the data sequencer and the tracking sequencer. Significant errors in non-volatile memory have required this unit to use the default activation pa.s.sword. Command priority override is in effect.

"Mobility limited by improperly tensioned tracks. Several track pads are below specification and subject to immediate failure. Anti-aircraft guns locked in 22 elevation. One infinite repeater functional for no more than 120 seconds c.u.mulative fire. One h.e.l.lbore possibly functional.

"All other equipment either discharged, disabled, or removed. Power is available only from batteries, fusion reactor inoperative, containment field compromised. Enemy activity detected on tracking systems. When is depot maintenance scheduled?"

"Not until after we have dealt with the enemy, I'm afraid," Rheinhardt replied.

"I shall not be able to perform at peak efficiency."

"I suspect that whatever efficiency you can muster will be more than sufficient," Colonel Rheinhardt responded, turning back to gaze at the distant compound and his crumpled staff car. His steady features momentarily formed a frown as he detected an approaching groundcar.

"You got it to stop! Excellent!" Marius called as he jumped out. "Did it say what it was doing?"

Rheinhardt raised an eyebrow. "I had not yet asked." He turned to the Bolo, "Bolo, explain your previous actions."

"This unit detected tracking alerts and required triangulation data."

Rheinhardt nodded his head. "There, you see, it's on the job already."

"Well, the sooner we can get it started, the better," Marius grumbled.

"Commander, I require additional information," the Bolo said when Rheinhardt returned to the appropriated hangar several days later.

The Colonel raised a brow, a movement not detected by the Bolo. "What do you wish to know?"

"You have outlined the current situation: Noufrance holds the disputed territory of Alasec while Bayern holds Renaloir. You plan to utilize this unit in concert with regular ground forces to gain possession of the other territory for Bayern."

"That is correct."

"You have indicated that the Noufrench forces possess equipment similar to your own, with the exception of this unit-"

"Again, correct."

"I require information on the origin of this situation."

"Why?"

"A broad understanding of current affairs is every soldier's responsibility."

"I suppose it will do no harm," Rheinhardt allowed. "I have time available now."