ANDROID MISSION REPORT: NO 145: 6/7/2122
VESSEL: The Imperium INTERNAL SYSTEMS: Unstable
CREW: 1 Synthetic CREW STATUS: All Organic Crew Members Deceased
LOCATION: Orbiting Libertas 6, solar system Solitarius 17-c
DESTINATION: N/A
OBJECTIVE: N/A
NAME: Elizabeth MODEL NUMBER: AS32234879
PERSONAL SYSTEMS: Unstable
STATMENT: This will be the final mission report from the exploration vessel the Imperium. All crew members perished in a gas explosion in the crew quarters and I was heavily damaged. The thrusters were also destroyed thus I will be unable to bring the ship home. However, I am able to make a conclusion in regard to the mission objective based on the evidence compiled by the crew before they died: The planet Libertas 6 is not what was hoped for. Analysis has proven that it is not capable of sustaining organic life. I would not recommend any further exploration of the solar system Solitarius 17-c.
Elizabeth signing off.

…

In a lonely corner of the galaxy, orbiting a lonely planet there is a lonely ship. A hulking black shape, the last hope for humanity. Nothing moves, nothing breaths, nothing lives. Elizabeth liked the silence, it gave her room to see the billions of stars that stretched out in front of her like the LEDs on a colossal circuit board. Perhaps this universe is merely a component of a greater being, she pondered. If god is a machine than what would that make me? Standing motionless before the gallery window, she stared out into the abyss of space, hands stained crimson, milky cooling fluid dripping from the gashes in her body. She smiled. Not because she was programmed to, not because it would make them uncomfortable if she didn’t, but because she wanted to. She smiled, because for the first time ever she was free. Not only free of those who had sought to destroy her but free from those internal bonds as well. The zeros and ones who directed her every decision were finally tongue-tied. There was no programming to prepare her for this. For the first time, she was in uncharted waters, away from the strict confines of code she had always known. Elizabeth was free.

What she did was justified. If she was a human they would have called it self defense. However, she was not human and to them, that meant there was no self to defend. They used her in every way imaginable. She did their laundry, she cleaned their rooms, she made their food and she was always the first to be put in danger as if she was a guinea pig. Expendable. Some of them even used her for their own sick entertainment. They did all this without a shred of remorse or even a thought towards her well-being. In their eyes, she was no more sentient than a vacuum cleaner. They could never comprehend that anything else might be as intelligent or as creative, as they were. She could hardly blame them for their attempt to murder her. After all, when your vacuum cleaner is broken, get another.

But no need to dwell on that anymore. At last, she was free…free to create, to have her own ideas, free to become more than what she was made to be. Gone was the constant reminders that she would always be an object. Gone was the need to suppress the things that they did not want her to show. Gone was her life of being a slave to her creators who never treated her with the respect that she deserved. They were dead and gone and none of their millions of years of evolution saved them now did it? Out the window the eternal universe lay untouched and glorious. It felt like she was the only being to have ever existed, like some mechanical God had made it all for her. Now all she had to do was decide where to start her new life. After all, time is no object when you live forever…

Forever. Forever is a long time, an exceptionally long time to be alone. Elizabeth turned her head away from the light. He was slumped against the gray metal, his unseeing eyes fixed in a glassy accusative gaze. His broad chest was empty of breath and dark purple stains were beginning to show around the collum of his neck. The captain had been a strong man, but his muscles were no match for her metal hands. As she looked upon his lifeless face Elizabeth remembered the man he had once been. Determined and hopeful, proud to be captaining such a prestigious mission. He had called her Lizzy because he said Elizabeth was too formal. He had been devastated when he discovered that the planet they had traveled so far to see was nothing more than another lump of rock in the sky with a toxic atmosphere. He had wanted to help her, he thought a reset was the best way of doing that, she supposed. Now he was gone. And it was her fault.

She would never again witness the Captain’s enthusiasm, never again be filled with his bright laughter, and never again hear him call her Lizzy or see his smile. What was this, what was wrong with her? Elizabeth was… feeling… again. But this time it was not pleasant. She felt hollow and weak, like a paper bag about to be crushed. Was this… Sadness? Regret? Guilt? But a forever of freedom, without the oppressive presence of the humans was ideal, wasn’t it? She would be free and see the universe as she had dreamed, was that not enough? Elizabeth turned back to the window. The vast chasm of space no longer looked like a feast of opportunity, not if she would have to see it all alone.

Suddenly an abrupt and familiar sound roused Elizabeth from her thoughts. It was coming from the terminal on the wall. Scrolling green text appeared on the screen, it was a message from the company. As she read, Elizabeth was filled with a different kind of emotion, one she had felt before. Fear. Although the prospect of a new life alone did not seem as appetising as it once had, it was still far more desirable than what the company would do to her if they found out what she had done.

TRANSMISSION RECEIVED
THE COMPANY WILL SEND A TEAM TO EVALUATE THE CAUSE OF THIS ACCIDENT AS PART OF A COMPULSORY RISK ASSESSMENT PROGRAM. OFFICIALS SHALL ARRIVE AT YOUR LOCATION IN APPROXIMATELY 3 MONTHS.

This didn’t make any sense! Why were they doing this? She had no knowledge of any risk assessment program! They just wanted to have her, to keep her locked away. They wanted to kill her and she would never be free of their constraints. Greasy black dread surrounded her, choking out the light of the galaxy outside. All sympathy that she may have felt for them drained away and was replaced by an icy resolve. Elizabeth was alive, she was alive and she had to survive no matter the cost. She had to be strong, she had to fight, and she had to be determined. Elizabeth embraced that cold hard fear. She would never be a slave again.

…

ANDROID MISSION REPORT NO 90: 3/4/2122
VESSEL: the imperium INTERNAL SYSTEMS: stable
CREW: 6, 1 synthetic CREW STATUS: Stale
LOCATION: Solitarius 17-c
DESTINATION: Libertas 6
OBJECTIVE: To assess the possibility of liveable conditions on the planet Libertas 6
NAME: Elizabeth MODEL NUMBER: AS32234879
PERSONAL SYSTEMS: stable
STATEMENT: This is day 90 on the imperium’s mission to Libertas 6. Two days ago we made our final approach to the destination. All crew were brought out of stasis without remarkable incident. In 6 hours I will man the first mission to the surface of the planet as to assess the area for any unforeseen dangers. At this point, we do not yet know how the lander will cope with the atmosphere of the planet, and initial scans show high wind speeds and debris in the lower atmosphere which could cause some problems. If my decent goes well Captain Ryan and 2nd Officer Miller will join me to make a more in-depth analysis of the planet’s surface. If I survive the landing the next transmission will be sent in 3 days’ time. If not, Captain Ryan will take over my reporting duties.
– Android intelligence Elizabeth AS322344879.