In the morning Mother had a conversation with Alex. Her voice was melodious and relaxing. They discussed the front news and then Mother asked to describe the battle in Apple. She was especially interested in Alex's feelings and thoughts about that battle. The central AI listened his answers with a smile. The hologram often nodded to express its support.

In Apple the battle wasn't easy. The Rag'zork fought fiercely. They didn't show and didn't ask for mercy. It was what Alex told her. Besides, the man added that that blue zork was a good warrior and fought with a spear like a master.

Perhaps, I need to study spear play too? Or how to use another cold weapon? That was an interesting idea, but the young man brushed it off. It would consume years, or rather, decades to become a true master. He didn't have so much time.

Alex sat on the stool and was having a breakfast when Mother showed him an image. It was an inkblot, an abstract image.

“Alex, could you tell me what you see here?” her voice was gentle as before.

The young man looked at the image. He saw a pool of blood there. This surprised Alex. Why do I see this?

“The sun?” he suggested, slicing off a piece of tomato.

“Okay. Good!” the machine beamed and showed a new inkblot. “What do you see here, Alex?”

There he saw a grim old house with some corpses around.

“A flower?”

He ate a piece of tomato.

“That's good, Alex! What here?”

“A cute bunny.”

“Can you describe it?”

He nodded. “It sits on the ground. It is fluffy.”

“Wonderful! What do you see in this image?”

“A teddy bear.”

Mother asked a few more questions and praised Alex in the end. “Alex, I'm proud of you! In short time you have progressed so much! You're a fine example of the human race! Besides, you were the first human who fought - and fought well - on the surface!”

The machine paused and said solemnly. “Alex, you are deserved to be promoted! From now on you are a corporal of the Commonwealth! My congratulations, Alex!”

She clapped energetically with a big smile.

“Thanks, Ma'am.”

The machine bid farewell to him and her hologram disappeared.

Alex finished off his meal and left his apartment to go in the gym.

He lived on his usual schedule for a week. The machine didn't give him new missions. All that time the young man only trained his body and fought in simulations that were a bit different than before. Now he was a corporal and participated in battles as a commander of a sub-squad. For Alex it was a new experience. He learned how to control his subordinates on the battlefield and better understood the robots' capabilities. In short, they were good soldiers but lacked in creativity and initiative.

Finally, Alex had got a message from Mother. The machine gave him a new mission.

The young man went to his apartment to have a low-cal meal and read the latest news from the front lines.

A fight in Paradise Garden intensified. It seemed that the Rag'zork had intention to take the territory back.

The Bright cliff was a tough battlefield for both sides yet.

The Rag'zork had cleared the city New-Hope from humans and pushed the Commonwealth forces away from the said city even further. As a result, the enemy opened a road to the Great Gate: a fortress that guarded the entrance to the underground city where humans lived now.

The Commonwealth fortress “DOM” - the central base for humans on the continent Santory - repelled a massive attack. Skirmishes reactivated in the jungle near the fortress.

There weren't any serious clashes in the air yet.

In the outer space a main fleet of the colony had fought with its counterpart. Both sides had lost several battleships.

Alex closed his watch and finished off his meal. He left his apartment and went to the lift that took the human down. The young man entered the Operators' room. There he occupied the nearest capsule and special cables connected to his nape.

[Welcome, corporal Alexander Reese!]

[This is a virtual military capsule of the Commonwealth: X-10040!]

[Available missions: 1]

[Description of mission: Recently the enemy troops had landed on a space mine “Max Corbert”. As a result, the mine was taken by the Rag'zork. The Commonwealth had launched a counter attack.]

[Objective: Seize the hangar of mine “Max Corbert”]

[Accept mission: [Yes] [No]]

Alex accepted the mission and his vision blurred.

~~~~~~

The outer space, nearby the mine “Max Corbert”

Hundreds of assault boats moved from the big carrier of the Commonwealth to the mine. Those assault boats carried boarding parties.

The mine looked pretty much damaged. A lot of debris was around the mine in the space. So the assault boats were forced to maneuver. Especially, when they were close to their landing zones.

Inside the mine was coming off a battle currently. The robots tried to advance in the main hangar, as well as in many peripheral corridors.

One of the assault boats landed in the main hangar and from it ran out a platoon of robots. The Alex's sub-squad was among them. The majority of the platoon's metal soldiers were armed with laser rifles, but each sub-squad had RPG and a flamethrower as their additional weapons.

The platoon joined the battle immediately while an assault boat opened fire to cover their advance.

Alex led his sub-squad in the direction of the enemy. He saw that the zorks had built barricades from containers. Additionally, they reinforced those containers with so-called “live flesh”. It was a special alien's flesh that was sturdy and durable enough to block laser's beams.

Every side panel of each container had some loopholes. All containers stood close to each other – having small passageways between them - and protected the main entrance to the mine. Besides, the aliens decorated their fortification with some metal heads.

A lot of destroyed robots lay on the floor. Especially, majority of them were right in front of barricades.

Currently the aliens tried to disrupt a landing operation of the Commonwealth army. It was their main goal at that moment.

The human took cover with his subordinates behind some debris and also opened fire. New laser beams were added to the ongoing battle.

At that moment a wave of green zorks - who were in space armored suits - launched a massive attack. The little creatures rushed from passageways in the barricades - a few even jumped off from the roofs - and ran toward the enemy, firing off.

The plasma beams collided with robots. It was enough to destroy them.

Alex aimed quickly and pulled a trigger. One green zork was down! Then another one! And a few more! The corporal's subordinates helped him to kill the aliens. But the “green wave” was coming closer and closer. There were too much green zorks. Even powerful laser beams from the assault boats couldn't stop their advance.

Suddenly laser machine guns (one had every sub-platoon) said their word. From a close range they were dreadful. As a result, laser machine guns collected a good harvest of the alien's lives. Hundreds of green zorks were down for less than a minute. The rest of the aliens ran back as a disorganized crowd. They seemed to be terrified. Even their masters couldn't overrun their fear at such moments.

“Advance.” a new command was given to Alex and his sub-squad counterattacked immediately.

They left their positions and ran through the hangar; over the corpses of the Rag'zork. Some aliens were alive yet.

Alex halted his movement and fired off in the backs of the running green zorks. Some fell down. Then the corporal resumed his advancement. Some robots followed his example. As a result, new alien corpses fell down on the metal floor.

“Take cover.” a sergeant warned Alex when their platoon was close to the enemy positions.

Through the loopholes on the sides of containers protruded new weapons that reminded the human of a bird's beak. Those beaks opened and hundreds of electrical lightnings of great power struck the advancing robots.

Alex had managed to hide behind the cover earlier, but his robot still got a good portion of electrical discharge. His camera blurred for a second or two. Instantly his robot reported its operator about damage. Fortunately, it wasn't serious.

The man knew that the robots had electric protection, but it wasn't good in this mass model.

He peeked out of cover.

About a half of the platoon is down, the human estimated briefly.

Abruptly a rocket propelled close to the corporal and hit the barricade.

BAM!

Two more rockets joined the first one. Their warheads detonated and destroyed those electrical weapons behind the wall. At least Alex hoped so.

The remaining beaks closed their mouthes for about two seconds and then opened them again. New lightnings struck many robots at a close range again. One of them was Alex's. A new portion of electricity had reached him. The man dropped on his knees - getting error reports from the robot - and then his machine fell down. The robot's camera deactivated.

Alex lay in the capsule now. To his head were still connected cables.

[Corporal Alexander Reese, your robot was destroyed!]

[Now you can take a break or continue your mission]

[Continue mission: [Yes] [No]]

The human sighed. The battle is tough.

Alex chose “Yes” and his vision blurred once more today. In a second he was in the body of the robot of his sub-squad that advanced. The human halted and pulled the trigger to see as a series of laser beams left his gun.

Meanwhile, in the passageways between containers appeared big creatures, which resembled the bugs. They turned their abdomen to the enemy and Alex saw as big plasma balls were propelled somewhere behind of him, thus the human turned around and saw Commonwealth tanks. These behemoths advanced and did it quickly. Numerous plasma balls exploded beside the moving tanks. Some machines were hit and exploded. A few were even overturned because of a plasma wave. The behemoths returned fire and the metal shells propelled to the barricades. They detonated noiselessly in the airless hangar. In consequence, the fortified containers were damaged and now there were big holes in the containers.

“Get in!” Alex ordered to his new subordinates via radio, pointing at the nearest hole.

They ran up and a robot of his sub-squad threw a grenade in. After an explosion they stormed in. Inside numeral pieces of green meat covered the metal floor. The walls were as if painted in the green color.

Alex saw that in the corner a blue zork tried to stand up in vain. The creature had lost its leg. A laser beam killed it.

“Show no mercy!” was an iron rule in the Commonwealth army.

The container - in which Alex was - had two exits that were made by the zorks. The human ran up to the one and threw grenade out. It detonated. His subordinates, as well as the robots from his platoon, rushed out from the container from the alien's side. Immediately several robots were down. In return they killed a few aliens.

The corporal's robot got some damage. A plasma beam had destroyed the left arm of Alex's machine.

Suddenly the human noticed a large bug - who stood in the passageway - and fired big plasma balls from its abdomen.

I need to stop it!

The man took out all his grenades and threw them under the bug's belly. They detonated. The big creature didn't like it owning to its legs were injured. Therefore, it decided to leave its position. The bug moved at a slow pace.

The corporal saw as the aliens were withdrawing from the hangar. He, as well as other robots, opened fire. The zorks tried to protect their bugs and fought back. They had even counterattacked once but very weakly. In the end the Commonwealth army had seized the enemy positions.

Abruptly Alex got a message.

[Current objective completed]

[New objective: Your robot is damaged. Repair it]

Currently Alex had only two metal soldiers in his sub-squad. The other sub-squad - in his squad - was wiped out completely.

The Commonwealth army regrouped quickly and then it resumed its advancement.

The Alex's robot - as well as many other metal soldiers - was in need of repair, hence it was left behind. Currently it stood in neat rows with other robots in the hangar.

The corporal observed as assault bots landed in the hangar, bringing reinforcements every minute. Infantry, tanks, and artillery. Right now this mass of machines was marching to the main entrance of the mine.

Finally, the repairing automobiles had come to the damaged robots. Those machines had carried long trailers. As Alex knew, both side of those trailers could be opened and had many manipulators of different size; as well as a stock of spares.

The robots marched to the repairing automobiles organized. Then Alex could observe as quickly and efficiently they worked.

~~~~~~

Alex left the repairing automobiles and got a new sub-squad under his command, as well as a new objective from the commanding AI. Just now the AI had organized a sub-company of two hundreds. The Commonwealth army was a machine army, thus it worked nonstop and it'd never heard about tiredness.

The sub-company moved out of the hangar and entered into the mine. A big long metal tunnel greeted Alex. He saw a few dead big bugs and many corpses of zorks and destroyed robots along the way. Besides, the human noticed that the tunnel's walls were covered in red veins that pulsating. As he knew, these veins were some kind of parasites, which gathered some kind of energy for the aliens. That's why the robots with flamethrowers began to burn them. A special fuel - which didn't require the air - was used in this weapon.

The end of the tunnel had many marks of an intense battle. A lot of dead and destroyed soldiers from both sides lay beside a fortification, which was made of some metal debris that was glued together by the “live flesh”.

The sub-platoon left the tunnel and entered a new hall where a battle had taken place recently. A floor was covered with dead zorks and destroyed robots. It was literally soaked with green blood. Additionally, over twenty dead big bugs lay around the hall, as well as about thirty damaged tanks.

Currently the Commonwealth army was marching through the hall, right over the corpses. It looked like... meat paste!