Toy Wars by Thomas Gondolfi Read Free Book Online

crop waiting forever to be harvested . I sent a mental, net-style command for everyone to stay loaded on the train and the locomotives to stay fired up . I wouldn’t have my group being ambushed here. If this was the remainder of a true battle, then neither side had survived , a very rare occurrence in war.
    “If I’m attacked, reverse at maximum speed. Do not wait for me to return,” I ordered the engines. The carnage was grisly. Some of Six’s units had obviously fought to the end of their power, falling over intact but as dead as if they had been shot in the head. Unwanted feelings flooded me, interfering with my ability to do my job. Why was I learning of pain, suffering , and emotion? It wasn’t fair. But then , when were mere creations ever given the fair task s ?
    I was not designed for emotions, but I had them. They weren’t listed anywhere in my manual, or self-care texts. I had no gauges, no monitors, no overload or overrides for anything emotional. How did one deaden mental anguish?
    By my internal clock, I spent two hours and sixteen minutes among the bodies of my fallen brethren and those of the local animals where at times their parts intermingled. How did one mitigate grief? An arm ripped off here, a tail severed there. How did one control rage? Torsos riddled with shrapnel . The oversized head of a Tami doll still attached to her body only by a single flap of skin. Why did we suffer like this? Bodies at the bottom of piles of deactivated units soaked in sump and hydraulic fluid. The carnage so overshadowed the minor skirmish I won earlier as to be laughable.
    It took looking at a t eddy unit with a missing face to bring me back to my duties. I’d spent enough time wallowing in emotions . As I saw no movement and my walking about drew no fire , my command was safe. How long it remained safe depended on me. My new post needed me. A garrison needed to be established.
    I threw together a hasty SAN and ordered, “Dismount! I want the five canaries doing over-watch.” The quintet of 1- meter - tall yellow birds shuffled off in different directions on their huge orange feet. T heir paw - sized eyes could see for kilometer s in this terrain even if their tiny wings couldn’t fly them nor hold a weapon of any size.
    Looking around at the blank slate that was my post I scratched behind my right ear. Now why is it that Six packed my memories with pithy phrases like “I shall return.” or “Nuts!” or even “ Veni , vidi , vici , ” but nothing about building a garrison , and v ery little about the actual campaigns of each of those famous commanders. I would have to figure it out by myself.
    The nearly flat tundra still concerned me. Any of the local fauna could see us from a great distance and with that would know exactly what units I had under my command and where . I decided that as long as we had the time to set it up, I would make sure we had the best defensive position possible.
    “I want four fire teams of a Jeff re y Giraffe, four Tommy Tank s, and a t eddy. Each of these fire teams I want out 100 meters at cardinal compass points off by 32 deg rees. Save this as D efensive O ne . ” The four teams joined up and trundled out. “Nans , begin a reprocessing center here along the railroad tracks. We may need the spare parts.”
    After I had decided my best option for the time and no immediate risks , I gave the train my leave. I watched it roll away with some trepidation. Even though the net’s warmth and reassurance still embraced me, I knew we were on our own. More specifically, I was alone . Win or lose , my furry shoulders carried the weight and responsibility of command . The train blew a long , deep whistle as it pulled away. It sounded like some damned and sick soul begging for release from its tortures. The sound haunted me.
    But once again my devotion to duty was my savior. Work salved my own soul — if souls were not reserved only for Humans.
    “Teddy 1499 to