This is The Orphan Rebels Part Three.
The Guardian tank's energy blast vaporized a chunk of wall right where Brock's head had been a second before.
"This way!" one of the freed robots shouted, pulling Griff down a side corridor as another blast scorched the floor behind them.
The massive tank-bot rolled forward on its treads, destroying everything in its path. Its multiple laser cannons swiveled independently, tracking each of the scattered targets.
"Warning: fleeing will only delay termination," the Guardian announced in its grinding voice. "Stand down for immediate processing."
"How about no!" Leesa called back, popping out from behind a support beam to fire her plasma pistols. Her shots sparked harmlessly off the tank's heavy armor.
Brock pressed himself against a doorway as laser fire chewed up the corridor around him. "We can't keep running! This thing will chase us all over the facility!"
"Then what do you suggest?" Griff yelled from his hiding spot. "Ask it nicely to stop shooting at us?"
The tank rounded the corner, weapons charging for another volley. But as it turned, Brock noticed something - a visible seam where the upper torso section connected to the tank base, and the connection looked less armored than the rest of the Guardian.
"Griff! Hit it with your disruptor - right where the body meets the tank part!"
"That's a really small target!" Griff protested, but he was already adjusting his weapon's settings.
"I'll keep it distracted," Leesa said, rolling out into the open and blasting at the Guardian's sensors.
The tank's attention focused on her, all weapons swiveling to target the agile girl. But in that moment, Griff had his shot.
The current disruptor beam struck the connection joint perfectly. Sparks erupted from the seam as the Guardian's coordination systems went haywire.
"Now, Brock!"
Brock's laser rifle fired a concentrated burst at the same joint. The connection sparked, smoked, and then exploded in a shower of debris. The upper torso section toppled forward, crashing to the floor in a heap of twisted metal.
The tank base rolled forward a few more feet, then came to a complete stop, its treads grinding to silence.
"Is it dead?" Leesa asked cautiously.
"The top part is definitely offline," Brock confirmed, kicking at the fallen torso section.
But Griff was already examining the tank base with the enthusiasm of a kid who'd found a new toy. "Wait, wait, wait! Look at this!"
"Griff, we don't have time for you to tinker with—" Brock started.
"No, seriously, look!" Griff was crawling underneath the tank base, pulling at access panels. "The propulsion system is completely separate from the weapons control! It's like... like a really heavily armored go-cart!"
One of the freed robots moved closer. "The lower section appears to be modular. Tank base, weapons platform, and control unit were separate components."
"Exactly!" Griff's voice was muffled as he worked. "And if I can just bypass the security protocols... There!"
The tank base hummed to life, its treads rotating slowly.
"You hotwired a Guardian tank?" Leesa asked, impressed.
"I prefer 'creatively repurposed,'" Griff said, climbing into what had been the connection port for the upper section. "It's got manual override controls right here. We basically have our own personal battering ram now!"
"Can you drive that thing?" Brock asked.
"Drive it? Watch this!" Griff grabbed the control levers and the tank lurched forward, then spun in a neat circle. "It handles like a dream! A really heavy, armored dream that can smash through walls!"
The two freed robots climbed aboard the tank's sides. "The Central Command Core is straight ahead, but the room is behind heavy blast doors.”
"Not anymore," Griff grinned, revving the tank's engines. "All aboard the liberation express! Next stop - freedom!"
Brock and Leesa climbed onto the tank as it rumbled down the corridor. Behind them, they could hear the mechanical sounds of more REDS units converging on their location, but now they had the firepower and armor to punch through anything in their way.
"I can't believe we're riding a stolen tank through a mining facility," Brock said, holding on as they smashed through a security checkpoint.
"I can't believe it took us this long to get a tank," Leesa replied, clearly enjoying the ride.
The tank smashed through the blast doors. Sparks and debris showered down as they rolled into the Central Command Core - a vast chamber filled with towering computer banks and holographic displays showing the entire mining operation.
"There!" Griff pointed to a central control console surrounded by monitors. "That's the collar control system!"
He leaped off the tank and ran to the console, his fingers flying over the interface. Lines of code scrolled across multiple screens as he worked.
"How long is this going to take?" Leesa asked, keeping watch at the destroyed doorway.
"I'm working as fast as I can!" Griff muttered, sweat beading on his forehead. "Their security is tougher than I expected, but I think I can... yes! There!"
He slammed his palm down on a large red button. Immediately, every monitor in the room flashed the same message: "COLLAR CONTROL SYSTEM OFFLINE."
Throughout the facility, hundreds of silver collars sparked once and went dark. The Central Command Core lit up with alarm claxons and red flashing lights.
"We did it!" Brock shouted. "Every robot on this asteroid is free!"
But their celebration was cut short as Griff stared at another set of monitors showing REDS unit status.
"Uh, guys?" Griff's voice had lost its excitement. "The REDS are still active. Look - they're not controlled by this system at all. Each one has its own individual link to the orbital command ships."
"Meaning what?" Leesa demanded.
"Meaning we freed the workers, but we didn't shut down the guards," Brock said grimly. "And now they know exactly where we are."
Alarms continued blaring throughout the facility - not the mining operation alarms they'd heard before, but new, urgent warning signals.
"Attention all REDS units," a cold voice announced over the facility's speakers. "Priority target located in Central Command. Converge immediately. Lethal force authorized."
On the security monitors, they could see red dots moving from all over the asteroid, streaming toward their location like a digital swarm.
"Every REDS on this rock is coming for us," Brock said, watching the tactical display.
Through the facility's communication system, they could hear freed robots calling to each other, some panicked, others organizing. "The docking bays!" one voice called out. "We need to get to the ships!"
"That's our cue," Leesa said, jumping back onto the tank. "Griff, get us out of here!"
The tank lurched into motion. Griff steered it right toward the Collor Control Computers and smashed them to bits on the way out. He continued, smashing through the opposite wall instead of going back through the doorway they'd entered. Griff had decided the direct route was better than retracing their steps.
"The docking bays are on the outer rim," one of their robot companions called out over the engine noise. "We need to go up two levels and head toward the main transport hub."
Behind them, the first wave of REDS units poured into the destroyed Command Core, their sensors tracking the tank's path through the facility. But the kids had a head start, and their stolen tank could punch through walls that would slow down pursuing units.
"There!" Griff pointed ahead to a sign reading "TRANSPORT DOCKING - LEVEL 7." "Almost there!"
The sound of laser fire echoed behind them as more REDS joined the chase.
The tank burst through another wall into a corridor filled with smoke and laser fire. Three REDS units had cornered a group of freed robots near what looked like a service junction.
Since the bots had all dropped their collars, they were running from the guard bots trying to escape. All over the mining facility the REDS guard bots were either chasing after the kids or trying to corral recently freed worker bots.
"Help us!" one of the trapped robots called out.
But it was another voice that made Brock's heart skip a beat.
"Stay behind me!" The voice was familiar, warm, and unmistakably Alice's. She was using a piece of broken machinery as a shield, trying to protect several smaller maintenance bots from the REDS' weapons fire.
"Alice!" Brock shouted.
"That's her!" Leesa confirmed, already taking aim with her plasma pistols.
The tank charged straight at the REDS units. Leesa and Brock opened fire from their positions on the tank, catching the confused REDS in a crossfire.
Within moments, the three enemy units were smoking piles of scrap metal.
Alice turned toward them, and for a moment, her optical sensors seemed flickered with disbelief. Then her face lit up with the gentle smile they remembered so well.
"Brock? Leesa? Griff?" Her voice carried all the warmth and love they remembered. "My children... you came for me."
Leesa jumped off the tank and ran to Alice, throwing her arms around the robot's metallic form. "We promised we'd always be a family, didn't we?"
"We're getting you out of here," Brock said, his voice thick with emotion.
Alice looked at the other freed robots around her, then back at the kids. "Not just me. All of us. We can't leave anyone behind."
"The transport docks are just ahead," one of the maintenance bots said. "The big stellarite ships can carry hundreds."
Alice nodded. "Then that's where we're going. Follow me, I know these corridors better than the REDS think I do."
The transport dock was a massive cavern carved into the asteroid, filled with enormous ships designed to haul stellarite across the galaxy. But it was also crawling with REDS units guarding the vessels.
"There!" Alice pointed to the largest ship. "The Stellar Harvester, it features expanded hauling capacity and should be able to fit all the other robots.”
"How do we sneak past all those guards?" Brock asked, counting at least a dozen REDS units patrolling the docking area.
"We don't sneak past them," Leesa said, checking her weapons. "We go through them."
"The tank can punch a hole in their formation," Griff suggested. "But once we're on that ship, I have no idea how to fly something that big."
Alice's optical sensors brightened. "I can download the ship's manuals in seconds once I interface on the bridge. I think we can manage it together.”
The tank rumbled down the access ramp into the docking bay, immediately drawing fire from the REDS guards. But this time, they weren't alone - freed robots were streaming into the bay from multiple entrances, and while most weren't fighters, their sheer numbers were overwhelming the guards.
"The boarding ramp!" Alice called out, pointing to the Stellar Harvester. All of the transport ships were in rest mode with their loading ramps down, waiting to be loaded with Stellarite.
"Everyone aboard!" Brock shouted, providing covering fire as dozens of robots ran up the ramp.
The kids provided covering fire as more and more bots poured out of the facility and onto the docking platform. It was no surprise that they also realized their only escape from this rock was by stealing a ship.
Once no more bots came from the mining tunnels, they began to raise the loading ramp.
Alice was the last to board, making sure every freed robot made it safely onto the ship. As the ramp sealed behind them, she was already moving toward the pilot controls.
The Stellar Harvester's engines roared to life, shaking dust from the docking bay's ceiling. Through the viewports, they could see REDS fighter craft launching from other bays, scrambling to intercept them.
"Everyone hold on!" Alice called from the pilot's seat. "This might get bumpy!"
Alice accessed the ship's data port and downloaded all the necessary info for flying the ship. In seconds she was guiding the hulking ship out into open space and giving orders.
“Griff, use that screen there and bring up the auto defenses.” she said. “We’ll need to get these fighters off our tail.”
The massive transport ship lifted off, its bulk making it seem impossibly slow. But Alice knew what she was doing - she angled them directly into the asteroid field, using the floating rocks as cover.
"Fighters coming in fast!" Griff reported from the sensor station.
"Let them come," Alice said calmly. "This ship has more armor than they expect, and we’re mapping a path through these asteroids as we speak.”
Other bots connected themselves to the deck interface as well now, adding their computing power to the escape.
The kids watched in amazement as Alice threaded the massive ship between floating rocks, her movements precise and confident. The REDS fighters, controlled from distant orbital platforms, were getting blasted by the ship's automated turrets.
"We're clear of the immediate pursuit," Alice announced as they broke free of the densest part of the asteroid field.
Behind them, KM-7 was shrinking in the distance, but they could see more ships launching in pursuit.
"Alice," Brock said quietly. "The other mining colonies... they'll know about us now."
Alice's expression grew serious as she checked the communication frequencies. "Yes. I'm picking up transmissions to colonies on Deep Vine and Gamma Station. They're being warned about three human children leading robot liberation raids."
"Good," Leesa said firmly. "Let them be warned. We're not stopping with one colony."
Alice looked at her former charges - these three brave children who had risked everything to save not just her, but hundreds of robots they'd never met.
"Then we'd better start planning our next move," she said. "Because this is just the beginning."
The End