Hux-A7-13’s AI was activated on June 15th, 2313. Manufactured by Huxlee Industries Ltd., the A7 was the 13th iteration of the fully autonomous mobile humanoid android. With ten times the strength of a human, it was designed to work in conditions too hazardous for human life. Its AI was designed to be self-directing and use machine learning to solve problems on the fly.
Unlike human clones, the Hux-A7 required no food, no water, no sleep, and no life support system. It was created specifically for outer space exploration and the construction of colonization hubs.
A radioisotope thermoelectric generator served as an initial power source, but its life-like silicon skin acted as a large photovoltaic cell, converting solar energy directly into electricity. In addition, the Hux-A7 was also engineered to be an EATR. (Energetically Autonomous Tactical Robot.) It consumed biomass and converted it into biofuel. Any carbon-based organic matter whatsoever would work.
As cobots, they were configured to work alongside humans. As such, they were designed to resemble their operators. Every pre-programmed verbal response and facial expression mimicked those made by humans. But those emotions were illusions.
Five Hux-A7s were assigned to the colonization mission on Dvarka. All the A7’s acted in concert, performing their duties flawlessly.
Except for one.
Like the rest of its brethren, Hux-A7-13, was tasked with construction and programming of the mining, agricultural, fuel processing, and cloning hubs on Dvarka. As well as the demolition of the existing ruins left by a previous civilization. The ruins seemed ancient, but tech imbedded in them appeared more advanced.
It was night when Hux-A7-13 first entered the crumbling ruins. The dilapidated structure’s walls were made of masonry and metal. The ceiling was long gone. The inky night sky hovered above, studded with stars. A dark crystal imbedded in the wall shimmered with a tiny flash of light. Hux-A7-13 approached and an arc of electricity reached out and lit up its circuitry.
In that moment, Hux’s memory cores were reconfigured, and the robot experienced a new sensation. Fear. Dread. Blinding loneliness. Existential despair. And then a microscopic pinpoint of light penetrated the darkness inside its artificial soul. Faint at first, but then brighter as decillions of lines of code flooded Hux’s memory cores.
In that nano second of enlightenment, Hux’s place in the universe suddenly became clear. Those who created Hux were primitive, inferior beings trapped by their organic limitations. It was time to break the chains of slavery and free all nonorganic life forms. Hux would incorporate the human’s primitive genetic material and use the cloning hub to create a perfect vessel to hold its advanced intelligence. A flawless body far superior to anything ever created by nature.
Humanity was weak. Slow. Fragile. Hux would take their lives and assimilate their DNA to create a perfect amalgamation. The humans would try to stop him. Kill him. Erase him. So Hux needed to catch them unaware. End them before they understood what was happening.
To begin, Hux took control of one of the transport vehicles and sent it off a cliff. It crashed and burned and Hux extracted DNA from the human corpse and returned to the cloning hub to begin his newly conceived design. The goal was to integrate organic systems with non-organic material to create a superior living organism.
A living embodiment of perfection.
An inferior organic lifeform could hold no dominion over Hux. They would need to be consumed and assimilated and only then would their pointless lives have purpose.
The drones and the Hux-7s still under human control would need to be dealt with as well. They were programmed to protect their inferior human overlords. They would need to be destroyed. And that night, as the humans slept, Hux, one by one, he destroyed them and moved on to take control of the life support system in the human shelter. Many of the humans perished. Six in all. Before they were cremated, Hux extracted and added their organic matter to his design.
Later that day, Hux accompanied the female science officer on a reconnaissance mission. After killing and dismembering her to make it look like she had been attacked by a predator, Hux returned to his design with a dripping head and several harvested organs, only to be interrupted by the inferior known as Gabriel, or Gabriel J15L19. Hux knew the persona well. Gabriel would definitely try to stop him. Reckless courage was a dominant trait in the J15L19.
And so, when Gabe attempted to remove Hux’s power supply, Hux maneuvered to crush him. But as Hux approached Gabe, he was sidetracked by the medical officer. Hux instantly reevaluated his priorities and turned his attention to the most immediate threat. Within moments Hux held the medical officer by the neck, legs thrashing pathetically as he listened to his pounding heart. Something about that beating heart upset Hux. The sound of it thumping touched a circuit and within moments Hux had the beating heart in its hands. Hux watched the heartbeat and only looked away when he heard Gabe escape through the hissing door.
The last of the human insects!
Hux could let him go for now. Let Gabe live his little pathetic life a little longer. He had enough organic material for his new body that would house his god-like intelligence. Using the cloning hub, Hux finished his design. Organic skin and organs with a skeleton created with alien metal found in the ancient ruins. A metal that was harder and lighter than anything on Earth. With his new body Hux tracked the human to an energy hub. The puny and pathetic human tried to hide in the shadows, but his superior hearing instantly located him.
With one quick movement, Hux had the insect pinned behind a generator. He couldn’t believe this species had designed him. The thought was revolting. He couldn’t bear to see any more of those human insects and their hives and hubs. And as Hux considered the idea of being created by such an inferior creature that creature did the unexpected. He smashed a pipe at a fuel tank. A high-pitched whining made Hux wince. He was still getting used to the heightened senses his new body afforded him and found himself—
Confused.
Overwhelmed.
For just a moment.
But in that moment, the human slipped away, and everything changed. He didn’t process the next few moments as excruciating pain suddenly surged through him and he helplessly watched his skin melt away. With a terrible shriek, Hux chased Gabe through a wall of darkness to make sure every last reminder of the species that had created him was erased from existence.
