After hunting undead alongside his lover for a good while, Aurélien returned to his workshop. Seeing that his droids had gathered a decent amount of metal after dismantling four vehicles, Aurélien figured it was the perfect time to begin expanding his military forces. The sun was starting to set, painting the sky in bloody hues, when Aurélien stepped back into his workshop. The air was thick with the scent of heated metal, recycled fuel, and used oil—but to him, it was the perfume of the future.
The mechanical arms in his workshop began dismantling the household appliances the droids had brought back, extracting chips and anything else that could be useful for his projects.
The arachnid droids had proven highly efficient in material extraction, sorting metals from car wrecks, cutting through chassis and engines to retrieve steel, aluminum, and even traces of palladium from the circuitry of luxury vehicles.
Electronic components—microprocessors, logic chips, capacitors—came from deserted homes. Every television, old console, and microwave was a digital goldmine. The BX units patrolled in formation, and every empty house became a collection point.
Meanwhile, Aurélien pulled out three schematics he had received earlier. First, he examined the blueprint for the Lucius Pattern Lasgun. It resembled the bolt-action rifles from World War I, such as the Gewehr 98, though it didn't use cartridges—instead, it fired laser shots powered by an energy block. Its design was basic and could be easily mass-produced on an assembly line. For now, Aurélien wasn't worried about electricity for his creations, as the fact his neighborhood still had power meant the city's hydroelectric plant was still operational. Still, he made a mental note to ensure it stayed that way, since one of the greatest threats to his droid army would be a loss of power. Unfortunately, while studying the materials required to build the Lasgun, he realized that some of the components for the power block—particularly specific crystals—were rarely found in modern electronics. He would need to begin mining operations to make this project viable.
After analyzing the weapon's blueprint, he moved on to the plans for the B1 battle droid. It didn't take him long to see that this model was inferior to the BX units. However, the rare resources needed to build a single BX were equivalent to the construction of 30 B1s. That made the B1 a highly useful machine, perfect as cannon fodder and for rapidly building a large army. As a mass-market combat droid, its creators had deliberately given it limited adaptability and combat logic, forcing clients to buy replacements regularly. To make matters worse, their memory was routinely wiped to prevent any survival awareness from developing.
He spoke aloud to himself:
"Composite alloy frame, scavenged servo-motors… semi-automatic targeting system… rudimentary AI based on hand-coded logic matrix…"
"The default processor doesn't even give them the idea to take cover from enemy fire!" Aurélien thought with disgust at such deliberate sabotage. Refusing to replicate the same mistake, he slightly altered the design of the processor and the software controlling the droid's functions. Thanks to these changes, the B1s would now have combat adaptability on par with the average human soldier. Their memories would be retained, allowing them to learn from mistakes. It came at the cost of a few more resources, but it was worth it.
With the schematics updated, Aurélien first repaired his mechadendrite. In addition to enhancing his combat capability, his mechanical arms would help speed up the construction of his army.
He then began manufacturing E-5 blasters, the primary weapon of the B1 droids. Unlike the Lucius Pattern Lasgun, the E-5 was a plasma-based energy weapon, using a concentrated power cell to fire bursts of ionized particles capable of piercing flesh, bone… or light steel.
He sketched a simplified version of the model:
Body made from lightweight aluminum and steel salvaged from cars.
Internal structure printed from hand-machined components and stripped household circuitry.
Reinforced plasma barrel, sourced from old microwave capacitors and transformer coils.
No fancy plasma cartridges like in that distant galaxy. Aurélien improvised with:
Modified lithium-ion batteries.
A hybrid power cell built by fusing a car battery with a rapid-discharge capacitor, giving about ten shots before needing a recharge.
These cells were inserted into a battery pack the droids could easily detach and recharge in the workshop via a standard port.
He designed a controlled pulse-discharge system:
A microcontroller, repurposed from a laptop motherboard, managed the rate of fire.
He used focusing lenses scavenged from DVD players to channel the beam.
The result:
Each E-5 blaster:
Weighs about 2.5 kg.
Fires in bursts of 3 rounds per second.
Has a capacity of 10 shots per battery.
Later that night, as the moon bathed the neighborhood in pale light, ten B1 units stood in formation on the street. Survivors in nearby homes watched silently, both fascinated and terrified. The ground vibrated under the synchronized steps of the units.
Saeko, returning from a patrol, stopped beside Aurélien. "You're not just building to survive anymore… You're building to dominate.""No," he answered bluntly. "I'm building so that no one here is ever defenseless again."
She nodded. But deep down, she knew: this was only the beginning. An army always brings with it boundless ambition.
For six days, Aurélien followed the same routine. He woke up with Saeko, spent some time with her and his mother, then immersed himself in the workshop all day, working tirelessly to expand his military potential before falling into bed exhausted. He knew his knowledge would soon attract the attention of other groups who had established strongholds in this post-apocalyptic world. He had no intention of heading to the Takagi estate until he had built a force strong enough to guarantee the safety of himself and his loved ones. Now that the comforts of the old world were gone, humanity's treacherous nature was becoming increasingly apparent.
On the fourth night, Aurélien and Saeko—assisted by their droids—had to eliminate a group of looters trying to steal their resources. A quick interrogation revealed that those who crossed paths with that group rarely met a good end. The two lovers ended their lives without the slightest remorse.
To avoid a repeat of that situation, Aurélien deployed three of his new commando droids as scouts. The measure proved useful when, on the morning of the seventh day, they returned with vital information.
As they were having breakfast, a BX droid entered the room and knelt before him."My lord, a horde of undead—approximately 900 strong—is approaching our position. Estimated impact in five hours."
Faces around the table froze. Koharu dropped her cup, which shattered on the floor. Saeko instinctively grabbed Aurélien's hand.
Aurélien didn't waste a second. "Location?"
"From the west. The mass is too dense for our current units to contain without major losses," the droid responded.
Aurélien cursed under his breath. He had hoped for more time, but the reality of this new world granted none. He turned to Saeko.
"We're moving. The Takagi estate is the only place with defenses strong enough to withstand this."
Saeko nodded without hesitation. Koharu, despite her anxiety, rose to the challenge like the strong woman she was—she went upstairs at once to pack the essentials.
"Prepare a convoy using the recovered trucks. Load them with critical supplies and the weapon schematics. Prioritize generators, batteries, and vital parts," Aurélien ordered the droid.
Then, almost reluctantly, he added, "And activate the B1s. Equip those that are ready. It's time."
In his workshop, the first metallic silhouettes of the B1 droids emerged from their charging pods. Cold, upright, obedient, they grabbed their freshly forged E-5 blasters, their purpose hard-coded in their cores: protect and serve their master to their last circuit.
Author's Note: Thank you all for your support, your encouragement, makes me want to publish more.