C. A. Farrell

Malfunction

My thrusters hummed as I floated down the line of sleeping drones, searching for the offender. In the dark emptiness between stars, drones gave their minds over to the ship’s computer and became nodes in the vast neural network of the ship. Upon reaching our destination, thousands of light years away, the network would fragment to individuals prepared to carry out the mission. Out in the deep dark, I alone remained autonomous. My job was to monitor my fellow drones and repair or decommission any malfunctioning units. Toggling between active and passive sensors, I located the rogue drone, flexed my hydraulic grippers, and descended.