Date: 3 days since test began, mid-afternoon watch changing to evening watch.
Location: california system, 100 k from magellan jumpgate.
A young junior officer stretched as the lift descended to the crew berth levels from the bridge. Once it stopped he stepped out and strode off to his quarters, ignoring the robot repairing a wall conduit nearby.
As the door slid open he heard a soft footstep behind him, as he turned he saw the robot with it's arm raised.
"What do you want?"he snapped.
The robot didn't reply or move while he stared at it. Then, as he turned to enter his room, it shoved him through the door and stepped through after him carrying a short heavy piece of pipe.
Several minutes later the door slid open again and the robot returned to repairing the wall conduit in the deserted corridor, without the pipe and glistening as though it was wet.
Accessing unit XZ3378..., memory wipe completed.., memory restoration completed..., returning to robot assignment roster..., returning to ship mainframe..
Access audio receivers..
"Helm, bring us to a dead stop. Gunnery officer are the target drones in place?"the general ordered brisky.
"Dead stop aye sir."the helm officer reported as he opened a channel to engineering.
"Aye sir, the drones are in place."
"Very well. Target drone One is to be destroyed using our own gun crews."
"Aye sir."the gunnery officer start snapping orders to his crews as the throbbing of the main engine died.
"Then the guns are to switched to automatic for drone Two."the general could feel the questioning gaze of the crew as the bridge went silent. But she ignored them and continued staring at the battered old transports that were drones One and Two.
The first drone died in a flurry of energy rounds and brilliant explosions, although three shots missed and continued on into empty space.
"Target 1 destroyed sir."
"Some of those shots missed gunnery officer. Have the crews of those guns disciplined."
"But sir you know that on automatic the guns won't hit that drone if it's right in front of us!the gunnery officer protested.
The general winced, then turned to the gunnery officer.
"You have been given your orders, as have I. While we may not understand or, even agree with them, all orders WILL be obeyed on this ship." she said icily.
The gunnery officer nodded once and then checked that the guns were ready and on automatic.
"All guns ready sir." he reported.
"Main computer, fire when ready."
The flak turrets lifted and turned as the servo motors brought them inline with drone Two.
Then all the energy guns fired their projectiles which raced towards the doomed transport. All the shots hit along its back, vaporising the engines and engulfing the ship in a massive fireball.
The gunnery officer looked furious, even after he'd checked the readouts and sensor logs twice.
"That was an excellant display. Helm, bring us about and set course back to willard."the general looked very pleased as she left the bridge and entered the lift.
'I couldn't hit it if it was infront of me! How dare that pathetic little idiot speak of me like that! Why does this entire crew hate me? I look after their every need, safisify all the requirements that drain so much from me and keep them alive.'