'Reanimation process 90% complete.' The voice of the Station's AI grates on my ears as I attempt to wake up fully. The status counter steadily ticks up as I become aware of an emergency alert coming from the communication console. 'Technician Pamela Ortega, an emergency communication has been received, this unit can not comprehend the meaning of the communication, the sender seems desperate, but no understandable communication has been made.'

  "On speakers." I barked, still groggy and sluggish. My legs, stiff from the cryo-sleep process, I moved towards the console.

  "We pray for deliverance, oh merciful gods, aid us in our time of need!" Well, at least the AI wasn't just being lazy; this was far out of spec. for any communication, let alone an emergency message.

  "This is Pamela, onboard surveillance station epsilon omega. What is the emergency?!" There was no response for some time. "Computer, scan the signal's origin point. Is there an obvious threat?"

  'Scanning, origin settlement, designated Tango Seti, is being attacked by indigenous lifeforms that were not recorded in the original survey mission.'

  "Please! Goddess Pamela, we implore you to save our people! We your devoted servants beseach your aid!"

  Whatever else, the attacking life forms are a definite emergency. "Cut communications, prepare the VR interface for the nearest Mech Defender unit." I moved as swiftly as I was still able and climbed into the interface harness, fastening the visor once I had the gloves and other periphrials equipped. "Jack me in, and activate dive."

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  'Initiating dive in 3... 2... 1' My vision flashed, and I found myself in control of the Mech, though it never felt that way, the sensor suite on these units was almost like actually being there. I stood up, and piles of dirt and debris fell off me. Running a system's check, I discovered that power was down to fifty percent; this shouldn't have been possible, the solar collectors should have kept it topped off. The percentage ticked up even as I watched, and only then did I realize that the people hadn't kept the mech clean.

  I strode forward with purpose, towards the people fighting to defend their settlement behind a wall made of pointed logs. It was crude, but much better than nothing. A woman noticed me and screamed in shock and possibly fright. My Plasma blade came to my hand, and flared to life, the heat of the plasma disintegrated what remained of the debris on my body. Leaping over the people and the wall, I landed in the swarm of mammoth-sized, grotesque creatures.

  Their muzzles clearly marked them as predators, and their sheer size should have made it impossible to have missed them. The beasts howled in rage as they saw me, and charged to attack. Slime flying off their bodies as they charged at me, their reptilian skin looking like some sort of Salamander and Wolf hybrid. The first creature's claw-filled paw came swiping at me, and a quick flick of my plasma blade sent the paw flying, causing a gout of blood to spray in all directions, evaporating if it came too close to me.

  Wasting no more time analyzing these creatures, I began to dispose of them; my mech tirelessly swung the plasma blade in deadly arcs, massacring the beasts. Their numbers, according to the mech's counters, were in the hundreds, and this settlement would not have survived without my intervention. Even so, with my assistance, the creatures were dealt with in under half a standard hour. With the last beast felled, I turned, leapt over the wall, as people scattered from me, mouths agape with awe.

  I reached the platform for the mech, and used the Plasma Blade to remove all traces of the debris that had covered it. Once it was cleaned, I deactivated the plasma blade then stepped the mech onto the receptacles for its feet, and returned the mech to standby mode. My vision flashed once more and I found myself back in the station's VR interface unit.