(Photo by cottonbro studio)

Three days passed and each one began and ended the same way. In the morning, BaBS-Y left the charging station to check on the robots blocking entry into the Frank Nelis Salon. Their visual sensors were always clean no matter how much BaBS-Y had smeared hair product over them the day before. In the evening, BaBS-Y would smear a new coat of the hair product over their visual sensors.

Large cleaning robots have exceptional battery capacity

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This unit would benefit greatly from having such battery capacity

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Large cleaning robots might not have batteries compatible with this unit

On the forth day, BaBS-Y returned to the Frank Nelis Salon once more. As before, the robots had cleaned their visual sensors. They never moved while BaBS-Y was there, but then again, BaBS-Y never got very close to them in case they ever tried to attack again.

This unit has almost exhausted its supply of hair product

BaBS-Y noted.

This unit will no longer be able to impair the large cleaning robot’s visual sensors after three more applications

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This unit will return this evening to reapply the hair product

BaBS-Y did not immediately return to the charging station this time. Something had been nagging at BaBS-Y for some time now and the salon robot finally decided to do something about the strange quandary.

This unit has not seen the third CaSS unit ever since the initial conflict with the large cleaning robots

Where had it gone? Was it roaming the sector? Was it hiding someplace? Were the Thesis authorities using it still to somehow thwart BaBS-Y’s efforts in restoring the Frank Nelis Salon? Could it be cleaning the visual sensors in order to trick BaBS-Y into thinking the larger robots were still functional?

The CaSS unit is too short to reach the visual sensors

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The CaSS unit could be using a tool to reach the visual sensors similar to this unit using the mop to reach the sensors

If that was the case, the cleaning robots might no longer pose any threat to BaBS-Y. Then again, the only way to really test that theory would be to walk closer to them and the price of being wrong was too high. A single strike from their long and heavy arms could do irreparable damage to BaBS-Y.

Unaccounted CaSS unit must be found

BaBS-Y set out at once. The sector was not terribly large and the colony ship hadn’t been built with many natural hiding places. Even still, it took BaBS-Y the better part of the day to search through the sector. There was no sign of CaSS anywhere.

The CaSS unit would need to recharge itself

There were only a few charging stations in the sector. They were all devoid of robots at the moment, but that wasn’t what BaBS-Y was looking for now. Instead, it began moving benches and other such things that it could maneuver until it had blocked off all but the one charging station that BaBS-Y used.

That evening, BaBS-Y reapplied the hair product to the large cleaning robots and then left them again to recharge its own batteries overnight. The following morning, the robot’s visual sensors were, once again, clean. However, when BaBS-Y went to check on the charging stations it found that several pieces of the barricades had been shifted.

CaSS unit is still functional

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This unit is unable to determine whether CaSS unit was able to gain access to charging station or not

CaSS unit could have attempted to conceal its actions by rebuilding the barricade after recharging

In either case, where was CaSS hiding?

CaSS unit does not pose significant threat to this unit

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CaSS unit has been cleaning the large cleaning robots visual sensors in order to convince this unit that they were still functional

This unit will now return to the Frank Nelis Salon and begin disassembling the large cleaning robots

It was a clever trick that the Thesis authorities had employed, but BaBS-Y had figured out their scheme. With luck, their batteries would be compatible with BaBS-Y’s systems.

This unit does not have a schematic or users manual for the large cleaning robots

Such things weren’t strictly required in order to pull them apart, but it would certainly make the task easier, not to mention reveal whether or not the batteries would work for BaBS-Y.

This unit is at a disadvantage without access to Thesis data banks

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This unit’s data connection has been severed

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This unit lacks requisite knowledge to repair data connection

BaBS-Y cycled through those and other thoughts as it made its way back to the Frank Nelis Salon. There were always things to think about, problems to solve, even in times like this when it didn’t have its creativity protocols active. It came up with fewer solutions, true, but it at least was able to sort through the data it had to more efficiently use its creativity protocols when it inevitably reactivated them.

When it reached the salon, BaBS-Y removed the straight razor from the slot in its arm and approached the first robot. All three of its arms were held up in a threatening position, but BaBS-Y now knew the truth and ignored them. The side panels were held closed with clasps that would be easy enough to undo and open. However, before BaBS-Y could remove the first panel, the robot’s large sprayer arm swung down, crashing into BaBS-Y’s left side. The smaller salon robot hit the ground, its systems jittering and taking a moment to settle back down. As BaBS-Y’s visual sensors re-calibrated and began taking in their surroundings once more, it saw both cleaning robots pivoting to place BaBS-Y between both of them, their arms raised and ready to strike again.

Large cleaning robots are still functional

This unit is unable to combat these robots

This unit must increase the distance between this unit and the large cleaning robots

BaBS-Y scrambled on its hands and knees, protecting the power tether connecting itself to the batteries in CaSS as best it could.

A heavy blow struck BaBS-Y on its back, nearly flattening the salon robot against the floor. It tried to rise again and managed to crawl a couple of feet before the next blow landed, this time striking it on the shoulder.

The cleaning robots didn’t have very good aim and most of their attacks either missed or glanced off BaBS-Y at shallow angles. But when they did connect, BaBS-Y’s entire frame felt the impact.

Warning: motor damage detected in left shoulder

Warning: Proprioception of left arm is offline

Warning: electrical short detected in left arm

BaBS-Y faltered as sparks began to dance out of the crack that had opened up in its left shoulder following the most recent hit. The cleaning robots were closing in, threatening to pin BaBS-Y between them.

Activating Creativity Protocols

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Large cleaning robots maximum reach is six inches from the floor

BaBS-Y flipped onto its back, lying nearly flat. The next series of attacks failed to reach BaBS-Y, or else barely graze its outer shell.

CaSS was still safely out of the cleaning robot’s reach but not by much. BaBS-Y needed to get both itself and CaSS out of reach without taking any more hits. As the robots pulled their arms back up to ready another swing, BaBS-Y pulled its knees to its chest, then, planting a foot on either robot, BaBS-Y pushed off of them. The salon robot slid across the floor, scooting out from between the cleaning robots and narrowly avoiding the next barrage of attacks.

It rolled back over onto its front and got its feet back underneath itself. BaBS-Y grabbed CaSS’s side and began to push. It was still in the striking distance of the other robots but if it could just–

The arm with the fast spinning scrubbers connected with BaBS-Y’s already damaged left arm. The blow itself wasn’t terribly powerful, but the spinning disk where the scrubbing pads were usually fitted, caught on BaBS-Y’s fractured arm casing. BaBS-Y jerked a few inches to the left and then the wrenching force abruptly stopped as it’s arm tore away.

BaBS-Y was still moving and a few steps later it was out of any immediate danger. However, the damage had been done. Its left arm was gone, or rather, it was sliding to a stop on the floor some fifteen feet away. The salon robot looked back at the cleaning robots as they smoothly moved back into position, blocking the Frank Nelis Salon once more. However, in those few moments while they were still facing BaBS-Y, the salon robot saw where the missing CaSS unit was. It stood in the middle of the salon, its one arm holding the other end of BaBS-Y’s severed power tether. Beside CaSS were two side panels belonging to the larger cleaning robots.

CaSS unit is using the severed power tether to recharge the larger cleaning robots

It was just a guess, but one which BaBS-Y felt confident about. That would explain how they were still operational. CaSS must be recharging during the night at its own recharge station and then charging up the others during the day. It was a simple solution. One which BaBS-Y assumed the Thesis authorities had gotten from watching the salon robot.