Nepetra

Nepetra was a designated sentinel for a clan once.

She was top of the line. Built-in spectrum scanning so that nothing, visible or invisible, would be lost out of her sight. She also came with releasable drones. They were small things, capable of getting into areas she couldn’t. They may not be weaponized, but they had spotted raiders more than once, giving her time to send an alarm to the clan that had bought her.

However, she was replaced.

At first, she took the sleek new model in as a dragon meant to help her. She could reach places Nepetra couldn’t, and another sentinel meant they could pursue any trespassers. The newcomer also had drones, only they were weaponized, removing the need to sound an alarm unless one got destroyed. Sure, Nepetra may be an older model, but she genuinely thought she was working in tandem.

All good things come to an end. She had thought the need for her shutdown was to be sent back for repairs. Some of her joints needed reworking as they had become stiff, and her battery wasn’t what it used to be. Her drones had been damaged and needed replaced, so a tune-in was in check.

When she awoke, everything felt wrong. Not only had she not been repaired, but she had also been gutted. She was surprised she was working, and as she took the scrapyard in, she found herself surrounded by shells of other mechanical dragons just like her. Their gazes were vacant, their bodies in various states of decay and rust, and none of then moving.

It took all of her energy, if she could call it that, to move herself from the pile. The sounds of shifting metal apparently drew attention to someone or something nearby. Soon enough, she was face to face with another robotic dragon just like her, and she was soon outfitted with something that revitalized her. Afterwards, she was being escorted, partially relying on her rescuer for support.

That’s how she discovered FL/GHT. They were a resistance group combating a group called Project, the same group that had created Nepetra. Being such an old model meant the instant she was finally sent in for more major repairs, she was scrapped, the new model being used in her place. She was lucky to have been found when she did, as it was rare for models of her age to last long enough for discovery after scrapping.

Now, she has resumed her previous role as a Sentinel, disguising herself among the rest of the scrapped bodies and metal littering the area. Her drones still function, as does her warning system, and she’s happy to retain her role from before, and even if she’s not the best, she feels useful and welcome, and that’s all she needs. Others look up to her or show an interest in seeing her older model in action. She possesses no weapons other than her claws, and new standards equip just about any robot with multiple weapons outside of these now. Her old eyes, once reserved solely for models such as herself have been used in every model now.

She is a relic of the past, and her remaining memories reflect this. Her new home is welcoming and kind, even with the occasional assault on the complex. It’s not perfect, but she’s happy to call it home, ready to form all new memories with her new family.

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