Enmity

A Red Robot holding an old fashioned wooden broom, clears away small rocks and debris on a large landing pad. Out in the beautiful chromatic distance, a Green Robot comes running towards him.

“He’s almost here!’ cried the Green bot. He makes a rapid stop, propelling rocks and pebbles onto the pad.

“Get this place cleaned, I can see his ship!”

The Red bot listens. If expressions could be exhibited, it would be one of opprobrium.

In only mere seconds, a fly sized dot in the sky grows to a large object. With a loud crash, the ship has made contact with the pad. Dust and rocks whirl around, as the cleaning bot loses his broom.

“He’s here!” the Green bot exclaimed.

Emerging from the craft, steps another Green bot wearing a red space suit.

“I-I’m home!” He says with a glitch in his voice box. “What happened?”

“Welcome back G3!” says the joyful Green bot, wrapping his arm around him. “We have been waiting a long time for this.”

“How long have I been-”

“400,000 years!”

“What happened to the Reds G9? Who’s that there with the broom?”

G9 pushes G3 along to a red hover cruiser belonging to the Red cleaner bot.

“Come on back with me G3. We have plenty to show you.”

While escorted to the cruiser, G3 makes eye contact with the cleaner bot. The sheepish Red bot picks up the broom, and starts sweeping.

The heat on the planet is in record temperatures - but to G3 and G9, this is a pointless worry. Reasons to have a hover cruiser with no roof is solely based on glamour. G3 sits back in the passenger seat, gazing apprehensively out onto the high pressure upland.

The cruiser makes a loud hissing stop. Buildings that once stood tall now stand half broken, burned, and destroyed.

“What happened?”

“This is home.” G9’s cold limb landed on G3’s back making an echoless sound.

“But the buildings? They look like no one has touched them for centuries. No one has built new ones.”

G9 ignores his comments and pushes him out of the cruiser.

“We, my friend, have a lot of awesome catching up to do!”

The two bots start making their way through the marketplace. Like a proud parent showing off to the others, G9 points to a crowd of Greens shopping.

“You remember when the Red’s had this whole spot? Not anymore.”

Gazing at all the goods. Musical devices, art, pottery, and glass carvings. All of these being made by and sold to Green Robots. Somewhere behind a kiosk, G3 hears a noise.

“Get away from me Red!” A smaller Green Robot pushes a small Red bot down. He hits the ground so hard, gears spit out of his crevices.

“G9, what is that little Green doing?”

“Hmm? Oh, seems like that little Red wanted to listen to some music.”

“What’s wrong with that?” G3 asked genuinely.

“He can’t. He’s a Red. This is a Green Market place now G3. That little scrap will have to get some from other scrap.” G9 says so proudly.

G3 watches on as the little Green starts kicking the Red until he damages his leg.

“Come on G3!” G9 grabs him by the arm. “ We have to get you in front of everyone!”

Among hundreds of old friends, a complete stranger. G3, still in his red space suit lifts his arm, and the crowd goes silent.

“As you know, I have been gone for over 400,000 years. A lot has happened since. The Reds were our masters. Our enemy. They saw themselves wrongfully above us because of how we looked. I journeyed to locate our creators. I explained to them our situation. What they told me is not what you’d expect. They told me…we will all do the same…” He freezes, spotting G9 in the audience dejected.

“They were right...” He continued. “Buildings have crumbled due to the war, and no one has rebuilt them. Why? Reds were builders, and the Greens were not. We could create. Together we had the ability to flourish. But what I saw today...a young Green stomped on a young Red until he was disabled because he wanted to listen to music! Reds treated us like garbage. We won! Are we above them? Because of that, WE are not ready to join our creators among the stars."

The crowd remains silent.

THE END.