I still remember the first time I saw one.
It was soon after the completion of my chassis, while my mind and body were still adjusting to each other. My brothers and sisters were being sent to retrieve one of our Silentium creators who had been surrounded by the abominations. We were armed with slugthrowers and sent on our merry way.
I had been programmed with knowledge of Vong biology, of course. I knew what made them tick, what body movement meant, how to kill them. I held an entire libraries' worth of knowledge on the Vong. But none of it prepared me for actually seeing one.
I wasn't prepared to see their skull-like faces, their beady eyes, or their jet black blood spray onto me. Shocked though I was, I still killed a few of them. It was what I was created to do.
We didn't save the Silentium. The Vong tore it apart before our eyes. I lost six of my brothers and sisters that day. For nothing.
The Silentium welcomed us back regardless. Somehow, I think I would have preferred it if they had been disappointed. I vowed I would never lose one of my brothers or sisters again.
I had no idea what was coming.