Sci-fi Short Story. Aliens observe a planet where machines continue a war after the people are dead. Read online 2015-2020.

[Ian]

I've read this short story within the past 5 years, somewhere online, but I don't believe it was new or recent. It is definitely a short story, and a very short one at that, possibly 1700 words or less.

The short story involves aliens attempting to contact a planet only to realize that all of the people are dead but the automated systems of two nations are continuing their war forever.

When the automated systems detect the aliens they both pause to fire nuclear missiles at the aliens before continuing their war against each other.

The aliens depart, labeling the planet as extremely dangerous.

This is very similar to The Gun by Philip K. Dick" but the aliens never land and there's are a lot more than one gun.

It's thematically similar to There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury where the automated house keeps going through its routine.

It's also very similar to a couple of Russian short films (such as the Fortress) with automated bombers and a few Star Trek episodes (such as "Arsenal of Freedom", "Taste of Armageddon", and "Prototype").

I think the key details are the observation by aliens, that the aliens never land, and that the machines are not sentient in any way. This is a case of automated systems and factories, not like android soldiers.

[Ian]

Hello all, I am bumping this and providing a list of things this is NOT, but have been suggested elsewhere to me:

It is NOT:
Space Angel by John Maddox Roberts- a space opera adventure novel where the crew find a derelict fleet
Fiasco by Stanislaw Lem - a first contact novel
Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Charles Sheffield - (or the short story it is an expansion of, The Long Chance) a novel about traveling forward through time
Battlestar Galacticta the show, either series
NieR: Automata the videogame

[Kris]

Something by Fred Saberhagen (e.g., the novel Berserker turned up while searching)?

(site:www.goodreads.com "science fiction" aliens "war" "dead" "automated")

[Ian]

The Berserker series by Fred Saberhagen is on my "to read" list but I have not read it as of yet. The titular Berserkers are waging war on the organics of the universe as opposed to each other.

Tinkering with the search you used I noticed a couple of other Philip K Dick stories which are close but not what I'm looking for:
Second Variety (plus it's sequel Jon's World) and the short story Autofac.

[Justanotherbiblophile]

All the berserker shorts are listed in my query, and I agree with your assessment (excluding the cross-over story "The Bad Machines", which has synthetics fighting berserkers, but still humans around), and the ruling out of "Second Variety".

[Ian]

@Justanotherbiblophile
Thank you for confirming that about the Berserker series and Second Variety.



Here's a few more stories which are NOT what I'm looking for, but do share some the themes:

Strength of Stones by Greg Bear - automated cities cast out humans and pursue their own aims

Galactic Center Saga (starts with In the Ocean of Night) by Gregory Benford - Series on conflict between organic and automated life in the universe

The Midas Plague by Frederik Pohl - series where automated goods are produced at such a rate that humanity struggles to use the goods fast enough


My search continues.

[Ian]

Here are a few more stories I have ruled out:
The Defenders by Philip K Dick - Short story. US and Soviets go underground to allow robots to continue their war. I have read this and there are no aliens to speak of and humanity not dead.
War with the Robots by Harry Harrison - Short story. Humans pushed out of underground bunkers because they are inconvenient to the war being fought by their robots
Planet of No Return by Harry Harrison - novel where an investigator is looking into an automated war on a primitive planet.
Moderan by David Bunch - Novel series. War involving cyborgs.
Flying Dutchman by Ward Moore - automated bomber stopping at automated airport to continue endless bombing run. Read this one, lacks the alien observers, the nuclear weapons, the factories firing missiles. It is rather good and haunting though and I recommend it. Possibly the inspiration for the Russian short film "Fortress" mentioned in my original post.

This story also seems to be unrelated to a "microgame" called Rivets, where players "program" mobile factories/weapon platforms that then fight each other.

[Ian]

A couple other stories I've ruled out:

The Red Flower was a War Factory by Stephen Landry - Scientists investigating an alien planet discover an underground complex.

War Factory by Neal Asher - Part of a larger universe, plot involves the search for a space station factory thought destroyed.

Still no luck finding the short story.

[Ian]

Bumping this. Unfortunately I haven't narrowed it down since my last post.

[Ian]

Bumping again.

A few more stories ruled out:

Trucks by Stephen King - Turned into the film Maximum Overdrive. Vehicles on Earth begin killing people, there is alien involvement in the film.

Slaves to the Metal Horde & Hunters Out of Time - Slaves to the Metal Horde by Milton Lesser follows a post apocalyptic world where humans are slaves to machines.

[Ian]

Bump

[Ian]

Bump

[Lily Reads]

I know this isn’t it, but ‘To Serve Man’?

[Ian]

Lily Reads wrote: "I know this isn’t it, but ‘To Serve Man’?"

@Lily Reads

You're right that isn't it, but It's an interesting premise that I'll try and read regardless. The story by Damon Knight that was also made into a Twilight Zone episode, right?

[Ian]

Bump

[Kris]

Did you read this short story in an anthology/collection? (What's the common theme of the stories? Written by one or multiple authors?)

[Ian]

@Kris

This was a single short story, so unfortunately there aren't other stories that I can use to narrow it down to a specific collection.

[Ian]

Bump

Recently had Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky recommended as a possible match but no such luck.