The bot's red eye flickered. A puff of black smoke billowed from its head. "Beep... boop..." it sputtered.

The galaxy was a canvas of neon dust and burning stars, but to Lord Dominator, it was simply fuel waiting to be harvested. Aboard her massive, skull-shaped flagship, she tapped her fingernails impatiently against her command console. "Bot 13!" she barked. "Report!"

For the next hour, while Sylvia slept, Wander did what Wander did best: he loved relentlessly. He used colorful Band-Aids to patch up the bot's titanium armor. He polished its chassis with tropical coconut oil until it shone like a mirror. He even tied a bright yellow balloon to its antenna just to cheer it up.

Sylvia crossed her arms, shaking her head. "Wander, you can't make friends with a mindless killing machine."

Here is a short story adaptation that captures the heart, tragedy, and humor of those two connected segments. 🤖 The Soul of the Machine

By the time Sylvia finally woke up and stretched, Wander was holding the bot’s metallic hand, pointing out shapes in the clouds.

The requested episodes, and "The Bot," belong to Season 2 of the animated series Wander Over Yonder .

Bot 13 was programmed for destruction, data retrieval, and absolute obedience to evil. It did not understand why this strange, furry creature was hugging it. It didn't understand the concept of a "balloon."