I have gotten into hard scifi via atomic rocket website. That site is awesome!

"Capacity"

In an alleyway behind Tomash & Co. floated a round, metallic object. It was composed of two smooth shells, one above, the other underneath. Between the two shells, a series of varying wires, ports and other machinery broke the smooth pattern, occasionally sliding to the left or right, while the main shells remained stationary, relatively speaking.

Affixed to the main shell were a pair of large lenses, shaped like irregular ovals that tapered inwards towards each other, giving the machine a decidedly wall-eyed appearance to any observer with a tendency to anthropomorphize.

The machine turned to face the back wall of Tomash's building, a ticking sound audible from the lenses as it focused on and scanned the metal facade. [Data Storage Banks . . .] It paused. It's ability to read System Management Information had seemed . . . inefficient . . . ever since the Data Storage Banks had passed the 95% mark. A machine with better Diagnostics Analysis Programs might have been able to deduce that, despite the reported empty storage capacity remaining, the vast amount of compiled data was taking up space needed for the system's Processing Power.

The Temporary Orthographic Retrieval unit, however, was not equipped with Diagnostics Analysis Programs of any value worth speaking of. [Data Storage Banks . . . at . . . ninety-seven percent capacity. Continue Data Storage routines.]

The central panel spun around until a certain subset of tools faced the wall. Four tiny tubes extended from the T.O.R. and touched the wall. Their ends lit up and traced a perfect square in the metal, which fell away from the building in a haze of acrid yellow smoke. Behind the panel, a series of ports was revealed.

Spinning its middle panel to another section, the T.O.R. snaked several wires out to meet the various holes. After several seconds of hunting and testing, most of the T.O.R.'s wiring had found a matching home in the back of the electronics panel. A few more seconds for data copy and transfer (But should it have lasted even that long?), and the T.O.R. broke the various connections it had forged.

[Data Storage Banks . . .]

It waited. It waited a full minute before force-cancelling the operation and starting over.

[Data Storage Banks . . .] This time, it was under three quarters of a minute before the number was calculated. [ . . . at two percent capacity.] Now the unit had no reason for concern. It had plenty of storage space in its Data Storage Banks, after all. In fact, it had barely made any progress at all since setting out on this mission! It set right to work, scanning the next buildings for potential sources of data to mine—it would certainly need a lot, if it was going to make use of all that empty space in its hard drives.

—alternate title: "doctorlit Pretends to Know Computer Things"