Metal Swarm - Kevin J. Anderson [118]
Most importantly, they fixed the short-range comm system. In the shadows of the cockpit, his face lit by green and amber control lights, Clarin transmitted his signal. 'Davlin. Davlin Lotze. Can you respond? Mayor Ruis seems to think you can do anything. I heard you're a former silver beret. If that's the case - shizz, even if it isn't - help us if you can.'
He didn't actually expect the man to be sitting in the cockpit of the Remora he had taken, waiting for a signal to come in. However, the ship had a comm log. Somebody in his hidden settlement of escapees should be able to get the message.
Clarin set the message on automatic repeat for every half hour and, before the Klikiss noticed the activity outside the stockade walls, he and his fellow workers slipped back in to prepare for their last stand.
Seventy-two
Sirix
The robot fleet used its' remaining EDF weaponry to I continue attacking former Klikiss worlds, one at a time. I Each time Sirix found a subhive, he eradicated it. He struck without warning, crushing them when he could, retreating when he could not. Better to leave the ancient worlds in smoking rubble than to let the creators have them back.
But in spite of his victories, Sirix felt he was losing ground. The scenario reminded him too much of ancient days, when the black robots lost the original war and were enslaved by the primary breedex. Although he dared not let that happen again, he would not admit he was afraid. Not yet.
Sirix lumbered about on the bridge of his Juggernaut. His two well-trained Friendly compies accompanied him like loyal puppies. 'Are we almost to our next destination?' PD asked.
'You will have something to shoot at soon enough.'
With ekti supplies alarmingly low and their stockpiles of explosives being depleted, however, he would have to make his depredations more efficient. He could not afford to waste fuel and weapons investigating every single planet formerly inhabited by Klikiss. Most of them were still empty. Sirix needed to be selective, and accurate. He would have to engage in some fights directly, personally, using his robots, Soldier compies, and smaller weapons from the shipboard armouries. Though it would not be as swift as a major orbital bombardment, he looked forward to the clash - face to face and claw to claw, just as in the original wars. The Klikiss would never forget it… no matter who survived the cataclysm.
But first he had to find a main breedex.
Landing on an unoccupied Klikiss planet, his robots surrounded a silent transportal wall. Sirix directed three Soldier compies one at a time to select coordinate tiles that led to known worlds his robots had not yet investigated. Each of the compy scouts dutifully marched through the murky stone gateway to conduct reconnaissance.
PD and QT watched the Soldier compies disappear to distant planets, searching for a major infestation. 'What will they see when they arrive?' QT asked.
'They will see if the Klikiss are there.'
'And then what will they do?'
They will either be destroyed, or they will report back to us that the planet is empty. That is the best way to choose our next target without wasting fuel.'
Two of the scouts returned quickly, supplying spy images they had obtained. The first world was completely empty, while the second had another small (and uninvited) settlement of humans. The humans had rushed toward the Soldier compy with questions, but the compy gave no answers and simply returned through the gateway. While Sirix would have loved to wipe out the unwelcome settlement, he had greater priorities.
The trapezoidal sheet of stone blurred as another gateway opened. He expected the third compy scout to return. Instead of the smooth humanoid form of the military robot, however, Klikiss warriors with multiple limbs filled the transportal frame, pressing forward.