Metal Swarm - Kevin J. Anderson [44]
'They are building ships,' Vao'sh said.
'A lot of ships.'
In the flatlands surrounding Secda, vessels were being assembled from newly extruded framework girders and hull plates. Like an infestation of roaches, hundreds of black robots scurried over the construction site. Bright sparks from welding arcs and assembly tools flickered in the growing shadows of the planet's week-long sunset.
'Those are heavily armed vessels, designed as warships,' said Zan'nh. 'The robots mean to attack something, or at least defend themselves against a very powerful enemy. What do they fear?'
Yazra'h didn't care. 'We will not give them a chance to complete their work.'
After the recon streamers finished their surveillance and soared back to the warliners, the robots went into a flurry. 'We have been seen,' Zan'nh said.
'It is time to begin our engagement. I will gather soldiers and arm them with weapons for a ground assault.' Yazra'h turned to go. 'Rememberers Anton and Vao'sh must chronicle our great battles. Will you join us?' She grinned.
Vao'sh sounded terrified as he answered. 'Yes.' Anton swallowed hard.
Satisfied, she marched to the doorway, but the Adar shook his head. 'Stay here for now, Yazra'h. Our primary function is to defeat and destroy the enemy robots and whatever base they are building here. The streamers have provided us with sufficient data to plan our attack. You will be part of the second phase. I will not needlessly risk lives.'
Anton felt a rush of relief, but knew the reprieve was only temporary.
Ignoring Yazra'h's obvious disappointment, the Adar issued his orders. All warliners, drop low to burn out the robot infestation before they can prepare their defences. Launch cutters and streamers for surgical strikes. Warliners, prepare for large-scale assault.' The seven warliners sliced into Maratha's atmosphere and thrust toward the nightmarish metal swarm. A flurry of smaller ships led the charge.
Anton studied the images the spy scouts sent back, and frowned as something changed. Coverings slid away from buried tube-shaped structures that pointed upward. 'Hey, what are those cylinders mounted into the ground? Like an array of canisters, or' - before Anton could finish, the mouths of the cylinders spat forth blue-white gouts of energy - 'cannons!'
The bombardment vaporized three of the approaching attack streamers. The remaining pilots scrambled out of formation, curved upward and raced out of range. The robot cannons fired again, and the scatter of energy projectiles caught a streamer on its right wing, sending it into a spin.
Still descending, the big Solar Navy ships plunged toward the robotic base. The smaller ships began to open fire, striking any emplacement they could lock onto.
Zan'nh stood at the command rail, his face grim. Yazra'h was smiling. 'Commence full-scale bombardment as soon as we are in range. Warliners, deploy all appropriate weapons. Destroy those cannons, then destroy the entire complex.'
As the remaining streamers shot away, the robots methodically prepared their defences. Another barrage of energy projectiles forced the warliners to spread apart. The Solar Navy dropped thousands of explosive projectiles, followed by a cascade of energy beams that ripped up the landscape around the robotic hive.
A cluster of Ildiran bombs struck one of the partially assembled robot warships. Anton shielded his eyes from the flash and shock-wave that turned the spacecraft into a glowing crater. Showering sparks flew in all directions as if someone had scattered the coals of a campfire. Chittering, pulsing electronic signals rattled through the warliner's comm systems. Anton wondered what the robots were saying, but decided he didn't really want to know.
As a wave of bombs struck a second robotic vessel at the ship construction grounds, the embedded energy cannons damaged a lagging warliner. The Solar Navy mercilessly pounded the hive tunnels, the pits, and the rebuilt city.
'Very soon the robots will not only be defeated, but obliterated,'