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Peter followed her to the lift, glancing one last time at the looming swarmships on the main screen. “For everyone’s sake, I hope this isn’t the shortest comeback in human history.”

* * *

140

Sirix

The eleven swarmships had halted outside the rubble zone of the broken Moon. Sirix could not understand why the Klikiss simply didn’t open fire upon the pathetic-looking group of EDF and Confederation vessels; it was not like a breedex to show any sort of restraint.

The hive mind was meeting with the treacherous Hansa Chairman — almost certainly planning the annihilation of the black robots. Sirix needed to take advantage of every second of delay to launch his retreat.

After receiving his command burst, the black robots swiftly accomplished the massacre on all fourteen flightworthy EDF ships. Every Hansa engineer, quality-control inspector, tactical expert, and ship designer had been hunted down and killed. Only one man managed to reach a transmitting station in time. In a squawking voice he called out to warn the rest of the EDF. “The robots are turning on us again! They’re killing — ” And then nothing more. The robots had crushed his larynx before he could continue. In the fear and confusion caused by the Klikiss arrival, Sirix hoped the human military would not respond swiftly to the alarm.

Nevertheless, he and his black robots had to move.

Meanwhile, commandeering the construction pods that had been used by the human inspectors, robots raced to their open-framed battleships. More than ten thousand robots — mostly new arrivals from the compy factories — went to their posts and fired up the starship engines. All together, the black robots prepared for a mass exodus.

Sirix swiveled his angular head to PD and QT, who waited with him on the Manta’s bridge. The two compies had wet red smears on their polymer skins from helping to haul away the mangled bodies of the two dead human inspectors. “Both of you, stand ready at our weapons stations.”

“Yes, Sirix,” they said in unison.

While the eleven swarmships made no overt moves either toward Earth or toward the robot ships, Sirix’s sensors did detect a flurry of smaller component ships spreading out. Klikiss scout vessels had separated from the primary masses to scan the activity in space, studying the numerous vessels that still combed the Earth-Moon neighborhood in search of deadly lunar fragments.

Three of the Klikiss scouts streaked toward the highly distinctive open-framework vessels in the orbital repair docks. They would easily recognize the fundamental design and conclude that the black robots were here. They would know. He shouted orders to PD and QT. “Destroy those ships.”

The two compies, well practiced in using EDF weapons, opened fire using jazer blasts, but now he feared it was already too late. The scouts would have immediately noted the black robot infestation — and what they knew, the breedex knew.

Sirix sent his command for an immediate and complete withdrawal, and the entire group of ships under his control — forty-two robot ships and fourteen stolen EDF vessels — accelerated away. He would leave the humans to face the Klikiss alone.

However, the breedex must have seen through the eyes of the scoutship pilots. The enormous swarmships began to move.

* * *

141

Chairman Basil Wenceslas

Once swallowed up by the incredible swarmship, the diplomatic shuttle jolted, then began to accelerate toward the core — a large, organic-looking lump of convolutions composed both of metals and glistening polymer secretions. The central mass reminded Basil of an electrified, resin-coated brain.

The pilot lifted his hands from the controls, helpless. “A tractor beam is pulling us along. There’s nothing I can do.”

“Obviously, that is where we’re supposed to go.” Basil stared forward, trying to glean any sort of information. “Your advice would be most helpful right now, Dr. Colicos.”

“At the moment, my best advice is to wait. The breedex will make the first move,