The Trilisk Supersedure

Chapter 22



Within the Gorgalan ship far above Chigran Callnir Four, a golden creature with forty legs burst into a room. It sent a signal to a large walking machine, causing a cockpit atop the machine to open. Kirizzo marched inside and curled up within the tight confines. He didn’t hesitate. His planning phase had finished while aboard the spaceship high above the planet. He activated the walker. The shining metal machine lifted on its eight slender legs and walked into another spacious chamber. A bay door slid open to accept the machine. Anchor tentacles slid out to secure the machine within the small bay.

Then the part of the starship holding the walker detached and dropped toward the planet, taking Kirizzo with it. He watched the events piped into his long, thin brain from sensors outside the drop module. The planet’s surface below expanded to take over more of his field of vision. The drop module descended unerringly toward the ruined Konuan city.

An invisible beam of concentrated energy lanced out of the sky. Kirizzo saw it only with the help of his drop module’s sensor array. His vision magnified the target far below. A black cloud of smoke rose up as he descended on the ruins. Kirizzo took note of the hit. The Terran artillery machine had been destroyed by fire from his ship. In all likelihood the other artillery robots would quickly share the same fate.

Kirizzo watched many sources of data, among them a video feed from the Clacker. It showed an object in the sky growing from a distant silver dot to the size of a small house as it dropped onto the surface. A battle walker burst from the belly of the drop module, hitting the ground running.

From his position nestled inside the walker, Kirizzo issued a series of rapid commands with mental impulses. Tiny spherical drones dropped out of the machine and flew in all directions. The drones would be able to block incoming fire from the Terrans.

Kirizzo’s scan told him dozens of Terrans had advanced across the ruins toward the Clacker. No doubt the alien ship was their primary objective.

The spider-legged walking machine clambered over the sharp red rocks toward the UED base. The Terran soldiers were deployed directly in his path. To get even more details about their disposition, he contacted the Clacker and told the ship to launch two reconnaissance drones to scan the landscape from low altitude. Between those drones, the ship in orbit, and the Clacker, Kirizzo should have total information about the battlefield. It was also enough to give his information net some redundancy should some of his machines be destroyed.

Projectiles started to strike the walker. Portions of the power reserve were expended to hold the outer surface in place as the kinetic energy of the rounds slammed into it. The walker hunkered down on its legs, making itself harder to spot.

Six attack drones shot from the belly of the walker. They hurtled away, gaining altitude as they left. Meanwhile more large projectiles rained toward the swerving walker. One struck the outer surface of the machine in a vulnerable spot. The energy reserve wasn’t sufficient to defend against the round, so it damaged the outer skin of Kirizzo’s machine. The walker rotated, carrying the damaged area away from the line of fire until it could be repaired.

The attack drones arrived at the Terran line and selected the large robots that fired upon the walker. The flying spheres each split into six pieces and accelerated further. Within the next second, several of the attack machines and a dozen of the Terran soldiers were obliterated.

The other nearby Terran squads had taken cover. The walker shot ten seeker bullets into the sky. The guided projectiles started to patrol. One by one, they spotted enemies below and dove down, going supersonic as they accelerated toward their targets. Each one killed a Terran, easily punching through the light battle suits then exploding. Terran body parts started to rain across the landscape.

But Kirizzo was not paying much attention to the devastation he visited upon the faction of Terrans in competition with him. He could have disabled that force from orbit if it had been his only goal. He was focused on the anomalous life form he had tracked across the surface.

He suspected it might be a Trilisk.

The creature of interest had disappeared underground within a minute of his arrival on the surface. Kirizzo decided to enlist the aid of his allies to track the anomaly.

“Team. Enemy not pursuing.”

“Not pursuing you or me?” Telisa replied.

“However, target of intense interest spotted in ruins,” Kirizzo said. “Prepare to assist with capture of possible Trilisk in lower tunnel system.”

There was a delay.

“It’s good to hear you, Shiny,” Telisa replied. “We’re fighting for our lives, will assist if you get us out of this.”

Kirizzo reviewed his status information of the Terrans on his side. He located their signals within a building. Several clues indicated they had been engaged. Kirizzo altered the course of his walker toward the building. The machine made good time, walking over the uneven rocks gracefully, dodging around patches of vegetation and even clambering right over the lowest Konuan buildings.

Occasional Terran small-arms fire zinged by the walker or bounced off its surface. Kirizzo ignored it until larger, more significant projectiles clanged against his machine, affecting the energy reserves. Another Terran fighting machine had acquired him. His drones accelerated to intervene. Automated systems returned fire, sending out four seeker rounds to counter the attacker.

The rounds slammed into the machine and detonated. The flimsy machine exploded. Metal parts flew in all directions. His drones veered away, seeking other targets.

“Battle machine outside shelter neutralized,” Kirizzo reported. His walker showed him the attacking Terrans within the building. They were split into groups to surround his allies. “Enemies moving in to flank, trap, surprise you from below.”

“Below us? Which direction are you? Should we make a run for it?”

Shiny analyzed the disposition of enemies in the alien construct.

“Proceed south. Will cover retreat, withdrawal, emergence from building.”