Cygnus Returns: Humanity Fights for Freedom (Cygnus Space Opera Book 4) by Craig Martelle

Author:Craig Martelle [Martelle, Craig]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Craig Martelle, Inc
Published: 2024-08-04T00:00:00+00:00

RV Traveler

Stinky blinked at the beeping sounds announcing their arrival on the Traveler. Penelope didn’t try to jump down. She leaned over the edge and puked her breakfast onto the floor. The Wolfoid gathered his wits before slowly throwing his legs over the side, where his feet dangled above the floor opposite where Penelope deposited her last meal.

“Rise and shine, people,” he growled through his vocalization device. He slid off the couch until his feet touched down. He walked unsteadily for a few moments. “Check your weapons. Keep them on safe, please.”

The Marine recruits clicked through functional checks of their plasma guns. The Rabbits added a quick check of their laser pistols.

Stinky moved to the exit hatch. “Holly, can you read me?”

“Loud and clear, Major Black Leaper. There are no warbots in the immediate vicinity of the matter transfer chamber.

“We can gain a beachhead. Anything else we should know, like how many total warbots are on board the Traveler?” He gestured to the squad. “Establish a perimeter. Ten meters from this hatch. Stay down and aim outboard. Hunter, stay mobile. Make sure everyone gets into position.”

The hatch popped open, and the recruits stormed out. Hunter loped after them. Penelope stayed next to Leaper, rubbing her body against his leg.

“It’s okay, little girl. We’re where we were meant to be, and now we’re going to do what we were meant to do.”

“Leaper,” Holly interrupted. “Four dozen warbots were transferred to the Traveler, and the alien ship continued into orbit. It is currently on its way to the planet surface. It has eluded the few ion cannons that were already in place. Our defensive screen has more gaps than coverage at present.”

Leaper was instantly angry. “You should have started with that, Holly. Where is the ship going?”

“The southern grasslands.”

Leaper wanted to belt out orders, but he couldn’t manage both battles. “I expect Stalker has it under control, so tell her good luck from me. I have to go. There are forty-eight bots that need to suffer an untimely death up here. Where are the closest bunch to us?”

“Catwalk, radial one-forty.”

Leaper stepped into the engineering space. It was close to what he remembered from not so long before. The catwalk was one flight of stairs up. It was where they battled the vine with the razor-sharp leaves. But it was no more. Once Briz killed it with a harmonic vibration, the cleaning bots had removed the debris and maintenance bots had repaired the gaping holes it had created. It no longer tapped power from the ship.

“Do you feel any people?” Leaper asked.

Penelope squinted for a few moments. ‘No.’

“Sounds like we need to stop the bots before they do any more damage,” Stinky replied. They could have been herding the humans away, or Holly could have ordered them to abandon this section. There would be no benefit to a shooting battle in engineering. The equipment was too delicate. Damage would be permanent.

Stinky focused on a new section in the distance, curving upward. Like the other interior sections, this one rotated within the fixed outer shell.

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