Mechs vs. Dinosaurs (Argonauts Book 8) by Isaac Hooke

Author:Isaac Hooke [Hooke, Isaac]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, azw3
Published: 2017-07-11T06:00:00+00:00

sixteen

Rade centered the targeting reticle of his rifle over the retreating robot Zhidao used as his puppet. He aimed at the head.

“Flanking teams, open fire,” Rade ordered.

Rade squeezed the trigger and Zhidao’s robot collapsed.

The other Argonauts attacked from their outflanking positions, and after ten minutes the team had eliminated them all.

“Harlequin, tell Bright One he has to lead us to the AI core,” Rade said.

The reply came instantaneously. This way.

The tentacled transport craft cut rapidly between the arches, heading toward the bulkhead on the far side. The Argonauts formed a protective escort around the vehicle.

“So much for all the sensors Bright One put in place to detect the Phant,” Tahoe said. “Harlequin, ask him if Surus told him Zhidao would sneak aboard undetected anyway.”

She warned me this would happen, yes, but I saw no evidence of any tampering. I ran the simulated tests regularly, and they seemed to be working perfectly. I even installed new detectors every few of your weeks. I realize now none of my hard work mattered. If Zhidao was able to affect change in the nexus itself, as he claims, there would be nothing I could do. Perhaps not any of us. I realize that now. The nexus runs this ship, and our lives. If it was compromised...

“Convenient of you to realize that now,” Fret said. “Surus, when you go back, you really have to warn him to keep an eye on the nexus next time.”

“I’ll do my best,” Surus said.

More robots intercepted them, pinning down the team until dealt with. The Argonauts were caught in the open once, and Bright One dropped his vessel to the deck, allowing the Hoplite shields to protect him.

Elder transport pods also joined in the fray, as Zhidao predicted. Those particular tangos fired lasers that protruded from the gunship-like turrets on either side of their pods. The key in those situations was to fire at a spot just underneath the cockpit, which Bright One had revealed harbored the local equivalent of an AI core. A hit there would bring the pod crashing down. Also, the Argonauts used to their advantage the fact that the insectile robots and transport pods engaged one another whenever they made contact: the men would sometimes lead the two disparate groups of enemies together so that they would fight, and then either pick off the enemies while they were distracted, or go around them.

Rade remained in the passenger seat of Electron for the duration of the fighting, keeping his rifle aimed through the top notch in the shield. The ballistic metals were rapidly being eaten away by the enemy attacks, so that across the team, shield integrity had fallen to a low of twenty percent.

During a lull in the fighting, Rade, growing frustrated by the frequency of the attacks, said: “Harlequin, get Bright One to talk to the crew. He has to convince them we haven’t caused this. He has to tell them we’re trying to stop the Phant.”

Text appeared above the transport craft. I have already tried.

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