Superdreadnought 3: A Military AI Space Opera by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: LMBPN Publishing
Published: 2018-12-10T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

The would-be assassins emerged from the crew’s guest chambers, fury in their eyes.

Maddox had been correct. This wasn’t a coup attempt. They had been there to kill Reynolds and the others.

The general’s cheeks warmed at the threat and he made ready to attack, but the forces of President Jaer Pon arrived first.

Weapons fire erupted, filling the hallway, and Maddox ducked behind cover to keep from getting caught up in it. Best to let the presidential guard handle it, he imagined.

The armored acolytes, however, had other ideas.

They had come prepared for a real fight. They returned fire on the few guards, immediately putting them on the defensive.

The guards fell back, firing sporadically down the hall in a weak attempt to contain the acolytes.

It wasn’t going to work, Maddox realized.

He heard the scuffle of feet close behind him.

“Trogol shit,” he muttered under his breath and darted into the shadows, ducking to keep from being detected.

As soon as he settled, more guards stormed down the corridor from the direction Maddox had come. They charged around the corner and loosed a barrage of fire on the acolytes.

Maddox had to give it to the guards. Though they were clearly outclassed, they’d engaged and distracted the would-be assassins so more guards could flank them.

Whether it would be enough was yet to be seen.

It didn’t take long for things to shake out.

The guards put up a fierce front, but they were simply unprepared for the ferocity of the acolytes, their training, and the weight of their numbers.

The crossfire between the two presidential guard squads whittled away at the acolytes, killing over half of them before they could retreat and take better cover, but the victory was short-lived.

The acolytes shifted from shooting the guards to shooting the ceiling above them.

Burst after burst of energy crashed into the ceiling, kicking up dust and debris, forcing the guards back.

Then the ceiling collapsed, dumping tons of stone and timber onto the heads of the guards hunkered down behind the wall.

There was a great rumble like an earthquake and screams followed, both going silent a moment later as the hall filled with wreckage and the guards died.

Maddox cursed under his breath as he watched the tide of battle shift.

He ducked farther into his shadowy hole and raised his weapon.

He couldn’t be seen where he was because of his cloaking device, but he knew damn well the acolytes would be marching his way in mere moments now that the threat behind them had been silenced. Better to be safe, he felt.

The nearby presidential guards either didn’t realize their time had come or were more loyal than smart. They held their ground as the acolytes turned their full focus on them and raced down the hallway, firing steadily as they moved.

To Maddox’s surprise, the results ended more evenly than he’d expected.

When the last of the guards fell, only two of the acolytes were alive to claim victory.

A Pyrrhic victory, as the Reynolds AI had taught through his endless parade of military tactical and strategic training videos.

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