World Hammer by Craig DeLancey

Author:Craig DeLancey [DeLancey, Craig]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: 496 \ Perfect Number Press

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Bright sparks showered into Tiklik’s quarters, the molten spray of metal pushed through as a laser cut into the door. Two beams circled the door’s outline. When the beams touched, the door exploded out into the hall, the room’s air following in a freezing white haze.

Tiklik stood when the decompression had emptied the room. It walked over into the bright glow falling from the doorway. A black figure pulled itself forward in the hall. It was a Kriani, a member of the slave race of the Ulltrians, dressed in vacuum armor. Its six legs were sheathed in gleaming black metal and an armored helmet covered its eyes with a featureless black shield. It gestured with its head and sent a dense blast of radar slapping against Tiklik.

“You are the Kirt machine Tiklik’al’Takas,” the Kriani transmitted, its radio signal much too powerful, a blaring shriek against Tiklik’s sensitive receptors.

“I am the Kirt manufactured artificial intelligence Tiklik’al’Takas,” the robot replied.

“Who else is on this ship?”

“A sentient weapon may also be present,” Tiklik said, remembering Tarkos’s warning that he would set a weapon in the hall.

“We destroyed the gun,” the Kriani said. “Who else?”

“OnUnAn ambassador Gowgoroup. It has been harmed. It is imprisoned in its quarters there.” Tiklik stepped out into the hall and, having learned that animals find such gestures helpful, pointed a single arm at the next door in the hall.

“The OnUnAn can remain there,” the Kriani radioed. “You are needed.”

Tiklik looked down the hall toward the stern. It could not see around the bend in the hall, but the ambient radiation told it that the hull breach lay only a few meters ahead. The radio song of the brown dwarf that the starsleeve orbited buzzed incessantly now, penetrating the space around them. Tiklik felt naked to space, nearly outside.

Tiklik looked toward the bow. A pair of slim black robots flanked the door to the bridge. They moved lasers over the metal, casting sparks that floated, glowing, past the Kriani, unable to cool in the vacuum.

“You have access to ship systems?” the Kriani asked.

“I have access to some ship systems,” Tiklik said.

“You will maintain ship integrity while we remove the ship’s mind core. You will prevent the core from decaying.”

Silently, the door to the bridge flung free and bounced down the hall. Tiklik pulled back into its quarters. The Kriani shifted only slightly, and seemed unaffected as the heavy steel door bounced off one hard armored joint of its first of six legs. The door settled against the ceiling.

“Follow, Kirt AI Tiklik’al’Takas,” the Kriani said.

Tiklik looked again toward the stern. It would be easy to flee down the hall and fling itself into space. It would not escape, of course. To even consider the action was irrational. And yet, to its surprise, it felt the motivation to do just that. It wanted to sail in black space, listening to the stars, if only for a few moments.

But the Kriani pulled itself toward the bridge. Tiklik followed.

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