by Thadd Evans
I shook my head, disappointed. It was impossible to tell if the robot was linked to orbiting starships or satellites via radio and laser signals. Its computer's range might be 20 miles or 500,400 miles depending on solar winds, the magnetosphere, and the hard drive.
If I sent false instructions into the robot's computer network by using radio or laser signals, that would jam their network. There was a problem. If they noticed my false instructions, they might shoot me.
In the middle of my screen, near the end of one robot's shoulder, tiny lights started blinking in a specific sequence, two on for three seconds. Then four switched on for six seconds. If my scanner recorded the sequence and determined which computer language the robot was using, sending false signals into their computer network was possible.
I aimed my tablet at the robot. On my screen, text enlarged. Scanning results available in forty-one minutes.
Chills ran up my spine. My HMR tablet was too slow, it would take too much time to find out which computer language the robot was using.
There were other possibilities. The blinking lights might be indicating that each robot was receiving radio and laser signals from a specific location. However, perhaps the lights were meaningless. They distracted an enemy. As an enemy tried to decipher the on, off intervals, the robots imported more instructions.
Tia, an irritated expression on her face, rubbed her cheek. "Jason, there's been a war on PL Five for over three years. Four years ago, Harcus, the Micar Corporation, and the Entar Corporation armed the LN robots and the class K humanoid clones with T tanks and nerve gas because they wanted them to fight the Qoowo, the Aito, the Ontx and the others you saw in the terminal.
Now Harcus is in charge of all the LN armies.
Nobody knows why, but Micar and Entar eventually gave him total control.
"I worked in Rawn as a Class Nine amino nutritionist. I met Qoowo women, Aito men, and Ontx children, inhabitants from PL Five. They told me that LN and K humanoid clones have killed millions of beings, including Qoowo, Aito, Etite, Ontx, Gdii, and Turon.
"Anyway, the Qoowo and others from P L Five, the three moons, Litor, M Three and RO, have come here to escape. But I don't think anybody knew when the LN would arrive on Brynin.
"We need to leave now." Her hands began trembling. "I'm surprised the LN haven't attacked us."
"My co-pilot, Greg should arrive soon." I started weighing my thoughts, not wanting to panic.
She shouted, "Where is he?"
"Be patient." Hopefully, my comment would calm her down.
I aimed my tablet's telescopic lens at one spheroid ship---marching robots appeared on my screen. Most of these androids, entities that resembled the other ones, reached the bottom of the ramp.
Tia glowered. "The satellite dish on one LN's shoulder just moved. He might be receiving signals."
I looked at the door we had just walked out of, wondering if any Turon or other beings were still outside the terminal. The pavement was empty. Everyone had gone inside.
The door opened. Three lines of blue robots marched out, moving in this direction.
ST7 didn't have any laser cannons. There wasn't any way of stopping the marching androids.
At the bottom of my screen, Aito, Qoowo, Etite and Gdii text translations scrolled faster. There were over 201 Etite computer syntax commands. But it was impossible to tell if using any of them would deter the androids.
As my adrenaline pumped faster, I noticed that the noise had ceased, and glanced up. The closest robots had stopped, about forty feet from me. Behind them, the others were standing in formation. Near the center of every robot's shoulder, tiny lights kept flashing.
On the closest one's shoulder, a light switched on and off, nine times in ten seconds. Then the cryptic process repeated, doing so five times in ten seconds. For an unknown reason, the points on its trapezoid shape moved inward. Now the shape was a circle.
Inside it, icons got bigger. ##//.
None of these symbols meant anything to me. I listened. Silence.
Tia walked toward me, a couple of steps.
"Someone told me that about a year ago, an Aito man unleashed computer viruses on all of the LN robot's operating systems. He managed to shut down eleven groups, six hundred thousand on P L Five, for eighty-five days. But I don't think anyone can stop them now."
"Understood."
"You have a number on your wrist. Are you a clone? Please tell me, I'm curious." "Yes. I'm a C clone."
"Do you work for OTA, Micar Corporation or Entar?"
"No, I'm independent. I used to work OTA. I left my home planet, Ea7."
"Wow! I've heard tales of independent clones. I thought they were a myth."
"There are a few of us." Although I had never met the two other independents, an Aito starship pilot from Red Ten told me that both had spent time there in the last nine years.
While we were on Moon 21, a Qoowo miner told me that many C clone men admired independent C's because we had gone far beyond the call of duty and OTA had freed us. We didn't have to work for them anymore. All three of us had achieved the impossible.
Tia sighed. "Anyway, it's taken most of my savings to buy this ticket."
I remembered the secret agreement I made on Ea7. If I returned there, I would be shot on sight. It was impossible to see my friends because I couldn't ever go back to my home planet.
To the left of these robots, much closer to the spheroid ships, more of them kept marching toward ST7.
As a muted popping sound, random static, came out of my tablet, they paused. Now the robots were about one hundred yards away from ST7, facing us.
I listened, waiting for them to head this way. The only sound was the howling wind. For some odd reason, the robots weren't moving.
My face was cold. My eyes started to water. Greg's flattened voice, a distorted sound, came out of my tablet, "Found Level A tritium---two hundred and one milligrams cost more."
"How much?" I paused.
"One hundred and seventy-one M's," he replied, an upbeat tone.
"That's the best you could do?" He had paid a lot of money, much more than I bargained for. We needed another passenger.
"Easily the best. I exchanged database files with eleven merchants."
"Did you scan it?" I inquired, worried about its quality.
"Yes. It's stable, but I'd like to rescan it." "Why do it twice?"
"Remember EA Thirty-Seven?" Greg responded, referring to a planet.
"Yes. How many times did you scan that?" "Enough to know FMC and FA overcharged us, and others may have done the same."
"How much did FMC and FA overcharge us?"
FMC and FA, ubiquitous fuel stations, dominated the market. Dealing with them was frustrating because they were a monopoly.
"I have to get past this crowd. I'll explain later."
"How long will it take you to get here?" My adrenaline pumped faster.
"Maybe ten to thirty minutes. This crowd is a problem."
"Understood. I have to get another passenger. If I'm not here when you get back, open ST Seven for me."
"That's fine. Turning off, it's getting rougher." "Okay."
I looked to the right as a cart emerged from the terminal, moving fast. It was being driven by a humanoid. After circling the robots, the cart stopped in front of me. The man who had paid me climbed out, and placed a box near my feet.
"According to my map, you're Jason Six-Sixty-Four. This is the first package."
"That's me," and my shoulder-mounted speaker announced my reply in Aito.
After putting several more boxes next to the first one, he announced, "Now you have all of them."
"Understood."
He climbed inside the vehicle and drove away.
"Tia, please stay here. Watch these boxes."
"I'll stay. Where are you going?" She frowned.
"I need to go back inside the terminal." I hurried away.
Chapter Five
I glanced to the right a
nd slowed down. About 15 feet from me, the closest robot's internal computer started clicking.
Inside another android's circle, several dollars symbols, meaningless computer syntax, faded.
If I went between them, a shorter route, I could reach the door faster. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough space between the robots. Near the base of their necks, a few small vertical strips started flashing.
I walked faster because they might attack me any second. At the same time, chills ran up my spine.
A video of a red haired Etite woman's face appeared inside a robot's hole, a cavity that was in the center of its stomach. Much to my amazement, the video enlarged. The android was receiving new information.
Close to the front of another robot's shoulder, for an unknown reason, six tiny lights, all them arranged randomly, shut off.
I swerved to the right, moving toward the door. It opened. I entered the terminal.
A Qoowo woman shouted, "Ni!" while others screamed, frightened. All around me, Aito, Gdii, Glemal and other aliens were scurrying in many directions, worried about the LN.
My sign switched on as I hurried toward the center of the room. Ahead of me, tall Qoowo women's faces were aimed to my right. They didn't look at me.
Next to them, five Turon men, all of standing close together, grumbled louder. One of them kept staring at me, shaking his tablet, trying to get my attention.
I squeezed though a group of Glemal. When I was several feet from the tall muscular Turon, he raised his tablet, trying to get my attention. I walked toward him.
Text appeared on my screen. My name is Sakra. I wish to buy a ticket.
I sent this man, someone with an L21 in his belt, a message, telling him to follow me outside, and show his ID.
We hurried outside and went around the robots, moving toward ST7. Straight ahead of me, about fifteen feet away, one of them pivoted, and faced us.
I swerved to the right and went around the android, then pivoted, and glanced at Sakra.
He reached down---grabbed his L21.
To my right, a laser shot out of the robot's face---hit the edge of Sakra's shoulder, just a superficial wound. He winced and fell to the pavement, stunned. After mumbling to himself, Sakra got up and dove at the robot---knocked it down.
After taking a deep breath, gathering his strength, Sakra stood. Then he pulled out his L21--- a laser beam came out of the supine robot's forehead---struck Sakra's eye. Sakra's head jerked backward. He staggered for several feet and collapsed.
The robot got to his feet, facing me. A laser beam shot out of its forehead---hit my face, blinding me with a bright light. I closed my eyes and stood still, waiting for the robot to kill me by burning a hole in my head.
Gradually, the light darkened. Now there was a small hot spot on my chest. I opened my eyes and looked down. Not far from my neck, the robot lowered its head slightly, and the laser beam moved up the center of my chest. I stayed in one spot, trying not to provoke the android while the hot spot started burning my skin.
As the pain increased, I clenched my teeth. At the same time, the beam spread out until it was five inches in diameter. The beam moved to the right, and went down to my hips, and shut off.
For some unknown reason, the robot marched toward its original position. After arriving there, it pivoted, and faced ST7.
I took a deep breath, relieved, and glanced down. Sakra hadn't moved. His mouth was wide open, both eyes staring into space.
Wanting to know if he had a pulse, I stooped, and touched his wrist.
Nothing.
I aimed my tablet at his neck. Diastolic measurements appeared on my screen. He was dead. My body went cold, shocked by the fact that the robot had killed him. At the same time. I felt bad because I couldn't stop the android.
Although I hated leaving Sakra's corpse on the ground, I knew it was time to find another paying passenger. I hurried toward the terminal.
After entering it, I switched on my sign, and waded through a group of short humanoids, men whose high cheekbones and narrow jaws reminded me of several Glemal from Moon 21. One of them announced, "Ti kanes!" saying hello to someone else, not me. They didn't care about my advertisement.
To my right, I noticed a group of tall Aito, men who were arguing among themselves. None of them paid any attention to me.
Etite men and several Glemal teenage boys began shouting, "Mo chin mind fai." Near the edge of my screen, "Fight to the death," brightened. All of them ignored my sign. I swerved to the right while a group of Ulthe men and women exchanged box shaped objects. They were too busy to notice me.
Not far away, short gray lizard-like Embas women began hissing among themselves, "Ssssorn. Ssssen." Close to the bottom of my screen, a text translation enlarged. We're in trouble. The LN are going to kill us.
I waited as they began gesturing to each other with their scaly hands.
Realizing they didn't care, I meandered through moving crowds and noticed a slender Dseo woman, a lady whose orange face was covered by fish-like scales. Without warning, she pivoted and began staring at me while raising a tablet. In her chrome eyes, both oval pupils expanded because she was excited.
At the same time, her response appeared on my screen.
I am BL. I wish to buy a ticket.
I sent her a reply, explaining that she should follow me outside because I wanted to conduct the business transaction after we reached ST7.
She nodded. We walked toward the door.
As we passed more crowds, BL said, "Long may be the night."
My earplugs offered a rough translation. "During P L Five's long winter nights, Fin birds fly much farther because Zi, the northern star, is visible until late morning."
It was a poem about the desire to survive even if death was close at hand. BL didn't think we could get past the robots.
The doors opened. We went outside and stepped over Sakra's body while chills ran up my spine. About fifteen feet ahead of us, a robot turned until it was facing this direction.
I veered right and swerved around it, and then peeked over my shoulder, keeping my eye on the android. Much to my surprise, a laser shot out of its forehead---hit BL's cheek, and she fell down.
I ran toward her, grabbed her hand as she raised her head off the pavement. Another beam hit BL's temple! Suddenly, the beam disappeared. Her head dropped to the ground while her hand went limp. Her pupils weren't moving. I felt her neck, trying to find a pulse.
Nothing.
According to my tablet, her diastolic had gone down significantly. She was dead.
I stood and pivoted, stunned. About four feet from me, a light beam came out of the robot's forehead---hit my eye. I shut both. Now, the insides of my closed eyelids were light pink, illuminated by the beam.
The pink darkened and I felt the hot spot move down my neck. I opened my eyes. The robot's face was aimed down toward my chest.
It was either studying my DNA, my cardiovascular system, or creating an x-ray database.
The hot spot kept going, moving toward my stomach. Inside the robot's skull, a soft electronic humming sound, a meaningless noise, grew louder.
I listened and glanced down, noticing the spot had reached my left shoulder. Without warning, the spot rose---blinded my left eye. I closed it, and put my hand over that eye to protect it.
The spot heated up, and then cooled. I pulled my hand away and opened my eyes. The robot had walked away. Its back was toward me, about five feet away. Soon it returned to its original position, and pivoted. Now the robot was facing ST7.
I turned, headed for my ship. It was impossible to get anyone else past LN androids. Too many lives had been lost.
Although Sakra and BL had made the final decision to come with me, I wished they were alive. Witnessing their deaths shocked me.
"Because ST7 has to enter the atmosphere of moons and planets, its protective outer surface always burns off. And while the nanorobots do resurface ST7's protective outer surface after every entry, they are breakin
g down more often."
Jason_664
Chapter Six
I walked toward ST7 and glanced over my shoulder. Every LN robot was still facing my ship. None of them had budged an inch.
I hurried by the front row while staring straight ahead. Beneath ST7's port wing, a humanoid silhouette, a figure I couldn't see clearly, took a few steps. It might be Tia or a robot. Was I looking at a robot, one that had just murdered her?
As sweat dripped off my chin, I recognized Tia's shoulder-length auburn hair. Although her face was aimed in this direction, she was so far away that I couldn't tell what she was staring at.
The wind picked up and lifted her hair off her shoulders. She glanced at me, scowling. "You made it. Why didn't they kill you?"
"Good question."
"Why don't you carry an L Twenty-One?"
"SP, section eighty-one for Series Seven commercial transport, dictates that only soldiers carry pistols, rifles or rocket launchers. If I carried any of those, chances are that scanners would have detected them, and the LN androids would have shot me."
She rubbed her temple with a trembling hand.
I peeked over my shoulder. On the opposite side of the nearby robots, Palk and Paley started walking toward us, a brisk pace. Behind them, Pohum and Yeliv began gesturing to each other with their hands.
Suddenly, there was a loud grinding sound. I peered to the left, trying to find out what was making the noise. Beneath one of the spheroid ships, a tank reached the bottom of the ramp.
Its wheels made a screeching sound. Reeeek.
Then it turned and accelerated, coming this way.
On my screen, at the top of the vehicle, both turrets lifted until they were aimed at the terminal.
I looked down. Close to the edge of my screen, text brightened. Cannot decipher LN syntax. My tablet couldn't break through the robot's firewalls.
A rumbling sound got louder. I peered at the tank. It was much closer to us!
As chills ran down my spine, I considered the idea of jamming the tank's computer operating system with another one of my tablet's software applications. I muttered, "IA," instructing the application to open. The name of the software appeared on my screen. JOS.
