Chapter Ninety-Three (2/2)

”Just for clarification, Director Brentili'ik, when I enter the shelter do you intend to?” The Colonel asked.

”Why would you enter a shelter?” Brentili'ik asked. ”Are you not in the Space Force Army? Are you not needed on the battlefield?”

Colonel Harvey shook his head. ”My dear Director Brentili'ik, I would like nothing more than to grab a rifle, jump in a suit of robotic power armor, and go out to bravely defend our little slice of heaven, but when I attained this rank and was assigned to this post, I lost that privilege. When ground combat begins or the enemy attains air superiority, I will enter a shelter as I no longer am part of the kinetic combat variable.”

Brentili'ik frowned, thinking of her husband wrapped in Terran designed power armor out there while the Terran military officer was talking about retreating to a bunker like a Lanaktallan. ”Then what is your job?”

”To coordinate military response when you alert me that there are shelters in danger, to coordinate defense of twelve million Telkan people and their allies in my area of operations. While I spent my youth striding across planets in robotic power armor capable of wading through a skyraker, my own ambition for rank has proved my martial undoing,” The Colonel said. ”With my rank comes responsibility, which will be assisting that men like your husband get proper orders, that intelligence and command receives constant updates on the status of our Area of Operations.”

He turned and looked at her and Brentili'ik had to resist and urge to duck under the desk at the fire in his eyes that seemed to her to be brighter than the amber lights of the warborg's eyes.

”Do I want to enter a shelter, Director Brentili'ik? No. I want to get in a set of Novastar power armor or a PacificRim class Robot Power armor, and take the fight to the enemy, fist to face. Instead, I will, by the Digital Omnimessiah and his Twelve Biological Disciples, do my duty and enter the shelter to facilitate command and control with the best data I can in order to ensure that men like your husband do not have their lives thrown away and that every broodcarrier and podling in the shelters is defended to the best ability of the Terran Confederate Space Force,” the Colonel said.

Brentili'ik nodded, swallowing thickly. ”I meant no offense, Colonel Harvey.”

The fire in the human's eyes dimmed. ”I know you didn't, kid.”

He moved over the table, staring down at it. ”The Ostcarren River Power Generation Station handles the power needs of six shelters, but I believe that we should move power armor power cores to the reactor bays of those shelters to act as backups and cut the links to the dam.”

”That will result in them having less power,” Brentili'ik stated.

The Colonel looked at the clock.

”We have two hours before the first wave arrives,” he looked back at the map. ”I'm going to order the Engineers to collapse all tunnels and pipes in or out of the shelters and order security to go to 'incursion immanent' in all shelters.”

Brentili'ik nodded. Before the Precursor attack she would have protested, worrying about the broodcarriers.

Now she knew it was better the broodcarriers be concerned and possibly stressed than slaughtered en-masse.

”I agree,” she stated.

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MANTID FREE WORLDS

Well, we've officially withdrawn our diplomatic envoys to the Unified Civilized Councils.

-----NOTHING FOLLOWS-------

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

Good. Fuck those cone stealing ambulatory hamburgers.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS------

CLONE WORLDS DIRECTORATE

Wow, really?

------NOTHING FOLLOWS-----

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

What?

-----NOTHING FOLLOWS-----

CLONE WORLDS DIRECTORATE

Nothing. Never mind.

-----NOTHING FOLLOWS-------

TALTSEG NAKLET

safe warm safe warm safe warm sing now podlings sing now with broodmommy. one and one is two two and two is four three and three is six round circle neat triangle funny square this is blue and this is green and this is yellow and this is yummy and this is not and this is icky and this is yum good podling sing podling learn podling smart podling brave podling safe warm safe warm

-----SWOLLOF GNIHTON-----

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

Hey, I thought the broodcarriers don't have datalinks. How come we keep hearing them singing?

-----NOTHING FOLLOWS-----

TELKAN GESTALT

Sorry about that.

-----NOTHING FOLLOWS------

CLONE WORLDS DIRECTORATE

No, no, it's OK. Just interesting.

-----NOTHING FOLLOWS-------

CYBERNETIC ORGANISM COLLECTIVE

It is feedback. We have examined it. We have determined that there is some kind of feedback going on. One of us is broadcasting Telkan species sex three member's songs into our gestalt chat unintentionally. We are attempting to determine who is providing this feedback and why so as to clear any static or unintentional broadcasts into chat during this extremely critical time period.

----NOTHING FOLLOWS-------

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

Anyone understand any of that?

-----NOTHING FOLLOWS-----

BIOLOGICAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENCE SYSTEMS

Robot people fix chat.

----NOTHING FOLLOWS------

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

Thanks.

-----NOTHING FOLLOWS-------

RIGELLIAN COMPACT

The interesting thing will be is if these guys follow the Lanaktallan protocol of retreating after 10% resource consumption. If so, it's another datapoint that suggests Lanaktallan are behind this.

----NOTHING FOLLOWS-------

CLONE WORLDS DIRECTORATE

I hate to say this, but with a biologically based enemy like this, I'm going to call a vote later.

-----NOTHING FOLLOWS------

DIGITAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENCE SYSTEMS

A vote? For what?

----NOTHING FOLLOWS------

CLONE WORLDS DIRECTORATE

Moving a Genome Cracker Fleet out there. We're going to need all the data we can get.

------NOTHING FOLLOWS------

BIOLOGICAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENCE SYSTEMS

Yeah, we're going to need the data. We'll join you with a Biomass Fleet.

------NOTHING FOLLOWS---

MANTID FREE WORLDS

ARE TWO YOU CRAZY?

----NOTHING FOLLOWS------

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

Uh, that's makes me REALLY nervous just thinking about that.

----NOTHING FOLLOWS-----

AKltAk GesTALt

H3ll0?

-----NOTHING FOLLOWS-----

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

BAH! Holy shit, you scared me.

----NOTHING FOLLOWS-------

DIGITAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENCE SYSTEMS

I don't know about letting you move a Genome Cracker Fleet out there.

I mean

* * * * * *

TERRAN CONFEDERACY

CLONE WORLDS DIRECTORATE SUGGESTION: APPROVED

BIOLOGICAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENT SYSTEM SUGGESTION: APPROVED

PREPARE FOR IMMEDIATE DEPLOYMENT TO WAR ZONE ALPHA

* * * * * *

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

GAH! Are you guys TRYING to give me a heart attack across all three hearts?

-----NOTHING FOLLOWS---

AkltaK [email protected]

H3l770?

-----NOTHER FARROWS---

MANTID FREE WORLDS

Hello, little one. Welcome.

You guys be quiet, let me help her get her feet under her.

-----NOTHING FOLLOWS-----

aKLTak GEstalT

V COrpS Enr0UTe. It w177 B D0ne! 3Ta 102 H0ur5

---End Me55age-------

MANTID FREE WORLDS

Oh dear. Come here, sweetie