On the Planet's Surface- Part 2

  "There...That's the lead ship," Aurelia points to an enormous craft tucked under the overhang of a large cliff.

  Adjusting on the semi-flat boulder where she is perched, Captain Hilyard allows Jemblevre to squeeze in between her and Keltikin Jinn. The mercurial Devvir Cat glowers down at the cluster of enemy ships as if his golden eyes were made of lasers--probably wishing that they were.

  "They are not so formidable," Jemblevre scoffs. "The plasma charges and other explosives we brought down with us should be enough to wipe out almost half of their tiny fleet. These cannot be the same beings who defeated the great Captain Jake Hilyard? There must be some mistake?"

  "Remember, Jemblevre. Looks can often be deceiving," Aurelia warns in a hushed whisper. "Neither of us was there that day...For whatever reason. Mister Yoth, however, was there. These are the ships he described. What we were able to salvage from the fragmented computer files confirms it as well. These alien's winning approach is the element of surprise. And brute force. My father never had a chance to respond. They don't look like much, but that's the trick."

  "Hmm," Jemblevre utters, mulling over Aurelia's words.

  Before either of them can speak again, a loud metallic clanking starts up from down below.

  "What's that?" Aurelia asks, her eyes widening. "Oh no. Come on. We have to join the others and make our way down. Something is seriously going on down there."

  "Maybe we should all go back to the..." Keltikin opens his mouth to say.

  "I want to know what that noise is," Aurelia insists. "It sounds like something really big. Possibly a machine of some kind. Maybe even a weapon. If it is...I want it. We may just have uncovered a way to defeat these bastards entirely. At the very least, we'll steal their technology right from under their savage noses. Let's go. Jemblevre, signal the team that we're heading down."

  -

  -

  The sight which greets the landing party at the bottom of the ridge is wholly unbelievable and quite unexpected. Columns and columns of what appears to be large metallic spiders pour out of a nearby cave and over the landscape for at least a mile. Headed straight in the landing party's general direction. The spiders pay no attention to the ships in their path; clambering up, around, and over the craft in an expeditious fashion.

  "Hmmm. Now, this is interesting," Keltikin mutters under his breath.

  "Interesting...Is not exactly the word I would use to describe our present situation," Jemblevre hisses out of one side of his whiskered mouth.

  "It's a good thing...I didn't ask you!" Keltikin counters.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Nyraxi, and the other four members of the advance landing party, level their plasma weapons in fear. Every one of them wears the same frightened expression. No doubt they are having the exact same thoughts. Metallic spiders? A horde of metallic spiders? A horde of metallic spiders the size of an average adult humanoid? Hell, nah. This cannot be happening.

  "Oh crap!" Captain Hilyard yelps as a plasmashot burst slams into a ledge far above their heads. "Someone is firing at us? Can you see who it is, Keltikin? Who the hell is firing at us? Don't tell me it's the damn spiders?"

  Rocks of various sizes begin to rain down upon Aurelia and the two security officers at her side. Jemblevre, is struck in the shoulder with a rock the size of a soccer ball. The massive feline briefly glances down, annoyed but unhurt. He shakes his reddish-gold mane with irritation. In the same instant, he uses his right hand to aim his plasmashot pistol at the approaching columns of arachnoid robots.

  Another plasmashot burst strikes the ridge above, sending down a second rain of pebbles and large rocks. This time, there is no mistaking where the shot came from. The damn robot spiders are shooting at them.

  "So this...These things are what killed my father? An army of...Autonomous spiders?" Aurelia hollers in disbelief, aiming her own weapon as well. "Are you freaking kidding me?"

  "Kind of takes the fun out of destroying them all. Doesn't it, Captain Hilyard?" Keltikin Jinn rasps. "Knowing they have no real sense of poetic justice? No conscience. No will to utterly crush and destroy. Not even a life force to suck from their miserable bodies. It's truly a shame. They're only simple machines. Doing what machines do. There's no one to punish. I must say....I'm extremely disappointed. I won't get to use any of my wonderful spells. Pity. I was so looking forward to dining on a few souls today."

  Beside Captain Hilyard, Jemblevre mumbles under his breath. Most likely, an unsavory comment about Security Officer Keltikin Jinn he does not wish Aurelia to hear. The captain pretends not to notice.

  "No one to punish, my ass!" Aurelia roars, simultaneously pulling her late father's plasmashot pistol from the second holster on her right hip.

  She used both weapons to fire on the quickly approaching arachnoid horde. Chancing only a brief glance at Keltikin Jinn, Aurelia shakes her head and continues to fire. The entire landing party is now engaged in battle, firing upon moving targets at will.

  "Someone programmed these damn things," Aurelia continues. "They didn't build themselves. I mean...Maybe. But, even if we are dealing with self-replicating technology...The underlying technology had to have been created somewhere. By someone. We capture a few of these bugs and we reverse engineer them. Find out where they come from and what makes them tick. Someone is definitely going to pay for this."

  "Hmmm," Keltikin scoffs. "Although, I think I should point out...They aren't bugs. These robotic creatures possess more than six legs. Eight in fact. Making them..."

  "Just shut up and shoot!" Aurelia barks.

  "I think I have a better idea," Jemblevre interrupts, pulling back a muscular arm. "The saying is...Fire in the hole."

  The Devvir Cat officer brings his arm forward again, releasing the incendiary device gripped tightly in his hand. The grenade lands deep in the midst of the robotic alien horde, exploding almost instantly. Metal legs and carapaces are blown everywhere. The entire group of robotic spiders experiences a tiny observable glitch, as their shared programming readjusts to the loss of a multitude of its members. But only for a fraction of a moment. In the next moment, the arachnoids are on the march again.

  "Captain Hilyard! Look! Someone is stepping out of the lead ship," Nyraxi yells to be heard over the cacophony of plasmashot bursts and scrambling robotic feet. "More than one person in fact,"

  Aurelia turns to study the alien mothership nestled under the distant cliff. Her mouth falls open as she recognizes the alien standing in front of the open cargo bay door. No. It can't be. Can it? What the hell?

  The thought has barely left Aurelia's mind when the ground underneath her trembles and then gives way. Captain Hilyard's last glimpse of the world above is of Jemblevre and Keltikin Jinn shooting wildly--while both screaming her name.