Colonel. From what I understand, the Colossuns have a large army."
The Colonel smacked my shoulder with his hand and held tight. "That's what I'm counting on, Grange. And if we are fighting on their turf instead of ours, all the better!"
I spoke. "Do you think we will ever get a chance to rest from all the running and fighting, Colonel? This galaxy seems to have more Durians and Dakar than Grell or Tribuk. It seems like we are the ones who are always standing up for everyone's freedom."
The Colonel replied, "Sheep need shepherds, Grange. Otherwise, they would all get eaten by the wolves."
I spoke. "Sheep, Colonel? From the archives? I don't remember those. What do they look like?"
The Colonel replied, "Well, they look like sheep, Grange! I don't know, like goats, only fluffier!"
Ashley entered the room. "Good, just the two men I was looking for. I have something to show you down in the science lab with one of those Colossuns."
As we walked, Ashley talked. "Don, make sure you thank Michael Felix for assigning me to oversee the android investigation. It has been fascinating work. The team he has assembled there is nothing short of brilliant!"
I replied, "Great, I have to suck up to Felix."
My attempt at humor drew nothing but silence.
I continued, "What kind of headway have we made? It's only been a couple of days."
Ashley replied as we walked into the room, "We have the core, Don."
There in front of me stood a three-meter-tall Colossun android. It was intimidating. Only the black powerlessness of its eyes gave me comfort. Without power, it was of little danger.
I turned to Ashley. "You said you have the core? The brains? Have we made any progress on tapping into it?"
Ashley replied, "Yes, we have. It is a remarkable piece of AI, Don. Simplistic, and yet able to handle complex thought. We are only beginning to get into the programming. Dr. Jon Touchstone says the code structure, and its neural mappings and patterns, are like nothing he has ever seen. And best of all, he understands them."
I replied, "So we have a good shot at controlling one of those things?"
Before she had a chance to respond, the Colossun came to life. Its bright blue eyes seemed fixed on me for only an instant before it took a step in my direction. Without the protection of my battle suit, I fell backwards in an attempt to get away.
The android stopped its movement and powered down. A scientist from Ashley's team then stepped out from behind the beast.
The scientist spoke. "Oh, sorry, Mr. Grange. I was just testing out some of its motor functions. Didn't mean to scare you."
I stood and brushed off my pants and elbows. "I wasn't scared. Just startled."
The Colonel laughed. "From the look on your face, Grange, I would say the scientist had it right. Hahahahaha! And way to step in to protect your girl here!"
Ashley put her hand out. "OK, Colonel. Let him be. It was a normal reaction."
I spoke. "I would listen to her, Colonel. If you want to know fear, just get on her bad side!"
The Colonel slapped me on the back as he smiled and winked at Ashley. "This little lady? She wouldn't hurt anyone. She is just a cream puff!"
The lab team had made great strides, just as Ashley had said. I began to wonder what an army of androids who were fighting for the Grid would do to the Durians we had tangled with before our jump. An android with a hybrid battle suit and a blaster—it was a scary thought.
Over the following two weeks, Admiral Chaulk's Marines were briefed and trained for their assault on Ponik. The Embry hub would be the first to feel their fury. Once it was secured, the Admiral's men would spread outward from Embry Central like a virus. As each mine fell and was secured, the operations would be geared towards acquiring the ores that we were most in need of.
I would be going along in an attempt to establish relations with the resistance. If the Grell were on our side, the ore mining could be quickly redirected to fit our needs. I was eager
The Colonel smacked my shoulder with his hand and held tight. "That's what I'm counting on, Grange. And if we are fighting on their turf instead of ours, all the better!"
I spoke. "Do you think we will ever get a chance to rest from all the running and fighting, Colonel? This galaxy seems to have more Durians and Dakar than Grell or Tribuk. It seems like we are the ones who are always standing up for everyone's freedom."
The Colonel replied, "Sheep need shepherds, Grange. Otherwise, they would all get eaten by the wolves."
I spoke. "Sheep, Colonel? From the archives? I don't remember those. What do they look like?"
The Colonel replied, "Well, they look like sheep, Grange! I don't know, like goats, only fluffier!"
Ashley entered the room. "Good, just the two men I was looking for. I have something to show you down in the science lab with one of those Colossuns."
As we walked, Ashley talked. "Don, make sure you thank Michael Felix for assigning me to oversee the android investigation. It has been fascinating work. The team he has assembled there is nothing short of brilliant!"
I replied, "Great, I have to suck up to Felix."
My attempt at humor drew nothing but silence.
I continued, "What kind of headway have we made? It's only been a couple of days."
Ashley replied as we walked into the room, "We have the core, Don."
There in front of me stood a three-meter-tall Colossun android. It was intimidating. Only the black powerlessness of its eyes gave me comfort. Without power, it was of little danger.
I turned to Ashley. "You said you have the core? The brains? Have we made any progress on tapping into it?"
Ashley replied, "Yes, we have. It is a remarkable piece of AI, Don. Simplistic, and yet able to handle complex thought. We are only beginning to get into the programming. Dr. Jon Touchstone says the code structure, and its neural mappings and patterns, are like nothing he has ever seen. And best of all, he understands them."
I replied, "So we have a good shot at controlling one of those things?"
Before she had a chance to respond, the Colossun came to life. Its bright blue eyes seemed fixed on me for only an instant before it took a step in my direction. Without the protection of my battle suit, I fell backwards in an attempt to get away.
The android stopped its movement and powered down. A scientist from Ashley's team then stepped out from behind the beast.
The scientist spoke. "Oh, sorry, Mr. Grange. I was just testing out some of its motor functions. Didn't mean to scare you."
I stood and brushed off my pants and elbows. "I wasn't scared. Just startled."
The Colonel laughed. "From the look on your face, Grange, I would say the scientist had it right. Hahahahaha! And way to step in to protect your girl here!"
Ashley put her hand out. "OK, Colonel. Let him be. It was a normal reaction."
I spoke. "I would listen to her, Colonel. If you want to know fear, just get on her bad side!"
The Colonel slapped me on the back as he smiled and winked at Ashley. "This little lady? She wouldn't hurt anyone. She is just a cream puff!"
The lab team had made great strides, just as Ashley had said. I began to wonder what an army of androids who were fighting for the Grid would do to the Durians we had tangled with before our jump. An android with a hybrid battle suit and a blaster—it was a scary thought.
Over the following two weeks, Admiral Chaulk's Marines were briefed and trained for their assault on Ponik. The Embry hub would be the first to feel their fury. Once it was secured, the Admiral's men would spread outward from Embry Central like a virus. As each mine fell and was secured, the operations would be geared towards acquiring the ores that we were most in need of.
I would be going along in an attempt to establish relations with the resistance. If the Grell were on our side, the ore mining could be quickly redirected to fit our needs. I was eager
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