Grailem by Gary L Beer (top 100 novels txt) 📖

thousands of security robots they can only mean one thing; that wherever these are destined for; the aliens in charge of them are planning some kind of invasion.


Chapter Eleven

The shock of the amount of the invasion force and the canned humanoid parts made him convert every microchip he could find. Looking at the final figure on the machine Grailem sees that he has converted two hundred and fifty thousand microchips.
Fifty thousand more than is needed; are these to be considered as 'spares' or are there more robots somewhere else in the ship? Now the work was completed and everything back in its original place he decides to explore the ship further to see what more secrets it holds.

Grailem had known where the passengers and crew were kept and had not given them a lot of thought. Now curious as to how they were being stored he makes his way to the hibernation section. As he turns the corner into the corridor that leads to the passengers and crew he cannot fail to notice the security robots that line each wall.
All of them appear inactive; as if they are here for storage, the same as the passengers' and crew though it appears an odd way to store them.
They must be here for another reason.
Convinced they are inactive Grailem walks between them until he reaches the hibernation section door. Grailem reaches out for the handle and turns it to open the door.
The door is locked!
This is the first locked door he has come across since his home planet and for a few seconds he stands still in shock.
The locked door and lines of security robots can only mean that the hibernation process can fail at times. If everyone was to return to consciousness halfway through the voyage their would be insufficient food and water for them; unless they were cannibals and could eat the canned 'foods'. During his search of the cargo hold he had found no food, water or supplies for the human inhabitants.
Before he busts the door down Grailem checks around the frame and lock to see if it is connected to an alarm system. Three alarm systems are in operation around the door; one at the lock and one at the top and bottom of the door. The alarm systems are active as he can feel the electric field that is generated by the electricity passing through them.
Turning around Grailem approaches one of the inactive robots; removing the tight fitting helmet he inserts his finger into the base of the skull and withdraws a long piece of alloyed copper wire. The wire, inserted into all of the security robots, works as an extra antenna when needed. The fitted microchip with its own receiver, usually picks up the transmitted signal. In the crowded cities the receiver sometimes failed to connect to the system. The antenna would be automatically deployed and could pick up the faintest of signals – even those that are usually blocked by the tall buildings. Removing it may not show up for months and under normal examination and conditions the robot would appear undamaged. Grailem hopes.
Returning to the door he uses the copper wire to change the circuitry to indicate the door is locked and closed. Unlocking the door takes no effort and he opens the door and steps inside closing the door behind him.
The enormous room, lit by a soft red glow, contains all of the passengers and crew. From where Grailem is standing the room looks full of coffins that are stacked on shelving, one on top of the other until they reach the ceiling ten metres above. There looks more than the twenty thousand that should be on board; counting the people in the racks and multiplying it by the number of racks Grailem estimates that there are over thirty-five thousand in deep sleep.
This was certainly no colonising expedition and he wonders what will greet them when they wake up; and him when they get where they are going.

Leaving the hibernating passengers and crew to their sleep Grailem steps outside the door. All the robots are exactly where he had seen them last, leaving the wiring on the door he walks between them as they stare impassively at the wall or robot in front of them.
Turning the corner he follows an empty corridor that leads to the forward hold. The door leading into the hold is unguarded and contains no lock or alarm system. Opening the door Grailem is surprised to see that the hold is brightly lit, noises from the far end of the hold attract his attention and cautiously he walks towards it.
Reaching the end of the passageway that is between stacks of crates Grailem looks around the corner. Set out before him is a large production area; a long conveyor belt with robots operating each side appear to be assembling more security robots. Edging closer he can see arms and legs being fitted as the trunk of the robot is moved forward slowly along the conveyor belt. The head of the robot is then fitted and welded to the body; the robot is then put in a large metal container that appears designed to hold several hundred robots.
The metal containers are the same as those in the rear cargo hold and Grailem can see that the 'spare' fifty thousand microchips are not going to be wasted.
The robots working at the conveyor belt pay him no mind as he steps closer for a better look. The skeletal frame of the robot appears to be made of a titanium and cobalt mix, making it almost indestructible. This is a new design of robot compared with the ones he had to deal with on the planet. Their skeletal frames were made of a tough alloy covered with a plastic/carbon mix; and burned well as he remembers.
These new robot frames are being covered in glass fibre mesh that is interwoven with a high grade steel, making them fireproof. At the slow rate they were working showed Grailem that this was a new process as the robots being made were different from those stored in the rear cargo hold.
Was he looking at the consequences of his visit and battles with the security robots on the planet? Their surveillance systems may be of the most modern but their robot security force had many flaws and weaknesses. What had defeated him was the sheer amount of robots; there were millions on the planet, which vastly outnumbered him.
If what he was seeing was an upgrade of the aliens security force then the galaxy would be in a lot of trouble as they would be undefeatable. His presence on their planet and his apparent indestructibility had got them scared.
They had obviously thought he was a precursor for an invasion by beings like himself.

Very curious as to their destination and glad he had worked hard for all those months converting the microchip's, Grailem makes his way to the main computer.
Surveillance aboard the starship seems non-existent but Grailem is aware that any computer activity will be recorded. Arriving at the main computer room Grailem looks at the large computer that operates the ship; standing three metres high and eight metres long it appears far too large for the task it has.
Looking at the back of the machine Grailem can see service ports amongst the connecting wiring and circuitry. Stepping away from the back of the computer Grailem looks around the huge room. Across at the far end several doors draw his attention. Walking quickly across the room Grailem approaches the first room; as he had hoped it is empty with several computer and communication platforms sitting on the desks.
Opening the door Grailem walks inside and disconnects the first computer platform from the system. Picking the platform and its viewing screen up Grailem heads out the door and returns to the main computer. Putting his newly acquired platform next to the service port, positioning the viewing screen so that he can see it clearly he plugs the platform into the nearest service port.
The viewing screen immediately shows an image of the forward scanner of the starship; stars fill the sky though none seem exceptionally brighter than their neighbours. Checking that his platform will not automatically save or transmit any of the information of his activities, Grailem starts to explore.
Finding the original display he had seen on the bridge all those months ago he updates it to the present time. The new time tells him they will reach their destination, a planet called Octonal Neves, in two weeks time.

Seventy six hours later Grailem disconnects the platform from the main machine, in that seventy six hours he had learnt all of its secrets.
The reason that it is so large is because it is in itself cargo; designed and built on the planet he had recently left, it was designed as a control computer. It could do more than pilot and maintain the starship as it is also capable of controlling an entire planet. Every electronic device from a light fitting to a multi-brained computer could be connected in some way to this vast machine. The processing speed and memory are beyond anything that Grailem has encountered before and he marvels at the technology. His home planet had been dependant on computers for thousands of years; but this one, with the use of highly advanced organics, is a new dimension all together.
Only five percent of the memory banks had been filled and that was with all the programming needed to pilot and operate the starship – and the history of the Arct. The Arct are the race of beings who had controlled the planet he had left behind, and whose home world he was now heading for. Amongst the warfare history was a section on security, starting from the very beginning almost at the start of writing, examples of defensive measures are explained. From ring ditches, wooden and brick walls to automatic defensive robots, the entire history and their strengths and weaknesses is portrayed.

Invasion of other worlds came as a result of overcrowding; and the discovery of the humanoid species. The Arct are traditionally a carnivorous species who had fed on animals similar to their genetic makeup like monkeys and apes. As the Arct population increased and with no controls in place, the apes and monkeys became extinct. The Arct turned to cows and sheep and any wild animal that inhabited their planet as the next available food source. Able to breed the cows and sheep they bred enough to sustain the large population - but the docile animals were considered a dull and boring food.

Discovering a world populated by an aggressive humanoid species gave the Arct a new purpose in life. The humanoids fought gallantly against the invading aliens but tasted divine re-igniting primitive emotions and an Arct warrior species was born.
To the Arct, to die in battle became the ultimate accolade. From birth they were taught to fight, males as well as females and the whole race became a military force.
The main driving force had been the conquest of