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

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"You take the first batch of five hundred to the shuttle and I will follow behind with the second load. Meet back here." orders Kifele.
Grailem backs out hurriedly from the doorway and watches as Thyne, leading four orderly lines of robots heads towards the parked shuttles. Grailem wonders at the secrecy, why wait until nightfall before loading? And why only three hours?
Grailem needs to find a communications terminal, a civilisation this advanced would have to rely on computer networks. Deciding to wait for the three hours before finding out how this planet ticked Grailem is curious as to what happens after the time is up.
Kifele and Thyne have all the robots loaded two hours and fifty minutes later. Totalling three thousand five hundred, they are loaded five hundred to a shuttle.
Exactly three hours after the military had left them, the auto vehicle returns and pulls up in the doorway of the warehouse. A rear door opens and walking over to the vehicle Kifele and Thyne step inside as the door closes behind them. Reversing out of the doorway the vehicle turns around and heads off into the darkness.
As the rear lights fade in the distance Grailem hears a shuttlecraft engines start with a roar. More shuttles also start their engines, loaded with, assumes Grailem, five hundred robots as passengers in each. In an orderly line they taxi to the main runway, Grailem watches as each one takes off and they are soon lost to sight in the darkness.

Walking quickly across the spaceport Grailem heads for the city, with the spaceport being on shutdown for the last three hours nothing is going his way. Service vehicles and small auto vehicles drive towards the spaceport, their headlights lighting the darkness. Making his way to the mono railway he arrives just as a train is pulling into the station. The passengers and robots quickly get off the train and Grailem hurries over to it, jumping down next to the track he looks for somewhere to hide.
The train floats above the single rail with electricity and magnetism as the propulsion force. With no wheels their were no axles to hide on and Grailem looks underneath; everywhere is covered and Grailem can see the long line of magnets stretching all the way under the train. Looking towards the pointed rear; which will soon become the front of the train Grailem can see that it is hollow. Forcing a panel open Grailem climbs inside and pulls the panel tight behind him.
Ten minutes later the train starts to move slowly as it leaves the station; as it clears the buildings it accelerates to its top speed. Grailem estimates the train is going at five hundred kilometres an hour, which it maintains for only five minutes before it starts to slow down as it approaches the city.
Pulling to a stop five minutes later at what appears a noisy railway station Grailem pushes the panel out to allow him to slide out of the train. With his invisibility imagery at full power he drops to the ground and looks around him. He is below the platform and can hear the multitude of people and service robots getting off the train above him.
Raising his head above the platform he waits until it empties of people and jumps up onto the platform. Keeping his front side directed at the train, Grailem walks sideways until he reaches the wall of the station. Standing motionless facing the train he blends perfectly with the metal background of the building and waits for the train to leave.
The train moves forward gathering speed as it heads for the next station, looking around him Grailem can see the platform emptying of Arct and robots as they make their way to the exits. Soon he is left alone and walks to the end of the platform and well away from an exit. A small chain link fencing runs along the other side of the platform and Grailem walks over and jumps over it easily.
Bushes and small trees separate the railway station from the road and Grailem slips between them easily and steps out onto the road. Arct and robots file out of the station in orderly lines, some get into waiting taxis, whilst others walk along the road.
Relying on his invisibility imagery he walks across the road and along a narrow alleyway that is between two shiny metal buildings. Reaching the rear of the building he looks for somewhere to hide until the Arct and robot passengers have departed. Finding a void under a big metal staircase Grailem crawls in and watches the parking area in front of him.
The parking area has only a few auto vehicles parked at one side as it is still early in the day and is empty of people. Assuming the workforce will arrive at eight or nine a.m. will give him about three hours to find somewhere a bit more secure. Crawling out from under the stairs now all the passengers have gone, Grailem hurries across to the rear of the parking area. Beyond is a small area of waste ground that is covered in rubble and has become heavily overgrown. Walking through the undergrowth he sees in the distance a large factory complex that covers the land.
This is puzzling as by all appearances everything the Arct need is manufactured off planet. Checking the buildings for security cameras Grailem cannot see any; security on this planet does seem non-existent as the Arct appear confident in their mastery of their own home world.

Approaching the complex he reaches the nearest building; the building is made entirely of new shiny metal material that every building on this planet appears made of. There are no windows for him to look through and he cautiously makes his way towards the front of the building. The large entrance doors are wide open and Grailem takes a look inside.
Machinery and automated lines fill the interior and the noise and heat are intense. Large red hot furnaces poor metal into rifle shaped moulds. This is an arms factory making phaser rifles at a phenomenal rate. As they reach the end of the line they are boxed and stacked with others - that reach to the ceiling.
Looking around the rest of the factory complex he sees that every unit is devoted to making weapons. The robot labour force improves the efficiency and there seems no let up in the continuous outflow of rifles, pistols, hand phasers and bombs.
It makes sense to make all armaments on their home planet as to have them made elsewhere could turn against them. The urgency that the complex is working shows they have no time to waste and he wonders once again if he is the cause of all of this.
Needing a communications terminal Grailem makes his way to a small group of offices. Communication and computer platforms cover every desk and boldly Grailem steps inside, sitting near the doorway he switches the nearest platform on.
A complex work schedule fills the screen showing the calculated amount of weapons that were made the day before. The schedule starts at eight-thirty a.m. giving him a comfortable two hours before any Arct arrive. Grailem is impressed with the list of weapons as thousands have been made; war seems inevitable.
Connecting to the main communications network that covers the planet Grailem tries to make sense of what is going on. The eating of human flesh appears the priority as there are pages and pages of restaurants; 'fresh' meat being the most expensive!
An hour and a half later Grailem disconnects from the network and returns the screen to its original work schedule.

Looking through the door of another factory unit Grailem can see the robots are already at work on a different kind of robot. Humanoid looking robots are the end result - and from his position in the doorway they look real; and alive.
These will be the first wave of the invasion, as the rubberised coating being applied would not endure any kind of battle. Already several hundred stood at the far end of the unit; completed and awaiting their assignments.
If the humanoid looking robots have been programmed correctly they will be able to merge in with the human population and create discontent. They could also have a more ominous purpose in being in a position to easily abduct any humans. Being so life-like they could seduce and entrap their victim and kill them with ease.
The manufacture of robots like he was seeing, had been tried on his home world generations before he was created. The robots were so well made that, unless you had special detection machinery, you could not tell the difference between robot or humanoid.
They failed because they so perfectly imitated the humanoid population, but were law abiding that was taken to an extreme and eventually no one knew who to trust.

The humanoid looking robots could cause an instability in the planetary government and would leave it ripe for an easy invasion. Merging with the wall of the unit Grailem decides to wait until the end of the working day before doing his own modifications.
The day proves interesting from his position against the wall as many military personnel arrive and inspect the work. The Generals and war heroes are easy to see as they wear their shiny medals proudly and stride around the place like they own it.
Night soon arrives and the Arct personnel leave the unit for their homes leaving only one machine working. This machine is the furnace that softens and melts the rubberised polyamide that is used for the skin of the robots and it is necessary to keep it on; and at a constant temperature. Pleased that the furnace is still operational Grailem sets to work; he had seen enough Arct today be able to improve his lifelike mask and he dismisses the idea of becoming a General.


Chapter Thirteen

As the grey of dawn starts to light the sky Grailem fits the improved mask over his head and puts on the gloves. The work had not gone well as finding the right shading proved the most difficult. Adding a few cubic centimetres of the dirty grease from one of the machines brought success. Confident in his new disguise and pleased that the mask is a big improvement he now alters the shape of his skull slightly to accommodate the mask. Wearing Arct clothing from the offices which he had altered to fit his small frame he strides boldly out of the unit.
At the rate of production of the legion of humanoid looking robots Grailem has only a few more days before the invasion fleet leaves. There is the option of accompanying the humanoid looking robots. Their flight is already scheduled to leave in six days time and Grailem decides to give it some more thought.

Now confident he looks like an old Arct and walking quickly to the main highway Grailem joins a group of Arct under a covered shelter as they wait for the public transport to arrive. With this civilisation being so advanced Grailem wonders why there is a public transport system. With their obvious wealth