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

at the same time he would be ridding the galaxy of these evil eaters of human flesh. The feeling of kinship between himself and the humanoids he had met, brought a strong desire within him that to him had grown a thousand fold. Feeling that he is at last to be able to do good in the galaxy and dedicated to regaining humanoid control, makes him feel proud.

Satisfied that his improvements are functioning well he still has to wait until all the robots are constructed and programmed and loaded onto the shuttlecraft. Making his way to the parked shuttlecraft that are nearest to him, Grailem climbs on board and finds the best and most unusual place for hiding is the main cockpit.
The cockpit controls are different to what was designed on his home world, there the shuttlecraft were for more complicated and the Arct had solved many of the problems with simplicity. The control panel contained a joystick and ten glass covered dials that recorded fuel, battery supply and diagnostics on the state of the engines and systems.
In the forward section of the cockpit a large vacant area, between the control panel and the nose of the shuttlecraft, gave him more than enough room to crouch down. Testing his imagery equipment Grailem is pleased to see that he merges well with the background of the fuselage.

At two-thirty in the morning the shuttle cargo door is opened and modified robots start to fill the hold. From his position in the cockpit Grailem can only see the robots outside queuing patiently until they enter the shuttlecraft.
A half hour later the shuttlecraft is loaded and the doors secured. The pilots are robots and Grailem, from his position in front of them watches them prepare for take-off. Memorising their actions Grailem is confident that he could easily pilot the Arct shuttlecraft.
Grailem continues watching as the shuttlecraft taxi's out onto the runway and powers up for take off. A green light flashes on the instrument panel and the shuttlecraft moves slowly forward. Gathering speed when it reaches the main runway the robot pilot accelerates quickly, the G-force nearly pushing Grailem into the cockpit and he holds on firmly.
The shuttlecraft races down the runway until Grailem feels it is airborne, increasing the power the robot aims the shuttlecraft at the sky as the darkness of space rushes towards it.

Unable to see their destination through the metal of the fuselage, Grailem waits patiently until the shuttlecraft has docked. Looking through the top of the cockpit window Grailem can see the roof of a Starship cargo hold above him.
The robot pilots shut down the shuttlecraft and leave the cabin and Grailem steps out of his darkened corner and follows the pilots through the door. Walking along a small corridor he steps into the cargo hold and watches the modified robots disembark.
Turning on his invisibility imagery Grailem follows one wall to the exit. The robots are marching out of the shuttlecraft in military precision and following a long corridor that leads into the depths of the starship.
Getting out of the cargo hold is simplicity itself as all Grailem has to do is keep close to the wall. No guards are posted anywhere, robot or Arct, and Grailem simply walks out through the doorway and follows the flow of robots.
The walls of the corridor are made of flat panels of a metal/carbon composite; and have no doorways. Three hundred metres further along, doorways leading into storage areas offer a means of escape. Looking through the doorways Grailem can see they are packed tight with armaments; phaser rifles and pistols, flame throwers, disruptor rifles and more ominously disruptor cannons.
Remembering the history of the Arct, Grailem recalls an incident where a city was attacked with the use of disruptor cannons. Within an hour the city was reduced to rubble and no citizen survived. The disruptor cannon destroys everything that is influenced by its disruptor particles. Buildings fall to dust, along with all the humanoids, plant life and controlling Arct.
The disruptor cannons were outlawed centuries ago, but their inclusion amongst the armaments showed that the Arct were intent on wiping out whoever it was they were intending to attack.
Finding a partly empty storeroom Grailem steps into the room and makes his way to the rear. This room also contains armaments and by moving a few cases Grailem is able to hide himself until the sounds of unloading and loading cease. Absolute silence descends on the starship when the faint engine roar of the shuttlecraft fades into the distance.

Stepping out from behind some packing cases Grailem leaves the room and goes in search of the Bridge. The ship is vast and it takes Grailem a quarter of an hour before he discovers an elevator. The elevator can take him anywhere into the starship but Grailem presses the button marked 'Bridge'.
A few minutes later Grailem is stepping onto the bridge; it is deserted, except for one navigator and the pilot; both are robots. Approaching the navigational console he watches the pilot as he continuously carries out systems checks. 'Suggesting' to the pilot that it needs to check the safety hatches, Grailem stands to one side as the robot stands up and makes its way to the elevator.
Sitting where the pilot was just sitting Grailem brings up the navigational charts. Their destination is a planetary system at the outer edge of the space they control. The planetary system has two inhabitable planets and reminds Grailem of home. Extrapolating the co-ordinates to view the galaxy from the point of view of their destination planet Grailem studies the star patterns.
Some of the constellations look familiar but appear further to the west than the view he was used to on his home world. Their destination is a system two hundred and eighty light years from his home world.
Examining the console closely Grailem removes a panel from the rear of the computer platform and studies the intricate electrical system. Finding the navigational controls and circuitry and by a clever re-routing Grailem easily gains control of the navigation and control board. Operated wirelessly from a transmitter installed in his chest cavity Grailem transmits a low pitched signal that alters the distant orbit of the starship around the planet. Returning the starship to its original course Grailem makes his way back to the cargo hold, as he has many more Starship‘s to visit.

Grailem manages to alter the controls of three other Starship‘s until the shuttlecraft stop their loading as daylight arrives at the spaceport. Remaining on board of a partly loaded starship when the shuttlecraft returns to the planet, Grailem decides to explore.
The starship, built in exactly the same design as the one that brought him here has been altered drastically. Extra shielding now encircles the huge engine while robots work furiously converting the starship into a warship. Extra gun turrets are being added all around the vessel and Grailem wanders into a large factory unit that is making even more phaser rifles and pistols.
Shocked at the fortifications that are being added and the single mindedness of the robots as they produce the new weapons, almost by the second, makes Grailem vow to defeat this monster race.
The starship had been stripped of all unessential fittings and equipment to make room for the robot force. Most of the corridor walls had been removed, along with doors and all the deep hibernation equipment. The improvements look like they will be finished before the next shuttlecraft, filled with military robots, will arrive. Grailem finds a secluded corner and sits and waits.

Returning to the planet on an empty shuttlecraft Grailem boards a much larger craft that is almost completely loaded. The larger size is apparent as Grailem enters. Singly controlled robot spacecraft, built in a torpedo shape with metal handles welded onto the casing for the robots to hold onto, fill the cargo hold.
These craft must be for the first wave of the invasion; there small size would make them almost undetectable to radar. Thousands could land and prepare the ground for the main invasion force; giving the inhabitants of the planet no chance of defence.
Looking at the torpedo shaped craft gives Grailem an idea; if he was to borrow one of these craft he would not have to rely on the shuttlecrafts to transport him from starship to starship.
Grailem does not have long to wait until the roar of the shuttlecraft's engine fill the air. Taxiing slowly along the runway due to the extra weight the shuttlecraft gathers speed and barely reaches the right velocity before it takes off; only a few metres from the end of the concrete runway.
The robot pilot has difficulty controlling the shuttlecraft's flight as by all appearances the craft is overloaded. With computer's in control this error should not have occurred and Grailem wonders if the programming had been overridden. The invasion must be starting soon.


Chapter Fourteen

Stealing one of the torpedo shaped craft was simplicity itself; once unloaded into the cargo hold of the starship he had spent the night in, the shuttlecraft returns to the planet for more supplies. As there were no living creatures on the starship the robots had left the cargo doors open in readiness for their next load.
Sitting on one of the torpedo shaped craft Grailem operates the simple controls of joystick and accelerator and flies out of the cargo hold making his way to the next starship.
The next seventy two hours Grailem works feverishly 'modifying' the controls of all the Starship‘s that are in a distant orbit around the Arct's home planet. During that time an almost continuous flow of shuttlecraft fly between the Starship‘s and the planet. The daylight curfew appears to have been lifted as a new shuttlecraft leaves the atmosphere every fifteen minutes heading for a starship.

By the end of the day all the Starship‘s have been loaded and a flotilla of shuttlecraft appear from the atmosphere of the planet and make there way separately to the Starship‘s that orbit the planet.
This must be the Arct arriving, the captains and officers who will direct and control the forthcoming battle.
Grailem had situated himself on the bridge of the flagship of the fleet; a starship twice the size of the other Starship‘s that orbited the planet and the most fortified. Large tactical computer's with equally large viewing screens surrounded the bridge, their standby lights glowing bright.
From his position behind one of the computer banks with his invisibility imagery making him appear part of the computer, he watches the Arct as they enter the bridge from the elevator.
Most look elderly, adorned with shiny medals and appear to have the superior attitude to match as they bark out orders. The most elderly, wrinkled face covered in pure white hair and slightly stooped, makes his way to the captain's chair. Sitting down he operates some controls set in the arm of the chair and the forward viewing screen turns on. The view is from a satellite high above the plane of Starship‘s showing every ship as it orbits the planet.
The Starship‘s closest to