The Trilisk Supersedure Read Online Free

link, so she hid it away in
her backpack where it could remain safe and serve her as needed.
    The
next item was another kind of weapon, really, though a highly specialized one.
It could be used to deadly effect on large machines. Telisa held the flat piece
of metal in her palm. It was shaped like a giant eagle’s claw. Exactly why it
was that shape probably had more to do with the details of some unknown alien’s
physiology than anything else. She called it her “breaker claw.” It could
remotely cause a superconductor to gain resistance. Superconductors were used
for many things, including power storage in large robots and machines. When a
superconducting storage system suddenly got hit by the breaker, at the very
least a lot of power would be wasted, and more likely in many systems was a
violent explosion as the stored energy was released in spectacular fashion. Telisa
had tested it on one of Magnus’s scout robots. The machine had been completely
destroyed because it contained a Vovokan power system Magnus had adapted with
Shiny’s help.
    The
last two items were identical: tiny spheres. Telisa grabbed them in one hand
and gave them a solid upward toss. Instead of arcing up, then falling to the
floor, the spheres immediately began to orbit her about half a meter away. They
were both Vovokan attendant spheres, gifts from Shiny. The gifts were part of
the next “mutually beneficial arrangement” for the expedition. The spheres
could not only help to protect her, but they could also be used as spies,
scouts, computers, and a long list of other miscellaneous services. Cilreth had
taken a liking to them immediately, and a day later she had figured out how the
Terrans could integrate the spheres with their links.
    Telisa
regarded herself in the mirror. The spheres lazily drifted by.
    I’m
like a superhero with a long list of cool devices stowed away on my utility
belt, she thought. If I can only remember all my amazing superpowers
when I need them!
    It was
only a half joke. With so many new toys, selecting the right one for her
attention under pressure took some getting used to. It was like giving a
kickboxer another couple of arms and legs: she would fall back on her originals
by instinct but needed to remember the new arsenal. Telisa and Magnus had been
training with her new items in VR, trying to integrate them with their combat
styles. But it had all been too much, too fast. She still didn’t feel
comfortable enough to get everything working by reflex.
    Maybe
there won’t be any combat this time, she thought. Just some
digging around and some mysteries to be solved…
     
    ***
     
    Cilreth
calmed herself, trying to master feelings of frustration. She struggled with
her interface to the ship and demanded a surface scan for the tenth time.
    She
finally got some unknown parameter correct. Her link filled with data. The next
problem presented itself: information overload.
    She
tried again with a restrictive set of filters. She got a graphical display of
the planet and opened it in her personal view.
    “Okay,
well, what can I see here? No major cities. Good. Progress is progress.”
    She saw
what looked like forests or jungles. A lot of life was catalogued in her scan.
    I don’t
have to struggle by myself for hours to make each little insight. I’ll bug
Shiny for a minute.
    She
connected to Shiny aboard his own ship nearby.
    “Shiny.
I’m trying to understand what I’m seeing from the planet below.” She sent the
alien the results she’d received from the ship’s systems.
    “Scan
parameters suboptimal,” Shiny responded. “Data highly filtered, restricted,
limited.”
    “That
part is on purpose. I’m trying to start small and work my way up.”
    “Understandable.
Forgivable. Reasonable.”
    “Well
do you see any threats on the surface?” Oh wait…is he going to take that too
literally? “And by the surface I mean…do you see any threats on the planet?”
    “Affirmative.
Millions of threats, dangers,