Read Flight of the Maita Supercollection 3: Solving Galactic Problems Collector's Edition for Free Online Page B

few
hostages. It might well decide to run.
    We then
concentrated on the robots. It took two more days, but we knew we
couldn't find all of them on Flimt. We knew where the others were
on all the bases and stations. TR made a suggestion and we decided
to try it.
    We attacked the
robots with much better weapons than generally carried and had
little trouble defeating them quickly. We could use mirror shields
against the laser beam weapons they carried.
    We took all the
"carcases" to the prearranged point, where I took a few apart while
I waited for the next step, which I hoped would happen soon. There
had been bursts of radio communications from the robots when they
were attacked, then silence.
    "They're going
to the brain's ship, not there," TR reported over the floater (For
Gorg and Hedda's benefit).
    "Keep them from
getting aboard," I ordered. "Is there anyone around the
terminal?"
    "Nope. Cleared
out for quite a distance. I'll shield in case that thing decides to
attack me. It knows damned well I'm the empire ship and that we've
done this, so it might try to stop me before I start to follow
it."
    There was the
communications shut-off the shield caused. I'd be on my own for
awhile.
    We removed the
power packs from all the robots in case they were playing dead on
us and I disconnected some other parts from the radio receivers. If
there were any secondary backups they wouldn't do any good. There
were self-destruct charges in them, but few had the chance to use
them. I didn't want those to be set off, either.
    I didn't know
whether to head for the port or to stay clear, so I went part way
in case we had to leave in a hurry. It was about half an hour later
before TR communicated again. "I've set a broadcast antenna outside
with a servo," it reported. "All the robots must be here now.
They're lounging around in the terminal. I doubt they realize only
robots are in there, but they'll know soon. There are eleven of
them.
    "I don't know
what that thing's planning, but this waiting is nerve-racking, even
if I don't have any nerves (Hedda grinned at that) to wrack.
    "I wish it
would do something!"
    I kept working
on the robot carcasses, trying to find a way to trace the settings
on their radio transceivers, but the emergency frequency was sealed
in such a way I couldn't find anything. TR would have to trace it
with a wide scan.
    About fifteen
minutes later TR called again.
    "The robots are
beginning to head for the pads. They're still acting casual, but
the whole bunch started at once, so it doesn't work too great,
seeing as they're all that's here!"
    A few minutes
later. "This doesn't make any sense!"
    Then, "Tab! Get
here! Fast!"
    I ran for all I
was worth (Several billion credits at the last overhaul) for TR. I
jumped aboard and we took off immediately.
    "The ship's
still there!" I cried.
    "It apparently
transferred to another ship. The robots milled around a bit, then
suddenly ran aboard the Ternz ship there and it took off. The brain
must have gotten suspicious and changed ships while we were at
Second Port or something. It outsmarted us!"
    "Can you
follow?"
    "Sure. Fastcom
code pulse. It's heading for Elit, I think."
    "It would have
to go to where it was a programmed for, wouldn't it? Could that
thing even reprogram coordinates? I couldn't read the robots
directly. I need to manufacture an interface, so it can't read the
ship and reprogram.
    "That's a
break!"
    "Maybe," TR
warned. "Elit has a lot of people."
    "Then we'll
have to get that ship as soon as it comes into N space and before
it approaches Elit. You were watching all the ships. Was there
anyone aboard except the robots?"
    "Not that I
saw. Two people left yesterday. No one else came aboard."
    "When you're
positive of the destination, get there first."
    "Yo!" TR said,
then we waited. Suddenly there was the lurch of going into TTH14
and immediately the lurch of coming back out.
    "It'll be here
in about ten minutes," TR said. "I'm surprised I could make that
short a jump in