the air under their own power. They went straight for Perseid's Battlenaut, all thirty or forty of them swarming his head and shoulders at once.
Perseid only got in one more good heave before the drones made contact with his armor. They slammed into it and bounced off like bowling balls, pounding it again and again with enough force to make him release his hold on Scott.
"Cool," said Scott as he backed his Battlenaut away from the carnage. "I wonder what else this baby can do."
"Beanstalk demo is available upon request," Frank said instantly. "Would you like to activate the demo?"
"Do it," said Scott.
Suddenly, the cockpit filled with a high-pitched electrical whine mixed with a loud clacking sound. The Battlenaut shuddered; then, its legs started to grow, lifting the armored torso into the air and Scott's couch along with it.
As Scott's armor grew taller, Perseid's drone-besieged Battlenaut fell away from the frontside camera. The other feeds showed the floor of the Training Deck getting farther away on all sides.
Then, the armor stopped expanding. "Maximum safe height for current clearance achieved," said Frank. "Beanstalk demo completed."
Scott grinned. I can't believe how great this armor is. "Right kick to chest," he said. "Maximum force."
Just as Scott's Battlenaut hauled back its right leg, Perseid's armor started Beanstalking, too. But the kick still landed before Perseid reached maximum height, sending his half-grown Battlenaut toppling backward, hitting the floor with a loud crunch.
" Yes !" cheered Scott. "He is down !"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than an alarm klaxon whooped in the cockpit. "Alert!" said Frank. "Catastrophic strike imminent!"
"What are you talking about?" Scott watched the viewer and saw no sign of danger--just Perseid's Battlenaut lying on its back on the floor of the Training Deck.
"Incoming!" said Frank.
" What incoming?" said Scott. "Where are you seeing this?"
"It has not yet occurred," said Frank. "My prognostication software predicts, based on current conditions, that incoming fire will arrive in 35 seconds...34...33..."
Prognostication software? "If you know it's coming, neutralize it!" Scott's eyes flashed over the viewer and holo readouts, looking for a clue to the source of the predicted fire--finding nothing.
Meanwhile, Frank continued the countdown. "Twenty seconds...19...18...17..."
"Damnit!" said Scott.
Just then, there was movement on the viewer. The chest and abdomen of Perseid's armor expanded, swelling upward. It looked like a balloon inflating, stretching as air pressure pushed out in all directions from inside it.
"Ten," said Frank. "Seven...six...five..."
"Back away!" Whatever Perseid's armor was doing, Scott knew he needed to move fast to escape it. "Best possible speed!"
"Three," said Frank. "Two...one..."
Scott's Battlenaut had only taken half a step back when the front of Perseid's Battlenaut exploded. Shrapnel from the blast pounded Scott's armor, blowing it off its feet and punching a multitude of dents in the once-smooth hull.
"Mother-fluxer!" shouted Scott as his Battlenaut slammed to the floor. The couch protected him from most of the shock of impact, but the fall still jarred him. Going down in defeat while sparring with Perseid was the last thing he'd wanted to do.
But it was a done deal now. After the crash, Scott's frontside video feed showed only the ceiling of the Training Deck. His Battlenaut was on its back, looking up.
"End of exercise," Perseid said over the comm. "Consider that the kill shot."
At the sound of that voice, Scott came to a boil. "Frank! Use the same weapon he just did!"
Frank didn't answer. After that, the holos disappeared, and Scott's Battlenaut slumped. When the lights in the cockpit went out, Scott was left in darkness again.
"Don't bother trying to fight back," said Perseid. "I've implemented remote power override. Like I said, the exercise is over."
With that, the chest and abdomen of Scott's
Perseid only got in one more good heave before the drones made contact with his armor. They slammed into it and bounced off like bowling balls, pounding it again and again with enough force to make him release his hold on Scott.
"Cool," said Scott as he backed his Battlenaut away from the carnage. "I wonder what else this baby can do."
"Beanstalk demo is available upon request," Frank said instantly. "Would you like to activate the demo?"
"Do it," said Scott.
Suddenly, the cockpit filled with a high-pitched electrical whine mixed with a loud clacking sound. The Battlenaut shuddered; then, its legs started to grow, lifting the armored torso into the air and Scott's couch along with it.
As Scott's armor grew taller, Perseid's drone-besieged Battlenaut fell away from the frontside camera. The other feeds showed the floor of the Training Deck getting farther away on all sides.
Then, the armor stopped expanding. "Maximum safe height for current clearance achieved," said Frank. "Beanstalk demo completed."
Scott grinned. I can't believe how great this armor is. "Right kick to chest," he said. "Maximum force."
Just as Scott's Battlenaut hauled back its right leg, Perseid's armor started Beanstalking, too. But the kick still landed before Perseid reached maximum height, sending his half-grown Battlenaut toppling backward, hitting the floor with a loud crunch.
" Yes !" cheered Scott. "He is down !"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than an alarm klaxon whooped in the cockpit. "Alert!" said Frank. "Catastrophic strike imminent!"
"What are you talking about?" Scott watched the viewer and saw no sign of danger--just Perseid's Battlenaut lying on its back on the floor of the Training Deck.
"Incoming!" said Frank.
" What incoming?" said Scott. "Where are you seeing this?"
"It has not yet occurred," said Frank. "My prognostication software predicts, based on current conditions, that incoming fire will arrive in 35 seconds...34...33..."
Prognostication software? "If you know it's coming, neutralize it!" Scott's eyes flashed over the viewer and holo readouts, looking for a clue to the source of the predicted fire--finding nothing.
Meanwhile, Frank continued the countdown. "Twenty seconds...19...18...17..."
"Damnit!" said Scott.
Just then, there was movement on the viewer. The chest and abdomen of Perseid's armor expanded, swelling upward. It looked like a balloon inflating, stretching as air pressure pushed out in all directions from inside it.
"Ten," said Frank. "Seven...six...five..."
"Back away!" Whatever Perseid's armor was doing, Scott knew he needed to move fast to escape it. "Best possible speed!"
"Three," said Frank. "Two...one..."
Scott's Battlenaut had only taken half a step back when the front of Perseid's Battlenaut exploded. Shrapnel from the blast pounded Scott's armor, blowing it off its feet and punching a multitude of dents in the once-smooth hull.
"Mother-fluxer!" shouted Scott as his Battlenaut slammed to the floor. The couch protected him from most of the shock of impact, but the fall still jarred him. Going down in defeat while sparring with Perseid was the last thing he'd wanted to do.
But it was a done deal now. After the crash, Scott's frontside video feed showed only the ceiling of the Training Deck. His Battlenaut was on its back, looking up.
"End of exercise," Perseid said over the comm. "Consider that the kill shot."
At the sound of that voice, Scott came to a boil. "Frank! Use the same weapon he just did!"
Frank didn't answer. After that, the holos disappeared, and Scott's Battlenaut slumped. When the lights in the cockpit went out, Scott was left in darkness again.
"Don't bother trying to fight back," said Perseid. "I've implemented remote power override. Like I said, the exercise is over."
With that, the chest and abdomen of Scott's
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