The Trilisk Revolution (Parker Interstellar Travels) by Michael McCloskey Read Free Book Online

ordinary humans?”
    “It’s
toxic to ordinary humans as well, I’m afraid,” Maxsym said. “But a dose high
enough to kill every Trilisk on Skyhold would likely only kill the weakest
Terrans. Only the very young or old, in all likelihood. It depends upon
individual constitution and genetic factors.”
    There
was a pause.
    I’m
well aware it is suboptimal…
    “Thanks
for doing this. We can definitely use the option. I need to think it over.”
    “I
understand,” Maxsym said. The connection dropped.
    Maxsym
was left to ponder the weapon he had made, and who it might kill.
     
    ***
     
    Telisa
cradled her head in her arms and closed her eyes. She sat in her huge bedroom
on the Clacker with the lights down. Maxsym’s news should have made her
feel better, but she felt more lost than before.
    What
are we doing?
    Maxsym
had given her a deadly tool to use against her enemies. Using it could cause
collateral damage. How could she deploy such a thing knowing it could kill
innocent Terrans on Skyhold?
    This
is where Magnus would tell me I have to act for the greater good, she thought. He would say someone has
to have the strength to make the hard decisions. Because the universe is a
cruel place.
    But
Magnus was not there. Telisa felt nothing but doubt and horror. She did not
want to be the one to bring war to Sol.
    I’ll
take the weapon in myself. Scan and identify the Trilisks. Expose as few people
as I can. Put some on shuttles or lock them into isolated rooms without
unfiltered air. I could identify those most susceptible and protect them
somehow.
    Even
as she thought it she knew it was not realistic. Giving the Trilisks any
warning at all, even a minute’s worth, would mean probable failure of her
attempt to strike them down in a lightning blow.
    Is
toppling the Trilisks worth the death of a kid? A grandmother?
    Telisa
had thought she knew the answer until she closed her eyes and envisioned people
dying because of her.
     

     
    Chapter 7
     
    Kirizzo
planned the invasion of Sol.
    According
to the huge amount of data he had collected, the defenses extended to the
asteroid belt. New Space Force bases dotted the belt. There were also four
large bases slightly above and below the ecliptic plane of the system to help
defend Earth from threats arriving perpendicular to the plane of orbit. The
bases switched sides every orbit, synchronized against each other to ensure at
least one would be on each side at all times. While one pair was in the plane of
Earth’s orbit, the other pair were at maximum distance above and below the
planetary ecliptic.
    Kirizzo
had seven ships to attack the Trilisks not counting the Clacker , which
the PIT team used. Despite their size, Kirizzo could completely hide them from
the Terran scanning technology by any of a number of means, from
electromagnetic cloaking to hacking the Terran radar systems. The Vovokan had
been lurking on the Terran network for so long, he knew more about it than the
Terrans themselves. Only a handful of weak AIs stood between him and total
domination of their network.
    In
terms of firepower, any two of his seven ships could dish out more joules than
the entire Terran home fleet. His point defenses could protect him from the
thousands of orbital weapons platforms, if they even saw him. Finally, his
ground forces, though very limited, could handle any mission on the surface he
had to issue.
    The
Terrans were not much of a threat. But what of the Trilisks?
    The
Trilisks would be impossible to defeat if they still held their legendary
powers. Kirizzo did not think they still did. He believed their own war had
caused them to lose a lot of their technology. Otherwise, they would openly
rule the Terrans and a dozen other races, and the war would be raging with the Trilisks’
enemies. That did not seem to be the case, though perhaps the Trilisks
conducted war at a level so advanced Kirizzo could not even recognize it.
    Kirizzo
had the columns and the AI. But he feared the