Targeting Pack Better -

“Nest, this pack is not configured for capture. We have no non-lethal options.”

Then he saw it. The floor. It was old ferrocrete, cracked and waterlogged. The Archivist’s console was bolted down, but the panel at his feet was a maintenance hatch, held by four rusted screws. targeting pack

The hexapod lunged, its armored carapace scraping sparks from the floor. A manipulator arm closed around the case. The Archivist, dazed, scrabbled for a pistol in his coat. He was fast for an old man. “Nest, this pack is not configured for capture

“Hornet, confirm no other active electronics. Cicada, get a demo charge on the primary support pillar at the junction. Firefly, prepare a flash/stun for the entrance. Scarab… stand by.” The pack moved with a silent, lethal grace. They were one organism, and the Archivist was the tumor. It was old ferrocrete, cracked and waterlogged

“Improvise, Wasp. You are the targeting pack. Adapt.”

The mission was a success. They had captured the target. They had secured the data. No one had died.