Chapter 126: Strengths and Weaknesses
Phase 2: Behavioral & Sensory Profile
Richard moved to Phase 2, the behavioral data. "Aggression index nine-point-five out of ten? Requires constant frequency suppression. Confirmed." He grimaced. "And they emit a low-frequency psionic aura, two-point-nine Hertz, induces nausea and fear in human subjects. That explains the disorientation felt by the insurgents. It’s how they demoralize their prey before the kill."
"Their primary psionic projection is a form of emotional manipulation and intimidation, rather than overt telepathy," Lina explained.
"Highly proficient in melee combat, lethal claw techniques and grapples in under one-point-three seconds. Lacks understanding of ranged weapons, displays confusion and hostility towards projectile threats." Richard’s expression became thoughtful, confirming his earlier assessment. "So, keep your distance, hit them with projectiles. Their arrogance against ’machines’ and projectile-users makes sense now. It was never a battle, just... an extermination."
He scrolled further. "Night vision functional, olfactory range exceeds one hundred meters, ninety-two percent accuracy. Vibration-sensitive dermal nodes across forearms and feet." Richard nodded. "They are built for hunting and tracking. Blind spots are minimal, but their reliance on close-quarters changes the engagement parameters significantly."
Then, his eyes fixed on a specific line. "Auditory vulnerability: intolerant to frequencies greater than eighteen thousand Hertz. Enters stunned state if exposed for over three seconds." Richard’s silver eyes gleamed, a cold, calculating light within them. "Auditory weakness. That’s... highly exploitable. Extremely exploitable. Simple sound emitters could neutralize them entirely, or at least disable them long enough for clean, decisive strikes."
"Precisely, Sir. A significant vulnerability, and one that offers an elegant solution," Lina confirmed.
"Visual processing slightly faster than humans, response delay eighty-point-six milliseconds. Colorblind to blue-red spectrum." Richard tapped the datapad. "Useful for camouflage and targeting. Low conceptual reasoning, rapid procedural learning rate. Memorized fourteen security lock patterns in two-point-two hours." He chuckled. "So they’re fast learners, but not deep thinkers. Route memorization. And the psionics... enhances strength and reaction speed. No evidence of telepathy. Has anti-psionic neural implant: ID chip, unknown alien alloy."
Richard’s earlier suspicion was now unequivocally confirmed. "So the implant is real. And it’s alien. That’s the real prize. The material that blocks psionics directly, a true counter to the Krill’s upper echelons."
"Indeed, Sir. Reverse-engineering this implant is a high priority," Lina stated.
"Focus threshold: capable of intense single-target tracking for three hours. And music response: calms to deep tones, forty to ninety BPM range. Avoids erratic or fast-paced compositions." Richard leaned back, a genuine, if grim, smile forming. "So we can literally serenade them into submission. This data is more comprehensively devastating to their race than I could have hoped for."