Koban (78 page)

He had his last grenade in one hand, a pistol in the other, and
ran to the edge to look down towards Mirikami’s chosen cave. He saw dust drifting
way on the breeze, billowing from a pile of rubble where the cliff face had fallen
to form a modest slope of broken stone. It was the space in front of where Mirikami’s
cave had been.

He sought a target but he didn’t see any sign of a warrior. Not
at first anyway, but he soon spotted a Krall’s leg protruding from the rubble. He
fired a carefully aimed round at the limb, tearing a chuck of meat from it without
a twitch.

Dillon hurried to the chimney of rock he had used to climb up,
and risked a dangerous fall in his haste to get down. When he reached the former
cave opening, it was completely blocked. He ran to the second opening, intending
to enter that to reach the place where they joined. However, the lasers had fractured
the rock and it too had collapsed to fill the entrance. Without more help and
tools, he wasn’t going to dig his way in without hours of effort.

If the hunt were not over now, it wasn’t going to end, so he
used his suit com. “Tet, can you hear me? I’m outside your cave but it’s completely
blocked. There’s a dead Krall’s leg sticking out of the rocks.”

There was no answer for thirty seconds. Then he got a reply.

“Dillon, this is Thad. I’m afraid Tet didn’t make it. But he
took the damned octet leader with him.”

“Thad, the hunt should be over, can we get some help out here?
We can dig the Captain out. He’s probably behind the rubble in a pocket of air.”
He wanted the shuttle out here with crewmembers to dig if the fighting was over.

Maggi’s voice, more tender than he had ever heard her speak answered
him. “Dillon, I’m so sorry. We were watching and the infrared image was clear enough.
We even played it back while you climbed down. Tet was hit multiple times as he
shot back. He was just inside the cave entrance and was there when the explosion
brought the roof down on him and the Krall.”

Slumping tiredly onto a rock in front of the rubble covering
Mirikami and the Krall’s body, he said resolutely, “We still need to bring him back.
I won’t leave him out here.”

Noreen talked to him next. The catch in her voice indicating
she had taken her friend’s death hard.

“Dillon, we don’t know if the hunt is ended or not. The octet
leader appears to have ignored other probable deaths of his warriors to continue
the hunt. There are three warriors in the jungle tracking our people there right
now. I’m sure now they know from your transmissions that someone else is alive on
the ridge.”

“I’m ready for them. Tet will be joined by more of the bastards.”
He knew it sounded like bravado, but he meant every word.

****

Telour had watched with amazement as the little clan leader sacrificed
himself to draw the octet leader close, and triggered an explosion that killed Tyroldor
as he himself died in a hail of bullets from his attacker. A very Krall-like lack
of fear and a surprising and stunning demonstration of the potential humans offered,
as a new opponent that they could use to travel the Great Path.

He contacted Motgar, the new ranking leader for Kimbo clan, although
the inexperienced novice was unaware of her new status.

“Motgar, Tyroldor has been killed within my sight. That would
leave you as leader of the Kimbo clan octet, but the death of a member of the octet
must be confirmed by the leader to end the hunt. The proof is on the ridge, but
you are engaged in a hunt in the jungle, and have no close transport to confirm
an honorable end of the hunt. The transport you used to reach the forest is the
closest you have. What is your decision?”

Telour wasn’t about to blur the rules for the humans they might
yet find and kill. Kimbo needed to solve their problems themselves. He was surprised
at the quick reply.

“The hunt is over,” Motgar answered. “I accept your word that
I am the ranking member of the octet, because Tyroldor would speak on this open
channel if that were not so. I need no additional proof of the loss of our warriors.
We will withdraw to debrief, and if permitted, to fight humans on another day.”

Additional proof?
Telour thought. She knows there were
earlier losses, and isn’t ready to compromise her honor to pretend that it isn’t
so.

“In that circumstance, I will send my own shuttle to recover
your warriors, and also recover the shuttle currently at the ridge. How many warriors
are there, and where are they located?”

“There are only the two warriors with me in the jungle. We will
be traveling south to where we can find a clearing for your shuttle.”

“My K’Tal will contact you.” He answered.

A sense of excitement filled him with pleasure at the huge success
of his plan. Only three Kimbo warriors were still alive. The little clan leader
had organized a team of eighteen humans that had managed to kill five Krall warriors
in one Testing Day. He wasn’t certain of the number of humans that had died, and
that wasn’t important anyway, but there would be roughly nine grants of immunity
awarded.

Graka clan, Telour in particular, stood to gain considerable
status and possibly the right to start the protracted war on humanity. It was a
great day indeed.

It was a terrible day indeed. The architect of the best performance
humans had managed against the Krall in five years of fighting and dying here had
not returned.

The word of what the Primes were calling a victory spread like
a rampaging herd of rhinolo through the dome. Nine survivors represented half of
those that had fought today. Considering the one hundred percent fatalities usually
suffered, this was a huge boost to morale.

Suddenly there were more applicants for volunteers to work with
the scientist from the Flight of Fancy than they could possibly use. The incentive
to live on the ship if they helped could no longer be offered if there were three
people for every available bed.

As soon as the surviving three Krall hunters had returned, a
somber Jorl’sn, accompanied by Greeves flew out to pick up the survivors from the
jungle. They were the most exhausted, and near the end of their strength.

Thad practically had to carry one of the women a mile to a clearing
they had found closest to where the four had prepared to make their final stand.
They had heard birds and animals making noise as the Krall worked their way closer
to them. All four had saved one grenade each, to use on themselves, rather than
permit the warriors to take them alive.

It was well known that the last hunt holdouts were more often
found butchered or skinned alive. Sometimes they were staked out for kants, wolfbats,
or skeeters to eat them alive. The more trouble made for the hunters, the less quick
the death.

To Thad’s exasperation, the four from the jungle didn’t express
much gratitude to those that had made their survival possible, or acknowledge Mirikami’s
sacrifice that had saved them. In fact, they hadn’t really known that other selectees
had made it out alive. The full magnitude of the day wouldn’t sink in until later.

The second shuttle trip landed on the lower terrace, near where
Tyroldor had parked the Krall shuttle. The other four “spiders” had climbed laboriously
up to join Dillon. They were dead tired from the tension and stress of the day’s
events, and from the dangerous climb. They could have waited below for the shuttle,
but refused to let Dillon struggle on alone, pulling rocks from the cave entrance
where Mirikami had died.

Dillon was determined to recover Tet’s body for a proper funeral.
He also wanted to make sure the wolfbats had a full meal on the damned octet leader’s
remains. The Krall’s lower body was all Dillon and the others had managed to uncover,
due to a large slab of rock that had slid down onto the Krall’s hips and lower back.
That slab would require more than human muscle power to lift.

Dillon’s remaining energy confounded the other four, who had
essentially only sat in their hot cramped holes all day, except for their struggle
to climb up to provide moral support and thanks to their surviving benefactor. Fortunately,
they still had protein bars left to give to Dillon. His new metabolism needed a
lot more fuel now.

As Thad walked towards the five survivors, they looked up with
a combination of sadness, but also relief at being alive.

Dillon on the other hand couldn’t accept that when the chips
were down, he had allowed Tet to send him up to the higher terrace. He was haunted
by the thought that his being with the older man may have evened the odds, could
have saved him. He sat dejectedly on one of the rocks Mirikami had used for
cover.

Placing his hand on his shoulder, Thad promised him. “Dillon,
we will have a crew out here with block and tackle, crow bars, whatever it takes.
But that’s for tomorrow. The sun will set in an hour. If we can’t get in, neither
can the skeeters and wolfbats. At first light, we’ll send out trucks and the shuttle
with people and tools. OK? You can’t stay here all night, you need sleep and rest.”

Dillon patted the hand on his shoulder in appreciation. Still
staring at his feet, he nodded. “I know Thad. Thanks.” Then he placed his hands
on his knees to help push himself to his feet. Man, he really
was
worn out.
Gene mods or not, this gravity and heat took a toll.

“Let’s get out of these stinking sweaty body suits, and clean
up.” He told the others.

Back at the dome, the jubilation of the Primes was offset by
the somber tone of everyone from the Flight of Fancy. The newcomers hadn’t lived
for years with once or twice monthly death sentences handed out for eight to sixteen
people. What the Fancies felt was the loss of a respected and loved leader, whose
decisions had saved so many of them when the Krall had stormed onto their ship.

Noreen tearfully greeted Dillon with a hug, despite his objections
that he smelled too bad.

Maggi, with more tenderness and somber a mood than Dillon could
ever remember, touched his hand and smiled up at him with moist eyes. “I was terrified
for you and proud of you both today. Get something to eat and some sleep. I’m going
out there with you at first light in the morning.”

The hurried shower and hearty meal were quickly behind him, when
Noreen led him back to her cabin.

“Noreen, I don’t have the energy, I hope you understand.” He
was making his excuse in advance.

“Dillon, I’m going to whack your package myself, you big dummy,”
she responded in irritation. “I’m taking you with me to make sure you
do
get a good uninterrupted sleep. Maggi and I will have you up, dressed and fed by
dawn, so get your butt in bed and to sleep.”

“Yes Mam,” he answered meekly.

As soon as he was sound asleep, she slipped out to meet with
Maggi, Aldry, Willfem, Jorl’sn, the Chief and Thad, to discuss what they would say
to Telour. They were going to discuss how a new leadership committee would continue
in Captain Mirikami’s place.

Their concerns and arguments prepared, they went to the Bridge
to use the Krall transceiver to call Telour.

The Krall of course never slept, but he answered so quickly that
he must have had the unit attached to his equipment belt.

“What do you want? I have little time for your problems, I have
important tasks to complete,” he responded gruffly. He sounded distracted, different
from the usual Krall intense focus on any dealings with humans, particularly Telour
when his own status hinged on his getting humans to do what he wanted.

Noreen spoke for the group. “I am Captain Mirikami’s First Officer,
his second in command. I’m accompanied by a group of people that have been working
with the Captain to organize the human combat teams, like the groups your hunters
faced today.” She was about to continue, but was interrupted.

“Those were not my clan’s warriors, they were from Kimbo clan,
a small unimportant clan. Your dead leader prepared a surprising day of entertainment
for me. I am pleased. But I repeat, what do you want?”

“We wish to discuss the continuation of your plan, and the agreement
you made with Captain Mirikami.”

“I am departing for a joint clan meeting tomorrow. I don’t have
time to waste talking about continuing an old agreement with new prey.” He clicked
off, leaving them wondering what he had meant.

Aware that Telour could still hear them, Maggi said, “Do you
suppose that without the Captain’s presence that Telour thinks we can’t continue
what we’ve started? We can of course.” The latter said for the eavesdropping
Krall.

“He may have meant that the agreement is unchanged, and there’s
no need to talk about anything,” suggested Noreen.

On a hunch Willfem, who had been staging rehearsed conversations
around the Krall transceiver in the Drive Room, said, “I’ll bet we all wonder what
Telour would say if he knew we plan to continue to support his plan, and to develop
more new weapons and tactics for combat.”

She shrugged and looked at the others, as if to say it was worth
a shot to let him overhear their intentions. Then Jake’s voice sounded in their
transducers.

“The Krall transceivers are both deactivated, they are no longer
sending data.”

“Let’s go down to deck 8,” Noreen proposed. Not trusting an unguarded
conversation near the transceiver, despite Jake’s assurance.

Leading the group to the small conference room, Noreen asked
behind the closed doors, “If Telour isn’t going to monitor us, and isn’t interested
in talking about plans to boost his own status, do you think the whole deal is off
now?”

“He didn’t say it was called off,” said the Chief, “only that
he didn’t have time to talk about it because he had a meeting to attend.”

“Actually,” Thad corrected, “he said he didn’t have time to ‘continue
an old agreement with new prey.’ What’s the significance of calling us new prey
I wonder? They’ve been testing us for years, why describe us as new?”