Koban: The Mark of Koban (26 page)

“I know how,” answered Thad. “I had a living area like that
at Prime City at one time, and could change the code myself after I had it set
for me the first time. There’s probably a Krall computer in each of the maintenance
areas at the four entrances, and the room door codes can be set from any of
those. When the system powers off, like when the Krall left, the restart sets all
the door codes to the Krall equivalent of zeros. It happened to us at Prime
City when they killed our power, and I suppose Cahill learned about that, and
set a new personal code to a locking room. Barring a reboot, you need the new code
to change the door again.”

“Why did Cahill lock up the radio anyway?” Dillon asked.
“Our researchers were able to use it earlier this week.”

“She lets who she wants use the radio, and keeping you folks
from knowing of the restricted use keeps you from correcting the situation. She
didn’t want us ‘consorting’ with you corrupt criminals without being monitored.
Do you have more long range radios we can use?” MacDougal asked.

“A few,” answered Noreen, “but she can lock those up too if
you people let her do it. Why do you?”

MacDougal explained. “Cahill has
some
support from
close to two thirds of the people here, at least passive support from that
many. Then there are her strong supporters, militant in their condemnation of
your genetic research, which represent perhaps one fifth of her total support.
I’ve been in the third that didn’t support her, but also never actively opposed
her.”

Marlyn told him, “So, you have passively permitted the
beginnings of a totalitarian government, which thinks it knows what’s best for
all of you, without consulting most of you.”

“That is a neglect I will correct for my part,” he admitted.
“However, I don’t want to be seen as ignoring or condoning illegal gene
modifications, or as helping the people that do it or receive the changes. With
my position made clear on that subject, allow me to say that I do not consider
you evil people, and in many other way’s you have behaved very honorably and
lawfully. Nevertheless, I think we
will
be found by some scouts or
explorers from the Hub eventually, and I do
not
want to go to prison for
your actions.”

Noreen nodded.  “Mr. MacDougal, I appreciate your candor, and
we obviously don’t agree with your stance against our method of surviving on
Koban, and perhaps of facing the Krall someday. I think we can cooperate within
the limits you outlined, and assist you in a way that does not expect your
support or acceptance of actions we take, which you consider unlawful.”

MacDougal grinned and offered his hand to each of them in
turn, “Nicely said. I told you I found you folks well behaved and honorable,
just a bit illegal.” He chuckled now.

As they shook hands, Dillon had another question for him.
“You ingratiated yourself to Cahill to gain access to the radio. What did you
want from us that she wouldn’t support?”

“She didn’t want help in finding whatever animal or animals
attacked and killed our two people. I got you here to do that.” He stated
firmly.

“You’ve probably made Cahill an enemy now. Was it worth that
much to you?”

“Yes,” he answered in a subdued manner. “My brother Glen and
his wife Candice were the victims.”

All four offered their sympathy and condolences. Thad told
him they would do everything they could to find and eliminate the predator or
predators.

“Do you have any idea when or how a large predator could
have gotten inside the compound? I agree with Commander Mirikami, that a gate
left open is the most likely scenario, because the fence monitors never
recorded a power loss. Has anyone made a trip out of the compound that you know
of recently?”

He shrugged. “We have a former zoologist that wanted to see
some rhinolo and other grazers once the weather warmed up. Cahill wouldn’t
authorize her to check out a truck, telling her that if she wanted to study
Kobani animals she should return to Prime City to live.”

“Did she go out anyway?” Thad inquired.

“She may have, but I don’t know that. Lady Amelia Simpson’s
current consort is a handsome young Rimmer ramp worker, truck driver, and handy
man, named Flaven Dawson. Your shuttle pilots see him each time you bring us
fresh meat or supplies. He has regular access to a truck, so he might have
given her a ride out and back without logging it for Cahill’s equipment
watchdogs to report.”

“Does anyone ever go out to actually check the gates?”
Noreen asked. “If the trip were made recently, just after the snow melt, truck
tracks might still be visible. We were going to fly the wall perimeter today,
with Dillon and Thad wearing their armor’s helmets and visors. We can look for
signs.”

MacDougal shook his head. “Cahill doesn’t really focus on
anything that isn’t social climbing or controlling and manipulating people, so
no, I don’t think anyone is assigned to check the outer compound walls or
gates. I can’t believe she was trained as a logical thinking scientist.”

“Yes to the education, no to the logical thinking part.”
Dillon answered. “She had a little used advanced biology degree that got her on
our project’s consideration list, but it was her political machinations that actually
got her on the Midwife Project, and eventually on our Board of Directors. She
has always been political, and in my estimation, rarely logical.”

Thad asked, “If Lady Simpson did get her truck ride out, do
you know which of the thirty two gates she might have used?”

“The rhinolo herds stay to our north and east in their
migrations, I’m told. That’s something we all are generally aware of, since we
hope to have our own hunters working for us soon, and that’s the direction they
intend to go look for game.”

“Thank you Sir. We’ll look there first,” Noreen agreed.
“You’re welcome to ride along if you wish,” she invited.

“I would, but after I get on Cahill’s ‘dirty’ list today, I
had better create an appearance of some distance from you folks. No offense
intended. I’m a recent consort to a certain influential Gracious Lady here that
probably would not accept shunning because of me. I want to try to change
things here politically, with her backing.”

“Good luck to you Mister MacDougal. We will keep you
informed as to our search results.” Noreen replied.

Thad and Dillon soon appeared dressed for a Krall combat
test.  They wore armor, holding rifles and two Krall pistols on their hips,
spare clips on their weapons belts. All they needed was to don helmets to be ready
to fight.

Noreen looked at them both, an amused look on her face.

“What?” Dillon asked.

“Maggi isn’t here. I feel a need, on her behalf, to make
some appropriate remark. Perhaps something describing you two buckaroos.”

“Not appropriate at all. That’s a cowboy reference she uses.
We’re dressed like soldiers of old,” he proclaimed proudly.

“Sure, like a couple of GI Joes” Marlyn added, “only with
dirty, scratched, second hand dented armor.”

Thad thumped her lightly on the arm, laughing. “Hey! I
resemble that remark!”

They were climbing back into the shuttle when they heard a
shout from the direction of the dome. It was Cahill, with several Ladies in
trail, hurrying out to greet them.

“Oh crap!” Noreen muttered, as she motioned the others to
continue into the shuttle. She turned, with a forced smile to greet the bulky
woman, who on this occasion wasn’t wearing her billowing blue imitation Governor
robes.

“Are you going home already?” Cahill demanded more than
asked. “Where’s Mirikami! I have a few things to say to him.”

“The Commander is visiting our two researchers out in the
Raspani enclosure,” Noreen answered diffidently, not caring for the woman’s
tone and lack of manners. “For your information, we are not leaving the area,”
she corrected Cahill. “I’m about to fly our most experienced hunters over the
perimeter of the compound, scouting for the entry point of whatever killed your
two citizens.”

Cahill snapped a reply. “I think whatever it was has gone. It
hasn’t shown a sign of its presence for a week. We’ve seen gazelles browsing
near the dome. They wouldn’t be there if a ripper were stalking them. We don’t
need your help.”

Sticking his head out of the hatch, Thad had obviously
overheard. “This predator, which may or may not be a ripper, had two humans to
eat, so it won’t need to hunt for a week or more if it’s alone. You
wouldn’t
see signs of it, not if its stomach is full and it isn’t stalking prey. The
next sign might be another human blood trail. How do you know there aren’t even
more of them now? Those gazelles didn’t just hop over the wall. They got inside
somehow.”

“I didn’t invite you here,” she retorted. “You didn’t even ask
me before coming.”

Noreen came back at her, “We don’t need your permission to
come here, and you are not the person that asked for our help.”

“My
former
Lieutenant Governor exceeded his authority
in placing that call. He has been fired, or will be when I see him.”

“Lady,” Thad spoke to her insolently, “if the
potato
peeler
here asked for my help I’d offer it with no strings attached. It
doesn’t have to be anybody
you
consider important.”

Cahill sputtered in outrage. “You are speaking to the lawful
Governor.
You can’t go flying about here without my authorization!”

“Self-appointed, I believe,” Thad answered, as he rolled his
eyes, his impudence turning her face an even deeper purple.

Trying to prevent matters from growing worse, Noreen made
her an offer. “Governor,” hoping use of the claimed title would placate her,
“you and your party are welcome to accompany us on our flight today. We have
plenty of room.”

The eyes brightened for her three companions at the prospect
of aerial sightseeing. However, catching a glimpse of their anticipation,
Cahill crushed the invitation in a brutal and ultimately final manner. It
proved to be a painful experience for the Governor.

“I think not,” Cahill responded with a sneer. “I’ve heard
how flights with you end. I’d rather live to…”

She nearly
didn’t
live past her abruptly terminated
sentence. Noreen struck her square in the nose with a powerful right cross,
backed by her gene mod strength and pent up anguish as she stepped into the
punch. The sound of the fracturing nasal bone was clear. As Cahill squawked in
pain and fell back into her cronies, Noreen drew her left pistol in a swift
smooth move a Krall might have admired.

Noreen looked down her extended left arm, over her steady
pistol sights, index finger resting lightly on the easy squeeze trigger.
Centered in her sights was the face of the nearly blinded-by-pain chunky woman,
starting to gush blood from her nose. Noreen held the pose long enough for
Cahill to get her eyes to open and to see the gun pointed directly at her
forehead.

Noreen told her coldly, “I hereby challenge you, anytime,
any weapon of your choosing, at any location you select. It’s your choice or
your apology. Pick which comes first.”

Cahill’s “friends” carefully backed away.

Blubbering with fear and having an understandable nasal tone,
Cahill squealed, “I’m not armed, d-d-don’t shoot.”

“Wrong.” Noreen corrected her. “You have a pistol right
there on your hip. All of you do.” She had noticed that each of the Hub City
women packed Krall guns today. Probably a lesson learned from their previous
unarmed blunder when out of doors.

“I’m making sure you keep your hands away from your weapon
until you’re in a condition to fight me, or to wait for you to apologize.”

Cahill stammered. “I.., I meant no disrespect. I’m s…,
sorry.”

“Yes, you did mean it. However, I accept that you truly
are
a sorry person.” Smoothly holstering her left pistol, Noreen backed carefully
away from the downed woman. “The challenge stands,” she told her harshly. “It
is suspended until such time as you are prepared and wish to respond. I will
not push for satisfaction unless you offend me again, understood?”

Cahill, merely nodded, fumbling for her shirt collar to pat
gingerly at the blood, keeping her hands as far from her pistol as practical
while sitting on her butt.

Noting that all three of her own companions were now
watching her back, Noreen turned around calmly and stepped up into the shuttle.

Dillon and Marlyn followed her in, and Thad stood watching
the four women through the edge of the closing hatch until it was sealed.

“Noreen!” exploded Dillon. “I cannot believe you did that to
me!”

Defensive and hurt by his reaction, she shouted back at him,
“She pushed me too damned far. You actually
shot
the bully that
threatened you, if you recall.” She reminded him of an incident when they were
new arrivals on Koban.

“No! I mean you did it and I didn’t even get to see you slug
her, damn it. I didn’t even have a premonition.”

There was an incredulous pause, before the four of them
exploded in laughter. Noreen laughed until she had tears coursing down her
cheeks. This emotional release was one she hadn’t realized she needed. Her ribs
were aching when she enveloped Dillon in her arms and kissed him passionately. A
“thank you” down payment, rendered for his supporting remark. 

Thad chuckled at a thought. “Wow, I almost wish she had
remembered she had a gun. That would have removed a huge pain in our asses.”

“Damn it to Hell!” Noreen exclaimed, in an uncharacteristic
use of profanity. “I have just made things tougher for Tet. He’s trying to keep
us on cordial terms with Hub City, and I just ruined that for him.”

“We never had good relations with Cahill’s
clique,” Marlyn reminded her. “We were never going
to be friends with them anyway. MacDougal proves there are people here that are
capable of a rational conversation, even if they disagree with us.”