Koban: The Mark of Koban (25 page)

“Gee, is that all?”

****

As the shuttle approached the Hub City dome, Mirikami asked
Noreen to fly over the Raspani section. Nearly one quarter of the Krall compound
was covered; tented was the word that came to Mirikami’s mind, because there were
thousands of roughly one hundred foot high tripods that supported a transparent
tough membrane.

The membrane, perforated over most of its surface except where
the “tent pole” tripods provided support, allowed air to circulate in and out.
Numerous large ground level fans at the sides of the enclosure aided that flow
of air. Rain and sunlight freely entered, via perforations and transparency, to
sustain the mild climate that supported the Koban grass and leafy shrubs the
Raspani herd ate. Those plants were essentially the same savanna grasses and
plants that rhinolo and other native grazers browsed. Except Mirikami sighted wide
swaths of red and green growths that he had not seen elsewhere on Koban.

“Any of you know what the red and green plants are?”
Mirikami asked.

Marlyn Rodriguez provided an answer. “Your scientists told
me they were probably from the original Raspani home world. They thought the
plants were perhaps nutritional supplements that were lacking in the Raspani
diet, and brought here by the Krall.”

Marlyn had previously ferried the two Prime City scientists
over here to study the Raspani, and brought their equipment and personal
effects. She had spent two days with them before returning. She had willingly loaned
Mirikami the Dream’s largest shuttle.

However, when she learned the nature of the mission, and
that Thad Greeves was part of the team, she asked if she could be part of the
search for the predator. The Colonel was a strapping good-looking male, who had
a reputation for toughness and honor. Those were bedroom qualities she admired
anywhere, but on Koban those might be “sign the line” features.

As evidence that the shuttle loan was sincere, Noreen had
flown it all the way over, with Marlyn riding in back as a passenger, discussing
the mission and the political atmosphere at Hub City. Marlyn had been the first
one of the final Krall captives to request the clone gene mods. After her
successful example, a surprising number of Spacers from various ships also
volunteered.

Like many of the Spacers, Marlyn pragmatically accepted that
Koban was where she was going to spend her life. Their two hundred light year
separation from even the Rim of Human Space felt more “real” to Spacers because
of their travels. They understood that in the vastness of space, no human
exploration ship was likely to stumble on them in their lifetime, particularly
with the Krall now at war with humanity.

As the shuttle flew over the enclosure, Noreen pointed out
the grazing Raspani herd. The creatures merely glanced up at the commonly seen
craft. It wasn’t the first time the people aboard had seen them, but Thad and
Dillon had not seen them in a herd, only penned in a corral close to the dome.
On that occasion, several Raspani were being treated for injuries suffered out
on the grasslands.

The grey creatures, paler on the stomach than on the back,
looked somewhat like a pigmy hippopotamus from Earth. They were nearly three
feet high at mid back, and five feet long in the lower torso. The upper part of
their torso was vaguely centaur-like, which when held upright placed their
heads five feet above ground.

They had a pudgy pair of human-like jointed arms and
dexterous looking six fingered hands. When grazing, they held their upper torso
horizontal, but did not eat directly from the ground. Instead, they plucked
tender grass shoots and fern leaves with their hands. Usually they rose up to feed
themselves the foliage in an almost delicate manner.

Raspani also ate fruits and berries if they could find them.
They had the broad masticating side teeth of most herbivores, but also sported two
serious looking sharp dentures, or residual tusks,  jutting up from the lower
front jaw. These protruded three or four inches above fleshy lips, one on each
side, framing features arranged much like on a human. They had a central flat
nose above their lips, with two large nostrils, and large forward facing brown
eyes under light brown furred brows. The head was smooth, rounded, and
hairless, but there was some sparse brown hair growing on their upper and lower
backs. The ears were pixie pointed, and upright on the sides of the head, no
larger than a human’s ears.

Their feet had six thick spread out toes to support their
weight of perhaps four hundred pounds, and they could rise up on the ends of
the clustered toes when they chose to run. However, their speed was about the
same as a normal human on Koban. Meaning they were slow and helpless against
any of the predators here. There appeared to be some genitalia below and to the
rear of some of them, probably marking those as the males.

There were a dozen cute small ones frolicking around the
placid adults. It was hard to imagine how this formerly intelligent species had
endured the casual Krall predation and cruelty.

Mirikami observed approximately one thousand Raspani below
them through the windows. “Well, we aren’t going to find out much about this
predator up here. I’m sure Hub City has noticed our arrival. I don’t know if MacDougal
told Cahill about our visit, but she will know of it now. I’d like to get down
before she organizes some foolish committee to greet us and get in our way.”

With a possible welcoming committee in mind, Noreen flew low
over the tarmac on the north side entrance they most often used, then lifted
over the dome and swiftly landed on the south side by that entrance.

Maggi approved. “Noreen my dear, that was clever. If Cahill
had already rushed to that entrance, then she’ll have to run all the way
through the dome to intercept us over here.”

Mirikami was using a pocket handset to call the two Raspani
researchers, with whom he wanted to have a meeting. Thad and Dillon were unpacking
their armor and weapons, plus some infrared scanners, and removing wheeled
cases holding the surveillance cameras they had brought. Neri Barr, a machinist
mate helped them. She would help mount the cameras and wire the monitors for an
improved security system at Hub City.

Mirikami told them, “I reached Vincent Naguma. He and Sarah
Bradley were out in the Raspani enclosure in a truck. They saw us circle
overhead and Vince is now on his way in to pick me up. Does anyone want to go
with me? I plan to see the Raspani up close, and find out what Vince and Sarah
have learned so far. That should keep me away from Cahill for a few hours.” He
winked at Maggi.

She felt torn between her scientific curiosity of the
Raspani, and the anticipation at possibly making a fool of Cahill again.
Curiosity won by a narrow margin. “Where do we meet Vince?” she asked.

“He described a sort of airlock building for entering and
leaving the enclosed area. It’s mainly to keep skeeters and wolfbats outside.
It’s that one story building with lift doors over there.” He indicated a low
building made of the same material as the dome, built into the closest side of
the Raspani tent section, less than a mile away. As he pointed, a wide door lifted
on the side of the building, and a Krall made truck with an expanded cab pulled
out. A figure briefly jumped out to close the door, and then the truck started
towards the shuttle.

“That must be Vince with our ride. Anyone else going with us?”
Mirikami asked.

Noreen and Marlyn both said they were staying to help Dillon
and Thad, which was no surprise to Mirikami, or Maggi. They had already noticed
Marlyn’s interest in Thad.

Neri was already rolling a case with the small cameras
towards the Dome overhang, glancing to the sky periodically as all of them did,
anytime they were outside. Obviously, he was planning to start work with his
counterparts here, setting up the new cameras and monitors.

The Krall truck pulled up and Vince stepped out to greet
them, extending his wolfbat-scarred right hand.

“Tet, Maggi, glad you decided to come see what we’re doing.”
Vince Naguma was a wolfbat casualty from their first day on Koban, when he lost
his left hand to their attack, and received a mangled right hand, with bites to
his head. He wore a clearly artificial prosthetic left hand. Until the Krall
had departed Koban, he had stayed in hiding, fearful the Krall might kill him
on sight if they saw his combat limiting disability.

“Sarah and I have some exciting things to tell you about the
Raspani. We have a camp set up in a grove of trees, and the herd appears to
prefer being near us. I’ll take you there now if you wish, or do you need to
put some luggage in a guest room first?”

“Do you have room for us to stay out there with you Vince?”
Mirikami asked. “If so I’d prefer to stay with you at least overnight. We have
some cots, blankets, folding chairs, and a four-person tent aboard. Maggi, how
about you?” he asked.

“I have all I need in my duffel,” she replied. “A night
outside might be a very pleasant change. Assuming it’s safe. I have no desire
to swat at foot long skeeters or worse.” She told them.

“Don’t worry,” Vince assured her. “The Raspani are nearly
defenseless, more so than we are without guns, and they have been safe here for
years.” This rather overlooked the irony of their being a food staple when the
Krall were in residence.

Vince, using the
prosthetic
hand for an aid to lift their
camping gear, helped Mirikami load it in the back of the truck.

Maggi, noticing his care to avoid placing too much stress on
the appendage, felt compelled to pass along news from one of the labs not
involved with genetics research. “Vince, we have five doctors from the other
ships that have volunteered with our medical research lab. They believe we have
reacquired the medical technology to promote regeneration. It will take a few
months, but I think you can get that hand back. Almost good as the original.”

“Really? They sure are making fast progress. I didn’t expect
that capability back for a couple of years. When we finish our first round of
research here, I’ll check it out. This thing,” he waved the stiff pink hand,
“comes unstrapped sometimes, and the neural command to grip or open is too
damned slow to be of use in a hurry.”

“I’m not surprised at our progress,” Maggi answered. “We
don’t have real jobs here, so people throw themselves into projects to avoid
boredom, and for the satisfaction of making a contribution. Like you and Sarah
are doing,” she added in illustration.

“True. This study has nothing to do with my field of
microbiology, but it fascinates me to study a fallen alien species that once was
more technologically advanced than we are now. I wish we knew what they were
saying,” he added.

Mirikami caught that reference as he tossed his own bag in
the truck. “They talk? I didn’t know that. The people here at Hub City said
they made nonsense sounds.”

“Sarah made a recording of two of them apparently talking,
and broadcast it to Jake to analyze. It’s a sort of low frequency pigeon Krall,
mixed with words for which Jake had no reference. No one at Hub City knows any
Krall…, not that many of us at Prime City know much either,” he chuckled.

“Vince,” propose Mirikami, “you and Hub City could use more
access to talk to Jake, or the other AI called Jeb, or to any of us at the
other compound. I think we can arrange that to be easier. The long rage radios we
have now depend on bounce from the ionosphere; it isn’t reliable and has a low
bandwidth. We have a satellite relay originally intended for one of the
fledgling Rim world settlements. If we attach an ion propulsion unit and lift
it to low orbit, it can reach a geosynchronous orbit. After that, Jake could
communicate directly and reliably here.”

He didn’t mention that they also could use Jake’s spare
transducer relay to allow private Links here. Thad and Dillon could have made
use of instant Links as they hunt for the unknown predator.

Saying their goodbyes to the rest of their group, Vince
drove them out to meet the Raspani.

Dillon and the others looked up as a man walking alone from
the dome waved and called a cheery welcome. The four waved back, and Dillon
introduced his companions and himself when he drew close, discovering in the
process that this was Stewart MacDougal.

“When I spoke to him on the radio, I thought Commander
Mirikami was also coming.”

“He’s here,” Dillon acknowledged, “but he went into the
Raspani enclosure to see them up close, and to confer with the two researchers
observing them.”

“Avoiding our dear Governor,
Lady
Cahill, I’m sure.” MacDougal’s
sarcastic phrasing when he said “Lady” was evident.

Noreen asked, “You’re her
Lieutenant
Governor, are
you not?”

“Yes, for now. Cahill is at the north entrance waiting for
you to land. I told her you were searching the compound for predators and
wolfbats before she came outside this time. I realized you had actually landed
here and came over to meet you alone.”

“Not a very good way to hold your job, is it Mr. MacDougal?”
Dillon observed.

He laughed. “It wasn’t going to last longer than I could
stand kissing her ample ass anyway. I needed some credentials and prestige for
a day or two, and she was looking for a new set of sycophants. I applied and
buttered her up, telling her any ‘real’ Governor had a Lieutenant. I was her
choice this week, long enough to gain access to the radio room.”

“What do you mean by that?” asked Thad. “We sent you folks
the radio for requesting our assistance, and routine communications between the
compounds.”

“Right. Only that isn’t how Cahill and her supporters do
things. They placed it in a so called ‘radio room,’ which is a Krall
compartment with a locking door code that only she has access to open. I don’t
know how she managed that, since the codes are set by the Krall and they’re
gone.”