Koban: The Mark of Koban (74 page)

Proving that he had indeed grasped what Mirikami planned,
Thad said simply, “Challenge them to single combat.”

Mirikami confirmed. “Exactly. Our honor and theirs will have
been offended. One on one challenges are how they resolve such issues between
themselves. I predict they will energetically accept such an offer.”

“Who wants to follow Cahill to the grave?” MacDougal
demanded more than asked.

“I’ll make the challenge. I have no doubt the entertainment
will be distraction enough for he Krall. The cats will be able to creep to the
shuttle, and Ethan can pick off any warrior that might notice. With the cats
inside, the pilot is history, and the rest of you can rush them.”

“No!” The outcry was from Dillon, Mirikami recognized his
voice. However, he hadn’t directed the objection at Mirikami.

“Carson, there are six of them. Not even you can handle all
of them at once.”

Through the radio’s mike, which drew stronger as Dillon must
have approached his son, Mirikami heard the boy’s determination, and knew that
he had already analyzed the situation faster and for longer than his father
had.

“Dad, they will fight a challenger one at a time, it’s an
honor thing with them, and I can beat them. The Commander can’t, not for long
enough for the distraction to work.”

“Carson, even if you beat one to the draw, the next one will
chose knives, or go bare handed. You don’t have talons, Son.”

“Dad, I was literally made for this. I was conceived, and
then purposely modified to defend our world, our race, against the Krall. I
even demanded the modifications.”

“Son, that isn’t why you were conceived, your mother and I
wanted you. The modifications were to give you a fighting chance on this world
and against…,” he let that argument trail off as he realized he was about to
repeat his son’s own argument.

“Besides Dad, you talk as if I’m facing them alone. Ethan is
out there, and Alyson is too. There are three of us TGs here. If we had the
hundreds at Prime City with us this wouldn’t even be a discussion. All we have
right now are we three, and our continued existence on Koban depends on us. I have
spent hours and days talking about this sort of scenario. It’s necessary to do
this, and you know it. Your objection is because of who I am, your son, than of
what I am, a Third Generation Kobani Krall killer. Use your mind not your
heart, as you are always reminding me when a rational decision is required.”

There was a moment of silence that lasted only a short time,
but which felt like an eternity to Carson. His father finally looked up at him,
placed a hand on his shoulder and granted him the approval that he didn’t need,
but desperately wanted. “I love you Carson, make us all proud, and come back to
your mother and I.”

Mirikami felt the weight of guilt all the heavier, now that
his plan moved into its final phase. He was sending these three kids up against
six battle-hardened representatives of the most powerful, ruthless race of
killers in the known galaxy.

He spent the next few moments sending a text to Ethan, and
conferring with Alyson and Reynolds. Cahill’s first scream was discernible even
through the armored portals.

****

Toltak waited impatiently for the pathetic weak creature to
close the distance to the shuttle. The billowing blue covering, blown against
her by the breeze revealed a puffier outline of the animal’s body than
displayed by most of its kind. It was wobbling as it walked and the hands and
arms were gradually drifting lower as it was unable to sustain aloft that minor
weight.

This creature was supposedly adapted to this world after so
many years living here. The human clan leader dared send this
thing
to
tell Toltak what she should do. After tearing the information she wanted from
this human, she would know for certain how to attack them, how many there were,
how they were armed, where they were living inside.

As it neared, it’s babbling increased, saying words Toltak
heard and understood, but didn’t know what she meant by them. “I am not your enemy
because I tried to stop the criminals, so I should be spared. I told them they were
making a mistake. That when we went home they would be executed, or at least
imprisoned. I said if you returned you would be angry. I warned them not to
change your world, to stay away from its animals. When you learn what they did
you will spare me, even reward me.”

Finally, it’s arms unable to remain even shoulder high, it
let them hang listlessly as she walked in a lurching side to side manner,
apparently reluctant to close the final yards, now that it had left itself
completely exposed to the will of the Krall. It made another plea. “I will tell
you everything you want to know, but you must not harm me. I will be a friend
to you. I don’t have any real friends here, so you can trust me to tell you the
truth. Everything.”

In a spasm of irritation, Toltak spoke for the first time to
it. “Move faster, get behind the shuttle.” The Krall was unwilling to expose
herself to go get this worm of a creature, not after the traps humans had
proven capable of setting. Not seeing the trap did not mean there wasn’t one.

Cahill thought for a moment. “That’s true. I should get
behind the shuttle so they can’t shoot me. He promised he would do that if I
helped you. That proves I can be trusted.”  She hurried that last ten feet.

As she rounded the nose of the craft, in a blur of movement Toltak
ripped the blue fabric to shreds with her talons, to reveal any hidden weapons.
The creature made a small animal shriek of fear, but had no weapons beneath
that outer covering. It wore additional coverings beneath. All of the coverings
stunk with the smell of human fear and the fluids they excreted from their
skins when they were hot. There was a particular fresh amber stain spreading
from where its legs met, down a form following material that covered her entire
body, revealed a lumpy fat body. The damp material would not hide a useful
weapon, but the smell was offensive.

Toltak ripped off the rest of the damp and smelly fabric
coverings and threw them disgustedly to the tarmac. The Krall had the ability
to be more precise with her talon tips, but chose to leave a number of fine
lines on the pudgy skin, which, like paper cuts, slowly oozed small drops of
blood.

The stupid animal seemed concerned with pointlessly covering
parts of its anatomy with one arm and the other hand. It didn’t appear to
notice the tiny slices along its skin, until the salty smelling droplets of
moisture it exuded ran down to touch them. That seemed to spark a frantic
effort to brush them away as if it burned. The accompanying sounds it made seemed
to bear that out, and it briefly forgot to cover the uninteresting parts of its
body that it had wanted to conceal.

 It was time to get the answers that Toltak needed answered.
“How many humans are here?”

“You didn’t need to make me naked. I came to talk to you.
Please let me have some clothing. This is unacceptable.”

A talon swipe along one of two large hanging bulges of flesh,
located below her old Krall novice tattoo, drew blood and obviously caused pain
as she clutched a hand at the minor wound. “Be responsive to my questions and
answer what I ask or I will remove parts of you slowly.”

One threat Toltak wasn’t going to make, because she would
not force herself to follow through, was to tell the subject she would eat
parts of the creature’s flesh. That was often an effective interrogation
technique. However, the nasty colored fat of human flesh was more prevalent on
this specimen, so don’t threaten what you won’t do was a rule to obey here.

“How many humans are here? And if you do not answer, what
part do you wish me to remove?”

Eager to answer this time she blurted, “There are about
twenty four thousand humans here. You are greatly outnumbered.”

“Yet so many of them hid from only six warriors. How are
they armed, with what weapons?”

“They have pistols and rifles you gave us and some big
rifles they found inside cargo boxes. The criminals made bombs and they have
knives. They also have rippers for pets that they will send to attack you.”

That last item caught Toltak by surprise. “What is a pet?
How would they make a ripper do what they want?”

“A pet is an animal a human keeps for company, that they
take care of and feed and live with. The rippers they have will do what they
ask, and will attack you.”

There was a loud snort from Toltak, which startled Cahill.
The Krall spoke in the silent way they had to the other Krall, two of whom made
their own snort.

“Your clan leader sent you to tell me that we are
outnumbered thousands to one, even though he said it was eight to one. You say
they have rippers, the most deadly of predators, for pets that do what they
order them to do. Yet they only have the guns we left here to hunt rippers. Did
he tell you to say you built plasma cannons, and tanks? That would be better than
the big rifles you say you have.

“Tell me, why did you hide this great strength if you have
all of this?” Toltak’s amusement was at an end.

“I don’t know what they are doing. I’m not part of their
planning.”

“Yet the clan leader told us you were coming to speak to us
before you came, and said you would tell us to leave before we were killed. I
think you are mixing the stories you tell to hide something in the confusion.
If we attack I believe we will find out how weak you really are.”

 “No. The criminals have children that were born here, that
they bred to be fast and stronger that you, and you can’t beat them. Please
take me with and leave now. I will not be safe here.”

“Ah, now the human children, with rippers as pets will kill
us, so we should leave. You say that would be a smart decision?”

“Yes.”

“I warned you that I would remove parts if you did not speak
the truth. I will leave your tongue for later, because it will be needed when
you change your mind.” She spoke high Krall to Pindor and Stilkap, standing behind
the lying animal.

As Pindor grabbed her arms at the wrist and held them out,
Stilkap drew a long sharp knife and slowly sliced away a meaty strip of flesh
from the left wrist to the inside of her elbow as she screamed until her lungs
emptied. Then he used a piece of chord from a belt pouch to tie off the
bleeding at the elbow. They had ample practice with humans, and knew how
fragile they were, and what was required to keep them alive longer. What they
couldn’t do was keep every subject conscious throughout all of the
“entertainment.”

Cahill went limp, her body left sagging from the forcibly
outstretched arms, her head hanging forward with damp stringy hair hanging
down. They let her drop, to await her first stirrings of returning awareness,
so they could resume. Toltak regretted not starting with a less drastic
removal, say a finger or toe, but she had desired truthful answers to her
questions, and wanted them quickly.

The transmission she received next greatly surprised her. It
was the voice of the human clan leader.

“Toltak you have dishonored the negotiation you personally
requested, and injured or killed my emissary. We demand the right of challenge,
to face the warrior that committed that cowardly dishonor. One of our warriors
will face that offender, fighting where all can see, below your own Clanship
with pistols. Do your warriors retain any honor, and enough courage to face one
of us in face-to-face combat? Kimbo clan had enough courage, and lost to us.
Perhaps Tanga clan has only Parkoda’s failures with Graka clan as its examples.
Are you too afraid of failure with a human?”

All of her warriors spoke and understood some Standard, and
they were as enraged as she was at the direct insults. The human’s words stung more
because in one sense they were true. Toltak had requested a negotiation,
unaware that humans were here, with whom she would never otherwise stoop to
holding talks. The humans in turn had a valid reason to feel her actions were
dishonorable, and were demanding a standard Krall method of resolution. To
refuse would deepen the dishonor that her team would feel if they did not
accept. If the humans had a trap or treachery planned, she might possibly lose
a warrior if he was too slow for their trickery, but she would gain truly motivated
warriors in exchange.

The risk was worth it she decided. She tapped her com
button. “The challenge is accepted. We do not trust the honor of humans. Your
warrior will walk to the Clanship first, and then when he is exposed if you use
treachery, our warrior will walk to meet him. The standard greeting will take
place before combat starts.”

“Agreed, and we know of the Krall custom. Our challenger
will start his walk soon.”

Despite the obvious eagerness of each of the four warriors
with her, Toltak looked at the logical choice. “Stilkap, you performed the
removal. You have the honor of our clan to uphold. Check your pistols.”

He had three, in preparation for the original hunt planned
for today. He carried holsters on each hip and one on a cross-chest ammo belt
set for a left hand draw. He cleaned his blade on the tatters of Cahill’s blue
robe and slid that into a belt sheath. He verified two pistols had armor
piercing rounds, and one, at his chest, had explosive rounds. He replaced the
chest weapon with the gun on his left hip, to make a bigger mess of his victim.
He was minutely faster with his left hand, as were most Krall, despite hundreds
of generations of breeding for complete ambidexterity.

“You know to be wary of human tricks. Be sure to kill the challenger
quickly and move to cover behind a landing jack. Shoot the body several more
times to make them aware of how today will end for them. You will able to enter
the Clanship quickly when I signal. This is a stupid choice by them for where
to fight. It works to our advantage.”