Koban (20 page)

The chime of the lift drew his attention, but only well after
Telour’s head had already whipped around in that direction. Ms. Jorl’sn stepped
out. Their Watch relief had arrived. Jake, if they could use him openly, would have
served as watch stander while they were in the Hole, but they needed to keep him
a tactical secret.

After Ms. Jorl’sn was briefed, she and Telour remained on the
Bridge, as Mirikami and Noreen headed for the passenger decks.

When the
lift stopped at deck 8, the highest passenger deck, they were somewhat surprised
to find quite a few people there. Clearly, they had moved back up from decks 5 and
6 once permitted. They found themselves surrounded by people begging for answers,
or making demands.

He leaned into Noreen and spoke over the flood of questions.
“Noreen, try to keep them talking to you, and ignoring me if possible. It’s vital
I use this opportunity to do something I’ve needed to do.”

Not waiting for her reply, he walked several yards away, drawing
some of the crowd with himself. Noreen gave him a curious look, but loudly began
fielding questions, drawing more of the attention. The Captain looked about the
central area, not responding to anyone.

There was one blue uniformed translator Krall on the far side
of the lounge, near one of the side lifts and stairs, and a black clad warrior by
another stair on the opposite side. Although they were watching the humans alertly,
they were essentially unmoving other than their constantly shifting gaze. The humans
maintained a wide arc around each, rarely looking at them, and then only a quick
fearful glance.

Standing in the crowd, knowing his voice would be lost among
those around him, he was confident that if Telour had ordered Ms. Jorl’sn to monitor
this deck that he could not be heard. His shorter that average height made him barely
visible to the two Krall. He angled his face away from them and down towards the
deck, and said “Jake?”

“Yes Sir?”
The AI’s prompt reply was reassuringly clear through the surrounding noise.

“Jake, I need to develop a way to communicate with you without
calling your name each time. I know you can hear everything I say if that mode is
activated, but do you hear what is said
to
me if there is no active audio
pickup close by?” He was forced to ignore the jostling and crowd noise surrounding
him. He closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to blot out the voices of people
trying to talk to him.

“Sir, I hear conversations with you via your transducer, through
the same bone conduction I use to pick up your words, and also through audio pickups
if those are nearby.” Few passengers would have felt comfortable knowing how easily
and often they could be overheard on an AI equipped Starship. A Captain had authority
to ask to review what was overheard, but Jake would make an official log entry if
that were done.

“Jake, I need to create an alternative method to ask you to pass
me information I need, without my specifically calling you by name. I will furnish
two example questions I want you to consider, but do not answer them now. Example
number one; ‘I wish I knew where my First Officer is?’ Example number two; ‘I would
like to know how many Krall are onboard?’ End of examples Jake. Could you accept
these as questions directed to you even if I do not say your name?”

“I should be able do that, but perhaps not always consistently,
Sir. There may be errors in understanding what data you are requesting, or if you
intend the request for me or if it is for someone with you.” The AI advised.

The noise diminished a bit. He could hear Jake better now. After
nearly being tripped once, no one was tapping him on the shoulder now or talking
loudly at him.

“Jake, if you receive a data request, such as my two examples,
always
pass the requested information by transducer, or tell me if you do
not have an answer, or if you do not understand the request. Can you do that?”

“Assuming that I understood your request was intended for me,
yes Sir, I can do that.”

“Jake, if the information is not what I want, or is more detailed
than I need, I will terminate your data feed by using a phrase similar to, but not
limited to these three examples; example one; ‘never mind.’ Example two; ‘skip it.’;
Example three; ‘disregard.’ Would you understand what I intended?”

“That too may not always provide the desired result, Sir. What
if I need confirmation to start, to stop, or to change a data request?”

“Jake, if that happens I will repeat another request for data
if I don’t receive what I need, or try again to have you stop a feed. If I start
to talk while you are sending me requested data, you should stop speaking. The important
thing is for me to receive information and to stop the data feed without saying
your name when the Krall might be able to hear me. Do you understand?”

“I think I do, Sir. I will listen to you, and respond as I calculate
you intended for a request of data. If there are mistakes in this process, I will
modify or add to the phrases that produce results that repetition indicates you
find acceptable.”

“That’s good Jake. Place this new protocol into effect for me
only now. Other crew members will be included later.”

“Yes Sir.”

Mirikami raised his head and opened his eyes, only to find Doctor
Fisher staring him in the face. Her arms were spread in arcs to either side of him,
joining hands with someone on each side, holding people away from him. She smiled
and winked at him. Clearly, she’d heard enough to understand what he was doing,
and had done her best to give him a few moments free of distractions.

Actually, as he looked about, he found he was inside a small
pocket consisting of Fisher and three other people. Unlike Fisher, the others had
their backs to him, holding the crowd away. Doctor Martin was on his right, and
he glanced over his shoulder with a nod and a smile. About twenty feet away he spotted
Noreen’s tall figure, still surrounded by a press of people. They were mostly speaking
over one another as they asked her questions. She was doing her best to answer,
but seemed a bit overwhelmed, and looked his way in puzzlement.

“Thank you Doctor Fisher. I intended to find you when I came
down here but this; gathering shall I call it? Was frankly the first and best opportunity
I’ve had to…, let’s say arrange my private thoughts among my own kind.” He winked
back.

“Captain, I know some of what you have been confronted with in
the hours since the boarding took place, thanks to Dillon’s observations and briefings
to me and the Board of Directors. What’s left of the Board, I mean. We have not
been able to locate two members, and we now know what that probably means. All Board
members were assigned to the larger ring corridor rooms on deck 8, close to that
large conference room. I witnessed some of what happened as the Krall came aboard.
Dillon said you apparently saw me briefly from a screen on the Bridge.

“Most of our people don’t know where the dead were moved, though
Dillon has informed the Board of what Parkoda had ordered done.”

Mirikami grimaced, “Doctor, I regret you will need to search
your ranks for grief counselors or perhaps ministers of various faiths. There can
be no funerals or cremations, but perhaps a mass service. I need to inquire if any
of my crew members have had any experience in that area, but this isn’t part of
a Spacer’s normal training.”

Suddenly, Jake was speaking in his ear, causing him to pause.
“Sir, there are no members of the crew with grief counseling listed in their records.”
Then he quit speaking. The new protocol might need tweaking, but it certainly worked
after a fashion.

Fisher had noticed the Captain had taken on an air of listening,
his head tilted slightly. He rolled his eyes briefly, “Actually, my
recollection
is that none of my crew has such training.”

She acknowledged Mirikami’s statement with a nod, recognizing
what had probably just happened. “Actually, Captain, we have started our own inquiries
in that direction. But I do thank you.

She told him a few things he probably didn’t know yet. “The eleven
survivors from Midwife have told their stories to us, and we know that we fared
much
better than they, no small thanks to your swift actions and timely warnings.
Even without knowing of Dillon’s restricted information, most of our folks have
now deduced what the Krall probably have done with our casualties.”

“Thank you for your kind words, Gentle Lady. I’d like to address
your Board to tell you what little I know that perhaps you don’t. Then we can edit
that information if you wish, and speak to your people in groups, or brief them
all together in a mass meeting as we once discussed, a century ago it seems now.”

“That we
can do Captain.” She answered.

Stepping towards the yammering crowd surrounding Noreen, Fisher
bellowed in a voice seeming far too powerful in proportion to the size of its source,
“Quiet! Find your civility Gentle Ladies, and Gentle Men.” The hubbub subdued immediately.

Continuing in a lower but still forceful tone, “The Board of
Directors will meet in closed session right now with Captain Mirikami and his First
Officer Renaldo. We will learn what he can tell us about our status now and of
our future as prisoners of the Krall.

“Based on that meeting, the Board can propose a policy to the
full complement of the consortium, which offers the greatest level of security for
us all. I remind you that the Krall will hold us to an agreement that allows us
free movements and action, as we just exercised in this room. However, that requires
that we obey them and cooperate without opposition. If we abrogate that agreement,
the consequence would result in one eighth of us being killed in retaliation. We
cannot permit rash individuals to endanger so many. Be prepared to consider our
proposals when we meet in open session later today.

“I ask that the Board of Directors convene now in the large conference
room here on deck 8. I believe all members were present here a short time ago. If
not, would the rest of you Gentle Folk please disperse to find them? Thank you.”

A more normal background level of conversation resumed, and the
crowd spread out, some descending to other decks.

Fisher, Mirikami, and Noreen started towards the conference room.
Maggi gestured to Dillon to follow along. Cahill and other Board members detached
from the crowd and followed.

They convened in the conference room with the door locked behind
them and sat down. No sooner had Fisher called the meeting to order, than Cahill
jumped up and challenged Dillon’s presence, “Why is a non-member of the Board here?”
She demanded. “I understand the Captain and his officer, but why is
Mr.
Martin
here?” with emphasis on the ‘Mister.’

Fisher had
actually anticipated the petty challenge, pettiness being all that Cahill had left
in her arsenal. However, the Vicechairfem’s impeccable timing allowed Fisher to
make a point early and put her in her place.

“He is present
for the same reason he was present at the last meeting Doctor Cahill.” She spoke
in an icy tone.
“
Doctor
Martin,” she emphasized his honorific, which
Cahill had deliberately omitted as a slight, “is the only representative of the
consortium who was present on the Bridge throughout the boarding process, and who
helped the Captain direct the movement of passengers in support of subsequent activities
demanded by the Krall. He is a witness to events that none of the rest of us of
the consortium saw.

“He may have viewpoints to offer that could be useful to us in
our decision making. I learned from Commander Renaldo that Doctor Martin suspected
that the attackers were aliens even before we received a confirming transmission.
This was a profound and insightful deduction on his part. In addition, he is a member
of a First Contact response team for meeting aliens. That is why he is here.”

Continuing in a sharp no-nonsense tone she added, “Secondly,
let me say that although I intend to relax formal rules for this meeting for the
sake of expediency, you were
not
recognized and given the floor Vicechairfem
Cahill. You will
not
jump up like some anarchist shouting out of turn again,
so please sit
down
!”

With a grumble, Cahill plopped back down, but looked around for
signs of sympathy or support from the other five members, and found none.

Fisher noticed that sweeping look at the other members, and the
lack of support reflected in their faces. The two dead board members had been part
of Cahill’s clique, and Fisher felt genuine sadness at their tragic loss. However,
she pragmatically intended to take full advantage of the shift in the center of
power.

“Captain,
please provide us with your briefing.”

Mirikami stood, but started with a warning. “Gentle Ladies, I
must advise you that at least one Krall translator may be observing this meeting,
and there are three aboard now. They have periodically monitored my own movements,
and I’m sure they have observed others on the ship. This is to be expected because
we are their prisoners, and our good conduct is subject to verification.” He could
see this distressed several of the Ladies; Cahill in particular looked frightened
and glanced at one of the room’s cameras. He wondered what she had been doing to
feel so guilty. However, that led to an inspiration.

“I would really like to know if any Krall is watching us right
now, or listing.” He stated, and paused as if considering a profound remark.

Jake got it right. “Sir, there are no Krall using ship’s systems
to do so at this time. Should I advise you if any of them start to observe you there?”

“Yes, indeed, that would be good to know.” He glanced at Fisher.
“However, I know the Krall have no interest in those of us in this room right at
this minute.”