Koban (68 page)

“That is more than I will tell you. You must learn of their ways
as other octets have, in combat,” was all he would say.

“I can fly the shuttle I was told.”

“Yes.”

“I will scout with that to cover the larger area, but I believe
an enemy would chose the high ground or forest as most defensible. They have use
of these same transports?” he gestured to the parked vehicles.

He watched for any reaction from Telour that might provide a
clue, but he saw nothing.

“Yes,” was all Telour said.

“Then I need to start our hunt.” He was about to turn away when
Telour’s voice brought him to a halt.

“These humans have an honor agreement with the joint clans that
if they kill even one of your warriors, the hunt is over. If any human survives
to the next morning after the hunt ends, they are also allowed to live.”

“If I lose even a novice, our hunt ends?” he asked incredulously.
This sounded like a deliberate effort to blunt Kimbo clan’s successful attack strategy.

“It was agreed by clan leaders long ago.” This took the matter
out of any possible discussion. “However the humans are not effective fighters,
being slow and weak. To them we are very difficult to kill. Until you personally
verify a warrior has truly died from their action, the hunt continues. But you are
honor bound to stop the battle if you know of a warrior’s death.”

Mollified somewhat, he acknowledged the hunt guidelines, and
decided that he would not be quick to confirm a loss of a novice, since Kimbo’s
new tactic of risking them for clan advantage was known. How could they demonstrate
their successful methods if their very use eliminated the advantage because of an
agreement with a prey animal?

Tyroldor assigned three novices each to two of the wheeled transports,
a driver, and two in the back to catch scents. These vehicles were slightly faster
than the ones with halftracks, and would let them expand their search area more
quickly, but could not enter the marshlands. He sent them in arcs around the dome
at a distance to seek a scent trail.

As soon as they had moved far enough away from the stink around
the dome, they detected several old scent trails, and one strong fresh trail that
followed tracks of another transport.

Tyroldor and his second in command Pitda confirmed the scent
trail. The transport that first found that trail was rewarded, allowing it to follow
it as fast as they could travel, to report on what they found.

The other transport was sent to search the jungle, bypassing
the marshland, and fording the river at a place where it split into several shallower
streams. They were permitted to explore any fresh scent they detected on the way,
but to report back first.

Telour made a swift return to the dome to watch from the top
level. He had noticed the final return of the small human shuttle earlier, and had
watched as it landed at multiple locations, below his line of sight each time. However,
it appeared the humans had dispersed widely, so he approved of the octet’s leader
spreading out his search pattern.

The last place the human shuttle had landed was at the base of
the ridge before returning here. Earlier he had seen humans working on every ledge,
setting up or burying devices, walking into caves and then leaving them. He was
certain that none of them had stayed on the ridge itself, and the shuttle had brought
all of them down to the base, where he could not see how many made their exit.

The shuttle had returned empty except for the pilot, which he
confirmed by a scent check from a warrior he sent past the shuttle to be certain.
The shuttle then took the remaining humans out to various locations near the marsh,
the river canyon, and the woods. Always parking to prevent a Krall viewer in the
dome from seeing what was unloaded.

He was not going to help the upstart Kimbo clan, nor did he think
any of his warriors would have made an agreement with so weak a clan. Nevertheless,
he decided it had been a wise precaution by the humans to make sure they revealed
as little as possible.

He wasn’t sure what the last landing near the ridge base was
for, but it lasted less than two minutes before rushing back to the dome to land.
That was just before the shuttle carrying the octet reported that they had the compound
in sight. The humans had cut that flight a bit close, almost revealing where they
may have been planning to fight.

Noreen, just below the Krall level in the dome said, “The Captain
cut that a bit close. Jake reported the Krall shuttle was inbound just before he
sent Roni back.”

“You don’t think the Krall team saw that, do you?” asked Maggi.

“Probably not,” Thad answered, before Noreen did. They were still
low on the horizon when they were detected, and Roni stayed low and circled a bit
to the west anyway, just in case she was seen. They couldn’t track her back to the
ridge landing area.

“Besides, Roni Linked after landing to say she couldn’t detect
any sign of the team, and hovered only long enough to dust off foot prints in the
landing area, and perhaps their scent. Frankly, we rather hope they send a shuttle
there anyway, though I see they just sent two trucks on different paths. I wish
we knew if the two leaders were in the truck cabs.”

Jake, promptly interpreting the “I wish” and “we” as instructions
to him, spoke to all four observers “The two higher ranking warriors, one in a dark
gray uniform, the other in black, have entered the Krall shuttle and closed the
main hatch.”

“Well Thad” comment Nan Willfem, the fourth observer. “You managed
to trigger our friend. Were you trying to do that?” She grinned; sure his surprised
look indicated he had not.

Maggi had some choice words to add. “Golly, Thad. The way you
tilted your head and paused with that typically vacant male expression, you’d think
you were listening to something.”

Laughing, Thad held out his hands in a warding off gesture. “OK,
you got me. I’m just as bad as you are, but in my defense I’ve had a lot less practice
listening to and talking to ghosts.”

Noreen, watching a video feed from Jake, spotted the Krall shuttle
lifting and heading to the north east towards the Ridge and valley area. It reached
that area well ahead of the dust that marked the truck on the dirt trail. It hovered
a moment, then settled below line of sight. It seemed close to where Thad told them
the clearing was for the favored Krall truck parking area.

In a bit of inspiration, Thad asked, “I wonder if the Krall shuttle
reported anything to the truck they sent.”

Jake told him “I can’t tell you if the transmission was for the
Krall in either of the trucks, but the shuttle did report a parked truck under trees.”.

Because Thad hadn’t asked for anyone else to be included, he
was the only one to hear, so he repeated it for the others.

“Jake said they reported seeing the truck I parked there for
them to find.”

Noreen instantly recognized something that Thad apparently took
for granted. “Friend, Link the four of us here until we ask different. How do you
know what the shuttle told the trucks?”

“I monitored the broadcast, Mam.” Jake answered.

“You always monitor those, but did they speak Standard?” she
asked.

“No Mam, it was high frequency audio modulation in the Krall
language. What you have called ultrasonic conversation.” He answered.

The three Fancy representatives looked at one another in stunned
disbelief. Thad broke the spell. “You didn’t
know
he could do that?”

“No!” Was the consensus and shocked reply from all three of the
women.

Noreen asked another question. “Friend, did anyone ask you to
learn the language and report to us when you had finished?”

“No Mam. I am designed to learn new words in any language, and
I informed the Captain on the day we were boarded that I was building a dictionary
of Krall words. It is not completed, and they in effect have two languages, one
ultrasonic and one in the human audio ranges that…”

Noreen cut him off from a longer explanation. “We can discuss
this later friend. For now, tell us whatever the hunters transmit if you can understand
the words.”

“Holy shit! You’ve had an intelligence source you didn’t even
know about. No way do they believe you can understand their ultrasonic language,
they don’t even think you can hear it.”

“Sir, the shuttle has ordered the truck to follow the humans
and report if any are found.”

“Isn’t that basically what you wanted them to do Thad?” asked
Maggi.

“Since there are no fresh scents there but mine and the dirty
clothes, yes. I want them to go into that cave where I hid the clothes. I wish I
had a remote actuator to blow it if they go inside, but I knew I’d not know when
or if they entered.”

“I wonder if we should broadcast to the Captain and Dillon that
we can listen in on the hunters?” questioned Willfem.

Thad pointed out, “
We
don’t have a secret language or
a way to hide our transmission. It might reveal too much if we try a broadcast,
because Telour may be listening as well. It’s hard to predict what we might need
to tell our people later today. I’d suggest we hold that in reserve.”

“I can see the shuttle again,” Noreen told them. On the monitor,
the shuttle was well above the valley and moving towards the top of the ridge. Once
over the ridge, it flew along the top slowly, from one end to where it crossed the
river gorge and along the other side to where the ridge gradually dwindled into
a low line of rocks out to the compound wall.

The shuttle next flew west towards the jungle to the north and
north west of the dome. It followed a grid like pattern over the trees for several
minutes. That continued until Jake reported a transmission from the truck in the
valley.

“A transmission from the valley says the human truck was found.”
Jake told them. “They are confused by something, and I don’t understand the words.
Five humans were joined by one more human this morning, and all of them moved up
the side of the valley. Only one human was in the truck.”

“Their sense of smell is remarkable. I was the human driving
the truck. The rest was dirty clothes pulled behind me. Apparently, they can tell
the difference. I should have put the clothes in the back of the truck before I
started so they could smell them there. I hope they don’t get suspicious.”

“The shuttle is moving rapidly towards the valley,” Noreen observed.
“I guess they want to do surveillance for them, join the assault, or direct the
action.”

“The warriors were ordered to approach a hole where the scent
leads,” Jake relayed.

“They now report one human left the hole and his scent ends on
the ground below there.”

“I came out of the cave and got on our shuttle.” Thad explained
that anomaly for the others.

Soon, Jake reported another transmission. “Krall from a truck
report hearing a shot and after investigation they have scented three humans and
have their position surrounded. They have requested permission to attack.”

“What?” exclaimed Maggi. “There isn’t anybody actually there,
is there Thad?”

“Hold on. Was the Krall truck in the same location as the valley?”

“No Sir. It was the second truck, on the other side of the river.
It passed behind some low bushes near the marsh and it has not reappeared on the
trail where its previous speed predicts it should have been visible. It may have
stopped.”

Knowing exactly what Thad had realized, Noreen said, “They’ve
found the three hiding in the marsh.”

Jake spoke again as soon as she finished. “The same Krall voice
from the shuttle has ordered them to attack.”

Thad reminded them, “They have helmet receivers, I can warn them.”

“Won’t Telour know the warning came from the ship as well?”

“I have my helmet, Maggi,” He was wearing his armor, but his
helmet sat on a high Krall table.

He leaped over, snatched the helmet up and locked it down. He
quickly activated a general push that anyone in armor was going to hear.

“The three people up to their necks in muck have been spotted
by hunters. They are coming for you now, load up and defend yourselves.” He knew
their names, but that warning was specific enough.

After a minute, Thad heard back a brief transmission. “Thanks.
That Goddamned Gladys had to shoot at a Goddamned eel.”

He told the others what he’d heard. “Cody Masters answered me,
so they’re warned. He says Gladys shot at an eel, which must be what drew the Krall’s
attention. It’s three against three, and they have terrible positions to defend.
It doesn’t look good, even with the claymores and grenades.”

Thad opened his faceplate and turned up the suit’s external speaker
so any transmission could be heard by the others in the room.

Jake spoke next. “The Krall on the ground in the valley told
the shuttle that the scent of five of the humans did not leave the hole, which I
believe they mean a cave. They say their scent is still in the air.”

The AI continued immediately, “The shuttle ordered them to attack
and shoot into the cave as they rush the enemy.”

They waited anxiously for a half minute.

“Oh look!” Noreen was pointing at the monitor, but Thad, looking
out of the dome with binoculars shouted, “Got you!” He leaped into the air with
a fist pump.

About ten seconds later a muffled “whump” of an explosive concussion
reached them, as the dust column rose still higher.

“Damn, I hope that killed some of them,” said Maggi.

Unable to restrain himself, Thad slipped a bit on his com security.
“Jake, have any of the hunters said what happened?”

“The Shuttle first pulled up into my camera coverage,” he stated,
“but it has now landed below the tree line. I have heard no transmission since the
apparent explosion. I do not know if they caused that or if…”