Koban (64 page)

“Dillon and I volunteered to be test subjects, and we can’t be
sure if it will work. We don’t want it generally known because we don’t have resources
do this for everyone.”

“I wish you success.” Was his only comment.

Maggi changed the subject. “Aldry had that thorn you gave us
carefully studied. A spectral analysis and chemical breakdown shows that yellow
wax coating is a potent neurotoxin of a different type than we can find in our
very
extensive
reference library.

“We compared its effect on some cultured nerve cells of wolfbats
that we killed and preserved from our first day here, and also on some skeeter bodies,
and on one live skeeter we captured. The neurotoxin is very effective on both of
their nervous systems, and interferes with the same basic neural pathway on the
mammal analogue, and the insect analogue.

“The similarity of their two nervous systems indicates that there
is an extremely ancient genetic link between these two very different creature’s
biology and nervous systems. It probably reflects an early step in life here, and
may be common in many life forms on Koban.

“We had previously determined that the nervous systems of wolfbats
are almost impossibly efficient and fast at transmitting signals. They have organic
superconductors connecting their brain to muscles at much higher than room temperature.
We have superconductors at similar temperatures, but these are entirely manufactured
and nonorganic. It explains their fast reactions, and low loss of energy controlling
muscle movement. They can flap harder and longer for the same energy output in a
heavier gravity that any animals we’ve ever studied.”

“The thorn’s neurotoxin is well tailored to suppress the superconductor
ability, and slows or scrambles the wolfbat and skeeter nervous system signals.
That probably causes them great pain. It severely represses a human’s nervous system,
as we already knew, to where we can’t breathe or move and we would suffocate in
great pain, unless our heart or brain is shut down first.

“Here’s the most interesting part. We have some limited samples
of Krall blood, collected on the ship when they conducted mock combat exercises
with one another. Even without samples of a Krall’s nervous system, we see some
genetic parallels to Kobani animals that perhaps account for their own fast reaction
times. They don’t have organic superconductor tissue, but we found a similar genetic
structure where a relative few mutations might incorporate the heavier rare elements
we found in the Kobani animals nerves.” She paused a moment, thinking.

“It’s possible that the thorn’s neurotoxin would have a similar
effect on a Krall as it does on a wolfbat. It might not completely paralyze them,
but it would probably slow them down dramatically and really hurt like hell.”

Thad said, “That matches with how carefully I’ve seen them behave
around the Death Lime shrubs. They absolutely won’t touch them despite liking the
fruit as much as we do.”

“Unfortunately, we can’t reproduce the toxin artificially. Not
yet anyway.” She concluded.

“Well, when we can produce it we will,” said Mirikami. “We’ll
make do with what we have now.”

“Speaking of what we have now,” Noreen added, “The relay transmitter
is now near the top floor of the dome, so we have low power transmissions everywhere
inside the dome for good Links to our AI friend and each other, and we can tie in
some cameras for him if we want.”

“There’s second relay,” Dillon reminded them. “We don’t have
the means to talk back to the ship by transducer from far out in the compound, not
without using a standard radio. Can we use the relay out there on Testing Day?”

Mirikami squashed that notion. “We only have the one spare, and
it would still stand out as a transmitter source out in the boonies. After all,
it is a type of radio, so the Krall would probably find it the same as they can
detect and home in on the com sets in armor. We can hear our friend from out there,
and Telour already allows us to transmit from here, so all we lose is the ability
to ask for information and Link back to the ship.

“Thad will teach us some simple hand signals to show to our friend
if he can see us. I’ve also asked Thad to remotely monitor us out there, and help
our friend make better decisions.”

“Tet, do you think the Krall will just stumble into your booby
traps?” Maggi asked. “They have superb vision and those reflexes.”

“We are going to place a number of mechanically triggered devices
where we hope they’ll hit them, but we have some special remotely triggered guns,
mines, catapults and crossbows that we can set off when we have targets, or to serve
as distractions.” He told them.

“And when I left the machine shop this afternoon, one new piece
of under armor gear appears to be taking shape. Literally.” He gave them a sly smile.

“Remember the white Smart Fabric table cloths? They
can
be colored by slight burning via a tunable laser, to several shades of tan or deeper
brown. The same lasers can cut them into pattern pieces, and melt the seams together
to form an undergarment that is proof against stings from skeeters, and from the
little kants that crawl into the armor. It will also resist punctures from bullet
fragments that make it through the armor.”

Greeves hadn’t heard about this innovation. “Won’t it be hotter?”
he asked?

“A little bit possibly, if you normally wore armor naked,” Mirikami
acknowledged. “I believe you have some clothing on under you armor now, right?”

Thad nodded.

“Like clothing made from the more stylish stuff, it’s designed
to allow perspiration to pass through, and for air exchange. I don’t feel any more
uncomfortable in my best Smart Fabric uniform than in my utility clothes when I’m
outside. We all wear
something
under the armor to prevent chaffing. I’ll
just wear my underwear and a well-shaped table cloth.”

“How many sets can we have before Testing Day?” Even Dillon hadn’t
heard about this surprise.

“The slow part was treating all the surface of the fabric to
darken it by mild laser burning without weakening its strength. Chief Haveram spent
a lot of time working out the technique. Our AI friend can now calculate a custom
pattern for each of the eighteen of us going out, and operate as the laser control
tailor when the pattern pieces are joined. If we bring the whole team over to the
ship, everyone will get a suit of long underwear while they wait.”

“Are there any more surprises I’d like to know about Sir?” Dillon
smiled.

“I hope so.” He replied. “Hold on while I check. Link all of
us here to Mister Branson.” He told Jake.

“Cal, what did you learn about the Katusha’s?”

“Oh. Excuse me Sir, I was just running a range test on five people.”
He answered. They heard him dismiss whomever he had been working with.

“Captain, these gadgets have a fixed range of just over one hundred
twenty feet, no matter what you place between the device and a person with a tattoo
you’re searching for. The detection is as strong through air as through metal or
plastic, it even saw through the fusion bottle’s magnetic confinement field.” He
sounded awed.

“None of our scientists have any real clue how they might work,
but were all quick to remind me that they specialized in biology, not physics.

“Whatever is embedded in our tattoos, these gadgets detect it
every time. One person or five of them, the intensity of the detection light when
aimed at a tattoo, or a group of them, is always the same based only on the range,
and how well aligned the device is. It’s like there’s an invisible beam, or something,
that sees a tattoo through anything.

“At a hundred thirty feet you have no signal. At just over one
hundred twenty feet, a dim light appears if pointed directly at a tattoo. It brightens
steadily as you get closer, or if you aim more directly at the target. I tested
on a Krall on the other side of a wall in the dome and it worked the same as it
did on the ship using our people.

“The width of the detection zone seems to be almost a cone that
is about fifteen degrees wide and twenty degrees tall. That’s about the same ratio
of the oval mouth of the thing and the tattoos it gave us. Aside from looking for
those lottery cheats, what do you think we can do with them before we have to give
them back?”

“Nice report Cal. I’m thinking we may use a couple to watch for
Krall sneaking up on us on Testing Day. But I really don’t want any Krall getting
that close to us, so I can’t say for sure how useful they might be.”

“By the way, what did that female K’Tal look like when she gave
those to you?”

“Huh? That was a female? It looked exactly like any Krall I’ve
seen.” He paused briefly as he thought back. “But it had a more filled in tattoo
than a novice, and it was a bit smaller than the other black clad warriors that
returned with Telour. It also spoke a few words of Standard, and sounded as deep
and growly as any male voice I’ve heard.”

“I guess only her mother would know,” Dillon cracked.

“Know what?” Cal asked.

“Never mind Cal.” Mirikami wanted to keep things on track. “I
think you can take those things over to the dome now to seek out those hidden rats,
but keep them in the hands of our people. I also don’t want any of us getting into
a shooting match if they are located with those. We are not the aggrieved people,
so allow the Primes to take their own vengeance. Mirikami Out.”

Turning to Maggi and Noreen, he asked, “I want you two to locate
the sixteen people on the list and tell them about the protective under garments
we can give them. Send them over when they are ready for a fitting.”

“Yes Sir!” Maggi saluted. “But Captain Reckless had better finish
that now cold meal still lingering on his plate,” she warned.

Dutifully filling a fork and looking to his fellow lab rat, Mirikami
winked. “Dillon, I begin to see why you are constantly sparring with this relentless
woman.”

“At a minimum I recommend you get a cup Sir.” was his muttered
reply.

That earned him an affectionate hard smack on the back of his
head as Maggi stood to leave, causing Dillon to jab a lip with his fork.

“And a helmet.” He added.

Later, trying on the under armor garments, the fit was uncomfortably
snug with the heavy meal they had just completed.

“Our tailor may need to let these out,” Dillon commented. “Many
more of those meals and I won’t fit in my armor either. These feel warmer than I
expected, despite what you said earlier. But I think that’s the fever causing that.
I don’t know about you, Sir, but I not only don’t feel heat adapted, but I could
use a nap. If our metabolism is revving up, I sure don’t feel it yet.”

“Patience Doctor. You’re the scientist, and certainly heard Aldry
tell us we had perhaps thirty six hours before the effects could be felt. But the
fever makes me drowsy too.”

They sensed commotion behind them, and heard Maggi’s voice. “Go
through the door to your left, the scanner measurements have been used to cut the
garment pieces, and it only takes a few minutes to assemble them for a fitting.”

“Captain Mirikami!” exclaimed Deanna Turner happily, as she caught
sight of the men. “I see you are here to model for us. Very stylish.” She giggled.

The mottled brown and tan garments covered them from toes to
neck, like dirty child’s pajamas with feet.

“Deanna, I’m delighted to see you…, and how many came with you?”
He looked past her as people kept streaming into the former wardroom turned to fitting
and assembly room.

“We have all sixteen Captain,” Answered Noreen, as she and Maggi
brought up the rear of the group.

“Excellent. I’m sure you were told about the benefits of these
finely made, beautifully colored, reasonably priced free body suits.” He grinned
back at the group of men and women, some looking doubtful.

“We were told they could help protect us.” Deanna was acting
as spokesfem for the group. “But none of us could ever afford Smart clothes. We’re
nearly all from the Rim where fancy is too pricey. Pretty those are not, but Noreen
say’s they’re also tough. Can we please see that demonstrated?”

“As a matter of fact Dillon and I had the same concern. In the
corner,” Mirikami pointed, “is a plastic tailor’s dummy from our uniform stores.
It has a homemade body protector like mine covering the torso. There are a couple
of sharp knives and a short sword on a table next to it. Feel free to abuse the
dummy with those.”

All of them took a turn whacking and stabbing the dummy, and
every one of them failed to cut or penetrate the fabric. One man, of the five that
had not applied to volunteer to work with the “Fancies,” ran the dummy and thrust
with his full weight behind the short sword. He didn’t cut through the fabric but
managed to knock over the dummy and bloody his nose on the wall as he tripped.

Deanna, barely suppressing a laugh asked, “Ben, are you OK? The
dummy looks fine, and at least
it
doesn’t have a scratch.”

Grumbling and embarrassed, Ben climbed to his feet and walked
back to the others. “Alright, it won’t let a blade pass, which means it will stop
skeeters and kants. Even a Krall probably can’t stab us through that crap. But they
don’t need to stab us if they can simply blow a hole in us.”

Without warning, he whirled and pulled his pistol to fire point
blank at the prone dummy. The WHOOSH-BLAM startled them all in the enclosed space.
The dummy slammed back into the wall and rebounded.

Lunging at his gun hand as he appeared about to fire again, Mirikami
shouted, “Stop you idiot! A ricochet might kill someone.”

“Oh, Sorry,” the man said, allowing Mirikami to push his hand
down. “I didn’t think about that.”

“Ben, that was stupid.” Deanna said, accompanied by angry remarks
from the others.

Dillon picked up the dummy. “There’s no hole.” Walking to the
corner, he picked up a flattened soft nose slug from the floor.