Kit was annoyed. “Challenged?” She said. “Really? I might think you had spoken to my brother. He tells me I’m finger or thumb challenged all the time. Are you positive a day in that is enough? It gets lumpy and uncomfortable after a few hours. I’d be happy to lock him in there for a week.”
“No, he has no serious damage, and there was only a small degree of brain swelling since there was no tearing or bleeding in the brain. A pressure wave passed through his head, probably causing the headaches he mentioned to you, and that wave seems to have detached the leads of some sort of communications transducer. At least I see something like that in the scanner images at the back of his nasal passages, embedded in bone. I’ve never seen one placed there. Transducers are usually placed behind the left or right rear. It may need to be replaced.”
“Ah. That’s what we call a Comtap, and as you thought, it’s a communications device, always placed where you see it for a Kobani, to link to a specific location of their superconducting nervous system. I also have one, but it’s inserted through bone at the top of my skull, and they have self-growing tendrils. His device quit working, apparently when he was shot, and I don't know if it will automatically reattach or not.”
Bandit, always monitoring onboard conversations unless ordered not to do so, offered a comment, spoken over speaker for the befit of the visitors.
“I contain design specifications for Kobani and ripper Comtaps, which usually can self-correct for severed neurological connections, reattaching after a brain has healed from bruising or concussion. Based on similar head injuries, my medical records suggest Ethan will likely regain Comtap use, possibly before he emerges tomorrow afternoon. If not, the device can be replaced at home.”
“Thank you Bandit. That means Ethan doesn’t know I called for help, and they’ll be here when he wakes up. I spoke to them just after they Jumped this afternoon.”
The technician looked puzzled as he asked, “They’re here, inside this solar system?”
“No, I meant they left Koban earlier today. It’s about an eighteen hour voyage, but they had to obtain another ship, so they lost a little time.”
“But you said you spoke to them after they Jumped. Wait! Did you say eighteen hours? The story about you two described Koban as being outside of Human Space, on the far opposite side of our five hundred light year radius of exploration. How’d you talk to them with a local network transducer, and how can your ships travel that far so fast?”
Kit shifted her shoulders, imitating a human shrug. “I don’t know how. I only know that we can. Ethan and I traveled from Koban to Chisholm in less than one of your days.”
The technician wasn’t satisfied. He assumed the ripper was confused about distances and the limits of technology. “You say you talked to them, probably a thousand light years away, when they were inside a Jump Hole and in Tachyon Space, while you were here, in this Universe and on Chisholm?”
“Where else would I be? I used my Comtap, in what I’m told is its tachyon modulated mode. It works instantly, at any distance.”
He smirked. “Sure it does. How does it work?” His tone was skeptical, bordering on sarcastic.
Kit moved her shoulders again. “I’m from a non-technological species.” She held up a paw. “No thumbs, see? My people don’t make Jump ships, Comtaps, or anything else. The ship technology we have on Koban was shared with us by technically advanced non-humans, former Krall slaves, who are now members of our Federation. Most of our ships were taken away from the Krall and improved on by our allies. The Krall in turn stole their ship technology from an ancient people called the Olt’kitapi, who they destroyed. My Comtap is a product of combined Kobani and alien technology, and it takes advantage of our unique superconducting nerves. My people, called rippers, don’t make any of that, although our human friends, the Kobani can.”
“But you would have to know how they’re made, how they work if you use them.”
“Why? Can you design and build a transducer, or a med lab? You use them, and you even have hands, which is an advantage I don't share. So go make one of those things.”
“OK. You have a point.” He conceded. “But your Federation apparently has quite a lot of advanced technology that would be in high demand in Human Space.”
“It is in demand, but only Rim Worlds are receiving any advantage so far. The Planetary Union has been slow to accept us diplomatically, and we will not give away our technology in any case. They haven’t even agreed to engage in trade with us. My brother has undergone considerable genetic changes, highly illegal in the PU, as you certainly know in your profession. That is an advanced technology they have, which no other species has developed to their level.
“Now the Federation is exploiting that technology and genetic advantages, to arrange business deals on Rim Worlds. We used our long-range communications to learn of Chisholm’s range war, and our ship’s technology to travel here quickly. Ethan offered our physical ability for hire. We have contracted to use our capability to support one side of the conflict. Your small ranchers, farmers, and sheep men, are being killed by the rich and powerful cattlemen of the CCA. It’s a good cause to help them we believe, but we’re being paid for our work. Just as I will pay you three for your work.”
Sean smirked. “Huh. Doesn’t look like Ethan has all that much ability.”
Kit glared at him, the piercing blue eyes sending a shiver down his spine. “Maddi Brethard exploited a common human weakness, to offer him a mating session with her, taking advantage to shoot him in the back of his head while he showered, and then dumped his unconscious naked body down a ravine into a creek, bleeding out. He was later pursued by a pack of range wolves that he fought off unarmed, wounding one and killing another. He survived, weak as he was by climbing a tree, and making a spear, when none of you could have managed that after being shot in the head, and he will soon be able to fulfil his contract with.”
Jenny, more sympathetic, had a suggestion. “You should report Ms. Brethard to the sheriff in Trail’s End.”
“No, I know that your sheriff here is paid off by the rich cattlemen, such as Maddi’s father. I met Mr. Brethard inside his ranch house when I went looking for Ethan. Besides, I don't think Ms. Brethard will be coming back to Trail’s End. Not ever. Her crime against Ethan will never be recognized by the law here, but I believe punishment for her ruthless greed has been delivered. I could be wrong and she may have escaped her proper reward. If I am, I will correct that situation, and deliver her to her deserved fate.” Her show of teeth made the others pull back again.
“Well,” the doctor began, ready to get back to his practice and away from a bizarre and possibly dangerous situation, “I think Jenny and I have done all we can here, and in an hour Sean can replace the synthblood bottle. The first container has a great deal of blood to replace, and will empty fast. Will he be paid extra for his time?”
“Yes. Jenny told me your rates and charges, and I will pay him more than we first agreed for his service. I will escort you two to the lower portal, leaving that hatch open only while you walk down the ramp. It spoils our stealth when open, and I don't want curiosity seekers, or gunmen, coming out here.”
An hour later, Sean left with extra credits transferred to his own chit, and Kit told Bandit to move the stealthed ship several miles, to await the expected arrival of friends.
****
A half-day later the second Kobani ship arrived, made no contact with traffic control, remaining stealthed. It promptly descended through atmosphere to land near the Wanderer. Two figures got out, sealing the portal behind them, and walked directly to a vacant place in the field next to them, where another portal promptly opened to admit them.
The man asked, “He awake yet, Kit?”
“Yes, I asked Bandit to rouse him when you arrived in orbit. He asked for food. He wants a rare steak, with mashed grundelberries, and something to drink. I was about to tear off a hunk of meat from the fifty pounds of beef I bought. Heating it was my next p
roblem, and I’d also have to thaw the berries to serve with the meat.”
“I’ll slice a piece of meat for him, and grill it. I can also nuke the berries for a few seconds, and mash them. We brought fresh squeezed Death Lime juice. Tastes from home, with the exotic flavor of beef should get his natural juices flowing and give the nanites more material to complete their repairs.”
A deeper, synthesized voice added an observation and a question. “Hunger is a good sign of recovery. However, do you think he’ll be ready to resume the hunt?”
Kit did her shrug imitation. “I hope so, brother. He hasn’t used his Comtap yet, so the brain damage may not be healed. He was unusually subdued this morning, reluctant to talk to me about what happened.”
The man nodded. “We’ll see if his reaction to the two of us can boost his spirits.”
Shortly, the aroma of a grilled filet, the tart fragrance of crushed grundelberries, and the tang of the green drink wafted through the door of the ship’s infirmary.
Ethan lifted his head above the edge of the med lab, his ripper sense of smell focused only on the food. “Wow, Kit. That smells great, and I’m starved. How’d you manage to grill the steak?”
Entering through the hatch, a familiar voice sounded. “Easy there, you mental cripple. Didn’t you even smell your friends? She called in some thumbs to help.”
Elated, Ethan sat up. “Carson? I didn’t know you were here. Did Kobalt come too?”
The chuffing of the large male ripper was familiar, as the huge teal form entered behind Carson. “Of course I’m here. It takes at least a pride of rippers to keep a thumb-obsessed knucklehead out of trouble. How about you pull both of your brilliant thumbs out of your ass, and get out of that med lab. I might need you to pick my nose later. I don’t know how rippers survived before we discovered the value of human fingers.”
Ethan grimaced at the running joke, but admitted, “I screwed up, guy’s. I should have negotiated this job for the four of us in the first place. I was afraid the doubled fee would lose us our first contract. After all, we had no practical experience to support our claim we could handle any kind of trouble. Unfortunately, I proved that was pure bullshit.”
“Don’t beat yourself up too much pal. If I wasn’t married to Alyson, my former randy bachelor behavior would likely have led me into the same predicament.”
“Oh, great. Kit has already told you. You gotta admire a ripper’s version of things, always telling the absolute blunt truth, without any mitigating circumstances included. You have to hear my side, and see the images of what tempted me, and why I was so off my guard that I got bashed in the head.”
Kit told Carson and Kobalt by Comtap. “He literally doesn’t know what hit him.”
Carson, a glance at Kit, set down the tray at a table and pulled out a chair. “You have my sympathy buddy. Climb out and eat, and Comtap the details to the three of us while you chow down. Kit doesn’t actually know how it happened.”
Kit made sniffing sounds, as if seeking the faint trail of lost prey. “I know roughly what happened, but I can’t explain why he never performed a simple Mind Tap before taking off his pants and gun belt.”
Exasperated, Ethan protested. “How can I explain? I don't remember. Besides, you never asked me anyway. You just put me to sleep and shut the damn lid.”
“It wasn’t sleep, you lucky idiot, you passed out again from blood loss, and it was the local doctor that closed the lid. You were dangerously low on blood and our metabolism requires it for our high-energy transfer rate. He also removed the bullet.”
“What bullet? I was hit in the head.”
“Yes.” Kit agreed. “By a .45 slug, fired at close range by that pretty little female, Maddi, who invited you to receive a complementary naked gift at her brothel. She was paid a hefty fee by Egerton to kill you, then she dumped your presumed dead butt in the creek, where you woke up a few hours later. Now tell us what you can remember of the day, in images.”
“I don’t have images to share,” he repeated, frustrated.
Carson prompted him to try something. “Ethan, you and I have wolfbat matrix memories. A wolfbat can pull out temporary echolocation sound maps from that matrix, which won't become permanent memory until read a few times. Dig into that. I’ll Mind Tap with you, and you put your hand on Kit’s frill for her shared memories as clues.”
“I’ll try. I recall leaving my stuff at the stable, and Kit going out to explore the countryside. I don't remember what happened after I started jogging up the street to Brethard House.”
Sharing his mental view of the street, Carson urged him to concentrate. “Visualize the stable as you left there, then the street as you went up that, and share it with us, so we can ask questions to help you focus. The unconscious memories may be there in the wolfbat memory matrix, if you search it in detail. What did you do with your rifle and saddle? Kit said you bought those, and a horse named Beau.”
The image of Beau was shared, and then a picture of the storage locker holding his gear and long rifle.
Kit asked, “Remember the code you selected for the locker?” The ten-digit code was plucked from his memory matrix, after a long second of sorting through his thoughts from a day ago. That triggered another series of images.
“Ah, after leaving the stable I jogged up the street. It was a nice warm day, and I remember a flower shop I passed, wondering if I should buy some for Ms. Brethard.”
He suddenly froze physically, the images arriving in a kaleidoscope of rapid pictures. The other superconducting nervous systems he was linked to enabled them to absorb and process what he remembered. And he suddenly realized something else was working.
“Damn!” He addressed all of them, via his reconnected Comtap, using words with images. “She set me up, and did it all herself. She embarrassed me and got me to turn away from her, and that’s the last I recall until I found myself face down in the bushes over that creek. She obviously had a gun concealed in the clothing she held. In fact, now I know why she wore those elegant elbow length gloves. They shielded her from a casual or accidental Mind Tap from contacting my skin. Man, was I stupid and gullible.”
Carson grinned, and replied aloud. “Yep. You heard her say her daddy was a major rancher, and yet your mind was entirely focused on the thoughts of her naked body, which she flashed to you when she kissed your cheek.” He poked him in the arm and snickered. “Sucker.”
Ethan blushed. “I made it easy for her. I was so thickheaded and smitten she nearly killed me.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself brother.” Kit offered in pretend consolation. “Being thickheaded is what saved you.”
Carson delivered another measure of false comfort. “At least you’d have to have a hole in your head to ever fall for that trick again.”
Piling on, Kobalt added, “You were cheated of the promised mating. Will you seek to collect your payment?” He chuffed lightly.
Kit’s words promptly ended that line of teasing. “I think not. The treacherous woman is probably dead.” She shared images with Ethan and the others of what happened outside the Safe Room. Particularly her final transfer to Brethard, of the thoughts she had pulled from Maddi’s mind.
Ethan had his doubts. “You think her father was convinced his daughter intended to kill him?”
“In his unblocked thoughts, he considered it probable she would try. She was safe inside that steel walled room, and still had been willing to let her father die horribly, under my fangs and claws only moments earlier, by refusing to tell me where she had left your unconscious body. She wanted to inherit his wealth. Her father had killed her mother many years ago, to protect his young daughter from that woman’s greed. When I left that house, he was also determined to survive his daughter’s greed. He knew so long as she was alive that he would be at risk from her.”
“You think he killed her?”
“He definitely wasn’t going to let her kill him, so I think that was his only solution.”
Car
son was impatient. “That was yesterday. Why don’t we talk about what we need to do next? Kobalt and I came here to help Kit find your disappeared butt. Clearly, your butt’s safe, and it was apparently your dumber end that was at risk.” Both rippers chuffed.
Ethan ignored the jibes. “Well, I want to go into town and check on my horse and gear, and treat you to a Longhorn steak for lunch, and buy Kobalt a slab of meat like Kit’s. If I talk to the people that hired us, I think they might offer you two the same deal. We can point to the Brethard ranch house as an example of what a ripper, working entirely alone, can do to one of the well-protected big outfits, even when they have advanced warning she’s coming.”
“Cardwell Brethard has been paying money into the CCA’s secret war chest, for his share of the cost of supporting the raids and killings. His own hands aren’t personally clean, because Kit just shared with us that he sent some of his own men to lynch a couple of sheep men last year.”
“Can’t you turn him over to the local police?” Kobalt asked.
“No. Locally the police are called sheriffs in the towns, and a marshal covers wider areas, but around here, they’re nearly all taking unreported credits from the wealthy CCA ranchers. They tend to ignore an accusation against a wealthy rancher or their hired guns, unless they shoot someone in public. However, they’ll arrest a small operator on any trumped up charges leveled at them, and force them to prove their innocence. Their juries of peers usually won’t convict them, but they lose time away from working their farm or ranch, and spend money they can’t afford on a lawyer mounting their defense.”
He looked sheepish before he continued. “Besides, we didn’t get any documented evidence against Brethard, since I was naked and being chased by wolves. Kit made a deal to give him a day’s head start from her wrath, provided they told her where to find me, and if I was still alive. I have no problem turning him in if we get hard evidence in any records that we can find, or find witnesses that will testify. A Mind Tap of a suspect here, even if it was done with a shared link with a judge, isn’t going to be accepted in court. Same as on any planet in Human Space. We have to be the judge and jury in this case, and fortunately, the degree of guilt or innocence will be known to us. It’s in applying the penalty phase for guilt beyond a doubt, where things get tricky.”
Koban Universe 2: Have Genes, Will Travel Page 27