UNIVERSAL TURBULENT

XXXVII - PLANET ELGIRON

There was no longer any doubt. Something terrible had happened. There were plenty of reasons to think so, not the least of which was a lack of meaningful radio contact with the fort.

Oh, there were conversations all right, plenty of them, but none that mattered. The com technicians sounded legit but couldn't come up with any officers. Why? Because they were busy? Like the techs claimed? Or because of something a good deal more sinister? A full scale mutiny? Was that the answer? Had the scouts known that something would happen before they left the fort? That would explain how certain they were. But what about the men and women under his command? They seemed unaffected. Why? None of it made much sense.

One thing was for sure: it was impossible for general Saul to keep his mouth shut for more than ten seconds. That being the case, Kairo would have heard from the asshole by now. Yes, something was very, very wrong when Saul remained silent, but what?

The general had no more than posed the question when Gunbuilder materialized at his side. Snow dusted the legionnaire's shoulders. The officer made his annoyance clear. "Yes? what is it?"

The Naa looked unperturbed. "Visitors, sir. Here to see you".

The officer frowned. "Visitors? What kind of visitors?"

The noncom shrugged. "Human, sir. With Naa bodyguards".

"Names?"

"Dooley, sir. Major Bay Dooley, retired, and his wife, Captain Clark Mayweather".

Kairo had heard the names before. Everyone had. Major Bay Dooley, along with the officer who later became his wife, had battled the Midvalians on that very soil. Once the war was over, they vanished into the only partially explored wilderness that still claimed vast sections of the planet's surface. Heard from now and then, especially where the welfare of the tribes was concerned, but rarely seen.

Did the Dooley's have a son? A major? Or a colonel? Yes, Kairo thought they did, if the couple were who they said they were.

Gunbuilder, who seemed all too capable of reading his commanding officer's mind, extended a hand. "The major gave me this, sir".

Kairo took the box, noticed it was heavy, and popped the lid. There was no mistaking the starburst, the Confederate holo seal, or the weight of real gold.

A presidential Medal of Valor. The highest award the Confederacy could bestow. The general cleared his throat. "Thank you, Sergeant. Show our guests in".

The better part of three minutes passed before Kairo heard boots scrape on gravel. A pair of Naa warriors, both festooned with weapons, entered and took a long look around. One of them nodded and spoke into a throat mike.

The woman entered first. She had lived long and hard. But beauty could still be seen in her high cheekbones, the clear gray eyes, and the shape of her mouth. She wore a long fur-lined cloak, open to reveal a cross-draw holster, and a well-cut pair of trousers. Black high-topped boots completed the outfit.

Kairo felt himself weighed, analyzed, and dissected all within the space of a few moments. Her smile lit up the room. "General Kairo, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Mayweather".

Kairo took her hand, found it was warm, and felt like a school boy at a dance. There was something regal about the woman, as if she were special, and well aware of it. "The pleasure is mine, ma'am. Or should I say Captain?"

Mayweather laughed. The sound had a girlish quality. "That was in another lifetime, General. Perhaps you know our son? Colonel Bay Dooley?"

"I know of him, but never had the pleasure".

The woman appeared disappointed. "No matter, allow me to introduce my husband. Bay, the general is directly in front of you".

Washiri Dooley II smiled as his wife stepped out of the way. Dark hollows occupied the places where his eyes should have been. One had been lost, replaced, and lost again. Disease had claimed the second, leaving the old man blind.

Or was he? The ex-legionnaire seemed to know where things were. He held out his hand. "You have one helluva rep, General. The kind based on merit".

Kairo took the other man's hand and returned the medal. "Quite a calling card, Mayor. There aren't a whole lot of those floating around".

Dooley smiled, slipped the box into a pocket, and gestured toward the fire. "Mind if I sit? My legs aren't what they used to be".

A legionnaire fetched a stool while Mayweather removed her husband's riding cloak and draped it in front of the fire. Something about the way she did it spoke volumes and made Kairo envious. Sacrifices had been made to reach his present position, lots of them, and the possibility of a family had been the first.

The cloak steamed, and Dooley accepted a cup of tea. He took a tentative sip and turned empty eye sockets toward his host. "I'm sorry about the fort, General. But you will win it back".

Kairo was quick to cease the opening. "I'm glad to hear it. Any sort of information would be most welcome".

The older man nodded. "Like my father, and my grandfather before him, I hold the position 'Chief of Chiefs'. It's largely ceremonial, since the other chiefs rarely do anything I suggest, but there are some perks, including a rather colorful outfit and a network of spies.

"Most of the spies stay busy watching each other, but some live in Naa Town, and a few work in the fort itself".

Kairo forgot that the man in front of him was blind and nodded his understanding. The Naa had been spying on the Legion since first landing, and, in spite of the endless efforts to w**d then out, always managed to infiltrate one or two agents into the fort itself.

"That being the case", Dooley continued, "I can provide you with the following facts: The mutiny, which may or may not have been coordinated with events elsewhere, occurred at approximately 1000 hours, day before yesterday, and was led by a quad named Davide".

Kairo scowled, tried to remember a cyborgs named Davide, and came up empty. "I was afraid of something like that. Please continue".

Dooley coughed and took another sip of tea. "The revolt took place during the morning inspection. The person who conceived the plan was smart, very smart, since that's the time when most of the officers and noncoms all gather in the same place".