Page 45 - The Perpetrations of Captain Kaga

Resolving the Mechanalog Ambiguity

“Captain,” hissed Krif, “I’ve told you to keep your—and anyone
else’s—opinions to yourself. Let’s proceed, General.”
The Melognathan looked from Kaga to Krif. “Okay. I understand
you know something about bintillium, Colonel; ever handle one of
these extractors? Fine. You can drive it to the nearest bintillium
deposit. I’ll follow in a staff car.”
Krif climbed into the cockpit of the huge machine, Kaga right
behind him. The Colonel started the engine and slowly moved off
toward a low hill in the distance, General Pin’s vehicle immediately to
the rear.
Kaga said nothing during the twenty-minute trip. He soon saw
their goal was a mine already being worked by the Mechanalogs. It
was a small-scale operation, and the extractor would chew right
through it and anything else in its path. Krif adjusted the controls of
the machine and headed for the existing hillside tunnel. Then Kaga
spoke up.
“Wait a minute, sir. There’s something else I should tell you.”
Krif slammed on the brakes and the extractor shuddered to a halt.
“Now what, Captain Kaga?” he demanded.
“Sir, last night I made another call. I confirmed what I had
suspected from my slight knowledge of Hurga, your home planet.
Your family controls the bintillium market there, doesn’t it?”
Colonel Krif fibrillated from top to bottom. “You’ve been spying
on me, you miserable biped!”
“No, sir, I haven’t. It’s all in the public files, for anyone to see.”
“Just you wait, Captain Kaga! As soon as the Kepler leaves here with
this cargo, I’m going to fix you! I’ll— what’s that in front of us
there?”
“It’s a Mechanalog, sir.”
Krif, enraged, threw open the window and shouted through his
Languex. “Hey, you! Get out of the way! This machine is going to
drill right through the spot you’re standing on.”
“Over my dead body,” came the reply from the ground.
Krif turned to Kaga, his upper limbs writhing. “You! You put
them up to this!”
“Me, sir? They’re just protecting their rights. They don’t think
they’re not alive, and they’ll die to prevent you from killing them.”

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