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The Death Of David Kano

Authors: Shogun Raptor
Characters: David Kano
Show Year: Y1
Rating: PG
Date: 2003
Shortly after the Eagle accident that cost Paul Morrow his life, strange technical glitches begin affecting moonbase Alpha, It's up to Computer specialist David Kano to solve this problem before the glitches spread to Computer itself and beyond.
Average Rating: 3.0/5 (based on 1 reviews)

It had been a day like any other for the alphans, albeit one without Controller Paul Morrow, who had perished in an eagle accident the previous week. There had been the requisite mourning and soul-searching, with each alphan grappling with their feelings their own way. Some sought solaces from within like Alan Carter. Others looked toward each other for perspective, like the inseparable trio of Commander John Koenig, Doctor Helena Russell and Professor Victor Bergman. But for computer operations chief David Kano, there was only one thing he could count on to soothe his troubled soul: computer itself. Kano knew computer on a level few others did. There were a few who recognized it as being the true brain of Moonbase Alpha but Kano looked at computer the way an engineer looks at a great ship that had been designed by his own hand and now he stood on the bridge. Or the way a renaissance artist would gaze at their work hanging in a museum and knows the nuances behind every stroke of the brush. "Computer confirms it commander" Kano said "It's a nebula like we thought" "but what about that electronic interference?" John asked, "That's not something one normally sees in nebulas." Kano was puzzled indeed, and this time it seemed computer would be little assistance. Koenig's commlock flickered to life, and between the static bursts he could make out Dr. Russell, upset about something "John.... Medical...scans.... Alan... all three of them... radiation sickness...comatose." John Koenig steeled himself, it was too soon to lose another of his friends "Sandra, keep monitoring things here, Kano, you're with me, if what's affecting the commlocks has spread to the scanners, we'll need to fix things quickly before it hits the reactors"

Kano wondered what was happening, this had all the earmarks of a computer virus, but it seemed more methodical. First there was the system short that crashed Eagle one, costing Paul Morrow his life, then the radiation spike in the reactor chamber that bombarded three of the men on duty with the same kind of radiation sickness that had affected Alan after the crash. Then came the commlock interference and now it had spread to the medical bay.

Once there, Koenig and Doctor Russell conferred as Kano ran a diagnostic on the machine, looking at the results quizzically "Doctor Russell, Commander, I want you to look at this" he asked emphatically. Prompted they looked at the machine with what one could best be described as the look of a concerned patient at their doctor's office. "According to this readout, as their brainwave levels decreased there was rise in the low-band EM frequency, that increased at the same rate." Helena Russell's concern became a full-blown worry "can this be connected to what's in the computers?"

"Without a doubt" replied Kano "let's see if we can't reverse the process and get computer to return the brainwaves to their rightful bodies." Kano fiddled with the computer as Professor Bergman walked in. "John, Helena I have a theory," he said "Perhaps we're dealing with some sort of sentient energy."

"Sentient energy Victor?" he responded

"Yes John, think about it, when we lost Paul he was returning from the nebula that we're about to pass through, what if something came back with him?"

John Koenig's mood darkened "if this thing can tap brainwaves and absorb them, I'd hate to think what it will do once it learns how computer operates, Kano, once you've got them back, purge computer's hard drive, that should smoke out whatever this is." Kano did as instructed and slowly but surely, the alphans stirred. Suddenly all their life signs vanished, there was a massive power surge and the panicked face of Sandra appeared on Koenig's commlock "Commander! The reactors are beginning to overheat, if we don't do something soon the moonbase will be destroyed!"

Victor's calm composure became one of steely focus " Apparently it thought that our trying to save those crewmen was an act of violence and it knew just where to hit us, what we need now is someone to go in and speak to it"

Kano stood up and headed for a chair, he had a neural link cable ready to be plugged in so he and computer could interface, Koenig stood before him " Don't do it Kano, you're too valuable here"

Kano stiffened "Commander, John I've been working with computer since before you took control of Alpha, and right now this thing is using it against us, it took Paul, it took those three men, and I'll be damned if it's going to take all of Alpha as well. Right now what we need is a negotiator to speak to them and explain our case and as a show of good faith. If we keep acting indirectly they will destroy us. I've always been better interacting with machines than people, I've never asked for much but I'm asking now, let me do this, give me five minutes"

John reluctantly agreed "You'll get your time, in the meanwhile, we'd better step up operation Burrow. John Flipped on his commlock "this is an all-points alert, commence phase two of operation burrow, I repeat, phase two of operation burrow is in effect, all personnel in main mission evacuate and reconnoiter in the command center". Kano hooked himself into the computer and closed his eyes, a world opened out for him and he saw the moonbase and the three men who were taken. He saw a dark-skinned woman with almond eyes and thick black hair that hung about her shoulders, it was Claire Osborn. She was the woman he loved in college, but there was something different about her, she turned and spoke in a voice that was hers but with a slight metallic reverberation "you had best leave, David Kano you and your people are guilty of a most heinous crime"

Kano was puzzled "what crime do you speak of?"

"The murder of our oldest and wisest citizen, your moon tore it asunder!" she spoke

Kano blanched, she spoke of the space brain

"I am sorry, but we have no way to control our moon"

She glared "and yet you decide to continue onward? Why not simply abandon your moon and live in this place? Better that than destroy our home realm you are about to pass through"

David focused" because we cannot, we are physical beings, we need certain things like food, air and water to survive, I can only exist here because of an implant in my own body"

"That may be" she said "but that does not still excuse your acts, and as such no sooner than you enter our nebula, a transwarp rift will catapult your moon into a nearby sun"

"Please, spare us, if you are so evolved surely you know compassion" Kano pleaded

"Indeed compassion is one of our highest values, but what know you of such things?" she asked

Kano had an idea" I know a great many things about it, let me speak to your people and plead my case"

She stared at him quizzically "you would go before my people and stand trial? That would mean leaving your own kind, would you do that?"

Kano smiled " To save their lives? Indeed I would, we showed deep regret at the loss of your beloved space brain"

The life form that mimicked Claire began to warm "Such is indeed an act of compassion, we had no idea your kind was capable of such things. Come, live among our people, not as a war criminal but a shining example of what your kind can be. The hatred of corporeal life is strong with my people but perhaps you can serve to enlighten us. In exchange we will spare your moon, does that sound like fitting penance for your crime?"

Kano smiled" your judgement is tough but fair"

Back on Alpha there was a sense of relief, but one tinged with sadness at the loss of David Kano, Victor and John were sitting in Victor's lab

"Another of us gone" muttered Koenig "how many more will we lose before we find a world?"

Professor Bergman meditated then spoke "It's tragic John, I know but he did save us, and while he may have seemed slightly out of place here, I for one believe he's finally found somewhere he belongs. Perhaps when the aliens took him, he went willingly, at least I'd like to think he did."

"Perhaps he did at that Victor, perhaps he did, he was smiling when he died"


Copyright (c) 2003. Reprinted with permission.
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