Yojin Suru
Qidan leaned into the can-see, forearms on thighs, weight mostly on the balls of his feet, his rump
barely using his chair for balance. Through cyberspace, he faced Tukey, Anshinkan Chief of Landers
Station, a Category-4 Direvnya on Continent Titov.
Tukey stared back, his exhaustion obvious from his sagging face and shoulders, his travail
literally painted on his features in streaks of dirt and blood.
"Chief Qidan, a Force-8 earthquake hit Landers Station early this morning." Collapsed buildings
filled the picture behind him, their thick walls jumbled and scattered like shards of dried mud.
"I've just completed Phase-1 triage. Out of a population of a 1,306, we've suffered 71%
casualties, including 237 dead and another 341 in critical condition. Less than 10% of all
structures escaped damage.
"I formally request assistance from the Yojin Suru."
Impatient to help, Qidan nevertheless forced himself to work through the two criteria required by
his contract before committing his resources. Instead of demanding answers from his automata,
however, he pinned the requesting chief with his sternest gaze and started in with
Support-from-Neighbors. "Have you called the neighboring direvnya?"
Tukey wilted slightly under the question, then restored his control with a long breath. "We're
ranchers, Qidan, caring for ungulates of all kinds that graze over the largest natural range on the
planet. The closest station is 3,000 klicks from here. I called them: they have very little
assistance to spare and even if they gave us everything, it wouldn't nearly be enough."
Prevention then. Qidan said, "Did you use anti-seismic strengthening patterns?"
"The quake was totally unprecedented!" Tukey's eyes burned with his need for help. "The nearest
fault zone lies over 600 klicks east of here. Nobody lives there, of course. However, Landers
does lie in the caldera of a huge volcano that's been extinct for 700,000 years. The Center for
Geological Research now speculates that a quake in that fault zone shock-compressed the magma that
is now re-collecting under us. We knew about this infusion and started re-inforcement, but the CGR
had given us another 53 years before significant probability of seismic activity. Nobody knew,
Qidan!"
Close enough. Qidan left his chair running. The meeting's hologram rode with him; it also alerted
his natural-disaster team. "We're coming, Tukey."
Tukey scowled, then averted his face to hide what might have been shame. "I can't afford you, even
with the insurance deductible, not in five years' worth of budgets."
"I'll take what you've got, Tukey." Qidan held up a single finger. "Your insurance is paid up, so
I'll make do with just one year's supply of emergency funding, just so you don't get in trouble
with your replacement." He grinned to help the feeble joke along.
Relieved, Tukey raggedly shook his head and waved off any attempt at humor. "When can you get
here?"
"Eight-kay seconds, at the latest. Faster if we can."
"Agreed."
Qidan burst into the central nexus of the Yojin Suru station. People there stepped aside for him.
"See you then." He waved the meeting into adjournment and plunged into the entrance of the
natural-disaster wing. Everyone there scrambled toward the waiting hyper-sonic craft.
"Anything else I should know about?" he asked his llevar.
"Negative report from Chief Klintzich, Direvnya Wausau, Continent Popovich. Weapons cache
disturbed by ground tremor. None missing."
"What are you telling me that for?"
"You placed an override priority on your request to Chief Klintzich. The response retained that
priority."
Qidan slowed to a fast walk. No use showing up before the team-leader finished his checklist.
"Cancel all that," he told his llevar. "Anything else?"
"None."
"Good. I've got work to do."
