I think there was a shift in power with the mallers and Scratch is now heading them up, as far as the question of the gun. That's more of a the mallers have already scoured everywhere and know a powerful gun such as that isn't just lying around. I don't think there is any correlation right now with the mallers and the colony, besides contact would have to be physical as the colony couldn't even reach the tower. So radio contact would be impossible with the mallers by the colony??