Koban 4: Shattered Worlds (13 page)

“Henry, what are they using clanships for, now that they don’t have migration ships?”

“Tet, please don’t play your Socrates and student game with me. I’m too thick headed to answer your questions on my own, so eventually you force me into seeing the true answer for myself. Just tell me. Why don’t the clanships leave?”

“They are not yet ready to pull the clans back, and load up their only remaining form of equipment transport. You would take advantage of the lull in fighting, and attack them in force if they did that now.”

“Huh?”

Thad and the others looked just as confused as Nabarone.

Mirikami, Socratic to the end, asked, “What would distress the Planetary Union the most, besides the loss of Poldark?”

The light went on in Nabarone and Thad’s eyes simultaneously, with the enemy pullback suggestion Mirikami had provided.

Thad said, “If the Krall launched a broad assault, pushed us back here, then suddenly pulled some forces out and invaded another colony. It would explain the clanship build up that didn’t bringing in more warriors or supplies.”

Nabarone understood the transport issue as well. “They can’t move material and forces as quickly for staging an invasion using the smaller capacity clanships, unless they have a lot of them handy, and the material they need. A lot more material than they require for the fight here is just sitting on Poldark. They intend to move it elsewhere!”

“That’s only my speculation, Henry. However, it fits what I’d expect from a leader that thinks like Kanpardi. If some other Krall, like the late Parkoda for instance were in charge, Poldark would be dead meat in two months, and then probably a couple of other planets would suffer the same fate in quick succession. That is wasteful and inefficient from the perspective of an intelligent Krall, and not a particularly good outcome for us either.”

Captain Rivers said, “We need to get this information to the Hub government. The navy could be lying in wait for them. Either when they leave here, or wherever they try to invade next.”

Mirikami shrugged. “The next target, if I’m right about any of this, could be almost any world on this side of the Hub. The fleet can’t wait at all of them, and they can be on the ground quickly if they White Out close in, as they always do here. When leaving Poldark might be the best place to try to ambush them, but it isn’t as if the fleet could suddenly sneak up on them before they started to leave in a swarm. They would Jump as soon as they cleared atmosphere.

“Besides, Henry, I’m talking about
you
needing to warn the Lady Admirals of this hunch of mine, which would have to sound like your own notion.”

Thad reminded both Nabarone and Mirikami of Henry’s prior sour relations with the navy. “You’ve been so sweet with them in the past Henry. Tet, do you think they are going to listen to his advice now?”

Nabarone sounded indignant. “This goes beyond personalities. We are talking about a change in the course of the war. We have to convince them.”

Mirikami agreed. “Without evidence, that will be hard to do. However, while you are in bed with some fictitious ailment this week, getting your new hyperactive body, a Special Ops team might be able to get some Mind Tap information that will help you to convince them. Then offer this information freely, as a gift, and when it happens, assuming it plays out as I suspect, you gain some credits with them for your next proposal.”

Nabarone had doubts. “You just said we can’t do much to stop them from pulling forces from Poldark, and we can’t predict where they will invade next. If my forecast proves accurate, how will I spend those credits you think I’ll earn?”

“The navy doesn’t have to guess where the next invasion will actually be, if they hit where part of it will likely be staged. Their forward base, K1, is where the additional forces and material will come from. They need more material and warriors than they can remove from Poldark. It’s time the rest of the Hub military joined the Army in this damned war, and stop waiting for the Krall to finish us off one world at a time.”

Major Caudwell, the general’s frequent liaison with the navy knew the navy’s fears. “They’ll worry about being blamed again if the Krall use Eight Balls if they attack K1 a third time. How do we convince them those weapons were destroyed? Who would we say did that?”

Mirikami nodded, “They need to learn something about our raids eventually, especially the destruction of all of the Eight Balls, and about the Krall’s temporary logistics problems. They have to take advantage of that. Unless we learn what the Krall are really planning at K1, we can’t risk a mistaken prediction concerning an increase in combat on Poldark, followed by a partial withdrawal. If we miss that one, we won’t get the navy’s attention again easily.”

Nabarone resigned himself to some navy butt kissing. “Ok, I’ll suck up to the admirals, and I’ll suffer some pains in my ass in a med lab, while you have the fun of planning a covert mission.” Suddenly, a worrying thought occurred to him.

“Hey! You aren’t going along are you, Tet? Even a Kobani isn’t indestructible.” Mirikami was the force that motivated his people, and the Kobani were the key to holding the Krall back while humanity prepared. Nabarone considered him too valuable to risk on a Special Ops mission.

“Thad, Dillon, and my lovely new wife Maggi, all threatened to make my life miserable if I even tried to include myself on a raid.”

“Holy crap! You’ve avoided marriage all these years and
now
you slipped and got yourself caught? I thought you were a confirmed bachelor, like me. I’d heard Dillon and Thad mention her often, but I thought from their comments that she was…, ah…, somewhat, uh…”

Mirikami semi-rescued him and completed his sentence, it having taken an awkward turn. “Older?” He furnished, with a frown. Watching Nabarone redden in the face, he switched to a grin and completed the rescue.

“You forgot about the rejuvenation mods, which we learned from studying the Prada genes. I personally think I look to be in my late twenties now, by my choice to stop the regression there. Maggi looks perhaps twenty-one to me, although she says her appearance is closer to how she looked at twenty-five. At a hundred and twelve, I’d stack her up against a platoon of your best Normal commandos, and send flowers to their families.”

In frustrated envy, Nabarone blurted, “God, I hate all of you young looking shits! I can’t do that without losing my damned command when the changes would be so obvious. In addition, probably losing my freedom if not my life. I’m already worried that someone will connect my revitalization with the truth. It’s why I’ve been torturing my staff, and myself, by running every morning to prove I’m on a fitness kick, before I really start to
look
fit.”

With a wry grim, Caldwell pointed something out to his boss, again. “Henry, I was a captain in a PUA Ranger unit for a year, right before I became your aide. In that unit, everyone ran every day, and I
tried
to talk you into running with me when I first came here. Growing a new head after it was bitten off a few times proved it was futile. I’m happy to be running again.” Which reminded Nabarone of his past responses to suggestions that he get out of his office more.

“Fine. All of you gang up on the poor, out of shape bachelor general. I’ll get my mods, and put you all to shame.” He promised, with a wink.

Thad, cautioned. “Don’t do it all at once Henry. Your caution to prepare people in advance by running was wise. However, you’ve been a desk jockey for too long to suddenly become Mr. Universe.”

“Bah! If we keep talking about this, the mods won’t get started. I only have four days to spend in that iron maiden of a med lab. Same for my staff. Is that right? The recuperation can take place while we work, if we stay squirreled away, out of sight in our offices for another week?”

Mirikami shrugged, as he nodded. “Aldry and Rafe, our best minds on the nanite improvements, say the aches, pains, and some swelling will be present only for the week after you climb out of the med lab. It’s age regression, which takes the longest. Replacing all of your cells. You may have to wait for the war’s end for that.”

“Tet, that’s the first time I’ve heard that stated so casually. War’s end. I hope I live to see that.”

Standing, Mirikami suggested they all finish their drinks in a toast. “To the end of this war.” They clinked glasses, and downed their drinks. Mirikami, following Thad’s recommendation, had not told Nabarone that a Kobani’s high rate of metabolism made getting loaded a tough task. The hard drinking general might not have liked that very much.

They led the four Kobani candidates to where the med techs had unloaded and set up their equipment, in the infirmary of the Caldron training facility.

Mirikami, after the introductions, said with a smile, “We’ll see you in four days, as new men. At least new on the inside. The outside will take another month to show.”

****

Telour had informed Gatlek Pendor of the general assaults he was expected to conduct on all fronts, attacking each of the various human armies’ strongest forces. The instructions were delivered in the presence of all three other high status warriors that Kanpardi had sent with him, as confirmation of his loyalty. The initial news was received with understandable enthusiasm. Tempered a moment later by the explanation for all of the clanships from various clans that had been landing, and staying on Poldark. They had not brought much in the way of new weapons or support equipment, nor even warriors for rotation.

The explanation that they would be used as off-planet transport for half the warriors here, perhaps one third of his mini-tanks, plasma batteries, and laser artillery defenses with their counter battery rocket launchers, generated a much colder reception. Pendor’s initial response was hostile and borderline rebellious.

“I am winning this war, in as slow a manner as I was ordered to do. Now I am told to push back the enemy quickly so I can safely withdraw much of my force, as if I have been beaten. This is too much like a defeat. I cannot order my forces to do this, not after their blood is heated to boiling by being unleashed for attacks on all fronts.”

“There will be a new invasion started, on a more populated human world, and these clan warriors and equipment will be used for expanding our war. And to punish humans for attacking our worlds where we build our weapons.”

He offered Pendor a conciliatory comment. “You have fought this war effectively, making this move possible here, and still be able to defeat the enemy with a reduced force. However, there may be an expanded role for a war leader such as you, in one of two new larger invasions that are planned.”

The light of ambition winked on in Pendor’s eyes. The Poldark Gatlek promotion was only given to him after the invasion was already successfully started, and the old Gatlek had stupidly allowed himself to be caught in an ambush and killed. Pendor wanted to gain a place of honor in a history that mentioned him by name, as having secured the more difficult first foothold on a human world.

“Is this an offer you are making to me?” he inquired.

“It is one I am willing to discuss with you. A recommendation from the Til Gatrol to the Tor Gatrol carries considerable strength. If that were backed by your strong support for the offensive action, and then a successful partial withdrawal, it would improve your status. There are many contenders to lead the two new invasions.” It wasn’t necessary to look at any of the three other high status warriors present, which Kanpardi was cultivating, to know who the strongest competition was.

Deciding there would be something that Telour wanted in exchange, because his recommendation was not promised only proposed, Pendor saw no down side to agreeing. He could agree, or his successor could do so in his place. “I will support the Tor’s plan,” he said.

Then, to find out what Telour’s conditions might be for a recommendation, he wanted a private conversation. He asked the three war leaders that came with Telour to meet with his sub leaders, to discuss details of how to conduct the simultaneous offensive actions. This was a reasonable request because it involved obtaining cooperation from multiple clans, and preparing for the timeline of the subsequent withdrawal. His staff of sub leaders, who had been allowed to hear the discussion but not participate, would resent the outside interference. However, that was merely a diversion by Pendor so he could speak alone with the Til Gatrol.

When the control room emptied, Pendor led Telour into an adjacent smaller room, with obvious soundproofing on the interior walls, constructed completely inside a large copper wire mesh cube. Pendor secured an outer door made of the same copper mesh, and then he closed the soundproof door of the inner cube.

Telour had never encountered these sorts of security precautions inside a Krall bunker. “You do not trust your own staff?” he asked.

“I am careful to avoid human spy bots more than distrust my staff. However, I think that we do not want any ears but ours to hear this discussion.”

“What is the purpose of the metal wire box?”

“We learned that our efforts to intercept human messages, before they were encrypted for transmission, were blocked by use of such cages. Humans we captured were asked about the wires. Two of them called this a faraday cage, but neither knew why they were called that. Their simple construction makes the inside of this room very resistant to all radio signals. Human or Krall listening devices cannot hear us or send a signal outside.”