Koban 4: Shattered Worlds (14 page)

Telour considered this precaution. It demonstrated that Pendor could keep a secret, one that if revealed would result in their both being forced into a berserker’s death, on some obscure human world.

Before making his proposal of betrayal, he still needed to test Pendor’s ambitions. “The forces withdrawn from Poldark will be increased slightly; using others on K1, and then sent to invade a human colony they call New Dublin. It is a more populated world than this one, and has been settled longer. It is nevertheless located in what is called the Rim region of the volume of stars that humans occupy. We have not attacked it recently with raiders, to suggest it is of less interest to us. It will be a more difficult operation than was Poldark to invade, because the war was newer and humans weaker then. The forces will consist of the lesser clans taken from here and many finger clans.”

Pendor shook a shoulder in a noncommittal acknowledgement of this information. He was waiting to hear more about the second invasion’s target world. Telour was satisfied that Pendor was ambitious enough not to leap at the first offer.

“The other target planet is one of the worlds that humans describe as an Old Colony. It is deeper in Human Space, and Kanpardi has selected one called New Glasgow.” His dropping the title of Tor Gatrol was deliberate, as a designed reflection of mild disrespect. Another test of Pendor’s ambition, versus loyalty to the highest-ranking war leader.

He continued his proposal, certain that Pendor had caught his implied message. Kanpardi would not like what was being discussed here.

“The other invasion leader will have most of our reserves of clanships to use, and the newest weapons from stockpiles on clan worlds. None of those systems will have been roughly used, as those from Poldark have been, and the warriors will come only from major clans.” He saw the gleam in the Gatlek’s eyes. Good. Now to solidify his desire.

“This will be a more difficult invasion to establish, yet it is the one with the highest opportunity for great status increase if successful, leading major clans to victory.”

Pendor stood straighter, showing resolve. “You have shown me what choices are offered. You know there is only one that exceeds the opportunity I now have, of simply completing the conquest of this planet. You have said this leadership selection requires a recommendation from you to secure, and your words suggest the present war leader would not approve of what I must do to secure your help.” Pendor proved he grasped the political ambitions of his proposed benefactor.

“You are already second in command of war planning, and have only two higher status positions available to you. I do not think you want to be the Graka clan leader, and that high status position is securely held anyway. How would I be able to help you to gain the position of Tor Gatrol? It is also securely held.”

Telour was pleased that he didn’t have to explain the politics to this experienced Mordo clan leader. Not all high status and effective warriors were also effective at interclan politics. He could drop the pretense of loyalty to Kanpardi, a leader from his own clan.

“You were told the invasions are punishment, for the humans that dared conduct raids against our production worlds. What was not spoken is that we do not believe the humans that made those raids are controlled by the human leaders on their central worlds. They are far more capable fighters than the humans you face on this planet. The punishment I delivered to Rhama for the attacks on K1 produced proper and quick obedience. Humans were warned not to attack us from space. They need a stronger, immediate reminder of why they must do as we command. Few clans are happy with the slow, soft punishment Kanpardi offers.”

“The Hammer weapons were destroyed. We cannot hit them again as you did Rhama.”

He wasn’t being contrary, but he wondered how Telour would employ the only alternative severe punishment on a human world. How would Telour convince the Joint Council to replace Kanpardi? He knew Telour had been trying to convince the clan council to use one of the limited remaining super weapons. However, against Kanpardi’s arguments this was not going to happen, so he had to be replaced for Telour to succeed.

The depth of Telour’s ambition, and commitment to punish humanity was revealed.

“A war leader that is killed in combat by the enemy will be replaced by his selected second in command, and he should be avenged. His successor’s demand to punish that enemy severely will be listened to, and obeyed. Those war leaders that support the new Tor Gatrol will be recognized for their own efforts.”

Pendor was being asked to help arrange the death of Kanpardi, in a war where the Tor Gatrol should never directly participate in the fighting. The Graka clan leader was respected by Pendor’s Mordo clan, but not more than their own advance in status, and their place in the histories.

“My Til, explain how it will be done.” He was ready for his next leadership role.

****

“Henry! Can you hear me?” Mirikami was standing by the medlab.

The subdued answer was softer than typical for Nabarone. “Of course I can hear you. Don’t shout. I have a headache, and even my eyes hurt.”

Sounding cheerful, despite the frown on the general’s face, he prodded him awake with news. “We didn’t need to kidnap a Krall sub leader to know what they would do next. They started a continent wide build up at all eight major fronts the day after you went under. There’s fierce fighting anticipated on every front at any time. Your field commanders have asked for you, of course. They were told you had an accident, so make it a point to favor your right leg when you get out of here. The cover story is that you broke it while running, and suffered a mild concussion when you fell.”

“At least the headache will match that story.” He paused as he considered the story. “Shit! Now I’m a fat general who’s also clumsy. Couldn’t I have been hit by a truck?” He griped.

Standing on the other side, Thad, equally loud and cheerful, answered. “What? Then blame some mysterious hit and run driver, or pin it on some poor slob to complete the charade?”

“Fine.” Nabarone conceded the point, in no mood to debate. “I need to order pullbacks to minimize casualties. If this really is preparation for a partial pull out, they’ll only push until we appear far enough back on our heels for them to get out safely. Tet, what else do we have to back up your prediction?”

“Your Planetary Defense Command has satellite images that show clanships, far from the fighting, ready to load columns of equipment. There has also been a fresh influx of clanships, which arrived apparently empty.”

“Then I’d better get my ass out of this box and call for a meeting with the navy. I assume Admiral Foxworthy has her heavy cruisers busy trying to block the incoming clanships. I need a face to face with her, and her boss, Admiral Bledso, to make my prediction of the Krall intentions well in advance. I wish I could tell her where the new invasion is going to be. Smacking that down at the start would be a boost for navy morale. We are going to need them to get active again in this war. I hope we can get them to hit K1 hard, while the Krall are using so many clanships elsewhere as transports.”

Tet gave him another update, as Nabarone’s head cleared. “Major Caldwell made it out of his med lab thirty minutes ago. He’s off planning with some of your commanders for a counter attack, as soon as the swarm of clanships Jump away. You probably can recover some of the territory you’ll lose now. Howard said your civilians were already prepared for fast evacuations from the cities closest to the Krall lines. They have been ordered to go now, over a wider area than you normally are forced to yield for the typical clan assaults. There won’t be much left on this landmass but your forces and the Krall.”

“We’ve known we’d be shoved out for almost a year. We’ve been preparing. We learned from Bollovstic’s mistakes, when they left civilians to the tender mercies of the warriors.”

Casually, Tet told him another bit of news. “I’ve also tackled the issue of convincing the navy and the PU government that the Eight Balls are gone.”

“How can you do that?”

“I’ve made radio contact with the Mark, and asked Jakob, my ship’s computer, to compile a video of the raid on that Botolian orbital station where the Eight Balls were built. It shows the balls being exploded with the obviously human made rail guns you gave us. It includes the orbital station’s evacuation of the alien Torki, the destruction of the gravity projectors, and scenes of our people in unstealthed armor next to the Torki. Then Jakob sent me the recording, and Thad did some editing to remove some things we don’t want to reveal, such as the fact that we fly clanships. 

“I had him add a scene at the end, recorded on the Falcon, of me in our distinct new armor, and initially invisible. I fade into view, and reach up and remove my helmet, revealing that I’m human. I tell them that we are a human force from an unspecified world, which found the location of the only place where Krall forced labor made the Eight Balls. That they all were destroyed, along with the gravity projectors that made them, and rescued the only workers that knew how to build them. I explain that our armor was made by other aliens, allied against the Krall. The Torki are shown entering a docked migration ship, with more of our people in armor directing them. The inference is that there are human and aliens, cooperating to fight the Krall.”

“Hell Tet. You’ll reveal yourself. Not so much to the Krall, but to the Hub government.”

“I’m over ninety. Do I look my age? Facial recognition, even if it finds a match, isn’t going to convince them of a positive identification. Besides, I’m presumed dead, and they have no idea where we come from anyway. It’s my neck, and I eventually expect to reveal who I am to some PU authority. I’m on their side, and I’ll have to prove that.”

“How will you deliver the recording to them?”

“How about if I give it to you? Then you explain that we infiltrated down to Poldark, met one of your staff and told him. Then you hand them a sample of our armor as proof, as a technological offering. I gave the galactic coordinates of that star on the recording, since it wasn’t in that navy scouting briefing you got for us previously. They can send a drone to check out the place. When we left, the small clan that controlled the planet had been wiped out, and the orbital station was intact but airless, and filled with dead Krall.”

“I won’t know if Bledso will believe me, or if she’ll just be humoring me if she acts like she does.”

“Then
ask
her if she thinks it’s a valid report, as you shake her hand.”

“Huh?”

“Henry, what’s the point of having the Mind Tap mod if you don’t use it? Some of the spec ops we brought back with us can help you practice.”

“Oh, wow. I forgot about that. I can finally get back at those sneaky bitches for that backdoor into my computer system.”

“Henry!” Mirikami said firmly. “Please d
on’t
screw around with this ability. If you can’t keep it confidential, you’ll be locked up in some padded room. Curry their favor, don’t piss them off!”

He waved a hand reassuringly. “I didn’t get where I am without being able to keep secrets, and outsmarting opponents. I’ll not be reckless.”

“Good.”

“It’s going to be fun though.”

Maggi was standing with Marlyn, watching as the modular elements of a large roofed structure went up, as the first open sided housing for the “empty” Raspani, newly relocated to Haven. The term empty was how the newly sentient Raspani preferred to describe their largely mindless brethren, which the Krall had created through thousands of years of breeding them for meat.

“The restored Raspani are often rather mean to the empty ones.” Maggi noted, as one of those whose group minds had only recently been transferred into the brain of an “empty” meat animal, smacked the rump of a recalcitrant and unenhanced female quite hard. The female kept getting in the way of the Prada, who were doing most of the roof raising work, with some human assistance.

Marlyn revealed a dirty little Raspani secret, with a conspiratorial laugh. “Blue Flower Eater explained that much of that rump slapping we’ve seen is male-on-female contact, and a sort of sexual foreplay. They have been denied physical contact for a very long time. I’m grateful they believe copulation is a private matter.

The many supports for the structure’s roof were like giant tent poles, and they were each bearing their share of the weight as the broad roof, already hoisted twenty feet above ground, inched its way skyward. The small but powerful motors in the support shafts were reeling in multiple strong carbon fiber lines, attached to the closest nodes of the roof structure. Krall dome making material was being used to make a transparent covered area for the mindless version of Raspani. Enclosed buildings with walls and doors frightened them, because of an apparent association with the forced feeding structures used by the Krall, when those selected for slaughter were locked up and force fed spices, to make them taste better.

With this simple design, they could get out of bad weather through the open sides, and they could leave when they wanted. The rate of transfer of minds into the herd members was slowly increasing, now that some of the Raspani minds, those with technical and science skills, had been given primary control in mind enhancers implanted in several of the newly sentient herd representatives. They had largely taken over the task of making their own mind enhancers from the Torki, and performing the insertion into the skulls of selected healthy herd members.

The Torki had provided them a laboratory full of instruments, tools, and machinery, and the Kobani had furnished some computers to automate repetitious mechanical processes, purchased in Human Space. With Mind Tap instructions, the Raspani were quickly able to learn how to use the alien equipment effectively. This, despite their complaint that the quantum computing qubits that human computers used were primitive, and a slower method of information manipulation. They said there were several higher dimensions of quantum superposition possible than for a simple three state qubit, and computers could be designed to utilize quantum entanglement for faster internal information transfer. They promised to build some prototypes, once they had time.

However, their first goal was to produce mind enhancers for greater distribution of the preserved millions of Raspani minds, most of which were presently crammed into a handful of Torki built devices, embedded in a like number of formerly “empty” Raspani brains.

A transfer of a single mind into a new device required less than an hour. However, there was not going to be any
single mind
Raspani walking around for years, not until there were enough mindless ones rescued from the Krall, or new babies born. The mindless males and females were willing and fertile enough, so reproduction was a current racial imperative, to create new bodies for the crowded minds to inhabit.

Out of an obligation to aid the humans, who had risked their lives to rescue them, one of their scientists, inhabiting a group home in a new body, had asked for one of the warheads of a Krall Worm missile, which he heard described. Not having one of those as a warhead, but believing that they were the same as the Raspani tools people had started calling Q-rupters, Mirikami handed over one of those. The individual also asked if he could examine one of the Katushas, which were once made by the Olt’kitapi, and was another device that appeared to use a similar behaving quantum based application.

All that Mirikami was told was that Blue had asked one of their scientists if he would study the two tools, which this Raspani scientist knew about but had never handled personally. He would try to reconstruct the theoretical principles of how they each worked, and then try to teach the quantum principles of their operation to human scientists or technicians, via their Mind Tap ability.

Initially the awakening Raspani, aware of how young humanity was as a species, had considerable doubts of holding meaningful scientific communications with a presumably primitive and clearly combative people. They initially relegated the story they were told of the five hundred light year sphere of Human Space to a minor fluke of youthful exploratory exuberance. They presumed humans had bypassed the majority of habitable worlds in that radius, as did most species they had met in the past. That would result in a low-density interstellar population, within a given volume of space, as was true for every other known civilization.

When they had the conversion factor of human distance measurements explained to them by the Torki and Prada, and the number of human settled planets and their population totals provided, they radically altered their opinion. Blue took pains to describe to them how difficult it was for them to grasp how far humans had spread in such a ridiculously short amount of time, and shocked at how many of the marginally habitable planets humankind chose to heavily colonize. Marginal, that is, by the standards of nearly every other species the three alien races had encountered.

“The moderate gravity worlds are the most acceptable to nearly every race we know of except the Krall, and now humans. On Haven, we hear your people describe it as a paradise, because of its lush gentle life forms, and its comfortable gravity.

“On the contrary, we find its gravity roughly twenty percent too high, the predatory life forms are too aggressive, and even herbivores are larger and stronger, and too assertive for our comfort. Haven would be bypassed for colonization by the majority of my own people I’ve questioned. As it would be by most of the Prada, and perhaps half of the Torki, who spend much time suspended in water, feeling the gravity less.”

Maggi was listening to this, and said, “Our people that moved here came from Koban, so this would seem a wonderful relief to them, particularly for those that never opted to receive the gene modifications we now have available.”

Blue twitched his elbows in a sign of negation. “Your species was able to stay alive on Koban even before your most radical gene changes. None of us could have lasted a single orbit without proper outside support. The Prada died by the thousands there, even with Krall protection. Only by returning here for extensive resting after an orbit, could they endure the conditions there on return trips. Without the Krall forcing them to go, and providing protection as they worked, the native life and gravity would have eradicated them quickly. Humans accept greater challenges than we do, and you appear to thrive on them.

“You change marginal worlds to meet your needs, when other species would simply pass them by, selecting only the most suitable. Your original physical capability from your home world, one that we would call a high gravity world, combined with your natural aggression, ability to adapt, and a will to shape whole worlds to your needs is unique. When an enormously dangerous and hard world is forced on you, like Koban, your people decided to change themselves to meet the challenge. Our three races would not, or could not do that, nor would it even have occurred to us to try.”

Maggi, personally not overly impressed with humanity’s progress thus far, pointed out some near catastrophic failings. “As recently as five hundred and fifty of our years ago, before even leaving our home planet, we stood on the brink of self-destruction from possible nuclear war for decades. Then, just over three hundred years ago, we nearly destroyed ourselves with the genetic skills we used on Koban to survive. In the near collapse of our civilization, we halted exploration and expansion entirely for almost two hundred and fifty years, barely holding onto what we had. In my own lifetime, we have just rebounded enough to resume settling the worlds we already had in our control. Then the Krall found us. We have hardly been making the galaxy our own.”

Blue made what for all the world resembled a frown, but was a Raspani smile-equivalent. “Yet, you still hold a densely populated volume of five hundred light years radius, with many more planets than my own race ever claimed in our far larger volume. We spent two hundred times as many years to do less than you have. If the Olt’kitapi had not helped us advance faster, we would have accomplished even less. You by comparison, have accomplished a significant portion of what that great and ancient race did, in a fraction of their time. To use your vernacular, as I learned it from your Artificial Intelligence machines, you are galactic child prodigies, with extreme athletic abilities.”

Mirikami, not surprised at the alien’s assessment, diplomatically avoided saying that most aliens, besides the Krall, were overly timid, slow at making major decisions, and lacked the will to explore and meet challenges. For just a moment after having that thought, he wondered if Blue had a version of the Mind Tap gene when he continued speaking.

“Your race must see all of the older races you have met as cowards, and terribly weak.” He held up a hand, in a rather human-like gesture, to forestall any objections or denials.

He conceded, “That is partly the truth from your perspective. Your Mind Tap images are not intended to be cruel or insulting to us, but they are honest.” He quickly detected the distressed expression of Mirikami and Fisher, and hurried to explain.

“Not all of the new Kobani have the mental discipline that those of you with considerably more practice use when you share thoughts with us. Unintended thoughts leak through for the newly modified humans. Particularly those that are of your military professions. No Raspani ever considered this as even a possible life choice before the Krall came.

“However, other than the aberrant Krall example, all of the races that the Torki, Prada, and my people have met, or have information about, evolved slowly from gentle pastoral species that were inherently peaceful, and not aggressively competitive. We believe it was those cautious qualities that allowed them to survive adolescent mistakes, and then to spread into the galaxy. The Botolians were physically strong, warlike vegetarians, and like most aggressive species, they had built super weapons of collapsed matter that they would probably have used to destroy their own civilization in internal wars, had the Krall not done that for them.

“If the Olt’kitapi had never moved the Krall from their home world, they would surely have eliminated themselves there. Our joint experience has been that aggressive species seldom expand very far from their home worlds, before their technology and war-like ways provide the means to end their own existence. Humans seem to have walked a narrow path between self-destruction and of progress.”

Maggi asked a question once posed to the Torki representative, Coldar. “If humans manage to defeat the Krall, are you worried about our expansion into the rest of the galaxy?”

Blue spread his elbows and blew air, in what proved to be an expression of obvious acceptance. “Of course. However, you did not force the Prada or Torki to become your new forced labor, as you clearly had the power to do, and thus far you do not seem inclined to eat me.” This time the vertical smile wrinkle between his eyes was matched by a short blubbering sound from his lips, which the two humans took to be a sign of mirth from the plump Raspani.

****

Stewart MacDougal heaved on the line connected to the cargo net hook, to release the cluster of cables from the attachment ring, so that the shuttle could safely hover away. He was dressed in a vacuum proof soft suit, but it was only for protection from the heat and acrid exhaust fumes of the shuttle thrusters. The new Smart Plastic extrusion machine just delivered might be large, but their mobile version was somewhat fragile, and he had to make sure the shuttle didn’t tip the machine over, as a strong breeze threatened to push the hovering craft sideways.

“It’s free. Move away.” He radioed to the shuttle pilot.

As soon as the shuttle was clear, unsuited men and women from the Hub City resettlement team rushed over to clear the cargo net draped over the big piece of equipment. With this device, they could start building actual structures, which would modify themselves using the built-it preprogramed shapes of basic housing elements. They would be able to move out of the tents they had lived in for a month, as they cleared and leveled an area on which to construct their first Haven settlement.

The Smart Plastic feedstock was already stacked nearby, in its various forms. Large motorized wheeled bins of colored pellets (for cosmetic internal and trim colorations), heavy ingots of white plastic blocks for forming the walls and overly thick malleable flooring, and various specialty types of living plastic inserts, which the extruder would merge with and embed in the structure as it was formed. The reels of command line conductor mesh would be extruded with the plastic, to send the commands and power for the various shapes to take their useful forms, such as basic furniture items like chairs, tables, bed frames, couches and easy chair shapes, which could rise from the thick floors. Additional cushions and mattresses could be fabricated and added later, if the living plastic inserts were not soft enough for a person’s sensitive
derrière
.