Koban 4: Shattered Worlds (42 page)

No sooner than he said that about islands, he looked quickly at Tramakar. “Were there ever any Torki here? They could have swum away from any of the continents, even if their tools and laboratories were destroyed.”

The crab dipped her carapace back in uncertainty. “We don’t have records in our Olts of contacts with any Torki evacuated from Philodor. Prada records from the memories of elders are all we have to guide us. They tell us that small arms production and shuttle building took place here, controlled by Rekat, a minor Krall clan. The shuttles and plasma rifles would at least have required the quantum key controllers for operation, which at a minimum one Torki colony would manufacture, probably two. However, that work could be done on another world, if clanships collected the assembled equipment here, and took them to where Torki lived. My Olt, with greater range than the older devices I would expect to encounter here, has not connected with any Olts from my people. I have sensed no contacts.”

Alyson passed on another bit of dreary news. “The drones report a small continent to the north side of this one has only a narrow strait of water separating it, only about ten to fifteen miles wide, and the images show uninterrupted and empty grassland there so far. I think the Krall made it across, or perhaps a nest or two were left there as well.”

Forty-five minutes later, it was clear the Krall had infested all of the continents, and all of the largest islands. There remained hundreds of isolated small islands with trees, and a range of small animals and flying bird equivalents. Marlyn made a proposal to collect some of them and relocate them to the larger landmasses, for future expansion of their populations, but that idea was rejected by the three alien observers.

“Captain,” countered Dewy, “this world’s natural ecology was destroyed, and spreading small island creatures around is not going to establish what was once here. I believe that a smarter fresh start will be to select animals from known planets, choosing some that can flourish here, and will expand to fill the empty niches faster. We’d need a balance of predators and prey that match, and hundreds of niches filled with compatible animals and insects. It will require a hundred orbits of effort, needing frequent adjustments and revisits to strike a balance.

“Besides, none of our peoples would risk restoring a population of Raspani, Torki, or Prada before then, if ever, because the Krall could eventually return. However, the first steps will need time, without any of us having to live here during the initial ecological turmoil.”

Nawella agreed. “This is a task that we three representatives believe can be left to the efforts of those of us in need of future worlds to inhabit. Haven cannot be the only world we will jointly inhabit. This place seems ideal for developing another harmonious blended society of our four species. It was once a Prada colony, but it hasn’t been ours for thousands of years. We will need joint contributions to rebuild a civilization here, and we want to build a united society. Humans are of course welcome, and your protection and energy would be needed for some time, even if the Krall can be defeated.”

Dewy resumed talking, “We can customize parts of the environments on different continents to suit the needs of all of our peoples. The Torki would wish to inhabit coastal areas and islands, and there is ample sea life for them to consume, so they may be the first to return. Until forests are replanted the Prada can’t easily live here, and even we Raspani desire more than grasses to eat. I would leave it to human settlers to decide what would make a suitable place for normal humans to call home. What would Kobani need Carson?”

He laughed, and then looked embarrassed and deferred to Marlyn.

She said, “What I think young Carson here found amusing is that the harmonious world you envision is imminently suited for your three races, and quite probably would be good for many of the settler types from Human Space, who will want to farm, operate mines and small factories, and build towns. However, when you mention Kobani, you are discussing an entirely more adventuresome new branch of humanity. A world that appeals to them, certainly to the three of us, isn’t likely to appeal to you or most humans. Koban is a paradise for us now, but few normal humans, and none of your three species has shown an interest in living there.”

Tramakar acknowledged that the future interests of the Kobani had been a topic of discussion for some time among the alien community. “It is premature to predict the outcome of your war with the Krall, but our future hopes all rest on your success at controlling their threat. We can only make progress towards a future if we believe you will find a way to do that. The planning must include those that will be part of the overall success. How do we include you? Would you prefer a role that always places you at risk, one that maintains your status as it is now? A protector?”

“Hmm.” Marlyn mulled that over. “I see so many obstacles to our success in this war that I for one haven’t considered a future role for us. I personally want to be an explorer, to discover and investigate new worlds, to scout them much as this mission is doing, only in completely unknown systems the Krall never touched. There are risks involved, and I relish them.

“Others of our people, particularly the young, crave adventure, and some will be willing, possibly eager, to face conflict. Some will be ready to enforce the laws, or defend people from oppressors or unjust laws. I’ll bet, if you speak to Captain Mirikami and Ambassador Fisher, you will discover they have been giving this subject thought for some considerable time. The two of them are always in front of the rest of us in matters like this.”

Dewy, after assessing the demeanor of her co-observers, smacked her lips and snorted in a sound of satisfaction. “We would never push any people into the hazardous role you Kobani fulfill now, yet it was difficult for us to envision what you would do outside of this war. Frankly, we admire, and we fear your capability. The slow expansion of our people in the past, compared even with the expansion of those you call Normals was extremely sedate by human measure.” The Raspani made an arm gesture that was equivalent to a shrug.

“As I understand the word’s meaning in your language,
sedate
doesn’t describe any human society from our perspective, and
frenetic
isn’t adequate to describe you Kobani to us. I hope that we can continue to warrant the friendship and protection of people like you. We Raspani know more of the galaxy than do you, and despite the Olt’kitapi mistake with the Krall, there were valid reasons for their wishing to have a species like the Krall as their defender.”

This comment immediately sparked Carson’s interest. “Like what? What did the Olt’kitapi fear that they wanted the Krall as body guards?”

Dewy, mimicking a human laugh put a vertical crease on her forehead in a Raspani smile. “Let us face one opponent at a time. Is there not enough to worry you now?”

Before Carson could pursue his question, Tramakar interrupted. “I have found Torki survivors here; or rather they have found me.”

****

Using the energy hungry Normal Space Drive, to reduce the sound and blast disruption from thrusters on the small island, the Beagle settled gently to ground. It landed close to the center of an atoll, where one group of former Torki forced labor had directed Tramakar. Landing there, well away from the beach, the spacecraft would cause the least amount of disruption, and pose less risk to the housing caves, and their laboratories by the shore.

It had required extensive explanation of why a clanship that had suddenly appeared in this system was not under the control of the Krall. The Olt of Tramakar had been detected instantly when the Beagle made its White Out, even at a factor of ten farther out than the standard Olt would have managed. At least twenty thousand miles, versus the usual two thousand mile Olt range. However, they had declined to attempt a link to avoid revealing themselves if the Krall had returned looking for slaves. They had even sensed the mind enhancer of Dewy, but with no experience of contact with intelligent Raspani, they had not known what to make of the strange signal.

The Olts used by the Torki on Philodor had considerable improvements over the standard model, which had been used for thousands of generations, unchanged from the revered original Olt’kitapi design. On Philodor, as their few colonies declined under the pressure of hordes of hungry Krall, they were forced to spread apart and occupy smaller islands. There were four colonies now, spread widely for safety, if the Krall ever returned.

The isolated Torki found that they needed additional Olt range to maintain the links between widespread colonies, and they needed them to be far more sensitive to the quantum entanglements that made the links between Olts work. They reluctantly experimented with the original Olt design, and achieved greater range.

This new linking worked despite massive intervening physical obstacles between distantly separated colonies that was more significant than a mountain range; namely, the entire diameter of the planet being placed between those on opposite sides. This redesign was done only so the scattered Philodor Torki could remain in contact globally. Their four colonies were placed on small island atolls spread around the globe, where they had remained safe from the feral Krall on the four continents and major islands.

Observing the curious actions of the clanship, and detecting the cautious radio and radar scans the ship used, they eventually recognized this was not Krall behavior, of “land and take control.” They took a chance and linked to the single Torki they detected, trusting that one of their own would keep their presence a secret if there were Krall aboard.

As with other fresh contacts by Haven Torki with newly discovered colonies, no sooner had the Philodor Torki established a synchronous link to Tramakar’s Olt, with its additional library available, every Olt on Philodor had simultaneously opened up vast volumes of new data to them. It was a day of multiple miracles. One of the miracles to them was the greatly enhanced mental linkage between Torki, which their cousins on Haven had been able to use since meeting Maggi Fisher the first time, and the Olt’s reaction to a Mind Tap.

The new library knowledge implied their species had made an evolutionary mental leap, able to share detailed individual thoughts and images directly, not simply the old consensus thinking of an entire colony. There was new knowledge of how to manage this process without being overwhelmed. How to maintain privacy and preserve your individuality.

Tramakar used the link to explain that this apparent new mental evolution was actually an accident, and not evolution. It had been triggered in the Torki Olts of the Haven population when they were contacted by a new species that called themselves humans. They were a new ally against the Krall, and this species
did
have a new mental ability.

The Olt’kitapi had not foreseen this possibility, of an outsider species with that ability contacting the Torki before the crabs gradually evolved to do the mental gymnastics on their own. Ready or not, since meeting Kobani humans, the Torki now could share thoughts directly using their Olts.

After introduction of the Philodor colonies to their new human benefactors, plans were made to route a migration ship here, with an armed Kobani escort, to evacuate the four Torki colonies to Haven. The Migration ships had been modified while in orbit at Haven, to access the faster T-cubed level of tachyon Space. They could move all four small colonies in a relatively short Jump, at just under a week. Four Torki representatives were selected, one from each atoll, to select a new colony site on Haven for their combined populations. The Beagle could hold enough salt water and live seafood in a special hold for that handful of Torki to travel in comfort for a week.

The existence of a self-aware Raspani aboard, with a functioning mind enhancer, had been almost as much of a shock and as thrilling as discovering that these bizarre looking humans could share actual thoughts directly with any of the aliens, without a device planted in their brains.

Because the Raspani mind enhancers were an older technology, also designed by the Olt’kitapi, than were the Olts, the Raspani didn’t enjoy the same level of mental contact between their citizens, as did the Torki. Had the Krall revolt not interfered, it was likely the Olt’kitapi would have lived to share the newer technology with their earlier client species.

No matter how it had come about, the ability to link with the Raspani’s mind enhancer, a source of completely new information for the four Torki newcomers, was something they could not stop asking to do. Until Dewy asked them to
please
let her mind rest.

This sharing process wasn’t automatic and as direct with the Kobani, because physical contact was required for the mind-to-mind exchange to work. Even so, in the week before the Beagle departed, the island Torki population found inventive excuses for physical contact, so they could thrill to yet another alien’s thought processes and new information. Only Nawella was immune, and frankly, the Prada was feeling a bit left out of the loop.

On a given day, just over a week after their arrival, Captain Greeves told them that they needed to start their return to Haven. She explained the Kobani long-range Mind Tap ability to the four new Torki representatives, and told them why they needed to depart today.

“We need to Jump on schedule, because not only have we learned all we came here to learn, but a communications test is planned with another of our ships, which will enter a Jump Hole sometime today. We can’t exactly synchronize our joint entry at this distance, which isn’t necessary anyway. Whoever enters Tachyon Space first will send a message, which will exist in that alternate Universe for up to five days. The ship that is second to enter will receive that message, and send their own message in reply. It is not a conversation, merely information sent for future reception. Later, when each ship exits Tachyon Space we get the replies to our first set of messages. This comes only in a brief flash of mental transfer. This is an ability that only we humans with the telepathy ability experience.”