Koban 5: A Federation Forged in Fire (34 page)

Even the Krall’tapi normally wore only tool belts, and their Krall descendants wore colored uniforms under their utility belts only as function indicators. Maggi’s brief mental flash of the Olt’kitapi, from Pholowela’s memory, suggested the adult forms of that species also appeared au naturale. She snickered at even the thought of rippers in pants.

Mirikami and Maggi kept to the center when the species representatives spread out and formed a wide line at the end of the ramp, with the Prada to their right, Raspani left, Torki far right, and rippers far left. The others members of the mission remained on the ramp behind them.

They had expected to have to pose there until news crews up on the portico noticed them emerging, but that had proved to be a zero wait time. The moment the big ship winked into view, gasps and shouts from pedestrians had turned all eyes their way. Then the organic looking movement of the main hatch, as it irised open and the ramp extruded, drew nervous looks from the closest pedestrians. The fixed mounted large Tri-Vid cameras up on the portico were frantically swiveled and elevated by their operators to get clear images of the large structure that had magically, and silently, appeared on the Mall grass. Smaller shoulder mounted cameras, belonging to crews from minor news organizations, had their reporters and camera operators scrambling down the steps, rudely pushing spellbound observers out of the way, all in a frenzy to get the best shots.

Using his Comtap link, Mirikami activated the external speakers of all of the invisible suits, now spread around the Mall and on top of walls, statues, and light poles. He employed the active speech mode, where he moved his lips and spoke aloud, so his lips were in synchronization with what his Comtap signal sent to the hundreds of speakers. Mirikami waved an arm over his head to identify himself as the speaker as he began talking.

“Good evening. Please do not be alarmed, and I ask that the public and media representatives remain in place. We are the people that requested this press conference. The people and beings you see by the ship on the Mall are member of the diplomatic mission the Galactic Federation has sent to Earth, to establish formal relations with the Planetary Union. This advance press conference is to introduce us to all the citizens of the Hub Worlds, although we have been known to spinward Rim Worlds and New Colonies for some time, as we helped them fight the Krall. That war is not completely over, but final and total victory is within sight. Part of our delegation, the ten of us in the front line with me, will walk from the ship and up the steps to the portico, where one representative of each of the five species present today will speak briefly. We have paired ourselves into male and female examples, to satisfy natural curiosity. The males are to the right, the females to the left” He stepped forward and turned to his left.

“Our envoy, Lady Margaret Fisher, is here to present her credentials as our ambassador.” Mirikami bowed to her, and she returned the gesture. Then he turned back towards the cameras and his audience, to introduce himself.

“I am Tetsuo Mirikami, the military attaché for the Galactic Federation. Our agenda here this evening is simple. When we reach the top of the steps, Ambassador Fisher will address you first, and then she will introduce our other representative species. After one of each pair of representatives has spoken briefly, using translator devices, Ambassador Fisher will answer a very limited number of questions, and we have a presentation prepared that we hope will assure you that the threat from the Krall is indeed ending. This must all be relatively brief, because we are expected to meet with President Medford and officials from the Department of State at nine o’clock.”

He could see the professionals in the media, looking around for the many sound sources that were carrying his voice. They could see his lips moving in synchronization with what they heard, and yet the volume wasn’t extremely loud because his voice came from many distributed locations, which kept echo reflections from the front of the Capitol Building to a minimum.

“I ask that you form a twenty foot wide space up the center of the steps, directly in front of our ship’s ramp, so that we may walk up to the portico. As you can easily see, we have non-human citizens with us, representing five of the six species that are presently part of the Galactic Federation. If you will make room now, we will start walking. Please do not make any effort to make physical contact with members of our delegation or approach us closely. There is nothing to fear from us, but due to necessary security precautions, no one will be permitted close enough to make physical contact. Please honor this request.”

That last restriction was going to be enforced by pairs of invisible Kobani walking between the paired representatives. It was to be done predominately by using invisible infrared beams and microwaves, to make it too hot for comfort for anyone to press forward. Then, if that failed to deter, by physically lifting or pushing them back if the beams weren’t adequate.

As it happened, the creepy looking Torki and the terrifying rippers fell in at the rear as the diplomatic mission started walking forward. Their presence assured that few of the still gathering members of the public wanted to crowd nearly as close as the twenty feet requested. There was also twice the spacing between the two Torki and the rippers at the very end of the group. It was as if the big cats were uncomfortable with close proximity to the crabs. As it happened, the space between them wasn’t as empty as it seemed.

The gap in the crowd on the sidewalks and street formed quickly and spread up the steps as, Maggi and Mirikami leading, started across the hundred feet of grass before reaching the first sidewalk, crossed the wide avenue to reach the steps. As previously agreed, everyone ignored shouted questions from the press and spectators.

Dozens of news crews descended from the portico level, and crowded in as they reached the steps, apparently thinking the standoff restriction didn’t apply to them. Perhaps asking themselves,
what could the visitors do to stop them, right here in public?
The prompt loss of two pricy shoulder supported Tri-Vid cameras that became too smoldering hot to hold, and increasing heat coming from ear buds worn by multiple reporters served to keep them back. One sound technician, his microphone extended on a long boom, watched in amazement as it mysteriously crumpled into a wad, just before Mirikami and Fisher came within five feet.

Suddenly, a small news camera drone, a device outlawed below a hundred feet over public assemblies like this, tried to zoom low from over the rear of the line. It apparently was being used to try to get a close up view of the huge teal colored tiger-like aliens at the rear. Kobalt heard its soft whine coming closer, and he’d turned his massive head to look back just before it fell out of the air, smoking. To onlookers, it appeared as if a glance from the intense blue eyes of the huge cat had somehow fused the little drone. Several people said as much, and flinched when the blue gaze of either cat turned their way.

Invisible hands ruffled the frills of Kobalt and Kit, and amused mental comments were exchanged as the drone continued to melt on the steps, invisible radiation converting it into slag.

Unable to see how this was happening, a number of the news teams that had clearly caught the events on camera, quickly pulled their reporters and equipment people back a bit farther than the respectful distance requested. The curious members of the public on the steps had already been shoved back by the rude newshounds, who had roughly shouldered them out of the way for the big story. Some of those abused people cheered each time a camera was lost, or a reporter pushed to get closer and suddenly halted, when forced to drop a blistering hot microphone or frantically slapped at an overheating earbud from his or her ear, mouthing curses that the competing local news outlets would delight in broadcasting later.

The entourage reached the portico level and formed a line abreast as they had in front of the ship below, which they now turned to face. The gap on the steps filled in with reporters, mixed with curious spectators. The press, on front and rear sides of the figures on the portico found an unyielding invisible ten-foot barrier that sometimes seemed flexible. A number of knowing disabled army veterans here as spectators, recognized an advanced system of body armor stealth when they “didn’t” see it. The diplomatic mission had obviously arrived with their protection.

Maggi stepped to the forefront, and now the voice coming from all of those elevated locations around the area carried her lilting voice, which had the distinctive accent of someone from Rhama. She knew she appeared much too young to be a stodgy ambassador, when in reality she was a stodgy bio-scientist, with sidelines in politics, diplomacy, and warfare. She just happened to look young, pretty, and blonde. This was fun, but she had hoped for some sort of confrontation with authority, to entertain the watching public around Earth, and eventually all of Human Space. She had a chip on her shoulder today, and that didn’t translate into a very diplomatic attitude.

As she started speaking, Maggi questioned in the back of her mind where Medford and the State Department people were right now. She had half expected them to send someone racing up the street from State’s complex on the Grand Mall. The Presidential Palace faced her now, on the opposite end of the long Mall, and she wondered if Medford was looking back.

****

“They’re
where
?” Medford yelled in a high pitch, but it sounded angry and not just a screech. Special Agent in Charge, Carl Ferguson, the head of her security detachment tonight, repeated his words.

“They’re conducting a press conference just up the Mall, in front of the Capitol.”

He added more detail. “It’s being covered by all the local and major news outlets. They interrupted regular broadcasting, and some of our agents watching Tri-Vid in the break room downstairs said they popped up their breaking news banner and interrupted regular programming. That press conference you told the news bureaus wasn’t happening is underway, Mam.”

“How the hell did they get there? I wasn’t even told they had arrived at the spaceport. We don’t meet with them for almost two hours, and their motorcade was to bring them directly here, to this building.”

“Yes Mam. I’m told the first images put on screen show them leaving a large structure sitting on the Mall grass, with what looks like an open airlock. It matches the shape of the alien spacecraft that helped evacuate and protect Meadow and Bootstrap. The Kobani and some aliens, or possibly animals, walked out of the airlock and started addressing the press and pedestrians over a public address system.”

“I want the capitol police sent there and have this stopped.”

“The Park Police are there now, but Denver Police don’t have jurisdiction on the Mall. This is a large crowd, and it’s growing rapidly. This is a holiday before a weekend. There are thousands of people from all over the Hub out there, waiting for the evening lights to come up soon. Twenty Park police are assigned to the west end of the Mall, and they can’t handle that size of an unexpected crowd. You would have to ask the Denver mayor to send in regular police, and grant them temporary enforcement rights on PU territory. As I said, the Grand Mall is outside their jurisdiction.”

“Send your agents.” She snapped.

The refusal came just as quickly. “I can’t do that Mam. Your safety and protecting the Presidential Palace is the extent of our legal authority. This is a Federal Park matter, or a situation calling for outside civil authorities, not your presidential security detail. We have thirty-five agents on duty tonight, and twenty are in the Palace with your family. I have fifteen agents right here, with us. They can’t go where you don’t go.”

“Stop telling me what you and I can’t do. This entire government enclave is PU territory. I’m Commander In Chief, so I do have some damned authority here!”

“Yes Mam. The Army has a small base near the spaceport, and there are probably navy ships there with perhaps some Marines aboard, and plenty of Marines up at Lunar Base. I think they have to respond to your orders Mam, even for a civil matter. Planetary Defense is outside my area of presidential security expertise, Mam.”

“Shut the hell up. Send Oswald to me. He’s in his office down the hall.”

Ferguson didn’t think telling the President that he wasn’t her errand boy, or reminding her that her Chief of Staff in the next room actually
was
her designated flunky, probably wouldn’t help his career progression. He anticipated he’d be protecting a different president in eighteen months, if this difficult woman were voted out of office. In the meantime, he hoped he’d not have to throw himself in front of a bullet or an explosive to save her, as he’d sworn to do, and would actually try to do if required.

“Yes Mam. I’ll have Secretary Oswald notified that you wish him join you.” He then lifted his left hand and spoke into his cuff button.

In the meantime, Gillis Frambolt, her C of S, heard the yelling and discussion and came in to see what he could do to help his always-complaining boss.

He held up a briefcase shaped object. “Madam President, I have your emergency com set here if you need to contact the Secretary of Defense, the navy or army Chiefs of Staff, the marine detail that pilots your local area flights, or anyone else you need to contact.”

“Thanks Gillis, I can always count on you. Anyway, I think Secretary Oswald and I will have to drive up the Mall to the Capitol and see for ourselves what’s going on. There isn’t any way a frigging spacecraft landed directly in front of the Capitol in daylight and the navy and the Park Police somehow missed noticing that. Have my car and escorts readied downstairs. If our guests are already here, and everyone else on Earth knows about it, I may as well go see them. It’s a photo opportunity I can’t leave all to them.”

She nodded to herself. “If Mirikami is there, I may have him arrested right where all my constituents can watch it happen live.”