Koban 5: A Federation Forged in Fire (57 page)

“That is the most depraved sort of thing some of them do personally, but all of these sheiks sent thousands of men and women, and sometimes children, to their deaths in the arenas around the planet in each decade of their rule. Revealing that via joint Mind Taps might stimulate suitable outrage in the population of the whole planet. The sheiks control every form of planet-wide communication, so few of their serfs know the scope of what happens at their restricted arena entertainments. Only the wealthy, their families, and favored supporters were invited to watch, make bets, to buy and sell human fighters or teams, or to buy or trade the animals used in these shows.

“That sort of arena murder was on a much larger scale than the personal hands-on killings. I think many people in the general population must have suffered from their cruel indifference. Other than word of mouth, they couldn’t have knowledge of the planet wide scale of killings for entertainment. That crime involves all of the sheiks gathered here, and all their heirs, as far as I could determine from his cesspool mind.

“From Sayed’s disdain, when I asked him if every sheik participated in these activities, he thinks very poorly of the three men he didn’t invite today. By our standards, and certainly the PU’s standards, those three uninvited sheiks probably have a shabby human rights record for their people, particularly women. By comparison, on Khartoum’s Destiny, these men are practically models of decency, and they really are proponents of humane treatment for those they rule. Those three sheiks were justifiably fearful of being taken over by these wealthier sheikdoms, because they didn’t have the revenue and smuggling sources to buy outside arms to protect their sheikdoms if they were too outspoken. It was only their devout belief in their religion that stayed action against them, by those that pretend they follow the same faith, but violate its teachings constantly.”

Haveram sensed the lad had expended his emotional energy. “Bill, you struck me as a cocky and overly brash kid when I met you earlier this week, but that has just changed. You may also have provided us a means to extricate ourselves from this social mess, by speaking to those three sheiks, and involving the people of this planet in the decisions as to what will happen to these tyrants. I wasn’t looking forward to ordering them thrown into the arena with the rhinolo. It wasn’t fair to abuse the animals that way, getting their horns and feet all messy.”

Thad was on the verge of a protest. “Chief, you won’t just pull out, allowing the influence of all their ill-gotten wealth determine what happens to these sheiks, will you? There’s no way justice would be administered fairly, or the wealth used to benefit those that need the help most. The influence of the powerful families will eventually put them back in charge.”

“I hope not, and there is a plan in the works. Aside from getting the people and the three moderate sheiks involved, using shared Mind Taps to show them the truth, we are storing the sheik’s wealth off-planet, and we want to ensure that it is used to build an infrastructure here to improve the quality of life. I know I’m damn well not qualified to do that, and I doubt if any of you are qualified either. We’ve only just started organizing our own government.

“That’s why Tet, Maggi and President Stewart, at my request, have been in contact with the Raspani leaders and the Prada, who have thousands of years of recorded history of organizing things, and are impartial. They’ve offered to send representatives here to monitor and mediate the recovery and rebuilding of this society, provided a Kobani force remains to protect them and to act as an outside police force. Police that can’t be subverted or corrupted by local influence. Our alien allies recommend that we encourage the people here to administer justice to their oppressors before the Raspani and Prada monitors arrive. I think they know they are too squeamish about what has to be done, yet intellectually they understand the perpetrators have to pay for their crimes. Humans are well suited to exacting final justice, and the people here best know what has been done to them, and who did it to them.”

Sarge, helmet removed, looked over at the clueless Sayed, who knew nothing of the Comtap conversations going on around him. “Tough news for you, your royal sleaziness. Your own people will decide your fate. I don't think it’s gonna be pretty.”

It wasn’t.

****

Sayed wasn’t feigning his gratitude to his unexpected savior. “I will reward you for your service beyond your wildest dreams. I have gems and credit chips stored in my two small palaces, and at my seaside summer residence. Help me get to any of those places and they are yours.”

In an afterthought, he asked the man his name, as if he were interested. “What are you called?”

“Ramal, my Sheik.”

The old man bowed respectfully, as he opened the securely locked cell. “I would treasure those rewards, my Sheik, but more so the memories of what I do for you today. Please hurry. The missing key I took will be noticed at any time. I have a plan, which requires that we take an obscure path under the floor of the arena to avoid anyone that might see us. The only unguarded exits are on the side by the animal pens, and one is directly behind where the off world feathered monster is kept. Its constant screams when it sees people, and the lunges it makes at the bars frightens everyone, and they stay away from there. I have an old and dirty truck outside an exit there, where I can conceal you inside when I drive away with a load of animal dung. I’m sorry about the vile contents, but it is the only vehicle available for me to use, and no one will look inside it for a sheik.”

Sayed’s gratitude was instantly reduced by a significant degree by this revelation, and he would adjust downward the promised reward for this dirty, smelly, old animal shit hauler. Except that would only happen after he was safely away from the Kobani devils that had captured and robbed him. He would escape the judgement he knew would be rendered by the clamoring multitude, which he’d been hearing gather in the stadium above for two days.

“We must go this way my Sheik, past the other cells. We cannot pause to speak to any of the other prisoners, and if we brought another person with us, we increase the chance you will be discovered.”

“I understand.” He had no intention to risk the success of his only escape opportunity. Several of his sons were being held nearby, and he’d heard them call out through the meal tray opening of their cell doors, to find who else was being kept down here. These were the individual cells, reserved for visiting fighters representing other sheiks, or victims intended for some arena entertainment. He’d not answered his sons. They were on their own.

They passed six cells before someone, peeking through the food slot, saw and recognized him. Sheik Osama bin Nagi called out to him, pleading for information.

“Abdul, are you being taken for the judgement already? Can we speak for ourselves or have someone speak for us? Is it to be sharia law? Are the three devout sheiks conducting the hearings or will it be the mob? Is it beheading, prison, or to be thrown to the new animals in the arena?

Sayed didn’t answer or look at him as he passed. What could he say? He didn’t know, and it no longer applied to him anyway. He was going to escape. Others, roused from their cots by Nagi’s overheard questions, moved to their food slots to peer out. Soon there were dozens of questions, which grew in volume the longer they were ignored. Someone was bound to come to see why the prisoners had resumed shouting, after they had tired of the waste of their energy yesterday.

“My Sheik, we must hurry. We turn here to go to the animal pens. When we arrive, I will open the first gate for you and close it behind me, so a follower will not know if we came that way.” He led him down a passage near the side of the outer wall of the Coliseum, which from the smells and noise ahead was leading them towards the animal enclosures.

The blue streaks had been moved down here again, but the rhinolo were still up in the arena, because there wasn’t an enclosure strong enough to hold them below. They were too dangerous to be let loose in the countryside, and it was possible that they might be taken back to their home after all. As it happened, the Kobani had not needed to grab the sheiks and flee, with whatever riches they could obtain quickly. They would have plenty of time.

As improbable as it seemed, twelve Kobani on the ground, plus two rippers, and four ships in orbit carrying another two hundred Kobani, had virtually taken over Khartoum’s Destiny. That was largely thanks to the most powerful sheiks, who conveniently gathered where they could all be captured at one place by a small force. Their separate sheikdoms had never backed a central government or combined militia, nor did they have populations that were armed and capable of fighting for them. Not that they would, even if those sheiks had been prepared to arm the people, which of course they were not. Peasants armed with only pitchforks and torches were not much of a problem to keep subjugated, particularly when there were security militias each despot paid to maintain their tyranny, and ugly deaths for entire families could be the price of objecting.

Sayed hurried to stay behind the odiferous old man, and stayed well away from pens that held cape buffalo, two hybrid war elephants, a pride of Earth bred lions, a pack of wolves, two large brown bears, some Alders World broad horned Bison, and the Koban blue streaks, which he saw up close for the first time. They were quite tall at their backs, and their long glossy black horns appeared to have very sharp tips. He was still looking over his shoulder at the exotic animals when a tarpaulin made of some synthetic gray fabric restricted his view.

When he looked ahead, he realized the old man had led him into a tunnel-like section of the passage, where the thirty-foot high animal pens on both sides were hung with these coverings, tied to the tops of the pens. There was a mesh lying over the top of all the animal pens. The metal mesh was ten feet below the ceiling, and it permitted animal handlers to walk over the pens to observe any point below. The tarps were sometimes used by animal handlers to isolate and calm animals that were kept here, preserving their energy for when they faced each other or men up in the arena.

Disoriented in this maze, Sayed saw the man stop and pull back the edge of one of the tarps, revealing a barred heavy gate, made with wrist-thick steel rods and bracing crosspieces. Sayed noted the gate was placed across a twenty-foot wide passage, with tarps only on the right side. The passage ended at a large steel door in a ferrocrete wall, located about a hundred feet away.

“What is this side corridor used for?”

The old man winced, apparently at how loud he’d spoken, and answered in a near whisper when he replied. “My Sheik, elephants and animals such as water buffalo are moved in or out by this route.” He pointed to the door in the far wall.

“On the other side of that motor driven track door is my truck, which is parked just outside the base wall of the coliseum, on the side away from your palace. There is an underground loading dock out there, where animals are brought in by trucks. That is where their wastes are carried away, by trucks like mine. The loading dock is not visible to anyone above because it is covered over and below street level. There is a long ramp leading up to the road.”

The man produced a large manual key from a pocket, and kneeled down to insert it in the bottom lock of the thirty-foot tall gate. A twist of the heavy wide handled key, and a three-inch thick locking pin retracted to allow the gate to swing open. Two other equally heavy latches, placed higher on the gate, were already open so the old man didn’t need to climb up on the cross pieces to reach them.

Seeing the Sheik’s upward glance, he explained. “I spent all night covering this passageway to conceal this exit from followers as we made our escape. I unlocked the upper latches then to save time. We need to hurry, because I think I hear other voices back where we came from.”

The Sheik couldn’t hear the voices of the other prisoners that had shouted at him earlier, but he could well imagine a chase may have started. He quickly stepped through the gate, pushing the old man aside as he cringed at the foul contact with the man’s soiled clothing.

“My Sheik, if you wait for me at the other door, I will relock this gate.”

Sayed certainly saw no need to hesitate, and rushed quickly towards the large solid steel door. It was motorized and mounted on tracks, like those in the arena. He heard the metallic ringing of the latch closing when he was midway to the big door. When he arrived, he impatiently slapped the wall pad to activate the motor that would pull the door open. Nothing happened.

Seeing another key hole, he realized it required a key, to prevent animals from accidentally bumping the button to activate the drive motor. He looked back, and the old man wasn’t to be seen, but there was some rustling at the edge of the tarp at the other end, where he could see hands and feet, revealing the old man was climbing the gate.

The old man appeared over the top of the gate, above the tarp that concealed it from view on the other side. Spryer than he looked, he had climbed to the top and now stood on the exposed mesh that also covered the top of the passageway, he pulled a hook bill knife from a tool belt, and started to cut the chords that held up the fabric over the outside of the gate.

“Don’t waste time with that.” Then Sayed thought for a second, and remembered what the old man had said. 

“That is supposed to conceal this exit route. You should leave it in place.”

With a gap-toothed smile that Sayed hadn’t seen displayed earlier, Ramal said, “Then I wouldn’t be able to watch, my Sheik.”

“Watch what? Open the next door immediately.”

“I hear and obey, my Sheik. I will open the next door very soon.” Why did that obedient reply somehow sound insolent? He also wasn’t whispering now. There was a snort of some sort, heard from some distance away.

Instead of climbing down, the old man walked on the center of the springy exposed steel mesh covering the passageway, moving towards Sayed. About halfway to the wall, he stepped to the covered side of the passage, bent and used the hook bill to sever another chord holding up a corner of a different tarpaulin. The fabric sagged until the middle support chord kept it from falling farther.