Koban 5: A Federation Forged in Fire (69 page)

The final spinning twist by Kobalt was to have included one more of his deep-throated base note roars, to come exactly as he dropped down next to Maggi, with Mirikami smoothly sliding off his back to stand beside his wife. 

Was to have included
another roar was the operational phrase. Embarrassingly, when Kobalt tried to implement that final detail, it triggered a coughing fit and a sudden gasp for air. Mirikami, as he slid off, still had his left hand on the frill and was immediately concerned.

“What’s the matter? Are you OK?”

“What do you think, you overachieving maniac? You nearly choked me into unconsciousness. I had to do all that flipping and twisting while holding my last breath when we started. I almost decided on that last flip to roll to my side to try to scrape you off.”

“I’m really sorry. I didn’t know I was actually strong enough to strangle you. You should’ve frilled me.”

“You would have let go and spoiled our demonstration. It worked. Look at the Hothor and their expressions. Smell their fear?”

Mirikami looked over at the cowed figures. “Yes, and pee. I smell pee.”

“Well, when I can get my breath back, perhaps I will too.” He hacked again, as if he had a big blue hairball caught in his throat.

Maggi had a wry suggestion. “Perhaps you’d like to stop exchanging odor descriptions and get back to the task at hand. Please show these petrified VIPs you two are really friends.”

“Sure.” Mirikami unthinkingly rubbed Kobalt’s injured right ear, before the repeated “ouch!” caused him to simply drape his arm across Kobalt’s neck, just as the big cat sat back on his haunches.

“Here you go dear uncle,” Kobalt turned his head and slopped a big, wet, rough tongue, right along the left side of Mirikami’s face.

“Thanks,” was Mirikami’s insincere reply.

Maggi stepped forward to address the Hothor delegation. “Please do not be alarmed. This was merely a physical demonstration, by two close friends, done as an illustration of how we really were capable of fighting and beating Krall warriors. We also had a number of technological advantages.”

The seven figures straightened at her words, and at the sight of the two former apparent adversaries now acting so friendly. Unless the big predator was simply sampling a taste of its next meal with that lick.

Proving that urinating was a common fear response for them, none of the Hothor seemed embarrassed at the urine on the ground, and when they summoned their courage to walk closer, they merely stepped over the small steaming puddles cooling on the pavement.

The Chief Counselor sounded considerably less skeptical with his first words. “I would have liked the Ragnar Commander to have seen what those two just did. I doubt he would act as smug to you humans as they do to us, after watching you move. Particularly against such a huge adversary. Of course, this has all been recorded as part of a historical first meeting, and I’ll want to see the images in slow motion.”

Mirikami told him honestly, “You do understand, we were not truly fighting. I wanted to provide you with a measure of our unarmed physical ability. When you look at me, a human, that sort of combat potential is not obvious. It clearly is evident in my large ripper friend here, who is named Kobalt, by the way. He’s a native of the planet Koban, where my wife and I now make our home.”

From the small Torki device on Kobalt’s collar issued a clear deep voice, speaking in the Thandol tongue. “I am honored to meet you First Counselor.” Kobalt bowed his head in imitation of the bow Maggi and Mirikami had made a short time ago.

The Hothor repeated his previous bow, right arm extended, hand cupped up. “It is with a shiver of excitement I meet you, Kobalt. You are very impressive.”

“Thank you. I am excited to participate in this first meeting with your people. All of the rippers with us are excited. This is a first experience for us, to travel to another world to meet a new species that didn’t first come to meet us on our own world. You said you would have liked a Ragnar Commander to see our demonstration. Is he your military leader?”

The First Counselor made a sidewise motion with his right hand, an apparent gesture of negation based on his next words. “No. He is not a leader of ours, and not a Hothor. My people are not permitted to form a military defense force. He is a member of the Ragnar race and a military leader of one of the three minor security forces for the Thandol. The Ragnar are the most fearsome of the three species the Thandol have assigned to security duties in the Empire. Commander Gimtal Thond is his name. The military force he leads enforces the Empire’s laws and the Emperor’s personal edicts, and collects taxes in this region of the Empire. They show little respect for any people in this third of the empire, unless you are a Thandol, of course.” 

“First Counselor, these three security forces are some of the subject matter we wish to discuss with you. It is why we approached your world in a cautious and slow manner, to prevent the Thandol from detecting our visit to you, and to shield you from their inquiries. We are aware that you once were visited by the Olt’kitapi, long ago, when they were facing difficulties with the Thandol Empire, and you were informative to them. We seek the same level of help, in the form of information only. Perhaps we can move our discussion to some location less public?”

This time, the hand gesture moved up and down. “Yes. There is a government building at the edge of the spaceport, where we seven walked from after you landed. That is where I meet with official visitors when I’m in my winter home here. Ambassador, we can walk the short distance there if that is acceptable, or I can summon motorized conveyances. We will offer you food and drink, but we will not be offended if you refuse. Naturally, foods of many worlds contain toxic or objectionable substances for different species. You are welcome to bring your own consumables, or the means to test what we offer you, for compatibility with your biology. ”

“Thank you Chief Counselor, we would prefer to walk with you as we talk, and to enjoy this cool and lovely day. May others of our group come with us? Everyone is interested in learning about your people, about your food and your customs. We want you to learn about us as well. We have portable food testers and chemical analyzers, which we will bring with us.”

She stepped closer to him and made a socially appropriate proposal, “A gesture of friendly greeting among humans is the clasping of the right hands with others, if they have hands, as a sign of respect, an offer of friendship, and a demonstrated willingness to engage in personal contact. Would that gesture offend you, or be contrary to any customs of your own?”

“Not at all. This is something we value, exploring the cultural differences when we meet with another species. We wish to find commonalities and similar goals to share with other races, and discover interesting cultural differences that can enrich us both. It is largely denied to us by the Thandol, for other than our nearest trading neighbors.

“I will gladly exchange a hand touch with you. I will however, withhold one of our common greeting customs, at least until our people know one another better. Body fluid presentations proved inappropriate for all of our friendly close alien neighbors, and certainly for the Thandol and the Ragnar, who act superior to any other species.” His hand swept down towards the two wet spots soaking into the pavement.

“Uh…, Yes.” She temporized. Trying to imagine how that mutual body fluid presentation would take place. “That particular custom should be examined more closely at a future date, and fully understood before we consider exploring that.”

She extended her open right hand, and the First Counselor, his inch long claws curled in with the points pressed into his own palm, extended his own clinched right hand. The loose grip and mild handshake lasted perhaps fifteen seconds, but Maggi made a comment as they did so, to distract from the length of time.

“With the Thandol Empire being so controlling, we might encounter opposition to our species forming a mutual friendship with your people. I think what we discuss should not be of concern to them or to the Ragnar.”

Had she not already known from Pholowela how the Hothor previously felt about the Thandol, she wouldn’t have said that. She doubted that an additional twenty thousand years of suppression and dominance by their oppressors would have softened that position.

The thoughts from the unguarded mind, which she sensed from that contact, confirmed her suspicions, and in fact, she was rather surprised at the vehemence the leader felt towards the Thandol, and for the Ragnar. It didn’t appear that it would be necessary to hide Federation intentions of countering the ambitions of the Empire, not with this leader and probably not with his ministers, if his was a typical Hothor attitude.

In that case, their discussions might very well prove to be of considerable concern to the Empire.

****

The Hothor proved to be a fountain of information, and even had their own two representatives on the largely ineffective Advisors Council, in the Emperors Court on Wendal, a Thandol colony planet controlled by the extended Farlol family. The fifteen subservient species, with a combined thirty members, had little real impact on decisions made by the Empire. Six of those representatives were from the three security force species, and normally acted like rubber stamps for whatever the Empire wanted them to say.

The Ragnar, Finth, and the Thack Delos, the more influential three security force races, were on the council mainly as “proof” that all of the empire’s member species had an equal say in advising the Emperor. This council promulgated the sham that those three races had no more influence than the other races did on policy decisions, which concerned the lesser status species in the Empire. For vital decisions, such as anything that concerned the well-being of the Thandol themselves, the Advisors Council had no influence at all.

In addition, the dozen lower status species furnished most of the servant class hired help to the ruling classes, including the three most favored security force species. There were a large number of the lower classes on Wendal, who had access to the backrooms of the Emperor’s court, and to private conversations outside the hearing of the ruling family. Plots, conspiracies, and double-dealings were abundant.

The twelve lower status races often shared the rumors, details of palace intrigue, and intelligence gathering that was uncovered, unless it could specifically benefit their own people to keep it a secret, of course. The task was made easier by the arrogant Thandol speaking loudly through their trunks, often oblivious to the presence of underlings around them, as if they were furniture. Not that their bugling manner of speaking lent itself well to hushed whispers anyway.

There was a sort of silent patois the Thandol could use for private conversations, which involved their small tentacles, and trunk gestures. Although, an informed alien observer of their gestures could discern what the discussion was about, because they were really only trying to prevent other Thandol from overhearing.

The low caste “furniture” was considered too thick headed to comprehend the intricacies of the complex gesture language, since the subservient races had never evolved the superior organs necessary for its expression. That meant they often didn’t have secrets from the hired help. Not that the servants always had the means to act on the information they gained, but knowing what was about to happen was comforting, and represented a form of trade goods with other low status species.

****

When the discussions ended for the day, the hungry Kobani and rippers headed back to their ships. Their food analyzers had determined that the right-handed amino acids found on Canji Mot wouldn’t be digestible, even though most of the food items didn’t contain chemicals that would be dangerously toxic to consume.

In reply to Maggi’s complaint of being hungry, Sarge said, “I found the sweet-tart taste of their fruit pastry was appealing. It contained nothing toxic for us, even if we can’t digest and use it nutritionally. It had a marvelous taste, and my stomach feels fuller.”

Maggi snickered and said, “Wait until morning, numb skull. Not only will you be starved, but also what you eat when you get back to your ship won’t stay with you either. You’ll be up half the night, with the fast-trot, dribbley-never-get-overs. You’d better plan on sleeping next to or on your ceramic throne tonight.”

“We’ll see,” was his lame retort. He could feel his intestines warning him of possible future events. He’d never admit it if he experienced the level of discomfort that she had warned him might visit.

Noreen was amazed at how prescient Maggi’s predictions of the Emperor’s court had been. “The way the Hothor described things at court, the second class citizens are often the first to know when the throne is about to change, when the rumor mills are full of complaints about the current Emperor, or show dissatisfaction with how the ruling family is abusing their power. The present Emperor has been in place for roughly ten years, and he hasn’t alienated his own supporters, although he’s not made the other powerful families very happy.”

Maggi agreed, but said, “The subservient races that watch the court so closely, mainly use the information for positioning themselves to avoid being drawn into the conflict when an emperor is replaced, or find a way to obtain a trade advantage with some faction or other, when the previous corrupt regulators are about to be tossed out of power.

“They never try to manipulate or alter a power shift, to control what direction it will take, in order to obtain their own best advantage. They could offer what they know to Thandol factions that might reward their entire planet for critical information on what another family is planning. They just try to get safely out of the way, to avoid conflict.”

Mirikami objected. “You expect them to act like us. They’re simply being true to their passive natures. It’s why the Thandol was able to take them over in the first place, and force them to accept the limitations imposed on them. They don't form alliances or defiant coalitions, as we would do, let alone fight back. It’s like criticizing them for being what they can’t help being. Nonaggressive. I think we can help them, but only if we can keep the Empire from stomping us flat.