Koban 5: A Federation Forged in Fire (77 page)

“The Ragnar have been eager for a fight to show their worth, and none of the subservient species within their security zone have dared challenge them for many orbits. We will want to grant them additional security responsibility in a portion of the annexed territory, and a share of the new taxes when they come. Of course, we will have to balance their strengthening with additional responsibility offered to our other two security forces. Perhaps, when the defeated humans have joined the Empire, we can permit them to provide security in another part of the annexed territory. They appear to be aggressive and tough enough. We might finally cultivate the fourth security force we have wanted, providing true balance in the empire. Having just the three security forces has seemed unstable, as if we stood only on three legs. The Empire will nearly double in size under your wise rule, and this new region, eventually that
entire
short arm of stars, will be ripe with new species for us to bring into the Empire.”

That last bit of personal lubrication would please the Emperor, and ensured the High Commander would be looked upon with greater favor, diverting suspicions of betrayal. If the war didn’t go well for the Ragnar, and the Emperor’s decision of how to use them proved unwise, the High Commander was also a noble in the extended Farlol family. He was old enough to find support from his own allies in the family, should he decide to make a try for the throne. Only time would tell.

****

The five ships staggered their return to Haven and Koban, by overshooting the destination by a half day of extra travel away from the Galactic core, then turning back using T-squared speed. They didn’t know how far the Empire could trace them in Tachyon Space, and they intended to consult with the Dismantler’s about how sensitive that technology was.

Mirikami contacted Pholowela. “Polo, we have returned from our journey into the Empire, and your advice and information was invaluable. My ship has just returned to the Koban system, and the four other ships are arriving soon. I was told you are working with your sister ships in their mental recovery, and thus are a long distance from Koban, which suits a test I wish to conduct. I have a request of you.”

“Greetings, friend Tet. I am with Afromfela, who has awakened. She is curious about what has happened in the sixteen thousands of your years she shut her mind away. I am sharing my recent experiences with her. What is your request?”

“The Thandol, as you informed us, are able to monitor travel at the higher two levels of Tachyon Space. We used that knowledge to visit the Emperor’s home world of Wendal, using a form of deceptive concealment, traveling in plain sight. After performing our intended act of retribution there, a repayment for the violent acts they have taken against our colonies, we departed for home.

“We did this using caution, hoping we did not reveal where the Koban system is located. They will be extremely angry, seeking revenge. My request is to ask if you, or your sisters that know where the Koban system is located, are able to detect our tachyon traces here. The four other ships are still inbound.”

There was a notable pause, particularly so for an Artificial Intelligence whose mental processes were even faster than a Kobani’s. When she returned, she seemed confused.

“Friend Tet, my sisters and I do not see any threads that passed near us, which could be your ships. Not in level two or three. A level three Jump would be the most prominent, although we could not possibly see such a trail all the way to Koban. We could extrapolate along a detected track, extending the projected line if we saw one. Then we would infer where you might have gone if we suspected where you might choose to go. If you change direction beyond that detection range, we would not sense the change in weakening waves of low energy tachyons. At least not for a mass as small as a clanship. Even the large ships the Thandol sent to Paradise and Green Atoll do not leave a wake detectable much farther away.

“Unlike your original thought messages left in Tachyon Space, via your Mind Tap ability, the disturbance of a ship’s passage is not addressed to any specific mind, and the wake of their passage fades below detectability quicker than do your messages.”

“Oh. I didn’t know of that distance limitation. None of our ships passed within two hundred light years of where you are while we were in T-cubed travel, so apparently you couldn’t pick us up. How are the Thandol able to do that over such a large region?”

“The Thandol had thousands of monitor stations in the past, with equipment sensitive to low energy tachyon waves, and they may have more monitors now. The waves caused by a spacecraft in the T-squared level have a detectable range of several light years, and at T-cubed perhaps ten light years for ships as small as yours. The largest Thandol ships, when in the third level, might be detected at one hundred light years. It is unlikely the Thandol can cover all of their own volume of stars, and possibly none of this region as of yet.”

“Thanks. We didn’t know that, but it implies they could have that capability in the future, by placing more monitors in our space. They will want to know where most of us live. Again, our low numbers and a single critical location are both a liability, and our protection.”

“Yes, I can see that would be the case, friend Tet. Was there more I can do for you?”

“Not at the present. However, there is something I can do for you, although I hope you will exercise restraint and not travel there immediately.”

“I do not understand, travel where?”

“Pholowela, not all of the Olt’kitapi died at the hands of the Krall, or as a result of their own mental self-destruction after Kratos was destroyed. Some of their juvenile forms survived the deaths of the adults, and went into hiding inside the Empire, protected by a friendly and compassionate species there. They grew into adult forms, and still live there, hidden from the Thandol. They no longer have the mind enhancers of the adult forms that you knew, but they are very intelligent. We met some of them.”

Jumbled replies from multiple Dismantlers, which had apparently been in a common link with Pholowela, revealed a truth about those AI’s. They clearly felt the stronger emotions. Surprise, excitement, and joy were the most prevalent emotions expressed.

Demonstrating they could deduce the obvious facts, Pholowela asked, “Why shouldn’t we go to Canji Mot to recover them?”

“I didn’t say they were on Canji Mot, or that the Hothor were the species protecting them. I’m not sure they will want to leave where they are, and I’m certain they do not want their hosts placed at risk.”

Pholowela told him bluntly, “It is logically only the Hothor that have sheltered them, and if the builders and makers are not on Canji Mot, then they are on Canji Dol or Canji Trob. Dol has the warmer climate for them, and a more favorable gravity. Why shouldn’t we go to them, friend Tet? We can travel undetected, as you did.”

“Perhaps you should ask them directly.”

“You said they did not have mind enhancers.”

“They don’t, and they have a reasonable fear of them, based on past experience. They have lost the technology to build them anyway, but that is a problem with a solution, I think. In the meantime, you can communicate with them via the two Prada communications devices we left with them. They are just as untraceable as mind enhancers or Comtaps, using tachyon modulation. I’ll provide you with the device addresses, and you must honor their decision to remain hidden where they are, unless they wish to return to their old worlds, in what will likely become a war zone again in this region.”

“We agree to that restriction, friend Tet. We would never go against the wishes of our creators, or of their descendants, for any reason.”

He gave them the two device addresses, and eager as human teenagers, they all thanked him and quickly broke the link with him.

Maggi, who had been quietly linked with her husband throughout, said, “That will be one long and jumbled damned conference call, I think.”

“No doubt. Now the pleasant task is over. Let’s get to work on the unpleasant crap in the Council Chambers. We need to discuss the hornet’s nest I’m sure we kicked in the Empire.”

****

“Tet, what did you get us into?” President Stewart MacDougal felt like he was in over his head. He was good at administration, organizing the new government, establishing the departments, selecting good people, and getting cooperation from the aliens, the Kobani, and most difficult, from the Normal humans. Now they were facing a takeover by an already well-organized ancient Empire, which Mirikami had just poked directly in the eye.

“Stewart, they attacked us first, and they had made plans to absorb us before we even knew they existed. I wanted to make an effort to
dissuade
them, to make them reconsider, to slow them down. I demonstrated to them that their giant warships were actually vulnerable, at least to the people that defeated the Krall, even if that ship was orbiting over the most secure planet in their Empire.”

“They’ll come after us now with a vengeance.”

“Do you think they weren’t coming after us anyway? Maggi played you the discussions we recorded with the Hothor, the information we obtained from the Dismantlers, and what we learned from the Olt’kitapi. The Empire has
annexed
, a milder sounding term than conquered, every intelligent species they have ever encountered, except the Olt’kitapi and then the Krall. The Krall killed the Olt’kitapi, and then had use of their technology with the greatest military application. The Thandol were afraid of them, and pulled back to remain hidden.

“Then, we come along and beat the Krall, by eliminating their access to the Olt’kitapi technology. We did it in a fashion the Thandol probably think will also allow them to disable it for us. Anyway, they expect us to be weaker after that destructive war, enough so that they could defeat humanity even with Krall weapons, and certainly so if we lost our use of captured clanships. That would be true if we still required these,” he pointed a thumb at his tattoo, “to activate the equipment. The Thandol can’t possibly know that we used the Torki knowledge of how to install the code key circuits, to remove them for us. The Thandol would never give their own subject races that level of knowledge or control over major weapons, and the Krall ego wouldn’t allow those warriors to think that it mattered.”

Stewart wasn’t convinced. “They surely must believe that humans will fight back. We Kobani are only the tip of the iceberg of humanity. Do you think they know about the PU?”

“Mr. President, their message to us at Paradise didn’t mention anything other than the volume of stars the Olt’kitapi, and later the Krall had control over. I think they believe all of humanity is embedded somewhere inside that large volume, which is reasonably close to correct, with the PU a mere five hundred light year bump on the anti-spinward side of the far vaster former Krall territory.

“The Thandol seem to have focused on the T-squared and T-cubed travel activity around our new colonies, at least those colonies that were nearest to their borders, where their outlying monitors could sense them. I think they have also had automated observation drones in our space. They wouldn’t have wanted to risk living scouts that a Krall could capture, carve up and make talk. They could have been led to the Empire that way. I don't think they know much about the planets deeper into Federation territory.”

“OK. So what is the Empire’s strength? Their army and navy? Or do you have any clue?”

“We do have a clue. They use three subject races to fight for them, keeping their own large naval force out of the fights when possible. Space faring or not, every species encountered becomes unwilling subjects of the Empire, and are completely controlled by them as subservient to the Thandol. About twenty-six species, if the Hothor count was current.

“If a species is awed enough by the Thandol’s Crusher class warships, they join the Empire with minimal destruction and pain. If they resist, they are smacked down hard, with cities destroyed and any military forces eradicated. Three of the physically strongest and most aggressive species they annexed were granted a higher status in the Empire, and act as agents for the Thandol in enforcing their rule. The Thandol do
not
share their most advanced technology with them, and they limit the weapons the security forces have available for use.”

The Federation president was thrilled. “Gee, so we only have to face the forces of three surrogate armies and navies, strength unknown, and they in turn are backed up by their really tough bosses, the high technology ships and weapons of the Thandol. I’m so relieved. I can’t tell you how reassured I am. I literally cannot tell you.”

Thad was annoyed with the defeatist attitude. “Damn it, Mister President, we’ll only face them one at a time. The Ragnar are the security force for the Thandol in the nearest border region to our territory. The Thandol don’t let the three species get chummy, to prevent them from combining forces. The Finth and Thack Delos are on the far sides of the Thandol Empire, the Thack Delos being at the greatest distance. We won’t face the other two unless we beat the Ragnar.”

MacDougal shook his head. “Colonel, somehow your effort at comforting did exactly the opposite. All you did was list opponents in the approximate order we’ll face them. We have about forty thousand Kobani of fighting age. We need help.”

Mirikami corrected him. “That’s how many are on Koban and Haven. Heavyside has been busy. There are nearly twenty five thousand spec ops Kobani in Human Space, with about ten thousand of them with Mind Tap. Paradise colonists had accepted clone mods, and expected to move into Koban mods eventually, after their various Hub origin populations severed more financial ties with the PU. The other three human colonies are already starting Koban mods, since they came mostly from Poldark, New Dublin, and Rim Worlds that had been raided often. They saw what happened when the Krall arrived, and never want to be that vulnerable again. A few thousand of them have transformed, and about thirty thousand more of them have agreed to do so. We can accelerate that.”