Koban (19 page)

When the AI paused for Mirikami to repeat his words, all Mirikami
said was “I’m thinking this is enough information for us to discuss for now.”
He damn well wasn’t going to parrot the AI’s uncertainty.

Looking at Parkoda, “Does Delktor know if this idea would work?
Can your Clanship pull this ship into the Jump Hole with you and then tow us to
Koban?”

Parkoda apparently described to Delktor what he believed Mirikami
himself had thought of, and it was clear the K’Tal didn’t like an animal proposing
something that the Krall themselves had never considered. They talked silently for
some time.

It was Parkoda, who apparently ended the discussion. He turned
to the humans, and seemed almost eager to tell of experiences he knew of first hand.
He described previous raids he had been on, where single ships docked by inexperienced
novice pilots were improperly attached to the outside of Clanships. They were not
always stowed inside the Clanships, for faster release on arrival.

In one case, an empty single ship had become detached at some
point, but still had arrived at the White Out, drifting nearby. Parkoda didn’t know
at what point the empty smaller ship had detached.

In the second case, they found a luckless novice dead in his
drifting single ship. He had not properly docked before the Jump Hole was initiated.
By then the external docking ports were locked. He couldn’t exit his small craft
in vacuum, and even had he tried to gain attention, he would not have been deemed
genetically worthy of rescue.

Parkoda thought the incompetent novice probably took many days
to die. He made a snort sound that seemed to show amusement.

From that point on, Parkoda was perfectly willing to roll the
dice to see if the Clanship could drag the human ship along. Of course,
he
didn’t intend to be inside the Flight of Fancy for that experiment, since his position
would be safely in the control room of the Clanship. Telour and three other translators
would stay aboard, along with a hand of warriors. None of the eight was from Tanga
clan, naturally.

If this piggyback trick worked, then everyone would live to see
Koban. Mirikami wouldn’t learn what the coordinates were for Koban in advance, but
Jake could figure that out when they arrived. He didn’t know what good that knowledge
would do him, but there was always use for information.

In an effort to discover how long the trip might be, he asked
Parkoda before he left if human rations would be needed to feed the Krall staying
on the captured ship, and how many days’ worth would they require. Parkoda told
him they already had four days of supplies onboard, and they would not eat human
food.

Mirikami didn’t know if the four days were Krall home world days
or Earth Standard days. Probably Krall days, of which he had no clue as to their
length in hours. However, it didn’t sound like a very long time. The Krall speedier
Jump method wouldn’t help him estimate the distance from Newborn anyway.

Mirikami and Noreen were on the bridge when Telour arrived to
relieve Parkoda as their translator. He didn’t appear bothered to be staying aboard
for an experimental ship tow that they had never deliberately tried.

“Use thrusters to get close to Clanship,” Telour ordered. “If
we are too far away we will be cut open when the Jump Hole is made.”

That was actually the reverse of the normal human civilian procedure,
where there was at least twenty miles between ships or between ships and a station
before a Jump was initiated. The Navy allowed closer positioning, but not like
this. Jake would have not have allowed this closeness for a Jump initiated by the
Fancy. Clearly, the Krall accepted more risks. They slowly closed to within two
hundred feet.

Mirikami checked with Telour. “How close am I allowed get to…,
uh, what is the Clanship’s name?”

Telour answered, “We do not name Clanships. They are made by
slaves, and are shared by all clans. I believe we are at a safe distance, but move
closer.”

Telour’s previous apparent lack of concern for the never before
tried towing was belied by that order. Mirikami allowed Jake to move the hulls to
within twenty-five feet of touching. That was extremely close for two sizeable ships
that were not going to hard dock.

Ms. Willfem had called Mirikami right after Parkoda had departed
on the Krall shuttle for his Clanship. They had not caught even one of those high-energy
tachyons yet, but the Traps were still tuned for that ridiculous high energy, and
might still snag one at any time. The unstated obvious inference was that they might
suddenly discover they had the means to escape into a Jump Hole.

“Thank you Nan. Our eight
visitors
are standing by
for the Jump.” He knew she would understand his meaning. Unfortunately, with eight
fully armed Krall aboard, dropping into a Jump Hole wouldn’t save them, not even
with a hundred to one odds against the warriors.

At least with the overrides removed it gave them the means to
destroy themselves along with the Krall aboard, and probably the Clanship. If they
elected to give up and die, that is.

He certainly didn’t tell her to change the Trap settings. Those
fields still functioned when a ship was in the Hole. After all they were used for
reaching into Tachyon Space in the first place and frequently caught other tachyons
while in Jump status. They possibly could catch tachyons even after the additional
dimensional rotation that the Krall used. That could be worth knowing.

The Captain thought it proved interesting that Parkoda, distracted
by his pleasure at keeping his prize intact, had not thought to order them to detune
the Traps before he left the ship. Telour, who was now the ranking Krall aboard
didn’t appear to care about this either, or more likely had not been briefed very
well by Parkoda. The thought “more muscle than brains” came to mind.

It had been a long night for everyone. The ambush had happened
at dinnertime, and as incredible as it now seemed, it was still early morning by
ship’s time. His passengers surely needed rest, as did his crew. He didn’t know
how much longer it would take the Clanship to catch the appropriate high-energy
tachyon, but he was going to send them to their cabins or lounge couches early,
to wait for the Jump.

“Telour, with your approval, I want to tell my people to return
to their cabins and allow them to eat if they are hungry. Are we allowed to do what
we normally do until we reach Koban? I have told them to obey any Krall.”

In the same near instant decision-making Parkoda had usually
exhibited, Telour showed no hesitation. “You are under Ra Ka Endo. The human animals
on Koban live as they chose until we take them for testing. If you obey and offer
no challenge, I will not be your herd master. After we Jump you cannot stop or delay
delivery to Koban, so you are your own herd master.”

“Thank you. I will release them to do as they would normally
do. May I ask for a warning before the Jump, to also warn them and my crewmates?”

“There will be no warning. We Jump when we are able, no delay.
That is not a Graka Clanship, but Tanga clan is not poor at this. My clan would
be ready to Jump when the raid leader reached his position of command. Parkoda,
arrogant as he behaves, is efficient. He should have reached his Clanship, so we
will Jump very soon.”

“Doesn’t
the capture of a tachyon with enough energy for your needs take a longer time?”
Noreen asked.

As he started to speak, Telour paused as the ship vibrated an
instant, a hull ping rang softly, and a soft alarm sounded on the Bridge. “We have
Jumped” he concluded with simplicity.

The external view screens lost their images and were completely
dark. They couldn’t even see the Clanship, nearly in contact with them before
the Jump.

Startled, Mirikami moved to his console to silence the automatic
alarm, and initially he thought the six external screens had been switched off because
they didn’t show the fitful random snow they normally did in the Hole. Nevertheless,
he could call up internal images and status displays on each of them. The Jump had
apparently been as swift as predicted, and thankfully had been very smooth.

The absence of the customary countdown and a warning to all aboard
went against routine, but he couldn’t deny it was efficient.

He checked with the Drive Room. “Nan, the Krall Clanship apparently
Jumped and took us with them, as…”, he didn’t want to say Jake, “As I thought.”

“So I see Sir. My external sensors show us in the Hole, but the
Traps of course don’t show that we created the event horizon, but” she paused, and
a sense of wonderment filled her voice. “They do both indicate a sudden ‘event’
happened as I mentioned we were waiting for a few minutes ago. It was right after
we translated out of Normal Space. That was
very, very
coincidental.” Willfem
concluded.

Mirikami knew she could only be obliquely describing a capture
of extremely high-energy tachyons. Probability was a fickle thing, but he had anticipated
an hour or two more might pass before catching even one of the monsters they had
been told to capture. Very coincidental indeed, that it happened exactly after they
entered the Hole.

The second spatial rotation in Tachyon Space apparently gave
them quick access to a much more crowded and energetic regime of tachyons. That
was probably why the Krall never had to wait long to initiate a Jump.

“Thanks Nan.
Just hold what we have for now. I’ll get back to you.” He switched off.

Telour appeared mildly surprised as he made a comment, “The towing
of this ship by Parkoda’s Clanship worked as you predicted.” The explanation of
why he was surprised came promptly.

“Delktor though this ship would be left behind, and would have
to Jump slowly on its own to Koban. A late arrival for this prize would remove some
of Parkoda’s arrogance. Without this proof, he could not gain enough status to lead
one of the new larger raids, but he could go as a sub-leader. He would never wait
for us and miss the first wave of new raids.”

Mirikami noticed that Telour’s Standard was now sounding more
fluent and less accented, sounding much better than Parkoda’s.

“Noreen, please tell our passengers and crew we are in Jump Hole,
where we are being taken, and explain they are free to do what they need to do,
with the respect due and caution around every Krall kept firmly in mind at all times.
Allow some rest for the crew that has worked hardest all night, all of the Stewards
and your work crew first. Work out some watch standers.

You and I are as tired as they are, but we need to meet with
the passengers before we rest. Grief counseling will have to be The Board’s problem
as soon as we can tell them who was lost. We can get relieved here when that’s done.”

“Yes Sir.”
and she settled into her command seat.

He then faced Telour, and fixed his eyes on the Krall’s chest.
“Telour, will you permit me to satisfy my curiosity concerning how much improved
your Standard has become, just after Parkoda departed?”

Telour answered indirectly and in surprising detail, his words
clearer as his tone raised slightly from the gruff base notes he had used previously.
“Parkoda is of Tanga clan, a very powerful and old clan. I am of Graca clan, great
and old, but not quite as powerful. A raid leader earns status and breeding points
by his success, as do all who join the raid. However, many clans join together for
exploring raids like this one, where the raid leader picks those that do more important
work.

“This raid was not true combat so more work for greater breeding
points is work like I do now. The raid leader picks who does this work. If you do
the task very well, you earn more points to compete with the raid leader and his
clan. He will not want to give important work for earning more points to anyone
like that.”

He concluded, “My position here is more important work than what
the other translators do, and I will earn a larger share of the points awarded.
I will never be led by Parkoda again anyway, because he would not accept me twice
on his raids. However, I know your language much better than Parkoda, and he would
not have put me here if he knew that. I have spent much time with humans on Koban,
learning how you speak.”

Office Politics are universal, thought Mirikami. They would have
to be careful what they said around Telour.

He also felt safer in further discussion. “I am a low rank leader
of a race you call animals, so why am I allowed to know this? There must be an advantage
for you to spend your time telling me this. Is there a mutual advantage to be found?”

“You are not like most humans I have talked with.” Telour admitted.
“Your questions are like you have met us before. As you asked, there may be a possibility
for mutual advantage.”

He explained with an example. “I learned Standard on Koban in
two of your years because this helped me earn points, as I earn now as a translator.
The humans on Koban that talked to me and helped me learn received better food,
and I gave them immunity from combat testing.

“With my skill in your language, when I lead raids on human worlds
I will have an advantage. Not all humans are willing to trade for the advantages
I can give. Some other humans killed one of my protected humans in secret. Those
that I discovered I challenged and killed.

“I let you know now of a possibility for your advantage. Other
Krall may also offer you something in trade, but I will give an advantage that a
human clan leader may want more. An advantage for your own clan.”

Mirikami knew he had to be diplomatic. “I thank you for the opportunity
to serve you and to gain in return, so I will consider this possibility.” He could
think of nothing that would make him personally want to strike such a deal. However,
knowing deals could be struck was important.