Koban (23 page)

“Many herd animals will try to kill you if you are found in the
open. They will treat you as a possible predator of their young. The greatest threat
is from the real predators. You will not escape them. The walls we build last
only half of a birthing cycle before needing repair. Only with weapons and repairs
do we keep the Koban animals outside.

“We will return to Koban when we can live on our future home
world without walls, and weapons always in our hands. This will happen when the
Great Path makes our bodies as swift and strong as Kobani predators.”

Damn,
Mirikami wondered.
What in Hell are we going
to do if even the Krall can’t live there safely?

Nevertheless, he said, “Although I know nothing about Koban,
if we could repair the walls to keep dangerous animas away we might survive. What
if humans live there a long time and you find us living on your world when you return?”

As he’d seen Parkoda do, Telour tossed his head back and emitted
a sort of snort. Mirikami hadn’t detected a trace of humor in him or Parkoda previously,
but his next words convinced him he’d just seen at least a snicker, if not a laugh.

“Then you would deserve our chosen world, and will probably make
us leave.” He snorted twice again. Apparently, this notion was a real rib tickler.

Somehow pulling himself together, he added what for him must
have been a hilarious punch line. “It will be many of your years before we return,
many of our breeding cycles must pass. I think we will find not even a piece of
human bone within the crumbled walls.”

Yes,
Mirikami sensed
, this Krall is a regular laugh
riot.

“Now that you know we will not kill all of you that remain after
the testing is complete, how were you going to tell those on your colony worlds
the way to fight us?”

“Telour, you have already used a method that worked to preserve
this intact ship of captives, which Parkoda said was a rare thing. We surrendered
quickly and did not resist because of a broadcast radio warning of whom we were
facing, and that we could not win because of your warrior’s speed and power. This
was a warning recorded by a human captive named Mavray Doushan, already on Koban.”

That detail proved to be something Telour had not known. “This
human helped me learn your language of Standard, soon after he was captured. He
was not a leader but he had immunity that I awarded to him for helping me to increase
my status. Eventually, some other humans killed him in secret because he spoke with
me. I learned who they were and I challenged the humans that honor allowed me to
kill.

“I did not know of this recorded warning. It must be a secret
used by Parkoda and the Tanga clan to help them capture prizes such as this ship.
This is good to learn. I believe you thought I did know this, so it was not offered
as a trade for advantage. However, if I gain from the information I will return
some advantage.”

“Thank you for your offer. I was proposing a similar radio signal,
made by some human that other humans will trust and believe. It can tell humans
of our worlds who you are, and that you are making war on all of humanity. It will
not be trusted at first, but after time and repetition it will be believed.”

He remembered something said by Telour, which he should have
asked about earlier. “You said there were great weapons we can’t use because it
would damage your Path. What are they and what happens if humans use one?”

“We have faced great weapons many times,” Telour answered. “And
we have used some of them against enemies. Our birth world was destroyed by a single
Olt’kitapi bomb. Other humans that I told this story to thought that it must be
what you call an antimatter bomb, which humans do not know how to make.

“We forbid any weapons that use radiation to damage our breeders.
We also ban weapons that kill many thousands in a large area at one time, where
many valuable breeders are lost no matter how well they fight. There are forbidden
weapons that kill through biology that passes from warrior to warrior, or chemicals
or gases that kill many.

“We have met beams that make atoms separate from each other to
make dust and gas. One human on Koban said those could be quantum weapons that change
how matter holds together. We have an ancient tool from another race that can do
this on a small scale. Some of the captured weapons we cannot make ourselves, but
have many old captured ones to use on enemies, and some great weapons we have only
seen when used against us. We destroyed every world that used those weapons, and
permitted none to escape alive.

“If a great weapon is used there will be a second chance for
other worlds of that race. But we will destroy all life on the world that used it,
and move to fight on a new world.”

That was just as bad as Mirikami had feared. Explicit warnings
would have to be included in the message about weapons of mass destruction. However,
it was inevitable that someone would eventually use nukes and suffer the consequence.

“Telour, I need to discuss these matters with the people aboard
this ship, and soon after arrival with the people already on Koban. We need to learn
what we can of your skills, to find ways to reduce your physical advantages, to
win enough times to do as you intend, and enough times for humans to believe they
can win. My people will hate you, so they will try hard to learn to remove the slowest
and weakest warriors from your gene pool, and any other Krall they can kill as well.”

“Good! This is a thing other races have tried to do, but only
some were partly successful. From those that fought well, many steps were made along
the Path. I need to study our records, but perhaps this is the only time the type
of weapons allowed was talked about before a war started. The most successful races
learned what we permit in war as they fought us. It cost them whole worlds to learn,
and that was inefficient for our purpose.

“Few enemies believe we are willing to allow them to try to kill
so many of our youngest warriors. Like humans, they believed all lives should be
preserved, even property and territory. However, we can make many more cubs than
we need. This was why we fought clan to clan before we stole the stars and found
the Path. We have always had too many cubs to feed and teach.”

Mirikami found it surreal himself. Nevertheless, learning how
to kill Krall had just become his new life’s work, even if it was a short career.
The Krall did love to boast, and there was a long history to learn. Even if they
didn’t sleep, he doubted any of the translators would put up with questions constantly.

“Telour, to efficiently advance your plan, and so that your valuable
time is not wasted by many questions, is it permitted for us to ask the other two
translators about the Krall’s great victories, and how you have followed your Great
Path?”

“I will instruct Kapdol and Dorkda to answer any questions from
humans.” Then Telour extended his left inner ear only, showing he was ambidextrous,
tapped on and spoke silently and briefly into his shoulder com button.

Afterwards, he casually reminded Mirikami what stakes he was
playing for personally. “You will not tell any other Krall of how I plan to take
advantage at a cost to Parkoda. The other two translators are not of Graka or Tanga
clans, but all seek their own advantages. If they learn of this plan, and speak
to Parkoda for a price, I will find a new human leader to use, and you will face
a final challenge.”

“Of course.”
Oh well. I knew this wasn’t low stakes poker.

The next hour passed with little conversation with Telour. However,
there was crew to talk with concerning more frequent duty rotations, no more than
two hours if directly being observed by a Krall. He considered doing away with some
duties, since Jake could monitor, and advise them of problems.

These calls were made on a normal com unit, since it appeared
the Krall were unaware of the transducers the crew could use, and those were often
used crew to crew via Jake. The Captain could call anyone’s transducer from a com
unit, but since this was the most secure system they had, and was a key link to
Jake, he decided it was best that the Krall never suspect its existence. Smaller
ships didn’t have this capability, and very few medium sized transport ships had
an expensive AI. Interworld had introduced them on their newer ships as a personnel
cost savings for Rim routes.

One of his first equipment checks had been to check the two Trap
fields. They each held the maximum energy tachyons they were capable of catching.
He didn’t know what they could do with them, but having them gave him comfort.

He tried contacting Doctor Fisher, but her com unit advised she
had asked not to be disturbed. It was the same for Doctor Martin. They probably
had a longer meeting after he and Noreen had gone to bed.

The hell with it, he decided. They weren’t under their own Jump
control, and he could be paged anywhere on the ship. They didn’t require anyone
on the Bridge most of the time. If Telour wanted to stand there twenty-four hours
a day, he could do it alone.

“Telour, because we are under tow by Parkoda in a Jump Hole,
and we have no control, it isn’t necessary for anyone to be here to run the ship.
I have duties below that I should perform.”

“You are under Ra Ka Endo,” was all he said in reply.

Mirikami notified the Drive Room he was leaving the bridge unattended,
left a com message for Noreen, deactivated the two command consoles and left.

He took the lift to Deck 8, planning to add a hot meal to his
power bars. He idly inquired aloud if he was being watched. Jake told him he wasn’t.

“Jake, I want you to brief all of the crew today, but only when
they are awake, that the Bridge will not be manned most of the time, and they should
page or Link to me if I’m needed. I know that you heard what I said to Telour as
I left, so contact Noreen or me if we need to help you make a decision. I want you
to play the same new protocol recording for the crew as you did for Noreen, after
explaining it to them. Understand?

“Yes Sir.”

“In addition, inform each of the crew by transducer when they
are being monitored by any Krall, and say when it ends, if they are awake. Understand?”

“Does that include direct observation as well sir?”

He thought a moment. “For now, yes, but if it becomes too redundant,
I may change that.”

When the lift arrived, Jake promptly told him a Krall was standing
off to his left. Before exiting, he amended his instructions, “Add the uniform color
when you tell us this.”

“Black, Sir.”

He stepped out, glancing left as he did. Not a translator, a
warrior.

An half hour later, his appetite satisfied, he was talking with
several passengers, expressing his condolences over the losses of their colleagues,
but deflected questions about what the Krall had planned for them next. He had learned
from them that the Board promised to hold an open meeting later that day, to make
an announcement and a briefing.

Noreen used Jake to Link with him while he had a second coffee,
told him she was dressing and would join him shortly. As he waited for Noreen, Doctor
Fisher walked into the dining area, arm linked with Dillon. She’d heard his com
message to meet, so they joined him for coffee.

Fisher asked several scientists still sitting at the table if
they would please excuse themselves while she shared some private words with the
Captain, then waited for them to walk away.

“Captain, I hope you had a bit of rest. When I called the Bridge
I was automatically routed to the Drive Room, and they told me where I could find
you. I roused Dillon out of bed to join us. The Board has a bit of news from the
consortium,” she patted Dillon’s hand, “and I wanted to speak to you in advance
about our proposals.”

Just then, Noreen turned the corner of the alcove. Dillon’s face
brightened instantly, and he waved her over. They exchanged greetings, and Dillon
fetched a large coffee for Noreen.  The Captain decided this small group appeared
innocent enough not to attract Krall attention. They were alone in the sizable twenty-table
room.

Nevertheless, Mirikami looked out to see if the Krall near the
lift earlier had moved to observe the partitioned dining area. He wasn’t visible,
but asked aloud “I wonder if that Krall I saw earlier is still in the main lounge?”

“Yes Sir, he is” was Jake’s reply.

Making an affirmative head bob so the others knew the answer,
he added, “Good, let me know if he or any blue suited Krall moves near us.”

He looked grimly around the table. “I’m afraid I have things
to tell you as well, and it’s more terrible news than I believe any of you might
have expected.” They were about to ask, but he held up a restraining hand.

“Please hear me out, no interruption, because I know we are not
being monitored, but that can end at any moment. This is bad not just for us as
captives, but also for humanity. Our species has nearly recovered from the disaster
of the Gene War. We may not survive what the Krall plan to do.

“Oddly, the information was given freely by Telour. Some of it
is backed by what we heard from Parkoda. Their racial objectives are achieved best
if we actually know that they plan to slowly wipe us out, because in that case we
will fight them as long and as hard as we can. To understand the basis for their
racial goal, I’ll find a way let you hear a recording of Telour’s rambling for you.

 “The Krall have been disappointed at how poorly the Koban captives
are at fighting, when forced to fight individually, as Krall warriors prefer to
fight. Telour, when he learned to speak Standard from those captives, heard about
our past wars. He wants us to organize to fight their warriors more effectively
on the ground. Something we’ve largely forgotten how to do. Damned if I know how
a Spacer like me can help us do that, but that’s one of the things we jointly have
to figure out. I will tell you that if we
don’t
find group tactics to fight
them better, we’ll all die as individuals in combat testing anyway.