Koban 5: A Federation Forged in Fire (68 page)

The lead individual in the center spoke first. “We accept your arrival with great anticipation, and curiosity. I am Firl Jaf Semal, Chief Counselor of Canji Mot, Canji Dol, and Canji Trob. The second two named worlds are our two colonies. Dol is the second child of this star, Mother of us all, and Trob is the only child of the star we call First Sister, our more distant colony.

“May we inquire of your names, and the honored name of your home star, and the names of the human colonies?”

By Comtap to Maggi, Tet said, “This is all your ball game, dear Ambassador. You decide what to tell them, how much, and for how long.” He sent a sympathetic image of his face wearing a smirk, revealing nothing to the Hothor.

Maggi returned an image to him that was considerably less respectful, even rude, but aloud said, “Chief Counselor, I am Ambassador Maggi Fisher of the Galactic Federation, with my husband Captain Tetsuo Mirikami. Humanity has spread widely, and we have divided into multiple governments and many star systems. Those of us from these ships are from a single world named Koban, by a star we simply call a sun, as we call many stars where humans live. There is a second world near Koban with our sun, which we call Haven. That planet is the capitol world of our Federation, where representative citizens live from most of the seven species that reside within our Federation.

“There is another, and independent self-governing group comprised of only humans, who inhabit a volume of space which they call the Planetary Union, located adjacent to our Galactic Federation territory. Our two governments are separate, but the Planetary Union contains the home world of Earth, where humans originated. The two of us standing before you were once citizens of the Planetary Union, and the Federation shares common interests with the people under both governments.

“I apologize for not completing your full request at this time, but naming all of the colony worlds within the two governing regions would take too long for this first meeting. There are over seven hundred entirely human colonies in the far smaller Planetary Union and there are thousands of worlds in the much larger Galactic Federation, which accommodates our greater number of member species. The Federation includes of all of the territory ruled by the Krall, which encompasses all of the stars in the previous Olt’kitapi volume, and that of the Raspani, Torki, Prada, and the stars of the other many species destroyed by the Krall.

“I feel I should add the vital detail that we humans have expanded very rapidly, because we are highly adaptable, and we use many worlds that other species are unable to colonize, such as my home of Koban itself, where all of those visiting you today live.

“Because of this adaptability, our density of colony worlds is considerably higher than for most species, which must be more selective than are we. Humans can inhabit higher gravity worlds. Considerably higher gravity, when say, compared to your beautiful home of Canji Mot.”

By describing the two volumes of the separate governments as she had, it allowed her include the hundreds of human settled worlds in the PU, and the thousands of available worlds within the Federation, which had little or no population presently. Smoke and mirrors was the phrase that came to Mirikami’s mind. Sarge would have called it misdirection and favorable embellishment, rather than outright lying.

There was no doubt the PU wouldn’t want the aggressive and territorial Thandol Empire moving into the Orion Spur, right next door to them. Therefore, claiming that their population and worlds shared the Federation’s interests wasn’t farfetched. They just didn’t know they did yet.

The Chief Counselor looked skeptically at Maggi and Tet, and gaged the size of the two humans. At roughly the same height of the Hothor, they didn’t appear impressive enough to match the claim that they had colonized heavy planet worlds that many other species would bypass. They particularly didn’t look like they had beaten the dreaded and legendary Krall horde.

The next question itself implied his doubts as he asked, “What is it about you humans that could make you so adaptable to a greater variety of planets than most species?”

Mirikami let Maggi know by Comtap that he’d field this question. “As an example of our adaptability, I will tell you that our home world of Koban has more than twice the gravity pull of this world. We possess the strength that such a world requires, and in addition, we have a nervous system that provides us with extremely fast reaction speeds. We are able to think and react at least five times faster than any Krall warrior.

“I spoke to your Third Minister, Yida Gof Hanbi, when our ship first entered orbit. Perhaps he forgot to mention that I said we have defeated the Krall, the species that revolted against and destroyed the Olt’kitapi civilization. Perhaps you knew they continued to hold that territory, as well that of sixteen other conquered species. At least until very recently, on the longer time scales to which I believe you are more accustomed. Humanity and the Krall met just over twenty-five of our years ago, when they made the mistake of attacking us.” He paused to calculate a moment, to put this in perspective for them.

“In your local years, this was only thirty two orbits of Canji Mot around this star you called Mother of you all. The Krall had been killing, enslaving races, and expanding their territory for over thirty-one
thousand
of this world’s orbits around Mother. As you can see, we beat them in a relatively short time.”

By luck and a narrow margin
, he thought.

He pointed out the obvious. “How else would the Federation acquire the entire Krall fleet of ships? We killed their warriors and took the clanships away from them. I doubt if the Thandol could to that. We know the Olt’kitapi certainly couldn’t, and didn’t.

“I’m surprised at your question and lack of panic when we appeared in your system, Chief Counselor. Our impression was that the Hothor knew something about the Krall. If you did, then you should know that a full complement of Krall aboard the ships we brought with us would have represented a grave threat to any of your cities, and to millions of your citizens. I suspect a single Krall warrior could easily kill hundreds of you. Yet we beat them. Because individually, a human like me, is faster, stronger, and more deadly than they are. The difference is that we are respectful of other species. We have alien allies, not subservient species, agents, or slaves.

“I don’t expect you to simply accept my word concerning our abilities, so perhaps a demonstration will serve the purpose of convincing you. At the same time, it will allow you to observe a member of the other friendly species that came with us. I think you have been straining to see the rippers standing inside the holds of our ships. Let me ask one of them to join us. The one I wish to summon is a friend of mine, and we will engage in a mock fight. I will have to move to where he can see me. Excuse me a moment.”

He could have simply Comtapped Kobalt to call him over, or asked smaller Kally to come, since she was waiting behind him inside the Mark’s hold, eager to meet these new people. But then the showing-off exercise he had in mind might have looked too tame.

Mirikami turned, ran ten bounding steps in a blur of legs, leaped on the final footfall and rose thirty feet in the air in the .72 gravity, executing a rapid series of twists and flips, opening up his tuck at the apex to call loudly to Kobalt, in the Avenger.

He’d actually been in Comtap link before he’d started, letting the ripper know what sort of show he wanted to put on for the startled Hothor. Kobalt was skeptical.

“Uncle Tet this will not be believable, even to these slow moving strangers. You are much smaller than I am, and we certainly know who is stronger.” Then his true objections leaked out in several embarrassing admissions. 

“Kit and the other rippers will share the images they see here with other prides, and make fun of me. I’m the oldest male ripper and I’ll look feeble if you appear to win. My credibility and status as a pride leader could be ruined. And Miral will see me look foolish and inept.” Mirikami knew the last item was the only one that actually mattered to the big male cat.

Mirikami grinned, and teased him. “Are you some Krall kitty, worried about your status points? I need to impress these runty little aliens we’re tough. I just told them I could beat a Krall warrior, so I have to convince them it’s true. Unless you brought one of ‘em in your cabin, you’re the biggest badass we have with us. Besides, I don't need to win, a draw will do fine.”

He added, in consolation, “I’m sure Miral will reward you with a mating offer, just for making this great sacrifice of your mighty hunter’s image for the good of all.”

Kobalt’s friends and family knew the rejuvenated cat had been courting a comely younger ripper female for weeks, a member of a wild Koban pride.

“You
used
to be my favorite uncle. You’ll owe me a belly rub, and you will definitely have to meet with and explain this to Miral by frill contact.”

“You have it killer. Now come out here to be manhandled. Make it loud.”

Kobalt took a running leap from the Avenger, where he’d been standing next to his adoptive mother, Noreen. He screamed his deepest and loudest attack-and-pounce roar, soaring out of the portal and making an impossibly high looking arc in the low gravity, headed directly towards the oncoming Mirikami.

Hitting the tarmac, running to meet Kobalt, Mirikami exchanged a series of Comtap ideas with the cat, to choreograph the action before they met. Claws needed to be extended and fangs exposed to make it appear dangerous, and not being a fool, Tet wanted Kobalt to be on the same page with him to avoid an accident. They had med labs with them of course, but being placed in one right after this demonstration wouldn’t exactly leave the impression he wanted.

Kobalt’s response to Tet’s first idea was, “Really? My hind claws would still tear your belly open, even if I did slow down my reaction speed.”

“OK then, if I can’t grab your front paws and fall back to flip you over me with my feet, what do you suggest?”

“Die honorably, like any prey that faces a ripper. Without a rhinolo’s horn, hide, and mass, you’re dead meat.”

“Then let me go over the top, grab you and put my arms around your neck, choke you until you turn blue,” was his counter proposal.

“Very funny,” the teal colored predator told him. “You’d better hold on tight. The ride might get rough.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll let you live, since you’re almost my fourth favorite nephew.”

“Now you’ll have to go hunting with me, give me two belly rubs, and you still have to frill Miral.”

“All you think about is hunting, pampering, and sex.”

“Of course. I’m an apex predator.”

“Ha. Tell that to a whiteraptor or a K-Rex.” Those were two animals a ripper couldn’t face without a pride to back them.

“Not funny. Just for that stinging remark, you should ask Aunt Maggi to warm up a med lab.”

Maggi, linked into the teasing byplay, along with the rest of the complement, warned them both. “Don’t you hurt your uncle, and he’d best not hurt you. Neither of you are apex predators with me around.”

“She’s got you there,” Sarge chimed in.

This had all passed in barely a second, what with the speed of their nervous systems and thoughts. When they met a few seconds later, they were fully focused on what they had agreed to do.

They would slow the movements of their limbs, to allow the Hothor to be able to see what went on. Their final closing leaps, after crossing the half-mile gap, was coordinated so they met twenty feet above the ground. Mirikami, diving through the air headfirst at Kobalt, used his left hand to swat down as hard as he could on Kobalt’s right paw, gaining a slight upward momentum as he caused the cat to rotate to its right side.

Kobalt made a swipe with his left claws, which naturally barely missed the target as Mirikami rose higher and twisted away. When the massive head rose toward Mirikami, with jaws agape and snarling, the man darted his left hand up to push on the top of the head, thus gaining another few inches of separation as Kobalt’s ears passed slightly below. Mirikami used that same left hand to grasp the cat’s large furry right ear, which was conveniently extended straight up, rather than laid back as when in a real-life attack. He gripped the ear tightly, to swing his body over the cat, his chest dropping to press against the ripper’s withers, his own legs and knees clasped tightly against Kobalt’s flanks. He made sure to keep his feet and knees above the under curve of the belly as Kobalt had coached him, so that when the ripper clawed wildly with his back feet, as if to sink claws into his opponent’s limbs to tear the rider off, he would find only air.

Mirikami simultaneously slipped his right arm around Kobalt’s neck, and dropped his left hand from the ear to interlock his fingers with his right hand under the thick neck, and tightened his grip and squeezed, his arms just below the com set collar Kobalt wore, creating a convincing appearance of choking off the cat’s airway.

The fleshy ridge of the frill made this look more convincing, as it was pushed aside by the human’s arm pressed tight against the underside of the neck. With this close physical contact established, Koban frilled his thoughts directly to Mirikami.

“Ouch! You pulled a tendon in my ear. You’d better hang on because the landing will be on two feet. You caused me to rotate with that unnecessarily hard paw slap.”

“Bitch, bitch, bitch. You’re a cat, land on all four feet.”

Similar to an Earth cat, Kobalt twisted his body violently in midair, to reorient himself to land on all fours. He came down cushioned by muscular legs, and promptly sprang up in a spinning and body-twisting move as if to throw off the man clinging around his neck and on his back. Mirikami, forced to use all his strength, squeezed tighter with arms and knees to stay in place, his face pressed to the side of Kobalt’s neck.

As planned, the two of them repeated the same wild action several more times, with a full head-over-paws body flip once, always moving closer to where Maggi stood, watching the action with a critical eye. The seven Hothor were backing away, fearing to be caught in an apparent desperate fight, which looked so violent and moved so fast that they had trouble following all that was happening. The Third Minister and a scientist who understood what the superfast gymnastics and impossible high leaps implied about these new people, each inadvertently revealed how fear could affect a Hothor. Two steaming dark stains suddenly appeared on the frozen tarmac, as incontinence struck them both.