Koban (82 page)

His message was more current than Doushan’s had been, but he
spent only five minutes at this, and told them they were part of thirty seven newly
captured human ships. That they were surrounded by powerful alien warships that
could, and would, destroy them if they failed to follow instructions. He advised
them to share this information with their passengers and crew, that his own ship
and passengers had survived their capture largely because they were kept informed.

Then to ensure they knew he wasn’t acting alone in this warning,
he had each of the committee members say a few words, and confirm that survival
on Koban was possible, and human captives had lived here for years. Nobody thought
it was a smart idea to say why the Krall wanted human prisoners. They couldn’t escape
anyway, and they might survive on the planet.

He next advised them he was going to send an interrogation to
each ship’s navigation system to gather their identification, and to send his own
ship’s identity and registration. He provided coordinates for Koban Prime, and activated
a beacon for them to follow. He proposed to address each ship’s Captain if he was
allowed the time and would relay instructions from their captors, and try to mediate
any problems they had if they could not comply.

The largest ships were not designed to land on a planetary surface,
and he proposed to Parkoda that the smaller human ships could be used to ferry humans
to Koban from orbit, using conventional thrusters. He rebroadcast that entire series
of transmission with Parkoda’s reply so the other ships could hear the exchange.
He hoped being so open would discourage rash actions or mistakes.

The warnings worked for captive ships with passengers at risk,
but one cargo ship apparently tried to restore a Trap Field using spare emitters,
and it started a maximum conventional thrust out of orbit to gain time to catch
a tachyon. Mirikami later learned that its Captain had ignored a warning from a
Krall translator on the Clanship that had towed them, and an intolerant raid leader
ordered it destroyed instead of boarded.

The explosion wasn’t visible from Koban Prime, but Jake detected
the larger debris when the pieces came into view in spreading random orbits. Parkoda
informed Mirikami of the ship’s destruction, and that information was promptly passed
to the other ships.

That vessel likely only had five or six crew aboard, unless it
had also carried a small number of passengers, a common practice on a Rim run. Jake
had received the registration, and said it had a passenger capacity of twenty people.

There was no way to know how many died or what was lost, but
what was gained was an immediate display of cooperation and willingness to follow
instructions by the remaining three dozen human ships.

Parkoda announced that translators were ordering ships with the
capability to land near the human compound as their orbits permitted a descent.

“Five ships are leaving orbit,” announced Jake. “One is a Clanship,
three are human transports close to the size of the Flight of Fancy, and one is
a cargo ship. They appear to be following tracks that will bring them here within
the next ninety minutes. The Clanship should arrive in forty minutes.”

“Full Link and ship wide broadcast. Attention, the Krall are
bringing down the first four of the captured ships. These people have no idea what
they are facing and are not prepared for the gravity or heat. We need to arm ourselves
to help, so please load out with small buckshot. Whichever entrance they land close
to, we need to guard them and help them get into the dome.

“Pass this along to the people in the dome, ask them to help.
We will not let these people die for the Krall’s amusement. Move now! Mirikami Out.”

Turning to the committee members, “Our work is cut out for us
for a couple of days I suspect. We need to move trucks and people with guns to every
entrance, or move them around to where we need them as the landings take place.

“Dillon, contact Jimbo and Ray; the Fireball Brigade will ride
again. Neri worked out the igniter problems so they will all work as yours did that
first day. Spread out and cover three entrances. At the first sign of wolfbats overhead,
make some big fireballs they can see. They stayed away last time after that was
done.”

Thad volunteered. “I’ll get hold of Deanna to organize some people
to go outside with rifles to take pot shots with soft nose rounds to keep them high.
We’ll need your Jazzers and Sonics for skeeters, because even buckshot isn’t safe
if they get into a crowd.”

“Right,” Agreed Mirikami. “Those are kept charged, as are the
spare packs. I’ll have them issued to the Stewards again, and they all have body
suits now.”

“Some of the Jazzers are with us civilians Tet,” Maggi reminded
him. Aldry and I have one and body suits. We can ride with the trucks to protect
the new people, and save our legs.”

“Good idea. We need to ask for Jazzers from the new ships as
they get down. All of them will have a small armory as we did. Perhaps we’ll have
coverage for each truck. Somebody needs to get rooms identified in the dome where
we can send people after we process them through the Great Hall. Collect names and
make housing assignments. Deanna will be better used to run that operation than
on wolfbat duty.”

“Tet, please delegate,” Aldry told him. “You have a committee
for those details, and volunteers from the dome. We’re all Kobani now.” She grinned.

“Oh. You’re right. Sorry, I’m acting as if I’m still running
a ship. I’ll go up to the bridge where I can see what’s happening overall, and guide
resources to where we need them. Noreen, the Flight of Fancy needs a command staff
again, even if she can’t fly.”

“Yes Sir. I’ll head up now to get the screens and cameras tasked
to watch for bugs bats and ships.”

“I’m going with you. Good luck everybody, let’s save some lives
today.”

Once on the bridge, Mirikami asked Jake to put him in contact
with the first human ship expected to land. It was going to pass below the horizon
in fourteen minutes, so he had to be quick. Jake placed the ship’s ID on screen,
with the Captain’s name.

“Captain Mobutu of Marimba Destiny, this is Captain Mirikami
of the Flight of Fancy calling. I’m sitting on the ground at your destination. Can
you hear me?”

A reedy woman’s voice answered as her image appeared. She was
a tall thin black woman with short graying hair, and her ship was registered to
Greater West Africa, a Rim Colony settled by a number of former African nations
that had merged after the Collapse. “Ah, thank the stars Gentle Sir. I was afraid
I would have to do this in complete ignorance. Where are we landing?”

“Captain, you will be landing next to a large dome at the center
of a twenty six mile radius ringed compound. The Flight of Fancy is parked on the
east side of that dome, by one of four large entrances to the dome, one each on
the north, south, east and west sides. We are making sure that any entrance will
be ready for you. We will have armed protectors out to cover your people’s movement
into the dome by truck.”

“Armed protectors? Do you mean these alien Krall that just blew
up one of the ships out here?” She didn’t sound like that seemed like much protection,
and she was correct.

“No, the protectors will be other human captives that have been
here for some time. If you have nonlethal arms aboard, issue those to crew that
you trust to be level headed. This world is dangerous, but the only native animals
that will attack you inside the compound are all airborne.

“Jazzers, Sonics, or shotguns are practical defenses, and if
it flies consider it deadly. You shoot it when it is in range. Before you disembark,
we will bring trucks out to you to transport your people quickly to the dome. The
gravity is one point five g’s and can be a killer to new arrivals.”

“Our ship’s computer told us this. How many trucks do you have?
We have six hundred thirty seven passengers and seventy two crew men.”

“Our thirty one Krall made trucks will be unloading all the people
on each inbound ship. Do you have fuel for more than one return to orbit and landing?
You might be needed for ferry service out to the larger transports that can’t land.”

“We were told, by someone that said he was one of these Krall
people that everyone but the flight crew must evacuate. I have fuel for several
trips but that will be very expensive, who will repay my company? We need to be
compensated for that.” Obviously, their predicament had yet to impress itself on
her.

“Captain, the Krall will cheerfully kill anyone that fails to
follow their instructions, as fifty eight of my people learned the hard way, and
we were
trying
to follow instructions. I have no doubt you will see some
of the big red Krall bipeds after landing, but let me send you a picture of them
as they appeared on my ship when we were boarded. You don’t have very long to watch
so pay careful attention to what you have so far been lucky to avoid.”

As soon as he switched off, he had Noreen play an edited scene
recorded as the first Krall reached the Bridge, and some scenes in the corridors
as the smoke billowed out over dying passengers. It was a sight intended to scare
and to impress Captain Mobutu. She was in no position to deny the Krall anything
they demanded.

The same process was repeated and streamlined for each of the
other three ships about to land. It was inadequate, but all that Mirikami could
provide in the time he had.

Jake informed them that the Clanship that had left orbit with
the human ships was apparently coming to Koban Prime on a more direct route, but
numerous other Krall ships appeared to be landing at the main Krall compound on
the south east coast.

“Jake, do you know if the Clanship coming here is Parkoda’s?”
Mirikami asked.

“That is the same Krall ship where his transmission originated
Sir.”

Looking at Noreen, he speculated. “I wonder if he’s coming here
to take command of the compound or to find out how much we helped Telour. Either
case seems a bad choice for us.”

Noreen agreed. “Parkoda wanted to capture more humans for combat
testing and he did that using our towing proposal. However, you also helped Telour
produce a better fighting force. I wonder if he’s coming to thanks us, or to make
everyone pay for helping Telour?”

“I’d not bet on any thanks from a Krall, so pissed off is more
likely.”

“Sir, the Clanship is signaling.”

“Human clan leader, I learn you won immunity.” It was indeed
Parkoda’s voice.

Mirikami decided to divert him from that subject. “Parkoda, I
see the large raids returned soon, with many captured ships.”

Parkoda instantly went into a bragging session, as expected.
“The raids were all good because I captured the first prize ship you are on. I have
status for teaching to all clans to do as I did. Telour found smaller status to
prove humans can fight if they have surprise and advantage. I now must share my
victory because he made you fight. Something any warrior could do. I return with
a K’Tal that saw pictures when humans fought wars.”

“You found proof of our old wars?” Mirikami asked.

“I sent a translator K’Tal to look inside a ship I killed. She
saw pictures of humans fighting humans showing on a screen. The K’Tal said humans
in the pictures used some weapons like Telour told the clan leaders that you used
on Testing Day. Three of the warriors that hunted you that day told the clan
leaders of other weapons Telour did not report. The pictures my K’Tal saw on
the dead ship had no color, and came quick, one after another, each with a small
change. There were very many fast pictures she told me, but she could not record
them. Do you know of such pictures?”

The description sounded like one of Maggi’s old flat screen movies.
His guess was that the rate of frame refresh was so slow for a Krall’s eyes that
they didn’t see them as a continuous moving image as a human did, but rather as
a fast series of still pictures.

“Parkoda, I believe I have many war pictures like that for you
to show to your clan leaders, of human wars from the past. I didn’t know these were
never seen by the Krall.”

“I will send the same K’Tal to see you and record the pictures.
She was not able to do that on the dead ship. But I did not come for this, so do
not waste my time. The Great Clans meet now.”

Then he delivered the chilling reason for his visit. “I am here
to make combat on Koban more real for humans and warriors. This Maldo clan compound
is small for battles like you humans proved are possible.”

Mirikami and Noreen shared worried looks. “We will fight someplace
else?” Mirikami asked.

“Still from that dome. But you will go outside of the compound
to make hunters search longer, and they will face the Kobani animals as well as
the human tricks you made to help Telour.”

Well, he knew about their work for Telour, so he surely wanted
to exact a penalty.

He snorted. “Facing Koban animals is a good test for a novice,
and humans will learn if rhinolo and rippers believe in their tricks.”

Since Parkoda knew Telour had benefited from things Mirikami
had done, he dreaded the next response. “Why would humans leave the compound?”

“It was safe in the compound in the past; it will not be safer
for new hunts. Why make the search too easy if many more warriors hunt them?” Obviously,
he intended expanding the hunts, with more hunters and more people hunted.

“What advantage would a human gain to leave the compound, which
we know so well?” Mirikami asked, sensing the answer.

“There is no advantage to stay in a small area if the danger
is the same in or out of the compound. Both warriors and humans must watch for Kobani
animals when I open the walls.”

There
was the new danger Mirikami had sensed was coming.
They all were being made victims of his cooperation with Telour, to save the Flight
of Fancy. Only about one third of the compound was practical for concealment and
ambushes. Now they would be dodging native animals from the savanna and jungle,
and the predators that hunted them.