Koban 6: Conflict and Empire

by Stephen W Bennett

  Thad imitated Mirikami’s lip tug. “Hmm. I was going to fly the Ripper on this mission. Now I think we’ll take your ship, the Sneaky Bastard, so I can be free to operate my own drone. I like your idea, so you get to drive the command ship. Sneaky is our motto, Bastard is our embodiment, and we won’t ask them to expand the mission. That way nobody will tell us no. We’ll ask for forgiveness, not permission. Let’s work on those dirty little details.”

  ****

  The scientists were meeting in the Marine Lab that Vince and Sarah had established in the coastally located Hub City dome. It had taken a couple of days to arrange for all of the desired participants to assemble. Those days gave the two researchers time to gather and organize their findings on kuttlefish.

  Coldar was there because the Torki had assisted the two marine researchers in their underwater observations, providing them with powered subsurface craft that could follow the subjects of interest. Because the Torki had a small coastal colony next to Hub City, those citizens gave them the results of their own direct observations and recordings of animals the two researchers studied. Max Born had arrived with a technician, along with Rafe and Aldry, and Blue came largely out of curiosity.

  The Torki, when suspended in water, didn’t find the Koban gravity very objectionable, although they limited their time ashore, and they were not fond of the spring and summer warmth. Coldar was acutely uncomfortable on land today, not having left Haven very often to visit Koban. Accordingly, he was partly submerged in a large and cool marine sample tank for his comfort.

  Blue was likewise ill suited for Koban’s gravity, although he had the advantage of occupying the body of a former mindless Raspani, one who had lived on Koban as a Krall meat animal. He retained a sturdier musculature than did an average member of his species.

  Torki and Raspani scientists had never studied genetics with the aim of discovering how to change their DNA to add desirable new traits. This was a dangerous seeming sort of science, particularly when applied to your own species. Apparently, only humans had gone far beyond simply understanding genetic problems, first learning to cure those problems via DNA repair, and eventually incorporating corrective genes in their own bodies.

  Then they took the next step, modify their own genes for enhancing existing features. On Koban, they took the tremendous risks of adding genes never found in a human’s genome, to add features no human had ever possessed. This was considered an unacceptably risky proposition by any other intelligent species, and rarely attempted. The Prada’s minor exception had added ageless longevity for them, by continually repairing accumulated DNA damage, but they had stopped there. The Kobani had copied that feature too, using the Prada gene mod as their pattern.

  Humans always accepted high physical risks in their lives, and with genetics, they were no different. The near extermination of their species in the Gene War was a negative example of the risks involved. Despite this example, the Kobani, with multiple drastic gene changes, had produced a positive result, saving their species from extermination by the Krall.

  Aware that Vince and Sarah had wanted technical expertise to help explain how the nanotube film conveyed the protections it did for the kuttlefish, Max Born asked them for the electron and neutrino scans he’d requested, of the microscopic structure of the film.

  Projected on a wall-sized screen, he and his technician took notes of the scale factor bars on the image, indicating the size and lengths of the nanotubes, the apparent large gaps in the film at that huge magnification, and used those numbers as inputs into some computational software they had on their handheld, AI assisted, computers.

  “Vince, what are the frequencies of the electrical pulses from the biological sensors of the predators, used to find their prey? You said you could get recordings of that with the equipment we loaned you.”

  That resulted in another wall projection, and the technician said, “I see it arrives as relatively low frequency pulses, but within each burst of electrical energy, there are considerably higher frequency waves. The main pulses have wavelengths, if you called them that, which are far too long for sensing the tiny gaps in the film as anything but a continuous surface, keeping the cuttlefish’s nervous system virtually undetectable, but which might reveal an animal that did not have that layer of tissue.

  “However, the real stealth comes from the spacing of the smaller gaps, which are in general, less than a half wavelength of the higher frequency of the embedded signals contained within each main electrical pulse. There is where we think evolution could have driven the kuttlefish to grow a nanotube film that is also impenetrable to the higher frequencies. There has probably been an evolutionary battle, where predators evolved higher frequencies to spot shielded prey, and only the prey that had smaller gaps to exclude the higher frequency of radiation survived over time.”

  Vince looked at Sarah, and it was apparent this wasn’t much of a revelation to them. They already knew the kuttlefish were hard to detect by their prey. Born saw they hadn’t grasped the significance of what was implied.

  “Sarah, Vince, this means that the film you discovered must have a mechanism that allows the spacing of the gaps in the nanotube to gradually vary over long evolutionary time, which prevents higher frequencies from passing through, and revealing their superconducting nervous system beneath. This is vital to its possible use for blocking the even higher, and multiple frequencies, we are able to block with the jumble of different sized Q-carbon crystals at joints in body armor. At first, I didn’t think the film would be capable of that if it only protected against the low frequency electrical pulses you first described.

  “Although, I still see a problem, because the recorded spectrum of the Debilitater signal shows that we must block at least two slightly different frequencies to rob that radiation of its ability to interfere with our superconducting nervous systems. We can’t use a film that contains both sized gaps, because some portion of the highest frequency will still pass, and even that could render us disabled, even if it doesn’t kill us at low levels.”

  The two marine biologists looked gloomy, at least until the technician added his experience with Faraday cages.

  “It’s not a lost cause, people. If we use two differently scaled meshes, as I’ve done using metal screening, where I needed to exclude only a small set of specific frequencies, allowing others to pass, we might still block the two base frequencies we found, which are the most damaging to a Koban style nervous system.

  “I made life, and sometimes death, very unpleasant for dozens of Koban rats, as I experimented on the parts of the Debilitater spectrum that does us the greatest harm. Removing those two frequencies reduces the sensation to only a mild burning and itchy sensation.”

  Blue, who hadn’t heard of that experiment asked, “How do you know what the rat felt?”

  “I didn’t need to ask them. When they survived without seemingly any ill effect, I stepped into the simulated beam with those frequencies left out. I’m here, so it didn’t kill me.” He grinned.

  Coldar pivoted both eyestalks towards Blue, who turned his face toward Coldar. No one needed to receive the silent and private Olt and mind enhancer communication which they surely exchanged, to know what was said. A crazy human taking a ridiculously dangerous risk. Again.

  Rather than address their alien allies’ amazement at how quickly humans achieved useful answers to difficult questions, accepting risks other species would avoid while they lost time finding a safer way, Max had questions for Rafe and Aldry. They had been mere observers thus far.

  “Rafe, Aldry, I believe blocking the two most dangerous modulated frequencies of the Debilitater radiation can be achieved, using a suitable combination of two layers of this biological film Vince and Sarah have discovered.

  “I think our combined labs can find a means of deposition of carbon nanotubes, laid on etched grids laid out with the two specified sized gaps, to simulate the end product we need, and test it for the radiation blocking properties we need.<
br />
  “Obviously, it will be up to your specialty to locate the genes in the kuttlefish for growing that layer of film. Then unlocking how it achieved a mechanism for producing the observed sized gaps in the nanotube film, discovering how it evolved so that it doesn’t pass a specific frequency. That frequency needs to be considerably higher than what the Koban fish predators use, requiring much smaller gaps in the film. Then, there needs to be two of those layers, each one a different specific sized gap. Daniel and I,” he indicated the technician, “can tell you the exact sized gaps required. Naturally, we can’t tell you squat about how you would do that with gene control. Your department will have the hardest, most time consuming task, assuming it’s even possible.”

  Rafe chuckled, while Aldry gave him a wry grin. She said, “Gee, mister whiz bang physicist, couldn’t you also give us an impossible deadline to meet?”

  “How about any time before the Empire finds Koban?” Was his amused but sympathetic reply.

  “That won’t do,” Rafe said, with a grimace. “Finding out how to do it isn’t the same as retroactively adding this mod to all of our people. We are probably adding new Kobani to our ranks by more than a thousand converts a day, and soon we hope to make that number ten thousand a day, if we can find the volunteers.”

  Max shrugged. “If we don’t solve the problem, there won’t be any more volunteers to convert to a race of supermen slated for extinction.”

  ****

  Maggi walked in on the K1 based planning session unexpectedly, sporting her most mischievous grin. “Hey, Gentle Men, boys and girls, you having fun yet? Bet you didn’t expect to see me today, huh?”

  Thad quickly looked away from the wall display he’d been explaining, which suddenly went to plain white. Sarge, at the computer controlling the presentation, grinned at her inanely. “Hi Maggi, how ya doing?”

  Ethan and Bradley Greeves, Carson and Alyson Martin, Jorl Breaker, Fred and Bill Saber, Carol Slobovic, and Sergey Medlov, were seated at tables and chairs, with notepad computers they’d been using to make notations, or marking portions of the discussion that pertained to them, or flagging sections where they wanted to suggest changes.

  They all smiled, called out Hello’s, some even seemed genuinely happy to see her, but that was the two girls and Sergey, a couple of boys wore guilty or uncomfortable forced smiles, and two young men looked downright nervous.

  Those two nervous young men were Carson and Ethan. That was because they had spent a good deal of time in Aunt Maggi’s care when younger, and that smile, combined with an unexpected appearance by her, had taught them that she’d often just discovered whatever prank, stunt, scheme, or what she termed shenanigans, they had planned or had accomplished. The repercussions from her discoveries had rarely led to much fun at all.

  “What brings you to K1?” Thad asked brightly.

  “The Mark of Koban, of course. Although, I hear the Planetary Union wants this planet renamed Greater West Africa again, just as soon as Nabarone’s forces root out the last of the hidden holdouts of the small Krall clans. There’ll be a new influx of colonists after that.”

  “Ahh, of course.” Sarge said, as if that had been the answer to what they really were asking. “Uh, did Tet come with you?” He added. That might extract from her what really concerned them. Had they been found out?

  “No, he doesn’t know I’m here. I came alone. He’s much too busy with ship and body armor modifications, and deploying Nova II’s as they’re produced, sending them out to watch over our colonies, making sure they take roundabout paths so they don’t reveal Koban to the Empire.

  “I wanted to see how the planning for your mission into the Empire was going, and if you needed anything in the way of supplies, such as additional crewmembers. But I see you have more help than just you and Thad. It’s odd they weren’t mentioned in your Comtap reports to Tet.” Her smile widened, the blond locks and dimples not softening the devilment implied, which her friends had previously experienced.

  “Oh, them.” Thad smiled towards his coconspirators. “We invited the others to go along so they could help us monitor all of the possible targets, which the three ships can attack, to provoke the Crusher into using its Decoherence bombs against them.”

  “You don't think them simply appearing at Meglor would do that? I don't believe the Thandol are particularly reticent about using that weapon.”

  “Not that. It will be a target rich environment, so quickly finding the best targets in the brief time we have for an attack increases the actual damage we can cause. At the same time, we’ll learn what we’re there to discover.”

  She grinned at Ethan and Carson, as she had done so often when they were preteens, before they acquired their Kobani mods. “You two cowboys were convinced to participate just so you could help them find better targets? That’s a remarkably secondary role for the two adventuristic boys I remember, and admired.”

  “Admired?” Carson looked surprised. Ethan just left his mouth hanging open.

  “Of course. Had I not painfully taught you the value of careful planning, you two would have gotten into worse predicaments than you did, wouldn’t you? I might not have had the pleasure of seeing you live to grow into men. Although, I was worried about how many times I had to catch you, before you finally became better at thinking through the flaws of your nutty schemes. I mean really! Saddles for rhinolo?

  “Nevertheless, had I chosen to interfere with your personal exploits with members of the opposite sex, I might have taught Ethan how to avoid being shot by an enticing female, when he turned his back with his pants off. A woman that he should have had every reason to be suspicious of.”

  “How…? I mean, what do you mean?” Ethan flushed. Carson, Kit, and Kobalt had promised not to tell anyone of an embarrassment he’d experienced on a trip to Chisholm, a Rim World colony.

  “Don’t insult my intelligence.” Maggi responded, with a dismissive wave of her hand. “Anyway, anytime you and Carson quietly disappear at the same time, there historical reasons to ask what you’re up to now. Then, when I find myself being asked by Grandma Noreen to watch little Calvin for a day, means his mom, Alyson, was off somewhere as well. Grandma Noreen was asked if she would watch your Calvin for at least a week.” She looked pointedly at Carson and Alyson.

  “After that, I looked for some of the usual young suspects you three hang out with, people you would trust to keep a secret. Some of them were gone too, or at least weren’t on Koban or Haven. With Thad and Sarge working on a special project here, I suspected where you all had to be.”

  “Well,” Sarge offered, “we didn’t want word to get out about what we were up to here. Lose lips sinking ships, and all the normal security precautions, you know?”

  She scoffed at the lame excuse. “What, by protecting us from the unseen elephant, or 400-pound gorilla hiding in our midst? How in hell would the Thandol or Ragnar discover your plans? You aren’t worried about the enemy picking up local radio transmissions. Not within our own star systems, or else we’d already be ass deep in their attacks. That means you were keeping word of what you were doing from reaching Tet and Stewart, the men that gave you the task. Am I getting warm?”

  Thad shrugged. “I don't think Tet or Stewart wanted to be constantly bothered by our pestering them with every detail of how we were progressing, or told of every person we added to our crew on the Sneaky Bastard.”

  “Oh, I don’t think so either, but use of significantly more material might matter to them, and an expansion of the original mission as well.”

  “I don't think our extra personnel count as material,” he countered.

  “Me either,” she answered, her smile growing sweeter. “Yet, I’ll bet seven more clanships, and the purchase of ten basic AI’s do. You failed to tell General Nabarone that he shouldn’t discuss the shuttle AI’s he furnished to you if anyone asked, or about the additional missiles taken from the clanships that were left disabled on Poldark. That was far more stuff than you needed
for equipping just your approved three clanships.”

  She smiled. “Pants on fire, my friends.”

  They knew they were found out, but Sarge didn’t understand her last remark. “How are you gonna set fire to our pants? They’re made of Smart Fabric now days, and won’t burn. What the hell does that mean, anyway?”

  “Old twentieth century reference. Liar, liar, pants on fire.”

  Sarge frowned, but not at being accused of using one of his best developed talents. “Okie dokie, so you found us out, now what? You gonna shut us down? We have a damned good plan to punish the enemy with minimal costs.”

  “I’ll not rat you out if I get to hear what you have planned, and see more of the Meglor system layout, including the orbital repair docks I saw on the wall when I walked in. I knew you couldn’t obtain all of the ships you wanted on K1. But, if I tell you where there are another couple of damaged clanships you can get from Poldark, will you invite me to go with you?” She didn’t say she’d blackmail her friends if they said no, but with Maggi, her impish grin told them anything was possible.

  Thad looked relieved. “Humph. I believe some smart ass just told us it’s properly called Greater West Africa, not K1. And we did run out of Jump capable derelicts here that we could use. You are hereby invited to participate, even if you can’t get us two other clanships and AIs.”

  “Excellent! Your secret’s safe with me, because I just became a coconspirator. This should be fun.”