Koban 5: A Federation Forged in Fire

by Stephen W Bennett

  “Besides, we can also operate the same migration ships as free hospital wards for injured troops, keeping that service separate from the transformation wards. Those are big ships, so we can subdivide them. Poldark and New Dublin are New Colonies and part of the PU, so we would have to operate a free vacation trip for army candidates to visit those mobile wards. It’s less than an hour at T cube speeds to K1 or Bollovstic.”

  Stewart nodded his acceptance, but was worried. “That might produce significant results in a few years Tet. What do we do in the meantime?”

  “We try to keep the fighting with the Empire as much in space as we can. We have four thousand eight hundred ships, after returning some repaired clanships to service. If we maintain ten ships to stand watch near each of the ten new colonies, keep two thousand closer to home here, in case we’re discovered, we still have two thousand seven hundred ships to use as quick reaction forces, and for our shipping commitments with the Rim Worlds, and to guard the border closest to the Empire.”

  “Mister President,” Sarge interjected. “I have a suggestion concerning manned border patrols.”

  “You want to volunteer?” Thad suggested, with a grin. “I’m shocked.”

  “No, I’ve figured out a way that no one needs to do that, wise guy.”

  Before Thad could snap out a retort, Maggi reminded him of something, “Don’t dismiss him before you even hear his idea, lunk head. He saved your bacon at Novi Pazar Lodge on Poldark, when the Krall swarmed your butts.” Reynolds had rigged two ladybugs to detonate their own fusion bottles that time, pulling a mountainside down on the Krall.

  “Continue, Sarge.” MacDougal was a longtime observer of the two friends perpetual heckling of one another.

  More surprised at Maggi’s support than by the expected needling from Thad, Sarge restarted. “Right. Well, we have at least seven hundred or so navy patrol boats, which we kept after Medford forced us to evacuate our Comtap people from Human Space, after she tried to kidnap Tet. They usually just sit around on the tarmacs at the Xenos spaceport, or on Koban. They’re too small for cargo use, and all we do is use them like public taxis with Jump capability. Why not use them for border watching?”

  MacDougal nodded. “I’ve borrowed them multiple times to travel between Haven and Koban, Sarge, but they’re awfully cramped for a long wait in a remote area like that. They can only do a T-squared Jump, so rotating observers and getting resupply is an issue at that distance. They’d take a month of travel one way just to go or return.”

  “No Sir, I mean we should install a simple AI in the patrol boats, give them a Prada com set link to Instellarnet, and they can report back to us instantly. We have our own detectors for sensing the tachyon wake of a squadron of ships, similar to what the Krall used to trace human fleets. Can we place a detector like that on those boats, to watch for Empire ships entering our space? The Thandol watch their people’s movements, one ship at a time. If ours are sensitive enough, we should watch for Empire incursions with our own automated monitors.”

  Maggi, looking at Thad’s abashed expression, taunted him, “A dumb ole sergeant once again makes a full bird Colonel look full bird brained.” Her mocking laughter didn’t convey the charm that her dimpled smile and blond curls suggested should flow from the small sprite she resembled. Instead, it emanated from the mind of a hundred fifteen-year-old imp, concealed within the young shell, who enjoyed embarrassing her close friends.

  “I..., uh…,” Greeves stammered before Sarge helped slip Thad’s own foot into the open orifice.

  “You want to volunteer? Why you certainly can. You might even set up the patrol boats, under my supervision of course. I wouldn't want the job screwed up by some clueless boob.”

  As was often the case, Mirikami was force to move the discussion forward. “That idea will keep more combat capable ships free to intercept Empire incursions, or for raiding them if they make any new threats, or attack on us. Good suggestion Sarge.”

  Next, Dillon was asked to report on the inquiries presented to the science teams, about refining the Novae missile weapon, and the possible vulnerability of their body armor to the Debilitater ray of the Thandol.

  They also had asked if there was even a theoretical defense against the Decoherence warheads. The fifth force used by that weapon had a mode that was able to break down the quantum mechanical bonds of matter. Molecular atomic bonds broke, but not the strong nuclear bonds. The weapon was obviously related to the older narrow beam Q-rupter device invented by the Raspani. Both were cousins to the even more ancient Olt’kitapi Katusha, which embedded and detected the quantized and encrypted DNA keys of living creatures, which also had a narrow beam like a Katusha, and the characteristic short range.

  The Thandol weapon’s warhead was delivered apparently in the same fashion as the Novae missiles, traveling through Tachyon Space, and rotating to Normal Space to emerge inside the target. There was a significant difference between the delivery methods, however.

  The Novae became destructive simply because it was large and relatively massive, and emerged within the matter comprising the target. A powerful, uncontrolled explosive reaction occurred, which could release enough energy to approximate a nuclear reaction. The strength of the explosive effect was quite variable and unpredictable, and depended on how much of the arriving matter actually intersected with the target’s most dense matter. In the case of the Thandol Crusher ships, where their densest mass was concentrated at its geometric center, it was the ideal spot for a Novae strike. It had destroyed its target with a single hit. However, had the target been constructed more like a migration ship, nearly hollow and without any water stored internally, there would be a weaker intersect with dense matter, so a Novae would have considerably less destructive power. It would still be fatal to the target, but it would not produce the huge blast and collateral damage that the Crusher had caused to its brother ship in orbit.

  The Thandol had a means of launching their smaller warheads via Jumps that originated from inside the Crusher, apparently hundreds of them per minute, either from multiple Jump drive launchers, which seemed the most plausible method, or via some improbable machinegun-like rapid-fire effect from a single launcher. The exact physical size of the warhead wasn’t known, but like the circuits of a Q-rupter, the beam generating chips didn’t have to be any larger than a human fingernail. Even intersects with matter in the target by a mass so small would produce a small explosion, and surely would destroy the warhead before it had a chance of generating the disintegration beam. There had been no indication of any intersects at Paradise, despite at least a thousand warheads used there.

  This meant the Thandol had a targeting system that sought out low-density voids in the target, a ship or structure, where it would encounter only air. Yet the small warheads were somehow able to endure intersecting with atmosphere, which still contained a low density of matter. That seemed improbable luck for so many hits, since air had sufficient density that some of the warhead circuits should have failed.

  Then Dillon presented some good news, and some bad news. “The PU navy had only converted an existing Jump capable shuttle sized drone to become the Novae. They used the drone’s AI for navigation control, but the physical size and the complex AI are a bit of overkill. If we use a simpler AI, and a smaller Jump drive, each of them placed inside a smaller dense spherical casing, and we would be able to launch them from inside the holds of our ships without opening our portals and giving up our stealth. They say they can put all of that inside a one-meter diameter steel sphere.

  “By using multiple mass detectors, at nose, tail, and center of our ships, we can get a better triangulated fix on the densest mass concentrations within nearby enemy ships, and use those coordinates for our launches. Naturally, forming an internal event horizon inside the ship’s hold will take a foot or so of added volume with it for each launch, but by suspending the spheres with cables, that will prevent us sending anything along with them other than air and part of the su
pport cable.”

  He grinned. “Since they aren’t coming back, we don’t have to worry about shielding against the gamma rays as they White Out, which is the least of the worries for those at the receiving end.”

  “Any timeline on production of the new Novae bomb?” Mirikami asked.

  A headshake. “I caught flak from Max, Coldar, and Blue, when I asked that very question. They haven’t even designed the thing yet, and don’t want to be rushed.”

  Mirikami waved a hand, “Don’t worry, I’ll speak to them. The Thandol may put pressure on us that we can’t control. What’s the bad news?”

  “I saved the worst for last, but it isn’t entirely bad. We tested our armor against Jazzers, fired at close range, and there is some minor leakage at every joint, particularly when the beam incident angle is optimum to leak through microscopic but airtight gaps.”

  “That doesn’t sound too bad.”

  “The experts say we can even reduce the leakage to our body by wearing wire shielded clothing under our suits, particularly at the joints.”

  “That might chafe, but we can implement that solution rather quickly.”

  “Even that solution leaves some unanswered questions. We don’t know the frequency spectrum of the actual radiation to study the neurological effect, or if the frequency they use is much higher with shorter wavelength, and thus can leak through easier than a Jazzer does. There’s uncertainty on what impact it’ll have on us if a suit does leak slightly.

  “I think our real problem is what do we do to protect our non-combat people? We can’t put every civilian, and I particularly include our children, in suits and mesh clothing all of the time. The Thandol consider this a non-lethal crowd control weapon, and the Hothor say the security forces all have them, and use them freely if called upon to subdue resistance on a subject planet. At close enough range it’s fatal to most species, but we’re tougher than most species.”

  Mirikami considered their options. “It doesn’t seem like armored Kobani have much to worry them about the Debilitater, but it could be a weapon of choice if they attack any place populated with our civilians and alien allies. We need to provide them with shelters, perhaps a room at home enclosed with conductive mesh, for them to jump inside if there is an aerial attack, or possibly just a mesh pulled over the roofs of buildings will work. I’m assuming the beam becomes less effective after reflection from the ground or from other structures. A Jazzer beam won’t scramble your nerves effectively via reflection, but it’s a short-range low power weapon anyway. So that’s all I have for now.”

  Stewart was ready to move on to other matters. “If that concludes the military side of our meeting, I have to deal with a matter related to our new Department of Colonial Affairs. We have an influx of nearly six thousand new immigrants from Human Space passing through Haven this week, acquiring clone mods here. They’re destined to join the new Zanzibar Redoux colony in another five days. Their supply ships are loading now on Tanners world, a Rim world that contracted to deliver their property, and we need the colonists to be delivered to Zanzibar just when their supplies arrive and require unloading.

  “As you know, the colonist already landed there were from three different Rim worlds, but they don’t particularly want to help native Terrans move in next door. It’s a bit of reverse discrimination, but it’ll work itself out when they get to know each other. These are relatively poor people, who have not benefited very much from Earth’s prosperity. They were attracted to the colony name, its mild climate, and large number of big islands. We offered to transport them there free of charge, if they managed to get out of the Hub area to some Rim World.

  “We simply couldn’t turn down Earth citizens as immigrants to the Federation; the publicity will be great for us. These are people mostly from East Africa, and from the island of Zanzibar on Earth, who have all opted for Koban mods before the end of the year. Instead of returning here for the Koban mods, the proposed mobile transformation ward would actually be just the thing to send there. Like Paradise, the planet has higher gravity than standard, about 1.2 g’s, so Kobani mods will make it extremely easy to live and work there. I’m confident the Rimmers will want to keep up with them, so I think many of them will opt for the mods. What I’m asking today, is if some of the Kobani aboard the ships guarding the colony can help them with the heavy lifting in the first few days. I want to pay them in Fed credits for their time, of course.”

  The Minister of the Department of Colonial Affairs, Clarice Femfreid, of Mirikami’s Spider Hole Team fame, said she would find some way to squeeze money from her budget, and pay the Kobani helpers in Federation credits, for working during their free time. Fed credits weren’t accepted at any Hub world, and only the Rim Worlds that traded with the Federation would accept them. The use of money was finally catching on with the young Kobani, as they encountered Rimmers that expected cash for services or purchases.

  Stewart shook his head in amazement. “Earthborn Kobani. I didn’t expect to see that happen so soon. We’re growing almost as fast as we can transport the people to the new planets. I wonder how long we can keep this pace going.”

  ****

  “At this pace we will soon find their main worlds.” Asserted Force Commander Gimtal Thond, better known by his nickname “Bone Breaker,” in the Ragnar language. It was his practice, as a young trooper in an Enforcer brigade, one of four units in a Punishment battalion, to use his highly muscular build to break the bones or exoskeletons of several of whichever subject species was receiving the Empire’s object lesson. The practice got him noticed by his admiring fellow Enforcers, and by his superiors, who appreciated his attitude. Anyone could pull a trigger, but snapping a limb or spine was personal, and a more impressive feat that demanded strength and aggression.

  Even as he rose through the ranks to officer status, he kept this popular image alive for the enjoyment of the Enforcers and Punishers under his command, making sure he broke a few bones in a live broadcast from every action he participated in, or led. He hoped there would be multiple species at this Federation colony, so he could increase his legendary string of different species bones broken or crushed, he was looking for species number twelve and higher today.

  He passed his orders to his Force Lieutenant Commander, FLC Grudfad, “Advise all units that we will attack when the scouts return. If the current disposition of enemy ships guarding this world is unchanged, we will follow my original plan, or I’ll make an adjustment.”

  He shivered his grey tipped black fur, which covered his thick muscular frame under his utility belts, thus showing his eager anticipation. It started at his broad shoulders, and moved down his thick torso, to his hips. This was one of the milder aggression displays of his species, and it inspired others to make similar displays. He’d done it a number of times this week, along with occasional heavy chest thumps with his fists, making deep grunts. The shiver displays on the Bridge had started after he’d been given this assignment, along with his new rank. The Thandol had not appointed a Force Commander to any of their security forces for over a generation of the long lived Ragnar.

  His younger Lieutenant promptly shivered his own glossy solid black fur in sympathetic response. Then the shiver display spread among the other members of the Bridge crew of the Smasher class cruiser. Thond was the only silver tipped mature Ragnar on the Bridge, but his strength and virility wasn’t in doubt.

  Grudfad noted something about their new opponents with considerable distain, “These careless aliens led us directly to their weakest new colonies with their continuous third level traffic. That was very reckless. They will soon learn a need for caution, right after they learn to fear us.”

  This was the largest Annexation Campaign the Empire had ever conducted, and the first such campaign for the Ragnar in generations. The Empire normally grew slowly as they encountered new and scattered intelligent species, many of which were not yet space faring.

  It was a rare opportunity for the Ragnar to exhibit their
natural and innate aggression with fewer limits placed on their actions. Naturally, they hated the Thandol, but they also didn’t have the resources or technology to fight them and win. If they ever revolted, the Empire had promised that it would lead to their complete destruction. Instead, an agreement was reached to exploit the tall primate-like species natural aggression, and to reward them for their service. The Thandol sent them to fight on the Empire’s behalf, in exchange for a privileged position and a share of the taxes they collected in a third of the empire.

  For a change, this time the action was not mere intimidation of some restive species within the Empire, such as a put down of a tax revolt, imposition of new trade regulations, or an object lesson to a species that failed to show proper respect for the Emperor or his family herd.

  This was a large new region of star systems to add to the Empire. From historical records, it was known there should still be at least four or five surviving species in the region to subjugate. At one time there had been far more species there, eradicated now by a legendary foe, but the Krall enemy had never actually been fought by the Empire.

  They were the vaunted and feared race the Ragnar had always wanted to confront. but the Krall were said to be gone now. When those ruthless barbarians had unexpectedly revolted against the Olt’kitapi long ago, and won, the Thandol had drawn back from where their borders had tentatively touched. The Krall had then rampaged with utter brutality and reckless abandon for thousands of years in the Orion Spur, where the Olt’kitapi had originated. The Empire quietly observed them from a safe distance. The Thandol knew they were destined to meet them someday, but they wanted to select opportune circumstances.