Koban 4: Shattered Worlds

by Stephen W Bennett

  “Wait! She won’t even Jump for another nine days, and she certainly couldn’t have told Henry she was leaving two weeks ago when this courier departed, because my orders hadn’t reached her then. He must have guessed or made an assumption. Doesn’t matter, I don't have time to hold his damn hand while he complains. Foxworthy has the only ships and crews that have faced the Krall regularly, so we need them at K1.”

  “Mam, I spoke to the courier captain directly, and he told me the general said it’s urgent that you meet personally with the messenger he sent, a Captain Joseph Longstreet, of Special Operations. You are supposed to have heard of him.”

  Bledso’s eyebrows rose. It seemed the dead spec ops captain had returned to life once more. She’d only heard his voice on the recordings made when he was supposedly a member of the capture team that picked up the first Krall she’d ever seen as a live prisoner. She didn’t know what this version of the dead man looked like because he’d never been out of his armor. She had a file on the man reported killed in action, and she spoke to her AI, which had of course been listening to the exchange.

  “Conrad, show me the file on this Longstreet.” Before the sentence was finished, the AI had already searched and located the file, waiting only for the request to place it on her display. His official picture appeared on her larger desk monitor. The Tri-Vid image was of an attractive, young looking man in an Army dress uniform, wearing the black beret of Special Operations, and the black and white shoulder patch of the Heavyside based unit partly visible. Young looking was a given in an active duty spec ops troop, and cosmetic genetics centuries ago led to many people inheriting attractive features.

  “Conrad, is there a voice print of the man that captured the Krall prisoner over Poldark, or any other way to confirm if the man I’m expected to meet is the same person?”

  “Yes Mam, I have a voice print. There is also a biometric estimate of his physical dimensions if he were not wearing the armor seen in the recordings made by the heavy cruiser, the Claw. That estimate matches well with the records for the Captain Longstreet that was reported killed in action. There were no previous voice recordings to use for a comparison. A DNA sample from the man reported as killed was found when you requested that I search for the actual identity of the person on the Claw. The Special Operations branch said they didn’t have one, as part of their policy of anonymity for their recruits, and they were in general uncooperative with my requests. However, the PU Army had a DNA profile in their old records for a Joseph Randolph Longstreet, which was more a result of incompetence than proper file keeping. They were instructed by the Special Operations Branch to delete those previous records.”

  “Good. Then when the man meets with me Conrad, I want you to check him out for a reasonable match to these records. We may even be able to get a DNA sample.”

  “Yes Mam.”

  Looking aside to her aide, “Gale, authorize the courier to land, and arrange for an escort to bring Captain Longstreet to my office. Check my schedule, and keep ten minutes clear for me to talk with him.”

  “Yes Mam.”

  For the following hour, Bledso was engaged with sending orders to move squadrons or specific ships, and preparing stories for local news consumption of where the ships were moving, or the names of exercises they were supposed to be conducting when they left their normal bases. The navy had grown in strength and complexity.

  There would be just over a thousand ships engaged in the attack on K1 this time, although none would be on the size scale of the only existing dreadnaught, the Invincible, or even the five battleships that were repaired after the second K1 attack. The big ships certainly provided massive firepower in a single package, but that had proven to be a source of vulnerability when they also provided a focus for concentrated suicidal attacks for Krall clanship commanders, who wanted a high score status kill. Jump technology itself was used as a weapon against less maneuverable giant ships. A clanship could Jump into the space occupied by a large ship, destroying both of them in a titanic explosion. Another tactic was to Jump close, then Jump away again by using a massive tachyon to create a huge event horizon, shearing away part of a big enemy ship in the process. This was a less sure a way to kill the target ship, but it allowed the clanship commander a chance to brag about his exploit later.

  The navy decided a larger number of smaller ships offered greater fleet flexibility, and smaller and harder to hit targets for a suicide minded Krall clanship pilot. Heavy cruisers became the backbone of the new fleet, and the nearly hapless destroyer class ships were no longer being built. Screening the fleet had not proven that effective, when the enemy could Jump into the center of a formation, and bypass the outer screen. Unpredictable movements had proven to be the key to success against the Krall in the last fleet action.

  Bledso was engrossed in Chatsworth’s proposed strategy of fleet movement and composition of units, when her aide, Gale, opened her door. “Mam, Captain Longstreet has been cooling his heels in your outer foyer for thirty minutes. I made a hole in your schedule to hold calls for ten minutes, if you are ready to see him now. By the way, he isn’t in uniform.”

  Almost startled she had jerked her head up when the door opened; unaware so much time had passed. Pushing some things aside and setting her computer’s system recall to restore where she was, she said, “Give me five minutes with Conrad, then escort him in, please.”

  The door closed and she asked the AI, “Does he seem to be the same man in the file on Longstreet, and does the voice from the Claw recording match this man?” She had formed her own opinion and was expecting a confirmation from her AI.

  “Mam, he looks like the image in the army file, he has the proper body proportions within acceptable parameters, and the voice matched when he spoke with Gale. Without an eye scan or DNA sample, he appears to be the man reported as killed in action, and the voice of the person that was on the Claw.”

  “I expected that. I didn’t think Nabarone would try to send a ringer to fool me. I guess I can ask him why the subterfuge, and hear what he has to say. When he passed the scanners built into the hall door frame, were the usual speck ops implants detected?”

  “He has a standard small spec ops AI unit in his sternum, an eye projection system and infrared detectors in each eye, and the metallic nervous system lines for Booster Suit control, although he isn’t wearing a suit. He has a communication transducer behind his right ear and an unknown embedded small device in his head, set in bone and located behind his nose. There were also some organic anomalies, but you do not have a medical scanner type system installed in your anteroom doorframe. He passed through the door too quickly anyway, for a thorough scan. However, I detected no weapons.”

  “Thank you Conrad, I wasn’t concerned about weapons anyway. The man is a weapon in his own right. Please link to my transducer for possible comments or observations if I raise my left index finger. Cut off if I lower the finger.” She wanted the AI’s information on demand. In addition, to signal it to shut off if it talked too much. Something AIs still did, despite advances in the technology.

  There was a light polite knock. “Come.” If it were only Commander Gale, she’d have walked right in, as always. Gale opened the door, and ushered in a tall, well-built man who was a match to the file picture she’d seen earlier, and she announced him by name and rank, although he was in a simple two-piece dark blue business suit, with an open jacket over a lighter blue shirt.

  Bledso, because this messenger was presumably representing General Nabarone but dressed as a civilian, came around her desk and offered her hand in greeting, rather than wait to see if he would salute. “Captain, what can I do for you, or rather for General Nabarone? Why did he find it necessary for you to see me directly?”

  He took her hand. “Mam, it isn’t what you can do for me, it’s what I, and what other people sent by Captain Mirikami can do for you. We can provide you with real-time long distance communications while inside Tachyon Space. I’m here to offer our ser
vices to the fleet when you attack K1. We now have over a hundred stolen clanships under our command, with the same improved stealth capability we provided to the navy, and they are at your disposal.”

  He held onto her hand a bit longer than she found comfortable as he said this, but he released as soon as he’d had his say. This wasn’t at all what she had anticipated being discussed. It was better.

  He nodded as their hands parted, as if she’d said something he agreed with, but she’d not spoken yet.

  “Uh…, I suspect that you mean you have alien technology that can communicate between ships while in Tachyon Space? We have had scientist and engineers working on this for years, but we haven’t been very successful. Please be seated.” She went back around her desk, considering what he’d said.

  Suddenly apprehensive, she asked, “Do the Krall have this capability?” Their intended rapid movement and frequent Jump strategy might not keep the Krall as much off balance as they hoped. Not if they could also share information, and coordinate movements while in Jump status.

  “No Mam. At least they don’t have instant light years range of communications like what we have to offer. I can demonstrate this for any of your people if you’d like. Someone would have to enter a Jump Hole with me, and while there, I could talk to Captain Mirikami directly, even though he is many hundreds of light years away. I have another person that came with me on the courier from Poldark, which we can use as the other end of a two-way relay while we both are in the Hole. The link works over light years inside Tachyon Space, so it obviously will function across a solar system.”

  She suspended her skepticism for now, and raised her index finger slightly from her desk. “You will understand I’m sure, that I will have to ask one of our scientists to brief me on our own progress in Tachyon Space communications.”

  “Yes Mam.”

  Conrad was prompt. “Mam, there has been no significant progress in this field, and the best efforts reported to date were slow, and worked only between ships that were effectively flying in formation in a parallel Jump.” She lowered her finger.

  “Can you provide us with these transmitters and receivers for testing, and furnish one for each of our ships? We’d need quite a few. Perhaps we could build our own.” She wasn’t going to reveal to him how many ships they would have yet. The claim of Mirikami having captured more than one hundred Krall clanships had not fully sunk in either, nor had that claim avoided her doubts.

  “Mam, in a manner of speaking we will provide as many communication systems as you need. However, you can’t very well build them. I’m one of them myself.” He smiled, knowing he’d just confused her.

  “Excuse me? You are one of the operators you mean?”

  “Not exactly. The technology is built into my head. Right behind here.” He tapped the bridge of his nose.

  “I have what we call a Comtap chip embedded in my skull, which permits a quantum entangled system to modulate low energy tachyons when we are inside a Jump Hole. Such tachyons travel at an infinite velocity in that universe, and can deliver a message to the intended person with another such device instantly. If one of us is aboard each of your ships, we can help you coordinate individual ship movements after they enter a Jump Hole. Captain Mirikami wants to allow your fleet commander to direct his captured clanships ships this way, and possibly use our ability to get all the way down to the surface of K1 disguised as Krall clan members. Our ships look like enemy ships when unstealthed or when firing the same weapons, so we have to avoid friendly fire accidents of your ships on ours.”

  “Wow, Captain. This sounds complicated, but I can see some advantages and potential drawbacks.”

  “What are the drawbacks Mam?”

  “Even if we accept non PU military personnel on our ships, we need to install acceleration suits for your people on each ship. This is late in the game to get that done, with fleet units spread out all over Human Space to keep the Krall off guard.”

  “Yes Mam. We knew you would be concerned about that, but acceleration suits won’t be necessary for people like me. I assume you’ve now discovered I’m the same spec ops captain that was reported dead, over a year ago. I went with others from Special Ops, to train Captain Mirikami’s people in how to fight.

  “However, while we were with them, we received physical enhancements, which they already had themselves, that made some of our so-called “secret implants” and strength multipliers completely inadequate. We are aware that some of the technology our troopers receive on Heavyside has become known to the other service branches. This is why we needed you to meet me in person. To convince you that other men like me won’t need the extra protection of those complicated and restricting acceleration suits.

  “I might point out, Mam, that declared ‘dead’ or not, I really am PU military. There are many more of us from Special Ops who have worked with Mirikami’s people, and allowed their biologists and geneticists to improve us.” He paused, as her eye widened.

  “You heard me correctly, Mam. We have been with him and his people on raids where we captured clanships, and attacked multiple Krall planets. Let me assure you that Mirikami’s scientists have made it possible for his people to beat a Krall warrior, one on one.

  “When we first met them, their untrained teenagers were able to beat our best spec ops troops easily! Even if we were wearing Booster Suits. Because of their genetic work, I have beaten Krall warriors many times on the battlefield, and have not worn my own Booster Suit for the last year. We are too few to turn the tide of the war that way, by direct combat, but we have been able to weaken the enemy by reducing the availability of their tools of war. The next attack on K1 is vital in this respect. Mirikami is willing to risk exposure to the legal system to help you win that battle.”

  Bledso leaned back against her desk. “It may be redundant, but wow again, Captain.” Making a decision, she said, “Hold on a moment…,” She leaned over and tapped the com button to her aide’s desk. “Gale, clear my calendar for the rest of today.”

  “Is everything alright Mam?” She sounded concerned.

  “Absolutely. I’ll be leaving with Captain Longstreet shortly, but contact Captain Boise, on the Sword at the Denver Spaceport, and see if she has launched for Luna Base yet. If not, ask her to hold for me. I’ll be boarding her ship and she’ll have to make a detour. Tell her I’ll explain when I arrive. Have my shuttle readied and tell Marshal he’s only taking me to the Space Port, and to land next to Boise’s heavy cruiser. Oh, and alert Fleet Admiral Chatsworth on Luna Base. I’ll call her after we lift.”

  She looked firmly at Longstreet. “Ready for a ride?”

  “Yes Mam. I presume you’ll have more questions, and want to put me through some testing.”

  “You bet I do. Contact your courier’s captain. I’ll want him in a Jump Hole with us soon, with one of my people with him and your counterpart. I intend to test your communications and your claim to be stronger than a Krall.” She had a sudden thought as they walked towards the door.

  “Hey, do you know about a young lady that was on Poldark, a teenager by the name of Carol Slobovic?”

  “I’ve met her Mam. I didn’t know where she was. Why?”

  “She obviously isn’t speck ops, but I saw her do something pretty amazing, and which required lifting something heavy. I was told by Captain Mirikami that her powered armor did that for her. Was that true?” She looked pointedly at him, her hand hesitating on the door’s handle.

  “Ah. I heard about the demonstration, but I didn’t know young Slobovic had been the one that did it. As I understand it, you were permitted to assume it was the armor giving her the lifting power, but Tet…, I mean Captain Mirikami, didn’t actually say that it was the armor. She was a skinny eighteen year old the last time I saw her, but I doubt if she got any larger. It was natural for you to assume she couldn’t lift that Krall unaided.” He was lamely defending Mirikami, who had perpetuated the mistaken assumption.

  “Mirikami can be tric
ky, it seems. I wonder what else he let us assume is true that is not?”

  “Mam, you wouldn’t expect him to come right out and tell you the kid was genetically enhanced did you? Right in front of several powerful military leaders of the PU, which has harsh penalties against genetic modifications of humans? You are only being given this leverage over us now because we want you to succeed against the Krall, and we want you to know we can really help.”

  She opened the door and waved him ahead of her. “I can understand his caution. I also note that although you reminded me you are still a part of the PU military, you also use the term ‘we’ when you speak of Mirikami’s people. You admit you have..,” she looked at her aide, watching curiously, as they passed through the outer office, and changed her next wording.

  “…that you have joined his operation in a rather permanent way, have you not?”

  Longstreet saw her glance, and noted the hesitation. Obviously, she intended to keep the genetic changes a secret for now, even from her trusted aide. That was reassuring.

  “Yes Mam, a number of spec ops troopers have been allowed to work closely with Captain Mirikami, and to integrate with his troops as we trained them.” That was a nice neutral sounding way of expressing how they had accepted illegal genetic changes.

  “Mam, we see his people as a means to fight the Krall in a way that conventional forces cannot. That’s what Special Operations has always been about.”

  As they entered the hallway, the curious aide was heard speaking on the phone, alerting the Chairfem’s shuttle pilot to be ready for a short flight to the Denver Spaceport. Her wide eyes wondering what was going on, and why her boss hadn’t even told her what it was.

  As they moved down the corridor Bledso asked, “Are all of your men that went to work with the Rimmers dead the same way you are?” She asked with a half smirk.