The discussions held between the two species could normally be overheard, and was in a language the ship understood. Unless the ship was told to seal a compartment, which it did when it was ordered by the trusted one to grant them privacy, it heard all conversations. The ship knew that the trusted operator sometimes listened to and repeated instructions from these others, but it relied on the operator to direct the ship in a proper, safe, and constructive manner. Just as its long absent designers did.
The ship was aware that much of the structure and pattern of its internal mind, its built-in restrictions and sense of what was proper conduct, was a direct copy from the minds of its designers, the Olt’kitapi. It trusted an operator with a key provided by its builders, if the operator had no restrictions on them as defined by the builders.
The ship was not aware that it, like an Olt’kitapi’s mind, could not be forced into taking actions an Olt’kitapi considered immoral. It sometimes discovered there were things that it might not know it couldn’t do until confronted with the instruction to do the thing. It encountered one of its few known examples when it was instructed to depart from its long time resting place.
By relay, the soft Krall issued the instruction for the ship to travel a modest distance through the galaxy to a planet, and told where to land on its surface. The navigation system had already been marked with the destination, including a specific area on the zoomed in image of the surface of the planet. However, the ship advised the trusted operator, even before it would move that it could not safely exit the alternate travel universe directly to the surface of any planet.
It surprised the Krall, who had not expected the ship to attempt a surface White Out at all. The soft Krall, who had never left his home dome, hadn’t wondered about this at all. The Krall only wanted to show it the place where it would land after a White Out at a safe distance. With that precaution to be observed, the ship then departed directly from where it was parked, and traveled for slightly greater than twenty-eight hours to traverse the approximately seven thousand one hundred twenty four point two light years to Telda Ka. It could have crossed the disk of the visible portion of the Milky Way galaxy, close to 100,000 light years in diameter, in ten and a half days. The average energy of third level tachyons was so vast, and the geometry different, that like a leaf blowing in a hurricane, it required a much shorter time of travel to reach the equivalent coordinates in Tachyon Space that translated into the Normal Space coordinates of the destination.
With this greater energy level came the attendant precision on an even smaller scale. T squared travel provided for an arrival into Normal Space that was accurate to within less than a mile, compared with the original accuracy of one or two Astronomical Units, possible when only a rotation into the first level of Tachyon Space was used.
T cubed Jumps theoretically yielded an uncertainty to within millimeters, provided the quantum computer used for the complex computation had adequate speed and precision. The Olt’kitapi system was reasonably close to optimum. It could target a spot within several feet of a designated coordinate point.
With this precision came the ability and need to better control the White Out, and the Olt’kitapi staged the exits so that as they rotated from the third level of Tachyon Space, the energy released by the expansion and dissipation of the event horizon was released into Tachyon Space at level one before the final rotation. There was no need to expose nearby Normal Space objects to potentially damaging gamma radiation. Nor should the final rotation into Normal Space be virtually instantaneous, to allow more time for matter, such as thin atmospheric gasses to be gently shoved aside. The arrival exit was safer and less noticeable by design, and didn’t happen with a bang or dangerous radiation.
However, a departure could generate a rude and inconsiderate thunderclap if you ordered your ship to depart when it was enclosed by dense atmosphere, as the gases slammed together to fill the vacuum left behind. The process was safe for material objects close to the craft (if they could withstand the thunder-like concussion). The entire skin of the ship was dimpled with microscopic Trap emitters, so the Jump Hole itself was formed to exactly the dimensions of the hull. It never took more than an atom or molecule of external material with it when it Jumped, if even that.
Good manners dictated that before a departure you lifted to a low atmospheric pressure, or even to vacuum, to prevent a noisy departure. It was no surprise that this was not the usual Krall preference. They always departed with a crashing boom, according to the histories. They liked to make an impression.
Telour addressed the throngs of clan representatives in the great central hall of the larger Graka clan dome. The Prada workers had just finished erecting a central platform, with another raised dais on that, for the gathered sub leaders of the Great and Major clans to stand just below him, the Tor Gatrol.
“I will send a hand of a hand of clanships ahead, as escorts for the Olt’kitapi death ship, as I now order all to describe these ships, as a more appropriate description. The pilots will be selected from the Great and Major clans by lottery. Four clanships will wait near the designated exit points in each system, where I will furnish them with the arrival coordinates. They will leave today, to be there waiting for the arrival of the death ship later this week. Their task is to protect the death ship from possible human investigation while it works. In the unlikely event that they notice its presence in their remote outer solar systems. The secondary task is for the ships to observe what happens after the death ship departs, and to record and bring back the images.
“The ship says the time needed will vary in each system. Some targeted solar systems may require four or five hands of hours, to as few as three hands of hours to trigger the result required. The violence of the event varies by how long of a delay is needed. That is subject to factors we cannot predict exactly. I am the first war leader ever to do this.
“All of you heard me describe the method of punishment. There is no possibility the humans can pursue the Olt’kitapi ship itself because it travels too fast. However, as it nears its final target, the star system where Earth is found, a week may have passed, perhaps allowing them to understand the fate that is approaching their home world. We cannot be stopped, but humans may try to search the enormous volume of each star system seeking the point from which we will attack.
“Their navy forces will not be close enough to help them search. As I speak to you, the two halves of our fleet are attacking two of their Hub worlds, and their navy will Jump there too late to find more than flaming ruins where we drew them. They will emerge to learn that those worlds were the lucky ones. Those worlds will live to experience our invasions, as we slowly crush them.”
He paused to lift his arms dramatically, talons extended, and roared his next words, “Humans will never defy our warnings again, after I have killed the billions living on the four planets I will destroy. We will run along the Great Path after this victory!”
The raucous screams of support vibrated the struts supporting the dome. The noise level was great enough to force the warriors on the higher platform to retract their ultrasonic ears to guard their hearing. It lasted for minutes before the greatest Tor Gatrol, in Telour’s mind anyway, waved them to silence.
He looked down at the eager muzzles of the Great and Major clans waiting for his next orders. “Select your sixteen pilots and their clanship crews, which I have honored you to send, as witnesses to how I will force even this most Worthy Enemy to bend to our will. Send them today, so that we can start this great punishment!”
More screams of encouragement sounded, as he climbed down, his ears protectively retracted, but still hearing the satisfying sounds of overwhelming support. The humiliating attack on Telda Ka, and the retaliation he was about to mete out to the enemy cemented his position, as the great leader he wanted to have described in future histories.
It was nighttime at the dome when the sixteen clanships had hurriedly launched, four of them designated per star system, more as ce
remonial honor guards, sent primarily to furnish eyewitnesses to what happened, something Telour wanted described in his legacy. Collectively their stories would build to the conclusion Telour wanted every living Krall to hear. That this Tor Gatrol did more than merely invade the enemy worlds to punish them for transgressions, because that was a fate they had already earned by existing.
It was daylight again before the first wind was removed from the puffed up chest of Telour. The tattered formation of clanships sent to Alders world raggedly performed their White Outs over Telda Ka. There were too few of them. More than two hundred too few in fact. Telour, tired in basking in the admiration of warriors from clans he didn’t actually like, had withdrawn to the highest level of the dome. He was there when the watch standers and orbital clanships reported the unexpected and early return of a large number of clanships.
Telour’s flash of fear, a rare emotion for any Krall, was that these were part of a fleet of human controlled clanships come to hit Telda Ka when it was nearly defenseless. That sort of wasted attack on mere property would not be a Krall strategy, but might be what an irrational human reaction could be. He was on the verge of bolting down a stairway again when he learned this was the Alders attack force.
Telour was unable to order the death of the Graka clan raid leader he had sent, since Pradop, lucky for him, had been killed in the navy counter attack. He was in a rage, which was best for the image he’d just cultivated a day earlier not to be displayed in front of the other clans. Somehow, two elements of the PU navy fleet had apparently fled to some location very near the Alders system. Their arrival time implied they had not been based in any inhabited star system, since the round trip for a courier and their return would not have reached the next human colony system. Hiding in interstellar space or a barren star system would explain why they were not found. Nevertheless, they were well supplied and organized, and had been somewhere to do that. It had to have been bad luck for them to be so close that the unprepared Krall raiders were hit unexpectedly by a force they were not prepared to meet.
A half a day later, the less damaged New Glasgow raiders returned for a similar reason, at first intercepted by a single navy task force. The raid leader had reformed his clanships to hold them off while the reduced ground attack continued, but only because they happened to have a finger clan present with a large number of anti-ship missiles. That altered strategy ended when suddenly thirty human controlled clanships appeared, and they preferentially blasted only the ships that carried anti-ship missiles. Those ships had not arrived with the navy ships, yet they immediately did White Outs behind the most threatening clanships, as if they knew in advance of which targets to hit first, without having seen which of them had fired the anti-ship missiles.
At least the second raid leader kept his life, because he did manage to destroy the central areas of the two largest cities before jumping to Telda Ka.
However, two such lucky surprise human counter attacks were beyond the realm of coincidence to Telour. It seemed impossible the humans had known of these in advance. If they had, they would have been waiting and with more force than displayed. Their delayed arrival suggested they were warned quickly of the attacks, and came as soon as they could, but far sooner than seemed possible.
When Telour looked at the star maps and considered the travel times, there were stars close enough to each of the attacked systems where navy fleet elements could have been waiting to hear of any attacks. But even so, their fast arrivals in under two days implied they had instant warnings and were ready to go. It could mean humans had developed a new communications technology, which might also explain their excellent coordination of multiple simultaneous attacks on Telda Ka.
That hint of an instant communication possibility worried him for another reason. His timing for the death ship attacks on multiple stellar systems could be in jeopardy if humans could communicate rapidly over long distances. Arrogant, ruthless, and predictable Telour might be, but indecisive did not describe him. He would send the death ship to the first star system as soon as the first defensive clanships he’d sent could reach their rendezvous point. The enemy couldn’t redeploy their navy forces fast enough to defend against this threat, half way across Human Space.
His logical decision to send clanship protectors for the unarmed Olt’kitapi ship had been soundly supported by his staff. A group stupid decision.
****
Mirikami was pulling at his lip after the closest K1 observer sent their report. “Both of the Krall raider forces have returned to K1, and although they appear to have landed to rearm with anti-ship missiles, they only launched back to widely spaced orbits, avoiding gathering them into the clusters of ships we’ve been successful at hitting by surprise.”
Dillon had been hoping they would see more than that. “We didn’t see any strange looking large ships White Out. I was hoping we could try a preemptive attack if any of those Olt’kitapi ships showed up. They looked big in Parkoda’s image, but we don't know how massive they actually are, so any gamma ray burst that isn’t a clanship is good enough for me.”
They were waiting with nineteen other Kobani ships, sitting several light days out from K1, close enough for a quick Jump to K1 if they had a promising target to attack, if one was reported by the twentieth ship that moved around randomly, a bit closer to the inner system. Based on Raspani assurances, they were told none of the Olt’kitapi ships would be armed. Other than running or Jumping away from attackers, it should have no means of defense.
“If the gamma rays have a unique signature, and registers as more massive than a clanship, then I think yes, we’ll take a close look.” Mirikami agreed. “Except we don’t know if it would even come to K1 first, or travel directly from where they are kept to the star system they want to attack. Other than sixteen clanships that left the Largest Graka clan dome last night, where most of the recent clanship activity has been centered, they don’t appear to be preparing for any sort of large assault. Of course I’m sure they know we’re watching them.”
Maggi offered an opinion about the dome that was the center of Krall activity. “Graka’s largest dome has been getting the most visitors. We didn’t see weapons loading happening at that dome and clanships leave the system from there, and other’s arrive and land there first. I think that may be the new council dome. If so, that says something about Krall politics and who the war leader might be.”
Mirikami had had the same thoughts. “You think that since Telour was the Graka clan candidate for Tor Gatrol that he’s probably still alive, and he’s selected his clan’s largest dome for the new council meetings.”
“Sure, that would offer him a base where he has his strongest source of support,” she confirmed.
Dillon fretted. “I wish we had more eyes watching the planet, and the eyes were much closer. We can’t see sharp details anywhere on the planet from out here. We don’t even know if the gamma ray burst we’re looking for is actually stronger than for an arriving clanship. If they’re largely hollow, like a migration ship, they could be less massive than the image you got from Parkoda implies. They might be mostly empty space inside, and have the exact same energy release on a White Out as a clanship.”
Maggi was her normal patient self. “That would be a highly unlikely coincidence don’t you think? Of course not. You don’t think, do you? However, we might see a sizable group of clanships surround it before it headed off for an attack, going along for the show and to join the attack.”
Fingering his lip a moment, Mirikami dismissed that notion. “Clanships can’t travel fast enough to keep up. They’d have to leave well in advance, or else the ship would arrive alone and have to wait for them without their support. With its speed, it could get away from any threat, but it may need time to do whatever it is that it does, to earn the nickname of a Dismantler. The clanships might go along for protection, or to simply record what happens for the rest of the Krall. We’ve seen clanships coming and going for two days here, but not in any tr
uly large groups. Sixteen of them departed all at one time last night, for example, but I haven’t seen a larger pattern of movements than that. If they were attacking an entire world, I’d think they’d send a couple of hundred clanships at a minimum. Only we don't know if the Dismantler ships need any help.”
As Dillon had said, they’d hoped to detect a unique large gamma ray signature of a sizable Olt’kitapi ship on arrival to K1, and if they did, they were prepared to risk a mass Jump inward for a chance to destroy the vessel before it could be used. The Raspani knew only that the ship traveled much faster than clanships in Tachyon Space, but they didn’t know if it created a large or small burst of gamma rays when it emerged. As it happened, they didn’t produce an event like a White Out, which was named for the radiation burst created by uncontrolled rotations back into Normal Space.
****
The ship the Kobani sought was already sitting, unnoticed near the dome where Telour stood looking out at it, impatient to launch. He displayed a rare flash of indecision, related to his desire to initiate the attacks, and the need to have his witnesses in place before the death ship flashed past them. The clanships bound for Earth’s system needed over two weeks to arrive from K1, but the first target system would have its observers in place in another two days.
He slashed the air in frustration. “I want to send it now, but I need to wait another week. If the destruction of their home solar system started before the clanships arrived, my broadcast ultimatum would be an unheard echo of the event already begun. I need to tell them why this is happening first, and how to prevent destruction of future systems. There will be time enough for a few million to escape the Earth system, and I want their leaders to carry my warning with them as they are forced to leave many billions behind to die in the weeks that follow.”
Koban 4: Shattered Worlds Page 71