Koban

by Stephen W Bennett

  He relaxed more as he spoke, and so did the warrior, who not understanding what was said had merely responded to Dorkda’s actions.

  Dillon, sure he had come extremely close to not living to hear that reply, took a deep breath. “Thank you for explaining.”

  The Krall abruptly spun around, and rapidly strode around the corner of the alcove, leaving them all frozen in place for a moment. The warrior Krall departed at a more leisurely pace, taking a final look back at them as he rounded the same corner.

  Waiting a few more seconds, Dillon heard Noreen ask aloud, “I wonder if both Krall left us alone?”

  When she nodded her head yes, they all relaxed again.

  “Damn, Dillon,” Maggi remarked, “you sure know how to charm them. Let’s not ask that one about his Koban experiences again. I thought he was going to tear you a new asshole and make you eat the old one.” The remark garnered a few chuckles, but it had been a close brush with death.

  “We’ll have to be careful how we ask the other translator about the place. Tet, did Telour seem that touchy when he talked about leaving Koban?”

  “No, he seemed positive they would live there at some future date. I think he said many of our years, and many of their breeding cycles. That sounds like Krall generations, but we don’t know how long in our years a generation is for them. He sounded calm and assured that they would return, and not at all angry at pulling out for so long.”

  “I’ll seek out the third translator myself,” Maggi promised. “I’ll ease into the subject of Koban. Dorkda and his clan evidently tried to live on Koban and got their heads handed to them by something native there. He said animals, but they call us that too, so I wonder if it’s intelligent life? Whatever it is, it’s tougher than they are. No wonder they don’t expect us to escape their walled camp.” She shrugged.

  “Tet, do you have anything more to tell Dillon or me? I certainly don’t for you or Noreen.”

  “Not right now Maggi. I think we need to spend a couple of days gathering all the intelligence we can, and compile a list of what we learn. I’ll participate in that open meeting you planned for today, and when you decide on a service for our dead, I’ll ask the crew to join you.

  “Oh! Wait,” He added. “I do have something for you.” He’d let this slip from his mind for a moment.

  “Jake, create a recording of me and Telour talking on the Bridge earlier today in the classical music audio section, labeled as ‘History Chat.’ “

  “Yes Sir.”

  “All of you listen to that and pull out any detail I forgot to mention. Before you share that recording with anyone, edit out the deal Telour is trying to make with me. I don’t want that dangerous information shared with everyone on board, and I don’t want other deals secretly made if they know one might be possible. We all have word to spread and questions to formulate, so I think we need to get started.”

  They each assented, and parted ways, except not completely parted however. Mirikami waited for a lift to go down to talk to the rest of his crew. He noticed that Noreen had Dillon by the arm, saying something he couldn’t quite hear.

  When his lift door closed, he wondered why they were going up. The Bridge or small galley would be uncomfortably near Telour. Then he realized Noreen’s quarters were the only reasonable destination. He hoped they didn’t forget entirely what they were supposed to be doing.

  16. Heaven and Hell

  Dillon knew their situation called for rational thought and actions that might help them find a way out of their predicament. However, a few minutes ago he had faced and survived a near brush with gruesome death. The effects of adrenaline still coursed through his body, and he felt more alive than he ever had.

  Noreen linked her arm through his and leaned to whisper in his ear, “Want to play the Stud and the Princess game? I never got that long heavenly ride you promised.” Rationality was definitely no longer on his immediate agenda.

  He flashed a lopsided boyish grin, and squeezed her hand, wondering how messy he had left his cabin when he had dressed in a hurry. He saw her press the lift’s “UP” call button. It would be her place then.

  The door to her cabin had hardly closed when she was seeking the fasteners on his conservative gray two-piece body suit. He’d selected a sexually neutral suit that morning, expecting a much different sort of day. He expertly spotted her own uniform fasteners and had them well started before she had his top’s releases located.

  Her upper uniform peeled away smoothly from her golden skin, revealing that the Smart Fabric wasn’t needed to support her beautifully proportioned breasts. He cupped the right one with his left hand as she pulled off his other sleeve. He placed a thumb on the large dark areola, moving it in a small orbit.

  His detachable suit top fell away, and she looked up at him with a hot sultry look, a more serious than playful expression on her face. They paused in their undressing ritual for a time, to press their torsos together, her breasts pressed against his hard chest, kissing with fervent hunger.

  Noreen loosened the waist front of his pants and slid her hand down. His gasp was gratifying, and she returned it with her own moan of delight as his thumb was replaced by his tongue. They separated enough to peel and step out of their remaining clothes, but skipped the fantasy game Noreen had suggested. At least for the first two times they made love.

  It was nearly two hours before they had a moment for words other than passion or role-playing. A slight sheen of perspiration was all that clothed their bodies when they rested for time. Limbs entwined, they talked at first of trivial things, places they each had visited. Inevitably, reality tried to force its way back into their world.

  “We have to start on our part of collecting information,” She sighed. “And it’s time to listen to that audio.”

  Reaching down to stroke her lightly he suggested, “Listen to this idea first.” Then shared a little fantasy with her he thought she might enjoy. In reply, Noreen rolled to straddle him with a devilish smile. Apparently, there was time for another relapse from the real world.

  A vigorous bit of exercise later and sated for the moment, Noreen tossed her head up, flinging her long hair away from Dillon so that it fell down her back. She dismounted her “slave boy” in their little fantasy, and she permitted him to roll her onto her side, his front to her back. He continued to make idle touches and caresses, lightly kissing her shoulders and neck through her long black tresses. This continued to stimulate her gently, though his hardness was gradually relaxing against her backside.

  That was extremely nice, but she wanted to share with him how she had felt earlier, why she had needed him so urgently.

  “Dillon, I was terrified when that damn thing nearly decided to kill you, for simply asking a question it found offensive to its murderous sensibilities. I can’t explain it, but after it was over I wanted to be with you more than just for the fun romp we had originally planned, and I wanted you right away.

  “I was frightened for you and also for myself, and I needed more than casual social sex. Had you said you were too busy right now I’d have invoked my Lady’s Rights, ordering you to perform.” She laughed at the old joke. Laws had emancipated males from obligatory reproductive sex a generation ago.

  Dillon chuckled as well. “I was just as needy. I think it’s a human quality that when confronted with your mortality, the reproductive drive takes over your mind and body. I might have been the first male accused of rape in three hundred years.”

  “No danger there, my Gentle Sir. I was in no mood play the prim Lady. I was wet and ready to get naked with you in that alcove, bent over a table if you wanted. Hmm…, I believe I may experience that rape you mentioned.” She had noticed his erection had ceased its decline, and was clearly rebuilding its former splendor.

  It was another thirty minutes before their consciences allowed that nagging sense of duty to intrude for good. Dillon pulled out, kissing her softly. “We had better shower and dress, before Maggi or the Captain sends Te
lour to remind us of what we are really supposed to be doing.”

  “I suppose you’re right. We had better shower separately or we won’t get out and dried without another pleasant delay. You go first and I’ll see if I can find where we may have kicked our clothes when we were on the floor.”

  Thankfully, Smart Fabric didn’t wrinkle or even stain, since they had lain on Dillon’s suit at least once. A damp cloth was all that was needed on the rapid dry material.

  Noreen showered as Dillon dressed. While waiting for her he used a desk com set to locate the audio recording Jake had saved for them. When she had dried and stepped out nude, golden sleek and lovely, she chose a gray utility uniform from her closet. She dressed rapidly; noting Dillon’s appreciative eyes on her every movement.

  “Noreen, you can listen to this through your transducer, but I’ll either have to use the handset or play it on speaker. What if a Krall checks on this cabin while it plays?”

  “The Captain doesn’t think Telour cares if we learn more about them, but Jake made that recording without his being aware. You use the one handset, and I’ll have Jake synchronize it with my transducer.

  “We do need a better way for you and Maggi to get information from Jake or from us. We have the means to replace malfunctioning transducers, at least some, but I don’t know how many replacements we carry.”

  Picking out a possible question directed to him, Jake provided information on queue. “Mam, there are six spare transducers in stores.”

  She smiled. “Thank you Jake. I understand we have six spares.” The last was spoken for Dillon’s benefit.

  “I’ll bring this up with the Captain later today. It may not matter on Koban, if we can’t maintain contact with the ship, or keep it powered.”

  Then they started the dual play back, Dillon on the handset, she by transducer, each paying careful attention.

  ****

  By early evening, several of the braver passengers and crewmembers had accumulated several hours of rambling information from questioning the three translators, and even some information passed via a translator from a low ranking warrior. Once a story started, it usually went on at length, and when it wound down, a fresh question or awestruck comment easily initiated another in a different direction. Jake recorded it all.

  For a species bent on conquering every other civilization in the galaxy, the Krall were astoundingly open as they bragged incessantly of their individual killing exploits, clan accomplishments, and racial triumphs. This seemed to be a universal trait displayed by every Krall, based on an absolute confidence that they could not be defeated.

  It also helped that they held a low opinion of the technological threat offered by humans, and had been unimpressed by individual human performance against single warriors.

  Mirikami spent some time with Telour. Telling him, “We need to find a way to use our numbers to offer a better fight for your warriors. We can discuss that on this ship without Parkoda being aware of what you want us to do. With no warrior or translator listening, the plan will remain your secret.” That last comment was to prod Telour in the right direction.

  He took the bait. “You may meet in private, where only I can listen. You need no secrets from me, since you are following my orders. I will stay here on the Bridge, but I want a visual and audio feed of the meeting on the screen here.” He hadn’t quite taken all the bait, but it should be enough.

  “Thank you. Our first steps will be to share what we have learned of your race, your history, and how you have fought in the past, and of what problems we will find on Koban. Knowing about the place where we will have to fight is important for us to make plans, and to decide how we will defend ourselves.”

  Telour told him more about Koban. “The animals and plants there are too great a threat for you to meet and survive without our protection, so your testing against warriors will be inside a compound that once belonged to a small clan. We have protective walls around it that include a large open space of hills and rocks, with trees and plants of Koban. Some of the native plants and most animals are dangerous to humans. The air is better than what you breathe on your ship, with more…,” he hunted for a word. “What is your language name for the most important gas you need to breathe?”

  “Oxygen,” answered Mirikami.

  “Yes, oxygen is the word. Koban has more oxygen than on this ship. It is almost one third of the air there. The human captives say they like it because it helps breathing with the higher gravity to tire them.”

  “How much higher is the gravity?” Mirikami wanted to know. “That might make it harder for us to fight for long periods.”

  “Humans there complain that it is one and a half times what your original home world has. If your ship has been set for standard of the human home world, then Koban is half again as strong. That is even more gravity than the Krall lost home world had. We like this because it makes us stronger.

  “The animals are in their home, so they are naturally strong, and all of them are very fast. Their speed can make them deadly for even a Krall. We will breed for that same speed on our Path, and return to this world when it can truly be our own. That will happen when our nerves become like those of the animals on Koban, when we will think and move as fast as they do. We find it strange that humans describe Koban as a bad place they call Hell.”

  Holy shit, though Mirikami, this world just keeps sounding worse and worse.

  The passengers would not be prepared for the gravity, but as Telour said, the higher oxygen content would help muscles in need of energy.

  “We need to gradually start increasing ship gravity, and raise internal oxygen as well, to ease the transition after landing.”

  “That could help,” Telour agreed. “We have seen newly arrived humans struggle to stay active in the days after they first land. However, it will take more days than you have left in Jump for these humans to become adapted. Most humans become stronger in two of your months. But some also weaken and die, or kill themselves.”

  Mirikami stepped to his call station at his command console and called the Drive Room. Chief Haveram answered. Mirikami described the gravity issue they would soon face, and the increased oxygen level, and told him what he planned to do.

  “Captain, the gravity won’t be a problem, although we’ll have to manually adjust the override to go fifty percent high. However, we can’t just jump up the oxygen that much without working on the scrubbers and breaking down the CO2 faster than normal. But we can get started on the oxygen as soon as you give the word, Sir.”

  “You have the word now Chief, start raising the oxygen to about thirty percent over the next twenty four hours if you can do it that fast. Wait on any gravity increase until I make an announcement.”

  “Aye, Sir.”

  Mirikami signed off. Then called up a video feed of the large conference room they had used previously, and manually adjusted the audio so he could hear the slight sounds of the air circulator.

  He turned to Telour. “This main screen is the room where we will hold our meeting, and I expect there will be multiple participants offering information about what we have learned from your translators and from you. I expect long discussions about what it all means.

  “If you need to speak to us, or if we have questions to ask you that you wish to answer, press and hold this key” he indicted which one, “we will be able to hear you and speak together. Humans don’t make fast decisions like the Krall do, so we will probably come and go to eat, and take a break or use the toilet, therefore not everyone will be there all of the time.”

  He was telling him this so his plan to carry out their more serious discussion would be able to proceed with more privacy, and conducted partly outside the conference room. Jake could furnish some data and com Links that Telour couldn’t hear.

  Because of that, he had to look up one of his Stewards, Rigson, assigned the primary dispensary duties. They needed several small surgical procedures performed as soon as possible.

&nb
sp; 17. Under Their Very Noses

  Dillon rubbed the tender red spot behind his right ear. Both Fisher and Anderfem had gone first, rank and privilege and so forth for the Ladies, and they were already listening to Jake via their newly implanted transducers.

  “Thank you Mister Rigson. That was easier than I expected, and didn’t really feel like surgery. More like getting a shot.”

  “You are quite welcome Sir, but don’t rub the little bump or it can get irritated the first day or two. Jake will be testing the connection and setting up your personal profile and then should explain the normal protocol for communicating with him and others on the network.

  “As you know,” Rigson reminded him, “Captain Mirikami has also established a new protocol for more discreet contact with our ghostly friend, and I’m sure that same friend will brief you about it in more detail.”

  “Right you are. I was standing directly behind the Captain in a crowd when he thought up that bit of genius. I sure hope we can keep this Link active once we reach Koban.”

  Dillon was startled when a voice right behind him chose that moment to answer his implied question. He turned to discover no one was there, and then performed the typical unconscious head tilt when he realized what had occurred. That brought forth a knowing smile from Rigson, as Dillon listened to a voice he recognized as belonging to Jake.

  “Sir, a Krall Translator told one of the scientists the ship will land adjacent to the dome where humans live. This proximity should keep the ship within the seven or eight miles of operational range for two way transducer based communication.”

  “Uh, thanks Jake,” he uttered, feeling a bit foolish as Rigson, frowning, shook his head no and wagged a finger at him.

  “Please don’t acknowledge him by name, and sometimes you don’t even need to speak at all. A head shake may be enough if you are in camera range,” he pointed to a small dome in the celling over the door to the dispensary.