Koban 5: A Federation Forged in Fire

by Stephen W Bennett

  It appeared that none of the Sheik’s men had slept much, because this was an unprecedented rush to display not only the new animals, but to brag that the son of the infidel that had stolen from Sayed was now in his grasp. This was important, to secure his retribution either monetarily, or extracted physically from his enemy’s only son. Image and reputation among the sheiks was a very important matter to them.

  “Captain Haveram, I am asked to display each of the animal types you brought, but separately in the arena, for the guests to evaluate and to make bids for them. How can I get the four rhinolo to leave the arena and enter one of the side passageways? You told me that the blue antelopes and rhinolo would mingle safely so that may not be a problem for them. Except, I cannot place the whiteraptor or the rippers in the arena with them, or each with any other animal. It would be pandemonium, and some animals might be lost before they can be sold.”

  “I can help with that, and it will display how valuable, intelligent, and tame the rippers are, when they see how they obey my commands. After the rhinolo are seen, I can send the rippers into the arena and order them to chase the rhinolo into whichever passageway you wish. I suggest you have those steel doors pined securely today.

  “After that, the rippers will leave the arena while you let the blue flash antelopes enter from a different passageway and door. When those four animals have been seen, the rippers will herd them back into the same passageway they came from to be locked inside, and then the rippers will vacate the arena again. The whiteraptor can come in last, completing the presentation, since the rippers will have already been seen in action.”

  “How will only the two rippers chase that big raptor back into its cage afterwards? It must be thirty feet long, and it weighs at least three times as much as that large male ripper. It isn’t intimidated by anything,”

  “That’s why I only brought that single juvenile male raptor, barely a year old. He’s easier to manipulate than an adult dominate female member of that species. Trust me. I can get it out of the arena.”

  Keeping it inside the arena would be the real problem, thought Haveram. This planet had only ninety one percent of Earth standard gravity, or point six one g’s less than what that raptor normally lived under on Koban.

  The protocol instructor resumed his history and cultural lecture after the animal master left. “The Planetary Union society is offensive to our people, and you must avoid discussing or agreeing with women appearing in that government. We are told things are changing since the war pushed males into positions of authority again, but even having women participate in government is intolerable to our people.” By the term “our people,” he of course meant males. He condescended to explain the evidence proving women’s offenses against men.

  “We have the judgement of one of our great teachers here on Khartoum’s Destiny, before he died at the end of the Gene War and just before the Collapse of Man. It came from our great Imam El Erian. He told us that Shaytan had used infidel women scientist to create the disease that killed only men, and through the work of their cloned jinni that looked like men, spread the infection to every corner of space where men dwelled. It is a fact that only men died, that clones and women could spread the disease, and women then took power as most men died.”

  He offered sage advice. “If you wish to have a smugglers career longer than a week, serving the needs of our sheiks, you should take my advice and speak not of the government of the infidels.”

  “I have listened and I will remember.” Haveram promised.

  “I hope you do. Because restricted news from the Hub worlds has reached here recently, and animals like your rippers were seen in a Tri-Vid report of a conflict with a Krall on Earth, and described a disagreement with that mistress of Shaytan, Erthrid Medford the false PU leader. Two tiger-like animals were shown in that video, said to come from a world called Koban, which is beyond the Rim of Human Space, and they were the same color with the same species name as those you brought with you.”

  Haveram nodded, “Damn, I had hoped to keep my source for these animals secret for several more trips, but yes, all of my exotic animals came from Koban. I have contacts there, after some of them visited Poldark. You may have observed in the video that the Kobani are not on good terms with the PU government. The Kobani want Hub credits to buy what they need for their isolated world, and I can make good deals with them for Hub credits.”

  Haveram knew this information would be fed directly to Sayed, of course, who surely had already made the connection. Sayed was an evil man, not a stupid one. The confrontation between Kobani and Medford on Earth would make it seem more plausible that such rebels would seek ways to make money that bypassed PU laws. Smugglers and criminals, as Haveram presented himself, thrived by finding disaffected people willing to deal with them outside of the law.

  The tailor, using his digital measurements, had fed the data to his computer in the palace, and assured Haveram that the formal suit he was now verifying the fit, would be perfectly fabricated and ready for the reception at midday. The less formal new clothing, just fitted for him, would serve well for his breakfast meeting with the Sheik, and would be finished in an hour.

  The tailor and the protocol instructor departed together, leaving Haveram time to Comtap with the other ten Kobani, the two rippers, and Saber. He was certain he was being observed, so tachyon modulated Comtap use ensured no electromagnetic transmission would be detected. Even if encrypted, such a signal’s existence would spark suspicion with a probable fatal outcome offered by the Sheik to the person so engaged.

  Thad had been in communication with the four other ships, which had originally arrived hidden behind an ice giant planet to conceal their White Out energy bursts. They had T-cubed drives, but the Federation scientists, human or alien, had not yet solved the problem of how the Olt’kitapi ships smothered their own gamma ray signatures. With stealth active, the four ships had moved to orbits spaced around Khartoum’s Destiny, keeping the palaces of at least twenty or more sheikdoms under passive surveillance.

  Thad gave him an update. “Chief, it looks as if each sheik has control of an armed cutter with a ten man crew, and some of the wealthier sheiks seem to have two of them, usually parked at their palace landing pads. There are about two hundred heavy plasma cannon batteries, sprinkled around the planet, and they seem to be automated, but have watch standers housed near them if something breaks or manual control is required. They obviously don’t see our ships, so we could safely knock them all out if needed.”

  “I wonder how the sheiks plan to arrive here, in a cutter or a luxury ship like Sayed owns? The cutter that escorted me down I think is his and it is still parked on the pad. You know the Falcon isn’t armed with missiles, and a cutter should mount at least two launchers, and certainly lasers and plasma cannons. I don't want to try to fight to get away from here if things go sour. If more cutters are coming, we might need a ride to get us all out of here.”

  “Ethan and Carson are on my ship, the Ripper, and are maintaining a position two hundred miles overhead of Sayed’s palace. They can take out any of the cutters that show up here, the nearest plasma batteries, and then come down to get us if need be.”

  “They don’t have pens for the animals.”

  “You’re kidding. Chief, I don't think Tet put any thought into bringing them back. The rhinolo and blue streaks are a loss of meat for Koban larders, but I suspect they’ll be eaten here too after we leave. I don't know about whiteraptors. We don't hunt them for food, but I’ll bet some that have been killed were eaten back home. I don't think Islamic dietary law applies to these animals, so they wouldn’t necessarily go to waste.”

  “Yea, I guess. I don’t like how the sheiks intended to use them for sport, by pitting them against each other or other animals, or against men in the arena. Perhaps they’d let strange new predators hunt our animals while they watched for entertainment.”

  “Chief, these are prey animals on Koban, to us, rippers, whiteraptors, and
to other predators. It ain’t like they live a life free of peril you know. Besides, what non-Koban predator, or a human hunter for that matter, would have an easy time facing a rhinolo? Even a blue streak can be deadly. They’re faster and stronger than anything they’ll face here, except for a well-placed high caliber bullet.”

  “Fine. I’ll leave them to their fates. I just hope they get some retribution from these damn sheiks if we can’t take them all down ourselves.”

  A servant arrived soon with new casual wear Hub world garb, an expensive Smart Fabric light grey pull-on that the automated tailoring system had just produced, stylish and in his exact size, with an accent belt having small pouches. The sheiks might not admire Hub society, but they didn’t reject everything from there. Haveram had half thought he might be wearing a robe to breakfast and lunch, as he’d seen Sayed wearing in Bill’s image of the night before. He wondered where he’d put his usual pocket items in a flowing robe, and if he’d be expected to wear underpants. The protocol instructor hadn’t covered those subjects, and Haveram hadn’t thought to ask.

  Kadar arrived a few minutes after his fresh clothes arrived, waited for him to dress and escorted him to a side entrance to the palace, passing below a wide veranda several stories above. As it happened, it was where he was having breakfast with Sayed.

  The Sheik was seated, but rose and extended his right hand as he approached him, relieving Haveram from wondering which sort of greeting was expected. He shook the offered, but slightly limp hand, as he said “As-salam alaikum,” bowing his head slightly.

  The tall but pudgy looking Sheik raised his eyebrows in slight surprise, and replied, “Wa alaikum as-salam” also nodding minutely.

  In Standard, he said, “Sit and eat with me,” and gestured to a chair on the other side of the table, which a male servant pulled out for Haveram.

  “Do you speak any other Arabic?” he was asked. “That was spoken with no accent.” The Sheik had a very noticeable accent, demonstrating that Standard wasn’t his customary language.

  “Very little Sir. A few expressions only. I heard this from some of your people.”

  “It was good of you to try. If you will look to the side table, there are a few food selections, which you may wish to consider. There is genuine Chinese tea, Earth Columbian coffee, and several fruit juices to drink. Please point them out to Calmar, since he does not speak Standard.”

  The “side” table was double the size of the one at which they sat, and had well more than just a few selections. Haveram had noticed that Kadar was not invited to sit, and he had moved away to stand near the railing of the veranda, facing them, his submachine gun slung to his right side, as always.

  Haveram had glanced at the Sheik’s plate as he shook hands, and requested two fruits he recognized there, and had not eaten in many years. To the servant he indicated a pineapple slice and a small bowl of figs, with a glass of what he thought was orange juice, but proved to be guava juice. He had a serving of scrambled eggs served from what he had thought was a rounded beige bowl set in a wooden holding frame. This proved to be a half eggshell from an ostrich, as Sayed told him with approval, as if Haveram had known and deliberately made the exotic choice.

  They ate and held small talk of Rim worlds Haveram and the Sheik had visited, of the surprising sudden end to the war with the Krall, and of how free market trade would be improving now. Haveram took that to mean smuggling would be on the increase now that the PU navy was drawing back to the globe of Hub worlds.

  With no preamble, Sayed asked him, “What do the Kobani look like? Can you tell them from other people?”

  “Sir, they look exactly like a cross section of people from colony worlds all over Human Space. That’s where the older ones originated, captured at random on spacecraft by the Krall before the start of the war, and their children reflect the same diversity. The genetic changes they have are all internal, because I can see no differences or strangeness in those I met on Poldark. They have had people there helping to fight the Krall, while hiding their existence from the Planetary Union.

  “I might add that I didn’t go to Koban to get my cargo of animals this time. Although I expect to go there in the future. They were delivered to me in the outer Poldark system, and the Kobani handled the transfer to the Falcon, using micro gravity control and docking tubes. It was while I was still in the Poldark system that I learned about the capture of the Delta Dawn from customs officials I had bribed, and about its connection to Khartoum’s Destiny. I knew about the business the Falcon’s previous owners and captain had done here, at least in general if not specifics. They didn’t offer to introduce me to anyone here, so I plied my trade elsewhere.

  “When I inquired of the customs officials about what the Dawn was doing when captured, I learned of a customs cutter that had rescued some kidnaped kids, and that the captain had not mentioned a particular boy to the Poldark police. The officials believed he would be very valuable to them if they could get him delivered here, but they didn’t know how to do that. That’s where I found my business opportunity. I will owe them ten percent of whatever fee you deem worth paying me for the Christoph boy’s delivery. To me the real value of that kid was the opportunity to establish a business relationship here, and aside from that kid, the animals were another perfect sales opportunity for me.”

  “I see you are a person who grabs an opportunity when it appears, and you have a good business sense. The boy is very valuable to me personally, perhaps valuable in money if his father has managed to hold onto his fortune, and still loves this boy as he once appeared to. If not, the boy will become my method of vengeance against his father, a source of particular pleasure for myself, and when I am done with him he will serve as a warning to others on Poldark to never try to cheat me again. I have a long reach and great patience.”

  “I respect that Sir. I too hope his father has retained his family fortune for the ransom, and my Customs contacts think the father owes you a great deal of laundered money. They had accepted bribes from the elder Christoph in the past, but he failed to deliver on promises of more, and that’s why he did not get his son back this time. I would hope to increase my fee for his delivery to you if he proves as valuable as you think.”

  “If I’m paid what I’m owed you will be well compensated. Even if not, I will be generous for this opportunity. His father’s action with my investments on Poldark has been a sore point with me among my peers here. With the animals you have brought, assuming you can obtain more and in a greater variety, you and I have a basis for a continuing business relationship. You told my man over there that you can find young talent for me on Rim Worlds, and possibly on New Colonies, where the education and quality could be better for the tastes of the sheiks I could supply.”

  By talent, Haveram assumed Sayed meant attractive children from a better-educated, more sophisticated class of families than typically was found on rough settlement Rim Worlds. He was a truly discerning form of a sadistic child trafficking pervert. One that was deserving of all that the Kobani would be delivering.

  Sayed then discussed how the afternoon’s presentation would go, how Haveram had arranged for exchanging the animals out in the arena, using the rippers. That he found fascinating, that those deadly looking cats could be used in such a controlled manner. The Sheik discussed the interval he expected would be needed after the rhinolo were penned in the side passage, before the antelope were allowed inside. A crew would have to remove the remains of the four people that would experience the “justice” meted out by the Sheik’s court today, delivered by rhinolo horns. There needed to be parts collected, blood raked over and fresh brown soil spread to cover the discolorations before the blue streaks were released into the arena. This necessity was discussed in a dispassionate fashion, something obviously quite familiar to the Sheik.

  Sayed asked, “Should I save one of the intended rhinolo demonstration subjects for the antelopes to kill?”

  The euphemistic term “demonstration subject�
�� solidified Haveram’s resolve to “adjust” Sayed’s perception of the value of human life personally. However, his practical reply revealed none of that.

  “No Sir. The blue streaks can be quite deadly, but with just a few of them in such a large area, they’re more likely to back away from a human unless approached or cornered. The subject you mentioned I presume wouldn’t deliberately go anywhere near them. If there were a larger herd of the animals, with fawns to protect, some of them would certainly attack anyone in the arena with them as a possible threat.”

  Sayed didn’t appear ready to question how a man that implied he’d not been to Koban could know so much about the behavior of its wild animals. Haveram had a question about where his guests would be sitting in the coliseum.

  “There is a great deal of seating around that oval arena near the bottom levels, and I can have the rippers jump down into the arena from there if there is a section without people present. Will the stadium seating be crowded with people besides your invited guests? That will determine how I will use and direct the rippers to chase the rhinolo and antelope to clear the arena after each is shown. I’d like a section left open on the far side from your pavilion, where you can see me work with the rippers. If anyone were sitting over there I couldn’t do that.”

  Sayed waved a hand dismissively. “Not to worry. All of my invited guests will be with me under my shaded pavilion, where food and refreshments will be served by my servants. No one else will be present today besides my animal handlers, arena cleanup crews, and security details of course. Kadar and his security men will be present with me, and each guest will have two of their own security men with them. There will be no one on the far side from us, so you are free to work from over there.”

  “Excellent, I think you and your guests will have an experience you did not expect.” He smiled broadly.