Koban 5: A Federation Forged in Fire

by Stephen W Bennett

  In a panic, Sayed said, “You do not have the secret spoken phrase. Besides, you have too little time before our cutters arrive. You need to take our fair first offer and flee before it is too late.” The other sheiks certainly wouldn’t compensate him for all of the lost contents of even his small safe, but he wanted them gone.

  Sarge slapped the Sheik’s shoulder as he took control of the now highly concerned man and said, “Iftah Ya Simsim.”

  He guffawed as he saw Sayed blanch. “Is that the cliché spoken phrase in Arabic you meant? Open Sesame in Standard? Really? I mean the damned captain of the Delta Dawn called himself Ali Baba, but apparently, all of you self-declared sheiks think you’re living the stories from One Thousand and One Nights. All you lack is the rest of the forty thieves. The smart ones.”

  As he started pulling Sayed along, the man called to the head of his security forces. “Kadar, do something.”

  “I will if I can my Sheik, but I must survive to do that. There are more hidden Kobani here.”

  “Then you are as good as dead anyway,” came the promise from a despot that would certainly keep his word if he got the chance.

  Haveram shook his head. “I promise he won’t be able to deliver on that threat, Kadar. There is a sort of a people’s court coming for him, but you shouldn’t feel relieved. As his chief of security I suspect you have a great deal to answer for to the people around here as well.”

  At that moment, Thad, who had been in contact with the four Kobani craft in orbit, shut off his stealth and flicked into sight up on the pavilion. Using his suit speakers, he called over to Haveram about their progress. One purpose of that was to reinforce to the captive sheiks that there indeed were other invisible Kobani present around them. Another was so they were able to hear his report, and understand they had no cutters coming to their rescue.

  “Chief, the cutters are all disabled or destroyed. Five of them received warnings of the first ships we hit sitting on their pads, and they were airborne before we hit them with missiles. I think, if they have a shipyard here, the thirteen disabled ships can be repaired. Sayed’s cutter is unharmed, of course, since we boarded that one. None of the cutters of the three sheiks not invited here today show any sign of launching. We’ll stop those too if necessary.”

  “And the yachts?” Haveram asked.

  “Oh. Sorry, we have control of those too. I figured you would assume that, since they’re all parked here.”

  “I should have, I guess. I’ve not been a part of as many combat actions as you guys have. Your people are efficient. I think we could use some more bodies here on the ground, however. After we question these other sheiks, we’ll likely need to take them home in their own yachts to empty each of their vaults, with more of our folks as escorts. We’ll need our people to Mind Tap their pilots and then fly their boats there.”

  “Sure. I think we can leave minimal crews in orbit now, with no real threats left. They’ll be knocking out the orbital defense plasma cannons for another half hour or so, but we can use at least a hundred fifty more bodies down here, to split up and take out security forces at the other eighteen palaces. Like you said, they can travel in style on those space yachts.”

  There was an impatient, but humbling request received on the common Comtap link. It was Bill Saber. “Hey, Chief, I’ve been patient, I missed all the arena fun, and now I heard you say the Sheik’s vault is right below where he locked me up. Sarge is on his way down with the perverted bastard, so how about my joining you? Before you all go home without my butt.”

  “Oh, sorry Bill. Come on up here if you want, or follow Sarge down to the vault.”

  “Yea. See, that’s my problem. After hearing that the fit hit the shan at the arena, I knew I didn’t need to play act anymore to keep the Sheik fooled. So I broke free of my wrist shackles and tried to get out. The damn heavy window bars are welded to a steel frame, which surrounds the whole room, floors, walls and ceiling. I broke out the plazsteel window glass, and kicked at the door through its locked bars, but I haven’t managed to get out yet because I can’t bend the damn bars or pull them off the walls.”

  Haveram smiled. “Oh, then you’re asking for some help to escape, is that it? I’m sure Sarge, when he’s done examining the vault, or sometime later today will have time to stop by to help you.”

  “No! At least I want to go on one of the trips to the other palaces. To carry away some of the loot they have.”

  “Loot? We won’t let them keep it, but it isn’t ours to keep either. We aren’t thieves, although I doubt they’ll agree. Anyway, I was teasing about letting you sit there longer. Sarge will let you out. As you recall, I told you that slavers might have a way to lock up even a Kobani where we couldn’t escape.”

  “Right, I remember.” He sounded minimally more humbled.

  The process of Mind Tapping the other sheiks took another hour, and more Kobani arrived, having to fight and kill or capture more of Sayed’s off duty security thugs as they traveled from the landing pad, as news spread of the invaders. Palace servants were told to return to the nearby villages, where their families lived. Those housing areas were all built well out of sight of the Palace grounds, to preclude the lord and master from having to see them live in their squalor and dirt.

  The messengers were told to announce that the rule of the Sheiks was ending, and that a court of judgement for the sheiks and some of their heirs, was to be held at the arena, with the people to be a party to the judging.

  Sarge returned with Sayed, and Bill was red faced and fuming, walking behind them.

  Haveram asked, “The vault’s full of treasure, I presume?”

  “Hell yes. Organized stacks of gold bullion, trays full of sorted gemstones, currency chips in drawers labeled with amounts from thousands of Hub credits or Rials, to many millions. Art work too, like paintings and sculptures. I’ll bet some of that can be traced back to thefts. Hell, we don’t have the expertise to evaluate that stuff, or investigate theft and money laundering. There are electronic records of centuries of transactions, which the Sheik was kind enough to accidentally think of the access code.” Sarge was bewildered and shaking his head.

  “The PU, or some established government authority really needs to be involved, since they have the bureaucracy, and art and financial experts to examine what we’re finding. But I don't think they want to be involved with something we Kobani initiated. There needs to be some sort of rebuilding of a government here, once these petty dictatorships are ended. Who can run this place? Corruption is so rampant here that I wouldn’t trust any human on this planet to try to straighten it all out.”

  Haveram was finally having what he’d started here settle on his shoulders. He had only wanted to catch the villains that kidnapped and killed children. He decided to talk about something else for the moment. “Bill, you seem kind of strained. You got out of that box, so what’s eating you now?”

  “I mind tapped that scum bag as I asked him what he’d intended to do with me. It’s vile and evil beyond what I’m willing even to describe. He’s done it many times in his life, to dozens of much younger boys. None of them are alive to say it for themselves.”

  Haveram was taken aback by the vehemence Saber exuded. “He actually admitted and told you about this?”

  Saber’s face assumed a look of revulsion, and he made a pushing away gesture towards Sayed. “Of course not, but when asked, he found such pleasure in the acts he’s committed that he couldn’t stop thinking about them. It was worse than a Tap of a Krall’s mind, since at least they weren’t human, and you didn’t expect them to show any human decency or sympathy for those they tortured and killed. A Krall never felt a sexual attraction for their victims as they mutilated and tortured them. The best I can say about this pig of a human being is that he didn’t eat his victims alive.” Saber shuddered, and Haveram let him continue when the emotional content, sensed through Comtap, clearly revealed the young man had more he needed to express.

  “He sold
many young girls to a number of these other lowlife sheiks, and he occasionally witnessed equally terrible things done to them as they were used and mutilated. I can’t tolerate another Mind Tap with a perverted monster like this one, but their guilt needs to be conveyed to whoever judges them. I have already decided what my judgement would be for this despicable creature, but I don't think it should be administered by me. I’m biased, because I have seen in his mind what his sick fantasy had in store for that Christoph boy, wearing my face.

  “That is the most depraved sort of thing some of them do personally, but all of these sheiks sent thousands of men and women, and sometimes children, to their deaths in the arenas around the planet in each decade of their rule. Revealing that via joint Mind Taps might stimulate suitable outrage in the population of the whole planet. The sheiks control every form of planet-wide communication, so few of their serfs know the scope of what happens at their restricted arena entertainments. Only the wealthy, their families, and favored supporters were invited to watch, make bets, to buy and sell human fighters or teams, or to buy or trade the animals used in these shows.

  “That sort of arena murder was on a much larger scale than the personal hands-on killings. I think many people in the general population must have suffered from their cruel indifference. Other than word of mouth, they couldn’t have knowledge of the planet wide scale of killings for entertainment. That crime involves all of the sheiks gathered here, and all their heirs, as far as I could determine from his cesspool mind.

  “From Sayed’s disdain, when I asked him if every sheik participated in these activities, he thinks very poorly of the three men he didn’t invite today. By our standards, and certainly the PU’s standards, those three uninvited sheiks probably have a shabby human rights record for their people, particularly women. By comparison, on Khartoum’s Destiny, these men are practically models of decency, and they really are proponents of humane treatment for those they rule. Those three sheiks were justifiably fearful of being taken over by these wealthier sheikdoms, because they didn’t have the revenue and smuggling sources to buy outside arms to protect their sheikdoms if they were too outspoken. It was only their devout belief in their religion that stayed action against them, by those that pretend they follow the same faith, but violate its teachings constantly.”

  Haveram sensed the lad had expended his emotional energy. “Bill, you struck me as a cocky and overly brash kid when I met you earlier this week, but that has just changed. You may also have provided us a means to extricate ourselves from this social mess, by speaking to those three sheiks, and involving the people of this planet in the decisions as to what will happen to these tyrants. I wasn’t looking forward to ordering them thrown into the arena with the rhinolo. It wasn’t fair to abuse the animals that way, getting their horns and feet all messy.”

  Thad was on the verge of a protest. “Chief, you won’t just pull out, allowing the influence of all their ill-gotten wealth determine what happens to these sheiks, will you? There’s no way justice would be administered fairly, or the wealth used to benefit those that need the help most. The influence of the powerful families will eventually put them back in charge.”

  “I hope not, and there is a plan in the works. Aside from getting the people and the three moderate sheiks involved, using shared Mind Taps to show them the truth, we are storing the sheik’s wealth off-planet, and we want to ensure that it is used to build an infrastructure here to improve the quality of life. I know I’m damn well not qualified to do that, and I doubt if any of you are qualified either. We’ve only just started organizing our own government.

  “That’s why Tet, Maggi and President Stewart, at my request, have been in contact with the Raspani leaders and the Prada, who have thousands of years of recorded history of organizing things, and are impartial. They’ve offered to send representatives here to monitor and mediate the recovery and rebuilding of this society, provided a Kobani force remains to protect them and to act as an outside police force. Police that can’t be subverted or corrupted by local influence. Our alien allies recommend that we encourage the people here to administer justice to their oppressors before the Raspani and Prada monitors arrive. I think they know they are too squeamish about what has to be done, yet intellectually they understand the perpetrators have to pay for their crimes. Humans are well suited to exacting final justice, and the people here best know what has been done to them, and who did it to them.”

  Sarge, helmet removed, looked over at the clueless Sayed, who knew nothing of the Comtap conversations going on around him. “Tough news for you, your royal sleaziness. Your own people will decide your fate. I don't think it’s gonna be pretty.”

  It wasn’t.

  ****

  Sayed wasn’t feigning his gratitude to his unexpected savior. “I will reward you for your service beyond your wildest dreams. I have gems and credit chips stored in my two small palaces, and at my seaside summer residence. Help me get to any of those places and they are yours.”

  In an afterthought, he asked the man his name, as if he were interested. “What are you called?”

  “Ramal, my Sheik.”

  The old man bowed respectfully, as he opened the securely locked cell. “I would treasure those rewards, my Sheik, but more so the memories of what I do for you today. Please hurry. The missing key I took will be noticed at any time. I have a plan, which requires that we take an obscure path under the floor of the arena to avoid anyone that might see us. The only unguarded exits are on the side by the animal pens, and one is directly behind where the off world feathered monster is kept. Its constant screams when it sees people, and the lunges it makes at the bars frightens everyone, and they stay away from there. I have an old and dirty truck outside an exit there, where I can conceal you inside when I drive away with a load of animal dung. I’m sorry about the vile contents, but it is the only vehicle available for me to use, and no one will look inside it for a sheik.”

  Sayed’s gratitude was instantly reduced by a significant degree by this revelation, and he would adjust downward the promised reward for this dirty, smelly, old animal shit hauler. Except that would only happen after he was safely away from the Kobani devils that had captured and robbed him. He would escape the judgement he knew would be rendered by the clamoring multitude, which he’d been hearing gather in the stadium above for two days.

  “We must go this way my Sheik, past the other cells. We cannot pause to speak to any of the other prisoners, and if we brought another person with us, we increase the chance you will be discovered.”

  “I understand.” He had no intention to risk the success of his only escape opportunity. Several of his sons were being held nearby, and he’d heard them call out through the meal tray opening of their cell doors, to find who else was being kept down here. These were the individual cells, reserved for visiting fighters representing other sheiks, or victims intended for some arena entertainment. He’d not answered his sons. They were on their own.

  They passed six cells before someone, peeking through the food slot, saw and recognized him. Sheik Osama bin Nagi called out to him, pleading for information.

  “Abdul, are you being taken for the judgement already? Can we speak for ourselves or have someone speak for us? Is it to be sharia law? Are the three devout sheiks conducting the hearings or will it be the mob? Is it beheading, prison, or to be thrown to the new animals in the arena?

  Sayed didn’t answer or look at him as he passed. What could he say? He didn’t know, and it no longer applied to him anyway. He was going to escape. Others, roused from their cots by Nagi’s overheard questions, moved to their food slots to peer out. Soon there were dozens of questions, which grew in volume the longer they were ignored. Someone was bound to come to see why the prisoners had resumed shouting, after they had tired of the waste of their energy yesterday.

  “My Sheik, we must hurry. We turn here to go to the animal pens. When we arrive, I will open the first gate for you and close it behind me,
so a follower will not know if we came that way.” He led him down a passage near the side of the outer wall of the Coliseum, which from the smells and noise ahead was leading them towards the animal enclosures.

  The blue streaks had been moved down here again, but the rhinolo were still up in the arena, because there wasn’t an enclosure strong enough to hold them below. They were too dangerous to be let loose in the countryside, and it was possible that they might be taken back to their home after all. As it happened, the Kobani had not needed to grab the sheiks and flee, with whatever riches they could obtain quickly. They would have plenty of time.

  As improbable as it seemed, twelve Kobani on the ground, plus two rippers, and four ships in orbit carrying another two hundred Kobani, had virtually taken over Khartoum’s Destiny. That was largely thanks to the most powerful sheiks, who conveniently gathered where they could all be captured at one place by a small force. Their separate sheikdoms had never backed a central government or combined militia, nor did they have populations that were armed and capable of fighting for them. Not that they would, even if those sheiks had been prepared to arm the people, which of course they were not. Peasants armed with only pitchforks and torches were not much of a problem to keep subjugated, particularly when there were security militias each despot paid to maintain their tyranny, and ugly deaths for entire families could be the price of objecting.

  Sayed hurried to stay behind the odiferous old man, and stayed well away from pens that held cape buffalo, two hybrid war elephants, a pride of Earth bred lions, a pack of wolves, two large brown bears, some Alders World broad horned Bison, and the Koban blue streaks, which he saw up close for the first time. They were quite tall at their backs, and their long glossy black horns appeared to have very sharp tips. He was still looking over his shoulder at the exotic animals when a tarpaulin made of some synthetic gray fabric restricted his view.