Vincent Naguma
Professor of microbiology, from Greater Angola, an African Colony World at the edge of the Hub, settled just before the collapse.
Rafe Campbell
Studied human genetic mutations from cosmic rays on Brussels, a New Colony. Wife Isadora killed on ship by a Krall, “exercising.”
Ray McPherson
Husband of scientist. Member of the Fireball Brigade of flame throwers.
Jim (Jimbo) Skaleski
Hydroponics expert for the Midwife station. Fireball Brigade.
Early Captives (at Koban Prime, later renamed Prime City)
Mavray Doushan
Was Poldark's Deputy Ambassador to Bollovstic's Republican Independency. Both are Rim worlds.
Thaddeus Greeves
Former Colonel of a Diplomatic Security detail for Poldark Ambassador.
Deanna Turner
Organizer of the first Primes to volunteer to work with the Flight of Fancy personnel. On Mirikami’s combat team.
Frank Constansi
Clarice Femfreid
Juan Wittgenstein
Early Prime volunteers, to work with Mirikami. On Mirikami’s combat team.
KRALL
Parkoda
Titled Harzax Kopandi for Krall, or “Measures the Enemy” and a Translator. From Tanga Clan of planet Merkrall. Leader of the Newborn raid that captured the Flight of Fancy.
Telour
Krall translator, of Graka Clan. Second in command of Newborn Raid. Placed in charge of captives at Koban Prime.
Delktor
A K’Tal of the Krall. A K’Tal can variously combine skills of scientists, technicians, or Jump Drive Engineers. Of the Mordo Clan.
Dorkda
Krall translator, of small Maldo clan, a recent offshoot of Dorbo clan.
Kapdol
Krall translator, of Dolbrin clan. A minor clan.
Gatrol Kanpardi
Tyroldor
Octet leader, Kimbo Clan.
Pitda
Tyroldor’s second in command of the Kimbo Clan octet.
Exterminated Alien Races:
Olt’kitapi
Highly advanced and ancient people, determined pacifists, who first discovered the Krall. Mentored the violent race, hoping to make them more peaceful, but were betrayed and destroyed by the Krall, about 22,000 years ago. They taught the Krall how to use the more simple parts of their technology, and designed ships and equipment specifically for them, to suit their personality and level of intelligence.
They were the first conquest described by Krall: “Our old bodies, even so long ago, could easily defeat their smaller and softer bodies. They were fruit and plant eaters that believed their artificially enhanced brains made them more powerful than we were. When we rose up to attack everywhere at once, we lost our first home world to them, and many Krall died before our final victory. After that, we owned their many worlds. We ate them all like the cattle they were.”
Botolians
Aggressive omnivores, evolved from social pack animals that resembled Earth Primates. Good fighters, but controlled a relatively small six hundred light year radius of settled space, bypassing colder and higher gravity planets. Slow breeders. Was first Worthy Enemy. Larger than humans, the size of lowland gorillas, and nearly as strong as a Krall. Smarter than Krall, but slower reflexes and predictable pack hunting tactics made them easier for the Krall to surround and attack. Not tricky or subtle, and preferred direct confrontation over ambushes, and were out matched in such fights. Always refused to surrender, and were all destroyed.
Malverans
A reptilian race the Krall met and exterminated several thousand years before encountering humans. They were an insect eating race that lived only on warm dry worlds, with 0.7 to .8 Earth g’s. Their slow metabolism made them easy prey for the Krall. The volume they’d colonized was about four hundred light-years in radius, adjacent to an area humanity would have been exploring in less than fifty years.
Discovery of Koban
It was a world in Malveran space, which had been far too hostile for the slow reacting Malverans to settle. They had a few dozen colonies, and those fell quickly to attacks by a single clan, the Dorbo.
Eventually the Maldo, a small finger clan of Dorbo, were awarded a choice of former Malvern worlds to settle. They selected an unused heavy gravity world, later called the Testing Ground, or Koban. They built an open compound on Koban. Native life nearly killed off the Maldo clan. They learned they could survive there only by building walls and electric fences and carrying weapons. This situation drew the attention of all the major clans, who tried and failed to settle on Koban without walled compounds.
Enslaved Alien Races:
Raspani
A spacefaring peaceful race with only about a dozen colonized worlds in a small empire. They were another client race of the Olt’kitapi, advancing under their guidance. After defeat became semi-intelligent, the Krall breed and use them as meat animals, raised in herds on many of their worlds. Resemble a centaur-like small hippo.
Prada
Bipedal, forest and jungle living, eats fruit, nuts, insects, and small game. The creatures are black or brown, with white markings. Resemble a lemur or monkey-like mammal, with a useful prehensile tail. About the size of an Earth Chimpanzee, they can use their five fingered hands (with longer middle finger for digging out grubs) and long toes almost equally well. They retain some arboreal ability. The Prada have large yellow eyes, and they were originally nocturnal animals. They are the Krall’s main assemblers and builders.
Their society took roughly seventy thousand Earth years to colonize a volume some three thousand light years in radius. They selected moderate gravity worlds of 0.7 to 0.8 g’s, and preferring dim redder stars than Sol. They befriended other races, unless such contact was rejected. Engaged in cooperation and trade with Olt’kitapi.
Now loyal and submissive to the Krall, they have lost their original language, so speak only “Low” Krall. They are the largest group of slaves and can build most things the Krall want for war, or have copied from other races.
Torki
A highly intelligent eight foot wide by five foot long, and three foot high land crab race with one large defensive pincher and a smaller one for grasping, and a hard deep purple shell with eight amber colored legs. The two in front are small and used as dexterous manipulators. Their eyes are on two-foot stalks, and they perform fine assembly of tools and electronics for the Krall, copying from plans taken from other defeated races.
As adults these land crabs are terrestrial and are found as far as ten miles from the shoreline, returning to the sea only to soak or breed. They sleep at night in cool burrows several feet deep, or at least to a level that will allow water to seep in for moisture. They are primarily vegetarians, preferring tender leaves, fruits, berries, flowers, seaweed, and some vegetables. Occasionally they will eat fish, beetles, or other large insects.
Like all crabs, they shed their shells as they grow. If they have lost legs or claws during their present growth cycle, a new one will be present after they molt. If the large claw is lost, males will develop one on the opposite side until their next molt. Newly molted crabs are very vulnerable because of their soft shells. They are reclusive and hide until the new shell hardens.
*******************************************************************
Attention reader: This concludes our regularly scheduled broadcast at this time.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the story.
LOOK FOR:
Book two in the Koban Series
Released February 2013
Table of Contents
copyright
1. White Out
2. Newborn
3. Silence
4. Suspicion
5. Tiger Lily
6. Ambushed
7. Captured
8. The Krall
9. The Marking
10. Assessment
11. Clean Up
12. Jump to Koban
13. Private Conversations
14. History Lesson
15. Strategy
16. Heaven and Hell
17. Under Their Very Noses
18. Deadly Reminder
19. Advanced Planning
20. Koban White Out
21. Landing on Koban
22. Welcome Party
23. Odd Prey
24. Inner Turmoil
25. The Other Captives
26. Colonel Grease
27. Ship Shape
28. Setting up Shop
29. Koban Dawn
30. Second Week
31. To Catch a Cheat
32. Put up or Shut up
33. Dirty Tricks Bag
34. Scout Mission
35. Loading the Dice
36. Crap Shoot
37. The Hunters
38. Pay Back
39. Spider and Fly
40. Spider Hole
41. Spiders and Prey
42. Final Gambit
43. Life Goes on
44. Influx
45. Open House
46. Rippers
47. The Mark
48. Second Wave.
49. Power to the People
50. Home Sweet Hell
51. Kobani to the Core
DRAMATIS PERSONAE