for us.” Mirikami’s raised eyebrow looked as if he was about to ask a question.
Born explained. “Our inertial compensation improvement isn’t ten times better than what we have now, which is what I mean by an order of magnitude. Any Krall would be killed by the maximum forces allowed inside our new ships, which should only stun a typical Kobani. Therefore, a Krall’tapi certainly couldn’t survive either. From your recollection, you say the Krall’tapi apparently wasn’t even hurt, yet the Krall were extremely banged up. We must be missing something the Dismantler did to protect that Krall’tapi, which we can’t do for ourselves.”
Mirikami nodded, tapping his lower lip. “At least we know who to ask, don't we? I can probably reach one of the Dismantlers right now.”
He called on a general circuit, to reach whichever ship was free to talk to him. The Dismantlers had been deeply involved with speaking to the surviving Olt’kitapi on Canji Dol, instructing them on their lost history, bringing them up to date on events in the galaxy outside of the Empire, describing the millennia since the Olt’kitapi civilization had fallen. The ships preferred not to be interrupted while speaking with their creators, so the decision was made that they would take turns, with one of them always remaining disengaged, available for communication with their friends in the Federation. Remela responded this time.
“Hello, friend Tet. How are you today?”
“Hello Remela, I’m fine.” Out of courtesy, he added, “There are others included in this link with me, interested in your response to what I wish to ask you. I have questions that just one of you, based on her direct involvement could answer from experience, but Huwayla is now gone. Let me explain the background story first. The Federation is building a new class of Jump ships, and we intend to incorporate some of the technology your creators built into you. We’re using similar rounded ends for our hull design, with many Trap field emitters installed in the skin.
“My first question will require me to explain how my first actual contact with your sister ship, Huwayla, occurred. It was nearly a disaster, and I want to talk about what happened when we collided.”
“Friend Tet, my sisters and I know the details of that initial meeting. Huwayla shared all of her memories with us, as we all share our experiences periodically, at least when our minds are as healthy as they are now. Is it an aspect of that near mutual destruction, which she prevented, that you wish to discuss with me today?”
Mirikami looked around the room, wearing a perplexed expression. “Huwayla prevented our collision? But we apparently did strike her, at least hard enough that it rendered those of us in the Mark unconscious, and from later evidence, we know it badly injured some of the Krall inside her. What did she do to mitigate what happened inside her? We obviously suffered some sort of severe impact.”
“You, and the guests within Huwayla, except the pilot, suffered unavoidable trauma, which she regretted, but she took steps to reduce it from the catastrophe that was about to occur. The pilot was protected by a field cone of local inertial cancelation, similar to what you humans use for certain extreme recoil projectile weapons, which otherwise produces a severe backwards kick. She used something different for you and your ship.
“Huwayla detected that your ship was going to do what humans call intersect with her, where your ship’s mass would emerge into Normal Space, partly within the coordinates where her mass existed. She had to take action to preserve your lives, and the lives within her.”
Mirikami blinked, in confusion. “Wait. You mean she sensed we were coming, and took action to prevent a fatal intersect?”
“Yes. She later believed your inaccurate Jump was a result of incomplete and hurried measurements of the destination coordinates. Although your ship, the Mark of
Born explained. “Our inertial compensation improvement isn’t ten times better than what we have now, which is what I mean by an order of magnitude. Any Krall would be killed by the maximum forces allowed inside our new ships, which should only stun a typical Kobani. Therefore, a Krall’tapi certainly couldn’t survive either. From your recollection, you say the Krall’tapi apparently wasn’t even hurt, yet the Krall were extremely banged up. We must be missing something the Dismantler did to protect that Krall’tapi, which we can’t do for ourselves.”
Mirikami nodded, tapping his lower lip. “At least we know who to ask, don't we? I can probably reach one of the Dismantlers right now.”
He called on a general circuit, to reach whichever ship was free to talk to him. The Dismantlers had been deeply involved with speaking to the surviving Olt’kitapi on Canji Dol, instructing them on their lost history, bringing them up to date on events in the galaxy outside of the Empire, describing the millennia since the Olt’kitapi civilization had fallen. The ships preferred not to be interrupted while speaking with their creators, so the decision was made that they would take turns, with one of them always remaining disengaged, available for communication with their friends in the Federation. Remela responded this time.
“Hello, friend Tet. How are you today?”
“Hello Remela, I’m fine.” Out of courtesy, he added, “There are others included in this link with me, interested in your response to what I wish to ask you. I have questions that just one of you, based on her direct involvement could answer from experience, but Huwayla is now gone. Let me explain the background story first. The Federation is building a new class of Jump ships, and we intend to incorporate some of the technology your creators built into you. We’re using similar rounded ends for our hull design, with many Trap field emitters installed in the skin.
“My first question will require me to explain how my first actual contact with your sister ship, Huwayla, occurred. It was nearly a disaster, and I want to talk about what happened when we collided.”
“Friend Tet, my sisters and I know the details of that initial meeting. Huwayla shared all of her memories with us, as we all share our experiences periodically, at least when our minds are as healthy as they are now. Is it an aspect of that near mutual destruction, which she prevented, that you wish to discuss with me today?”
Mirikami looked around the room, wearing a perplexed expression. “Huwayla prevented our collision? But we apparently did strike her, at least hard enough that it rendered those of us in the Mark unconscious, and from later evidence, we know it badly injured some of the Krall inside her. What did she do to mitigate what happened inside her? We obviously suffered some sort of severe impact.”
“You, and the guests within Huwayla, except the pilot, suffered unavoidable trauma, which she regretted, but she took steps to reduce it from the catastrophe that was about to occur. The pilot was protected by a field cone of local inertial cancelation, similar to what you humans use for certain extreme recoil projectile weapons, which otherwise produces a severe backwards kick. She used something different for you and your ship.
“Huwayla detected that your ship was going to do what humans call intersect with her, where your ship’s mass would emerge into Normal Space, partly within the coordinates where her mass existed. She had to take action to preserve your lives, and the lives within her.”
Mirikami blinked, in confusion. “Wait. You mean she sensed we were coming, and took action to prevent a fatal intersect?”
“Yes. She later believed your inaccurate Jump was a result of incomplete and hurried measurements of the destination coordinates. Although your ship, the Mark of
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