Turtledove
Register
Advertisement
Gorppet
Fictional Character
Worldwar
POD: May 30, 1942
Appearance(s): Second Contact;
Down to Earth;
Aftershocks
Type of Appearance: Direct (POV DtE & A)
Species: The Race
Religion: Emperor-worship
Occupation: Soldier, Spy
Military Branch: Colonization Fleet (Race Invasion of Tosev 3, Race-German War of 1965)

Gorppet was an infantrymale of the Race's Conquest Fleet. He became famous in the 1960s for capturing Ruhollah Khomeini, and in 1966, he became a successful intelligence officer. This despite also being a successful ginger dealer.

Early Service and Iraq[]

During the Race's invasion of Tosev 3, Gorppet served in the Soviet Union. Here, developed a hatred of cold (always present in the USSR) and dogs (which the Soviets used to carry bombs at tanks). While he was not part of Ussmak's mutiny in 1944, he frequently expressed understanding of what drove Ussmak. He also became a ginger-taster.

He was stationed in Basra after the Peace of Cairo, where he became close friends with fellow infantrymale Fotsev. The two frequently discussed the aspects of Tosevite Big Uglies they found most confusing, particularly religion.

Basra was a restive city, made more so by the majority of the populations' devotion to Islam. Gorpett participated in his fair-share of riot-control and putting down uprisings, particularly as the Race's Colonization Fleet arrived in 1962. Much of the anti-Race sentiment in Basra was attributable to one man: Ruhollah Khomeini. Gorppet, Fostev and their fellow infantry males were soon assigned the task of capturing Khomeini after a particularly violent round of rioting. They also assigned the task of protecting colonists who'd decided to settle in and around Basra. Fotsev and Gorppet both were horrified by the decision to settle colonists in the already unstable region. Additonally, both veterans found many of the colonists' ignorance exasperating.

After a period of relative peace in Basra, Gorpett and Fotsev inadvertently helped touch off another round of rioting when a Muslim man demanded that Race females should go clothed, as commanded by Allah. When Fotsev thoughtlessly dismissed Allah, the citizens again rose in anger, and the Race responded violently.

When it was learned that females of the Race went into heat after tasting ginger, Gorpett and his unit had one more weapon to fend off, as the citizens of Basra began tricking females into ingesting ginger. With the odor of a female's pheromones in the air, Gorpett, Fotsev, and their comrades frequently had a difficult time maintaining vigilance as they were overpowered by the urge to mate. In one instance, the unit safely, if publically, mated with a female who'd been fed ginger in a drink provided by a human.

The Colonization fleet had begun building new towns in the meantime. Gorpett went to one a few times, but became disenchanted with the colonists, who clearly did not understand males of the Soldiers' Time. Fotsev, who'd been on leave in such a town, agreed. Fotsev informed Gorpett that he'd become a ginger-taster. Gorpett, who always had ready access to ginger, became a regular supplier and tasting-companion with Fotsev.

In 1964, a group of humans commandeered a bus full of colonists, and kidnapped the females. The unit was assigned to investigate. The pheromones of one of the kidnapped females lead the unit into a trap. Many were killed, including Fotsev.

Capture of Khomeini and Transfer to Cape Town[]

With Fotsev dead, Gorppet became squad leader. The Race initiated reprisals in Basra. Once it was deemed calm, Gorppet's squad was transferred to Baghdad. Even this proved difficult, as their transport vehicle was stalled when rebels blew up a bridge and then began firing on them. This hinted at how dangerous Baghdad was. Shortly after Gorppet's squad arrived, the order was given that all patrols must be done by full units, as males traveling in ones and twos had simply vanished. As with Basra, things appeared to quiet down after a time, until the Race implemented a policy designed to convert humans to Emperor-worship. To this end, soldiers were to collect taxes from humans who worshipped at shrines and alters of their own religions, and preventing those who did not pay from entering. Initially, this plan met with some success, as the locals Muslims were willing to pay the tax.

After some weeks in Baghdad, Gorppet and his squad were dispatched to a disturbance at a Race shrine where the Race had learned there might be some additional disturbance. Shortly after arriving, Gorppet spotted a man he realized was Ruhollah Khomeini. He ordered Khomeini taken into custody, where his identity was confirmed.

As a result, Gorppet was promoted and given the opportunity to transfer to a new assignment. The only place available was South Africa. Gorppet knew nothing about South Africa, but was perfectly happy to be away from Basra and Baghdad, even after he learned of the poor climate and racial tensions among the human subjects. He was transferred to Cape Town.

Career as a Ginger-dealer[]

While here, Gorppet made contact with exiled American ginger-smugglers Rance Auerbach and Penny Summers. Gorppet decided to become a ginger-seller, with the two smugglers as his primary suppliers. Gorppet found that he like Auberbach, who'd been a veteran of the invasion. Nonetheless, Gorppet was all business when it came to the actual deal. This included a local named Frederick, who actually brought the ginger.

At the appointed date of the transfer, Frederick had planned to double-cross the humans and Gorppet. However, another Race patrol happened upon the deal, leading to a multi-lateral firefight. Gorppet escaped with the ginger. Summers shot Frederick dead, and she and Auberbach escaped with the gold that was to be payment.

Gorppet spent the remainder of his time in Cape Town convinced that he would be caught, although he still sold the ginger successfully. He also quickly learned just how different South Africans were from Iraqis, when he witnessed a peaceful protest of a tax increase that did not immediately erupt into an insurrection. While Gorppet was contacted by investigators about his relationship with Auberbach and Summers, Groppet admitted that he did know them, and truthfully stated he did not know their present whereabouts.

The Race-German War of 1965 and Transfer to Intelligence[]

When a new war broke out between the Race and the German Reich, Gorppet was transferred to Poland. Gorppet had faced the Germans in the USSR as well, and so was concerned that the commanding officers on the ground had little understanding of how difficult a foe the Germans were. His fears were proven just minutes after a briefing was concluded. Gorppet survived the attack, and even participated in the destruction of a German tank.

However, after this last spasm, Germany soon saw the writing on the wall and called for a cease-fire. Gorppet's unit was transferred to Peenemunde, in Germany proper, where he participated in the partial occupation of the country. He soon became convinced that the Germans were not turning over all of their weapons as the peace required, and shared his concerns with an intelligence officer named Hozzanet. Hozzanet was very impressed with Gorppets shrewd mind, and offered him a position in the Intelligence service. Hozzanet even conceded that ginger-tasting was not necessarily a stumbling block. After a day to think it over, Gorppet accepted, and was transferred to Greifswald.

Before Gorppet left, he picked up a stray beffel. This beffel was named Pancer, and had actually belonged to Mordechai Anielewicz's son Heinrich. Anielewicz, who was desperately trekking through Germany in search of his wife and children who had been kidnapped by slavers, ran into Gorppet and recognized Pancer. With Anielewicz was Johannes Drucker, a German pilot who was also looking for his wife and children. After his initial confusion at a German and Jew cooperating, Gorppet told Anielewicz where he'd found Pancer. Anielewicz started off, Pancer following. Drucker also left, after briefly scorning Gorppet's comforts.

Gorppet lamented the loss of Pancer, and tasted ginger. He became entranced with the idea of smuggling ginger Home, and even planned out how such an operation would work.

Later after Anielewicz found his family, he to Gorppet returned and convinced him to help Drucker find his family in any way he could. Gorppet agreed, eventually providing Drucker a ride to Neu Strelitz. His actions were not completely altruisitic; he wanted to convince some Germans that they could peacefully co-exist with the Race.

Shortly after Drucker's visit, Hozzanet informed Gorppet that they'd been correct: the Germans were caching weapons. This was followed shortly by news that the base had not heard from Drucker's driver. Intelligence soon learned that Drucker had been taken by hold-outs, and his driver killed.

Gorppet next turned his attention to ginger and its impact on the military. As ginger brought females into season, Gorppet concluded that the Race's military could never successfully be integrated. At Hozzanet's order, Gorppet produced a memo, which was sent up the chain of command. This done, Gorppet was sent to Neu Strelitz himself, where Drucker had been spotted. When he contacted Drucker, the pilot was not forthcoming. As the Race had no garrison in the town, Gorppet did not have Drucker taken into custody.

Later, Gorppet learned that Drucker had moved to the new German capital, Flensburg, with a promotion in rank. Gorppet realized that Drucker would certainly know something about German efforts to hide as much of their weapons as possible. He contacted Drucker, and threatened to notify his superiors of his recent association with Anielewicz. Cornered, Drucker agreed to provide some information.

No sooner had he completed this call than Gorppet was contacted by Anielewicz himself. Anielewicz informed Gorppet that an explosive-metal bomb that had been in possession of the Jewish fighters in Poland since 1944 had gone missing. Anielewicz also shared his belief that other Jews had taken it. Gorppet realized that this group of Jews would most likely bring the bomb into Germany and detonate it as an act of revenge, which could spark an act of retaliation. Gorppet dutifully passed the information on. The Race high command informed the German government. Through Drucker, Gorppet learned that the German government believed the bomb might be near Breslau, which had been destroyed during the war. However, the surrounding towns were still densely populated. Gorppet contacted Anielewicz. Although both the Germans and the Race had moved units into position outside the area, neither side wished to go in for fear that the group who held the bomb would detonate it.

Gorppet turned to Anielewicz, and convinced him to meet with the group who controlled the bomb. Gorppet accompanied Anielewicz, who followed the trail to the town of Kanth and was promptly taken hostage by the group, who viewed Anielewicz as a traitor. After a period of tense stand-off, which included Gorppet himself meeting with the group's leader Benjamin Rubin, the Jews agreed to surrender when they realized that the bomb had not been maintained, and so would not detonate. Gorppet did not know this, of course; he was relieved that the bomb would not be used, and so accepted their terms of safe-passage.

Gorpett's future looked bright indeed.

Advertisement