Khalid was a space pirate and the captain of the Shimbir.[1] He was first mentioned in Earth Afire, but was first introduced in The Swarm.
History
Earth Afire
While the Gagak was salvaging a ship, Khalid and the Shimbir appeared and caused the crew of the Gagak to escape.[2]
The Swarm
After hearing rumors of an expensive digger ship in the Kuiper Belt, Khalid traveled to the asteroid it was anchored at. However, the ship they found was small and worthless. Khalid asked his crew whether they should go through with the raid. Ibrahim, Khalid's brother, thought it would be a waste of time, but when Khalid realized that an International Fleet vessel was nearby he came up with a plan to use the junk ship as bait. After raiding the mining ship, Khalid stayed on board and sent himself adrift to be rescued by the IF ship.[1]
A month later, the International Fleet ship picked him up and let him stay aboard, planning to drop him off at the nearest depot. After getting cleaned up and having a physical exam, he was put in a supply closet to sleep. During the night shift, he left the supply closet and snapped his guard's neck, taking his ID. Khalid made his way to the helm, killing the sole man on duty there. After sending a laserline to the station about a mechanical failure onboard the ship, he cut the life support and opened the airlocks, killing most of the crew. He went throughout the ship and killed the survivors.[1]
After taking the IF ship back to meet the Shimbir, he was greeted by Ibrahim and Maja. Ibrahim assumed they would keep the Fleet vessel and ditch the Shimbir, but Khalid decided to remove all the valuable parts of the ship and take it back to the Shimbir to avoid being tracked by the IF. Ibrahim, frustrated, called the Shimbir junk and was slapped by Khalid, demanding he give the ship respect. Ibrahim left through the docking tube.[1]
After helping him put on a new jumpsuit, Maja attempted to seduce Khalid, but he turned her away. Khalid felt stronger, as if he were a new person due to his newfound power. Four days later, they completed stripping the IF ship and taking its essentials onto the Shimbir. The crew now had the Fleet's starcharts, which they could use to avoid their warships and hit supply lines.[1]
Later, Khalid found access to an ansible after attacking another IF ship.
Personality
Trivia
Quotes
- "I am Khalid."
- — The Swarm, Chapter 15