The allied forces launched an all-out offensive on the PRC Navy forty-nine days later; this proved to be the start of the Trans-Oceanic Sino-World War, which lasted in various degrees of intensity for nearly fifteen years, and at some point involved all but the most isolated and unimportant of the world's nations in significant ways through some form of military or economic support or through the abundant social, economic and political consequences.
Being accustomed to the often not-so-subtle political and economic battles that had been being waged for over half a century, the PRC, the international institutions and the allied forces found it relatively easy to slip into such overt and sustained warfare, albeit a war that consisted mainly of small skirmishes, intimidation and a long series of parries and stalemates, allowing both sides to gain some small victories among the losses, all of which were easily able to be used as propaganda fodder for the war effort to be continued as it was evident to everyone that the detrimental economic effects and vulnerability to the every invidious whim of the PRC would be too great to endure if the war were ultimately lost. Nevertheless, amid all the efforts to strengthen their navies and air forces, the struggle for hegemony caused more problems for the allies than it did for China because, although the US6 was the strongest of the allies, it was in severe economic turmoil at the very outset of war — as were several key allied countries — partly thanks to the long-standing, evolving and aggressive technique of the PRC to weaken other states gradually by encouraging dependence and subservience any way it could.
Almost from the outset of the war, the US6 displayed a disregard for many of the suggestions and resolutions of the international institutions and even the pleas of its allies by engaging in those actions deemed to be, no matter how curious, in its own best interests, regardless of the extensive human and economic cost to other nations, particularly its supposed allies; although far from the truth, the US6 seemed on the surface to be unwilling to be constrained when it was obviously dealing with a highly resilient political force that was prepared to do whatever it took to increase its power share and reduce that of others, essentially forcing relations into a zero-sum game.
Spurred on by the desperation caused by its own economic and political maelstroms, the US6 systematically spearheaded the extension of its covert and illegal actions wherever it decided was necessary in an attempt to neutralise external threats. Despite resorting to commerce raiding, and instigating blockades and embargoes all around the world as it pleased, the US6 maintained its innocence throughout and propagandised and counter-propagandised around each event that was unable to be kept from the media, whitewashing and/or denying involvement in various illegal activities and atrocities, which culminated in the deaths of over seventy million people over the course of the war.
The PRC happily provided some sustainment to, and evidence of, much of this without needing to resort to wild exaggerations of the facts like it had proved to be capable of; the majority of the world's news-sensitive population, despite being bombarded with a preponderance of competing claims, was often able to identify the real face of the US6 and the PRC and also the contemptible and unjustifiable inaction and disingenuous protests of the international institutions — ironically for some, these institutions and the US6 were more concerned with genuinely saving face throughout this than were the Chinese authorities, who only ever really used the need to save face as a political weapon and had become so overwhelmingly self-entitled, imperious and comfortable with their political style that had prevailed for so many decades that they simply didn't care what others really thought or believed about them as long as they achieved their pathologically self-serving objectives.
The administrations of the US6 that reigned over this period, on the other hand, in some ways still clung to their belief in their righteousness and were unable to divorce themselves from the need to be favoured by public opinion despite their extreme and deliberate actions that could never be comfortably reconciled with apparent values; the effect of the public assault on their credibility and actions over time, however, and the limits of their system of government and their relationships with the international community and its institutions, did result in many high-profile tactical and strategic opportunities being passed up during this period. In contrast, equivalent opportunities were taken for what they were and promptly acted on by the PRC, thus providing them with significant advantages throughout and demonstrating that the US6 had considerably fewer degrees of freedom despite its best efforts and certain beliefs to the contrary, which left many in Washington who were clear-headed about the enemy that they were up against utterly dismayed.
• • •
It was near the end of the war that the Global Domination Corporation was presented to the world. Aware of the extent to which governments and regimes were already stretched near to the limit of their resources and capabilities yet still continually engaging in a variety of powerful and opportunistic propaganda campaigns, Ikaros and Sascha were curious as to how much and what kind of attention the Global Domination Corporation in its nascent form would attract from the media and the established powers and institutions. They didn't have to wait long to find out…
Chapter 17
Before Ikaros was interviewed, the early-morning news reported that several prominent organisations and social groups that claimed to represent large portions of the population were all demanding that the authorities do something about the affront that was the Global Domination Corporation; this was also reported as being the central theme of multiple daring groups of street posters who took to the streets throughout the night and a large amount of graffiti that appeared all over the city. Concerned that the suggestiveness of the corporation's prominent logo and the undisclosed nature of its operations would tarnish Hong Kong's international image and economic standing, the vocal parties were adamant that the travesty could not be allowed to continue on Chinese soil and those who permitted it in the first place needed to be held responsible and disciplined publicly.
By 10 a.m., a spokesman for the Hong Kong authorities made an announcement to the media stating that they were giving priority to the situation and that a task force had already been deployed and would deal with it promptly. He also emphasised that the Hong Kong authorities, as well as Beijing, were unwilling to accept such a provocative and disrespectful marketing campaign; he ended by urging the public and the media to avoid giving any more unnecessary attention to the company as it was evidently just a shameless attempt at self-promotion aimed at social disruption. This statement obfuscated the fact that the Chinese authorities had been listening closely to the media and guiding much of it while considering their approach since the previous morning when they were alerted to the situation.
• • •
10:15 a.m.
Ten police cars, a military personnel carrier and four unmarked cars pull up in front of what has been dubbed the Global Domination Building and storm in, taking immediate control of the entrance and foyer. A group of twenty-one takes all four lifts up to the top floor. Upon exiting the lifts, they're surprised to find that the office space is largely empty. The lead investigator of the case walks between his men and towards the laptop sitting casaully on its table. He stands in front of it and runs his finger across the touch pad to activate the screen; an open document displays only a few words written on the page: "Sorry about the inconvenience." The investigator squints, slightly perplexed, then dismisses the screen, guessing correctly that the few files there were in the hard drive have already been erased and would have been of little importance, anyway. Tired, yet poised and dispassionate, he walks across to the windows and looks out at the scenery for a moment, stealing a private smile while reflecting on the audacity of it all.
Meanwhile, having been helicoptered onto the roof of the building, military troops are already putting together the scaffolding required to help them bring down the overbearing sign, which is unceremoniously dismantled and hauled away over the following two hours
— an event that's filmed and commented on live by many reporters on the other side of the harbour.
• • •
10:30 a.m.
After having coffee, Ikaros and Sascha met up with Samuel and Yanyan. They all now sit together eating fried dumplings and a few local dishes in another small roadside restaurant.
"What do you think will happen now?" asks Yanyan.
"Well … is today Tuesday?"
"Yeah," she replies in between mouthfuls.
"Well, in that case," continues Ikaros, "I'd be surprised if we last until this evening, wouldn't you?"
"It's gotta be soon," agrees Sascha. "I'm just worried about you," she says looking at Yanyan. "What's gonna happen to you?"
Yanyan smiles. "Don't worry about it. Once they realise I don't know anything particularly useful and that we really didn't do very much, anyway, they'll just put some black marks next to my name and let me go."
"You don't need any black marks, though," says Ikaros, wishing he'd put more forethought into the consequences for her.
"Ah, it's no big deal. It just means I won't be able to get the kind of job I wouldn't be able to get, anyway, so I don't care. It's not quite as bad here as it is on the mainland and probably never will be."
"Mm, they figure they have you all penned in, anyway," agrees Ikaros. "Just remember, your best defence is that you were just the nanny."
"Of course."
"In any case, you don't have to worry about a job. We'll make sure you have enough until we can get you out of the country," promises Sascha.
Samuel listens up. "Does that mean you're coming to live in Berlin with us?" he asks looking up at Yanyan hopefully.
She shrugs. "Perhaps, we have to wait a while and see."
Almost satisfied, Samuel nods and dunks another dumpling into the spicy sauce.
Ikaros looks out the window onto the busy street and says dryly, "Maybe not even till the end of breakfast!"
"What?" Sascha asks confused.
Ikaros points with his head outside at three police cars that have just double parked in front of the restaurant. With all four watching on as they enter, the six officers immediately spot the group and stride towards them with obvious intent.
• • •
After being held for forty-seven hours, Ikaros, Sascha and Samuel were taken to the airport and put on a plane direct to Berlin. Although they expected to be refused any possibility of re-entry into the PRC, they were thankful that they were at least allowed to nominate the country that they could fly to after being informed of their imminent departure.
They were careful not to violate any particular laws while in the country; nevertheless, they could easily have been charged with a number of crimes, locked away indefinitely after a show trial, and made an example of domestically and internationally. The authorities in Beijing, however, decided on the advice of their board of propaganda and incident control specialists that a prompt departure was the most prudent course of action in order to avoid any further unnecessary international attention and to have this whole debacle quietly buried, albeit with the implementation of a new set of stringent policies designed to ensure that such an event could never happen again. Foreigners were consequently subject to more thorough security checks, an increase in surveillance, and a reduction of their freedom of movement in various ways — changes that were felt widely by all visitors for many years to come.
• • •
Flying westward in lower orbit above the Gobi Desert
Sitting in an aisle seat in the economy section, Ikaros looks down at Samuel, who's by his side and sleeping soundly. Although he's seen much worse in his time, Samuel was quite disturbed by the preceding days' events. Apart from the fact that he was taken good care of by a nanny and was provided with a decent hotel room to stay in, which he didn't mind at all, he was particularly anxious and concerned throughout about the welfare of Ikaros, Sascha and Yanyan; he wasn't allowed to see them as they were being individually interrogated and kept in isolation. His intense feeling of relief was evident to both Ikaros and Sascha on being reunited and told that Yanyan had also been released.
Sascha glances at Ikaros. "That wasn't too bad, really. I had nothing to say, anyway," she says, evidently referring back to the interrogation that was primarily designed to intimidate rather than extract implicating 'evidence.'
"No, it was still gruelling, though … and quite tiring."
"Mm, the whole thing was exhausting."
"I reckon there's a chance it'll work out well for us in the end," adds Ikaros, referring generally to their time spent in Hong Kong.
Sascha nods, rests her head back on the seat and shuts her eyes, keen to get some sleep after only being allowed micro-naps over the past two days for the sake of the series of brief and repetitive questioning sessions that still only ended up totalling eight hours due to a lot of forced waiting.
Ikaros, on the other hand, feels overtired and unable to relax with his mind full of reflections about the events leading up to their departure. Wanting some distraction, he puts on his headphones and starts scrolling through the extensive list of films on the touch screen.
• • •
The lead investigator of the case had made the judgement prior to watching just a few minutes of Ikaros's interrogation that they wouldn't be able to extract anything particularly damning as it was clear to him from the start that the Global Domination Corporation was merely a stunt with very little, if anything, going on in the background beyond the orchestration of the performance itself. Nevertheless, not least to give the three a firm message about the danger that their actions placed them in, he ordered the continuation of the interrogation pending instructions from his superior, who had discussed the matter with him and was in consultation with higher officials in several departments in Beijing.
Orders eventually came back from Beijing directing the Hong Kong authorities to make immediate arrangements for Sascha, Samuel and Ikaros to leave the country, Yanyan to be blacklisted, and the Global Domination building and its ownership title to be held by the local authorities until further notice — an action designed to intimidate and demonstrate the potential of their power, but also their leniency and moderation.
At the airport, a few well-positioned photographers, reporters and cameramen who had been following the case and wisely staking out the airport took photographs and footage of the low-key departure of the three; although it subsequently received considerable attention by the popular media as well as smaller and alternative news media sites on the Internet, many, especially those in nations allied to Beijing, chose to portray the event in terms of it being a concluding remark regarding a mere anomaly that had been contained.
On arriving back in Berlin, however, the three were ambushed by a variety of local and international journalists bombarding them with questions, including requests to have private interviews with each of them. Although Sascha refused as did Samuel — he was too shy to accept, anyway — these resulting interviews kept Ikaros busy for several weeks and went some way to establishing credibility in certain circles and even sympathy in the light of the over-the-top propaganda and scaremongering that surrounded their initial portrayal by the popular media, and also, under international law, the unlawful seizure of the company's main asset without explanation, which redirected some of the focus onto the CCP and the hazards in doing business with them historically. That the CCP did so, however, should have been no surprise as only foreign companies were allowed to purchase or lease commercial properties in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and certain mainland hubs in order to foster economic activity, and it was clearly stated in the limited contracts that un-notified seizure was ultimately at the discretion of authorities without recourse to compensation. Ikaros wasn't concerned about this point, anyway, and had figured the property's loss into his calculations from the start.
Beijing was evidently unhappy with the extent of this continuing and unwanted media attention, but it was also unprepar
ed to appear to respond and bow directly to any international pressure; consequently, the Hong Kong authorities quietly informed Ikaros sixty days after arriving back in Berlin, to his complete surprise, that they would hand back the building in just over three months' time, explaining that the delay was related to internal matters of security and protocol that could not be compromised. This occurred as scheduled in a low-key manner, accompanied by the previously unstated and unnegotiable condition that the property be put on the market immediately.
Nearly six months later, Ikaros sold the building to a feared yet respected Taiwan property tycoon for a reasonable price, albeit a marginal loss, the whole process being closely monitored and ultimately approved by the Hong Kong authorities who had given Ikaros a shortlist of potential buyers and had emphatically emphasised in no uncertain terms to him that if he tried any tricks, they would use their power to veto the deal and seize the property proper, evidently unwilling to deviate from their preset course or let anything like the Global Domination Corporation fiasco slip through their processes again.
• • •
The question of how Ikaros was able to become established in Hong Kong to the extent that he did and to do it legally was in fact the result of a naïve and unlikely gamble that he made by merely following procedure, which was to submit an application written in Chinese with all the required attachments to the Department of Corporate Property Ownership and Leasing of Hong Kong. Because all the documents were in order and the legal language contained therein was so extensive and dense, the poor official responsible for reviewing the application approved it with little hesitation after glossing over it and looking only briefly at the proposed sign; although accompanied by a translation, it was only when it was too late did he realise that his lack of curiosity about the implications of use of the word 'domination' and the effect that the company logo would have on the cityscape was what unfortunately set the following events in motion. The official wasn't taken over the threshold to consider it seriously because everything else seemed to be perfectly in order and, importantly, he'd never been confronted by a daring application before; moreover, being a Friday afternoon, he was wanting to make a decision about the application quickly just before heading off to lunch with colleagues, after which he didn't intend on returning until Monday morning. Having put the matter out of mind, it wasn't until he was watching TV while eating dinner with his family on the day the sign was revealed did he realise the extent of the mistake he'd made. Knowing instantly the probable ramifications that were in it for him, after a long and sleepless night, he kissed his wife and children goodbye after breakfast, left the apartment, and stepped in front of a bus on his usual route to work; he died a week later in an intensive-care unit without having woken up to see his family keeping a constant vigil by his side.
NEW WORLD TRILOGY (Trilogy Title) Page 16