Kato chuckled. “Actually, knowing that guy, yes, I can.”
“Basically, he formed a harem,” Hugh said, “and had children numbering in the hundreds. He lived for forty-plus years after Zara left Earth in 2078, having built an empire. He instructed his descendants to become as numerous as the stars. Much like the Biblical Abraham. Each firstborn son was to take control after he died.”
“Never mind that the Earth couldn’t support that many people…” Zara interjected.
Hugh nodded. “Being on their own island, they were largely insulated from the Tribulation. And then when zero-point energy was harnessed to power spaceships, they saw their chance and took it. It was a perfect opportunity for them. Not only was there room for them all on Ceres, but they were positioned for the greatest business opportunity in a thousand years: supplying iridium for all the zero-point sources that humanity were now dependent on.
“Iridium?” Kato asked.
“Yes. Quite a bit of it is needed for a ZP source. It’s a catalyst. Earth’s supply is very limited. However, the asteroid belt has more of it than we could ever need. MX9 are more than happy to provide it.” Hugh’s expression changed to one of concern. “However, they’ve been driving the already-high price of it up for the last twenty years. That’s led other enterprising individuals to prospect for it in the asteroid belt, like a high-tech version of the gold rushes of the 1800s.” Kato nodded. Hugh looked down at the floor, and sighed. “There’s something very unsettling going on,” he said, at length. “Four prospecting ships have headed out to the asteroid belt. They were never heard from again.”
A chill went down Kato’s spine. He looked at Hugh. “Why?”
“There’s no way of knowing what happened to those ships,” Hugh said. “They were hundreds of millions of kilometers away. No distress signals were heard. They just went dark.”
“Four ships? In different parts of the Solar System?”
“Yes.”
“Sounds like more than coincidence to me,” Kato said.
Hugh nodded. “That’s what everybody thinks. The only explanation that makes any sense is sabotage.”
“Who would sabotage prospecting ships?” Kato said. “What would the motive be? Oh…” Kato’s face went pale.
Hugh nodded, pursing his lips. “MX9. To protect their monopoly.”
“But that’s murder!” Kato said. “How many were aboard those ships?”
“Seventy.” Silence reigned for a minute, as the highly unpleasant thought hung in the air.
Then Kato asked: “What’s their technology like? Do they have warp drives and all the rest?”
“Well, they do of course have zero-point energy and fluid robotics,” Hugh said. “That’s how they’ve built a civilization out there, in conjunction with limitless natural resources from the asteroid belt. The one thing they don’t have is water. They import ever increasing quantities of that from Earth and Mars. It’s generally believed that they’re fairly low-tech beyond that; no neural implants, no MCT.”
“MCT?” Kato said.
“Matter creation technology. Creating new matter from energy,” Hugh said. “It was used to rejuvenate you two. New cells were created in your bodies to replace the old ones.”
“Oh…” Kato thought for a minute. “How many people live on Ceres?”
Hugh shrugged. “Nobody knows for sure. The only clue we have is from the quantities of water they require, which we know from cargo manifests. They ship tens of thousands of tons a year. Of course, much of that water is required for zero-point space drives, to use as a reaction mass. However, we have a good handle on how much they use for that. Closed-loop recycling of air, water, and food for sustaining people is now fast, as well as a hundred percent efficient. So, any more water they require is for population growth. Our best estimates are around seven to ten million births a year.”
Kato blew air out through puckered lips. “Wow…” Zara said, brushing her hair back out of her face and settling back in her chair. “It’s a civilization, then, not just a mining outpost.”
“Yes,” Hugh said. “I guess they number over a hundred million.”
“Hmm…” Kato said.
“They refer to themselves as the Yi Dynasty, after their progenitor Seung Yi,” Hugh said. “They also want to turn Ceres into their own planet, called Entara.”
“Wow,” Kato said. “I had no idea when I went up against him in the 21st century, or when I hired Yi in 2055, that things would turn out this way. Talk about truth being stranger than fiction!”
“Where is he buried?” Zara asked.
“The Seoul National Cemetery,” Hugh said, “The Chinese made a huge deal about his death, but he was buried in Seoul, as he was a South Korean native.”
Other passengers glided up and down the escalator. The three of them sat in silence for several minutes.
“You can Buzz me any time you want,” Hugh said, “including back on Earth. I’d be glad to explain things, or help you adjust in any way I can.”
“Thanks,” Zara said. She turned to Kato. “I’m beat, and having trouble processing all this stuff. I’m going to go lie down again.”
“Okay. I think I might too. Thanks, Hugh. You’ve been a great help in understanding things.”
“Glad I could be of service,” Hugh said as he got up to leave. Kato and Zara stayed seated until he was out of earshot.
“Unbelievable…” Kato muttered. “The Yi Dynasty!”
“I know,” Zara said. “I almost wish he’d ‘accidentally’ died in the hijacking of the Dawn. Wait, that sounds awful! Wishing someone dead makes me like him!” She recoiled in disgust and shook her head.
“You’re not like him at all. You saved me. Yes, you had to steal his ship to do it, but you saved me from something that he did in the first place. He had it coming.”
Zara exhaled slowly. “My brain hurts.”
Chapter 4
Zara fell asleep quickly. Kato lay on his bed unable to sleep. He turned what he’d just heard over and over in his mind, trying to picture what Ceres now looked like with 100 million people living on it. Was there even room to move, since the dwarf planet was only 1,000 kilometers wide? He couldn’t bring his brain to perform the basic math in order to work out how much surface area each person would have.
Zara awoke in the middle of the afternoon, feeling very refreshed. Buzz waited until she was awake, and then said: “Message from Philip Gansevoort.”
“Play.”
His face appeared. “Zara and Kato, I’m delighted to have you aboard. However, you may want to dress more in keeping with the level of company we have on the ship. To that end, in your wardrobe, you’ll find some smart clothing. It’ll connect with Buzz and become whatever you want it to be.” Dress in keeping with the company? What a load of pretentious crap, Zara thought. “Dinner is at 6.30 PM tonight. Looking forward to seeing you then!” Zara got up and looked in the wardrobe. She took out one of two plain, red dresses, and examined it closely. It just looked like it was made of cotton. “Buzz, please turn this into a pair of jeans,” she said. Right in her hand, the material began to change color and shape until it was what Zara wanted. Holy cow, she thought. Where was this when I was a teenager?
Zara changed the smart material once again into a pair of expensive-looking black slacks with gold stitched into the seam, and a sleeveless silk blouse similar to what she had seen one of the other ladies wearing earlier. Zara washed her face and pinned her long hair back behind her head. She wished she had some earrings. Looking through the drawers, Zara found a variety of pairs of shoes in her size. She chose some tasteful brown fashion sandals with crisscross straps at the front and a low heel at the back. She stepped out and knocked on Kato’s door. “Dad?”
“Yes?” a groggy Kato replied.
“Did you get the memo about changing your clothes?”
“Yes, I'm screwing about with it now actually!”
“Okay. I’m going downstairs to hang out. See you
later.”
Zara took the escalator, unsure of who or what to expect in the dining room. Several guests were sitting around in the small clusters of armchairs. Three were spacing out, which meant they were watching movies through Buzz or neural implants, and three were playing a centuries-old board game called Backgammon. Zara felt nervous and apprehensive. One guest was reading. It was the Japanese boy she had seen earlier. He looked up from his book and smiled. “Hi,” he said.
“Hi.”
“Come, sit down.”
Zara sat in the armchair to his right. His black hair was back to being spiky. He wore a red polo shirt and tan cargo pants. He was handsome, with a square jaw. “I am Akio Nishimura. I'm pleased to meet you, Zara.” He extended a hand. Zara shook it.
“Likewise.”
“I've read and heard about your exploits. Amazing stuff!”
“Thanks.”
“And may I say, what a beautiful flower of Japan you are.”
“I'm only a quarter Japanese...” Zara started, as she blushed.
Akio shrugged. “Doesn't matter to me!” Zara smiled. “I am the son of the Japanese Ambassador to Mars,” he continued. “I have to go back to Tokyo for school.”
“Ah. So, you like reading?”
“Yes.”
“Me too! But, I suppose it comes with having grown up in the twenty-first century.”
Akio nodded. “Paper books are very unusual now. It was refreshing to see the library on here.”
Maybe this guy wasn’t so bad, Zara thought. “So… what do you do when you’re not going to school?”
Akio shrugged. “Go to raves and clubs. I have a passion for electronic dance music.”
Zara’s eyes got wide. “Me too! I had no idea… I mean, I didn’t think the scene would still exist now!”
Akio smiled. “Yes. It’s bigger than ever. The old man wants me to be a lawyer, but I want to be a DJ.”
“Well… holy crap! I’m overwhelmed to meet a fellow fanatic!”
“I pretty much do the minimum to get by at school and mix tunes for myself and my friends.” He shrugged. “Did you go to school?”
“Yes. I did fine arts. I love painting… I wasn’t passionate enough about it to be a full-time artist though.”
Akio nodded. Then he said wickedly, “Too busy hijacking spaceships?”
Zara grinned and looked at him sideways. “Well, a good hijacking takes a lot of planning, you know. Only total amateurs think they can pull it off without putting in their homework beforehand!”
“And you, ma’am, are a master! I don’t quite know how you managed to commandeer something as big as a small cruise ship, thirteen hundred kilometers up, with a crew of ten on board.” Akio grinned.
Zara nodded. There was a short pause in the conversation.
“Where are you going on Earth?” Akio asked.
Zara shrugged. “Philip invited us to stay at his hotel in New York, so probably there initially. Then I want to see where I grew up in North Carolina. After that… who knows?”
Philip glided down on the escalator, smiled at them, and kept going to the level below.
“Well…” Akio started, hesitantly, “you could come and see me in Tokyo…”
“Umm… I’ll think about it.”
“Do you play chess?” Akio asked.
“Yes, actually! I played a lot of chess with people back on Earth, during my long years on Dawn, while trying to catch up with my dad.”
“Awesome!” Akio said. “Let’s play. Are you implanted?”
“No.”
“Okay, no worries. Buzz’ll talk to my implants.” A board appeared in midair, only visible to them. The white pieces were on Zara’s side.
“White or black?” Akio asked.
“Hmm…” Zara smiled. “White represents good, of course, and black evil. Which am I?”
Akio grinned, and raised his eyebrows. “It’s a shame there isn’t a color for awesome!”
“Oh, good Lord! That’s about the cheesiest pickup tactic I have ever heard!” Zara said.
Akio laughed. “I know. Just kidding.”
“So, back to whether I’m good or evil,” Zara reflected. She shrugged. “I guess I’m neither completely one nor the other. I’ve done some good things, obviously, but I also take great delight in being evil once in a while.”
“Black it is then!” Akio said. The board spun so that the black pieces were towards Zara. Without a word or a movement from Akio, his third-from-left pawn moved out two squares. Zara had to speak to move her pieces. Conversation was minimal as they duked it out on the chess board. Neither one dominated the other.
Presently, Kato rode the escalator down. Akio looked up. His expression changed to one of awe and respect. He stood up. “Greetings Kato-san!” he said. Zara turned around, startled to see him standing there. Kato now wore brown slacks with a very definite crease, a crisp white shirt with a collar, and a tie with diagonal stripes of white and dark brown.
“Hello,” Kato said. “And you are?”
“Akio Nishimura, son of the Japanese Ambassador to Mars.”
“Ah.” Kato nodded amiably. “I play a little, too,” he said, referring to the chess game, which he could also see using Buzz. “Zara beats me almost every time though. Carry on.”
Akio sat back down, and concentrated on the game, as Kato watched. An hour later, Akio won. He and Zara bowed to each other, in traditional Japanese fashion. “Do you want to go in the sauna for a bit?” he asked.
“Okay.”
After they had cooked for twenty minutes, they took a dip in the pool. Zara wondered if the dream was just about to end and she would see the bleak inside of the spaceship Eternity once again.
Chapter 5
Wu Chen felt like his stomach was about to come out of his mouth. Acid poured through his insides, sweat covered his head and hands, and his heart pounded. It couldn’t have been any worse even if someone had a gun pressed against his head. Which, in some ways they did.
A minute ago, Buzz had said “Incoming message from Seung Yi.” This was the Master’s response to his situation report. The one in which he confessed that the fugitives had narrowly escaped by the thinnest of margins, Your Excellency, and were even at this moment bound for Earth.
Chen knew his life was in the balance. “Play message.”
“It’s very simple, Chen,” said an incandescent Yi. “Those who fail me do not deserve to breathe the air of Entara, or even Mars. Your failure will cost you your life.” Chen closed his eyes. “However,” Seung Yi continued, “because I am merciful, you will be given one more chance. Thirty-four agents were sent to Earth, at the same time you were sent to Mars. You and your men are to go to Earth and join them in the hunt for the fugitives, in the Asian branch of the force. If you fail this time, you will be put to death, by me personally, in the traditional fashion.”
An image of his decapitation flashed before Chen. He pushed it away. He breathed in and out very cautiously. Chen would live to see another day, if he could capture them both, or at least Zara. But, what if he ran instead, becoming a fugitive himself rather than risking the Master’s wrath in the event of failure? Using his skills of survival and deception he could likely stay hidden for the rest of his life.
The Master was God. That’s what he had been told growing up. At eighteen he had learned that Seung Yi was in fact not dead, but in hibernation. Then, he, Chen, had been inexplicably sent to Mars on a special assignment. After that he found the master was alive! God lived again!
Chen figured that he hadn't asked to be born into the Yi Dynasty, and he really owed the Master nothing. Was obedience the answer, or was flight? What to do? He made the travel arrangements to Earth for himself and his five fellow operatives, to leave the following day. The trip would provide him with time to ponder his next move.
Chapter 6
Kato awoke around 9 AM the next morning. He took his first virtual look out into space. Where did the Sun go? It had just moved, and wa
s now on the port side of the spacecraft. The ship had already turned around and begun decelerating towards Earth! What kind of space propulsion devilry was this, which could move them at such speed? “Buzz, show the ship’s stats.” They were doing 824 kilometers a second! Phew. Nine thousand tons of water used, as a reaction mass. He mulled over whether he should ask Philip for a tour of the engine room.
Zara awoke feeling nauseous, with a bad taste in her mouth. “Ugh,” she said. She hadn’t drunk that much the previous night, but mixing drinks was a mistake. She got up, showered, dressed, made herself up so that the money crowd wouldn’t look down upon her, and then went downstairs for breakfast. Akio only came down for breakfast when it was half over. He wore the red shirt and tan pants that he had worn the previous day. They were ruffled, suggesting that he had slept in them. Zara suppressed a chuckle.
Kato had considered Philip’s offer of a free stay at the Hotel Gansevoort, but thought better of imposing on him any more than they already had. Philip graciously called ahead and booked them two rooms at the Four Seasons, while leaving his offer open.
“You’re going to want to take a shuttle down to the surface when we get there,” Philip said. “The space elevators are very slow. They’re mainly used for freight.”
“Space elevators?” Kato said in fascination. “That was just an idea on the drawing board in my earlier life.”
“There are seven, spaced evenly around the equator,” Philip said. “We’ll dock at the ETI; Earth Transportation Interchange, and you can get a shuttle from there.”
Zara and Akio went for another swim in the ship’s small pool. They played and splashed like two teenagers, much to the annoyance of the other guests. After they had dried off and gotten dressed again, they met in the dining room. This had once again been turned into a social area, with groups of three armchairs. Several people sat around, looking like they were in a trance.
Kato's War: Book Two of the Kato's War series Page 4