Kato's War

by Andrew C Broderick

  “A stunning revelation that came from the rescue is the fact that Seung Yi was, in fact, alive. This message, received by IIX minutes before the end of the rescue mission, was also released by the MSF.” The bone-chilling message from Seung Yi was played: “I can, and am, coming to get you. Back off now, or you will face unimaginable torture. You will wish you had never existed.” The hairs on Zara’s neck and arms stood up. She took in a sharp breath, and her body tensed up. Akio gripped her hand with both of his more tightly.

  “This recording was analyzed,” Cindy Turgeon said, “and compared to known recordings of his voice from the 22nd century, via voice pattern analysis. Top experts from the CIA have confirmed it was him. Pressure then mounted on the Koreans to exhume his body, buried at a state funeral in 2161. They did so, and the grave was empty. The resulting furor has prompted many questions about whether the Chinese knew he wasn’t really dead, but was in fact in a hibernation chamber.”

  “Then, while the world was still coming to grips with all this, three unknown spacecraft showed up in Earth’s orbit, on three successive days. Nobody saw them coming, because that’s how they were designed. Their crews admitted they were stealth warships of the Yi Dynasty sent to destroy prospecting craft in the asteroid belt, so they could keep a stranglehold on the world’s iridium supply. They came to Earth, because there was nowhere else to go; their home base no longer exists. Those crewmembers, thirty-six in total, are now being held at the FSE headquarters in the Pacific, awaiting trial for war crimes.

  “So, back to what started it all: the detonation of Ceres. If the explosion had happened here on Earth, there is no question it would have been an extinction level event. Six observatories on and off the planet were watching that part of the sky when it happened. All of them recorded very high resolution data of the event. With me in the studio is ENN’s chief scientific correspondent, Alayna Barnes.” The camera zoomed out to show a Mexican-American woman sitting to Cindy’s left. “Alayna, can you tell us what every human being alive surely wants to know: what happened?”

  “Well Cindy, as you can imagine, the world’s top academic institutions have pored over the data endlessly. A nuclear explosion has been ruled out, as the quotient of gamma radiation would have been far higher. A chemical explosion, even if it were possible on that scale, would have given a spectral signature that would have made it very easy to identify the components. No such signature exists. As startling as this is to say, it really seems to have been just a release of energy in its purest form, much like the Big Bang itself. Speculation is rampant that some kind of super weapon was being developed at Ceres, particularly given what we now know about the militaristic nature of that world. When pressed on what this might be, though, scientists readily admit they have no idea what could produce such high energy. Zero-point sources produce no chain reaction, and hence can’t be harnessed in that way. The only possible candidate is antimatter. CERN has demonstrated that this can be created and stored in a special type of containment field, though only a milligram was produced by them for obvious safety reasons. Estimates of how much it would have taken to cause the destruction of Ceres are anywhere from ten thousand to one hundred thousand tons. This is obviously completely infeasible to produce and store.

  “The big fears at this point are twofold: one, that it was some hitherto unknown celestial phenomenon, a kind of anti-black hole, or two, that it was a side effect of the use of a warp drive so close to the dwarf planet. For this reason, the warp research program at MSF has been shut down until further notice. The debate goes on in scientific circles, and research will continue until the cause of this incredibly destructive anomaly is found.”

  “Thanks Alayna,” Cindy said. “We’ll be right back.” Commercials started to play, for cars, clothes, and strange items that Zara didn’t understand.

  “Hi Zara, it’s Dad,” the message played in Zara’s ear. She put her hand up to her right ear. “I’m watching the show too,” he said. “Just make sure you’re sitting down, and don’t have a cup of coffee in your hand. That is all!”

  “Hmm,” Zara said, putting her hand down next to Akio again. She quickly relayed the message to Akio. He looked somewhat quizzical, as he took her hand again.

  “Welcome back,” Cindy said, as the network’s logo flashed by once again. “Here, we are recapping and analyzing the momentous events of the last month, beginning with Eight-Seventeen. Now, we turn our attention to the daring rescue, mounted by the Mars Science Foundation. This appears to have been initiated by the Director of that organization, Kirsti McLellan.”

  Zara’s eyes grew wide. “What?”

  “She quickly mobilized a task force of engineers and technicians to overhaul and refit IIX, a task that would normally have taken ten months, in four days.” Zara took a swig from the coffee cup to her left, and then set the cup down again. “Ms. McLellan, along with the crew of IIX, has been awarded a Congressional Gold Medal…”

  Zara spit her coffee everywhere, and jumped to her feet, still looking at the screen. “BULLSHIT!” She turned to face Akio, turning red in the face. “What the… heck? McLellan tried to stop them! She even got into a fistfight over it!” Akio opened his mouth, but no words came out.

  “Call from Dad.”

  “Accept.”

  “Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!” was all Zara heard. Wheezing, uncontrollable laughter. Zara began to chuckle. Once Kato had regained the ability to speak, he said: “You know what happened? She made a deal with everybody involved. Lana, and everybody else. She gave them their jobs back in exchange for their silence! And they had to let her take the credit!”

  “Good Lord!” Zara said.

  “I know, right?” Kato said. “But, you know what? It’s for the best, really. If half the MSF staff had been fired, the truth would have come out. People would have questioned the entire organization’s ability to function. Their funding would have been cut, and the amazing science they’re doing would have been jeopardized. It’s bad enough that the interstellar program’s been halted for now.”

  Zara sighed. “We owe our very existence to them. If it weren’t for the MSF, we’d still have been in cold storage, one point seven trillion kilometers away.”

  “Yeah.” After a long moment, “Isn’t it unbelievable? I mean, this whole thing? Us? Life?”

  “Yes. Yes, it is,” Zara said. “It’s truly stranger than fiction. Where are you now, anyway?”

  “The Andes Mountains.”

  “What?”

  “Yeah. I’m doing a spot of high-altitude hiking. I was watching the show on Buzz, in case you’re wondering. Right now, I’m looking at the most amazing vista you can imagine.”

  “I want pictures!”

  “They’re coming. You still in Tokyo?”

  “Let’s put it this way: I’m looking at coffee stains on Akio’s floor.”

  “Ha!”

  “Well, I’ll let you get back to hiking.”

  “Okay. I love you.”

  “Love you too,” Zara said.

  “No. I… really love you,” Kato said. “More than you can possibly imagine. You’re the best daughter a man could ask for.”

  Silence. A tiny teardrop formed in the corner of Zara’s right eye. “Likewise, Dad. We’re quite the pair, aren’t we?”

  “Yeah…” Pause. “Well, there’s a mountain calling my name, love. Talk later?”

  “Yep. Peace out.”

  “Smell you later.”

  Chapter 39

  I’d better look pretty sharp for this, Kato thought. Many of New York’s finest men’s clothing stores were in a mall, about halfway up the Manhattan Pyramid, called Tailor’s Row. The whole area was modeled on London’s Bond Street, circa 2200. Having procured a fine custom-made business suit, Kato’s next stop was an old-fashioned barber shop, complete with st
riped pole, tiled floor, and a leather chair. Having been thoroughly groomed, Kato then took a forty-five degree glass elevator ride up the western side of the pyramid. Wow, what a sunset! Bands of orange, gold and pink. September was bringing cooler weather—but that would mean absolutely nothing to the residents of the pyramid, unless they chose to venture outside. The ground dropped away, kilometers below.

  Kato checked his appearance from the reflection in the elevator’s glass side. Pretty slick. He tightened the knot of his tie ever so slightly. In the human game of firsts, he would be on top. He already had been,in two history-making ways. He had also been punched to the ground once. But, I’m alive, and you’re dead, Seung Yi. Game, set and match I’d say!

  The top of Manhattan, at last. The doors opened. Two finely dressed, impeccably mannered doormen were there. “Welcome, Mr. Sasake-Robbins. Philip is expecting you. Right this way, sir.” Kato followed one of the men along a short corridor, up an escalator, and into an ornate lobby. Red and gold. Just like the staterooms on Gansevoort. Philip strode out, in the tuxedo he never seemed to be without, right hand extended. “Kato! Absolutely fantastic to see you!”

  Kato shook his hand. “Likewise.”

  “Follow me,” Philip beckoned. The two men walked into a large sitting room, of the same ornate décor, and elaborate old-fashioned furniture. Philip indicated an armchair. He bade Kato to sit, while he took the couch. They faced each other over a glass and dark wood coffee table.

  Kato took a deep breath. “First, I want to thank you, Philip. Our being able to use Gansevoort was literally a lifesaver.”

  “The honor is mine, Kato. I’m just glad everything worked out.”

  That wasn’t your attitude the first time I asked you, Kato thought. You said it was all about business. Which brings me to… “Philip, I have a business proposal for you. Two actually.”

  Philip’s eyebrows rose. “Okay…”

  “First, iridium mining. It’s a free-for-all, now that Seung Yi isn’t there to shoot down every ship that dares to venture out to the asteroid belt. You can bet others are even now readying more ships to head out there and prospect. Let’s get in on it.” Philip nodded slowly, his eyes narrowing, as he digested Kato’s proposal. Kato didn’t wait for a reply. “The second one, however, could make the first one look like child’s play. Three words: commercial warp travel.” Kato paused for effect, studying Philip. The man maintained a poker face. Undeterred, Kato continued: “They’ll restart the warp program pretty soon, once they prove it’s safe. I can get Martin Swiercynski on board, I’m sure of it. And then: Earth to Mars in two hours! It’d make even Gansevoort look like a horse and cart. Then, tourist trips to any place in the Solar System. Rapid transit of mined commodities from the asteroids back to the inner planets. And then…”—Kato looked like an orchestra conductor at the crescendo—“interstellar passenger travel! We’re surely going to be colonizing the stars. Imagine it, Philip. The technology’s ripe for commercialization. We’ll pay the Clarke Academy to license it. With your trillions as seed capital, we can be the first movers. The universe is our oyster.” The silence was abrupt, as Kato finished his monologue.

  The merest smile cracked Philip’s face. He nodded slowly. Philip’s eyes rested on Kato again. A long moment went by. “You might just be onto something, Kato old boy. Wait, where are my manners? Would you care for a Scotch? Or anything else for that matter?”

  Kato smiled and relaxed. “Sure, why not?”

  Philip got up, and poured them both a drink. Turning back towards Kato, he said: “You’ve got guts and glory. You’ve already been the richest man in the world, so your business chops are beyond reproach. I think this might just work.” Kato grinned broadly. “You didn’t have to wear a business suit, by the way,” Philip said. “Just because I always look like I’m at a wedding, doesn’t mean you have to dress up!” Kato nodded and smiled.

  “Look, we’ve both got spaceflight experience coming out our ears,” Philip said, his tone more serious now. “You’ve got the know-how, and the connections to get more of it. The most successful people listen to their intuition, and they can turn on a dime. Sometimes, you have to move quickly to take advantage of an opportunity. Well, this is one of those moments. Widespread warp spaceflight is going to be one of the defining moments of human existence, and we’re going to be right there on the forefront.” Philip extended his right hand across the coffee table. Kato looked surprised. He reached over and shook with Philip. “What, you weren’t expecting an answer so quickly?” Philip said.

  “Definitely not!”

  Philip smiled. He took a deep breath and exhaled. “Well, I’ll get the lawyers working on the business side right away, and we can get on with building mining ships. And after that… ad astra.” Philip raised his glass by way of a toast.

  Kato did likewise. “Ad astra.”

  Chapter 40

  The thirty meter wide sphere had ten levels inside. Each one consisted of a dizzying array of displays, controls, sound equipment, and DJ decks. Most were not of any kind that Zara had seen before. Multicolored LED lighting shone down inside. The little remaining wall space, not occupied by gadgetry, held posters of electronic dance music artists and historic promotional flyers for raves going back hundreds of years. On each level, wildly hip-looking people with otherworldly, shimmering outfits and haircuts to match, were busy working, checking, and rechecking the equipment. The displays showed complex information, akin to a space mission control center. The center of each deck was given to a continuously moving elevator system. One jumped on a small open platform, rode it to the desired level, and jumped off again.

  Zara, Akio, his friend Kichiro, and two others, looked around wide-eyed at their surroundings on the top level. Full immersion virtual reality decks and thought terminals punctuated the more mundane switches and displays. A window (each level had several) gave a view out over Japanboura. The sun was getting low in the sky. “This deck, and the one below, are for the special effects crew,” their guide, a young guy with a full half-meter of black spiky hair, said. “They jack themselves in, and basically become part of the music. Their mind becomes one with it. They control the effects, all of them, with their thoughts. There’s one guy for lasers, one for sprites, one for the midair displays, and one for the surrounding buildings. They’re called brain jockeys. And there’s a bunch of techs to keep it all running.”

  “Holy crap!” Zara said. “21st century technology it isn’t!” Akio bit his lip and nodded. “What level’s XFire on?” Zara asked.

  “Seven,” Spiky Hair replied, “but don’t disturb him. Truth is, he’s kind of touchy. Especially before something like this.”

  Zara shrugged. “Fair enough.”

  “I can take you around the other levels, though,” Spiky Hair said. “Let’s go!”

  On Level Six, a young, long-haired Japanese girl was working a midair display, dragging and dropping different dance music tracks. Zara and her cohorts jumped off at that level. On seeing Zara, the girl's face brightened. "Wow, I finally get to meet you! DJ Kiyoko at your service!"

  Zara chuckled. "You're a lot more famous than I am!"

  "Ah, but part of your fame is your mystery," Kiyoko said. "I can't believe you've managed to just go by your stage name and a disguise for years in the clubs. You know the rumor is you’re going to reveal your true identity tonight?”

  Zara grinned. “That’s the rumor, yes.” People went up and down the elevator system behind Zara in ever greater numbers. The electric anticipation in the sphere was palpable.

  “I want to see your setup,” Kiyoko said.

  “I’m just one floor down,” Zara said.

  Soon, Kiyoko was examining four Technics DJ decks. Her brow furrowed. She looked at Zara. “How exactly do you use these?”

  “You haven’t seen the best part
yet,” Zara said. She reached under the decks and pulled out a large, sturdy black chest. It had metal corners. She opened it and pulled out a square black cardboard sleeve, thirty centimeters across. Out of this she dropped a thin disc made of a black material, the same size as the sleeve. She handed it to Kiyoko. “Just hold it by the sides—don’t touch anything else.”

  Kiyoko held the object somewhat timidly, and examined its surface closely with her young, brown eyes. “It seems to have circular grooves on it.”

  Zara smiled broadly. “Yep. The grooves are literally the sound waves of the music. 20th century technology, and still used right through the 21st.”

  Kiyoko’s eyes widened, and she looked at Zara. “Wow!”

  Zara nodded. “None of this thought-controlled mixing baloney for me. I had to get all this stuff specially made. I’m sticking to ancient, pure techniques, and some old music too. I’m gonna give them a sound they haven’t heard before.”

  “Can’t wait! You’re the first act?”

  “Yeah. I’m just the opener for you and all the rest, though.” Zara shrugged.