The Simmering Seas

by Frank Kennedy

  As the words gushed from her, Kara felt a long overdue relief. All the years of half measures and timidity toward her family culminated in a direct confrontation. Others, she manipulated. Others, she sweet-talked to open doors and advance her mission. But never anyone named Syung. Yes, this was Dae, and he was already crumbling before her eyes as well as Mei’s Mark 7 Boring pistol. Nonetheless, she planted her flag at last. Now the hard part: Winning the moment.

  For a few seconds, he appeared ready to surrender. Then his eyes pivoted to Mei.

  “You were there? You saw everything?”

  “Sure did. Aced one of the assholes, too.”

  “What did you see?”

  “Shit that shouldn’t be possible. Spaceship built like a sphere. Empty suits from a bunch of colonies standing around like they’d been lobotomized. Off-world soldiers in black. Maybe Aeternans. And a little cube about the size of my cudfrucking fist. Something called a …”

  “Splinter. Yes?”

  “How did you …?”

  “I need you to tell me where it is.”

  Mei started toward Dae, her pistol aimed.

  “You first. What does it do?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You’re full of Kohlna feed.”

  She leveled the pistol against his forehead, but he did not flinch. Kara came between them.

  “This isn’t helping, Mei. He knows you won’t press the trigger.”

  “Does he?”

  “I’ll never let you kill my brother. Back off. Dae, please. Answer the question. What does this Splinter do?”

  “Like I said, I don’t know. Not for sure. I’ve never seen it up close. Only a schematic. But everyone wants it. They love it and they fear it. Ja Yuan spoke of it during communion. He called the Splinter ‘our key to every door.’ I asked him to explain, but he reminded me of the primary rule: No one is allowed to know the entire shape of the plan.”

  Mei grumbled. “Convenient.”

  “But there has to be somebody, Brother. Somebody knows it all.”

  “Yes. There’s one. We call him the Inventor. I’ve never heard a proper name, but he’s off-world. He created the Splinter, and more. He’s been organizing an alliance for years.”

  “An alliance of whom?”

  “A few colonial governments. Ethnic tribes. I’ve even heard rumors of Chancellor factions.”

  Mei sighed. “That tracks with what I saw at High Cannon.”

  Kara nodded. “And Ham said he feared the Chancellors might be playing a role in this. What are they planning, Brother?”

  Dae tugged at his collar. He was ashen.

  “I need water.”

  Mei tensed. “You’re stalling.”

  “No,” Kara said. “He’s cooperating. Just … watch him. Please.”

  She opened cabinets until stumbling upon a glass and filled it from the tap. Dae drank with trembling hands. He held the half-full glass against his chest before a long, deep breath. He was imploding before her eyes. Yet time dictated no delays.

  “What is the plan, Brother?”

  “They’ll kill me for this.”

  “No, Dae. No one’s going to kill you. I’ll protect you.”

  “Ironic.”

  “Why?”

  “I’ve been protecting you for years. Ever since the day you claimed Lang committed suicide, you’ve been in danger. I convinced Mother and Father to give you more responsibility. I said you’d never pose a risk if they allowed you freedom at Nantou. You’d become so immersed in engineering, you’d move on from Lang. But it was just the opposite. And now, you might have ruined everything. They’ll blame me.”

  “Blame you for what, Dae? What is the plan?”

  He shrugged. “Is it so hard to understand, Kara? An alliance of governments, tribes, and fragments of Chancellors. It’s about forming a new empire, but better than before. The Chancellor caste controlled the Collectorate for a thousand years, but they stagnated. They were hit in their blind spot, and they fell. The new alliance promises a glory greater than anything the Chancellory ever dreamed. Or at least, that’s the promise the Inventor sold us on.”

  Kara remembered her mother’s words from that morning:

  “You sound like a Chancellor,” Kara told Li-Ann, who replied, “Learn from the best.”

  The words fell off Kara’s lips like the answer that should have been obvious all along.

  “Power,” she said. “It’s about power. Ethnic castes filling in what the Chancellory vacated.”

  Dae nodded. “What else have families like ours ever dreamt about? The whole premise of The Lagos is control over Hokkaido. Now there are no Ark Carriers stopping us from controlling more.”

  The truth clicked. “But we need the other ethnics because we lack political power to do it alone,” she said. “We need the Chancellors for their tech. I don’t understand something, Dae. This person you call the Inventor. He’s one man. What does he offer that millions of other people couldn’t rally to build themselves?”

  “Miracles.”

  “Like this Splinter?”

  “Yes. And so much more. He’s the unifying factor. Listen, Kara. I wasn’t involved when the Inventor first reached out to the colonies. The power families of The Lagos were early adopters. He makes incredible promises to solve problems. Global problems, Kara. In exchange, each caste sends representatives to him. This part I know about. They’re called the First Wave. Lang was volunteered. The Inventor shows them his secrets and trains them on how they’ll stand at the foreground when the alliance makes it move against the other Collectorate worlds.”

  On their last night together, Lang told Kara he was going to be “their man for the future.” Now she understood what he meant.

  “Its move? As in, conquest?”

  “Something like that.”

  “How? With what fleet of ships? The Ark Carriers …”

  “Don’t matter.”

  Mei interjected. “The sphere. Ham said it had a name. He called it Invictus. Said it was designed by Chancellory Special Services. Between that shit and mobile wormholes like the Aeternans use, you don’t need Carriers anymore.”

  “Yes,” Dae said. “The Inventor took his cue from the Aeternans. When they destroyed all those Carriers in the blink of an eye, the Aeternans established a template. War can be won with singularity weapons. Fast and efficient.”

  The only thing Kara ever wanted were answers. Simple. Direct. She spent three years searching for them. Now, as the terror twisted her stomach, she wished all of it could be shoved back in a bottle and tossed into the sea.

  “This morning, Mother told me of a plan to erase the Kye-Do rings in three days.” Mei cursed, and Dae shut his eyes. “She said we’d be heroes to every Hokki. I thought she was mad, but she’s not, is she? This Inventor promised a solution to the poisoning of the continent. If I’m right, he promises to build a singularity weapon, probably on a vast orbital platform, capable of annihilating the rings.”

  Dae nodded. “He calls it a Sweeper. I’ve seen the holodesign. The struts extend two hundred kilometers. If it works, the rings will be removed in three days, give or take. Or so he says.”

  “You cudfrucker.” Mei fumed, waving her pistol about. “I hate you Haansu coits. All these years I’ve been fighting immos to keep The Lagos pure, but it should have been you people I was acing.”

  Kara pivoted. “It won’t happen, Mei. Hokkis won’t stand for it. As much damage as the rings have done, they’re a symbol of Hokkaido. We celebrate them. But more to the point, people will stop this because they don’t want our planet to burn.” She turned to Dae. “You don’t believe this will actually work, do you? Lang must have known about it before he died. He warned me. He said, ‘they’re going to burn it all.’ Why would any rational Hokki go along with this?”

  “Because it’s a requirement of membership,” Dae said, his tone disgusted. “To become a permanent part of the alliance, we have to accept the Inventor’s gift. Every world and
tribe that’s joined will experience a so-called miracle. It will all be scripted, of course, but it will show the ultimate benefit of the new alliance.”

  “And what happens when this so-called Sweeper fails? If Hokkaido is destroyed, I’m not sure anyone will be left to sign on.”

  “You’re not thinking big enough, Kara. The Inventor says the alliance is about more than planets. His idea of an empire goes farther. Ja Yuan says the Inventor discovered how all things bind together. Remember? ‘Our key to every door’? And that’s where the Splinter comes in.” He turned to Mei. “I’m asking you again. I’m begging you. Where is the Splinter?”

  “I’d put a pistol in my mouth before I’d tell you. But I guess I won’t have to bother because it’s gone.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I was there. A friend of mine used it. He’s gone. It’s gone.”

  “Then it’s worse than we were told. If the Splinter is lost, a new series of events will throw everything into chaos. Look what you’ve done.” He stared at both women. “At least there was a chance we might survive the plan, but now … damn you both. A few weeks. That’s all we needed to put the last pieces in place.

  “There’s supposed to be an announcement soon. Revelations about the rings, the Sweeper, a new future for Hokkaido. But if the Splinter falls into the wrong hands, there are endless uncertainties. People in the alliance will react badly when they find out. The others will blame Hokkis. There might be reprisals. Or worse. I’m not sure how Honorable Mother and Father will deflect our enemies.”

  “Enemies? What enemies, Dae?”

  He didn’t answer. Instead, he drank the last of his water and set the glass aside.

  “It can’t leave this room. Any of it.” To Mei: “What your people saw at Mangum … they can’t ever speak of it. The KumTaan are already hunting Lan Chua. They’ll be coming after the rest of you. My advice? Find a quiet place on the continent and grow old best you can. But you, Kara. Maybe you can salvage something. You have to marry Ya-Li. The wedding was moved up because certain events have to play out before the alliance is announced. Somehow, the two of you are pivotal. Your new wedding date wasn’t negotiated, like you were told. It was mandated.”

  “By whom? The Inventor?”

  “No. Hoija Taron. I think the three closest allies the Inventor has on this planet are Ja Yuan, Sho Parke, and Hoija Taron. Ja and Sho run two of the largest corporations, but Hoija is the real power. Few people take her seriously, which is exactly the way she wants it.”

  “Is Ya-Li part of this alliance?”

  “I don’t know. He has a brilliant mind, but he’s naïve. I think you’ve seen this. Yes? Kara, you must go home. Apologize on your knees. Beg forgiveness. Vow to be the best wife to Ya-Li. Stay in your suite under guard. Marry him at the appointed hour.”

  “If I don’t?”

  One tear fell. “They’ll blame our family. Syung-Low will disappear.”

  “I doubt it. We’re too influential to …”

  “They’ll find our bodies in the ocean. They’ll blame it on a Scramjet malfunction. Without your wedding, there’s no reason for them to keep us alive. I’m sorry, Kara. There’s nothing else to be done.”

  He jumped out of his chair and shoved aside Mei, who stumbled backward in surprise. She recovered quickly, however, and aimed her pistol. But he came between her and his sister, grabbing Kara with a brutish pull until wrapping his arms around her in a stifling hug.

  “Please understand,” he said with a whimper, “there’s nothing else to be done.”

  Kara tried to fight him off, but Dae tightened his grip, his hands feeling her up and down. He was begging, he was threatening, he was despairing. Or maybe, Kara hoped, he was finally showing how much he loved her and wanted to protect her, after so many distant years.

  “Dae, we can stop all this. You and me. We can go public. We can warn everyone about …”

  “Please. Marry Ya-Li. It’s the only way.”

  “Come on, Brother, pull yourself together. I love you. I …”

  “It’s too late. I know what I have to do.”

  “Dae, I’ll marry Ya-Li. Please, just …”

  “Sometimes, I feel like I was never here.”

  He let go. Kara saw a strange peace fall over his eyes.

  Kara realized why he hugged her. Why she felt a little lighter.

  Dae whirled about and fired the snub nose he pocketed off his sister. Mei Durin staggered, a hole in her neck gushing blood. She hung in suspended animation, staring at her killer in utter disbelief.

  He finished her with two shots to the chest.

  “I told you,” Dae said, wiping away his tears. “There’s nothing else to be done.”

  45

  H AM CORTEZ DESPISED THE NOTION of hiding in a Green Sun safehouse. He resisted Lan Chua’s demand until everyone on the Queen Mab sided against the ex-Chancellor. No, he would not be safe walking the streets of Zozo anymore, they agreed. Too visible. The locals who might have looked the other way for years – even shielded him – would turn him over to the KumTaan rather than beg for trouble. Moreover, no one made positive identification on the people who entered Ham’s flat and left with Mi Cha. When pushed for more information about her, Ham concocted a brief story of an old friend in need and skirted further details.

  Of the Green Sun agents in their coterie, Ham trusted only Mei to investigate the flat and recover his special collection of intel equipment. She was taking longer than expected, but Ham understood the need for a cautious approach. The noose was tightening around Green Sun.

  Jai and Joa Zaan, the fraternal twins, raided the cupboard and threw together a platter of flash-steamed Kohlna and noodles. Ham watched them devour their food while his plate sat untouched.

  “You have to eat,” Jai said. “It’s rule number one of safehouse living. Keep your energy up, be ready for the next move. Could come at any time.”

  “Veterans of this life, are you?”

  They shrugged. “It’s not so bad,” Joa said. “Keeps life from drying up between jobs.”

  “This is all you do? Kill for Green Sun? No cover life?”

  “We did for a while.” Joa ran a napkin over her mouth. “Worked the port. First round disposal. Nasty work. Cudfrucking smell.”

  Jai sighed. “Never got it out of my clothes. They gave us whatever the drone loaders couldn’t handle. The shit work. Not worth it.”

  “Ah. So, your fulltime job is to master collider pistols and wreak havoc among the population. Tell me. What satisfaction do you find in killing innocents?”

  They put down their plates as one.

  “What’s that?” Joa said. “Innocents? You mean the immos?”

  “The immos, and anyone who’s collateral.”

  The twins looked at each other and then turned suspicious eyes to Ham. He expected no less.

  “What are you saying?” Jai asked.

  “I’m a curious man. No more. But I do have a considerable background in the art of rationalizing murder.”

  “What we do isn’t murder. We’re protecting The Lagos. These continentals are like a disease. They need to stay with their own kind.”

  Joa seconded his sister. “I thought you were on our side.”

  “Last night I was. Yes. We served a common purpose. Your skills might have been valuable had they been called to bear.”

  “What kind of nonsense are you spewing? Is that like Randall humor? Or maybe you’re just another Chancellor looking down your nose at piss-poor indigos.”

  Ham chuckled. “You’re easily riled. Yes? I rarely work with a team. When I do, I prefer people who serve my interests and provide me the greatest opportunity for success. In this case, hired guns. I felt reasonably safe last night. Consider it a compliment but not an endorsement. As much as you might believe in your cause, you have no chance for victory, and your shelf life will be greatly diminished.”

  Jai threw up her arms. “Shelf life? Are you kidding me now? Who do yo
u think you are, lecturing us? We’ve heard the stories about you and all your lot.”

  “Some of them might even be true,” Ham said. “I’m in no position to lecture you about killing civilians. But life can be long and even productive, on occasion. I would humbly suggest you never fall into the trap of considering this lifestyle to be a career. Yes?”

  “Huh. Did you tell Ryllen Jee the same thing? We heard you two were close. Why consort with a Green Sun agent if you hate what we do? Or was it because he’s an immortal freak?”

  Ham reached for his plate. Suddenly, he was hungry. He twirled the pieces of Kohlna flesh amid the noodles and sauce.

  “I had many conversations with RJ. He knew my position. Anything else was between us. Perhaps we’d best eat and not talk.”

  The meal concluded in silence. Ham never worried he might have to stare down one of their collider pistols but hated the idea of what might happen while he slept.

  He never made it that far.

  Mei did not return by early afternoon. Ham justified it with any number of excuses, all of which involved practical considerations. If she’d been spotted, or believed she had, Mei would not have risked exposing the safehouse. But some form of communique should have arrived. If not by hand-comm, then at least through Lan’s so-called sugar channels.

  Ham laid on a back-room cot away from Jai and Joa’s annoying banter, running through every imaginable scenario from the word go. He started on Mangum Island, reviewing any possible detail he overlooked. The events were illogical from the outset to the conclusion. The team happened to arrive minutes before the sphere. RJ took the Splinter despite not knowing its purpose. Yet the climax remained the most perplexing. The soldiers in black armor allowed him and RJ to escape. Why? RJ couldn’t recall how he crashed into the sea. Was he lying? Before RJ vanished along with the cube, did he know what might happen? The whole damn business seemed too convenient. As if …

  Ham knew patterns. He studied them all his life. Put them to great use in Special Services. In his experience, there was no such thing as an outlier. Every event could be predicted with enough study and the proper dose of intuition.