Qin
Station :
Sol
System :
For the first
time in months, Chow Yin took no pleasure in walking around the station with
the aid of his biomechatronic legs. The sense of freedom that came with the
technological prosthetic paled in comparison to another, more unfamiliar
feeling.
Loss.
From the time he was a child, he’d never formed a close
attachment to another person like the one that had developed between him and
his daughter. They’d only been reunited for the last few years; their time
together had been painfully short.
He’d imagined grooming her as an heir to the Solan Empire
once he moved on to conquer the galaxy. Now, there was no one left to pass his
legacy on to.
It was all because of Alex Manez and Doctor Naysmith.
Chow Yin had reviewed the recording of the last hours of his
daughter’s life a hundred times while his technicians and engineers repaired
the damage that had nearly destroyed Qin Station.
Though Chow Yin had done his share of betrayal over the
years, and uncovered more than a few traitors in his ranks, the doctor had been
singularly successful when he’d slipped Alex a small quantity of Kinemet.
It had restored the boy to his full powers, which he’d exercised
at the most unfortunate time: simultaneous with the activation of the Kinemetic
process on Sian.
The photonic explosion quantized the lab and the top few
levels of the space station. Unlike the accident on Macklin’s Rock years
earlier, there was not nearly enough Kinemet to launch the affected section
toward the star beacon at near-light speeds. Less than a day after the event,
Chow Yin’s sensors picked up fragments of the station hull several thousand
kilometers away.
The salvage mission recovered the bodies of all those
affected by the photonic conversion, including the technicians in the lab,
several other works in the nearby levels, as well as Sian and Alice. Medical
staff quickly determined that all of them had been partially converted to
Kinemats, as had those who were subjected to Klaus’s first trials. Of the two
priming sequences, their first attempt was the wrong one. Even if the cold
vacuum of space had not killed his daughter and the others within moments of
returning to normal space, the unsuccessful conversion would have killed them
soon enough.
The only body they had not recovered was that of Alex Manez.
Chow Yin could only surmise that his previous conversion somehow kept him
alive. Perhaps, as his records indicated, Alex managed to remain quantized.
There was no way to tell how long he could maintain himself in a photonic
state. According to those reports, Alex had no awareness in that form.
Depending on how much Kinemet the doctor had injected him with, Alex could
remain out of Chow Yin’s reach for months or even years.
At least Chow Yin had been able to arrest the doctor before
he escaped the station. Though Chow Yin did not believe in torture, he believed
in poetic justice, and he’d had the doctor launched out into space to suffer
the same fate as his daughter.
There was a silver lining to the entire tragedy, and Chow
Yin clung to it. Now, they knew the priming sequence for converting a person
into a Kinemat. Once they finished rebuilding the Kinemetic conversion chamber,
Chow Yin could create as many squadrons of quantum pilots as he needed to
subjugate Sol System, and later, the galaxy.
Chow Yin had never been a superstitious man, and did not
hold with the power of chance, but he thanked his lucky stars that he’d
received word about the liberation of Michael Sanderson in Guatemala. That had
prompted him to speed up work on the quantum ship his engineers were building
in the dry dock station several kilometers away from Qin Station. Chow Yin had
decided to oversee the final stages of the operation.
It was a grand warship. With a crew of only twelve, it had
enough firepower to take on any of the USA, Inc.’s space destroyers and win.
Chow Yin’s engineers had long ago learned to weaponize Kinemet into torpedoes,
and the warship carried thirty-six of those, as well as an additional
twenty-four conventional and nuclear missiles. A believer in stacking the odds
in his favor, Chow Yin also had a dozen twenty-pound gun turrets installed,
each with a five-kilometer range, just in case of those rare times the ships
came within proximity to one another.
Chow Yin visualized its maiden flight, once he’d
successfully undergone the Kinemetic conversion to become a quantum pilot. His
first target would be Canada Station Three, in revenge against Alex and his
country. Even though his Solan forces had already taken over that station, he
would destroy it as a symbol of his power and will. The United Earth Corporate
would know the temerity of his purpose. If they did not immediately surrender
the corporate nations of the world to him, he would launch Kinemetic warheads
at their capital cities until they capitulated. Once he had bent Sol System to
his will, then he would focus on these Kulsat Alex had told Alice about.
Though the information he had on them was thin, he’d already
developed a plan of attack: if they were so interested in some artifact on
Earth, he would offer them free access to the planet to search for it. Why not
feign cooperation, make them drop their guard? Once they’d found whatever it
was they were looking for—presumably some kind of weapon they feared—then Chow
Yin would swoop in and take it from them, and use it against whatever armada
they sent against him. With that weapon in his arsenal, the galaxy was his for
the taking.
“Your Highness,” someone behind him said. “There you are.”
Chow Yin stopped walking and turned to see General Leong
hurrying to catch up.
“General.” He gave a slight bow of his head. “I was on my
way to inspecting the progress on the lab repairs.”
The general said, “They should be complete by the end of
today.”
Resuming his pace, with full expectation that the general
would follow, Chow Yin said, “And the warship?”
“We’re going through final diagnostics. The quantum drive
has passed all tests. The ship will be ready for its maiden voyage by this time
tomorrow.”
“Ensure there is ample Kinemet on board. I fully expect to
test the quantum drive at that time.”
“Are you certain it is wise to undergo the conversion
yourself?” the general asked, raising a concerned eyebrow. “Perhaps it would be
more prudent to test the formula on someone else first.”
Chow Yin turned his head and growled, “And sully the memory
of my daughter? She gave her life to prove which sequence is valid. No, I shall
make the conversion tonight.”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
∞
It was the first time since he was a child that Chow Yin
felt apprehension. He knew, in his mind, that the priming sequence was the
correct one, but there was a small nagging thought that there could be another
factor which might cause the trial to fail.
For a fraction of a second, he wanted to heed the general’s advice
and have someone else undertake the first trial, but then his pride drowned the
notion. How could he face his men if he showed even the smallest hint of fear?
Purposefully, he strode into the lab, taking pleasure in the
heavy thumping sound of his biomechatronic legs as they stomped against the
ceramic floor. It was a grand way to make an entrance; no one could mistake who
had arrived.
The general was there, as well as several of his top
officers, watching on as the technicians made the final preparations.
Without any sign of hesitation, Emperor Yin continued
through to the Kinemetic conversion chamber. Inside, instead of an operating
table with straps, there was a chair. Chow Yin would not be able to wear his
biomechatronic legs during the event. The electromagnetic signature could interfere
with the Kinemetic priming sequence.
With the assistance of two technicians, Chow Yin unlocked
the legs and, leaning heavily on the men, allowed himself to be maneuvered into
the chair.
Beside the chair, the Kinemet was already placed inside the
priming device. Chow Yin imagined he could feel the radiation penetrate through
him.
He looked out through the viewing window at the general and
the other officers, taking on a look of supreme confidence, as the technicians
hooked up sensors to him.
When all was ready, one of the technicians nodded. “We can
begin whenever you are ready, Your Highness.”
Chow Yin waited until everyone had exited the chamber and
sealed the door behind them.
Once everyone in the lab focused their attention on him,
Chow Yin said, “Gentlemen, today marks the beginning of the greatest era in our
history. From this day forward, the course of human existence will be shaped by
us. Burn the memories into your minds; you will be able to tell your
grandchildren that you were among the honored witnesses to the birth of the
first galactic empire.”
Having finished his speech, Chow Yin slowly raised one hand,
lifting one finger and, after a dramatic pause, pointed to the technician to
begin the priming sequence.
The chamber became eerily silent as the Kinemetic damper
engaged, and the room sealed electromagnetically. Beside him, the milligram of
Kinemet in the conversion device, which was so small when dormant that Chow Yin
had to squint to see it, began to glow as it was primed with the sequence of
light waves. Once the procedure was complete, and the Kinemet was too bright to
look at directly, the bombardment device opened a thin tunnel from which a beam
of hydrogen photons penetrated the kinetic metal.
The reaction was all-consuming.
∞
Chow Yin had never been much of a patron of the arts, and
held little interest in music. The sound that filled his mind and body when he
became a photonic being transcended everything he’d experienced before in his
life, and the music penetrating his soul was beyond description. It was the
end-all of all things. Forevermore, the elegant symphony of the heavenly bodies
throughout the universe would be an integral part of him. He was the song, and
the song was him.
He could sense the subtle signature of the Kinemetic damper
around the chamber, and with a mere thought-impulse, he penetrated through it
and turned off the electromagnetic seal.
A collection of photons, Emperor Yin pushed himself out of
the chamber and into the lab, reveling in the looks of awe on his men as they
watched a being of light appear before them.
Chow Yin knew he truly was a god.
Just as the thought came to him, he became aware of
something else in the vicinity, another presence, and he instinctively knew it
was of a magnitude more powerful than he was.
For the first time in his life, Chow Yin felt fear.
Unknown
:
Unknown
:
Nothing.
Then
something.
The
smallest whisper.
A
crescendo of sound.
Everything
inside him was outside.
The
infinite universe filled his essence.
Answers
just out of reach.
Music
of the Spheres?
Song
of Stars?
Cosmic
Opus?
Key.
A
rift.
Absence
of light.
The
inexistence of time.
A
dichotomy of spacial matter.
Convergence
of light, space and time.
Everything
outside him was inside.
Simultaneous
divergence of matter.
Invariance
and covariance.
Quantum
absence.
Everything.
Low
Earth Orbit :
Sol
System :
His first thought
was that he had died and gone over to the other side.
A feeling of completeness came over Michael as he regained
consciousness. The soft, cradling warmth that flowed through his body was
unlike anything he’d experienced before.
The ever-present ache he felt in his knees and hips as he
grew older came back, and that was when he realized he wasn’t dead. Every cell
in his body was on fire, and he knew this was because he’d been irradiated by
the reaction to the Kinemet in the alien. It had not been enough radiation to
kill him immediately, however. Then why had he felt like he was going to die?
He opened his eyes and looked around. To his confusion, he
realized he was in officer’s quarters on a ship. There was a desk with an
old-fashioned DMR casement. The screen held orders for the captain of the ship,
and the name was all too familiar.
Michael struggled to understand how he’d ended up back on Lieutenant
Gao’s ship.
In space?
His disorientation and confusion sent his heart racing. What
was going on? How did he get here?
Fighting against the feeling of weakness running through
him, he got up, and a wave of pain coursed through his torso.
He had a broken rib. Something must have fallen on him
during the explosion. That was why he’d felt heavy. Shock had tricked him into
thinking he was going to die.
With one hand, he felt the bandage around his ribs. It still
hurt to breathe, and it took him a bit of time to approach the computer console.
There, he read the status report on the screen.
The ship was in orbit at the L3 point on the opposite side
of the Moon from the Earth. That region was long-held as a launching point for
missions to the outer planets. It had been one of Chow Yin’s first targets.
The status report indicated that there were dozens of ships
sharing the same orbit, and the majority of them were models used by USA, Inc.,
Canada Corp., UK PLC, and Deutschland, AG. More than half the ships, however,
were of Chinese manufacture. Was Chow Yin massing an armada to invade Earth?
Had he captured all these ships? Had he captured Michael?
His confusion heightened when Lieutenant Gao entered the
quarters and smiled at him.
“I see you are awake and well, Mr. Sanderson.”
Dropping all pretext of civility, Michael demanded, “What
the hell is going on? How did I get here?”
Putting up a hand to calm his guest down, Lieutenant Gao
said, “You are safe, I assure you. If you feel up to it, I can explain.”
Though he knew the radiation in his body, combined with the
broken ribs, was sapping his strength, he felt more than up to an explanation.
“Please do,” he said, bringing himself to a sitting position
on the edge of the bunk.
Lieutenant Gao pulled a chair out from a small desk set into
an alcove on the wall, and eased himself down. “We only have a few minutes, so
pardon me if I give you the highlights.”
“Go on.”
“I am, and always have been, an agent for the PRC, planted
among the Solan Empire to undermine Chow Yin’s rule. When you arrived in Sol
System, we sent an alert to avoid the mines, but the alien vessel did not
receive the warning in time. When I saw it fly toward another mine, I sent a
warning missile to get it to change course. I had no idea the vessel would
explode. I am so sorry about your friends.”
A mix of emotions went through Michael at the admission, but
soon enough, he nodded to Lieutenant Gao to continue.
The lieutenant said, “Over the past few months, we have been
secretly amassing a fleet out here, launching during solar flares to mask our
movements. In one hour, we will begin to take back Sol System, and we require your
help.”
“Me? What do you think I can do?”
“You were captured by rebels in Honduras, who were working
for Chow Yin, is that correct?”
“Yes,” Michael said. “The last thing I remember, the complex
was under attack. Humberto, a friend of mine, said the Guatemalan army was
liberating us.” He gave the lieutenant a hard look. “How did I get from there
to here?”
“When the authorities found you, the Cruzado informed them
that you had sustained injuries and would only speak to Alex Manez. Of course,
that was impossible at the time, but he finally agreed to speak to Minister
Calbert Loche, one of your top officials.”
“What did he tell him?”
“You had sustained a few broken ribs, and that you had been
exposed to Kinemetic radiation. Word was sent through diplomatic channels from
your government to the Americans, then to my government who has been working in
cooperation with them. My ship was in low-Earth orbit on a routine patrol when
I received instructions to break my cover and take you aboard. The Guatemalans
launched a small vessel to rendezvous with our ship. You’ve been here for several
days, drifting in and out of consciousness. Now, our ship’s doctor has verified
that you are well on the road to recovery from your physical injuries.”
Michael, his mind racing with all the information he’d just
received, reached the most vital conclusion. “You broke cover. That means—”
“Chow Yin is aware of my duplicity. We already have
information that he is gathering his forces at Qin Station—he is obviously
protecting something very important. Our fleet will launch within the hour, but
General Gates, the commander of the flotilla, needs to debrief you before we
finalize our mission specs.”
“Debrief me?”
“You may be the only person who can contact Alex.”
“Alex?”
The lieutenant nodded. “I was able to send off Humberto’s
encoded message to an agent at Qin Station; Doctor Naysmith. We have no way to
verify whether Mr. Manez received it, and we’ve lost contact with the doctor.”
It took a moment for Michael to wrap his head around all the
new developments. He asked, “What about the others, Humberto and his men, and
Yaxche and Patli?”
“As far as I know, they have been escorted back to Honduras,
and are under the protection of their military. They are fine.”
A chime sounded, and the lieutenant stood. “Ah, it’s ready.”
“What is?”
“We have prepared a shuttle to take you to the general’s
flagship.”
∞
The
Liberty
was the largest battle cruiser in the US Space
Force. It had eight torpedo tubes with both nuclear and conventional warheads,
twelve short-range missile launchers, and two dozen heavy gun batteries. There
were six portals on either side of the ship for small fighter shuttles to dock.
The ship utilized the latest high-tech countermeasures, and was equipped with
state-of-the-art computer technology.
What got Michael’s attention was not the weaponry or the
firepower. As his shuttle neared the warship, he saw on the monitors that
someone had installed a quantum drive. From what he could tell, it was the same
configuration as the prototype he had installed on the
Ultio
.
This was the first he’d heard of a light-speed capable
military ship—of course, all they were missing was a Kinemat who could pilot
it.
By the time he docked, disembarked from his shuttle, and was
led to the bridge to meet General Gates, Michael was bursting with questions.
Before he could say anything, however, the general pulled
him into a small conference room away from the other officers.
“Mr. Sanderson, welcome to the
Liberty
. Thank you for
assisting us.”
“How can I help?”
“We plan to attack Qin Station, which is Emperor Yin’s base
of operations. We have reports coming in that Emperor Yin has four times the
number of our ships, but most of them are scattered around this area of space.
If we stand any chance, we must arrive in force before he has a chance to
gather his fleet. Our attack must be unexpected. No doubt, you are aware that
our ion engines have improved over the past few years. It should only take us
two or three days to arrive there once we launch.”
“What is it you want from me, then?” Michael asked.
“It is our belief that Emperor Yin is building a quantum
ship of his own. Should he successfully create a Kinemat, he will have an
advantage over us. We know he has coerced Alex Manez into assisting him; we
must retrieve him alive if we are to have any chance of creating our own force
of Kinemats.”
“Alex had no choice…” Michael said.
“We know. That’s not important. What’s important is that he
may not know whom to trust. That’s where you come in.”
“Of course. I will do anything to help.”
“Good.” The general nodded, and then took a moment to form
his words. “We don’t believe we’ve been able to contain news of the Guatemalan
revolt, which is why we believe Emperor Yin has moved up his timetable. Once he
has what he wants from Alex—”
“He’ll kill him,” Michael finished.