In the shadow of the rin.., p.13
In the Shadow of the Rings,
p.13
Ham rolled his eyes. “And it’s been so good to you. Yes?”
“I believe … I have a purpose here. I’m Hokki.”
“OK. Fine. And if you stay, they’l find you and kil you. Again. Then you’l wake up. They kil you again. Rinse. Wash. Repeat. Not a good option, kid.”
“I’m not leaving. I’m not done.”
He thought of Kai. Beautiful, loving Kai whose body was shredded by flash pegs. He thought of Shin Wain with the tiny mustache.
I know where you work.
“I’ve seen that anger before,” Ham said. “Usual y comes right before
somebody says, ‘I want to kil a man.’ Never turns out wel .”
“I won’t let him get away with this.”
“Right, kid. Vengeance is mine, and al that rubbish.”
Ryllen returned to the bench and lowered his voice.
“You know them, right? You run intel for al the seamasters.”
“Not according to their books.”
“How much do you charge?”
“For what?”
“Anything I need.”
“By the hour, but you can’t afford me.”
“Sure about that?”
Ryllen left Hamilton Cortez alone on the bench and didn’t look back. He retrieved his rifter from its hiding spot and calculated his next steps.
Pinchon was an island, but anyone who wanted to disappear for a time might find a thousand places to hide. Ryllen learned how to live apart from society before Kai rescued him from the streets of Umkau. He learned subterfuge and misdirection under Green Sun’s tutelage.
Most important, he understood the true nature of his enemy: It could take any form.
Mother. Sister. Brother. Teacher.
They might find him, and they might kil him. But Ryllen Jee would get a second chance, and a third, and a fourth.
He only had to kil his enemy one time.
He was ready to begin.
TIMELINE
Historical events documented using the Collectorate Relative Calendar for Standardization of Time, designated as SY for Standard Year SY 4392: Chancel ory begins forced interstel ar migration of al residents of Korean Peninsula to planet Hokkaido.
SY 4473: The Asian Sweep concludes, finalizing the migration to and colonization of Hokkaido.
SY 5311: The first successful attack of a colonial insurgency destroys the Ark Carrier Nephesian above the planet Hiebimini.
SY 5320: Catastrophic event destroys Hiebimini’s entire supply of brontinium, the galaxy’s strongest known ore and critical to Chancel or survival. Chancel ory is thrown into chaos. Insurgencies grow on many colony worlds.
SY 5330: Hiebimini’s final citizens are evacuated; system is blockaded.
Unification Guard silences last remaining insurgencies.
SY 5335-5349: Secret Chancel or experiments on Earth engineer hybrid human variants as wel as immortals incapable of reproduction.
SY 5341: On Hokkaido, Kara Syung is born to Perr and Li-Ann Syung.
SY 5346: Fetus No. 1977 reaches ful term in SkyTower production lab on Earth and is deemed a viable human. He is named Royal.
SY 5350: The child Royal is sold to Hosan and Muna Lin Jee of Hokkaido as part of a classified project to seed colonies with
engineered immortal children. Child is renamed Ryllen.
SY 5355: Terrorists led by hybrid humans and immortals destroy SkyTower on Earth, kil ing more than 130,000 humans.
SY 5357: Terrorist group known as Salvation destroys many Ark Carriers throughout the Collectorate, kil ing more than 2 mil ion Chancel ors. Under threat of further destruction, al Carriers return to Earth system. Salvation claims Hiebimini as its new home world.
SY 5358: Unification Guard loses 10,000 soldiers in calamitous attempt to destroy Salvation on Aeterna, the planet formerly known as Hiebimini. Battle is cal ed “The Last Day’s War.” Chancel ory’s hold on colonies col apses. Collectorate commerce halted. On Hokkaido, reprisals against Chancel or collaborators and threats of workers’
revolts destabilize economy. The People’s Legion – the central government – collapses. Provisional governments rise in its wake. A process of “social refinery” undermines power structure of the wealthiest families, especial y on The Lagos.
SY 5360: Aeterna’s population of immortals who survived The Last Day’s War begin diplomatic and technological outreach to the colonies.
Using new wormhole-driven method of transport, Aeternans begin recovery of immortals seeded throughout the Collectorate.
SY 5361: Earth Civil War begins between factions of the Chancel ory and groups affiliated with the Solomons, a servant class recently given equal citizenship standing.
SY 5362: Aeternans deliver bicomm technology to colonial partners.
On Hokkaido, Ryllen Jee turns 16 and joins Green Sun insurgency. Kara Syung, 20, joins Nantou Global’s Bio-research and Engineering Division.
SY 5363: Earth Civil War ends when final militant factions of the Chancel ory are defeated by the Warner Al iance. 90 mil ion dead.
Thirty light-years from Earth, the long-idle Artemis Station is secretly reactivated.
SY 5364: Aeterna introduces commercial Slope wormhole travel to its first three colonial partners. On Hokkaido, Ryllen Jee is kil ed but discovers the truth of his immortal origins. He is 18.
SY 5365: On Hokkaido, Kara Syung and Ryllen Jee cross paths for the first time. Sectarian violence explodes. The truth about the planet’s Kye-Do rings is revealed.
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Document Outline
THOSE LEFT BEHIND
KARA SYUNG The Bullabast Tree
2
To be a Kohlna
3
Fallen of the Gentry
RYLLEN JEE 1
Idiot of The Lagos
2
The Idiot’s Mother
3
Death of the Idiot
TIMELINE
Frank Kennedy, In the Shadow of the Rings
