“I agree, Len-Ho, and I don’t wish to pass judgment. However, I know, Park, that you retaliated when the competition did not back down. You released the data proving a generations-long scheme to poison the continent’s farmland. You thought the others would cower and you would be considered a hero of sorts. Is that more or less the gist?”

  Park turned white.

  “How … how could you know that?”

  Amayas wasn’t going to have a conversation about the mirrors.

  “I have deep connections everywhere. Park, I’m not here to judge. But your actions did have the unintended consequences of fomenting a type of civil war. I have to wonder: After all that’s come to pass, why do you hold onto the presidency of this company?”

  Park bowed his head in shame, but Len-Ho nudged him.

  “Go on. Say it, Son.”

  “I have to make it right. It’s the least I can do.”

  “Your ancestors poisoned the planet, not you.”

  “No, not that. I was here with Ya-Li. I helped him. I thought we were going to change Hokkaido for the better. We went too far. Then he and Weeb … Don’t you see? I’m as much to blame.”

  “Perhaps you are, but what is your endgame? Are you hoping to achieve Ya-Li Taron’s vision? Are you pursuing a Park Doon future?”

  “It’s day to day, but I want the best for our people. Hotai is still the most important company in the world. We keep people fed.”

  Len-Ho gripped his son’s hand. Park looked like a sad boy who couldn’t make it through the day without his father’s presence. He was far too young to run an empire.

  “I said I wouldn’t judge, Park. However, I have some advice. You cannot move forward until you excise the ghost of Ya-Li Taron. I had an older brother who brought excitement into my life. For a while, we did things our own way. We had big plans. We were going to change everything. Then I lost him to madness. I spent years cleansing the guilt from my system. When I did, I moved forward with a clear vision. Ya-Li’s gone, Park. I recommend you stand up on your own and be the man your father always expected – not the one Ya-Li created. I apologize if I’ve overstepped.”

  “Not at all,” Len-Ho said. “Frankly, I’m glad to hear those words from someone else. I’m sure my son will take them to heart. Yes?”

  Park nodded.

  “I will. I know what I must seem like to you, but I don’t want you to lose confidence. I do think the Alliance will be good for Hokkaido. I saw you many years ago on Mangum Island. I was impressed then. I’m even more impressed now. Thank you.”

  “Excellent. I have just a couple more issues, then I’ll be on my way.”

  At least, that was the plan. A few minutes later, Vice President Jade returned. At first, she whispered in Park’s ear, and he leaned over to his father.

  “Yes, I think we should tell him.”

  They faced Amayas. Park started with a sheepish grin.

  “It’s awkward. Apparently, news of your visit has leaked. It was sloppy. I’m very sorry. There’s a huge media contingent down below demanding answers. Of course, we’ll make sure you return to your Scramjet without issue, but we thought … well …”

  Amayas waved him to a halt.

  “I understand. I gave public interviews in New Seoul. You think it might help if I made an appearance for Pinchon.”

  “We promise you’ll be safe. Vice President Jade will make sure it’s brief. Ten to fifteen minutes?”

  He heard the same timeframe from the handlers in New Seoul. He answered a barrage for almost an hour.

  “If you think it will help, Park.”

  “I’d be very appreciative.”

  As with New Seoul, he doubted the leak was accidental.

  33

  Opal Island

  Beta Universe

  B ONJU SAT ON THE BEACH with his son and waited. To his left, three cases held the secret to trans universal travel. To his right, Moon pulled on his digipipe. They said everything that mattered, including how much they loved each other. The rest they’d save for another day, assuming there would be another.

  Bonju felt helpless. Why didn’t he take action sooner? How could he put his children and their mother into such a horrible predicament that their only hope lay with an unpredictable, untrustworthy, cold-blooded killer? Royal’s plan was insane, the odds for success tiny. Yet it bought the Tarons one valuable commodity: Time.

  Two Swarm ships landed on the beach. Royal called it correctly: An Officer’s Sweep, oblong and compact; and an ATB-4 troop transport, the “flying lobster” large enough for a single platoon. Gen. Hoija Taron and a Swarm Captain disembarked as the FGs surrounded father and son in head-to-toe body armor, rifles aimed. Three DLM agents in berets and black gloves sauntered up behind the FGs.

  “Don’t move,” Bonju told Moon. “We can’t give them a reason.”

  The General and the Captain shared a whisper. Hoija nodded then ordered four FGs toward the lab. Hands behind her back, she stood over the Tarons and eyed the cases.

  “Explain yourself, Nephew.”

  “We’re not armed. We finished the devices. The tether will work.”

  “Why are you not in the lab, where we agreed to meet? I will need to see a test.”

  “Plans have changed. We know what you’ve done.”

  Hoija did not bend to surprise.

  “What have we done?”

  “You took our family hostage. You intend to hold them until we prove the tether works. If it fails, you intend to kill them.”

  Hoija’s flexed brow and deference to the Captain said she wasn’t aware. The Captain confirmed it.

  “Direct from the Empress,” he said. “They’ll be off-world by now.”

  Bonju’s blood heated. Why didn’t he listen to Moon’s pleas?

  “Can you guarantee they’ll be returned after a successful test?”

  The officer eyed Bonju with suspicion.

  “I don’t speak for the Empress. I follow her orders.”

  “Then we can’t guarantee the device will work.”

  The Captain unholstered his weapon and aimed at Moon.

  “What is this we? All I need is you. The boy is irrelevant.”

  Moon did not flinch. He knew this moment might come.

  “My son has been invaluable in building the device. He is a prodigy in quantum field dynamics. He extracted the decisive data to help me complete the work.”

  “I was watching,” Hoija said. “I saw minimal contributions.”

  “The most important work did not take place in the lab. Moon manipulated our prisoner into revealing the crucial data.”

  “The immortal. Where is he, Nephew?”

  “My son made a deal with him: The data in exchange for the Splinter that allowed him to cross the divide. Moon built a trusting relationship with Royal until he agreed to the exchange. I ran lab simulations with the data. The tether works.”

  “Where is he, Nephew?”

  “Gone. We underestimated him. We thought the bomb implant would keep him under control. He stole the Splinter and tethered. He knew it might set off the bomb, but he didn’t care.”

  “Did it?”

  “I don’t think we’ll ever know. It also doesn’t matter. The plan succeeded: He gave us the keys to Alpha, thanks to my son.”

  Bonju recognized Hoija’s cold stare. She knew the story was off, but dare she say anything in front of the Captain? He was a true Swarm officer, thus outranking her in the chain of command. If he thought she’d been duped, this man might as likely shoot Hoija on the spot as he would Bonju and Moon.

  “Captain,” she said. “I know when my nephew is lying. He’s not today. He and Moon have done the Swarm a great service.”

  The Captain holstered his weapon. The DLM agents joined in.

  “We’d like to evaluate the lab to confiscate data spools and other relevant materials,” an agent said.

  The Captain gave permission.

  “When you finish sterilization, notify Northern Command to request an extraction.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  The Captain ordered two FGs to load the cases onto the ATB-4. He bent down, meeting each Taron eye-to-eye.

  “I am Capt. Bradley Chinois of Ajax, flagship of the Demeter Battle Group. I will be leading this insane mission to test your so-called tether. If it was up to me, I’d shoot you both and leave you on the beach to rot. Fortunately for you, Empress Chastain has taken a strong personal interest. You have her to thank for your lives. For the moment.”

  FGs escorted Bonju and Moon to the transport in cuffs. The soldiers, having dropped their helmets, were scarred and scowling creatures. Most carried the distinctive features of Earth-born, but many shades represented followers of the Risen Church from the Converted Worlds. All wore the scorpion. They were bald but for single tuffs of hair cut into a square atop their scalp. Bonju whispered to Moon, warning him to avoid eye contact.

  They jumped into worm and rendezvoused with the battle group in minutes. FGs flanked them in close quarters from the moment they disembarked the ATB-4 until they arrived on the command bridge. From the captain’s perch, they looked out upon a circle of operators in a bowl. At the center, the nav AI projected schematics showing the locations of the entire Swarm fleet around Hokkaido. The forward bulwark displayed live views from the battle group. The three ships hovered a kilometer above the open sea.

  FGs removed their cuffs. Capt. Chinois stood between Bonju and Hoija. He moaned his continuing disapproval of the mission.

  “I serve the Empress,” Chinois said. “The Empress is our Supreme Authority and our Guiding Light. I do not wish to relay disappointing news to the Empress. Do you understand, Mr. Taron?”

  “I do, Captain.”

  “If this fails, she will order your family killed. I will personally dispatch your son while you watch.”

  “I know the stakes, Captain.”

  “Earlier, you implied a threat. You said you can’t guarantee the device will work. Either retract your threat or explain the potential flaw in the device.”

  “You can’t operate it without a verbal passcode. I know the first half. Moon knows the second. The first will set coordinates for the correlated system in Alpha universe. The second will establish the grounding position for the tether.”

  “Grounding position?”

  “The program uses the ship’s own gravitons to create a disruption in space-time similar to a wormhole aperture. If both elements are not triggered before the Splinter integrates with the worm drive, your ship will cross the divide but will not return. The tether must be established before the jump.”

  The Captain smiled with a surprising measure of respect.

  “Ah, yes. Leverage. You Hokkis are keen on such tactics. Fair enough.” He snapped his fingers; an FG opened a case. The Splinter sat inside a web-like series of rods. “What do we do with it?”

  “The containment cage can be installed directly into the nav’s interstellar compass. The AI will add on the Splinter’s computational power to its own and generate coordinates to the correlated system.”

  The Captain looked down below into the circle.

  “Lt. Stafford, to me.”

  A young Earth man hurried from his position.

  “Stafford is Chief of the Nav. You will work with him.”

  “Fine. Installation should take only a few minutes. One question, Captain. Why use an entire battle group for this mission? One ship will prove the viability of the tether.”

  “The Empress wants comprehensive proof. That means a thorough analysis. Assuming this insanity proves worthy, I prefer to have a full group at my disposal. We will be prepared to respond should we encounter belligerent opposition. Worried?”

  Yes, he was. Deathly so. Keeping it together for Moon, Dyna, and their children was difficult enough. Knowing the tether had only a slim chance for success deepened his fear.

  “Not at all, Captain. You will be amazed by this breakthrough.”

  For the moment, Chinois appeared to accept Bonju’s confidence. Hoija glared with the underlying message that her life might also depend upon today’s success. Bonju wasn’t so concerned about that part. He and Moon supervised installation and delivered their pass codes on all three ships.

  One hour after arrival, the three Tarons took their seats on the captain’s perch. As they waited for Chinois to give the go-order, Bonju leaned over to his son.

  “I hope Royal knows what he’s doing.”

  “Do you?”

  The question was fair but stunned Bonju. Moon said very little since they finalized arrangements on Opal Island and watched Royal tether to Alpha. The boy made no secret of his resentment for his father’s many delays, which now left their family on the brink of extinction. Hoija, however, seemed upbeat. She took the seat next to Bonju.

  “If this works to perfection, I see two governorships at stake for the Taron household.”

  “Our lives are what’s at stake, Hoija. Not promotions.”

  “You might not care about such matters, but I’ve spent years angling to lead Hokkaido when the Swarm moves on. If I show the Empress a crop of defenseless worlds to Convert, I’ll earn the title. Governor Hoija Taron has a beautiful ring. I think she’ll agree: Making you governor of Alpha Hokkaido will be appropriate.”

  “I don’t conquer and rule. That’s your job.”

  The idea sickened him, although he had not actually thought about what they’d find on the other side. They’d cross into Alpha at a similar location to where they now hovered.

  Chinois contacted the other two captains and gave the order.

  “Lt. Stafford, prepare to engage worm drive on my mark.”

  In another context, Bonju might have appreciated the scientific achievement. He wondered for years about the thrill of crossing over himself. He remembered the day when he discovered the cubes deep inside a mountain, and how he deceived his colleagues then returned in secret. Then, in the middle of that dig, he entered the Origin with Amayas. Afterward, he allowed his obsession to override the protection of his family. He became more concerned about manipulating Ya-Li’s young life in Pinchon than seeing to the needs of his own children.

  Now, at the height of his achievement, Bonju thought only of his family. He grabbed Moon’s hand as the battle group entered Worm.

  The forward images flickered and turned dark for a few seconds after jump then reset to images similar to what he saw when they first arrived onboard Ajax. Down below, an ocean. No clouds.

  Was it that easy?

  “Jump complete,” an officer said from the control circle. “Battle group reporting in.”

  “Lt. Stafford, confirm coordinates.”

  “Verifying, Captain,” Stafford said. “Geolocator says we moved three kilometers north by northwest, but I’ve lost INP lock.”

  When he said it, Bonju knew they had crossed. The Interstellar Navigation Protocol governed all travel in Beta Universe. There seemed little chance the galactic plane would be identical in Alpha.

  “Fleet status?”

  “Negative, Captain. Swarm fleet no longer displays. Only the battle group. I have no signal from Northern Command.”

  “Are we looking at Hokkaido?”

  “Uncertain. The nearest geographical configurations are similar, and the planet’s mass is almost identical. However …”

  New forward images showed dramatic views of the sky.

  “This is a ringed planet, Captain.”

  Stafford interjected: “Captain, our coordinates match the targets aligned through the Splinter.”

  “All ships, maintain heading and speed.”

  Chinois turned his attention to Bonju.

  “Where are we?”

  “Another universe, Captain. This Hokkaido has rings. They’re called Kye-Do. It also has a moon called Huryo.”

  The gravity of what they’d done appeared to sink in. Chinois bowed his head like a man who truly hated being wrong. He barked new orders to the control circle.

  “Find the nearest population center. Prepare to release the snakes.”

  Bonju leaned over to Moon.

  “The first part is done. We’re making history.”

  “I want to be proud, Father. This is incredible. But will the tether send us back?”

  “Patience.”

  Stafford reported in.

  “We’re approaching an island with a massive population.”

  The forward images shifted to the view Bonju hoped against hope to see someday. The giant glass towers and the shore-to-shore urban grid that dominated the island leant no doubt.

  “Pinchon.” He raised his voice. “Captain, that city is called Pinchon. It’s home to more than twenty million Hokkis. It’s the center of Hokkaido’s economy.”

  “And you know this how?”

  “Experience, Captain.”

  “All ships, Alert Status 3. Dispatch snakes on full spread.”

  “They have no defenses, Captain. It’s a peaceful city.”

  “Is it?”

  He pointed to plumes of black smoke rising from disparate locations. Bonju counted six. Seven. Eight.

  Hoija smiled with approval.

  “Our counterparts certainly lived the high life. Seeing the city in person is much more satisfying than through a silly woman’s eyes.”

  Reptilian drones by the hundreds sprinted toward the city in the traditional approach of a Swarm battle group. They’d latch onto all communications systems and compatible technologies, listen in to millions of conversations, and synthesize every bit of data that might prove useful.

  The battle group came to a stop amid a cluster of the city’s tallest glass towers.

  “Captain,” Bonju said. “How long will you need to gather data?”

  “As long as the locals pose no threat? An hour.”

  “Do you plan to open lines of communication?”

  “Our job is to gather comprehensive data and hope your tether succeeds. What purpose will saying hello matter?”

  “For one, setting their minds at ease. I know many of these corporate towers have automated defense systems. They have a local policing element called the KumTaan. They can’t harm these ships, but they might respond out of fear.”