any loss of life in the action. The reality was
that Chow Yin valued those engineers and scientists more than the stations they
worked on.
At the same time, Chow Yin informed every news agency about
the catastrophic losses of Chinese military in the conflict, most of whom had
died at the hands of American soldiers. With world sentiment rising against the
USA, Inc., Chow Yin instructed the members of the PRC state council who were
loyal to him to declare war on USA, Inc.
The declaration went through, and China launched its first
strike—Chinese troops managed to get a foothold on the pacific coast before
finally being repelled from American soil.
The conflict proved an effective distraction, and kept the
news focused on the terrestrial conflict, and away from events in space, which
was what Chow Yin wanted in the first place.
Any vessel—whether military or civilian—launched from Earth
was intercepted, the crew given the choice to swear fealty to the new Emperor
of Sol System, or be ejected into space.
His military strategy, however, was considerably more
successful than his scientific ones. After four years, his team of scientists
was no closer to figuring out the key to Kinemetic conversion. Not that they
hadn’t tried. Chow Yin had no problem coming up with hundreds of ‘volunteers’
for the experiments, none of whom survived.
The furthest they’d been able to push his technology agenda
was to convert Kinemet to a super fuel, giving their ships the ability to fly
at ten times the velocity of ion pulse engines. The first Orca mission to Pluto
had taken nearly six months; Chow Yin’s engineers had developed engines that
would propel their ships from Luna to Pluto in two-and-a-half weeks.
It was not nearly fast enough for Chow Yin. When he received
the communication from the patrol ship he had placed in Plutonian orbit that an
alien vessel had materialized in Sol System space, he longed for
near-light-speed travel.
The captain of the patrol ship reported that the alien
vessel had been destroyed by the minefield they’d placed there.
Grimacing as he listened to the message, knowing the events
described had already occurred four hours previous, Chow Yin breathed a sigh
only when he heard the last sentence:
“…and we have recovered four passengers who used an escape
pod—all humans. We have identified them, and have them in custody. Alex Manez,
Michael Sanderson, Kenny Harriman, and the Mayan historian, Yaxche.
“Sire, your instructions were to destroy anything that
entered Sol’s space, but we wanted to confirm those instructions, considering
the identities of the prisoners.”
This was one time Chow Yin was happy his subordinates did
not completely obey his instructions. With the difficulties he had in
replicating Klaus’s research, having access to those four might give his team
of researchers a catalyst to perfecting the Kinemetic process. The only person
who would have been more beneficial to him was Major Turner. He wondered what
had become of her.
Chow Yin encoded a return message to the patrol ship. “Excellent
work, Lieutenant Gao. You are to return to Luna Station immediately with the
prisoners. We’ll send a relief patrol ship to replace you.”
Once he sent the message, he contacted the lab facility and
informed them to prepare for the impending arrival of their ‘guests’.
8
Qin
Station :
Sol
System :
“Chow Yin?”
Michael blurted out.
The criminal who had once secretly controlled Luna Station
from the shadows stood in front of them, beaming as if pleased that he had
suitably surprised his guests.
When he’d been arrested on Luna, Chow Yin had barely been
able to get around the station with the aid of a cane. During his trial in
China, the stress of the planet’s gravity had done considerable damage to his
already weakened legs, Michael recalled. At the time of his incarceration, Chow
Yin had been confined to a wheelchair.
Now, Michael saw, he’d been fitted with a full
that Chow Yin valued those engineers and scientists more than the stations they
worked on.
At the same time, Chow Yin informed every news agency about
the catastrophic losses of Chinese military in the conflict, most of whom had
died at the hands of American soldiers. With world sentiment rising against the
USA, Inc., Chow Yin instructed the members of the PRC state council who were
loyal to him to declare war on USA, Inc.
The declaration went through, and China launched its first
strike—Chinese troops managed to get a foothold on the pacific coast before
finally being repelled from American soil.
The conflict proved an effective distraction, and kept the
news focused on the terrestrial conflict, and away from events in space, which
was what Chow Yin wanted in the first place.
Any vessel—whether military or civilian—launched from Earth
was intercepted, the crew given the choice to swear fealty to the new Emperor
of Sol System, or be ejected into space.
His military strategy, however, was considerably more
successful than his scientific ones. After four years, his team of scientists
was no closer to figuring out the key to Kinemetic conversion. Not that they
hadn’t tried. Chow Yin had no problem coming up with hundreds of ‘volunteers’
for the experiments, none of whom survived.
The furthest they’d been able to push his technology agenda
was to convert Kinemet to a super fuel, giving their ships the ability to fly
at ten times the velocity of ion pulse engines. The first Orca mission to Pluto
had taken nearly six months; Chow Yin’s engineers had developed engines that
would propel their ships from Luna to Pluto in two-and-a-half weeks.
It was not nearly fast enough for Chow Yin. When he received
the communication from the patrol ship he had placed in Plutonian orbit that an
alien vessel had materialized in Sol System space, he longed for
near-light-speed travel.
The captain of the patrol ship reported that the alien
vessel had been destroyed by the minefield they’d placed there.
Grimacing as he listened to the message, knowing the events
described had already occurred four hours previous, Chow Yin breathed a sigh
only when he heard the last sentence:
“…and we have recovered four passengers who used an escape
pod—all humans. We have identified them, and have them in custody. Alex Manez,
Michael Sanderson, Kenny Harriman, and the Mayan historian, Yaxche.
“Sire, your instructions were to destroy anything that
entered Sol’s space, but we wanted to confirm those instructions, considering
the identities of the prisoners.”
This was one time Chow Yin was happy his subordinates did
not completely obey his instructions. With the difficulties he had in
replicating Klaus’s research, having access to those four might give his team
of researchers a catalyst to perfecting the Kinemetic process. The only person
who would have been more beneficial to him was Major Turner. He wondered what
had become of her.
Chow Yin encoded a return message to the patrol ship. “Excellent
work, Lieutenant Gao. You are to return to Luna Station immediately with the
prisoners. We’ll send a relief patrol ship to replace you.”
Once he sent the message, he contacted the lab facility and
informed them to prepare for the impending arrival of their ‘guests’.
8
Qin
Station :
Sol
System :
“Chow Yin?”
Michael blurted out.
The criminal who had once secretly controlled Luna Station
from the shadows stood in front of them, beaming as if pleased that he had
suitably surprised his guests.
When he’d been arrested on Luna, Chow Yin had barely been
able to get around the station with the aid of a cane. During his trial in
China, the stress of the planet’s gravity had done considerable damage to his
already weakened legs, Michael recalled. At the time of his incarceration, Chow
Yin had been confined to a wheelchair.
Now, Michael saw, he’d been fitted with a full
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