The Impossible Future: Complete set by Frank Kennedy (e novels to read online TXT) 📗

Kara gasped before she might respond.

The manmade star burst into a searing white blister, first elongating across the sky, but contracting as suddenly.

Then nothing.

“Wait. What?” Kara completed a doubletake. “Where did it go?”

Chi-Qua sat up. “Must be the Nead. I thought it wore off, but …”

“It did wear off. I feel fine. I know what I saw. You, too.”

“OK. So, what did we see? If I didn’t know better, I’d think …”

Chi-Qua didn’t want to say it. Neither did Kara.

“Here’s the plan. Leave the bag here. We go back to the beach. Act like nothing happened. We’ve been there all along. Someone else had to have seen it.”

By the time they returned to the tents, the girls didn’t need to ask for confirmation. Silence and tension lay everywhere.

Many guests were leaving, some in a rush. Staff were making moves to close down the food lines and dissemble the tents. Kara found her parents in a narrow huddle with Lang and Dae.

“There you are!” Her mother shouted as Kara approached. “We were almost in a frenzy.”

“What’s happening?”

“Did you see it?” Lang asked.

“Yes. Maybe. I … I saw a flash.”

Li-Ann called her daughter in close and lowered her voice.

“Your Honorable Father and I were speaking to Admiral Sussex when it happened. Sussex received a transmission on his stream amp. They lost all contact with three Ark Carriers. We don’t know any more. The Admiral hurried to his Scramjet.”

Kara saw fear in her mother’s eyes and heard panic in her voice.

“Naturally,” her father said, “we will take a cautious approach until this confusion becomes clear. We are to return to the estate.” He zeroed in on the children. “I want no communication with friends. Are my orders understood?”

Not even a nod was required. The command was inviolate.

When they returned home, Perr ordered the children to retire to their respective bed suites. Lang and Dae, long included in classified discussions about Nantou business, appeared pale as they retreated. They knew better than to contest Honorable Father.

All night, Kara resisted the urge to speak with Chi-Qua. The Baeks escorted her from the beach with the same sense of urgency but no explanation as to why.

In lieu of no other information, Kara fell into her nightly routine and then awoke with the sunrise. She arrived at the breakfast room to encounter the usual spread of cheeses, fruits, and seafood bisque. A tall glass of infused mango welcomed Kara to her seat. The family entered within a minute of her. Each stood as Perr reached the head of the table and tapped his hands upon the edge before closing his eyes for five seconds of peaceful reverence. The meal began as if nothing happened. Protocol remained intact.

Not until they finished their bisque did Perr send the staff away. He wiped his lips and stared straight ahead, eyes meeting no one.

“This will be a challenging day,” he said, “but one we must meet with discipline and circumspection. This is what I know, though I cannot tell you how.

“The Ark Carriers Adelphi, Henrik Nilsson, and Linnaeus are gone. They were destroyed in a simultaneous attack. At first, reports were unclear, but a mining operation ten thousand kilometers from the Adelphi captured the Carrier’s destruction. I have been told ninety-eight thousand people inhabited those ships. I know your first questions will begin with how and who. At this stage, we have only conjecture. Therefore, I believe the prudent course is to remain calm and muted until we receive clarity.”

Kara wasn’t having it. “Honorable Father, if we don’t ask questions, our imagination will run ahead of us. Simply saying what I believe we’re all thinking may settle us in the days to come. Our words don’t have to leave this room.”

For the next several seconds, only the ceiling fan’s whirr broke the dreadful silence. Perr glanced at his wife then his daughter. He sighed.

“In deference to your new status,” he said, “and given how this horrifying event disrupted your celebration, I will allow dialogue. What troubles you, Daughter?”

She saw Lang’s brow flex; he was surprised Father acceded.

“No matter what happened last night or who was responsible, I think our relationship with the Chancellors will never be the same again.”

“How do you mean?” Perr said.

“They have always been the masters. True, we control the sea, but they control everything else. They have never been openly challenged because smart Hokkis know better. But this will give hope to everyone who has ever wished for new masters – or none at all.”

“Interesting speculation.” Perr turned to the boys. “Thoughts?”

Lang glared at Kara, as if she’d gone around the bend.

“They took a hit,” he said. “Sure. But let’s be honest. We know who did it. Those damn terrorists. The ones with the leader claiming to be some sort of god. They claim to have this … what? Army of immortals? We’ve all heard the reports the last year or so. Sneak attacks, raids, magic tricks on other colonies.”

“Precisely,” Dae added. “A band of fanatics. I’d bet anyone ten thousand Dims they got in a lucky punch when no one was looking. The Guard will chase them down, wipe out the whole lot. Chancellors will mourn their loss and close the case.”

“Business as usual before you know it,” Lang concurred.

Perr refocused on Kara. “They talk sense, Daughter.”

“Perhaps. But these terrorists – what do they call themselves? Ah, yes. Salvation. Strange name. Salvation from what? Or from whom? No one ever talks about that. But if these terrorists brought down three Carriers, who’s to say they can’t destroy the rest? Wasn’t there a group of desert fanatics on Hiebimini a long time ago who brought down a Carrier? Or was that legend?”

“Your point, Daughter?”

“There are more than a billion Freelanders on Hokkaido. They want separation