The Impossible Future: Complete set by Frank Kennedy (mini ebook reader .txt) 📕

She wanted to kill the man where he stood, but he wasn’t wrong, and she knew it.

“Who are you lying to now?”

“Excellent question. But not the time. Company has arrived.”

She heard voices, casual yet professional. She recognized both.

“Follow my lead,” he said, and moved ahead, releasing a pistol from a pouch.

Ophelia told Rikhi not to say a word as they advanced. Two bends ahead, they turned right and looked down an aisle of materiel. Magnus Levinson and hybrid Ursula Amondala – belly thick with triplets – examined a holoreader. Magnus scrolled data and could be heard saying they were running desperately low on needed ore. Another mining expedition might be required.

Harrison cut them off in mid-sentence. He held the pistol behind his back. “So sorry to be a bother, friends. I’m afraid we’ll have to take this confab elsewhere.”

“Excuse me?” Ursula said. “What do you need, Mr. Malwood?”

He revealed his pistol. “Passage out of Black Forest would be a wonderful start. Yes?”

61

Tamarind

U LRICH TIGHTENED THE GRIP ON HIS BLAST rifle and turned about-face to make sure the flanking guard did not overreact. He took stock of their predicament. The Chinese snipers blanketed them from every angle. How did we not see this coming?

“Is this how you negotiate?” Brother James asked Pao-Lin Jie.

“This is how we protect our interests,” she said. “We have also dispatched a squadron to protect your ship.”

“Protection?” James responded to the irony with a mischievous smile. “From whom? Our Mongol allies? The peacekeepers? You?”

“You are not as revered as you may believe. In fact, many of our people counseled against this meeting. They believe you to be a fraud, a man whose miraculous abilities are no more than the product of a new science you keep for yourself. They do not believe your talents are sustainable. My sister and I also doubt.”

Ulrich shouldn’t have been surprised. Eventually, the indigos were bound to think critically before blindly accepting James’s godhood. He hoped James would take care to avoid a condescending tone.

“Yet,” James said, “you came. Why?”

“Because we are nothing if not practical. If so many indigenous races have sworn allegiance to Salvation, we would be fools to look the other way. Plus, you did us a favor by removing the base at Skarfigg. We owe you this audience.”

“Thank you.” James bowed. Ulrich never saw that before. “I see you have done extensive research regarding our movement. You have undoubtedly seen vids of the wonders we have brought. For instance, the new fields that rose from poisoned soil on Brahma.”

Jie laid a hand upon Zhang Yong, the old man in the medchair. His eyes, like slits, crept open and his head tilted up with new life.

“We have,” she said. “According to our reports, those fields have continued to flourish. The people of Peshawan have begun marching on their regional Sanctums, demanding reforms. They carry the banner of Salvation. We are happy for them. But James, you are one man. You cannot be everywhere. The Chancellory and the Guard, on the other hand, are available when we beckon.”

“Let me ask you this,” James said, massaging his beard. “What does the Chancellory provide that you could not yourselves if given absolute sovereignty?”

“The list of material considerations is too long. Primarily, they provide security and economic stability. The Guard stands between us and war with the Mongols. Collectorate trade laws allow for fair, consistent pricing of our natural resources.”

“And in return, the Chancellory steals twenty percent of all profits to distribute among people who never set foot on this planet. You make everyone aboard the Ark Carriers wealthy at your expense. As for the Guard: You and the Mongols like the idea of war because you’re tired of normalcy. You don’t actually want to kill each other. Besides, war disrupts trade.”

“So, James Bouchet, who thinks he knows the heart of the Chinese people,” Jie said, “what better life might you give us?”

Ulrich held his breath. Please, James, you have to nail this.

“Open trade,” James said, arms wide. “The ability to establish commerce with any colony on your terms. The guarantee that you keep all your profits. Those credits, in turn, go toward the construction of system ships with wormhole-capable navigation.”

Jie’s smile disappeared, replaced by a disbelieving pall. The dozens crowded behind her gasped. Ulrich couldn’t believe James said it. Surely, this was a desperation move.

Jie eyed him with suspicion. “You would give up the secret of your navigation technology? The very key to how you have eluded the Guard for so long?”

“With conditions. We would provide our own navigators and eventually begin training yours on what we call the Slope.”

“And it would be exclusive to us?”

“You and the Mongol clans. I want a unified Tamarind ready to support my cause against all enemies. In exchange, I take no percentage of your profits, and you govern this world as you see fit. Shipping that normally requires five standard days can be carried out in a few hours. Your advantage will be so great, you’ll forget about Earth altogether.”

Jie bent to her knees and whispered to the old man, who nodded as he labored to speak. Ulrich heard smatterings, but they were not talking in Engleshe. He never heard the Chinese tongue before. As they spoke, Ulrich’s ear communicator heated up, with concerns voiced from Scramjet Beta in orbit. The crew was privy to the entire, tense session and did not like silence.

“We’re good here,” Ulrich said under his breath. “Just hang in.”

“We hear you,” the immortal pilot said. “But I’ve plotted a jump to bring us in directly above you, in case this falls apart.”

“Only at my command.”

Jie rose to her feet and examined all parties present, including the snipers. She rubbed her hands together, as if pondering her