In the Shadow of the Rings by Frank Kennedy (grave mercy .txt) 📕

to have considerable intel igence about the machinations of these vigilantes. Logic dictates … someone must be talking. Yes?”

“I don’t know who’s fil ing your ear, Mother, but it sounds like they’re trying to tear us down. More of this endless refinery.”

She betrayed no impatience or frustration. Muna Lin held a stoic pose, her hands resting gently in her lap.

“Refinery might have ruined our family name, but it did not turn me into a fool or an outcast. I court the ear of many Nantou executives who were once public acquaintances. I have known Lan Chua most of my life.

“He is a man who leads from behind. As the fire consumes you, he wil walk away. Just as he did with your Father. Do not belittle me with denials, Ryl en. You were recruited into Green Sun by Kai Durin. You have participated in the cleansing of il egal continentals from Pinchon and the neighboring islands. The last four days, you were at sea with

these fanatics. Answer me straight: Have you kil ed anyone in the service of Green Sun?”

Cud!

She was always smarter than he gave credit.

“I don’t know about Green Sun, but I don’t kil people, Mother.”

“Not yet. If you remain bound to these people, you wil become a kil er. You wil disgrace this household deeper than whatever shame we have already endured. Ryllen, their politics wil not solve our problems. And in time, when the blood and violence reach intolerable levels, you wil no longer be considered patriots. They wil cal you terrorists, and every weapon wil be trained upon you until each member of Green Sun is slaughtered.

“Years ago, the Chancel ors solved these disruptions quietly and efficiently. A single platoon of peacekeepers restored stability in days, if not hours. However, Hokkis lack their tools and their merciless desire to kil . We are slow to respond.”

Keep it together. She’s trying to break me.

“Tell me something, Mother. When the Jees were singled out during the reprisals … when we lost almost everything because people were searching for scapegoats … when Father was assassinated … when Honorable Gran couldn’t bear the pain of living

… did you never want to kil those who ruined us?”

“If I thought doing so would rehabilitate our family … perhaps.

But I wil not walk on a carpet infused with the blood of my enemies.

I must hold fast to the smal est measure of dignity. I see it in your eyes, Ryllen. You are closer in spirit to the peacekeepers than Hokkis, though we have tried to raise you in the proper manner.

You wil kil for Green Sun, which is why you are here.”

“So, what now? Cue the family guards to sweep me away to parts unknown until the fighting ends?”

He drew a smile from Muna Lin.

“We lost the guards when we lost our compound in Haansu.”

She opened her right hand and revealed a palm-sized, translucent octagon, which Muna Lin slid deftly across the table. The memory glass banged against the silver plate. Ryllen studied it. No markings, but a perfect fit for a consumer Tachtron reader. Elite

families were known to keep their entire histories embedded on memglass, accessible only to descendants bearing their line’s distinct genetic marker.

“What’s on here?”

“Who you are, Ryllen. Your origin. Your truth.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your Father obtained this a year before the Chancel ors fel . He established a rapport with the Ark Carrier fleet admiral, a man who was himself acquainted with the people responsible for bringing you to Hokkaido. We made a decision to shield you from this information. You were progressing in your growth as a Hokki citizen, and we felt it would be unnecessarily confusing.”

“Why?”

“As I’m sure you long suspected, Ryllen, you were born on Earth.

You came to us as part of a larger, clandestine program to embed the Chancel or gene pool among colonial populations. In return, we received wealth and privilege unprecedented in our family’s history.”

“Except for the part about Earth, none of this is new.”

“Ryl en, most of the data on the memglass is Chancel or encrypted.

Even the admiral did not have clearance. Or so he said. I do not believe you were sold to us as part of a campaign for leverage. The Chancel ors were capable of asserting absolute military control at any time. We were always at their mercy, even as they smiled and made deals with the elite families.

“I believe you exist as part of a larger plan. Ryllen, you were meant for greater. I have long held a suspicion, but I don’t know whether to be terrified or enthral ed. Not that it matters.”

“Why not?”

“Because this is the final time you and I wil share a table.”

Her words stunned Ryllen but did not surprise him.

“You’re casting me off.”

“I wil not have a kil er in this family. But I am not sending you away without promise of a more hopeful future. There is someone in Pinchon capable of breaking the encryption. He is ex-Chancel or. A man who went native many years ago