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

“Thank you,” she told Chi-Qua. “The best gift of al .”

Her friend wiped away tears.

“It might be,” she said. “I’l hope.”

Kara did not pursue the obtuse response. She sensed when Chi-Qua was lost in a world of fantasies. She was the third of six in the Baek household, crammed somewhere between the wildly popular first heir and the angelic baby of the lot.

A star brighter than al the others appeared in the opening.

“There,” Kara said, pointing. “Right on time.”

“Which one is it?”

“The Henrik Nilsson.”

Kara was a fast study of the Carriers’ varied orbits, and she knew each one’s predictable routes. Every night, nine passed overhead on similar trajectories. The Henrik Nilsson crossed just ahead of the leading Kye-Do ring.

“I almost went onboard a Carrier years ago,” Kara said. “I think I was eight. We were touring the rings – remember, when I won the contest? The navigator said they were experiencing mechanical issues and were going to dock for repairs. I forget which Carrier, but we were

in sight. Almost there. Then the problem fixed itself.”

Chi-Qua tossed the glasses into the bag and sealed it.

“I’ve seen bytes. That’s good enough for me. I think my head would burst. It’s al so much. We weren’t meant to live that way. I need a firm planet beneath me. I …”

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 al 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 cal ed 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 al 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.

“Natural y,” her father said, “we wil 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.

Al 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 fel 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 tal 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 wil be a chal enging day,” he said, “but one we must meet with discipline and circumspection. This is what I know, though I cannot tel 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 wil 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 wil run ahead of us. Simply saying what I believe we’re al thinking may settle us in the days to come. Our words don’t have to leave this room.”

For the next several