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

Her brothers shifted uneasily. She saw the secret in their eyes: They knew what Father was about to say. It terrified them.

“After today, we wil leave the estate grounds and go about our business,” he said. “What we wil not do is discuss any association with the Chancel ory. The admiral’s name wil never be uttered. Al questions about our interests aboard the Carrier fleet wil be deflected. Al accusations wil be flatly denied. Our family legacy and the stability of Nantou wil take precedent, as these two are forever entwined. The coming weeks and months wil pose considerable chal enges, but I have initiated a plan, working with our closest al ies. It wil require sacrifice. Many of our friends may suffer along the way. But never forget: We are Syung-Low. We have earned our place; no one wil rip it from us.”

Perr leaned back, as if his pronouncement required no further discussion. The brothers smiled through their tears. Li-Ann nodded her approval. Kara raised her hand, as if trying to catch the attention of a disinterested teacher.

“Sacrifice, Honorable Father? What do you mean?”

His shaded eyes shouted frustration.

“Those matters do not concern you, Daughter. Follow my instructions. I wil handle the chal enges ahead.”

“What chal enges? If the Chancel ors are gone, what difference does our association with them matter?”

Hearing the words cross her lips was al Kara needed. She dared not utter the answer. Why hadn’t she made the connection sooner?

“Choices were made for the benefit of our clan,” Perr said. “We made those choices during a time free of consequence. That time has ended. I wil say no more on the matter, and you wil inquire no further. Am I clear, Daughter?”

Li-Ann grabbed Kara’s hand and squeezed. Message understood.

“Yes, Father. I know my duty.”

That night, Kara was the one who cried like a baby.

Her memory assembled al the pieces into a coherent pattern. She tapped into the many times she eavesdropped from a comfortable loft in the bul abast trees. She found trends within the whispers of family, friends, and classmates; in the casual asides of Honorable Father’s Nantou associates during various revelries; and the reports of economic hardship on the continent. Kara focused on the many visits of trade negotiators who begged for price breaks on Kohlna – not to increase their profits, but to fil stomachs. And then there were the Freelanders, who outnumbered the Modernists two to one. Their time had arrived.

Oh, Honorable Father, what have you done?

Kara didn’t want to know the ful extent of Nantou’s crimes, for they were likely too many and spread over too many years. Hokkaido’s gaping inequity, with the seamasters controlling most of the planet’s wealth on the islands of The Lagos, did not happen by a quirk of fate.

And now, the seamasters’ greatest benefactors were gone.

In the following days, life on Pinchon cracked on with an air of normalcy – so long as one did not look at the sky or talk about the future. At school, Kara’s friends offered no hint of concern, but their smiles seemed staged, their attempts at humor or self-indulgence awkwardly timed. She found the greatest change in her instructors, al of whom appeared sul en, their eyes passing through the students. Her class on Modern Collectorate Principles was replaced by a free period.

It seemed as if Pinchon was waiting for someone to make the next move. Weeks later, Kara added new words to her daily vocabulary: Reprisal and collaborator.

The accusations, protests, and attacks began in the continent’s metropolitan zones. Though she never heard talk of open civil war, the message was clear: Issues that simmered without hope of resolution under the Chancel ory now boiled to the surface. People demanded change, pointing fingers to the institutions they blamed for generational woes. The angriest sought immediate retribution. Fires were set. Men were hung. Kohlna distribution centers were bombed.

In the past, Chancel ors would send battalions of Guard soldiers to quel any civil violence. Now, only local law enforcement and drone security stood between enraged Hokkis and oblivion.

Amid the growing terror, peace held in the exclusive Haansu District where Kara lived. Each family meal was an exercise in deflection with the deliberate message: This wil pass.

Five months after the Carriers retreated, the Guard suffered the most catastrophic defeat in its history while attempting to destroy the terrorists. The clear bottom line: The Chancel ory’s great city-ships would not return to the colonies. By then, however, the news was met on Hokkaido with collective shrugs. New paths were being forged.

Kara never saw it coming.

The morning she learned the truth was chil ier than normal but sunny. She walked as usual next door to the Baek estate, looking to spend time with Chi-Qua before heading to school. She didn’t notice the unusual quiet until she rang the front door,