The Simmering Seas

by Frank Kennedy

  “Good evening, Honorable Father.”

  “I trust your night has gone well, Daughter? You’re back sooner than your Mother expected.”

  “I am. The day was long. I was more exhausted than I realized.”

  He turned to Chi-Qua. “If I might have a few moments with Kara?”

  “Of course, Honorable Mr. Syung.”

  Chi-Qua followed staff protocol and disappeared inside. Perr moved straight to the point, as Kara predicted.

  “I wanted to have a word about your wedding. Your Honorable Mother and I had intended to speak with you in unison. However, events kept me at Nantou longer than expected.”

  “No trouble, I hope?”

  “None. I want to assure you, Kara. The renegotiations do not reflect poorly upon any party, nor are they nefarious in any way. A request was made by Ya-Li’s Honorable Grand Hoija Taron. She is concerned about her father’s health. She wants Ban-Ho to see your wedding before he passes.”

  Kara saw the lie buried deep in his eyes.

  “What? I spoke to Ban-Ho two weeks ago. That man is ancient, but he was in great spirits. I think he’s incapable of dying.”

  Perr broke a smile. “Yes. He is persistent. But Hoija made the request, and we saw no impediment other than logistical issues, which the Tarons have solved by agreeing to host at their estate.”

  Kara shrugged. “Fine. You could have told me this at breakfast. What’s the other news?”

  “You read me too well, Daughter. I’ll miss that trait when you’re gone.” He sipped tea. “The Tarons are designing a new role for you. They don’t believe you are suited for Engineering. Or, for Nantou.”

  Cud!

  “You’ll have to convince them differently. I’m not leaving the family business, Honorable Father.”

  “I never said you were. However, the ground will shift. I wanted you to be prepared. The Lagos is changing, Kara. I’m sure you’ve noticed. The same must be said for all of Hokkaido. Change of this magnitude requires adjustments from everyone. Yes?”

  She squelched her tongue. “Is that all, Honorable Father?”

  “It is, Daughter. Sleep well.”

  Kara had no plans to do any such thing.

  7

  I HAVE SIX DAYS TO UNCOVER THE TRUTH,” she told Chi-Qua as they strategized late into the night. Though she devised the next steps in her plan, Kara never shook the queasy premonition of an outcome rigged against her. Worse, she might play into someone’s hands. Her father? Ban-Ho Taron? Ham Cortez? Ja Yuan? Another Hokki power broker hiding in the shadows? Regardless, she appreciated her father’s warning of a shortened timetable.

  “Both of us have to be successful today,” she told Chi-Qua as she dressed for breakfast. “We’ll be in safe territory, but there will be eyes on us. Everything we do must make sense. Are you up for this?”

  “It’s complicated, but it’s all laid out in the hand-comm. I should be fine. Might have been nice to have a little more sleep.”

  Kara brushed out her hair. “Sorry about that.” She rifled through her vanity case and produced a pair of round black tablets. “Take these stims if you feel the fog coming on. They serve me well.”

  “I thought you stopped taking these months ago.”

  “As a daily course. Too many tremors. Mother was suspicious.”

  “Speaking of, don’t allow her to draw a rise out of you this morning. But don’t act lackadaisical, either. If you’re too calm, she’ll know something’s up.”

  Kara rolled her eyes. “Suspicion is genetically encoded in Mother. I think she sleeps with one eye open.”

  “All the more reason to take care. I’ll meet you at the sedan when you’re ready.”

  Kara wished Chi-Qua did not have to eat all meals in the staff kitchen. She deserved better, but Kara never pushed for change after being dressed down three years ago. Red suits could serve and clean the dining room; never were they to break bread with the Syungs. Her parents delivered the message with an implied coda: They could revoke Chi-Qua’s service at any time.

  The dining room was the most ornately designed in the house, with a panoramic view of the north gardens, all of which were in full bloom. Kara was the last to arrive this morning.

  “My apologies,” she told the family.

  “Not at all,” Perr said. “We’ve only just begun the fruit.”

  Li-Ann’s fleeting grin suggested Kara not make a habit of this tardy behavior. A small plate of sliced breadfruit greeted Kara.

  Across the table, her brother Dae and his wife Luyn shared words beneath their breath then greeted Kara with a nod. Luyn was ten years older than Dae and was, for Kara’s taste, a dowdy woman who seemed more apt for life in an accountant’s cubicle than a princess of leisure. She was pleasant enough, in a vacuous way that signaled submissiveness.

  Their marriage two years ago stunned Kara but delighted her parents, who seemed more concerned about Dae starting a baby production line rather than walking the red carpet with a celebrity of the IntraNex. That Luyn was a niece to Hoija Taron did not hurt. Now, if only she’d carry that first male heir. Or any heir. Strangely, Kara never heard grumbling about the lack of production, although she suspected those conversations took place in deep privacy.

  Luyn’s chair sat empty for almost a year after Lang’s death. Kara remembered the desolate glances toward that chair at every meal. Luyn’s arrival turned the emptiness into smiles.

  Joy? Not so much. More like relief.

  But for Kara, it was still Lang’s chair. No matter how annoying a big brother, with silly jokes, condescension, and scandalous innuendo, she never doubted Lang loved her – even when he had good reason to hate her. Like everyone in this household, he found it impossible to open his heart in a meaningful gesture. His greatest act of love came on the night of Sanhae – the Hokki new year – when he trusted her with his burden.

  “There’s a war coming,” he said. “We need soldiers. Be a soldier.”

  Lang saw a strength in his little sister not found in the other Syungs. Or so Kara convinced herself.

  “Congratulations are in order,” Dae said, raising a glass of mango juice. “To your nuptials, Kara. I wish you every happiness.”

  He sounded less like a brother than a sycophantic employee making nice. Luyn at least tried.

  “I am envious, Little Sister. Ya-Li is a beautiful match. You will not find a kinder, gentler man. Present company excepted, of course.”

  She winked at her husband; he shaded his eyes. Kara despised the Little Sister tag, which neither of her parents ever bothered to correct.

  “Thank you both,” she said. “It’s quite a surprise. I’m still adjusting.”

  “Ah,” Luyn said. “And what does Ya-Li think?”

  “I’ll find out later today, I suppose. I’ll call him.”

  “I received a report first thing this morning,” Li-Ann said. “Honorable Gran Hoija told me Ya-Li was ecstatic to hear the news. He has made no secret of his love for Kara, though she has yet to reciprocate.”

  Kara stabbed at the breadfruit.

  “If by love,” she said, “you mean his many gifts and awkward fawning? That’s one measure, Honorable Mother, but I don’t require shiny things or worship. In fact, I believe it was you who once told me: Beware the obsequious, for they lack courage of conviction.”

  Li-Ann wiped her lips with a dainty touch.

  “I don’t seem to recall those words, but I’ll trust your memory.”

  Dae smirked. “I think we know who’s going to carry the straps in your marriage, Kara. You’ll thicken his spine.”

  “And while you’re at it,” Luyn added, “Make sure he eats double portions. I sometimes think the wind might spirit him away.”

  Kara couldn’t resist. “Great idea, Luyn. Perhaps you’d consider giving him a feeding tube as a wedding gift?”

  Perr tapped his plate with a fork.

  “Before this conversation goes off the rudder,” he said, “I should note we have several
important matters to attend today. My son and I will not be on Nantou campus. We will be engaged in a communion with twenty other seamasters aboard Honorable Ja Yuan’s yacht. Your Mother will visit the Taron estate to coordinate with the wedding planners.” He pivoted to Kara. “And you, Daughter, will have luncheon with your betrothed at Manifest Dome. The reservation has been exported to your Nantou calendar. Afterward, you will engage in a short photo opportunity for the IntraNex social reporters.”

  Kara tensed. During her overnight strategizing, she never anticipated this disruption.

  “Honorable Father, I appreciate these efforts, but I have an extremely thorough calendar today. I planned to eat at my desk. A luncheon and media session will swallow two hours of valued time.”

  “You are a daughter of Syung-Low,” he said, absent a smile. “I doubt anyone will object if you foist responsibilities on colleagues.”

  “I do not use social hierarchy to neglect my work.”

  “Which is an admirable quality, Daughter. However, each of us in this room has a master. When we are asked to do the bidding of our master, we comply. Only last night did I learn of today’s communion. Many schedules must be adjusted across three corporations. And adjust we have. Correct, Son?”

  “Indeed, Honorable Father,” Dae said. “All we do must be in the greater service of The Lagos. You agree, Kara?”

  She remembered Chi-Qua’s warning and balanced her emotions.

  “I agree The Lagos is doing very well for itself.”

  “And yet,” Perr said, “we can always do better. All our efforts are in pursuit of better. Yes?”

  “For all Hokki people, you mean? Not just these islands.”

  “Our success is their success, Daughter.”

  Perr Syung, the No. 2 officer in Nantou Global, spent more than a decade as chief liaison to the continent. Kara heard this mantra thousands of times. In that spirit, she surrendered any further rebuttal. She had no time to waste on futile dialogue.

  Later, en route to the city center, Kara laid out the news to Chi-Qua.

  “It’s possible this communion is nothing more than the lords of Hokkaido flexing their egos,” she said, “but it was called suddenly last night. Do I assume it’s coincidence or evidence?”

  “Both. Leave open every possibility.”

  “Agreed, Chi. I’ll make inquiries.”

  “Keep them subtle. If you raise any alarms …”

  “Don’t worry about me. Focus on your task. Stay disciplined. They’ve seen you often, so their guard will be down.”

  Chi-Qua sighed. “But customs records? I’m betting they don’t have many inquiries about interplanetary visitor documentation.”

  “As long as they know it’s under my authorization, you shouldn’t run into obstacles. But be discreet.”

  They arrived at the Pinchon Hall of Records.

  “Enjoy a long lunch when you’re finished, Chi. Don’t take a hopper to Nantou until I’ve endured my two hours with Ya-Li.”

  “Be nice, Kara. He’s going to be your husband in six days.”

  She laughed. “We’ll see.”

  Kara left Chi-Qua and headed toward Nantou Global, where answers awaited – if she knew how to find them.

  8

  K ARA TOOK THE BACK WAY INTO Nantou, using her family’s private access code to the observation lifts. She avoided the masses arriving for work and looked out upon the building’s crowded circular concourse en route to the fortieth floor. She needed to call a meeting of her team, but not right away. Kara didn’t want it to come across as too urgent.

  Her plans dissolved as soon as she entered Bioresearch and Engineering. Her colleagues – especially the underlings and few women employed there – must have arrived early to plan the greeting. Twenty broke into applause as she stepped off the lift. They were surrounded by red, white, and bronze balloons – the colors of the Syung and Taron households.

  A table lined with bite-size tortes and a serving center for tea made clear their intentions. Kara would not see her office until she allowed them to honor the approaching nuptials. Normally, such matters would be reserved for the engagement announcement – in this case, three years ago – but the new headlines invigorated an otherwise dull social season among the elite.

  She smiled at her humblest, thanked them for all their trouble, and noticed the members of BRED who never left their offices or workstations. They were the ones she most respected. The science fueled their passions, not these overwrought social moments. She’d call upon them soon enough.

  BRED’s communications officer – a recent promotion from the Marketing Division – stepped forward with a gift-wrapped box tucked in her palms.

  “We had to improvise on such short notice,” said Oleena Jan-Po. “It is a simple gift, but it reminds us why we are all here. We hope you will accept it in that spirit, Honored Miss Syung.”

  She took the box. “Please, as I’ve said many times, it’s Kara. My parents are not around to insist on honorifics. I think you’d be hard-pressed to remember the last time either of them set foot in BRED.”

  She started the laughter, which rolled through the group.

  Kara opened the gift. It was as predictable as it was beautiful. Nor was it her first crystal ball. Inside, a bejeweled Kohlna fish orbited Hokkaido, swimming through the Kye-Do rings. The artistry was immaculate, and the axis on which this tableau spun was invisible.

  Per tradition, Kara set the ball aside and handed each of them a small plate with a torte. As the clock ticked, she took solace in not having to pour tea as well. Among other prattle, they wanted to know why the sudden change of dates. Kara offered inane quips about fickle old women who loved playing games with their daughters’ lives.

  As the crowd lightened, and Kara breathed easy, BRED’s Front Manager pulled her aside. Len Wan, twenty years her senior but a veteran who worked a lifetime in Corporate Reception, winced as he put together his words.

  “I thought it best to warn you,” he said. “She arrived quite some time ago. Insisted on no fanfare, and demanded you not be alerted. I said we were planning cake and tea. She didn’t mind the extra wait.”

  Kara knew this would not be good for anyone.

  “Who, Len?”

  “She’s in your office. For what it’s worth, she was in an excellent mood when I left her.”

  Which was all he’d say on the matter. Kara sighed, drank the last of her tea, and excused herself from the remaining stragglers.

  She shouldn’t have been shocked, but the sight of a matron sitting behind Kara’s desk in over-the-top finery left Kara briefly rattled. Speaking of someone who never set foot in BRED …

  “Honorable Gran Hoija,” she said. “What a remarkable sight.”

  “You mean surprise,” the old woman said, leaning back in the high cushioned chair. “I make a habit of alighting upon those who least expect me.”

  “May I offer you tea or cake?”

  “No, no. I already refused Mr. Wan. He’s an odd creature. Please, Kara, have a seat.”

  Hoija Taron, Ya-Li’s grandmother, dressed to defeat any fashion competition. From her spiraling head dress draped in the feathers of red jackswans to a full-length Hanbak with elaborate stitching and ornaments to complement layers of silk and satin, Hoija clothed as if the daily routine required formality. Thick layers of makeup and expert black hair dye created the fantasy of a woman half her age.

  Kara sat in a guest chair.

  “If I might be presumptuous, Honorable Gran Hoija, I thought you were overseeing wedding preparations.”

  She offered a dismissive glare. “They don’t need me to design seating arrangements. Your mother is more than welcome to the job. I have other business, Kara.”

  “Of course. Please. Go ahead.”

  The old woman stared at Kara in silence, puckering lips painted thick black.

  “I have never liked you, Kara Syung. You turn self-assuredness into impertinence and hold valued Hokki tradition up to unwarranted sc
rutiny. If given the option, you would leave the Syung legacy behind and chart an independent course for yourself. It would be the height of selfish indulgence.”

  Kara did not see the insults coming, but what surprised her most was the relative accuracy of the assessment coming from a woman who sat in the same room with Kara all of three times in her life.

  “I apologize if I’ve done anything to offend, Honorable …”

  “Oh, enough.” Hoija waved Kara’s words away. “I tell you these things because strangely enough, they are qualities I admire, after a fashion. You are a troublesome creature, but you are precisely the woman my grandson needs. Ya-Li has always been a timid child. What few outside the family understand is Ya-Li’s mind. As an intellectual, he is brilliant. The Taron library holds more than twelve thousand volumes. Not only has Ya-Li consumed most, but he has used his scholarship to introduce stunning innovations at Hotai.

  “He does not wish credit for these things. Yet he deserves greater recognition. He deserves a proper legacy. This is where you will save him, Kara Syung. He needs a wife who will teach him to develop an independent spirit. He needs a wife who will show him how to stake his claim in history. To date, his family has been unsuccessful in these matters. However, we believe his love for you will create a useful dynamic. Whether you love him in return is irrelevant.

  “I am here to make you a promise and deliver a warning, Kara Syung. If you shape Ya-Li into a man worthy of the great seamasters, you will be free to choose a role of your own, an option never given to me. My sole purpose is to ensure the posterity of the household. And along the way, I suppose, to frighten little children.”

  Hoija broke a smile, amused with herself.

  “On the other hand, if you fail in this endeavor, I will bring down the Syung-Low dynasty. Let me be clear. I know the depths of your father’s complicity with the Chancellors. I know he led the alliance to destroy the Baek household during refinery. I know your late brother trafficked in mahali. I know he killed himself in shame. I know how you manipulated your way into this division of Nantou. I know your oldest brother is incapable of having children. Dare I continue?”