Empire Rising (2 page)

It was just nerves, after all. She loved Huang, and was ready to begin their life together. She forced a weak smile and nodded her head.

Slowly, in rhythm to the music that began with her first step, Jiao and her father proceeded down the center aisle of the ballroom, passing the four hundred guests turned out in tuxedos freshly pressed and formal evening gowns sparkling under the ballroom lights. Jiao kept her eyes focused at the end of the long white carpet where Huang waited, standing at attention in his maroon and pine-green military uniform.

Along the perimeter of the room, men in black suits, with a coiled cord hanging from one ear and tucked inside the collar of their jackets, cast a watchful eye over every entrance to the ballroom as well as the guests. For as long as Jiao could remember, men like these had guarded her family. It wasn't until her teenage years that she gained an appreciation for the power her father wielded as one of the Party's nine Politburo members and now as China's prime minister.

As China's economic czar, Tao was charged with infusing capitalistic traits into the country's socialist economy, so Jiao was not surprised when her father requested her wedding be a blend of Western and traditional Chinese ceremonies. As Jiao proceeded down the aisle in her white wedding gown, she looked forward to the Tea Ceremony that would follow in the adjacent ballroom. She would change into the traditional
qi pao
dress, its red color symbolizing good luck, warding off evil spirits.

At the end of the white runway, her father released her arm. Jiao stepped up to the altar, turning toward Huang. As she looked into his eyes, a warm glow spread through her body, chasing away the nervous chill. The day she had dreamt of as a young girl had finally arrived. She knew with certainty they would spend the rest of their lives together. Nothing could tear them apart.

As Huang lifted the veil from her face, a flash of movement distracted her. Men in black suits were sprinting down the sides of the ballroom, headed behind a beige curtain that hung from the ceiling, forming the backdrop of the altar. Over Huang's shoulder, she spotted Feng Dai, her personal bodyguard since she was a child, racing toward her. A commotion penetrated the curtain, accompanied by a mosaic of dark shapes shifting behind the sheer fabric. She turned back toward Huang, and as she met his questioning eyes, there was a deafening boom.

Jiao was buffeted by a blast of hot air and she had the odd sensation she was flying through the air. Her vision clouded in an orange, blossoming haze, and white-hot pain stabbed into her body as her limbs bent in directions they weren't designed for. There was a vague feeling of her back hitting something hard and sharp, the pain piercing through her stomach. Her vision slowly cleared and a thousand yellow lights came into focus, swaying above her.

She was lying on the floor somewhere, gazing at beautiful lights swirling above. It was peacefully quiet at first, but then faint sounds greeted her ears, growing gradually louder until they coalesced into a dissonance of high-pitched screams of terror mingled with low moans of pain. As if responding to the sound, her mind was reminded of the sensations slicing through her body. The slightest attempt to move—breathe, even—magnified the excruciating pain.

Jiao turned her head slowly to the side. She was surrounded by a nightmarish collage of sight and smell. Bodies strewn across a red-streaked floor. Bloodied hands reaching toward heaven, splayed fingers clawing the air. Men and women wreathed in fire were dancing under the ballroom lights, collapsing onto the floor, their charred features shrouded in an orange, flickering haze. The scent assailing her nostrils was foreign but unmistakable: the stench of burning flesh.

A few feet away, Jiao's father lay on his back, his neck at an awkward angle, his eyes frozen open. Just out of reach, Huang was facedown, a dark stain spreading out from under him across the white carpet. Jiao felt warmth ooze across her stomach, moving up her chest and down her legs as liquid saturated her wedding gown. She looked down at her tattered garment, and as her thoughts faded into darkness, Jiao wondered when she had changed into her red dress.

 

OPENING MOVES

 

1

WASHINGTON, D.C.

A light rain was falling from a gray, overcast sky as a black Lincoln Town Car merged onto the 14th Street Bridge, fighting its way north across three lanes of early morning traffic. In the back of the sedan, Christine O'Connor gazed through rain-streaked windows at the Potomac River flowing lazily east toward the Chesapeake Bay. She ignored the rhythmic thump of the sedan's windshield wipers, focused instead on the radio tuned to a local AM news station. As she listened to the morning's headlines, she wasn't surprised the most important news of the day was absent from the broadcast.

As the president's national security advisor, Christine was briefed daily on events occurring around the world with the potential to affect the safety of American citizens. This morning, she was returning from the Pentagon after her weekly intelligence brief with Secretary of Defense Nelson Jennings. Near the end of the meeting, the discussion had turned to yesterday's assassination of China's prime minister. There would be instability within China's Politburo Standing Committee as its eight remaining members determined the replacement for the second most powerful person in China. Concern was voiced about the loss of Bai Tao, a staunch opponent to using military force to resolve China's conflicts. Considering what the United States was contemplating signing, that was not an insignificant issue.

The MAER Accord—the Mutual Access to Environmental Resources Accord—was the exact opposite of what it purported to be. Christine opened the manila folder in her lap, revealing the one-inch-thick document on the right side and her notes on the left, and began reviewing them one final time before her meeting with the president. Upon reading its title, one would think the accord ensured equal access to the world's supply of natural resources, which were straining to meet the demands of the industrialized and developing countries. Oil and natural gas production were simply not keeping pace, and within three years, there would not be enough to go around.

Instead of ensuring every country would receive their fair share, the MAER Accord included complicated price calculations that favored the United States and its allies. Less fortunate countries, including China, would be forced to pay much higher prices. Additionally, it included a military defense assurance between the United States and the Pacific Rim nations, who were fearful of an aggressive China, which had been rattling its sword and staking claim to many of the region's natural resources. The future lay in vast Asian offshore oil fields, and the half-century-long MAER Accord assured America and its allies would have access to the resources their economies would require for the next fifty years. In return, America would respond to any attempt by another country to claim the natural resources of another.

Christine's Town Car turned right on West Executive Avenue, bringing her closer to the White House and her final meeting on the accord with the president and Kevin Hardison. The mere thought of the president's chief of staff threatened to bring on a migraine. They were once close friends, working together on Congressman Tim Johnson's staff twenty years ago, when Hardison, ten years her senior, had been her mentor. But all that changed once she became the president's national security advisor, when she surprised Hardison with a mind of her own, refusing to subordinate herself to his orders.

Unlike most administrations, the president preferred to have counsel from both political parties. Unfortunately, Christine was the outsider, which meant she had the burden of fighting the uphill battles. Still, she had won a surprisingly large percentage of them, which was probably one of the reasons for the animosity between her and Hardison. Their disdain for each other wouldn't help in a few minutes when they met in the Oval Office, with one last opportunity to convince the president of the dangerous repercussions of signing the MAER Accord.

The Lincoln Town Car pulled to a stop under the north portico, next to two Marines in Dress Blues guarding the formal entrance to the West Wing. Standing between the two Marines—almost a head taller—was a Navy Captain wearing the Navy's version of its Dress Blues, with four gold stripes on each sleeve. Steve Brackman was the president's senior military aide, with whom she had forged a close working relationship. Christine had called ahead and asked him to meet her when she returned to the White House. As she prepared for battle with the president's powerful chief of staff, she preferred to have the military on her side.

Brackman greeted her as she stepped from the sedan, polite as always. “Good morning, Miss O'Connor.”

Christine returned the Captain's greeting, and Brackman followed her to her corner office. She entered and dropped off her leather briefcase, but Brackman stopped at the entrance to her office. Christine returned to the doorway.

“I'm sorry, Miss O'Connor. Mr. Hardison requested I meet with him in a few minutes. Is there something quick I can help you with?”

Christine frowned. Hardison apparently had the same battle plan she had. She answered, “The president is going to make his decision on the MAER Accord today. Hardison is pushing the president to sign it while I'm advising against it. I wanted to spend a few minutes with you, so you fully understood my concerns.”

“I think I understand both sides of the argument,” Brackman replied.

Christine pressed her lips together. As the president's senior military aide, Brackman could tip the scales. “And your recommendation will be…?”

Brackman's eyes searched hers for a moment, and it seemed he was about to answer, but he checked his watch instead. “If you'll excuse me.”

As Brackman turned to leave, Christine grabbed his arm. “Don't let him persuade you. I'm counting on your support.”

Brackman hesitated before replying. “I know, Miss O'Connor.” He eased his arm from her grip, then turned and headed toward Hardison's office.

Christine watched him disappear down the hallway, then decided to wait where she could keep an eye on the Oval Office's doors. She headed down the seventy-foot-long hallway, turning left into the Roosevelt Room. While she waited, she took the opportunity to admire the two oil paintings hanging on opposing walls: Alfred Jonniaux's portrait of Franklin Delano Roosevelt seated behind his desk, and Tade Styka's equestrian portrait of Theodore Roosevelt titled
Rough Rider
. In accordance with tradition, the incoming administration had reversed the two portraits, placing the image of FDR over the fireplace and Theodore Roosevelt to Christine's right, on the south wall.

As Christine examined the portrait of Theodore Roosevelt, she reflected on his famous slogan—
Speak softly and carry a big stick
. If the president signed the MAER Accord and China responded as she predicted, the United States was going to need a big stick, indeed.

There was a knock on the Roosevelt Room's open door, and Christine turned to spot chief of staff Kevin Hardison, who tapped his watch. “The president's waiting.”

*   *   *

Christine followed Hardison into the Oval Office. Captain Brackman also joined them, and Christine took her seat in the middle of three chairs opposite the president's desk, with Hardison and Brackman flanking her.

The president addressed Christine. “Any details on the assassination of China's prime minister?”

Christine answered, “Our Intel agencies have narrowed the potential motives down to the two most probable. The first is a terrorist attack by one of the separatist organizations from the Xinjiang region in northwest China. The second is internal strife within the Politburo, with one of the junior members taking matters into his own hands. In that case, Shen Yi is the leading suspect. He's the longest serving Politburo member, yet sits third in the power structure behind Xiang Chenglei, the general secretary of the Party and president of China, and Xiang's protégé, Bai Tao, the prime minister. Shen is getting up in years, and the death of Bai Tao is fortunate from his perspective, making him the leading candidate to replace Xiang when he steps down.” Christine paused for a moment. “Or if something happens to Xiang.”

The specter of Politburo strife plunging China's leadership into chaos couldn't have come at a worse time. The instability would make an accurate prediction of China's response to the MAER Accord impossible. In concert with Christine's thoughts, Hardison changed the subject.

“We need to discuss the accord, sir. The terms expire at the end of this week, so you need to sign it before you leave this afternoon for Camp David.”

“What are the current projections?” the president asked.

Hardison replied, “Without price constraints, world demand for oil will increase by eight percent per year, with oil production increasing by only one percent. To reduce oil consumption to within production capacity, the price of oil will double over the next three years. We crafted the accord to prevent skyrocketing prices, and the terms we negotiated are more than fair, restricting each country to an appropriate percentage of the world's oil supply.”

“The terms are
not
fair,” Christine replied. “The method used to calculate each country's fair share is flawed, and you know it. The accord will strangle China's economy.”

Hardison shrugged as he turned toward Christine. “And that's a bad thing? They had their chance to negotiate a better deal, and failed.”

“They failed because we bribed our way to favorable terms, offering over a hundred billion dollars in military grants.”

“We negotiated,” Hardison jabbed.
“Negotiated.”

Christine folded her arms across her chest. “Bribed.”

Hardison leveled a malevolent gaze at Christine before turning back to the president. “Gasoline prices have doubled since you took office and will double again before the reelection if you don't sign the accord. If you want another term in office, you don't have a choice.”