‘Then it is done, my lord…’
Just south of Cerne Abbas, out on the Black Hill, two men were walking, following the course of the river to their left. To their right and above them, dominating the view from the air, was the massive, one-hundred-and-eighty-feet-tall figure of the Cerne Abbas giant. The most ancient of fertility symbols, carved from the chalk, its whiteness contrasted with the green of the hillside, its massive phallus thrusting ahead of it, as it had these past three thousand years and more.
It was a clear, bright day. Hearing the craft speeding towards them from the south, they dropped down behind some bushes, afraid of being seen out in the open.
There had been a number of craft in the air that past week, but this one wasn’t heading west. Nor was it a transporter. This was much smaller, much more elegant than the big troop ships. More than that, it was heading straight towards them.
As it flew overhead, something dropped from the back of the craft. It was a man in bright red silks, his arms and legs flailing as he fell, a long, shrill shriek escaping him, cut short as he impacted with the ground.
They hid, watching the craft slowly circle overhead, then turn and head south again. Only then, when it was gone, did they get up and, running across to where the man had fallen, stand beside the obscenely flattened body, spread-eagled on the exposed chalk.
When they spoke, it was in the rich Dorset dialect of the locality.
‘’Ow fast d’you think ’e were goin’?’
‘Pretty fuckin’ fast!’
The two men laughed.
‘Well,’ the first said. ‘Best get packed, I guess. Get away from ’ere.’
‘Who d’you think ’e were then?’
‘Fuck knows. Don’t really care, meself. Serve ’em right if they all topped ’emselves. The more as falls from the sky the better, I say. But those ’oo dropped ’im… damn fine shots, eh? At least one o’ those buggers ’as a sense of humour.’
The other nodded. Thinking about it, it had the look of target practice. And they’d got a bullseye, no doubt about that… bang on the tip of the giant’s cock!
‘What a way to die, eh?’
The two turned away, chuckling now, slapping each other’s backs and laughing.
CHARACTER LISTING
Adams, Eve
Popular diva and recording megastar
Adams, Jack
Farmer from Church Knowle
Alec
Young boy from Corfe
Alex
Close friend of Jake Reed and fiancée of Jenny Security Captain, Special Forces
Alison
Jake’s girlfriend at New College for 3 years. Evaluation Executive at GenSyn
Boy
Peter Reed’s dog – an eight year old border collie
Branagh, William Arthur
King of Wessex
Buckland, Eddie
Farmer from Corfe
Carl
Immersion director
Chang Te
Han soldier; member of Jiang Lei’s bodyguard
Chao Ni Tsu
Grand Master of Wei Chi and computer genius. Servant of Tsao Ch’un
Cho
Han soldier; servant to Wang Yu-lai
Chris
Close friend of Jake Reed; gay partner of Hugo and multi-millionaire industrialist
Cooke, Dick
Farmer from Cerne Abbas
Cooper, Will
Farmer and resident of Corfe
Croft, Rebecca
‘Becky’, daughter of Leopold, with the lazy eye
Daas
DAAS4 – the Datscape Automated Analysis System, Version 4 – an enhanced intelligence Unit belonging to Hinton Industries
Ebert, Gustav
Genetics genius and co-founder of GenSyn, Genetic Synthetics
Ebert, Wolfgang
Financial genius and co-founder of GenSyn, Genetic Synthetics
Gifford, Dick
Farmer from Corfe and son of Ted
Gifford, Ted
Farmer from Corfe; father of Dick
Goodman, Frank
Farmer from Langton Maltavers
Grove, Dick
Resident of Corfe
Gurney, Tom
Watchman from Corfe
Haines, Billy
Landlord of The Wessex Arms in Wool
Hamilton, Jack
Landlord of The Quay Inn in Wareham
Hammond, Matthew
Butcher from Church Knowle
Young girl from Corfe
Hart
Doctor from Church Knowle
Hewitt
Lieutenant to Branagh – leader of a horse patrol
Hinton, Charles
CEO of Hinton Industries
Hinton, George
Senior Executive at Hinton Industries
Hinton, Henry
‘Harry’; Head of Strategic Planning, Hinton Industries
Ho
‘Steward Ho’, body servant of Jiang Lei when in the field
Horsfield, Geoff
Historian and resident of Corfe
Huang Tzu Kung
Seventh Dragon; servant of The Ministry, or ‘The Thousand Eyes’
Hubbard, Beth
Second daughter of Tom and Mary Hubbard
Hubbard, Cathy
Eldest daughter of Tom and Mary Hubbard
Hubbard, Mary
Wife of Tom Hubbard and mother of Cathy, Beth and Meg
Hubbard, Meg
Youngest daughter of Tom and Mary Hubbard and girlfriend of Peter Reed
Hubbard, Tom
Farmer, resident in Church Knowle. Husband of Mary Hubbard and father of Beth, Meg and Cathy. Best friend to Jake Reed
Hugo
Close friend of Jake Reed; partner of Chris, and acclaimed classical composer
Jenny
Close friend of Jake Reed and fiancé of Alex
Jiang Chun Hua
Wife of Jiang Lei
Jiang Lei
General of Tsao Ch’un’s Eighteenth Banner Army, Also known as Nai Liu
Joel
Senior engineer in the datscape for Hinton Industries
Lampton, Sir Henry
Head of Security, Hinton Industries
Leggat, Brian
Farmer from Abbotsbury
Li
Han soldier; servant to Wang Yu-lai
Li Fa
Han soldier and technician, working for Jiang Lei
Liu Ke
Han Soldier; member of Jiang Lei’s bodyguard; an adept at the pi-p’a, the Chinese lute
Lovegrove, John
Farmer from Purbeck
Ludd, Drew
Biggest grossing actor in Hollywood and star of Ubik
McKenzie, Liam
Owner of the stables in Dorchester
Ma Feng
Han soldier; member of Jiang Lei’s bodyguard
Mason, Harry
Landlord of The Thomas Hardy in Dorchester
Mel
Wife from Corfe
Mike
Self-appointed leader of barricade guards at Sonning Common enclave gates.
Miller, Harry
Local from Church Knowle
Nai Liu
‘Enduring Willow’; pen-name of Jiang Lei and the most popular Han poet of his time
Oatley, Jennifer
Young Englishwoman ‘processed’ by Jiang Lei
Padgett
Retired doctor from Wool
Palmer, Joshua
Palmer, Will
Landlord of the Banks Arms Hotel, Corfe and son of Josh
Randall, Jack
Farmer from Church Knowle and husband of Jenny
Randall, Jenny
Wife of Jack Randall
Reed, Jake
Login, or ‘Webdancer’ for Hinton Industries. Father of Peter Reed
Reed,
Peter
Son of Jake and Anne Reed
Rory
Music stallholder in Dorchester; owner of Rory’s Record Shack. Father of Roxanne
Roxanne
Daughter of Rory
Sam
‘Hopper’ pilot, working for Hinton Industries
Security Captain
Un-named Officer, West Kensington Enclave
Shan
Han soldier; Captain, one of Jiang Lei’s men
Shen
Han soldier, bodyguard to Jiang Lei
Sims, Dick
Watchman from Corfe
S-S-stammering S-Stan
Midlands raider/evacuee
Stewart, Andrew James
Middle-aged Englishman ‘processed’ by Jiang Lei
Teng
Master Teng – a ‘shou’ (literally a ‘hand’); a servant of the First Dragon, first lord of The Ministry, or ‘The Thousand Eyes’
Trish
Artificial Intelligence ‘filter avatar’ for Jake’s penthouse apartment
Tsao Ch’un
ex-member of the Chinese Communist Politburo and architect of ‘The Collapse’. Mass murderer and tyrant
Waite, Charlie
Landlord of The New Inn, Church Knowle
Waite, Ma
Wife of Charlie Waite
Wang Yu-lai
Cadre; servant of the Ministry, ‘The Thousand Eyes’, instructed to report back on Jiang Lei
Webber, Sam
Youth from Corfe
Wen P’ing
Close acquaintance and body servant of Tsao Ch’un; a man of great power
Will
In charge of gun-truck at Marlow Enclave
Williams, Charles
Husband of Margaret and father of Kate. Retired Head of a stock-broking company
Williams, Kate
Fiancé of Jake Reed, daughter of Charles and Margaret
Williams, Margaret
Wife of Charles and mother of Kate
Wilson, Dougie
Farmer from Kimmeridge
Yates, Andrew Isaiah
Prime Minister of UK in 2043
The Dead
Ascher, Walter
Account Overseer for Hinton Industries
Bates, Alan
English actor
Captain Sensible
English pop musician
Chang Hsuan
Han painter from the 8th Century
Christie, Julie
English actress
Coldplay
English pop group
Cooper, Charlie
Son of Jed and Judy Cooper
Cooper, Jed
Husband of Judy Copper and father of Charlie and John
Cooper, John
Son of Jed and Judy Cooper
Cooper, Judy
Wife of Jed Cooper and mother of Charlie and John
Croft, Leopold
Father of Becky Croft
Denny, Sandy
English folk singer
Depp, Johnny
American actor
Dick, Philip K.
American science fiction writer
Drake, Nick
English Folk Singer from the 1960s
Gaughan, Dick
Scottish folk singer
Griffin, James B.
Sixtieth President of the United States of America
Hendrix, Jimi
American rock guitarist/songwriter
Jones, Mickey
lead guitarist of Man
Man
Welsh rock band
Mao Tse Tung
First Ko Ming emperor (ruled A.D.1948-1976)
Mattie
Young lover of Old Ma Brogan
Nicolson, Jack
American actor
Palmer, Andrew
Son of Old Josh Palmer
Palmer, Gwen
Wife of Old Josh Palmer
Presley, Elvis
American rock and roll singer
Reed, Anne
Wife of Jake Reed. Mother of Peter Reed and sister of Mary Hubbard
Spirit
American/Californian rock band
Stamp, Terence
English actor
The Verve
English pop group
Young, Neil
Canadian singer-songwriter
GLOSSARY OF MANDARIN TERMS
Ch’un Tzu
an ancient Chinese term from the Warring States period, describing a certain class of noblemen, controlled by a code of chivalry and morality known as the li, or rites. Here the term is roughly, and sometimes ironically, translated as ‘gentlemen’. The ch’un tzu is as much an ideal state of behavior – as specified by Confucius in the Analects – as an actual class in Chung Kuo, though a degree of financial independence and a high standard of education are assumed prerequisites.
Hung Mao
literally ‘redheads’, the name the Chinese gave to the Dutch (and later English) seafarers who attempted to trade with China in the seventeenth century. Because of the piratical nature of their endeavours (which often meant plundering Chinese shipping and ports) the name has connotations of piracy.
Ko Ming
‘revolutionary’. The T’ien Ming is the Mandate of Heaven, supposedly handed down from Shang Ti, the Supreme Ancestor, to his earthly counterpart, the Emperor (HuangTi). This Mandate could be enjoyed only so long as the Emperor was worthy of it, and rebellion against a tyrant – who broke the Mandate through his lack of justice, benevolence, and sincerity – was deemed not criminal but a rightful expression of Heaven’s anger.
pi p’a
a four-stringed lute used in traditional Chinese music.
San Kuo Chih Yen I
The Romance of The Three Kingdoms is a long book of 120 chapters, covering a hundred years, from the downfall of the Han dynasty to China’s reunification under the Tsin in 265 AD. Based partly on fact, part on myth, it is still regularly read in public and is China’s most engrossing heroic saga. Its opening words say much of the Han’s attitudes towards history – “The empire when united tends to disruption, and when partitioned, strives once more for unity.” Anyone studying Chinese history would see the truth in those words.
Wen ch’a te
‘elegance’ – this is much more the expression of a concept, that of a certain sense of perfection embodied within that elegance, than a simple descriptive term.
Yin yueh
‘music’. Again, the word is used conceptually, almost poetically here.
Ying Kuo
England, or, more often these days, the United Kingdom.
AUTHOR’S NOTE & ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
As the reader will have noted, SON OF HEAVEN introduces its major theme – the coming of China – rather late in the day, and for this reason I’ve not felt it necessary to provide more than the scantest note on Chinese words and phrases used – a mere handful are in the Glossary. Similarly, I do not intend to dwell too long on other matters, except to say that wei chi is the world’s oldest and most challenging game, known more commonly in the West by its Japanese name, Go.