Parahan, 2nd Edition Read online

  He stopped and looked at each person in turn before continuing. “For a long time, Hoon has interacted with neighboring universes peacefully. We have accepted them and helped propagate their civilizations and are making great progress so far.”

  The beginning of his address was longer than usual. It implied that today’s topic would be different from the usual ones.

  “As you well know, the people of Hanbau are pioneers of science and civilization and we’ve learned a lot and have accepted much from them since we began interacting with them. They opened the gate of inter-universe interaction for the first time which has had a fundamental impact on the lives of many universes. Due to their help, we have been interacting extensively with other universes for the past six hundred years, working together to maintain peace. Everyone believed the peace would last forever. However, the peace has broken. Taebakun invaded and subjugated Koman.”

  Taehan wondered if he’d heard right. Could this be true?

  Koman had exclusively centered on the development of their unique arts and culture, but even so, was as strong as Taebakun and not an easy opponent to conquer since they maintained a strong military force - as well as keeping abreast of the latest advances in science and technology.

  “When did the war end?” Taehan asked Hanmoo.

  “A major battle took place near the capital of Koman ten days after you were sent to the camp; Koman lost it unreasonably,” Hanmoo answered.

  “That is what happened while I was gone?”

  “Yes, and our job is to come up with a counterplan as soon as possible - in case they invade Hoon.”

  Deep wrinkles appeared in the middle of Hanmoo’s forehead and then he focused on Daekhan again as he continued to speak.

  “Koman is vested in Taebakun, so it goes without saying that Taebakun, Hanbau, and Hoon are trying to balance the power. Kubaisen is not even able to manage its internal turmoil properly so we cannot count on it. The question is; what is Taebakun’s ultimate goal? In other words, are they satisfied with the current situation, or are they planning another invasion? It is the common concern of universes. Unfortunately, we can see the indications of additional provocations in many places.”

  Daekhan’s face was far graver than when they first met him before the meeting began.

  “Hanbau is the only universe with the power and authority to intervene in the situation. They take no sides or have any opinion at all. Moreover, it has been confirmed that the leadership of Hoon chooses not to respond to the situation by using force!”

  His voice rose even higher and his tone and expression conveyed a stronger anger than he’d ever displayed to his colleagues.

  “What we need to discuss tonight is why the leadership of the Hoon is indifferent to responding to this situation by using the armed forces. They are not opposed to it because of the safety of civilians, the subsequent uncertainty of Hoon’s future, or for other convincing reasons. Rather, they are worried about what they may lose if they use military force.

  Since the intention of Taebakun is not annihilation, but rather conquest and occupation, Hoon’s leadership believes it is better to hand over Hoon to Taebakun so they can keep their positions. They are afraid of losing their power if they lose a war. They believe that they gain nothing out of winning a war. They do not care about the sovereignty of Hoon.”

  He reminded his colleagues of what they had already known. The stupid behavior of the leadership had been an on-going problem. They acted oblivious, even though most of the people knew about it. It was as if they were asking, ‘what can you do about it?’

  “Even if we start preparing right now, we don’t have enough time to get ready for war. The leaders of Hoon only care for their comfort and security in this critical moment instead of the fate of Hoon. It is indeed a pathetic and deplorable position they are taking!”

  The atmosphere of the conference room was suddenly cold; frozen.

  “However, we think differently. Hoon will lose a lot of things in the future should we accept the leadership’s decision to do nothing. Among them, sovereignty, which is a most precious thing. We will be under their control if we lose our sovereignty. We will have to follow their decisions on all matters in Hoon. It is what is happening in Koman, which is under the control of Taebakun.”

  “We cannot hand over our sovereignty!” someone at the far end of the table shouted in an excited voice. People around him muttered their agreement. Sovereignty was a sensitive word.

  “You can say that again. Handing over sovereignty is like giving up Hoon. There is no difference. We must protect it by all means.”

  Daekhan firmly grabbed the rim of the podium with his hands.

  “Another thing we have to protect at any cost is our identity. One of the things informally known about Taebakun is that they have slavery operations in certain areas. There is some supporting evidence that recent provocative actions of Taebakun are related to those operations. If so, I don’t think I have to explain what we will go if we are conquered. And, the only way to protect the sovereignty and ourselves is to fight them and win.”

  Everyone’s attention was fixed on Daekhan as he began speaking of war.

  “Our force is not weaker than theirs, although their fighting spirit is high at the moment and their strategies and tactics are highly evaluated. Besides, when we compare the military science aspect, our technology is superior to theirs. I cannot help but feel angry that our leadership is afraid of them and have decided to hand over Hoon without fighting just because they are afraid their recent war experience will be repeated, or because they don’t have a tactical advantage.”

  Daekhan paused for a moment and looked around at the people gathered around the table with a meaningful look. His face hardened as he looked straight ahead, staring into space. After a moment he said, “I came to a big decision after carefully considering the situation. Starting right now, I am going to prepare for a war against Taebakun, and ‘Silence in the Storm’ will be at the center of the effort. To prepare for the war, as one of the supreme leaders of the five continents and the leader of this organization, I decided to dissolve the existing leadership of Hoon and form a new one.” He looked around the room at his colleagues. “This process will inevitably precipitate forcibly subjugating the existing leadership,”

  The silence in the conference room was so complete the collective intake of breath from those seated around the table was more than audible. It was practically deafening.

  The astonished people sitting in the room looked at Daekhan.

  “Revolt?” one man said.

  Shocked, Taehan could only gape at Daekhan. Fear and tension suddenly spread through his entire body and lodged in his backbone. He had been sent to the camp for this very thing. That had been a false charge. Daekhan was suggesting a real revolt.

  When they formed the secret organization called ‘Silence in the Storm,’ the primary goals had been to pressure and persuade the leadership in preparing for war. They were to develop an actual defense counterplan by directly contacting the armed forces. Moreover, they had planned to compose an army of its members and serve as a unit in the war. However, they had never plotted a revolt by force or even though about doing so. Of course, that possibility had never been excluded because they this was a secret organization, after all, assembled as a force against the direction the leadership may want to go. It was the last thing Taehan would have thought possible, and he felt the plan had little chance of success. What Daekhan was suggesting was so dangerous it had never even been mentioned before. The men in the room could not hide their confusion. Daekhan stared at them for a moment and then continued.

  “You endowed me as the sole individual responsible for making decisions for this organization. I’ve declared we must take emergency action right now even though it might risk exposure of the entire organization. I realize this is a sensitive matter, but I hope you understand the gravity of the situation.”

  He looked resolutely at the faces arou
nd the table. The authority of individual decision-making had been turned over to the leader when this secret organization had been formed. The leader was granted autonomy in this right to give him the power to make quick decisions without the consent of the other members when it came to urgent matters. They had agreed at the onset that other members would follow the decision of the leader first, and discuss the righteousness of the decision after the fact.

  “I think some of you may disagree or maybe you don’t want to participate. I will let you decide whether to join me or not since it is a dangerous venture. But I have to ask you to stay here until the object is achieved if you choose not to participate since it is a decision and action of the organization. Secrecy is of the utmost important both for personal safety, as well as the safety of the organization. Please don’t take it personally.”

  The men in the conference room were chilled to the bone by this talk of revolt. None of them spoke a word as they considered the impact and possible repercussions of Daekhan’s decision and also, what they would do personally. Would they abstain, or should they follow the leadership of the organization they had willingly joined to preserve the peace and sovereignty of their planet?

  Then a discussion ensued as they examined the situation from all sides. Finally, all but three decided to follow the leader’s decision. While they didn’t want to participate, they had no objection to the action the organization was about to take. The subsequent work of planning proceeded quickly. Each team member was assigned tasks to do which were then gone over in great detail so everyone understood their role. Hanmoo was assigned to meet Yachan, the commander of the Special Operations Force. It was his duty to persuade him to join their effort to overthrow the leadership. Taehan and Sochan were asked to watch the movement of Chanman, the commander of the Planet’s Total Defense Force.

  Suddenly Taehan realized the atmosphere in the room had changed. The earlier tension had transformed into a cohesive passion generated by colleagues who believed in the mission and knew they could count on one another.

  Out into the World 5

  Taehan and Sochan woke up at dawn to get to the airport as soon as possible the day they went to visit the headquarters of Planet Total Defense Force. The airport was a public facility for the few ordinary people capable of flying an aircraft. It had been a while since Taehan had been here since he usually flew a single-person racing plane, but he’d been assigned a small transport plane and flew it in and out of this airport. He climbed into the cockpit and dropped into the pilot’s chair while Sochan settled into the navigator’s seat.

  The transport took off vertically as soon as he pressed the take-off button. It lifted up to a preset height and then started to moving forward, cutting through the air over the city. In just a few seconds the propulsion accelerated explosively and they left both the capital and the perimeter of buildings guarding its outskirts behind.

  They traveled over a wide plain for some time. Taehan put the plane on autopilot and reclined his seat. He stared absently into the distance, lost in thoughts of what might happen in the future. A tingle suddenly shot through his body.

  “Are you worried?” Sochan asked.

  “If I said I wasn’t, I’d be lying. Aren’t you anxious?” Taehan said.

  “Actually, I’m nervous.” she said.

  “Why don’t you wait in the center while the great task is progressing? Even until the leadership change is completed,” Taehan said.

  “Why do you say that?” she asked in an expression of surprise and wonder.

  “We may experience a fierce battle. You can get hurt.”

  Sochan stared steadily into Taehan’s eyes and said quietly, “If you say it is because I am a woman that is not sufficient since I am not the only woman in the organization. If you are worried about my life, it does not make sense to stay out just to save my life.” Her eyes widened as she spoke.

  He was not expecting her to agree to his suggestion easily. Although he was worried about her, he quickly realized that it was useless to say so.

  Taehan brought his focus back to the present moment and began organizing the plans Daekhan had explained carefully. To take control of the leadership, the first and foremost task was to suppress the defending troops that guarded the leadership. The troops were composed of well-trained professional soldiers, elite soldiers, but there were just over two hundred of them.

  On the other hand, the Capital Defense Unit led by Hanmoo was as good as the Guard of Leadership; they were almost five hundred. Shunda, his men, and the members of the organization would join the action. Therefore, it might not be an unrealistic challenge if they just needed to subdue the troops guarding the leadership. It might turn out to be an easy win, considering that they were going to attack first.

  The real issue would be the Planet Security Unit spread all over the planet. They were dorans maintaining the public order on ordinary days, but they could be mobilized for battle in an emergency.

  If the Planet Security Unit stayed out of the capital they would not be an obstacle since things would be settled before their arrival. However, there were more than 20,000 dorans in the capital area which could be utilized in an emergency. They could not be treated as simple machines carrying weapons. Even though the Capital Defense Unit that was well-trained and led by Hanmoo, each professional soldier would be fighting against dozens of dorans. That would be a tremendous challenge.

  The commander of Planet Security Unit was a close friend of the other four supreme leaders, except Daekhan. Therefore, it would be highly likely that he would support the leadership and become a major threat to their important task. Therefore, it would be easier to take control over the leadership before the Planet Security Unit could intervene and persuade the commander to accept the new leadership. When they took control over the leadership, they might be able to arrest him under the authority of the new leadership. It would only be possible, however, if the Planet Security Unit would stay put until they could finish their mission.

  Of course, they had prepared a plan in the event that the Planet Security Unit intervened in their mission. The key was the Special Operation Force led by Yachan. The Special Operation Force carried out various special operations on the Planet Hoon. They were highly trained soldiers used to conduct hazardous operations. In individual combative abilities, they were better soldiers than the Army of the leadership or the Capital Defense Unit led by Hanmoo. They were about 4,000 men, so they were strong enough to fight against the Planet Security Unit’s 20,000 dorans.

  The question is, how to attract Yachan.

  Fortunately, Yachan had no personal interaction with the leadership. On the other hand, ‘Silence in the Storm’ - the secret organization - had no interaction with him either.

  Daekhan had decided to dispatch Hanmoo to the headquarters of the Special Operation Forces in order to handle this issue. Hanmoo became responsible for persuading Yachan to join in their mission, for this was crucial. It was prudent, since Hanmoo was the most suitable person to take care of this mission. Hanmoo could reach a consensus with Yachan since they were professional soldiers; and Hanmoo had a solid appearance. Therefore, there was no better person than Hanmoo for the mission. If he failed to persuade Yachan, it was clear the organization’s mission would take a more challenging route. The probability of success would be greatly reduced.

  The task given to Taehan and Sochan was to meet Chanman, the commander of the Planet Total Defense Force, and observe his movements and the status of his force. The Defense Force had 300,000 soldiers armed with parantans (a ride-on combative robot of Hoon), along with various advanced weapons. A large number of soldiers were stationed near the capital. The number of troops that could enter the capital in an emergency was close to 10,000.

  Of course, they were not to approach Chanman in an attempt to bring him into the mission since it was clear his ethics and loyalty to the current leadership would not allow him to do so. Even though Taehan had known him personally most of his l
ife since Chanman was a close friend of his father, it would be difficult, or even impossible, to persuade him to change allegiance. He certainly would not be persuaded based on a personal relationship. And if an attempt was made, he could turn into a powerful enemy that would defeat their mission before it even got started. In the end, Taehan and Sochan were just asked to meet with him and check the status of his force.

  “Hit the leadership with the Capital Defense Unit and defend against the Planet Security Unit with the Special Operations Force. If it works just as planned….” Taehan muttered, bringing his attention back to the cockpit and the work of getting where they were going.

  The transport plane was flying over a broad river, but with mountains coming up on both sides, Taehan turned off the autopilot and took manual control to safely bypass the rough terrain.

  Out into the World 6

  Yachan pressed the button on his bandan to turn off the screen after finishing the conversation with Hanmoo, who’d said he wanted to visit as he had something to discuss. Yachan looked at the wide military training ground through the window for a while as he thought about Hanmoo. He knew the Commander of the Capital Defense Unit, had been meeting with unidentified people that were known to have been complaining about the planet’s leadership, especially regarding the possibility of being invaded by Taebakun. No further details were available yet, but Hanmoo’s impending visit gave rise in his mind to speculation and presumptions.

  Why on earth is he visiting me?