“Then Madame is trying to have Xiao Hei Wang take over three Hives at once?”

Andō’s voice was steel. “All hives. You know Faust and MASON have already surrendered.”

“MASON? But Xiao Hei Wang is Shan Huang Zi, they can’t be Shan Tai Zi.” (China has its own words for porphyrogene and Imperator Destinatus.) “Can they?”

Scared faces.

“Why would Madame do this? Kosala and most of Parliament were as much their clients as we are!”

“Because Tai-kun is soft,” Andō answered.

Old Huang Enlai studied the Chief Director’s face, perhaps more scrutable to him after their long years of colleagueship. “What are you thinking?”

Andō kept working through all this, eyes more on the lens data before him than on his colleagues. “Madame has never concealed their ambition. The reason we didn’t see this coming is that Tai-kun already had an office in every Hive. But Tai-kun wouldn’t let Madame exploit those offices, they’ve fulfilled the duties to each in good faith, serving loyally instead of manipulating. If Madame wants to conquer the world through Tai-kun, they have to force them into higher offices.” Andō looked up now, testing each Director’s face as if eager to spar with any who dared object. None did. “The Cousins and Europe are conquered already, Faust and MASON won’t fight back against their own next of kin, and the Utopians capitulated long ago. Vivien Ancelet may have saved the Humanists with this sudden call for an election, but Ancelet is very close to Tai-kun too, and now they have to pass on the title of Anonymous. I believe that Tai-kun has long been their designated successor.” He gave his colleagues time to gasp. “If we hand our Hive to Tai-kun too, Madame wins.”

Beijing and Shanghai exchanged glances. “We don’t have a choice,” Shanghai began. “The Hive needs a leader. Better to appoint Xiao Hei Wang than let the Hive dissolve.”

For once the two agreed. “Xiao Hei Wang has long been one of us, and still thinks of you as a father, Andō. And they’re loyal to duty, and to promises. We can hold them to their pledges. If we press Xiao Hei Wang to keep our Hive separate, to defend Mitsubishi values, to defend us, we can let the others fall to Madame, then have Xiao Hei Wang restore us. If you ask, Andō, they’ll promise, and if they promise they’ll keep it.”

“Tai-kun will not defend homicide. Right now our own Hive hates us for our part in O.S., and loves Tai-kun for their part in exposing the same. What we did with O.S. we did lawfully as leaders of this government, for the good of our Members and the world. If our Members have a chance to calm down and listen to us they will see that, and rally behind us, defending our right to self-sovereignty and exercise of lethal force. But Tai-kun will never think that way.” Hotaka Andō turned again to editing the documents before him, a sense of rest falling across his face. “Tai-kun hates death absolutely. Family ties cannot trump that. If they take office they will be unable to hide their horror at homicide, and that will push our Members to condemn us even more.”