Chapter 69 — The Ship That Never Looks Back

The Price of Neutrality

Kieu Trong Nghiem knocked on his son's door at nearly midnight, something he rarely did since Bach Van moved into a private living area for senior navigator students. Bach Van opened the door and was surprised to see his father standing there, his face carrying a deeper tiredness than Bach Van had ever seen.

"Dad, can I come in?" Trong Nghiem asked, his voice was soft, almost whispering.

Bach Van nodded, stepped back to make way, and closed the door behind his father. The room was small and simple as was standard for students, with only a desk, a neat bed, and a few navigation tools carefully arranged on a shelf. Trong Nghiem sat down on the only chair in the room, while Bach Van sat on the edge of the bed, facing his father in silent waiting.

"Father has decided." Trong Nghiem spoke last, without beating around the bush as usual. "In the plenary session next week, I will stand on Chuong Khac Dinh's side."

Bach Van felt a cold shock run through his body, even though he had prepared himself for this possibility many days ago. "Dad, do you know what that means? It means supporting continued tightening, continued concealment, which could be even worse if Sun Keyu had more power."

"I know." Trong Nghiem replied, his voice heavy. "And I hate myself for this decision more than anything I've ever done in my life. But please listen to me before you judge."

Bach Van remained silent, although an anger welled up in his heart that he tried to suppress.

"Chuong Khac Dinh promised father that if father supports him, he will ensure that you are not targeted by any extreme actions on Sun Keyu's part, as long as he can control the situation." Trong Nghiem said, his eyes pleading with his son to understand. "I don't believe that promise is perfect. I don't believe that Zhang Keding is a completely good person, or Sun Keyu is a completely bad person. But I believe that, between risking your safety to support a reformist faction that may fail, and protecting you by making temporary concessions to the faction that holds real power, I am forced to choose you, Bach Van. I'm sorry because that means I am betraying what I believe is more right."

Bach Van looked at his father, seeing in his eyes a genuine suffering, not the cold calculation of a politician, but the struggle of a father trying to protect his child in the only way he believed possible, even though that way went against his conscience.

"I don't want you to protect me this way." Bach Van said, his voice shaking with emotion. "I don't want to be the reason you have to choose to support concealment, Kieu Trong Nghiem. Not when there are thousands of other people who are suffering the consequences of that same concealment."

"I know." Trong Nghiem said, his voice cracking a bit. "And that's why I came here tonight, not just to say which side I'll take in the session, but to tell you something else — something I won't say publicly, something that if Zhang Keding knew I told you, perhaps all of his promises would vanish immediately."

Bach Van waited, his heart beating fast.

"Security around the Primordial Core will be doubled in the coming week, under Sun Keyu's direct orders, under the pretext of preparing for the possibility of escalating unrest." Trong Nghiem said, each word seemed carefully considered not to reveal too much but enough to warn. "And he is focusing particular attention on that girl's Roots Week — Khe Lam — after reports of a recent public gathering in the area where you work, where people called for stronger action to protest the rationing policy. He believes that her group leader is hiding something, possibly involving both of you."

Bach Van stood up, panic rising in him. "Vu Khac Dang doesn't know anything, father. He is completely innocent."

"I believe in you." Trong Nghiem said. "But innocence is not always a strong enough shield, Bach Van, especially when someone is looking for an excuse to act. I tell you this not to make you panic, but to give you and Khe Lam time to prepare, if it is possible to prepare for such a thing."

Bach Van sat down on the bed, his head bowed, his hands covering his face. "You must tell her immediately."

"I know you will." Trong Nghiem stood up and placed a hand on his son's shoulder, a rare gesture between father and son who were not used to expressing affection through actions. "I just hope you understand, even though I've chosen what seems to be the wrong side in your eyes, I'm still trying, in the only way I know how, to protect what I consider most important. I wish this world would allow me to do what's right without it being at the expense of my son."

Bach Van didn't answer, just nodded, feeling an indescribable complexity in her heart - both angry at her father's decision and understanding, albeit reluctantly, the love behind it.

As soon as her father left the room, Bach Van contacted Khe Lam via short phone, his voice urgently asking to meet her immediately at the technical hole, regardless of the time. She arrived within twenty minutes, her hair still messy from just getting out of bed, her eyes filled with worry when she saw the look on his face.

"What's going on?" She asked as soon as she entered.

He recounted everything his father had just said, every detail, without hiding anything. Khe Lam listened in silence, her face gradually turned pale when she heard the part about Vu Khac Dang.

"We have to warn him." She said immediately. "He had no idea about anything we were doing. If he was targeted just because he was my team leader, that's my fault, not his."

"How to warn him?" Bach Van asked, his voice filled with realistic concern. "We can't tell him the truth without drawing him into the very danger we're trying to protect him from. And if he acts differently after being warned, it could make the Guard even more suspicious of him."

Khe Lam stood still, realizing the bitter truth in his words — that any action she took now, even with the best of intentions, could unintentionally push Vu Khac Dang closer to the disaster she was trying to prevent. She felt like she was standing between two whirlpools, with no truly safe direction, only options with varying degrees of risk.

"I will find a way." She spoke finally, her voice determined even though her heart was filled with insecurity. "Maybe I can advise him to keep his distance from Tram Ba Nguyen for the next few weeks, citing general security concerns, without revealing anything specific. That's probably the best I can do without making things worse."

Bach Van nodded, even though they both knew, deep down, that there were machines that had been set in motion, decisions that had been made at levels of power they could not reach, and no amount of prudent warning could guarantee a complete stop of what was coming.

The next morning, Khe Lam found Vu Khac Dang before shift change, when he was alone checking the assignment list in the small office. "Uncle Dang, I want to talk to you a little bit, if you have time."

He looked up and motioned for her to sit in the chair opposite. "What's wrong, Khe Lam?"

"I think you should be more careful in the future." She said, trying to choose her words carefully so as not to reveal too much while still conveying urgency. "With the tense situation after Directive Twelve was tightened, and after what Uncle Tram said to the crowd the other day, I'm worried that the Guard may be keeping a closer eye on our team, especially you, since you're the leader in charge."

Vu Khac Dang looked at her for a long time, his eyes sharp as if trying to read something hidden behind her words. "Where did you hear this from, Khe Lam?"

"Just a feeling, sir." She replied, trying to keep her voice calm even though her heart was beating fast because she had to lie to the man who had protected her for so many years. "I don't have any concrete evidence. I just feel like the atmosphere is changing, and I don't want you to get in trouble because of what other people say or do that you can't control."

He was silent for a moment, then nodded slowly. "I thank you for worrying about me. But you know, I've lived and worked on this ship for nearly fifty years. I've seen many waves of tightening, many waves of tension come and go. I'll be careful, like I've always been careful. But I can't stop doing my job, I can't stop protecting the people in my team, just because of a vague sense of danger, Khe Lam. That's not how I've lived my whole life."

Khe Lam nodded, knowing she couldn't say anything more without betraying the very secrets she was trying to protect, feeling a heavy sense of helplessness as she left his office, carrying the fear that her vague warning might not be enough to stop whatever lay ahead.