Tuk Kae: Defending The Dream

By Elliott Trevor

This adventure finds the feisty Thai heroine confronting an all powerful, super-rich arms dealer named Mahir Mubasheer who has secretly obtained supplies of Mr Sato’s special superconductivity material and plans to use it to build light, compact battlefield Direct Energy Weapons (DEWs) that would revolutionise modern warfare.

When Professor Rupert Scott tells Tuk Kae of his suspicions that someone is trying to circumvent Mr Sato’s dream that his invention should only be used for peaceful projects, she is determined to find the source of illegal supply of Sato’s material and put a stop to its military use. Unfortunately, the international security agencies feel unable to move against Mubasheer so Tuk Kae decides to do it herself, risking her life to Defend her mentor’s Dream.

The action takes her to Vienna, Hadra in Israel, Bosnia Hertzogovina and finally Mubasheer’s lair in Manaco. Her efforts bring her into conflict with Mubasheer’s mercenaries who have been tasked with kidnap, torture and murder.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Elliott Trevor
• Release date: Aug 7, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005323615

Elliott Trevor

Trevor Elliott publishes novels under the pen name Elliott Trevor.Before retiring in 2011, Trevor had worked as a marketing and publicity consultant specialising in the high-tech sector, explaining the ‘difficult to explain’ bridging the gap between business and technologies such as laser and plasma profiling, photochemical machining and computer output microfilm. In the later years of his career, he focused on how companies could embrace sustainable manufacturing and responsible material sourcing.When he retired, he and his wife Moyra fulfilled a long-term ambition to travel around the Far East. Most of Crossover, his first full-length novel, was written in Thailand.The Silex TrilogyAl three novels in the Silex Trilogy are now published on all major E book sites including Smashwords..

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COPYRIGHT

This novel (or any part of it) is the copyright of the author and may not reproduced or distributed without permission.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to thank my Thai friends for helping me with the correct names for various products and places, etc.

TUK KAE

DEFENDING THE DREAM –

The third book in the Tuk Kae Series

PROLOGUE

When Dr Oshio Sato discovered the secret of superconductivity at room temperature, he realised that it would revolutionise power generation and provide efficient, affordable electricity across the world. He was determined to resist the approaches of big business and ensure that his discovery would benefit everyone with the rich nations paying more so that the poor nations were able to afford the technology. When his wife died, he resigned his post at Tokyo University and went travelling, partly to ease the pain of his loss and partly to get away from the pressure being exerted by the Gumbai Corporation, a large electronics group who wanted to obtain Sato’s technology on an exclusive basis. Gumbai was secretly owned by the Inagawa Kai, one of Japan’s most powerful Yakuza families and not the sort of people to refuse.

After leaving Japan without announcing the final breakthrough which enabled him to complete his superconductivity research, Sato travelled to many countries and cities before settling in a quiet spot in Thailand called Chumphon where he bought a house and found true peace away from the pressures of the Inagawa Kai.

He had a dream that his technology could be used to help the world, rich and poor alike but unfortunately, Sato died before realising his dream robbing him of an almost definite Nobel Science Prize. However, he put his faith and trust in a young Thai lady called Jaranthrip Mookajai known by her nickname Tuk Kae. He had met her in Chumphon a quiet province away from the tourist centres and mentored her for over a decade. They grew to love each other as father and daughter and he taught her the disciplines of Bushido showing her that it was possible to adopt high moral standards in everyday life, caring for others whilst seeking no reward other than happiness such actions generated.

When he died Sato asked Tuk Kae to realise his dream by creating the Sato, Kazumi, Tuk Kae Trust, which would license his technology and ensure that it was only used for peaceful purposes.

Ten years later the Trust had an annual income of £1 Billion and spent its money supporting orphanages across the world and providing financial assistance to talented scientists from poor backgrounds. Under Sato’s Last Will and Testament Tuk Kae received 0.1% of the income from the Trust and had become a very rich woman. She had not let the money go to her head and had followed Sato’s example by creating firstly, a cooperative of farmers who augmented their meagre income from rubber growing by producing fruit for a range of dried fruit produced at the cooperative’s factory. Later Rubusta coffee became a second product line and the venture took off with sales growing across Thailand and a new expanding export initiative extending its market across the world.

When Sato died, he ensured that Tuk Kae, who had never left Chumphon in her life, had support and friendship from people he could trust. Tuk Kae’s closest ally proved to be an upper-class English antiques dealer named Helen Childs who lived and worked in Bangkok. This unlikely friendship blossomed perhaps because Tuk Kae’s new found wealth was not an issue like it was in her home town amongst her old friends who remained close but always saw her as rich. Another valuable friend was Dr Rupert Scott of Cambridge University who collaborated with Sato on his super conductivity research and provided Tuk Kae with the technical support and patent expertise required to protect the technology and set up the Trust.

After a serious confrontation with the Inagawa Kai, who desired to steal Sato’s technology for its electronics business before it was patented and transferred to the Trust, things settled down and the benefits of Sato’s discovery spread across the world to fulfil his dream.

The scientific value of the technology was recognised by the Institute of Physics in the UK who awarded Sato a posthumous Isaac Newton Medal.

CHAPTER 1

Karl turned to Tuk Kae and said, I don’t want to alarm you, but we are being followed.

How do you know, asked Tuk Kae?

Because when we left the car park this evening a black BMW X5 pulled out behind us. It has damage under the offside headlamp which is covered in reflective tape. It has been following us ever since even though I crossed the river and then returned to this side at the next bridge.

Karl was an ex-student of Tuk Kae’s friend Rupert Scott, the Cambridge Professor who had been Dr Sato’s closest collaborator. A dreadful car accident in which Karl lost both his legs above the knee to an uninsured drunk driver had cut short his PHD course at Cambridge forcing him to return to Vienna for intensive physiotherapy aimed at helping him walk on prosthetics. To augment his social security payments Karl had developed a freelance surveillance business working for solicitors, private clients and occasionally the police.

But Tuk Kae’s involvement and the reason she was in Vienna originated many weeks before when Rupert contacted her by a video call saying, If you remember when you came over for the Newton Medal Award, I mentioned my concern about a company with headquarters in Austria called Mayer and Lang. Although they sound like solicitors, they describe themselves as offering ‘Innovative Solutions to Conflict Areas’ which in reality means they manufacture weapons and riot suppression hardware. A fellow scientist tipped me off that they were buying components and materials that would be used to exploit Sato’s superconductivity technology. This company does not hold a licence and its close association with arms suppliers and military organisation would preclude it from obtaining a licence from the Trust.

He continued, I have been doing a little digging and last year the company recruited two Chinese scientists who had spent a decade researching Directed Energy Weapons, DEWs. Although the principle of DEWs had been known for a long time, their deployment was limited by the lack of superefficient energy sources, ones that were sufficiently compact to mount in aircraft, tanks etc. Sato’s breakthrough in achieving superconductivity at room temperature meant there was no need for bulky cooling systems, so providing an opportunity to introduce the technology into smaller weapons. That is why he was so careful to block any licensee from using his breakthrough for military purposes.

Tuk Kae felt concerned but had to admit, I am sorry Rupert, but I’ve never heard of Directed Energy Weapons, could you explain a little in terms I can understand?

Sorry, replied Rupert. DEWs cover a range of weapons that have been in development for many years. Lasers are the most widely publicised example. Because to be effective over any distance they need enormous power supplies they usually involve fixed installations rather than mobile battlefield applications. The US and Russia have been cooking each other’s ‘spy satellites’ for years, by directing high energy beams at the target satellite to overheat the electronics. Superconductivity would allow the military or anyone with the cash to buy the weapons, to create super-efficient compact power supplies capable of being mounted in vehicles and tanks taking DEWs into the battlefield. Imagine the advantage of being able to deploy a mobile Directed Energy Weapon that could target incoming missiles or destroy tanks or aircraft. Even with Sato’s breakthrough personal DEWs are still science fiction but with the trend towards robotic and computerised weapons like drones and cruise missiles whoever has the best DEWs will win.

Tuk Kae was shocked at what she heard and after a long pause for thought said, I am constantly appalled at the lengths people will go to find new ways of killing each other. How do we stop this company from stealing Sato’s technology and using it for military purposes.?

We need to find the link between the Austrian company and a legitimate licensee, explained Rupert. There would be little chance of success unless they can shortcut years of research by utilising what Sato developed. In particular, Sato’s new technology requires a specially modified version of graphene. He discovered an almost magical ingredient that when processed under strictly controlled conditions altered the graphene to deliver superconducting properties without the need of low temperatures. This material code named ‘SatoRT’ is manufactured in a specialist department of Tokyo University and its distribution strictly controlled. A sophisticated chain of custody system traces all shipments of SatoRT, which must remain separate from all other materials and every gramme accounted for including waste. The Trust employs independent assessors who visit licensees both annually and unannounced to audit this chain of custody process and ensure that the material is legitimately used.

I helped set up the verification procedures and they are pretty water tight and have checks and balances to stop a licensee from using the material in anything other than its licensed application. New applications are rigorously scrutinised to prevent any military uses. So, it requires considerable effort, a great deal of deception and probably a huge financial incentive for any licensee to ‘go rogue’ by passing the Sato RT material to someone else.

Rupert sighed and continued, However, no system is perfect and given a large enough incentive, even honest organisations occasionally step over the line. We seem to have discovered that someone has done just that, but we don’t know who. I have a conference at the Faculty of Physics in the University of Vienna next month and can extend my visit to a week which should be enough for some preliminary investigation. This is not something to take to the police and unless we have concrete evidence the Trust’s lawyers would be reluctant to take an action for infringement of patents. So, it’s down to us to do the detective work.

Rupert paused and leant into the webcam and said., Sorry I am assuming you will get involved. I know there is plenty to do in Thailand, so I will understand if you can’t spare the time.

Nonsense, responded Tuk Kae. It is my duty to make sure Mr Sato’s work is properly applied and not stolen or hijacked for war. We must check out this threat to Sato’s wish that his discovery is for peaceful activities that benefit all.

Thank you Tuk Kae, Rupert responded. I am so glad you will help. I might write crime novels, but I am not much use as a field operative and the people involved in arms manufacture and supply can be unpleasant. What I am trying to say is this might lead you into danger.

That’s OK Rupert, did I not do the same to you and it cost the tip of your finger and a great deal of pain, admitted Tuk Kae.

OK, replied Rupert, As long as you are getting involved knowing your special bushido talents may well be needed. I will email the details of the conference and book two rooms near the conference venue. I will try to put together a plan of action before we meet. We have to start somewhere and as Mayer & Lang’s headquarters are close to the conference, we can start there.

Over the next two weeks Rupert and Tuk Kae finalised how they would travel to Vienna, deciding against the direct flight but instead to change aircraft in Amsterdam which provided the ideal place for Tuk Kae to meet Rupert and complete the journey together. She could not attend the conference but could participate in the social activities in the evening. This would leave her plenty of time to pursue any avenues of investigation.

CHAPTER 2

Tuk Kae left Bangkok airport on a KLM flight to Amsterdam. She was always a little confused by international time difference and despite flying for over ten hours she would arrive only a few hours after her departure. Schiphol is a beautiful airport and like all modern hubs, huge. However, with her newfound experience of intercontinental flying, Tuk Kae had meticulously planned how she would travel between her arrival point and the next departure gate. There was only an hour between flights which she knew from her brief experience was no time at all. With maps showing the location of all arrival and departure gates she was confident that the task was within her capability.

Fortunately, as a first-class passenger she was offered an electric buggy to whisk her to the departure gate and was pleased to see she had arrived before Rupert and could appear relaxed and in control when he arrived. Much to her amusement, he arrived hot and bothered just as the gate opened. His flight from Cambridge had been delayed, and he had sprinted to catch the flight to Vienna. They were travelling business class so were first onboard. Rupert stowed their hand luggage in the overhead locker and offered Tuk Kae the window seat. Fortunately, the third seat was empty, and they gratefully enjoyed the extra room.

The flight took only 1 hour 45 minutes and Rupert offered to let Tuk Kae sleep if she preferred. However, the benefit of first-class travel meant she had enjoyed a decent sleep and was keen for him to update her on his plans for investigating Mayer & Lang.

After take-off, Rupert pulled out a stack of papers from his laptop bag and slipped into the middle seat and in a low voice said to Tuk Kae," Since we last spoke I have made some interesting but worrying progress. The Austrian firm I mentioned, Mayer and Lang, may present themselves as strategists in solving conflicts, but they have links to