Evan Welsh stared in disbelief at the development manual he had found on his desk that morning. The Beijing office had photocopied the master document and couriered it overnight after his own team had run into difficulty assembling the modulator. With trans-Pacific communications clumsy at the best of times, Evan had found his minor in Chinese studies a surprisingly valuable asset: he had unwittingly become a critical link driving the success of the project.

But now his head was spinning. For although the manual was printed in English, on the crucial question of proper torque, several large exclamations points capped a space above a nest of hostile grass script. The handwritten notes spilled over the margins and had a feeling of both urgency and danger. It was safe to say the ascent of China was proving a challenge in a large number of ways. Interesting times, indeed.