THE RONINS: A HISTORY
This is a project I started a very long time ago. Since I have some free time, I thought it might be fun to continue it. However, I need to make a couple of notes to help set the stage for what is going on. The bulk of the story is set in the not-too-distant future, after the series and all three OAVs have ended. It centers on a guy named Keith Robinson as he tries to convince the World Council of the Defense and Security Alliance that the Ronin Warriors are real, exist, and need to be found before something terrible happens in the world. I'll reveal more about the part he plays in all of this later. If this part of the story doesn't interest you, it can be ignored. Throughout there will be bold headings (not-too-distant future, 1000 years ago, etc) that tell you when that part of the story takes place. If you read everything that takes place in the past and ignore the stuff in the future you will read the Ronin History part only. Chapter One lays the ground work for the World Council part of the story, which will be important for how the whole thing ends. However, as a result chapter one doesn't really have anything to do with the Ronin Warriors themselves. I'll begin uploading the rest of the story when I finish it if anyone seems interested. Thanks for reading! (p.s. I don't own anything that is rightfully the intellectual property of another.)
THE RONINS: A HISTORY chapter 1
The Not-Too-Distant Future, June 23rd:
"What am I doing? Am I really going to believe that, after all this time of trying, I might finally succeed? What could have possibly made this any different from all the other times? Of course, I suppose on the other hand it's worth a shot. It can't hurt anything, can it? What have I got to lose?" This goes on for quite awhile. I continue to mumble to myself as I stop to dig in my pocket for the note that had been left for me at the hotel counter. Counter, ha! The hotel fortified wall is more like it; that thing's almost as tall as I am. But that's just like the obscenely rich; everything has to be bigger and better. But I'm getting sidetracked again, where is that note?
"Aha!" I exclaim as I finally pull out the elusive piece of paper, "Now let's see..."
The note itself was written in very flowing, obviously feminine handwriting.
"Dearest Monsieur Robinson, I was quite impressed with your little performance. If you'd be so kind as to join me at 2 this afternoon at my hotel, The Parisian, I may have a proposition for you. Room 413, I hope to see you there!"
"Wait! 2 o'clock, I'd better hurry." I take off running down the hall, sure by now that everyone in the hotel thinks I'm some sort of lunatic. But, no matter. I make my way down the upscale hotel hallway, and screech to a halt at an intersection. The placard on the wall points to the left for "Suites 410-419," so I veer off down yet another long and elegant corridor. There, on the right, a door marked 413 in shiny brass numbers. I knock after taking a few seconds to catch my breath and flatten my hair back down, and am greeted almost immediately by a man in a black tuxedo carrying an empty gold tray.
"You're just in time sir, everyone else is in the den waiting for you," he says with a slight bow, and a very French accent.
"Everyone else," I splutter, confused, "I wasn't expecting multiple people? Who all is here?"
"You shall see," he replies cryptically, smiling, "Just follow this hall to the end, it'll be the large oak double doors on the left."
Confused, in part by the revelation that there's more than one person meeting me and in part by the sheer opulence of this "hotel room," I thank the butler and proceed to walk rather more cautiously than is necessary down the hall. This is just really puzzling, she hadn't mentioned there'd be anyone here besides her. I soon reach the doors and tentatively knock, and almost immediately a wafty, decidedly French voice answers.
"Come in," it calls from within. I turn the shiny brass knob on one of the doors and am greeted by quite the site. I enter the large room and see that the den, as it turns out, is really more like a small library, with books everywhere lining the floor to ceiling oak shelves on every wall, and piled about on antique old-fashioned desks and tables. The furniture is all very big, and obviously very expensive. And strewn among the sofas, lounges, and chairs is a group of assorted people I never would have expected to see; at least, not here. As I stand momentarily dazed by it all, my thoughts are once more interrupted.
"Ah, Monsieur Robinson!" The woman with the French voice makes a beeline for me from the middle of the room where she had been hidden behind a giant bookcase/desk thing. She comes up to me and greets me with a quick kiss on the cheek, "We've been expecting you. Why don't you all have a seat and I'll explain what's going on."
Well, since that is exactly what I am curious to know about right that moment, I immediately fall into the first chair I reach. It is very large, and worth easily more than what I make in a year.
"Good, now that we're all settled…Pierre, tea!" The last two words were obviously directed towards the butler I met moments ago, as he promptly now let himself in with his golden tray ladled with all sorts of china cups and saucers and containers, and began to serve tea to the, uh, guests?
"Now, Monsieur Robinson, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Hildegard de la Fargious, senior councilwoman of France to the World Council of the Defense and Security Alliance and chairperson of the Committee on the Strategic Logistics Review Board."
"That's quite a title," I reply, a bit ridiculously, "Madam Fargious, it's a pleasure and honor to make your acquaintance. But I must say I'm quite surprised."
"Oh really, and why is that?" she replies airily.
"Well, for starters, I was under the impression that the Review Board conducted all of its business in utmost secrecy. I assume that's why you've brought me here, then, my pending case?"
"Ah, you're a smart one, Monsieur!" she says, a bit too patronizingly for my taste, "Correct on both counts. We do ordinarily work in anonymity, but I was impressed by your, er, speech before the World Council the other day, so I've invited you here to present your case before the committee that was assigned to review it personally. I thought you might have better odds if you met the committee in person that was appointed to assess your appeal…"
"But, better odds or no, it's up to you, mate, to convince us that we should be voting in your favor," interrupted a younger man from the back of the room with an Australian accent.
"Yes, but where are my manners? Let me introduce you to the rest of the committee. This is Michael Ritchkins, the undersecretary to the electoral council of Australia."
G'day mate," he replies, quickly.
A tall, African man steps forward from the shadows of the room across from Mr. Ritchkins. "This is Prince Mubalu Dbale of Kenya. He serves on the honorary board for diplomatic relations."
"Jambo, brother," his deep voice booms.
Next, our French hostess points towards a younger woman reclining on a lounge a few feet to my left. "This is Nokido Toyotaro. She's a consultant from Japan on weapons regulations."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Robinson!" she says rapidly. This girl easily has more energy than anyone else I've ever met.
"That's Johnny Alvarez over there," Madam Fargious says pointing towards an overstuffed armchair behind the Kenyan prince, "he's a first year member of the committee for South American Advancement, representing Uruguay."
"Um, hola, er hello" he says in a slight whisper. It's obvious he's either very nervous or very timid in general, or possibly both.
"And our last member is Florence Touloria, the Canadian representative to the Assistant Advisory Undercouncil on International Intelligence Disbursement."
"What? Oh, hello," the rather flustered old woman says sharply. I think she had been slowly drifting off to sleep until she heard her name, and seems still a bit dazed and confused. Or perhaps she's just old and going senile, she has to be at least eighty.
"Um, right. So, this is the committee the World Council put together to review my injunction?" I ask, rather resignedly.
"Yessirroonnee!" Michael Ritchkins replies. Yessirroonnee, I think to myself. Seriously? With the exception of Madam Fargious, who is on the committee by default since she's the chairperson, this entire group of people is about as low in the organization as it gets. I mean, come on! They have a senile old woman; a bouncing, flamboyant girl; a first year inductee who will most likely know nothing; an honorary member who gets to do whatever he wants because he's royalty; and this character, the Australian. I've got to do something.
"Um, Madam Fargious, can I speak with you in private for a moment?" I ask.
"Why, of course!" she exclaims, a bit too eagerly, not that any of these people are with it enough to catch on, "Excuse us for just a moment please, help yourself to tea and sandwiches, and feel free to peruse the books." She waves at the bookcases as she leads me out the double doors and down the hall to a room I had completely missed in my earlier haste. It was a beautiful indoor garden, filled with every flower imaginable. But, no time for botanical enterprises, I have bigger fish to fry.
"Madam…" I begin to say, before being interrupted.
"Yes, Monsieur Robinson, I know what you're going to say." She begins, with a very knowing look, "This, committee, if you can even call it that, is the lowest ranking one I've ever seen. There's not half a brain between the whole lot of them. I think it is obvious that the council has no intention of reviewing your case, especially given your stance on the matter. Your lack of evidence is just completely insufficient for grounds to begin investigating these Ronin warriors of yours."
"So, then what is the point of bringing me here," I say, a little downcast.
"I believe you," she says.
"Really!?"
"Yes, I do. And I want to do everything in my power to make sure the council has no choice but to reexamine this case. There are a few loopholes we can work around, you and I, if we can convince this, committee, to get on board with the idea. It'll be difficult, they're an odd bunch, but if we can win them over, even a no-name group like this will have to be heard before the World Council."
"Alright, I'll do whatever it takes. It's the very least I can do for my…my old friend Dr. Koji. So, um, what exactly do I need to do?" I ask, excited by the prospect that we might actually begin to make some progress, but all the same a bit nervous by what some of these loopholes will mean.
"Hmmm, well, I suppose the first thing is just to lay out the ground work for these characters. I want you to really sell the idea to them, tell them the whole story of these Ronin Warriors, start to finish. Maybe that'll be enough to get them interested in what you have to offer. It won't be easy, mind you. They're all almost certain to simply do whatever their superiors tell them, so you are going to have your work cut out for you. But, Monsieur Robinson, I do not bring losers into my hotel. Well, at least not by choice, so I am expecting you to win this crowd over," she says.
"Do you really think I can? I mean, they really aren't altogether with it," I say, dubiously.
"If anyone can do it, you can. Look at it this way, you've already convinced the chairperson! Now we just have to get the rest of the committee," she reassures me with a slight smile. I begin thinking of a plan. This is going to be hard work, but it can be done; I just hope I can do it without revealing too much about certain people involved. But before I get into too many details, my thoughts are once more interrupted…
"Oh, and one more thing. You should probably not use too many big words around them, I'm not sure they'd understand what you mean," Madame Fargious says, smirking.
I laugh, "Yeah, I'll keep that in mind."
"Well, now that we have that settled, we should go get started. I want to check on them anyway, I'm not sure I trust them to stay out of trouble without supervision."
"Are they really that bad? You make them sound like small children," I inquire.
"Oh, you don't know the half of it. I wish I were dealing with small children; you can spank children and send them to a corner for a time out. These people feel so entitled that you can't do anything with them. They're impossible. I'll be grateful for your help," she replies.
"Great," I say, getting more and more resigned every minute. We walk back down to the oak double doors, and hear quite a commotion going on inside. Madam Fargious and I exchange concerned glances, and then she hesitantly pushes the doors open to quite a sight. Michael Ritchkins is lying on the floor, possibly unconscious, where he appears to have fallen backwards over an armchair that now lies at his side on its side. The Kenyan prince is down on his hands and knees next to the Australian bellowing in his ear and slapping his face, possibly trying to wake him up. Meanwhile, Florence, the old Canadian, has truly fallen asleep on a sofa on the other side of the room. At least, I assume she's asleep; at that age, she might be dead. The bouncing Japanese girl is running around the room frantically talking to herself in her Asian dialect, so who knows what she's saying. And Johnny Alvarez is just standing in the corner, a scared and confused look on his face.
Madam Fargious is the first of us to regain her composure, "What is going on here?" she cries to the room at large. Immediately Johnny, Nokido, and the Prince all try to answer at the same time, which is completely ineffective. I leave my French hostess to sort them out and walk over to Michael to see what's wrong. He's out cold, so I grab a nearby pitcher of ice water and dump it on his face. He awakes with a start, and begins yelling about how rude it is to douse people with water. Figuring he's ok, I go over to Florence and check for a pulse, just to make sure. And, sure enough, she's still alive. Leaving her asleep, I go back to where the rest of the people have assembled, Michael included complaining about the indecency of it all, and wait.
"Enough!" Madam Fargious finally yells in frustration and everyone shuts up at once. Well, almost everyone.
"What's rough?" Florence asks from her sofa, still half asleep. Madam Fargious looks around her den, her face contorting with anger, and begins spouting off in rapid, hostile French. Pierre comes running in, also speaking French, and then immediately begins cleaning up the mess. Regaining her composure, Madam Fargious takes several deep breaths.
"This is absolutely ridiculous," she says. I guess not all of the anger has worked off yet. "Who in the world is that incompetent that they can't occupy themselves for five minutes? And you're all supposed to be leaders in your countries too. It's no wonder this world is a disaster. I have half a mind to call together a review committee just to deem this committee incapable to function."
"Can we do that?" I interrupt, sincere hope in my question.
"Its way too much paperwork and it would take forever," she says. I try not to look too disheartened by the response.
"Maybe we should all just take a moment and calm down," Michael says.
"Yes, I agree. Calming is what we need," pipes in Nokido, which just sounds ridiculous coming from her.
"What's this you say? We need embalming? Whatever for, eh, I'm not dead yet?" chimes old Florence. Her hearing is off, I'll grant you, but this time her timing is perfect. Everyone stares at each other for just a moment and then we all burst out laughing. Well, except Florence, who's now more confused than ever.
"Well I never! Imagine this, laughing at a poor old woman, oh the nerve of some people!" she exclaims, but is barely heard over the din from our raucous laughter. Once again, Madam Fargious recovers first, and walks over to Florence to kneel beside her.
"We're sorry Mrs. Touloria, we didn't mean to be rude. You actually did us quite the favor, we needed that."
"Well I'm glad you're all happy at my expense," she says with a huff, though it's now rather obvious she's only pretending to be angry.
"Alright," Madam Fargious says getting back up, "However, I still would like to know what has happened to my den." The others all exchange nervous glances with one another, until finally Michael steps forward.
"Well, ya see Madam, we was getting a little bored, me and the Prince here, so we decided to try out an experiment. But, needless to say, it didn't go quite as we had planned."
"Yes," the tall African interrupts, "it was a, uh, accident, Michael was supposed to jump, not fall and hit his head."
"Oh, whatever," Madam Fargious says with an even greater huff, "but I seriously expect better from the whole lot of you for the duration of this committee hearing. Or, paperwork notwithstanding, I will remove all of you and replace you with a competent committee, one that can actually remain intact for five minutes. I expect you each to give your personal best for this assignment, and will accept nothing less. Do I make myself clear?" I have to admit, this little French lady can be quite the intimidating figure when she puts her mind to it. The others all seem to feel the heat radiating from her, and simply nod their heads in understanding. Well, almost all.
"You know, you certainly do seem to have quite a personal interest in this case," Michael says, apparently without thinking, "I mean, you keep defending this guy and gettin all mad at us and stuff, and we haven't even heard the case yet. What's going on here?"
Nokido apparently takes this to mean its ok to speak again. "You know, I was wondering that myself. I realize I haven't served very often on a committee like this before, well actually I've never been on a committee like this before, not to say that I haven't been on committees before just that the ones I've been on weren't anything like this one and that just really makes things strange to me because I would have expected this one to be like those ones, you know? But anyways, what I was getting at is that we seem to not be following protocol at all, and I guess I mean we don't always have to follow the protocol, but then again it is the protocol and we aren't even starting on protocol at all and that just makes me kind of suspicious of what's going on here, you know? And…" she's interrupted, thankfully, before she can go further.
"Just, stop. (Pause) Thank-you," Madam Fargious seems to be doing all she can to keep herself under control. "I need a moment, again. Monsieur Robinson!" her call awakens me from a slight stupor I hadn't realized I was falling into.
"Yes?" I say, a bit disoriented.
"I hate to do this to you, but watch our guests while I go out for air. I'll only be gone a moment. Thanks." With that, Madam Fargious storms out of the den once more, leaving Pierre still cleaning, and the rest of us watching her disappear in varying degrees of astonishment, albeit for very different reasons.
Unfortunately, Michael Ritchkins is the first to recover this time, and immediately he goes on the offensive. "Hey, so, you never introduced yourself, Monsieur Robinson."
I'm stuck, but at least if I'm doing the talking things can't go too badly, right?
"Well, first of all you can call me Mr. Robinson, or Keith. I am American, not French, so the monsieur part is totally unnecessary."
"Alright mate, but what do you do?" he asks, prying.
"Well, I am a professor by trade, not that I do much actual teaching. Most of my time has been spent as a research analyst and historical investigator. I'm also a consultant for the World Council of Defense and Security Alliance, in the development and projections division, or at least I was until this little injunction came up. Until recently I was working with a long-time friend of mine in Japan, Dr. Koji, on a fascinating project. But that was put on hold when he passed away. Since that time I have completed his research on my own, unofficially, and the findings to me are astronomical, and of vital importance for our world. I've brought it up to the World Council, but they have been, um, less than satisfied with what I've presented them." I say, hoping to distract them long enough for reinforcements to arrive.
"Hmmm, that all sounds a bit fishy to me, "Michael responds, and I realize this is going to be more difficult than I had first imagined. "What exactly is this project of yours that the Council isn't going for?"
"Well, uh, its, uh…" at that moment Madam Fargious storms back in, so I'm saved for the moment. She glances around the room a bit.
"Well, it looks like everything is still in one piece. Merci, Monsieur Robinson, I appreciate that someone was able to not destroy my home in my absence. Now, I trust you've all had a lovely conversation, but I think it is about time we got down to business. Everyone, this is Monsieur Keith Robinson…" she begins, but I cut her off.
"Madam, I've just introduced myself."
"Oh. Well, never mind then. Moving right along, let's gather up some chairs and form a proper committee seating arrangement, and then dispense with the rest of the formalities and get this show on the road as they say." We each grab a ridiculous chair and form the requisite semi-circle for the six committee members, and I place one facing the rest where I will be seated for the "interrogation" part of the hearing. Madam Fargious takes the seat directly across from me, with Michael Ritchkins at her immediate left. On the French lady's right sits the Kenyan Prince and the old Canadian, and on Michael's left sits Nokido and Johnny, who hasn't said anything for some time now, I just realized. But Madam Fargious quickly interrupts my train of thought…
"Alright, now that we are settled. Pierre!" she calls for the butler as she pulls out a thick stack of papers from a briefcase sitting on the table in front of her, and puts on a pair of antique looking reading glasses.
"Oui, madam?" he says, as he stands up from where he had still been cleaning.
"I need you to sign an affidavit stating you are a witness to these proceedings."
"Of course madam, right away." He comes over to give his signature, and then resolutely returns to working, ignoring all else going on. Madam Fargious takes a moment to go over some of her papers, them pulls from them five stacks, which she distributes to the other council members, before taking one more look at her papers.
"I, Madam Hildegard de la Fargious, senior councilwoman of France to the World Council of the Defense and Security Alliance and chairperson of the Committee on the Strategic Logistics Review Board, do hereby call this meeting of the 110th Review Board to order at 2:57 p.m. this 23rd day of June concerning the case of one Mr. Keith Robinson as purposed by the President of the World Council and conferred upon by the Council elect. Monsieur Robinson, as chairperson of this committee, it is my duty to inform you that the unanimous agreement made upon the completion of this hearing is legally binding in all DSA jurisdictions and will be upheld by the World Council. In the event that a unanimous decision cannot be reached, all penal action previously taken will be waived until such time as a second committee may be contracted. You are not required to confer with legal counsel, but may choose to do so at any point during this hearing. While here, however, you are under oath and obligated to confer only the truth. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Madam Chairperson, and I agree to uphold them," I respond, used to this by now.
"The defendant has agreed to all statutes of the Review Board and henceforth as such they shall be legally binding on him. Being brought before the 110th Session of the World Council of the Defense and Security Alliance Strategic Logistics Division Review Board is case Number RX110-C, the matter of the World Council vs. Mr. Keith Robinson. In the matter of the first part, it is the intent of this board to designate whether or not the defendant is competent in regards to standing before the World Council in order to present research findings. In the matter of the second part, it is the intent of this board to designate whether or not those findings herein presented are viable options and warrant attention from the Council elect. In the matter of the third part, it is the intent of this board to, in the event of the affirmative of the first and second parts, ascertain an appropriate course of action to be taken upon in light of the aforementioned findings. Until such time as this hearing has reached a general consensus, Monsieur Robinson is, by order of the President of the World Council, suspended from his duties as DSA consultant and barred from DSA grounds and all employees and associates save those serving on this committee. Failure to comply with these stipulations will result in immediate penal action and immediate disbarment from the World Council, as well as the dismissal of this tribunal.
"Present at the 110th Session of the Review Board are: Madam Hildegard de la Fargious of France, serving as chairperson, I am present; Michael Ritchkins of Australia, serving as associate chair, present; Nokido Toyotaro of Japan, serving as secretary, present; Prince Mubalu Dbale of Kenya, present; Johnny Alvarez of Uruguay, present; and Florence Touloria of Canada, present, all serving as Review Board members; Pierre Francesca de la Fois Gras of France, serving as affidavit witness, present; and Keith Robinson of the United States, defendant, present. If anyone objects to participation in these proceedings who has been named please state your objections at this time…Anyone present previously unnamed please step forward at this time…Presuming the silence to mean all present are accounted for and willing to move forward with these proceedings, I, as chairperson, do hereby officially call this, the 110th Review Board, to order and so designate it to serve its duty in the interest of justice and the preservation of the Council it serves."
"Well done Madam Chairperson! I haven't ever heard it said better," Michael says, clapping.
"Oh calm down, this is a formal hearing after all," Nokido says while slapping him. I still say it sounds odd to hear her tell anyone to calm down.
"That is enough, from both of you. Remember, everything said here is to be put on record, save that I find grounds to have it stricken. And unfortunately, foolishness is not just grounds. Nokido I trust you have everything recorded so far?" Madam Fargious does not seem amused by their antics.
"Yes, ma'am," Nodiko nods.
"Very well. Monsieur Robinson, it is customary at these proceedings to recount first the event that specifically led up to the calling together of the review board. As chairwoman this duty normally falls to me to elaborate or delegate, and I have asked you hear today because I feel, in the interest of justice, you can do a better job elaborating than I can. So, I would like for you to tell the board about the last Council meeting." That would be my cue, I suppose. Here goes nothing.
"Well, as you said, it was the most recent World Council meeting. I had been retained with my associate Dr. Koji to research some strange phenomena in Japan and report back to the Council. Unfortunately, the passing of my partner set us back some. I got the information I needed, but not necessarily the proof. I figured I would try anyway, so when the time came I went forward before the World Council to make my presentation…"
Two Days Earlier:
"We live in a world today where secrets are many, and facts are few," I said, looking out at the fully assembled Council. More than 200 people, leaders from almost every nation on earth were gathered together to hear what I had to say. Well, and what several other top research analysts had to say. Which was the problem; I was saying something completely different. There's no way these people would buy it. But I supposed I had to try; it's too important not to give it a try. "The world has become a place of contentment for many, and, as a result, its secrets have lost their enchantment. But this is a great tragedy, for those who do not seek to understand the past and know its hidden truths will be doomed in the perilous days to come. What has happened thus far, in Japan and elsewhere, is only the beginning; our world shall face yet greater catastrophes. I fear, though, that unless we learn from the past, both the successes and failures, our world may not survive the present strife. Now, I recognize the unorthodoxy of my report before such a council as this, but desperate times call for desperate measures. We cannot afford to continue this petty bickering amongst ourselves in this World Council; the time has come to unite against the common enemy, an enemy we cannot any one of us hope to overcome alone. Not even the Ronins, wherever they may be, could hope for total success…"
By now I realized I was droning on quite a bit, actually just grasping at straws at this point, but I was desperate to make my case. Unfortunately, the World Council was getting desperate for lunch, and so the president stood to cut me off.
"Mr. Robinson, we here of the Council are well aware of the, um, ideas you've had for quite some time, especially in light of your earlier presentation. But, I believe I speak for the whole Council when I say that, once again as before, you have no proof, no evidence, nothing whatsoever to convince us that you are doing anything but wasting our time and precious oxygen. Unless you have something new to report that can authenticate all of this, conjecture, I'm afraid I will have to ask you to leave the premises. Well?"
It was quite a loaded question, to be sure, and everyone knew it. This was the fourth time I had appeared before the World Council of the Defense and Security Alliance, and I had already shown all the evidence I could muster without Dr. Koji. I understood that on paper it wasn't much, but it was nevertheless the truth, and I had to make them understand that.
"Mr. President, with all due respect, I assure you this is anything but simple mindless conjecture. I am, awaiting further developments which will authenticate what I have to say…"
He didn't go for it.
"Then come back after those things have developed…"
"But by then it'll be too late! It will have already started again…"
"In which case, your services will be called upon post haste. Until such time as your conjecture is authenticated by reliable sources, your current case is dismissed…"
"But, Mr. President!"
"And furthermore, all future suits you may wish to file are barred pending an official investigation and hearing on your practice. This council will appoint the, uh, proper people for the matter, and will be in touch with you in regards to this investigation. For now, you are asked to leave DSA grounds, as well as any and all of your associates, and to NOT return. You will be suspended pending tribunal, and henceforth treated by this agency as any other civilian until such time as you may be reinstated. Now go!"
The Not-Too-Distant Future:
"And that was it. What more could I say? I made one more plea, but was immediately silenced, so I gathered up all my papers and stuff, shoved the whole mess into my briefcase, and left. I had three associates with me at the time, but they were asked to leave before I was out of Council chambers; I guess the office personnel figured it was coming. But that brings us up to today pretty much. I returned to my hotel and continued my work, which is what I've been doing until now." I must admit, it is neither a very long, nor very flattering story. I can't figure out why Madam Fargious wants to start there, unless it truly is protocol. After all, she's the one who said she wants to win this thing too; it seems like the actual beginning would have been a better place to begin. But, she must have something in mind.
"I see, merci, Monsieur Robinson," says the French lady, "I would like to stop you there to point out something. I was at that particular council meeting, substituting as I routinely do for the French chairman, and can verify that what you have said is the truth. Council, do you notice anything strange about the proceedings, as they have been recounted?"
Her question is again a rather loaded one, and I begin to understand what she is doing. I try to not let on that I know where this is going, not that the council would probably notice anyway. The Prince is doodling on his stack of papers, Nokido is rapidly writing who knows what, Michael is staring off into space and Florence has fallen asleep again. Johnny appears to be the only one actually paying any attention, of course he never speaks. I am starting to get disappointed with the council once more.
"Well?" Madam Fargious implores, bringing the others into focus again.
"Well, what?" replies the Australian.
"Monsieur Ritchkins," she begins indignantly, "if you are going to serve in this position you are required to be attentive to what is happening. I will have you and anyone else removed from this committee if you cannot perform your duties."
"My apologies, madam," he says with a slight sneer.
"Can anyone tell me what is missing from the way this event took place?" she asks.
"Well, um…" begins Johnny, and we're all momentarily taken aback to discover he has a voice, "the, uh, pr-pr-president didn't follow pr-pr-protocol." He says it very quietly and with quite a stutter, but the point is made, and my suspicions about the French madam disappear. This is why we are starting here.
"Oui, excellent!" she cries, "you are correct. I didn't notice it myself at the meeting, I was busy with other things, but it is true, the president made a very grave mistake. He does not have the authority to take the actions that he did, because he was at a research presentation meeting, not a formal World Hearing. Only in a formal hearing can he dismiss someone without a Council vote. The Council has been lax on this point on a number of occasions, but that does not make it excusable. Monsieur Robinson was also not permitted to finish his presentation, which while the Council may have had no objections to this because of their empty stomachs, is, by order of Paragraph 6 in Section C of the official DSA Constitution, not acceptable unless there are just grounds for doing so. The World Supreme Court has deigned these just grounds as only being viable if the person is mentally deranged or a threat to security. It is my opinion that Monsieur Robinson is at least as sane as the members of this council [I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment or an insult], and so has therefore been improperly barred from the DSA World Council."
"Madam Chairperson, I believe you are right" says Johnny quietly, and I am momentarily stunned into silence. It looks as though I may have another member of the committee on my side.
"Wait just a gosh darn minute," interjects Michael, and my increasingly happy spirit saunters just a bit, "What are you trying to do, madam chairperson? Get this guy off on some technicality?"
"No, Monsieur Ritchkins, I am trying to do my job," she replies a tad angrily. "The DSA World Council was chosen to replace the old United Nations program with the idea that rigorous adherence to protocol agreed upon by all participating nations would solve many of the problems the old system had. If the World Council, and particularly its president, decides to bend the rules here and there, consequences, disastrous ones, are soon to follow. Now, I have no personal vendetta for this particular defendant [she gives me a slight wink, but I pretend not to notice], but I do think his case is exemplary of how much the Council is breaking its own rules. This is, to me, unacceptable, and it should be to you as well, if you are truly interested in the security of your own country, and the world."
"Well, that's all well and good, but what are we supposed to do about it?" he replies.
"We vote. I personally believe that with just this little bit of information this committee can come to a decision in regards to the first part…"
"Wait, what?" I interject this time, a little worried about what has just been said.
"Monsieur Robinson, your input has not been asked for." I can't decide if she is just putting on a show to convince them that she's not truly out to help me, or if she is just double-crossing me. We exchange glances, and I sense she still wants me to trust her, so I decide to remain quiet, for the moment.
"Um, remind me what the first part was again," says the Kenyan prince, and the French lady and I both have to reign in sighs of disbelief. She goes on without missing a beat, though.
"In the matter of the first part, it is the intent of this board to designate whether or not the defendant is competent in regards to standing before the World Council in order to present research findings. Those familiar with these proceedings will note that this is a blanket statement used by the DSA Logistics Division Review Board to designate whether the whole actions preceding this case were warranted. As already noted, an error occurred in the World Council processes, the direct result of which happens to be what brought up the question of competency for this case. While it is a technicality, I believe we are all anxious for this case to move swiftly and, technicality or not, we have sufficient grounds, I believe, to vote on this first matter. With that, are there any objections?" she allows only the briefest of pauses before continuing. "Alright, let us vote on the matter of the first part."
I am still stunned by how fast this is all going, so I sit in silence and watch. They each pull out a card from inside the stack of papers handed to them by Madam Fargious earlier. For once, they all actually seem attentive as well, reading over their material. Then, one by one they each make a mark on their card, fold it in half, and give it to the chairlady, who in turn reads them and writes something in her own book. After the last card is given her (by Florence, the old Canadian), she double checks her information and begins again.
"In the matter of the first part of case number RX110-C, the World Council vs. Keith Robinson, the 110th Strategic Logistics review board has voted four to two, in favor of Mr. Robinson's competency to stand before the World Council. While not a unanimous decision, this matter is less weighty than the others, and so the majority vote is sufficient to close this section of the case, noting that the others will require more unanimity in the decision. If there are no objections, I, Hildegard de la Fargious, do hereby declare the matter closed."
And just like that, a full third of the committee hearing is finished, and we've won the first round. I can barely believe what is going on, it's amazing. The Ronin Warriors might still have a chance with this thing after all. But, no time to celebrate yet, the meeting is still in session.
"Well, that is settled than. Given the lateness of the hour, and the fact that this seems a good stopping point, as chairperson I make a motion that we take a recess and reconvene tomorrow morning to continue." You've got to admit, this French woman knows what she's doing.
"I second the motion, just so I can get outta here," says the Australian.
Ignoring his contempt, Madam Fargious continues, "The motion therefore carries, and this committee is now in recess." All she needs is a gavel, I think to myself.
"Good, I am going back to my embassy to do a little research. G'day mate," says Michael Ritchkins as he walks out.
"I, too, must be going," and Prince Dbale glides out behind him.
"I think it is time for my afternoon nap, eh? I will see you youngins tomorrow," and Florence makes her departure.
"Oh, Florence, wait up. I have been admiring that scarf of yours, you know, and I was wondering if, like, you had made it yourself or if you had bought it somewhere cause I know a lot of older ladies make their own stuff and, not that I'm saying you're old or anything, but just that maybe you might have done it yourself and if you did I was gonna say that was, like, cool, you know and stuff and was wondering if you could teach me, that is if you had made it yourself and…" that Japanese girl has got to slow down some time.
"Breathe, child, I haven't the slightest idea what you are saying," is all Florence says as they both walk out the door. Their conversation continues down the hallway, but now they are far enough away that the words are no longer discernable.
"Mr. Ro-Ro-Robinson, I am interested in hearing m-m-more of what you have to say about these, um, Ro-ro-ronin warriors. I will see you tomorrow," stutters Johnny as he too walks out, leaving just me and my French hostess.
"Wait for it…" she says, obviously wanting to hear something before going on. Soon, we hear the door slam in the distance, "Excellent, they are gone. Whew, that was some case."
"It certainly was. I am glad you know what you are doing, you had me worried there for awhile."
"I know, I could tell. Now that we have until the morning, I can fill you in on what some of my plans are, and hopefully you can fill in the gaps."
"Gaps?" Suddenly I'm not so sure of this whole thing.
"Oh, nothing major, just a few details only you will know the answer to. Come on, care to join me for dinner, Pierre makes the most delicious escargot, and we can talk some more."
While not the biggest fan of French food in the world, I am a fan of knowing what is going on, especially when my entire career is in jeopardy, so I agree and we make our way to an elegant dining room in another part of her suite where Pierre, who apparently doubles as chef in addition to butler, has already prepared food and set two places at a monstrous looking table.
Over Dinner That Evening:
"Alright, so please, Madam Fargious, tell me what just happened with this meeting, why you did it that way." I begin to probe, looking for answers to try to sort all this out.
"Oui, monsieur, I was just getting ready to do that. As you and I both know, this whole thing is a bit of a sham. These people are not fit for their positions, but we are stuck with them, sadly. But there are a few things you should know about the DSA that might help put this in perspective."
"I'm all ears."
"Well, you are young [my, if only you knew, I think to myself], so you might not remember the chaos that happened when the United Nations fell. But I do, and I remember the World Council being formed. It seemed divinely led at the time, the solution to all our problems, and so it was quickly granted all kinds of power, most of it not having any kind of checks and balances at all. Actually, my department, the Review Board, is about all the accountability the DSA has, and even we are still part of the Greater Council itself in some capacity or another. Things went well for awhile, but it hasn't taken long for that power to be abused, and this new president we have has taken that to a whole new level. I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to call him out on something, or the Council as a whole, but that's not the way the system works. There has always been some technicality which prevented it. Of course, that means for awhile now that I have been watching very closely to find a way around the system, and your case has provided the perfect opportunity, I think. What we did today is a giant first step in getting some of these problems fixed…"
"So what you are saying is that you're using me." I don't believe it.
"Not at all; well, not entirely. You are helping me, that is true, and I wanted this case badly. But, you are helping me by helping yourself. Winning this step today will help me start bringing into light some of the other absurd things the Council has been doing, maybe we can figure out a way to bring some accountability into this mess and fix some stuff. The rest of the case won't matter much to that end, except that it will seem more legitimate if you win the whole thing rather than just a part."
"So how is that not using me for your own purposes?"
"Because what I said earlier was true; I do believe what you are saying about these Ronin Warriors, and I want very much for you to win this case so you can prove it to the Council as well. It's a win-win situation. Look, with what we did today, I get to begin taking care of my problems with the Council, that is true. But, because we voted that you are competent, the DSA will have to reinstate you, though probably on probationary terms until the committee is finished. You will have your old post and responsibilities back, which means you can also go back on DSA grounds to your office and work some more on finding a way to prove what you are talking about to these buffoons we are working with…"
"Speaking of them, today was a very close vote, don't you think?" I'm not trying to change the subject per se, but I want to keep her on her toes for a bit to wiggle out as much information as possible.
"Yes and no. four to two isn't great, but it is what I expected, so I wasn't too concerned. Look at it this way, by the sounds of it, you've already got the Uruguayan on your side as well; Johnny Alvarez believes you."
"That's true. But I need the whole committee. If I may ask, where did they stand on the vote." This is not information I should have access to, but it's worth a shot.
"I shouldn't be telling you this, but I need your cooperation. Remember, we are helping each other, right?"
"Yes, alright."
"Ok, well obviously I was one vote in your favor; the technicality thing was my idea. By the way, that part will be left out when this gets presented to the Council tomorrow morning, all they will know is that we voted to have you reinstated. Johnny agreed with the technicality, and he voted in your favor stating that he thought it unfair as well. Florence voted for you as well, but she's not yet on your side. She's an old stickler for the rules, said as much on her card anyway, and she only voted for you because there was no way around it. Nokido is the fourth vote you got, but I don't think she quite understood what she was voting for. For that matter, the same goes for the Kenyan prince, though he voted against you. He's basically going to follow Michael to the grave; he's royalty and has no idea what goes on in the real world, but he and the Australian have been friends for a long time. Michael of course voted against you, saying a technicality isn't enough to get away scot free. We will have our work cut out for us convincing him, but he's really the only major hold out. Florence could be tough too; but you've already got me and Johnny, and I don't think Nokido will be hard to convince either. And like I said, the Prince will follow Michael to the death, so if you get one, you're bound to get the other."
"Alright, well that's good to know. Everything else aside for a moment, why are you on my side?"
"I was in Japan at the time when your Ronin Warriors were supposed to have been there. I remember some of the strange destruction that took place, how it got blamed on earthquakes and tsunamis and warfare with the middle east and China, and I remember thinking even back then that I didn't believe that explanation. There had to be more to it than that. When you started explaining your research, it clicked and all made sense, it was so obvious. But, that's one of those things where you had to be there, and I was, on business for the UN. We still had the United Nations back then, and I was on a diplomatic journey to Japan and China from France."
"What about the others, any chance they were there too?"
"I don't know, it is possible. With the exception of Florence, they are all young, but they could still have been working there or visiting. I wouldn't count on it though, you'll probably need something else to convince these people."
"Ok. Madam Fargious, while I won't pretend I am happy about your not being upfront with me in the beginning, I am inclined to trust you. Well, I kind of have to. Obviously I want to win this thing, and it sounds like whether you believe me or not you want this thing to end in my favor as well, if nothing else than for your own benefit. So, how do we do that?"
"Well, the third part will be relatively simple if we win the second. All we have to do there is decide what to tell the Council they should do. But the second will be tricky. We have to convince the whole committee to unanimously agree that what you are talking about is true. I'm pretty sure if they think it's true they will say the Council has to listen, so there's no problem there. But the fact remains that we are going to have our work cut out for us making these people understand what you are saying, first of all, and then convincing them you are right and their superiors are wrong. Remember, I'm the only person in this group with actual authority in my country. With the others, one's a royal figurehead and the others are nameless low-level politicians or civic workers. Yeah, they are part of the World Council, but only at the lowest, most basic level. That means that they are going to obey the orders of the ones who actually have power, and that would be, of course, the World Council, whose president set up this whole thing in the first place. It's a mess, and that's why I want to fix it, not that that helps you much."
"Ok then," I say a bit flustered, "so what do we do? What is our plan?"
"Well, this evening I will have to take care of some follow up stuff in regards to what got decided today. There will be a brief emergency Council meeting in the morning to review our decision, and a couple of other issues not related to this case. Provided the Council accepts our decision, which they have to do without forming a review committee to inspect it, you will be notified in the morning that you've been reinstated, or at least you should. Like I said earlier, it will probably be on some sort of probationary term until the end of this thing, but it should get you back in where you need to be to have access to your work. Our committee will reconvene around 10 am, so you have until then to prepare…"
"But just what do you expect me to prepare? This whole inspection is based on the fact that I don't have 'tangible evidence' like the Council wants. I appreciate being able to have access to my DSA office, it will help me gather information and continue working, but it won't change what I have already done, which is not up to the Council's liking. If these people are just going to follow their superiors, they will inevitably reach the same conclusion."
"I know, I know. Is there any possibility that, if we buy some time, maybe a few days, you would be able to keep working and maybe find some new development that could change how the Council would view your presentation?"
"Maybe. I was close before this thing blew up, I've been working on a, uh, new lead. But, it's not a guarantee, and I don't know how long it will take to get somewhere, if it takes me anywhere at all. But, it's also the best chance we've got in that department."
"Alright, here's what I can do. I will make sure the meeting in the morning gets off to as early a start as possible, and that your case is the first thing reviewed. The decision will hopefully be made quickly, and then I can send Pierre to you to let you know the outcome. As long as we win, and we should, you will have immediate access to your office. Get started working and don't stop until it's time to come to our meeting. Show up late as far as that goes, I'll stall until you get here. We will make each session as brief as we can without being suspicious, and you will spend every spare minute working on your research. None of these people have been in the Council meetings, so they haven't heard anything that you've said. Tell your story, the entire history, all that you've presented to the World Council and anything you've left out. I'll try to ask questions to kill time, and maybe the others will do the same. If memory serves, there should be enough material in all that to last at least a few days, depending on how good of a storyteller you are."
I think for a moment. There is a whole lot that she doesn't know, but this idea is a reasonable one. I will have to be careful about how I say some of this, so that none of them catch on to what the real truth is. They cannot find out that I have actually been involved in these events, that it's not just coming from research. It will be tricky, but it is worth a shot. My extra time I can use to work on crafting how to tell the story, and relocating the Ronin Warriors. Uncovering where they disappeared to is my only real hope of proving this case. I just hope I can find them before I run out of stuff to talk about.
"Alright Madam Fargious, it sounds like a plan to me."
"Excellent," she says with a slight smile.
"If you'll excuse me, madam, I have work to do."
"Oui, as do I. See you in the morning. I hope you are productive until then."
"Merci, madam," I say as I show myself out the large double doors. I have a long road ahead of me, and a lot of work to do in a very small amount of time, but with a lot of luck it just might work. I owe the Ronins the effort it will require, and more importantly I owe it to my brother who sacrificed himself in this mess. He gave his life, now it's my turn.