Authors note: Sorry, not at the Citadel quiet yet, that's next chapter. this chapter is also a bit on the mall side, but it felt wrong to tack it onto the front of the next chapter, which is likely going to be very large, so it gets to be its own chapter.
I've discovered writing the council may actually be weirdly hard for me. Will try to fix that, we'll have to see how that goes.
And here we go, to preparation. And the appearance of everyone's favorite (no longer) destitute Miko!
The Citadel Council all sat in a single room, eyeing the information before them that was arrayed on data pads, floating screens, and even the tabletop before them. When Matriarch Benezia returned bearing promising news that the new alien race, calling themselves the Alliance, had agreed to come to the Citadel, and had even provided information on their culture and technology Tevos, Valern ,and even Spartacus had been overjoyed.
At least until they began reading and looking over the information given to them.
"These aliens, they are screwing with us." Spartacus said with a scowl as he dropped a datapad onto the table with a loud clatter.
"Perhaps they simply have very stringent beliefs, effective propaganda that lead them to believe these, ideas." Valern suggested as he tapped his Omni tool, looking at information on it with one hand, and a screen before him with the other.
"Their information consistently statutes that they have, 'magic' of all things, and that they have entire legions of people that practice it and technology based off of it." Spartacus said with a wave of his hand. "The information on their technology is sparse as well, but the little there is, it's just as ridiculous!"
"Yes but perhaps they simply use Element Zero, or some sort of, sub alloy of it, perhaps?"
"That would explain..-"
Tevos willed her compatriots words out of her mind and focused on the data in front of her. As interesting as these aliens supposed weakness to Eezo was, it wasn't exactly rare. Nearly all races, save for the Asari, could be horribly sickened by contact with raw dust form Eezo. It affecting and poisoning individuals over time was something normal, though their hate for it was slightly worrisome.
No, she was more interested in the fact that it was not one race they had encountered, but an alliance of three, hence their governments name. An alliance of species would make it difficult to have them join the Citadel as an associate race. She would have to push for each race individually to join, but from the information arrayed before her, no matter how potentially inaccurate it could be according to her compatriots, the three races were tightly knit, and that would make it even more difficult.
Then there were the races themselves. Benezia had told her they looked very much like Asari, but the problem was that the information before her had no pictures. Was it just one race that looked like the Asari? Did all of them? If they did not all look the same, was there a way to tell them apart? Would not being able to tell them apart spark anger or distrust?
There was too little information. True, Spartacus and Valern were very heatedly discussing possible truth and lies of it all, but when she looked over the information she realized something that made her both smirk, and scowl inside. This information had been manipulated. There was far more information about advanced things, like their supposed magic, than on everything else. racial information was sparse, cultural information was chaotic and spread apart seemingly at random, and things like weapon and ship designation were scattered about or referenced without the reference leading to anything.
And above it all, the information kept referencing the fact that these aliens were apparently fearful of Eezo, sickened by it, and could die from exposure to it. The information was constantly pointing to it, and magic, like they wanted them to realize a connection between them that had to exist, yet did not have the information in plain sight.
This information was not meant to inform, it was meant to confuse, meant to make the council unable to take things at face value, to ask question that they had seen the answers to. To make them make fools of themselves without having any other option!
Tevos let out a sigh. How to prove her thoughts? She needed to explain the situation to Valern and Spartacus, but there was still much information to go through. Maybe it did create a whole? If it was all sifted through, would she make sense of it and be able to explain the situation in a way they both would understand?
Hoping that was the case, Tevos pushed herself back in and immersed herself in the information. She had nearly two weeks to look it over. Lots of time to make sure they were ready for when the alliance arrived.
Lots of time.
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Hackett, Kaguya and Yukari all stood around a HoloComm projector with neutral expressions painted on their faces. The projector was showing pages of information, organized by layers and tables and flowcharts, all of information on the Citadel Council, the species in their organization, and how they were organized.
They had acquired the information from Tenshi almost six days before hand via a five hour transfer from Shanxi, and since then had been looking over all of it individually. Now they had met up in person to compare their thoughts and stance on the information, and to decide how they would proceed with the inevitable negotiation with the Citadel Council.
"Once this is finished," Yukari started with a sigh. "I'm going to either congratulate Tenshi, or gap her into the centre of a very active, and very deep volcano!"
"Isn't that a little excessive?" Kaguya asked as she leaned on the HoloComm' edge with both of her arms.
"Operative Tenshi is gambling with information we should have kept secret longer." Hackett said grimly. "By giving the information that the majority of us are weakened by Eezo it shows a weakness that this council could exploit if they desire to. I now realize why she sent us this data by transfer, and did not communicate with us directly when sending it."
Kaguya thought to herself for a second, then looked at the information before them on the council. It was complete, total and well organized, and sent a thought through her head. "Do we have a copy of the information that Tenshi gave to the Citadel Council's envoy?"
" . . . I believe so, why?" Yukari asked carefully.
"Because, we need to take a look at it, even if it is information on our own organization," Kaguya said, and no less than half an hour later both Kaguya and Yukari were sitting in chairs dealing with fits of giggles they could not stop, and Hackett was smiling as he leaned against the Holocomm.
"I think we can agree that Opertive Tenshi has outdone herself with this." Hackett said with a grin.
"I agree, I would not have considered this sort of thing." Kaguya said as she used a finger and wiped some tears of laugher from her eyes, flicking them away to the floor. "If we work with this, we can make utter fools of this Council and they will not be able to stop it. They will be walking right into it!"
"Indeed, they will. I will have to-," Yukari paused as he face became cold somehow, as if she strained to speak. "-To congratulate Tenshi for this."
"Oh, I'll need to find Eirin's recorder then!" Kaguya said with a smile, making Yukari glare at her. "Relax, I wouldn't actually film it. At least not while you know I'm there!"
"Let's focus on the task at hand, shall we?" Hackett suggested as he took a sip of water and looked at the projection. "We now realize that Operative Tenshi has set things up for us to be the target of most questions in a way that will benefit us, but we will need to decide upon how much we are willing to divulge to these races. As well as how to answer their questions and what questions we will ask them, as we will need to ask them questions a well. Many of the points in their information are, worrisome."
"Which points?" Kaguya asked as she stood up and walked up to the Holocomm. "The fact they allow a race to practice slavery, while ignoring that the slaves have to come from somewhere? The fact that they are fanatical about keeping the status quo? The fact that they castrated a species for doing what they wanted them to? Or my favorite, the fact they have eight species in their government, but only three of them have people at the top?"
"I find the race that legally practices slavery to be the most disturbing honestly, right alongside their governing structure." Yukari said with a nod as she looked to Hackett.
"Hmm, their governing style is worrisome, but I find the organization of their military most worrisome, personally. Their treaties and demand of the races under them are heavy, including limiting any races number of warship and their fighting numbers so that they have to let the Councils military protect them, or join their military." Hackett said with a sigh as he looked to his two compatriots. "We are in agreements then?"
Both Yukari and Kaguya silently nodded, understanding what Hackett was getting at.
"Good, we'll have much to discuss, but I do not believe it shall take longer than another day. We should decide upon how we will get there, who will be our guards, and how the prisoners will be sent as well."
"I believe it would be in our best interest to arrive on the same ship as them, or at least alongside it. That way this council cannot argue we did not bring them back to them." Kaguya suggested.
"I agree. I also think we should just go to Shanxi and take a ship from there. One of the mage fleet capitol ships, either the White Lotus or the Wonderland should be able to hold all the prisoners without a problem, I would think." Yukari stated.
Hackett hummed a bit as he scratched at his well-cut beard. "The White Lotus, then. Its weapons are primarily defensive in nature, so it will send the best message as well."
"I agree." Kaguya said quickly. "The White Lotus shall bring us to this citadel along with our guards and the prisoners. Who shall act as our guards? I shall have Eirin come as mine, that way we also have a biology expert and member of Alliance R&D on hand."
"That is a good idea." Hacket said, taking a moment to think. "If my mind does not fail me, I believe Operative Sanae Kochiya is on Shanxi as an R&D member. I shall bring her as my own guard. And you, Yukari?"
Yukari smiled. "We all know who I intent to have at my side. So let's focus on one last point." she said as she brought up an image of the Citadel. "From the information shown here, Mass Effect technology, as they call it, makes up an integral part of their culture and technology. To any of us with magic however, be they human, Lunarian or youkai, it is poison. From the additional information provided by Tenshi and Youmu, it seems many of these aliens can manipulate these fields from Eezo in their own bodies. Direct contact with these combat capable fields will be dangerous, and being inside such fields for any extended period could be as well." Yukari explained as she looked to Kaguya. "We'll need R&D to devise some form of protection from these fields that does not require wearing a full hard suit."
Kaguya nodded. "I agree. I'll get them on it immediately."
"How long will it take at a guess?" Hackett asked as Kaguya began tapping away at the wrist comp.
"A couple days at least. It will depend on who they put on it. And with Eirin, Sanae and Rinnosuke on Shanxi . . . . As long as Nitori is put on it, it should be only a few days."
"Hmmm. Six days of looking over the information. At least two to three days to devise the device we'll need. Plus another day of travel to Shanxi, and then at least another one or two to this citadel. Not including the time it will take to board all the prisoners if it is not done beforehand." Hackett said with a sigh. "It's a good thing Tenshi told them two weeks to prepare."
"Agreed. We have time to continue this discussion tomorrow. Let's reconvene then so we can contact those who will travel with us, as well as Byakuren and Tenshi to inform them of the situation." Kaguya suggested, getting a nod of agreement from both Yykari and Hackett.
Hackett was the first to leave, placing a call immediately, and Kaguya left shortly after, tapping at her computer. A few minutes late, in total silence, Yukari snickered to herself and smiled "Oh, this is going to so much fun!"
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By a crystal clear pool of water, the Hawaiian sun beating down from above, people went about enjoying themselves. Some ate food with their loved ones, others drank under the sun, and some simply bathed under it, letting the sun and various oils do their work. The pool itself was massive, with many people on one side enjoying themselves, the other side being reserved for those swimming laps, either to improve themselves, or simply because they could.
In the lane closest to the pools edge, one person in particular had caught many people's eyes over the day. She swam faster than anyone else, but that was not why people watched. Her hair was a brilliant black that shone in the light, and her form was excellent, curves in all the right places, but that was not why people gawked.
They watched, gawked and stared out of respect and admiration for who she was.
Reaching the end of her laps the woman grabbed the edge of the pool and pulled herself out. Her swimsuit was a red and black competition style, and her long black hair was done into a single ponytail, held up by a single red band with white trim in its center. Climbing out of the pool, it was clear that the woman was of average height, though it did nothing to lessen the impact her looks gave. Long legs, a well-toned body and muscles, and a gaze that could freeze fire and shatter impurity. Stepping away from the pool she grabbed a towel from on a chair and dried her face before placing a pair of sunglasses on. Tossing the towel onto the chair she took a seat, then once comfortable grabbed a bottle of Sapporo of the table. With a click flick of a finger the cap flew off and landed in a recycling bin across the pool, and in one motion she drank the entire contents of the bottle, leaning back comfortably in her chair.
For a while everything seemed calm, until she let out a sigh and shifted a bit, siting up in her chair and staring out at the pool and over it to the tropical sea. "What do you want, Yukari?"
"Oh my, you do always seem to know when I stop by, don't you, Reimu?" came Yukari Yakumo's voice a second before a gap appeared beside Reimu's chair, and out stepped Yukari herself, dressed in a dark purple suit that fit her remarkably well.
Her appearance however caused a stop to all action and noise around the pool as everyone present just stood and stared in shock and surprise.
Reimu let out a sigh and turned her head to Yukari, shaking it slightly so that her sunglasses dipped down, allowing her eyes to look at Yukari uncovered, glaring at her with seriousness. "What. Do. You. Want?"
"Oh, that's rather cold, Reimu! I even got dressed up to see you!" Yukari whined innocently before a grin covered her face. " or are you saying you'd prefer I appear in a swimsuit as well so we can go for a pair look?" in that instant, as soon as the words left Yukari's mouth, a Sukima* appeared over her head and moved down over her. Her clothing changed as the Sukima went over her, changing from a dress suit the darkest of purples, to a skimpy bikini that was bright purple with black straps.
Reimu let out an exasperated sigh as Yukari took a seat on a chair beside Reimu, lounging casually as a Sukima dropped a pair of sunglasses and a hat on her head, and a mixed drink of some kind into her hand. Reimu could smell the fruity smell immediately and it made her scowl even more. Now she wanted one. "What is this about, Yukari? You hardly ever have time to bother me, so this must be important, yes?"
"Yes it is." Yukari said simply as she sipped the drink and let out a hum. "I'll have to pay the bar for snitching this, it's quite good!"
Reimu let out a groan. "What is it called?"
"It's a Mai Tai. I haven't had one this good in a while."
"Waiter, can I get a Mai Tai, please?" Reimu asked as she flagged a waiter who was hurrying alongside the pools edge. He nodded quickly and went on his way. "Would you please tell me what this is about now?"
"Of course, I just wanted you to have a drink as well. It's been so long since we last drank together, after all!"
Reimu simply looked at Yukari for a second before sighing and leaning back in her chair, pushing her sunglass back up her nose.
"Alright fine I'll get to the point. You know of what has been occurring at Shanxi, yes?"
"Of course. It is quite the incident, and I'm honestly surprised I wasn't called for it. Not that I'm complaining."
"You are many things Reimu, but a military general and a leader of ground forces is not one of them." Yukari said calmly. "Anyway, the situation has been mostly contained. The alien invaders have been made to surrender, and we have gained contact with an envoy from their coalition government."
"A coalition government. You mean it's more than one race?" Reimu asked calmly as the waiter came by and deposited a Mai Tai on the table between them, closest to Reimu. "Thank you."
"Yes, only one of these aliens attacked us however, their military arm. Embarrassingly enough for them, the rest of them were oblivious to this until recently. Regardless we will be brokering a rather, interesting peace with them within the next week. We merely await some special equipment, and to travel to meet them."
Reimu took a sip of her Mai Tai and smiled at it before placing it back on the table. "You wouldn't be telling me this if there wasn't something you wanted from me. I would just hear about all of this afterword's anyway. So what are you after?"
"Hackett, Kaguya and myself shall be leaving to the Shanxi system to meet with Tenshi, who acted as general for the defence against the aliens, and to pick up Eirin and Sanae, both of whom shall be acting as guardians for us during the negotiation. We don't want to seem like we don't need guardians after all, that would send the wrong message. We want them to think only some of us are strong, so if they do pick a fight we can grind them into dust."
"Get to the point." Reimu said as she grabbed her drink and took another drink of it, consuming almost half the glass in a bare two mouthfuls.
"I find myself in need of a guardian, and hoped you would be kind enough to act as mine for the negotiation. Would you?"
"I'm on vacation." Reimu said immediately as she finished her drink without making a sound.
"You always on vacation except for when you're beating the magic out of those who deserve it or solving an incident." Yukari said with a smile.
Reimu could not really argue that point. When the border fell she had her hands tied with the worldwide incident it was, as well as with figuring out what to do with herself. She eventually found out her fortune and luck was as good as her intuition though, and ended up winning not one, but five separate lotteries in just over two years. Being strapped for money for so long, she had been intent on not wasting it, and had either put most of it into savings accounts, shares, or investments. Even if one or two fell through, the rest were always going strong. That, along with the fact that she was paid by the Alliance for every incident she solved, meant she never really had to work again. She, of course, did still work, both as an operative of the Alliance and as an occasional teacher alongside Sanae for training new Miko and Priests, but she didn't need to, she just did to keep busy. It had been a long time since she had dealt with any incident though, big or small.
Rimu let out a sigh. She did need to get back into things really. She couldn't just laze about all day long like she did in Gensokyo while waiting for donations. "Alright, fine. When is this happening?"
"We figured that the device we need made would take two to three days to make. That was yesterday, and we were informed this morning that R&D had managed to create a working prototype already. They just need to work the kinks out and it will be good to go. We leave tomorrow morning from Luna as soon as we have the devises. From there we will go to Shanxi, to accompany our POW's, and then to the alien home territory." Yukari said as she got up from the chair, a Sukima going over and changing her bikini back to a dress suit as another appeared right in front of her. "Thank you, Reimu. I will see you at Luna spaceport."
And with that, she was gone.
Reimu was silent for a few seconds before she scowled and removes her sunglasses, staring up at the inside of the umbrella that sat above her. "Dammit. I guess it's a good thing I travel light." She muttered as she slowly sat up and then glanced at the table, where piece of paper sat, folded and pointing toward her. Knowing she would regret it, she picked up the paper anyway and unfolded it.
I forgot to pay for my drink, pay for it for me, okay, Reimu?
Yukari.
Reimu felt a long buried rage well up within her, and as she stood up let it cry out to the heavens. "DAMN GAP HAG!"
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Sukima / Gap - A Sukima, often called a gap by most people, is sort of gateway between boundaries and borders created by Yukari Yakumo by her power over borders. They can be used to traverse long distance, bring things out of or into existence and even change the base principles of a person's being, body, and thoughts and ideals. The Sukima was one of the facets of her power that was studies to help with the creation of the boundary drive, and without its existence, the drive would never have been created.
there are limits to what a Sukima can do, such as its maximum reach, but Yukari has never divulged this fact or the actual limits of it to others. At the very least it has been recorded of her going from Tokyo to the moon on occasion, so there is much argument about its actual distance.
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Operative Bio – Reimu
Name: Reimu Hakurei
Race: Human
Gender: Female
Age: 150, looks to mid to late twenties.
Power rank: S
Class: 3
Class Specifics: can only work alongside those who can keep up with her. Those in this number are few and can be counted on both hands. Does not command troops well.
Powers: Manipulation of Aura's, summoning godly powers. mastery over the spiritual.
Capabilities/skills: inhuman intuition and luck. Flight. Purification skills. Master ranked martial combat skills. Economic and business sense.
Bio: The Miko (Shrine maiden) of the Hakurei shrine that held the border of Gensokyo closed, when the border broke, all of Reimu's world came tumbling down. Her shrine blown from existence, and Gensokyo gone, leaving her with nothing. taking it in stride she, along with many others worked to preserve he world aft the border broke, and was able to stay sane by continually working for a time, allowing her to get used to the new world with help from Marisa and Sanae.
During the creation of the alliance she ended up winning numerous lotteries, and not wanting to be poor ever again, worked to make sure hr money would always be with her, putting it in savings accounts, shares, investments and the like. Many of these investments are in things like Alliance R the Miko institute, and the Magic academy ships, places she knows will never disappear and will always keep giving back. she doesn't need to work now, and can live off the interest of these, but still often works with Sanae training new Miko and as an operative.
While Operatives have no ruling on who is considered the strongest of all of them, Reimu is considered to be the strongest in one on one combat and control tactics. Her intuition, along with years of solving incidents and her massive spiritual powers allow her to easily dominate other in combat, and it is nearly impossible to take her by surprise. She is impressively skilled in martial combat as well, allowing her to fight in all avenues and distances without a care.
she does not hold a permanent job besides being an operative, and spends most of her time when not training Miko's or acting as an operative by lounging around earth at the many resorts, lazing around far more effectively than she ever could in Gensokyo.
it is known that she doe not Command an Alliance Operative ship (AOS), but is finally considering having one made for her, and possibly sharing it with Sanae.