A/N: Ugh, the writer's block on this one...
Also, I am far from well-versed in international legal proceedings. I did some research, but I still have little idea of how to write an international court case, and you all probably don't have the patience to read through an actual one. I've therefore decided to prioritize entertainment value over realism in this case. This means skipping over most points of parliamentary procedure, making generous assumptions about the interior of the Peace Palace and Chinese Embassy in the Hague, and ignoring most protocols regarding international trials on account of not knowing them.
Chapter 43
The sunlight pouring in through the windows told Lily that she had slept in. As her eyes fluttered open, she found herself immobilized, and panicked for just a moment before remembering the events of the previous night.
When the alarms had first sounded, everyone had been herded into the IS Academy sub-basement, a poorly lit but admittedly durable complex of metal-lined tunnels and told to stay put. Even Lily, who knew exactly who was in charge of East Russia and had at least some faith that they'd be able to keep things under control, did not get any rest down there. Hours later the curfew was lifted, and students were permitted to return to their dorms. Lily's squadron had followed her, and to soothe at least some of their fears, Lily had deployed her IS and allowed the rest of the girls to sleep with her inside its shield envelope.
Picking her head up from the pillow she had crammed into her suit, Lily looked around and counted three of her squadmates. Sarah was curled up in the crook of the Blazing Phoenix's arm, Cai and Catelyn were curled up together between the suit's legs, and Shizune... Lily looked to her suit's other arm and saw that the Japanese girl was nowhere to be found. Lily concluded that she'd gone off to get breakfast, and hoped she brought back enough for everyone.
After a few long minutes, Lily sighed and stowed her IS away, before standing up and going to take a shower.
It was when Lily was getting out of said shower that Shizune burst into the room. Lily barely dodged out of the way of the door, her bathrobe coming open in the process.
"Ichika's back!" Shizune said as she closed the door.
"What? You're sure?" Lily exclaimed. Last she'd heard, he was shot down over enemy territory along with Tatenashi. Had they really managed to make it out?
"I'm sure! I talked to my friend, Okuno, and she said that one of her squadmates was sheltered in an area with a window, where she saw eight black IS suits fly in!" Shizune said.
"But that doesn't prove anything, there are a lot of-" Lily began but Shizune waved her hands to cut her off.
"I know, so I had to check for myself! I went to his dorm, and guess what? There were soldiers there! Two of them, standing guard outside Ichika's door! That has to mean he's here!" Shizune continued.
"What about-"
"I checked Houki's room too, since it was close by. Guards there too! Same thing for Cecilia's room when I passed by! They're here, all of them!"
"What's that? What's being guarded?" Sarah asked from the bed, her voice sleepy.
"Ichika's back, he's under guard in his room, and rumor has it he's going to be tried in the Hague!" Shizune replied, before turning back to Lily.
"You like bad boys, right?"
Lily blinked.
"What was that about him being tried in the Hague?"
"Well, that's what everyone's saying, and I mean, it makes sense, right?" Shizune asks.
"I mean, it does..." Cai said.
"Do... Do you think they'll find him guilty?" Catelyn asked.
"I have no idea, and even if they did, what would they do? The worst the UN can do is kick Ichika out of IS Academy. Anything else would have to be done on a national level, and considering how everyone involved wasn't ordered to land and surrender to Japanese forces before being imprisoned, something tells me that Japan has no interest in persecuting them." Lily says.
"I mean, I did hear that they were on a secret mission to stop the nuclear launch and rescue Kanzashi, but that can't be true, can it? They wouldn't send a bunch of IS Academy students, most of whom aren't even Japanese, into East Russia, would they?" Shizune asked.
"You would think that, but honestly? It's not the worst solution." Lily says after a few moments of thought.
"What do you mean?" Cai asked.
"Well, if they sent anything directly affiliated with Japan into the DRR, then the DRR gets a clear target. However, send a group of civilians not directly affiliated with Japan, with a clear motive for being there that has nothing to do with Japanese politics or nuclear weapons? Then the DRR might hesitate to fire and a rescue might be conducted successfully..." Lily explains.
"Evidently it worked, considering how we're all still alive." She finishes.
"But that's... That's ridiculous! That kind of stuff only happens in movies!" Sarah exclaimed.
"If my hypothesis is correct, we'll most likely see a movie of this soon enough." Lily replied.
"We'll probably see a movie of this one way or another. Only question is the spin put on it and the finer details." Shizune said.
Lily allows the conversation to continue as she processes this new information. Evidently, despite being warned well in advance and having her father's fighters do all the heavy lifting, the DRR had proven unable to capture either Ichika or Tatenashi. Considering where their allegiance lay, it was almost certain that they knew exactly who was really responsible for this... Not that it mattered. Considering the pounding the DRR had just taken, Lily was willing to wager that its days were numbered, meaning in turn that one of Phantom Task's greatest footholds had just lost its nuclear capability, and would most likely fall apart in the next few months.
She sighed and sat down to start on her breakfast, wondering what this meant for Coronation. Considering her family had no direct claims or assets in Russia, their losses were minimal, but Phantom Task as a whole had invested quite a bit into the Russian civil war. All that investment could be gone soon. Did that mean Coronation was in danger? Lily hoped not. The technology needed for the operation was already done. If the plan had to be abandoned or delayed, it would only take one impatient rebel in the wrong place to make things go catastrophically wrong...
She sighed softly and leaned back in her chair. Her father knew what he was doing. Everything would proceed as planned. She just had to have faith.
With that in mind, she allowed herself to return to the present and resume listening to her squadmates talk.
"So what happens to Ichika after the trial?" Catelyn asked.
"No idea. He's either charged or acquitted." Shizune replied.
"A better question would be what do you hope would happen to him?" Cai asked.
"Well... I mean... He just went to save his friend, right? She was kidnapped by a rogue state in direct violation of international treaties. He can't be punished for doing the right thing, right?" Catelyn asked.
"But letting him go just like that would set a horrible precedent! He and his friends went rogue and used military hardware provided to them by their governments to carry out a military operation on foreign soil. They might have killed people!" Cai says.
"They did." Lily interjects.
"What?" Her squadmates asked as one.
"Ichika and his group... They definitely killed people while on their mission." Lily clarifies.
"See? That would set an awful precedent!" Cai says.
"But he... He just wanted to save his friend! He shouldn't be punished for that!" Catelyn replied.
"It's all irrelevant anyway, because the UN Court can't actually enforce its verdicts. Considering how the Japanese just escorted them to IS Academy and placed them into house arrest instead of shooting them down and forcing them into a proper prison, something tells me Japan is perfectly fine with them getting away with it." Sarah says.
"But..." Cai protests.
"What about you, Lily? How do you want this case to end?" Sarah asked.
Lily thought for a moment.
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to side with Catelyn on this one. Ichika... He's too young and too... Fascinating to become a tragic figure torn down for doing the right thing." Lily replies.
"But-" Cai began.
"Think of it this way. If it were you kidnapped, I would go to the ends of the earth to bring you back safe and sound, damn the consequences... And that goes for all of you. Would I deserve to have the rest of my life destroyed for doing so?" Lily asks.
Cai sighs.
"No... But..."
"It's a messy political situation, and considering the precedent it could set, it can certainly be considered a no-win situation. Either punish someone for saving a hostage being used in an IS ransom scheme, or set an awful precedent of allowing students to go off on their own to shoot up foreign military bases and come back to a slap on the wrist." Lily says.
"Yeah..." Shizune replies, then pauses.
"Wait, how do you know that? About that... Ransom scheme, was it? I didn't hear anything of the sort." She asks.
"I'm afraid I'll have to keep that classified." Lily replies, drawing a snort from Cai.
"Sure..."
Lily just laughed at that, and resumed eating her breakfast. Yes, it would be far better off if Ichika was acquitted. She could admire that drive to save a comrade from what she knew for a fact was an awful fate at the hands of Phantom Task. It would be a shame to see such drive squandered, and as for the resulting precedent? Well, such things would only matter in the long term, and to the best of her knowledge, there was none.
The feeling of Tatenashi's arms wrapped around him was far from the worst sensation Ichika had ever woken up to. Indeed as he lay in bed, feeling her breath against the back of his neck, he decided that house arrest aside, this was one of the best mornings he'd ever had.
He didn't move until around an hour later, when he felt Tatenashi stir behind him.
"Good morning." She whispered, clearly awake now.
"Good morning, Tatenashi." Ichika replied, turning to face her.
They probably would have stayed that way for a while, neither of them particularly wanting to expend the effort to get out of bed, when a commotion outside the room drew their attention.
"I am sorry, but nobody is permitted to come in or out of this room, or to speak with its current occupants." A male voice, almost certainly a soldier, was audible through the door.
"Come on, please? They're our squadron leaders, we just want to know if they're alright, and what-" It was Utsuho Nohotoke, one of Tatenashi's squadmates.
"I am sorry, but we are not permitted to allow any visitors into this room. The occupants are unharmed, but are confined to this room until further notice."
There was a short pause before Theresa replied.
"So... When will they be let out?"
"I'm afraid I cannot tell you that."
By then, Ichika had sat up and grabbed his phone.
'We're fine, thanks for the concern, but please don't bother the soldiers outside. We can hear you just fine.' He texted his squadron.
"Oh..." Theresa replied.
A few moments of muffled speaking passed, then Utsuho Nohotoke spoke up.
"Can... We brought up breakfast for them... Can we leave it here?" She asked.
"You may." The soldier replied, amusement plain in his voice.
On Ichika's phone, all he could see was that several people were typing.
"Thank you." Utsuho replied.
There was the sound of footsteps receding, then came a knock on the door.
"Breakfast is served. Your friends brought it up."
At that, Ichika stood out of bed, threw on a shirt and walked to the door.
"Thank you." He said as the soldier passed two trays of food into his hands.
"Enjoy. You've got some loyal friends, you... know... that...?" The man trailed off, looking just past him. Ichika followed his gaze to see his room, with one bed clearly untouched, and an apparently naked Tatenashi peeking out from beneath the blankets of the other.
Trying very hard to not flush at the thought Ichika thanked the man again, who in turn seemed to be trying all too hard to keep a straight face. Then he turned and went to set the food down on the table while the guard stepped out and closed the door.
He then went to go pick up his phone.
'Ichika, are the rumors true? Did you just invade Russia?' Rei's message was the first one present.
'Without telling us?' Theresa's was next.
'What's going to happen to you now? Are you getting expelled?' That one was from Ayane.
'WHY DIDN'T YOU BRING US ALONG?' Sakura, of course.
Ichika considered his response for a few minutes before texting back.
'Yes, we attacked a Russian military base to rescue Kanzashi. No idea what is going to happen now.'
'They better not expel you.' Theresa texted back.
'Yeah, it was all the Russians' fault! You shouldn't be punished for that!' Ayane added.
'From what I can tell, we might be tried in the Hague, but there isn't exactly a precedent for this so I have no idea what will happen.' Ichika texted back.
'What, like... Like a war criminal?' Rei asked.
'I guess? I have no idea.' Ichika texted back.
'What... What did you do?' Theresa asked.
'We... Well, we went in to rescue Kanzashi, shot up the base where she was held.' Ichika began.
'How did you get there without being blown out of the sky?' Theresa asked.
'Can't say.' Ichika replied automatically.
'What's that supposed to mean?' Ayane asked.
'Who else was involved? You had help, right?'
'The JSDF and US Military were involved.' Ichika texts back, thankful for the easy out.
'Oh... But wait, if this was something they allowed, why are you being tried for war crimes?' Rei asked.
'Because we shot up a Russian military base.' Ichika replied.
'What happened afterwards? It can't have taken three days for you to get in and out, right?' Theresa asked.
'Tatenashi and I were shot down.' Ichika texted back after a few moments.
There was nothing on the other end for a while.
'What?'
'Enemy fighters came in, caught us by surprise, and shot the two of us down while we covered the retreat. It took three days for a rescue operation to be organized.' Ichika texted back.
Once again, there was quiet on the other end for a while. By then, Tatenashi had started texting away on her own phone whilst eating her breakfast in bed.
'But that means you had to be stranded in hostile territory for three days. How did you not get caught?' That was Ayane.
'We got very lucky.' Ichika replied.
There was a lot of typing. Finally, Rei sent the response.
'Thank goodness you're back safe then.'
'Yeah. Sorry I didn't get to speak with you in person. Thank you for the breakfast though.' Ichika texted back.
'You're welcome.'
"How are they taking it?" Tatenashi asked a few minutes later, once the texting had died down.
"Surprisingly well. Sakura even demanded to know why we didn't bring them along."
Tatenashi laughed at that.
"Would you?" She asked.
"Of course not." Ichika replied.
"For one, their IS suits wouldn't have been able to make the trip without recharging at least... Twice if I'm doing my math right, and I'm not about to place them under a risk they aren't ready for." He elaborated.
"One could very easily say the same of us."
"But we knew what we signed up for, right? We knew that we'd be seeing combat-"
"Now? While we're still in IS Academy? I seem to remember being specifically told that we wouldn't be in combat until after graduation, and yet here we are, under house arrest after shooting up a Russian military base." Tatenashi pointed out.
"You're right, but still..."
"I know what you mean, and believe me I agree with you. I'm just curious, would you answer have changed if they had signed on under the same belief?"
Ichika shrugged.
"It probably would have been different... Though at the same time if they were members, they would also have been given the same upgrades as us."
Tatenashi sighed in response to that.
"True, true..." She lay back down on the bed.
"What do you think will happen to us?" She asked after a few moments.
"In the trial?"
"Yeah. We're... Unless a miracle happens, we will probably be kicked out of IS Academy... We'll be sent home, and, well... For some of us, it could be years before we see each other again."
"That's..." Ichika sat down on the bed beside Tatenashi, knowing all too well that what she said was the most likely outcome, unless the Organization could pull off a miracle behind the scenes.
"Has Maya said anything?" Tatenashi asked.
"Not as far as I'm aware." Ichika replied after a glance at his phone. He promptly texted her, asking her the same question Tatenashi had just asked him.
'We're working on it.' Was the response.
"She has no idea. Something's being done, but I don't think anyone has a concrete plan yet." Ichika sighed.
"Sounds about right... We should contact the others. See what they're doing." Tatenashi replied.
"Good idea. I'll set up a group call." Ichika replied.
About half an hour later, once Cecilia and Rin had finally been woken up, the group call was set up.
"Good morning everyone!" Tatenashi greets. The girls all replied with varying levels of enthusiasm, ranging from Charlotte's cheerful 'Good morning!' to Cecilia's sleepy 'Mph'.
"How are you all doing?" Ichika asked.
"About as well as can be expected." Laura replied.
"We're all here, we're all unhurt... I'd say that's pretty good all things considered." Cecilia adds.
"My squadron paid me a visit this morning... They said they were happy to see me back safe." Houki added.
"That's good to hear. Our girls visited as well. Even brought up breakfast for us!" Tatenashi replied, before glancing over to her sister.
"What about you, Kanzashi?"
"I... I'm fine. I spoke with my guards this morning, they seem nice. Didn't mind me talking with the rest of you." The younger girl sighed.
"I'm just glad to be back."
"That's... Good to hear." Laura said.
"It feels like our guards are just going through the motions..." Charlotte said.
"Considering the circumstances that led us here, I'm not surprised at all." Tatenashi replied.
"Yeah..." Rin replied, only to be cut off by her phone ringing.
"Excuse me for a moment." She stood up and walked off camera.
"I spoke to Clarissa earlier today. After giving me an earful, she told me that apparently none of my superiors have any idea of what to do with me. Some want me jailed, others want to pin a medal on me..." Laura said, lying back down on her bed.
"I'd imagine the same thing is happening to most of us. What we did was quite unprecedented, and not even the predictable kind of unprecedented." Cecilia laughs.
"Yeah..." Charlotte replied.
"I would much prefer to get the medal though." Cecilia laughed.
"Don't we all." Tatenashi sighed.
"So... What does that mean for all of us?" Charlotte asked.
"Probably means that there'll be more room for debate in any particular trial." Laura replied.
"You think we might get acquitted?" Tatenashi asked.
"Oh no, not unless a lot of very important people all decide that establishing a precedent of letting IS Academy students get away with bombing foreign military installations with a slap on the wrist is a good idea. We're screwed, and this may very well be the last time we all see each other." Laura said.
"But if they punish us, won't that imply that the DRR breaching the Alaska Treaty is acceptable?" Houki asked.
"To be fair, the DRR wasn't around to sign that treaty, but they did violate IS Academy's neutrality and should be punished. However, that is not mutually exclusive with punishing us for hitting them. Sanction and maybe even bomb the Russians, expel the unruly students, and let everything settle down. That's probably what will happen." Laura sighed.
"Probably... Still, can't hurt to hope..." Cecilia said, then trailed off as Rin came back into view, a shell-shocked expression on her face.
"Rin? What's wrong?" Cecilia stood up.
"I... I have just been told that..." Rin sniffed.
"I have just been told that my representative candidacy has been revoked, and I am being withdrawn from IS Academy. I... I am to pack my belongings to be ready for pickup at the conclusion of the trial..." The Chinese girl replied.
"Wait, they did what?" Cecilia exclaims, leaping up from the bed.
Ichika opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.
"I thought... Wasn't the Organization supposed to guarantee this wouldn't happen?" Cecilia growled.
"I don't know..." Tatenashi replied.
"Rin, what will you do?" Laura asked.
"What do you think? I... I've got to start packing." Rin replied softly, slumping down against the bed.
"But... They can't just-"
"They can." Rin sighed.
Nobody spoke for a few moments, before Cecilia sighed.
"Unfortunately, I will have to cut our call short. Thank you..." With that, her face winked out of view.
"I didn't think it would happen so soon..." Laura sighed after a few long moments.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Tatenashi asked.
"I thought they'd at least wait for us to be tried and found guilty before pulling us out." Laura replied.
"What makes you think we'll be found guilty?" Houki replied.
"Unless the Organization has infiltrated all the worlds' governments to a cartoonish extent, there is absolutely no way we won't be punished for what we did... Honestly, if we did get off, I'd be more worried about the Organization secretly having taken over the world while I wasn't looking." Laura replied.
"So assume we are found guilty, what do you think will happen to us?" Ichika asked.
"Depends on where we're from. I'll probably end up being withdrawn from IS Academy and pushed somewhere out of the public eye. You, Tatenashi, Kanzashi and Houki will most likely get off with a slap on the wrist all things considered. Charlotte... You and Cecilia will probably never touch an IS again, and as for Rin... I have no idea at this point." Laura replied.
"And with the Organization factored in?" Kanzashi asked.
"Those of us who can't just catch a plane to Urup end up disappearing from our beds one night and waking up on a plane to headquarters. Depending on their vulnerability and usefulness as hostages, our families might be along for the ride as well." Laura replied.
"Awfully cynical of you." Kanzashi noted.
"Hostages work both ways. If, say, Rin's parents were evacuated from China to prevent them from being used as a coercion instrument against Rin by the Chinese government, they'd just end up becoming coercion instruments against her by the Organization." Laura replied.
"Yeah..." Ichika sighed.
"Still, I don't have any regrets about how things turned out. We're all here, we're all alive and unhurt. We'll get through this too, one way or another." He said.
"Me too." Laura nodded, with a smile on her face. Her sentiment was echoed by the other girls still listening.
The next few days passed much the same, spent mostly talking with each other in the absence of anything else substantial to do.
Finally, early one morning Ichika felt himself being shaken awake.
"Ichika, wake up. They're calling for us." Tatenashi's voice pulled him out of his dreams.
"Alright." He groaned as he he sat up.
"Now?" He looked at the windows, where the sun had yet to rise.
"They said twenty minutes. Enough for a quick shower and to pack a change of clothes." Tatenashi replied.
"Got it."
They showered together to save time, got dressed, and quickly threw some of their clothes into a suitcase before opening the door.
"Good morning. Are you both ready?" The soldier on the other side asked.
"Yes." Ichika nodded.
"Good. Come with me."
"Where are we going?" Tatenashi asked.
"Netherlands. As you may have guessed, you'll be up on trial."
"Ah..." Tatenashi trailed off.
"If it helps, I hope you all get acquitted. Those Russian bastards tried to hold us all hostage with nuclear weapons, they got what was coming to them."
"Can't say I disagree with that." Tatenashi replied as they headed out. They quickly met up with Houki and Kanzashi, then Charlotte and Laura, and finally Rin and Cecilia on their way out of the building.
They had entered the common room and were heading for the exit when Ichika heard a familiar voice shout his name.
"Ayane?" He turned around to see his squadron, along with several others, rounding the corner. Soon, the common room was full as girls crowded in, most of them still wearing pyjamas.
"How did you know we were leaving?" He heard Laura ask.
"One of Cecilia's squadmates lives next door to Houki and heard them start packing. She texted us, we texted everyone else..." Her squadmate replied.
"Ichika, we... Well..." Ayane looked sheepish for a moment before walking up and wrapping him into a four-armed hug.
"This might be the last time we see each other, so... We just... We just wanted to wish you good luck." Theresa said as she joined the hug.
"What do you mean, Ichika'll be back here and leading us in time for the next tournament!" Sakura added as she too joined in.
"Let's hope so." Rei said.
"Thank you." Ichika returned the hug as best as he was able.
"Hopefully I'll be back soon, but if I'm not..." He sighed.
"Theresa, you have command. I know that even with one man down, you can lead Archer Squadron to victory. Ayane... I know you'll make my sister proud. Keep working hard."
"I will." Ayane replied.
"Sakura, remember to stay optimistic. Even if I don't come back, I'll do my best to keep in touch. And Rei..."
"I'll make sure they don't fall behind on their classwork, I know." Rei smiled.
"Thank you."
"Come on. You've said your goodbyes and the plane is waiting." The soldier interrupted, and his squadron let go.
"Goodbye... See you soon." Theresa said as he began to head towards the door.
"See you soon." Ichika replied.
They took the monorail out of IS Academy, where several cars were waiting for them. From there, they were taken to the airport where, true to the soldiers' word, a plane was waiting for them. They were escorted to the airstair, where the soldiers gestured for them to board.
The hatch closed behind them, and the eight of them went to take their seats. Ichika had barely sat down when a door at the front of the compartment opened. Two men dressed like stereotypical secret agents with shades and neat black suits entered first, pistols plainly visible at their sides. Behind them came another man, and though Ichika had only seen him once before, he nonetheless recognized Gendou Aikawa.
He closed the door behind him, then nodded to Ichika.
"Orimura-san, I have to say I did not expect things to go like this when we first met."
"Neither did I. I was hoping for three relatively quiet years at IS Academy where the worst stress I had to deal with was an upcoming exam. Now we're off to be tried in the Hague and none of us seem to be on track to finish our first year." Ichika replied.
"I wouldn't start packing your bags just yet. You all are lucky enough to have a lot of friends in high places... Though I suppose you've also made a few enemies as well." Gendou replies.
"Who?" Laura asked.
"Let's start with the good. The Japanese and American governments have already made their decisions, and both of them will fight against anything greater than a slap on the wrist. Both know exactly how close things came to a nuclear war, and what role we all played in averting catastrophe."
Ichika nodded at that.
"That much we already knew." Cecilia pointed out.
"Yes. The Russian Federation is also very firmly in our corner, though their influence on the global scale has decreased dramatically as of late. I have you two to thank for that, Orimura-san, Sarashiki-san. Apparently, a certain Spetsnaz officer knew some people in high places."
"I see..." Tatenashi said.
"I take it the DRR is the opposite?"
"The DRR is not a member state of the United Nations. While they understandably don't like you, and will likely be calling for your heads, they have little influence in the actual case."
"If they don't, then what's the nature of this case, exactly?" Kanzashi asked.
"That's where things get tricky. As you may or may not be aware, there are two types of cases that may go before the International Court of Justice. The first is a so-called Contentious Case, which is your standard arbitration of a dispute between two nations. The other is an Advisory Proceeding, which is when a UN body asks for the court's opinion on what course of action to take. Your case is in the latter category, as it is simply IS Academy asking for the court's opinion on how to punish you." Gendou began.
"What's the catch?" Rin asked.
"The catch... The catch is that this case has the potential to spiral into a far bigger one about the future of IS Academy as a whole."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It's a long story, going all the way back to the signing of the Alaska Treaty and the establishment of IS Academy, but the gist of it is that back then China complained quite vocally about the academy being situated in Japan, and they have since filed multiple complaints about how the academy shows unfair bias in favor of Japanese students, among other things. The concern is that China may use the current situation to do more than simply complain."
Rin cocked her head.
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that it is in China's interests to undermine faith in IS Academy among the international community, and this court case will definitely play a part in any plan to do so." As he spoke, Gendou pulled up a briefcase, opened it, and handed out the folders within.
"All of you, Huang-san in particular, are to read through these. They contain information on events that occurred during your time at IS Academy that you may be questioned about. Memorize it."
"Understood." Ichika replied, opening the folder. Inside were the details of various events that he'd personally taken part in, sanitized to remove mentions of the Organization, but certainly containing far more than IS Academy had let slip.
Some moments passed in silence before Cecilia spoke up.
"Sir... Can you tell me, honestly, what will happen to us?"
Gendou was silent for a long moment, before shaking his head.
"We are doing our best to stack the deck in your favor, but in the end I cannot say."
Armed guards and transport cars were waiting for them when they arrived at Rotterdam as they disembarked from the plane. Along with them were three Chinese men in suits, who quickly approached them.
"Lingyin Huang?" One of them called out.
"I'm here." Rin replied.
"You will come with us."
"Wait a minute! What is going on here?" Gendou exclaimed, stepping in front of her.
"This does not concern you. Stand as-"
"My orders are to deliver them to the Peace Palace as soon as possible, not to hand them over to-"
"It has been decided that Cadet Huang will be interrogated in private by her government first."
"Why was I not informed of this?" Gendou demanded.
"The situation is changing rapidly. This was only recently decided. Now, Cadet Huang will come with us."
As the man spoke, Ichika put a hand on Rin's shoulder. However, the Chinese girl shrugged it off and walked forward.
"What are you-?" Gendou began.
"If I am needed I will come with you." She says, before turning to Gendou.
"Thank you for escorting me here." She nodded, winked at Ichika, and then turned away, walking with the three men into a nearby car, which drove away moments later.
"We should be going as well." Gendou growled after muttering several choice profanities under his breath.
As Rin was driven away, she did her best to maintain a stoic expression towards her minders. Now was not the time for emotion or defiance, and thankfully Gendou had not attempted to press the issue on her behalf. No, if she were to have any hope of making it through this and seeing her friends again, she had to be a good communist and hope, not pray, that the story the Organization had concocted was good enough.
The car drove on the highway towards the Hague, and soon Rin could see the Peace Palace, where the International Court of Justice resided, out of the window. However, the car did not stop there, instead driving past it to eventually arrive at a pair of large brick buildings, with a small glass bridge connecting them. The Chinese flag waved prominently from its pole outside.
"Out!" One of the men shouted and she obeyed without a word, exiting the car. The three men surrounded her, and then escorted her into the embassy. Once inside, she was led downstairs into an small room, empty save for a table and a chair, plus a camera in the ceiling corner.
"Sit. Someone will be meeting with you shortly." One of the men said, before turning and leaving, exchanging a few words with one of the guards outside before closing and locking the door. That left Rin alone, going over the details of her cover story while doing her best not to panic.
Then the door was unlocked, thrown open, and Rin's eyes widened as she saw the woman that came through the door. It was Leilei Yang, the political officer in charge of IS Academy student selection, and she was furious. So furious, in fact, that she neglected to close the door as she marched inside, before slamming her fists down in front of Rin.
"You idiotic waste of air, do you even have the capacity in your empty head to understand just how much of a disgrace you are?" She shouted.
"Every single tournament you have fought in has seen you defeated and China humiliated! You have caused immense property damage to the academy, for which our government has had to make reparations! Now here you are, causing an immense diplomatic incident and committing treason!" Every sentence was punctuated by her fists slamming into the desk again.
"I-" Rin panicked and opened her mouth, only for Leilei to cut her off, reaching over the table and grabbing her collar, pulling her to her feet.
"What could you possibly have to say? I chose you to be China's representative candidate, and look how you-" She spat.
"Yang!" Another voice interrupted her handler's rant, and had Rin not been in shock, she might have taken some pleasure in watching the wind leave the older woman's sails.
"General, I-" She began, but the man waved her off.
"You were not authorized to interact with her for exactly this reason. Leave now, this infraction has already been noted." The man replied.
"I... Yes, sir." Leilei Yang nodded, saluted, and exited the room, closing the door behind her.
The new arrival was silent for a few moments, and Rin took the moment to sit down and catch her breath, heart still pounding in her chest.
"Lingyin Huang." He finally spoke.
"Yes... Yes sir?" Rin replied.
"Firstly, I must apologize for Yang-Zhengwei's behavior, though I must warn you that her sentiments are shared by many others." The general said.
"However, I will be the ultimate arbitrator on this front, and I personally believe that there is more to the story than you abusing the trust of people like myself for personal pleasure."
Rin nods, but does not speak.
"While your transgressions so far have been numerous and severe, the current political situation demands a more pragmatic approach, and therefore it is in your best interests to be as cooperative and forthcoming as possible. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir." Rin replied.
"Good." The general reached into a bag and pulled out a recording device. He turned it on and spoke.
"General Xian Luoyang of the Committee for Discipline Inspection of the Central Military Commission, interrogating IS Academy Representative Candidate Huang Lingyin. Would you state your name for the record?"
"I am Representative Candidate Huang Lingyin." Rin replied.
"You stand accused of assisting in an armed attack on a military base belonging to the Democratic Republic of Russia, using illegally appropriated Chinese military property. Do you contest these charges?"
"I do not, sir." The general nodded.
"Describe the circumstances surrounding this act."
"Where do you want me to begin?" Rin chanced a question.
"You may begin with the kidnapping that took place at IS Academy." The general replied.
"Yes, sir. I was not present to witness the kidnapping itself, but the perpetrator was Sasha Vadimova, the representative candidate from the DRR. She apparently caught Kanzashi unaware and alone in the girls' communal bath. From what Kanzashi told me after the fact, she used pepper spray to stun her, before choking her out. She then deployed her IS and broke out of the building. Her sister and Ichika apparently noticed this happening and pursued, but broke off after Sasha threatened to maim her captive." Rin began.
"At what time did this take place?" The general asked.
"I was asleep at the time, but was woken up almost immediately afterwards, so at around 0200 hours."
"This Sasha Vadimova, how did she enter IS Academy to carry out this act?"
"I..." Rin was confused.
"I believe she was just enrolled as a representative candidate."
"Are you aware of any specific motivation behind the attack?"
"The purpose of the attack was to acquire Tatenashi's IS, the Mysterious Lady. I do not know the specifics, but I do know that Tatenashi was made representative candidate before the outbreak of civil war, and has since declared her neutrality in the conflict. She has previously complained about receiving offers and threats from both sides." Rin replied, still confused as to the direction this interrogation was taking.
"So you are saying that there was reason to suspect such an attack ever since the civil war began?"
"Yes, sir."
"To the best of your knowledge, was any preventative measure taken by IS Academy with this knowledge in mind?"
Rin hesitated, then shook her head.
"Not that I am aware of, sir."
"I see... You may continue. What happened after the kidnapping?"
"By the time Ichika and Tatenashi returned from the pursuit, I was awake, and I went up to their room to keep them company. Everyone else who was involved in the attack did the same." Rin replied.
"For the record, state the names of these individuals and their positions at IS Academy."
"Orimura Ichika, representative candidate of Japan, Sarashiki Tatenashi, representative candidate of Russia, Cecilia Alcott, representative candidate of the UK, Charlotte Dunois, representative candidate of France, Laura Bodewig, representative candidate of Germany, and Shinonono Houki, who is not an official representative of any country or company, but is unofficially sponsored by her sister, Doctor Shinonono Tabane."
"What is your relationship with these individuals?"
"Ichika is a friend of mine from back when I lived in Japan. We met in middle school, and quickly became reacquainted in IS Academy. Everyone else is also a close friend, but I did not meet them before my time at IS Academy."
"Is this when you began to plan your attack?" The general asked.
"No. At the time we had agreed to stay at IS Academy. We believed that the government would take care of things." Rin replied, her first lie of the evening.
"What changed?"
"Tatenashi received a ransom demand giving her a three day deadline to go to a specified location alone and turn over her IS. However, Tatenashi and Ichika had tracked her IS to a different location, and concluded that the DRR had no intention of returning Kanzashi." Rin continued with the cover story.
"They tracked the IS? How?"
"I am not sure of the specifics, but they mentioned some sort of transmitter in Kanzashi's IS that allowed them to track it to a location near the town of Sovetskaya Gavan. They then used google maps to confirm the presence of a military base there."
"This was when you began planning your attack?"
"Yes."
"Did you not believe that the authorities in charge would be able to resolve the situation without your intervention?"
"Ichika and Tatenashi seemed to think so. I also did not believe the government would be able to deliver results within three days."
"So you did not attempt to prevent this rash course of action, and instead argued in favor of it?"
"I did not argue in favor, but I did not object either."
"Why not?"
"We had concluded that if we did not act, then our friend would be murdered in three days. We were not confident that conventional means could deliver the necessary result, and this was not the first time we had used our IS suits in combat against threats to IS Academy. We believed that we had the ability to save Kanzashi." Rin decided to volunteer some information, and the general's eyes widened.
"When did you use your IS in combat before?" He demanded.
"There was during my first tournament match, where an unidentified drone broke through the arena shields and engaged myself and Ichika. The two of us were able to destroy it."
"A single drone? There were no others?"
"No, just the one."
"Was there no attempt to prevent it from reaching the island?"
"Not to my knowledge."
"I see. Continue."
"The second event was the attack shortly before the start of summer vacation, where several instructors were killed when the first-year field trip was attacked."
"What occurred during this attack?"
"I was told that eight IS suits attacked the resort where the students were staying, but I do not know the specifics as I was not present."
"I was under the impression that you did attend this field trip." The general said.
"I did, but shortly before the attack took place, I, along with Ichika and the rest sans Tatenashi, were sent out to intercept an American unmanned IS prototype that had gone rogue and was on course for Japan-"
"What?!" The general exclaimed.
"I... The experimental IS, the Silver Gospel? We were sent to intercept and disable it when it went rogue-"
"Why have I not heard anything about this before?" The general demanded.
"I sent a report to my superiors as soon as I had the opportunity. Every one of us did, since we had concluded that this was sabotage on Doctor Tabane's part, and that every IS core in the world had the potential to cause similar sabotage. In that report I also outlined the specifics of the Gospel incident." Rin replied.
The general did not respond for a few seconds.
"Who did you send the report to?" He finally asked.
"I was not sure who to send it to, so I sent it to Yang-Zhengwei in the hopes that she would pass it up the chain of command."
"When was this sent?"
"Late June."
"I see." The general nodded.
"I will now leave to confirm the existence of this report." He stood up and paused the recording device.
"Wait here." Without waiting for a response, he stood up and stepped out of the room, undoubtedly to confirm that she had indeed sent the report. Rin let out a small sigh of relief once the door was locked. She had almost forgotten about the report she had sent in the immediate aftermath of the Gospel incident, and was now infinitely thankful that Laura had thought of doing so. The thought that Leilei had deleted it for whatever reason then crossed her mind, and her relief vanished, replaced by trepidation.
With no clock in the room, it was impossible to tell how much time had passed before the general returned.
"It seems that you were telling the truth, and that such a report had been sent."
"Thank you, sir."
"Do not think that this absolves you of your subsequent misdeeds."
"Yes, sir." Rin replied as the general restarted the recording.
"Now that the report has been confirmed, I have some further questions for you."
"First, the report did not mention the deaths of the instructors at IS Academy. Why?"
"At the time that I sent the report, I was not yet aware that the students at the resort had been attacked."
"I see... Describe the events of the Gospel incident in as much detail as possible, starting from where you believe to be appropriate."
"Yes, sir. I believe it best to start with the school field trip, where the entire first year class was taken to a beach resort for the week. On the second day of the trip, Doctor Tabane appeared on campus and gave an IS suit, Akatsubaki, to Houki."
"This was the origin of that supposedly fourth-generation IS suit?"
"Yes, sir. As far as I am aware, Tabane just showed up that morning, IS in hand, and gave it to her sister."
"Can you describe in detail the capabilities of this IS?" The general asked.
"Yes, sir." Rin replied, before giving a detailed analysis of the IS suit's capabilities, including its predictive analytical system, sensory enhancements and weapons. The only thing that was left out was the existence of Aki.
"Very well. Now, continue with your description of the Gospel incident." The General said once she finished.
"Yes." Rin nodded.
"Almost immediately after Tabane introduced Akatsubaki and demonstrating its capabilities, Chifuyu received a message. I am unsure of the contents, but it directly led to her briefing us on the situation."
"How much time passed between the introduction of Akatsubaki and the message being received?"
"Immediately afterwards. Akatsubaki had not yet landed after its demonstration."
"I see. Do you believe this to be coincidence?"
"No, sir. Even at the time it seemed contrived."
"Very well. Continue."
"After Chifuyu received the message, we were all brought into the resort and briefed on the situation. We were told that the Gospel had gone rogue, that the Americans had failed to take it down, and that the IS Academy instructors were setting up a picket line to intercept the IS as a last resort. We were also told specifically that it was our duty to intercept the Gospel since we held the most powerful IS suits on the spot. We were then told that should information about this incident leak, we would be subject to a trial by a court of inquiry and a minimum of two years of surveillance."
"Who told you this?"
"Orimura Chifuyu."
"I see. Continue."
"From there it was brought up that the Gospel was moving too fast for most of our IS suits to intercept. That was when Tabane interrupted the meeting, and declared that Akatsubaki was the only IS capable of intercepting the Gospel, and therefore that Houki could carry Ichika with her in flight so that they could engage the Gospel together. Ichika objected to this, and devised a strategy where he and Houki carried the rest of us with our IS suits stowed. Once the target would intercepted we would be released and deploy our IS suits in free-fall. We took some time to practice mid-air deployment, and then departed." Rin paused.
"We intercepted the Gospel and the battle ended up being somewhat one-sided. While the Gospel did undergo a shift mid-battle that allowed it to break free of our first capture attempt, we were able to repeat the maneuver with little issue. The Gospel's weapons did not seem optimized for engaging IS suits, we outnumbered it seven to one, and the AI controlling it did not seem to be the most intelligent fighter. From what little I know, the AI was intended to return the IS to base in the event of the pilot incapacitated, not to fight in place of the pilot. We were eventually able to capture the IS in Laura's AIC, and once it was trapped we cut the pilot out of the suit."
"You then returned to Japan?"
"Not immediately. As we were preparing to transport the Gospel and its pilot back with us, we were ambushed by a large force of submarine-launched IS suits that Ichika identified as belonging to Phantom Task."
"How many?"
"I counted forty three, but Ichika and Cecilia counted a second wave of around twenty being launched later as well."
"How did you escape?"
"Their force was comprised primarily of mass-production units, and our own suits were faster. We were able to keep our distance and evade them until eventually their batteries started to run low and they turned back to their mothership. We returned to Japan after this."
"I see. You say that the attack on IS Academy took place simultaneously with this?"
"Yes, sir. According to Ichika and Tatenashi, this was Phantom Task's doing as well."
"How did they determine this?"
"Both of them claimed to have had prior encounters with the group, Ichika when he was kidnapped by them during the second Mondo Grosso, and Tatenashi... I am still not sure as to the exact nature of her history with them. Something about her family being directly involved in combating their influence in Japan."
"Very well. Are there any other incidents similar to these?"
"Yes, two more come to mind. The first was during the school festival, where a Phantom Task infiltrator entered the school when it was open to the public, and attempted to abduct Ichika. In the subsequent battle, Ichika ended up killing the infiltrator, and I helped to engage the forces sent in to extract her."
"I remember reading about a bombing at IS Academy on that day. Is there a relation to this event?"
"Yes. One of the Phantom Task extraction team's members, who piloted a stolen British IS, made it through, collected the infiltrator's corpse, and set her IS core to self-destruct. Thanks to the quick action of Sarashiki Tatenashi, nobody was killed, but many nearby students were injured."
"Where were the instructors during all of this?"
"They began to launch near the tail-end of the battle, but at that point the majority of the Phantom Task force had already been engaged by students with personal IS suits. Their IS suits were also too slow to pursue the Silent Zephyrs, and so their contribution to the battle was small."
"I see... Again, were any preventative measures taken by the IS Academy staff against Phantom Task infiltration?"
"Not that I know of. I do not believe it would have been possible to screen all the people coming to the academy campus on that day."
"Very well. What is the last incident you made mention of?"
"This took place during the tournament, immediately after the cameras cut out during the final match. Cecilia told me after she returned that she came under attack by the Silent Zephyrs, but was able to fight it off. I did not witness the fight myself though, so I cannot give more detail than that."
"I see... Now, let us return to the original subject matter of this discussion. You said that your experiences in these incidents gave you a sense of confidence that you could carry out the raid on the DRR on your own?"
"I did, sir."
"And you did so knowing that the DRR was threatening a large-scale nuclear attack in the event of outside interference with the hostage situation?"
"No, sir. We did not realize a nuclear ultimatum had been issued until after we had carried out our attack."
"I see... In that case, let us move on. How did you carry out the attack? Many officers curious to know how you were able to avoid detection while in transit to the target and catch them unawares."
"We used techniques we developed in preparation for the previous tournament. We initially departed IS Academy by diving into the ocean from one of the dorm buildings, and then deploying our IS suits underwater. We then utilized Tatenashi's nanomachines to move at extremely high speed underwater until we believed we were far enough away to avoid being immediately intercepted. We then took off and, similarly to how we intercepted the Gospel, our slowest IS suits were stowed away, and our faster suits picked up the pilots. We then surfaced and proceeded at top speed at wavetop height. As we approached the mainland, we increased altitude and spotted the base. At this point Cecilia released me, I deployed my IS, and we began our attack. Our first targets were the nearby air defense systems, which were unable to engage us before being destroyed. As we approached, Ichika ordered us to split into groups to break into the various buildings that made up the compound."
"Break in?"
"We flew in through the roof." Rin clarified.
"Houki, since she had our fastest IS, was to stay behind and extract Kanzashi, while Laura covered her. Everyone else was searching. Ichika ended up finding her, while Cecilia and I located and retrieved her IS. We then attempted to retreat."
"Attempted?"
"Yes. While we were able to destroy most of the IS suits the base had on the ground, their more powerful units were stowed, and attempted to intercept us as we left. While we were able to fight them off due to our superior numbers, they lasted long enough for a nearby formation of stealth fighters to close in to missile range. Tatenashi and Ichika were targeted and shot down, while the rest of us escaped."
"What happened next?"
"Once we were clear of Russian airspace, we began trying to plan a rescue mission for Ichika and Tatenashi, but we unknowingly strayed too close to the USS Ronald Reagan's battle group. We were identified and ordered to land immediately on a nearby destroyer, or be shot down. We complied." Rin said, sticking to the cover story.
"Continue."
"From there, we were held under armed guard until an officer requested to speak with Kanzashi. I am uncertain as to what took place during that conversation, and I did not have a chance to ask. After that, however, we were told that we would have the opportunity to carry out our own search and rescue operation in the wake of the American airstrikes on Russian nuclear delivery systems."
"Some would call that treason."
"I know, but at the time our only concern was rescuing our friends."
The general frowned at that, but nodded after a few moments.
"I see. Continue, and provide as many details of the American operation as possible. How did they disable the Russian air defense network?"
"We were not told specifics outside of the fact that hacking was involved. However, the Gospel incident has led me to conclude that use of artificial intelligence played a role."
"Elaborate."
"The Gospel... After we extracted its pilot, she said that the Gospel's AI had malfunctioned, which I feel implied that the United States is confident enough in the state of its AI technology to start fielding it operationally." Rin said.
"But how did the US get its AI into Russian networks?"
"I do not know."
"Very well, describe what happened next."
"Shortly before we departed, we received a radio transmission from Ichika, indicating that he and Tatenashi were alive, and that they had linked up with some West Russian special forces. They said they had bargained extraction for the special forces in exchange for permission to send the message. When the American attack began, we launched and went to the location mentioned in the message."
"What did you see of the American attack?"
"We witnessed the orbital bombardment, and there was an airbase nearby. From what I saw, the DRR had next to no chance to put up resistance. I don't believe any missiles were fired at the American aircraft, and any gunfire we saw was silenced quickly. We found Ichika and Tatenashi, grabbed them, and immediately evacuated to rendezvous with the JASDF, to be escorted back to IS Academy." Rin said.
"Is there anything else?"
"No sir." Rin replied.
The general studied her for a few long moments before nodding slowly.
"Very well. Your cooperation, assuming you were truthful, has been noted and will be taken into account when we determine what to do with you."
"I understand, sir."
"Good. You will wait here until officials arrive to escort you to the ICJ. Your testimony will be compared to that of the others, and discrepancies may reflect poorly on you."
"Yes, sir." Rin replied, just before the general ended the recording. However, he made no move to leave, and instead spent a few moments regarding her.
"I understand that you want to return to being a student at IS Academy, correct?" He asked.
"Yes sir."
"Why should I argue in favor of that? At the moment, I predict that at best you will be stripped of your representative candidacy and sent home. At worst, you will be jailed."
"I... Sir, I do not believe that would be wise." Rin said, and then mentally slapped herself for her poor choice of words.
"Explain." The general's eyes narrowed.
"You have seen my report on the Gospel incident, and you have heard my accounts of both that and the many other events that have occurred at IS Academy. It is my belief that Doctor Tabane and Phantom Task are currently the greatest threats to both China and the world. Tabane already holds a gun to the throat of every single nation in the world, and Phantom Task seems to be able to strike and disappear with complete impunity. IS Academy currently appears to be the focal point of both of their attentions, and I am uniquely situated to provide information on their activities. Phantom Task is targeting Ichika specifically, and as far as I am aware every single person in regular communication with Tabane is located there as well. I am close to both Ichika and Houki, and it would be impossible for anyone else to replace me in that regard. If you want a source of information on the activities of Tabane and Phantom Task, there is nobody better than me." Rin replied.
"You seem to be operating under the assumption that the rest of your compatriots will be acquitted." The general pointed out.
"I am more than willing to gamble on that. If the trial goes poorly enough, Tabane will intervene personally on behalf of Ichika and her sister, that much I am certain of. I am not sure what means she will use to bring the court in line, but the ones I can think of are all grim."
"What does that have to do with you?"
"If Ichika and Houki return to IS Academy, but I do not, then you lose access to the information I can provide."
"Is that all?"
"I... Yes sir. I have nothing else to say at this time."
"Then you will wait here until it is time for you to proceed to the ICJ." The general said, before standing and leaving the room.
A/N: Whew, that chapter took a long time to write, due to a combination of writers' block and real-world events taking their toll. But hey, 2020's been shit for everyone, and I did finish it in the end. Now for the usual end-of-chapter notes.
Not much to say about the early chapters, as they were mostly just setting up the stakes of the trial. I eventually decided to focus this chapter, and probably a good portion of the rest of the trial arc, on Rin. This is because out of all the characters, she has the least amount of safety net, for lack of a better word. Tatenashi and Kanzashi are from a government that outright supports their acquittal. Ichika and Houki are from the same country, but have the added advantage of Tabane batting for them. Cecilia, Laura and Charlotte aren't as advantaged in this trial, but they have significant amounts of personal connections and/or assets to spend to secure a favorable outcome for themselves. Rin has neither, and her government also happens to be very much against the idea of the Americans getting any significant foothold in eastern Russia. With all of that, Rin stands to lose by far the most out of any character here, even with the Organization on her side.
That leads into the interrogation scene. I decided to use it as a kinda-sorta recap of key events in the past, such as the Gospel incident, which happened so long ago that many of you have probably forgotten it. It also serves as a bit of a window into the Chinese view of recent events. More to come in the next chapter.
I'm debating whether or not to do the rest of the trial in a similar manner, using primarily scenes surrounding it to describe it rather than the trial itself to tell the story. This would let me focus more on the various backroom dealings while simultaneously relying less on my knowledge of ICJ protocols. The disadvantage of this approach, however, is that it will become a bit more difficult to see into the heads of the main characters, since they themselves won't be doing most of the aforementioned backroom dealings.
With all that said, I will once again apologize for the long delay between chapters, and hope that you enjoy this one.