知らぬが仏。
Shiranu ga hotoke
The meeting broke up, executives in fine, expensive suits streaming out of the conference room. Their bodyguards had waited patiently, lined up against the wall in the corridor outside, until one by one, they broke off and followed their respective charges.
Goro watched and waited, sitting on the only chair in the space, his hands folded neatly on his lap. Emptying his mind for the duration of such meetings, which he was not allowed to attend, allowed him time to think that he had not possessed before in his adult life. Not as an Arasaka soldier, Saburo Arasaka's personal guard or on the streets of Night City. All were occupations of constant movement and effort.
This new job was not. It was simply to be present. The real security was handled by Zaburo-san. Goro Takemura's real job was still a mystery to him. If he had to guess, it seemed to be that of an advisor, but not in any official capacity. He was still very much out of favour, officially. He had been given very strict orders to be very far away if Yorinobu ever came back to Night City.
He had not been in the same room as his new boss, Michiko, only ordered to provide information via emails. Everything he knew had been explained at the restaurant, from the attempt on his life in the landfill to V saving his life. The information he was requested to give was instead around the security in the lead-up to Konpeki, or people in Night City.
Eventually, the meeting's participants had all left the room, save for two.
Goro.
The boss was calling.
Goro opened his eyes, stood up and walked into the room. It wasn't the board room, just a simple meeting one of which there were a dozen near the top of Arasaka Tower. Its only remarkable features were the Arasaka logo in polished silver on the wall, and the view of Corpo Plaza out of the wall of windows.
Michiko-sama stood at the latter in a formal business dress in a very unformal blue and gold, watching the Plaza below, arms crossed. Zaburo-san stood next to her, though he was watching the door, and now, the new arrival. The man was dressed pretty much exactly how he had been when he had blown into the
"Arasaka-sama," Goro said in greeting, bowing low at the waist.
"How are you finding the suit?" Michiko asked, in English, "Did you miss it?"
An unexpected question... but she always was odd, supposedly. Her concern was as much a test as anything her grandfather or uncle would have voiced. Goro felt that honesty was the best course with such a question. "It feels good to wear it once more," he replied, "Though it is more restrictive than I remember."
"New tactical lining," Zaburo said, in Japanese, "Less flexible than the previous iterations, but far better protection."
Michiko glanced at her bodyguard for a moment. "Not what he was referring to, Kenichi," she replied, still in English, "Approach, Goro."
He moved to the window beside her, though he kept a respectful distance, and not just because Zaburo looked on with disapproval. When he got there, Michiko-sama pointed at a spot across the Plaza; the Militech building. She pointed at it.
"Last year, we had those people on the ropes," she said, "They were fighting to prevent war, doing anything they could, because they were afraid they would lose. We were doing everything in our power to begin that war, even having gangs raid our own facilities disguised as Militech, because we knew we would win."
She turned to Goro, eyes narrow with anger.
"Now, we are on the edge of the unknown," she continued, "Our leader for a century is dead, and his daughter too. The bank of minds we had stored in Mikoshi is gone, destroying our advantage in cyberspace. The image of our invincibility is shattered. All the work I did to bring Arasaka back to North America threatens to unravel."
"Militech still does not have the strength to defeat us," Zaburo pitched in, "We will rise again."
"And how long will that take?" Michiko replied flatly, "A decade, by my estimation. We are lucky the Relic scientists yet live, or it would be impossible."
"Highly regrettable," Goro agreed, before adding, "However, perhaps over-ambition played a part in this change of circumstances."
The bodyguard took a single step forward, eyes flashing red as his targeting optics lit up.
"Know your place!" Zaburo shouted at once, "How dare you!"
Michiko held up a hand to stop her bodyguard, who bowed his head in submission. Goro also bowed, in acknowledgement of her restraint.
"Ambition is what drives this corporation forward," she said, "My grandfather's vision was that of immortality itself. However, you may be right in the respect that someone's over-ambition is responsible. That of two persons, to be precise: Dear Uncle Yorinobu, and the mercenary, V."
Goro chose his next words very carefully. It was not the time for an absolutely honest opinion. "V is a dishonourable thief, a murderer and a terrorist, and he could have saved Hanako-sama's life as well as his own had he followed my plan," he said, "But he is of little consequence compared to Yorinobu-sama, surely?"
"Stealing the most valuable single piece of technology in the world from a board member of Arasaka is overly ambitious by default," Michiko said venomously, "His nomad girlfriend's family assaulting our facilities like a ghost from the 2020s is the single reason why we have lost our weight in the balance of terror."
Goro thought he knew where this was going.
"Do you wish me to end his life, Michiko-sama?" he asked, "I would gladly give my own to avenge Hanako-sama."
"No, I have already trapped him and his nomads," Michiko replied, "We sent weapons to rival clans, and cut off their primary source of income when that failed. They will either starve slowly or do something stupid enough to get themselves killed."
A pad on the table beeped, indicating an incoming message. She moved to the table, picking it up.
"We can do no more directly, not without inviting him back to harm us further. Or worse, he could cultivate an alliance with Militech, just like the rockerboy he had stuck in his head," she said, reading as she spoke, "Open conflict is a bad idea. The security forces we have here now are inferior to those that were neutralised seven months ago, even excluding the carrier's forces that were present for the parade."
Goro's eyes widened, as he was not liking the sound of that at all. And it must've shown on his face.
"It is Yorinobu-sama's doing," Zaburo explained, "He is testing us. He wonders about our loyalty, so he gives us untested troops and drones, aside from the small force of combat cyborgs under my direct command. If we fail, he will be able to eliminate the last true threat to his rule."
Goro was already intimately familiar with the group that had surrounded and disarmed him only days before.
Michiko gestured to him. "As you can imagine, capable men such as yourself are in short supply, so you have been brought back. We will mould what resources we have been given into something worthy of Arasaka. We will impress Yorinobu, we will build this company back up. He will slip into a false sense of security eventually, and then, we will be ready."
His heart racing at the possibility of revenge coming back to him, Goro bowed deeply, indicating his approval of and obedience to the plan.
"As for the mercenary, we must attempt to isolate him further," Michiko said, "He has captured the hearts of his gang, and that of its leader, but he has allies in this city as well. Your duty, for the moment, will be to monitor the threat of the fixers and mercs and anyone else V had contact with."
"Start with the one known as Rogue," Zaburo commanded, "Make our future displeasure known should V or anyone else attempt to use her assets against us."
Goro felt his chest tighten, he had grown to respect the Afterlife's fixer.
"Rogue is not stupid," he said, "I believe she would have done anything for Johnny Silverhand, but V is not Silverhand. Not any more. Threatening her is unnecessary, perhaps even counterproductive."
Zaburo's hand casually went to a pistol on his hip, and his eyes to his master to await the order to use it. He was extremely protective of her, in this new position she found herself in. Goro reacted by instinct, moving slightly forward, into range to slap the weapon out of the bodyguard's hand if it came to that...
But it was all posturing. The order never came.
"That sounded distinctly like an objection, Takemura-san," Michiko smiled back at him, "Lucky for you, I wasn't raised like the other Arasakas. I can accept a contrary opinion if it is well measured, even in public. But don't let my rebellious past fool you, I demand obedience. I must, if I'm to get justice for Hanako."
Goro could not help but think, 'What about Saburo?' It was rumoured in some circles that Michiko hated her grandfather. Was this not about him at all? How had Hanako died exactly? Despite these questions, this was still the only living descendant of the great man Yorinobu had killed, and thus the only worthy inheritor of everything he had built.
There was only one course.
"Of course, Arasaka-sama ," Goro replied.
His boss seemed satisfied, handing her pad off to Zaburo.
"Now, I must go," Michiko said, walking away, "It seems NetWatch wish to meet about the Blackwall again. Since it does not look like we are going to fight Militech, they want us to go to war against the AIs instead."
