Bubble Gum Crisis
An Alternate Story of the Knight Sabers
2034 Year of the Tiger
Neo No Armour Against Fate (Section 4 of 5)
Fearful Symmetry (3 of 8)
by Shawn Hagen(1999)

Based on situations and characters created by Suzuki Toshimichi.

It was very early when Domino came into work. She had worked late the night before, but not as late as the previous night, and she had also returned to her condo for a better rest. She came in early because she was planning on leaving earlier than usual.

Devon had invited her to the evening's ceremony to honour the late Stingray-hakase. She thought it would be enjoyable. She was curious as to whether she would meet Sylia, and if Sylia would recognise her as the seeming teenager that had come into her shop not long ago.

It was not really a major concern to Domino though. The possibility that she might meet someone related to the 33-S Third Generation Project was something that did worry her. While there was no one at the ceremony who had been part of the design team, there were a few that had been on the periphery of the project.

Being recognised for what she was would be a problem. Domino did not let it effect her, however. She would not live in fear of what might happen. She had made some plans to deal with various contingencies and had to hope they would be enough.

On her way to her office she swung into the Dump, a garment bag with her dress for the evening over her shoulder. Domino had found shopping for formal wear to be somewhat a challenge. She had not wanted to go with a cocktail dress, which would have worked, but had quickly discovered a problem with other garments.

Most of the styles put her into the younger age range of her appearance. She did not want that. Others were somehow worse, making her look as if she was playing dress-up, as one very forward saleslady had put it.

She had finally settled on a style reminiscent of the styles of ancient Greece. It gave her an ageless look, which was not quite what Domino had wanted, but close enough. That was all for later though.

She walked into the Dump, passing by the security boomers without a glance. The Dump was as it always was. The analysts were busy; examining all the information that came in. Domino glanced across the screens, noting that MRAStech'snow Genom'sexperimental, new-type fusion reactor was coming along well, and that the fourth asteroid station had been completed.

The asteroid stations were another Genom project to expand into space. There was a huge amount of natural resources within the asteroid beltsome of it already being exploited by the first of the stationsand the installations would one day serve as stop over points on the way out to the far planets.

Domino spent a few more minutes staring at the main screens then shifted her eyes to a smaller screen where information the analysts had tagged as important was displayed. She read it, taking note of a few things that would be of use for her. Then she saw something that caught her full attention.

A ship had arrived in the port at Cape Town in South Africa. It was supposed to be full of boomers produced in Brazil, but all that had been found in the ship's holds were raw materials. Something that Africa had little need for.

Mistakes like that happened, but Domino was looking for threats and did not think it was just a mistake. She sat down at one of the unoccupied computers and began calling up information. The ship, the 'Atlantic Breeze', was supposed to be carrying two hundred and sixty construction boomers, twenty fire-fighting models, forty-three 55C-Class and twelve D-Class combat boomers. A large order, and the construction boomers had been slated to build much needed desalination plants and irrigation systems.

Domino called up the actual contents of the Atlantic Breeze, reading through the list of raw materials there. It was not a complete list, but it was enough information for her to start a search for cargo manifests that might match it.

She found three. One was going to Norfolk, one to Liverpool and one to Yokohama. She called up the information on the one going to Yokohama.

The 'Jester' had reached Yokohama two nights before, none of its Cargo had been off loaded yet. "Kuso," Domino said softly. Almost two days to work with. She got to her feet, leaving her garment bag behind as she ran from the Dump. Even as she ran she had her NAVI out and was making the first call.


Genom maintained its own facilities at Yokohama. It had rebuilt most of the port after the quake and had made sure that it met their needs, even dredging out the harbour to allow the largest ships to enter.

The Zaibatsu had its own docks, warehouses and even a customs clearing section. It was all very useful, but it had become a potential problem. Only on the Genom docks could a ship sit unattended to almost two days without someone complaining.

Domino sat in the main compartment of a black, twin engine Tonbo(Dragonfly) gunship. The helicopter was not carrying any weapons and was marked with the serial numbers that identified it as part of Genom's civilian air fleet.

In the forward compartment were the pilot and co-pilot/electronics officer. With Domino in the main compartment were five others: two C-class boomers and three Genom security operatives. Behind them on their port and starboard sides were two other Tonbos, each carrying six more operatives, all boomers. And flying high overhead, ready to swoop down if they needed the fire support, was a Hughes Apache 2.

It was a small but very powerful assault force, yet Domino would have liked more equipment and manpower. However, she had been constrained by time. She wanted to get to Yokohama as soon as possible. Fortunately Genom kept a number of quick response teams standing by in case of trouble.

"We're approaching target area," the pilot's voice called out over the headphones. "Everything looks clear."

Domino moved her boom mike towards her mouth, then looked over at one of the other women in the main compartment. Azusa Saotome was one of Genom's security officers, a military officer really. Genom had hired her from the SDF. While Domino was the ranking person there, it was only political to let Azusa handle things. Perhaps smarter as well. She did have over fifteen years military experience.

She moved the boom away from her mouth and nodded towards Azusa. Azusa nodded back.

"Take us around, I want to approach the target from over the ocean. Give me confirmation, over," Azusa said.

"Understood," their pilot told them. The pilots in the other two gunships also confirmed their understanding.

"High fang this is Prime 1, maintain your current altitude, keep a close watch on us, over."

"I got ya," the Apache 2 pilot responded.

"All stations you know what to do. Radio silence from this point on. Prime 1 out."

The three gunships banked sharply, crossing out over the ocean, their engines disturbing the early morning quiet. The still raising sun was sparkling off the cold waters of the ocean.

"We might have to take out the ship," Azusa told Domino.

"If we have to that is fine. If they have fortified their position then they are still there."

"If they are still there we might get blown out of the sky."

Domino smiled. "You'll get a wonderful funeral though."

Azusa laughed at that. The other two operatives, Maya Ibuki and Shigeru Aoba also laughed, but it was forced. They were both too old to believe that they were immortal and too young to think that death had its lighter aspect. The boomers did not laugh, of course.

As they flew towards the moored Jester, the gunship to the lead coptor's port began to pull ahead. That one was completely crewed by boomers, even the pilot and co-pilot. That one would make the first pass.

"No sigh of problems yet," their pilot said over the gunship's intercom system.

Azusa nodded. "Okay, let's get ready," she said to the rest of them, then did up her combat webbing and picked up her Genom Suzumebachi battle rifle and slid a drum/helical magazinefull of APDS roundsinto the weapon. She would not cock the weapon until she got out of the helicopter.

Domino looked her own weapon over, another H&K SMG; the magazine loaded with an APDS, HESH cocktail. Maya and Shigeru were, ironically, both using Misaki Arms M42-A1 SMGs. An effective weapon, if loaded with the right ammunition. Both of the boomers were carrying heavy weapons. One had a FN light machine gun, the other a GE mini-gun.

"Unit three has passed over the Jester," their pilot reported. "Looks fine. They are swinging about. Moving to hover over the ship." Domino, Azusa, Shigeru and Maya waited, each literally or figuratively on the edge of their seats. "Team three is moving onto the deck of the ship, unit three has begun to pull away."

A moment later the radio came to life. "This is Prime four," the boomer in charge of team 3 called. "We are on the deck of the objective. No sigh of resistance, over."

"Hold and secure your position Prime four," Azusa said. "We're coming in. Out." She turned off the radio and looked over at the boomers. "Do it."

The boomers moved quickly, sliding the doors open, letting in the cold March air as they clipped themselves to the door gunner harnesses and leaned out of the helicopter, their weapons pointed forward.

The second helicopter came in over the deck of the Jester, hovering about five meters from the deck surface. The team leapt out, landing on the deck. Prime Four would be ordering them into positions. Then their helicopter was closing on the target. While the boomers could easily deal with a five-meter drop, the humans were not so lucky. They would have to rappel from the helicopter. Domino could have taken the drop, but it would have given her away. She clipped her carabiner to the rope then, as the helicopter moved to hover over the deck tossed the rope out.

It took them only a few seconds to reach the deck. Once they were on deck, free of the rope, the two boomers freed themselves from their gunner harnesses and leapt down.

"Okay," Azusa called out loudly. "Check the entrances for booby traps and watch your feet."

The boomers moved out quickly, following their orders. Not long afterwards they began calling back. All the doors and hatches were trapped.

Azusa looked at Shigeru. "Looks like you're up."

"Hai," Shigeru said as he grabbed for his demolitions and disposals bag.

Azusa looked at Domino. "Something is definitely up."

Domino nodded. "Can you send one of the teams into the customs house?" she asked.

Azusa nodded and relayed Domino's orders.


The ship was still being searched but Domino was fairly certain that there would be nothing found. The holds were empty, though Maya had told Domino that there were a number of fresh scratches on the deck, which indicated a cargo had been off loaded. They had also found some dead bodies. The ship's crew.

More dead bodies had been found in the customs house. Domino was impressed by the operation. It was done very quick and efficiently by the looks of things. Domino had ordered any and all footage from security cameras, security boomers, and even satellites that might have spotted something, to be sent to analysis.

If there were any thing to be found it would be.

Domino walked down the gangplank towards the dock. There were a number of people looking on, curious as to what was happening. Hopefully things would stay quiet. Best to make sure any potential watchers had no reason to feel alarm.

She pulled her NAVI from her webbing and flipped it open. She had to arrange a number of things.

BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK

Akiko was woken by the soft beeping of her NAVI. She reached over and grabbed the unit, flipping it open as she brought it close to her face. "Moshi moshi," she said, putting a sleepiness into her voice that was not really there.

"Sheffield-san, I want you at heliport 3D as soon as possible," Domino told her.

"Hai Domino-sama," Akiko said.

"I will tell you everything you need to know when you arrive. Any gear you need will be provided."

"Hai."

"Good," Domino said just before cutting the connection.

Akiko folded her NAVI shut and then carefully got out of her bed, making sure she did not wake Rebecca. While the apartment they shared had two bedrooms they only used the one. She looked down at Rebecca as she stood, smiling as she saw that she was still asleep. Definitely not a combat unit Akiko thought.

She moved quickly and quietly, getting ready to go. The last thing she did was leave a note for Rebecca and then she left the apartment.


Heliport 3D was located on top of a 15-story building that was located seven city blocks from the Tower's perimeter. The first eight stories were occupied by a department store; the rest of the building was office space. The last story and the roof were high security.

Haruko had never been there before. It had never been required. Domino had told her to meet her there. At least there had been no problems with her ID.

The elevator doors opened and she found herself looking out at the roof. A cool wind whipped through her hair and she closed her eyes against it for a moment. Steeling herself, she stepped out onto the roof.

Haruko looked around as the elevator doors closed behind her. There were a few people there, she guessed they handled the helicopters, when they were any.

"Did Domino-sama call you as well?" someone asked from behind her.

Surprised, Haruko spun about. "Oh, it's you Sheffield-san," she said, recognising the woman who had addressed her. Akiko Sheffield was one of Domino's special operatives. She looked so young, more like a high school student, but Domino trusted her. "Yes, Odotte-san did call me and asked me to meet her here. Do you know why?"

Akiko shook her head. "She only told me to be here and that she would tell me everything I needed to know."

"That's what she told me as well. Maybe we'll be working together?"

Akiko looked at the other woman, not sure if she believed that. It was obvious Haruko Tetsu was not a combat operative. She smiled though. "We'll see I guess."

"Everyone move to safe locations," one of the ground crew shouted out.

Haruko looked about, not sure what a safe location was.

"See that black and yellow line," Akiko said, noting that Haruko had looked a little nervous.

"Yes."

"As long as we are on the outside of that we're fine."

Haruko nodded, bowing slightly. "Thank you."

Akiko waved it off and then turned to scan the area about them. She spotted the incoming helicopter in a few seconds. She recognised it as a Tonbo gunship, though it did not look armed. It was fairly large helicopter, with twin rotors to offset the need for a tail rotor. A good design for moving combat teams in and out of hot areas.

The pilot was good and put the helicopter down without a problem.

A moment later two women got out. Haruko recognised Domino, Akiko also recognised Azusa Saotome. The two talked for a moment, then Azusa, ducking low, ran out from under the spinning rotors, making directly for the elevator. Domino turned towards where Akiko and Haruko stood and waved them to her.

"At the speed the blades are spinning they aren't going to dip much, but ducking low is a good habit to get into." That said Akiko turned and walked towards where Domino stood, ducking her head. After a moment Haruko followed after her.

"Get in," Domino told them both as she pulled herself back into the main compartment. As the two others climbed in after her Domino handed both of them headsets. Once they had the headsets on, cutting the noise from the engine, Domino began. "I need you both to go to Brazil," she told them.

Akiko simply nodded, but Haruko said, "Brazil?"

"There is a problem there I believe. Attempts to get in touch with the head of operations, Komatsu Seiroku, have failed. I believe that Seiroku may have something to do with the problems, but that it what you will be finding out."

Domino reached into the bag by her feet and removed two mini MMSDs. She handed one to Akiko and the other to Haruko. "That's all the information I have to date, and your mission briefing. If you have any questions, give me a call on route."

"We're leaving now?" Haruko asked. "Won't I need a passport or something, I'm not even packed and..." Haruko trailed off, seeing both Akiko and Domino looking at her as if she was talking nonsense.

"All of that has been arranged," Domino told her. "This helicopter will take you to the airport where you will board a semi-ballistic. You should be in Brazil within three hours. It will be required that you drop into the target location to save time."

"Drop?" Haruko asked.

"Parachute," Akiko said.

"I've never..."

"Sheffield-san will take you safely through it," Domino told her. "There will be a team waiting for you. Sheffield-san, you will be in charge of all combat aspects to this operation. Haruko-san, you will handle the corporate side of this operation. You speak with my authority while in Brazil. If you find Seiroku-san you may consider yourself to have authority over him. If you have to step on toes while you are there, do so."

"I'm not sure I will be able to do this," Haruko admitted.

"I need you to do this," Domino told her. "If you truly feel you are not up to this, I accept that, but I would like you to do it."

Haruko said nothing for a moment, then she nodded. "Hai."

"Good," Domino told her, then she switched to the pilot's intercom. "As soon as I'm clear you get these two to the airport, as fast as you can."

"I will."

Domino switched back to the first intercom. "Report back to me as soon as you can. I want you to both watch out for the other."

"Hai," they both said, nearly in unison.

Domino took her headset off then jumped from the helicopter, carrying her bag with her. She turned once she was clear, watching as the Tonbo lifted into the air. From the open compartment Akiko gave her a thumbs up. After a moment Haruko copied her. Domino returned it a moment before the helicopter banked sharply, flying off towards the airport.

She sighed softly as she watched it go. If you want people to do things for you, ask them. That was all there was to it. A lesson that Mason had learned and had passed on to Domino. She was better at using it though. And once they did as she asked, they were hers.

She almost felt guilty about it.

Almost.

Domino turned and walked towards the elevator. She had a lot of work to do.


Sylia had been in the process of updating her speech, as she had a few times before-she was still not completely how she was going to say what she wanted-when Fargo called. He seemed to think it was important enough, so Sylia had put her work aside to go and meet him.

He had chosen a ramen stand in a remote corner of Shinjuku. When Sylia had arrived he was seated at the stand, a large bowl of ramen in front of him.

"Afternoon," he said around a mouthful of ramen.

"You wanted to talk to me," Sylia said as she took a seat beside him. The stand's owner was sitting some distance off, having a smoke. They had a reasonable amount of privacy.

"Genom wants you to do some work for them."

"What?"

"They wouldn't say."

"Pardon?"

"As they explained it to me, when it happens, you'll know it. If you show up when the time comes, show the colours, they will pay you thirty million-yen. If you have more of an impact there will be an impressive bonus paid."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Don't know," Fargo said, then raised some ramen to his mouth. "Something is going to happen." He slurped the noodles into his mouth, chewed, then swallowed. "Something big that they figure you will want to be part of."

Sylia nodded. "Did they give you any other information?"

"No. Sorry."

"I suppose they don't expect any confirmation."

Fargo shook his head. "I was just to give you the message."

"Thank you," Sylia said as she got to her feet. "If you hear anything that you think I might be interested in..." Sylia trailed off.

"I'll let you know."

"Good," Sylia said as she turned and walked off.

Later, when she was in her car, driving home, Sylia considered the request. Genom felt there was a threat of some sort, and they wanted combat support. Not only did they want combat support but also they wanted a team that was particularly skilled in fighting boomers. She could not be certain of that of course, but it felt right to her.

What else might they do? She would have to get in touch with Nene to see if anything was up with the ADP. She was also going to have to send message to Priss and Linna so they would be ready.


"Not bad," Priss said. She and the rest of the band had just finished off their rehearsal.

"We got a great sound," Norio agreed, "but why are you pushing so damn hard, and what's with the new songs?"

"Yeah Priss, something is up here," Takeshi added.

Priss looked between the two, then over at Yuuko. "Got anything to add?" she asked her bassist.

Yuuko shrugged her shoulders. "I'll admit I'm curious, but I figure you'd say something eventually."

Priss put her guitar into its stand. "All right. Come on and I'll give you a run down."

Yuuko and Norio put their own instruments into the stands, Norio laid his sticks aside, and they all followed after Priss. She led them out of the studio/rehearsal space, across the factory floor and then up to her rooms.

She was still woefully short when it came to furniture; she did have some cushions for them to kneel on, and a chair for Takeshi whose bad knees made him averse to kneeling. Since it was her home Priss knew she should have provided refreshments, but she did not. If any of her band members wanted something to drink they could get it themselves.

"Norio," she said as she looked at her guitarist. "Do you remember David?"

Norio looked puzzled for a moment. "Was he that English guy you hung around with?"

Priss nodded. "I've known David for several years now, pulled him out of trouble a few times. He's got work with one of the big recording labels in England. Before you jump on that, we are not getting a contract from them. What we are getting is a big maybe."

"I don't know what to think of a 'maybe'," Takeshi said.

"Normally I would agree with you, but David would not jerk me around. He's setting up his own label with some backing. He wants us as the first act he signs. That is why we've been working on these new songs, getting them right."

"You haven't actually signed anything yet though?" Yuuko said.

"That's right. I've talked a little with David and he seems pretty positive about this. I'm going to send him a rough cut of our new songs soon, after that, well, we'll see."

"I don't know," Norio said. "Does not seem like much."

"Maybe it isn't, but David is a friend of mine, and I'll deal with him until I decide otherwise. And before you ask if you get a say in this, the answer is no."

"You are quite the dictator," Takeshi laughed.

"You knew that when we formed. So, that is the deal, why we are rehearsing so much. It might yet mean nothing, so don't go and buy yourself a new car."

"You're not going to throw this contract in someone's face are you?" Yuuko asked.

"I don't expect to have to do so," Priss told her.

"I guess it is something," Norio said. "So, when do we find out?"

"I would guess in a few weeks."

"What do we do if this doesn't pan out?"

Priss looked at Norio for a moment, wondering if he was being confrontational. "We could go back to Genom, if we have to. Okita may be willing to deal with us on our terms."

"Your terms," Norio pointed out.

Definitely confrontational. "Well, seeing as my terms were that the rest of you were included I can't see why you are complaining," Priss said.

"Hey guys, do you really want to start this," Takeshi said.

"The question is does Norio want to start this," Priss said.

Norio closed his mouth into a tight line. He did not look happy, but he also looked like he did not want to start fighting with Priss. They were saved, or at least given a temporary reprieve, by the ringing of the phone.

"I'll be back in a second." Priss got to her feet and left the room, heading towards her bedroom. In her bedroom she picked up the phone, noting the light indicating the scrambler was on. Because of that she guessed it was from Sylia.

She was right. "Priss-san, I need to speak with you," Sylia said.

"Where?"

"Usual place."

"I'll be there soon," Priss said.

Sylia did not respond. She just hung up. Priss looked at the phone for a moment then hung it up.

When Priss returned to the living room she found Norio was looking less confrontational. She guessed Takeshi had calmed him down. He always did. "I've got to take care of some things. Since it was your idea, can I get you to go shopping for tonight's party?"

"Sure," Yuuko said happily.

"Why not," Takeshi said.

"I suppose," Norio said, still not looking happy. Priss looked at him, frowning slightly. The last thing she need was to have to replace her guitarist now, but if Norio pushed it she would. He was one of the better guitarists she had ever met, but the band could survive without him.

Norio probably had come to the same conclusion because he suddenly looked away and sighed. "Sorry. I'm just kind of tense. I'll help get everything for tonight."

"Thanks," Priss said as she walked across the room to where her jacket was. She picked it up then pulled a wallet from the inside pocket. She let the jacket drop as she opened the wallet. "You know how much we'll need, and what. I figure this is only going to be a drinking deal. This should cover it." She produced seven, ten thousand yen bills and handed them to Yuuko.

"Right," Yuuko said.

"I know some places where we can get deals on beer and stuff," Norio said, trying to make up for the early words.

"Good," Priss said. "I'll be back here within a couple of hours I would think. I'll call you if I'm going to be later." That said Priss grabbed her jacket again and headed out.


"Nene-chan, what have you got?" Leon asked as he walked into his office.

Nene continued her work with her computer for a few seconds, finishing off part of what she was working on, then turned towards Leon. "I'm not finished reviewing all the data yet, but I've got some information."

"Tell me," Leon said as he pulled one of the chairs about so he could sit across from Nene.

"I've been looking into all the boomer recycling, both legal and illegal. One of the illegal groups is not very competent. They are most likely responsible for the boomer incidents in Shinagawa over the past month. They are not the real problem though."

"What is?"

"One of the legal groups," Nene reached over and pulled a printout from a stack of others. "Nabune Recycling."

"Why does that name sound familiar?" Leon asked as he looked over the sheet that Nene had given him. It was a profile on Nabune Recycling.

"They are backed by the Yakuza."

"Oh yes," Leon nodded. "What are they doing?"

"Building combat capable boomers out of whatever they can get their hands on, or at least that is what it looks like."

Leon shook his head. "This could be a problem. Got enough for a warrant yet?"

"Still working on it. Give me a day or two."

"Well, while you are working on that we can shut down the troublemakers in Shinagawa."

"I don't think they will give you any problems," Nene told him.

Leon nodded.

"Captain McNichol," someone called.

Leon looked up towards the door to the office space. Standing there was one of the uniformed officers from the lobby. "What?"

"There's someone to see you," the young man said.

"Who?"

"She is from Genom. Her name is Odotte Domino. She gave me her card," he told Leon, holding out the visiting card he had been given.

Leon got to his feet and walked over to the officer. "Thanks," he said, taking the card. "Tell her I'll be down shortly."

"Hai," he said, then turned and left.

"What do you think this is about?" Nene asked as she got to her feet.

"You never know with Genom," Leon told her as he looked over the card. "Odotte," he said speculatively.

"Do you know her?" Nene asked.

"I don't think so, but she looks like she is high up. Corporate Acquisitions."

"What would she be doing here?"

"That is a very good question," Leon said. "Well, only one way to find out." He started towards the door. "Hold down the fort while I'm gone."

"Hai," Nene said as he left. Once he was gone she returned to her desk and picked up her phone. She did not know why someone from Genom would come to the ADP, to talk to Leon, but she thought Sylia might like to know. Perhaps it had something to do with the new, weird job Sylia had called her about earlier.


While Leon would be the first to admit that Genom executives were a varied lot, he also had a set view of them. Domino Odotte was not what he was expecting. She looked young, too young, with a waif like appearance. Then she turned to look at him and he saw her eyes. The eyes of a predator. That he expected.

"Captain McNichol," she said, bowing. "I'm Odotte Domino."

"I guessed," Leon said. He had. The suit she wore spoke of money and power. "You wished to speak with me," he said politely, coolly.

"Yes. Thank you for making the time." She smiled at him. It was a very good smile. It was unfortunate it did not touch her eyes, Leon thought. Or maybe it was fortunate. He could have been taken in by a smile like that.

"Don't mention it. Now, if you'll excuse my bluntness, what is this about."

"Trouble." A single, simple word that held a lot of weight.

Leon looked about for a moment. "Maybe we should talk in private."

"If you wish."

"Let me get you a visitor badge," Leon told her before he walked over to the reception desk.

"You got her on camera?" Leon asked one of the officers sitting behind the desk.

"Yes sir," he said.

"Print out a picture, just so we have one. And give me a visitor badge, one with a tracer in it."

"Here you go sir," the man said as he gave Leon the badge.

"Thanks," Leon said, turning and heading back to where Domino stood. "Here," he said, handing her the badge."

Domino took the badge then clipped it to her jacket.

"Come on," Leon said, turning and walking towards the elevator. He looked back just before he got to the doors. She was following him, carrying a case that looked liked an electric guitar case, though a little longer and wider. He doubted she was carrying a guitar.

They took the elevator up to the third floor where the briefing rooms were located. Leon found them one of the smaller rooms, one with a table surrounded by fourteen chairs. Domino walked in, placed her case on the table, and then took a seat. Leon locked the door then walked over to the window. "So, what do you want to talk about?" he asked her.

Domino turned her chair so she could look at Leon. "A load of boomers that was supposed to go to Africa was shipped to Yokohama instead. They have disappeared."

Leon turned to look at Domino, wondering if it was some kind of joke. She did not look like she was joking. "You are not serious?"

"I am deadly serious."

"How many boomers?"

"The number that were to be shipped to Africa were two hundred and sixty construction boomers, twenty fire-fighting models, forty three 55C-Class and twelve D-Class combat boomers."

"And now those boomers are somewhere in this city?"

"Most likely."

Leon walked from the window to the far wall, then turned and paced back to the window. "Are you sure of those numbers?"

"No. The ship could have held more boomers, and it is not too difficult to alter a construction boomer into something more combat capable. They can be armed, better armour placed on them, their AI system can be upgraded. Not quite the threat of a C-Class, but still a problem. On the plus side the weapons they are likely to be armed with will be surplus from the previous century."

"Great. So people get mowed down by an AK-47 instead of an AK2013. That makes all the difference," Leon snapped.

"Captain McNichol, getting angry will not help anyone."

"And what will help?" Leon demanded, moving close to Domino, staring down at her.

"Planning. A well thought out response to what might happen. Co-operation. And this," Domino reached out and placed her hand on the case.

"You are willing to help?"

"Of course. Genom does bear some responsibility for this."

"Some!" Leon said incredulously.

"Some," Domino said with a tone of finality. "We are victims here McNichol-kichou," Domino said as she got to her feet. She was shorter than Leon by nearly forty centimetres and her standing up to him looked almost comical, yet Leon took a step back. "Our property has been stolen. It will likely be used in this city to harm our employees, our customers, and our reputation! Our responsibility in this is that it is our product, product we should have kept a better watch on but failed to. We bear some of the responsibility, but the lion's share of it rests with those who orchestrated this."

Leon looked at her from a moment, not sure if he should believe her or not. He was certain her passion was truth. He had seen Genom operate too many times though to take anything at face value. "That would be a wonderful cover."

Domino smiled slightly. "For what? What could we be doing with those boomers?"

"You could be testing them," Leon suggested.

"Even assuming the Genom would test boomers in such a way, these are all established models. There would be no need to test them."

"Well perhaps it is a cover. You get to destroy a few key sights, kill a few key people, and hide it all in the general destruction."

"Yes, I suppose that could work, but really Captain McNichol, do you think we would not suffer for such an action? The last thing Genom needs is a large-scale boomer rampage, even one where we have total deniability. You know us very well Kichou. Genom plays things very smart. Does this seem smart?"

"You have all the answers don't you."

"Sometimes."

"Fine, you're victims. Let's call the SDF into deal with this. We can't handle D-Class units."

"That would be a bad idea."

"For Genom perhaps."

"For the city as a whole. That SDF is a broadsword. We need a scalpel. Think about what would happen once the SDF deployed into this city? There are members of the Diet who have been waiting for something like that. A chance to clean up the city once and for all. We'd have tanks rolling down into District 24."

Leon said nothing for a moment, then nodded. "The SDF will be deployed eventually."

"Not if the problem is dealt with quickly. It is the same as the last blow up involving Prometheus Bound."

"We had help with that one."

"And you will again." Domino reached down and flipped open the case she had carried up with her. Inside, nestled in custom fitted foam, were the pieces of a weapon.

"What is that?" Leon asked.

"Officially it is known as the GW-14. The GW stands for Genom Weapons, in case you are curious." Domino removed the receiving group from the packing, then the butt-stock, which she slotted in place. "The designers have nicknamed it 'Mjolnir.'"

"Mjolnir," Leon said, trying to pronounce the unfamiliar phonemes. He watched as Domino removed the long barrel from the case and fitted it onto the weapon. Next she removed a sleeve that she slid over the barrel. A sight of some sort was clipped onto the top, a bipod onto the end of the barrel, a few other attachments as well. She put it together quickly, efficiently as well.

When she was done she was holding a weapon that was almost two meters long. It was obviously a sniper rifle, but Leon was not quite sure why she had brought it.

Domino recognised the doubtful look on his face and smiled. "Trust me Kichou, you'll like this." She put the bipod down and then placed the rifle on the table. Then, kicking off her shoes, she got on the table as well, taking up a firing position. It was not something she should be doing while she was wearing a skirt, but Leon decided not to say anything.

"This is a rail weapon. It fires a spike with a two millimetre diameter at very high speeds." She put the weapon up to her shoulder. "Aim, squeeze the trigger, and put the spike in the right place, and you will take any C-Class boomer down. The round's trajectory can be altered slightly while in the barrel, the magnetic fields do that." She took her hand from the under the barrel and patted the sighting mechanism. "The computer in this controls it all. You can fire into a crowd and be fairly certain that you will only hit your target."

"And anything behind it," Leon said.

"The computer can also control the velocity, if you want it to, so that the round remains embedded within your target."

Leon let out an appreciative "wow" in spite of himself.

"Furthermore," Domino continued. "There are a number of capacitors within the barrel that will store up power, allowing for even greater velocity to be imparted to the round. Pull the trigger to its first stage, hold it for five seconds, and then fire. The round will shred a C-class boomer, and, if you hit the right spot, can take down a D-Class."

"How do we find the right spot."

Domino looked back at him over her shoulder. "That information is stored in the computer."

"How is it powered?"

"There is a battery in the pistol grip," Domino told him. "That is only good for a few shots. Normally you'd carry an external battery pack or fuel cell with you."

"It's a nice weapon system," Leon said softly.

"It was designed to be so," Domino told him, sensing something was up.

"Perfect boomer killer."

"That is one of its uses."

"So why didn't you get this to us before," Leon snarled. "It's just what we needed!"

"It would not do for us the market such a weapon."

Leon moved around the table and leaned in right over her. "A lot of people have died."

"Genom cannot market a boomer killer at the same time we market boomers. Our customers would be displeased."

"To hell with your customers!"

Domino stared at Leon for a moment, then reached into her jacket and produced her NAVI. "Here," she said, handing it to him.

"What is this all about?" Leon asked even as he took the NAVI.

Domino said nothing. She reached into the case and removed the battery pack, which she slotted into the pistol grip. Then she removed the magazine that she slid into the weapon-it was a bullpup configuration. "It's ready to go now," Domino told him.

She then shifted into a cross-legged sitting position on the table, and raised the weapon to her shoulder, pointing at the ceiling. Looking into the sight she shifted the point of aim around until she had what she was looking for.

"Right now this weapon is lined up with your Chief's desk. If you will be so kind to call him to be sure he is sitting there, I can kill him."

"What?"

"I can kill him, from here. The round will easily pass through everything in its way. I'll fire two. One to clear the way, and one to make sure he goes down."

Leon stared at her for a long time, finally he said, "I get the point."

"Good," Domino said as she let her point of aim drop, then removed the magazine. "As things stand this weapon is too dangerous to be marketed. I am willing to make a loan of one hundred of them to the ADP, temporarily of course." She held out her hand towards him.

"Of course," Leon said. He handed her back her NAVI.

Domino got off the table and slid her feet back into her shoes. She smoothed her skirt down then looked at Leon. "There will be non-disclosure contracts that will have to be signed, and the majority of the components of the weapon are black box type and will be destroyed if tampered with."

"Genom thinks of everything doesn't it?"

"If that were true we would not be in this situation now, would we?"

"I don't like this. I don't like being given the perfect weapon to do my job then to have it taken away."

"Perhaps a side deal then. Just to make things more palatable."

"What side deal?"

Domino reached into her jacket pocket and removed a cardboard box. She placed in on the table and then gave it a push. It slid to a stop near Leon. He looked at her, then the box, then picked it up. "10mm APDS," he said.

"Just what you need for your M42-A1s isn't it?"

"We haven't been able to get any."

"Within the hour two million rounds of it will be delivered, along with a smaller number of rounds for your other weapons, including the 20mm you use in your vehicle cannons."

"We won't be able to keep it."

"If you use it well, don't cause excessive property damage or kill any civilians, it will become part of your standard ordinance. You have my word on that."

Leon was about to ask her what value her word had but when he looked into her eyes he knew she was telling him the truth. "Okay. I'll work with you."

"I'll have all the information we have to date sent to you, as well as the contracts and the rest of the GW-14s," Domino said as she started towards the door.

"You're not going to take this with you?"

"I figured that you and your weapons boss would like to test it, just to be sure that I have told you the truth about it."

Leon let out an amused snort as Domino unlocked the door. He watched as she left, closing the door behind her. Odotte confused him. She seemed familiar, and yet he knew he had never met her before. She was like no other Genom executive he had ever met. For that he was both glad and sad at the same time.


"They want to hire us, but they won't tell us why?"

"That's the way of things," Sylia told Priss.

"Strange," Priss said.

"Very much so. I am worried."

"Something big up?"

"Very likely. Nene-san called me shortly before you arrived. A Genom executive had shown up to speak with Captain McNichol."

"It might not have anything to do with this. Maybe it's just someone who wants to kill Leon. I could understand that."

Sylia smiled ever so slightly. "That does not seem likely. I'm curious to learn what it was about. Hopefully Nene-san will contact me soon."

"Well, I'll be ready in case anything happens."

"Tonight I'll be busy with the ceremony, as will Nene-san. You and Linna may have to handle things on your own, if anything happens tonight."

"We'll be able to handle it. The codes still the same?"

Sylia nodded. "You'll have no problem getting to the equipment if the time comes."

"Fine with me." Priss leaned back in her chair and stared up at the ceiling. "We'll take the new motoslaves."

"Take all of them if you go. You might need the extra firepower."

"Sure." Priss sat up. "Hey, did you ever figure out that knife I brought back?"

Sylia looked a little surprised by the question, but nodded. "I have. Why are you interested?"

"Are we going to have to looking out for them?"

"I don't think so." Sylia turned her chair and opened one of her desk drawers. She brought out the knife Priss had returned with after their unsuccessful mission with Doctor Andrews. "The blade was grown in zero-gravity, the crystalline structure of the blade set to very stringent and different patterns depending on their location within the knife. It is similar to what I did for the blades in my suit. The process is terribly expensive."

Priss reached out and took the blade from Sylia. "Any sort of way we can defend against it?"

"A single layer of carbon molecules laid over the hard armour of the suit in a diamond matrix."

"Sounds expensive."

"The carbon is very cheap, it is working in a zero-gravity environment and creating the plasma of carbon that is difficult. It is not something we will be able to do anytime soon. I would not worry about it too much. The success your attacker had was due in part to a great deal of skill as well the quality of the weapon. It is about what I would expect from a Second Generation combat 33-S."

Priss turned the knife in her hand. "She was good. Fast, very fast," Priss said as if she was thinking of something else.

Sylia watched for a moment, not saying anything, then, "She would probably win in a knife fight."

Priss looked up from the knife, looking a little surprised. After a moment she nodded. "Probably." Priss shifted the blade in her hand then handed it back to Sylia handle first.

"I'll keep you informed of any changes that come up," Sylia told Priss as she returned the knife to her desk drawer.

"Anything else?" Priss asked as she got to her feet. She felt that the meeting was over.

"Stay sharp."

"I always do."


Linna was feeling very tired by the time that Andrea called it a day. More work for her to try to make chaos controlled, while leaving it as chaos. She was beginning to think that she would never manage it, but her sensei seemed pleased with the results.

She made her way, along with the rest of the dancers, to the change rooms. There, she sat down heavily on the bench in front of her locker. During the dance the small beeper she wore in her ear had sounded off a few times. None of the signals had been the emergency signal that she and Sylia had agreed upon, if she was needed right away.

She opened her locker and removed her NAVI from her gym bag. There were two messages for her. One was from Sylia and the other from Devon. The one that Sylia had left was the standard, cryptic, get in touch with me message. Devon, on the other hand, came right out and asked her to call him.

She called Sylia first, making sure that all the encryption protocols were activated.

"Moshi, moshi, Stingray residence," Mackie said as his face appeared on the small screen.

"Mackie-san I received a call earlier."

"There's been a job offer," Mackie said. "It's kind of a strange job. Could come up at any time and Oneesan wants you be ready in case something happens."

"That's it?"

"Hai."

"Anything else?"

"No, that is everything. I'm sorry I can't say more, but I don't know much more myself."

"All right, I'll be ready if anything happens."

"I'll tell Oneesan. Bye."

"Bye," Linna said, then she cut the connection. That was odd, Linna thought as she turned off the encryption protocols and then entered Devon's number.

"Linna-san," he said before his image had appeared on the screen, before Linna's image could have appeared on his. "I'm glad you got back to me."

Linna was a little surprised that he had known it was her first until she had realised he probably had a call display feature. "Sorry I took so long. I was rehearsing."

"I understand. Are you busy tonight?"

"Well, not really," Linna said.

"I was wondering if you would help me. I am attending a function tonight and my original dinner date had to cancel. I know it is very short notice, but I was hoping you would agree to come with me."

"Well, I'm not sure. Do I even have time to get ready? What is the dress?"

"It is a formal affair."

"Formal? I'm not even sure I have anything that is formal, expect for a few kimonos," and an ugly bridesmaid dress, Linna thought but did not say.

"I understand. In accepting this offer there is a dress included, as well as a stop at a salon."

Linna laughed at that. "You seemed to have thought this out well."

"It is one of my strengths."

"What is this function?"

"It's a dinner honouring the late Stingray-hakase, the inventor of boomers. You may have heard about it."

"I think I read something in the paper," Linna lied. She of course knew of the dinner.

"It should be an enjoyable evening. A little dull perhaps, if you are not interested in boomers, but enjoyable non-the-less."

Linna thought about it for a moment. It would be nice to be present for Sylia's big moment. She had not thought she could have gone, there was no reason for her to be invited. Now she had a chance. "Okay."

"Wonderful. I'll be in front of the theatre in twenty minutes. From there we will go shopping."

Linna nodded. "I'll see you there. Goodbye Devon-san," she said, then cut the feed.

She folded the NAVI up and returned it to her bag. She was going to have to hurry to shower and get dressed in time. At least she was not going to have to worry about her hair, not with Devon taking her to a salon.


Nene was finishing up her work, planning on leaving earlyshe had to get ready for the dinner that nightwhen Leon came into the room.

"Nene-chan, I need you to take a look at something," he told her. He placed something that looked a little like a telescope in front of her.

"What is it?" Nene asked him.

"It's the sight system for sniper rifle. There is a computer in there that Shiroko can't make sense of."

Nene picked it up and looked it over. A sealed unit, no way to get into it she could see, but there was one obvious computer jack. She placed it back on her desk and opened a drawer, producing a tangle of cables. A few seconds of pulling at them freed up the one that she needed. The rest got dumped back into the drawer.

She plugged one end of the cable into the sight, the other end she slipped into her computer. "Okay, let's see what we have here."

She tapped a few commands in and a moment later the Genom Logo came up on her computer screen. "Genom made this?"

Leon nodded.

"How did you get it? Is it part of an investigation."

"They gave it to me."

Nene looked at him for a moment then turned back to the screen, her fingers flying across her keyboard. "Interesting," she said a few seconds later.

"What?" Leon asked.

"There are all these little viral packets in here, set to destroy all the code if anyone messes with it."

"Why am I not surprised," Leon said. "So you can't do anything with it."

"I never said that," Nene told him as she went to work.

"Hey, we'll only have a limited number of these things! I don't want any wrecked."

"Don't worry, I know a few tricks." That was true. She had also picked up a great deal of information during her raid of the Tower's computer system the other night. "I think I've got something," she said a few seconds later.

"What?" Leon asked her.

"Only the basics really. What it can do and the documentation on it. If I go any deeper I might end up setting off the viruses."

"What can it do then?"

"Works with the sensor package to give the shooter a lot of options on how the sights will work. Infrared, low-light, ultrasound..."

"That we all ready figured out," Leon said, some disappointment in his voice.

"Well, we also have low powered X-ray, magnetic scan, multi-spectrum, and others."

"That I did not know," Leon said, moving close.

"That stuff has been locked out," Nene told him. "I wonder why. Let's see what the documentation has to say."

"I wonder if you could use some of that to pick up a disguised boomer?"

"I think that is what a lot of its is for, disguised or hidden."

Leon shook his head. "Of course they wouldn't tell me that. Can you give me access?"

"Probably," Nene told him.

"Do that," Leon said as he reached for his phone and dialled a four-digit number. "Shiroko," he said a moment later, "bring the sensor pod up to my office. We're going to do a little experimenting." He paused and listened to her response. "Good. See you soon." He hung the phone up.

Nene had finished her work before Shiroko came thought the door. She was looking the sight over, playing with the onscreen menu, running through the options.

"Okay, here's your sensor pod," Shiroko said as she strode into the office. "What do we do with it."

"Hook it up to the sighting system."

"I knew I brought my tool kit for something. Give me that toy Romanova-san," she told Nene.

Nene handed it to her. Shiroko sat down at an unoccupied desk and set about connecting the sight and the pod. Normally they were connected through the rifle, but there were tiny jacks in both devices, allowing Shiroko to link them up.

"I'll need a little extra power," she said after a she had finished the initial work.

"Here," Nene said, handing her a battery pack.

"Perfect," Shiroko said as she took it. In less than a minute she had it all hooked up. "Now, let's see what we can do." She looked at the screen in the sight and reached forward to run through the menu. "Magnetic scan," she said, and began moving the sensor pod about. "Picks up ferrous metals. Could you pick out a boomer with this?" She looked over at Nene.

"Yes, according to the documentation, but it's most accurate at ranges within five meters. The farther you get the less able it is to give you a certain identification."

"It's something," Leon said.

Shiroko nodded as she tried other selections. "I've got a lot of different waves of light on here, what's up with that?" she asked Nene.

"The computer can pick out a boomer with some accuracy based on various signals a boomer emits and humans don't. It's not perfect, background noise will play havoc with it."

"Interesting," she said, still waving the pod about. Then she stopped. "Leon, come here."

Leon walked over to where Shiroko was sitting. Nene looked over as well, noting that the pod was pointed at her. "What?"

"Nothing," Shiroko said.

"Interesting," Leon said, looking at the screen.

"What?" Nene asked.

"Well, it is possible to look through your clothing with this, just the outer layer. I must say Romanova-san; you have a very nice little body under that uniform. And the cutest panties. Aren't they the cutest panties you have ever seen Leon?"

Nene stared for a moment as her cheeks grew warm, then she spun her chair about, putting her arms over her chest. "Perverts!"

"I think we've had enough of that," Leon said as he reached down to turn off the sight. "Can you take the locks off the rest of the sights."

"I'm busy tonight," Nene said angrily.

"Well, can you write a program that will do it for us?"

"Leon is an idiot," she said very softly, then turned to her computer and went to work. A few minutes later she handed Leon a disk. "Just plug a computer into the sights and run this," she told him. "Now I'm going home."

"Thanks Nene-chan," Leon said, taking the disk from her.

"You're welcome," Nene said, but she did not sound as if she meant it. After giving Shiroko an angry stare she gathered up her things and headed for the door.

"Oh Nene," Leon called just as she got to the door.

"What?" Nene looked back at him.

"They are very cute panties."

Nene's face grew red again as she turned and ran from the room.

"And you say I'm cruel," Shiroko said.


Technical Notes:

Genom Tonbo Gunship: Released in 2026, the Genom Tonbo has sold reasonably well over the last eight years. It is not a particularly innovative design, looking much like the helicopter that were in use fifty years earlier, such as the 206L Texas Ranger. The twin rotors negate the need for a tail rotor and the powerful engine is much more efficient and powerful than those of the previous century, however.

It is a solid design and the electronics system is designed to be easy to upgrade. It also requires much less maintenance than almost any other VTOL aircraft used in 2030. Still, with aerodyne aircraft becoming more and more prevalent there is talk that Genom will discontinue the production of the Tonbo in the next few years. Parts will still be produced though so it is likely that the Tonbo will remain in service around the world for many years to come.

The Tonbo can be fitted with weapons; all designed so they can be jettisoned if necessary in order to increase speed and range. It is lightly armoured, using ceramics and plastics to protect vital systems.

Tonbo Gunship
Handling: 4
Speed: 240
Acceleration: 20
Body: 4
Armour: 6
Signature: 4
Autonav: 3
Pilot: -
Sensor: 4
Cargo: 70
Load: 1800
Seating: 2 Buckets, rear compartment can be fitted with bench seating, or can carry stretchers. It can carry about 10 passengers, though it is a tight fit.
Entry points: 2+2
Cost: 30000000 yen
Availability: 3/2 Weeks
Street Index: 3
Other Features: On combat model an ECM and ECCM rating of 5, and it can be fitted with 2 hardpoints, weapons not included.

Hughes Apache 2: As the first Apache represented a technological leap over earlier helicopter designs, the Apache 2 represented another technological leap. The rotor was replaced with a pair of enclosed fans. The cockpit area looks rather similar to the first Apache, but instead of a tail boom, the enclosed fans are situated to the rear of the aircraft.

Standard armament includes a pair of miniguns, or 20mm cannons, or in some cases one minigun and one cannon. These weapons are mounted under the nose in fixed positions. Another variation puts one minigun or cannon in a turret like arrangement that allows a much wider arch of fire. Also, to either side, are a pair of missile pylons that can be used to mount missiles or rocket pods.

Like the first Apache, this one makes uses of ceramics and ballistic plastics in the construction of the aircraft wherever possible.
Genom purchased several, through fronts, to take them apart and reverse engineer what they could from the design. Afterwards, not being ones to waste a useful tool, made them part of Genom's special operation teams. Officially they are registered as civilian helicopters.

Hughes Apache 2
Handling: 4
Speed: 500
Acceleration: 30
Body: 5
Armour: 14
Signature: 5
Autonav: 4
Pilot: -
Sensor: 8
Cargo: 6
Load: 1000

Seating: 2 Bucket Entry Points: 1+1
Cost: Restricted
Availability: NA
ECM/ECCM rating: 6

Genom Suzumebachi 7.62 Battle Rifle: This heavy rifle is used almost exclusively by Genom troops. This is not because Genom won't sell to others, they will, but the Suzumebachi (hornet) is not the best rifle for a soldier. It is expensive to maintain in both money and time.

The helical magazine, that holds 50 rounds, is both heavy, and slots into the top of the weapon. This makes sighting along the weapon difficult, if not impossible. To deal with this Genom used fibre optic cables that run along the inside of the magazine so the person firing could basically sight through the magazine-clip on cables can be attached to the outside of the magazines for imaging scopes and IR, Low Light. Etc.

While effective, both ends of the magazine have to be kept clean, and the magazines are extremely expensive compared to others. Also, in time, the magazines will have to be replaced as the fibre optics get scratched and damaged in other ways.

The weapon is also rather heavy, as is its ammunition. From Genom security this is not a real problem, the fights they are often involved in are short and over quickly, and they almost always have easy re-supply and transport.

On the plus side, the weapon is set up as a bullpup configuration, shortening the overall length of the weapon. It is also well balanced, when the magazine is in, and comes with a lot of recoil compensation, including a muzzle brake and shock pads.

It is gas operated and uses a tilt-breech system very similar to the FAL.

Genom Suzumebachi 7.62
Conceal: 3
Ammo: 50(c)
Mode: SA/BF/FA
Damage: 9S
Weight: 8
Availability: 6/5 days
Cost: 200000 yen
Street Index: 3
Legal: 1-H
RC: 4

Note: The weapon magazines each cost 7500 yen.

GW 14 Sniper Rifle (Mjolnir): Genom's Weapon division has been experimenting with magnetic accelerators for some time. While a number of these weapons were rather large, meant for combat boomers, recently they have managed to decrease the over all size and power to such a point where the weapon can be used by humansSylia is actually still ahead of Genom when it comes to rail weapons.

The GW 14 is one such weapon. While rather large, it is perfect for a sniper rifle. As mentioned in the story the use of capacitors gives this weapon the ability to pack a greater punch than one might expect. Also, the sighting system is quite advanced.

The weapon also has some impressive shock absorbing gear, to protect the shooter from the rather intense recoil.

GW 14 (Mjolnir)
Conceal: NA
Ammo: 20(c
Mode: SS
Damage: 12D
Weight: 16
Availability: NA
Cost: Restricted
St. Index: NA
Legal: 1-K
RC: -
While the clip holds 20 shots, the battery is only good for four shots.
By powering up the capacitors you can increase the damage. For each combat segment you hold your shot it increases the damage as per the burst and full auto fire rules. Each segment counts as an additional round fired.

Note: The weapon has the same range as a sniper rifle. Because the trajectory can be altered slightly while in the barrel, there is a -1 to the target number at long and extreme ranges, if the computer in the sight is active.
As for the sight itself, the overall effects are up to an individual GM.

"Being a retainer is nothing more than being a supporter of one's lord, entrusting matters of good and evil to him and renouncing self-interest. If there are but two or three men of this type, the fief will be secure"
-Yamamoto Tsunetomo