A/N: This chapter contains descriptions of gore and body horror. Reader discretion is advised.
Also, if you'd allow a recommendation, listen to Bad Encounter by Myuu when reading the first PoV.
That's all, thanks for reading.
Zuoriel
Chapter 60: Lurking Threats
November 13th, 2001. 05:24 AM.
(A small settlement near Komoro Base.)
[Akira Isumi]
"Saber 9, reporting in. We found no leads here, sir," I report to the Captain as I boarded my Gekishin.
A small icon, the common channel's notification, pops in the corner of my vision as his cheery voice reaches me, "Saber 1, copy that. Nine, Ten, move to the next settlement to the west, it's one of the last," As he says so, a beeping icon appears in my radar, "If you find anything, report in immediately."
"Yes, Captain!" I say, my partner also doing so immediately. Leaning back onto the seat, I close the comms and let out a sigh, lightly hitting the armrests.
Who does he think I am? I'm a commissioned Surface Pilot! I'm not a cadet anymore. It's true that this is one of my first sorties, but still… It makes me so mad to be treated like a kid, even after getting commissioned and surpassing the Eight Minutes of Death.
"Nine, should we be going?" Ten calls out, her dull and uninterested face zooming into view.
"Yeah, let's get on to it," Tapping the buttons, readying the boosters, we take off shortly after.
Sigh… Neither of us is at full focus, being so early. When we got an emergency scramble, I was about to shit myself thinking another BETA herd had broke through Niigata, but instead they sent us to scout the sticks.
What's up with this mission too? Why were we asked to search this area? There's no one living here, I'm sure the alarm must have malfunctioned or something. After all… How could anyone endure living for so long being cut off from society? I guess… it is for the best that we aren't finding anyone. If we do, we'd be obliged to take them with us, but if someone is staying behind in these conditions… To send all of us, an entire squadron, so early in search of the source of this rescue signal… I wonder if this was done with the intent of apprehending anyone who remained in their towns. Maybe this was a request of the UN? Ugh, this is the worst!
Tightly holding my controls, feeling the emptiness of a non-existent breakfast beginning to stir inside, I enter one long boost to shave the distance from our last location, the remnants of some sort of rural town. I can't wait to go back to Komoro Base and get a nice breakfast and a shower.
And anyway, this is the citizens' fault. If they had decent equipment we could have pinpointed their location instantly. Or better yet, they could have followed the Shogun's orders and retreated to a shelter.
"Yet, as soon as we appear, I'm sure we'll get shouts and insults…" It's not like I don't understand their feelings… But really, they're being a burden on our shoulders. Everyone else accepted the order to leave their homes… Do we really have the back to endure this selfishness? If a BETA herd ever breaks through this area, they'll be defenseless… There's no way they'll be able to defend themselves…
"Nine, where do we land?" Ten asks, slow and low, almost drowsy. How does she finds the constant rocking of the cockpit pleasant, I will never know.
"…Hmm. Let's descend some space away from the town. I don't want anyone taking the TSFs as a threat or anything."
"Oh, yeah. Good call, let's do that," She nods, eyes opening wide, brows stretching as the focus returns to her.
We overcome one last elevation, closing in the place as the small buildings appear in the view. The rows of trees spared from the BETA, the grassy patches along the mountain roads, a scenery that's all too precious after the invasion.
I heard during the briefing that Hidekatsu Saionji-sama, may His Highness rest in peace, cast a royal decree to have the peasantry retreat towards the east after Kyoto fell. However, many were the ones who refused and remained behind in their hometowns and villages, even after all connection to the rest of the Empire was lost during the invasion.
…I can't even begin to imagine how people kept living in such places in the middle of the invasion. Without supply lines for food and water… with the risk of BETA appearing all of a sudden…
"No… Get it together," Inhaling sharply then sighing heavily, I lick my lips as I gyrate the jump units to soften the coming landing.
Both Gekishins slowly approach the ground, to avoid doing more surfacing, to save us the lecture from the mechanics, and preemptively knee side by side. Opening the cockpit, squinting my eyes as a cold gust hits me right in the face, I trigger the pulley and go down, seeing Ten do the same by my side.
The wind again blows, greeting our arrival. The creaking, shaking branches of the trees ricochet off each other, a few leaves flying off. Brr… I should have put the helmet on, winter is almost here again. But… letting my face be seen might work in my favor if I find anyone. Sigh… I am so staying under the shower for a long while after we return.
Despite how they should have heard us landing here, no one comes out of their houses to see what the noise was about. As we approach the small town, I can see no windows were opened either. Dawn is still far away so it's still rather dark here, I turn my flashlight on as I move, Ten imitating me as she follows close by.
Cracked glass on the windows, tape desperately holding the cold air at bay. Paint fading away, the bare gray underneath exposed at places. Splintered wood, on the roofs, on the frames, had stronger colors, humid colors spreading in places where water fell regularly. As were the small marks of rust on the few doors of the newest-looking houses, small carvings littering the concrete around beaten road of dirt, the cover of dusk and the gust rustling the trees made the silence a bit unnerving.
"This is the IJA's 138th Squadron Saber, we are here to answer to a rescue alarm. Please come out of your homes," I speak to the wind as I approached the first houses.
Yet, silence.
Ten repeats the call as she gets by my side, we wait some more moments to see if anyone arrives but… Still, nothing.
"This place looks deserted, there is no sign of anyone being here, either," Ten says with a sigh, one eye closed, "Let's notify the Captain of it and go back."
"Well, that might be… Wait, what's…" My eyes wander to a pole to my left. There were some clothes hanging from it, "Hey, look. There's some clothes over there."
"Huh? Oh, you're right… You think they left them there all those years ago"? She asks, tilting her head.
"No… Look well, they don't look that old," Stepping towards that house, the clothing swayed by the breeze didn't look old or tarnished by the weather, "That means someone must have placed them here not so long ago, right?" Making a small fist, hitting the hair softly, I look back at Ten with a smile.
Who yawns wildly, her throat visible for a second, before shivering, rolling her shoulders up and down, and then getting her business face back on, "Finally found them, huh. Let's get this over with," She nods my way and we approach the house in question.
Knocking on the wooden door three times strongly, I repeat the call we're instructed to do. But, again, no answer.
After knocking and shouting some more, I simply opt to open the door. However, there is no one inside. The living room was made a mess, what little light filtered through the cracked windows painted the place in utter chaos. A kettle was on the floor along some books, even a chair was flat on its side.
"What the hell?" Ten whispers, peering behind me into the place, "Hey, shouldn't we, uh, contact the Captain, just in case?"
"Y-Yeah… Maybe, can you look into the house as I contact him?" She nods, entering the small rural house, repeating the call, as I tapped my chin mike's controls, establishing the connection, "Saber 9 to Saber 1. Captain, do you copy?"
"Saber 1, receiving you loud and clear. What is it?"
"Captain, we found some clothes hanging from a pole, they looked to have been put there recently. However, the house they were near is made a mess and there are no signs of people nearby. We will check further into the town, can someone come along just in case?"
I hear him snickering, "What is it? You scared, pup? It's the normal stuff, the winds do that sometimes. Windows open all of a sudden and send everything flying, it happens. There's also many abandoned houses, less than twenty people might be living in the place. Check everything thoroughly instead of freaking out, and call me back when you find someone. Saber 1, out."
Aargghhh! I hate him, why does he have to be like this all the time? What if this is something serious?! Hands shaking, I take a swing at empty air.
And almost hit Ten in the face as she came out of the house, "Uwah! Hey, what are you doing?!"
"Uh, sorry. It's just…" I tell her what the Captain told me, sighing at the end, "So we're on our own."
"Siiigh… Still, there's no one in this house. You'd think people would wake up after hearing a pair of TSFs land just a few meters away from here. But no one came to check us out, and… I don't hear anything either," Her flashlight's reveals a trail into the rest of the town, the faintly marked road in the ground with some grass on the side.
Yet, as she says, that's the sole illumination we have. The houses are pitch-dark inside and it's dead silent, too.
Ruffling my short hair for a second, I also aim my flashlight forward, "…Anyways, standing here won't get us anything. Let's check the rest of the town."
"Wanna split up to cover more terrain? Or, we stick together for safety?"
"I don't think there's any risks, we have our machineguns with us after all," Pointing a thumb to our Gekishins, she nods back. Going back to them and grabbing our guns, we then decide to check different ends of the place, "Leave your comms open just in case, alright?" Ten gives me a thumbs up with her back still turned to me, slowly going her way. Alright, time to get this done.
Checking on the other houses nearby first, all of them are in the same state of disarray. As if the people ran away in a hurry, tumbling stuff down as they made their escape. Maybe I'm overreacting since this is just my third sortie, but there is no way this is normal. Right?
As I walk towards the center of the town while surveying the area to the two of our landing position, Ten no longer in sight, there are more and more signs of nothingness around. No one answers my calls, only my steps echo along the breeze, the blanket of thick shadows giving away as the sun delays its wake. Yet, the more I walk into the heart of this place… the more I see houses that are almost falling down. Their walls have these giant holes on them, doors crushed and tumbled down. Weird thing is, as I point my flashlight at the buildings, the stuff inside doesn't seem that old. It's doesn't look like this place was abandoned for that long. Look, there's even some food on that table over there, and it isn't spoilt. And there's… there's barely no dust, either.
Tapping my chin again, I call out, "Ten, do you hear me?"
…
"…Saber Ten, do you copy?"
I gulp, waiting for her reply as the wind blows and tickles the back of my head.
Yet, silence.
Allowing a moment of wait, all that comes back is the wind again, the distant clashing of a tree's branches as my lips begin to quiver.
"Ten, you better answer me! If you're pulling my leg, I swear I'm-"
"Pipe down, now," She complains, sighing, "Hearing you loud and clear, I was just checking out some stuff."
"Oh, did you find damaged buildings, too?"
"…Yeah," Low, she admits, "Can't believe the damage, actually. You think… someone raided the town?"
"Can't leave any option out, but… Who would do this kind of thing? And, why?" Why attack defenseless people? What's to gain from such a thing?
Still slow but sharpening, she replies, "No idea, I'll keep checking stuff on this side of town. If you find anything, call me."
"Yeah, likewise. And at least answer when I call out, okay?"
"Yes, sorry. It's just…"
"What?"
"Nothing, all this silence is unnerving me. It feels as if a monster or something is gonna come out from the shadows, my neck's all stiff and itchy the more I walk in. I have this feeling that, if I turn around, there's gonna be something staring at me there, within the dark," She admits, before sighing.
Gulping, my neck also shivering at the words, hair standing in attention, couldn't help but to stop breathing. Really, always with the horror stuff. Why did I have to end up paired with you?
"Well, let's remain focused, okay?" I say, walking again.
"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry, I won't get my head chomped off by the shadows," She chuckles back at my groans.
"Thanks Ten, I did not need that mental image. Anyways, stay alert," She agrees, ending the connection for the moment.
As I got closer to the center, more and more houses were damaged badly. The holes in the walls, the gaping holes where the windows should have been, the shards of scattered glass with tape still stubbornly stuck to some, the wreckage of furniture inside the buildings didn't change.
Also, some weird marks are on the ground. Crouching, running a finger over them, can't exactly recognize them. What is this? Did a vehicle do this? No, not only these roads are too unstable for such small wheels but the soil… it's too hard for a car to leave such deeps marks. Unless it rained some time ago? But then, the marks shouldn't be engraved this well if they aren't recent.
"Anyways… They might be from some machine, I'm sure. Maybe someone else answered the rescue call before we got here?" Ugh, that better not be the case! This is one of the few times I get to prove my worth in the IJA.
Still, no one answers my calls. The town seems deserted and desolate, the only thing that's clear is that something happened here. The belongings inside the houses would indicate it wasn't that long from the incident, yet… I haven't found anyone yet. Ten also hasn't, she'd have contacted me if she had. Slowing down, observing the place well, and taking a moment to stare back as the silence was too much, I eventually reached the central square. A small patch of flowers with a few old wooden benches, which were left unharmed.
"At least the flowers are safe… But that being said, what's that smell?" The more I move, the more I sense this weird smell in the air. It's not that strong, but it definitely isn't nice. It dries my mouth, forces me to lick over the back of my teeth, "Hello? Is anybody here?"
The wind answers me, rumbling through the seemingly abandoned rural town. All this silence is making me more nervous than I should be, only the sound of my footsteps decorates this darkened scenery where the sun does not yet reach, where only my flashlight reveals what's in the buildings. My pace slows down and I start to take glances all around me, thanks to Ten's stupid words. Back before the BETA came, hearing animals was such a normal thing I didn't give a second thought to. But now I often find myself trying to remember how it was to hear birds chirping on the mornings or bugs buzzing during summer. It's not like they're all gone, but there's very few of them in the mainland. And that background noise… it's all gone now from this place, like around the base. It's all… so empty…
Continuing to check the houses nearby, peeking through their windows, I keep finding nothing. As I stride through a road, the wind blows strongly. Shielding my face with an arm, I stop walking for a moment.
Yet, a jolt runs down my back.
A sudden noise, right behind me. Far too close.
In the corner of my vision, obstructed by my arm, a shadow seemed to move, to circle to my back.
Inhaling sharply, turning around into a combat pose, trigger finder at the ready, all I see is a door creaking, swayed by the winds.
"Sigh… Just the wind, huh. Well, let's check this place next, I guess."
I close in slowly, gulping for a moment, a shiver down my back. Shaking my head, hearing no other sounds, I repeat my call in case there was a civilian hiding inside the place. Yet, as usual, silence answers me. Peeking through the small opening the door gave, I see the common sight thus far. A table upside down, some broken cups on the floor, the chairs lying on their backs and… Hey, there's someone in there!
The inside of the house is very dark, since its wooden windows weren't open, so I couldn't see it well, but that right there is a person, no doubt! But why are they sleeping on the floor?
"Hey, are you alright? I'm a soldier from the IJA and-"
All it took was me taking a single step inside the house. That was all it took, for all air to leave me, for my heartbeats to stop cold. For an acidic fire to start tearing me from within.
It was dark. So I didn't notice.
I was so happy to have found someone. So I didn't notice.
I wanted some answers so badly. So I didn't notice.
But when I entered, opening the door widely, showering the dim light of my flashlight into the house, I saw it. And along the realization, my senses sprung into action. A stench assaulted, an acidic pain twisted my insides, a sharp whistle obstructed any and all other sounds, my vision slowly became hazy and unfocused as my knees threatened to buckle. But I couldn't look away.
A deep red carpet was etched onto the floor. Blood… It wasn't dry, it's still rather liquid. And my eyes follow along the pool of blood, the red carpet…
…and there I find the figure I had seen, the torn remains of someone.
A few tiny little cables were strewn all over near my feat, except they're not cables or stretched plastic… They're fingers.
Something distinctly pink… something was protruding from the upper body where the head should have been, yet the skin was peeled off forcefully near where the neck was supposed to be, sunk in at some points.
A mess of blood and torn flesh coming from a hole in the abdomen, slivers of entrails dangling from it. The lower part of the legs and the forearms were missing, cut off unnaturally as if a Destroyer had rammed into a freight train.
And the sound… the calm buzzing sound of flies filled the entire place… as much as my eyes were filled with the swarm, bursting as if someone had thrown a mint candy into soda, that covered the body. The sea of convulsing worms all over the… the…
"Ugh… Kh-Khgh…" All it took was a second, and I began hiccuping, my throat burning as bile rose from inside.
Holding my mouth tightly, the hiccuping doesn't stop. Hacking and coughing, accidentally swallowing back something which burned my throat, I stumble away from the place. Saliva and acids cover the ground as I stop fighting the impulse. A cold sweat covers me despite the suit beginning to vibrate, to calibrate itself to my body again.
But the hiccups don't stop, and I can't calm my breath, and the smell chases me outside. The putrid stench, a few flies leaving the room, the image of the worms, the tiny fingers in the floor drenched in blood, the guts torn away from the body, it all etched itself into my mind.
And coughing and hacking, out of air and suffocating, more and more bile I puke, hunched over in the ground on all fours.
"Cough… Cough… wheeze… Oh, by the Holy… W-Wha… What the hell… Cough… Ugh…" Taking a deep breath, crawling away from the house, I try to regain my breathing.
Hearing something, glancing around, aiming my gun all around me, it was the wind again. But now, the smallest creak, the tiniest hint at anything is enough to make me want to fire. I have… I have to…
"S-Saber 9 to Saber 1!"
"Hey, Nine. What's-"
"Captain! Answer me!" Bashing the chin's trigger, hands shaking, I scream as I get back on my feet.
A bit of static later, I hear a sigh, "What's up, Nine? Need someone to-"
"I-I found a corpse, sir! Or maybe it's two, I dunno. There's some torn limbs a-and… Urk… Ugh… Cough…" I try to close my throat, but something still made its way out and splashed my leg. A foul taste filling my mouth, my knees giving up on me, I end up crashing onto a wooden door, losing grasp of my gun.
"Saber 9! Are you alright?!" He asks, alert and on edge.
"Y-Yes, sir. I'm fine," My knees are shaking, can't get up, and I have trouble breathing. Oh, what the hell is going here?!
"We'll be going to your position shortly, stay put and wait for me. Or better yet, return to your Gekishin. But do so slowly and in silence."
"Y-Yes, sir," Then, he cuts his connection.
But another worried voice soon follows, "Nine, do you copy?"
"…Yes, I… hear you…"
"Where are you as of now? I'm hurrying over to you side."
"Uh… I was… near the central park, with the flower…" Sitting on the floor, I lean on a wall as I start taking some breaths.
"Alright, I'll be there in a sec. Stay alert, okay?" She firmly says, then cuts the connection.
Breathing in deeply, rubbing my forehead, my senses calm down gradually. Once I think I can stand, I start moving away to at least remain standing, to pick up my sole weapon. Because… someone, or something, might be lurking nearby. Ugh, I'm so pathetic. My knees are shaking… I'm sure Marika-chan and Michiru-chan could keep their act together in a situation like this.
As I move away from that house, I notice something in the walls of a nearby building. Bullet marks. Someone fought here, and that caused that... But who could have done such a thing?
The silence eats at me, and I can only gaze upwards, praying for the Captain to come while tightly holding my gun, shivering in place, looking from time to time at my surroundings.
Yet, silence.
I have fought against the BETA, I have heard what they do to us when we lose. But… But this kind of thing? To… To… I can't even finish the thought, the same awful taste filling my mouth, again showered onto the ground and my feet.
Leaning against a wall, enduring the silence, I begin to take short breaths. What kind of monster would do this to our fellows?
Breathing heavily, my legs give up on me. Sitting on the ground, dropping my gun, I run a hand over my face, cleaning my lips. As I did, feeling a bit dizzy, I heard a small noise. Distant but constant, and growing closer. Looking up, I saw a silhouette approaching me within the ruins.
"Hey, Nine!" My partner shouts, hurrying her pace as she seems me, "Hey, feeling well?"
"…No. Did you… find anything?"
One eye closed, she shakes her head, "Broken buildings, is all. If I didn't hear wrong…" Her tone lowers, "You say there's a corpse?"
I nod, a quivering hand pointing to the place. Ten gulped loudly enough I could hear it, the hand holding her gun shaking. Before she could move, the rumbling of jet engines reached our ears, the trail of Gekishins in the skies. Soon after, the Captain and another one of my partners came along.
"Nine, Ten, are you both uninjured?" He asks as he comes closer, scanning each of us from top to bottom.
"Y-Yes, sir. Nothing happened while I waited," I try to stand in attention, and fail at it, as I spoke. Ten informed she didn't find anything, and that she hurried to come to me after my report.
The Captain sighs, then nods back to a dead serious expression, "I see. Where is the…" I point to the house, I couldn't move very far away as if I were chained here. Nodding, he goes towards the half open door slowly, his partner following close as Ten did. I couldn't move an inch, afraid of having another puking attack, "Let's see, what is… W-What the fuck…" The Captain couldn't keep his shock and disgust at the abominable sight, forcefully taking a step back. His partner looked away hastily, covering his mouth and nose with a hand.
"Holy shit… What the hell happened here?" Ten couldn't hide her repulsion either, slowly walking away into a broken building to spit something out.
"You three, on me," One commands, taking a deep breath, "We'll investigate this town thoroughly. The rest are already on the way. Let's go."
Amidst the silent streets, we follow the Captain closely. On the northern part of the town we found more pools of blood, more corpses and torn bodies. Ten ended up finding one herself by accident, and we had to stop as she also had a puking fit. The rest of our squadmates are now securing the area on their TSFs on the Captain's orders, so us four have to traverse the territory and investigate… whatever the hell happened here.
"Who did this? Why would anyone…" Rubbing Ten's shoulders as she seems to regain her composure, I blankly stare at the surrounding ruins.
"This is too fucked up…" She whispers, subduing the coughing, "Who the hell would tear up people like this?"
"Come on, you two. Up and strong," Two ordered, despite the quiver in his own voice, the shaking in his knees, "Whoever did this must have left clues. So come on, we have work to do. Leave the questions for later, okay?" Offering Ten a hand, he lends her a shoulder until she regains her balance. Giving her a good pat on the shoulder, and a nod my way, we again walk towards the Captain, "Sir, we're ready to resume our… Captain?"
One was standing still, not even looking our way. And in an almost inaudible voice, he whispers, "All of you, stay calm and listen to me. This wasn't done by other humans. Look there, under those boulders. Can you see it?" The Captain points to his left, where some houses had collapsed.
The rubble was like the one in the rest of the town, arching entrances collapsing over tumbled walls. But under the remains, a small pool of blood could be seen…
…But the blood… wasn't red… and the flesh… was a pale, clear white…
"…Eh? Why is… N-No!" The remains of a Warrior-Class BETA could be seen under the rubble, despite part of it being under some rocks.
"Seems like the town was attacked by the BETA during the night, and that's when they sent the rescue signal. If they had sent someone immediately…" The Captain punches a nearby pillar, grimacing.
"The BETA?" Ten barely manages to say, eyes widening as she shakes, "But this isn't… We're so far from the First Defense Line, there are no Hives nearby!"
"That's right, Captain! This… This must be…" A mistake? A lie? Then, what's that I'm seeing? If that isn't a Warrior-Class then, what the fuck is it?! But… But there's no hives near, and this is too far away from Sadogashima to have been invaded…
"Saber Nine, Saber Ten, calm down!" Two yells, standing stiff as his own voice seemed about to come as undone as the ruins of the town, "If there are BETA nearby, we cannot lose focus."
"…What do you mean, if they're nearby?" You're telling me there's more of those fuckers close by?
"Isumi, Aihara," Voice lowering into his usual, One gives us both a good, firm look, "Let me tell you something, part of the BETA that surfaced during the Niigata Invasion broke from their formation. We lost sight of them for a time, and later they regrouped and attacked again and almost pierced through to the Third Defense Line. It's possible that… some infantry types remained hidden within the mountains or underground and avoided detection until now."
Eh? The BETA are… within the mainland?! This has got to be a joke! There's no way… The BETA don't use tactics!
"Anyways, let's keep searching. There might be some survivors around," He orders, readying his machinegun. Two also does the same, giving us a firm stare as we hesitated.
Sharing a look with Ten, nodding to each other, I gulp and slowly ready my gun, following closely behind the Captain.
Some time later.
In the end, we found no one left alive.
We found most of the people living there dead, torn apart by the BETA. We also found a few corpses of Soldier and Warrior-Class scattered around what looked to be like a shelter. It seems the people put up a fight with what little guns they had on them. As the one who found them first I was tasked to deliver a report along the other three. And, aside from the sickening visage, I found something else to point out.
All the human corpses that we found were torn apart brutally. As in, their limbs were separated from their bodies. All of them.
However, none of the corpses had their heads, and we couldn't find a single one in the whole town. The mental image of the BETA tearing someone apart and then leaving while carrying their head… I couldn't put any food in me for the rest of the day.
This discovery was to remain as a Top Secret matter, and only me, Ten, Two and the Captain know about it. We were told the best men in the IJA would go scout the area for any possible threats, and that we also would be tasked to take part in these surveillance missions until we find more leads to find out how the BETA appeared in that settlement.
But that doesn't make me feel better. I needed answers and received nothing but cold stares and silence. Ten told me she got the same treatment as I, and the Captain told us to shut up and keep quiet about what we found. That we'd only inform the rest when we got the approval from the upper brass to join in these scouting missions.
The BETA are here in the mainland, they could be hiding anywhere in the mountains or even underground. Are they planning to build a Hive under our nose? What is the IJA and the Royal Guard gonna do about it?
A shiver colder than anything I ever felt before embraced me and refused to let go all day long, the image of the dismembered bodies kept ingraining itself in my mind. The BETA are here, they could be right about to attack. What if the next place is our base? What if when we return from one of these scouting missions the base is destroyed and everybody's remains are left headless in an ocean of blood?
Maybe it's because I'm a rookie, maybe I'm too green and this has happened in the past with the other invasions that happen every week. But my stomach is still turning and turning…
…I don't think I'll be able to sleep well for a few weeks. I don't wanna take hypnotherapy either… The drugs will only make this worse on my head…
Ugh…
December 2nd. Some minutes off 12 AM.
(Diet Building. PM's Office.)
[Kurechika]
"And that's why I'm sending you to check on them. While I agreed to let the Fuji Corps be the sole users of the batch of Shiranui-1C, I do not doubt there was another reason to hand them all that set of units, besides their elite status," I affirm, fingers interlocked and resting atop my desk.
"Understood. Allow me to inform you that the 87th and 88th Squads are running into problems with the maintenance of their units, sir. We may not be able to repair them for much longer," Major Kawazoe says, his voice dry as a desert.
I may need to do another deal in the dark with them. Of course, I know those models are not exactly the same, yet they're a good enough cover. Unless you look under the hood, you won't be able to see the difference. Those 'gifts' are the only life line I have in case something goes wrong and I need to field soldiers against Imperial forces, after all. I won't place my trust in Kouzuki any longer, after this 'visit' the Undersecretary paid her base without reporting of it.
Nodding towards the Major, I lean back onto my seat, "I'll try to get us some spare parts in the short term. Leave those units in the underground hangars, for when we really need them. How were their mock battles? Do they like their new units?"
Kawazoe grins, nodding with much vigor, "Nanase said that his squad is acclimating perfectly to them. Fujisawa's however is having some trouble with their newest members," He affirms.
Can't expect much from her, despite being our best Captain she isn't very good with people. Considering what she went through, it's a miracle she can even pilot.
"Not unexpected, but still bothersome. Get them priority in the sims, they should be exempt from patrol and sentry duty from now on. Also, you did uproot the spies from the base, right?" I inquire, narrowing my eyes, lowering my tone.
The Major tenses up, coughing as he places both hands behind his back while trying to maintain a sturdy facade, "Lt General Oohara said that he took care of that, but the risk is always there."
"Sigh… Fine, let's leave it at that. Anything else you want to report?"
"No, sir. However, regarding the matter of that settlement…" He tentatively asks, lowering his gaze.
"No updates whatsoever. We still haven't found anything about their whereabouts, despite having many scout teams on the move daily. There is nothing else I require of you at the moment, Major. Thanks for your services, you may leave," Nodding once to him, Kawazoe then salutes and excuses himself.
Sighing, I stand from my seat. Strolling to the coffee machine, I fill my mug. Leaving my lips caressing the rim, teasing myself with the taste and the smell, I walk over to the windows. And as I'm showered in the light, as the glimpse of the Castles lies in the distance, I slowly drink up to counter the cold sensation which engraved itself onto my skin.
BETA on the mainland, attacking isolated settlements. If this ever makes it to the public eye, the Parliament and the MDF will lose much support from the population. Our image won't endure such a scandal, and rightfully so. This is a disaster, an unpredictable one. As if we didn't already have enough trouble brewing. There is not an ounce of doubt in me that if this reaches the light, those subversive bastards will use that unrest to stir up chaos.
Returning the reflection's frown, holding it for a moment, staring into my eyes despite the strain, I finish my coffee. Sitting back, resting my mug in a corner to not drop it for the tenth time, I check up my mail, looking for that important contact. Once I find it, opening and reading the report carefully, I feel the tension on my shoulders evaporate. My back grows intimate with the seat, cuddling it softly, as I allow myself to close my eyes in introspection for a second.
It's amazing the things money can do. If this were a formal proposal, it would take months before I could attain an answer. However, send a few envelopes to the right people, and suddenly everything is green lighted in less than a week.
An entire Company, with two squads completely made out of Raptors, will be at the ready to come to my aid should I ever need it in exchange for my services in their benefit. Kouzuki still hasn't sent any reports since more than a month ago, so I consider Alt. IV to be done for. Anyone would abandon a sinking ship. And it's not like I care about what will remain behind. Honestly, I believe it for the best to purge humanity and restart in another star, away from all the clogging prejudices of this world. And it's the only way I'll be able to keep my vow.
A small twinge of pain below my ears, my eyes squint as I ponder the board and its consequenses. Disturbances calling upon a frown, I run a hand over my face, taking off my glasses for a moment. All the negotiations, all the support I've given them… to end up being the only one shouldering the burden in public. Kouzuki will always be safe under the UN, she is in no risk of receiving harm. Her Highness is also under no risk, she's too important for this nation for anything to befall her. But me? Heh… If I had an extra hair for every death threat, every call announcing that an explosive was in my residence, both as a Prime Minister and my personal house, I would look like Mike Jolton in his prime.
In the end… Alternative IV seems doomed to fail, Yuuhi-sama has remained completely still to not upset the IRG, and both the Guard and those fools at Ichigaya have been less and less reluctant to display the reservations they possess towards my person, towards the Diet's government. So if in the end I'll be made into a scapegoat… I don't care if I'm branded a traitor to the Empire, or to humanity, but I'll do everything in my power to make Alt. V a reality, especially now that Chizuru managed to pass her CCSE. Kouzuki broke our deal, and if she gets commissioned, she'll join the A-01 STF.
Like I'll let my daughter die in vain for this rotten piece of dirt. Even if she never leaves the base, she still is in danger. I don't know what the UN would do to keep this nation in check should Alt. IV fail, as it looks like it will. Some may call me a traitor, but safeguarding this Empire is our priority. And there's no safer way to do so than with America's support. If the rumors I've heard from Ichigaya are true, there's little to be done. You can't argue with a deranged idealist who doesn't even consider the repercussions a restoration to total Imperial rule would cause. Heh, I'm the one negotiating with COSEAN and the UN under Yuuhi-sama's petition, yet I'm the "enemy" who steals the power from Her Highness and they are "the only ones" who truly understand her wishes.
"Pah… How did such a narrow-minded fool ever became the Captain of the Capital's defense regiment?" Sadly, to remove them would paint an innacurate image of me. It will lend credence to their suspicions, and soon their retribution would come after me.
And if it were only me, we could debate over our thoughts. Yet, I have a nation, a Shogun, and a daughter to safeguard. I cannot relinquish their futures to the folly of these young soldiers.
Sigh… If only that unit were still in function… Yet, Her Highness herself disbanded it, so I suppose I can expect no aid from the Imperial Guards.
Moving my neck in circles, my gaze wanders to the picture that is always to my left. Us three, visiting Osaka. Back when Chizuru still smiled, back when you were still here, Saeko. Back when I could share some words with my daughter, when Saeko had found another job as a teacher thanks to Suzumiya-san's support. Back when… we still had some hope left for this place… Sigh…
Ever since I became the Prime Minister, I've done everything in my power to get us to a brighter tomorrow. Even amidst the invasion, sleeping two to three hours a day, sometimes just not even having that luxury, then beginning to rely on that accursed white powder to keep myself afloat, I struggled with my men to keep the UN on our side. To not have them order a compulsive evacuation, another Gwangju. And during all those darkest days… Hands run deep into my hair, a sigh empties all air in me as I recall.
'We can't trust foreigners. We have to uphold our traditions, defend our land on our own. To die for our nation is the highest honor one could find. If the Emperor so decided, we shall hold our ground until our last breath'.
Like I'll let a hermit who spends his whole life within four walls, who pushes all his burdens onto the Shogun, have a say in my daughter's future. He's just another human, he isn't heavenly or anything. I've seen him, platicated for a moment, he may be smart but the Emperor is just another human. He isn't a God as many elders, and some young ones, still believe. And one without real life experience, who has been thrust into the position by fate. And to simply hear the way in which he speaks of our people… as if it were all trivial, as if it were obvious the rest of us should sacrifice everything to uphold these ideals…
…Had he given his blessing to a minimal evacuation, the situation wouldn't have escalated as it did. We could have managed the shelters that we have still available far better than today, we could have found useful allies somewhere. Of course, I understand the reluctance to have our people seek refuge in America, yet that was not our only choice. Both Brasil and Argentina were welcoming us with open arms, both having already an established community of Japanese immigrants. But more importantly, merely hearing one of the Emperor's press conferences would be a blessing for all the soldiers and peasants. Her Highness has filled that role well, yet it isn't the same.
…And yet, he remains silent. Pleasantly living in the Castle, without even hearing our reports as of late, which are answered by the Guards who watch over his residence. And Yuuhi-sama has done the same, merely limiting herself to preserve the status quo instead of daring to search for another solution. After all, they will never be held accountable for the situation of today.
Sighing, shaking my head, I stare at the ceiling. I won't allow the same disaster that happened to Kyoto with Saionji to repeat itself, that's what I said during my public vow when I assumed my position, that's what I honestly believed from the bottom of my heart. But nothing could change the nobles' minds, no amount of public buildings, no amount of protection, no amount of decent supplies was enough. To think there are idiots in the MDF and IJA that want all the power to go to the Shogun, when they're nothing more than a meat shield to the nobles. We're one of the few countries that is dividing its military force in two, and unlike the others we're at the frontlines.
Overspending to build all the models of the Type-00, forcefully keeping the amounts of Type-94 low to avoid 'an uprising', always demanding to keep their lifestyle as it once was, disregarding the amount of resources that takes. I thought Yuuhi-sama would try to reform the nobility from within, I truly had placed my last coin in her, but it seems the time I spent teaching her in the capital when she was young was a waste of time.
"Sometimes… I wonder if the bravado she exuded during the '99 was merely an illusion…"
Despite the troubles her ill mood brought me back then, I rather would spend time placating her stomping fury than to endure her deafening silence.
Well, humanity is doomed. That much is certain, if we remain employing the same approaches we've used thus far. That's why the Americans want to try to eradicate the BETA before they reach their continent. We can't rule out that another Hive Core could come from the moon, or Mars, at any time. If the Amazonas forest falls to the BETA, if the Antartida's ice is harvested by the aliens, we're done for. If America, the biggest TSF manufacturer in the world, falls to them we won't be able to keep up. If any point of the supply line that covers the Eurofront and Africa, passing through the Mediterranean Sea and all the way through Singapore, and linking back here and then to America, we will lose to the domino effect. We've been clinging to this feeble hope that is Alt. IV, but it was nothing but an illusion. And we have a certainty in our hands, the Migrant Fleet and the G-Bombs.
More than anything else, that's my motivation today. To buy a pair of seats on the fleet, for me and for the leaders of my party. And for you, Chizuru. Even if you hate me, I won't let the stupid traditions of this backwards nation take you from me. And only with ample aid will this nation rise once again, instead of having to compromise our budgets to the whims of the nobility.
Only then our orphans will again have three meals a day and a sturdy roof overhead, to once more return to a normal life that let's them resume their growth, their studies. Instead of conscripting most of them, dooming our future to a drainage of intelect.
But of course, we only need nobles in the universities. Pah…
"And for that future to come to pass… There is much work to do," My ears still hurting, unable to dispel the frown I endowed, I resumed my work.
As I shuffle through the documents on my PC, I notice a few interesting things. First, ten Type-00C were sent to Yokohama some days ago, for export purposes apparently. That is a relief, at least she'll be a bit safer with those there. And if that deal is secured, perhaps I could use my new contacts to gain a steady supply of funds, as well as intel on the Takemikazuchi.
Ikaruga also sent me a document regarding the Isumi girl that found the BETA and the corpses, she was really unstable during the interrogation and has remained like that in these weeks. He also sent me his 'most heartfelt' thanks for my support during our last deal. Heh, as if we both didn't knew we are aiming for the same prize.
I know my faction is the smallest here, so I have to be careful about my moves. I do hope Kouzuki gets her act together and starts giving us something, because I received many reports that Yoroi was seen coming and going from Yokohama to the Capital some days ago. I wonder if she's on Ikaruga's side… Maybe Her Highness is already playing according to his plans, willingly or not.
Again leaning back on my seat, I close my eyes for a moment. Pondering on our last meetings, Yuuhi-sama did seem a bit… distressed, perhaps? I suppose, she might not find any motives to openly support me any more. Well, I obtained some nice toys to defend myself with. I do have Nanase pretty much on a leash, thanks to his sister being a Cadet on a IJA base that's on my side. I also have Kawazoe and his whole Company with me, and Fujisawa doesn't really have anywhere else to go, since she's a commoner, she despises the UN and only wants to find a place to live, or die, in peace.
Entwining my fingers, feeling as if I were staring at the Yamata-no-Orochi, at all those vipers that stand in my way, I fill my stomach with air slowly. There are two large problems for my plans.
Ikaruga being the biggest one, since I doubt I can openly fight against the Royal Guards and keep the order in this country, even with the Americans' help. Well… I may need to use some… explosive methods to deal with them.
The second one, this Shirogane boy. I can't read him, who is he supposed to be? He killed part of Nanase's squad, yet received a very light punishment considering he was abroad. The UN is being very secretive about what he gave them in exchange for the lighter sentence. I don't know whether or not the Shogunate wants to give him a harsher punishment, or if he is with the Americans or not.
I doubt he's a small fry, anyone else in his position would have been executed. According to the report I received, he's obtaining very good numbers on his training course. With a prodigy like him on the squad, I don't doubt they'll get commissioned but I do not think I could send someone to harm him. And there is no data about his past, so I can't threaten him with nobody. This all goes back to Kouzuki. On whose side is she? Where are the reports?
…However, the lacking data could be used in my favor. To both rid myself of Shirogane and force Kouzuki's hand. She would never allow herself to be involved in a case of identity theft. Thus, by detaining this cadet, I can force out whatever intel he has on him, whatever Kouzuki would find him useful for, with the right drugs. Yet, if she tries to defend him, Kouzuki would need to procure more false intel. And lies are short lived, just like Alt. IV. In any case… if her project doesn't bestow us any spoils soon… I see little reason to support her when backing Alt. V would allow us to procure at least some G-Elements for ourselves, even if we have to remain as the US' vassals for some decades.
Well, I suppose this is all the time I'll get today to check up on everything by myself. I turn off the PC and grab my coat as I stand up. There are many meetings that I have to attend today, and in the following days. The press conference I asked of Her Highness being the main topic for the time being. Maybe I could have a little chat with Yuuhi-sama, to see if she's on Ikaruga's side or how she reacts to these deals she arranged with Kouzuki behind everyone's backs.
Same day, a few hours later.
(Camp Kitanomaru. Commander's Office.)
[Takatsugu Ikaruga]
Slowly, belatedly so, I circle a spoon within a cup. The most pleasant scent of the jasmine tea I brewed reaching me, the quietness around the office would suggest this moment to be auspicious for relaxation. Yet, my lips turn inwards in astounding astonishment.
I cannot express how upset I am with words. Well, upset is perhaps a strong word for this. Yuuhi, my dear Shogun, I cannot believe you rejected the proposal to send other mechanics to Yokohama. I thought it to be a simple matter, yet I cannot clean the sour taste in my mouth that was left after this defeat.
However, it was quite odd, this last meeting. Her Highness did seem troubled by something, despite the rather amicable atmosphere we enjoyed. It is remarkably odd for all five of us to be able to peacefully platicate for so long a time without arguing to ensue, so certain I was that you would be pleased the afternoon was a rather peaceful one. Yet, Her Highness did not relent in her stance, in any of her proposals. I was convinced you'd grace us with that lovely smile of yours at some point, yet your lips denied me of that pleasure, your gaze avoided showing its natural charms as it shone with that adusted wrath you very rarely endow
"Which would mean… a grave matter is upsetting her," I conclude, starting to drink my tea as I sit down.
For our sweet Yuuhi to be so openly upset, so confrontational, something is very wrong here. She isn't like me, her patience is one of her greatest virtues, her faith in people is deep, her love for peace is unconditional. Her Highness is not someone who would engage in such aggressive forms of negotiation, for I know she finds it truly aggravating. So, whatever caused her figure to be garbed in unnatural anger?
Resting my chin on a hand, taking a deep breath, supporting my weight on the desk I ponder on what had occured recently. I have not heard any particularly displeasing reports, truth be told. The Great General has been absent for some time, the two younger of the Tsukuyomi were also nowhere to be found according to my servants. I did hear Her Highness sent them to deliver those ten Type-00C and her own machine to the Mitsurugi girl, but why haven't they returned yet? Perhaps, is that what has distressed Yuuhi so? Something that lies in Yokohama… which isn't related to the deals since Her Highness defended them adamantly… Something that occured as of late…
...This couldn't have anything to do with that Shirogane, right? No, however, that mystery man is near the Mitsurugi girl.
Nothing appears on the databases about the supposed cadet's life. He's most definitely on the American's side, and he did kill two of my servants. Yet, the UN forgave him with a very light punishment, it seems. My scouts say the HC was in chaos at the news, yet for some reason, their more fervent desires were halted. And I had nothing to do with the alleviation of said wish. I wonder… Did you shield the cadet, Yuuhi? Was Shirogane who protected Mitsurugi, then?
Kurechika did not seem in league with the pawns sent to the CCSE, Kouzuki wouldn't want harm to befell the pigeons, and the cadet wouldn't have resorted to lethality lightly.
"Sigh… I suppose, those baseborns found themselves intoxicated by the thrill of violence," This is why we cannot trust in the peasants. The chasers should have been all Imperial Guards, then the plan wouldn't have failed.
Humming to myself, extending my legs as I glance upwards, a smile appears in me. I suppose I'm in your debt, Shirogane. Had he not shielded Mitsurugi and Kurechika's baby girl… What a mess that would have spawned, indeed. Still, your situation is quite the mystery. An unknown card in my opponents hand, a joker perhaps, a wildcard I don't know how to handle. This is why I despise card games…
Well, Shirogane is on Kouzuki's side, so in the end he's a friend of mine. And speaking of Kouzuki, I do hope I get to hear more news regarding Alt. IV in the requested meeting. After all, they're growing impatient. I'll have to let them do their mischievous act on the near future, and I really rather not ruin her project, even if I have to let them thrash the base.
"Ah, such is the recklessness of youth. However, I would need a small spark to ignite their passion," And I don't think I have time to spare, which would mean I have to use this volcanic activity in my favor.
However, I will not be able to take to the field then… Ah, such is the luck of the draw. I doubt Her Highness would allow a battle to occur in the city.
And to add insult to injury, I couldn't talk with Yuuhi in private as I was expecting. Perhaps a few cups of tea could have aided me in planting the seeds of agreement, alas she was as dry as the papers she presented, as cold as the weather is becoming. You're surprisingly hardheaded when upset, but you're lovely when displaying such firm resolve, so I can forgive the rudeness. If only she were as resolute in everything else… then, we would see eye to eye, I'm certain.
Sighing, finishing my tea, reading the reports, signing the papers that so requiered, the dull office work extended for a moment. To think we are wasting time on sending people to evacuate those mountain settlements… This is why peasants do not make fitting leaders. There is no honor to be gained from such a rescue, yet no one would impose the necessary order. And then, who are those who shoulder the responsibility of safeguarding their lives? Who are accused of abandonment by doing what must be done?
Sigh… We shouldn't have kept the Parliament running after the Battle of Kyoto. A simple decree of urgency was all it was needed to give full power to the Shogun once more. But we had to keep them safe, because of the international treaties.
Pah, we have enough capable men in the nobility to act as chancellors and ambassadors, we don't need commoners soiling our reputation. Kurechika is one of the few who actually has some sort of principles, and he also isn't afraid to be openly 'bad' to achieve his goals. Do I respect him because I see myself in him?
Considering all I've done, I can't help to sympathize with him a bit. I can't blame him for taking funds from the Restoration Project when I was the one who understaffed the final defense line and rigged our radars to ignore the infantry types. All to reignite our true soul, for the Takemikazuchi to fly in the open, for a hero to be born amidst Kyoto's ashes, so that our olden Capital's fall was not meaningless.
After all, Hidekatsu was a fool. He had to die. Sadly, he somehow survived that night. But he already had done enough damage. It's not like I completely disagree, but to create such an argument with the enemy breathing on your neck… It took Yuuhi and Kurechika almost a year of negotiating to convince the Americans to lend us a hand again. And I do not regret that, even if they betrayed our trust by dropping onto our troops those bombs. Japan would be no more if not for them.
However…
And if it weren't for those useless fools in the Parlianent, we would have the Second already in production. A mere comment of concern about the Yukon Incident is enlarged, enhanced to such lenghts that it caused almost lethal harm to our relations with the US. I can only hope little Yui is able to complete the railgun safely.
After all, I did call for her squad to be sent the frontlines when we were all retreating. Kyoko almost fainted when I told her that, and she had to yet again ask me for a favor to be allowed to deploy to save Yui. That little skirmish turned the little one into quite a fine Royal Guard, even after we lost Kyoko. Shame we have to lend her to the UN, indeed.
"Well, enough repining. Let us see if fate has arranged matters as I wish," I grab the folders Makabe left on my desk, scanning them well.
So they wish to send one Company to survey Yokohama Base, and will leave two Squads to surround the castle. I doubt they would open fire, so a small… incentive shall be arranged. Yet, Makabe reports that they're insisting on the capture.
"That… is concerning, seeing Her Highness' mood as of now," If she were to be out of options… Indeed, she would solve the issue herself. I suppose, this excuse to arrange the evacuation efforts with the UN will play in my favor.
If I manage to convince Kouzuki, then this little affair will be solved easily indeed. Chuckling, I lean onto my seat. For whatever threat may corrupt the currents my thoughts have devised, it shall be rendered null in front of the STF. After all, it is in the Professor's interest to athwart what is brewing in Ichigaya before her Project begins, as it seems she'll soon announce. Furthermore, her collaboration could grant her the XFJ Project and the Second. A tantalizing offer, if I say so myself.
"And even if she refuses, the rest of the UN won't remain idle."
If the Empire falls, and considering Kamchatka won't last for much longer without any international support, COSEAN would be left in a very precarious position, since the most direct route for supplies and spare parts crosses through the Sea of Japan. And if the mainland is filled with Heavy Lasers… America might feel the heat of becoming the frontline for the first time in… forever? They never had war on their soil against an outside threat, if my memory isn't betraying me. I'm certain that with all the weight of their media, things would spiral out of control in a matter of days.
And with COSEAN gone, we would lose another supply route for the Defense Line on the Suez Canal, they won't last long without the Americans' supplies after all. Like a domino, one falls and all the rest follow. And that's not taking into account what would happen if the BETA decide to start moving towards Oceania after we fall to them.
That's why they need me. To push dear, little Yuuhi in the right direction. To take hold of the steering wheel towards the right direction. Towards the horizon where my ambitions lay hidden.
Well, as much as I respect Her Highness, she isn't necessary for this plan. She does have a twin sister that can fulfill her role if she refuses to cooperate. And the same applies to Kouzuki, who has refused my direct patronage since she was allowed to enter the Imperial Research Institute despite her age at the time.
A momentary pause assails me, gaze drawn to the floor. In image of a blooming flower, revealing its core to the world, my own core reminds me of darkest deeds I've done, considered doing, during these last years.
"…But of course, the sapling that rose from the ashen, bloodied soil could never make peace with such naive ideals," For if the root of our resurgence lays within the war-ridden remains of our old Kyoto, why deny the path we must follow? Why not water that hope instead? Fate gave us an answer… and we are still parading with hesitation.
…Harming my servants, soiling the blood of another Regent House, making accords with foreigners. I should be ashamed of myself, but if this is the price that has to be paid to bring stability to the Empire, to turn us into a world power, then I'm willing to bear all the sins proudly.
It's not like I can turn back now, after all the innocent blood I spilled. I'm honor-bound to those who died to further my plans to succeed in my ambitions, no matter the cost.
A knock on my door snaps me from my documents, my inner clouds.
"Who is it?"
"Makabe, sir," He announces, composed as always.
"Come on in," He enters and gives me a salute. Smiling, readjusting my position on my seat, I nod his way, "What is it, Captain?"
"Sir, we've received word from the advisors. Her Highness won't allow the recruits to be fielded to this location," He informs, voice low, expression sober.
"That is… unexpected. Did our men not try to dissuade her?"
"No, it seems she met solely with her fellowship's advisors," Brows lowering, he tells, "Our men had to inform their opinions through said advisors first."
"Interesting… Interesting, indeed," Yuuhi has rarely erected such fortifications over her person. Has she found motives to suspect me? However… the lack of troops is distressing, yet there's no point in letting others handle this matter, "I shall speak with her myself. Let our men know. So, anything else?"
Quick to nod, his complexion does not relax, "On another matter, Ichimonji's squadron came back from his scouting. He found no clue or trace about the aliens. We have already covered an extensive amount of ground, he said he doubts we'll find those stray BETA at this rate."
"That is truly worrying," This will also sour Yuuhi's mood. Perhaps this anger is her way of showing her displeasure without inciting an argument.
In any case, my thanks should reach Kurechika. Prideful might he be, yet he's honest. He immediately asked for my support in this matter, I could not allow these news to reach the media. I can't let the people turn against the UN, not until I've confirmed whether or not Alt. IV is still active.
"I suppose, that is yet another matter I must discuss with Her Highness," I conclude, resting my hands on the desk, "Any other news?"
"There is one last report I have for you sir." Makabe informed, voice lowering further, clear apprehension permeating him fully. How unusual, you're so relaxed and confident most of the time.
"What is it?"
"The UN notified us that the Cheorwon Hive seems to have reactivated," A sudden cold shock, I shift my posture on my seat. Gesturing at him to continue, he nods yet remains stiff, "According to them, they had to perform a culling operation along COSEAN and American troops stationed at the Far East Defense Line during early morning when a herd surfaced and seemed to be making its way towards us, they lost the equivalent of a TSF Battalion during it, many tanks and ships, and managed to destroy up to 90% of the herd. There were a total of 30000 BETA, with a 3% of Heavy Laser Class and Fort Class each. They requested us to reinforce our western defenses, in case another attack happens shortly."
…I cannot have such an accident now of all times. If the MDF redirects its troops to Kyushu, the numbers to hold Sagiri off… Closing my eyes, resting my chin on a hand, my lips twist, my eyes squint, my feet entangle as the numbers I envision do not portray a favorable outcome. I must act, now.
"…Makabe, arrange a call with the Takatsukasa House. Seems like I'll have to use that favor they owe me. Also, do you have any news on the medicine?"
"No, they still haven't replied. They did accept the new terms after you agreed to send some Type-97 to them, but it seems they're still doubting how to send it."
"Nothing we can do for now," Standing up, I pace towards the door, "Did Maya arrive to relieve you of the office?"
"Yes, sir. Despite some delay, she answered our first call to her post near Her Highness," Smiling and nodding, he answers as he follows close.
"That is good to know. Perhaps, we could have a talk with her during the evening, to test her opinion on these recent developments."
"…If you so order," Makabe replies, clearly not amused with the idea.
"Haha, worry not, my retainer. My right is always reserved for you."
"Milord, please do not start joking," Frowning, he scolds, "Until Tsukuyomi proves her loyalty, I am of the opinion that we should have her at arm's lenght."
"So… Perhaps we could make a trial out of today's dinner…"
"Sigh… Takatsugu-sama, I implore you, please restrain yourself for the time being."
"Oh? Well, if so suggest. In any case, Maya should grant us quite the insight into Her Highness' mood," Willingly or otherwise, "So, do prepare a table for three tonight."
"As you will, milord."
"Then, let us focus on what's at hand for the moment," Hastening my pace, I so command.
Luckily, we obtained this intel with enough time. All that's left is devising a way to make everything fall into place. Yet, for the BETA to act up now of all times…
Sigh… What wouldn't I give to have a proper field commander in my fellowship. A warrior which everyone respects, a champion who strikes carnage upon the enemy. Yet, me and my retainers must remain here in vigilance, and the rest in the force… they do not resemble the image my dreams envisage.
Still… Little I can do, except to keep moving forward. That's all I can afford, as the Regent and Head I am.