The Federated Autonomous Region of Coral was situated upon the equator, sitting in the Pacific. It was another warm and breezy day. The weather pleasant and mild most of the time. Constant equatorial rain was fed into water reclamation systems to assist the island's infrastructure. The more serious tropical storms were held at bay by complex multi-layered Honkai shielding and man-made tidal breaks. Residents quickly became accustomed to the cycles of downpour and sunshine. Daily outings whilst the sun shone bright. Under cover when the rain drizzled down. Those in the ground level of the main city hub did not even have to worry about such things.
Coral covered some 790 square kilometres of reclaimed land. Boasting a population of 1.8 million, it was one of the largest and most technologically advanced independent cities on the planet. The main city hub consisted of three levels; platforms stacked one atop the other and running independently. Each of those platforms further divided into segments regarding facilities and population demographics. Outside of the hub were satellite settlements, high-end manufacturing centres and dense holding facilities for the always busy shipping lanes. Coral City was an axis about which shipping spokes from numerous cities and nations across the Asia-Pacific region fed through.
Coral's location, distant from south east Asia, Australia and America, made it politically neutral regarding the power struggle between Anti-Entropy and Schicksal. Though not as militant as Singapore in enforcing this neutrality, it was generally acknowledged that any fractions between the competing organisations would be limited to information espionage. Violence was something Coral cracked down hard upon. The Federated Autonomous Region could level economic sanctions that could leave either organisation balking.
World Serpent slithered beneath the surface unnoticed by the governing body of Coral.
It was another warm and breezy day.
- Several weeks after the reawakening of the Third Herrscher -
Mei hummed a merry little tune as she walked down the street. Her long hair hung loose, spilling over bare shoulders and down the back of the sun dress she wore. Sensible sandals finished off the simple yet fashionable ensemble. Tucked under one elbow was a reusable bag with today's groceries. In her other hand she scrolled through her phone. The model was outdated but she didn't care. This phone was worth more than anything that could be found on the commercial or private market.
The faint rumble of thunder indicated another seasonal storm was incoming. Mei paid it little mind. Where she lived on the ground level the rain could not reach. Precisely engineered and placed mirrors reflected light from outside the central hub deep into the interior, bathing the residents in an impressive amount of natural light. This was supplemented by well thought out street lighting, powered by the vast solar panel banks covering the roofs of every building on the top platform. With another distant rumble the ambient light lowered. No doubt clouds covering over the sun. Residents were accustomed to these transitions between brilliance and muted grey. Tourists and travellers stood out as they gawked at the changes.
It was hard not to chuckle at the expense of the travellers. Though Mei herself had been amidst that group for a brief while. The busy streets were filled mainly with foot traffic continued to bustle and flow. Most people relied on public transport such as monorails, buses and the mega-scale lifts between platforms. Foot traffic was the common means of moving about. Roads were reserved for materials being transported beyond the train network, private taxis and fragile goods that needed to be moved carefully.
Mei walked by a family of three looking up in wonder as the mirrors dimmed, only to have the failing light augmented by the increased artificial ambient output. The two men and their daughter enjoyed the moment. It was enough to further improve Mei's mood. She'd had a good day and this was the pleasant little cherry on top. Mei turned down the street and toward the community module she called home these days. In another ten minutes the woman arrived at the base of the apartment complex. Built into the ground floor of the apartment complex was a broad shop-front, the roller-door up, various small electronic devices placed on the counter as demonstration of the owner's skill and prices. Above the shopfront hung a functional sign, 'Oleander Electronic Repairs.' Mei vaulted the counter and landed inside the gently lit interior.
"Tadaima!"
Several seconds ticked by before a response carried out from behind an OLED television.
"Okairi! Please tell me we're having yakiniku tonight."
"Okonomiyaki."
"Kansai?"
"Hiroshima."
"Yaaas!"
Amaranth's head poked up from the television. She had pinned back her straight blue hair with barrettes, thick glasses perched on the tip of her nose. Today she wore short leg overalls, a strappy shirt and thick socks.
"If you've earnt it," Mei pointed out, depositing the groceries on a mostly cleared workbench.
"Dear customer, you will serve me extra pork portions upon hearing of my exploits."
"Finish your work and then regale me."
"A hand?"
Mei moved to where Amaranth was working. The back of the tv had been removed, exposing the complex wiring within. Mei placed a finger against a circuit and concentrated for a moment. The internal circuitry formed a pattern within her mind. The dark spot stood out in contrast to the rest of the flowing web.
"Here."
"Much appreciated."
"I'll be in the cage. Let me know when you're done and I'll start dinner."
"Sure thing."
Faraday cages exist to enclose and block electromagnetic fields. They shield the interior from external forces and in turn prevent electromagnetic fields within the cage from leaking out. A Honkai Faraday cage operates on much the same principle. Whatever was within the cage could not be affected by Honkai radiation outside nor could energy or radiation within the cage leak out. It took considerable money and specific electronic equipment to construct a cage. Fortunately, an electronic repair shop was constantly ordering in random parts from all manner of locations across the planet. Funnel those orders through dummy fronts and pick-up points where the deliverer asked no questions and left no electronic paper-trail and construction could be completed quickly. There were many uses for having a repair shop front.
The Honkai Faraday cage was built into one of the rear storerooms of the shop Mei and Amaranth rented. Their business was not so busy as to need all the extra space. The location was also useful as it allowed them to tap directly into the building's power grid without much attention. The interior were plain painted concrete walls and sealed floor. Into that structure Mei and Amarant had built the necessary components for the Honkai Faraday cage. The walls, floor and ceiling had been reinforced with what looked like narrow steel strips. The strips weren't steel but specially ordered metamaterials connected to a Honkai Reactor stored in the next storeroom. Running through the strips was a magenta material with a metallic sheen. Another rare and advanced alloy doped with Honkai crystals. Any engineer upon entering the room would have been impressed by the level of machining and attention to detail.
Mei stepped into the wide empty room, 5 metres by 5 metres, and shucked off her sandals. She padded on bare feet into the middle of the room. Closing her eyes, she drew in a breath, centred herself and slowly breathed out. Her connection to her core, through her core to Imaginary Space and finally to the Tree was now secure and stable. What mattered was acclimatising to such power and learning to wield it both efficiently and effectively. Mei focussed her mind on the challenge that had been eluding her grasp since they had built the cage. She clenched a hand and recalled the sensation, the tingle of power and the twisting null absence that had enveloped her. It had taken a week or so but all Mei's memories from her time as part of Project-MEI had returned. Those memories now drove her to seek out the final answer to a question that had bothered her.
The air hummed with electricity. The smell of ozone flooded the room. Mei was careful not to project any Herrscher energy. The cage masked discharges of Honkai energy. It could however be overwhelmed if too much power was manifest and it did nothing to hide Herrscher energy. Mei's heartbeat matched the pulsing of the Herrscher Core within. Again and again she visualised sitting upon the Throne of Fudo Myoo. But the final severance eluded her. It wasn't enough to recover from what her father had done. The information left for Mei by father warned that World Serpent was capable of similar things and Schicksal possessed their own distinct ways of supressing such power.
A heavy rap on the door broke Mei's concentration. She let go of her power and sighed.
"Enter!"
The heavy door swung inward. Amarant poked her head through the gap. She smirked at the sight of Mei with her hair streaming behind due to the static discharge.
"All done. Any luck yet?"
"None."
"I don't know why you're so obsessed with trying to repeat what Ryoma did."
"I need a way to counter those tactics."
"They would need some fairly specific circumstances."
"You of all people should understand why."
The blue haired woman gave a conceding nod.
"You have me there. Come on, I've got good news and great news to share over dinner."
"Nothing has been cooked yet.
"Then I guess the news waits until then."
The two meals were plated, Mei balancing the crockery on one arm, drinks in the other. The okonomiyaki steamed, scents of pork, cabbage and sauce mingling in the air. Amarant grabbed her hashi and clasped hands together.
"Itadakimasu."
Mei kept her silence and worked away at her meal diligently. From time to time she sipped her can of alcohol. A soft ghost of a smile touched her lips as she recalled a previous conversation with Kiana.
"I'm close enough to 20 that it shouldn't matter," Mei whispered to herself.
"18 in Coral," Amarant spoke around mouthfuls.
"I preferred it when you weren't so keen of ear and eye."
"Dear customer, if I am to safely guide you and provide my services to their fullest, I must pay attention to my surroundings and attend to whatever needs may arise."
Mei snorted and took a longer draw from the can. Alcohol wasn't nearly as much fun as Himeko had made it out to be. That thought and the maudlin chain that sprung from it quashed the frisson of joy.
"How have you progressed?"
Amarant multitasked. Hashi in one hand helped shovel down the meal. With the other she navigated through her phone. A grouping of holograms projected from the device. Haptic gestures expanded the necessary information, marking key locations on a map of Coral, tracing servicing routes, wireless transmitter points and finally their key destination. From this building an internal infrastructure was displayed in another hologram. Falling waterfalls of data cascaded down a window attached to one side.
"Unlike so many Hollywood movies, actually breaking into a system doesn't involve punching keys on your computer as rapidly as possible whilst head-bobbing to an appropriately engaging soundtrack. Time, patience and overlooked security exploits are my reality. Fortunately, ME Corp's Coral based offices didn't notice they had left a port open after likely deprecating an API and switching to a new port. Pretty sloppy if you ask. But that works in our favour. Whilst digging around I mapped the entire internal structure of the building. Should prove useful."
Amarant gestured toward the cascade of code and pinched it.
"I read a sci-fi book years ago. It brought up the idea of transmitting very small segments of code to a secure location within the system. The segments would be put together to form larger chunks of data. Documents that need to be safely stored. Of course the internal security software scans the software to ensure nothing malicious is inside. It's only when all the documents are together that the final document executes code that scans the previous documents for segments of code and then puts them together. You now have your malicious piece of software carefully tucked inside the compromised system. They called it Thomas Ray attack. Very nifty idea so I stole it."
The would-be hacker knocked back her can of beer and let out an appreciative gasp.
"Gochisosama deshita."
Mei inclined her head.
"You're inside?"
"And undetected. Just as I suspected, ME Corp's archival security is better than that joke external mess. It only connects once a day and for the express purpose of all cached information only. Coral is the archival server for south east Asia so it's going to hold files that only pertain to the region."
"That doesn't matter. I need the financial records and minutes from the board meetings."
Amarant pointed toward the hologram that represented the archival server.
"What makes you think the information is in there?"
"Cocolia framed Oto-sama for economic crimes. But the evidence presented wasn't simply plucked from nowhere. It would have to stand up to intense scrutiny in the international courts. The only conceivable way she could have fabricated the evidence is with key internal records. The board was in on this. It's the only logical explanation."
"What about how we're breaking in? Could she not have duplicated our methods?"
Mei set down her hashi and fixed Amarant in her sights. The woman finally rolled her eyes.
"Fine. Fine. Your point is made."
Her next words were chosen with care.
"Why ME Corp?"
"Oto-sama's final message. He spoke a little of what Projet-MEI had been and his anticipation that I would seek it out. But then he pivoted to ME Corp and what Cocolia was doing. He spoke of how I should choose my own path. Yet he brings up Cocolia's actions in a fashion that was incredibly jarring."
"The man was taunting you."
"He succeeded. Oto-sama was right. Taking back ME Corp, or at least part of it, gives me access to considerable resource and knowledge. The sort of resources that I need if we are to complete my plan. I cannot and never will trust the other three powers. So ME Corp is vital."
"All of ME Corp?"
"No. I haven't the time to waste engaging in corporate politics. As Oto-sama said, the director's possess significant discretionary power. I need merely present each of them with evidence that the board were complicit in Oto-sama's downfall. Those that fall in line will become my allies. Those that do not were also involved in the conspiracy and will be dealt with."
"No time for corporate politics indeed."
Mei finished her meal as Amarant tinkered with various figure scattered across the hologram.
"Mei, we're going to have to infiltrate the building. I won't have time to scan through the server in the brief time it connects to the outside world."
"We knew that would be the case. How long?"
"Give me a week and I'll have paperwork and ID ready for us. Internal security will follow my commands by then. We can walk in, do our stuff and walk out without anybody noticing."
"That is cutting it dangerously close."
"I'm aware. Remember, nothing is set in stone. We work with what we have as best we can. Just ready yourself to go at any time."
"You handle digital matters. I'll prep the shop ready for disposal."
Anthea checked her blade in to the armoury. The rest of the squad were stretching after a long day of rigorous and often merciless drilling. Their Captain wasn't someone to slouch even in the most pleasant weather they had experienced in weeks. They were fortunate that the updated third generation battlesuits recently shipped were able to give them a much-needed edge. Manila had been a bloodbath. All the Valkyrja bar the Captain were drawn from other squads across the globe. They stood on their bone of their predecessor and that grim knowledge gave them the resolve to work earnestly each day on improving their combat skills and squad morale.
"Anthea," the Captain called from the barracks doorway.
"Yes, ma'am?"
"Have the squad down in the ready-room in ten. Schicksal headquarters have just sent through further information on the Arc City events."
"Understood, ma'am."
The Captain shook her head, long ash coloured hair swaying about.
"When we're not on patrol you can call me Ana. I've told you this before."
Anthea blushed a little under the not-reprimand.
"Sorry… Ana."
The Captain of Snow Lotus squad rolled her eyes.
"You're almost as bad as Rita."
- 7 days until the 5th Impact -