Chapter Nine: Changes
It was amazing how quickly things had changed for William Mark.
Now he was clad in an officer's uniform and nominally the commanding officer. Apparently, the only thing needed for promotion was Funaho's will. Now, as he sat in a chair on the Yagami and watched his little blue planet come forward, he sighed. Kiyone and Mihoshi looked at him in unison.
"Earth..." said Mark, not sure how he was going to handle this. He'd spent the past few days of travel reading everything he could about things. He got an understanding of the ranks and the structure of the Juraian systems on Earth.
It surprised him just how little had been documented. Seiryo Tannan, the officer in charge of supply shipments, had written few reports. Something which worried Mark. Especially since there were a number of other reports missing.
"You glad to be home?" asked Mihoshi.
"No sure," admitted Mark. "I haven't seen it in years."
"Have you been in contact with family?" asked Kiyone.
The two of them had been oddly attentive to him lately. Mark was used to being on the sidelines, but all of a sudden, he was the center of attention. "Oh, Dad was basically retired before the Juraians showed up. He was too honest for his line of work. Mom hated her job and was only too happy to quit, and the new medical tech had really helped both of them.
"It's why I'm trying so hard to make a difference.
"I think Jurai could be the best thing that ever happened to Earth. But only if we work to make ourselves an asset to Jurai and find a place. Something we can do that has actual meaning."
Kiyone laughed.
"What's funny?" asked Mark.
"Well, I sort of feel that way about my job at times too. Maybe everyone does," said Kiyone.
Mark looked over his uniform. "Either way, this uniform is a definite improvement. I still don't see why Funaho appointed me to this task." He was glad Kiyone and Mihoshi were bad in normal dress, while a nice view would be hard to take credibly.
"Well, you knew what you were talking about," said Kiyone. "And not many people do when it comes to Earth."
"Yeah, I mean, there are all these tax returns and ID and stuff you need just to live there," said Mihoshi. "And even once you get past that, you've got records, and you can't even fire a gun without due cause. I mean, in what world is a police officer going to shoot someone who isn't doing anyone wrong?"
"Try this one, bubble brain," said Kiyone. "So uh, what's the plan?"
"For a start," said Mark. "I'm going to demand Seiryo Tannan account for his actions. He has hardly sent any reports. Neither have many of his subordinates, and everyone has dismissed it."
"He only missed one yearly report," said Mihoshi.
"On Earth," said Mark. "A year is a long, long time. And there is nothing stopping him from sending more than one. No one who has talked to him has any idea what he is up to.
"I want an explanation from him as to what is going on here."
"Well, why get permission from Funaho to arrest him?" asked Kiyone. "Do you think things are that bad?"
It shouldn't have been so easy to secure that. Jurai was way too trusting, and Mark was going to have to work very hard not to misuse that trust. "I don't know. But given that all this happened on Seiryo's watch, it is possible we'll have to detain him."
"Juraian vessel, state your business and identity," said a voice.
"Detectives Kiyone Makibi, William Mark, and Mihoshi Kuramitsu. We are requesting docking on behalf of Queen Funaho," said Kiyone. "We're transmitting identification now."
Silence.
"Understood," said a voice on the other end. "The Juraian Dock Officer, Seiryo Tannan, should meet you in the hanger."
Mark sat back and prayed he wouldn't screw this up. "Now, here we go."
The Yagami attached to the docking bay of the orbit, and they disembarked. Making their way out of it, they entered the Hercules Orbital Space station. It had been named by Earth, but it was a mix of Juraian and Earther tech. As Mark made his way into the main hanger, he saw an effeminate, pink-haired man coming toward him. On either side of him were female Juraian guards carrying staves.
"Oh, so you've finally arrived, have you?" asked the man, presumably Seiryo. "Honestly, I don't see why having an Earthling in this group is at all necessary. But, I'm certain Queen Funaho knows what she is doing."
"Excuse me?" asked Mark, surprised and somewhat insulted.
"Well, I'm sure you are a credit to your race, young man, but you have none of the power of a Juraian," said Seiryo. "But don't worry, I'm sure your presence will help a few of your people feel good about themselves."
Mark narrowed his eyes. "...I didn't come all the way from the Galaxy Police Headquarters to be insulted by you, Sir Tannan. I have orders given to me by Queen Funaho herself, and I intend to fulfill them to the best of my ability. Are you going to assist me, or shall I find my own way?"
As he spoke, Seiryo recoiled at his voice. Why? He was hardly a threat. "I..." He adjusted himself. "Well, there's no need for such discourtesy. I am, of course, dedicated to Queen Funaho. I meant no disrespect, of course."
"None taken," said Mark. "Now, we have reason to believe that there are individuals on this planet aiding a conspiracy. It is one that has claimed thousands of lives already. It has also destroyed an immense about of property. The expenses, combined with the human cost, have forced Jurai to post a direct guard on the Mars Colony.
"This is not only an inconvenience for the Royal Family but a humiliation for Earth. To say nothing of the grief suffered by those killed in these massacres. So, Seiryo Tannan, I have three questions;
"First;
"How did this conspiracy was able to transport material for unauthorized projects?
"Second;
"Who has both the ability and motive to undertake these illegal operations.
"Third;
"What measures have been put in place to ensure this never happens again?"
Seiryo went white and shuddered. The guards looked at one another uneasily, and they all seemed... intimidated. Why? What was so special about Mark asking questions? Was it how he asked them? "Well, um... that's a great many questions."
"Can you answer them?" asked Mark, deciding to use this to his advantage.
"I..." Seiryo adjusted his collar. "Well, I...
"I don't know."
Mark stared at him, stunned. "You don't know?
"It has been over a week since the Mars Colony's destruction, and you have not even asked any of these questions?"
Seiryo seemed on the verge of panic. Surely he must have expected this interview? "No, no, I gave an order that precautions be made to ensure nothing got through."
"What precautions?" asked Mark.
"I delegated..." said Seiryo.
"To whom?" asked Mark.
"It was um... Michael, Michael Target," said Seiryo, voice a squeak.
"And who is he?" asked Mark, who knew that much. But he was curious how Seiryo would respond.
"One of the representatives sent here by the American government," said Seiryo. "He used to be a highly successful businessman even before Jurai arrived. So he obviously knows his stuff. Running a business in this kind of world must be very difficult.
"And Officer Noike has nothing but the highest praise for him. Says he is doing an excellent job."
"And what reports has he made about this to you?" asked Mark.
Seiryo stopped dead. "Reports?"
"Yes, you are the person in charge of customs and inspection," said Mark. "Surely you must be taking some reports?"
"Well, I..." Seiryo looked away. "Michael said I didn't need to worry about it."
Mark was incredulous. How could an entire group of Juraian Nobles just let some random earthling walk all over them like this? And what was stranger was similar to how Kiyone, Mitsuki, and even Funaho had become... cooperative, since his suicide attempt. When he'd gone to Mitsuki, he'd been... assertive. "Let me see if I have this quite straight. You, Seiryo Tannan, a centuries-old knight of Jurai from a noble family, have been assigned here. Your only job was to oversee the shipping and make sure everything went as the Royal Family wanted.
"And you've been delegating everything to a former CEO of an Earthling company? What have you been doing instead of your job?"
"Well, I..." Seiryo halted. And then he preened and looked proudly up. "When one is in a position of responsibility, one must often delegate. It is so that they can focus on critical duties?"
"What duties do you think are more important than the one you've been specifically assigned to by God?" asked Mark in deadpan.
"I..." Seiryo halted. "What do you mean?"
"The Jurai Royal Family rules with the divine mandate of Tsunami herself," said Mark. "If they displease her, that mandate can be stripped away. When you were assigned this mission by them, you were assigned it by Tsunami herself.
"What have you done during your time in a position of authority?"
"Well, I..." Seiryo was a shaking mess by this point. "I..." And then he let out a high-pitched shriek and collapsed, babbling to the ground. The guards looked at him, then at Mark, obviously intimidated.
Mark put his face in his hands. "Kiyone, in the name of Emperor Azusa, place Tannan under arrest and imprison him in the Yagami. Question him about everything that has been going on and write up a report. I'm going to see if I can figure out what has been going on here."
"Arrest for what?" asked Kiyone.
"Dereliction of duty, among other things," said Mark. "It could be as bad as treason." Then he looked to a guard and stepped forward, so they flinched. "You, take me to Tannan's office immediately."
"But I..." The guard halted. "Surely this is not legal."
Mark shook his head. "Seiryo Tannan has admitted to abandoning his duties as an official. Worse still, he has delegated them without proper procedure. Until such a time as orders are given by Jurai, he is to be detained.
"Now, take me to his office."
They nodded. "...Yes, sir."
Mihoshi halted. "Mark, don't you think what you're doing is a bit um... mean?"
"It is mean, Mihoshi," admitted Mark. "It is also the right thing to do. Kiyone."
Kiyone moved forward and put cuffs on him. Seiryo Tannan struggled. "You can't do this! I'm a noble!"
"A noble who does not adhere to his responsibilities loses the right to be treated as such," said Mark. "Kiyone..."
"Yes, sir. Seiryo Tannan, you are under arrest," said Kiyone. "The suspect has the right to remain silent..."
But Mark did not stick around to listen to the rest. He followed the intimidated guards toward the office. Even so, Mark suspected he would find nothing of value there and turned to the guards instead. "How long as Sairyo Tannan been delegating to this Target?"
"Years, sir," said one. "Two. He um... he has also been delegating to other officers throughout the station."
"I see," said Mark. "And what does Seiryo Tannan spend his time doing instead?"
"Shouldn't um... shouldn't you be asking someone else?" asked the guard, shifting under his gaze.
"Who else?" asked Mark.
"Well, often he isn't even on the station," said a guard. "He and a lot of other officers spend their time on the surface; I think he has been conducting business."
"What kind of business?" asked Mark.
"Well, I don't fully understand it, but um... he was given stock in a number of corporations," said the guard. "As a sort of gift."
"Which ones?" asked Mark.
"I think there was a word um, United Aerospace Union," said the guard.
"The United Aerospace Union?" asked Mark. He halted. "You mean the corporation that has the contract for transporting materials to Mars. it was from North America, I think?"
"Yes," said the guard. "There was also another company, the Dragon Foundation."
"The CCP's space transport company," mused Mark. "Anything else?"
"Um... I'm not really sure," said the guard.
"Why didn't you tell anyone about this?" asked Mark.
"Well, I..." the guard halted. "Long-distance transmissions are hard here on Earth. You have to go through the Station Warden, Maxim, and explain why. I, well, several times we tried to talk to others about it, but Mr. Target talked with us and um..."
"And what?" asked Mark.
"Target has a really forceful personality," said the guard. "He is amazing and really kind, and when you speak to him, it's like he knows everything. All kinds of GP officers here have been transferring own planetside just to be near him."
"Did he offer you anything for your silence?" asked Mark.
"No, um, he really just seemed to think that telling anyone about this was a bad idea. And well, he's just this really amazing guy," said the guard. "It seemed right to do what he asked since I didn't see any harm in it. Especially since Noike assured us."
"And who is Noike?" asked Mark.
"Oh, she's the daughter of Lady Seto from Jurai. She graduated first in her class in the Galaxy Police," said the guard. "She's beautiful and sexy and absolutely..."
"Enough," said Mark as they came to the door. "Is this the office?"
"Yes," said the guard.
Mark nodded. "You are now in command. Get to your fellow guards and lock down this entire station. No one gets out without consulting me. If they attempt to force their way through, you have my permission to use force.
Failure to adhere to these orders will be considered an act of treason.
"He began to suspect what the problem was. During his time as a janitor, he observed that very few people in Outer Space stood up for themselves. Yes, now and then, there was a prank, but no one held it against another. And it dawned on him that he'd hardly ever seen anyone flare-up.
Was it possible that aliens just did not know how to say no to a determined question? Could they really be such extreme doormats when faced with adversity? It would explain why Funaho was so influential. She'd lived in Japan before the medieval period. She'd faced real hardship, so her force of personality made her important. "Very well. I may need you to testify as to what has happened here. I want you to compile a full report on everything that has been going on here. As well as a list of names of people who could provide more information. Then take that report to Kiyone and Mihoshi.
"Ignore any and all requests from Mr. Target or Noike. If they make any orders, ignore them. Do you understand?"
"Yes, but why?" asked the guard.
"Someone on this station is responsible for thousands of deaths," said Mark. "I intend to find them and see them imprisoned for a very long time.
"Good day."
Mark entered the office and found it packed full of unopened mail. With a sigh, he entered it. "Now, time to look through some records."
As Mark began to sort through the paperwork, he realized that he could have anything he ever wanted. If indeed people in outer space caved under pressure so easily, he could get himself any position. Live anywhere he wanted, so long as he could talk the right people down.
But that would not be the action of a hero.
In any case, why had no one learned this before now? There had to be an explanation as to why? If anyone could just make an insistent demand of an alien and get it, Earth would be ruling the universe. Something about Mark and this Michael Target had allowed them to talk their way into things.
He made a mental note to warn Lady Funaho and got back to work.
