Chapter 6: Clear for Takeoff

JSDF Alnus Garrison

When Maj. General Kengun was a young child, he had once asked his grandmother about the scars on her arms and face. She had refused to answer, and it was not until she died that he learned that his grandmother was a Hibakusha, a survivor of The Bomb.

On learning this he had taken a trip to the memorial museum in Hiroshima, in an attempt to better understand what she had gone through, what she had experienced, and why she avoided talking about it. What he saw was horrifying. In one room, segments of walls and sidewalks, bleached saved for the shadows of men and women before they were incinerated. In another, the warped metal of a steel bank door, partially melted and busted in by the shockwave. In a third, the preserved thumbs of a victim, the nails darkened and warped by radiation damage. Kengun stood in front of a diorama depicting survivors right after the attack, where he stared into the eyes of a mannequin of a young woman, her body burnt and raw and the skin practically dripping from her hands… and in that moment he briefly thought that he saw his grandmother's face in that figure. The room he visited after that was the bathroom, in a rush, where he puked his guts out.

The moment he had his high school diploma in hand, he signed up for National Defense Academy of Japan, with the firm conviction that never again would such destruction be wreaked against his homeland or its people. That intensity had followed him through his entire career.

When the Gate opened up in Ginza, he went to the grave of his grandmother and prayed for the chance to see justice done. Fate delivered. Hazama's command was given the honor to push through the Gate, and he, Kengun, would be leading the Fourth Combat Group. In the ensuing battles, he led his men to victory after crushing victory; Italica, Sadera, Beza, and the Second Battle of Alnus Hill, in each, the men under his command ground the enemy into paste, and saw every drop of Japanese blood lost at Ginza repaid in kind with a gallon of Imperial.

And then… the Americans appeared with their rockets. When they first came through the Gate, he had been skeptical of them and thankful that their operations were being confined to Alnus. Later, during the second battle of Alnus Hill, he had appreciated the additional fire support, though he imagined that it wouldn't have been necessary if the 5th Combat Group hadn't lost the initiative. All was well, until Itami told him about the Bomb.

With Hazama under investigation, Kengun found himself the highest-ranking officer of the Special Region Task Force, and, as a result, sitting at the end of a negotiation table as others discussed how they wanted to use the bomb. Of the potential attack plans, he liked the one offered by the scientist, Carol Dawson, the most: the Hydrogen bomb would be detonated over the open ocean, where it would pose no threat to anyone. Instead, he was horrified when Apostle Rory Mercury brought up the suggestion of fielding the weapon against a Carenth attack fleet, and the politicians readily accepted, citing the reduced manpower and monetary cost. "Solve two problems with one rocket," Rory had put it.

After the first pictures came back from the Kawasaki C-1s, Kengun had immediately called up Defense Minister Kono to offer his resignation. In response, the Minister had said, "I don't recall any public announcement of a nuclear attack? In fact, you are being promoted and installed in Hazama's old position as commander of the Task Force. Congratulations!"

The American and Japanese governments swept the entire bombing under the rug, and while both nations refused to confirm or deny that such an attack happened, it became an open secret… so much so that the UN Security Council attempted to issue a ban on Nuclear Weapons in the Special Region (which the USA vetoed), and the General Assembly wrote a resolution to condemn America and Japan's use of such weapons, even though their knowledge was based on nothing other than hearsay. Ultimately, Kengun decided that if Kono wished to treat the nuclear deployment as if it had never happened, then so would he. For seven years, he tried to ignore that he had been complicit in the same horror that had spurred him to join the JSDF in the first place.

That is… until one of his aides entered his office and announced that yet another civilian was demanding an audience with him. "What's so special about this one?" Kengun asked, tapping his pen on the side of his desk in irritation.

"Hibakusha."

The pen fell from Kengun's hand, and it felt like his blood had turned to ice. "What did you say?"

"He's a Hibakusha. Apparently, he was a battlemage under King Selecus during the… attack."

"...I see." Kengun stood and added, "Please clear my schedule to allow them in as soon as possible."

The aide nodded and left, leaving Kengun alone with his thoughts. He didn't need long to think about it, since there was clearly only one thing to do.

He made his way out of the main office complex for his private quarters. This part of Alnus had changed little over the years. While some new buildings had been added or modified to support newer technology, most of it was the same prefabricated buildings that the Engineering corps had hauled through in the initial invasion. He had put in a number of requests for updated facilities, but every time the topic came up in Diet budget discussions, the plans were ultimately struck down in favor of shoring up the country's missile defenses, or buying more ships and planes in anticipation of some disaster regarding the Senkaku Islands.

His personal quarters, originally Hazama's, were not particularly large, but they were private, and it had room for some of his personal effects. This time in particular he opened up his closet and pulled out a sword. This wasn't one of the crude Romanesque instruments wielded by the Saderan Empire, nor was it one of the modern officer. This one had been in the family for a long, long time-the shorter of two katanas which some distant ancestor might have used against Mongols, or thugs, or perhaps one of the Warring States. He didn't know for sure and had never thought to get it appraised. Regardless, he tucked the sword under his arm and returned to his office, ignoring the looks that other soldiers threw him along the way. There he placed the sword on his desk, and waited for his guests to arrive. His aide announced the names of both visitors, then stood away from the door.

First into the room was a teenaged girl—not what he'd initially expected, but on closer inspection he recognized the large wings tucked behind her back and was quickly reminded of the Monarch picked up by Captain Etajima's submarine. He had only met Odette Ze Negula once, but he recalled her to be shy and soft-spoken. This girl had a different personality all together, and excitedly glanced around the office, as if she was expecting someone to come out and shower her with diamonds at any moment.

And then… the man in the cloak. He was slightly taller than Kengun (most people from the Special Region were taller than the average Japanese), but when he pulled back the hood on his cloak, Kengun knew immediately. The same kinds of burns and scars clawed their way up out of his childhood memories and he had to grip the edge of the table in an effort to keep from being sick again. This is my fault, he thought. I did this.

He took a deep breath and stepped away from his desk, giving the man in particular a deep bow. Switching to the language of the Special Region, he said, "Hector El Sava, Ellie Fe Agne, I am Major General Kengun of the JSDF Special Region Task Force."

Upon straightening, he noticed both staring at him somewhat shocked—even on Earth, most cultures were confused to have a Japanese person bowing at them. "I was informed that you would be arriving with questions," he continued. "I am at your service, provided that the questions do not jeopardize the security of my men."

Interestingly, it was Ellie who talked first. "We're trying to get in contact with the Americans, and we were told that you were the person that we should talk to. Can you help us?"

Kengun raised an eyebrow. "What do you need from the Americans?"

"Well…" Ellie shrugged away in embarrassment, so Hector stepped in. "She wants to speak with someone who knows about the Night Triangle, and was told that the Americans were the ones that put it up there. Specifically, it sounded like she wanted to know how one puts something like that up there in the first place, and was hoping to talk to someone named Greta La Sareteian."

Ah, this again. Pina and her cronies had been trying to tease information out of him for years, and he had refused every attempt. "I'm sorry, I cannot help you with that," he said. "We have already told the Saderan authorities that we have no knowledge that we wish to share about Greta's whereabouts. As for this triangle you're talking about, you are correct in identifying it as an American structure. They are satellites, and they are used for aiding navigation and passing along information… or, at least that's what the Americans have told us."

Ellie looked away, clearly crestfallen, to which Hector said, "Ellie, do you mind stepping outside for a moment?"

The girl looked up at him, confused, but ultimately followed his instructions. Now alone, Hector pointed to one of the two green couches and said, "May I take a seat?"

"Of course," Kengun said, settling onto the couch opposite him. "I imagine that your questions are different from young Ellie's."

"Depends," Hector said, folding his hands and leaning forward so that the two were eye to eye. "I also have questions for the Americans, but maybe you'll be able to answer some of them for me."

Kengun tensed, knowing what was coming.

"Were you responsible for Commanding the use of the Godwrecker?"

"I should warn you that the government of Japan will deny anything I say here, should it leave this room, but yes, I was on the committee where the decision was made." Kengun said. "Because I did not do enough to argue against it, I am partially to blame."

He waited for the response. He expected anger, shouting, frustration, but Hector just seemed confused. "You required a whole war council over the use of a single weapon?"

"When the weapon is an atomic bomb, yes," Kengun said. "My nation, Sadera, and the Americans were all involved."

"Who specifically? And what parts did they play?"

"On the Japanese side, myself, Defense Minister Taro Kono, and Lieutenant Itami Youji. As representatives of the invading task force, we had asked for the bomb in the first place because we had been handed a fraudulent intelligence report. The man responsible, Lieutenant Yanagida, is in prison and will remain there for a long, long time.

"On the Saderan side, then-Princess Pina Co Lada and Demigod Rory Mercury. They were the ones responsible for selecting the target.

"Finally, for the Americans, there was Defense Secretary Clayton, Colonel Mullan, one of his specialists, and a scientific consultant, Dr. Carol Dawson. The Americans built bomb and its delivery vehicle, and were ultimately the ones that launched the missile."

He waited as Hector attempted to process this information.

"If you desire revenge," Kengun said, standing, "I am prepared to take responsibility." He went over to the table and presented the Katana to Hector.

The magician looked even more confused. "What are you doing?"

"In my culture, a warrior offers his life if he has performed a major disgrace. The Americans dropped an atomic bomb on my family two generations ago, and I swore to prevent such an atrocity from touching Japan ever again. In doing so, I forgot that use of the weapon was, itself, an atrocity. It's dishonorable, disgusting, disgraceful, and if you would have my life, I would gladly give it if it would restore some of my honor."

At this point, Kengun was entirely focused on the weapon in his grip. In his mind, there was no question that he would do it if asked. He was so distracted, that he almost missed Hector saying, "Let me rephrase the question. Did you ask for the weapon to be used?"

"I did not attempt to stop its use, and that is damning enough," Kengun said, unmoving.

"If you want to call yourself a coward, fine, you're a coward." Hector growled. "I'm not interested in cowards and peons. I want the names of the people who ordered the attack on my men."

For a moment, Kengun didn't know how to respond. 'Coward' is an accurate description, he thought. But what does that mean for me?

"And put the sword down. You're making me nervous."

The general sighed and did so, then returned to the couch. It was only then that he noticed that his hands were shaking. Was I really about to do that?

"The ones who gave the orders…" Kengun thought back over the meeting. Ultimately, he, Itami, and Dawson had all protested, so they did not count. Pina, Mullan, and Minister Kono all went along with the decision, which was still damnable, but the attack ultimately wasn't up to them.

In the end, it boiled down to two people. "You are looking for Richard Clayton, and Rory Mercury."

"How do I meet them?"

Kengun thought about it. Clayton was functioning as an Ambassador to Sadera, and consistently turned down all requests that weren't from a prominent official. As for Rory…

There was a small chance. An offer that had been relayed to him by Ambassador Clayton a few years earlier.

"You're a magician, correct?" Kengun said.

"Yes," Hector said, "But the Godwrecker took most of my powers away."

"We might be able to fix that with a focus crystal," Kengun said, tapping on his knee. Yes, it could be possible… but the other aspect would be a bit more challenging.

"Also," he added, "Your traveling companion, the Monarch. Does she have any interest in trying to fly a plane?"

Outside of Rondel

While Shirai normally at his lunch in the observatory, this was the first instance that he had asked Flat and Arpeggio over for formal reasons. Flat's wife was the first to point out the oddity over her third helping of yakitori as she pointed out, "You usually ask us to join you over dinner, why the change?"

Shirai set down his chopsticks, paused to swallow his food, and asked, "What is your opinion on Rondel's declaration of war?"

The other two looked at each other, and Arpeggio answered first. "It makes me nervous," she said, laying a hand on her very pregnant belly. "If the JDSF decide to side with Pina… I don't want my family caught in between."

"It's not a well-thought-out declaration either," Flat pointed out. "I understand where Chairman Delsus is coming from—the taxes on Rondel have been bad, but a conflict with Sadera wouldn't make things better. With Italica on their side, all Sadera needs to do is cut off the merchant wagons to Alnus, and what would Rondel do then? Who would they sell to? The priests in Bellnahgo? The tribesmen in the northern deserts or near Knappnai? All of Rondel's other trading partners are deep in Saderan territory."

"Yes, Sugawara-san pointed out the same things," Shirai said with a nod. "He also had an interesting… request. Would you be willing to assist us, Flat?"

Arpeggio looked to her husband and shook her head. "Whatever your government wants, they can forget it. I'm not risking my husband."

"There's no risk involved," Shirai said, though he didn't feel that way at all. If anything, this discussion reminded him of his appeals for grant-money before the Gate opened. Promising the world, even though he knew that options were limited.

"He will simply be going into the Rondel Council chamber on a regular basis, and let me know about the status of the war if he hears anything," Shirai continued. "I'll pass the information along to Japan, and, I promise, it will be kept for observational purposes. Not used against Rondel."

"You want him to spy for you," Arpeggio said, bitterly. "Absolutely not."

"What? No. This is about your safely as much as his. Sugawara said that he's worried about the Rondel Council coming after me or the other Earth people working in Sadera. If they come after me, they'll come after Flat, and possibly you. The JSDF needs to understand the situation so that all of us can be evacuated, should we ever find ourselves in danger. As it is, Dr. Nguyen told me that most of the workers from the World Health Organization are pulling back to Alnus, out of fear of getting caught in the conflict."

"Then why don't you leave?" Arpeggio said. "You don't have to stay."

"Well…" Shirai gave a nervous laugh, then pointed over his shoulder at the telescope. "I can't exactly load my equipment onto a bicycle, can I? And the WHO didn't bring the tools to dismount it and place it on one of their trucks."

"Call in a JSDF Helicopter, ask them to pick it up!"

""The JSDF wants to avoid getting involved. The debt incurred in establishing Alnus is a constant talking point in the Diet. From what Sugawara said, they want to put if off until there is no other choice."

"Then destroy the telescope!"

"I was not left with the tools to do that either, and there's a danger of Rondel academics trying to reverse-engineer the technology. It may not seem like it to you, but some of the devices on the telescope are dangerous. The laser pointer, for example? The Americans have a big one that they mount on warships for burning things out of the sky. The JSDF has the equipment to destroy everything properly, but it is too dangerous to leave with me. Besides, I'm an astronomer, not an explosives expert. I wouldn't know how to do it."

Arpeggio turned angrilly back to Flat and said, "You tell him that you won't, right now."

Flat looked back and forth between his wife and his colleague before saying, "Japan wants me because no one else can do this, right?"

Shirai nodded.

"And it's occurred to you that if I am caught, I'll be killed, right?"

Shirai started to nod again, but Flat interrupted with a cold, "No, Professor. I want to know—do you value my life so little that you are okay with this?"

Sugawara had given him several things to offer Flat, but had told Shirai not to use the most valuable one unless there was no other option. The truth was that Shirai had intentionally structured the conversation to make the deal seem one-sided. To force their near refusal, because the most valuable offer was the only thing that the Professor felt that Flat and his family deserved.

"If you agree," Shirai said, "Your family would be granted leave to become the first from the Special Region to immigrate to Japan. Not the Alnus territory, either. Japan on Earth."

This recommendation brought both Flat and Arpeggio's arguments to a grinding halt, and they both sat back in their seats, dumbfounded. No one, from Falmart had been able to move to Japan, not in any of the years the Gate had been open. Even the Alnus representatives were not permitted to bring their families. If Shirai was being honest, he was offering them the world. His world.

Flat spoke first. "I just need to listen and report? No fighting, no sneaking into places, just go to the council and listen and report?"

"Flat," Arpeggio stared, grabbing her husband's hand, but he turned around to face her and grasped her hand tighter.

"It's Japan, Alfie," he said. "It's our chance to get away from all of this."

Shirai watched as her cheeks flushed and the tears began to appear in her eyes. "F-fine," she stammered, "It's n-not l-like I'm scar-red for you or anything. Idiot." With nothing further to say, she got up and rushed out the door to the observatory.

Since the conversation was in Japanese, Shirai bit down hard to keep himself from the heartfelt, faux-irritated 'baka'. While Arpeggio had mellowed down over the years, it was amusing to see that some of the old tsundere tendencies hadn't been completely stamped out.

"So," Flat said. "What is the plan for evacuation?"

Shirai opened up his laptop and turned it around so that it was facing Flat. On the screen, a list of bullet points helpfully provided by Sugawara. "You and Arpeggio will stay at the observatory from now on," the professor explained. "If something were to happen, I would make the call using email and a radio. Sugawara insists that a Special Forces group is nearby, ready to extract us, and they will take us somewhere that will serve as a landing zone for the helicopter. That's all I have been told."

"And if we are outside walking the streets when the need arises?"

"Keep inside at nights. We are high enough above the city here that you can see the observatory dome from most directions. If there is a need to evacuate, whomever is at the observatory will point the dome north. You already know how to do this, and we can show your wife later on."

As they continued through the details, they heard a knock at the door. Shirai, taking as much care as he could, slowly opened the observatory door, and then opened it fully on seeing Dr. Nguyen waiting there. "Ah, Hitoshi," the Doctor said, "Are you busy?"

Shirai looked behind him and saw, with profound thanks, Flat closing the lid on his laptop. "We were a little busy discussing how the impending war would affect supplies and operations for the telescope."

"Ah yes, those of us who are staying do need to plan these things out," Nguyen said with a nod. "That's why I wanted to talk to you, you see—"

"Please," Shirai said, stopping him, "Let's take a walk." He didn't want the World Health Organization doctor asking questions to Flat, and he doubted that Japan had clued Nguyen's home country in on Sugawara's plan.

They had only gone a few feet down the path from the observatory hill before Nguyen resumed, "As I was saying, most of my countrymen are pulling back to Alnus. Cowards, the lot of them. It is during wars that doctors and medics are needed the most. I'm thankful to the few that are staying with me, and I'm glad to see that you are not running off with the others."

Shirai sighed. "It would be troubling to leave. While Apocryph growth rates have slowed substantially, Japan still wants to keep a firm eye on Falmart's skies, and Alnus is not a good place to set up an observatory—the airfield was creating more than enough light pollution before they began wiring the civilian settlement with electricity." It was a stupid reason, but it was the one that Sugawara had provided him.

"I don't see what the big fuss is," Nguyen went on. "I was in Yemen for a while. That was hellish, but these people in Falmart keep their wars much more contained."

"We'll see how long that lasts," Shirai said. "It's one thing for the Empire to sign the Geneva Convention. It's another thing to enforce it. Itami told me of the first time that he brought it up to Pina in Italica… that was only seven years ago, and while the technology has changed, the culture is still lagging behind."

"I meant the scope of a given battle, not the targets."

"Ah, then in that case, we can be thankful that neither side has developed guided bombs yet."

Nguyen hesitated, then said, "Indeed. We will need to wait to hear the reports on the air raid to hear how that turned out."

Shirai froze, taking a moment to go through what Nguyen had just said. "What air raid?"

"Rondel's magic glider squadron, of course. Eight of their planes took off for Italica a few hours ago."

Author's Note

I had the unusual opportunity to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum back in 2003. In this chapter I tried to capture a small snapshot of my own experiences. Every exhibit listed was actually there, though the exhibit with the mannequins, "Victims Hovering between Life and Death," was removed during renovations in 2017.

If you find yourself in Japan and have the chance… go.