Uninhabited Island far southeast of the Empire…

Tatsumi sighed as General Esdeath finished her backstory. There was so much… shocking information to take in about Esdeath, and the sick realization that there was no hope of converting her to their side. She was too far gone, and had been like that for a long time.

Abruptly, a massive glow of purple magic erupted from the portal they'd been sitting next to, unveiling the same magic circles that had brought the pair to the island. "Whoa, the way back…!" Tatsumi exclaimed, his spirits oddly rising.

After all, he should be consternated… Esdeath was going to bring him back to the Imperial Palace. But a part of him couldn't help but think that Esdeath, the brutal, irredeemable general who had slaughtered and tortured untold numbers of innocents, genuinely loved and cared for him on the island.

"Come on, Tatsumi!" Esdeath hugged Tatsumi, basically molesting him. "Let's go back to the Imperial Palace, and I'll treat you to a amazing meal! Do you want to take a tour of the Capitol too?"

And… there's no chance of escape, Tatsumi's face fell. He was beginning to worry he'd never see his friends ever again. But now he had to play along… and who knows, he might even be able to find out information useful to Night Raid along the way. "S-Sure… L-Let's get changed or something, first, alright?"

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An Hour Later…

Tatsumi found himself in Esdeath's bedchamber once again, being hugged like a body pillow by the General.

D-Darn it…

"General… L-Let's do something else… Well…"

A knock on the chamber door gave Tatsumi a must-needed reprieve and saved him from having to think of an excuse.

"What is it?" Esdeath snapped irritably at being interrupted.

"The Prime Minister and the Emperor require your audience, General," Ran's voice came from the other side.

"Very well," Esdeath hissed. "I'll be there right away." She noticed Tatsumi slyly getting up from the bed. "Ran! You and those Imperial Guards, guard this room! Don't let Tatsumi leave!"

She headed out to the garden first, where she found Seryu and Kurome talking, and ordered them both to help Ran guard her quarters.

When she finally arrived at the Emperor's throne room, they found the Prime Minister and the Emperor waiting with nervous looks.

"Is something wrong, your Majesty?"

"Well, General, I must commend you on the return of your true love! But it looks like the Prime Minister has received terrible news from the East," Emperor Makoto piped up. "Some evil pirates are attacking our Empire."

"Yes," Prime Minister Honest picked up. "A series of unusually bold pirate attacks have hit Imperial shipping and naval bases in the East. If this continues, it could seriously damage the Imperial Navy's ability to operate. Unfortunately, it seems the Night Raid killings, raids by Western tribes, and Revolutionary Army uprisings in the south have made the Capitol look weak, and the pirates are capitalizing on this. Most of the pirate havens are on offshore islands, though there are a few on the Imperial coastline itself. Regardless, I want you to crush these insolent pirate scum and any towns sheltering them! Make an example of them and show them the Empire is not to be trifled with!"

"Of course, my Emperor and Prime Minister," General Esdeath bowed, concealing a smile. "I am sure this will be no problem for my Jaegers-"

"General Esdeath, if I may-" General Budo began. "The Prime Minister-"

"As Prime Minister, I request you keep the Jaegers here to deal with Night Raid on the off-chance that they should use your absence as an excuse to attack. We would like you to go alone. Of course, the Eastern garrison and the Imperial Navy will aid you. Surely, with your power, that will be enough to deal with some pirates?"

Esdeath secretly ground her teeth. Since she'd told them Tatsumi was a member of the Jaegers… she wouldn't be able to bring him along. "With respect, Prime Minister, won't your new Wild Hunt be enough to deal with the threat?"

"Wild Hunt is still new and inexperienced," the Prime Minister spun his web of excuses. "My son Syura is enthusiastic… but still innocent and foolish. He doesn't have the experience dealing with Night Raid's guile that your Jaegers do."

As if, Esdeath thought. You're just afraid for your own skin, and want the extra security. Of course, she didn't voice her thoughts out loud. "Very well, as you wish, Prime Minister."

"Good. You are dismissed, General."

Now she had to take measures to make sure Tatsumi didn't escape again… and to do that, she had to look for Wave.

Finding him alone in the Jaegers Conference Room, General Esdeath confronted him at once. "Get over here, Wave," Esdeath gestured to the boy, a dangerous glint in her eye.

"Yes… ma'am…" Wave walked over reluctantly. She was looking much more intimidating and sadistic then usual, and he was terrified at the idea of approaching the General while she was in this state.

"I am giving you a second chance… and having you watch over Tatsumi while I'm away," General Esdeath ordered. "Remember what I said last time if you failed again? That I would administer your punishment personally…"

"Y-Yes…" Wave gulped, terrified at the prospect.

"Good, good. Wave, are you familiar with urethral splinter torture?" Esdeath grinned psychotically.

"N-No… I am not familiar with… that…," Wave's face lost all its color. "B-But… I-I can imagine…" He instinctively covered his crotch, feeling nauseated as he squirmed mentally.

"In that case, I trust you wouldn't want me to ruin your precious member, would you?" Esdeath was practically feeding off the poor boy's dread.

"O-of c-course n-not…" Wave stammered.

"As long as Tatsumi doesn't escape, you will never know the feeling. Remember, I am holding you personally responsible for Tatsumi!~"

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Irrelevant Historical Fact:

One year ago, on March 30, 2017, SpaceX, the American private spaceflight company founded by genius millionaire Elon Musk, conducted the world's first reflight of an orbital class rocket.