Chapter 43: China's Destiny Lies in the Stars

To create a country that could rival the world itself? To have future generations capable of travelling beyond the stars?

Flora had never heard of anything so utterly preposterous, and Miria shared her incredulous sentiments. They could only stare at Galatea, dumbfounded, as the cold midnight wind rustled the grass on the plains, on the tranquil plains of central China. "The Mandate of Heaven," proclaimed Galatea, "calls for our unity, and through this unity the annihilation of Isley and Priscilla shall be achieved, along with China's future as one nation. At least, that is what my Master believes."

"Don't joke around," cried Helen. "Anyone could think of this 'one nation' bullshit and use it to send us off to war! And flying up there?" she laughed hysterically, pointing at the sky. "That's just stupid! That dream can never happen."

"Answer me this, Helen. Has Liu Bei ever spoken of his desire to traverse Heaven itself, to travel from star to star? Has Sun Quan ever spoken of anything beyond saving his family's legacy? The astronomers of Wei have glimpsed these worlds, these beautiful orbs of light. They have fascinated Mengde. He is not satisfied with merely conquering this realm – he believes the Chinese people are capable of reaching even further. Have you ever borne witness to such purpose and drive from any other man?" said Galatea urgently. "We have known nothing in our lives other the Organization, and doubtless, none of us ever want to have anything to do with their ambitions again." She pointed a finger at Miria. "But we are still honour-bound to kill Yoma and to protect human beings from Awakened Ones. And I'll be damned if I let any Yoma steal the promise of – "

"But senior, even if we wanted to unite with you, how are we supposed to go about it?" cried Cynthia. "If we're bound to destroy Yoma, then we're also honour-bound to clash on the field of battle."

"Then you merely need to remember, sisters – " Galatea paused. "Aside from my King, you are the ones I care for above all else. And he knows this. Though you and Wei will clash on the field of battle tomorrow, rest assured that I have no intention of slaying you. But the men we fight beside aren't so lucky; they have not been granted the same… importance as us Continentals. I pray that you will see sense, and submit to Wei before any more Chinese blood is spilled."

Clare shook her head. "Then, why summon us? Would this not have been more advantageous for you if you had kept Cao Cao's objectives a secret from us?"

"No. The land must come together one way or another. It is only a matter of time. In fact… my Lord wishes for you to know his intentions. We once agreed that all it takes is a small seed of thought to grow into a majestic tree. That is why I have told you everything without holding anything back. As far as I'm concerned, stage one is already in progress. We are in dialogue. That is enough, for now."

God-Eye turned away, her back facing them. "I have said all I wanted to say. I've shown you a new path that you can walk. Or, you can continue wandering on. Whichever one you choose, you now know why we are all here in this ancient realm called China. Yes…" Her voice lowered into a soft murmur. "It is to heal this dominion, this world that has been raped by our homeland's sins."

She began to walk. "Good night, ladies," she suddenly called, her usual wry voice returning.

The allies were too deep in thought to even reply. Helen and Deneve's eyes bespoke of their inner turmoil. Cynthia simply stared at the back of Galatea's retreating form until it disappeared into the rustling distance. Flora was the only one who bowed her head. "Farewell."

There remained a long silence as the early morning inched on. Assuming leadership, Miria finally turned to her comrades and nodded. "We haven't slept at all yet. We should at least sneak in a few hours before we are summoned to battle." But her heart was troubled even as they slowly strolled back to the gorge's opening, back into the mountainous expanse of Jieting and away from the highlands that opened out before them.

So we… must act as the unifiers of China. But it is as Cynthia said. How can we unite an entire nation if we're not united ourselves?

Is the King of Wei this longsighted? Could he have already deliberated on his plan… the very day when we first set foot in his land?

*

Dawn

Helen stirred, yawning coarsely. She scratched her stiff rear and looked across from her bed. On the other side of the small room, Miria had already risen, and sat upright broodingly, her hand against her chin. Several moments of silence passed between them. "You couldn't sleep either, huh?" muttered Helen, slipping aside her blanket and slipping on her grey underclothes.

"No," agreed Miria, rubbing her face. "What Galatea told us last night… it's simply too much – too outrageous. And to think that the destruction of Priscilla has something to do with the future of this nation is simply fantastic." She shook her head drowsily. "My goodness… even I feel staggered."

Just what does Cao Cao see in us? Exactly… what?

She blinked as a light rapping on their door became audible. "Who is it?"

"Good morning. It's Yue Ying," came the reply. "May I come in?"

"Please."

The Chinese woman opened the wooden door and gave a short wave, flanked by Flora and Clare. "Oh," snickered Helen, climbing out of bed and stretching. "Top o' the crowd we got."

"I hope you've rested well," said Yue Ying quietly. "I'm afraid we have already received bad news. Vanguard first commander Ma Su led a large division of our troops away from this fort a few hours ago, yet we have not received word of their safe encampment. Most likely, the Wei forces are marching to Jieting in an attempt to cut him off. We must muster up a counterattack and crush the Wei reinforcements, which means we'll be heading into action even earlier than expected.

"Assemble in my room. I'm going to outline our strategy for this battle."

*

Wei Main Camp

Preparations for the annihilation of Ma Su had reached completion.

Galatea made her way to the centre of the fort, where two foreign alchemists awaited. "Our Lady," called one of the cloaked, hooded magicians as she approached. "His Majesty has a message for you. He is unable to come to the frontlines personally due to his preparations for the Mogao expedition, but he wishes that you return to Xuchang once you have defeated the enemy here."

"Fine." She held out her hand, expecting them to render unto her a scroll of parchment or paper. Instead, the alchemists pointed to a drawn circle on the ground, a strange diagram of occult status. She blinked as they raised their hands and began to chant. One of them opened his palm, sprinkling strangely coloured dust that floated to the diagram on the dirt. At a final command, the circle expanded and exploded into a haze of harmless blue smoke. That blue smoke began to form into a humanoid figure with a mantle and a cape…

Galatea backed away, her eyebrow raised, until the blurry apparition of Cao Cao stood before her, a faint but discernable, robed image amidst the backdrop of his Imperial Throneroom. It was almost certain that he had ordered two alchemists to perform an identical ritual in his own chamber, too. Somehow, they had created some sort of window for her to see and converse with his physical body, although the corporeal form she saw was merely a magical projection. "An intriguing new method of communication you've devised with your wizards, my King," she observed, staring in fascination at the spectre. "You value efficiency as much as I do."

His voice was garbled and crackly, but instantly recognizable. "I confess to enjoying this gimmick. Communication is now far more tolerable and convenient. I now have no regrets in enlisting these gentlemen from the Parthian region of the Silk Road. Perhaps I've set a precedent for future generations."

She slowly went on one knee. "I assume you are here to brief me for the battle at Jieting that draws ever closer."

"I do not believe you require my advice. But I do wish to warn you, in the event that your own scouts have suffered incarceration by the enemy. This morning, I received intelligence that Shu general Ma Su has moved towards the mountains, where there is nowhere to retreat to in the event of a siege. This move is of such stupidity it cannot be anything less than a ruse. The Shu forces will almost certainly be planning a trap. Exactly how they hope to outsmart us, I do not know. Be certain to relay this message to the Field Marshal. I do not want him to fall into arrogant, unwarranted complacency."

He stared at her steadily. "So, what of your task? That is, the diplomacy you engaged in with the enemy last night."

"I have done as you suggested. I have told them… all of your desires." She looked up at the blue smoke. "I hope I did not say too much."

"I trust your discretion," came the ghostly reply. "The first stage has been initiated… the slow, agonizing, but inevitable path to unity between all silver-eyed warriors. I'm sure you also told them that such progress was already enough. And I could not care less what you told them about me – as long as you did not reveal the degenerate things you and I do under the bedsheets."

"Fret not. Your kinky secrets are safe with me," she replied indifferently, but stopped herself when she noticed that the spell was beginning to wear away. The alchemists who had conjured it were sweating and puffing, their gaunt hands shaking as they struggled to preserve Cao Cao's apparition. Most likely, the magicians in his Throneroom were exerting great effort as well.

Cao Cao grinned that wolfish grin. "Women certainly are peculiar creatures, and you are the most peculiar of them all. Time runs short now. To battle, my tigress."

"Long live the King," affirmed Galatea quietly, as the spell dissipated and his image faded away. She remained kneeling until the blue smog had completely lifted from the ground and disappeared. The spell reached its conclusion, and Cao Cao's grim reflection dissipated entirely into the blue sky.

She looked at the exhausted alchemists, who had slumped to the ground, and nodded in approval. "Thank you, do not trouble yourself any further. Every opportunity to talk to my beloved King is a cherished one."

They nodded gratefully. "Then… your orders, our Lady?"

She stood and surreptitiously licked her lips. "What else? To war we march."

*

Yue Ying's chamber

Yue Ying and Zhuge Liang stood at the head of a large table on which a generous map of the Jieting region had been laid. She looked down intently as the assembled Shu-Wu Claymores awaited their briefing. "Sima Yi is the enemy commander, given free reign by Cao Cao," she said. "His strategies are formidable, almost as impressive as my husband's. His strategy will be one of home defence: I believe that he is attacking Ma Su this very moment in an attempt to destroy an unacceptably large portion of our expeditionary army. At this point, we must do everything we can do rescue him." She placed a finger on the representation of Jieting's peak summit. "The Wei forces encamped at the base of the mountain here. It is an unnatural site for setting up camp, so I believe the reason why we have not received any word from Ma Su is because he is trapped at the mountain's peak. Our primary objective is to secure this region to win a foothold for future inroads into Wei. We will deploy our counterattack thus."

She took a small flag pin from the table's side and dug it into the map and the table. "Numerically, the Wei army is at a slight advantage. But this mountainous region nullifies that edge entirely. Superior tactics should be enough to break the enemy spirit and fighting capability. Firstly, General Miria and Jean will engage in a sortie against the infantry battalions. Their division will no doubt suffer from inferior numbers, but an overwhelming disadvantage is the impression we want to impart to Sima Yi. Once he reinforces the infantry with the main companies, we'll surround them in a pincer movement led by Flora and Clare. And with commanders Helen, Deneve, Yuma and Tabitha spearheading a single charge into the Wei ranks, they will scatter and be cut down by our final offensive from four sides."

Zhuge Liang nodded. "Our targets are the enemy leaders Guo Huai and Wang Shuang. If we defeat them, Ma Su will be able to make his escape. I will have Master Zhou Tai and General Cynthia assist Lady Flora in the battle in the event that the enemy has planned for any surprise ambushes along Ma Su's retreat route. But beware of the Imperial Lancers," he added. "Scouts have reported sightings of these dark horsemen. They are much more difficult to defeat than the average Wei cavalry."

Yue Ying blinked. "Imperial Lancers? Then Sima Yi could not be commanding them; Imperial Lancers are not of the conventional Wei forces. Someone very high in rank must be presently at Jieting."

Clare, Helen, Deneve, Flora and Cynthia looked at one another in silent confirmation. There could be none other. "Galatea," breathed Miria.

"Excuse me?"

"The Organization's Number Three, and the Wei King's personal bodyguard. We fought at Hanzhong, and she summoned us for a meeting just last night," replied Miria, ignoring the gasps from Yuma and Tabitha. Jean's eyes narrowed, but she remained quiet as Miria continued to explain. "She is securing her current position at Jieting as well. If we engage Sima Yi, we will almost definitely be forced to engage Galatea."

Yue Ying lowered her head. "… I see." She glanced at Miria. "So, she is your senior?"

"To all of us," affirmed Clare. "I owe Galatea a debt for coming to my aid when I was almost killed by the Abyssal One of the West, Riful."

"I will not force you to fight someone you look up to and admire – "

"Of course we are prepared to cross swords with her," interrupted Miria. "We are ready to defeat her. And from what I know, I am sure that Galatea would be thinking the same thing."

Flora stepped forward. "I apologize for not telling you this earlier, Grand General," she said regretfully. "I had hoped another conflict with Lady Galatea could be avoided…"

Yue Ying backed away from the table. She had not prepared herself for such a revelation, but her words were thoughtful and accepting. "No. I understand. It is I… who should be sorry for putting you through this."

Flora lowered her head. But more importantly… I do not wish to worry you just yet with Lady Galatea's proposition… of her King's plans.

Zhuge Liang placed a hand on Yue Ying's shoulder. "Everyone, it is almost time. Are we clear on the objectives of this mission?"

Jean gave a short bow at the waist. Clare, Helen, Deneve, Tabitha and Yuma followed suit.

"Lance Marshal Flora. Rising Dragon General Cynthia. Plains General Miria. Our victory depends on catching the Wei forces off-balance. Are you prepared to lead our troops against them immediately?"

The Claymore leaders saluted. "Yes, sir."

The Prime Minister of Shu nodded. "Excellent. Then nothing more needs to be said. My dearest. My friends… prepare to move out!"