Chapter III: Debts repaid.
1320hrs, 17 May 2013, Tokyo, Japan
"Poverty demoralizes. A man in debt is so far a slave; and Wall-street thinks it easy for a millionaire to be a man of his word, a man of honor, but, that, in failing circumstances, no man can be relied on to keep his integrity." Ralph Waldo Emerson
"What did you tell them?" The PM was standing at his desk again, wondering if that flask of whisky he had was empty yet. Ever since he approved the creation of SAILOR-SF, it had caused nothing but headaches. This was going to be the biggest one…so far.
"We didn't tell them anything." Colonel Iwasaki was there with the MoD and COSJC. "We simply stated that their injuries were extremely extensive and they could not be saved."
"And what about the bodies?"
"Cremated, already. That's what we told them, anyway."
Oh great. This keeps getting better and better. "Why are we using five high school girls for our SAILOR project?" the PM asked very sarcastically. The ridiculousness of the situation was getting out of hand.
"Sir, if you refer to the third section of the memo we gave you…" MoD began. Hasegawa rustled around in his desk to find it. He put his glasses on and looked at the memo.
"The best candidates for SAILOR-SF are persons ages 14-18, of both sexes, since they can be easily modified for…"
The PM threw the memo down on the desk. He just didn't want to know any more.
"Oh god," he said to himself. "What have I done?"
"Sir?" Everyone in the room was looking at him.
"What exactly is going to happen to them now?" he asked COSJC. "And how long will that take?"
"Prime Minister, they will undergo treatment and therapy, along with mechanical modifications and augmentations so that they can achieve optimal combat performance. I estimate that it will take approximately three to six months to repair them, and then another year to…"
The PM waved him off. "Fine, fine…" he said in a tired voice. "Just…do what you have to do. That will be all gentlemen." If I remain in office for another two years. Hope I still do.
They all bowed and left the room. His COS came back into the room after they left.
"Sir, some people from the business community are here to see you."
The Keiretsu? What do they want?
"Um…sure, send them in."
The Keiretsu is a type of business group that has governed economic growth in Japan since WWII. It grew out of the ashes (sometimes, quite literally) of the dissolved "Zaibatsu", the closest thing that the Earth has seen resembling a "Mega-Corp," like Weyland-Yutani in Alien. A bank or trading company would control many different companies, ranging from food to computers (which is a horizontal method) or the entire supply chain, from producers, production and sales (which is a vertical method). Although the recession had weakened them, they still held sway although with less presence. It was still a good thing to have them on your side though.
Six men, smartly dressed in suits and ties, followed closely by six assistants. They bowed politely, and then one in front approached the PM, hand outstretched. Western customs still found their way in, somehow.
"Mr. Yamada," the PM said with a forced smile. He shook his hand. Ichigo Yamada was the CEO of the Nakanishi Group, one of Japan's most profitable conglomerates in an economy that was stagnant; his business had a profit every quarter, even in the aftermath of the tsunami in 2011. He was also a complete sleazebag, and that was saying something in comparison to most CEOs and politicians.
"Prime Minister," Yamada replied, the politeness equally forced. "Thank you for seeing us today." Not that the PM had a choice; they helped him get elected and had certain "privileges", one of which was dropping in on the PM whenever they felt like it.
"What brings you here today?" It was so difficult to retain the veneer of politeness, even for a Japanese man, around Yamada.
"We have heard about this…tragic incident near Hikawa Shrine." The only tragic thing to Yamada was a fiscal year with no profits. "We have also heard about your special project."
Goddammit. The PM was wondering when the news would break to the world and he would have to resign. At this rate, everyone and their mum would know about SAILOR-SF.
"What special project?" Feigning ignorance might work.
"SAILOR-SF, of course."
Or not.
"And your concern with it is…?" The PM wasn't even going to bother how they knew about it; for all he knew, they were the ones who came up with it. "I think you should dismiss your aides before we talk about this anymore."
Yamada just smiled. "Beryl here knows everything there needs to be known. So does everyone else."
His aesthetically pleasing assistant, Beryl, with long black hair, perfect nails and a slender body, seemed to float in midair as she approached the PM.
"Prime Minister." She seemed just as sleazy as Yamada. She bowed very slowly, exposing some cleavage as she did so. It could have been accidental, but knowing Yamada's taste in women, it probably wasn't…
"Miss Beryl." The PM gave another forced smile.
"So, anyway," Yamada continued. "We know all about SAILOR-SF, we know about the girls, and we would wish you to continue working on this project. At all cost."
"I am an elected official," the PM warily replied. "I can only do so much."
"We can…adjust your time here to suit."
That could work both ways, in terms of longevity or brevity. The PM hoped for the former.
"Fine. Is there anything else?"
Yamada simply shook his head. "No, Prime Minister. We just wanted you to be…aware of our support. Goodbye."
They bowed out, and left. Beryl gave one last glance at the PM, with a look that showed no life or emotion.
"Damn." The PM opened up his desk for the flask, but it was empty.
"Sir." It was his COS again. "Time for the funeral at Hikawa."
The PM did not answer immediately.
"Sir."
"I heard you, I'm coming."
As he left the official residence, the radio in the car was playing news broadcasts of the funeral that day.
"Five girls perished two days ago in a massive explosion near Hikawa Shrine, including one of the miko there. Seventy other people were wounded in the explosion, and an official investigation in underway. The funeral is being conducted at the Hikawa Shrine, with the PM to give a personal appearance…"
After the funeral at the Shrine, and meeting with the sobbing families for about an hour, the PM finally returned to his office.
"God," he said to himself (maybe). "That was horrible."
He could remember when the tsunami struck back in 2011, he was touring Japan on campaign and…
"Prime Minister," his COS interrupted. "A representative from the Nakanishi Group is here."
"Again?" he said, in disbelief. "I haven't even done anything yet. Show them in, please."
It was just one person though. What was her name again…
"Prime Minister," Beryl said to him, bowing and again, showing off that cleavage. No doubt now that it was deliberate.
"Weren't you just here this morning?" Hasegawa snubbed. He wasn't in the mood for politeness and manners today. Not after having been at that funeral, where he had to lie to four families.
"Oh, we're playing that game now, are we?" Beryl replied. "Fine, I have a further additional request."
"From your 'master'?" The PM was really, really getting tired of all these requests from the Nakanishi Group. But he still had to follow them because he owed them, big time.
"Oh no, not from Yamada. Not at all."
"From whom then? Get to the goddamn point already." Hasegawa was about five seconds away from tossing Beryl out of his office.
"From me."
The PM scoffed and went back to his desk. "I don't take orders from you. Yamada, yeah, but his PA? Give me a break. I'm not that much of an asskisser."
"Oh, you'll be doing this one, whether you like it or not," she said to him. The PM continued to ignore her. Beryl quickly walked up to him and slapped him in face.
"Ow!" The PM jerked back in surprise.
"Now you listen to me." Beryl was now treating the PM like a misbehaving child. "I carry just as much weight as Yamada, maybe even more so."
Hasegawa winced. He would have called in security but that might have compromised him even more so.
"What do you want?" he said in resignation.
"That's more like it." Beryl got a piece of paper out and handed it to the PM. "When you have this SAILOR force ready, I need you to start doing these tasks. Make sure that they get it right or else severe consequences might be involved for you."
The PM picked the paper up and looked at it.
"What do this have to do with national security?" the PM shot back, but Beryl raised her hand again. That shut him up.
"Prime Minister," Beryl smirked. "Nakanishi's security is Japan's security. You did know that, right?"
"Fine." The PM took the piece of paper and put it on his desk. He would have his COS file it away until needed.
"I'm glad we're on the same page," Beryl said. "See you around. Prime Minister."
She waltzed out of the room, cocky as ever.
"God, I hate my life," the PM griped as she shut the doors behind her.
He reached for that flask again, but remembered it was empty.
"Fuck. Why do I keep doing that?"
It didn't take long for his COS to interrupt him with the day's meetings, and soon afterward, the Prime Minister was hard at work again, running Japan.