Endless Waltz
By: Daishi Prime
-46 – Turning Points-
Arlain walked into the briefing room, and was immediately grateful that his plane back from New York had gotten in early enough to give him time for a shower and change. He may not have gotten much sleep, but at least he was not a dirty bedraggled mess in front of all the brass gathered in the lecture-hall.
As he continued across the front of the room to the aisle leading up between the rows of seats, he took in all those stars and medals, and the riot of uniform colors, and was silently impressed. It looked more like a UN meeting than any military briefing he had ever attended. Whatever Hughes wanted him briefed on was obviously bigger than the Black Dogs, bigger than another assault by Al Hanthis.
Sitting just behind the American contingent, and next to a couple of German officers, were a British general and four colonels, their aides parked behind them in neat order. Recognizing the senior colonel, Arlain paused in the aisle and waved Bogdanovich and Law up towards the back. "General," he said politely, as the older man looked up at him, then Arlain smiled and saluted, "Leftenant."
"Corporal," Colonel Carstairs replied with a matching smile and salute, then he extended his hand, "it's been too long. Though I was sorry to hear about you turning mercenary."
Arlain shook Carstairs' hand and said, "I'm not a mercenary, sir, just went back into the family business full time."
The General's polite mask slipped at that, and he leaned back in his chair, sneering. "You're one of those Circle traitors, aren't you?"
Arlain leaned back slightly, not quite flinching, but nodded his head. "Yes, General, I am part of the Circles, but I have never betrayed my Queen or Country. I was honorably discharged according to British Army procedures."
"But you were Circle before then, weren't you," the General said.
"And the Circles have always been very careful about respecting national loyalties, sir."
General Tolland, according to the name on his uniform, huffed at that. "I'm sure they have been. Which does not mean you are not a traitor."
Arlain started to argue the point, more than a little insulted at being called a traitor. But Tolland was plainly one of those people that made up their minds, then browbeat everyone into agreeing with him, sublimely ignoring contrary evidence. He started to turn back to Carstairs, but a smooth voice interrupted, "The Général here causing you problems, commandant? Want a little…"
Without thinking, Arlain said, "We're sitting in back, Early. Head on up there and join Law and Bogdanovich."
"You sure, commandant? I wouldn't mind," Early smiled at the General, an open and friendly expression, "part of the job, commandant, keeping you safe."
"Take a seat in back, Early," Arlain repeated coldly. "Now."
Early's smile never faded. He patted Arlain's shoulder, "Sure thing, commandant. Just say the word, though." Then he strolled on up the steps to perch behind Law, making the smaller man visibly nervous.
Tolland watched him leave, then huffed and returned his attention forward. "That man should have had a kill order on him decades ago. I don't care how useful he's been."
The wording of that statement started Arlain rethinking the General. Narrowing his eyes, he said, "Three of them, all executed according to standard. Early killed each team. And I just realized, General, you never said who I'm supposed to be a traitor to. I assumed you meant the Crown, but you didn't, did you?"
Tolland huffed again, "You were enlisted. You requested and were granted early discharge, and are perfectly free to take employment wherever you like." Carstairs blinked at that, then stared at the General, "but when you betrayed the purpose for which the Circles were created, when you assisted the Witch and her corrupt followers in subverting and conquering the Circles, you became a traitor to all humanity."
Arlain shook his head at that. "Well, Revenant, I'm afraid you're in for a very unpleasant time of it, then." Tolland glared at him, but Arlain continued, "The folks giving today's briefing aren't going to go easy on your delicate sensibilities, and neither are we. Fair warning, though… if you're thinking of pulling some sort of martyrdom attack, I'd give it up. You won't even come close to getting one of your targets, not today."
Tolland's anger faded to confusion, and he asked, "What on earth are you talking about?"
"That would be me," Al Khan said, stepping up behind Arlain.
Arlain shifted, turning in place and stepping further up to keep Al Khan and Tolland in view. The Arab was in his armor, hands clasped in the small of his back. Arlain quirked an eyebrow at the sight of heavy bandages he could just make out, wrapping Al Khan's lower arm. Then the other one when he realized he could not see the kid's mage-device. A quick glance up showed only one of Al Khan's men with him, Lafitte, who was working his way up the outside aisle passing out sealed envelopes, opposite a US Army Leftenant.
Al Khan, for his part, ignored Arlain to focus on General Tolland. "Marcel's hearing is pretty good, especially when we're both nervous about ambushes. Is Chuculain Lead correct, General? Are you part of the Revenants? Or someone trying to be a bystander?"
Tolland stared at him steadily for a few seconds, mouth twitching like he wanted to sneer or snarl, but he collected himself steadily. "I am a flag officer in the British Army, sonny…"
"And I am the new Sheik of Qatar, jiji. You're a Revenant," Al Khan shrugged, "fine, I can work with that. Not that much difference between Revenants and Moderns anyhow. The question is, General, can you work with me? Hayate-sensei's orders are fully in force for this operation – we are in command, as the senior force. The conventional forces in this operation will conform to our plans and orders. Allah wills it, this sort of allied operation is going to be merely difficult, even without command officers backstabbing or ignoring each other. So while I'm not fully aware of all the politics involved, and I don't think I can get the British Army to change the units they've committed already, if you cannot work with me and mine, I will see about letting you step aside."
Tolland's face went purple with rage, but that abruptly faded shortly after Al Khan fell silent. The two stared at one another for a few moments more, and then Tolland ground out, "I am an officer of the British Army, under the orders of my Queen in service of my Country."
Al Khan nodded slightly, "Good enough. Arlain, any more of your boys coming? If no, we're just waiting on the French Army folks and the Russian contingent."
"The other team leads are still in New York. Where I thought you and your boys were?"
"They are," Al Khan said, "pulling Iron Hand for the Army."
Carstairs finally got into the conversation again, asking with a frown, "I would have thought your teachers would have you back under your school's protections again. This 'Iron Hand' is that important?"
"It's an Air Force mission profile," Tolland commented, "for suppressing anti-aircraft fire, I believe."
Al Khan nodded, "We picked up the name from them, since it's the same sort of mission. Park a mage in an intersection, put troops with missiles in the upper floors of the surrounding buildings. The mage radiates power, to lure in the Seed, and when they attack, flies straight up while the troops unload. It's not the most efficient tactic, but it's safer than any of the other Seed hunting techniques we've seen or tried." He nodded towards the Chinese contingent, "The People's Army troops in Hong Kong developed it, using Circle wolfpacks. It's safer for us, with our devices, than for wolfpacks."
Tolland asked, "You're here alone, just you and the other boy?"
Al Khan shrugged, "Their time is better spent in New York helping clear out the Seed. Thinking I'm vulnerable?"
"Something like that. Anyone can be overwhelmed by numbers, after all."
Again Al Khan shrugged. "Feel free to try it, Revenant. Bring the Dogs in on it with you, I'd like to try out some of our counter-tactics."
"You're that confident?"
"He has reason to be," Arlain said. "Given how much Takashi probably told them about our capabilities, what he's seen for himself, and the fact that his friend over there has something or other primed."
Al Khan laughed, shaking his head, "Takashi doesn't tell us anything, he's not one of our teachers. But the rest of the Myrmidons are in New York – no teleport barrier to prevent them from responding immediately. You'd have maybe ten seconds before the rest of them arrived. After that, it would be a good training exercise, for all of us."
Tolland gave him a questioning look. "All of us?"
"Marcel and I will go all out, until the others get here," Al Khan said, then shrugged, "but after that, there'd be no reason to fight to the death. We should be able to disable or bind enough of your forces to win the battle. We confirm how well our tactics against the Black Dogs work, and your troops and the Dogs get experience in direct combat against an enhanced mage without suffering too many serious casualties. Valuable experience for all of us, for minimal cost."
Lafitte came down the central aisle and said something Japanese. Al Khan glanced up at him, then looked around, "The Russians and French?"
"Five minutes or so, they're in the building," Lafitte replied. "Lieutenant Santamaria will give them their briefing packets as they come in."
"Good enough," Al Khan said, then turned back to Tolland, "If you'll excuse me, Arlain, General. I wanted to say hello to someone else before we get started officially." Then he turned on his heel and strode down the steps to the Chinese delegation, Lafitte trailing along at his heels like a shadow.
Arlain was the first to speak, asking, "I don't suppose any of you know what happened to his family? He had some older brothers, as I recall."
"Qatar and the rest of the peninsular nations were seized by Al Hanthis," Carstairs said. "They were probably killed in whatever resistance the Qataris managed to put up."
Tolland waved the issue away, "Immaterial. Probably his father and brothers are fine, and this is just the usual self-aggrandizement that goes with being a heretic. I don't suppose either of you knows what it was he called me, do you? I gather it was insulting, but I'd like to know precisely how."
One of the aides behind him spoke up, "Um, excuse me sirs, but the term 'jiji' is Japanese, it's… a rude way of referring to an older man. Like calling someone 'gramps'."
"So, he's sensitive about his age," Tolland mused. "Good, that's useful."
"Be careful plotting against those boys, General," Arlain said, turning to walk up the aisle to join Early behind Law and Bogdanovich. "They're more than you're prepared to handle."
00000
When the Russian contingent – two Spetznaz officers – finally arrived to complete the briefing group, Yussef left off talking with General Liu to move towards the speaker's podium. It had been a pleasure to see the General again, and check up on both Hong Kong and the PLA units under the General's command. The challenge with which the older man had greeted him before the Battle of Hong Kong was gone, replaced by a mutual understanding Yussef did not share with the Americans, the only other conventional force he had fought alongside.
Setting a holographic projector on the podium, he keyed it live with Zulfiqar as Marcel handed the Russians the last couple copies of the sealed folders. He knew what those folders contained, and was faintly amused at the Americans' insistence on taping them closed and classifying the entire concept. There was little enough traffic out of Fort Knox these days, and little chance of Al Hanthis hearing anything about this operation before it kicked off.
Still, it appeared formalities had to be observed. So Yussef proceeded with his planned briefing, bringing up a holographic of Al Hanthis, the same one he and the boys had been using for planning since after Hong Kong.
"Ladies and Gentlemen," Yussef said in English, almost forgetting to project his voice towards the back, "Welcome to Fort Knox. I am Yussef Al Khan, commander of Hayate Yagami's Myrmidons. The hologram currently displayed is the city of Al Hanthis, the home and ultimate redoubt of the people trying to conquer our world. They claim the right to rule based on ancient possession prior to the collapse and subsequent destruction of their civilization.
"This city is the problem, ladies and gentlemen. This is the reason Cairo, Hong Kong, New York, and London have been attacked, the reasons farms the world over are burning even now, and the reason Northern Africa and the Middle East lie under a conqueror's boot. So long as Al Hanthis remains inviolate behind their shield, their forces can retreat at will, and strike at will anywhere in the world. So long as that city is untouched, we cannot win."
Liu spoke up and asked, "So this is the plan for how to breach their shield?"
Yussef shook his head, "I'm afraid not, General. That is still in the works. But once we have such a method, we need to be ready to kick off immediately. That is what we are here for, General, to plan for that moment. Each of you represents a nation which has, in some way, been attacked by Al Hanthis while retaining the military capacity to offer troops to a combined operation. Mechanized infantry from China, Paratroopers from America and Britain, special forces units from all your various nations.
"As we speak, your troops and formations, with their equipment, are embarking for Japan. Due to Japan's unique defenses, we can safely train together there, without revealing our training to Al Hanthis. The Japanese even have the perfect training ground for us to use, and are preparing it for us already." The hologram of Al Hanthis flickered and shifted, resolving to a three-quarters aerial shot of an island covered in buildings. "Gunkanjima Island, in Tokyo Bay. Once the world's most densely populated location, a coal mine since closed down and abandoned. The Japanese Self Defense Forces began reconstruction and stabilization work a year ago, intending to train in fleet and ground island assault and defense tactics. We won't be able to train the entire force in combined urban operations at once, but we will be taking company-sized units according to a very demanding training cycle.
"All in preparation for whenever we find a way into Al Hanthis. Once we have that way in, your forces, along with every enhanced mage we have, will mount a single massive strike on the city. Because once we have a way through that shield, we're only going to get one shot at using it. For your sins, you and the forces under your command have been selected to go with us. Congratulations, and welcome to Operation Dies Irae."
00000
Laura had to wait half the day, including sneaking up the path to Hayate-sensei's house, in order to catch her prey. Part of her was twitchy as all get out over that, but she figured the campus was the safest place in the world at the moment, so it was okay for Noriko to be out from under her eyes for a little while, especially when that time was spent under Hayate-sensei's eyes instead.
Eventually, though, Noriko came out of the house and down the path, focused on her PDA and mostly ignoring the world around her. So Laura took advantage of the opportunity, vanished into the Cloak, and climbed Escher Step until she was upside down over the foot of the house's front stairs. She waited with infinite patience until Noriko just reached the bottom step, then flickered visible, face to face, and shouted, "Boo!"
Noriko side-stepped her easily, without looking up, "Hello, Laura. You're not as stealthy as you think."
Laura huffed, but flipped upright and descended, walking next to Noriko while a foot or so off the ground. "So, Hayate-sensei's been talking you through your new magic, right?"
Noriko nodded, "Yes, it's… oddly easy, in a lot of ways. Harder to control, though, it tends to react to subconscious intent as much as deliberate will."
That provided a perfect opening, but beating Noriko to the first switch-back in the path, with its long view across the valley, distracted Laura for a few seconds. When she did let Noriko catch up, her friend gave her a long-suffering look. "I am perfectly safe here on campus, Laura."
"Sniper on the overlook would have range on the house," Laura replied, "and besides, it's practice, for me. So," she dropped down to walk normally, "speaking of practice, you need some. And so do I."
Noriko stopped in the path and considered Laura for a few moments. Then she smiled slightly and said, "You're not going to let me out of this, are you?"
Laura smirked back at her, "Nope!"
Noriko turned back to her PDA for a moment, then shrugged and turned it off. "All right, Laura-chan, let's go see if what Hayate-sensei has told me holds up under pressure."
"Cool," Laura snaked an arm through Noriko's, "that means we can experiment! It'll be fun and science all at the same time!"
"Limited experimentation, please, I'm still unsure how to sense the limit with Deva magic. It is proving frighteningly easy to both over-power and under-power my spells."
Laura shrugged, "That's fine, you won't hurt me. Besides, I'm thinking I want some help for the experimentation bit, so… give me a minute." It took more than a minute to reach the foot of the path, and the campus proper, but Laura found her new target almost immediately. "Allison! I need to borrow you for a couple minutes!"
Allison was on the quad with Juliet, both of them slowly working through a kata Zafira had taught them the day before. The two paused, then looked at each other, and Laura frowned. They looked almost exasperated with her. Then Allison shrugged, Juliet returned the expression, and the two met Laura and Noriko halfway to the classroom building. "What are you working on?"
"Teaching Riko-chan how not to blow up the school," Laura replied.
"She wants to see how she fares against a Deva mage, and give me some practice sparring with it," Noriko elaborated.
Juliet asked, "So what do you need us for?"
"Don't need 'us'," Laura shook her head and started walking on air again, slowly shifting herself upside down, "I want to see if I screwed up the Cloak of Shades, or if I'm right and Riko-chan can see through it." Noriko and Allison both blinked at her, then frowned, and Laura giggled. "She just spotted me way too fast. Now, I might have messed up, but I don't think so. And I've got my suspicions, which you're going to have to guess and worry and panic about until I find out if I'm right or not."
She ignored their attempts to get the information out of her, and checked the hallway before letting Noriko into the classroom building. Tai-yu had most of the first-years in the main workroom, so Laura settled for one of the two secondary work-rooms, the one not set up for flight training. She took a minute to access the room's monitor controls, setting the recorders how she wanted, then turned to the other girls.
"Okay, here's what I want to do. Allison and I are going to head down to the other end of the room. Then Riko-chan and I'll spar for a bit, while Allison and Juliet monitor us. We'll run a couple bouts, then we'll do a test run of Allison trying to sneak up on Riko-chan while you and Juliet try to catch her. I want to find out if it's just me, or if it's everyone she can find. Questions?"
Allison and Noriko shook their heads, but Juliet asked, "What am I supposed to be doing while you're playing with Noriko."
"Sparring, not playing," Laura protested, "not that there's much difference. You're supposed to watch her, see if you can spot any weaknesses or advantages she has, beyond the obvious. 'Kay? Allison'll do the same for me, the first run. Just like in class, girls."
Juliet considered that a moment, then nodded slowly. "I can handle that."
Laura and Allison flew to the far end of the room, fifty meters or so, and en route Laura whispered, "I've got an idea to avoid her Cascade, but see if you can spot something similar but smaller."
"Smaller?"
Laura nodded. "Remember how she always has some of those petals around, when her armor's up? I think she's unconsciously generating them all the time now, but so small they're invisible."
Allison raised an eyebrow at her. "You want me to spot something that's microscopic?"
"Hey, who better to spot something invisible than someone who's obsessed with being invisible? Mostly, though, I want you for that second test. This one's going to be tough to keep neutral, since Riko-chan and I have spent so much time training together. She's going to know some of what I'm going to try without really thinking about it, just like I know she's going to start with her Cascade and try to stand on the defense."
Allison considered that for a moment, then nodded, "Okay, I guess I can see what you're thinking. I'll keep an eye out. I've got some extra wrinkles for the Cloak, when we get to the second part."
Once they reached the far end of the chamber, only fifty meters or so, Laura held up one hand. A moment later, Noriko waved back, and Laura vanished into the Cloak. The world turned faded and dim, like she had donned a set of heavy shades, and she ran back down the length of the room. She did not take to the air, figuring Noriko would expect that, instead angling off to her right to get at Noriko's weaker side.
As she expected, though, Noriko shifted to face her continuously, even as Laura accelerated and swung wider around. A trio of Zippers hemmed her in, but Noriko's Cascade swept around her at a flick of her wrist, and Laura found her expected situation abruptly reversed – Noriko could find her, but she could not precisely locate Noriko.
Instead of charging straight in as she normally would have, Laura backed off, retreating across the room. Once she was there, she started charging a Positron Buster, taking it just to the minimum strength necessary for cohesion. Noriko did not visibly react, behind her spreading cloud of petals, so Laura began stalking closer, moving slowly and trying to be quiet like Allison. Two thirds of the way back down the room towards her target, though, Noriko abruptly shifted sideways to her, the left hand fan of Senbonzakura flicking open between them and the cloud of petals concentrating ahead of that.
Laura faded visible and spread her arms, dissipating the buster, "Okay, that should be enough. Your turn, Allison."
Noriko stared at her in confusion, then everyone turned to look at Allison. Strolling down from the far end of the room, Allison was frowning but nodding. "There's something going on there. Let me have a go first, though."
Noriko floated back from them, "I would like an explanation, please? I thought I was going to be sparring with Laura."
"You will," Laura said, "I just want to find out something first. If I'm right, you'll be a lot easier to protect, and a lot harder to fight against than you used to be. Put Allison through her paces for a couple minutes, and then I'll explain."
Allison vanished, and Noriko slid back into stance. It was interesting for Laura, watching Noriko from this angle without being directly involved. Noriko patently was unsure where Allison was coming from, and was trying to look everywhere at once. A mental order to Paradox brought up a display and she found mostly what she was looking for, the cloud of particles stretching around Noriko to almost fill the room. A visual map of the particles was more interesting, allowing Laura to spot roughly where Allison was as the cloud parted around a particular point.
Noriko took much longer to spot Allison, far longer than she had needed to spot Laura. Allison was almost on top of her, well within charge distance, before Noriko spotted her. Instead of the Cascade shifting between them, it rolled over Allison in a wave, burying her in lethal pink disks.
Once Allison was 'safely' cocooned, Noriko turned to Laura. "Now will you please explain what you're looking for?"
"Sure," Laura chirped, walking over as Allison stepped through nothing to reappear at the far end of the room.
"Yeah, explanations wanted all around," Allison said, "that was not fun. I've seen Noriko's clearings from last year, up towards the pass, and I didn't like being at ground zero for a repeat."
"You weren't, trust me," Laura said with a grimace. "I've been there, Riko-chan plays rough. But, as for what I was looking for… can you dismiss the Cascade, Riko-chan?"
Noriko nodded, and Laura grinned as she could see the wheels turning behind her friend's face. Noriko would figure it out almost immediately, she was sure, with that sort of reference. Within a few seconds, the Cascade of Springs Glory had faded out. As always, when Senbonzakura was not stored, a few petals remained drifting about Noriko. Noriko considered those, frowning in thought, then cupped a hand around one that obediently became still. "This is what you're talking about, isn't it? Niranjana told me at Chernivtsi that I see through them, and she's sort of right. Some of them are slipping inside the Cloak of Shades, aren't they?"
Laura nodded, "Close enough. But remember how you can never get rid of all of them? You've always had those petals floating about whenever Senbonzakura's out. But what's a Deva mage's greatest advantage?"
"Power," Juliet said immediately, "they can channel more power than any two of us."
Noriko shook her head, "No, not power. Deva magic requires surprisingly little power, in the usual sense. It's the device. I am Senbonzakura now. So I always have some of my petals out? But I don't, there haven't been any."
"None you can see," Laura said, "but there's plenty of things in the world we can't see." She called up one of the monitor screens, and slid it around for the others to see. "See this? You've got some sixty point-sources of energy floating around you right now. I can see maybe twenty. So, like I thought… you cheated on the path today."
Noriko rolled her eyes, considering the screen a moment, then shook her head, "I don't understand, though. Nothing looks any different, nothing's changed its appearance since Hayate-sensei transitioned me."
"Does anything ever actually look different," Allison asked, "or is it just that you're aware of things? Did you see me under the cloak, or just know where I was?"
Noriko frowned, thinking it over, sliding the tip of one closed fan along her jaw. "I'm… not sure," she said eventually.
"That's something to figure out later," Laura said, waving it aside. "However it works, it works. The question now is… can the four of us find a way around it? Riko-chan's defense is solid, I'll grant you, but it's not perfect. We have to be perfect. We have to know what weaknesses she has, and how to cover for them. Also," she grimaced and said, "I don't think we need to go bandying this about, either." At the instant look of protest on Allison's face, she waved a calming hand, "We're fine, Hayate-sensei and all, the other second-years, sure. Even the Volunteers are nice and all, but Maunders and her little lost Lambs are Circle. So, yeah, no need to go chatting this up at dinner like we used to, 'kay?"
Allison grumbled under her breath, and Juliet looked no happier, but Noriko frowned. "You said 'we' have to be perfect. Why?"
"Not you, Riko-chan," Laura shook her head, "us. Me and Mega-drake for the moment, but Wilderness Girl and Little Miss Angry, too, I bet."
"Find a different nickname or we'll find out just how good you are, short-stuff," Juliet growled.
Laura stuck out her tongue. "Anytime you like, Vita Junior. But yeah, I figure you two'll be Paladins, too. The Creepy Twin were real militant about that before New York, but they're seriously torqued with me right now, since I got them yanked back here, so that may change. We, the Paladins, have to be perfect, or as close to it as humanly possible."
"Why?"
Laura stared at her a moment, then blinked. "Because."
Noriko sighed and rolled her eyes, "Because why, Laura? You are already the best single fighter out of us, you can stand up to any of the senseis even if you can't beat them yet."
Laura waved that aside. "Because we're Twilight Paladins. We're going to be the sharp end of the spear, as my brother puts it. If we aren't perfect, we can't protect everyone behind us. If we're not perfect, we're not worthy of the trust and power at our disposal. I mean… did you know that, when you accepted my oath of service, you made me immune to most of Japan's laws? I'm technically a member of your personal household, so anything I do is legally the same as if you did it yourself, so I can't be prosecuted. Or something like that. Hidan was a little unclear on the specifics. So, yeah, we have to be perfect."
She turned back to the workroom, "Which at the moment, means figuring out how to get at Riko-chan despite her built-in sensor-net. So… Allison, Juliet and I'll try to distract her. You try to sneak up on her while we're attacking her. Remember, if you get her…"
"Don't hold back," all three other girls chorused, then Noriko finished, "bruises teach just as much as words."
"Hey, when Sensei's right, she's right, and she's usually right."
00000
Chrono followed First Admiral Nagumo and Captain Malchai, the officer Nagumo had assigned to lead the investigation, into the diplomatic office, and could not help noting the many differences in décor. The Diplomatic Corp, as the Bureau's official face with the member government, was very pretty, welcoming, relaxed. The furniture was more expensive than over in Operations, to make it pleasing to the eye in addition to merely comfortable as it was in an Operations office. There were paintings and pictures on the walls, and the screen behind the secretary's desk was set to display a planet-side scene. In Aria's office that screen showed the deployment schedule and current status of every ship in Chrono's command, and the pictures were officers admired and respected by Amy, most of them posthumous. There were also four office doors behind the secretary, instead of Operations' one, but Admiral's rank in the Diplomatic Corp meant somewhat less than it did in Operations. All of it, right down to the Admirals' ranks, was carefully planned to impress and reassure any member world dignitaries that might visit.
The civilian secretary blinked as the three of them entered the office, but was far too professional to show more surprise than that. "Can I help you gentlemen?"
Malchai answered that, "Is Admiral Triann in his office?"
"Yes, one moment and I'll see if he is available," the secretary said, touching a stud on his desk to activate his comm.
"No," Malchai caught the secretary's wrist, "we'll let ourselves in. Which office is his?"
"Ah… that one, Captain," the man said, gesturing to his left and rear. Chrono could see the wheels turning in the man's head. It was not really secret that there was some sort of a leak in the Bureau, someone on the inside stoking the recent flames of discontent. The presence of the head of Investigations, with an Operations Director in tow, meant one of two things – Triann was a suspect, or had evidence indicating a suspect. Either way, getting in the way of an Investigations team was not done lightly, balanced against which was simple loyalty to one of his bosses, someone he worked with daily and had to know very well. "He may be on a conference call with several member world representatives, though… it was scheduled two hours ago, but he has not come out since it began, and his line is still busy."
"That's fine," Nagumo said, "we can interrupt him for this. If anyone else comes in or calls looking to speak to him, tell them to come back later. Do not tell them we are or have met with him. Understood?"
"Yes, Admiral," the secretary nodded slowly, shifting back from his desk slightly and setting his hands in his lap. It was a subtle move, distancing himself from the entire situation. Chrono could not blame him for that, but at the same time could not help comparing the man – negatively – with Amy's stubborn loyalty. Amy would have been demanding IDs and authorizations if someone tried this with him.
Malchai got the door to Triann's office, then held it open for his superiors. To Chrono's surprise, there was no indignant command to leave, just a collection of voices with the thin sound of a comm relay. Then a live voice interrupted, "Excuse me, please, ladies and gentlemen. My apologies, but I'm afraid a sensitive and urgent matter has just been brought to me. I apologize profusely, but I am going to have to drop out of the call to handle this. Please, feel free to carry on in my absence, and if you could each be so good as to write up for me your thoughts on the matter of balancing Bureau response forces, I would appreciate it. Again, I apologize, but this truly is urgent. Good day to all of you."
Chrono walked through the door during the spiel, and ignored the man talking to consider his office. It was very comfortably arranged, a working table surrounded by comfortable chairs, another lower table surrounded by three couches, and a massive desk made of either real wood or a facsimile so good as to be the same. The wall behind the two tables was a massive screen, currently showing a planetary scene from Midchilda, while the other two walls held a number of pictures and paintings, the largest of which showed a middle-aged woman and three children, two boys and a girl, in a formal setting.
The man who occupied the office was rather less prepossessing than his office. He had thinning brown hair, was a little on the heavy side for his height, and was practically slouching in his chair. Something about the set of his eyes was harried and tired, and Chrono found himself feeling unpleasantly satisfied at seeing another human being suffering. Given what Amy and Malchai had discovered about Triann, Chrono was not going to feel any guilt about whatever happened to the man.
Triann had the grace to stand, and gesture to the chairs arranged in his office. That wave of his hand was charged with magic, and made Chrono tense, but it was a simple telekinetic lift that positioned three chairs before his desk. Chrono ignored them, while Nagumo and Malchai took the offered seats. Technically, he was there strictly as an observer and as a courtesy from a friend. Unofficially, Chrono was there in case Triann tried anything violent – Nagumo and Malchai were both older, and Malchai had never been a combat mage, while Nagumo had not taken the field in decades.
"Admiral Triann," Nagumo began, "I'm sure you must have heard by now that we suspect there is a leak of sensitive, even classified, information from the Bureau to various member worlds, including some of the least stable member worlds."
"I have," Triann said, "and your timing couldn't be better. I'm afraid you're too late to stop the last information packets I sent out – they're already in one-way dead-drops – but those will suffice to… fulfill the personal obligation that lead me to this course."
Nagumo and Malchai blinked, taken aback by Triann's forthright reply, and he took the opportunity to open a drawer in his desk and withdraw a rack of data chips. He placed them on his desk, and stared at them for a minute. "This is a complete record of everything I've done, every step I've taken and when. It also contains my notes, recommendations, and plans for mitigating the damage."
"Mitigating the damage," Chrono said. "You think you can 'mitigate' this? You've destroyed the Bureau's reputation, utterly, and you think you can 'mitigate' it?"
Triann winced, then half-heartedly glared at him. "I didn't have any choice. I owed the man too much."
"You owed Wilhelm Kriegsen a debt," Malchai said. "For saving your life?"
"And my marriage. And helping with my sons' careers. And whatever you think, Admiral Harlaoun, the Bureau's reputation is perfectly intact. None of the voluntary worlds are going to withdraw, no one has the resources to go it alone…"
"Tybar's Reach has already voted, by two-thirds majority, to withdraw from the Time-Space Mutual Defense Treaty," Chrono told him, making him rock back in his chair. Chrono huffed, then said, "Congratulations, Triann, your machinations broke Hykon sector into an un-unified command structure. And Tybar's Reach was a voluntary member, one that hasn't seen a dimensional instability in decades, let alone a dislocation. Do you know what they told Captain Luratz, the ground-station Ops officer when they asked him to leave? That the Bureau has demonstrated, by its abject failure to act on Terra, despite manifest mass-abuse of lost logia, that it was never more than a power-grabbing ploy by the founding worlds."
Triann started shaking his head slightly, "No, no none of the worlds I've worked on, the people I've worked with, would go that far. Tybar's Reach is stable, a stable government with a stable society. They'd never…"
"They've seen enough evidence that the Bureau is more concerned with maintaining its power than in doing our job," Chrono said. "You arranged that. Congratulations. Whatever you think you owed Kriegsen, you've paid him back in spades."
"A year," Triann said, now staring unseeing at the wall. "He just wanted the Bureau distracted for a year, just a year."
"You've given him that," Nagumo said, glancing at Chrono and gesturing for him to back down. Chrono nodded, and let him resume control of the meeting. "It will be months before we can free up forces to intervene on Terra, despite knowing what is waiting for us there. Who knows what could happen there in that time? You say you have plans, contingencies, to help mitigate the effects. Are you prepared to cooperate fully with Investigations, Diplomacy, and Operations?"
"Yes, of course I am. I owed Wilhelm a debt, but I am still an officer of the Bureau."
Nagumo nodded slowly. "Good, I'm glad to hear that. These chips have everything you've done on them?"
"Everything."
"In that case, Admiral, I think it's time we took this to a more formal setting. Captain Malchai here will debrief you, including reviewing your data on these chips, and from there we can start unraveling this. It won't be pleasant for you, Admiral, but I think if you cooperate with us honestly, it won't be necessary to level any charges."
"I… I am prepared to accept the consequences of my actions, Admiral," Triann said, "but thank you."
The three rose, Malchai picking up the rack of data chips, and Nagumo held out a hand for Triann to precede them out of the office, when Chrono interrupted again. "Durio Triann," he said, in slow formal tones, "as an officer of Midchildan law, I hereby take you into bound custody on charges of incitement to foreign wars, hazarding a mass-scale dimensional dislocation, trafficking in classified documents, breach of treaty, and collusion in an act of treason."
All three other men stopped and stared at him for a moment, and then Nagumo frowned. "Chrono, what are you doing?"
Chrono gave him one of his mother's looks, the one she reserved for when Chrono was being childish. "I am ensuring that a criminal faces justice for his crimes, exactly as we are all sworn to do. You are going to walk him out of this office, park him in a new office, and aside from the lack of publicity and some new faces, he'll go on doing exactly what he's done for decades, what he's done for the last few months. No. I've done some research, and far too many times Bureau officers who violate their oaths are shuffled aside, the crime ignored, and everyone carries on as if it's all fine. Not this time. This time, the criminals responsible are going to face justice, face a court, and answer for their actions. First Triann, then anyone who colluded with him, then Kriegsen."
"Kriegsen is already a fugitive," Nagumo reminded him.
"Yes, and when we catch him, we'll have new charges for him to answer. But right here and now, the entire galaxy is going to watch Triann stand trial. They're going to see that, even when the Bureau won't hold its own accountable, the member worlds will. We're going to prove to Tybar's Reach and all the other member worlds that the Bureau is not about power, it's about safety and justice, and it and its officers will answer for their crimes. You want to restore the Bureau's reputation, Triann? Then you'll stand trial, publicly, and accept your punishment. You'll help us find everyone else involved, help us with the communications and recovering from your treason, yes, but you'll do it publicly, as an act of contrition separate from your sentence."
Malchai cleared his throat. "Excuse me, sir, Admiral Chrono, but I'm afraid you can't arrest him. Bureau officers can only be arrested by an Investigations officer with a warrant conveying formal charges. As for the local laws you claimed, Bureau officers are immune from local prosecution. Assuming, of course, that you have been deputized by Mildchilda's local law enforcement."
"Bureau officers are immune to prosecution for actions taken in the course of their duties," Chrono countered, shaking his head. He reached out and with a telekinetic lift of his own, took the rack of data chips from under Malchai's arm. "Triann's actions were taken in violation of his Bureau duties, not in pursuit of those duties. As such, he does not enjoy the traditional protections afforded Bureau personnel. As for local law enforcement, I suggest you re-read the Bureau's Charter."
"The Charter?"
Blessing Amy's thoroughness and creativity, Chrono relayed what she had found for him. "As an effort to assuage the other founding worlds' fears that the Bureau was an attempt to seize power by Midchilda, the original Charter deputizes all Bureau officers as agents of Midchildan law. Alone of all Bureau member worlds, Midchilda allows foreigners the full authority and power of law enforcement over its citizens. Mister Triann is a Midchildan citizen, by immigration. Bureau Headquarters is still in Midchildan space. Triann's actions, in violation of the Time-Space Mutual Defense Treaty that formed the Bureau, constitute instigation of foreign wars, hazarding a dimensional dislocation, and collusion in an act of treason. I would add 'aiding and abetting a fugitive', except Kriegsen was never charged under Midchildan law, only under interstellar Bureau law.
"Admiral Nagumo, you have elected not to press charges against Mister Triann at this time. As such, as an officer of Midchildan law, I am pressing charges on behalf of Midchildan citizens this man has placed at risk. If you wish to press charges against him under Bureau laws, you may do so, however I again refer you to the Charter…"
"Local charges levied against a suspect must be tried and carried to conclusion before the Bureau may take custody of said suspect," Nagumo interrupted, nodding his head slowly. "Well played, Chrono. Well played indeed."
Chrono nodded, then turned back to Triann. "Durio Triann, you are bound and required to accompany me to the nearest shuttle bay, where I have arranged transport to Midchilda. You will remain in my personal custody until such time as you are taken into close confinement on Midchilda, there to await trial once a panel of neutral jurists is assembled. Anything you say and any action you take will be weighed in your trial. You will be provided a solicitor, and may petition the court to obtain your own. You will not be permitted the use of magic during your incarceration, and if you are in possession of a device, you are required by law to surrender it to me immediately. If you attempt to escape, be warned I am authorized to detain you by force, up to and including lethal measures if I deem them necessary to protect bystanders. Do you not understand anything I have just said to you, or wish to make any statement at this time?"
Triann stared at him for a few seconds, then swallowed heavily and shook his head. "No. Nothing to say. I understand."
"Chrono," Nagumo put a hand on Chrono's arm. "Chrono, High Command approved my proposed course of action. They are going to come down on you for this. Are you sure?"
Chrono considered him for a moment, then gave him a lopsided smile. "My father gave his life for the Bureau. My career's a much smaller price to pay, assuming that I end up paying it at all." Nagumo blinked, and Chrono chuckled. "High Command won't lay a finger on me, Hirosho. Not for this. Not with every Enforcer in the Bureau already on edge, not after the near mutiny over Al Hanthis' arrival on Earth. Oh, I'll never see another promotion, but I can live with that." He turned to Triann, smile fading. "Especially if it means I can remain an Enforcer. I joined to see justice done, and that is precisely what I will accomplish."
00000
"Many people conflate Harlaoun's Knights and the Twilight Paladins, and with some justification. After all, both are small highly elite units. Both pride themselves on reputations for supreme individual skill, and both consider themselves the first and last line of defense of their respective nations – the Empire for the Paladins, and the Bureau for the Knights. Both are loosely organized and only somewhat answerable to their respective founders, and typically function as individuals. Lastly, both are direct and deliberate outgrowths of the Empire's founding. Some of the founding Knights were even on Terra when the Empire was born.
"Fundamentally, however, the two organizations have different purposes and different outlooks. The Paladins, for all their focus on combat, are inherently optimistic – often to the point of naiveté, in my opinion – and exist to defend the Empire and the Emperor from basically external threats. While they do pursue criminals and the like, such are operating outside the bounds of Imperial law, and are thus 'external'.
"Harlaoun's Knights, on the other hand, are focused completely on the Bureau. They are deployed throughout Bureau space in traditional Enforcer roles, and indeed are officially merely Enforcers with special training. But they watch their fellows, Enforcers and non-line officers alike. A Knight is, basically, immune to charges of mutiny, because they are each individually charged with holding the Bureau and its officers to the Bureau's ideals, rather than its regulations. They are charged with upholding the ideal, not the law.
"The Paladins are a response to power and the potential for abuse. The Knights are a reaction to such abuse, and a response to the shame that taints the Bureau even now for their failures leading up to the Empire's founding. Harlaoun's Knights all feel that shame just as keenly now as they did when the crisis occurred. Many of the original Knights were Volunteers who broke with the Bureau to assist in fighting Al Hanthis. They are driven by that shame to never repeat it, to never allow their fellows to repeat it, and that shame is a powerful motivator. Almost as powerful as the love and arrogance that drives the Paladins.
– the Dark Witch, in her doctoral thesis, Analysis of the Mindsets of Supreme-Rank Mages.
00000
TheMadMetamorphmagus: Thank you! Moving forward is the race between Dies Irae and the Guard's attack on Moscow & Mumbai.
Rathmun: Still very much amongst the living, just busy, so very busy.
Happery: To be honest, I've had to go back and re-read all of Endless Waltz myself, that's how distracted I've been this year. Still shouldn't have taken so long to post, though.
MaZe-Pallas: The end of a major battle should feel like a turning point, and it was to an extent. Almost all the players were actively in motion at the end of last chapter, and with this chapter all of them are. And I find your inability to predict the course/outcome to be a compliment – assuming I manage to include all the supports for the ending I've got planned. I like a surprise ending, but it has to be supported.
boomer sooner: Which members of the Paladins/Myrmidons were surprising? Some of them, especially among the new kids, I'm not going to spend a lot of time on their reasons for joining particular cadres, and some won't actually make any such decision until much later. Chen-chi and Ekavir, for instance – I know generally when/why they join the Paladins, and it's not until long after the events of Endless Waltz. In Chen-chi's case, it's completely unrelated to the war with Al Hanthis, according to my currently extant notes on her. To be honest, I shouldn't have included some of them in the cadres, simply because they don't really join until after. As for your other review… No comment on any hypothetical link between Kessenra & Esien. Newscome was the ecstatic young lady that ran out of the room, yes. As for Esien's plans, you're on the right track, but the devil's in the details, even with how she treated Cidela.
Jack Inqu: Here's the next update, somewhat quicker. Things are settling down a bit personally, but that's what I thought last spring. Thanks for the compliment!
Navi-Zero: It's not my health that's having problems, it's the bank account (and my hummingbird-on-speed attention span this last year). Things are settling down for the moment, it looks like. Thank you!
pfeil: Regarding your review of Ch 36, 'out of context problem'? Did you mean the helo pilots' reaction to the Rhode Island's missiles, or to Shamal? If so, thank you. A good chunk of that scene's purpose was showing an 'average Joe' reaction to mages and mage warfare, like the sergeant watching Megan transform at Hong Kong, and the guy whose buddy was pulled out of London by Allison. As for Cidela, she's still got a ways to go, and I'm afraid you're going to have to wait for a full explanation until quite some time after her situation's resolved. Regarding the lifespan question, I've mostly approached it as a 'high-magic/high-tech extends lifespans' outlook. We live longer today because of advances in medicine in particular, and science in general. With healing magic like Shamal demonstrated, a lot of wear-and-tear issues become much less severe, though there may be other side effects. Al Hanthis has a much broader and deeper base of knowledge of such things (including the 'advantage' of less-than-ethical behavior during the Warlords era prior to the Conclave's rise), allowing them to live for very long time-spans (and allowing for things like the Seed). As for the Deva mages, there are other factors at work, some good, some bad.
bobbo: Thank you!