The Romance of the Seventh Star
Entry 7
When I recall the singularity and contrast of personalities among the Four, each of them has earned my appreciation for distinct reasons. My gratitude to Kenren is foremost for his willingness to take me under his wing – chastisement, advice and all – that has initiated me into the adult world of accountability. Without Kenren's initial input into my life, I would not have spared Tenpou a benefit of doubt. He helped negotiate between the marshal and I, by first tearing down and forcing me to admit the coloured flaw of my own perception. Only someone like Kenren, who was brazen enough to challenge my superiority, could humble me enough to mend my shaky tie with the marshal.
And though I accord Tenpou and Kenren credit for their inspiration on me, they have not a position to boast of their part in my successes. Rather, they have not the ambition to claim for such.
Indeed, though they saw to the state of my welfare, my survival and my education, they left the choice of change to me. They exposed my deficiencies, yet prepared the necessary resources to overcome them. They would make me fit for my task while insisting I fulfill its parameters to the minutest iota. However, they refused to direct the waters for me. Matters were arranged so they seemed to lose, instead of capitalising, opportunities for glory. Conversely, I can claim all accomplishment as due to my own efforts.
Such peculiar provision for me would not have been possible unless they have considered my potential with respect. This, out of all aspects of my connection with them, earns my esteem.
What else would one expect of men who held such exacting standards for themselves? Their reply, in my demand for honour, was for me to be worthy of the same. They taught me that if I wish to be unashamed of my end, I must first prove my means justifiable. Such contradiction to the prevalent platitude of our Realm! I have never been so denied and yet so engaged at once.
This gritty honesty to the self was shared by each of the Four. They were personalities that would not choose the shallow and treacherous route of compromise – so bright was their fervour for liberty and life. As equally bright was their end.
Chapter 7: Wild Card
The granite parameter around the four simulation halls was lined by a covered walkway, installed with slim red pillars and russet-tiled roof. A route connected this north-east area to the inner compound. It was similarly sheltered and banked by azalea and fringe flower thickets. Pavilions were erected along the way, each furnished with stone tables, stools and benches attached to latticed railings. To these shelters the soldiers headed with their delivered lunch in hands. The recess was an hour long.
Even if no one bothered to inform Hikaru, he could know from the ease by which the squadron behaved that this was a routine. He tagged along at a distance. Once he left the hall though, he hung back and stared at his bento.
Queasiness was hardly the fit condition to stomach food.
The first operation to destroy the youkai hideout had been well-executed. Not one of the enemy targets had escaped. In terms of outcome achieved, the strategy of trap-and-burn must be considered successful. That was, if one could ignore the nightmarish composition of horror-stricken faces upon charred corpses, the bodies scattered across a once-green landscape besieged by red flames, black plumes and collapsing houses.
'Unnecessarily brutal' — he had criticised while being ignorant of so much.
Even from the distance, the stench of smoke and ashes crept into his nose, not the least to say of the screams and wails that had buffeted his ears as panicking figures tried and failed to escape the fire bombs pelting the village. It did not matter if it was a youkai gang member or hostage; death came from both sides.
It seemed the spectacle could never end. Hikaru remained upright despite the chill in his guts, his nails biting into his flesh in tight fists, breaths shallow and faint nausea kept at bay. Cognitively, he knew the scene was but simulation. Yet, repeating this mantra in his head brought little relief. Instead, he was learning what being horrified meant: it was paralysis while watching the world burn.
When the final youkai fell, a cheer rang out from among the soldiers in battle. They stayed jubilant at length, even after the illusory wreckage faded back to metallic walls. Brutes, Hikaru had quietly despised as he bit the inside of his cheek.
There had not been a single occurrence, since reporting in to Kenren Taishou that morning, which did not make Hikaru second guess his decision to show up. The Seishin recruit pressed his free palm against closed eyes and breathed in deeply. It had not been an easy choice made at all. For the past two days, Tenpou Gensui's ultimatum had troubled him deeply, partly due to the outrage he felt at being served one and, secondly, because he could not shake an aggravating whisper that said he might have deserved the other man's rebuke.
Frankly, all fretting was for naught in the end, since the need to stay was ultimately prescribed. Genshou-okimi's prophecy was a shackle he could not manoeuvre around. Still, it did not mean he had stopped being resentful or wishing himself elsewhere.
"Prepared for later?" the voice, so near, jolted the youth back to the present. With a gasp, he whipped around. It was Kenren Taishou, his own lunchbox in hand and a brow raised.
"This whole exercise's a travesty!" the Seishin attaché hissed, feeling embarrassed to have been caught in a vulnerable moment. But he had the presence of mind to moderate his volume. A tantrum from him, he uncomfortably realised, would not be tolerated.
Kenren narrowed his eyes. "Since you dared loose that tongue of yours, back it up. Why – all bark and no bite?"
"You…!" Hikaru could only grind his teeth. He was stressed and not just over the first simulation exercise. As Kenren Taishou had reminded, it would soon be his turn to participate.
When Tenpou Gensui – that blasted man! — had mooted the idea of pitting tactic against tactic, what he really meant was forming two competing teams and that Hikaru was expected to take charge of the one applying his ideas. Moreover, the members of the First Squadron were allowed to pick their side.
Him? Lead a team? Let the soldiers volunteer? Is that man just trying humiliate him?! Tenpou Gensui's proposal, for all its grand-sounding proposition of fair comparison, was completely set up to his disadvantage. Yet, there was no way for him to demur or protest without inviting ridicule and pressure to withdraw his criticisms. And he would not!
Consensus to the proposal had been swift, unsurprising really, since the First Squadron soldiers spotted the opportunity to draw blood. Rapidly, the crowd previously pressing against the Seishin attaché thinned as sides were chosen. Hikaru hardly dared to check whether he was indeed standing alone. Therefore, he could scarcely believe it when Kenren Taishou exclaimed that there were twelve men who remained. Someone — Renshi, the attaché would later learn — had explained, "I figure there's no harm trying something new, Kenren-sama."
It was some encouragement, but Hikaru was not really capable of registering these few game enough to throw in their lot with him, not with the sense of ever widening hole beneath his feet. After witnessing the first operation, the urge to bolt had only deepened. What did he know about executing a rescue mission?! Or instructing soldiers to fight youkai criminals?! These were impossible demands to the Seishin recruit whose major planning experiences consisted of organising birthday banquets for the Seishin Okimi or Fujin, or a prank.
A light slap on one shoulder startled Hikaru, who looked up to see Kenren sauntered past, cool as he pleased. "Come on," the general tossed over his shoulder.
"Whatever for?" the Seishi attaché instinctively balked.
"Get to know your team. You've got twelve men willing to give you a shot. Don't waste them," Kenren looked so serious, sounded so sincere, Hikaru found himself unable to muster a retort.
So, he followed after the general, reluctant yet resigned.
They passed by a group along the way who had taken up a pavilion for their own. Tenpou was seated among them, his back facing Kenren and Hikaru as they walked by. It was unlikely that he was unaware of their presence, considering his company of soldiers were openly jeering at the Seishin recruit.
Hikaru shot the long-haired officer a distrusting glare without breaking pace. Kenren, however, did not seemed to care.
Before long, the general located some of the soldiers taking part in the simulation exercise later. Eight of them were hanging out together. The general's notion of social lubrication was proclaiming that 'Hikaru ain't that lousy a character despite his troublesome mouth' and jamming the latter between two bewildered men. He then proceeded to engage the small group in casual yak.
Incredulously, it worked. By the end of the hour, his candidness and borderline bawdry humour had not only mortified Hikaru a number of times, it had gone a considerable way to ease his membership among these less-discriminating soldiers. Gradually, after an initial round of awkward introductions, the other men had begun drawing the Seishin recruit into light chatter. The latter even found himself cracking small but genuine smiles at what they say.
People were watching and proof of Hikaru's integration had some effect.
Too soon enough, the entire squadron was gathered back on the virtual slope of the hill. The scenery had returned to its pristine state, an eerie contrast to the memories in Hikaru's head. He suppressed a shiver and resolutely turned his attention to Tenpou Gensui, who was standing before them. There was no time for philosophising, not when the marshal was ready to declare the exercise open.
The officer was not in a hurry to do so though. "Perhaps some of those who went through the previous exercise wouldn't mind joining the next?" he announced instead.
It was a seemingly benign suggestion that caused a stir, especially among the much larger team. Hikaru was not the only one nonplussed. Unexpectedly, a few soldiers stepped forward and moved over, bringing the total number of men on his side to fifteen.
The youth played it cool, even if grudgingly appreciating what improvement there was to his odds. He gave the marshal a searching look, not knowing what to think. Just two days ago, he had been reprimanded by this person for being ignorant. What exactly was Tenpou Gensui playing at now?
Next, the bespectacled officer removed his ear mike and handed it to the general beside him. Kenren quirked a questioning brow even as he accepted the equipment. The only answer the marshal gave was to walk over to Hikaru, who could not hide his confusion.
"In this case… you may take over again, general," Tenpou threw a beatified smile at his stupefied audience. "For I would be taking part in this operation!"
Hikaru went slacked jaw.
– * * * * * * * –
Three virtual days had gone by. It was convenient, if peculiar that their bodies suffered from no hunger or sleepiness. Though their perception of time had been manipulated, their biological systems had not been tricked.
Hikaru jammed the head of his shovel into the earth with determination, perhaps with a spade full of spite. The dislodged pile of dirt was dumped into a basket at his side. He was much more use to the motion and momentum now, given that this was his third shift of digging, each four hours long. It was a far cry from his poor and clumsy attempts at the beginning, with more dirt being flung into the air than into the basket. But he had figured how to go about it soon enough by surreptitiously copying the methods of the other soldiers.
Giving up was not an option. Neither was failure. In fact, plans were proceeding well and quickly, considering. First, they had stolen into an unused hut. The mud-bricked flooring gave way easily enough, giving them their main opening that forked into two tunnels. There was no reason they could not reach the two huts housing the hostages from underground by tomorrow.
Ironically, it was such optimistic prospective that was putting a scowl on Hikaru's face. Every time he realised how his plans might have fallen through, his expression grew tight.
There had been questions he had not thought of: where exactly would the tunnel start? How could they be sure they could break through the floor of the hut? What is the routine of the enemy youkai so they know how to avoid detection? Hikaru had fast realised how limited he was in planning and foresight.
Instead, it was Tenpou Gensui prompting the inquiries, which he followed up with answers disguised as suggestions. All while behaving as if the Seishin attaché was, ostensibly, the one in-charge, the one whose final nod was needed.
What a farce.
The gritty slide of heavy soles against sediments made Hikaru look over his shoulder. It was the marshal, a shovel in his hands and like him, bent at his waist to accommodate the low height.
"I thought I could substitute for Akai-san," he greeted, his grin and half-shrug visible by the wash of artificial light coming from the portable energy lamps pinned into the wall.
Hikaru did not say anything, merely resuming work with a stony mien. His movement, when he struck the ground, was sharp and furious. With his back turned, he missed the assessing look Tenpou sent him.
The width of the tunnel was tight for two grown bodies, though the digging became more productive. In the silence brokered only by the breaking and dumping of soil, their bare arms brushed by each other occasionally. Hikaru was in his plain tee while Tenpou had rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt. Despite the cool underground temperature, such grunge work left all men sweaty and dirty. Leaving their outer coat aboveground made sense.
Thankfully, Hikaru's chest binder was thin and very much lightweight, specially crafted and given by the First Prince of Seishin no Goten, Yuu. Sleeveless and ending above his diaphragm, the protective gear posed no hindrance to his movement. It was unfortunate he had not been wearing it on his first day in the military compound. The mere fabric binding he was contented with had been poor shield against the ending blow from Enrai Taishou. That was certainly a hard-learnt lesson in caution – the bruise on his chest had yet to disappear, though it was greatly faded.
That fortnight plus left cooped up his small military-issued apartment had him almost climbing walls towards the end, when he became well enough to pace and was brimming with angst. But he could not leave the only sanctuary he had without the need to disguise himself, and it hurt to constrict his body in such a manner. Contacting Seishin no Goten was an option he refused to consider. So, recovery in isolation had been the only dreadful solution. The dullness was broken only by periodic visits from an errand clerk he communicated with through written notes, whose task was to drop off necessities including meals, medication and even laundry.
Strangely, this service continued through the three-day ultimatum period.
Frankly, he did not know how he was supposed to approach the green-eyed man at this point. Kouki-san-ouji had said the marshal essentially let Seishin no Goten off the hook. Kenren Taishou had said he was lenient towards him. Yet, Tenpou Gensui had stood by as he got injured, used him against his antagonist, forced him into a corner in this simulation exercise... and then gave his help to pull it off. Dealing with the ranking officer was akin to attempts at pinning a mirage down. Being in close quarters was not helping.
Slowly but surely, the final hour of Hikaru's shift ended. Another soldier, Nien, was to take over. Without a word, the Seishin recruit leaned his tool by the wall and headed for the exit. He ignored the conspicuous pause in the sound of digging left in his wake.
It was to be the only private encounter occurring between the marshal and the Seishin recruit. Plans were drawn up for the rescue, to be followed immediately by an attack on the youkai gang. Before the crack of the fourth dawn, the group was poised to break through the mud-bricked floors of their targeted huts. Six of them had been sent to extricate the captives, three were waiting at the end of the tunnels as support. And the remaining eight were stationed at other parts of the village to create a diversion should the rescue go awry.
The hole cracking open in the floor caused a stir among the captives. As the dusty soldiers emerged from the ground, they quaked in hushed terror and began scooting away. Hikaru stared at them intently, a finger meaningfully pressed against his lips. These simple folks, like cowed animals, nodded back dumbly.
Fear had kept the atmosphere suffocating and dank in this makeshift prison. A stink enveloped the villagers, now a collection of unwashed bodies coupled with evidence of waste. Hikaru could not help wrinkling his nose; the level of detail in the simulation was indeed astonishing. It was a small mercy the air was cool.
The Seishin recruit was accompanied by Jirou, a long-limbed soldier with angular facial features, and Gouyou, who was more stoutly built with a plumper face. They quickly got to work, cutting ropes and freeing the ankles and arms of the hostages that had been tied behind their backs. Pessimism gave way to disbelieving hope, and the villagers needed little urging to comply with their hand signals to climb down the tunnel.
A time limit of ten minutes had been set for the escape of the hostages in both huts. In fact, it was set by Hikaru.
Some convincing had been needed for everyone to agree that the Seishin recruit could participate in directly freeing the villagers. Hikaru refused to be relegated to the back-end and so, during discussion, offered himself for a frontline role. An awkward silence was the response before someone pointed out his lack of training, and that he was also the only one among them unarmed. But Hikaru did not even need to defend his case. For Tenpou then opined that, as the person who came up with the strategy for their entire operation, it was only fair for the Seishin recruit to be involved in establishing contact with the hostages. Following which, the marshal asked him how long both rescue teams would need.
In truth, ten minutes was an arbitrary estimate Hikaru tossed out. But Tenpou Gensui had readily accepted it. And because he did, the other men followed suit, as they did over Hikaru's placement in a rescue team, or towards all plans that the marshal had lent his approval to during these few virtual days.
Being beholden to Tenpou Gensui's covert leadership was irksome, further complicating the conflict Hikaru already felt. Part of the irritation stemmed from how little fault he could find with the officer's well-rationalised decisions. The Seishin representative could not but admit by then that the bespectacled man was a capable and seasoned strategist. For this simulation exercise to succeed, taking up the latter's cues was the necessary evil.
Essentially, it called for him to swallow his pride.
All of sudden, a hiss came in from the tiny metal piece hooked over Hikaru's right ear. "Someone's shining a light into the room!" It sounded like Sou, who was in the other hut with Seijun and Zansai.
Hikaru shared a startled look with Jirou and Gouyou, who would surely have received the same message over their own equipment.
A shout broke out outside. Then, some noise filtered in from the ear piece before Sou came on again, "Two enemies down!" Obviously, the other team had been exposed.
"Quickly!" Gouyou harshly whispered, shaking Hikaru out of his stupor. The villagers needed no encouragement, especially not when the boom of something exploding was heard. Scattered light from Jirou's torchlight was sweeping rather agitatedly into the tunnel as he got busier with helping the villagers climb down.
"Guard-5 — in place!" They heard Tenpou through their ear pieces. "Guard-6 — fire!"
The wooden door to the hut crashed wide open just as an elderly woman clumsily lowered herself down the hole. Four villagers remained in the line.
Hikaru could only stare, petrified like the villagers, while Jirou and Gouyou reacted swiftly and fired their stun guns at the two youkai intruders. Then, in tandem, they ran to the doors and slammed them shut.
"Get into the tunnel fast!" Jirou growled, snapping Hikaru out of his blanked mind. While the lanky soldier dragged the knocked-out youkai to the corner and tied them up, Hikaru and Gouyou hustled the remaining villagers down the escape route. In the time bought for them to make their getaway, updates of the conditions outside crackled through their ear pieces. Another explosion went off.
At last, Hikaru could give his equipment a tap, to activate it to pick up his voice. "Hut-2's clear!" His fingers were cold, nerveless with trepidation and adrenaline was hyper-sensitising his senses. But he felt himself rapidly adjusting to the drastic change. Had there been a miscalculation or detail missed? Anger grew lambent in his chest at the possibility that the operation was compromised.
There was no response to his urgent report because Nien came on, tersely stating that Guard-6's line had been breached.
"Three more captives at Hut-1! Buy us two!" Seijun was online next.
"Guard-5! Guard-5 — we're taking down the four at north-east," Tenpou sounded still in control, firm and steady. "Guard-6 — get over to that hut at 7o'clock!"
Gouyou was signalling for them to leave via the tunnel. The plan was to collapse it from beneath the floor in order to prevent pursuit.
But Hikaru deliberated, blood thrumming hard in accompaniment with the cacophony of the battle outside and through his equipment. His breath grew hard and longer. He would not risk a casualty count – the thought was imploding in him. They must secure the village. This exercise must not fail!
Jirou had already jumped into the hole and Gouyou was staring at him expectantly. "What are you waiting for?" the latter demanded, his tanned complexion flushed after his exertions.
In response, the Seishin recruit ripped his ear piece away, stuffing it into the waist pocket of his jacket as he straightened himself from his crouch. Gouyou's eyes went comically wide with realisation. He scrambled forward and tried to grab hold of Hikaru's elbow. Unfortunately, the recruit was already two steps out of reach.
"Stop! Hika-!" the soldier's shout was cut off by the swing of opened door and instant magnification of rattling guns and screams. He was totally ignored, being left to watch in shock as Hikaru dashed out of the hut and straight into the thick of chaos.
– tbc –