Miyabi

In the Astroloop Tower parking lot, Miyabi stood alone in the middle of a crowd of thousands. A six foot circle of empty pavement surrounded her on all sides, while every other Astra Yao concert-goer was shoulder to shoulder with one another all around the base of the Astroloop tower. Either from fear, respect, or nervousness- no one wanted to bump into the Void Hunter in their midst.

Or maybe it was the sheathed sword she held in her hand. That could be a part of it.

Whatever it was, it suited Miyabi just fine. She favored isolation over conversations with people who wanted to use her for something, whether a ride on her coattails, a personal connection with the Hoshimi family, or to explore some sort of fetishistic fantasy. There were very few people in this world who saw Miyabi when they looked upon Void Hunter Hoshimi Miyabi, and amongst those precious few, no one showed the capacity to see both.

Miyabi was beginning to accept the fact that no one ever would.

"Did you hear the story about the original design for this place?" said a man nearby. "The Astroloop?"

"No," said a young woman. "What about it?"

Miyabi's ears rotated towards the conversation, her curiosity piqued. She looked up at the colossal structure that she and everyone was currently waiting to enter. It was a massive tower of steel columns with a huge, almost pot-shaped building at the pinnacle, very similar to the observation-tower-style touristy buildings dotted about New Eridu- but the Astroloop was made on a much more robust scale. The main structure at the top was an arena that could seat 50,000 people, and the shadow it cast during the day apparently caused a notable drop in solar energy collection in several neighborhoods.

"Apparently, the architect was like… insane," said the man. "He wanted to put these rocket engines in the arena up there, so it would, get this: launch off the tower like a UFO or whatever, and hover over the city at 1000 feet. During shows."

"What?" scoffed the woman. "You're making that up."

"No, I'm not! It's true! Look it up! But they didn't do it, of course. Mainly because if the engines failed, everyone inside would die when it crashed back into the city. And! Apparently! Because of the energy source for the engines: it would have exploded like a huge bomb. Something like half a million people would die."

"Wild," said the woman.

Meanwhile, a shudder of human motion passed through the crowd like a wave. The doors were opening. Venue staff were manning ticket-check stations at the doors all around the base of the tower and everyone moved forward as one. Miyabi waited her turn as those in front of her were processed through.

When it was her turn, Miyabi was stopped politely by a slightly scared looking young man. "M- miss? Is that a- a katana?"

"Yes," said Miyabi, holding up said lethal weapon.

"You can't bring swords into the arena," said the man.

Miyabi's ear twitched. This was a minor dilemma. Yanagi was adamant that Miyabi should enjoy this concert, but Miyabi absolutely could not be separated from her blade, Tailless. It was a temperamental weapon and prone to mischief. Plus, anyone not of Miyabi's bloodline tended to die when they touched it. So there was that to consider…

"No," said Miyabi, unable to think of anything else to say. "I am going to this concert, and I am keeping my sword."

"Uh," said the man, perplexed.

Another man appeared, older and frowning thoughtfully. The ticket-checker looked relieved at this second man's arrival.

"Lady Hoshimi," said the newcomer. "Please wait just a moment. I'm going to see about securing you an exception."

Miyabi's ear twitched and she nodded. Her eyes went back to the first man. He began to sweat slightly, and Miyabi, out of idle boredom, watched the sweat drop slowly make its way down his face.

Evelyn

"Miss Chevalier?" said a voice in Evelyn's earpiece.

What now? She'd just resolved a dispute between the sound and light technicians, something about a foreign program in the computers. And now gates were open and Astra was missing. The star needed to be in her harness in the rafters in less than twenty minutes and Evelyn wasn't even sure Astra was awake or dressed. She should already be in position by now, but gods forfend that Astra Yao be forced to stand idle for more than five minutes!

"Yes, who is this?" said Evelyn tensely into her communicator. "Where are you? What is it?"

"Takamoto, Miss Chevalier. West entry. Lady Hoshimi Miyabi is here at the ticket gate. Void-Hunter Miyabi."

"...I know who she is. Why is she here?"

"W- well," said Takamoto. "She has a ticket for the show…"

Evelyn gritted her teeth in annoyance. She didn't keep track of VIP's, regardless of who they were. That was the venue's prerogative.

"So?! If Lady Hoshimi wants special treatment, call venue management. Why are you talking to me?"

"Ma'am, she wants to bring in her sword."

Evelyn stopped in her tracks. Oh. That made sense. This was a security decision and that was definitely Evelyn's prerogative. Void Hunter Hoshimi Miyabi wanted to bring in her sword? A full blown military grade weapon? Above military grade. Way above- if the rumors were true.

Evelyn's first instinct was to say no, of course not- but, then again… this was Lady Hoshimi Miyabi. If anyone had proven the restraint and intelligence required to wield a deadly weapon amidst the public, it was Lady Hoshimi. Didn't that deserve special consideration?

It wasn't like she was going to take out her sword and kill people with it. In the middle of the Astroloop. The idea was absurd.

"Let her in," ordered Evelyn. "With the sword. It's fine."

"Yes, Ma'am. And if someone complains?"

Evelyn had to laugh at that question as she began walking again.

"If anyone does: tell them they can take it up with Ms. Void Hunter themselves."

Evelyn stalked her way back to Astra's green room. She was mildly annoyed that Astra wasn't in position, but that was a common occurrence for the diva. When it came to performances, Astra Yao's devotion to her fans was a central part of her professional philosophy, so Evelyn did not fear that Astra would not be on time and that the show would not commence.

But that confidence didn't exactly stop the stress from building up in Evelyn's temples.

Also, there seemed to be some sort of inspirational spark that Astra Yao found in… well: Astra would say it was: 'the powerful emotions of the imminent moment', or something like that; while Evelyn would call it the last-minute desperation of a chronic procrastinator. But either way, the spark worked. Several of Astra Yao's biggest hits were entirely written, from concept to final draft, in the last week before some deadline.

Evelyn opened the dressing room door. Astra Yao was dressed in her white wedding dress that was the opening costume for this show, her gossamer veil and train was bunched around her feet. Meanwhile, all five mirrors of the room were utterly covered with what Evelyn suspected were song lyrics, many crossed out or smudged and their replacements squeezed in. Astra was using her lipstick tubes as improvised markers.

So that's what it was, thought Evelyn with some relief and a small swell of admiration: Astra was in the rapture of her internal muse. A new song was taking form at this very moment. Which was great. Except that the show started in less than fifteen minutes!

"Astra," said Evelyn.

"Wait, Eve! Wait!" quailed Astra, not looking around, continuing to write out some lyrics with a stick of lipstick. She was forced to stop and twist the tube to get more lipstick out of it before continuing. "I almost have it! It's on the tip of my tongue!"

Evelyn took a deep breath, closed the door behind herself, and waited. The faint rumbling of the audience entering the concert hall could be felt more than heard through the walls of the room. Time was running short.

"There! This is it!" Astra spun towards Evelyn and her eyes were sparkling with tears and her mascara was running. "I'm going to sing this tonight!"

Evelyn spoke into her communicator: "Makeup to the rafters. Astra needs a touchup before curtain."

An affirmative came over the radio, but Evelyn's attention was on Astra herself. "The musicians don't know this new song, Astra…"

"No, no, I thought of that!" said Astra, somewhat maniacally. "This will work with the music for the third song. I can make it work!"

Well, if Astra Yao said she could do it, who was Evelyn to disagree? The staff musicians were used to working with her by now. They would manage in the ways that only musicians knew how. Evelyn didn't know exactly how it worked, but they all seemed to be able to communicate with each other live, within their own music, in ways only they all could understand.

"Fine," said Evelyn. "But we need to get you in the harness. Now."

"Miss Chevalier?" said a voice in her ear.

Damnit! "What?!"

"There's some guys out in the parking lot with two trucks and they are setting up all these fireworks…"

Evelyn blinked while Astra reviewed her own mirror scrawl, humming a melody to herself.

"What?!" said Evelyn. What else was there to say to that?

"Yeah, uh... They said it's for the show?"

"The hell it is! Stop them. I'm coming down." Evelyn gritted her teeth.

Fireworks? Was it some corporate stunt that Astra's managing company had planned without telling her? Was it just overeager fans? In either case, were the fireworks a threat to the structure? Not likely, but Evelyn couldn't leave it to chance or to the venue's pre-supplied subordinates.

"Astra!" said Evelyn, finding herself torn in two directions. Manger one way, bodyguard another.

Astra waved her off. "I know where to go, Eve. I'll be there on time. Trust me. You go do what you need to do. I'll do what I need to do."

Evelyn hesitated a moment but ultimately decided she could trust Astra on this. She left the green room and sprinted for the nearest bank of elevators. Why did everything happen all at the last minute in this business!?

"Miss Chevalier?" said another new voice in Evelyn's headset.

She pressed the elevator call button with one hand and rubbed her temples with another. She took a deep breath and managed a more temperate: "Yes-?"

"We have five busses on the north side? A bunch of old folks. Their group leader says its for the.. Uh… 'Sky High Bingo' event?"

Evelyn stepped into the elevator and hit the button for the ground floor. "Bingo? There's no way the venue double-booked us with bingo! Check their itinerary."

"I already did, Ma'am. They said it was changed to today about a month ago."

A month ago? The Astra Yao concert was booked out almost a year in advance. What the hell was going on?

"Well, don't let them in. I'm coming down."

"All right, Ma'am. And I think another five busses are coming in on the east side, too? Might be the same thing."

The east side? Venue staff were pulled away from that side. She couldn't let five buses of unchecked people enter the Astroloop, elderly or not. The ground floor gates were the weak point in the security, and the elevators were the choke point. If no one got to the elevators, then Astra and her concert were safe at the top of the tower.

"Takamura," said Evelyn. "Bring the upper atrium floaters down to the east ground-side. Don't let anyone in."

"Yes, ma'am," said Takamura.

Evelyn took a deep breath as her ears popped from the elevator's descent. The crowd was in the hands of the ushers now, anyway. The security people were designed to protect the perimeter, and everyone currently inside and within the upper arena were already through security and checked. There was no threat up there. But something weird was sure happening on the ground floor, and Evelyn intended to keep it down there, well away from Astra and the concert.

After what seemed like ages, the elevator opened and Evelyn strode out into the empty concourse. She first jogged to the north gates and found her harried security team nearly surrounded by a large group of concerned looking senior citizens. Evelyn put on her authority persona, strode into their midst, and checked the tour leader's documentation.

"Yes, I see the date change," said Evelyn, handing back the document. "But there are fifty thousand Astra Yao fans in the Astroloop tonight, and none of them are playing bingo. I agree that the venue staff made a grave error with your rescheduling, but you'll need to take it up with them. You are not entering the Astroloop tonight. Kindly re-board your people and leave."

There was that look of defeat and worry in the tour leader's eyes that confirmed Evelyn's victory. She turned and left that crisis point and began walking around the exterior of the building to the eastern lot. It would be a little faster this way, due to the placement of restrooms.

As the muggy New Eridu evening air caressed her face, Evelyn marveled at her situation. The concert was just starting up in the Astroloop and she was down here in this farce! Two senior tour groups double-booked to today, all for a novelty venue for bingo! And unannounced fireworks! You couldn't make this up!

It was too ridiculous to be…

…to be fake.

Evleyn stopped in her tracks, eyes blinking in revelation. Old alarm bells from her old profession were suddenly ringing like klaxons through her psyche. This was bullshit! Something was definitely up!

And just as Evelyn thought that, she heard the sound of helicopter rotors. She looked towards the sound and saw a small helicopter flying over the parking lot. It passed overhead and vanished over the edge of the Astroloop's distant roof.

The chopper rotors did not continue to quiet but remained the same steady volume. The helicopter must have stopped somewhere over the top of the arena and was hovering. And a helicopter only stopped and hovered when it planned to land or drop something off.

Evelyn broke into a full-bodied sprint. She'd been had! She needed to get upstairs! Now!

"All hands! Upstairs! All hands! Get to the arena! Bar the doors! Bar every door! No one in or out!"

"I don't have anyone left up there, ma'am," said Takamura over the communicator.

FUCK!

Evelyn somehow ran faster.

Miyabi

Miyabi looked down upon the stage dispassionately as the second pop song came to a close. It was catchy, she supposed. Though everyone around her in the crowd seemed to find it all quite thrilling. Miyabi took a deep breath and sighed quietly. How would Soukaku put it? This wasn't exactly 'her vibe'?

But well: once started, best finished…

Astra Yao's musical laughter overpowered the rapidly weakening outro of her second song.

"How's New Eridu tonight?!" she called out into her staff-like microphone. Her voice boomed and echoed in the closed arena.

The crowd around Miyabi roared appreciatively. Thousands of thiren ears were suddenly twitching in the darkness, Miyabi's among them. The crowd was loud in this confined space!

"Woo~" said Astra Yao, pantomiming a wipe of her forehead as she walked around the white stage in her wedding gown, her long train of silvery chiffon trailing behind her. Astra's long, elegant legs revealed themselves with every step, appearing from behind the divided skirts and vanishing.

"You all got me a bit winded!"

The crowd cheered and added friendly hooting to the noise mixture.

"I think I'm going to catch my breath and bring it all a bit down now…" said Astra, and the lights of the arena darkened notably. The crowd noise quieted as it darkened, the audience in the spell of the performer and the lighting director, subconsciously obedient.

"You know, everyone," began Astra Yao. "I'm lucky to have met a few heroes in my life. A long time ago, when I was," she lowered a hand towards her knee and smiled a dazzling smile into the spotlight, "about this tall or so- three people gave their lives to save mine. During hollowfall."

Astra straightened up and looked into the spotlight, her eyes suddenly sparkling with tears. Miyabi couldn't hear anything in the vast space except the fading echo of Astra Yao's voice. It was dead silent now. That quickly, Astra Yao had everyone spellbound.

"I know I'm not the only one scarred by that. And I know my heroes were not the only heroes. So many people lost their lives then, and so many give theirs even now…'

"This song.." said Astra. "...is dedicated to them…"

A hidden piano began playing softly, slowly gaining vigor. Astra Yao's voice joined it, forming a duet. The songstress swayed in the rhythm of her own ballad, her voice seeming to call out beyond the arena, almost as if she were reaching, futilely, for something beyond the Veil.

Miyabi's forehead began to ache slightly, and her nose grew stuffy. She sniffed and found it full and clogged. Warm water dripped onto the back of her hand, she looked down in surprise. That movement of her head caused the tears pooled in her eyes to streak down her cheeks. Miyabi blinked and her vision became blurry as the excess tears spread out over her vision. She blinked a few more times and wiped her cheeks with her hand, then stared at the wetness on her palm in surprise.

Miyabi realized that she was crying. Why-? Why was she crying? It was just a song! Miyabi had heard thousands of songs in her lifetime, but she'd never felt a single thing when listening to any of them. But now, in the third song of Astra Yao's set, she found herself crying.

Miyabi blinked in wonder at the sparkling singer on the distant stage.

What… was this? How was that pretty bird of a woman doing this?!

Miyabi watched the rest of the song as enraptured as the rest of the audience. When Astra stopped singing, fifty thousand people stared down at her in utter silence. Then an appreciative cheering cheer emerged from the darkness and Astra smiled and bowed and waved all around in her pool of light.

Then the spotlights went down as the song ended, and the hooting and cheering crowd was left in utter darkness. The arena sparkled with the lights of mobile phone screens. But the darkness went on and on, longer than seemed normal. The crowd began murmuring, the sound growing slowly into a mild, discordant roaring.

Suddenly the lights came on and there were three masked men on the stage and they held automatic rifles. Astra Yao was on her knees before them in her white dress, and all of her backup dancers and singers were face down on the stage floor with their hands on their heads. The crowd hissed into shocked silence, a shared question was thought simultaneously by so many souls that it was almost tangible in the air:

Was… was this a part of the show?

Miyabi's ear twitched and she immediately began moving towards the nearest aisle, her sword tight in her fist. She knew what real fear looked like. She'd witnessed it upon hundreds of faces in the hollows- and everyone down on that stage was terrified.

This was definitely not part of the show.

a New Eridu television viewer

The camera zoomed in on a hooded man in the middle of the stage, a machete in one hand and Astra's Yao staff in his other. The audio was overwhelmed with the screaming of the crowd. Two short barks of rifle fire fired into the ceiling brought more screams. The camera was focused on the stage, but it was obvious some number of people began fleeing their seats after the gunshots, but the vast majority remained and seemed transfixed by the scene.

"Quiet!" yelled a slightly frantic male voice over Astra's microphone. "Quiet!"

The crowd was not at all quiet as a few thousand people scrambled away in fear and forty-thousand plus others roared in a mixture of surprise, fear, or perhaps excitement without knowing if this was a stunt of the show or not.

Regardless, the wide-eyed man with Astra's microphone didn't seem too concerned about getting the silence he was calling for. He quickly ranted on:

"The world is being eaten by the hollows! But you all sit there, doing nothing! Nothing! Paralyzed by the voice of decadence! Well! Doing nothing has a price! So you all sit there and watch and do nothing! While your idol dies! Like how our world dies!"

The masked man lifted his machete high, Astra kneeling at his feet, her bare back pale in the bright light, her eyes wide, hands bound. The dread-laden silence began to fill with anticipatory shouts and screams from the audience.

A blurry streak of green flashed onto the stage. The hand with the raised sword froze a moment, then fell to the ground limply along with the upper half of the man's torso. The would-be executioner split diagonally from under shoulder down to hip, the top torso separating cleanly from the bottom, a spray of red splashing upon the white stage in a huge, scarlet arc.

The two gunman and the kneeling Astra looked up with wide-eyes, frozen in shock.

The blur resolved into the clear image of a small fox-thiren woman who was skidding to a stop on the far side of the stage, a bloody sword held out at her side, her feet already scrambling on the floor to reverse her momentum. A roar of yells and screams rose out of the crowd, a few discernable words taking shape amidst the cacophony.

"Lady Hoshimiiiii!"

"Miyabiiiii!"

The remaining gunmen both raised their rifles at their unexpected foe. Two long barks of automatic gunfire echoed in the arena once again, punctuating the general uproar of the crowd. Miyabi's sword became a blur, a rolling cascade of sparks blossomed into existence in the air before her, two chaotic lines of dark holes spontaneously appeared in the stage floor just off to the left of Miyabi's path, slightly preceding her own progress along the stage.

The guns went silent. Miyabi's sword flashed twice and she passed between the gunmen. They doubled over their own abdomens, hands clutching at the red slop of their bellies. They fell to the floor and whatever sounds they made were drowned out by a new uproar of the crowd.

Miyabi straightened her body without looking back. She flicked her sword in the air in the traditional blood-cleaning motion, a final precise arc of red blood splashing out on the stage. She sheathed her clean blade.

The crowd went absolutely bonkers in a mix of screams, yells, and the occasional loud retching.

A swarm of security forces arrived on the stage and pounced upon the men, a few security men slipping in the pools of blood spreading out over the floor. But they were only taking possession of corpses, that much was obvious.

Among the arriving forces, a tall, lithe woman in white and black skidded to a stop upon Astra, picked the star up in her arms, and immediately sprinted off the stage. The camera tracked their progress, the blood-stained train of Astra's dress leaving a long streak of blood on the ground like it was a giant paintbrush.

It was the obviously late bodyguard finally arrived, spiriting Astra Yao away from stage. Meanwhile, the sound of the crowd began overloading the broadcast, a chant taking shape within the roar:

"Ho-Shi-Mi! Ho-Shi-Mi! Ho-Shi-Mi!"