Ichthyomachy: Ilë Sornë vs Nobuseri

[Arenumberg]

OOC: Find the part that says its illegal.

I just checked and it does not say it is... though I always thought it was...

The Constitution implies in its wording that you shouldnt twat your allies, but it doesnt explicitly state it, Which is cool, no?

[Arizona Nova]

OOC: I am allowing this attack, OOC. Come on people. This is ESUS, not NS. We don't hang on to technicalities to the detriment of story-crafting.

[Trailers]

OOC: 'kay. I'll shut the fuck up.

[Arenumberg]

OOC: I am allowing this attack, OOC. Come on people. This is ESUS, not NS. We don't hang on to technicalities to the detriment of story-crafting.

I, Eh?

[Arizona Nova]

Good point. It'll be weird to use a royal we in the future but I'll keep it in mind.

[Kreshh]

Part Deux

It was dark, darker than it should be… for a moment Commodore Ite could only make out a series of ill-defined blurs. Slowly his senses returned to him, “Am I dead?� he breathed in deeply, “no… the air is cool,� he clenched his fists and toes, “I can feel my arms… my legs,� he listened, “the sound of raised voices, but something else as well… a klaxon. Not hell,� he thought, “just a ship,� a slight smile crept across on his face, “damn.�

“Report!� the Commodore’s order resonated throughout the CIC, silencing the maelstrom of confusion that engulfed the officers. They were engaged in battle now, and every man must act his part; there is no room for decadence or ineptitude, not in the Kaigun.

“The capacitors have blown… minor structural damage throughout the ship�

“Bringing main power back online now, sir�

Ite didn’t bother to ascertain who was speaking, it didn’t matter. “Are we in position?�

“Affirmative�

The red glow of the ship’s combat lighting snapped online. He didn’t ask if the ship had been spotted, if they hadn’t yet they would be soon enough, it wasn’t worth worrying about. “Very well, give launch bays one and two the green light, and somebody get engineering on the comm.!�

“Sir, with the FTL malfunctioning, we should abort the mission and focus our efforts on getting out of here!�

It was the Hosho’s Captain speaking; Ite thought his name was Kuro-something, not that it mattered. “Negative commander, we stay until the mission is complete,� he replied dismissively, turning his back on the man. An officer handed him a secure-line transmitter to engineering, “This is the Commodore.�

“It’s as we expected, Sir, the capacitors couldn’t handle it. We had a lovely little light show down here as they went and had a cascade failure. I’ve got two dead, two injured.� The engineer seemed to be amused by the situation, having a hint of irony behind his voice as he spoke. Ite though he might like to get to know this man once they were back off-world… assuming they survived.

“Never mind that, how long will it take to fix?�

“Normally I could have it done for you in 30 seconds – just a matter of swapping parts – but one of them melted itself in there pretty good. It’ll take days to fix it, so I’m reconfiguring the system to work with one less capacitor, maybe five minutes.� He rambled off nonchalantly, “Oh and this is only going to work once mind you… our next jump will be our last for a few hours.�

Ite would normally have ‘encouraged’ the man to work faster, but he sensed, in this case, it probably wouldn’t help. “Fine, just get it done.�

“Roger.�

Ite put the transmitter down, a little harder then was necessary, “What say our mecha?�

A moment or two passed before a somewhat garbled voice resonated over the CIC’s comm. system, “I’m not sure what to tell you, sir, except that there are a lot of fish, and not one of them looks like the target.�

“Damn it!� He thought, “Can anything else go wrong?� He approached the CIC’s sensory displays. “You there,� he addressed the attending officer, “Isolate all sensory contacts roughly two meters in length, and relay th…�

For a moment everything went black, and Ite again wondered if his life was at an end, then there was only pain. “Damn it!� he cried, grabbing at his forehead. Around him Ite could perceive similar reactions. “Everyone calm down!� he shouted, attempting to restore order, as well as his own concentration. “We were expecting something like this, just focus on your duty.� It was a lie. Command’s briefing hadn’t warned of anything like what they were now experiencing, although, given the targets alleged psionic abilities, it seemed logical enough that they might possess such a defense.

“And just when exactly were you intending to inform the rest of us?� the Captain raged from across the CIC.

“Shit!� Ite thought, “he called me on it, normally that wouldn’t happen. Oh well, time for a show of force… damn it all, I don’t have time for this!� He marched confidently at the audacious officer, quite the feat considering his clear disadvantage in size. “Your convenience is not my concern, Captain.� He struggled to maintain an aura of calmness, “now return to your post, and do as you are told!�

The tension was palpable as the two men faced off. The Captain, clearly seething, was the first to speak, “You endanger my ship,� he spoke through his tightly clenched teeth, “I will not allow you to endanger it further. Marine!� he turned to address the three meter tall armored soldier standing guard at the CIC’s primary entrance, “you can escort the ‘Commodore’ to the b…�

The Captain’s sentence was cut short as his face erupted in a fountain of blood and bone and tissue fragments. The bridge crew watched in stunned silence as Commodore Ite withdrew his pistol from its resting place at the rear of his subordinates head, “That will not be necessary marine, you may remain at your post.� He coldly glanced over the CIC, seeing the most common expression to be the grimace of one who is struggling to hide the fact that they are severely annoyed; under the circumstances Ite couldn’t tell if this was as a result of those damnable fish or his own actions. He would prefer the latter; a little resentment is good in a subordinate.

“All right men,� he addressed them informally, attempting to defuse the situation somewhat, “you’re currently feeling the results of the targets primary weapon, that means that there must be at least one target nearby,� he hoped it was true. “You!� he pointed at the officer with whom he had been conversing prior to this most recent set of disruptions, “Have you isolated the signals of all nearby two meter objects?�

“Err… yes sir.�

“Good, now pick out all the ones that look like they could be fish, and relay that information to the mecha outside.�

“Roger!�

“Put the mecha back on the comm.�

“What the hell just happened, sir?� the same garbled voice to which Ite had previously spoken inquired.

“Never mind that, do you have any samples?�

“Squad 2 found a few of them all bunched up together, and Squad 6 thinks they might have found a much larger group and is pursuing, but cannot yet confirm capture.�

Ite preferred short answers, “How many do you have?�

There was a moment’s pause, “between 12 and 16, most likely.�

“That’s unacceptable, commander, get more!�

“… Roger.�

There was a hint of disrespect in the mecha’s tone; if he still had flesh Ite was sure he would have rolled his eyes, “Damn it, dealing with mecha is so irritating,� he thought, “Having their bodies converted into colossal-metal-death-gods sure does make the bastards arrogant.� For a moment Ite laughed audibly at the thought, attracting a variety of uncomfortable glances from the CIC personnel. He stopped abruptly, his focus returning to duty. His finger snapped towards the communications officer, though his head did not turn, “Get me engineering!�

“Somebody up there mind explaining to me why it feels like there’s someone screaming in my head?� the amazingly upbeat voice of the engineer queried through the comm.

“How are the repairs going?� Ite asked, not bothering to answer the question.

“Well, we had a man accidentally cut his arm off and set himself on fire with a plasma torch once this whole headache business started… other then that things are peachy.�

“Are the repairs to the FTL complete?�

“Yeah, more or less. Of course, there’s like a twenty percent chance that we’ll all die.�

“You have one minute to fix that.�

“Aye sir.�

“Contact the mecha; tell them to return to the ship immediately. We’re leaving.� Ite reclined into the Captain’s, now his, station. He listened as the chatter over the comm. slowly died off with the return of the Battleship’s mecha; one of them, he thought, reported success in recovering numerous additional specimens, but in truth he was not very attentive. The mission was over now, no worthy adversaries, no impossible odds, just another in a series of challenges that failed to kill him. “How boring,� he thought. The smile on his face faded, “lieutenant,� he said coldly, “get us out of here.�

[Arizona Nova]

-=Research Ward, Excelsior Base, Baramua, North Sector 5

A flash of light illuminated the pale-white cubicle, followed shortly thereafter by a roll of thunder. Rain dribbled down the windows, and Antoni Hallbjörn consigned himself to yet another day of storms on Baramua. The weather systems here were sluggish, much like the rest of the planet, and these things tended to persist for a while.

He turned back to his desk and his report, which was admittedly more interesting to think about than write about. Collaborative Republic and Tzoy research into psionics had not turned up anything to revolutionize everything, but he was damned if it wasn't the craziest stuff he'd ever studied. Physics and biology had nothing on this. He started to ease back into his report-writing mindset when a flash, much brighter than before, lit up the office. His head reflexively snapped to the window, and in the next moment a deep, bass roar shook the facility - like someone just set off a bomb. He got up, walking over to the window, looking out in shock - out in the distance, a massive wave piled up, heading straight toward the station.

-=Command Deck, Excelsior Base

"What the hell is going on out there?" roared Captain Vilhelm, commander of the garrison at Excelsior Base.

"I'm not sure," said Ensign Orestes, "Radar/sonar returns don't make sense... if I had to hazard a guess, it looks like something just made a jump into the ocean?"

"An FTL jump? How in blaz... AGH!"

Captain Vilhelm dropped to his knees, clutching his head - he saw red, and his whole cranium was shot through with pain. It ebbed, and he staggered back up, cursing.

"Get a scout out to the position of this disturbance, NOW!" He grimaced again, slumping back into his command chair as the tidal wave hit the station, causing the compensators to desperately work to steady it out.

-=Hangar Deck, Excelsior Base

Kyriakos Thorburn piled into the scout flyer. Little more than a frame to hold a man in and some scramjets, it still couldn't be beat for maneuverability.

He kicked the engines into life, trying to fight off the stabbing pain in his head, and with a high-pitched mechanical scream the engines did, jets of blue flame licking the inside of the nozzles. He buzzed through the checklist and put it aloft, roaring out of the hanger.

The tiny craft skimmed across the waves, rain pinging like bullets on it. Lightning cracked the sky across the horizon. Kyriakos strained to scan it with his eyes, and was about to consult his instruments when the lightning obliged him. The next strike illuminated something... something big. It was a ship, and a vacuum ship at that. He picked up the radio, switching to the command channel.

"Sir, we're under attack."

-=Command Deck

The hairs prickled on Captain Vilhelm's neck as the scout gave his dire pronouncement. He turned to the ensign, and asked quietly,

"Who do we know that can jump right into hard atmosphere?"

The ensign thought for a moment, then offered, "Nobuseri are all who come to mind."

"Scout," said the captain, "Can you identify the nationality of the vessel?"

"I'm not sure," came the crackly reply. "Ah, there we go... I think it's..."

He was, however, cut off by a high whine, followed by static.

"They vaped him," grunted the captain. "By the time we get another scout out there they'll probably be gone."

[Kreshh]

OOC: several months latter

Alone… the others, so far now… all around, pain, hate… and then our pain, our hate, reflects in those of the dry world, and is renewed. The dry one, the Anikari, he hates most of all… though his hate is not as the others, his pain is not as their pain... the screams do not burn in his mind, for he screams more loudly and terribly then we… though they hear him not. And they burn him… these thoughts, but more do they burn us… and he hates us… and loves… and loves himself always… but hates more so. And we hate him for it.

We die now… some fast… some for time unending… all are silent in the end. They stab us with metal and chemical to make us scream. Their minds burn in agony at the hearing of our voice, but they do not tire… is pain their pleasure? It satisfies them not when we scream… and yet it does also…

They say… he says… in his mind are words of calm… words meant for us… he speaks of ‘experiment’ and ‘test’… ‘alteration’… ‘adaptation’… ‘weaponization’… but thoughts betray him. ‘Suffer’ he thinks… ‘die’… he thinks… ‘vengeance’ he thinks.

We feel ourselves changing… many we were once… then few… now many once more, though those reborn are not as those who came before. Our pain increases… our screams grow in power… the others are far now, further even than before, and further still… or perhaps they have not moved… they fade from our mind… we hate them… we hate those who keep us here… we hate those who fail to free us. We will kill them… all of them… the dry world and the wet… our screams will set there minds afire… life is our enemy, our new hate… and we will burn a path to vengeance… yes, we learn it from ‘him’… we grow accustom to the change…

So say the captured Tzoy… captive, ruined and undone… vengeance cannot be ours… but ours it will be…

***

The Grand Admiral gazed down into the cell. He watched the blood trickle down from the wall where, just moments earlier, one of the prisoners had rammed his heard repeatedly. The other two seemed to be alive, although one of them had scratched most of his face off, so it was difficult to tell. The third was nervously rocking back and fourth in the corner, apparently mad.

“As you can see, sir, power is not an issue. Control, on the other hand, is proving to be something of a chore. They never really had any ability to discriminate friend from foe, these Mk. 2s even less so, since their collective consciousness deteriorated. With all this new equipment and an improved understanding of psionic energy flow we’ve been able to restrict their attacks to only those subjects whose mental rhythms we have surgically altered. Of course, that’s hardly helpful for combat… though it is an interesting way to execute these talkative crew members,� the man chuckled slightly, “I should be able to refine our methods further, to target enemy psions’ specifically… of course, that would be easier if I had a few to experiment on…�

“I saved you from the Ilë Sornë authorities and got you your damned fish, Konstantin, do not tax your welcome by demanding more of me.�

“Of course, of course, Admiral, I wouldn’t dream of such a thing… Anyway, Project Irenicus is on schedual, the Mk. 3’s will be coming up soon, and, if the new equipment works as planned, we should at least be able to target non-humans exclusively. Given some subtle racial differences I might even be able to refine it to targeting only non-Nobuseri… though that will take some time.�

“My patience is formidable, but not infinite… remember that.�

“I’ll be sure to keep it in mind.�

“Good,� the Admiral thought, “with this atrocity Ilë Sornë will have no choice, they will mobilize against us. And when they do…�

Konstantin noticed the slightest hint of a smile creep across the Grand Admirals face, though what it meant he could only guess.

[Arizona Nova]

.: ooc :. An excellent post, wherein insights into both the Assembly and Ilë Sornë public transport system are revealed

-=The Hall of the Assembly of Ilë Sornë, Kelwynd

Ernesto Dimitrios, Emeritus of the Assembly, was sweating. Hostile murmuring and rumblings resounded in the Assembly. Anger over the Incursion had built up to almost revolutionary heights over the past few months. He remembered when it had first hit the news network - he remembered it well because of the slight headache that had struck right before the news broke. It had made him, and some billions of other beings across the whole Republic, feel naked and defenseless. Confidence in the Republic's ability to protect itself - and its citizens - was low among the populace, and with angst over possible entry into the Central Facehuggerian Civil War, this was the worst possible time.

The fact that many Tzoy were part of the Assembly complicated matters.

They had entered, shortly after the Wrath, into the Republic, and had members duly elected. It had necessitated the creation of special tanks to hold them and permanent seats, but at least it wasn't hard for them to make themselves heard - they just projected their thoughts straight into everyone's heads. However, with this abduction, they were also affecting everyone else's emotions, making everyone in the Assembly, possibly in a mile radius, angry and sad. Supposedly they couldn't help it, but that people were being affected this way made the less psionically endowed irate - though others argued this also was just a byproduct of the Tzoy. Quick, decisive action had been what was needed... and that was something the Assembly had never been good at providing.

He waited for the murmur to quiet down a bit more before bringing the Assembly to order. The formal procedures finally prevailed, but every word was edged with anger. Finally the agenda wound back down to, as it had for a while, to the matter of the Abduction.

The veneer of civility broke down at this point.

"We know it was the Nobuseri that perpetrated this!" cried one of the elven Assembly members in what seemed to Ernesto a rare fit of pathos for 'lesser beings.' "Who else possesses the technology and ability to make a jump straight into the atmosphere of a world, if not its oceans?"

"Anyone could," insisted Ernesto. "There are some thousands of nations with faster-than-light abilities."

"Very few," yelled a rare Kaleesh face, a representative from Rhuckh, "That have Anikari scientists!"

Ernesto looked desperately up at him. Species and racial tensions had beared their ugly heads when the fairly late discovery, that an Anikari scientist was experimenting on the kidnapped Tzoy, had come to light. This had been as shocking a revelation as the kidnapping itself.

"And he will be brought to justice. As is, however, there is not adequate evidence to have the Nobuseri even indicted."

"If the Republic cannot protect its citizens," continued the Kaleesh, "Then what use is it?"

A shocked silence followed that, and into it came that strange feeling that was the preamble to a Tzoy speech. Soon their voices resounded within the minds of everyone present.

We of the Tzoy do also wonder what the use of a Republic which cannot protect... or even avenge... its members of crime is... our lost school is distant from us, their light all but lost to us... even now their screams still resound. Justice must be served... is it not the work of your philosophers that law is made to serve good, and not the other way around? Do not now serve law to the injustice of our own... the Nobuseri must pay. We know you are not the criminals, but if you do not repay those who are, measure for measure, you will be party to them.

They paused, but their presence did not recede.

Those who were taken have changed. While the strength of their connection with us has faded, when they do come through it is always ever stronger, each time their pain is multiplied, and they have begun to hate... they have begun to hate even us, for they count themselves abandoned... whoever holds them means to use them for but one thing, as weapons. The intent of their abductors is malevolent. If you do not act, then eventually our own will return... but as weapons, to the ruin of all.

Their presence receded, and the Assembly fell silent. These speeches of the Tzoy were fairly rare, but when made they always resounded more strongly than even the most bombastic, impassioned rhetoric.

Ernesto looked up uneasily. He knew that whatever path he chose, the repercussions would be terrible. History would remember him as a fool, but not that it mattered anymore.

"Then let the record show, that Ilë Sornë will seek justice on its own. I bring this to a motion."

***

After the Assembly had dispersed, Delegate Lonán Kennedy caught the next gate-bus to New Constantinople. Paying for a private seat, he got on to the lift to the orbital platforms where the bus awaited, tapping his briefcase. This session had gone longer than he had earlier approximated, but he hadn't accounted on the fish making a speech. That and the vote had complicated matters.

The artificial gravity came on in the lift as the vessel broke free of Kelwynd's gravity, and he looked down on the planet from the port hole as he had some hundreds of times before. He had to admit that particular thrill had begun to lose its charm.

The vessel docked, and he strode purposefully to the bus stop, and fortuitously a bus pulled up just as he got there. The inner doors of the airlock snapped open, and he pushed through the crowd to get in, swiping his travel-card on the door marked "PRIVATE" as he entered the bus, and walked up the stairway it concealed to the special cabin.

He found a seat, and felt the vessel shift slightly under him as it pulled away from the station. It turned away, jetting around until it faced the massive orbital stargate. The gate had been moved here from Arizona Prime, one of the few relics to survive the Wrath, but was still functional. He saw the brilliant light show as the gate activated, and he lazily observed the long queue of NC-bound ships. The first few began to slip through, and his bus eased up into some clear space and itself slipped through. A quick flash, and soon the glittering steely ball that was New Constantinople stood before him. This too had lost its thrill to Lonán.

The bus quickly docked at the orbital platform there, and Lonán slipped off it quickly and hailed a taxi to the surface.

-=The Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, New Constantinople

The Blessed waited patiently on his marble throne. He had an appointment with a member of the Assembly, which was a very rare occasion, and always one where a member of the Church had to be on their guard. Being lax and trusting had not been how this Blessed, formerly Cardinal Anchares, had come to inherit the Holy Seat.

This delegate, one Lonán Kennedy, hadn't indicated the reason he was coming, which only meant he was going to reveal it shortly after arriving, and it would be something he'd like to be discrete about, and likely there would be a number of veiled threats and plenty of innuendo passing before both parties went away disgruntled. This Blessed didn't particularly need a sacred charge to stay out of politics... they were annoying. Well, at least the secular stuff. Internal Church politics had always been more fun.

A footman came in to the chamber and made a curt announcement of the delegate's arrival. The Blessed nodded his acknowledgement, and patted a small dagger concealed within the folds of his ceremonial robes.

The delegate, an Anikari of medium height but a wiry build, came in, his footsteps echoing on the cold marble floor, and respectfully bowed.

"Your Blessedness, allow me to introduce myself. I am Lonán Kennedy, Delegate of Ilë Sornë representing the Kelwynd region. I have come with a question regarding a... mutual friend."

The Blessed blinked, seemingly stupidly, hoping to give just the right wrong impression to the delegate. "Which friend would this be, august Delegate?"

"A certain member of the Imperial House," he said. "Who formerly held the office of Empress."

"Mhm," said the Blessed. His mind raced - that even this man might know about his long-ago meeting with Anikar was worrisome. He knew that what he had learned from her couldn't be kept secret forever, but he wished it could. Only the Church could properly understand and deal with it. The world would only fan into flame the coals of their earlier fears with that knowledge.

The Delegate continued, "There is some concern about her. Worry that certain seditious, secretive elements within the Republic might be plotting against her."

"Well," casually replied the Blessed, "Why is humble Mother Church of any concern in this?"

The Blessed knew full well what was going on here. The Assembly wouldn't be worrying for Anikar's safety. As a member of the Imperial House she and her compatriots were more liabilities to them than charges. No, they were worried she was the seditious element.

"I have reason to believe," said the delegate, turning as he began to pace, "That you might have some knowledge that would hint at the reason for the plotting. I would just like some confirmation - even some elucidation - is all."

This Delegate wasn't being terribly subtle, reflected the Blessed. He spoke with the keen facade of calm that concealed some great desperation. Anikar was probably up to something, and they didn't know what, and to boot they only had what meagre rumors that surrounded her to haunt them.

The delegate continued, "We're fairly sure you know something about her, your Blessedness. Something important. I charge you, on the good of Ilë Sornë and the Republic, tell me." His eyes were locked in all their intensity with those of The Blessed, quivering with suspense and restrained anxiety.

The Blessed only felt the slightest alarm at this. This was a desperate man, privy to some great secret or plot, probably of Anikar's machination. For the most part though, he only felt pity. Long ago he had renounced such wordly concerns - he was fully a citizen of the Church. What Anikar had revealed to him - whatever she was - was said in trust, as one friend to another. He was bound to reveal nothing.

"I cannot tell you, honorable Delegate," he replied slowly. "Even if I knew something. Anything Anikar has chosen to conceal, she will see fit to reveal in due course of time, as she pleases, and it is not right for me - as both a trusted acquaintance of hers and a member of the Church - to pre-emptively reveal things imparted in confidence."

The mask of respectability and calm vanished from the delegate's face, and his brows narrowed in anger. "Do you know what you chance? You imperil the very fabric of this nation, your Blessedness! You betray this state!"

At this the Blessed's hackles were raised. He rumbled, "You should know full well that my allegiance rests not with this state or any worldly authority!"

But the delegate continued his rant, spinning around wildly in his pacing. "What have you been promised, hm? What power or priviliges? Or has she threatened your existence?"

"How dare you!" thundered the Blessed, sitting up straight. "I will have no more of this - such intimation of traitorous intent, bribes, and blackmail! The Church does not work as your wretched bureacracies do! Out, back to your fellows, and God grant you the grace to dig yourselves out of whatever hole you've fallen into!"

The delegate snapped to and stormed out. The Blessed settled back into the throne, following the delegate back out with his eyes. Tension was the normal state of relations between his Church and the State, but this was a fair boil-over. Something significant was in motion. Yet the Blessed shook his head - it was not for him to worry about. He got up, paging his assistants to notify them he was going into his chambers and would not be bothered presently with any more visitors. Now was the time to fortify against whatever storm was coming.

[Kreshh]

“Of course I’m going to deny it!� Daichi replied indignantly, “Why wouldn’t I? I never approved of anything even remotely like that!�

“You duty is to your clan.�

“My duty is to the Shogunate, and is not your concern. Besides, how would Daid?ji benefit by my falsely implicating the Kaigun?�

“You are not so naïve… you know as well as I that if the High Command Council did not authorize the operation then that leaves only two possibilities. Either the Shogun personally ordered the attack as a covert operation, or… one of the clans acted independently.�

Katusurou was an old acquaintance and a good friend, in his childhood Daichi had even regarded him as a brother in the truest sense, but his unofficial position as the enforcer of compliance within the Daid?ji Clan often put the two men at odds. Now, as Daichi prepared to address Ilë Sornë’s most recently deployed diplomatic delegation, was one such occasion. “Oh come now, you can’t really believe that? For a serious matter such as this, if it were ever discovered, the Shogunate would wipe them out. They’d be annihilated down to the last child. Not even the Nebu are capable of such reckless hubris.�

“What then?� Katsurou inquired, “If the Shogun had ordered such an attack we would have heard about it by now. Our… sources… within the Kaigun notwithstanding, the Shogun would not leave us in the dark like this with regards to foreign relations, we would have received at least some instruction from the top. Besides, it’s not like he has anything to gain politically from this either. Something like this could only serve to embarrass the Clans, weakening them politically and further empowering the Grand Admiral. The Shogun might as well just declare him coregent, not that he practically isn’t already…�

Daichi’s hand snapped to his sword, “Katsurou, you are my comrade, but I will not tolerate such disrespect for my Lord the Shogun! Cease this slander immediately!�

Katsurou hesitated, he could see the seriousness in his friend’s eyes, “very well, I was in err… I apologize. I meant only to insinuate that the Shogun could not be responsible for this embarrassing attack.�

“Well, I doubt very much that any of the Clans are responsible either. As you said the Grand Admiral stands the most to gain.�

“Ridiculous, even if he were able to organize such an operation without the Shogun’s knowledge – which I well and truly doubt – he has nowhere near enough loyal supporters to keep it a secret afterwards. Not with how high profile it’s been.�

“Well that’s still no reason to implicate the Shogun…�

“Saying that you, as a member of the Military’s High Command Council, authorized such an operation is not the same as accusing the Shogun of ordering it.�

“A technicality and you know it! The Shogunate Kaigun will be implicated by such an action, and therefore the Shogun!�

“And the clans will be spared, if anything our power will multiply.�

“My honor will not stand for it!�

“Your honor is best served by serving your clan, old friend… a fact not lost among your peers, I might add. The Councilors from Asai and Asano will say as much… there are many others who will add their voices as well. And, of course, those who refuse to speak the truth on the matter will quickly find their list of allies to be wanting.�

“So its threats now is it, friend, hmm… very well, I will do as Daid?ji commands.�

***

“Our sources report the High Command Council is now willing to state publicly that it approved of the Baramua operation.�

“Indeed,� the Grand Admiral replied nonchalantly, “everything is going according to plan.� He turned his stern gaze to the galactic map that spaned his office, “what will you do now, Ilë Sornë?�