Rizzo
Well-Known Member
Star Army Intelligence Old Headquarters Building
Kyoto, Planet Yamatai
Upon his arrival, Candon was ushered directly to Chujo Nakaide Shida's office by the installation's PANTHEON AI. It had immediately recognized why he was there—his appointment with the Star Army's chief spy long since logged and verified—and led him through the busy, labyrinthine maze of black-walled corridors and secret offices. He passed innumerable agents and analysts as he followed the PANT-IES digital directions, all carrying an air of facelessness in their gait as they tread over the same blue carpet for what was probably their ten-thousandth step.
When the Heisho came to the terminus of his journey, stepping out from the elevator that delivered him there, he would see a tall set of double doors at the end of a long hall that must have itself been fifty meters long. They were black and polished to a mirror finish with SAINT's emblem emblazoned midway up their twenty-foot face, flanked on either side by an imposing, white-haired NH-33A guard in black panels.
Both would salute Candon as he approached, heralding his passage into Shida's inner sanctum just before the big threshold silently split open for his entry. Once inside, the doors would close behind him with the telltale whisper of a vacuum seal locking itself again.
"Ah, Suites-heisho," Shida said in a caring, welcoming way that bombarded him like a cold wind sweeping across SAINT's secretive ice world, Vicky. The Director's aura was terrifyingly enveloping, enough to make lesser men throw their gaze downward to the ground—though Candon was far from being one of the Empire's lesser men. "Welcome! Please, please, come closer. I am eager to hear about how you came upon Uso Tasuki and her Neo-Mishhuvurthyar gift."
The director stood far away at the center of a chamber so cavernous and dark that its walls and ceiling were nowhere to be seen, overlaid with pure darkness and a volumetric simulation of the stars around Yamatai. Indeed, the place seemed less like an office than an abyssal cloister or what might be at the center of a black hole; its floor was polished to the same perfect, glassy reflectivity as the door now shut behind him, giving the impression that he was standing on nothing at all. A simple slab of transparent Zesuaium served as the Chujo's desk, held aloft by what must have been some sort of gravitational field, and the Chujo stood beside it, looking off at the strategic scale map that filled their space.
For Candon it was a glimpse into his own mind, dark and shrouded yet open to the universe like the starry room. It made him feel small and vulnerable from all directions, but like the room he knew his mind was solid fortress. While his mother had taught him good manners his words simply didn't want to come out as he stepped steadily toward his superior. Since Shida had handed him the assignment to work with Ketsurui Hanako he'd felt the presence of responsibility for the entire empire. Of course, that was the point of INDOC, to drill into each participant's mind the importance of their work but the scale was truely reflected each time he'd been in this room.
Shida seemed different than the last time Candon had seen them. Once a stern, bushy-browed man with graying temples, Shida today cast a much slimmer figure. Their long, black hair was cropped close at one side and parted from there, and the gray at their temples remained, even in this upgraded body. They wore a Type 22 bodysuit over their new, Nekovalkyrja form.
Still, despite the change, the Director of Star Army Intelligence was an inspiring sight to behold—surely more beautiful, but no less petrifying.
Trying to get the right reaction was hard for him. The holiday season hadn't helped him one bit. In fact, the recent 'distractions' had been a welcome way to ward off his self pity. But with his confidence lowered he was now going to try and conduct the kind of conversation that could shape the future. Aware of his issues Candon had prepared his nerves by absorbing a dose of Calm in his car.
So the question, how did he acquire POWs?
"Well, sir. It all started when I invited a pretty girl to dinner," He answered meekly as he came to stand beside Shida, looking into the same. "Uso and Wazu have contact. I wanted to make sure she wasn't a threat. I trust Wazu so far, but Uso... she hasn't given me a reason to doubt her yet. It would seem that her and I have similar values regarding diplomacy. She's not going to follow our laws but she's outside of our jurisdiction so it's no problem... it's always good to have a friend on the outside anyway."
Candon got back on topic, "She claimed that the prisoners were captured during a combat operation to protect the I'ee."
Shida remained silent after Candon finished speaking, allowing the moments between them to drag on. They still gazed out at the starfield around them, having not addressed with a chilly stare just yet. Perhaps the Director was pondering what Candon had said, though there wasn't much new there beyond what was in the agent's report. More likely, Shida was multitasking, finishing up whatever secret work was overlaid upon the world in their mind.
"She was one of ours once, did you know?" Shida-chujo finally said after their pause, finally turning to face Candon. The Director's knowing eyes were the same as they'd ever been: a twinkling, brilliant blue that refused to falter toward any distraction. "Uso Tasuki knew Ketsurui Chiharu and the honored Tomoyo-sama. Maybe your friend Wazu can tell you more about their adventures together."
An eerily wide grin spread across Shida's face in quick fashion, but still slow enough to watch in excruciating detail. If Taisho Yui embodied the First Fleet's famous motto, "All Things Cost Blood," Shida certainly provided the same for SAINT's blut statement that "We Know."
"And saving the I'ee from Mishhuvurthyar today?" they added, sounding all-too-sure of their coming assumption. "I could hope for nothing more than for all SAINT operatives to live up to Tasuki-chan's resolve in serving the Empire and its allies.
"You have done exemplary work, Suites-heisho, and I am confident that all of this somehow ties in with your assignment to Hanako-hime," Shida assured the man, not intending to cast doubt over Candon's actions so long as he could keep his duties in line. "But why did you request this audience to come speak with me? A crate of Imperial property is hardly worth so much of my attention. Is there something you need from the Director of Star Army Intelligence?"
Shida didn't say it, but their hard glare may as well have shouted "I'm waiting!"
"Naturally," Candon answered still watching the map, bolstering confidence. "I've had an idea that may already be in effect, though I doubt it. As SAINT is aware, there are now more criminal forces in the sector than ever before thanks to two wars of unprecedented scale. Trillions of people have been displaced over the years, naturally some of them have decided to emulate the violence they were exposed to. Fortunately they pose no real threat at this time, they're all too small to be an issue. From my experience these groups are going to be focused on trying to advance themselves and now that the Kuvexians are involved I believe that there is going to be a new incentive for attacking Yamataian interests."
He let his statement hang for a moment, he knew his next words would need to be chosen carefully. He dared to make eye contact with the only other being in the universe that thought like he did.
"I'm not suggesting that we target every known potential enemy of Yamatai, that would be rediculous. I'm suggesting that we provide these potentially aggressive forces a reason to attack the KSE instead, or at least a good reason to leave us alone. Most tiny independent groups tend to try building themselves up by taking from other groups similar to themselves. If we helped in discreet ways to a ensure the success of only groups that will not work against our interests we may be able to use them to disrupt our enemy's operations."
The Director's visage remained steely and motionless as Candon explained the galaxy to them. It was nothing new for them, but Shida didn't seem interested in cutting off the Heisho before them as he shared his perspective. The Yamatai Star Empire had dealt with the universe's disobedient rabble for decades—the wayward Jiyuuians and their United Outer Colonies, Elysians, rebels and miscreants of all sort before them—so finding ways to control them was nothing new.
"And how would you play havoc with the Empire's adversaries?" Shida questioned.
"I haven't fully formulated a plan yet, but with the way the sector is currently viewing us for leaving the treaty I couldn't possibly allow this to come back on us. I asked for this meeting to request that my leash be taken off so I can identify and wipe out our enemies before they have a chance to be a problem by essentially promoting the criminals who'll pay us respect. I'm building up personal finances to fund my initiative and the first tiny empire I want to cement is the USO."
"You, of course, may pursue leads that will make Yamatai a safer and more secure Star Empire," the Director happily admitted with another grin that was all just a little off and out of place. "I have no qualms with you getting our hooks, as it were, into Miss Tasuki's operation to ensure that it can be leveraged for our benefit. We've paid attention to the comings and goings in that sector of space for some time now, so having eyes that are considered friendly to Uso's organization would certainly be a boon."
Shida raised her hand toward a place above and to the left of where they stood, and the whole room's starscape shifted with the Director's will. The swirling nebulae and glimmering suns around them blurred into myriad streamers across the black abyss and then refined back into a thousand points of light again. But now, a single world loomed massively over the two SAINT agents.
It was a sickly golden-orange with great seas of green to match. The projection bathed Candon and Shida in its ugly volumetric light, even with the planet half obscured in shadow. On its nightward side, the trademark clusters of settled townships shined up through world's dark sky.
188-604.
"Seeing this place in greater resolution would be worthwhile, indeed," Shida mused, sounding perfectly whimsical. Were the Neko not Yamatai's spymaster, their sincerity would have definitely seemed genuine. "But the Star Army is fighting a new war. The YSS Eucharis should not be without a permanent intelligence officer," they said flatly.
"Are you asking for reassignment, or do you have something else in mind?"
"Not specifically," Candon answered, "I'm confident that I can manage this without compromising my role on Eucharis. All I'll need is my vacation time and political ignorance."
Shida shrugged and turned away, sweeping their right arm out into the room's void to reset the starfield's perspective to display the Kikyo Sector as a whole.
"You may pursue the Empire's interests as the opportunity presents itself," they told Candon before starting a pace that faced them toward the Heisho again. "Obviously, you haven't needed my authorization to do such thus far."
Candon's past was no mystery to Shida. They were, perhaps, the only living being other than the man himself who knew the full extent of his history. There was no reason to deny Candon the opportunity to do what he did best.
"Just do not involve our assets in any unscrupulous activities. You are on your own for matters outside of SAINT's direct mandate."
The Director passed close to Canon as they examined the chamber's projection. Shida already knew what they were looking for already; it was unrelated to the visitor's query. Already back to work—there was always more work to be done when you controlled a nation's intelligence apparatus.
"Hanako's next mission will take the Eucharis far from Yamataian space," Shida stated, not paying full attention to the man anymore. They were confident that Candon was satisfied with the token permission he'd just been given. "Is there anything you have to report regarding Ketsurui-shosho and her ship before you leave me?" they asked, their dark hair rolling over their shoulder and then falling straight as they shot an icy glance back to Candon.
The blood in Candon's veins froze as Shida caught his eyes. There wasn't any real news regarding his assignment, at least none that he was aware of, but there was a feeling that he was getting...
"Well, sir. I have nothing of consequence to report but—" Candon paused to find the right wording, "I think Hanako-hime is depressed, or maybe just lonely. The crew tends to fraternize freely, both officers and enlisted. But, it would seem that no one has taken the time to really be her friend. I'm also guilty of this... I could take her to dinner some time..."
Shida burst into hearty, uncharacteristically warm laughter when Candon gave his assessment. Had Nicholas Saiga put him up to such an idea in the same way he'd planted the seed for Tachihara Reika to make her way into Kotori's bed? No—no, that didn't make sense. Saiga hadn't any reason to do so in the limited time he'd been back on the Eucharis, nor was he the type to play SAINT matchmaker without good cause. Nonetheless, Shida had no problem with another agent becoming close with a member of the Ketsurui Clan.
"Your personal life is entirely up to you, I think I've already made that clear enough," the Director said after regaining their composure. "Though arranging a 'chance' meeting with the former chusa Jalen Sune might be a better use of your time. In either case, no matter.
"If there is nothing else, you may leave," Shida added, turning away to focus on their work again.
"Thank you for seeing me, sir," Candon replied as he took his leave, heading for the exit. The doors slid open as he approached them letting him pass through without any delay. He had his work cut out for him before he'd need to be on Eucharis. Much to do with less time.
Kyoto, Planet Yamatai
Upon his arrival, Candon was ushered directly to Chujo Nakaide Shida's office by the installation's PANTHEON AI. It had immediately recognized why he was there—his appointment with the Star Army's chief spy long since logged and verified—and led him through the busy, labyrinthine maze of black-walled corridors and secret offices. He passed innumerable agents and analysts as he followed the PANT-IES digital directions, all carrying an air of facelessness in their gait as they tread over the same blue carpet for what was probably their ten-thousandth step.
When the Heisho came to the terminus of his journey, stepping out from the elevator that delivered him there, he would see a tall set of double doors at the end of a long hall that must have itself been fifty meters long. They were black and polished to a mirror finish with SAINT's emblem emblazoned midway up their twenty-foot face, flanked on either side by an imposing, white-haired NH-33A guard in black panels.
Both would salute Candon as he approached, heralding his passage into Shida's inner sanctum just before the big threshold silently split open for his entry. Once inside, the doors would close behind him with the telltale whisper of a vacuum seal locking itself again.
"Ah, Suites-heisho," Shida said in a caring, welcoming way that bombarded him like a cold wind sweeping across SAINT's secretive ice world, Vicky. The Director's aura was terrifyingly enveloping, enough to make lesser men throw their gaze downward to the ground—though Candon was far from being one of the Empire's lesser men. "Welcome! Please, please, come closer. I am eager to hear about how you came upon Uso Tasuki and her Neo-Mishhuvurthyar gift."
The director stood far away at the center of a chamber so cavernous and dark that its walls and ceiling were nowhere to be seen, overlaid with pure darkness and a volumetric simulation of the stars around Yamatai. Indeed, the place seemed less like an office than an abyssal cloister or what might be at the center of a black hole; its floor was polished to the same perfect, glassy reflectivity as the door now shut behind him, giving the impression that he was standing on nothing at all. A simple slab of transparent Zesuaium served as the Chujo's desk, held aloft by what must have been some sort of gravitational field, and the Chujo stood beside it, looking off at the strategic scale map that filled their space.
For Candon it was a glimpse into his own mind, dark and shrouded yet open to the universe like the starry room. It made him feel small and vulnerable from all directions, but like the room he knew his mind was solid fortress. While his mother had taught him good manners his words simply didn't want to come out as he stepped steadily toward his superior. Since Shida had handed him the assignment to work with Ketsurui Hanako he'd felt the presence of responsibility for the entire empire. Of course, that was the point of INDOC, to drill into each participant's mind the importance of their work but the scale was truely reflected each time he'd been in this room.
Shida seemed different than the last time Candon had seen them. Once a stern, bushy-browed man with graying temples, Shida today cast a much slimmer figure. Their long, black hair was cropped close at one side and parted from there, and the gray at their temples remained, even in this upgraded body. They wore a Type 22 bodysuit over their new, Nekovalkyrja form.
Still, despite the change, the Director of Star Army Intelligence was an inspiring sight to behold—surely more beautiful, but no less petrifying.
Trying to get the right reaction was hard for him. The holiday season hadn't helped him one bit. In fact, the recent 'distractions' had been a welcome way to ward off his self pity. But with his confidence lowered he was now going to try and conduct the kind of conversation that could shape the future. Aware of his issues Candon had prepared his nerves by absorbing a dose of Calm in his car.
So the question, how did he acquire POWs?
"Well, sir. It all started when I invited a pretty girl to dinner," He answered meekly as he came to stand beside Shida, looking into the same. "Uso and Wazu have contact. I wanted to make sure she wasn't a threat. I trust Wazu so far, but Uso... she hasn't given me a reason to doubt her yet. It would seem that her and I have similar values regarding diplomacy. She's not going to follow our laws but she's outside of our jurisdiction so it's no problem... it's always good to have a friend on the outside anyway."
Candon got back on topic, "She claimed that the prisoners were captured during a combat operation to protect the I'ee."
Shida remained silent after Candon finished speaking, allowing the moments between them to drag on. They still gazed out at the starfield around them, having not addressed with a chilly stare just yet. Perhaps the Director was pondering what Candon had said, though there wasn't much new there beyond what was in the agent's report. More likely, Shida was multitasking, finishing up whatever secret work was overlaid upon the world in their mind.
"She was one of ours once, did you know?" Shida-chujo finally said after their pause, finally turning to face Candon. The Director's knowing eyes were the same as they'd ever been: a twinkling, brilliant blue that refused to falter toward any distraction. "Uso Tasuki knew Ketsurui Chiharu and the honored Tomoyo-sama. Maybe your friend Wazu can tell you more about their adventures together."
An eerily wide grin spread across Shida's face in quick fashion, but still slow enough to watch in excruciating detail. If Taisho Yui embodied the First Fleet's famous motto, "All Things Cost Blood," Shida certainly provided the same for SAINT's blut statement that "We Know."
"And saving the I'ee from Mishhuvurthyar today?" they added, sounding all-too-sure of their coming assumption. "I could hope for nothing more than for all SAINT operatives to live up to Tasuki-chan's resolve in serving the Empire and its allies.
"You have done exemplary work, Suites-heisho, and I am confident that all of this somehow ties in with your assignment to Hanako-hime," Shida assured the man, not intending to cast doubt over Candon's actions so long as he could keep his duties in line. "But why did you request this audience to come speak with me? A crate of Imperial property is hardly worth so much of my attention. Is there something you need from the Director of Star Army Intelligence?"
Shida didn't say it, but their hard glare may as well have shouted "I'm waiting!"
"Naturally," Candon answered still watching the map, bolstering confidence. "I've had an idea that may already be in effect, though I doubt it. As SAINT is aware, there are now more criminal forces in the sector than ever before thanks to two wars of unprecedented scale. Trillions of people have been displaced over the years, naturally some of them have decided to emulate the violence they were exposed to. Fortunately they pose no real threat at this time, they're all too small to be an issue. From my experience these groups are going to be focused on trying to advance themselves and now that the Kuvexians are involved I believe that there is going to be a new incentive for attacking Yamataian interests."
He let his statement hang for a moment, he knew his next words would need to be chosen carefully. He dared to make eye contact with the only other being in the universe that thought like he did.
"I'm not suggesting that we target every known potential enemy of Yamatai, that would be rediculous. I'm suggesting that we provide these potentially aggressive forces a reason to attack the KSE instead, or at least a good reason to leave us alone. Most tiny independent groups tend to try building themselves up by taking from other groups similar to themselves. If we helped in discreet ways to a ensure the success of only groups that will not work against our interests we may be able to use them to disrupt our enemy's operations."
The Director's visage remained steely and motionless as Candon explained the galaxy to them. It was nothing new for them, but Shida didn't seem interested in cutting off the Heisho before them as he shared his perspective. The Yamatai Star Empire had dealt with the universe's disobedient rabble for decades—the wayward Jiyuuians and their United Outer Colonies, Elysians, rebels and miscreants of all sort before them—so finding ways to control them was nothing new.
"And how would you play havoc with the Empire's adversaries?" Shida questioned.
"I haven't fully formulated a plan yet, but with the way the sector is currently viewing us for leaving the treaty I couldn't possibly allow this to come back on us. I asked for this meeting to request that my leash be taken off so I can identify and wipe out our enemies before they have a chance to be a problem by essentially promoting the criminals who'll pay us respect. I'm building up personal finances to fund my initiative and the first tiny empire I want to cement is the USO."
"You, of course, may pursue leads that will make Yamatai a safer and more secure Star Empire," the Director happily admitted with another grin that was all just a little off and out of place. "I have no qualms with you getting our hooks, as it were, into Miss Tasuki's operation to ensure that it can be leveraged for our benefit. We've paid attention to the comings and goings in that sector of space for some time now, so having eyes that are considered friendly to Uso's organization would certainly be a boon."
Shida raised her hand toward a place above and to the left of where they stood, and the whole room's starscape shifted with the Director's will. The swirling nebulae and glimmering suns around them blurred into myriad streamers across the black abyss and then refined back into a thousand points of light again. But now, a single world loomed massively over the two SAINT agents.
It was a sickly golden-orange with great seas of green to match. The projection bathed Candon and Shida in its ugly volumetric light, even with the planet half obscured in shadow. On its nightward side, the trademark clusters of settled townships shined up through world's dark sky.
188-604.
"Seeing this place in greater resolution would be worthwhile, indeed," Shida mused, sounding perfectly whimsical. Were the Neko not Yamatai's spymaster, their sincerity would have definitely seemed genuine. "But the Star Army is fighting a new war. The YSS Eucharis should not be without a permanent intelligence officer," they said flatly.
"Are you asking for reassignment, or do you have something else in mind?"
"Not specifically," Candon answered, "I'm confident that I can manage this without compromising my role on Eucharis. All I'll need is my vacation time and political ignorance."
Shida shrugged and turned away, sweeping their right arm out into the room's void to reset the starfield's perspective to display the Kikyo Sector as a whole.
"You may pursue the Empire's interests as the opportunity presents itself," they told Candon before starting a pace that faced them toward the Heisho again. "Obviously, you haven't needed my authorization to do such thus far."
Candon's past was no mystery to Shida. They were, perhaps, the only living being other than the man himself who knew the full extent of his history. There was no reason to deny Candon the opportunity to do what he did best.
"Just do not involve our assets in any unscrupulous activities. You are on your own for matters outside of SAINT's direct mandate."
The Director passed close to Canon as they examined the chamber's projection. Shida already knew what they were looking for already; it was unrelated to the visitor's query. Already back to work—there was always more work to be done when you controlled a nation's intelligence apparatus.
"Hanako's next mission will take the Eucharis far from Yamataian space," Shida stated, not paying full attention to the man anymore. They were confident that Candon was satisfied with the token permission he'd just been given. "Is there anything you have to report regarding Ketsurui-shosho and her ship before you leave me?" they asked, their dark hair rolling over their shoulder and then falling straight as they shot an icy glance back to Candon.
The blood in Candon's veins froze as Shida caught his eyes. There wasn't any real news regarding his assignment, at least none that he was aware of, but there was a feeling that he was getting...
"Well, sir. I have nothing of consequence to report but—" Candon paused to find the right wording, "I think Hanako-hime is depressed, or maybe just lonely. The crew tends to fraternize freely, both officers and enlisted. But, it would seem that no one has taken the time to really be her friend. I'm also guilty of this... I could take her to dinner some time..."
Shida burst into hearty, uncharacteristically warm laughter when Candon gave his assessment. Had Nicholas Saiga put him up to such an idea in the same way he'd planted the seed for Tachihara Reika to make her way into Kotori's bed? No—no, that didn't make sense. Saiga hadn't any reason to do so in the limited time he'd been back on the Eucharis, nor was he the type to play SAINT matchmaker without good cause. Nonetheless, Shida had no problem with another agent becoming close with a member of the Ketsurui Clan.
"Your personal life is entirely up to you, I think I've already made that clear enough," the Director said after regaining their composure. "Though arranging a 'chance' meeting with the former chusa Jalen Sune might be a better use of your time. In either case, no matter.
"If there is nothing else, you may leave," Shida added, turning away to focus on their work again.
"Thank you for seeing me, sir," Candon replied as he took his leave, heading for the exit. The doors slid open as he approached them letting him pass through without any delay. He had his work cut out for him before he'd need to be on Eucharis. Much to do with less time.
Last edited:
