The briefing hall had cleared out, Katsuko sat alone in one of the seats in the center of the front row. She watched the volumetric overlay of Bizankro, watching as it replayed the sequence over and over. She let out a sigh, What will this achieve? Aside from angering Melisson more, and drawing attention to Jiyuu...
Katsuko's comm beeped in a nagging tone once again.
Katsuko answered, after licking her lips to try and wet them. "Katsuko here...What now?"
"Motoyoshi-Taisho, Mr. Davis needs to discussion something with you about the SMX, it is important," Ember said quickly watching the Sky Marshall as she made the request.
Davis's face, as usual, was a slate of concrete, but his crossed arms, and the way his cane dangled from his armpit implied he had a lot on his mind.
Katsuko pulled the communicator away for a moment, she swallowed hard and then took a deep breath before replying ""Alright, I am in the Briefing Theater on the Akuro, I just got finished giving the briefing for the operation. The place has cleared out, so come join me."
Ember nodded. "Yes, Taisho. we'll see you in a bit, Ember out." She closed her communicator again and let it fall with a soft thud against her chest again. She gestured to Davis, "Ask and you shall, receive, sir. We're to meet her in the Briefing Theater."
Another communication came immediately after she terminated the one from Ember, the text file opened in a volumetric window. The research report from Chie had her wide-eyed, By Chiharu...This cannot be... She forwarded the communication and file securely to Misato.
"Lead the way," Davis said with a sweeping gestured to Ember. "I would certainly get lost within the walls of this gloriously large vessel." The good news seemed to relieve him a little.
Ember smiled warmly at Davis, giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze before she withdrew her hand and lead him through the corridors of the Mirage and then the Akuro to the Briefing Theater. Since the matter seemed so grave, she didn't volunteer any attempts towards friendly conversation like she had earlier.
Katsuko heard the doors slide open, she did not rise to meet Davis or Ember...She sat quietly and awaited their approach. A thousand thoughts worked through her mind at once. The news from Chie had shattered her understanding of the universe. It was hard to keep the calm visage, if the marker meant what she hypothesized, it changed everything.
Davis bowed slightly before approaching her. "Thank you for your time, Taisho. I read the reports about your trip to Yamatai and offer my condolences for the lack of progress made."
Ember waited at the door to the room, waiting to see if Katsuko wished for her to leave or to stay.
Katsuko merely nodded, she instructed Akuro to upload the information from Chie to Ember.Join us.... A moment passed, an awkward one as she struggled to speak to Davis. "Progress seems to be not the only thing lacking from Central Yamatai these days. The information they send is generally false or is senseless..." she paused, saying then "but,that is not what you have come to discuss... is it?"
Ember nodded politely as she took a seat to the left of Katsuko, leaving the set on her right open for the Sky Marshall to take.
"No, it is not," Davis said with a grave nod. He walked to the open chair and sat down. "I wish not to burden your mind any further, but this information I feel is too important to wait. You are familiar with the one who calls herself Melisson, correct?"
Katsuko nodded, "I am familiar with the name. I personally have not had the experience of meeting her, but Mayumi did while I was dead." Katsuko did not turn to look at Davis, her eyes remained forwards on the volumetric projection of Bizankro
Ember pursed her lips together in eager silence, placing her hands on her lap in front of her.
Davis continued. "It will then be of interest to you to know that Melisson has a fleet of 320 SMX ships outside of Delsaurian space. What we initially took for an attack, however, turned into something far more complicated." He waited before continuing further. As complicated as the day's activities had been, the Sky Marshall was still in control of his own diplomatic capabilities.
"Sky Marshall...In this galaxy, things are always more complicated. It is the status quo..." Katsuko said, still not straying her eyes from the images.
Ember eyes went from the Sky Marshall's to the Taisho's as she waited for the answer she felt was inevitable. "Diplomacy?"
"Exactly," Davis said with a quick glance to Ember. "Normally we would have blown her out of space the second she spat the word, but she came with information that was most unsettling." Davis tapped the tip of his cane on the floor. "Concerning the plague."
"The plague?" Ember seemed truly puzzled by this. Everyone knew and was affected by the plague. What was there new to know about it?
Katsuko's eyes closed, "What about the plague...?" Simultaneously she began to pull information from PANTHEON, she had needed to know anything about it; of course the documentation was sparse to say the least.
"In many ways, those of the Yamataian Star Empire have overshadowed the Nepleslians as well and repressed your progress from the very moment PNUgen, which included Emperor Uesu amongst their number at the time, released the plague which killed the majority of the Nepleslians settled on Yamatai and helped make the Geshrins dominant... a dominance that set your people back and under the..."
The Sky Marshall pulled out his data pad, turned up the volume on the speakers and let the file do the talking for him.
" ...leadership of Geshrins and even nekovalkyrja for the next twenty years. It happened in YE 8 and it was called the Elysian Plague. The Elysian took the brunt of the blame and PNUgen's Ningyô Heiki project gained much more favor thanks to that... not to mention it helped get rid of the Nepleslian Emperor then ruling and all his staff - leaving you-know-who to pick up the pieces."
The Nepleslian simply had his eyes closed the entire time, the memories of his past coming to him through Melisson's insidious words.
"Shall we continue?" His words were soft.
Katsuko looked at Davis now, her dull gray eyes seemed to lose their light. She did not see him, but Corro-- all suited up with a cigar hanging from his lips and the smell of Nepleslian whiskey drifting from his breath. She whispered, "Continue..."
Ember's eyes went wide in disbelief. Their Emperor did this to them? Surely, Melission was simply lying to instill that sense of fear and doubt in them? Would he really do that to them all?
Davis fast forwarded the file to another important point. Although the entire document was littered with precious information, he simply wanted to share the most pressing of facts.
"Emperor Uesu was threatened to desist from his investigation in another matter on the pain of information being released about his involvement with the PNUgen plague. I hold that little tidbit from a Ketsurui princess, so, I'm fairly confident it's reliable. There is consistency, therefore I myself am inclined to believe it... not to mention it's too outrageous to really be a lie."
"Even if you choose not to believe the claim of the so-called Elysian plague being made as I stated, there still remains the whole matter of the Mishhuvurthyar in fact once being nekovalkyrja that we choose to free. I still wish to punish Yamatai for its callous disregard of what life it does not hold as its own and to the arrogance they show toward all they meet and try to subjugate."
"This tidbit of information I am not so sure of myself, and I seek your input on it," Davis said quietly. "Is it true?"
The Sky Marshall knew he was pulling a tremendous risk sharing this information with her. But, since the diplomacy was moving quickly on his own front, he needed to use desperate measures to gather what he could.
Katsuko got up from her seat. Akuro, if you could give us some privacy... The fifth installed KAMI complied, leaving only its data service running in the room. Katsuko walked to the podium and picked up a data pad transferring some information to it, she walked back over to Davis handing it to him. "I don't know if it is true, but I too am inclined to believe you..." The pad contained... the genetic analysis from Chie Research Base.
Ember looked at Katsuko with a worried, confused expression before looking back at the Sky Marshall. "Melission might be telling the truth? No... no way."
Davis read the information intently for a few moments. "If I'm reading this correctly... this says there's a genetic link..."
His face grimaced in pain. Dark times indeed lay ahead. "Blessed Nepleslia..."
Ember's heart sank as she suddenly felt conflicted by the information they had been given, It was a lot to take in, "They... they... how could they do this? Knowing that the SMX and nekos are... they really?" The former Nepleslian looked from Davis to Katsuko, still looking very confused about it all, unsure of whether or not this was all some huge cruel joke.
Katsuko said lowly, "I am about to send three million soldiers to fight in a war, a war that no longer makes sense to them. Taiie fell and we were dismissed as dead, as all pawns are..." she paused, looking at the map of Bizankro, "We were of no use to them again until we regained our footing..." She brought up a volumetric window displaying the imperial order to strike Bizankro. "I know the ...lie within this...Whether we win or lose, the SMX will want revenge, and they will come to Jiyuu as they did Taiie. While those who wrote the order go irresponsible for their actions...The cycle repeats itself, over and over."
"Taisho, this circumstantial evidence is too hard to ignore," Davis said simply, after taking some moments to compose himself. He heard Katsuko's words of concern regarding her own soldiers, understanding the feelings that must have been going through her. He bore the same dreadful responsibility, and it was never easy to deal with. "If ALL Melisson says is true... where does the 5th XF... stand? How can Nepleslia ignore the near genocide of its people?"
Ember closed her mouth, pushing her hands together as she suddenly stared down at her lap. Her look of confusion deepened as did her sudden doubts as to why any of what they did as a fleet mattered.
Uesu really did this all to us? It's his fault we no longer have a past? That we no longer get to see old age? That being over the age of 30 is a freakish anomaly? Ember kept her thoughts to herself as she felt her anger start to grow.
"Melisson's words, truth or false are of little implication if you think about it. The actions of the central government, the years of mistakes..." she cut herself off, she thought for a moment, "The Fifth and Jiyuu stand where they have from the moment we arrived in the Yugumo Cluster, in defense of our way of life, and in suspicion of the continuous blunders of the government." Katsuko sighed, "I can not sit back any longer...Sky Marshall, I ask that you stay..I will summon Ayana and the rest of my Flag Officers."
"I will stay as long as I am capable," Davis said. "My senators are soon to engage in diplomacy with Melisson, which I cannot ignore for obvious reasons." A pause. "I will be frank with you. I feel we have earned that degree of trust after all of this. Should my senators be convinced by Melisson, there will be serious repercussions... I need to know where you stand should it come to that."
Katsuko asked, "Will you share your information with the others when they get here?" She said, "I do not want to say where I stand until I am sure they are in agreement. We tread on dangerous ground now."
"Indeed. I will share what I have with them," Davis replied calmly. "Although I fear the reaction will be negative to say the least."
"You may be surprised...I am not the only one who has a negative view of some of the actions committed by the central government."
Ember looked back up at the Taisho and the Sky Marshall. "I'll summon the others..."
All BISA personnel, Disperse yourselves onto the ships of the fleet and await orders. Katsuko sent out, using BSIA's secure line. Katsuko then issued an update to Command, giving them the impression that they were holding due to an intelligence leak.
