On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor

Three Hundred And Sixty-Eight

As we moved through the crowds, more and more visitors being shown into the great hall, I noticed that Motoko and Natsumi had perfect, professional smiles on their faces. Every time they met the gaze of someone, they would nod a little, acknowledging the other person without displaying any intent to speak to them.

“I guess you must be used to events like this?” I asked, and Motoko agreed.

“Yes, as a daughter of Tsumura house I attend many parties, galas, balls and other festivities. Natsumi is with me as my bodyguard, of course. I can safely say that few are on this scale though.” I glanced towards the dais. Princess Eleanor was still up there, talking to the Selkie and perhaps others who were still behind the curtain. She was drawing a lot of looks from the guests, and from what I could tell there were two types of stares she was attracting. The first was that of admiration, and they seemed to be from guests such as politicians and businessmen. The second was curiosity and a hint of wariness, perhaps. I believe it’s largely other Chosen looking at her like that. Well, it makes sense…

“I will do my best, however, not to be seen as an embarrassment for you, Akio.” Motoko promised, and I gently whispered in her ear that was not the case.

“Hardly. Really, I should be careful not to embarrass you. I’ve only been mingling with the rich and famous for a month or so.”

Motoko flushed a little as my breath tickled her ear, but her smile was brilliant. “In that case, we shall not embarrass each other. That should satisfy. In all seriousness, I wish to be the one to guide you in these matters. I cannot be your childhood or your university friend, nor am I a powerful Fae such as Shaeula or Hyacinth. But this… this I can do, and do it proudly.” Her hand in mine tightened its grip, and I once more felt great affection for this earnest girl.

“I’ll be in your care then.” I said, and beside Motoko, Natsumi looked at us, her expression warm.

“Me too. I want to help out where I can as well.”

While we talked, we had put enough space between us and the dais, moving towards the back of the hall. As I looked around, my eyes met the woman in white, the strange nun, and for a moment her bright green eyes narrowed, before she smiled. It was a pretty smile, definitely, but I felt no allure from it, only a chill. Looking away hastily, Natsumi teased me.

“Checking her out again, Akio? She’s very pretty, but don’t Western shrine maidens… I suppose you’d call them priestesses, maybe… take vows of chastity? You can’t seduce her like you did Kana!”

“I didn’t seduce Kana, we just…” I stopped at Natsumi’s eyes went wide and Motoko’s grip on my hand tightened.

“She’s coming over.” Natsumi hissed, adopting her position as bodyguard once more. Behind me, Hyacinth was glaring at her, silver-violet eyes narrowed.

“Good afternoon, would you be free to speak to… hmm, perhaps you don’t speak a civilised tongue? That would be a great shame.” Her tone was melodious, her voice extremely easy on the ears, but her words were harsh.

Motoko and I exchanged a brief glance before I turned. “No, as it happens we speak English perfectly well. And who might you be?”

“I see. Well, Babel may have fallen and all God’s children cannot understand each other, but it seems you have wisely learned to overcome such.” The woman said, her hair like spun gold and emerald eyes drawing my attention. Well, She’s definitely stunning, but Shiro and Yukiko-san are about as close to perfect as you can get. Still, she’d be one of the most famous models worldwide if she was in that industry. Except for the eyes… her gaze was predatory, like a sharks’, and her smile did little to hide that.

“I believe that it is customary for you to introduce yourself, before demanding a name from others.” she continued, and I couldn’t disagree.

“How rude of me. I do apologise.” I said, mustering up what sincerity I could. “I am Oshiro Moonstone Akio, and this is my fiancée Tsumura Motoko. We are accompanied by our bodyguard, Hori Natsumi, and our maid, Hyacinth.”

“I see. Well, I am Mary Stuart, humble Cardinal, here to give my blessing to this auspicious event.” Her smile was ostensibly kind, but it made my senses tingle. “Fiancée, I see. Congratulations, my dear.” she said to Motoko cheerfully. “After all, God did say to us to go forth and multiply. Sadly, being from far-off lands I do expect you are a heathen. A shame.” She looked at Hyacinth then. “Especially in the company you keep. An interesting choice of maid.”

Hyacinth‘s glare intensified, fingers twitching, and I shared a glance to tell her to remain calm.

“I’d agree Hyacinth is interesting, but there’s no finer, more dependable maid. As for being a heathen, well, I’m more of a live and let live person. Besides, my mother was a Christian.” I said, and at that, Mary Stuart brightened up.

“I see. Good for her. Which denomination, if I may be so forward as to ask?” her eyes glittered like gems with curiosity.

“Church of England.” I replied, and immediately the glow in her eyes was extinguished.

“A shame. Another one who doesn’t follow the true path. Well, I shouldn’t be surprised. Unusual to see a Japanese man, for that is where you are from, I believe, as an Anglican. Besides, your country has hardly been good to those of the true faith.”

“I think you’re a bit out of date.” I said, remembering my history lessons. “The ban was repealed in eighteen seventy-three. Japan is one of the most religiously tolerant countries in the world.” I was a bit affronted by her tone. “As for my mom’s faith, well, it’s the same God, right? Why worry over it?”

Her face twitched, but she smoothed it over with a smile. “True, I suppose having faith in the Lord is better than having none, though I would argue perverting the true teachings is a greater offence than mere ignorance.” She took a deep breath. “But, I fear we are getting off on the wrong foot. Do forgive me. As a Cardinal, I have a tendency to… preach.”

“Excuse me for speaking out of turn…” Motoko said politely, fulfilling her role as a perfect partner for an event such as this, quiet and attentive. “… but if you are a Catholic, I believe only men can be of the clergy?”

Mary smiled, impressed. “Motoko…” she spoke boldly without any distance. “… you seem to know a thing or two. Ordinarily you are correct. The mainstream Catholic Church is like that. But all serve the Lord, and our denomination allows for service without discrimination. We are small, but as old as the first church established by Emperor Constantine.”

“I see. Forgive my curiosity.” Motoko said demurely, and I was struck by how cute she was all over again. “One more question, if you will permit me?”

“Of course. As a Cardinal, I live to teach as well as preach. If only everyone listened to me, but alas, nobody said doing God’s work would be easy. I myself was quite the nonbeliever in my youth, so I sympathise.”

 “I thank you. So I would ask, what is it about Hyacinth that disturbs you so?”

“You ask me that? You may be docile, but you hide your claws.” Mary’s smile turned wolfish for a moment. “You know very well I am speaking of the fact she isn’t human. Bringing her here is quite the statement.” She looked at us then. “You, Motoko, and you, Natsumi… you are not favoured by any of those false idols and would-be deities. No, but you have trained. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you attended a Choir or the lost Seminary. You however, Mr Moonstone.” She paused. “Quite the name. They say moonstones are lucky, but I have no belief in luck, only the divine plan. Now, I shall get straight to the point. God hates liars almost as much as I do, so… which fake do you draw your power from?”

“I’d rather not answer that.” I said. “After all, we’ve only just met, and your tone is a bit hostile.”

“Really? You would refuse me, poor beautiful Mary Stuart?” she laughed, though there was little humour in it. “It does not matter, I would know if you served the Lord. But rejoice. I know talent when I see it, and if you recant your ways, you could be our friend. After all, there are more than a billion Catholics, and more who have maligned the true teachings but will still be our friends. That’s more than all the heathens in China, no?” Her smile was wicked and knowing.

She’s not exactly subtle. “I’m sorry, but it would be ungrateful to turn my back on the power I was given. Japan is a country of religious freedom. Though I am curious… you know of the Chosen, and I’m guessing you are one yourself, right?”

At her gentle nod, I continued. “So you know other Gods are real. Why call them fake?”

“Just because someone calls themselves God, does not make it so, does it?” She smiled like a schoolteacher educating an idiot student. “A man who calls himself God would be sent to a sanatorium, rightly suspected of being mad. Just because these beings have some little power, and call themselves Divine, it does not make it so. The Devil has power, but you would not worship him, would you?”

Motoko actually looked interested at the philosophical discussion. Seeing that, Mary let her speak.

“So, what then makes a true God? Surely every faith could claim theirs is the only God by that definition? I am curious as to know your basis for asserting that your answer is the correct one, when every answer holds equal merit.”

“I do appreciate an inquisitive mind. But just like with Pandora’s Box, searching for what lies within can be dangerous.” Mary scoffed. “The Divine is not science, it cannot be picked apart or understood through logic. It simply is. The power of the Ninth Heaven is true, all others are false. That is all there is to know. But… those who repent shall be saved.” She looked at Hyacinth then. “Even a devil who throws himself down in front of the Throne may find salvation.”

“Akio, she is nooo good. I think she is dangerous. We shooould kill her.”

I was shocked at her words, but before I could speak, Mary Stuart laughed happily, as though she had heard the funniest joke of her life. Tears sparkled like gems at the corners of her eyes, and as she dashed them away, I realised we were drawing attention. Luckily she soon got herself under control. “Oh, just what I would expect from such a creature. You should have stayed back in your faded ethereal realms and waited for the Final Judgement.” She snorted. “Well, more and more of your kind seem to be crawling out of the woodwork lately. People do love to reject wisdom. If it wasn’t a slightly blasphemous comparison, I would call myself Cassandra, my words always going unheeded.”

That’s just annoyed Hyacinth more. Well, I get it, she’s damn rude… “If God made everything, didn’t he also make Hyacinth and her kind?” I saw no point in hiding what she was, since this woman already knew.

“Maybe so. I don’t claim to know the mind of God. Only what is right. But there are many creatures who turned their backs on the Creator, just as many people have. You can hardly tell me this one is a pious believer?”

“I believe in Akio and the mistresses. I dooo not need to believe in those whooo have never helped me. Hyacinth suffered and cried ooout to the Queen, the Dark Queen, God, anyooone who could save her, but nobody ever did. Until Akiooo came!” Hyacinth’s scowl was brutal.

“I see. Rejoice then. Suffering is holy, it purifies the spirit. And God heard your prayers. After all, did not this man save you? You should fall to your knees and thank God for sending him to answer your earnest prayers.”

“I dooo not know if it was a God. If it was, He shooould tell Hyacinth so she can be grateful. If nooot, then I can nooot believe it. Akio is the only ooone who helped me.”

“If God speaks, there is no need for faith.” She shook her head. “Well, reasoning with such creatures as you is a waste of my time. I always try, and in the end… disappointment.” She shrugged. “Well, perhaps we shall talk later. But I have many I must speak to. It was interesting making your acquaintance, Akio, Motoko, Natsumi, Hyacinth. Should you realise you wish to follow the right way, feel free to seek me out.” She nodded, and one of the people in silver and grey suits who had been waiting for our discussion to end, handed me a business card.

“Silver Hands Foundation, huh?” I said, as they swept off. “Not a very Christian name.” Pocketing the card I watched her go.

“There are a number of people out of place amongst the staff.” Natsumi said as soon as she was out of earshot. “I think they might be soldiers. They’re watching her carefully, warily. I think some of the others like you are too.”

“Sometimes it is wise to keep your enemies close.” Motoko agreed. “I do not know her relationship with the Royal Family here, but her expression when she looked at the dais was not kind.”

“Yes, well, good job gathering information while I talked. I really feel a lot better having you two here.” As the girls thanked me, embarrassed, Hyacinth snorted.

“We shooould definitely have killed her. Hyacinth knooows madness when she sees it.”

“Yeah, that would be one hell of a diplomatic incident. We might not get out alive.” I shook my head, Well, we would, but It’d involve some serious bioterrorism and a lot of indiscriminate casualties amongst the great and the good of the UK. It’d make the Kyoto battles look like a drunken bar brawl. “We should talk to someone a little less intimidating for now. Oh, I see Fujiwara-san and the girls. He’s with the Prime Minister.” In fact, as we met their eyes, the burly blonde man waved at us cheerfully, beckoning us over. Not having a reason to decline, we approached them.

“Here comes the man of the moment.” The Prime Minister called cheerfully. “I was just saying to Shige here I’d like to meet you. Penelope and Gerard had only good things to say.” He then turned to Motoko. “And you must be Katsuro’s granddaughter. Cute little thing, aren’t you? Quite the place to have your engagement debut. I’d be more than happy to pose for pictures, show my support.” He winked at me then. “I was a bit of a playboy in my youth. Nothing beats a good woman. But I hear you put me to shame.” He looked at Natsumi then, who was a little nervous talking to such a bombastic, important foreign figure, who seemingly knew no restraint. “From what I understand you’re quite the catch as well. And then there’s the girl from Nichibotsu Technologies, who has been adopted to Takatsukasa house? The political landscape of Japan is changing fast.”

“It is. Though as always, Kira and I will shape it properly.” Fujiwara-san said. “But it is impossible to deny the contributions of Akio-san and his allies.”

“Allies.” The Prime Minister laughed heartily. “His women, you mean? Maybe I should move to Japan, we could never get a law like that through here, the dear old Queen would have my balls.” His laugh grew louder. I could see Miyu was looking a bit nervous, so I patted her shoulder reassuringly. Seeing that, the man snorted.

“He’s making a move on your granddaughters, Shige. I’m surprised you let him. Or is it to do with her status?” he asked shrewdly.

“Yes, my Miyu is in Akio-san’s care. There is naught between them, and we have no need for further ties to the nobility. Hinata-chan, Motoko-chan and Natsumi-chan more than suffice. But if I wish my granddaughter to be safe, grow her talents and be of value to Japan, under his tutelage is the best place for her.”

“I agree.” Miyu said stoutly. “He has been good to me, and is always prepared to listen to my worries.”

“Miyu-sama is very happy lately.” Honoka-san said calmly, eyes sparkling. She was bolder than Miyu despite being younger, and wasn’t put off by the loud Prime Minister. Behind her, Koga-san looked a bit sour, but Michiru-san was nodding along, agreeing. “It is fun to get along with her, as well as Mayumi-sama, Hinata-sama and even Sakura-sama. Though I do feel left out, being the youngest. But Akio-sama has helped me out as well!” she said, calling me with respect in such company.

“So I hear. You have some wonderful granddaughters, Shige. Their English is so good too.”

“If one wants to get ahead in the world, English is still a must. All nobility are taught it from the age they learn to speak.”

“If only I could get the damn French to do the same.” The Prime Minister sighed. “After the vote, times have been turbulent. I could use a good deal on trade, to make up for our losses with Europe. You’ll not screw me on this, Shige? Not an old friend like me.”

It was quite amusing seeing him so desperate. Shige told him that so long as what we wanted was agreed, then the Diet would surely fast-track the deal in short order, relieving him.

“Good.” He pushed his sweat-slicked blonde bangs away from his eyes. “I need a win to get the damn tabloids and the Opposition off my back. I can’t say I’m overjoyed you’ve been meeting with them, but I get that you never pick sides in politics. Now, back to more fun matters.” He looked at me and Motoko. “So, tell me, how did you meet?”

Motoko smiled, and launched into the tale of her and Natsumi’s initial clumsy attempts to persuade me to accept the arranged marriage, about how they had travelled to Nishimorioka and more. The Prime Minister nodded along, amused, and in the end, when we reached where I accepted them, he grinned at me. “You really are a bad man, making cute little things like these cry. A real man takes responsibility! Although, that might be why I have so many children…” he laughed ruefully.

“Yeah, I get that a man should take responsibility. That I’ll do, and I’m not afraid to show the world I love them.” That made the three of them flush, though their happy smiles complimented their red cheeks, Hyacinth cackling a little offputtingly.

“Good, well, I’m surely expecting an invite to the wedding.” He laughed.

“That depends on you. If you lose the next election…” Fujiwara-san warned ominously, and the Prime Minister shrugged.

“Low blow there, Shige. You know I always bounce back. Besides… putting aside the trade deal with Japan, much as I need it, you know it’s matters we are discussing here today that will shape the world. Everyone here knows about the Gods’ Chosen, and the importance of them. It won’t be much longer before the entire world knows all about it too. Kyoto was bad. But there’s just as severe situations in China, South Korea, Russia… America…” he frowned, disappointed. “… and plenty of other places. We’ve had one or two incidents ourselves that have been hard to cover up.”

“Cousin Miyu-sama, are you worried about people knowing about you?” Honoka-san asked, and after a brief glance at me, she answered.

“Yes, I may have abilities given to me by Ame-no-Uzume, but despite Akio-san’s aid, I am still weak. The soldiers here could easily subdue me, and a mob of angry rioters could…”

“Isn’t that the truth!” a jovial voice said, and we turned to see two people, both very opposite in appearance, having approached us. Natsumi immediately stepped between them and Motoko, while Hyacinth arched her back like a panther ready to strike. The speaker was a woman with a cascade of messy, poorly styled dark-blonde hair, wearing an expensive-looking pink gown that didn’t suit her in either style or colour. The strange thing was that over the top of that, she wore a faded lab coat, though it was open, exposing her dress. She pushed up at the half-framed fashion glasses she wore, one eyebrow raised. Beside her was a man, towering nearly seven feet tall, with arms thicker than my legs. This giant of a man was Caribbean in descent, dark skinned and with dreadlocks, and he was wearing a suit, though his shirt, instead of being with a tie, was a garishly coloured Hawaiian one. Damn, these two are out of place. And that guy is bigger than Treyvon! The woman isn’t small herself, she’s tall and has a decent chest…

“No need to panic, hon.” The woman said as she approached us guilelessly. “I’m not going to hurt her or you. Nice reactions, right?” she said to her companion, who nodded, saying nothing, his eyes fixed on me and Hyacinth, his expression wary. “You’re not an asset, though you move like one. The thing is…” she said, not having introduced herself, or even caring that she’d butted into our conversations. “… I’ve grown able to tell just how capable someone is by the little signs. Muscle twitches, rate of breathing, eye movements… it’s not flawless, the science is still in the early days, but it gets me in the ballpark. I suppose you could be effect types, they tend to have slower reactions, weaker endurance and lesser strength than a physical type, but I don’t think so, woman’s intuition…” she confided.

“Step back. I’ll handle this.” I said, and everyone got behind me, even the Prime Minister, who was ever alert to danger. Seeing that, the woman pouted.

“Really? I’m so hurt. After all, I put aside my research to come all this way and apologise to our allies in the United Kingdom formally.” She snorted. “Oh, where are my manners?” she slapped her forehead comically. “I’m Christina Bakker, researcher from Project Star Mirror. This here is Titan. That’s a codename of course, but he’s as strong as he sounds…” she paused, noticing Titan was glaring at me, sweat on his brow.

“I see.” She looked at me, grinning. “So, you’re a Physical Type too. Fascinating.”

“Really? I thought…” the Prime Minister began, before a glare from Fujiwara-san shut him up.

“Well, we were having a private conversation, so you’ll excuse me if we are a bit wary.” I said.

“The whole point of this event is to mingle, right? I’m just being efficient. I’m still waiting for the Queen to appear, but I do have to speak to the Prime Minister as well. That’s you, right?” she said, and he nodded.

“Yes, I’m the British Prime Minster…” he began, only for her to cut him off.

“I know. Well, you were born in the US, so we think of you warmly. Bear that in mind when we apologise please!” she said without any preamble, her lack of diplomacy rather shocking. They sent her here to apologise? That doesn’t make much sense…

“So, want to share some data?” she grinned at me, before looking at Hyacinth. “You’ve got an embodied spirit here too, it seems.” She tapped on her glasses, and I could see a little flicker of light, like a camera, and faint words on her lenses. I thought they were just for show. “Now I’m curious. How about an answer for an answer?”

“To what question?” I asked.

“Simple. How about an arm-wrestle with Titan here? I’m curious if I was right. And then I’ll tell you how I spotted this cutie.” Her grin was somehow lewd, though there was nothing erotic about it.

“I don’t think this is the time or place for that.” I said, and Christina shrugged.

“Well, how about this? You two have a handshake. First one to let go loses. But try hard, okay? Wouldn’t want Titan here to crush your hand!”

I looked at Motoko who nodded, annoyed at the rudeness. She squeezed the hand of mine she was holding, and then traced something on my palm with her finger, which I could pick out with my senses. Yeah, I was going to.

“All right.” I offered a hand to the massive dark-skinned giant, and he seized mine and began to squeeze. I returned the favour, though using only a fraction of my strength. No need for Body Enhancement or Might of the Furious Earth here. Titan grunted, increasing the pressure, and I judged his stats to be Grulgor class, which was certainly powerful. I put a bit more effort in, trying to look troubled, and the squeezing increased, until I let go, shaking my hand as though I was in pain.

“So, Titan? How was it?” Christina asked, grinning.

“He’s strong, woman. But I still have the edge. I be the strongest!” He laughed loudly, pleased by his victory.

 “Yeah, I have to say you have a ton of power.” I said, meaning it. “I bet you could lift a car and throw it easily enough.”

“Is that your limit? Well, since you indulged me…” she tapped her glasses. “When the spirits from this mirror world are incarnated, they are always too symmetrical. Nobody is born with perfect beauty, nature isn’t an engineer, more’s the pity. Yet if you look at your maid here…”

She’s right. Hyacinth and Shaeula are incredibly regular. They don’t suffer from skin blemishes and the like either. Yeah, I think you could pick them out if you know what to look for. Though I wonder what she’d make of Shiro or Tsukiko-san. False positives, maybe?

“You’re right.” I admitted. “But what does that matter?”

“It matters a lot!” She was right up in my face, and her breasts knocked against me. Motoko glared daggers at her, as did Natsumi. Ignoring them both, she expounded on her desires. “We are only just now bringing over suitable numbers of them from the mirror world to America, and nobody will let us experiment on them. How can we get the data without some… sacrifices? If you let me have her, I’ll give you whatever you want. Money, US citizenship, you name it. Anything!” she licked her lips.

Anything, huh? Before I could refuse, Motoko surprised me by shoving Christina back. Titan looked ready to move, but he paused as my glare hit him, halting for a moment, and then the danger had passed. “I think Akio has no need of your shameless offer. He is here with me, his fiancée, today. If he has desires, we will take care of them, as well as all his other needs!” Her face was red, but her glare was a match for any Eri could throw out.

“Akio, you say? Oh, this is a lucky day, it’s Mr Double Vermillion, the one that got away!”

“Double Vermillion?” I asked, and she laughed, waving a hand.

“Don’t worry about it. So, you were a physical type after all, huh? We had thought you were an ability type, or maybe even a mystery type. You seemed to know a lot. We’re still debating at Star Mirror whether to adopt the terminology those poor unfortunate mercenaries brought back from you. So, this must be Shaeula then?”

“Nooo, I am Hyacinth!” she shook her head, and I could feel the prickling of nature energy stirring, as Hyacinth was incredibly wary of this woman, even more so than Mary Stuart earlier. Not that I don’t get it, but this woman seems to be a civilian. She’s just… crazy.

“Marvellous? Another, it seems. I’m ever more interested now!” she looked at Motoko with a critical eye. “Well, you’re beautiful, if you like Asian woman, no doubt about it. Young too. Is that your thing? I mean, if it’s inexperience you like, I’m your woman. Never had time for romance, only research. I hear a woman’s first time is worth a lot more. Not sure why, it’s not like sex is a limited resource… I’ll let you bed me, if you give me the maid! Not a bad deal, and it even counts as an apology for the attempted abduction, no?”

“I don’t think so.” I laughed in her face. “Hyacinth is far more precious to me than anything you can give me.”

“Am I supposed to be offended right now, Titan?” she asked, and he shrugged. “Oh well, the offer’s open. Though I can’t guarantee I’ll still be fresh.” She grinned. “There’s a lot of interesting assets here today, and several like her.” she snorted, amused by her own humour. “Though oddly enough, you aren’t the first to turn me down…”

Yeah, she’s an obvious landmine. Sure she’s got a nice face and a good body, it seems, but she’s too much like Ixitt for my tastes. Hell, that’s doing Ixitt a disservice, at least he tests his own theories and gear.

“Should you not have more pride?” Motoko said, affronted. “As a woman, you should desire to do that with those you love. And watch your language, Honoka-sama is still young.”

“You’re hardly old, girl.” she shot back. “As for love? I love research, finding answers. I’d experiment on myself if I could, to unravel the mysteries around us, but sadly, unlike Titan here, I wasn’t chosen. So I’ve been making do. Criminals, volunteers… and… well, Adam did tell me to be careful how I apologise, but… oh yeah. The US does not accept responsibility for the actions of a few… extreme… operatives. Therefore we will be offering no further compensation, nor will we accept any blame for the conditions of the abducted citizens.” She was sweating as she tried to remember what she had been told. “We have stopped such operations, and it won’t happen again. In terms of repatriation of the citizens… well, don’t blame us for their mental states. We’ve given them the best medical care we can, but…”

“Speaking as the Prime Minister…” he began. “… I have to say, this is disgraceful. Black ops on allied soil is enough to shatter any alliance. To say that you bear no blame…”

“It is a polite fiction.” Fujiwara-san said, irritated. “Obviously you know we will not accept those terms.”

“Yes, but, with China acting up, you don’t want to burn bridges…” she said, and I jumped in.

“I believe it was America who set fire to the bridges first. No, we won’t just ignore all this. As for China, we handled it. You must be aware of that.”

“Yes, but hardly flawlessly. You suffered losses.” She shrugged.

“True. But you should be know we acquitted ourselves well. So cut the crap. I mean, here you are, with just a single guard. Or are you the sacrificial lamb, to sate our anger? That’s not going to work.”

She started to sweat, mopping at her brow, a slight smile on her face. “I see. Well, Titan here is a powerhouse. Maybe we wouldn’t get out unscathed, but he could crush all of you before the others here get him. I hardly think little Christina here…” she gestured to herself. “…is worth starting a war over.” She looked at Motoko then. “I think your fiancé is trying to get me for free. But torturing me won’t do anything. I’m just a scientist and a humble messenger. I do regret that it’s come to this. We probably should have stuck to abducting from our enemies. But that’s hard, you know?”

“You are insane.” Motoko declared, disgusted. “Have you no sorrow in your heart at all?” That’s what I was thinking.

As the doors to the great hall shut behind us, all the guests now having arrived, Christina looked at us sadly. “Sorrow? I did say I regretted it. But the price of progress is paved on sacrifice. The Atomic Bomb tests, failed medicines and surgeries, harmful chemicals such as CFC’s, deforestation, industrialisation and global warming… if the sacrifice of a few can help the many, well, it’s simply numbers, right?”

“Cut the bluster.” The Prime Minister demanded. “There’s no way that we can accept a no harm, no foul solution to this.”

“Well, I tried. I knew it wouldn’t fly. Obviously I have the real offer in my pocket. But for now… I should take my leave.” She grinned at me, and my furious face. “I’ve upset Mr Double Vermillion and his fiancée. If you want to come chat, feel free, but know that Titan here could break you like a twig. We’ve never seen a stronger strength type! You’re not his match, I can tell.” She tapped her glasses.

“Later, man.” Titan said politely, surprising Christina. As they headed back into the crowd, I let out a long sigh.

“Well, she was totally insane. I feel even more pity for our stolen citizens now.” I let out a bitter sigh.

“So, level with me? Was that Titan guy so strong? He beat you, right?” The Prime Minister enquired.

“Not at all.” “Nooo, have you got eyes?” “Akio played him.” “No, I believe not.” “My Ninjitsu knows the truth.” “He was faking weakness, a clever strategy.” Motoko, Hyacinth, Natsumi, Miyu, Michiru-san, and surprisingly Koga-san all denied that instantly.

“I see. Everyone here has a lot of faith in you.” The Prime Minister said cheerfully. “Well, he looked strong to me.”

“He was. Just in terms of raw strength and likely toughness, he’s top tier, though I expect his overall speed lags. But I didn’t show all my cards, rest assured.”

“So, you’re not a physical type, are you?” he asked shrewdly, borrowing her terminology. “I know what you did for old Staveley’s wife. Good job on that, by the way, the man was a wreck, it was affecting the share price. Our economy is bad enough right now without that.”

“I think sharing such information is more than we can countenance for free.” Fujiwara-san said, and he shrugged.

“Fine. One thing though. How did you fool her? She says she can spot your strength by things that you shouldn’t be able to control.”

True, but… “You say that, but if you are dedicated enough, you can control automatic bodily reflexes.” Running one or two of my Split Thoughts to try and improve both them and the control of my body is something I do whenever I’m not doing anything else. Got to grind those skill Ranks after all…

“It can be done in martial arts, too.” Motoko agreed. “Not to the extent Akio can manage, but with proper breathing techniques, one can quell muscle tremors and more. Perfection in the Tsumura Arts is discipline, that even the uncontrollable can be tamed, and turned to strength.”

Before we could talk any further on that, the curtain on the dais was drawn back, and I caught my first sight of the Queen, sitting on a modest throne. Beside her stood Princess Eleanor, and a grey-haired man in his fifties or sixties, rather imposing and well-muscled, as well as a young man with grey hair, but not the white of age like the man beside him, but a blueish grey that was incredibly rare. Coupled with steel-grey eyes that looked rather like mine, and his handsome features, I could surmise he was not human. He was surveying the crowd, a stern expression on his face, and seeing that, Hyacinth ducked behind me, scowling.

The older man was carrying a wooden staff, and he beat the bottom of it on the stage three times, the bangs echoing through the room, stopping all conversation, silence falling. As all eyes were upon them, the Queen spoke, her tone rich and even, voice carrying effortlessly despite her great age.

“Greetings all. I thank you for coming to this special gala once again. Especially those guests from far-off lands.” For a moment her gaze fell on our group, before it passed on. “I have called you here today, all of you who know the burden that my precious granddaughter Eleanor must bear for Britian and humanity, to share information and fortify ourselves…”

All right then. My gaze was fixed on Eleanor. Time to be as convincing as possible. I’ll not let Tsukiko-san’s visions go unheeded…