Feeling the pressure of your shareholders breathing down your neck, subtly demanding you to cut more of your already overworked employees? Have you had to reschedule that golf game for the third time this month due to supply chain failures? Do you miss the touch of your secretary who you fired because she broke a heel and spilled coffee on your pants? Take a vacation to Fukuoka! Your number one resort destination to unwind and relax in order to refocus on what matters.
-Fukuoka tourism board advertisement campaign, 2044
As I sat in my virtual meeting room, a screen appeared in front of me and I saw the most stereotypical Japanese Patriarch I could have imagined. Thin, short beard, top knot tied back, with long flowing brown robes over a kimono, all while he is sitting seiza style in a room made of paper walls and wood. I even heard the distinctive thunk of a bamboo water fountain in the distance.
I glanced at the clock and saw it was a bit after four am for him. I bowed my head slightly and said, “Good morning, Susan'o-san.” Doing my best to remain as polite as possible.
He bowed his head as well. “And Good afternoon to you, War Games-san. I was notified that you wished to speak to me about your trip to Japan, and I must admit, I did not understand why you must speak with me specifically. That was, not until my aid showed me news of this flagship of yours, the MAF Pandora, and the rather impressive displays of power it possessed.” He narrowed his eyes at me. “Am I correct in assuming that you will be bringing that with you on your vacation?”
“That would be correct, Susan'o-san.” I said. “As this is my main means of transportation, especially since I must pass over the… ocean.” I self-censored myself, as I was about to curse out the ocean. Not a great way to make a first impression with the leader of a Samurai organization. “But you need not worry, as I will leave her at the Hokkaido Port, where she can act as an additional bulwark against the ever flowing tide of the xenos.”
“Hmm,” he grunted softly. “That would help considerably, War Games-san, both the additional power and the promise to have her stay there. A few of my aids were fretting excessively, and this will do a lot to calm them. That said, that does lead me to the original question as to why you requested to speak to me directly.”
It was strange how I could feel the pressure he exuded from the other side of a screen, but I didn't let him intimidate me, slipping into work mode slightly. “The reason for my visit is not strictly to experience your country, Susan'o-San. Please, don't misunderstand, as my family and I are excited to visit and to follow the tour that your people have set up for us, but the inciting incident is rather personal and complicated.” I sighed. “How much do you know of the Mikosano Family in Fukushima?”
He scrunched his brow slightly, a mere fraction of an expression, but enough for me to still notice. “I am aware of them as a prominent producer and distributor of medications, medical devices, and of their hospitals throughout not only Osaka, but also most of the settled area of Southern Japan, as well as their personal fleet that they use to defend Osaka Bay.”
I nodded slightly. “Hmm. Yeah, that's true. Did you also know that their old heir fled the country some twenty years back with their sister to here?”
I saw him adjust his posture as he raised an eyebrow. “I was aware that their heir had gone missing, yes. But, considering you used the word ‘fled’, I take it you are not seeking to return said heir, as you found them hidden away in some back alley drug house.”
“That would be correct.’ I said, rubbing my forehead, not quite sure how to take his justifiably stereotypical take on North America, “I know who the heir was, and that she passed not too long ago, leaving her daughter behind, who has sought shelter with me and mine. I also know that they know she is here and desire to have her.”
“Ah.” He said, understanding blooming on his face.
“Yeah. They have spent the last two years watching her and have recently launched an attack on my home to kidnap her, which was…” I had to think of a proper word to use, cause I didn't think exterminated fit the tone of this meeting. “Expunged.” Yeah, that sounded better, as Synaptic snorting at it was the best proof.
Susan'o took a drink of some tea before speaking. “And are you here asking for permission to ‘expunge’ a prominent family from my homeland?” His voice was neutral, probing.
“At first, that was the idea, as tensions and tempers ran high recently. Then it shifted to waiting for them to ambush us while we went on tour, obtaining some semblance of justification and obtaining your help that way. However, we have landed on a more honest request that should, hopefully, minimize casualties and collateral damage. We would like it if you could send them a notice, saying that we would like to discuss options to mitigate the conflict between us.” That didn't sound right, but he seemed smart enough to understand what I meant.
Susan'o nodded slowly. “I do appreciate your honesty in this matter, War Games-san, as well as your intent to take a more diplomatic approach, as if you had taken the more deceitful approach, we would not have helped you. Before I give an answer, however, I must ask a few things in order to clear up mine own understanding of the situation.”
“That sounds completely reasonable.” I said.
He smiled slightly. “Thank you, War Games-san. Earlier, you mentioned the heir was a she, but to my knowledge the official heir was a boy named Tsubuki.”
“Ah, yeah. I could see how that could be a problem.” I said while rubbing my chin. “She initialized as a Samurai shortly before she fled and has been going by the name Blizzard while here. Her name was still Tsubuki Mikosano, and her sister, Susato Mikosano, lives in Texas currently.”
He took a deep breath. “I see where the problem lies, now. You also mentioned that she left a daughter, correct? May I ask what relation you have with her?”
I cleared my throat and scratched the back of my head. “She’s… she's my fiance.”
“Ah. That… complicates things immensely.” Susan'o said, placing a hand on his chin. “The Mikosano Family is old and very powerful in their territory of Osaka. As such, they are very staunch traditionalists, and would only give up on their heir under very specific circumstances. Considering both how public and powerful Tsubuki Mikosano was in Arizona, they should have long since abandoned the notion of forcing her back. But if she had a child, that changes things… especially after she passed. They will see it as a shame that the child isn't a boy, and will either arrange a marriage for her or forcibly change her sex into that of a male.”
I could feel anger rise at that notion. I chuckled darkly, “Yeah, well I can assure you that even if they caught her, the second option is impossible. After all, she isn't fully human anymore, so anything they try will fail.”
“Hmm. Not necessarily.” He said, “We assume they have a Samurai in their family, considering their more advanced technologies active on their ships, so they may have a way to bypass that.” He sighed. ”But this is a moot point. Considering her fiancé is a Samurai with considerable power, they may try to negotiate the purchase of an egg or two from her, considering anything else would spell the end of their Family.”
“So, why doesn't their current Patriarch just have another kid?” I ask. “With medical technologies as they are, it should be simple for even a seventy year old couple to safely conceive.”
“It's slightly more complicated than that, with centuries of traditions and prejudices that boil down to it not being an option.” He takes another sip of tea. “With your permission, if you still desire, I will pass along the message that you wish to negotiate in person in October. This will hopefully prevent them from doing anything… regrettable in the mean time and allow you to enjoy your trip at that time. I will say this, however, that I can send a… third party to arbitrate the negotiations, in order to further prevent the possibility of open conflict.”
I think for a moment before nodding. “That would be great.” Then I smirked slightly. “Just so long as you don't send Nya.”
He chuckled heartily at that. “Oh, Heavens no. I seek to prevent bloodshed, not expedite their journey to King Yama.” He took a breath to calm himself. “Well, with the main goal of this meeting finished, I would like to ask if, while you are here, you would be willing to do a catalog exchange with us. From what I have seen of your ship, I assume there are considerable technologies that we would benefit greatly from, and seeing as you are setting up your own Military, we should have plenty that could interest you, as well.”
My smirk turned to a sincere smile. “I would be more than happy to, Susan'o-san. If I could, I would offer you them now. Unfortunately, my understanding is that we must be in a certain proximity to each other, so I will save that for later.”
After a few more pleasantries and explanations of traditions, we ended the call. I exhaled and leaned back in the virtual meeting space, satisfied with the meeting.
<Mind if I pick your brain for a moment, Synaptic?>
I suppose I could offer you a fraction of a fraction of a percent of my Continent sized processors that I allocate to you, specifically, in order to allow you to satisfy your curiosity.
<Hah. So humble you are. Well, using that extremely wonderfully powerful processor of yours, what are the odds that things go well with the Mikosanos and these negotiations?>
While I cannot predict with absolute certainty that far into the future, as you humans are as chaotic as you are, my next best guess is that things will end poorly for them. Whether that is because they ignore your power, or they are unable to obtain any genetic materials from Cari that they could use due to the unique biology she possesses, or any number of freak accidents, like a meteor strike or a satellite crash, or an incursion, it is almost certain that by the end of the decade, they will be in very dire straights.
<... Any chance you could influence the meteor one to happen in the next month?>
Certainly! Simply spend one million points and twenty tokens to purchase an Asteroid Capturing and Attraction Magnet to drop a meteor on them. While any astronomer with halfway decent equipment, for humans, will be able to detect the meteor and warn authorities, it will in no way be linked to you!
<Uh huh. Fair enough. Silly me. Thanks, Synaptic.>
Any time.
Returning to reality, I saw that a little more than an hour had passed and that we had eliminated another four hives. I went over the footage of Opal's turn and saw that the Laser cannon was both very effective but also intuited that it would work best in conjunction with the other weapons.
It could fire continuously for as long as the engines weren't overdrawn, and it could burn through just about anything with enough focused fire, but the spread wasn't the greatest. It seemed that the optimal usage of the cannon batteries were designed to have the laser cannon pierce the defences of the target, the plasma cannons to deal heavy damage to hive structures, and the sixteen inch guns were to be used to fill in the gaps left behind.
That said, everyone had a blast firing the cannons, especially since the guns were linked to their senses. As I looked around, I caught Damien's eye. “How did it go?” He asked.
“Pretty well.” I answered, rolling my neck, “Good news is we aren't banned from the country, and so long as we aren't the ones to initiate hostilities, the Keiretsu will have our back.”
“That's good.” He nodded, then he sighed heavily. “Honestly, as much as I know the girls will want to go with you, I am very hesitant to send anyone other than Opal. She's the only one of them who knows how to fight and is ready to kill, despite David doing his damndest to keep her from it. Alice... she's strong, but I don't want her to kill someone.”
“I get that, I do.” I smirked at him. “But you and I both know that they would sneak on board the Pandora with the help of Synaptic and the rest, even if you say no.”
“Yeah. Yeah, you're probably right.” He slumped in his seat. Shaking his head, he stood, then said loudly. “Alright, everyone. I'm heading out. Opal, I'll be taking Alice with me. Does anyone else need a lift back to the city?”
Yerlette stood. “Much as I have enjoyed this, I do have some things I need to get done in town. And, forgive me if I'm wrong, but Jill, don't you have training in a bit?”
Jill groaned. “Yeah, we do. Night mission for the four of us out in south Phoenix. Supposed to last the weekend, and Hilda wants to go over everything with us.”
Opal waved them off. “Good thing for me, I don't have anything to do this weekend, so I'm going to keep shooting aliens. See ya'll Monday.”
In the end, the only ones left on the bridge were Opal, Cari, Rogal, Jim, Outsider, and myself.
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