Sanae Miyasu, Kusari's Prime Minister and the woman who made history. Widely perceived as signal of progress, the truth remains more sinister.
Her sometimes quirky appearance, the often lax interpretation of how to handle daily business, the sudden change to a strict and serious persona. It was all her, yet the achievement was not. She knew it. Everyday she carried the burden of knowledge, even though she was extremely happy and satisfied with her work and private life, the irk that she originally was installed as mere asset by her partner to extort the Kusari system to the fullest for profit and influence... it was one of these days.
She felt ripped apart between love and the question if her achievements are truly 100% hers? Maybe that did not matter at all. Should it ever matter? She was in power, managed to pursue other influential politicians and chances are high the vote system reformation she had heard of will only benefit her.
What mattered right here, right now was nothing but the drink in front of her: Port Tawney. After her meeting with Raven, she actually included it into her usual stock of booze. Imported through Rheinland to bypass current embargos.
Irelei was out, yet another business trip - like so many before. This means it was just her, the servants and the security personnel.
A mere minutes later, this should change. She received a notification on her pad stating that an unannounced visitor with "Kimitsu" clearance required her urgent attention.
A couple minutes later, her guest appears in her mansion's bar. A man in his early 40s and an acquittance of Sanae, albeit a most unpleasant one: Goryō.
Following his last visit, which resulted in the effective recruitment of Sanae as asset of the KNI, she urged Irelei to set an investigation in motion. Surprisingly, they achieved to uncover his true affiliation - which merely prompted him to congratulate them minutes after their achievement with the announcement that he will pay a visit again.
Here he was. She sighed. "How may I be of service to the Tokkeitai today, hm?", her tone snippy. "Esteemed Prime Minister, it is a great pleasure to be permitted to visit you here and today once more.", he was calm and overly respectful as usual. Though, he smirked overtly. "I am most happy to see that you expected me and know what this meeting is about." "I am already working for you. What's next?" "As you are well aware, our sole loyalty stands with our Imperial Majesty. So does yours, your family's and your Zaibatsu. The Miyasu Zaibatsu is the purpose of todays visit." "So.. you're dragging my employees into this too?" She sounded absent, almost disinterested. "Your Highness, you are mistaken. We are well aware Miyasu-Kōkan and its current economic decline. All we wish to do is extend our helping hand to one of Kusari's most loyal assets." He sat down, reached for an empty glass and filled himself one. "Hmph.. you leave me unimpressed. Tell me what exactly it is you want or you can go. I am not in the mood, nor do I have the time for such games." "So be it. I will be blunt with you, your Highness. I am aiming to infiltrate the Miyasu-Kōkan with some of my men and utilize its civilian appearance and on a Sirian scale insignificant nature for our advantage. I was under the impression that leaving this motion unannounced would critically harm our business arrangements. Naturally, all my men will be following your companies general code of conduct and even engage into regular work." "Uh-huh.. so.. we go beyond small assets? What's the big idea here, sir? This sounds rather large scale. I am risking a lot here, should your men get caught in the act, it will harm the companies reputation and potentially my own. Your own reputation is as always safe and sound, seeing as close to nobody knows your true identity. Give me a good reason why I should agree to this." "Your Highness, you are well aware that we are not obligated to compensate you in any way. For all we care, you can protest all you want. You would simply lose everything, while we only lose a potential candidate company usable by our own. I am not a monster though. You are well aware that I hold high regards of you, Ma'am. I will offer you what you've always searched for, just name it."
Sanae was baffled. This offer made no sense? Everything? What she always searched for...? She took a sip from her glass and turned her face away. What could that be, out of all things?... A sinister thought crossed her mind. Was it the wine or was it the scent of sheer endless power driving her mind to think this way? She turned her head back to him. "I am the second highest executive authority in Kusari on paper. In reality, this power fades away into nothingness but obedience towards the diet...", her voice started to shake but she continued.. "I seek to become the irreplaceable number two authority in Kusari, just below our Imperial Highness to eternally serve him and our great nation. Unhindered by burdens of the current constitution and establishments. Manage this and the entirety of the Miyasu Zaibatsu, plus my personal contacts and Irelei's expertise in.. data collection, shall be yours in a coequal partnership, Goryō.. or should I say, Kojirou Toshinori?"
The man merely smiled. "The one disadvantage of personal meetings. It is a good thing that your mansion is entirely free of bugs. Your request is a most curious one, however I believe this can be arranged. You understand that there will be no going back though? Once you've entered the halls, the door is shut for a lifetime. Betrayal means death, failure is not an option. We will serve Kusari in its truest form, always pursuing the biggest advantage for our nation. The required reform shall be initiated, dear. Welcome among the Ascended. I knew that you would not disappoint me. You never did, so far." "Toshinori-san. I am honored. I owe a lot to your expertise and guidance, even prior to the reveal of your side.. activity. I will continue to serve Kusari and her people to the best of my capabilities. The Zaibatsu will act for the Tokkeitai. We shall break the vicious circle holding Sirius in its grasp and turn Kusari into a paradise amongst a war-torn sector." "By any means necessary. We share the sentiment that bloodshed can only be a last resort but we both know it.. blood will flow, inevitably. You should always remember this... but.. I shall go now. Staying too long will cause questions. I will let the Ascended know. We will hold a meeting with you soon." "Toshinori-san..[....]... Take care." She fell into silence, a silence only broken minutes after the departure of her guest. A silence only broken by a sigh and the sound of poured in wine. She ascended into the circle of power, her ideals were true but enveloped by hunger for power.. Will she keep up the façade towards everyone past Irelei? Can she earn her place proper among Kusari's true rulers?... She was determined, yet felt a bit hollow. She entered Kusari's realm of shadows, a place with no escape, no turning back but the means to steer her home away from chaos, right? Right... Right!!! "Some more wine should.. fix.. this."
Kōkyo, Imperial district, New Tokyo. The Imperial Palace. - 30.11.829
The unexpected visitor was followed by over a week of absolute silence. Conclusively, it was more torture not to hear a word compared to the morale twist her agreement still presents to her. The silence was followed by an utterly surprising invitation - an official invitation to the Imperial Palace, signed with the Imperial Guard insignia. While it was not her first time to pay a visit to the Imperial Palace, it was an unusual approach to receive an invitation without prior notification.. and in paper form.
Slightly reluctantly, she had made her way to the Imperial Palace in the end. She knew such an invitation could not even be turned down if you were literally bleeding out. Her arrival held another surprise, as two guards expected her and quietly escorted her past the throne room and into the meeting room behind it. Instead of finding his Imperial Majesty - as one would expect in a meeting room for his exclusive usage - she was met with a variety of familiar faces:
Kojirou Toshinori, Kusari's Foreign Minister and - unknown to pretty much every other soul - the name behind the alias Goryō, the figurehead of the ominous Tokkeitai.
Kogen Masamune, the Emperor's cousin and Minister of Defense. A war veteran and ex-Intelligence man. Sanae had a fair share of friction with him in the past.
Yamato Ikeda, the Imperial Shogun and acting commander of the His Majesty's Imperial Guard.
The last person was unknown to her, although he wore a noticeable pin on his jacket's collar, making her assume this person to be a high profile Hogosha representative.
"Your Highness, dōzo yoroshiku." Kojirou smiled at the Prime Minister in his usual friendliness which gained him such wide-scale respect across the sector. "Please, have a seat with us."
Sanae gave the group a faint smile followed by a brief bow reflecting their quite equal social status. "Ohisashiburi desu ne everyone. I am honored to be here with you." Gracefully, she moved over to the empty seat besides the Foreign Minister and let her gaze wander across everyone else.
In their typical fashion, they merely gave her a nod in return. Neither Ikeda nor Masamune were known to be man of many words - less so towards a female politician such as Sanae.
The old Hogosha raised his coarse voice: "It is a great honor to meet you in person, Miyasu-san. I am Ryuku Daisama, head of Tokyo's Board of Crime Management and a Kanto Hogosha. I have heard great things about our first female Prime Minister. I must say, neural-net broadcasts fail to capture your true beauty. Oh, excuse me." He lightheartedly laughed.
Sanae was rather unimpressed, yet gave him a smile. "I appreciate the honesty but I suspect we did not gather here to appreciate my looks, hai?" "Indeed. We have gathered here today to welcome you as part of our Imperial Highness Kogen Tetsuya's trust circle. Our actions within and outside the Government structures pursue to enact the Emperor's will and lead our nation to a new future. - Always remember this." Kojirou said in his friendly tone, yet the underlying severity of the words meaning was clearly noticed.
The Shogun cleared his throat and without delay took the word, leaving no opportunity for Sanae to react to the Foreign Minister's words. "Miss Miyasu. As the Imperial Shogun, I will be your contact regarding everything requiring our Imperial Majesty's attention. It is of utmost importance that you understand that from now on, your individual actions are always to aim for the betterment of the Empire. Should you require advice or the Imperial Guards capabilities, you are free to contact me. Your ascension to one of us is a reflection of great trust put into your person but it also comes along with large responsibility." Ikeda gave Ryuku a nod, having noticed that the Hogosha was keen to add something. "The same applies to the capabilities of the Hogosha. Should you require their aid, I shall arrange a discreet exchange of details among you and the various Hogosha families.. and I person-.." Ryuku was interrupted. Masamune Kogen took the word in an unusual act of consideration: "Everyone, slow down. You are raining down information on her, leave her some time to process this."
Sanae had been eagerly listening, trying to understand fully what she was supposed to do and now also permitted to do. Masamune's sudden interruption and his smile towards her caught her entirely off guard - causing her calm expression to slip up.. "A-..Arigatou gozaimasu, Kogen-sama. I promise not to disappoint our nation. Yet, I cannot help but raise a question: Next to general autonomy, am I to focus on specific fields? I have to assume that you, Kogen-sama and Yamato-sama, focus on direct military and police affairs. Kojirou-san, I assume is focusing on foreign affairs and communication with the Keiretsu. It appears to me that Daisama-san is on to anti-crime actions such as counter propaganda. Sumimasen if I am mistaken."
The round remained quiet, exchanging a few gazes - Sanae's cheeks turned red, did she mess up? - after a few horrible moments of silence, they smiled though. "Hai. Everything you've just said is correct. Although, Genrō Itō Shunsuke is also part of our circle. He aids my efforts but was unfortunately unable to join us today. He prepares for tomorrows presentation of the Treaty of Lewes towards the parliament. Back to you though, there is indeed a special field we wish you to focus on. Espionage and intelligence gathering. Your connections to some.. hm, rather unique characters of the Sirian playground, did not go unnoticed. Up to this date, we relied on the usual military or Keiretsu assets to gather information. However, it became increasingly obvious that we require an unbiased, non-corporate but civilian source of information. Onegai dekimasu ka?"
Masamune seamlessly continued: "Translated into your daily business this means that your company is to act as extension of the intelligence services. Their upper echelons will still process and evaluate the data sent to them. In addition, your role as Prime Minister will be given more prominence domestically and abroad. You will travel together with Kojirou-san more often. Your combined charisma will be of great use to our upcoming foreign policies and we seek you out to use every opportunity to propose external assets to our intelligence agencies. This includes potential high-profile elements in foreign political systems or their military. If you have to charm them, bribe them, threaten them, do so. You will be given almost free reign on how to handle this." "Kashikomarimashita. Mondai arimasen. I will serve the circle to the best of my abilities, for Emperor Kogen and our glorious nation."
Sanae declared. She was afraid and excited, the very idea of possessing such ample power was like a dream come true. Just not her dream but Irelei's dream too... How would Sis react if she knew?
Following the introduction round, the meeting quickly went over multiple topics: recent foreign affairs decisions, the current on-going revitalization of the Naval Forces, the incoming introduction of a new warship class.. the meeting concluded quickly. While everyone else left, Kojirou asked Sanae to stay behind with him. "I hope you're happy. It took me some convincing, though it seems you were welcomed beyond the promises I've made. Well done. Their extension of utilizing capabilities extends to the Tokkeitai too. You're already going to work closely together with the intel units, so do whatever you must. Our next scheduled meeting is by the end of the year." "Kojirou-san. Your trust is appreciated, though I sincerely hope I won't have to make use of this offer. I will see you soon, I guess..." "We will. Until then, take care.. 'Tamamo no Mae'."
