The end of a story...

[Xing]

Chapter 9 - Konoe Shidan Taisho

Isabelle walked up toward the throne where the Emperor sat. She was the last of the 9 Guardian Fleet taisho.

On each side of the walkway to the Throne were columns of soldier standing at attentions; so numerous they were, they inspired the image of an infinite army...
Somewhere within the ranks of men, stood Jimmy - she personally asked for his presence at the ceremony. Uncle Daite had much trouble trying to find some kind of argument to let a total "alien" within the Kusari society... but with so much powers, militarly as much as politically, one could only bow to the will of the Dai Taisho. Even bureaucracy and conservative lords.

She was well aware many were those who wouldn't accept her.
She knew though some believed in her. Jimmy. Daitetsu. Kaito. And countless sailors and soldiers of the 7th fleet she was about to command - this time, as its definitive mistress.


The crowd, mostly select nobles of the imperial family, watched from nearby platform, definitively surprised by the identity of their newest guardian fleet' commander - an outsider, and a woman.
There wasn't a single female soldier in the imperial fleet that ever reached such high a ranking.
And there were simply no outsider in the imperial fleet at all.

Isabelle made a half smile at these thoughts. How would the citizens of the empire react? Shock? Or acceptance?
There was a time when everyone in down town New Tokyo used to know her, and enjoyed taking care of the little blonde girl, a curiosity in the isolationist empire... she wondered how these people would react if they knew the little curiosity now became their leader?
Would they still be able to recognise her now?... maybe.

She held the handle of her katana sword, symbol of her new status. It felt somewhat weird to wear the imperial uniform; it looked more like a japanese feodal armor than actual clothing, with the stars marking her as taisho on her dark shoulder plate - dark, because that was the colour of all Konoe Shidan units.

she wore over this, a cape and tabard on which was shown the agressive head of a wolf - the wolf because it was the emblem of the 7th fleet, her fleet.

--

The Divine Emperor.
One couldn't look at the Emperor directly. It was a mark of respect in Kusari culture, dating back to Old Earth. As such, Isabelle took great care not to look at the face of her new Master, and knelt down...

Few actually saw the face of the Emperor directly. Dai-Taisho Mitsurugi was one of the priviledged few in a very restrained list. But probably no one could claim to have known the Emperor. His will was most mysterious, and those who tried to analyse his governorship never met neither ends of their work.
It was one such mystery that allowed Isabelle to be propelled at the rank of Taisho, although she only participated in one battle for the kusari navy, without even being truly a member of the fleet.
But, no one went against the word of the Sky, for the Emperor was the Earthly representative of Heaven, and no one was crazy enough to search for the Underworld. Except the demon Blood Dragons and their sisters, the Chrysanthemums.

She could feel the soft touch of the autocratic ruler of the immense kusari empire on her head, and she somewhat felt much more relaxed than she was a few seconds ago. No one told her what would happen in the ceremony; as such, she truly was entirely at the mercy of this mysterious man, a man she couldn't look at.
Divine or not, the Emperor did manage to maintain a strong facade of mystery as he made a speech on her heroic move within the Sigma borders, and explained his decision to pick her as the Chosen One for the 7th Fleet. His voice was neither masculine, nor feminine. She couldn't determine if it was a young man talking to her, or an old one - and she wondered just how much of an actor the Emperor was, for she learned how to differentiate and identify all variation of voices when she was a White Wolve commando.
Who was this man?
Was he a man at all for that mattered?

The sudden idea that the Emperor would actually be a nomad travelled through her mind but quickly disappeared as the man removed her hand from her head...
"Arise, my loyal servant."

She did as told, and maintained her eyesight low, but the soft hand of the emperor took her by her chin and forced her gently to look at him...
She saw...
A young face, a great leader. Dark hairs, nearly blue so black they were, worn very long. And the eyes, so dark too, shining with intelligence and wise knowledges...
Was it her imagination, or did she saw, for a milisecond, bright purple light shining from these eyes...?

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