"Group!"
The men within the corridor stood at attention on each side, realising the presence of the general, and saluted together. The highly ranked officer went by them and saluted in return, slightly distracted, although it was hard to notice.
A few seconds later, the men went back to their own business. However, chatter were heard whispered here and there, going on the same subject;
"... what hapenned to the general? She doesn't looks quite right..."
"... agreed, I wonder wh..."
"... she's like that since 2 weeks or so..."
"... do you think..?"
Isabelle was quite aware of all this despite never having taken attention to it. She sighed heavily as she entered the password to her office. There was much work to do, she couldn't put her focus on working on her expression and her paperwork...
Not that she wasn't making any effort already...
Sitting on the spartiate chair of the somewhat empty room, she wondered about... what exactly?
She couldn't concentrate on anything with all the turmoil in her head. It was... too chaotic...
A memory from the past managed to surface, and she clinged on it, desperate for something solid to hold on...
[...]
He was very young for an admiral. But even though his physical appearance didnt fit well with the rank on his shoulders, his intellect certainly was.
Young, relatively tall for one of his people, his long, jet black hairs framing a pretty face, somewhat effeminate, the man was indeed very charming. It surprised more than one that he was single; with such a gifted body and brain, he could have gotten any woman certainly.
Daitetsu Mitsurugi smiled slightly at that thought as he sipped a bit more from his cup of tea. He was a warrior, and his main duty was to battle his countless enemies, not to bed the woman of his fantasy He couldnt spare time for such primal needs. Beside, was there any greater feeling than the one where a warrior faces his equal face to face?
Mitsurugi chuckled slightly as he walked around his garden without much purpose. The ground was covered lightly with snow; winter was beginning to arrive.
Face to face? That would be the supreme honour however, these were the samurais of another era. Today, he was prideful to command a fleet of war machines, hundreds, thousands of men under his command, ready to die for the same cause he believed in.
Mitsurugi Taisho, two visitors are awaiting at the gate.
The young admiral sighed slowly as he was pulled out of his dream world by the voice of his house electronic surveillance system.
Do let them in. Have them meet me at the entrance.
However, today visit wasnt one of these imperial investigators or any other annoying flies hed prefer to cut down with the steely blade of his sword
He smiled genuinely as he recognised the pale-skinned man entering his domain.
Kaitlynn Taisho! What an honour to bring your presence within my home! Please, come, have a seat.
John Kaitlynn, whose hairs already began to become a silvery grey, was a remarkable contrast in the habitation of Mitsurugi. Everything, including his host himself, seemed dragged out straight from some Old Earth 17th century Japanese empire mansion. Mitsurugi himself was dressed somewhat like a samurai warrior; his clothings embellished by decorative armour plating, more symbolic of his power than protective of a blaster shot.
It is great to see you are well, Daitetsu been a long while, isnt it? the libertonian admiral replied as he sat hesitantly on the cushion set on the floor. Everything seemed so miniature to his eyes.
Indeed. The name of my family owes much to you, my old friend. I
Kaitlynn smiled, somewhat embarrassed,
Please, Daitetsu it was nothing, only duty. You dont owe me anything, really.
Was the man kusari as well, admiral Mitsurugi would have been slightly offended in his pride. But knowing the libertonian code of honour, which was much more lax on many points, he merely smiled back. It was useless to bicker on a debt an Outsider; in this, they certainly have a great heart.
As Mitsurugi poured tea for his surprise-guest, he shifted his attention to an individual he only noticed now so small he no, she, was
I presume, she is your daughter?
Yes, indeed. Kaitlynn looked towar the little girl as he pushed her gently forward. She was slightly intimidated by the whole new, exotic environment, so different from what she was used to. Mitsurugi, this is my daughter, Isabelle. Isa, say hello to admiral Mitsurugi
The little girl was obviously a bit frightened, but as obviously maintained a good fa?ade. Mitsurugi nodded in appreciation. He hated weakness shown by the kusari female, their automatic submission in front of anything
Hi admiral Mitsurugi.
She extended a small hand forward, which he shook gently. Polite, courageous, just like her father
Mitsurugi didnt have much appreciation for women in general, but who knows. Maybe the daughter of Kaitlynn will become something worthy of his great father?
Samurais often based themselves on their instincts, and his instinct told him he was going to see young Isabelle in the distant future
--
A too-young Kusari imperial admiral, friend to a Liberty admiral. Two nations, two people, two entirely different world that disliked each other and yet stayed together for the only god that was universal to all people: Credits.
The Kusari people never really liked strangers. It was a true statement back in the Nippon empire of Old Earth, and it was true in this new civilisation they built from the ashes of their former nation, even though distant by terms of light-years from their cradle.
With the libertonian corporations trying to invade little bits of the Kusari people everyday, it was somewhat understandable for this naturally isolated people to hate the white outsiders. As such, the friendship Mitsurugi shared with Kaitlynn was a unique one.
Not too surprisingly, it involved the white outsider, the undeclared enemy to the Kusari people, saving his, Mitsurugi life, nothing less. That was of course, years ago, when he was still an inexperienced commander
With the borders open to free commerce, Kusari was not only invaded by the undesirable tourists and commerce, but as well, the presence of outsider pirates if the imperial command didnt took these annoyances too seriously at the beginning, the real threat they represented became clear after a few years of activity.
Eventually, it became clear the Corsairs and the Liberty Rogues were openly trashing the Kusari border space with impunity, and this couldnt be tolerated. At that time, Mitsurugi was already a commodore in the imperial navy. How such a young man managed to climb the ranks of the military organisation so fast was quite a wonder; maybe it was his entire devotion to the code of the Samurai? For one, he didnt seemed concerned with anything but combat, and fought the wars not for personal gain, but for glory, not for personal power, but to justify his pride.
Of course, there were those admirals who didnt like such a star crashing in their conservative club. How such a young one could come to their level was unthinkable. Assassination crossed the mind of many, but the thought itself was highly dishonourable, to strike in the back of a man who did only well for his nation.
So it was thought to assign this menace with an impossible task.
By that time, Kusari southern space was a real rogue playground, so much liberty convoy had to rely on mercenary and bounty hunters to protect their convoys. Not only did it made a grave stain to the honour of the imperial navy, it clearly showed actions needed to be taken. And so, commodore Mitsurugi, genius Mitsurugi, was sent with a small task force barely the size of a standard destroyer patrol to take care of the matter. The admirals had their doubts whether the man performed as well in front of the real battlefield. He has the physic of a young academic, but not that of a sage strategist for sure.
The small force consisted of Mitsurugi flag, the KNF Izanagi, two escort gunboats and a small fighter squadron composed of old Dragon crafts.
It didnt take a genius to figure out the task force was way too small to deal with the pirates. Especially once they entered the nebula where the criminals hid
If pirates were known to generally lack any culture and education in general, they certainly knew how to fight and adapt themselves to any situation, just like wild beasts. Their guerrilla style warfare rapidly picked off nearly half of his fighter squadron before he was able to mount a counter attack and give him enough time to reorganise his lines.
There was no other option but to charge forward though, an action no commander from any other House would have done. But in Kusari, the word retreat was seldom used. There was victory or death, nothing between.
By staying mobile, they could evade the risk at being ambushed
But that was exactly what happened. Despite all his strategic brilliance, Mitsurugi tactics was useless against such a large amount of pirates; for they have left the rough spaces of independent worlds to colonise the Kusari space, they came en-masse with their scrap ships, and it was much like having walked over a cradle of bee. Soon, one of his escort gunboats was down and so went to ash the second one.
When only the destroyer was left, the Gods reacted.
These ships were of a shiny white, and were outsider machines. Large, with no regard to size, the Liberty cruisers and their escort fighters began picking off the enemies, before turning their attention to a large armoured station; the Rogue base Mitsurugi discovered without even realising, so busy he was to survive
Using their main guns, the libertonian vessels pierced the station at its very core, destroying it with minimal energy. It was over so fast, yet it seemed like hours to Mitsurugi.
Sounds like we showed up right on time, eh?
Despite being shaken by all the losses he sustained, Mitsurugi still managed to smile at the words of the outsider comment. He was alive, that was all that counted.
Isabelle looked at the windows, and saw the immense body of the Citadelle de Quebec fly by lazily, as thousands of repulse lifts prepared its landing. One of the only dreadnaughts capable of landing on a planet and perhaps, the largest vessel capable of such action, the Citadelle certainly was an impressive sight once on the ground and one realised just how immense it was. But Isabelle was used to it.
She returned her attention on the papers in front of her on her desk. More reports of problems. The Texas matter. Political problems. Rheinland menace. Piracy. Corsair raids. Problem within the naval forces. Conflict within the command structures. Smuggling. Conspiracy.
She didnt understand. These problems has existed since a long time in many cases, but has only gotten worse since some time. As well, new problems were appearing here and there despite all her efforts. Everyone wanted a piece of Liberty.
Everyone wanted a piece of her. A piece of the navy, the 106th her father
What did she do of wrong? What did they do of so wrong?
Was it truly her fault if everything was spiralling down?
She sighed slowly as she pulled off the 5 silvery stars from her uniform, and looked at the rank thoughtfully. Why was she fighting in the Liberty army?
Was it for peace, justice, freedom
No! She shook her head. At the beginning, it was only to avenge. Revenge pushed her. Decimate the space pirates. Make them pay!
Isabelle closed her eyes as she closed her fist over her insignia, the sharp edge of the stars cutting in her palm. It didnt matter. She was used to the pain. Didnt she often say pain was a friend?
The White Wolves
Wasnt it just fighting for the whim of a government? Pushing a human body to the limit, and over the limit of its capacities. Accomplishing the impossible for a normal human being. No regards for human rights. Not that it concerned her much. Isabelle wasnt a humanist. Not after all her years of service, especially all the time she served within the Special Operation WW Forces.
She turned her growing irritation on other subjects, her mind losing coherence once again.
All Liberty was about lies over lies, wasnt it? The Xenos might be vomiting tons of ridiculous propaganda in their messages, but somewhere, something was true in their accusation. While the government
Liberty wasnt Liberty. It was a giant arena where you fought for power, the vile power that corrupted men, no matter how pure they once were...
In the end, I tried to fight for my people, and failed them.
Isabelle opened her hand, and not too surprisingly, it was covered with blood. She didnt really notice the pain. But it kept her in the real world in her state of irrational dream world.
The silvery stars were now stained in her blood or was it the blood of her victims...
This was Liberty. A shining star covered with crimson stains
Mitsurugi looked at her in amusement before drinking from his tea. It seems the admiral was never seen without a damned cup of tea in his house
I am very serious, uncle Daite! A young Isabelle said with determination, sitting on the cushion laid over the flooring of his personal dojo.
This is not a game, Isa. I shouldnt even allow you in here for you are neither master nor student. The admiral replied simply, as he rose up on his feet and unsheathed his blade. The man had been in the room for hours, training against holographic enemies generated by a powerful computer. Isabelle was sitting there, captivated by the fight that was going on, impressed at the mastery of the blades uncle Daitetsu had.
It was yet another month that would have left her parentless; her mother was as usual gone in the far away Sigmas to manage her business while her father was yet again dragged away in the independent border worlds in mission.
Hopefully, uncle Daitetsu happened to be taking some time off from his duty this month as well, and hence how Isabelle landed so far away from her home, in the middle of Kusari.
Why dont you take me as your student then?!
There was something about the beautiful, cyan eyes of the girl that showed her will; if she wanted something, she will have it one way or another.
Mitsurugi nodded. His first impressions on the little girl years ago were only strengthened as they met on occasionally.
And, her words had some truth in it. Was she following the way of the Samurais, she could have begun her training as soon as now. She had the physical build for it, her height and weight seemed well equilibrated to practice the art of Kenjutsu, and she seemed mentally strong to do so as well. All in all, a perfect student.
But there were only two strange problems; she wasnt Kusari, and, she was a female.
Oh well, he was a friend with a libertonian admiral, why not teach a libertonian how to wield a real weapon, eh?
The admiral nodded in agreement, and Isabelle nearly exploded with enthusiasm.
What a bullet of energy, Mitsurugi thought
--
Uncle Daite? When will we have our next training session?
The man chuckled as they sat down for dinner. He often took the girl now a fully grown adolescent that still kept calling him uncle Daite, to a small discreet soba restaurant in New Tokyo. There, they could eat without being bothered by the Medias who might recognise him. And wonder why was he taking care of an Outsider girl.
One matter at a time, Isa. Do be patient, it is an important virtue.
Yes uncle Daite
It was strange how the ways of the warriors of his people seemed to attract this girl from a world completely different from his own. Somehow, that first day when she was taught how to wield a wooden sabre managed to tie her with the destiny of a warrior. She had made much improvement since then, patiently and obediently learning from him. Mitsurugi didnt recalled having such a good student, one that put so much effort in an art judged more symbolic than anything nowadays.
It wasnt his belief, nor was it that of Isa. If battles of today were made aboard large vessels of steel and with laser artillery, the art of Kenjutsu was still useful at maintaining the strict discipline a warrior had to keep within himself. True, he sports the Katana only as a symbol of his rank, since he wouldnt have many uses of such a medieval weapon in a real combat situation, even on close quarter. Still, it definitively wasnt a mere decorative element.
He was glad this fact could be understood from someone that didnt even reached adulthood, and wasnt even kusari.
He dropped his presumptions on the superiority of male over female since a long time. Isa has demonstrated that quite a long while ago.
--
Doo!!*
Mitsurugi countered the strike with his blade, before pushing Isa away. The girl well, she was a woman now, really was doing incredibly well one millisecond too late and he would have been down on the ground.
The admiral smiled slightly before focusing back on the combat. As usual, Isa charged in first, entering on the aggressive stance immediately. While it was rather predictable a tactic, the sheer speed at which she moved was very hard to counter. He had to remain alert, and she left him no time to counter attack, only defend. Very good.
But Mitsurugi was much more experienced than Isa, and merely awaited his time. Defending was much less energy consuming than attacking, and despite their difference of age (he was starting to get some grey hairs as well), they were probably on the same level.
There, her movements were getting slower
One horizontal cut was all that was needed right foot ahead, torsion of the upper body, and release the whole power of his arm!!
What!?
Their blade met, and this time, Isa used her full strength, pushing him, lifting him off the ground and pinning him on the ground. She faked her weakness!
Impressive!
Isabelle smiled as she pulled herself away from him, sheathing her katana blade. She then extended her arm, helping him to get on his feet.
Ive been had, it seems he said, somewhat disappointed at his own failure but smiling nonetheless.
Ive cheated a little bit it was somewhat dishonourable, no?
Mitsurugi laughed lightly as he sheathed his weapon as well and took a seat on a cushion nearby.
In real combat, there is no such thing as cheating. If your enemy kills you while you are not paying attention, you wouldnt call him a cheater, wouldnt you?
Indeed, uncle Daite. You are alright? She said, smiling as she sat next to him.
Yes yes thank you, Isa.
They remained silent for a few minutes, breathing hard as they rested from their combat, then as it was tradition for both of them, continued on chatting about everything and nothing until late in the night
Mitsurugi thought, he would gladly have a woman with him in his life if he could get such a daughter in return
Isabelle threw her uniform on a corner of her room, as she tiredly went to her bed. But there, she couldnt find rest, only her mind being tortured even more by the silence of the night and the howling of the cold California Minor wind.
Computer lightning up to 10%. Dial up number 9384KTY on my private comm. link system.
The automated system did as she ordered and soon enough, the familiar voice of a kusari admiral was on the line
She couldnt stop herself, but burst in tears.
--
On the other side of the sector, Daitetsu Mitsurugi was suddenly pulled out of his sleep by a phone call from as distant as Liberty. But he didnt knew to look at the description pad from his comm. unit to know it was Isa who called, Isa who was also crying incoherently on the line. His face softened up from his irritation at being awaken so early in the morning.
Isa
Isa, dont let your emotions take over you please.
He was somewhat surprised to hear from her again. They didnt see each other much nowadays. He knew with pride that the young girl he used to teach became a high ranking officer among her people, fighting on the front lines. They communicated barely once a month so busy they were by their respective duty, and she already did called him this month.
Finally, the woman calmed down and was able to speak coherently.
Isa, what happened?
There was a long pause, then, in a shaken voice;
Father is gone
And she somehow managed to remain calm and coherent long enough to recall and recount the message she received a few days ago.
Father went away in a typical patrol with a portion of his fleet. There were reports of pirate allied components wrecking havoc in some sectors of the northern independent space. And so, with a division of cruiser vessels and escort fighters, he went on a very ordinary cleansing operation. His long standing experience within fleet command assured him clear victory of course. Against mere pirates armed with big guns, the elderly Kaitlynn had more than one trick in his pocket even with inferior numbers.
And everything would have went right, but the admiral cruiser was sabotaged. By who? No one knew yet.
Reports only indicated no survivor came out of the flagship.
Isabelle closed her eyes, exhausted. She wondered how she managed to keep her emotions bottled up like this for so long, maintaining the appearance for her men. But now that she was finally alone, she could let go of her.
And now that it was all out, she felt so empty
what am I supposed to do now, uncle Daite father was my only guiding light in this hell and now he has extinguished
There was another long moment of silence as Mitsurugi let her calm down somewhat, after which, his only answer, spoken in a soft voice;
Come to Kusari.
--
Even as she sat numbly aboard her automated shuttle craft headed for Kusari, she wondered if she should have told Jimmy about all of this. Probably not for now. She didnt even felt ready to accept the news.
She was going to wait til she was able to digest all of it before bringing it to her love
For the moment, it seemed only uncle Daite could help her
In some way, he was her only parent still in the living world
--
It was a short ride from the New Tokyo starport to admiral Mitsurugi residence. The aging man, whose hairs has now turned completely grey, was awaiting for her at his door. No words were needed; Isabelle fell in his strong arms, hugging the admiral.
Isabelle
They went slowly within the house, as the sky began to rumble and rain began to fall
Heated by the warm fire of the house (it was autumn, and even though conventional electric heating was available, Mitsurugi seemed to prefer a very simple living, relying on technologies that could be considered near-primitive), Isabelle sat down slowly against the old admiral, the man which has raised her for a good portion of her life. The father that taught her the passion of war, the one that taught her discipline and strength. Even though she closed her eyes, she felt the strong arms of uncle Daite seize her gently and put her in a more comfortable position.
I know you dont drink much, but youll probably need some tonight. Here.
The man approached a small bowl of sake next to her lip and she drank from the liquid slightly reluctantly. She wasnt used to the exotic brewage, and didnt really liked it either, but it indeed warmed her a bit. She could at least sense something within her.
Isabelle nodded slowly as she began recounting all the events that happened recently to her old protector
Do you remember?
I enlisted to avenge friends. You disapproved my reason, yet supported my act. You said, if a warrior didnt know a goal in his fight, he has lost the war before it even began.
What was I doing all these years, serving Liberty? Yes, the military life was running strong in my blood, but I had no objective, nothing to guide me. Father didnt managed to see this, he didnt understood this. I didnt either, to be truthful.
I was a warrior, yes, but a blind one. I was dragged in the mud, used by the corrupted, greedy politicians to achieve their power. I was ordered things that went against the principles we were supposed to defend. I created myself an illusion that I was doing the right thing, until I realise now, it was all about lie.
Liberty isnt true to its noble causes. I dont blame them; instead, we should put the blame on human nature itself. There is just no hope anymore, from once a noble people home, to become an incomprehensible arena for power-hungry gods I heard even my own people, who came along with the original Libertonian, were moving toward the Bretonian spaces, some even enlisting to serve the Armed Forces. After all, we cant deny much of our roots are from there as well.
Life has become unsupportable in Liberty. The ever-present menace of a war between the two most powerful nations in Sirius is killing everyone. Funds are being wasted in military power while the people doesnt understand why the pirates keep growing.
As one thing, Liberty isnt a nation anymore. It is merely a ground, an arena where one comes to amass power.
No human entity should be in control of the center of the world, for none of us is a divine god
Father wasnt killed in action. He was assassinated dishonourably by yet another power hungry monster. His factional affiliation isnt even important. It could have been a rogue or an overzealous libertonian officer. Maybe it was the junker syndicate or some rheinland agent. Is it important anymore?
Oh, uncle Daite, my world is crumbling and no one is helping me to keep it coherent.
Ive won so many battles, only to lose the final one
Your words were true, in the end, I lost the war
Bartender hit me again!:* called a very Drunk Jimmy Patterson,it was the aniversery of the day he joined it was also th4e day his family and fiance at the time was killed and he was upset deathly upset"i dont care if its closeing time corpral gimme another damn beer!" *ripples of thoughts trickled into and out of his head his love of his family ,isabelle. Not getting his drink he walked back to his quaters,when the very reason he had enlisted in the Liberty forces washed over him like a tidal wave on curcao..........
Evergreen city Colorado system planet Denver 8 months ago
CLANG! Two blades locked one another there users strikeing hard and fast was it battle,no but sparring"youve improved baby, sense the last time i was here" said a young ninteen year old(and highly attractive kusari girl to a younger more carefree twenty year old jimmy Patterson"lwets just say ive got a few tricks up my sleve hun,like this one"*with a sudden flick of his wrist he overpowered her knocking her blade out and dropping his own pulling his "attackjer"into a loveing hug and kissing her softly
"do you have to take this cointract,its our 3 year aniversery hun" she promptly and loveingly returned it and replyed somewhat saddened"you know i..we need the money espically now that you run your familys mineing busness,whats left of it ill be fine you know i can hold my own,also Silver dosent mine itself,now my transport leaves in 20 minutes ive gotta run take care"
myoko kunasago was a young upcomming bounty Huntress she met jimmy when he was 15 on a vavcation to kyushu months after they stayed in contact with her family subsaquently moveing to Liberty later that year she had hoped to become a famous and honored Huntress and 4 years later thats slowly commingwith her starting as soon as she hit eighteen"ill talk to you later hun be safe i should beable to meet you when im done in the felid.....
L-9 Officers wing Pattersons room
Jimmy was Crying now flat out bawling he was also digging through the flight recorder log of his transport the night pirates took his first love away why he kept them he never said yet Isabelle knew finding the one he was looking for he played it saying only a word or so"computer run trace program all hostile ships based on current regrestry data"
Colorado space Denver orbit/Pattersons room
Silver Dream to Samura Transport Gold 12 do you read" jim said from the super modified Family rhino transport as he awaited mooring,his girl was on that ship all he wanted was a chance to talk to her it had been 3 weeks he was just comming back from his familys plot of the feilds,the transport barked back "Silver Dream this is the Katana we read you,what can we do for you?" jim called back unaware of the hostiles inbound warnings on sideband froim puebelo"yeah Katana i was woundering if you couod patch me to quarters J15 Myoko Kunasagos room,its my fiancee you see" Katana replyed right as the pirates that killed his beloved came into range of the early warning systems on denver* "yeah i can patch you hang o..what..man tyhwe guns man the guns! denver control we need emergency doc..SHEILDS SHEILDS"*the katanas bridge went up in the first salvo police fighters scrambled..jim panicked risk his ship or stay in the defence guns range they were only xenos what harm could they do allthough there ships looked strange he stayed still powered sheilds and weapons and dident move ,a move he would later wish he hadent done* "Silver Dream to Katana, Respond Katana respond anybody.. myoko!"*he got static horrably static with the odd scream or klaxon he was dieing at each female scream uncertyin if it was his beloved he cut ift off as the transport blew up the computer running its program ..his girl had been lost in the first volly she was in the foreward sections* "computer results" jim ordered his tears slowing,he wanted isabelle but she was on leave what he saw next caused him to Dent the 3/4 inch durasteeel desk he sat at...Corsairs!corsairs had ruined his life . he revieded the other lgos when his parents were killed ..they were sairs as well! he angrelly closed the file saveing it as normal and colapsed on his bed the dull red light shineing on his face when he heard his former loves last words"Avenge my Honor my loveing Samuri...i love you jimmy.."
*jim shot up looking back through his files..service record promotion everything and he was upset not sad but angry..angry at Corsairs angry at pirates at liberty the navy hell even the army ..no the entire damn house he entered his command codes took leave pulled his bars off and set them aside the way the light hit them loked like blood and hellfire..the blood of people he knew and worked for the hellfire being the goverment of liberty he decided to make the call one he hardly ever used "computer dial gen kaitlynn emergency beacon she probly was busy but he left a note on her comlink it was shor tand sweet "genenral i say these words with most thought and fully accepct whatever action you take..i seek resignment i seek to follow you treason or defection..it matters not my love my genenral we must talk"
//if you dident want me posting here il ldelete it just writew like you would again sorry if you dont want me posting here
Two weeks has passed. Isabelle didnt came back to Liberty meanwhile, having handed her duty temporarily to commodore Lavoie. She wondered how the man managed to stay alive in such a dead world
She smiled slightly, thinking how brave the man was, ignoring the waves after waves of difficulty life was bringing forward to his career. Then, she realised she just smiled
Her hand touched reluctantly her face, unconsciously. It had been a long time since she had any emotion other than sorrow
2 weeks passed with uncle Daite had changed her much. To revisit that place which was like a second home to her was refreshing good old memories of her youth. Enjoyable times passed together with this now elderly Kusari fleet admiral. Just going from one room to another was somewhat lightning her heart from all the burden that has fallen on her lately. It was refreshing to be here.
Isa? Are you alright?
Yes yes, uncle Daite. Thank you. Thank you for everything.
She turned around, broadening into a charming smile. She had donned her libertonian clothing for a simple kimono, and certainly looked gorgeous in this new outfit.
Mitsurugi nodded slowly as he approached the woman.
No need to thank me Isa. Come, lets enjoy our breakfast.
They sat down on the comfortable cushions which could be found in just about every rooms of the habitation. On a low-table were laid two plates of light breakfast, traditional to the Kusari people. No wonder they are so small, Isabelle thought
Have you taken your decision yet?
Isabelle didnt looked up from her plate, thoughtful at the question. She discussed her situation with uncle Daite and after days of deliberation, the admiral came down to one solution; for her to abandon the sinking ship that was her position.
I wish to have the courage to say yes but, I cant see a light by the end of the tunnel. Is it to abandon one darkness only to enter another one
It was more of a statement than an answer, so they both remained silent and silently ate their light breakfast. When Mitsurugi finished, he took up his familiar cup of tea and looked outside by the large window on his side.
Do you believe in the concept of good and evil, Isa?
Isabelle didnt responded at first, uncertain how to respond to this strange question. Mitsurugi smiled slightly, his attention fixed to the sky outside.
Philosophers from Old Earth argued such concepts doesnt exist, since it can be altered by all kind of circumstances, time and our own race evolution. As such, good and evil are no godly concepts, but mere imagination of the human mind. However, I think you will agree, a group of people might easily have one same ideal of goods. The pirates believe in their own version, whatever they might be. Civilians have their own version, which is to lead a normal life devoid of danger. We, as the representative of the laws, believe among other things, in order and honour, dont you think so?
I might not be libertonian, and you not kusarese, but we have a same concept even thought it might be interpreted differently. From one side of the galaxy to another, our enemies are roughly the same
Isabelle listened attentively, as she nodded in agreement. True, Kusari didnt fought Liberty Rogues, and they didnt fought Blood Dragons, but they were mere nuisance compared to the true menace; the powerful Corsair and Outcast organisations, organisations which had enough resources to be ranked as powerful as a house superpower. Their intents were clear and definitively evil. And they were the enemies of all.
Mitsurugi finally turned his attention to her.
I offer you to fight our war, by my side.
Isabelle widened her eyes in astonishment, unbelieving,
But but Im not even a Kusari citizen how
Mitsurugi interrupted her, raising his hand.
What is your decision, Isa?
There was no hesitation as her surprised face left place to a pleased one,
I accept your offer, uncle Daite.
Norfolk shipyards berth 2A LNS Louisbourg Fortress Command bridge "ok kiki,shut her down..no the entire grid throw her on base power...ready her for Decomissioning but keep her able to actvate,im waiting for contact from isabelle,Liutenant tomas mathers as of now youre acting commanding officer of the Army ship Louisbourg Fortress take good care of the girl,im takeing leave"
*with those words he left takeing a fast shuttle to bretionia space his transport ship the "Lucky Seven"waited there he needed to get away from liberty,far away he figured Kusari trade routes would be best he was starting to become a broken soldier,finding no cause he heard about the death of isabelles father and the words "murder" screamed in his head liberty was run by whoever had the most money and power thats not why he enlisted he enlisted to serve the people when the very goverment he fights for wont even do it he lost hope "isabelle if you can hear me*he said into the comlink again*"please i need you right now" *his carrer as he saw it in Liberty was over for his leave tho listed tem[porarlly was intended to be more permenat upon his return he had swore to make up his mind and it was inching closer to resignment...........
Isabelle was slightly surprised as she saw among the list of messages she didn't read, one forwarded from captain Patterson. Looking around the shuttle to make sure no one was around, she opened up the message and read it hastily. It didn't looked good...
But then, nothing really looked good these days...
She quickly wrote up an answer and hoped it would be enough. She didn't have time to see her love personally... but it was a good fortune he was headed for Kusari.
They would need to be patient. The hell she was living through would end, soon enough. She hoped.
She could only look outside at the stars and hope.
--
On a long range transmission with the army headquarter, Isabelle had a conversation of nearly 10 hours with her 5 fellow army generals, which in turn asked the General of the Liberty Army, which then called reinforcement from the minister of military affairs and so on.
By the end, it was a conversation with dozens of important military and politicians, including President Powell himself.
Isabelle made a somewhat sadenned smile at their dismayed expression. It was understandable. She had a perfect service record. She was among the skilled officers, she was young and had load of potentials. She was, as she learned, a favorite candidate for the succesion for the position of General of the Army.
But in the end, she knew they were mostly dismayed because they were losing a very powerful weapon in their arsenal. It wasn't ego; it was a fact. And that fact was like a backstab, the last backstab of Liberty against her. But this time, she was aware of it, and didn't felt the pain of abandon as she would have before.
By the end of the conversation, everything was set. It didn't took her much time when she arrived on Manhattan; it was a matter of days before a discreet ceremony was organised. There would be no media as she specified; her departure wasn't needed to be noticed.
She didn't knew what to say to these men in her leaving speech. What was there to say to these officers that looked more like politicians, and these politicians that looked more like businessmen?
What was there to say to a people that let itself lead by these men blindly? That followed orders only because all they learnt was following orders?
Nonetheless, it didn't interested her to cause more trouble to this nation which used to be her home. She made a polite, general speech and handed over her command of the 106th to the general Landry. They exchanged salute, and there, it was over. But the command were changed days ago, as the Liberty command began searching for her sucessor as soon as her conversation with the administrative structure ended. This was only a formal matter, a little show for them to see, to see that she was leaving without holding anything against them. To see that she was leaving not because of them, but because of herself.
Well, let them believe that, she thought as she chatted for a few minutes with President Powell, who himself made an eloquent speech on her service. An exemplanary service that allowed her to keep the honourary title of Liberty General. Another small gift to keep her silent and put them on the good side of the balance.
Soon as it was over, she departed late in the night aboard a civilian passenger liner for Kusari.
That night, she slept her first real sleep without anything weighing on her heart.
She was finally free to begin her life. A new life.
--
Hi hun,
By the time you receive this message, I will probably already be in Liberty. No need to follow me back in, for I should be back in Kusari in a short notice of time.
I have given my resignation from my position as army general and as well, from the liberty military in its whole. It should be only a matter of days before the ceremony is over.
I have discussed this for a long time with a wise old friend of mine, and both concluded it was the only solution for me to continue my life. My current one has been poisonned and abused more than enough. It is not by cowardice that I retreat from this battlefield that doesn't exist. But for the sake of my own reason to live, I need to find a new purpose to give my life for. I believe I've found it...
Please, wait for me my love. I will explain all this when we meet.
Follow this adress on New Tokyo. It is the residence of an old Kusari fleet admiral. Tell him who you are, I've sent him a message already, he will be expecting you.
Take care of yourself... I will leave you in the hospitable care of admiral Mitsurugi.
"ATEN-SHUN!..Squad SAALUTE!" Barked Provisional Captian tomas mathers as the honorguard of the 'Falls and 'Fortress asembled on the former ships bridge Jimmy walked up formal dress his final days in a Liberty Uniform "Gentleman and ladies."patterson started" i gather you hear to day to anouce a end of this chapter for this honored battle hardened battlegroup..i gather you hear my brothers,sisters firends ..no family..to formally anounce my resignment from the Liberty Milatary and the formal retirement of the gunboat Niagara Falls and the pofficial command transfer of the Battlecruiser Louisbourg to Capt. Mathers i leave you all i know on good terms for many of you know of my reasons your all valued soldiers true firends people id gladly have by my side in a firefight or at a bar,anyway on to the formalitys....." the ceromoney went on for another 3 hours with the final goodbyes said he boarded his shuttle he had aranged for the falls to be saved converted to his personal gunship keeping her name just dropping the LNS designation he was now departing spacedock at norfolk waveing one final time to his friends ..his brothers and sisters in arms.
Kusari space New tokyo orbit 2 weeks later
"copy that tokyo control..pad 3" jimmy said as he made his aproch and landed soon only to board a hovercar he rented to speed to the destination of tyhe admrials resedence upon ariveing he had only one thing to say..."konicheewa admrial,sorry to wake you, isabelle sent me .. my name is Jimmy Patterson.......
It was still early in the morning on New Tokyo. Hovercars and spaceships were already flooding the airtraffic, as the centrale city of the busy metropole-planet began waking up. But here, far away from the tall super-buildings and commerce centre of the prosper imperial capital, on this little island where fleet admiral Mitsurugi had set home, it was all quiet.
Isabelle looked back as she saw her shuttle leaving...
She promised herself to never look back...
Yet, opening her hand, she could see herself through the reflected image on the five silvery stars...
It was strange, she didn't remembered having washed them, yet they were now clean?
Isabelle smiled slightly, uncertain how to interpret this. Probably a good thing...
She was going to keep these five stars, the five general stars, and they alone would be the only objects to remind her of her past life...
Admiral Mitsurugi wasn't there that morning, having left a few days ago for important matters aboard his flagship, the KNF Yamato of the Kusari 1st Fleet. As such, there were no one in the mansion but Jimmy... she approached the gates and tipped on the little pad the 9 security digits she had been using since she was 9 years old.
Jimmy was awaiting her it seemed, since a very long time. No words exchanged; they rushed to each other and hugged with the passion of eternal love. And they stayed like that for a long while, merely enjoying the contact of their body.
"How I missed you, my love..."
--
Later that day, as they lied together side by side on their bed, their passion satisfied, they began relating of the various events that has hapenned in the very short notice of time. Isabelle talked about all what she lived through, the death of her father to the conflicts she had with the administrative structure of Liberty, the corruption she was living within, a nation that wasn't one anymore, a cause they defended that was lost since a long time...
Her eyes still shone with the dim light of sadness, but she made some effort to smile, for her love, for herself and for father too, she had to forget all her misery and pass on to something new...
A new life in Kusari, under the wing of her "uncle Daite"...
--
Late that night, a video transmission from Mitsurugi came in through the holoprojector as Isabelle and Jimmy finished a dinner the automated household androids prepared.
The elderly admiral was sitting on a command chair, even larger than the one aboard the Citadelle. He smiled and bowed as he saw his proteg?s, Isabelle and Jimmy returned the salute with respect.
"Greetings, Jimmy Patterson. Greetings, Isa. I am glad to see you have returned safe and well here... please, both of you, feel free to use my house as your's..."
"My time with the two of you is limited, for duty calls me in time of emergency... war..." he sighed, seemingly finding the situation of the Kusari-Bretonian war not very appealing despite the fact his nation was actually winning ground.
"It is not safe to discuss of such matter on open channel either... I am sending you this message for tomorow a shuttle shall be waiting for the two of you, which will ferry you to my flag, the Yamato. We shall be discussing of... destiny."
"But meanwhile, please, enjoy the hospitality of the Kusari empire, feel free to do as you wish; you are in the capital world of our people after all."
With this, Mitsurugi smiled and ended the transmission. His emblem, a golden dragon, appeared on the screen instead, before leaving the screen fade out.
--
The next morning, as promised, the naval shuttle awaited for them. It was a short trip to the Yamato, stationned along with the entire 1st fleet in New Tokyo system, above the normal civilian airspace. Isabelle and Jimmy looked through the viewport of their shuttle and watched in awe at the impressive mass of vessels assembled; there must be nearly one hundred battleships and even more destroyers...
But then again, this was the 1st kusari imperial fleet, a fleet assigned with home defence, inspiring respect and dread.
The Yamato itself was unmistakable, the largest of the battleships in the formation, painted with golden trim. It didn't took long for the "foreigner visitors" to get a docking permission aboard the 1st fleet flag; especially when the host was the Fleet admiral himself...
The three of them met in the spatious personnal office of Mitsurugi, who was working on his own load of paperwork from his data terminal. He looked up from his screen as he heard the doors slide open, and warmly greeted the two libertonians.
"Ah, Jimmy Patterson... sorry for having left you alone in my domain for so long, but, you certainly understand, my duty commands my honour."
"Please, the two of you, take a seat... we have much to discuss, and we'll hope no message from Supreme HeadQuarter comes bothering our meeting. Be comfortable, we might have to deal with this for quite a while."
Once they were ready to begin, Mitsurugi closed the door through his remote control, and with another button, activated a disrupter.
"We might speak of sensitive matters... it is better we are not recorded by anyone."
"Isabelle... the offer I've proposed you still stands. You might have guessed, it won't be easy. It has never been seen before, but I believe - no, I know, we can achieve our goals."
"To put more precision in my thoughts, I intend to assign, the two of you, with command duties in the recently formed 7th fleet..."
Isabelle shook her head in disbelief,
"But uncle, how?..."
"Do not worry. I merely stated the final objective. Now let us observe all the obstacles on our path...
First, we have the fact you are no kusari. By that, I mean neither of you looks like one, and obviously doesn't have citizenship.
Second, we know my people are extremely reluctant when it comes to accepting people from another nation... a good reason why we have so few immigrants. It is a miracle that someone actually manage to get citizenship within the empire if at least one of his parent isn't of Kusari descent...
Third, without point one and two of accomplished, the imperial navy would never be able to accept you within their ranks."
Mitsurugi began passing his hand through his long white beard, wondering.
"Virtually, one and two are impossible to achieve by normal means. And I don't want to put my hands with these lowly hogosha scums although it would probably be the easiest way."
"Basically, the two of you need to prove you are fit for this job..."
"But, uncle Daite, how can we prove this? and to whom? Our..."
"Shh, let me finish Isa.." Mitsurugi smiled gently, "I am getting old, my thinking process is slowing down, but please do bear with me."
"I will suggest to set you as a special military advisor agent for the 7th fleet. At this moment, commodore Kaito is at the command of this fleet. In a few days, it will be sent for a first trial in real combat close to the sigma borders, where pirate raiders are often sighted. Engagement will be inevitable. With your temporary rank, you have the authorisation to advise the commodore, although you have no command power over anyone. I guess it will pass without much questions. The naval forces used to do this since a long while, that is, recruiting military advisor from other nations to improve our own military. Of these days, its mostly exchange made with the Rheinland nation, but I guess..."
Isabelle smirked, continuing for him,
"Since I speak fluidly japanese, I guess we can just pretend I am rheinlander... along with my assistant, right?"
Mitsurugi nodded,
"Indeed. Try to be insightful and impress the commodore. Kaito is young and unexperimented but he is also very traditional to our culture; he will hardly tolerate that a female shows any kind of superiority, and is not so far from considering the other nations as inferior races... so be careful how you deal with the man."
"However, once you get his respect, then we will be on the right track to get your transition within the empire, succesful."
The fleet admiral rose up from his chair, and so did his visitors,
"For the moment, welcome in the kusari empire. Welcome to your new home."
![[Image: audrey03a.png]](http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/7610/audrey03a.png)
![[Image: 2emctxg.png]](http://i55.tinypic.com/2emctxg.png)