I've returned to my apartment at Ainu for the time being. My time was well-spent gathering intelligence in the Omicrons, but Edge-World radiation takes a toll on frequently repaired active armor panels. Both my Blossom and Orchid are in the hanger getting a few software updates and having some proprietary armor panels replaced. As an intel officer, I get some leave between assignments, so it looks like I'll have some downtime and maybe some time for some personal business. I've got a nice stash of high-grade cardamine straight from Malta, and there are a few people I've been meaning to contact.
First, my old friend Kiko Nakano has been working with the Outcasts (I hear she's even dating one) in the Omicrons and Taus to open new sources of revenue for the Sisterhood (Something about terraforming organisms that the Bretonians need, but don't want to buy directly from the Outcasts). The Golden Chrysanthemums have grown exponentially as a group, and the diversity of our funding sources need to reflect that fact. It's been years since the Sisterhood has gained any significant percentage of our income from piracy and cardamine smuggling, and I'd like to do my part to keep it that way.
Second, there's also a Bretonian Special Intelligence Service agent who's been making intermittent contact with the Sisterhood. Our friendly relationship with the Bretonian government is important to us, and I'd like to follow that up as well.
Finally, the Shiragiku is also getting some upgrades here at the new shipyard facilities at Ainu. The Corvo-class explorer will eventually be home to an expeditionary group of Sisters and Brothers who want to start a Matsuda-inspired community beyond Kusari. I get annoyed when Kiko calls it a "Chrysanthemum Zoner" operation, but I can't deny the similarities in method even though the purpose is different. As our organization begins to eschew the Cardamine that was once our defining characteristic in support of our legitimate political efforts in Honshu, those of us openly living the Orange Dream must begin to look beyond Kusari, potentially to Outcast territory, for a more permanent home. The Shiragiku, once completed, will be a temporary home to a few hundred Sisters and Brothers attempting to live a life among the stars. Part of my personal mission during my stay on Ainu will be to chart and potentially explore possible locations for the Shiragiku's eventual deployment.
I'm not going to knock the cardamine we get here on Ainu - the stuff we don't export is super high quality - but this fresh Maltese grass sure hits the spot. I finally got to check out the new and improved Shiragiku this morning. The living quarters and common areas are all very nice and modern, and there is room for a little over 200 people to live comfortably onboard. I was considerably surprised to find that Kiko had installed a cloaking device on our dear oddyssey ship. The Corvo definitely doesn't have room for a full loadout of battery cells to power the device, but when I talked with her, she assured me it would last for a couple minutes: enough to effect an escape if necessary. Kiko is currently back in Maltese space acquiring the necessary permits to allow us to construct a base in Outcast space.
I had the honor of presiding at one of our ceremonies this morning. Being in the field so often, my experience of Amaterasu is generally very hermetic, so I enjoy our group ceremonies when I have a chance to participate. I have been enlightened by Amaterasu to find the space between the stars to be a liminal space not just physically, but spiritually as well. The universe has gifted to us the ability to see some visible evidence of its workings: clues to help us unlock the invisible workings (visible nebulae swirling around gravitational points, or the invisible lagrange points where distant bodies find their connection). The Goddess Amaterasu works in the same way, for the society of humanity. Amaterasu has given the Sisterhood several rituals, through which we are given visible evidence of the true workings of society, so that we may understand and ultimately control the invisible fabric that shapes it. The government in Kusari, for centuries, has subverted the true fabric of society by worshipping a patriarchal, idolatrous image of success and power that depends for its existence on the subjugation of others. The Golden Chrysanthemums have been dedicated to social change for years, using a variety of methods, and the movement has grown large.
The ceremony of the Shiragiku, or the White Chrysanthemum, is my favorite to lead. During our ceremony, the following excerpt from Matsuda's musings led into a calm meditation on our purpose in life.
"The Shiragiku is truth and grief, and we learn about both by reflecting on the White Chrysanthemum. Is it white or without color? Each person is driven by an internal light to seek the truth, and she derives fulfillment in life from this search. Nevertheless, the truth can cause great grief, or weariness with life. A skeptic of Amaterasu would plausibly ask, what cruel entity would doom a person to seek fulfillment in a way that will ultimately break them? I say, grief is the reward for seekers of truth who have not prepared their minds for the endeavor. Indeed, it is only she who seeks with an expectation of the goal who will be heartbroken upon reaching it. She who appreciates a White Chrysanthemum as a White Chrysanthemum, and not as a Chrysanthemum without color, will be the happiest."
I've had some fairly productive downtime, despite no access to my ships while they're being updated. Work on the Shiragiku project is proceeding. Kiko has secured the permits and registration from the National Council for our Shrine facility in the Edge Worlds and disbursed our initial taxes to the Council. Our approved location is close enough to the Outcasts to be solidly in their territory (requiring their taxation, but I consider it fair), which should hopefully keep us far enough away from the Outcasts' enemies that we won't be considered a threat worth attacking. We will be far from the rest of humanity, but close enough to the Outcasts to remain well-supplied. In the Edge Worlds we will be far enough from the influence of humanity to form a community truly dedicated to Amaterasu.
As I write this, the 200 sisters and brothers of the Shiragiku Sect destined for the Shrine are moving all their belongings aboard the explorer ship Shiragiku, in preparation for our departure. Contractors working for the Sisterhood have begun gathering supplies and are readying to move to the site to initiate construction of the Shrine, under Kiko's supervision. All manner of crew, from electrical workers to priestesses, are moving their lives to the Edge Worlds seeking a community emulating the society Amaterasu desires for humanity.
I met one young couple moving their things to the Shiragiku liner: Misha and Samuel. Both are choosing to leave the relative comfort of their lives aboard Ainu for a new station in a far off, frozen part of the Sirius Sector. When I asked them how they were feeling about their upcoming transition to a much more difficult and uncertain life, I expected a dutiful acknowledgment of the reality coupled with some bravado. Instead, they couldn't wait to share their plans for their part of the future Shrine. Samuel and Misha are both teachers, who are si crucial to the development of our Chrysanthemum movement into the future. There are enough children amongst the families to require educators, and the two talked excitedly about their plans for their students and their classrooms. They lamented that their potential before joining the Chrysanthemums had been stymied by a requirement to fit into a patriarchal socio-economic model, even among more liberal schools on Honshu, and looked forward to the chance to blossom in a community without such constraint. Every person I ran into had a similar story: they focused only on their plabs to help create a model egalitarian society where each person is free to live up to their true purpose.
I am nervous about such an endeavor, but inspired by stories such as these. As I collect them, perhaps I will record more; for they will surely help when the road gets difficult ahead. I am awaiting final word from Kiko for our deployment, which should be in a few days' time.