It is time to move my vessels to Kusari, I rented sufficient mooring points or landing pods on Planet New Tokyo and at Roppongi. The Goka-Kyakusen will be moved there, the Fumeina Ai is already there, the Saikai stays in Liberty so does the Yurushi and the Jonetsu. About the Pearls and the old Palace I still have to think, I will likely let them at Newark for now, Ayame stays in charge of the vessels until me and Iri decided where to stay most of our time together. It's a shame the Yurushi will have to remain at our residence on Los Angeles, I will miss that old Blossom but it's the only choice. Oh and my little Starflea shuttle will remain on New York, next to our smaller apartement!
The first month as minister is almost over. It was an eventful month, luckily enough not a very stressful one. I am just glad to have Iri and the rest around every evening. The most noticable business this month was the upgrade of our "Oasis"-class, now it is almost ready to be used as business vessel actively. All it needs now are several changes regarding its sensor systems and if possible to get my hands on a cloaking device for it. We will see what the next days bring.
It truly has been a while since I found time to write in here. But there is no need to documentate anything work related, I really do not need this in here anymore, it is stressful enough like it is. But I must say I found a good day to take a day off again, I ran into Silverstone, this Naval Forces woman and a somehow mysterious woman yesterday. I will try to stay in touch with this "Naiad" person, John seemingly has an interest for her, not to mention his interest in getting rid of.. Sakura was her name. Why am I the one who has to watch John being an idiot again? I should keep an eye on him or tell Ayame to do so. I really do not need him to bring the people he mentioned to Kusari's border. Besides this, I am looking forward to find out more about "Naiad", it is possible that she can prove herself as useful to my job too. Perhaps she is suited to work for me. We will see.
I should really start to write more in here again. I somehow lost track a little. Oh and I really do not think that large Nomad Shell I encountered in New York should be mentioned, the Kempeitai and the Naval Forces will just get angry at me again for having been without babysitters at my side.
Friends: Savannah Maya, Rinoa Elina Death, Hans von Goeben, Rayne Krenton (Currently as servant)
Complicated relation: John Silverstone, Sapphire Raven
Long lost contacts: Michal Golanski, Erik Nodtviet, Patricia Lyons, Dozerua Zozen, Jack O'Neill, Alan Jones, John Sader, Darius Martin
People she absolutely cannot stand: Patricia Lyons, Cayden Grant, Shawn Brunham
Personality traits
Philosophy: Logic, emotions, desire
Hobbies: Exploring Sirius, writing and reading books, designing several kinds of clothing, assisting Irelei with Miyasu Zaibatsu matters
Talents: Diplomacy, making friends, manipulation, experienced to make people spill out secrets, sex
Traits: Shy, optimistic, charming, patient, open-minded to new knowledge, easily distracted, low alcohol tolerance, loyal
Overall plans
Goals:
- Further expand the Miyasu family influence
- Push the agenda of the Honshu Unity Party forward
- Fortify her political position; constitutional amendment to install her as permanent PM
It was an evening like many others, at least at first. She hoped for a casual conversation with her old friend Raven, not to end up getting served up legitimate nightmare fuel of an ominous lingering threat at Kusari's borders. The conversation left her shocked, in the end, attempts to overplay it were just a temporary cover up. She took it serious, serious enough to avoid talking even those closest to her: Her love and her servants.
To sort her thoughts somehow - Sanae eventually took out a piece of paper. Something to just scribble her thoughts on randomly, something which leaves no digital trace, something to keep hidden and something that can be easily erased. Sentinels. A strange name. I still do not understand it but she was serious, very serious. I hope she can resolve it. It seems complex, far too complex. What should I even do anyways? There is nothing, just nothing I can do. I can watch, hope, pray. Perhaps get my hands on the 'Hiroshima Plan'. See where it would take us. Sis, me. Some others. Would it really go this far? Could it? Raven, just what did you get into again. What are we getting into? Is this real?
Still. Cat island. Stay positive. She seems afraid. Help her. Make this vacation trip the best of her life, at least this. She needs it. It might be the last memory to share with her. Not just due to this strange things. The Tokkeitai already watches her. They will come. Soon. Here. Workplace. I do not know. For her. For me. I am scared...I am loyal. The Empire and her people are my treasure. But they. Why Goryo. Was it wrong? Am I to betray her? Work with them? Or am I soon gone...I am scared. Irelei. I cannot let anything happen to you. Did I screw it all up?
Barely a day later, Sanae was at her office on New Tokyo. It was a calm, uneventful day so far. Later this day was a regular cabinet meeting, which was basically the sole reason she even was in office this day. Yesterday's conversation still impacted her, she slept badly and even the thorough distracting..measures of her love could only keep her mind away from the topic for so long. She was not scared, not really at least. Not anymore.
The Tokkeitai was still a lingering concern though.
Suddenly, she got notice of an unscheduled visitor. "Miss Sanae, there's someone wanting an audience. They claim to be a Deputy Director.. of the KNI."
Said a voice through the intercom, a familiar and calming voice; her long years servant Amelia.
Sanae knew she could not turn down such a visitor. "That's fine. Bring them here in a minute.", Sanae responded. Sighing, she got up from her chair.
For once not feeling as if it was the weight of the adornment pulling her down, but the uncertainty this visit was.
Then Amelia already knocked at the door. "Miss Sanae. Your guest."
Sanae pressed a button and the door slid open automatically, without hesitating the guest stepped in. A middle aged man, perhaps mid-40s, wearing the standard uniform of the Imperial Uchugun. It was devoid of any rank displays and only featured two pins at the collar. The KNI and.. the Tokkeitai.
Sanae tried her best to appear calm, standing next to her chair. "Kon'nichiwa sir. What can I do for you?"
The man put on a sly smile, bowed and spoke with a slightly hoarse voice: "Domo arigato, your Imperial Highness. Finding time for me despite my unannounced appearance fills me with gratitude. I am Shibahara Tatsuya, in your circles known as Goryō."
Sanae took a deep breath. This was the man she was afraid of. The figurehead of the long gone Tokkeitai. The Emperor's fangs. The Secret Military Police. She was in shock, then noticed something. He.. He stated his real name or at least some name. Was this a good sign? "Please, have a seat Shibahara-san." Sanae merely replied, the man followed the request and both sat down. "What is it that I can do for.. the Tokkeitai?" Sanae broke the ice, there was no need to pretend. She was nervous, she knew bits of who they are and what they did far over a decade ago. They weren't existing anymore, yet they do. There was no way to tell what this all meant.
Goryō on the other hand was extremely calm, almost surreal and devoid of any visible emotions. "Your Imperial Highness, I have come to you for various reasons. First, I wish to bestow you with a formal warning. Due to recent occurrences, I must request your abstinence from any delegations heading for Bretonia in the coming weeks. The same will apply to all and any Ministers. You will receive an assessment paper with explanations later."
Sanae started to relax a little. It was still unusual, yet it made sense. This was not the first time she was briefed by the KNI or KOI after all. "I understand and thank you and the KNI for your great commitment to my and everyone else's safety."
Shibahara nodded. "In addition, I wish to request your cooperation on two matters. The Tokkeitai trusts you, you have been a loyal asset to the people of Kusari and the Emperor. It was the HUP which navigated the reunification process and while your direct involvement was neglectable, we know you shared the same vision as Higuchi-sama and supported him wholeheartedly."
He paused briefly, analyzing the Prime Minister's reaction. Sanae merely gave him a small nod, deep within she felt release. They were not angered by her relations in the end..
"Your Imperial Highness, the Tokkeitai wishes to cooperate with you on the surveillance of two individuals. Lord Speaker Shimamori and Miss Revenant. Shimamori-sama is a deeply loyal man, committed to the Empire's well-being. We noticed a bond beyond sheer political cooperation between you both. We wish to guarantee his safety, though he is a prideful individual. While our assets in his direct vicinity do a great job, we possess no asset able to engage into entirely private conversations with our esteemed Lord Speaker. This is where you come into play. We ask you to inform us about any unusual changes to his attitude in private, in addition we will need any information about changes to his private contacts, those going beyond business similar to how he treats you."
He remained calm, direct. He knew that the Prime Minister had no actual choice in this matter. The Tokkeitai stood above the entire governmental construction. They were the Emperor's expression of raw, unchecked power.
Sanae gave him a slight smile in an attempt to overplay the uncomfortable feeling flooding her now. So she was to play spy for them in the end. It could be worse…much worse. "If the Tokkeitai deems this necessary to ensure Shimamori-san's well-being, I will gladly comply and cooperate with you. While our relation is not of true friendship, I admire his dedication and know he acts out of true loyalty and love to his nation. Losing him would have a large negative impact on Kusari's political stability and landscape.I shall put effort into building a stable relationship with Shimamori-san."
Goryō smirked. This was going well. "Domo arigato, your Highness Miyasu-sama. Through your competent aid, we shall ensure Kusari's stability. As for Miss Revenant, we require you to enlighten us about the status of your relation to her."
Sanae closed her eyes for a moment. She knew they would poke into her past some day.. "Revenant, well, Sapphire Raven is an old friend of mine. We first met in Omicron Delta, years prior to my political career. She was a Guildkeeper of the Core and eventually left them.. the end result is the Technocracy. Contact with her has been very sporadic over the years, partially due to distance and partially due to different focuses. Her recent appearance in Kusari caught not only mine but also your interest, it seems. I can assure you that politics are kept out of our relationship. I am merely interested in helping her as a friend, seeing as she was gravely injured in the recent past."
Goryō looked a little surprised. His tone reflects on it too. "A rather platonic friendship then. Interesting. I expected something else. Nevertheless, this shall suffice. This individual was assessed to be a potentially useful asset of intelligence data, as she has proven herself to possess a lot of. Our request is for you to assure her that she is welcome in Kusari. We are interested in establishing a stable exchange of data with her. We need her to trust Kusari's authorities and you were chosen as our best option to gently guide her towards trusting us. I will be transparent with you, your Highness, I reserve myself the option of interrogating her. Can you do this?"
Sanae cramped up. She is supposed to manipulate Sapphire? Just a day after she showed how deeply she trusts Sanae? Sanae got stomach arches. This wasn't how she wanted her relationship to Sapphire end up as… "Under a single condition. This letter by the Defence Ministry, the bugged bar. This was all your work, hai? Her recent past left her injured and somewhat paranoid. I'll do my best to make her trust you and our authorities. I trust them, I trust..you. Just stay clear from my private conversations with her then. If she knows you are listening to every word, she will never build trust with us." Sanae sounded a bit energetic, underlining her own displeasure of them spying on her.
Shibahara nodded. "You have my assurance that the KNI will not monitor her when meeting with you. This is the best I can do. Naturally, this means you'll have to inform me about your whereabouts when meeting her."
Sanae sighed lightly, at least she wasn't in actual danger, neither of them. This was good. Right? "Domo arigato, Shibahara-san''. I am glad I can be of aid to the Emperor. Is this all?"
"It is. I am most grateful for your open cooperation and trust in us, your Highness."
…. After a formal goodbye, Sanae was sitting there. Alone. She was now a Tokkeitai asset, in a sense. The Emperor would hear of this. Maybe this could even aid her career? And it seems she had a real chance of helping Sapphire and Shimamori. Somehow, that is.
She was uncertain. On the one hand, she could ensure Sapphire stays safe within Kusari as long as she appears useful to the KNI and Tokkeitai, on the other hand they want her to manipulate her.. the last friend of her pre-politics era. She sighed and leaned back in her chair, one hour until the cabinet meeting. She wanted to go home...
Matters surrounding Raven were growing messier and more concerning by the day. It started to impact Sanae's actual work and she considered leaving the official business to the Vice Minister for a couple of days. Though, this would just end up spreading rumors like last time. She opted to try and squeeze whatever matters had to be addressed in between her office hours.
However despite the mess it became, she did not expect Raven's kidnapper to actually attempt contacting her, even when it happened through her servant Amelia.
She wished that listening in to the heated conversation in orbit of Tokyo was all contact she would ever end up having to this person, but it turns out he tried to persuade Amelia into considering Raven an infectee. Amelia, always worried about Sanae's well-being, of course informed her and Irelei right away of this accusations. Irelei applied pressure on Sanae as she knew from Sanae that Raven had mental issues caused by Nomad contact.
At first a little unwilling, but eventually convinced, Sanae agreed on testing Raven. Just to be safe. Falsifying Caliban's claim could even help Raven, especially with the little letter Sanae received in mind. It appeared as if Caliban was marked a foreign agent by now. Was this a campaign to discredit Raven? But if he spoke the truth... Sanae did not want to think about it. Irelei in tight coordination with Rayne Krenton - a former Core member - prepared a scenario where they could receive a bio-scan without Raven noticing: By utilizing the Sunekosuri.
The vessel was outfitted with some of the most advanced technology at Kusari's disposal after all, including military-grade automated defense systems by Samura for the interior and trinary internal computer systems. Naturally, the most important piece of equipment where the integrated multilayer scanners: Any guest arriving or leaving would be subject to scans without their knowledge. A mandatory security measure installed under supervision of the Emperor's Imperial Guard several months ago.
Rayne's plan would go as following: For their day trip to the cat island, Sanae would invite Raven on board the Sunekosuri for the transit from Planet Honshu to Planet Kyushu. Upon boarding, Raven would be subject to the scans, if anything turned up - she'd be rendered unconscious and handed over to the KOI. If nothing turned up, they could enjoy their day trip as planned.
Sanae did not only hope for the best but was convinced that this was a simple attempt of manipulation, but she was still concerned. Less so over the result, which she was sure would turn out to be negative, but far more so that Caliban actively tried to meddle into her personal relationship. At least Amelia managed to feed him false information.
Two days after the gala, Sanae finally had a free day. No official meetings, no need to leave the mansion. Though, Irelei was busy in the next large city with Business. Something about the Financial Group expanding their operations into the Tottori system...
The latest postponing from Sapphire was fortunately no issue, seeing as her deal with the Hogosha included maximum flexibility, although at a sizable cost.
This meant she had some alone time for her current hobby: singing.
She pursued this hobby for over a year now and grew more and more confident into her abilities. She had already recorded several songs by then, most aimed at describing her feelings or expressing her love..
Sanae would spent most of the day in the little studio she had installed in one of the many rooms.. only after hours she would disturb her alone time to call for Amelia. It was late evening by now, Irelei just got home. Amelia and Sanae were still in the studio room, working at creating a suiting melody to Sanae's singing.
More hours would pass, Irelei briefly paid them a visit and brought some light food, she did not inquiry what exactly they were working on.. she knew Sanae was working on something sweet.
It was close to midnight when they were finally done, Sanae was overly tired but extremely happy with the result. She thanked Amelia in her usual fashion, a hug and a kiss on the cheek, before dismissing her close friend and servant for the day.
Sanae listened to their work a few more times, thinking about the last couple of days. Sapphire's despair and mental state, this weirdo, the gala for the opening of a local Kabuki theatre, the visit of a Tokkeitai.. so much happened beyond office in such a brief period of time. Sapphire. She pitied her. She knew she could do very little to help her old friend. Maybe, so Sanae thought, one of her songs could make her smile.. even if just for a few moments.
She decided to postpone her bedtime and go through her already recorded songs, trying to find one Sapphire might like... knowing full well she had important business to attend to the next day and actually needed every little bit of sleep for it.
