The first to arrive was a black-garbed young man with a permanent scowl glued to his face, who nevertheless made up for his rather pissed-off-seeming demeanor by dressing in some rather…striking threads. Regardless, the shinobi seemed polite enough, and had been professional enough to arrive a good quarter hour early, so the Margrave could not complain at all.
“Greetings, Jeada-san, thank you for coming so early. Please, have whatever you want if you’re hungry or thirsty. We’ll start the briefing once your teammates have arrived,” said Mizuki, bowing back. A few more minutes passed as the two men sat in silence, which Mizuki personally preferred. He drew a folder of briefing materials from a nearby briefcase and started to organize his presentation, when suddenly…
A cooler brimming with a smorgasbord of shrimp, oysters, crab legs, and even a whole boiled lobster on top suddenly thumped on the table in front of Mizuki and Shino, accompanied by the appearance of a pretty, genki girl who appeared out of nowhere. Sude Kyoko was her name, and she apparently had access to a prime catch that blew the normal imported stuff out of the water.
“Ah, don’t mind if I do, Sude-san,” said Mizuki as he gingerly picked up one of the prawns with his chopsticks and slipped it into his mouth. “Ah, fresh and wonderful…” he said, chewing on it and going for another one.
Sude…yes, that name most definitely rings a bell, he thought, drily. Actually, given his eidetic memory, he knew exactly why the name “Sude” still brought fear to the hearts of many nobles.
“Very well, we might as well start,” he said, washing down the shrimp with the last of his tea. He did not request a refill. “Greetings to all of you. My name is Tokugawa Mizuki, a Margrave of the Council of Nobles and the Director of the Bakufuu Security Agency,” he said, noticing the arrival of a third, silent shinobi who settled in at the table out of the corner of his eye. “A bit of background first, for everyone’s benefit. Our country recently emerged from a period of open civil war, and now we have a new Shogun on the throne for the first time in sixteen years, thanks in no small part to the efforts of your village. However, the nation still faces tremendous struggles ahead. Even though large-scale conflict has been stopped, we are especially vulnerable to foreign powers as well as traitors from within. You will be dealing with both in the coming days.
“Our closest foreign neighbors are the Serene Kingdom of Bear, or KBC, as well as the People’s Republic of Marsh Country, or PRMC. As you may know, we are still technically at war with the PRMC, even with the Kagetsu Armistice in place. As far as the KBC goes, even though we have trade agreements with them we are not allies, and their leadership has always desired to absorb our southern territories through underhanded means. Recently, my agency has learned that Count Nagamasa Yoshi of Takadama, who is a greedy and ambitious sort, has been meeting with representatives from the KBC in secret. Most likely, the Count intends to sell his loyalties and lands to the Kingdom in exchange for money and an elevation in title. The going rate for a province of that size, by the way, is an Earldom and about a hundred million yen in gold
koban, give or take a few million in other assets.
“Yes, it’s treason, but we cannot simply go in and arrest Count Nagamasa on allegations alone. We need proof, and so far he has defeated our efforts to get closer. That is where you three come in. We believe that the Count’s next meeting with the KBC representative will be at his fortified ranch in central Takadama province. It is a well-guarded place and the Count keeps many guards on patrol, so infiltration will be difficult. Nothing you shinobi won’t be able to handle, however. Simply put, your mission is to gain proof of the Count’s intentions – something that will irrefutably support a treason charge in the Imperial Court and lead to a beheading. I’m not sure what exactly you'll find as far as proof; perhaps a signed payment agreement, a letter with the Count’s seal, a recording of a conversation – preferably as many different things as you can get your hands on.
"I will be in contact with you all via headset if you have any questions. You may not know this, but there is a chance that your orders might change even midway through the mission depending on how political winds blow. After all, we are also putting pressure on the KBC’s interests in Lightning, and the Chancellor has a personal interest in the resolution of this case. If you have no other concerns or questions, your train will be departing in approximately two hours.”
