The Red Palace, Inner Ring
Raiden no Me, Kaminari no Kuni
…0600 hours
The Shogun’s Palace was a fortress that towered over the city of Raiden’s Eye – built on the city’s highest hill, ringed by thick and unscalable walls forming a multi-layered defense around the main living areas. While there had been no Shogun, it had been chronically undermanned, and for the most part assumed a deserted appearance save for the occasional lone guard making the five kilometer-long patrol around the outer ring. But with a new liege in place and furthermore, under threat, the Palace had been turned into a true fortress again.
Facing the rays of dawn, Masao peered over the battlements of the innermost ring at the commotion below and marveled. Where there had once been only empty space or large areas of vegetation, there was now an army encamped with all of the hustle and bustle of an active military campaign going on below. Tents and cabins occupied vast expanses of open ground, along with training fields where swarms of soldiers practiced marching and drill amidst the smoke of cookfires and the miasma of dust. Several raised platforms now supported arbalestillery batteries that pointed outward, ready to rain hell on the city if any attackers came from within. In the mix, he also knew there were shinobi on rotation as well. This had been the Bakufuu’s response to the attack on Shiranai by a lone assassin – to make it so that he was forever unreachable – even ten Enishis would be overwhelmed by the sheer number of forces ready to stop him at a moment’s notice.
“Marvelous, isn’t it? This was all the Chancellor’s initiative, and funded without having to increase taxes. My Lady values the Shogun’s safety,” said an imposing and strikingly made-up woman next to him who carried a long, deadly-looking kanabo at her side. Disturbingly, its normally smooth striking head had been augmented with sharp metal flanges to inflict extra damage.
“Yes. A vulgar display of power, indeed. Has there been any progress made with the investigation so far?” asked Masao as he walked alongside the woman, toward one of the main chambers of the palace’s interior.
“Sadly, not yet. Yukimura Enishi did not leave much in terms of physical evidence – the blood splatter from when you nicked his face while defending our Shogun is the most we have to go on, and we have already sent whatever samples we could to Isaki in Kumogakure,” responded the woman. She was Gasai Yui, formerly Tachibana Ami’s personal bodyguard and now Captain Commander of the militant branch of the Bakufuu Security Agency.
“That is troubling. Enishi is one of the most dangerous opponents possible. I know this, seeing as Rin and I selected him out of the academy. When he sets his mind to something, he won’t stop until it is completed. It may take years, but he will accomplish his goal or die trying,” sighed Masao.
“We learned our lesson from the initial attack. We will not let him touch the Shogun again. Even a shinobi cannot hope to overwhelm the defenses we have stationed here. Five thousand soldiers complemented with a hundred shinobi at all times. It is wildly expensive, but it is worth it. No matter how many of us die, we will take him down,” growled Yui, her knuckles white under her gloves as she gripped the handle of her weapon.
“Sadly, that also means the Shogun cannot leave the palace, let alone the city, doesn’t it?” asked Masao. “He did tell me he wanted to visit Kumogakure again sometime.”
“It can’t be helped. It’s for his own protection. And it’s the Chancellor’s will,” replied Yui, shrugging.
“Indeed. Tachibana is an iron lady. The only person whose ire I’d less like to incur would be my own wife,” Masao said drily, as the pair stopped in front of a large pair of iron, reinforced doors that swung open for them. As they passed, the doors closed with a loud clank. Inside, there seemed to be a preponderance of guards as well – elite security forces that signaled the presence of important figures. After a short while, Masao and Yui entered a large, wood-paneled audience chamber, in which sat several familiar figures.
“Madam Chancellor, a pleasure,” said Masao as he bowed to a woman sitting at the end of a large, circular table and flanked with three others. In turn, Tachibana Ami nodded to him.
“Vice Commander Takaki, welcome to Raiden’s Eye. We appreciate your time,” said Ami, greeting him with her trademark, sweet-but-inscrutable smile.
“It is my duty to Kumogakure, madam,” Masao responded, giving a nod to the three others with her; Margrave Tokugawa Mizuki, Marshal General Nobunaga Kouhei, and Grand Admiral Kato Takumi. He in turn sat down at the open space at the table next to Kouhei.
“We shan’t waste your time, Vice Commander. The reason I have called you here today as a representative of Kumogakure is because we need to share information between all of us on the new threat to our country that has emerged in the last few months,” said Ami, before clearing her throat slightly. “Namely, I am talking about the ‘Kingslayers’. Mizuki, if you would give the summary.”
“Of course, Chancellor,” said Mizuki, rising and motioning for a large whiteboard to be brought out by a team of servants. On it was a confusing array of lines, circles, diagrams, and pictures, with Enishi’s at the center. Predictably, all lines flowed to the man himself.
“We all know that a month ago, the Kumogakure missing nin and former ANBU Captain Yukimura Enishi attempted to assassinate our Shogun in cold blood. As background for those of you who are unfamiliar with shinobi history, Captain Yukimura is also the man who betrayed and assassinated his former Lord, the Seventh Raikage Kagetsu Kiyo of Kumogakure, two years ago.
“That the Captain is a murderous and violent traitor is not in question. However, the question is why he has targeted the Shogun of all people? Usually, and if Vice Commander Takaki will confirm for me, missing shinobi tend to shy away from targeted, high-profile assassinations, for fear that this will further attract the attention of the Oinin-butai corps of the Kumogakure ANBU and thus lead to their deaths. In addition, when missing shinobi kill out of anger or desire for revenge, their targets are usually restricted to other shinobi from their village of origin.”
“Correct, Margrave,” said Masao.
“And yet Captain Yukimura, who is already a priority target for both the BSA as well as Kumogakure, has only further exposed himself rather than attempting to do the typical thing and flee to another nation. I believe the reason for this is because he has a specific agenda in mind; the destruction of not his home village, but of Lightning Country itself.
“The way in which he hopes to bring about this goal is the assassination of high-ranking individuals in political, military, and economic circles, with the goal of fomenting social chaos and inciting rebellion and uprising in our urban centers. In addition, we at the BSA believe that he is not acting alone, but that he has assembled a group of similarly-minded and powerful individuals of comparable combat ability to his, who operate with the same goal in mind – the ‘Kingslayers’. Even more troubling, we also believe that this group has indirect and ideological support from seditious groups within our own government,” said Mizuki, pausing.
“So who are these Kingslayers, anyway?” asked Kouhei.
“We do not have firm numbers yet, but we do know of a few likely members,” said Mizuki, pointing to the whiteboard at a group of pictures. “This is still classified information that does not leave the room, but we have proof that the former ‘Dear Leader’ of the PRMC, Choe Il-Jong, was killed a month ago by a missing shinobi from Neo-Konoha, one ‘Tanaka Daishi,’ otherwise known as the ‘Light Sage’ of Leaf. In addition, Tanaka is the other man implicated in the assassination of Raikage Kagetsu Kiyo.”
“Wait a minute. I thought these Kingslayers were trying to attack our own countrymen. Why would they cockswaddle around with the Norks?” asked Takumi, using the common derogatory term for the people of Marsh. (The term was derived from the apocryphal story that the native chosono language of Marsh and Bear Countries sounded to speakers of Common like “nork nork nork”).
“That I currently do not have a good answer for, Grand Admiral,” said Mizuki, “but given that the PRMC’s tenuous political situation and the fact that we are still at war with them, creating an international incident would easily fall within their goals.
“Moving on, there are several other likely members, all of whom have been implicated in the earlier deaths of local officials and taxation agents, mostly in the remote provinces. A missing shinobi of the Star Hidden Village of the KBC, named Nakamura Yukiko,” he said, pointing to a grainy picture of a pretty blonde woman, “a former Imperial Army Lieutenant-turned-traitor named Horiuchi Yuuya,” he said pointing to a wild-eyed man, “and an ex-PRMC Spec-Ops agent named Shinya Mitsuru,” concluded Mizuki, pointing to a third picture of a black-haired, painfully young-looking girl with piercing red eyes.
“So it seems this is a ragtag group of various outcasts and traitors, all with skill at arms, Margrave. The troubling part is that many of these seem to be missing shinobi,” said Ami, tenting her fingers in front of her. “Any commentary on this, Vice Commander?” she asked Masao, who scratched at his chin.
“As a general rule, missing nin tend to group together – a vicious and mindless pack mentality is common to their ilk, many of them being socially and mentally handicapped in the first place even before they committed treason. We saw it happen with the recent case of Hayata Makoro; a good portion of his henchmen were in actuality low- to medium-ranked missing shinobi of various national origins, with Makoro as the unquestioned ‘alpha male’ if you want to extend the pack analogy. So I’m not surprised that Enishi would have a similar group following him. The easiest way to disperse a group like this is to kill the leader. Eliminate Enishi, and you eliminate the Kingslayers,” said Masao, smirking.
“Thank you, Vice Commander. One last thing, Margrave. I am especially concerned about something you said earlier – that there seems to be a contingent of support for the Kingslayers within our own government. Please elaborate,” said Ami, her gaze hard.
“Of course. Typically, most rebel commanders or instigators tend to achieve a sort of distorted celebrity status from sections of the populace, particularly the criminal elements of society and some of the peasants, depending on how the harvest has gone the prior year. However, there is evidence that the Kingslayers’ actions may be supported indirectly by individuals from the merchant, academic, and even noble classes. A group calling itself the ‘Continental Congress’ or ‘Congress’ for short, has particularly risen in prominence. Although they are extremely careful not to express their support for the Kingslayers in their official and illicit publications, they nevertheless take advantage of the chaos caused by assassinations and disruptions in the social order to push their own agenda,” said Mizuki.
“What is their agenda?” asked Ami.
“So far, their stated goal is to improve the lives of the lower classes. However, it is heavily implied that in order to do this, significant social change must be accomplished first. In other words, for the lower classes to have increased say in their governance and representation of their interests in the Bakufuu, even at the expense of the Shogun’s power. A word has recently been coined for this worrisome concept by the academics at the Lightning National University: ‘Democracy.’”
“Damned fool professors in their ivory tower,” sighed Ami, closing her eyes. “Margrave. Send the deans of the colleges a letter. The study and publication of this ‘Democracy’ concept is to be condemned and suppressed. Publications which support the Shogunate are to be rewarded with a special stipend and academic promotion for professors who participate. In addition, the editors of the major newspapers are to be similarly rewarded for pro-Shogunate pieces, and their circulations restricted more for every piece that supports the actions of the Kingslayers or this Congress. All further news of assassinations is to be suppressed. I won’t have the daily rags celebrating my supporters’ deaths.”
“Of course, Madam Chancellor,” responded Mizuki.
“Kouhei, I want the Western Fronts reinforced as much as possible in case the PRMC goes to hell and tries to invade. In addition, you are responsible for suppressing any support of ‘Democracy’ in your armies. I only want soldiers who are willing to fire on own their countrymen if need be.”
“Yes, Madam Chancellor.”
“Takumi, have your Navy be doubly vigilant around the major port cities. You are given permission to have your ships fire on Lightning craft transporting seditious materials and for your marines to board suspicious craft and detain crews and passengers without announcement.”
“Yes, Madam Chancellor.”
“And for you, Vice Commander, I would ask that Kumogakure redouble its efforts to terminate Yukimura Enishi and his supporters. I will travel personally to Kumogakure to meet with your Regent Commander soon to discuss matters further.”
“Of course, Madam Chancellor,” responded Masao. It’s telling that she is bypassing the Raikage. No doubt she was displeased at hearing that he chose to imprison Makoro. She wants someone willing to kill without mercy; my wife.
“And with that, I must take my leave from you, gentlemen, and present my plans to His Majesty,” said Ami, rising and bowing to the group. As Masao rose in turn, a sardonic smile crept over his face. It was true – she was the one really in charge.
[WC: 2298]
Raiden no Me, Kaminari no Kuni
…0600 hours
The Shogun’s Palace was a fortress that towered over the city of Raiden’s Eye – built on the city’s highest hill, ringed by thick and unscalable walls forming a multi-layered defense around the main living areas. While there had been no Shogun, it had been chronically undermanned, and for the most part assumed a deserted appearance save for the occasional lone guard making the five kilometer-long patrol around the outer ring. But with a new liege in place and furthermore, under threat, the Palace had been turned into a true fortress again.
Facing the rays of dawn, Masao peered over the battlements of the innermost ring at the commotion below and marveled. Where there had once been only empty space or large areas of vegetation, there was now an army encamped with all of the hustle and bustle of an active military campaign going on below. Tents and cabins occupied vast expanses of open ground, along with training fields where swarms of soldiers practiced marching and drill amidst the smoke of cookfires and the miasma of dust. Several raised platforms now supported arbalestillery batteries that pointed outward, ready to rain hell on the city if any attackers came from within. In the mix, he also knew there were shinobi on rotation as well. This had been the Bakufuu’s response to the attack on Shiranai by a lone assassin – to make it so that he was forever unreachable – even ten Enishis would be overwhelmed by the sheer number of forces ready to stop him at a moment’s notice.
“Sadly, not yet. Yukimura Enishi did not leave much in terms of physical evidence – the blood splatter from when you nicked his face while defending our Shogun is the most we have to go on, and we have already sent whatever samples we could to Isaki in Kumogakure,” responded the woman. She was Gasai Yui, formerly Tachibana Ami’s personal bodyguard and now Captain Commander of the militant branch of the Bakufuu Security Agency.
“That is troubling. Enishi is one of the most dangerous opponents possible. I know this, seeing as Rin and I selected him out of the academy. When he sets his mind to something, he won’t stop until it is completed. It may take years, but he will accomplish his goal or die trying,” sighed Masao.
“We learned our lesson from the initial attack. We will not let him touch the Shogun again. Even a shinobi cannot hope to overwhelm the defenses we have stationed here. Five thousand soldiers complemented with a hundred shinobi at all times. It is wildly expensive, but it is worth it. No matter how many of us die, we will take him down,” growled Yui, her knuckles white under her gloves as she gripped the handle of her weapon.
“Sadly, that also means the Shogun cannot leave the palace, let alone the city, doesn’t it?” asked Masao. “He did tell me he wanted to visit Kumogakure again sometime.”
“It can’t be helped. It’s for his own protection. And it’s the Chancellor’s will,” replied Yui, shrugging.
“Indeed. Tachibana is an iron lady. The only person whose ire I’d less like to incur would be my own wife,” Masao said drily, as the pair stopped in front of a large pair of iron, reinforced doors that swung open for them. As they passed, the doors closed with a loud clank. Inside, there seemed to be a preponderance of guards as well – elite security forces that signaled the presence of important figures. After a short while, Masao and Yui entered a large, wood-paneled audience chamber, in which sat several familiar figures.
“Madam Chancellor, a pleasure,” said Masao as he bowed to a woman sitting at the end of a large, circular table and flanked with three others. In turn, Tachibana Ami nodded to him.
“It is my duty to Kumogakure, madam,” Masao responded, giving a nod to the three others with her; Margrave Tokugawa Mizuki, Marshal General Nobunaga Kouhei, and Grand Admiral Kato Takumi. He in turn sat down at the open space at the table next to Kouhei.
“We shan’t waste your time, Vice Commander. The reason I have called you here today as a representative of Kumogakure is because we need to share information between all of us on the new threat to our country that has emerged in the last few months,” said Ami, before clearing her throat slightly. “Namely, I am talking about the ‘Kingslayers’. Mizuki, if you would give the summary.”
“We all know that a month ago, the Kumogakure missing nin and former ANBU Captain Yukimura Enishi attempted to assassinate our Shogun in cold blood. As background for those of you who are unfamiliar with shinobi history, Captain Yukimura is also the man who betrayed and assassinated his former Lord, the Seventh Raikage Kagetsu Kiyo of Kumogakure, two years ago.
“That the Captain is a murderous and violent traitor is not in question. However, the question is why he has targeted the Shogun of all people? Usually, and if Vice Commander Takaki will confirm for me, missing shinobi tend to shy away from targeted, high-profile assassinations, for fear that this will further attract the attention of the Oinin-butai corps of the Kumogakure ANBU and thus lead to their deaths. In addition, when missing shinobi kill out of anger or desire for revenge, their targets are usually restricted to other shinobi from their village of origin.”
“Correct, Margrave,” said Masao.
“And yet Captain Yukimura, who is already a priority target for both the BSA as well as Kumogakure, has only further exposed himself rather than attempting to do the typical thing and flee to another nation. I believe the reason for this is because he has a specific agenda in mind; the destruction of not his home village, but of Lightning Country itself.
“The way in which he hopes to bring about this goal is the assassination of high-ranking individuals in political, military, and economic circles, with the goal of fomenting social chaos and inciting rebellion and uprising in our urban centers. In addition, we at the BSA believe that he is not acting alone, but that he has assembled a group of similarly-minded and powerful individuals of comparable combat ability to his, who operate with the same goal in mind – the ‘Kingslayers’. Even more troubling, we also believe that this group has indirect and ideological support from seditious groups within our own government,” said Mizuki, pausing.
“We do not have firm numbers yet, but we do know of a few likely members,” said Mizuki, pointing to the whiteboard at a group of pictures. “This is still classified information that does not leave the room, but we have proof that the former ‘Dear Leader’ of the PRMC, Choe Il-Jong, was killed a month ago by a missing shinobi from Neo-Konoha, one ‘Tanaka Daishi,’ otherwise known as the ‘Light Sage’ of Leaf. In addition, Tanaka is the other man implicated in the assassination of Raikage Kagetsu Kiyo.”
“That I currently do not have a good answer for, Grand Admiral,” said Mizuki, “but given that the PRMC’s tenuous political situation and the fact that we are still at war with them, creating an international incident would easily fall within their goals.
“Moving on, there are several other likely members, all of whom have been implicated in the earlier deaths of local officials and taxation agents, mostly in the remote provinces. A missing shinobi of the Star Hidden Village of the KBC, named Nakamura Yukiko,” he said, pointing to a grainy picture of a pretty blonde woman, “a former Imperial Army Lieutenant-turned-traitor named Horiuchi Yuuya,” he said pointing to a wild-eyed man, “and an ex-PRMC Spec-Ops agent named Shinya Mitsuru,” concluded Mizuki, pointing to a third picture of a black-haired, painfully young-looking girl with piercing red eyes.
whiteboard said:
(Yukimura Enishi; Missing nin of Kumogakure, ex-ANBU Raikage Guard Captain; Assassinated Kagetsu Kiyo; likely leader)
(Tanaka Daishi; Missing nin of Neo-Konoha, 'Light Sage'; conspiring with Yukimura)
(Nakamura Yukiko, missing Hoshigakure kunoichi; Horiuchi Yuuya, sentenced to death but escaped gallows; Shinya Mitsuru aka "Red Death", ex-PRMC SOCOM)
“So it seems this is a ragtag group of various outcasts and traitors, all with skill at arms, Margrave. The troubling part is that many of these seem to be missing shinobi,” said Ami, tenting her fingers in front of her. “Any commentary on this, Vice Commander?” she asked Masao, who scratched at his chin.
“As a general rule, missing nin tend to group together – a vicious and mindless pack mentality is common to their ilk, many of them being socially and mentally handicapped in the first place even before they committed treason. We saw it happen with the recent case of Hayata Makoro; a good portion of his henchmen were in actuality low- to medium-ranked missing shinobi of various national origins, with Makoro as the unquestioned ‘alpha male’ if you want to extend the pack analogy. So I’m not surprised that Enishi would have a similar group following him. The easiest way to disperse a group like this is to kill the leader. Eliminate Enishi, and you eliminate the Kingslayers,” said Masao, smirking.
“Thank you, Vice Commander. One last thing, Margrave. I am especially concerned about something you said earlier – that there seems to be a contingent of support for the Kingslayers within our own government. Please elaborate,” said Ami, her gaze hard.
“Of course. Typically, most rebel commanders or instigators tend to achieve a sort of distorted celebrity status from sections of the populace, particularly the criminal elements of society and some of the peasants, depending on how the harvest has gone the prior year. However, there is evidence that the Kingslayers’ actions may be supported indirectly by individuals from the merchant, academic, and even noble classes. A group calling itself the ‘Continental Congress’ or ‘Congress’ for short, has particularly risen in prominence. Although they are extremely careful not to express their support for the Kingslayers in their official and illicit publications, they nevertheless take advantage of the chaos caused by assassinations and disruptions in the social order to push their own agenda,” said Mizuki.
“What is their agenda?” asked Ami.
“So far, their stated goal is to improve the lives of the lower classes. However, it is heavily implied that in order to do this, significant social change must be accomplished first. In other words, for the lower classes to have increased say in their governance and representation of their interests in the Bakufuu, even at the expense of the Shogun’s power. A word has recently been coined for this worrisome concept by the academics at the Lightning National University: ‘Democracy.’”
“Damned fool professors in their ivory tower,” sighed Ami, closing her eyes. “Margrave. Send the deans of the colleges a letter. The study and publication of this ‘Democracy’ concept is to be condemned and suppressed. Publications which support the Shogunate are to be rewarded with a special stipend and academic promotion for professors who participate. In addition, the editors of the major newspapers are to be similarly rewarded for pro-Shogunate pieces, and their circulations restricted more for every piece that supports the actions of the Kingslayers or this Congress. All further news of assassinations is to be suppressed. I won’t have the daily rags celebrating my supporters’ deaths.”
“Of course, Madam Chancellor,” responded Mizuki.
“Kouhei, I want the Western Fronts reinforced as much as possible in case the PRMC goes to hell and tries to invade. In addition, you are responsible for suppressing any support of ‘Democracy’ in your armies. I only want soldiers who are willing to fire on own their countrymen if need be.”
“Yes, Madam Chancellor.”
“Takumi, have your Navy be doubly vigilant around the major port cities. You are given permission to have your ships fire on Lightning craft transporting seditious materials and for your marines to board suspicious craft and detain crews and passengers without announcement.”
“Yes, Madam Chancellor.”
“And for you, Vice Commander, I would ask that Kumogakure redouble its efforts to terminate Yukimura Enishi and his supporters. I will travel personally to Kumogakure to meet with your Regent Commander soon to discuss matters further.”
“Of course, Madam Chancellor,” responded Masao. It’s telling that she is bypassing the Raikage. No doubt she was displeased at hearing that he chose to imprison Makoro. She wants someone willing to kill without mercy; my wife.
“And with that, I must take my leave from you, gentlemen, and present my plans to His Majesty,” said Ami, rising and bowing to the group. As Masao rose in turn, a sardonic smile crept over his face. It was true – she was the one really in charge.
[WC: 2298]