As she listened to Rion she would sip her tea from time to time finding the beverage had emptied by the time she had concluded. "I think you'll find that you, too, shall find it necessary to toss aside preconceived notions and, perhaps, to update your files. I trust things are done differently in Valtheim, just as we'd find they're done differently in Northfort, Hematite, Tsargrad and, given our cultural similarities, I would be remiss not to mention Shinkyō. There come times when we saw Lucinda not inform me of details; she completed the task at hand, yes, but not everything was relayed to me. As a protege of Lucinda it seems to me that he's taken it upon himself to fulfill her empty station. Speaking of Lucinda, when he rose to the top of the INIS she gave me quite the briefing on him; prior to his intelligence service he fought in the Second Patriotic War, Navy, Loyalist. A Republican shell detonated above the bridge, he managed to save two other officers by knocking them down. You couldn't see it obviously, but his back bears the scars of that encounter to this day."
"Thus I reiterate that he is someone who can be trusted his actions, and Lucinda's assessment of him adds only further credence in my eyes. She would, after all, not allow someone who is a threat to the Anselmos to have the opportunity to harm them. We can also look back to the attack on Daitō and look at the facts. I spoke of an Oath earlier, one to Empire and Crown, if we're to assume that there is some nasty business which Rowe has found himself in he's vulnerable on that front. If there were a widespread issue therein don't you think they'd have mustered two squadrons of fighters for their opening act against the Empire instead of a mere two pilots? No," Beatrice paused as she stood and looked out of her window, "they had what I believe in some English cultures they call a "Hail Mary" and it wasn't enough to secure the full set of objectives they had there. Certainly they improvised in the aftermath, and I would wager that's the point when Rowe saw fit to intervene, to "live another day" as I believe they also say. Though I recognize that my return will only accelerate plans that are afoot; the People still look to me in trust, in many ways in love, my reputation upon the IRAF is second only to that of Empress Meishō I'd imagine. Trust that if push came to shove it would take only me speaking nationally to weed out those who are true to their oath and those who aren't, and I can only imagine that their own units would take care of them at that point."
"Though speaking on the matter of trust," she continued, "and why your files are in need of updating, I trust many people; my family both immediate and extended, Thatcher, King Michael, the Rhodes, the Ironsides, even you and your associates. I am sorry that you, and so many, came to know me best when I wasn't capable of fighting these threats. Charles made a mistake in whatever he's hatched in not killing me though, so long as I live so too does the mother of modern Rokkenjima, the woman who saw our victory over the Federal Republic that sought to kill our culture and that goes a long way in the hearts of a People. I know that precautions must be taken, however, with my innate knowledge of my People, the near voracity which many make in their Oath to serve Empire and Crown, I might have been gone for some time but there's things that don't just change overnight. I trust you'll find, absent the influence of whatever cocktail Ofdensen had coursing through my veins, I'm not who you think I am."
Before she had fully closed the door Beatrice would add, "If I may offer a suggestion, get Cole in on this too. He may be "retired" but I know him, he still receives intelligence briefings, still attends graduations and other ceremonies within the IRAF and while I may be out of touch so to say, he has his ear closer to the ground. I understand some across the various Branches have taken to calling him "Grandpa Cole", affectionately of course; he's been known to personally sign thousands of holiday cards to those in service who are estranged from their families or orphaned. If you want an ear into the mindset of the rank and file, he'd be an invaluable source."
RBC Livestream, Rishiri Imperial Overseas Dependency
"It is for those reasons that I, Princess Kyōko hereby renounce my place in the Line of Succession to Chrysanthemum Throne," Princess Kyōko said as she stood before her previous residence as First Minister of Rishiri. She claimed she had done her duty in Rokkenjima, that duties to Rishiri called upon her, and that her "faith in the future of the Empress is unshaken" precluded her from even needing her position there. Cecelia had joined her for this meeting, her mother, who proclaimed she could "never again serve as Empress" due to advanced age and a myriad of physical conditions. As they departed and returned to their car a face was there to close the door, but not before speaking to them both. "I'm pleased you made the right decision and allowed me to not stain my hands with blood in this case," Groves said with a sigh. "I know, it's difficult, but you did make the right choice. So long as you keep to your word you'll never see me again." After closing the door he hit the roof twice, and the two were taken to their housing upon the grounds of the mannor.
While he wasn't expecting to call upon Rion again so soon Rowe had made arrangements to meet her at his office. He opened the door, turned on the light and, much to his surprise, was greeted with a familiar scene. "Chair turned to the window as I enter my office, hmm, I did this earlier to another today," Kado said with a smirk. Unlike the previous instance, however, the chair whipped around as Lucinda rose, approached Kado, and had his neck pinned to the wall with her forearm. "Hello to you too," he said with laboured breaths and, after a moment had passed, she released him to catch his breath. "To what do I owe this pleasure to?" Kado asked. "We keep what we do away from her," Lucinda said in a monotone voice, "I can almost understand you wanting her to know certain things but you can't directly interact with her, we bloody our hands so that hers remain pure, understand?" Kado would nod, reaching for his back. "Don't be dramatic," Lucinda said without empathy, "I avoided placing any pressure upon points which would irritate your back. I know how to send a message without cruelty."
"I suggest you make your leave," Kado simply said, "I've a meeting with Rion. I can't imagine she'd be happy to see you in my office." "Can't imagine she would be," Lucinda replied in brevity, "you want Beatrice to know something you relay it through me and I will determine what is, and what isn't, beneficial for her to know. I've a responsibility to keep her safe and that is in all manners." She left the room as swiftly as she had pinned him, making sure that she retraced her steps to her suite with her husband who, thankfully, was still napping.
Kado resumed his posture swiftly before Rion's arrival, going straight to business as he pointed to a whiteboard. "Three figures," he began, pointing to the lower right corner which featured a picture of Groves. We call him the Chauffeur, he does the legwork and considers himself a strategist in this plot, but all he's here to do is open doors and guide people to their destinations. Following the elimination of Charles, honey allergy, mead, nicely done to yours by the way," he segued as he pointed to the next box, this time with a question mark. "We have the seagull that swims in the sky; I see the way you're looking and I didn't pick these names, these are codewords and phrases we've intercepted in communications. Anyway, we'll shorten that one to "Seagull", not much is known about them. If my instincts are correct, and they typically are, Seagull is their mole in the INIS; they relay things they hear and at times act on behalf of," he paused as he pointed to the top box, "Blue Silver. This is the most elusive one in all this," he paused, "is it Rowe, I have my suspicions there but everything I've gleaned from what I am legally able to glean from domestic surveillance, it's all circumstantial and wouldn't stand in court. That's where I hope you come in," he continued, "help me find out who Seagull is, to confirm who Blue Silver is, and help me get rid of that damned annoying Chauffeur. I promise, I'll allow my instincts to drop for some time if you promise me that nothing I say is relayed to the Empress or any in her family; there's certain things I cannot share with them, it's for their protection and plausible deniability in case things go sideways which, in such a case, should be my failing and not something which should impact them. In any case, the stage is yours, Rion," he said as he motioned with his hand to the board.