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Pyrena Castle, Pyrettania, as viewed from the helicopter of Beatrice Anselmo.
It was a sight she wasn't expecting to ever see again and yet, here it was, right before her. Pyrena Castle in all of its glory, even if the absence of leaves would paint a depressing picture for some to her, it spoke of home. Each revolution of the helicopter blades above her head brought her several feet closer to touching down and, by the Seven Divine, when her foot touched that familiar stone her foot has always touched when her pilots landed, she instantly felt that much more like herself again. While there had not been much pomp and circumstance at the airport, indeed, her time there had been purposely limited as she transitioned from the Imperial Transport to the awaiting helicopter, here at home she was greeted with lines of familiar faces on each side of the walkway to the Castle itself from the heliport. She couldn't help but tear up as she grasped their hands as she passed them and, to be fair, their eyes were also quite watery. Before entering the Castle she turned her back to the door, bowed to them, and said "It's good to see you all again, I've missed you all so very much, thank you, thank you for these tears," she concluded with a smile before opening the door, feeling and smelling the still familiar aura of Pyrena Castle.
Almost as habit she made her way for her office, it had been her routine for so many years it acted almost upon muscle memory. She placed her coat on the rack, took precisely seventeen steps to her personal stairway, another 14 steps to the second story, and a further seven to the office itself. She smiled, noticing Asuna had taken great care in preserving it in her absence; it was almost as if nothing had been untouched yet the absence of dust indicated that was not the case. Her eyes were drawn, however, to her chair facing the window which sat directly behind her desk, gently rocking even. "Now then," she said with her characteristically playful voice, "who sits behind door number one as I enter what should be an empty room?" After a second or two the chair would turn around, revealing Tamaki Kado who smiled at the Empress before joining his hands together in front of him upon the surface of the desk. "Hello, Beatrice, it's been too long, yes?"
"Ah yes, Kado," she said as she walked to her chair despite his presence in it, "I do believe you're sitting in my seat." Without a word he rose and walked to the seat on the right side of her desk, sitting only after Beatrice herself had. Beatrice had heard much of him from Lucinda. While was a most loyal asset to the First Empire the fact that he was willing to cross lines even Lucinda had questioned made him someone Lucinda had gone lengths to insulate Beatrice from. Still, she knew she could trust that he was an ally, someone whose interests were in the service of his Empire, not in personal gain. "Your Majesty, I thought it would be fitting for me to welcome you home," he continued, "in precisely one minute and thirty seconds we will be joined by Kayleigh Pryde, Hazel Narin and Rion Ayanami. While you are in no position to act or to make any decisions I insisted upon them that the information I am to convey is of relevance to you and, for your own personal safety and that of the Anselmo Family and the First Empire itself, I would not share it with them without your presence."
"Still timing things to the second, I see," she said with a smirk, "very well. If I may ask, why is the Empress not in attendance?" Kado let out an uncharacteristic sigh; in another timeline, at least in Beatrice's mind, Kado and Lucinda were certainly a couple. Borderline sociopaths with a sense of loyalty and duty that could in some cases pave the paths to their very undoing. "You read the news of the developments in Kalasin, the revelations of the atrocities?" Beatrice would nod in response. "Well, the Empress had raw access beyond what was let out in the media," he paused, "I couldn't saddle her with more triggers for the PTSD she's suffering from that. She even surfaced three of our SSGNs to send a message to them; you know as well as I do those boats operate in secrecy, and she even made a triangle with Kalasin in the middle. Naturally the reports weren't made officially, but it was enough that they knew Rokkenjima wouldn't tolerate anything further."
"Very well then," Beatrice said as she hit the button on her smartwatch. "Your timer is up," she said with a smile as a knock came to the door, "So it has," Kado said in response before adding, "Please, do show yourselves in." He had arranged for an additional three chairs, two to the right and one to the left, for the purposes of this meeting.
"Allow me to get straight to business," he said after they had been seated, standing himself. "In the closing days of the reign of the Shizukesa Empress I was approached to start an investigation as to the activities of Grand Marshall Rowe, an investigation which certainly remains in the preliminary stages. Yet, as I looked upon past patterns compared to current patterns in his behaviour, I've been noticing irregularities. Usually, on Tuesdays, he has lunch at a cafe in Pyrettania which specializes in Dartfordian cuisine yet lately he's been declining those opportunities; instead traveling from Imperial High Command to an address in Ashinxaio. Rowe is a man of habbit, almost the very definiton of a creature of habbit; at this stage I merely find it odd that he has made such an abrubt change but know, full well, I will find out why those patterns have changed as they have. In addition and, perhaps more concerning, a supposedly dead man is making purchases and using his cell phone again which, as I'm sure we can all appreciate, are some fairly large red flags even a novice would pick up upon. Empress Beatrice, you have to be careful, these grounds must remain free of an IRAF presence until I conclude my investigation. I would ask that my friends here," he said motioning to the Achkaerinese, "reference the intelligence I am precluded from viewing under Rokkenjiman anti-surveillance laws upon our own people, to see if they notice what I am noticing, and to inform me accordingly."
He paused, sat, and with a chuckle added, "In short, welcome home."
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Sophia Forrester, Rear Admiral, Imperial Rokkenjiman Navy
"I could not hide my presence here so, this is an event which will inevitably raise alarm bells in Imperial High Command," Sophia said as she bowed to the Empress. "For that I apologize but, if I am to continue to be your bullwark, I needed Cole at Imperial High Command yesterday to maintain things as they stand today. Asuna, my influence goes only so far, reigning in Rowe is an option that will soon be depleted as he picks up on where my loyalties truly lay. I promise you that I'll maintain my position for so long as I can, but, eventually, it will be me facing down an SIS squad, and I imagine they'll be sent to kill me when that moment comes. I don't care if what you have now is enough to pin anything on the bastard, I am telling you though that waiting has a cost, and while it's one I am willing to pay, I'd rather not, understandably. Do we have an understanding?" she said with urgency.
"Emerson," Asuna said as she stood, "if Forrester falls we fall," she paused for effect, "I don't care what procedural measures stand before us, we'll cut through them if we have to but Rowe's time at IHC must be brought to an end. Henry Cole has said he'll retake his former duties if I should deem it necessary well, I'm deeming it necessary today. That whole report in the RBC about the Cecelia Anselmo is the last straw and, while I can't prove it, I can't help but to think Rowe wouldn't see using the Kōketsu to his advantage as a chip he'd decline playing at this point. Rowe's done," she said as she sat, "help me to do this officially, please, I know a few who would see it done unofficially, so to say, and they'd be all the more happy to see it done. Plus," she paused, "Cole retaking the reigns of IHC insulates him; there's few who'd dare take a shot at him given his reputation amongst the rank and file. Sure we risk Rowe acting recklessly moving forward but, I'd propose, he's already acting as such. If Sophia needs Cole, let's see that it happens."
The talks in Posan had been going well with Princess Sophia and Ri Sang-Hee finding common ground on many of the matters before them. Information from the Kusanese leader had been forthcoming, with a level of transparency the Princess had not expected and, most importantly, an agreement for full access for Rokkenjiman teams investigating the attack in Pyrettania and just where the fissile material used in the attack had come from. Just as the closing of the meeting had begun one of the Kusanese generals rose, bowed and left the room despite questions from Ri Sang-Hee as to the reason for his departure. In a brief moment, noticing a suitcase underneath the table at which they sat, Ri Sang-Hee lifted Princess Sophia from her seat and ran for the nearest window, driving both of them through it just as an explosion ripped through the room where they had previously been seated moments ago.
"That way," Sang-Hee said through short breaths, fighting the pain of shrapnel which had found itself in her back, "it'll be about 2.5 miles before you reach the border with Kalasin, and you will give the border guards this," she produced a passport-sized document, "it should get you across the border. You tell your people all that we agreed to and what happened here, you understand?" "I can't just leave you he...." Sophia would protest as she began to attempt to assist Sang-Hee to her feet before being pushed away. "Don't live up to the moniker of foolish child in this moment, not after what we accomplished. Run, and do not look back!"
Sophia hesitated for a moment before committing to running, however, she soon found herself on the ground as a Kusanese soldier knocked her off her feet. "We have both Sang-Hee and the Rokkenjiman, they survived the attack," they would say into a microphone before saying, "very well." With breathable cloth bags affixed to both of their heads they would again see the world around them after they'd been transported to a Kusanese prison.
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The True Leader Addresses Present Situation, Promises "Vindication"
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Respected Comrade Ri Chŏng-jun, having been declared Supreme Leader of the DPRK following treasonous actions of the Disgraced Comrade, has placed the DPRK on a state of "war readiness."
"Despite the vicious attacks against the character of our nation and our very right to exist my sister, it pains me to say this, spoke at great length with the Rokkenjiman Princess promising them what is essentially the complete capitulation of our DPRK to the imperialists," Respected Comrade Ri Chŏng-jun said as he attempted to the best of his ability to hold back tears. "It is unfortunate, however, I have been forced to place Sang-Hee under arrest and have taken the Rokkenjiman Princess as a prisoner of war. Watch in the video as she admits that Rokkenjima is an imperialist power that only desires the complete subjugation of our DPRK before their hostilities will cease." The Respected Comrade paused as a video aired from the Princess stating the following:
"I came to Kusan under pre-determined arrangements with Ri Sang-Hee, who has become an asset of the First Empire in a war against your people, to secure the final terms of surrender. I am being treated well, far beyond what I deserve from the glorious soldiers of the DPRK, and urge the First Empire, the Empire of Fusan and the Holy Empire of Achkaerin to heed the words of the Respected Comrade: get out of Kalasin and Southern Cotf Aranye and Onishi hogs, keep your stench on your own continent. If the terms of the Respected Comrade are not adhered to, war will soon commence."
As the cameras returned to the Respected Comrade he continued, "We stand at the highest levels of war readiness to see our adversaries, the imperialist bastards, driven from our neighbourhood permanently. I also call on the Kingdom of Clysperis to send its rust bucket ship home, if you attempt to unload your cargo for those in Kalasin we will see that your carrier becomes a submarine. You, who preached against the very nations you seek to help now, are not one of Aranye, but one of the imperialist scourge that keeps all nations lock step in line with their agenda. We can still realize tragedy in Nemphis, remember that, Pharaoh."
The news had hit before Forrester had left the room, "Get her back," Asuna said as she looked to Forrester, "send the entire damn fleet if you have to but..." "Your Majesty," Forrester would say with a bow of her head, "I saw with full concern for Princess Sophia but this," she said pointing to a frozen image of Ri Chŏng-jun, "is the opening I feel Rowe was waiting for. You'll be demanded to act undoubtedly, but you must show restraint. I can't, in good conscience, do what you want me to do without making things much worse. Ms. Rion, I believe you've a new investigation before you, I have no evidence but my gut tells me that this development isn't an accident and if we start asking the right questions, we'll find something doesn't add up here. As for you," she returned her attention to Asuna, "I don't believe the Kusanese will harm the Princess; she's far too valuable alive than she is dead, so as hard as it is please have patience. At the moment he slips up, if I'm correct," she said referencing Rowe, "get me Cole at my back and I'll have this all sorted in short order."