CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
“Oi, Seizo, don’t you have a cousin high up in the Navy?” Harada demanded without ceremony, walking abruptly into the captain’s room just after the sun rose.
Okada sat up at once, removing the crimson velvet sleeping mask with a pair of open eyes painted on it which he wore habitually when napping. “You mean the guy who let us use the submarine the last time Sekiguchi kidnapped one of us?” he replied, somewhat ironically. Early as it was, he had not slept much more than the Vice-Chief had. “Sure. Why, what are you thinking?”
“We need a ship equipped for every environment; space, sea, sky, all of it. The Navy’s really the only option without going to private owners. Sekiguchi took Thalia off planet.”
“What? How the hell do you know that? Where is she?” Seizo demanded.
Harada explained the location device he had given Thalia. “We need to get a ship and go after them before she’s out of range, which could happen at any moment depending on a number of unpredictable factors,” he said in conclusion.
Okada was already on his phone, calling his cousin. He was dubious about asking for another huge favor so soon after the last one, but their choices were quite limited, so he didn’t bother mentioning it.
Harada paced the hallway while Seizo talked to his cousin. He had just heard back from Thalia’s physician on the other side of the Portal with the morning mail delivery; technology was advancing differently there than it was here, so they did not have the same surgical biomechanics or techniques, but her doctor thought there was a possibility something could be done by one of the interns he knew, who was currently working at a local hospital.
This intern, a female doctor named Emory, was related to a Fae family on her father’s side. She was familiar with the anatomy and physiology of the Fae race, and even more so with the mixed breeds of humans and Fae that were still common on their side of the Divide. The doctor told him that she was going so far as to carve out a specialty niche for herself in treating those of mixed Fae and Human blood.
This Doctor Emory was willing to make the dimensional leap for the sake of the research alone – the prospect of truly innovative surgical procedures was also a bonus she could not have resisted. The doctor struck an overall note of cautious optimism in his letter, but he expressed agreement with Harada’s judgment that it was best not to raise Thalia’s hopes just yet. They were going through official channels to get Dr. Emory’s clearance as soon as possible.
No way was Harada Tetsuya going to allow Dr. Emory to arrive here only to find her patient was missing; he was determined on that point.
He did not dare stay still long enough to think about his own feelings. Sleeping was now an arduous task he dreaded, knowing he needed rest to maintain his strength, but unable to face the emptiness of the quarters and especially the bed he had so quickly grown used to sharing with Thalia.
He carried with him a scarf she had worn a few times recently, in order to have her lingering scent as near him as possible. Some of the men had noticed, he knew, and Yamamoto had walked in on him when he had his face buried in it that morning; none of them dared mention it to him, but he knew they were worried. Some were worried only for Thalia’s safety, but most were also worried that the Vice-Chief might lose his touch under so much pressure.
So he did what the chief officers always did in a time of crisis: he called a general mandatory meeting of all squads in the main hall for that afternoon at three o’clock. Anyone not present would be required to commit seppuku or present a damn good excuse for his absence.
***
Sekiguchi looked down in triumphant anticipation on the horizon line of the planet they were approaching. It was a runt of a planet, really, consisting of little more than carbon and silicon with an atmosphere of barely habitable nitrogen and oxygen with carbon oxides intermingled.
It orbited an unremarkable red dwarf star that was far nearer the end of its lifespan than Earth’s Sol would be for millennia to come. There was little to be found on the surface any longer save bare rock and sand; almost no native populations remained to speak of.
This was a planet that had been taken over long since by the most corrupt division of the notorious Kaizoku, the Space Pirates who had facilitated the alien invasion of Earth. Sekiguchi made use of the Kaizoku when it suited his purposes, but he hated them with dark passion.
They had been the ones to spearhead the invasion of Earth, and consequently the invasion of Edo. Indirectly, they were responsible for the murder of his beloved Sensei Kurama.
This planet was like many others in falling victim to these invariably lethal parasites; they took and consumed endlessly, without giving back, until entire planetary ecosystems were destroyed and all native species had died out or moved on. All that remained on planets like this one were the office buildings the Kaizoku chose to keep in operation, many of them warehouses for the oceans of plunder they stole from their victims.
This planet had no name any longer; the natives who had given it one were long gone, and the Kaizoku did not care enough to name the planets they destroyed. It was a desolate lump of rock orbiting a dying star.
It was this planet that Sekiguchi had decided upon for Thalia’s first target. Despite what she thought of him, he did understand her at least in part. He knew she would need to see justice in any and all destruction she wrought, regardless of the pressure he brought to bear on her through hostages or pain of any kind. It was her nature to only serve justice, and she would be of no use to him if he warped her pivotal characteristic too soon. He aimed to gradually bring her around to his point of view, beginning with the most obvious evildoers.
He did not mind deceiving her when he could, as he had in order to get her to ‘rescue’ him from the Mimawarigumi; but she had been off-guard then, and that would not be the case when she was called upon to bring destruction on a greater scale than one sadistic torturer’s hand. He needed her to believe in the evil of what she was destroying, so he would give her that.
At least, he would do that at first. Later on, he was hoping she would not be so apt to inquire deeply into matters of justice for each planet’s individuals.
It was time to bring her here, to give her an up-close view of the horrifying degradation to which the Kaizoku had subjected this once-lush and beautiful planet. They had made of it a desiccated corpse in orbit before its time, and he knew she would resent that far more bitterly than even he could.
“Go and bring Thalia-sama to me,” he said to Aoi, who was standing beside him silently watching the devastated little planet grow larger in their windows.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
***
Yamamoto was rushing out the main gate of Shinsengumi Headquarters, in urgent search of the swordsmith preferred by the chief officers. Okada had discovered a minute crack in his katana near the hilt that must be repaired before they departed, and Harada also wanted his katana reinforced.
They were short on time, since the captain’s cousin had come through for them once again – on the strength of promises for future collaborations and/or allocation of resources – and found a small ship for their use.
It was still a matter of dispute who exactly would be going with the Vice-Chief and Captain, though no one dared question that both of them would go. Yamamoto was just as fiercely determined to be on board that ship, even if he had to disobey direct orders to do it, but he was never vocal about things. It was unnecessary, he found, and usually only attracted the volatile wrath of his incendiary superiors. The Vice-Commander and First Division Captain had always been the most temperamental, but now that they were so worried they were worse than ever.
Yamamoto would therefore respectfully submit his request to go with them, and if it was denied, he would find a way to get on board without anyone noticing until it was too late. He was not the top spy in the Shinsengumi for nothing. The consequences could be dealt with later, when Thalia-san was safe at home again.
He was so absorbed in these thoughts that he ran straight into a woman who was mounting the steps toward the main gate. She squeaked and fell backward, but Yamamoto managed to catch her before she hit the ground despite his surprise and embarrassment.
“I am so very sorry, Ma’am,” he started to say, but then saw her face and realized it should be ‘Miss’ rather than ‘Ma’am’, and further realized that this was a face so similar to Thalia’s that it had to be one of her relatives. Yamamoto stopped and choked on the rest of his words.
“Oh! That was close,” the young woman exclaimed with a bright smile that modified when she saw the stunned look on Yamamoto’s face. “No harm done, please don’t look so appalled,” she said. “I’m not expected, I’m afraid, but I did receive a letter from your Vice-Commander. Well, not me, really, but my family, which includes me. I’m Gwyneth Cairde, Thalia Cairde’s little sister,” she explained.
Yamamoto looked back over his shoulder, but saw no one except the two junior officers standing sentry at the gates, one of whom looked as stunned as he was and the other of whom seemed to be sleeping with his eyes open. No help there.
“I beg your pardon, Miss – Lady Cairde,” he said, pulling himself together. “I had not been informed of your expected arrival, and I’m afraid my thoughts were somewhere else completely.”
“Oh, I doubt my arrival is expected,” Gwyneth Cairde said, “unless of course Thalia’s been working on her telepathy, which I really doubt she has been. She’s terrible at it.”
The petite blonde sighed over her sister’s lack of prowess, and after a suitable pause during which poor Yamamoto still failed to find words, continued. “Anyway, I didn’t tell anyone I was coming, but when we received the Vice-Commander’s wonderful news, the family insisted on sending me in advance. I’m the seamstress of the family – I make all Thalia’s clothes. So of course I need to make her wedding dress; I’m going to kick her for not sending for me, actually. Is she here, or is she out working?”
Yamamoto was still at a complete loss. It didn’t help that Gwyneth was just as physically stunning as Thalia, in her different way; but most of it was the stress of the moment and honestly not knowing how to tell her that her sister was missing.
“Well, I think you had better come in and meet the senior officers first. They’ll explain what’s been happening here,” he finally said, flustered.
Gwyneth’s face clouded, her bright blue-green eyes darkening a little. “Have I done wrong to arrive unannounced?” she asked anxiously.
“No, of course not,” Yamamoto said immediately. “Thalia’s your sister, you have every right to come visit her when you wish. We just didn’t expect you, and things have been in chaos around here lately, I’m afraid. Please, follow me,” he invited with a polite bow.
Gwyneth said no more, but followed him down the hall toward the Chief’s office, where Kato and Harada were arguing over an interplanetary map they had spread out on the floor.
Yamamoto coughed; they both looked up and scowled, until they saw the blonde foreigner beside him. Harada went very pale, and Kato’s jaw dropped.
“I can see I’ve come at a very bad time,” Gwyneth said after an awkward pause filled with stunned silence. “I don’t need to bother any of you right now – perhaps someone could simply tell me where to find my sister, Thalia Cairde?”
“Ahh, you’re her sister!” Kato exclaimed, recovering first. He rose, brushed his hands off on his pants, and bowed toward Gwyneth. “Of course you are – you’re just as beautiful as she is,” he said warmly. “You must forgive us – we were in the middle of an argument, I’m afraid, and it takes us a moment to adjust. Please sit and have some tea with us. Yamamoto, would you go and get some fresh leaves?”
Yamamoto bowed and hastened away, relieved to have a moment alone to regain his composure.
“I’m Chief Kato Hiroto, Lady Cairde – how strange it is to be calling someone other than your sister by that title, although she’s been Lieutenant Cairde for a while now; perhaps you knew that?”
“Yes, indeed – we received the Vice-Commander’s letter with great appreciation. We knew Thalia would do well wherever she went, but it’s clear she’s among wonderful people if her excellence could be seen and embraced so quickly,” Gwyneth said, her eyes sparkling. She was dying of curiosity to know for certain whether this silent, handsome stranger was her sister’s love. She was nearly sure of it; he seemed distinctly familiar to her.
“Has the rest of your family come as well?” Kato asked rather anxiously.
“Not yet – they’ll come in a little while, to be sure we’re all here before the wedding and can help with everything. I’m here early so I can make her wedding dress.”
Harada felt this like a physical stab, and Kato saw him wince. “Of course!” the Chief said hastily. “Which reminds me, you’ll want to meet your brother-in-law. Lady Cairde, this is Vice-Commander Harada Tetsuya, Thalia-san’s husband. I mean, fiancé. I forget sometimes they haven’t actually said their vows yet,” he laughed nervously.
“Of course it’s you,” Gwyneth breathed, looking up at Tetsuya. She went over to him with a huge smile and ignored the formalities, embracing him. When she stepped back, she laughed to find him blushing like fire. “You’ll have to forgive me – I remember you more clearly every moment, so it doesn’t feel like a first meeting to me. I know full-blooded humans usually don’t retain memories, but it seems impossible that you wouldn’t at least vaguely recognize the ones closest to you. Thalia has been my sister almost as long as she’s been your beloved, so you’ve been a brother to me for – oh, just about forever, as far as we’re concerned.”
Kato was by now well-versed in the strangeness of Thalia’s perspective, which was so much longer and more certain than a human one; he could therefore take all this pretty much in his stride.
Tetsuya smiled down at her, having gotten hold of himself. “Don’t mind my cultural inhibitions. You’re right, you are familiar to me. Thalia was too, right from the first moment – although of course it took us a little longer to come to terms with it.”
“Not much longer,” Gwyneth said saucily, her eyes sparkling the same way Thalia’s did when she said something she knew was cheeky.
Tetsuya put his hands on Gwyneth’s shoulders and looked at her earnestly. Perhaps it was the family resemblance, or the fact that he was more alive to the past now, but for whatever reason, he found it easy to trust her. “Gwyneth, we’re very glad you’ve come, but I’m afraid I have bad news.”
“Oh? Is Thalia ill?” Gwyneth asked, her face becoming more serious, although she did not seem either alarmed or surprised.
“No – she’s been abducted.”
Gwyneth looked startled, but that was all. “Ah, I see,” she said. “Perhaps you could tell me the whole story, and I’ll tell you how I can help.”
“You don’t seem surprised,” Kato couldn’t help remarking.
“To be honest, our mother warned me to expect something like this. She wasn’t sure what it would be, but some sort of crisis was clearly imminent when I left. Our mother is generally right on target with her premonitions,” Gwyneth explained.
“Are all of you Furies as well?” Harada asked.
“No – Thalia and I both are, but we’re the only ones – and it’s far stronger in her than in me this time around for whatever reason.”
“You may have come at precisely the right time, then,” Tetsuya said. “Please sit down, and we’ll bring you up-to-date,” he invited.
He had learned his lesson well - it was far better to accept the help that came than to insist on doing everything himself; he was also desperate in spite of his outward composure, and would have humbled himself to any extent if it meant getting Thalia back safely. Her sister’s arrival was nothing if not providential.