Everything was finished up, and the time for the Dassant was approaching.
The noise and bustle of the space port was immense, a grand cacophony of noises, loud talking and intercom announcements; a noise Eliza was not fond of… She was standing beside Kazuki, as they awaited for the large cruise ship far behind the viewing room windows to dock. Only the smallest of vibrations could be felt through the floor as the engines spluttered off.
Kazuki stood beside her, both hands on two luggage cases. They were massive, as if made to carry the needs and wants of a person for ten years. “How’d you like Trasia?”
“Pfft… boring!” Archius snapped.
Eliza, however, found it to be quite a nice retreat. “Well, it was a bit hot, but other than that it was quite peaceful.”
Kazuki turned towards Archius, standing behind the two. “This will be bye then?”
Archius let off a small smirk, grabbing onto the two’s shoulders as he leaned over them. “Sure, I’ll head back to Jasyme, see you guys later?”
“Yeah… Hold things down for me,” said Kazuki. Eliza glanced up at Archius, as he continued smirking. “I’ll send you any info we find.”
“Sure, sure, sure, I’ll let Sato and Martinez handle most things,” said Archius.
Eliza started, “Wait… but aren’t you helping us?”
“Archius will be helping us from afar, as is norm… Liz, have you received our reservation yet?” Kazuki asked, turning his head towards her.
“Wait a moment,” she said as she took her phone out, scanning through it with her uplink. “Yes! Gamma Class Suite with two bedrooms… oh…” She trailed off, realising that Archius won’t be there with them, at least in person - but most definitely in voice and spirit.
Archius wasn’t dismayed by that fact, simply patting the two of them on the shoulders. “So… Obadiah, I’ll see what I can scrounge up on him on my end, and don’t worry, we’ll be seeing each other very soon,” he said in a weirdly foreboding voice, before letting off a controlled laugh.
Pushing himself away from the two, he started walking backwards, giving the two finger guns. Eliza and Kazuki turned to look at him as he nearly hit his head against a maintenance drone, hovering by holding luggage containers.
“Pfft,” Eliza let off a snicker, hiding it beneath her hand as Archius quickly recovered, pretending that nothing happened.
Kazuki sighed, before turning back to Archius. “I’ve known you long enough that you wouldn’t pass up the opportunity this is. You have a surprise gift for us… don’t you?”
“Oooh?” Eliza Chyari med in, her face vibrant with hues of blood from her red eyes. “Well, any surprise would be nice, right?”
Archius shrugged. “Who’s to say?” With that, he turned and walked away - waving back at them.
”I’ll buy you some souveniours!” Eliza raised her voice, waving goodbye at him. Archius chuckled, and nodded back at her. She turned to Kazuki. “He’ll be alright, right?”
Kazuki nodded. “He’s an esteemed guest of the Imperial Family. He’ll get back home.”
The cruise had completed its docking. A voice over the intercom shook the waiting room‘s seated occupants as they started to move…
Eliza continued, “Well… I just thought that he might have it rough, not having the two of us around.”
Those that stood up looked like nobles, Eliza thought, glancing at their brooches. They wore fine clothes, it seems like Lautrasia has many plutocrats. Though, their brooches did not have as bright of a glint as her’s. She looked towards Kazuki’s chest, he didn’t have his brooch on… Strangely enough, it dismayed her slightly.
”He’ll be fine,” assured Kazuki. He looked down at the luggage between Eliza’s legs. “You have the case that Master Chyari gave you right?”
Eliza nodded her head. “Mhm! I’m dying to put it on! He… knew my mother… so…”
“Master Chyari knows many people,” Kazuki said. “He’s been around for decades. Don’t open the case until the Dassant.”
“But… I’d prefer to know if it fits, Kaz,” she said, activating the hover-lift on her own luggage. She looked around, seeing people through the glass boarding the void craft cruise.
“Trust me. It’ll fit.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “We best wait. Let everyone else get on so we don’t get stuck in a queue.”
Eliza slowly glanced back towards the cruise, denoting a rather large line formed up on the passenger loader attached to the cruise. “I didn’t know there were so many people coming.”
“Most of them are attendants, vassals. Not aristocrats,” Kazuki commented. “And this Fer-Charelota. I asked my grandfather earlier. He’ll want a lot of people. He’s ambitious after all.”
Eliza deactivated the hover-lift, slowly placing the large luggage back between her legs… She can’t wait to see just what Master Chyari had made, considering how much trust Kazuki puts into a blind tailor!
“Well, I’ve spoken to him during and after the last Dassant. He’s been rather kind to me, I think we can trust him…” Eliza said, placing a finger on her Chyari n as she thought. “I told him of the situation I was in, he was understanding and offered the condo I live in right now as compensation”
“Without Matt, he’ll be the only host this year.” Kazuki, however, didn’t seem to share her enthusiasm. She looked at his face, unwavering and unchanging. “Despite what you’ve said, I cannot trust him. The Four Great Houses are ambitious. He’ll see you as a way to get to me.”
“Kaz! Can’t you just believe in what I have to say this time?” She blurted out, feeling second-hand offence for someone that helped her back up… And to make this about himself? Eliza knows deep down that Kaz is just being considerate… but still! “He’s no Matt… I don’t know what politics he’s playing, but I think we can trust him, or at least hear what he has to say, right?”
Kazuki said, “My family words are Tenka Fubu. All under heaven, by force of arms. We make good on that promise many times. A man like him would like to gain access to such arms.”
Disagreements sparked as Eliza shook in place, denying his words. “No! Look, I’m sure you’ll find him to be a good associate.”
“Maybe,” Kazuki remarked. “Have you even met him in person?”
“N—only once, but—”
“—Then he’s trying to manipulate you,” Kazuki said, his face unflinching and unmoving.
The lack of movement told Eliza that he was probably focusing on something… Even if she hasn’t known him for as long as Archius had, she believed in her own ability to discern the most minor of changes… She interpreted his lack of change to the gears in his head twisting… perhaps he’ll agree to her judgement?
Eliza trailed off, “Fer-Charelota isn’t Matt…”
“I know he isn’t, he’s more popular and a less scrupulous person. He might be a Reformer, but many look past that for power.” Kazuki turned his head towards her. He then placed a hand on her shoulder, gripping her hard. “I’m not downplaying what you’ve got to say. But can you trust me as well?”
His face didn’t change, an unflinching facade with golden bulbs. “I trust you,” Eliza said. “Of course I would! Why wouldn’t I? You wouldn’t lie to me about this, I know! But… can’t you just trust me judgement on this? I truly believe he can help us…” Kazuki blinked, before nodding. “I’ll trust your judgement for Fer-Charelota. But if he’s not our friend, I’ll object to him.”
Eliza smiled. “I’d very much appreciate it,” she said, as she stepped up to the glass, seeing dozens of drones act as the vessel’s ‘pit-crew’.
“The Marquis is the last of his Household. He won’t let his house die, especially with the prestige of being one of the Great Four Lines,” Kazuki remarked.
“What does that have to do anything?” inquired Eliza. “Certainly he’d be less scrupulous if he was in such a position, right?”
To her surprise, Kazuki shook his head “To get to such a position, one’s family must be the greatest schemers of all. How do you think the Feonars carved a kingdom?”
“I…” Eliza found that his assessment was quite sound. Logically, those that must have crawled all the way up to the top must have at least done some scheming behind the backs of others… even her flowery, rose-red tinted glasses can see that. “I understand…”
Kazuki nodded. “My family has the autonomy to govern the Trasian Sector how they please. My father held the Republic at cannon-point twice, whilst my grandfather protected Trasia where my father could not.”
The ‘Great Four Lineages’ were the four most powerful families in the galaxy, Eliza thought. Much to her surprise, she had nearly forgotten that Kazuki was one of them: a Ryzaku.
She’s seen him so long as just ‘Kazuki’ that her analytical mind almost stopped there when she thought of him… Was it because she promised to see him as just that, to accept Kazuki for that what he is. Whatever he may be, she accepts him nonetheless.
“The Ílizes control the senate, whether you like it or not, Eliza.”
Eliza interjected, “Hey?! What did I do this time?”
Kazuki paused… He clicked his fingers and shook away the thoughts, it seems. “Nothing… Sorry… But the Charelotas are different. Whilst others hold tangible, hard power… the Marquis has soft power, brittle, but malleable.”
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Thinking to herself, Eliza thought about these four great houses. They have so much power… Yet… So rarely do they ever exert it for anyone else but themselves. Despite the evidence against the contrary, Eliza reinforced her tinted glasses. “The Republic is stronger than the will of a handful few.”
Silence was Kazuki’s response. Eliza stared at him, as it seems he was at a loss for words. He then shrugged and nodded, walking up to stand beside her, the hover-luggage streaming behind him. “A Republic should always be stronger than the will of a handful few.”
She couldn’t tell if Kazuki was being optimistic, or whether he was saying something much grimmer… But Eliza couldn’t see through the fogs of mystic he had placed up, she simply accepted the words at face value.
“Yeah.” Eliza nodded. She then continued, “Will it just be the two of us?”
Kazuki shook his head. “I have three bodyguards. They’re not here right now. They’re… already at the Ball Palace.”
“Oh, why?” Eliza asked.
“They’re the Vanguard, make sure nothing bad is waiting for us when we arrive.” he said.
“Oh… Is by any chance two of them Cyrus and Nihara?” Eliza asked. Given how those two seemed to be ‘high’ in the AGENCY’s rankings, Eliza suggested that it had to be them, with the additional fact that they never seemed to be a part of any fighting.
“Yes. Seems you’ve met two thirds of the Eden Trio.” Kazuki said. Eliza’s mind raced with speculation… The Eden Trio? Cyrus… well, Eliza doesn’t know much of him, but the fact that Cyrus is Kazuki’s personal bodyguard shows some merit to her. Nihara? She’s seen what she could do with a single strike… Someone like her would be someone she could place her trust in. But the last one? What flavour of prowess would they be, she speculated.
Eliza’s head twisted back towards the cruise. “So, what’s our game plan for the Dassant?” she asked
“We’ll approach on your side. The Marquis Gilbera Fer-Charelota. Possible ally that can help us, we’ll continue our investigation from there,” Kazuki said. “We have one endgame though, Obadiah Cariana-Slynt.”
A bright face crept onto Eliza’s face, Kazuki was willing to follow her lead on this. “I’m sure he’ll make a great ally for the both of us.”
“I hope… I think we’ve waited enough. Let’s go,” Kazuki said. The two activated their hover-lifts attached to the luggage, as Eliza followed on after Kazuki, Following in his footsteps. Dozens of aristocrats were still flooding onto the cruise ship, glistening in their brooches and jewels.
∗ ∗ ∗
The room was cramped, at least compared to what Kazuki thought Eliza had booked. It was the size of normal bedroom, though with bunk beds and a small place to sit. The closets were small, and the shelves were even smaller.
But he’s lived in worse conditions before. This is nothing, Kazuki thought. Kazuki glanced out the port window into the vessel's hallway, a large compartment built with only splendour and charm expanded across an enormous corridor. Lower aristocrats and their servants passed by, walking towards their rooms. “I didn’t check, how long will it be?” he asked. “I haven’t memorised the exact voidway times.”
“Oh? Uh, a few days to a week? Depending on the traffic, of course,” Eliza said, tucking both her and Kazuki’s luggage into the closet. There was a door attached to the room beside the bunk beds. It led to the bathroom.
Well… A working toilet and showers nice. Definitely an upgrade from the rebellion. Looking out the window, he could already see the cruise vessel in Warped reality of a voidway. The vibrant colours were mismatched, never the same… It hurt Kazuki’s head. That was why he kept staring.
“I’ll take a shower first, if that quite right with you?” asked Eliza, grabbing some towels and clothes she had laid on the top bunk bed.
She claimed the top bunk. He’s fine with that.
Kazuki looked away from the headache inducing lights. “Go ahead. I’ll keep first watch,” he said. “Wait… no… I’ll…”
Eliza chuckled at his mismatching of words. “Sure, corporal!” She gave him a joking salute as she entered the bathroom. Her comment made him feel somewhat at ease. “Relax, alright!”
“How can I?” Kazuki asked.
“Just... relax? Lay down and rest, and... try not to make a scene, please?” Eliza popped her head out of the bathroom and placed her hands together. “Alright?”
“Why would I make a scene?”
Eliza grumbled and pouted. “Last time...” She allowed Kazuki to mull it over. He slowly nodded. No more shooting corrupt business magnates.
“Fine.” Sighing, Kazuki glanced away. “I had my reasons.”
“But... can you just please not do that again?” Eliza frowned slightly.
Kazuki kept his eyes away from the sight. “No promises.”
Eliza took that as a promise, and she smiled. “Good enough for me!” She popped back into the bathroom and shut the door.
With her out of the way, Kazuki placed a hand up against his head… The headaches were noticeable. He’ll survive them, however.
He should see if everything’s running smoothly. Sliding his hoodie sleeve upwards, he pressed a up onto the interface of his ICAPAD. He retightened the strap for his WRIST-SHOT.
The screen burst upwards with lights. Connecting with his aug-glasses, it showed aa conference room, the Phoenix’s Fury’s command deck. He sat down on the bottom bunk bed, signalling that he was ready.
He could thinly hear water behind him, along with Eliza’s slight humming. But he did not continue with that thought process. Instead, he focused on what was in front of him.
Sprouting up holographic images, he saw the command staff of the AGENCY, standing in front of him.
‘Everything under control?’ Kazuki asked.
‘Hey, you focus on what you’re doing, Kazuki, we’ll contact you if anything goes wrong,’ Martinez replied. His Yamikoi markings translated vibrantly through the holographic display. ‘But… you should tell Lilly to ease up on the logistician, my orders sure aren’t hitting her thick skull.’
Kazuki looked over towards Lilly, as she stood between Osmond and Quinn, arms crossed. She grumbled slightly.
Claire and Sato were also standing by, both sharing a flame to light their cigarettes.
‘Lilly. Anything to say?’
‘Look, I was fine working with Eliza. Sure, she wasn’t perfect at the start, but things steeled out. But a smuggler?!’ She let off a mocking laugh, turning towards Osmond. He turned away, not daring to look at her. ‘I work with soldiers, contractors, Kaz. Not criminals.’
Interesting. Kazuki glanced over at Claire… She obviously glanced away, avoiding his glare. This was hypocrisy at its finest, Kazuki thought. ‘Ex-Smuggler. Clare was also a criminal before joining Clandestine. You are aware of that. This is no different.”
‘Ugh, but Claire has integrity! Discipline!’ Lilly spat out, arguing against her boss. ‘Osmond, this smuggler?! He’s weak-willed, ill-drilled, Claire betrayed those gangs for us!”
Claire coughed up. ‘Hey… enough about me, alright?’ she asked quietly, rolling her eyes. ‘Those gangs strayed from protecting the weak… Me and Osmond are kinda similar if you think about it?”
Kazuki grumbled to himself. This was not the type of mess he’d like to deal with. Quinn raised a hand, before speaking, ‘Ar—Kazuki, I think you should just let me try and uh.. convince Lilly.’
‘There’s no need for convincing,’ snapped Lilly. ‘I’ve told you, he isn’t up to the standards for the AGENCY.’
’Good. Then it’s in your interests to get him up to standard,’ Kazuki snapped, with an unchanging face. Lilly was about to continue her rant, before nodding. Good, Kazuki thought, Lilly knew that he was right. ‘He may be a smuggler. But he’s an AGENT nonetheless. Train him to be one. Am I understood?’
‘Yes, sir.’ Lilly regressed back into her old marine commissary-self, nodding at Kazuki as she straightened her back.
Kazuki nodded. ‘And what of the rest of the smugglers? Lilly, Osmond, Quinn, have they been integrated well?’
Quinn nodded. ‘Some of them are still getting used to things, but you know… it’ll get smooth, you know? They have some nice nick-nacks, though.’ He immediately pulled out what seemed to be a memorabilia of sorts.
Osmond glanced over at Quinn, before interjecting. ‘Hey!’ He immediately cowered as he raised his voice, noticing the eyes glance towards him. ‘That’s… mine…’
Lilly ignored their squabble. ‘The smugglers are ill disciplined, as I said. I’ll train them, though,’ she said.
It seems that the two of them are on the same page, that these smugglers are to be treated as assets, not disposable waste. Kazuki won’t abandon these people. Say what his critics may preach, but he will not allow assets to die… Death… So fickle…. Kazuki’s mind started to trail off. He as a burden to lead them all. Here he is… going to play politics.
Kazuki nodded. ‘Sato. Intelligence. I have Archius to assist you, have you heard word from him?’
Sato shrugged, confused. ‘Archius hasn’t contacted us yet. If anything, I’m betting he’s going out and drinking, or something.’
‘Not wrong there,’ Kazuki muttered.
‘Hmm?’ Sato asked, nodding at Kazuki.
Kazuki leaned back against the bed, slowly sinking into it… He glanced at the Pillows and the tags attached to the sheets and duvets. Dáwidiek Sleep Corp. Huh… ‘Nothing,’ Kazuki said. ‘If anything happens, contact me.’
Martinez spoke up, ‘Hey, Kaz, let us handle the ship until you’re back.’
‘I’m fine…’ Kazuki lowered his voice to a fine and precise statement.
He shrugged, walking around the conference table and turning back to everyone else, standing closer to Kazuki. ‘You’ve been handling a lot of the burden the past months, let me handle it, alright?’
The assurances helped somewhat. Kazuki nodded. Martinez replied with a slight nod, both in agreement.
‘Alright. That’ll be all. Keep up the work.’
The command staff nodded, as Kazuki switched off his ICAPAD, his aug-glasses going dark as he sighed. The mattress he sat on was soft. How long has it been since he felt a mattress?
Kazuki paused for a moment, sitting back up. He pushed himself out from the bed, nearly hitting his head in the process. For a moment, he allowed himself to lower his guard, to relax… for respite.
What is he doing here? Why did he allow himself to relax? This wasn’t a vacation. This was a mission, to uncover a link between Obadiah and the P-1 Incident… A paper trail exists… Therefore, there are targets. He’ll have to play their game.
That in of itself gave him only one conclusion: that blood must be shed. That… was the only conclusion possible. Still, why was he allowing himself to relax? He glanced back at the bed, seeing the wrinkles in the duvet.
Did he deserve that rest? Kazuki started to agonise over it. For such a small moment, Kazuki’s memory did not allow it to rest… Maybe he didn’t deserve that rest. Victoria’s dead. Her memory tarnished. Billions are dead. Their memories forgotten: and here he relaxes? He felt disgusted at himself, looking down at his own hands. He swore he felt a tug come from below… Nothing. He was sitting alone here.
These are the hands that have killed billions. These are the hands that slit Victoria’s throat. These hands cannot rest, Kazuki thought. Not whilst he has a mission to accomplish. The weight of responsibility is his alone… Martinez and others may help him along the way, but it is his alone. By right of blood, his and Victoria’s.
∗ ∗ ∗
By the time that Kazuki had finished his shower, Eliza was fast asleep. She must be exhausted, he thought.
He did his shirt up, covering up the nasty burns and scars across his torso. His hair was slightly wet, a piece of his hair protruding out drooped over his face. He probably had every type of affliction possible on him. Fragmentation. Bullet. Plasma. Chemical. Lance. All Present on him.
”Eliza?” Kazuki spoke up.
She ruffled around in the bunk bed. “Hmm?” she peered down at him.
“Nevermind…” Kazuki trailed off. “Night. I’ll walk around a bit.”
“Mhm…” Eliza gave a slow nod, her hair a total mess, as she faceplanted back onto the mattress.
Kazuki walked towards the door, leaving the room. He’s not like those ‘noble’ aristocrats. No. He’s a murderer. Standing along in the hall, Kazuki thought to himself how futile it was to be someone he’s not. He had no need for politeness. Formalities are for friends and allies, he thought.
Something crackled at his mind. He awoke from thought, staring past the crowd. At… a guard? They just left one of the quarters, shifting their hat in place. They looked to the right, and then the left.
Their face was revealed to him.
And then, his brain shuddered into action
He scanned it through his memory.
Jogging it, he found no correlation.
Nothing matched to her. She had the uniforms, the gear, and even the hat. But his memory does not lie.
Walking past Kazuki, she tried her best to hide her face. But it was already too late. Something was going on, Kazuki thought…
It may be a mix-up, but Kazuki knew his information wasn’t wrong or outdated. Why would a guard be in one of the lower guest quarters? This didn’t make sense.
He looked back at his and Eliza’s quarters. All correlations and facts pointed to the conclusion that something was amiss…