The Aquila and the Rising Sun--The Imperium of Man Comes to Gensokyo

— Brother Martin reaches the command room blast door, knocking heavily upon it. —

A nervous pause filled the air as Drake stared dumbly at Remilia before comprehending what was expected of him.

"Drake Lycetta, ma'am." The "ma'am" was appended almost as an afterthought, gears still turning at a painfully slow pace in Drake's mind.

Quick! What did that veteran tell me...? Is she smiling? Drake took quick glances at Remilia's face, almost as though he were afraid that prolonged contact would cause his flesh to melt off.

—Corollanius resisted the urge, with great difficulty, to roll his eyes. —

Remilia smiled, satisfied. They were always so wary at first...

Welcome to Gensokyo, Drake. I hope your stay here will be pleasant.

She turned to Zee afterwards.

I have been well. Though I have plenty of news to share. First of all, Byakuren Hijiri has accepted to be re-elected Governor of Gensokyo. Come, let us talk inside, the tea is ready.

Without waiting for them, she turned around, and her and Sakuya started walking back to the Mansion.

In the offices of the Governor of Gensokyo, Haruko Hayashi nervously fiddled with her hair as she waited for her new boss. Haruko had been a secretary under the last two Governors, but she still felt very inadequate to the upcoming task. Lady Byakuren Hijiri was a legend in the House of Spring where the Governors resided. Lady Hijiri had convinced Oni, talked down Goddesses, and knew everyone in Gensokyo. Not just all the influential members, or all the humans, but everyone. Haruko couldn't help but flinch as the door opened.

The person who entered was Shou Toramaru, the disciple of Bishamonten and lady Hijiri's guardian. The tiger-youkai studied Haruko for a while, then took up position next to the door, watching the room with her sharp eyes. And then...lady Hijiri herself entered.

It was easy to understand why she was so revered. It was not just her immortal presence or the divine power that seemed to shine in her eyes. But from the moment lady Hijiri stepped into the room, Haruko felt so...at ease. Her tension melted away in the glow of Byakuren's warm smile, and she smiled back.

"Welcome, lady Hijiri."

Thank you, miss Hayashi. Can I call you Haruko?

"Ye-yes, of course!"

Thank you.

Byakuren walked around the office, studying the furniture and decorations. Every Governor put his or her own touch on the House of Spring, but the last years had seen its share of Governors. There was Imperial art, Gensokyoan scrolls, and some trophies from age-old battles from before the creation of Gensokyo. Finally, she sat down behind the massive desk. Haruko couldn't help but be amazed at how fitting she seemed behind that desk. After a short while, she rose back up.

Much has changed in my absence, it seems.

Haruko wasn't sure what to say.

I'm back.

Finally, Haruko managed to say the words that had been burning on her tongue since Byakuren had entered the room.

"Welcome back, lady Hijiri."

The Governor smiled another of her warm smiles of genuine joy and gratitude. She was back.

—The doors whooshed open again, an oddly spindly fellow walking in, red-haired and a little severe in expression.—

"And not a moment too soon. Welcome back. Your predecessor was, to put it mildly, tiresome to work with. Neglecting the transit, exemption of taxes from particular groups..."

edited 4th Jan '11 2:38:49 AM by Colonial1.1

Drake just nodded and remained silent. It felt... strange to be in a meeting with what he presumed was a local noble, and not feel in control. Back on his home planet, it would have been the other way around... but that was because it was his own territory, of course, and his father had usually dealt with such meetings, although Drake had been fully taught how to deal with visiting dignitaries, among other things.

This place is so bizarre... I hope I can adjust.

Failing to notice the air of awkwardness (as always), Trogg waves to the charismatic vampire excitedly, shouting "Herro wingy chillun!"

Shou eyed the newcomer warily, but Byakuren just smiled at him.

Ah, master Stentori. Nice to meet you. Indeed, my predecessor was very distraught by the time he resigned his position. We have got our work cut out for us for quite some time ahead. Shall we begin?

Remilia turned to Arcturus as they walked, seemingly ignoring Trogg.

...who is that? Or possibly, what is that?

— Flipping an e-stylus from under his ear, while drawing up a dataslate, Stentori was at the ready. —

"Indeed. With which project?"

Within the command room, Brother-Captain Orwell of the 3rd Company sets down the dataslate he was currently perusing. He glances at the monitor displaying the security feed from the camera just outside, recognizing Battle-Brother Martin and another figure in power armour. Almost absent-mindedly, and mildly annoyed at having been interrupted from his work he walks over to the wall console and presses the button that would open the blast door. The massive marine steps back as the door opens.

He glances at Martin, but subjects the armoured figure to a prolonged stare as his eyebrow rises. Either this was one very, very effeminate looking marine, one he'd never met, or someone had tried sticking a woman into a suit of power armour that she can't even interface with. There is an awkward pause as the Captain raises a massive armoured hand to palm his face with

"Well... Enter. Both of you. Then you will tell me who and what I'm looking at here, Brother Martin."

Arcturus gives no outward indication that he had seen Trogg either. The Kriegers flanking the small group turn on their heels and follow them as they walk towards the mansion.

"That would be, well, Trogg. An ogryn. He was recommended to me by an acquintance for his remarkable resilience, if not his mental capacities. We picked him up at our previous port."

I see. Well, as long as it is easy to feed.

Inside the Entrance Halls, Sakuya served tea to Arcturus, Zee and Remilia, then poured another cup in case Flandre would turn up soon.

Now then, how was the mission?

edited 4th Jan '11 9:29:06 AM by Lemurian

Arcturus sips the tea, quietly enjoying the flavour.

"Nothing too bad. A sword possessed by a lesser daemon had brainwashed a few citizens and were trying to spread its influence through them. It wasn't a very clever daemon. Its chosen base of operations was an abandoned forge, of all things, complete with a smelter, so... smelted it was."

edited 4th Jan '11 9:09:55 AM by l3wt

Zee sat down and sipped her tea, enjoying the taste as it flowed across her tongue. Yes, there truly was no place like home, and the taste of a favoured beverage to make you feel welcome. The Living Saint turned to Sakuya and gave her a warm smile. "You've outdone yourself this time, Sakuya; this is exquisite, easily the best tea I've ever had. Thank you."

At her husband's mention of the daemonic sword, she raised a hand to her mouth and fought to stiffle a giggle. "Ah yes, that sword was something else. It had a massive ego, for one thing...and it was a bold-faced liar. The damn thing boasted of how it had been forged millennia ago from the finest metals and how it had tasted the blood of millions...but when I checked the records, it turned out the sword had been made on the cheap less than a year earlier."

— The Marine cleared his throat. —

Apparently, this is a Youkai who has... been generated by my armour.

Captain Orwell supresses a groan. If released, it would have been a heavy thing, capable of moving worlds, so to speak. He regards the suit of armour and the woman wearing it with a somewhat tired expression, really just wanting to be somewhere else.

"Brother, I see four possibilities here:

a) This is some kind of elaborate joke.

b) You are inebriated.

c) Heretical Chaos trickery, in which case we probably would not have been alive now.

d) Another sort of magical shenanigan related to this place.

I really would prefer if it weren't the last two. At the first two options I could at least just administer disciplinary action."

Graille hung around outside along with Drake, the pair ignoring each other. In Graille's case, it was simply because Drake didn't seem to be someone who needed to be talked to, being a normal Guardsman in appearance. For Drake, it was because he dared not attract the Commissar-General's attention... and quite possibly, his ire. A deafening silence reigned over the area, nobody trying even for eye contact.

I assure you Captain, that as much as I would like this to be an odd dream, that I was wide awake and sober for my venerations of the armour when it awoke.

— Corollianus stepped over to three meters away from Graille's post, then saluted. —

"At ease." Graille nodded gently toward Corollianus before cracking a wry smile. "Inquisitors sure like their backroom meetings, don't they?"

Drake, meanwhile, seemed to be trying his damndest to sink into the nearby wall.

Everyone in the Mansion would feel like they were being watched. Any time they tried to see what it was all they would see were a pair of glowing red eyes that quickly vanished. The eyes seemed to focus on Arcturus and Zee the most.

Zee blinked, catching sight of the red eyes. A smile spread across her face.

"Is that you, Mistress Flandre?"

— The stormtrooper chuckled a bit as he relaxed. —

"Emperor-damn straight they do."

—He turned to Drake, slightly exasperated. —

"Kid, don't apply the smile rule to Inquisitorial agents. It really won't help."

Remilia smiled around her cup. She wasn't going to intrude on Flandre's fun.

"Heh, and would you believe that I'm one of Arcturus's friends? Worked alongside him in the war 150 years ago." said Graille, idly inspecting his cap.

"Yessir," was Drake's reply. "I uh... think you're wrong about the last part of the smile rule though, sir."

Isaiah raised an eyebrow. "What's this about the 'smile rule'? Don't tell me things have changed since I last went out and saw the outside world!" His smile quickly grew to become a wide grin.

Suddenly there was a red blur as Arcturus was noisily tackled and crashed into the ground, avoiding damage to the table. Flandre sat on top of him, giggling as she said "I got you~ I got you~"

The Captain tumbles the thought around in his head. He activates his power fist just in case this actually was a threat.

"So what you are telling me, brother, is that while you were just minding your own business venerating this armour's machine spirit and the Emperor, it suddenly started talking back? And that this woman inside of it is... Well, that she is the armour? Somehow?"

He adresses the armour-lady directly, staring at her through a pair of cold grey eyes as the matter disruption field of the power fist sparks to life.

"First things first before I decide whether I should stand down, notify the Chapter Master, or destroy you: What is your name? What is your purpose?"

—-

Arcturus had luckily put down his teacup before having been pounced on by the vampire, who still acted for all the world like a child. He blinks, dazed as he realizes who the blur that had tackled him was. He shakes his head to clear it, then grins at the light-framed vampire, making no effort to dislodge her.

"Ow, alright, you got the drop on me this time. How you doing, Flandre?"