Vol 1. Chapter 14 – Seshat's Edict
The fallout of the Prefect Team's invasion of Abydos brought with it several changes. Ayane was quick to provide a list of supplies needed which, to their credit, the Prefect Team delivered without much fuss. Crates of ammunition, spare parts for the growing fleet of drones Abydos were operating, and a pair of armoured half-tracks.
Never again will the transit network, our footpace, and Shiroko's bike determine Abydos's operations.
The fact that the Prefect Team delivered the supplies without complaint or question was good. I was happy to see that Sorasaki was honourable in her dealings. Unfortunately, she was entirely honourable to the word of our agreement. Which meant Problem Solver 68 was now firmly in Schale's hands as a part of their 'punishment'. Which meant that I, or a member of Schale, had to supervise them whenever reasonable.
"Hey! Watch where you're going!"
They couldn't stay in their office unless I, or a member of Schale, was there with them. The only member of Schale who could even come out here regularly was Suzumi, and she had to return to Trinity at times for her own duties. I couldn't stray too far from Abydos due to my work there.
"Oh, Ms. Waitress? Who do you think you are, shouting at my employee?"
Having everyone spread out would also reduce our ability to respond, react, and organize. We weren't at the size that made splitting up for survivability a sensible idea. Which meant that I had to consolidate our forces into one harbour.
"Stop calling people by their school's name! Learn their names already!"
Which meant that I had to convince Abydos to let Problem Solver room in the school for the time being.
"Sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry!"
Mutsuki stared at me with undisguised glee, a bag of crisps in her hand as she turned her attention away from the drama unfolding in the operation room. She opened her mouth, and I already knew what she was going to say.
"Not a word," I interrupted, pointing at her as we locked eyes.
She still went ahead and mouthed 'best show ever'. I sighed as the person next to me offered me a can of coffee. I took it graciously, even as the holder laughed awkwardly.
"It really is lively, isn't it?" Suzumi asked as she watched the scene carefully.
I groaned, leaning in my seat. "Livelier than I was hoping for."
She laughed awkwardly again, rubbing the back of her head as her single wing twitched in response. Meanwhile, Nonomi and Kayoko slid in between their respective friends, trying to disarm the staring match between Serika and Aru.
When it became clear that the two had it under control, I turned my attention back to Suzumi. "And how are the searches?"
"Better than expected," Suzumi answered, passing me a file, "Several of the caches have turned up records and evidence." She paused, a small frown crossing her face. "I still don't agree with letting them keep the things we can't use. It doesn't feel right to give delinquents supplies, even if they're working for us."
"We need all the help we can," I pointed out. "Even if we had the regular members of Schale present, we are facing a foe that outnumbers us in tonnage and firepower."
Suzumi was the acting chief of Schale while I was handling this Abydos situation. I had given her limited access to the case files so she knew what we were doing in the desert. Even then, she frowned further at the mention of our foes. It was an understandable reaction. The greater Kaiser Corporation was behind a significant amount of services and products throughout Kivotos. Even if we were merely tackling an arm of it, we ran the risk of the other arms taking a swipe at us.
We were balancing on a very fine line here, and we couldn't afford overt actions until we were assured of success.
The door slid open with a 'thud', and a sleepy voice called out, "Man, what's with all this racket? An old gal like me can barely get some sleep with all this shouting."
"Nn." Shiroko grunted in agreement as she entered behind Hoshino, looking about the room in a mix of amusement and annoyance.
"OK!" Ayane shouted as the two took their seats, her voice cutting across the din of the room, "Everyone's here! We need to get this meeting going, right now!"
"I don't-" Aru started, only to be immediately cut off when Ayane's hand slammed into a nearby desk. The crack of her hand on the wood cut through the room like a bullet as the bespectacled Secetary stared down Aru with bloodshot eyes.
Aru calmly sat down without a fuss at the stare. Ayane slowly stared at the rest of the room and, when nobody made a noise, she nodded. "This is an emergency! We need to figure this out immediately!"
"Thanks to the records obtained by Nelson-Sensei, we've got a clear picture on our situation."
Ayane actually wasn't using the white board. That alone was concerning. We were all gathered around the central digital plotting table. Abydos on one side, Problem Solver 68 on the other, Ayane at the head, and myself and Suzumi at the foot. A map of the entire Abydos district came up on the table. Everything was on display, from the small remnants of the city core we were in now, all the way to the desert wastes.
"What about the map?" Hoshino asked, staring at the digital lines drowsily.
"This isn't just a regular map, Hoshino. This is a property map of the entire Abydos district, which includes a record of all its most recent transactions."
"So, it's the document that confirms who owns the land? Why are we looking at this?" Nonomi asked. "Everyone knows that Abydos' land belongs to the school, that's why Kaiser was attacking us."
"I have to agree," Aru added with a frown, "It wouldn't make sense for them to hire us to attack you if taking the school and its land wasn't the objective."
"That's the thing! We don't!" Serika shouted, causing everyone to pause and turn to Ayane. She nodded seriously in agreement, and pushed a button on her tablet.
Slowly, one by one, parcels of land switched from turquoise blue to red. Everyone watched in horrified silence as the red flooded throughout the map, the spread accelerating as more and more of the map switched colours. Finally, it stopped, leaving just the School Building and the parcels immediately adjacent to it.
Hoshino's eyes were wide open as she pushed herself up off the table, staring in shock at the map. Problem Solver 68 were likewise stunned, scanning the map in disbelief. I could see Suzumi stiffen next to me, the serious Trinity Student seeming to blank out at what she saw.
"What is this?!" Hoshino demanded, tearing her eyes away from the map to stare at Ayane.
"All the records that we could find show that the school no longer owns most of the buildings and land in Abydos."
Everyone around gasped in shock, even Suzumi and Problem Solver. I couldn't fault them. They came from large schools where this type of situation was unthinkable. The very concept that a School District could not own the land it administered never crossed their minds.
"How do you know the records aren't faked?" Nonomi asked, voice trembling as she took it in.
Serika turned an eye to Problem Solver, frowning at the delinquent girls. "Ayane and I went to check in on Master, since he can finally have visitors, and we asked him. He gave us this."
Serika reached into her bag and dragged out a stack of documents, tossing it onto the plotting table. It slid across the smooth surface, coming to a stop in the middle. Kayoko reached for it, and paused, looking at the other occupants. It was only when Hoshino and Suzumi nodded did she pick it up, flipping through the pages.
"This is… an eviction notice?" She muttered as she flipped through the pages. "It looks pretty standard… it's claiming that they're being evicted for non-payment… Wait, what are these rent rates?! Wait, is this…"
She paused suddenly, her face growing pale. Slowly, she turned the page to the rest of the table. On the last page, was the Master's signature. Right next to it was a company stamp. A vaguely diamond shaped crowned squid set over a name.
Kaiser Construction.
Cries of shock, surprise, and horror echoed throughout the operations room.
"Kaiser Construction?!" Nonomi repeated, shock etched into her face. "A part of Kaiser Corporation?! They already own most of Abydos District?!"
"Yes, the only parts they don't have control are our school building and the neighborhoods immediately next to us," Ayane answered, her lips locked in a grim frown. "The old main Abydos school building, the surrounding deserts and wastes, and even the buildings that nature has not reclaimed yet… all of it already belongs to them."
"That's not the worst part!" Serika added. "Sensei, can you show everyone?"
I placed the Shittim Chest on the plotting table. A file popped upon the screen and I flicked my finger across the screen, sending it to the table's projectors. Dozens of financial documents flashed onto the display, followed by various lines connecting them all together. Account numbers, transfer codes, and names all flew past in a storm.
"It was fortunate that I chose to secure this evidence from the Stygian Bank servers," I said as I stood up. Slowly the documents and names gave way to highlight a single account, and the transactions linked to it. "Because with it, my staff were able to track the way money has been funneled from Abydos to Kaiser Loans. From there, we were able to find where else Abydos's debt payments had been going."
Several transactions showed up on screen, countless shell corporations, funds, and LLCs flipping past. I watched impassively, having already seen this presentation. You would need a team of expert forensic accountants to map out how Kaiser had laundered the money. Even then, it would have taken them weeks or months to even get a lead. The sheer amount of data and obfuscation guaranteed that any attempt to unravel the web would set off warnings, giving the weavers plenty of time to take action.
It had taken Arona half a day to sort it all out. Most of that time was spent on the presentation everyone was watching.
From there, it was simply a matter of anonymizing the information and having Yuuka verify our results. The stalwart Seminar Treasurer, with all her skills and resources of Millenium at her disposal, was able to confirm the results by the end of the day.
An ID number finally appeared. It reappeared everywhere as the one authorizing the transactions. It was the one thing they failed to cover up, either out of necessity, lack of trust, or simple ego. But that mistake has cost them. All the Students jaws dropped as the same ID Number came up one final time, the presentation freezing on three documents.
The registry of Kaiser Loans, Kaiser Construction, and the Kaiser Security PMC. Listed at the very top as the director for each company, was the same ID.
"Kaiser Loans has been funneling Abydos's money for illegal means. All evidence points that Kaiser Loans, Kaiser Construction, and a third subsidy are all run by the same person. In all likelihood, Kaiser Loans and Kaiser Construction are colluding to take over Abydos."
Hoshino collapsed into her seat, at a total loss for words. Shiroko's expression was flat, with nary a tell. Serika fumed, her ears twitching in anger. Nonomi was the only one among Abydos visibly reacting, scanning the map and the days of transfer displayed on the map.
"But how is this possible? How could the land in the Academy District have been traded away? Who could have done this?" Nonomi asked, her voice quiet as she tried to comprehend what had happened.
"It must have been the Abydos Student Council."
Hoshino's tired answer cut through the room. She sighed, looking at the map wearily as she continued, "Only the Student Council has the authority to sell school assets."
"She's right. Abydos's previous Student Council signed the transactions," Ayane confirmed with a nod. "And there's been no further deals since the Student Council disappeared two years ago."
I could see Hoshino mouth 'two years huh…' to herself even as Serika angrily slammed her fist on a table. She glared at the map, the light of the map catching in her eyes. "How could they sell the school's land to Kaiser? The school belongs to the Students! Why would they do something like this?!"
"Likely because they had no choice," I answered, my hands at rest behind me, "My research shows that the sales coincided with increases in the rates of interest on the loan balance, spread out over the last few decades."
I chuckled humorlessly at the evidence before us. "Looking at what we have, once Kaiser Construction had their hooks into Abydos, it was simply a matter of having Kaiser Loans increase the interest every so often. Then, the Student Council would turn to Kaiser Construction to sell the land at increasingly lower prices out of desperation."
"If only I had noticed this sooner," Ayane lamented. "We were just so worried about the debt that we never bothered to check the assets."
"You couldn't have known, Okusora-san. Nobody would expect something like this," Suzumi said, trying to reassure the treasurer. Ayane perked up slightly, but still looked glum.
"Even if you had known," Hoshino finally spoke up, leaning back against her chair, "there's nothing you could have done. Like Nelson-Sensei said, this has been happening long before any of us entered the school, before we formed the Foreclosure Task Force."
"Hoshino, do you know something?" Shiroko asked, turning to stare at the tiny President. "You used to be on the Student Council."
Serika blinked and looked at her shorter friend. I could see the gears turning in her head as she processed the idea, before asking "Wait, really?"
"Yes. In fact, she was the vice president of the last Student Council." Ayane answered.
Hoshino shrugged tiredly, shaking her head bemusedly. "It's true, but I never met the upperclassmen that ran the Student Council before us. By the time I joined, they had all resigned. You could count the number of enrolled students on two hands, the faculty was gone, and classes had been suspended for a long time."
"That sounds… pretty sad?" Aru muttered, her bored mask breaking as she frowned at the thought of it, "I can't imagine it."
"Sad's one way to put it," Hoshino said with a dry laugh, "The Student Council room was basically emptied out and none of the previous members had left any documents. I don't even know if they did it on purpose or not, the school building was moving around so much to avoid the desert that they might have just been left behind at some point."
"It must have been hard."
Hoshino smiled bitterly at my reassurances, eyes losing focus as she remembered times past. "Hard doesn't even begin to describe it. The last Student Council was just the new Student President and me. She was an idiot with the lowest grades in school that accepted the position blindly, and I was an ill-tempered first-year. Everything was such a mess.
"We were officially the Student Council, but we were so incompetent that we might as well have not been there.
"So, I can't answer any questions about this. We didn't know anything then, and I don't know anything about it now." She concluded with a tired sigh and a sad smile.
The room was thrust into silence at Hoshino's admission, the air growing still and awkward from her confession. I glanced about. Most of Problem Solver just looked about with varying degrees of awkwardness. Suzumi was staring at the map of Abydos and the documents with worry. Most of Abydos was staring at Hoshino with concern. It seemed nobody was ready to touch the subject. I braced myself and-
"Hoshino, you shouldn't blame yourself."
Hoshino snapped out of her reminiscing, turning to stare at the speaker with everyone else. Shiroko stared back, locking eyes with the tiny president as she spoke, "It was thanks to you that the Foreclosure Task Force was established in Abydos after the Student Council was disbanded. You may be lazy, but you're always the first to take initiative when it really matters."
"Yeah, you were the one who led us to save Nelson-Sensei when the Helmet Gang attacked Sensei and Serika," Ayane agreed with a nod.
I ignored Suzumi as her stare shifted towards me. I also ignored Mutsuki's amused smirk.
"So don't blame yourself for what the old Student Councils did. You've done plenty to help get us to where we are now," Shiroko concluded.
"Hey!" Hoshino protested, a blush on her cheeks as she stared at the taciturn wolfgirl with eyes wide. "What are you doing, saying that in front of all these people! Are you trying to embarrass me?"
"If that's what it takes to cheer you up then I'll do it as many times as I need to. You're one of us and we're all in this together."
Everyone chuckled or laughed at that. But I seemed to be the only one who noticed the conflicted look that crossed Hoshino's face for a moment.
"There's just one thing I don't get," Suzumi said as she walked around the plotting table, staring at the map as she did, "and that's why Kaiser is doing this."
"It seems pretty simple," Aru answered, trying her best to look disinterested even as she joined the one-winged girl in staring at the map, "They're looking to take over the school to finish what they started."
"That's not what I mean. I mean why are they so invested, spending so much money and time, in taking over Abydos? I can't imagine it's simply so they have a place to do illegal arms transfers."
"I don't get it either," Nonomi agreed, frowning in thought. "The Abydos District is nothing but wilderness and sand-blasted ruins."
"It's simple," I said, standing up from my seat. "Kaiser was spotted conducting operations in the Abydos Desert. There's something there that must be of interest to them."
"How do you know that?" Shiroko asked, looking at me curiously.
"Head Prefect Sorasaki provided it to me during my conversation with her."
The mere mention of Sorasaki's name caused Suzumi to freeze and Problem Solver 68 to shiver. Abydos all looked on guard, as if expecting an attack to occur. Hoshino just looked mildly amused.
When nothing happened, Shiroko turned her attention back to me with a curious look in her eyes. "But why would she tell you that, Sensei?"
"And what could they be up to in the desert?" Suzumi muttered.
Kayoko nodded as she looked over the map. "I can't see anything of interest out there…"
Serika looked about, emotions shifting about her face before a familiar annoyed glare settled in. She pointed outside, hissing in frustration, "Why are we all standing here then? The desert is in our district! Why don't we just go and check it out ourselves!"
Everyone looked at her. They looked at the map. They looked outside at the yard, where a pair of armoured transports happened to be sitting along with a trailer for a drone launcher.
Hoshino blinked, then gave the catgirl a pat on the back as she wiped away a fake tear, "… Wow, Serika. You actually had a good idea for once. You've grown so much. I'm so proud!"
"Yes, Serika is right. It's faster if we go see it personally," Ayane nodded. "I'll move one of the spare ScanHawks for you to bring with you!"
"I presume Schale will be assisting?" Suzumi asked me, raising an eyebrow. "Along with our erstwhile… allies?"
Aru turned her nose up at the one-winged girl, a familiar sneer settling on her face. "Be careful with your tone, Trinity. We're the ones with the most experience with those transports."
"Nelson-Sensei's the one who's in charge of your evaluation, Rikuhachima-san."
I relaxed myself as the operation room descended into a comfortable clamour. This time, it was just a mere trip to the desert. It was basically just a trip into Abydos's backyard. We even had vehicles this time. It should be rather simple.
The trip into the desert the day before was enlightening. With our numbers and support from Ayane's upgraded drone network, we had split up into smaller pairs to cover more ground. I wasn't sure what we would find out there, but there had to be something.
It was a good thing that we had split up and brought a spare drone for Ayane to do recon with.
We found something. More than something, in fact.
We all stared at the map of the Abydos Desert, frowns on our faces as we looked over the updated information. Two sizable bases sat in the desert, one near the old main Abydos School building and another closer to the city core. It was only because of our small groups that we managed to evade notice. Thankfully, the high-powered cameras on the ScanHawks let Ayane record details from a safe distance after we found the bases.
"At least we know how the Kaiser Security PMC plays into this," I said, tone dry. A round of head nods answered my evaluations as the pieces finally seemed to become clear. Pictured on the plotting table were several shots of the walls, where the security company's logo was clearly on display.
"How on Kivotos," Serika said, glaring at the bases on the map, "Did they manage to build TWO WHOLE BASES?!"
"Not many people go into the desert, Serika. They had plenty of time and space to do this without notice," Hoshino answered, even as she stared at the images with a perplexed frown.
The bases were problematic, but they answered a lot of questions. The supplies the Helmet Gang were receiving? They never moved through the city. They must have been moved to one of these bases and then dropped off in the desert. The reason for pushing Abydos back towards the borders of other districts? To better hide whatever they were doing here. Why did they need to secure the district? It had to do with these bases.
Suzumi stared at the maps, her lips downturned ever so slightly into a frown as she looked over the map. I could see the gears turning behind her eyes as she muttered, "But why would Kaiser need these bases? They're too busy to be outposts, but they're nowhere near anything strategic."
Ayane's observation of the base over the last two days revealed a lot. They were well defended from a ground assault. Solid bulletproof walls, lookout towers, and enough guns to fend off any thug or bandit attacks. The larger base near the old School building even had a helicopter pad and hangar. Most concerning was the logistics. A slow but steady trickle of trucks traveled between the two bases. More importantly, they also traveled out into the desert; possibly beyond the borders of the district.
None of this could have been set up overnight. These bases have been here for a while. Maybe even years.
Having more information would be ideal, but we were running into the logistical edge of what we could do. The ScanHawks were purpose made reconnaissance drones, but they were lightweight. Ayane was launching them from the School building and flying them into the desert for observation. The larger base was just outside the edge of their range, so we were stuck with whatever the cameras could record.
In theory, we could get it to work if we set up a base outside city limits in the desert itself. But it would run the risk of being detected, and nobody wanted that.
"It does not matter," I answered as I ran my hand through my hair. "What matters is that they are there, and there are no records of their construction."
Everyone seemed confused by my declaration, but Ayane was the only one who asked, "Why is that important, Sensei?"
"Even though they own the land the base is on, construction of a base of such scale would need approval from Abydos, would it not? If only for the safety permits and bylaw compliance, if nothing else."
"Well, yes it would…" Ayane started, before trailing off as her face scrunched up in thought. I continued, more for everyone else than the bespectacled treasurer.
"And, of course, we have reasonable grounds to believe that these bases are supporting illegal activity, do we not?"
Aru nodded, a confused look on her face as she spoke, "None of the transfer logs we found go through Abydos. They're bringing it from outside the district."
Suzumi's eyes widened, a quiet "oh" escaping her lips as I stood up and retrieved some documents from my storage. I strolled around the table, hands firmly clasped behind my back as I laid out my last point.
"And they have helpfully painted the emblem of their mercenary company on their walls, their vehicles, and their uniforms?"
Ayane caught on, gasping in realization as I continued my stroll.
"A company which we have evidence of being headed and directed by the same individual as two other companies?"
Kayoko seemed to clue in, as she began to grin.
"A trio of companies which are, as of right now, all guilty of financing criminal activity, using proceeds of criminal activity to purchase land? Then committing illegal trans-border arms transfer and unapproved construction on Abydos administered land?" Hoshino looked up at me, as I finished my circle of the plotting table to stand next to her. Her expression was equal parts guilty, and nervous. But I could see it in her eyes. She knew what I was getting at.
"Even if that's true, Sensei," Hoshino said slowly, turning her head away to stare at the map. "What can we do about it?"
I slid the two documents onto the table. Hoshino stared at them, even as I summarized with two words.
The Night Before
"Asset confiscation."
Rin's summary of what I had put on her desk cut through the silence of her office, long after the others in the GSC had left.
"Correct, Acting President Nanagami," I answered as I stood before her desk, hands clasped behind me in rest. "It's the only way forward to resolve this situation."
"Nelson-Sensei, do you know what you are asking me to sign here?" Rin asked, taking off her glasses to stare at me. She had bags under her eyes, but her eyes were still as cold as ice.
"Fully." My voice was as hard as her eyes, even as I locked eyes with her.
Rin sighed, rubbing the bridge of her eyes, "Sensei, the President entrusted Schale to you. But you weren't raised in Kivotos. These companies you've named? They're Kaiser Corporation branches. The entirety of Kaiser makes up a significant part of the economy for the entirety of Kivotos. Even the General Student Council hired the Security PMC for additional security before your arrival."
Her hand stopped, coming to a rest on the table as she gazed up at me. The towers of the D.U glowed underneath moonlight backdropped the black-haired Acting President, her sapphire eyes piercing as her lips tightened into a serious flat line.
"What you are asking for is akin to declaring war on them. And if they choose to fight back, it won't be pretty."
I held her stare, my own eyes reflecting the glow of the towers, expression equally taut as I nodded. I answered, my voice quiet but with as much iron as my own hull behind it.
"I will take personal responsibility if it falls to that."
"There's not much even I, or the rest of the Council, can do to protect you if it does."
"I have faced worse foes."
She stared at me, eyes looking for some sort of insecurity, some sort of tell that I wasn't as prepared as I claimed to be. I gave none. After several long moments, her gaze dropped. She stared at the top of her desk, as if she could divine meaning from the woodgrain.
"Unbelievable. You really are the type of person the President would choose. Only someone she favours would be so precisely irresponsible."
There was a sadness to her voice. I stepped forward, closing the divide between her and I. When she didn't object, I softly laid my hand over her, grasping it lightly. I spoke, my voice soft in the dusk of the room.
"I really am sorry, Nanagami. But I must stand for what Duty entails, no matter what the costs may be. If I do not, then my summoning here would be meaningless. I cannot let the President's last act be meaningless."
There was silence. Countless heartbeats of silence. Then Rin pulled her hand away.
"Fine, I'll sign them. But you cannot fail. That's an order from the office of the President."
"Acting-President," I corrected with a smile. She didn't bother with a response, but she signed and stamped the papers anyway.
Most of the people in the room stared at me, confused by the phrase. That was expected. Shiroko, Serika, Ayane, Suzumi, and Kayoko staring at me in shock was also expected. What I didn't expect was Hoshino staring at me with a resigned tiredness in her eyes.
"There's no other way left, is there?"
"None which I find palatable."
There were two warrants before her. The first was a warrant that authorized Schale to form a task force for the explicit purpose of seizing assets belonging to Kaiser Construction, Kaiser PMC, and Kaiser Loans within the administrative boundary of Abydos. Employees and officers of the organizations which cooperated would be treated in accordance with Council and Abydos laws. Uncooperative employees and officers would be detained, pending trial and bail. Any assets, property or otherwise, owned by the indicated would be turned over to the Abydos Student Council as a proceeds of criminal activity.
In short, it was a sweeping warrant that gave a task force I created the right to crack down on the Kaiser branches operating in Abydos, for a duration of two weeks. The laws I noticed early which allowed the creation of Problem Solver's Letter of Marque came in again, easily adapted and rewritten to allow this very official act.
It was also the easier of the two documents. It was already signed and stamped by myself and Rin.
The other document was the real problem. The GSC did not like getting involved in interdistrict conflicts. To intervene in a strictly intradistrict affair was unheard of. Which is why I couldn't deploy the task force into Abydos with the federal warrant alone. I need authorization to do that.
Authorization from the Abydos Student Council.
The amount of the forces I was asking to bring in, the scale of the operation, the interconnectedness of what we needed to do required Abydos to sign off on it. Failure to do so would just be a repeat of the Prefect Team's blunder. It would give the Kaiser branch executives the legal grounds to claim my actions were an overstep, and sue for the return of property and for damages. It would ruin Abydos. It would ruin Schale.
But common sense dictated that Abydos was an abandoned district. There was no Student Council left. Control of the school building was all that was needed to claim ownership. The Foreclosure Task Force was not an official club, because there was no Student Council to make them official. That's what the GSC records said. That's what the paperwork for the Kaiser Construction property agreements said.
It would be easier for everyone if Abydos just faded away.
But I refused to let it fade. Because that's not what the records in Abydos said. Because there was still one individual that held office. One person who, so long as she was in Abydos, could authorize this operation.
"Thus," I began slowly, my voice booming in the quiet of the Operations Room, "Vice-President Takanashi. We of Schale request your authorization to operate within the border of Abydos."
"But Hoshino's not a member of the Student Council anymore," Nonomi pointed out, lips pursed in thought.
Hoshino and I stared at each other for a moment longer. She looked at me with tired questioning eyes, and then tilted her head questioningly. I nodded, expression firm. Finally, the tiny president sighed and looked away from me and towards the rest of the table. "The last Student Council never disbanded. I'm the last, and only, member of the Abydos Student Council."
Everyone stared at Hoshino with varying levels of shock and surprise before Ayane slammed her hands into the table, the table rattling as shouted, "How did you never disband the Student Council?!"
"How long did you know, Sensei?"
"Since I returned," I admitted freely as Hoshino and I rested atop the School's roof. The moon was out and the skies were clear, illuminating the sand covered expanse of the city before us. "I did my research on as much as I could of the situation in Abydos while I was on bedrest. I noticed that there was never an official dissolution submitted despite the Federal records noting an inactive Student Council."
Hoshino was laying on the roof next to me, her eyes shut as she lazed about. She frowned at my answer, before sighing in annoyance. "I knew I was forgetting something. You couldn't just let an ol' girl like me live out the rest of her retirement?"
The reveal had shocked the rest of the little alliance we had going. Nobody wanted to proceed with so many questions and emotions in the air, so Ayane called the meeting to a halt for the night. Everyone went home, to reconvene tomorrow.
Which left Hoshino and I to our own devices.
"I could not ignore it while Abydos could still be saved," I answered as I sipped from my flask.
Hoshino grumbled in jest and annoyance, before opening a single orange eye to stare at me. I took another sip from the flask before she asked, a smug grin on her face, "Should you really be drinking in front of a minor, Sensei? Especially the Vice-President of Abydos? That's a crime, you know."
"It's not alcohol."
"Oh, so then why don't I see you drinking from that more often?"
I rolled my eyes and, with a twist of my will, an identical flask fell into my hand. Without a word, I tossed it at the tiny pinkette. She caught it, both eyes opening in confusion as she stared at the metal container. She shook it experimentally, and the sound of liquid sloshing about echoed through the thin walls.
"This really isn't alcohol?" She asked, looking back to me with a suspicious glare.
"Open it and smell it," I answered, taking another sip.
She did just that, unscrewing the flask and taking a sniff. Her head snapped back faster than I'd ever seen it before, even as she grimaced in disgust.
"What is this?!" She cried out, looking at me in concern, "Are you drinking battery acid, Sensei?"
"Please be reasonable, Takanashi. It's only lime juice concentrate."
She nodded mutely in comprehension, before slowly looking back up to me. She frowned, the concerned look returning as she glanced between the flask in her hand and the identical flask I was drinking from.
"Are you just drinking pure lime juice concentrate?" She asked incredulously.
I shrugged nonchalantly. "To be honest, the flavour hardly matters to me. The action itself is calming. But between Problem Solver taking up my room and the work of these last few days, I have hardly a moment to myself. I would make for a rather poor Teacher if I were to drink in front of my Students."
Hoshino muttered a quiet "ah" in comprehension as her gaze returned back to the steel flask in her hand. After a second, she lifted it back up towards me. "Want it back then?"
"Please, feel free to keep it. I have countless in stock."
Another raised eyebrow. "Why?"
"I purchased a bulk order of limes, and this seemed to be the best way to reduce them into a usable format. It certainly helps for drink mixing to always have lime juice concentrate on hand."
Hoshino snorted at my casual admittance, tucking her flask away somewhere. She leaned back down, content to stare at the stars as she spoke, "You're really just as weird as the rest of us, aren't you?"
"It would be quite strange if a battleship type Human turned out to be normal."
We sat there together in silence on the roof, staring at the night sky in the comfortable desert night. Not quite warm enough to be stifling, but not quite cold enough to be freezing.
"Hey, Sensei?"
"Yes?"
The sound of ruffling clothes and hair broke the stillness of the roof as Hoshino pulled herself upright, drawing her knees to her chest. She stared out over the city, both eyes open. "You've been in Abydos for a while now. What do you think of it?"
I hummed in thought, the half-full flask sloshing in my hand. "It's a resilient place, full of hardy people. I would have loved to see what it was like in its glory days."
"I heard this was a big, prestigious school before desertification, but lil ol' me can't remember any of that," Hoshino admitted, leaning her head against her knees. "All I can remember is the school being a mess where nothing ever worked out. The School building I first walked into all those years ago is now buried under sand, and all of the upperclassmen I looked up to are long gone."
"I understand." I really did. I didn't see the conclusion of the British Empire. But even I knew it was inevitable, at the time of my first passing. The inability to maintain the Royal Navy, long thought to be the pride of the Empire, was a sign of the times and what was to come.
"Still," I continued, "No matter what it may be now, Abydos is still your home."
Hoshino laughed wistfully. "I guess it is. If it wasn't for Abydos, I wouldn't have met Shiroko, Nonomi, Ayane, and Serika. So, it is home."
She fell silent, staring down at the ground. I took another drink from my flask, waiting. I wasn't left in the quiet for long, when she spoke again in an uncharacteristically uncertain voice. "Can I be honest with you, Nelson-Sensei?"
I put the flask down, and shifted myself to look at her. She looked back, not a sign of exhaustion in her eyes. I straightened up and pulled myself into a seated kneeling position, before answering her with a smile.
"Of course, Takanashi."
She fidgeted, doubt crossing her face, before she forced it down. She spoke, voice still soft, "The truth is, I've been receiving offers from some weird people for two years now."
"From who?" I asked, voice as even and neutral as I could muster. I knew who it could be. There was only one group who would.
Despite my efforts, I knew Hoshino knew I guessed. She answered with a firm nod and voice, "Kaiser Corporation. They've been trying to recruit me since I came to Abydos."
"When was the last time you heard from them?"
"Not too long ago, actually. My day off during the attack was to meet with them."
I felt a flash of anger cut through my heart, of pure unbridled rage at the impudence. I pushed it down. "So, you have met this director before."
"Yes, but…" Hoshino started to answer, before trailing off. I waited for her to find the words. It didn't take long, but what she did say rocked me to my citadel.
"He wasn't the one in charge. There was another Adult with him."
"What do you mean?" I asked, voice sharper than I would like. I stopped before I said anything else, and took a breath. Hold it. And only after did I regather my nerves. "My apologies. Please, continue."
Hoshino gave me a worried look, but nodded nonetheless. "The other Adult, he's… strange. He's definitely not a Robot, but he doesn't have a halo. He's made of this shiny black stuff, and he has cracks with white fire leaking out of it."
Something about that description reminded me of something, but I couldn't quite remember it. It wasn't one of my Crew's Memories either. It was one of mine. But it slipped my grasp.
"Is that why you were so surprised by my appearance?" I asked.
She nodded. "I don't even know his name, I just call him Black Suit. He just creeps me out. I've never seen an Adult who looked like that in all of Kivotos. But, as suspicious as he looked, he was polite and didn't do anything when I told him no."
"What did he offer?"
"To have half of Abydos's debt forgiven if I joined him."
That was… a substantial amount. Significant amounts. That amount was a small fortune.
"And the Director agreed to it?"
"Yeah," Hoshino answered. "That's the weirdest thing. The Director was scared of Black Suit."
I licked my lips in thought. I was operating under the assumption that we were fighting a one-front war up until now. But what Hoshino just told me… There was a third player here, one who was an Outsider. An Adult that wasn't a Beast or Robot.
"Do you know what they want you for?"
She shook her head. "They've never told me. I think it must be for the PMC."
Curiouser and curiouser.
"So, Sensei," Hoshino started, looking up at me. Her orange and blue eyes reflected the light of the moon, her gaze unsteady and uncertain. "What should I do? I know it must be a trap, to have me split from Abydos. But, I have no idea what to do now."
"What do you mean? There's the pla-"
"That's what I mean, Sensei!" She interrupted, raising her voice as she shot up onto her feet. Faintly, I could hear the sound of a window closing somewhere in the School. Hoshino didn't notice or care, as she continued at the same level, "I was ready to say yes! Because it didn't seem like there was any way out. But then you came in with a plan. A longshot miracle."
She stopped herself, taking a deep breath. When she exhaled, she looked calmer, but no less saddened. "If you're right, Nelson-Sensei, then we'll get the same ending as me saying yes. But if you're wrong and it doesn't work out, then I'll have thrown away the only lifeline Abydos has.
"So, what should I do?"
"I apologize, Takanashi. But I cannot answer that for you."
Hoshino's shoulders fell at Nelson's answer. "Why not? You probably already have an answer, don't you?"
Nelson hummed in thought, one hand idly playing with a lock of hair. After a moment, she answered, "Because my answer is not your answer."
Hoshino blinked, looking down at the still-kneeling Adult. Nelson smiled back, patting the spot next to her. There wasn't really much left to achieve by standing. So, after a moment, Hoshino sat down next to the Adult. As soon as she settled in, Nelson continued.
"Takanashi, you are your own person. How you perceive the world, the value judgments you make, and the choices you face are your own. Nobody can take that from you."
"So why can't you tell me your answer?"
"Because it must be your answer. You face a difficult choice, but that is the journey of growth. You will face many difficult questions and choices. Some with clear or simple solutions. Others will be less clear and more complex. Fewer still will be impossible to answer correctly. But you must answer them. You must stand for something and decide."
Nelson paused, shaking her head sadly. The movement sent the Adult's hair cascading, tickling Hoshino's cheeks. "I am your Teacher, but I cannot give you the answer. I can only explain the situation, provide you the tools you need to find your answer, and hope your decision aligns with mine."
"Then can you at least tell me how you see it? If I just agreed, and let Abydos's debt be cut in half? It would be the safest thing for them."
Nelson's fingers rapped against her bicep as the Adult crossed her arms. After a moment, she answered, "I doubt they would ever accept it. All of you have come so far and fought so hard for a better future together. Sacrificing one for the others would never sit with them."
Hoshino felt her heart settle at the answer, which lined up so much with what she feared. But still…
"But what about you? Didn't you try to sacrifice yourself for Serika?"
"It is quite different," Nelson answered with a sad smile. "And remember the rest of my decisions that night. I made that choice because you all still have something to live for, to hope for. It is my duty as your Teacher and Adult, to put myself in harm's way for your sake."
"But let me ask you a question," Nelson continued, the Adult shifting so she could face her, "How do you think the rest of Abydos would feel once they find out about this choice? To know that their new freedom came at your expense? Do you think they would ever come to accept it? Do you think they would ever move on?
"Or would that lingering regret and sadness haunt them? Follow them for the rest of their lives?
"Worse yet, what if the Kaiser PMC decides in one final act of cruelty? To have you fight against them? How do you see that ending? Do you see a way where they will not suffer more?"
Nelson leaned back, staring up into the night sky with an expression that Hoshino couldn't quite parse. "You asked for my answer, Hoshino. But I believe you already know it. It was clear to you since I first presented it to you, written into the papers downstairs. I cannot accept a future built by sacrificing those that stand most to benefit from it. So long as there is another way, I will take it no matter the costs."
Hoshino chewed her lip at the answer, the Adult content to leave her to her thoughts. For someone who claimed to not give the answers, Nelson sure seemed happy to explain it in a way that made the other decisions seem terrible.
But Hoshino couldn't fault her for it. Nelson wanted what was best for Abydos, but she wasn't willing to force them to pick it. Like how she offered everyone she fought the chance to surrender, the Adult was letting her make a choice. She was sure that if she decided to sign with Kaiser, Nelson wouldn't stop her.
She was also pretty sure the Teacher would tell everyone of her choice as well, and let them form their own conclusions. Then happily go along with whatever harebrained rescue plan Abydos came up with to drag her back.
"Fine," Hoshino sighed. "You got me, Sensei. I was pretty sure they were going to trick me anyway, somehow. I'll sign it tomorrow."
"If that is your decision." Nelson's answer was neutral, but Hoshino could see the faintest sign of a grin on the Teacher's lips. But it was gone, vanished from sight when Nelson leaned all the way back and laid back onto the roof. After a moment, she patted the spot next to her again.
"You know, this is going to hurt my poor ol' back," Hoshino snarked, even as she shifted to lay down next to Nelson. Nelson chuckled, the noise slipping into the night. The two laid there, casually watching the stars.
But there was still one thing that bothered Hoshino.
"Sensei?"
"Yes?"
"All that stuff about people regretting things… Is it because you regret something?"
Nelson was quiet for a moment, staring at the night sky. Hoshino let it be, content to wait for the answer.
"Yes. You do not get to live the life I have without accruing a great debt of regrets."
"Could you share one? Seems a bit unfair you know all about the things troubling lil ol' me but I don't know anything about you."
"That is a difficult request, you know?" Nelson answered with some mirth. "As a soldier, many of the things I regret would be quite inappropriate."
"Then maybe something general?"
Nelson fell silent again and, out of the corner of her eyes, Hoshino could see the Adult scrunch up her face in thought. After a moment, Nelson spoke, voice quiet and words slow, "I suppose there is one overarching thematic to my life."
"Mhmm?"
"Despite what you may think of me, I really am nothing notable."
Hoshino paused, turning her head to stare at the Teacher. Her voice was as dry as the desert as she pointed out, "You're a battleship."
"One of many, Takanashi," Nelson corrected, "If we are discussing regrets, then it is that I was never anything notable in my past as a hull. For all that it cost my country to build me, I was never able to pay them back. I was supposed to be a sign of our defiance against the times, a symbol of strength and recovery. Able to fight our greatest foes, hunt their vital supply lines, and defend the seas around our home."
Nelson laughed, a dry unhappy noise. "Instead, I did nothing. The greatest foe I could ever hope to see was sunk while I was escorting cargo. I was never allowed to roam free as I was designed to, and I never served in any fights against peers. Just a history of watching from afar, either from the repair dock or as a glorified artillery piece."
"My younger sister did so much more than I ever did, enough to make up for my own shortcomings," Nelson continued, staring off into the night with a nostalgic light in her eyes, "Sometimes, I wonder if my sister would have been able to help more than I have. She always was the dependable sort, a star amongst everyone who met her. I believe you would have loved her as much as I did.
"So, I regret never being able to prove my worth to the country that sacrificed so much to build me, and that I arrived here with no serious accolades."
It was Hoshino's turn to gather her thoughts in silence. In some ways, what Nelson was describing was incomprehensible for her to understand. It was a violent reminder that the Adult was, for all her appearance and behaviour, not Human.
Nelson had the sensibilities of a regular person, but a view on herself that was strictly objectifying. In some ways, it was because she was an object for longer than she was a person. She was not born but built, and someone had to pay for that cost of construction. And that perspective was just alien for Hoshino to try to imagine.
But that underlying regret, that theme of never feeling good enough, chasing an idol just next to you but beyond your reach…
That, she could understand fully.
"I know I asked, but it's weird knowing that, of everything, your greatest regret is about something like not feeling like you're good enough," Hoshino drawled, her voice soft.
Nelson nodded solemnly. "I have the lifetime experience of hundreds, so I can guarantee the mundanity of such things will never leave."
Hoshino nodded in silent agreement. The two of them laid there, silently watching the stars pass by.
Hoshino yawned, sitting up from the rooftop. "Well, I think it's time for this ol' lady to hit the hay properly."
"Once again, if you are an old lady, then what does that make me?" I asked, an amused grin on my face.
The tiny president grinned right back. "An even older lady, Sensei."
"Truly, we are in dire times when the hopes of this district rest on the geriatric."
The two of us shared a quiet laugh, before Hoshino made her way to the stairwell door. She opened it, and paused at the edge of the doorway. Then she turned to me, worried frown on her face.
"Just so you know, Sensei," She said, a worried tone undercutting her voice. "When I met him last, Black Suit wasn't just asking about me. He was asking about you too."
I sat up, frowning. Hoshino must have seen it as she immediately held her hands up, to stop me from interrupting before she continued. "I didn't tell him anything, but he might try to meet you. I can't tell you what to do," she paused and glanced aside, "But I don't think you should meet him. He's up to something."
"Thank you, Takanashi. I will keep your advisement in mind," I answered honestly, even as my mind raced at the implications.
Hoshino nodded, and then stepped through the door. She turned around one last time, partially obscured in the darkness of the stairwell. "I'll see you tomorrow, Sensei?"
"I will see you tomorrow. Rest well."
All of us sat around the Meeting Room table. Some waited nervously, foot or finger tapping. Others waited calmly, content to wait and see what happened. A final few were fuming in annoyance.
And then there was Mutsuki, who watched the proceedings with barely concealed amusement.
"Where is she?!" Serika growled, looking at the clock. It was now 20 minutes past when we were supposed to meet, and Hoshino had still not shown up.
Ayane nervously checked her tablet for the fourth time since the hour mark passed, scrolling through the countless message programs. "She didn't tell me anything, she should be coming."
"Have faith," I said, the warrants in hand, "She will be here."
The moment I said that, the door slid open with a loud *clack*. Hoshino strolled in, yawning sleepily. "Sorry everyone, I slept in a little."
"Really?" Serika asked incredulously. "Something this important and you slept in?"
"Yeah, I spent a lot of time looking for something."
With that, Hoshino reached into her bag and pulled out a small wooden box with a hinged top.
"I haven't looked at this in years. Had to dig through my entire room to find it," Hoshino explained as she opened it and flipped it around for everyone to see. A single stamp, carved out of blue and white stone. "A genuine Abydos Student-Council stamp."
"So that's your choice then?" Ayane asked.
Hoshino nodded, the sleepiness fading for solemnity. "Sensei's offered us a one in a million chance. We either take it, or regret missing it later."
"Very well," I said, placing the warrants on the table again. "Once again, Vice-President Takanashi. We of Schale request your authorization to operate within the border of Abydos. Do we have your assent?"
Hoshino adopted an unnatural serious air as she walked up to the table. She picked up a pen and stared at it for a second, a moment of hesitation. Then she signed her name on the line, and stamped her Student-Council stamp next to it.
"Abydos High School hereby allows you to launch an operation in Abydos, Nelson-Sensei."
With those words, the nervous and worried air that filled the room vanished. Excitement was palpable as the various Students talked to each other, the quiet of the room filling with a lively din.
"Most excellent," I said, standing up. "Then we will schedule the operation a week's time from now."
"A week?" Aru asked, frowning. "Why not now? We can hit them before they know we're coming."
I shook my head. "I need that time to create a plan and finalize the participants. For now, I suggest everyone undertake their own preparations. This fight will be the most difficult one yet, but it will be all the more rewarding in our victory.
"Be ready, for I will accept no less than your absolute best."
Everyone nodded in understanding and went back to talking to each other, planning for what to do next and what to get. I wasn't lying, we needed this week for me to reach out and pull in whatever I could get.
It also gave me time to respond to the invitation in my pocket.
AN: Things are slowly drifting out of alignment with canon and towards its inevitable climax. Almost all the players are on the board, with only one more left to place their ante. What's their stake, and what deals are there to be made? One way to find out.
We're almost finished with Abydos! It took me a lot longer than I thought in terms of chapters, but I'm surprised I actually managed to finish it as is. We'll get there soon!
Thanks as always to my friend for beta reading.
