On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor

“… and one-hundred!” he muttered, lowering himself from the horizontal bar, his muscles burning, sweat dripping from his bare chest and streaming down his forehead, stinging his eyes. Running a hand through his damp hair, he let out a long sigh.

Well, at least I get to keep in shape. The Japanese are kind enough for that, anyway. Treyvon looked around the rather luxurious prison cell he was still occupying. He didn’t have to share, and it was equipped with some gym gear, a luxury that a US prisoner accused of international terrorism and espionage would definitely not be awarded. Shit, we’re lucky we didn’t end up in some Guantanamo Bay-style hellhole. Even so, it wasn’t as if he would be able to escape easily, even if he converted the bar or some weights into makeshift weapons. Yeah, the guards here all have guns, and against bullets we can’t complete. Well, unless we are that damn guy, anyway.

Taking a bottle of water from the small fridge his cell was also provisioned with, he took a long drink, wishing it was booze. “Although it is probably a good idea they haven’t given us any alcohol, or my sis would be on the rampage about now.” He said out loud, a habit he had picked up over his brief imprisonment. “Shit, it’s not like I’m in solitary, I’m allowed to see Aliyah, Manx and Travis once a day for lunch. I need to keep it together.”

Exercise wasn’t just to keep him in fighting shape, it was a way of remaining conditioned mentally. That was especially important, as the interrogations had been regular. Not that any of them knew very much. Though at least when I mentioned that the team had claimed to have extracted other Japanese citizens before our failures they were grateful, if angry. No, really my sis knows most about what’s going on, and she’s… not exactly calm when it comes to him.

As he pondered this, the cell door opened, and several guards were there, carrying automatic weapons. For a brief moment Trey entertained the thought of trying to overpower them, before giving it up as a fools’ errand. “So, what do I owe the pleasure of this visit? You are early today if it’s lunch.” He said, and as usual they didn’t reply, either because they were well trained, or as Trey was increasingly suspecting, their English wasn’t amazing.

“”Yes, it is a bit early.” A strong voice agreed in near-perfect English, and Trey was surprised to see an old man in an expensive-looking suit behind the guards. “Still, I thought this would be a good time to have a talk. You’ve been forthcoming, to an extent, but now I have a greater interest in some… clarity.”

He was muscular, looking like a fighter, with close cropped grey hair and dark, piercing eyes that seemed to evaluate every aspect of Trey, searching for value. I guess this guy is important. Military too, judging by his bearing. I guess the top brass are finally ready to interrogate us, though if they planned to soften us up by confinement, they sure have been doing it wrong.

“A talk, huh?” Trey kept his face impassive, unwilling to concede the initiative. “I don’t see what’s to talk about. Other than the unconstitutional detainment of me, my sister and our men. I know you Japanese have your own Constitution, right?”

“We do indeed, and we are very fond of obeying the law.” The old man chuckled, seemingly in good humour. As Trey allowed himself to be cuffed and led out, a grey tracksuit top draped over his bare torso, the old man continued to talk to him. “Still, we also can’t overlook terrorist actions on our soil, now can we? And alas for you, while the United States did reclaim that rogue cell of agents that unfortunately went on a rampage in a friendly country…” He chuckled at the clear fiction involved. “… when it comes down to private citizens such as yourselves, they were most unwilling to even acknowledge your involvement. So what can we do, other than see you as armed terrorists?”

Figures. That’s the whole point of employing PMCs. Deniability, and we can be cut off like a lizard shedding a tail when shit goes south. I can’t say I wasn’t prepared for this, but it still stings. “In that case, shouldn’t we be having lawyers and shit, getting ready for trial?”

“Yes, you can have a lawyer and shit…” the old man said, his grin belying the abject lack of humour in his eyes at that. “… though going down that road is not one I’d recommend. Still, you should talk it over carefully first.” They arrived at an interrogation room, and the door opened to reveal more armed guards, soldiers all, as well as his sister, looking ill-humoured and out of sorts in the grey prison tracksuit she was wearing. Travis and Manx were similarly attired, and sat meekly to the side.

“Hey Trey. Lunch is early it seems. Though I think they are going to try and feed us shit.” She eyed the old man sourly. “Looks like a big boss has finally come to talk to us.”

Come on sis, I know you are pissed off, but getting angry isn’t going to help us here. “Yeah, I’d say so.” He sat down beside Aliyah, and they did indeed provide lunch, bowls of rice heaped with meat and eggs. It was decent enough, but Trey missed good old American food.

His sister agreed, as while Aliyah was shovelling forkfuls of the bowl into her mouth, she was muttering about ‘missing a steak and all the trimmings’. On seeing their bosses eat without seemingly a care, Travis and Manx did likewise. It’s all a front though. We need to show we still have some control of the situation, even if it’s a lie.

When they were done, his sister burped noisily, before speaking. “Damn, you could at least give us some booze to wash it down with. What happened to Japanese hospitality?” She sneered, her blue eyes cold.

“Well, considering the hospitality that you tried to show our upstanding citizens, I would think you would be grateful you aren’t washing down your last meal with a body full of lead.” The old man said darkly. “Still, since your spirits are still so… buoyant… I think we will be able to have a good talk here.” One of his men pulled out a chair and he sat down, regarding them. At this Trey straightened, and his sis did the same, realising the time for jokes and bitter sarcasm was over.  “I am Tsumura Katsuro, and I happen to be Minster of Defence for this nation. And I think it’s time we talked about just what to do with you all.”

I knew it. This is going to be a tough negotiation and we have almost no cards in our hands.

“A big-shot huh?” Aliyah snorted. “All the way down here for little old us? Nobody died, well, nobody on your side anyway, so why the fuss?”

Trey winced at her tone, but agreed with the sentiments. “I have to agree. At best you could argue illegal importation and carrying of firearms, attempted kidnapping and maybe attempted murder. I know crimes are rare in Japan, but a Minister taking personal notice of that?”

“Come now. There’s no point playing the fool. We all know what was going on. The targets, Oshiro Moonstone Akio, and Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan. They are special people indeed. As apparently were the Japanese citizens that have already been abducted, and the US refuses to return. They offered us all sorts of other concessions, but deny our request for their safe repatriation. Why do you think that is?”

“Well, they are either already dead, or too valuable to return.” Aliyah said bluntly.

“Yes. Quite.” Katsuro agreed. “Value is subjective, but let me be blunt. Your value is in question here. This goes one of two ways. You agree to answer our questions fully, holding nothing back, and perhaps we can find a use for you, until such time as the US returns our citizens. Or we can get you that lawyer and shit, but speaking of shit, you’ll all be swimming in it. Japanese courts are brutal. You might see the outside again, but you’ll be my age then at best.”

Manx and Travis looked troubled at that. They were soldiers, well, mercenaries, and death on the battlefield was a constant concern, but one thing that worried all operatives was the prospect of a life lived poorly in jail. I don’t want it either, but… the USA isn’t perfect, but it’s home, and I don’t want to betray it.

“Yeah well, if we squeal, we are done. Nobody will hire the Black Wolf Company again, and our old comrades in the other Companies will be tasked with sealing our mouths. Not much better than prison, right? Shit, might as well get me that firing squad you hinted at earlier, unless you got a sweeter deal.” Aliyah shrugged.

“A deal huh? Well, funny you should say that. I am a grandfather, after all.”

Grandfather, what the fuck has that got to do with it? Still, talk of a deal focused their attention. “Go on.” Trey said slowly.

“First, why not talk to your other colleagues?” He gestured to the hardwired phone in the corner of the room. “We’ll be listening in, of course, but you can call internationally. After that, let’s talk. About your two targets and what you know.”

“I have a feeling  you know more than us, but sure.” Trey nodded. Talking to the Company would take a load of worry off my mind. I’m not sure how our paymasters will have taken our failure. I mean, it was their squad that blew it, but even so…

As the soldiers left, they looked at each other, before Aliyah snorted angrily. “Fuck Trey. This wasn’t the glorious ending I was expecting. I thought we were going to die when he started killing those agents, but instead all he did was beat us like we were a stepchild who spilled daddy’s homebrew. That guy…” she ground her teeth. “Fuck. I thought he was a professional like us, turns out he’s just an amateur who doesn’t know how to play the game properly.”

“That’s a good thing though, right?” Manx said suddenly, the big man surprising them all. “This guy, Akio, right? It isn’t like he doesn’t know you. Maybe… maybe you could try seducing him? When you keep quiet, you’re a real fine looking woman, boss!”

Trey could see the veins twitching in her forehead. “Me? Seduce who? Are you fucking crazy, dipshit? If we weren’t in prison right now I’d knock your teeth out. Besides, I don’t think I’m his type. His other girls were the cute sort.”

You sure sis? I remember you moaning he was checking your rack out at that casino. Still, yeah, having you play the femme fatale is more likely to get us killed than not. But… asking to talk to him might not be a bad idea. He might have some leverage. But what can we give in exchange?

“Fine, fine! Just a thought!” Manx said, holding up his hands placatingly as Aliyah grumbled nastily.

“I wouldn’t mind seducing Shaeula though.” Aliyah surprised them by saying. “Still, she’s a real bitch even if she looks cute, mean as a fox. And she’s into him too hard. A waste. That fucker is hoarding cute girls, it should be punishable by death!”

“All right. We’ll take this up after we’ve spoken to the crew.” Trey used the phone to dial a number from memory. After a while, an accented voice spoke up. “Hello, who is this?”

“Luciana, it’s Treyvon. Stay calm, but we are all in prison right now.”

“Santa mierda, I suspected it would be so!” she declared. “Still, I am relieved to hear you are alive. We feared the worst after no contact for so long…”

“Yeah, well the mission was a complete fuckup from start to finish. Anyway…”

Trey discussed the situation, with interjections from his sister. Once Luciana had been appraised of their situation, she elucidated on how poorly the Black Wolf Company was faring.

“… so yes, we have no important jobs coming in. Our access to the bulletins has been obstruida, nothing coming through. For now we are making do with the money we had, but keeping the Company paid… our cash, it is flowing away, like through a leaky sieve. Unless we start securing missions soon, I fear there will be resignations.”

“You tell those fuckers Aliyah James is still kicking, and any bastard that quits will regret it.” Aliyah snarled down the phone, and Luciana paused.

“Si entiendo, I get it. For now I will do my best. But… since you are calling, do you think you are nearing release?” She asked, a mixture of doubt and hope in her tone.

“It isn’t looking promising unless we can offer something worthwhile that doesn’t get us labelled as traitors.” Trey sighed. “Anyway, we’ll try and call again, if they let us. You’re doing a good job. I know the situation is difficult. Fuck, we’ll find a way out of this mess.” After they had terminated the call, the four of them exchanged loaded glances. “So, what’s our call? If we don’t do something soon, even if we get out we’ll have to start the Company from scratch again, with our name already smeared with mud and the trust in us compromised.”

“Well, we only have the knowledge we know.” Aliyah mused sourly. “What we know about that Akio, and also the other targets. That isn’t a lot, but information is hard to price up, as it depends a lot on what the buyer needs.”

“We have one other thing. We know Akio’s character.” Trey said, thinking hard. “And whether we are enemies or not, knowing how he thinks is an advantage.” Before he could explain though, the door opened, and Katsuro returned with his guards, an annoyingly composed and satisfied smile on his face.

“So, struggling to make ends meet? It’s only to be expected.” He sat down again. “Right, down to business. Oshiro Moonstone Akio. Tell us what you know. And don’t even try to lie. The first lie any of you tell us, and you can take your chances in court.”

“I’d say you know more than we do. At first we thought he was just an agent for some strange organisation called Seelie.” Trey said, shaking his head.

“Seelie huh? I think you misunderstood. Still, I can see why you made that mistake. It is not Oshiro-san that is part of this Seelie, but Shaeula. And it is not what you think. But that is hardly relevant. What is…”

“His powers, right?” Aliyah spat. “I’m not saying he could stand up to a concerted attack with snipers, and even if he could, as long as you didn’t mind the collateral damage, you could launch some cruise missiles from a warship and blow the whole block he was occupying apart. It isn’t like he’s a superhero or anything, but shit.” She cursed, knuckles straining as she clenched her fists. Sis always gets worked up when it comes to him and this Shaeula girl.

“How could you stop him hijacking a plane? No way. Or assassinating some big-shots? I remember when he threatened to kill the President, in so many fucking words.”

At that, she got a reaction, Katsuro’s eyes twitching. “Oh, do elaborate. That seems out of character from what we know of him.”

“No it fucking ain’t!” She shook her head, beads jingling. “How is it I know him better than you dumbasses? I said we’d kept his family out of it, but that they could be in danger, and the fucker went mental. He said if anyone ever even attempted to harm his family or friends he’d hold everyone responsible, even up to the fucking president, and said he’d get them no matter how long it… huh. I never noticed that.” She paused, frowning.

“Noticed what?” Katsuro seemed relieved at her words, but now he had a curious gleam in his eyes. Sis, if you have something good, now is the time to share it. Technically we haven’t agreed a price for our help, but we are in the weak position here so fuck it. Show ‘em what you’ve got!

“He said he’d get stronger, until he could take revenge, no matter how long it took. And I don’t think he meant like hitting the gym. He was a lot faster and stronger when we fought him than he seemed to be in Vegas too, though he could have been… nah, no way that careless shit would fake it. He’s not savvy enough. If his powers aren’t fixed, but grow… nah, surely there’s a limit. But if not…”

“If not, perhaps one day missiles wouldn’t be enough. At that point…” Katsuro said, nodding, satisfied. “Perhaps these Astral Emperor-candidates, as he called them, will truly be the rulers of the world.”

Astral Emperor? What a fucking joke of a title. Still, if he’s calling it that, either he knows to do so, or that is a declaration of his intent. But knowing which is vital to how to deal with him.

“My granddaughter did corroborate some of this, though she was surprisingly reluctant to give details when she asked to speak to me this morning.” Katsuro mused.

“Your Granddaughter?” Aliyah perked up at that, bringing smiles and slight chuckles from Travis and Manx. Trey quickly waved them to silence. “What does she have to do with anything?”

Katsuro ignored the question, merely leaning in conspiratorially, his smile light and kind. Though it’s clearly a front. Still, the old bastard is personable, I bet he was a handsome bastard back in his day. “What do you do with a man with power beyond what you can understand? That’s the question, isn’t it.”

“Depends on the man.” Aliyah piped up. “If he’s a bastard, an evil man, well…” she drew a finger across her neck, the gesture clear to interpret. “If he’s someone you can work with, you do, but even then… control.”

“Power is dangerous. But then so is blindly oppressing those with power. Especially…” Yeah, why are these people with strange abilities popping up all of a sudden. Will it continue? What does it mean? Is worse to come? “… without knowing why.”

“I do so like smart people.” Katsuro smiled. “You must have some inkling of the way the world has changed?”

The four of them exchanged silent communication again, before Aliyah nodded. Biting down on a sigh, Trey spoke. “Look, we are professionals, and citizens of the United States first and foremost. We won’t betray that, even if we get fucked here. Hell, we became private military contractors because our lives were shit, and it was the only way we could think of to use our strength to have a better life. So if you want us to roll, might as well get us that lawyer. But what we can say…” he paused for a breath, before continuing. “… is that we all know there are others. We captured one before, your guy knows about it, he was there too. And we had a list of names worldwide. You must know of more in Japan too. I don’t know why, but… I’m sure you have an idea.”

“We do. Oshiro-san has provided information, as has the shrines and temples through Takakura-san. Ichijou house has rooted out a couple more, and while they all seem to have varying degrees of knowledge, everyone agrees that danger is coming. The Apocalypse. Ragnarök, Armageddon. The End Times. Many names, the same implication.”

“Sounds fucking crazy, but I watched him shrug off bullets and slice apart a heavy metal pole with a wave of his damn hand. I’d believe any shit after that.” Aliyah shook her head, “So if we need these people to fight off an invasion, or a zombie uprising, or the second fucking coming of Jesus, we can’t just get rid of them. No, in fact they’ll be able to name their price. Shit. And it’s only a matter of time before it can’t be hidden anymore.”

“Indeed, best to deal now before the world knows. Still, naming a price. What does a man want?” Katsuro mused, though Trey knew he already had the answers. Granddaughter. I get it. Bold.

“Money, respect, love, comforts. Sex. Lots of things.” Trey said, and Katsuro agreed.

“Indeed. My granddaughter is a warrior, a fiery girl, which is strange as the nobility only sees girls as beautiful ornaments and bearers of new generations of children. Mothers and wives, nothing more. So she doesn’t fit in, wishing to fight with the weapon arts our family has carried for a thousand years.”

“She sounds like my kind of girl!” Aliyah smirked.

“Obviously I want my granddaughter to be happy, so I considered a marriage to Oshiro-san. That way we could tie him to the nobility, as well as my family and the military legacy we carry. That seemed the best option. But… I was torn. I love my granddaughter, and I want the best for her.”

“That guy really cares about his family, and his girls.” Aliyah said, surprising everyone. Her expression was complicated. “He’s a cheating bastard it seems, but if you can live with that, I think he’d look after any girl of his. When I saw them in Vegas, they all seemed to adore him. Such a damn waste.”

“Indeed. Well, multiple wives and mistresses isn’t unheard of in the nobility. That was not my concern. He was the first we found, and so he was the first considered. I now wonder if others might perhaps be better suited for her, but surprisingly, my granddaughter seems resolute, though it seems securing his agreement is the problem now.” He sighed. “But that isn’t so relevant. What is relevant is, I want to know everything about Oshiro-san, and everything else you can share. I won’t push you to break faith, but if you think of the future…”

“Fine. My sis met him a few times and knows him best. She’ll fill you in. But… can we see him too? I want to talk with him again, sort things out. I don’t like where we left it.” Besides, if we can persuade the victim to forgive us, our chances of getting out of this jail increase a lot.

“Well isn’t that a coincidence?” Katsuro smiled. “Oshiro-san would rather like to see you as well. Though not immediately. My granddaughter says he has an important project on at the moment. But I daresay in due time you’ll get your wish. However.” His gaze turned flinty. “Unless we get something to compensate both Oshiro-san and the Japanese state for our troubles, then here you will stay. Our allies spat on us, and if we show weakness they’ll only do it again. Besides, if I let the man my granddaughter has fallen for be cheated, I’d be a poor grandfather, would I not?”

“Fuck, another cutie in his grasp.” Aliyah moaned, before letting out a booming sigh. “Fuck it. Fine. I first saw the stupid fuck in a casino. He was ogling me unpleasantly. He has a wandering eye, so best tell your granddaughter that! Anyway, the idiot is lousy at keeping a low profile, and…”

As he listened to his sister tell a story of mixed complaints, rants and genuine respect, he closed his eyes, thinking. The info we have on that guy isn’t going to be enough. And I’m not leaking info on the other targets. So what else do we have? Money, nope, we are burning our cash right now, and with our failed mission costing the US dearly, we won’t be getting top jobs any time soon. Information? Already discussed. Love? He looked at his sister, before dismissing that instantly. No fucking way. If anything, she seems to have a rivalry going on with him, like he’s a little brother or something. Still, she doesn’t hate him as much as she claims, the way she’s talking about him. But still, no good. What else? Manpower? That’d be problematic with our backers in the US, and also… trust. We have no basis to be trusted at all. Still, what else can we do?

By the time Aliyah had got to the true story of what had happened that night Aliyah and Luciana had met him at a bar, her angry glare shutting up the grinning Manx and Travis, Trey was certain. Only one choice, if we are to get out of this without prison or being an enemy of the US. But it’s a fine line to walk. Still… It wasn’t impossible, if the Japanese were prepared to make demands. And if this Akio guy is prepared to accept… still, considering what they did to my sis, he’s got guts, the girl too. Damn, I bet he’d be a real good guy to hit a bar with, smash some beers, look at some hot men. Well, I guess he could take the girls. More handsome men for me, I guess…