by Jessie Wolf
Now normally I would just tell the old bat to piss off, but she is showing the same level of respect for our new order that she would any other. She has also given me a great deal to think about in how I want our Sisterhood to be perceived. “Mistress Goda, you will have to forgive me on this as I have not thought that far ahead. For now though I believe that the robes they are wearing plus the Fangs at their waists will suffice.”
“Of course Guardian Mistress Maiha. I should have thought of that myself.” The old bat was as smooth as glass in her reply, but she did set the tone for the others. She knew that I had a quick fire temper and little tolerance for fools. As if to underscore this very real threat she turned to the others. “Come brothers and sisters we have much work to do before the Dragons Daughters return from their meal.”
I watched as everyone but the Reverend Fathers and Mothers filed out leaving them to face mama, me, and the Sisterhood of the Dragon Ryōjin. Mama took over for me as I was afraid I just might gut one of the old high bound fools.
“The time has come to put a stop to some of the practices within this Temple. The first of which is condemning those who have thought of or tried to take their own lives. For too long we have known of the Silent Sisterhoods treacherous motives in creating spies for the Emperor’s Spy Master. The Imperial Temple has for too long abused those within that order for their own gain. It is time Brothers and Sisters to put an end to its control over what is taught within the Walls of all Temples not just their interpretation.” When mama finished all four order heads were nodding their heads in agreement.
I have a very strong feeling that the Temple leaders are not too happy with the Imperial Temple, and may just welcome a change. I need to have a word with my ‘old friend’. There is more going on here than religious dogma and faulty teachings. First though I have to take care of my new novices. “Let’s go get some food into our order Mother Dai Etsu.” The fact that I used her title was not lost on mama or the rest.
I lead them out of the Temple in a double file. Alice who had remained silent waited until we were outside before saying anything. “Are you going to ‘arrange’ for our ‘students’ to ‘accidently’ become second gens. Aren’t you, my love?”
“No dear they won’t have an accident. It’ll be done with their full knowledge and consent. I’ll not subject any of these girls to something they do not wish. They have had enough of that in their lives. Mamas, Four Stars has taught me that no matter what this Sisterhood will not fall into the trap of knowing what is best for our supplicants.” At my reference to Bethany and her friends Alice looked back at them. The fact that the other Heathers had placed them directly behind mama and my sisters said a lot. As we crossed the estate grounds on our way back to the main house the other girls came up to me and started asking question on how they too could become members of the Sisterhood.
I told them all that I would answer their questions after dinner. That we needed to first hear what mama had in mind for the order as she was the head of it, not I. as it was I was thinking about what all would be needed for the order back at the school, as that was where it would be based for now. Someone must have anticipated my need for the estate Head Engineer as the man was waiting for me at the main house.
As we entered the Great Hall both Doctor Brim and Mr. Lenard joined us at the main table. Before we sat down to eat I noticed that the new sisters had returned to their habit of sitting together, but unlike before there were other students seated among them. There was four who stood out as they were not a Heather, but had a great deal of influence. Princess Daniella, Susan, Lisa, and Cassidy had spread themselves out among them. The fact that these four had chosen to sit separate from each other told me more than words would.
Over dinner my Head Engineer, Doctor Brim and Mr. Lenard laid out the plans for the new Temple Hall for the Sisterhood and its placement on the campus grounds of JES. I will give the men this much their passion for this project was remarkable. By the time we had finished the main course they had plans drawn up for a main temple, dormitories, a training facility, and hospital. What surprised me was the addition of a smithy with a full forge. “Excuse me gentlemen but could you explain why we would need our own smithy and forge?”
The answer didn’t come from one of them, but Celina the girl who had approached mama about joining the Temple. I must have spoken my question louder than I thought as I watched stand up and bow to me before answering. “Guardian Sister Maiha, if the sisters of your order are going to follow the teaching within Master Eiichi Nakatoma’s book then they need those.” Now this surprised me more than anything else that one of these girls would know or even understand some of the teachings in that book. “As the Master says ‘To know ones blade, one must first understand the fire it was born of.’ My father is fond of that saying and the book it came from.” When she finished she sat back down.
I could not help but to admire this girl. Her family may not be of the High Families or rich and powerful as some of the others, but she is trying to better herself by studying the world around her. She may not have joined the Sisterhood today, but I doubt it’ll be long before she joins their ranks. Then again that is just my gut talking and it has been wrong before, and it can be again.
At the end of dinner mama calls a halt to the planning section of the gentlemen. “Gentlemen, would this be a good time for you to stop?” it may have been phrased as a question, but they saw it for the order it was. Good old mama, always the diplomat. As it was with the plans they have drawn up the school may have to look into buying up some of the surrounding property. They quickly put up their drawings and clean up their mess. Once that was taken care of mama stood up and addressed the rest of our guests.
“Honored guests, it has been our pleasure to have you all here on this historic day. Only three times before has the House of Nakatoma seen the birth of a new order at its Temple. Before these proceedings have been cloaked in mystery. Only the few who were present in the Temple to witness the events, most of whom were sworn to secrecy. However that will not be the case this time. You are our voice and witnesses too for history. There is a ritual that will be performed this evening by the new Sisters that you will not be able to partake in however. Please this is not a slight against you who did not join the Sisterhood of the Dragon’s Daughters. Your friends must spend the night within the Temple and face their ghosts of the past. How they face them is of great import, so please do not disturb them. Thank you, you may have the run of the estate except for the Temple. The families who were your hosts last night have agreed to have you back again. I wish you all a good night’s rest. Daughters of the Dragon please follow my twin daughters back to the Temple. I and the others will join you shortly.” Mama signaled for the two school officials to stay.
I watched as the new Sisters stood as one and filed out in pairs with the twins right behind them. I watched as the other girls gathered into groups of four to five then walk out the Great Hall. I don’t know what mama is up to with this so called ‘first night together’ bullshit but I’m not going to get in the way. She never does anything without purpose. Once we were alone in with them mama began.
“Gentlemen, I know you have questions of both my daughter and I. who would like to go first?” I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. The woman has a true gift for understatement.
Doctor Brim went first. “Lady Dai Etsu, the first thing I would like to know is just how in the Nine Hells were you able to snap Recco’s neck with that punch?”
Mama looked at me to answer that one. “As you know, gentlemen, all the members of my family are the first of the second generation Death Dealers. To put it bluntly, all second generations are cyborgs. We are stronger, faster, and more heavily armed than the Land Warrior suits with an armored bio-metallic shell. You saw this, yourselves this morning. That is just some of what we can do. Our greatest asset is the Death Dealer AIs we all carry, one of the many things they allow us to do is form a symbiotic partnership with our AP Sui
ts. That is how we were able to pound the Land Warrior unit’s scores into the dust.”
Doctor Brim was listening to every word I said with his full attention. “Let me guess, not even the Emperor knows your full capabilities? Am I right on this?”
“Very astute, Doctor Brim, while the second generation Death Dealers that will be joining his Majesties Death Dealers will be more powerful than the originals they will lack certain abilities that I and my daughters have. It was felt that these abilities would be too great a temptation for abuse.” As always mama was as smooth as silk in her explanation.
“That’s why you killed Recco! Not just because he was a spy, but what he had discovered today. You couldn’t let that information get out not even to the Emperor. So what do you plan to do with us?” Mr. Lenard got straight to the point. He was afraid of us killing them.
“Sir, if I had wanted you dead, I would not have fed you.” Mama snapped at him. “The House of Nakatoma and the Dragon’s Daughters do not deal in subterfuge. This House is an honorable one, and so will be the Sisterhood. Besides, I need your help.”
Lenard must have been faster on this than Brim. “You’re going to give the Sisters of the Dragon Ryōjin the exact same abilities as yourselves. You need more than just a place to put your Hall. You need our permission for this to happen to the girls, don’t you?”
“Exactly, Mr. Lenard, exactly. I need your help in making this Sisterhood come to life.”
“How do you know that we can give…” at the look mama gave him he stopped to think before he said anymore. I watched as the wheels started to spin then catch fire. “Of course, I remember now, please forgive my stupidity Lady Dai Etsu. I had forgotten that you’re the current Head of Regents. That was why you wanted to place your new sisterhood on our school grounds. If it is inside of our walls you can claim it to be part of the school and therefor outside of the Imperial Temples jurisdiction. Very cleaver, my Lady.”
I say, hell I had even thought of the angel. Now I just need to figure out why she didn’t tell that I could form a new order to get Bethany and the others away from the Silent Sisters. Thankfully Brim asked that one.
“Might we know why you formed the new order first, before giving you the full set of keys to the city, as it were?”
Mama sighs before answering. “You see gentlemen, part of the problem lies with the actual organization of the Temples. At any one time there can only be a max of six orders within them. They are usually a balance of three Brotherhoods and three Sisterhoods. However, for the Temple here we lost the last member for our third Brotherhood over four thousand years ago. One of the reasons for this was the fact that they were a religious military order of monks. It was felt that there was no need for them anymore, but the Imperial Temple still has two orders of that nature. The first is the Knights of the Black Rose, and the second is the Ladies of the Crimson Shield. Both of these orders along with their sister order the Sisterhood of the Blessed Silence had ruled against any change to the Temple organization. Before you ask gentlemen one of the rulings they routinely stopped was the replacement of certain orders. To be exact it was the military orders of any temple that did not have either the Black Rose or Crimson Shield. Now, only the Head of House for a family Temple like ours can expel or invite an order to take up residence with in it. Something my dear daughter would have learned if she had taken the time to learn.”
The look mama shot me said it all. If I had taken a more active role like I should have some of this could have been avoided. Damn it. Part of this is my fault. No wonder she arranged that little ceremony in the Temple with the Heathers. It was the perfect way to bring back one of the military orders, and as such my family can be members of it, because we are the Temple Guardians.
Brim must have been thinking the same thing. “And your little ceremony with the Heathers in front of the Reverend Fathers and Mothers was to force them to accept the new order under the laws of the Temple. When you add in the fact that they were to be Temple Guardians not the religious order they became, it was a political surprise attack.”
“It was also an open declaration of my intension to break the control of the Imperial Temple. As I said in the Temple gentlemen I will no longer tolerate those who twist the Goddess’s words for their own gain.” This was not something that surprised me. The fact that mama would fight over her faith was nothing new. There was more than one between us during my marriage to Matsu.
“Well, I don’t know about my college, Lady Dai Etsu, but I will give my consent for the girls under our care to receive the Death Dealer package. However, I need something in return.” At least Doctor Brim was to the point. I knew he would want something in return for placing our Hall on his school grounds. Not that I blamed him, I would want something to. “With the death of Recco my school is now once again short a Vic Headmaster. Now, seeing as how you are the Reverend Mother for this new order wouldn’t that place you on the same footing as me? Also as that same order will be based on our school grounds as their Reverend Mother you would take part in their training, making you a teacher at our school. I want you to be our new Vic Headmistress.”
Whoa! Wait one damned minute here! Did this man know what he was asking?! It is one thing for the Grand Lady Dai Etsu Nakatoma to act as a temporary or guest teacher, but an entirely different deal for the Reverend Mother Dai Etsu to be a member of the schools staff. Where the Grand Lady can be approachable the Reverend Mother must be the firm unyielding hand of order. Not something that was conducive with teenage girls. I need to stop this before it gets started.
“Excuse me, sir, but I am afraid that cannot happen. You see I need mama here at the estate to help run it.” I know this was a flimsy excuse, but it was the only one I had at that time. One that mama was quick to point out.
“Child, you and I both know that you have put in place an organization of managers and department heads. The only part of this House that would need for one of us to be here is the House Military, and you have seen to that by appointing Colonel Fujiyama to be its overall commander. Then there is your papa to handle any emergency that should arise.”
Damn it, I just can’t catch a break here. First I go through a complete reset getting turned into a teenage version of my daughter and wife, with enough fire power packed into my small body to take out damned near anything on the battlefield. Then I get stuck as the Head of House for my late wife’s family. Get sucked into fighting a war of rebellion with the seven morons. Then I have to go back to high school at an all-girls school just to act like as bodyguard for the Emperors daughter. And those are the high points!
‘But mama, that won’t be fair to you and him. You’ll be stuck at the school all the time. And then there is the fact that none of this would be happening if I had not stopped with just those fools.”
Mama places her hand on my cheek causing me to stop mid rant. “No Maiha, this is not your fault. You had no knowledge of the turmoil within the Temples. This is knowledge that has been closely guarded from all but the most senior of Temple staff. I doubt that even the Emperor knows just how corrupt the Imperial Temples have become. There are three orders that have taken almost total control of the six Temples. If it had not been for the fact that our Temple is a Family Temple they would have surely taken over here. As it is they were still able to get a toe-hold in it with the Silent Sisters.” When mama finished correcting me, she gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.
Turning her attention back to the two men. “Doctor Brim, I would be honored to fill the position as Vic Headmistress. Now, Mr. Lenard what is your request? I doubt that you want nothing from this union.”
“I afraid that I do want something in return, Lady Nakatoma. That is all of the girls who wish to join your order are educated within JES. If you can agree to this then you can have your Hall on the campus grounds. That way I can justify the expansion as a spiritual annex to the school. Also that if any of our current students, not just those of certain families who wish to join your order they
can.” I swear this man has more angels to him than a corkscrew has twists.
Mama didn’t even blink an eye. “Agreed” that was all she said. Mr. Lenard turned to me with his next question. “Lady Maiha, I would like to know who will be your instructors for your members.”
I had not thought about this until now, but I had the answers, “For the Spiritual nature that will be our Reverend Mother. For the more marshal aspects I shall use my sisters, mama, and wife. Before you ask why, my mama is a Grand Mistress of several martial arts, not to mention a Weapons Master, to include the way of the sword. All three of my sisters know and have mastered at least two martial arts. Now my lovely wife is without a doubt one of the premier APS pilots there is, so she will handle that portion of their training. Does that suffice sir?”
“I noticed that you didn’t include yourself, Lady Maiha. Why won’t you be handling any of their training?” The man has this look of ‘This I got to hear’.
“Oh, I’m no expert in those fields that’s why I’m turning them over to the people I have named. No, I’m the one they will come to hate, then loath, and finally love.”
“Lady Maiha that still doesn’t answer my question. Just what will you be teaching them?”
It was Alice who started the giggling as she realized just what I’ll be their instructor in. she was quickly followed by Doctor Brim’s chuckle, with Fuyuko not far behind him. It was mama who filled in Mr. Lenard. “Sir, I saw your surprise at the thought of myself being an instructor in the martial arts, especially with the sword. I can assure you my daughter has picked her instructors quite well. The fact that she has chosen her family to be the instructors for the bases of their training shows why she is our Mistress of Novices. She has taken the hardest part of their training for herself.”
