Eye of the Abyss

by Michael Formichelli

  “Ichiro-kun!” His aunt hissed, startling him.

  “Is there something you would like to add, sister?” His father said.

  Aunt Aki looked up and found all of the guests with eyes staring at her. Her face became as neutral as a doll’s, and she feigned a sneeze.

  “My apologies. I am not feeling well.”

  His father gave her a long, flat look. “Well, as I was saying, I would appreciate your opinions on LeRoux-sama’s demonstration this afternoon.”

  “I do not know what I could contribute to the discussion,” Chief Irin said. “But I will be happy to assist in whatever way I can. We owe you everything.”

  “Please, enough of that. I only did what was right when I sponsored your membership in the Confederation. No one should have to live under the Orgnan’s yoke.”

  “But the war was hard-fought, and so many of your species died for us,” the chief’s bonnet translated with a sagging tone.

  “Any true citizen of the Confederation would gladly give his life for the freedom of another,” his father replied. “Now, please, let me show you the rock garden I’ve been telling you about. Baron LeRoux, I know you and Delphine have already seen it—”

  The baron interrupted with a wave of his hand. “Don’t be silly, we’d love to see it again.”

  “Irin,” the chief’s wife said. “Setha could use some time with the other young humans, don’t you think?”

  “Would it be acceptable?” he asked after a moment’s pause.

  Ichiro felt his heart beat. His eyes went to his father’s.

  “Of course. We shouldn’t bore them with our business. Young men and women have better things to do. Don’t you agree, Baron LeRoux?”

  “I think we should get to know the new girl,” Europa said to her father.

  “You need to be ready for the demonstration tonight,” he responded.

  The baroness frowned. “Hugon, you know they will be. They can play until then.”

  “Of course.” LeRoux said with a sour expression.

  “Thank you, father.” Enéas turned towards the tattooed girl with a lazy smile.

  “Mitsugawa-uesama—” Aunt Aki began but his father cut her off with a look.

  “Where is Baron Keltan?” LeRoux asked as the adults turned towards the donjon. “I was just asking our large friend here if they’d met when you came out to greet us.”

  “Baron Keltan has not left Anilon since his family was slaughtered on Brogh Prime,” Ichiro’s father said. “It is unfortunate, but we cannot rely on his support. I have managed to coax the Cleebians under Baron Xitar to join our cause, though they could not be here today. Come.” He led them away, leaving the teenagers to their own devices.

  “I’m Mitsugawa Ichiro.” He bowed to the girl. “Welcome to Fuyūyōsai. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.”

  “Enéas LeRoux. Europa LeRoux.” Both of the siblings gushed and bowed with such a flowing succession that it was as though one person spoke with two mouths. They often spoke like this, and he still wasn’t used to it.

  “I’m Setha, and this is Tengu,” the girl responded putting a hand on the cerberai’s head. The canine let out a bark and wagged his tail, but his brown eyes had the sharp gleam of his species’ genetically engineered intelligence.

  “Tengu, like the bird-men who taught my ancestors the way of the sword.” The words flew out of his mouth before he could stop them. He felt himself blush. “Um, I mean—it is an honor to meet you both.” He tucked his hands into the sleeves of his kimono and breathed deep, trying to calm the excitement in his gut.

  She cocked her head to the side, regarding him with her brilliant, glowing eyes. “Cool.”

  He felt himself smile. Somehow he knew this was about to be a very good day.

  The white sheets formed a half-moon in the light of the parade ground. Within the embrace of the crescent Ichiro sat beside his father on one side while his aunt occupied the other. Mamiya-san stood in his customary position behind them, his red, multi-faceted eyes seeing in a hundred directions at once. Off to the left of the area marked for the demonstration, Baron LeRoux and his wife watched with looks of pride on their faces. On the right were the Savorchans, Chief Irin, Ailn, and their two guards. Setha was on their far side with her cerberai laying beside her. Every time he looked at her something leaped in his chest, and he had to work hard to suppress the smile that threatened his vow to remain as stoic as a leader of the Mitsugawa should be.

  Before the assembled audience six, two-meter tall humanoid robots in banded armor, DS-109 combat drones, moved through the night air. The myriad of eye-dots beneath their translucent skulls flashed as they sought to keep up with the twin blurs of motion around them. Already a scattering of their fellow robots lay on the ground at their feet, deactivated by the harmless laser devices the combatants were using instead of real guns.

  “Impressive, but what is the point?” Aunt Aki said in a low voice. “Our jinzōbushi robots can do the same.”

  Ichiro looked to his father’s face, wondering if his response would shed some light on the matter, but he only tightened his lips together and refused to make eye contact.

  It was obvious from early in the presentation that the twins were moving with an unusual level of coordination. Several times Enéas or Europa would shoot a DS-109 behind the other twin, angling the shot just right while their sibling ducked out of the line of fire with exacting precision. They dodged, and fired around and behind each other, one making shots that only the other could have seen. It was impressive, but his aunt was right. It wasn’t anything their jinzōbushi combat robots couldn’t do. Even the DS-109’s could replicate the results with the right coordinating AI.

  He looked over at Setha, wondering what her opinion could be. It was hard to tell; her expression was as stone-faced as his father’s. It impressed him, and he could see her fitting in with his family in the donjon. He must have stared too long because he heard his aunt clear her throat. She gave him a stern look when he turned towards the sound.

  “Ha!” the twins shouted together as they finished off the last DS-109.

  Beaming, their parents applauded as though this was some kind of kabuki show. Ichiro could see his father was not amused.

  “Well? What do you think, Baron Mitsugawa?” Baron LeRoux asked using the Confederate title.

  His father’s expression did not waver, though he could sense the displeasure coming off him. His instincts were confirmed when Mamiya-san spoke.

  “Mitsugawa-uesama thanks you for your time, and applauds the athleticism of your fine children.”

  “What?” The smiles faded from the LeRoux’s faces. “You’re not impressed?”

  Baron LeRoux stood up and moved towards Ichiro’s father. Mamiya-san walked into the space between them, not quite blocking the baron, but close enough that he would have to pass within arm’s reach to get to the Mitsugawa family. The LeRoux children, dressed in minimal, dark-gray armor, came walking over from the demonstration area, but stopped several strides away when Ichiro stood up.

  “Don’t tell me I’ve wasted my time here,” Baron LeRoux’s expression hardened. “If you’ve dragged me across hundreds of parsecs just to—”

  His father held up a hand. “Baron LeRoux, I apologize if you feel slighted. So far you have shown me nothing that my own robots could not accomplish, and I’m not interested in risking biological lives in ground warfare.”

  “Did you review the specs I sent you?”

  His father nodded. “Yes, and several of the promotional materials from your barony’s website.”

  Baron LeRoux’s cheek twitched. Behind him, the baroness looked like she was tasting something particularly bitter. It reminded him in some ways of his mother when she got upset. With the Sovereign Council in session, she was unable to accompany them to Taiumikai when they left the capital.

  “And you’re still not impressed?”

  “There is still one feature you have not demonstrated today,” his father said.r />
  The baron’s anger melted away, his face became stern. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  Ichiro watched their interaction. Though he didn’t show it, he could tell his father was frustrated. They didn’t invite the LeRoux’s here for a routine demonstration, that was obvious now, and he started to wonder what hidden feature the twins might have that would make their system desirable to his father.

  “Thank you for your time, Baron LeRoux. I look forward to seeing you in the Barony.” His father inclined his head.

  The tension in the baron’s face was visible, but none the less he returned the gesture before looking at his children. “Go get packed.”

  The LeRouxs moved off, all four of them seeming stunned as they did so. Europa first gave Ichiro, then Setha a final, curious look before joining the rest of her family as they left. He turned towards the chieftain’s daughter after she did. Aunt Aki hissed behind him, but he ignored her protest and continued to lock eyes with Setha. He felt the desire to speak swell in his chest, though he had no idea what to say to this strangely beautiful girl. Perhaps Europa saw something between them? Maybe his attraction was so obvious that it could be noted even in such a state of disappointment and defeat. He hoped that wasn’t the case, but in a way the thought thrilled him as much as it shamed him. Perhaps she shared his feelings? Their time spent together with the twins these last few days suggested she did. He knew deep down that such a desire could only end in heartbreak, as it did in so many Taiumikai dramas, but he didn’t care. Just the sight of her made him happy, even now that he was sad the twins were leaving, and that had to count for something.

  Chief Irin and his wife rose to their feet and moved closer to his father. A meter taller than the twins, the Savorchans cast long shadows across the parade ground.

  “May I approach, Mitsugawa-uesama?”

  His father nodded. The Savorchan moved to within arm’s distance. “I am confused. Was that demonstration not to your liking? What more could they have done?”

  “I found out through certain channels that LeRoux has a new cybernetic weapon, but he did not demonstrate it this morning. My purchasing of his devices was contingent on seeing it in action.” His father paused and scratched his chin. “Still, I can’t afford to lose him as a supporter against Baron Revenant. Mamiya-san.”

  “Your will?” His father’s retainer bowed his head.

  “Make sure our guests are comfortable and put in ten-thousand more orders for their Nanomed devices.”

  “Hai.” Mamiya-san bowed.

  “Will that smooth things over?” Ichiro asked.

  “Maybe not, but it will show I’m still willing to do business. Maybe he’ll be more inclined to share his secret then.” His father smiled. “Enough of this. Come.”

  He rose and headed for the donjon. Aunt Aki and the Savorchans followed, but Setha caught his eye again and he stood still.

  “Mitsugawa-kun!” his aunt hissed.

  “Leave them be,” his father muttered.

  Scowling, she followed her brother away.

  Ichiro could feel his heart pound and hear his breath in his ears as he watched Setha take flowing steps towards him.

  “Why are you so nervous?” she whispered.

  “I—” he hesitated for a moment, but then a wave of relaxation spread through him, leaving a pleasant tingle in its wake. “I guess because you’re so striking to me. I mean, you’re… pretty.” He couldn’t believe he just said it.

  Her small lips curled up into a smile. “No one has ever said that to me before.”

  “I have.” He puffed out his chest before he realized what he was doing.

  She looked back at Tengu, sitting on the ground behind her. “We’re going to be leaving in a few days.”

  “You only just got here.”

  “We have to keep moving. There are things to tend to at the temples.”

  He had no idea what she was talking about, but it didn’t matter. He was happy just to have this time alone with her.

  “You’ve been nice to me, and you’re the first human boy I’ve seen in years.” She moved towards him until she was just centimeters away.

  “I am not sure—” he began, feeling uncertain.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  He stared down into her glowing green eyes for a long time. The corners of her mouth twitched, and she put a hand on the center of his chest. He resisted the urge to flinch away, unaccustomed to such casual contact in public, but wanting to feel her touch none the less. He looked over towards where his father and aunt were walking to the donjon. They weren’t watching.

  “Don’t flinch,” she said.

  “Wha—ow!” He felt the muscles in his chest contract against the sudden pain beneath her hand. It felt like the bones of his chest were on fire, but he gritted his teeth, bearing it because she told him to, because he was Taiumijin, and because he was trying to impress her. He was relieved the pain didn’t last long.

  “There,” she whispered.

  “What was that?” He asked.

  “Something to keep us connected.”

  He cocked his head to the side, rubbing his chest with his hand. The echo of the pain remained, but its fury was gone. They stared at each other for several long moments while he tried to think of what to say or do to further impress her. The last few days were wonderful, and though he knew she had to leave, he didn’t want what they shared to end. It seemed, though, that the same feeling he wished to prolong also voided his mind and left him bereft of options to put a further smile on her face. He blinked several times, then it occurred to him.

  “Do you want to see my world?”

  “Yes.” She nodded.

  “Are you afraid of flying?”

  “No.”

  He turned towards one of the aerospace craft sitting on a landing pad across the parade ground.

  “Then let’s fly.”

  Chapter One

  Taiumikai, Fuyūyōsai

  41:2:41 (J2400:3171)

  The sky above the donjon’s white walls brightened with the withdrawal of the massive Abyssian ship. Shaped like an upside-down clamshell, the vessel was large enough to swallow the whole of his family’s floating fortress, but accelerated towards the stars like a ship one-tenth its size.

  Flanked by the mercenary commander, Valhalla Armstrong, and his beloved Setha, Mitsugawa Ichiro led the procession back to the two-story tall doors of the donjon. Their path took them between the twin columns of jinzōbushi, black robotic soldiers constructed to look like the samurai of his people’s distant past.

  “Amazing technology,” his cousin, Einaga Jiro, said behind him.

  Ichiro stopped the procession on the white pebbles of the parade ground. He sought the eyes of Einaga Hiroaki, the commander of his barony’s self-defense forces, and one of Aki’s three sons. His aunt caught his attention instead.

  “How is it you did not know what to expect from Daedalus?” Her tone was caustic, but using the alien nanomachines Setha planted within him, he sensed her fear like a chasm hidden by snow. “Your mother helped to build the AI, didn’t she? Didn’t she give you some information about it?”

  The truth was she hadn’t, and the crystal athenaeum left for him on his father’s body did not mention the vessel they just encountered either.

  “Daedalus has clearly been busy in the Void,” he said trying to control his anger. She embarrassed him in front of Praetor Athame when Praetor Graves and Agent Khepria were picked up, and he was still struggling not to return the affront. He spoke to Hiroaki instead. “Did we gain any information from scanning that vessel?”

  “Not much, my lord. As I mentioned before, the hull was able to scramble our sensors, though we did manage to take some detailed visual scans.”

  “As if that is going to help.” Aki’s third and youngest son, Einaga Junichi, stepped in front of her. His personal assistant, Takeshima Kame, frowned at his back. “We all saw that thing. It was enormous and more advanced than any techn
ology the Confederation has.”

  “The Fukurō Project—” Jiro began.

  “Are you kidding? Your new drive system isn’t going to make a bit of difference against something like that.” Junichi glared. “Unless, perhaps, you are about to tell me it can flee better than our present ships.”

  A tense silence followed his words. Ichiro looked to his retainer for a comment. Mamiya-san returned his gaze with red, multifaceted eyes set in a chiseled face. He was his father’s retainer for decades, and Ichiro grew up with his wisdom at hand. Of all those present, with the exception of his beloved Setha, he trusted Mamiya-san the most.

  “The point is irrelevant. The ship is gone, and we are not in conflict with Daedalus. Our energies are better spent consolidating Mitsugawa-uesama’s new power base and—”

  Aki interrupted with a snort. “His father’s body is not yet here. Ichiro will not be our leader until that happens.”

  “It will be here soon enough,” Mamiya-san stated. “And as far as Confederate law is concerned, he is already the ruling Baron-Shōgun of the Shiragawa Zaibatsu.”

  “A technicality we do not honor here,” Aki retorted.

  “Being his aunt does not give you the right to insult the baron in public,” Mamiya-san said with an edge in his normally calm tone.

  “Mother,” Hiroaki muttered, blushing.

  Tengu barked once and growled. Frowning, Ichiro followed the cerberai’s brown-eyed gaze upward to the sky.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  A hush fell upon the group.

  “The birds,” Commander Armstrong said in her thick frontier drawl. The puffy-white scars from her ordeal on Elmorus looked like white veins on her face in the bright sunlight.

  “The umitsuru are technically amphibian analogs.” Takeshima-san stated, her eyes going up to the sky.

  “Well they look like birds, an’ they ain’ here anymore.” Armstrong scanned the sky with her mismatched brown and blue eyes.