“All of us here are orphans. All of us have lost someone dear to us. You’ve seen how far our enemies will go to destroy us,” Colonel Yamaoka says. “This brazen attack on USJ territory, targeting cadets and civilians, shows the Nazis have no conscience, no boundary they won’t cross. How long before we take action?”
The audience is entranced. I think about all those who died, starting with my parents, Hideki, the RAMs, Kazu-sempai, Chieko, and the civilians in Berkeley. What is really on Colonel Yamaoka’s mind? Conflict seems inevitable between the Reich and the Empire, but do I want to be part of it? I look back over at Kazu’s daughters. They’re still crying.
Once the funeral ends, all the guests stand in a line to bow to the two fallen. A few people express their condolences. Nori is with her parents, and they greet me. I respectfully bow to them. Nori sidles up next to me and says, “I found out the German embassy actually notified the USJ two weeks ago that one of their biomech corps had gone rogue and was planning on attacking Berkeley over the holidays.”
“They knew?” I ask, stunned.
“Either our leaders knew and didn’t believe it, or they wanted it to happen.”
“Why would they want it?”
“I don’t know. But I don’t think it’s coincidence that the most important mecha units were absent during the attack and only showed up after the biomechs had done their damage. Agent Akiko Tsukino of the Tokko is leading an investigation into it. She might be in touch with you soon.”
I head back to my dorm, perturbed by what it might mean. Is it still really no different here than from RAMDET? Could Chieko’s and Kazu-sempai’s deaths have been avoided?
I’m surprised when I hear digitized gaming sounds from Kujira’s room. I knock on his door. He opens up.
“You didn’t go to the funeral?” I ask him.
“Nah. I don’t do that kind of stuff.”
“Why not?”
“The dead are already dead. Pack it up, move on.” He looks up from his game. “I’ll miss sneaking out to eat with Chieko.”
“At least you won’t have to sneak out anymore.”
“I might give Kazu’s diet a real try,” he says, and his eyes drop back down to his puzzles.
“It’s not bad.”
“Traitor,” he says again.
I laugh and say, “I’m glad we were able to fight side by side . . . The way it should have been for our moms.”
He looks up at me intently, and says, “Likewise. You’re not half-bad as a mecha pilot.” I see his scar again and remember how little I actually know about him.
“From you, that’s high praise,” I say.
As I’m about to leave, he asks, “Where’s your friend, Griselda?”
“Not sure.”
“You really need to get your priorities straight.”
“What’s that mean?”
But he goes back to his game and doesn’t answer when I ask him again.
* * *
• • •
I enter my dorm and spot a message on my portical from Griselda that just came in. She’d like to see me up at Point Richmond.
I take an automated taxi there. There’s been lots of discussions on how to improve defensive fortifications, and they’re strengthening Mechtown to make sure nothing like this can happen again. I spot the Gestahl Ballroom, where we had that fancy celebration with Chieko and Kazu-sempai.
On my portical, I read an article describing our battle, but it’s so far from reality, I don’t even know where to start with corrections. It sounds more like a portical-game synopsis or glorified propaganda than an account of what actually happened to us. Griselda’s aid is highlighted as the turning point of the battle, which is the most accurate part of the account. Then I wonder if all wars are like that, with writers changing the nature of the battles after the fact.
The ride feels like forever, and I’m anxious about seeing Griselda. I think about the last conversation we had before the battle and regret every word. When I do arrive, I see several big mechas working on clearing the debris. The fires have been contained, though there is still a lot of smoke and ash in the air. I spot Griselda, who’s at ground level, coordinating via her portical. She’s wearing a long coat, gloves, and a beanie. She waves when she sees me and walks over.
“I wanted to say this earlier, but I’m sorry about what I said about Hideki,” I immediately state. “It was unfair of me to blame you. I know you were in an impossible situation.”
“I can’t absolve myself of all blame. But that’s kind of you.”
“I mean it,” I state. Then I think about the pilot I killed—another one of her friends. “I was an idiot and I—I shouldn’t have said it.”
“Hideki died because of my connection. I didn’t know better, but that’s no excuse.”
“That’s not fair to you.”
“Isn’t it?” she asks.
“No, it’s not,” I reply.
“You, Nori, and Kujira have been so kind. Since the battle, everyone’s gone out of their way to make me feel welcome.”
“You saved the city.”
“We all did.” She looks past me toward the beach. “Colonel Yamaoka has a vision for a completely different world. Not USJ. Not Nazi Germany. Just free.”
“You mean like America was?”
“Different,” she says. “It’d be a new world order without boundaries of country, ethnicity, or religion, where people would never be imprisoned because of the color of their skin or their ideology.”
“It sounds like the only difference is the name.”
“People have killed since the beginning of time for names.”
“You believe in that world?” I ask her, unable to really understand what any of these officers have planned or the complex machinations behind them.
“I believe in a world where names no longer matter. I betrayed the Marshal because I believed in it. But I realize our presence here only gave the Marshal the excuse to attack. Maybe he planned it together with the colonel. I think I’ve been very naive about the state of affairs.”
“Our superiors will always treat us like pawns. My mom died because of it. Most of my friends died following orders.” I think again about Kazu’s daughters and how the cycle has been repeating with every generation. “I realize now—I guess I’ve known for some time—I don’t want to go down that same path.”
“What else can you do?” she asks.
I don’t even know if it’s possible, but I answer, “Try to work from within to change it. If that doesn’t work, fight to make sure it does. What about you?”
She’s about to answer when four mechas approach us. They’re unlike any I’ve seen before and appear designed for water combat. They somewhat resemble the samurai template, though they have legs that resemble fins and extra limbs like an octopus. They’re also much longer than our mechas, similar to a submarine, with dolphinlike features along its torso.
“These are the Furioso, Alexander, Odo, and Carlex,” Griselda says. “They used to be U-boat hunters for the Spanish navy, specializing in tracking down German subs. But they’re independent now and were helping with the rescue effort. They’ll be leaving soon.”
“Are you—are you thinking of leaving too?”
“Do you want me to leave?”
“Of course not!” I exclaim a little too emphatically. “I’m sorry,” I say again. “For everything.”
She shakes her head and is about to reply. But the kneepad opens up on the Furioso, and a staircase drops down onto the beach. Several crew members come out and greet Griselda.
She introduces me to her friends as well as to her aunt Marta.
They say hello, each giving me a warm hug. They have to leave to rendezvous with their fleet, as it passes the bay in a few hours.
“How many total on board?” I ask.
“Fifty-six on the Furioso,” Marta tells me. “Fifty-seven with Griselda. You can still come with us,” she says to Griselda.
Griselda shakes her head. “I would love to, but this is my home now.”
I’m surprised by her words, as I still remember her telling me back in Dallas that she didn’t feel like anyplace was her home.
She hugs each of them good-bye.
The crew members reenter their mecha. The Furioso and the three accompanying mechas march back into the bay. We walk past the damaged buildings. I ask, “What made you decide to stay?”
“I can’t leave without driving one of your mechas,” Griselda says with a grin. It’s true that she’s piloted only the biomech, but I know there’s a deeper meaning behind her choice.
“You’ll learn quickly,” I reply. “It’s kind of like playing a more advanced version of Cat Odyssey.”
“You know I’m a much better Cat Odyssey player than you, right?” she asks.
“I’ve gotten better,” I insist.
“We’ll see about that.”
We walk down to the water. She points at Berkeley and the Labor mechas that are working around the clock on reconstruction. Despite all the city has suffered, it feels reassuring to know we’ll build it back up.
To my surprise, she holds my hand.
I know things will be complicated for us, that there will be many challenges, but I remember Kujira’s words about priorities.
I finally know what mine are.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
There are so many people I want to thank for Mecha Samurai Empire.
First off, thank you to all the amazing readers and reviewers of United States of Japan. I appreciated every single review, tweet, and e-mail. I never thought USJ would get the reception it did, and that’s a huge part of why Mecha Samurai Empire exists.
I want to thank my incredible Japanese publisher, Hayakawa. I’m lucky to have an incredible editor, Aya Tobo, and fantastic translator, Naoya Nakahara. They gave so much valuable advice and input into the creation of Mecha, and I am so grateful to call them both colleagues and friends. Also, a big thanks to Akira Yamaguchi, Marie Umeda, and S-F Magazine, many of the Hayakawa staff, whose names appear as cameos throughout the book, as well as Atsushi Hayakawa, Ryoko Hayakawa, and to the amazing Hiroshi Hayakawa. Meeting him was a real honor and privilege.
G_P Solo, you’re an amazing artist and it always makes my jaw drop to see the unbelievable mecha models you make and the way you bring the world to life. I never know how to fully articulate my gratitude!
I almost cried when I read Ohmori-san’s introduction for the Japanese version of United States of Japan. Thank you so much for your insightful essay, which I feel undeserving of!
To the readers in Japan, as you can see Mac always says thank you in Japanese when he’s being very serious. So likewise, Domo arigatou gozaimasu! It was an honor to meet many of you at Donburacon for the Seiun Award as well as to interact with you online. Thank you, everyone, for your incredible support! Also, a big thanks to Haruna-san, Hirohide-san, Coco-san, Nishida-san, Onitsuka-san, and Sakai-san!
144, thank you for sending me my first-ever USJ mecha. I’m so honored, and it was a thing of beauty!
Sabatruth, your Kujira art is so great, and your postcard really touched me!
Ryuji Umeno, your graphic art of USJ, and especially Akiko, was really wonderful!
The Nova and Ediciones crew were fantastic and so incredibly supportive. I was so grateful to share the world of USJ/EUJ with Spanish readers. I want to thank Alexander, Marta, Berta, Esteban, and many others who make cameos in the book.
Antonio Torrubia is one of the most thoughtful and enthusiastic people around and I love hearing about his many adventures and stories! Rock on!
I think I watched Geek Furioso’s video review of EUJ about a hundred times. That guy is a genius and one of the coolest people around. We’re not worthy!
Thank you, Ife Olowe, one of the most brilliant engineers at LucasArts. When I was just starting in LucasArts, you were a friend, a mentor, and a role model.
Alonso Martinez, damn, man, you’re such a phenomenal artist, I sometimes feel like I am in the presence of a contemporary Michelangelo. Your talent is matched by your generosity, and I learn something new from you every time we talk.
Ken Liu, your work has always inspired me, and your friendship and advice throughout the creation of Mecha were deeply appreciated. Thank you so much!
To Riley MacLeod, you always push me to dig deeper into my stories and see beyond the surface, then dig a little more. It’s helped my fiction a bunch, and your sincerity and big-heartedness have always touched me.
Shinichiro Hara, you were an amazing boss, friend, and leader. You brought me along for the most amazing, and surreal, ride, and you always found the humor in some of the most difficult situations. There are lots of nods in the book, some of the more obvious being Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Fighting Spirit, Patlabor I and II, Phantasy Star IV, Yakuza Papers, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Herzog Zwei, Bionic Commando, Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, Super Mario Bros. 3, the Shin Megami Tensei and Persona games, Battle Royale, Stray Dog, High and Low, Sympathy for the Underdog, Fatal Frame II, Daredevil 181, Mega Man 2 (aka Rock Man 2), Final Fantasy VI–VII, Terranigma, Ninja Gaiden NES, Chrono Trigger, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, The Man in the High Castle, stories by Cordwainer Smith, and so many more referred to throughout the book. Thank you for inspiring my childhood as well as Mecha Samurai Empire.
A big thanks to John Liberto! It is such an incredible privilege to get to collaborate with you again. I have been totally in awe of your mecha art from the moment I first saw the USJ mecha to the early sketches of Mac holding his sword. I’m time and again blown away and feel so lucky to work with such an awesome generational artist! You really bring the world to life and I’m always so impressed at the way you impart authenticity and realism to every work of art!
Thank you to the amazing Misa Morikawa of Tuttle Mori Agency! I often call her my superagent, who works magic behind the scenes. She is so thoughtful, considerate, and caring! I also thank her for helping me to decide on the final title of the book as Mecha Samurai Empire.
I’ll be honest, there were some rough times in relation to the book. My agent, Judy Hansen, steered me through all the storms, and I honestly don’t know if I would be here without her. I am extremely grateful to her for being the best agent an author could hope for.
How can I even begin to express my thanks to the team at Ace, starting with my amazing editor? From my first conversation with Anne Sowards to all the amazing editorial sessions we had, she helped refine Mecha into what it is. I am so honored and grateful to collaborate with her as she crafted the book into the best mecha it could be. Thank you very, very much! Also thanks to Miranda Hill!
There are so many people I need to thank, and many of them I do through cameos in the book. If you see a reference, you know it’s a big shout-out your way. Thanks to Sajan, Domee, Rona, Dave M., Mara, Mary, Sal, Joe, Rachel, Arthur, Paul A., Ian, Aaron H., Aaron P., Narelle, Ben, Patty, Tyrone, Kiyomi, Marlina, James, Geoff, Janice, Jimin, Bridget M., Chris L., Joel C., and many others. And of course, I always thank God.
I wanted to give a big thanks to Hideo Kojima. Kojima Kantoku has been a huge inspiration in my life, one of the most brilliant and innovative writers/designers/creators of our generation. I actually got to meet him in person when I visited Tokyo. It was an amazing experience, and he imparted some incredible wisdom, including a story about Zone of the Enders that I’ve often thought about in making choices for this book. If you see nods to his work throughout my writing, it’s because he’s been such a huge influence.
Also, thank you to Ayako Terashima for being so thoughtful and kind!
Finally, to Angela, my wife, to whom the book is de
dicated, words are insufficient to convey my gratitude and love. It’s been a long journey together, but there’s no one else I’d rather be together with in the bridge on the mecha of life. Thank you for your patience, your thoughtfulness, and for believing in me through the tough times, of which there were plenty.
I hope readers who enjoyed Mecha Samurai Empire will come back for the next book to find out more about the looming Nazi–USJ war, who the Marshal is, and what Colonel Yamaoka is really planning.
Photo by Angela Xu
Peter Tieryas is the author of Mecha Samurai Empire and United States of Japan, which won Japan’s top science fiction award, the Seiun. He’s written for Kotaku, S-F Magazine, Tor.com, and ZYZZYVA. He’s also been a technical writer for LucasArts and a visual effects artist at Sony, and currently works in feature animation. He can be reached on Twitter at @TieryasXu.
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