A Hidden Conspiracy

Two weeks passed as we prepared the infiltration mission to the Seawall defenses that blocks our passage through Shouki bay that will allow us to directly attack the interior of Mizuki islands.

Last week, our special forces arrived from Kiko and for the past few days, has been practicing non-stop inside a wooden scaffold house to simulate their mission that will happen tonight during the new moon.

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

"Room clear!"

Training with the new weapons that combines the automatic fire of a machine gun and the compact and lightness of a handgun that we came to call as a sub-machine gun, the platoon of operatives rapidly cleared the simulation room like a well-oiled machine.

"Explosives set!"

"Detonators set."

"Okay, extraction underway. Leave the promises ASAP."

As they tucked the dud explosives at the cardboard cannons and orderly ran out of the building, the sound of a small explosion in the makeshift cannons was the sign of success from their last simulated exercise.

"Bravo!"

"What a show, Operatives!"

From the raised platforms around the scaffold building, senior officers and regular soldiers alike clapped their hands and cheered after watching the action-packed and professionally executed practice mission of the Operatives. With this, they humbly waved their hands to the spectators and bowed slightly as a sign of appreciation.

"What do you say, general? Are they ready?"

"…Yeah, that is well executed and there were almost no mistakes in their responses against the obstacles we put into place. They're ready."

I leaned to my table and pressed a button to activate the microphone to speak an announcement.

"Operatives, meet me at my office before lunch."

"Yes, sir!"

"Roger that!"

The developments in the war these past two weeks have been rough to say the least.

First of all, the two islands that we invaded and held onto for a while was taken back after our outpost there was overrun by a night raid by the pirates. Although we have lost it as our soldiers retreated out of there with their belongings, our air balloon scouts reported that they see none of the pirates that retook the islands to be present there.

If anything, it's possible that the attackers simply wanted to patch up a wounded pride after we pulverized their comrades during the offensive.

"This is your mission dossier. Read it in secret and prepare for your mission by 20:00 hours evening, the way that we will inject you to the place is top secret after all."

"Affirmative, sir!"

"We are honored to be of service!"

The 24 men lined up in front of my office table raised a salute after their platoon leader took the sealed folder from my hand.

"Remember men… We are dealing with outlaws in this foreign soil. Unlike the crafty yet honorable samurai forces that we fought at the lands of the Satou clan, these bastards will fight tooth and nail so long as we don't plant a bullet through them."

"…"

"I expect nothing but the best results from all of you who was regarded as the best of the best…. Will you not disappoint my expectations?!"

"""Yes, sir!!!"""

"Alright, dismissed!"

After raising a salute and turning around in a military-style turn step, they exited the office as I sat at my chair.

"Wait a moment, Captain."

"H-huh?"

"Captain Masuyo, right? Stay behind for a moment."

Before they all can leave, I called the leader of the platoon back which made him turn around while being slightly surprised.

"Captain, I'll handle the rest, the general seems to have something important to talk about."

"A-ah, yes. Take care of the boys for me. I'll entrust the briefing to you."

"Yes sir."

He handed the sealed folder to his second in command who left and closed the door softly behind him. With that, I was left there with the leader of our special operations platoon.

"Come on, take a seat. This conversation might take a while."

"Ah, yes. Thank you, sir."

After he sat at the chair in front of my seat, I reached out for a small cardboard box at my table drawer and handed it to him. As he reached out and opened it, he was surprised to see something familiar in it.

"This is…"

"Your handgun during your Land Guard days. I asked for it as it was just sitting in the armory and collecting dust after you were discharged from the force."

He took it out and released the magazine before inserting it back and pulling the slide back to cock it.

"Does it feel nostalgic?"

"Y-yes… I didn't expect to have this again. This brings back… memories."

"…I supposed that includes Eichi… your partner and best friend?"

"Yes. He… he used to scold me for not cleaning this regularly. We were patrolling once when a thief stole from a jewelry store, and we ran after him. I cornered him at an alley and pulled my gun out. I was ready to shoot him when the gunk from the stale oil that I haven't cleaned out yet blocked the hammer and didn't fire the bullet. I was then stabbed at the side before Eichi caught up to us, shot the thief dead and had to drag me to a nearby drugstore to patch me up."

"You were good officers."

"T-thank you, sir… Although both of us failed to do our jobs that day…"

"…"

I looked at his eyes and I saw that even after two years already passed since the day that changed their lives, he is still very much guilty of what happened to the people entrusted to him and the family of his friend.

"I was invited to Eichi and Ume's wedding as their best man… Although I really wanted to come and enjoy the occasion, a part of me told me that I shouldn't go… perhaps that part of me was the portion of my mind that still wants to be a child."

"In what way?"

"It's like… It's like you enjoy playing with this kid that likes the same things as you do and suddenly, he stopped coming to the playground so he can study more for school. You are there, still wanting to do fun yet pointless things while your playmate is focusing on things that will make him move on in life."

"You mean the wedding?"

"Yes. Eichi deserves to have a family. It's been his lifelong dream to one day spend his days embracing the love of his life and when his life is over, he'll die at a bed, surrounded by his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren… He has such a noble and joyous dream but I… I didn't have anything like that."

"…"

"I just wanted to goof off so much, enjoying the drinks and the conversations, living by day to day with nothing much on my mind… I was afraid of forming relationships and connections since I am not confident that I can keep them for long… even my friendship with Eichi, I expected him to distance himself as soon as he gets married. But he didn't…"

He placed the gun back at the box as he softly spoke about the events at that day that I am already aware of from the other party's words.

"He invited me to his son's christening, he told me to stay at their house during the night when the Land Guard dorm was full, he even treats me out for lunch whenever I am penniless… If anyone didn't deserve to lose everything that day, he would be one of them."

"…He was a good man."

"Yeah. His family's death convinced me to get out of my stupendous life full of pleasures and almost no responsibilities… and when he died while helping transfer some prisoners, it only steeled my resolve to reach out more to the highest of my abilities."

"And that's why you joined the Special Forces."

"Yes."

With his monologue over, I spoke softly to call someone in from the storage room behind my office.

"This is my secret operative that goes with the codename of Shinigami. As you may have heard from the rumors that are going around, he is responsible for the on-field reports before we came to invade the islands."

"…"

"Ah. Good day, sir."

With a black trench coat and a mask painted with red, Captain Masuyo didn't even realize that the guy in front of him was his friend as he shook hands with him.

"He will join you in the mission. Unlike your team whose job is to destroy the cannons to let the ships to slip by and bombard the main pirate port near it, his job will be to dispose the defenders there to the last man."

"H-Huh?"

"Did I say something strange, Captain?"

"Ah, I apologize sir, but yes. Did you just say that his job will be to kill every defender there as we plant bombs in the cannons?"

"Yes. Why else would I say that if he won't?"

With his mouth ajar and his hand now limp from my statement, Shinigami looked at me, seemingly asking me to speak on his behalf.

"He isn't that good with words, so I'll say it in his stead… Do you remember the hostage taking at the bank in Tohou city?"

"Ah, of course sir. We were told to stand by back then if ever we had to be deployed."

"Well, Shinigami right here was responsible for safely extracting the hostages out of the building while the criminals are distracted with negotiating with the Land Guards. It was only when the negotiations went sour and they went back to watching over the hostages did he went loose and killed them all."

"Wow…"

"…"

"With that, I trust you'll give him your approval to link up with your team as both of you will handle your missions?"

"Yes sir! I am Operative Masuyo, it would be an honor to fight with you."

"Yes… Just like before."

They shook hands, but as he replied to Masuyo in a way that implies that they knew each other, the other side was confused.

"Huh? What?"

"All of the army… I look at them as the same… brothers in arms."

"Ah! Yes, yes. Thank you, sir."

After Masuyo left my office with the gun I gave him, Shinigami took off his mask and looked at me with the calm expression of his real persona of Eichi.

"He grew up well…"

"Yes… the same goes for you, but not in the same manner."

"…Revenge is the only thing left for me. Unless I dispose of the people responsible for this, Ume and Kotaro will not be in peace."

"I'm glad that your rage hasn't abated for even the very least. It means that you can do more…"

I reached out a sealed folder to him which he took with his muscular arms covered with scars and bruises from receiving exclusive training from Kuro.

"…Who is this?"

"The Special Agency seems to be catching on to our previous activities… Kuro, or shall we call him with his real name of Akizuki Minori, is keen with arresting the woman in the file named Daigo Aiko."

"But this woman's location is at the floating port at the northwest… why are you giving me this mission area that is the opposite direction of my mission area?"

"Because I need you to go there with me before the operation to arrest her commences and this matter is given to the Special agency fully."

"You mean-"

"Yes. We will go to the port in secret after you do your mission at the seawall and the other operatives has been extracted. The 8-hour long blind spot in the timetable is the only time that I can slip out of the base and go there with you."

"I have been your loyal shadow warrior, general… But do excuse me as I wish to ask this question…"

"What is it?"

"Why do you want her dead?"

"…"

Eichi's question was reasonable. Even though his demeanor in battle is like that of a raging bull keen on killing everyone in its way, his motivation is set on his family's death, and so, he isn't so willing to do things that are not related to that.

"Daigo Aiko was the one who sold the cannons to the Arakami pirates before the attack began. She was also the one who taught them how to take us by surprise during that day."

"I find it hard to believe that a woman who is a self-proclaimed noble will be able to do that."

"Yes, unless she has a powerful backer… Like the northern provinces alliance."

"-!"

My words were met with his wide-eyed expression as I revealed to him that information.

"I did my own investigations that are separate to Iwasawa-sama's or Kuro's investigations. Given that I have Kaminari Tatsu's connections to the information black market at my beck and call, and I am free from Iwasawa-sama's initial thought that the Shogunate is our real enemy, and thus, I arrived at another hypothesis."

"Which is?"

"When Takamori Sora, who is now known as Amanogawa Sora, rose to being the Shogun, he left his home province of Niijima to a subordinate that was loyal to him. However, the information that I bought from the black market confirmed that the loyal subordinate became disobedient later and after a while, declared himself as an independent daimyo."

"…"

The story just goes stranger and stranger as it went, but since we found one evidence about it at the lands of the Satou clan, I confirmed all of it as true in the end.

"This subordinate was brainwashed by an Otherworlder whose name hasn't come out of the woodwork yet. The Shogun seems to be aware of this individual's actions and are secretly making moves to restore his homeland's security due to the movements he is making in the black market… but I don't want to match his pace that may take years before it comes to fruition."

"I see…"

"That's why we need to either dispose of Daigo Aiko on the spot… or…"

"Or?"

"…Or we convince her to join our side secretly and we mount a double offensive to the mastermind of all of this."

With half of my entire plan laid out in front of him, Eichi looked at me calmly before speaking.

"Why are you keeping Iwasawa-sama in the dark about this?"

"…He doesn't have to know."

"Why?"

"…Because our lord's heart is not yet ready to accept that this is how cruel the world can be if you're not ready to fight against it and win."

"…"

Iwasawa-sama's outburst during the war with the Yukogahara clan where we just had to assist the Kusanagi clan… The things that I and Tatsu had to cover up and make false stories about regarding the events that led to Fuku's independence from their corrupt ministry so he can accept that victory… The attack at Naka harbor that made him gather the alliance to fight against the Satou clan… The events that happened in Hatsu and Kaiji province where thousands of innocent people died in front of him…

Iwasawa-sama's ability to process loss and death is far too insufficient at present for him to allow me to do these things. As such, I decided to do this in secret and just pay for it later. Later when we have won and there is nothing more to be wary about.

"I get it… I will join you."

"Thank you."

As Eichi wore his mask to be called Shinigami again and exited from the backroom, I slumped at my chair and sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry, Iwasawa-sama… there are things that I have to keep in tight silence."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Okay, boys! This is it!"

I am Captain Masuyo of the Special Operations Platoon 3. Right now, me and my team are riding the Air Balloon scouts' hot air balloons towards the sea wall of Mizuki island's outermost area.

"Don't bunch while in airtime, we are air dropping at night so can't see each other well. If we are too close to each other once we open out parachutes, we will tangle up and die, so stay a bit away from your mates, got it?!"

"""Yes, sir!"""

With the 25 of us split apart in three balloons, we spoke through radios.

"Alright captain, the naval task force just left the base, you have an hour before the ships come to firing distance of the sea wall defenses."

"Copy that. Are we over the sea wall now?"

"Positive. We just rode the monsoon winds and we're over the island now. Good luck on your mission, captain."

"You're welcome. Thanks for the ride!"

The balloon's captain gave us his regards as he opened the hatch at the side where we will be hopping off.

"Geronimo!"

"Next in line!"

One by one, from the three balloons, my men hopped off and after all of them has left, I also hopped out and peered to the dark island below us that is surrounded by the abysmally deep sea.

"Please don't fall at the water, you brats… I can't lose any of you."

Thankfully, as we opened our parachutes and landed at the island, the rollcall I gave out spoke true to my wish.

"Squad 1, complete and ready."

"Squad 3, complete and ready."

"Squad 2, complete and ready."

Hearing the squad leaders report that they all landed safely and are prepared for the mission relieved my tension as I gave them their orders.

"You all know your access points. I will link up to you once I locate the crate which has the explosives. Stand by in a well-hidden place and don't attract the enemy's attention."

"""Copy that, sir!"""

With me being swept away from the rest of them due to my delayed jump, I was able to see where the crate that the dynamites has dropped at and I ran to the interior of the island's forest to get it to my team.

"Found you…"

I took out my metal pick and dislocated the wooden cover of the crate. There, I packed my bag with the dynamites and was about to leave when an arrow hit the crate inches away from my face.

"Well, well, well… look who it is…"

"Kahaha!!! Thought we didn't see you drop from the clouds and right near our beach, you lone bastard?"

"Tch… Pirates…"

With disheveled clothes and a musk on their bodies that are a symbol of lack of hygiene at the sea, I knew they were pirates as they approached me.

"Come on now! Drop to the ground and don't do anything you might regret!"

"…Damn it."

Even with my trusty submachine gun on my hand and expertise in firefights, their arrows that are lit with fire concerned me as I am bringing a bag full of dynamites on my back.

"Come on now! Don't make this harder that it is not!"

With sure death on my sight if I fight back, I raised my hands to signal my surrender. Perhaps I can think of a way out later while I am being led to their camp.

*Pyok! Pyok!*

"Urk!"

"Argh!"

"H-Huh?! What is-"

*Pyok-! Pyok!*

"Ack!"

"Agh!"

Suddenly though, as they were about to take me prisoner, the sound of a silenced gunfire rang out as the five pirates were shot through the head and fell dead immediately.

"Wow…"

"…"

"Thank you."

From the trees, Operative Shinigami hopped down with a silenced submachine gun on his hand. I thanked him for his help and without speaking, he accepted the gesture and nodded to me before we went on.

"You're a bit late, captain. Lieutenant Kido is about to order us to get in already."

"Oh please, we still have 50 minutes. Take these explosives and let's move on."

I distributed the bombs as the team went to their own access points. Shinigami went first before us as his mission was different from ours.

"Leave the search and assassinate to him. We're just here to disable the defenses."

"Gotcha. Preparing for infiltration."

"Go!"

Simultaneously on all three points, we entered the system of caves that was artificially carved from the stone side of the cliff facing the ocean. In the halls of the cave, we found the bleeding corpses of Shinigami's victims that he stabbed in their sleep or strangled to death.

"That masked guy is good."

"He's the general's subordinate. It's to be expected."

We arrived at the first cave that leads to the outside and at its entrance was a massive cannon that seems out of place to be owned by pirates.

"Plant the explosives and lay down the wires. Connect it to where we just entered."

"Affirmative sir."

We went further into the caves, each of the tunnels that leads to outside led to another cannon and we faced no resistance due to Shinigami's actions.

"…Oh shit."

"What? What's wrong?"

"Sir, you need to contact the naval task force, this is serious."

While we are priming the explosives at our 5th cannon tunnel, the squad leader of Squad 3 contacted me in the radio and told me to call the navy ships that are on their way to pass through.

"Look at your… 3'o clock. Against the island bay and a bit off the horizon."

"…Aargh. Things just went to apeshit… Radioman, on me."

"Yes, sir!"

The soldier bringing our long-range radio went near me and dialed the frequency that I asked for.

"Ichida island command. High command office."

"Yes, sir."

A few moments passed before the line was rid of static and I got to contact the headquarters.

"This is Captain Masuyo of Special Operation Platoon 3. Am I clear, mission control?"

"This is mission control. You are loud and clear, Captain. What is the reason of your sudden contact?"

"You need to warn the naval task force. We are in the sea wall of Shouki island right now and we have visual of an armada of approximately 30 ships coming to the bay. We suspect that they are aware of our attack."

"…Copy that. However, we cannot stop them from sailing to it. We cannot delay this operation, captain."

"But they will be overrun! I can see the outline of the pirate ships from here as almost 50, who knows how many there are more beyond our current vision!"

"…Hold on, Captain. Let me consult General Shimura about this."

"Alright."

A few moments passed as we watched the lights from the ships growing more and more from beyond the horizon. By the time the radiophone rang again, there was almost 100 ships out at the sea.

"Bad news, Captain. The general is asleep, and he cannot be disturbed… Thus, we will give you control of the situation."

"Huh?"

"The rest of the mission is upon your hands now, captain. Do whatever you wish in there so long as it can guarantee the safety of the naval task force."

"W-Wait! I am-"

"Godspeed, Captain. For the Peace of Kiko…"

"...."

"S-Sir?"

I didn't have a mirror to see it, but my enraged expression cannot possibly be painted after I was given the entire responsibility for the success of the mission.

"Damn it… Damn it all…"

"Captain, your orders please."

I didn't want to show weakness in front of my men, but I still have things to get off my chest as I thought about how we can save the incoming allied navy.

"…Deactivate the explosives and man and cannon tunnel… we will use this place to our advantage."

"But sir! There are twenty cannon tunnels here and only 24 of us! We can't use all of them!"

"I didn't tell you to man all of them! Just pick a tunnel that can hit the enemy ships and use the cannon there!"

"Y-Yes!"

"Prepare for battle! We're using these weapons against the pirate navy!"

This search and destroy mission that later turned into a naval defense mission became renown in the mainland as newspaper reporters wrote about it after the war was concluded.

This shaped the image of the still new and immature Kiko Special Forces into a force to be reckoned with in terms of flexibility to the situation and sheer destructive power.

But to those men who was there and had to adapt to the sudden change in the situation, the thing they got to take away from it was that they can only depend on each other when things like that happen.

"This is Admiral Kuwahabara. All ships, stand by for the bombardment."

"Affirmative. Turning to starboard and loading cannons."

In the end, Kiko's navy ships passed through the sea that was full of shipwrecks and splintered wood and at the distance of 5 kilometers, let loose their cannons at the port where the pirate armada came from.

"Our extraction boat in on the beach! All of you, on me."

"Haah… we can finally go home…"

"Yeah."

As we boarded the landing boat and it slowly backed up to the sea, we looked at the sea wall that we were supposed to blow up, still intact with the cannons we just used.

"You were adaptable, captain."

"Yeah… thanks to all of you who cooperated."

All of us laid down at the ferry ship. Exhausted from the stressful things we did earlier as we primed the huge cannons with gunpowder, loaded it with cannonballs and fired it to the pirates.

Even I was so tired that I forgot about something that we left there and wasn't able to recover.

"Sir… the sea wall…"

"What?"

We saw each of the tunnels lighting up and sounding an explosion.

"The dynamites?! But how?! We are… No… no way!"

"Operative Shinigami… he did it."

Even I can't believe that I forgot about him when we boarded the ship. If he is the one who detonated those bombs since he is not here…

"Haha… haha!"

"Captain?"

"What a legend… the general sure gave us the help of best of the best…"

As I raised a salute towards the direction of the sea wall, I silently thanked the help of the man who spoke rarely but did more than what we can do in this fight.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"That was a lively fireworks display…"

"I just finished what was started."

At the wharf in the other side of Shouki island that is hidden from the navy's passageway, I greeted Eichi as he appeared from the shrubbery with his signature mask and trench coat.

"Come on. We only have 5 hours before they suspect my disappearance."

"Yes."

We walked for a short distance and rode a boat that I used to come to here. It was simple and inconspicuous looking since we will be going behind enemy lines.

"Now… to see if we can find out who our true enemy is…"