A Life Taken
by Akodo Kibo
Northern Lion Lands.
1217, Month of Akodo
(June by gaijin calendars.)
The young man had summoned Kibo from his unit, apparently requesting that the gunso assist with some sort of message delivery. To whom and for what reason had not been shared with Kibo, but his chui seemed annoyed to lose one of his NCOs to such a useless endeavor. Nevertheless, Akodo Kibo left early in the morning, leaving orders to his nikutai to continue the preparations that the chui seemed to be especially keen on them making.
The journey itself was not too difficult. The farmlands seemed less green than in previous summers, reinforcing the rumors that the rationing that was being enforced on Kibo's units was more than simple a preparatory measure before a march. It mattered little to Kibo, the peasants had their job and he had his own duty to fulfill.
The small castle that the young daimyo had set up in was in the usual state of high alert. Akodo Kibo's papers were checked twice and he was touched with jade. The apologies that had accompanied such checks in the long past had given way to merely going through the motions. It was good practice now, to prevent the assassination and sabotage that had accompanied the early parts of the campaign.
Kibo was shown into a small waiting room, given weak tea and nothing else and left alone for a few hours. Idleness often lead to the dark thoughts that plagued him ever since that ambush early in the war. He had since learned to try to block it out by trying his best to not be idle. Here it was impossible, he tried going over new training regimen for his squads, but that didn't last long. He tried imagining what sort of assignment this would be, but that was useless. It all rounded back to the useless he felt by sitting, simply waiting for something to happen.
Before the walls could close in completely, the door slid open quietly and one of the young daimyo's assistants entered the room. "My lord sends his apologies for making you sit and wait, Akodo-san. I have a couple items to review with you before your meeting," the older man said.
Kibo could have no response, simply bowing and pouring a cup of tea for the new arrival.
"My lord has heard many good things about you since the two of you last met. He sees you as a man of honor who continues to be useful to the empire. You have taken on several difficult assignments and done what you could with them. Even when there are setbacks, you find a way to minimize that impact. He hopes that this assignment will be no different." The older man sipped his tea, suppressing the frown that everyone felt when drinking it.
"There are rumors that some of the young commanders are growing restless. We know they seek to serve the Lion and the Empire, but sometimes youth gives in to the lure of glory and action for action's sake. Our lord knows that all samurai will follow orders of course, given by those to whom they are sworn." The hint, but to what. The older functionary continued, "Such is the nature of Duty and Loyalty."
"Hai," was all that Kibo could say. It was natural, the following of oaths. Why it was discussed now made no sense to him.
"Excellent, well our lord is ready for you now. If you would please follow me."
The two of them wound their way through a few passages to the same wooden floored room in which he had knelt before. The young lord sat, reading a piece of parchment. After a scant few moments, the daimyo recognized Kibo by setting aside the piece of paper and nodding. The assistant who accompanied Kibo made his exit through one of the side doors.
"Akodo Kibo-san, thank you for coming so quickly. I have two messages for you to carry to your chui, and a one for you." A servant appeared out of nowhere, presenting a porcelain tray with three sealed messages on it. "The first message you are to give to him when you arrive back at your camp. The second you are to give him when he orders you to. The message that you carry for yourself will be opened when you give the second message to your chui. You will not open any of these messages before the proper time. Will you do this?"
"I will perform the duty that you have set before me, Akodo-dono." Kibo placed the messages in his obi, then bowed to the young daimyo.
"Re-affirm your oaths to me. I must have this from you, Akodo-san. For the good of the Empire." The young daimyo seemed firmer than he ever had been before.
It was strange to Kibo that such a thing would be requested, but there was no reason not to. He knelt, offering his daisho to his lord and swore the oaths of fealty. 'I know not why you wish this of me, but I will not falter.' Kibo thought to himself as he rose.
"Go then, with the blessings of the ancestors upon you." The young daimyo dismissed Kibo, then returned to his other work.
Kibo's journey back to the camp was as uneventful as his journey to the castle. The chui was surprised to receive a message, but accepted it anyways. His reaction was inscrutable, as is typical of Lion officers, and Kibo was dismissed to return to his other duties.
-----
Occupied Lion Lands
1217, Late in the Month of Doji
(July by gaijin calendars.)
This offensive was turning into a disaster. After the early victories, the Lion forces had hit a veritable Kaiu wall and were struggling to advance any further. Kibo walked the line, seeing to the needs of his men such as they were. They walked the edge of a katana, one minor deviation would cause another Kintani valley.
As he did so, one of the hohei of the chui's unit arrived with a message. "The chui asks that you bring the message that Akodo-dono gave you immediately. He also orders that you ready your squad as well. He will have further orders."
In all of the fighting, Kibo had forgotten about the messages that he still carried. Adjusting his armor, he assembled his squad and led them through the camp, to the officers tents near the center. The hohei of the Chui's guard seemed a little more alert than usual, but such a thing was natural given the times in which they lived. Leaving his squad outside, Kibo entered the tent and bowed.
"Good, you have arrived exactly as I expected you to. We wish to thank you for holding on to this information for us." His chui began.
'We?' Kibo thought, and only then noticed the taisa was also present. The young man, a political appointment gleamed in the torchlight, his armor polished and his swords immaculate. He seemed now to be impatient however.
"Well? Do you have the information or not?" The taisa said, barely holding back a fury that sat deep within him.
"Hai, it is here Taisa-sama." Kibo handed over the paper, taking the message written to himself in hand and opening it while the officers were distracted.
The Young Daimyo wrote:Kibo,
As you read this, your chui is receiving orders that promote him to taisa. The waste of men and resources by Akodo <name was smudged> on such a foolish errand must not stand. I, on behalf of Akodo Kano, hereby order you to remove the former taisa of the 4th Akodo Legion from command. Return your men to the Empire. Do what you must with the traitors.
(Chop of the young daimyo)
(Seal of Akodo Kano)
There was a puff originating from the chui's message, and the air around the two officers filled with a fine green mist. The taisa began to scream inhumanely, his skin bubbling as the jade powder did its work. The chui could only look on in horror as his commanding officer's skin melted away, revealing the monster within.
"Squad!" Kibo ordered, "Enter and engage. Anvil! Anvil! Anvil!" His sword was out, and he was upon the traitor to the Emerald Empire, giving no quarter.
----
The legion returned to the empire in good order; taking fewer losses than most of the others. Kibo never learned how the young daimyo knew what he knew. It was not his place to know such things, only to follow orders.
Kibo never admitted it to anyone, but he hoped for a congratulations and a promotion on his return. Neither seems to be forthcoming however, the entire matter was covered up. That the legion returned to its proper place in good order was their duty, nothing more.
For the good of the Lion Clan and morale, the death of the taisa was blamed on a Chuda sneak attack. Kibo and his squad were sworn to secrecy, never to repeat the tale to any person. Such is war.
by Akodo Kibo
Northern Lion Lands.
1217, Month of Akodo
(June by gaijin calendars.)
The young man had summoned Kibo from his unit, apparently requesting that the gunso assist with some sort of message delivery. To whom and for what reason had not been shared with Kibo, but his chui seemed annoyed to lose one of his NCOs to such a useless endeavor. Nevertheless, Akodo Kibo left early in the morning, leaving orders to his nikutai to continue the preparations that the chui seemed to be especially keen on them making.
The journey itself was not too difficult. The farmlands seemed less green than in previous summers, reinforcing the rumors that the rationing that was being enforced on Kibo's units was more than simple a preparatory measure before a march. It mattered little to Kibo, the peasants had their job and he had his own duty to fulfill.
The small castle that the young daimyo had set up in was in the usual state of high alert. Akodo Kibo's papers were checked twice and he was touched with jade. The apologies that had accompanied such checks in the long past had given way to merely going through the motions. It was good practice now, to prevent the assassination and sabotage that had accompanied the early parts of the campaign.
Kibo was shown into a small waiting room, given weak tea and nothing else and left alone for a few hours. Idleness often lead to the dark thoughts that plagued him ever since that ambush early in the war. He had since learned to try to block it out by trying his best to not be idle. Here it was impossible, he tried going over new training regimen for his squads, but that didn't last long. He tried imagining what sort of assignment this would be, but that was useless. It all rounded back to the useless he felt by sitting, simply waiting for something to happen.
Before the walls could close in completely, the door slid open quietly and one of the young daimyo's assistants entered the room. "My lord sends his apologies for making you sit and wait, Akodo-san. I have a couple items to review with you before your meeting," the older man said.
Kibo could have no response, simply bowing and pouring a cup of tea for the new arrival.
"My lord has heard many good things about you since the two of you last met. He sees you as a man of honor who continues to be useful to the empire. You have taken on several difficult assignments and done what you could with them. Even when there are setbacks, you find a way to minimize that impact. He hopes that this assignment will be no different." The older man sipped his tea, suppressing the frown that everyone felt when drinking it.
"There are rumors that some of the young commanders are growing restless. We know they seek to serve the Lion and the Empire, but sometimes youth gives in to the lure of glory and action for action's sake. Our lord knows that all samurai will follow orders of course, given by those to whom they are sworn." The hint, but to what. The older functionary continued, "Such is the nature of Duty and Loyalty."
"Hai," was all that Kibo could say. It was natural, the following of oaths. Why it was discussed now made no sense to him.
"Excellent, well our lord is ready for you now. If you would please follow me."
The two of them wound their way through a few passages to the same wooden floored room in which he had knelt before. The young lord sat, reading a piece of parchment. After a scant few moments, the daimyo recognized Kibo by setting aside the piece of paper and nodding. The assistant who accompanied Kibo made his exit through one of the side doors.
"Akodo Kibo-san, thank you for coming so quickly. I have two messages for you to carry to your chui, and a one for you." A servant appeared out of nowhere, presenting a porcelain tray with three sealed messages on it. "The first message you are to give to him when you arrive back at your camp. The second you are to give him when he orders you to. The message that you carry for yourself will be opened when you give the second message to your chui. You will not open any of these messages before the proper time. Will you do this?"
"I will perform the duty that you have set before me, Akodo-dono." Kibo placed the messages in his obi, then bowed to the young daimyo.
"Re-affirm your oaths to me. I must have this from you, Akodo-san. For the good of the Empire." The young daimyo seemed firmer than he ever had been before.
It was strange to Kibo that such a thing would be requested, but there was no reason not to. He knelt, offering his daisho to his lord and swore the oaths of fealty. 'I know not why you wish this of me, but I will not falter.' Kibo thought to himself as he rose.
"Go then, with the blessings of the ancestors upon you." The young daimyo dismissed Kibo, then returned to his other work.
Kibo's journey back to the camp was as uneventful as his journey to the castle. The chui was surprised to receive a message, but accepted it anyways. His reaction was inscrutable, as is typical of Lion officers, and Kibo was dismissed to return to his other duties.
-----
Occupied Lion Lands
1217, Late in the Month of Doji
(July by gaijin calendars.)
This offensive was turning into a disaster. After the early victories, the Lion forces had hit a veritable Kaiu wall and were struggling to advance any further. Kibo walked the line, seeing to the needs of his men such as they were. They walked the edge of a katana, one minor deviation would cause another Kintani valley.
As he did so, one of the hohei of the chui's unit arrived with a message. "The chui asks that you bring the message that Akodo-dono gave you immediately. He also orders that you ready your squad as well. He will have further orders."
In all of the fighting, Kibo had forgotten about the messages that he still carried. Adjusting his armor, he assembled his squad and led them through the camp, to the officers tents near the center. The hohei of the Chui's guard seemed a little more alert than usual, but such a thing was natural given the times in which they lived. Leaving his squad outside, Kibo entered the tent and bowed.
"Good, you have arrived exactly as I expected you to. We wish to thank you for holding on to this information for us." His chui began.
'We?' Kibo thought, and only then noticed the taisa was also present. The young man, a political appointment gleamed in the torchlight, his armor polished and his swords immaculate. He seemed now to be impatient however.
"Well? Do you have the information or not?" The taisa said, barely holding back a fury that sat deep within him.
"Hai, it is here Taisa-sama." Kibo handed over the paper, taking the message written to himself in hand and opening it while the officers were distracted.
The Young Daimyo wrote:Kibo,
As you read this, your chui is receiving orders that promote him to taisa. The waste of men and resources by Akodo <name was smudged> on such a foolish errand must not stand. I, on behalf of Akodo Kano, hereby order you to remove the former taisa of the 4th Akodo Legion from command. Return your men to the Empire. Do what you must with the traitors.
(Chop of the young daimyo)
(Seal of Akodo Kano)
There was a puff originating from the chui's message, and the air around the two officers filled with a fine green mist. The taisa began to scream inhumanely, his skin bubbling as the jade powder did its work. The chui could only look on in horror as his commanding officer's skin melted away, revealing the monster within.
"Squad!" Kibo ordered, "Enter and engage. Anvil! Anvil! Anvil!" His sword was out, and he was upon the traitor to the Emerald Empire, giving no quarter.
----
The legion returned to the empire in good order; taking fewer losses than most of the others. Kibo never learned how the young daimyo knew what he knew. It was not his place to know such things, only to follow orders.
Kibo never admitted it to anyone, but he hoped for a congratulations and a promotion on his return. Neither seems to be forthcoming however, the entire matter was covered up. That the legion returned to its proper place in good order was their duty, nothing more.
For the good of the Lion Clan and morale, the death of the taisa was blamed on a Chuda sneak attack. Kibo and his squad were sworn to secrecy, never to repeat the tale to any person. Such is war.
