Upstairs
Harry stepped out of the Elevator onto the 23rd floor a step ahead of Nori. The room he stepped into was a massive one, with a small area on the far side enclosed with temporary walls. The soft sounds of traditional shamisen music filled the area and Harry could smell lavender, lilacs and other floral scents he couldn’t place. He thought he could hear water flowing as well...this was not what he expected to find at all.
The two men in dark suits approached them quickly. Harry thought they were security but noticed that the taller one was missing two fingers from his right hand. Harry raised his hands defensively and that triggered a reaction from the smaller of the two men who levelled a submachine gun at the two of them. Harry’s hands clenched into fists.
“Gentlemen, we appear to be having a misunderstanding. My friend and I are supposed to report here for our military assignment.”
“What Clan?” The taller one asked him warily.
“No Clan, DCMS soldiers.” Harry narrowed his eyes while Nori did the talking.
“Roll up your sleeves.” The Taller one instructed. The shorter one still had the SMG levelled at the two of them.
“Why?” Harry asked him.
“No Clan, No Tattoos.” The taller one continued to do the talking.
“Of course i don’t have any tattoos.” Harry protested. Nori shrugged and slid his jacket off. Moments later he had rolled up his sleeves and showed bare skin on both of his arms. Harry thought he saw the barest hint of a mark peeking up along Nori’s collar, but said nothing.
“Your turn.” The taller man turned his attention to Harry. Harry let out a defiant groan and Nori took his jacket. He rolled up his sleeves and showed his bare arms to the taller man. The two men nodded at each other and the shorter man lowered his gun. “You may go.” The two enforcers let them pass deeper into the office. Outside of the enclosure, they found a smartly dressed woman in a DCMS uniform who was working on something with a noteputer on the desk.
“Greetings, I am here to report for duty.” Harry said with a soft smile. He slid the orders from his pocket and waited for her to respond.
“You’re late.”
“Excuse me?”
“Your orders were to report at 9:00 am local time. It’s 9:08.”
“The Goons intercepted us on the way in and demanded to see our arms. The delay is their responsibility, not ours.” Harry replied. He heard a sharp intake of breath from Nori.
“The Goons? The security detail for a local businessman who is visiting the Sho-sa? I am sorry you did not plan time into your day for obstacles and detours. Perhaps you will need a lesson in remedial decision making.” Her eyes were lit up with angry flames and Harry realized that he may have misjudged this encounter today.
She was taller than he was, with her long black hair streaked with blue highlights. It was in a loose braid down her back and Harry studied her face much more closely than he may have intended. Her features were sharply beautiful, like a madonna made of glass. “Especially since you took time out of your busy day to visit the Mechbay before reporting in.”
“I meant no disrespect…” Harry started to speak.
“Your intentions mean very little, here. Your actions speak volumes, Mechwarrior. Is this the example the DCMS wants to set for the people to follow?”
“No.”
“No what?”
“No, Ma’am?”
“Are you asking or are you attempting to save face?”
“I am apologizing for failing to show the proper deference and respect to a fellow warrior.”
“Who outranks you.” Nori finally added.
“Wait, what?” Harry’s confusion was written across his eyes.
“I’m sorry, you didn’t wait for an introduction. I am Captain Hoshi Fujikara.” Harry’s eyes bugged out of his head and he couldn’t seem to figure out how to speak.
“My sincere apologies, Tai-I, I am new to this unit and my previous experiences have been very limited and i intended no disrespect to you or anyone else here.” Harry bowed deeply.
“And what are you doing here, Tai-sa, dropping your son off with his new command?”
“I am not a Tai-sa, just a lowly Mechwarrior hoping to do his part for the glory of the Combine, Ma’am.”
“Mhmm, what did you do?”
“Oh, I do not mesh well with most units.”
“You could have gotten a berth in the Ryuken, or probably the Genoysha.”
“Those are places in the past, I am looking towards the future.”
“If i catch wind of any of your bullshit, I will drum you back to the Legion of Vega.”
“The Legion won’t take me.”
“Why?”
“Insubordination, mostly.”
“You will not be a detriment to the functionality of this unit, understood?”
“Yes, Ma’am.” Nori smiled and bowed.
“The Sho-Sa will see you momentarily, he’s currently in a meeting with a local businessman.” Hoshi turned her attention back to Harry. “Oh for the love of...quit bowing you idiot.”
Harry stood sharply and saluted.
“Wait over there, where you can’t touch anything.” Harry and Nori both bowed before walking to their designated waiting area.
“Where we can’t touch anything?” Harry asked him sharply.
“Imagine a pair of Yakuza enforcers showed up at your house with a perfectly valid and legal reason to be there. Would you want them anywhere near the good dishes?”
“Well..no.”
“Of course not, they are murderous ruffians who can’t be trusted to not do anything they aren’t supposed to.”
“Of course.”
“Well, you and I, mostly you, though i am not completely free of blame, are the murderous ruffians stomping about their house. I did not realize they would be having a meeting with the Oyabun here today.”
“The what?”
“The leader of the Yakuza clan that helped contribute warriors and resources to this particular Ghost unit.”
“There’s a crime boss in there?”
“Probably. Best not to make eye contact, but be respectful.”
“How do you know all of these things?”
“Oh, i lived a hell of a life when i was your age. Got into all sorts of fun.”
“And now?”
“Paying the debts for all of that fun.”
“What did she mean when she said you could have gotten a berth in the Ryuken or the Genoysha?”
“If i had asked, i probably could have gotten a placement in either one of those units.”
“How?”
“Long story, mostly full of bloodshed and tears.”
“You’re going to tell me that story.”
“All right, but i promise i’m going to skip all the really cool parts.”
“Of course you are.”
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