Hard footfalls slapped thunderously on the veranda. The Otomo would arrive in seconds.
"I must go. Enjoy your duel, Coordinator," Ninyu said.
The ISF agents slipped through the opening from which they had emerged. Ninyu slid the panel closed, apparently assured that he and his agents would be long gone before the Otomo could force their way through the wall.
Dead men dressed in black lay strewn about the chamber. One, only wounded, drew a knife from his belt and joined his colleagues. Takashi was left standing alone within a ring of bodies.
A handful of men rushed into the dojo,a dozen Otomo and half again that number of Izanagi Warriors. Some were wearing the ceremonial armor of the palace guard, others wore duty uniforms or off-duty clothing, a few were half-dressed. All were armed. They halted just inside the doorway, stunned by the carnage surrounding the Coordinator.
Theodore pushed his way through them. He surveyed the room before holstering his pistol.
"Father?"
"I am barely wounded."
"No thanks to your bodyguard." His tone promised retribution for the breach in palace security. "Where is Shin Yodama?" There was no answer from the assembled guards. No one cared to speculate where the head of the guard could be. "He was on duty. Find him."
A woman in the uniform of Yodama's Izanagi Warriors dashed off. Still unsure, the other guards remained clustered at the door. Takashi knelt and laid his bloody sword on the floor. He looked exhausted.
"It will do no good."
"You killed them all?"
Takashi shrugged. "There might have been more. Perhaps it is a good idea to search the garden."
Theodore glanced at the guardsmen and nodded once. All but two rushed away. The pair who remained took up stations at the door. Theodore knelt at his father's side.
"You must see a physician."
"First you must hear what happened here."
A flash of puzzlement crossed Theodore's face. He leaned closer to listen to Takashi's whispered account of the confrontation with Indrahar. Takashi concluded, "For all that I do not care to have the decision made for me, Indrahar's evaluation of the situation has merit.
I was too blinded by my own concerns to see what a duel with Wolf would bring."
"Perhaps a reconciliation with Wolf ..."
"Iie.The Coordinator did no wrong. Wolf's public insult cannot be ignored." Takashi closed his eyes. "But I see what Michi Noketsuna saw before he spent his life for the Combine."
"Surely we can find another course."
"You never were comfortable with the code." Takashi almost smiled. "I am a samurai and I believe in the old ways. That may not be what is necessary to guide our realm into this new age. Certainly, you have shown me that new ways are necessary to deal with new problems. Perhaps in this I can show you that the old ways are not to be despised. In some circumstances, bushidois the answer to problems that no amount of flexibility can surmount."
"Father, this is not the answer."
"This is an old and tired samurai's answer." Takashi indicated Michi with a slant of his head. "Such strange karma.He put aside his personal honor for the greater good of the realm, defending my life against those who would take it unlawfully. He wanted my seppukutoday, and today I will go onward. But I— we—cannot allow the truth to be known. My honorable passing must be cloaked in a dishonorable lie. For the good of the realm. Indrahar wanted the people to believe that I had died in my sleep. Let his lie serve us as well as him, let that be the tale. You must tell no one the truth, not even Jasmine."
"I do not approve," Theodore said sternly.
"I am the Coordinator. In this, I do not need your approval."
"I may not share your vision of the code, but do not forget that you had me soundly schooled in bushido.You cannot lie down in front of your enemies. Tetsuhara- senseiwould not approve."
"Perhaps you are right, but that old man is a stricter advocate of the code than I. Much as I am stricter than you. I believe he would tell you that a man's honor is in his heart, not in the eyes of other people. He understood the death of his son Minobu.
"Perhaps this course I choose shows me as weak, perhaps as strong. You may decide for yourself. I have made the decision to pass the fight to my heir. I will take the feud with the Dragoons with me, for the sake of the Combine. Though this means I die with my honor insulted, this lesser failing of honor serves a greater one. The realm must survive; it is our sacred duty as members of Clan Kurita to see that it does."
Theodore tried to argue, but Takashi ordered his silence. Resigned, Theodore left to obey his father's demand for writing materials. While he was gone, a physician arrived. Dismissing the man's attentions, Takashi directed him to attend to Michi, saying, "See that his body is treated with honor, for he was an honorable samurai."
Theodore returned, now dressed in kimono and hakamaand wearing the paired swords of his samurai rank. His father was kneeling where he had left him. The Kanrei placed the tray he carried by his father's side. Lifting off a pile of white garments, he revealed a lacquered black box with an exquisite design of gold cherry blossoms.
"A good choice," Takashi said.
"Traditional," Theodore said.
"You honor an old man."
"I honor my father."
Takashi lifted the cover from the lacquered box and laid it to one side. Removing the tray of writing materials, he took a single sheet of rice paper and laid it before him. After preparing the ink, he selected a brush. He remained poised, brush in hand, for several minutes. Then he dipped the brush into the ink and held it for a moment before stroking bold characters onto the pristine paper. He spoke as he wrote,
"Sunset, the dragon weeps;
Night to day as winter, spring;
Sunrise, the dragon roars."
Takashi put down the brush. It rolled from the lacquer tray onto the floor, splattering tiny drops of ink onto the rice paper.
"An untidy end," he said softly as he rose. Taking the short sword Theodore offered him, Takashi retired to the garden. Silent, Theodore followed.
28
Hans and I were in the shuttle two hours before its scheduled departure, so I was on hand when the Wolf boarded an hour later. He smiled ruefully when he saw us.
"Good morning, gentlemen. You're up early."
"We know our duty, Colonel," I said.
"Hmm. I've got a few things I need done. Hans—"
"I'll call a steward, Colonel."
"I see. Never mind. Is the crew ready?"
"Yes, Colonel."
"Then let's be about it."
The flight down was uneventful. We set down on the grounds of Unity Palace, well away from the main building and halls. I was concerned at once when I saw several BattleMechs prowling the edges of the tarmac. The Kuritans who greeted us assured us that the 'Mechs were standard security, but I knew otherwise from studying Stan's briefing.
The courtesy with which we were met was strictly formal. In Kuritan terms that meant a lot of flowery distractions and well-mannered delays. Colonel Wolf grew annoyed, though he hid it well. The hours crawled by but eventually the designated hour for the meeting with Takashi drew near. Meanwhile, our escorts seemed unaware of the passage of time.
Finally the Colonel's patience collapsed. Addressing the old general who headed the escort delegation, he asked, "When will we be leaving for the meeting with Takashi -sama? "