Goliath (CLOSED; MT; ATTN SONDRIA)

[Aquilinia]

The Dagger
Mino, the Autonomous Crown of Kyato, the United Empire of Aquilinia

09.30 local

It was a chilly Friday morning in the ancient city of Mino. People were going about their business as they did every day. And, like every morning, Otomi Yoshiro was on his way to work in the Dagger, the tallest building in the city. As Yoshiro left the motorway to drive towards the business district of the city, he pondered the strange duality of Mino, and Kyato as a whole. On the one hand, there was the old city, surrounding the historic Jasmine Palace and the old temple, a place of history, of tradition, of culture. And then, a mere two miles away, was the new business centre, filled with skyscrapers of glass and steel, a place of business, of technology. He had seen few places where past and present clashed so much as in this city.

Yoshiro was in a good mood as he parked his car and made his way towards the Dagger. His wife, Keiko, had just given birth to a healthy baby girl, his boss had promised him a promotion before the end of the quarter - and it was almost the weekend! That almost made the boring day of an insurance claims agent bearable. Almost.

"Good morning, Otomi-san!" As usual, the young receptionist on the ground floor was smiling. "How is your baby girl?" Yoshiro nodded a greeting. "She is very well, thank you." He glanced at the security checkpoint between the reception desk and the elevators. "I really hate having to go through that every day," Yoshiro sighed. Nevertheless, he had to go through.

At the metal detector, the young father forced himself to smile at the three Goliath Security officers that were studiously searching everyone entering the building beyond its reception area. As every day, he handed over the bag containing his files and his lunch, took off his watch and his belt, and waited to be called forward to the metal detector. As he waited, he looked around at the people in the queue. There were a few new faces there. Foreigners, at least not from Kyato - not that he minded. The city had been a melting pot of cultures before the Protectorate, and Yoshiro was hoping those days would return. "First time at the Dagger?", he asked the man behind him, smiling. "Don't worry, the wait at the checkpoint isn't usually that long." He glanced at his watch. 9.30 - thanks to the security checks, he was going to be late.

Mino-Kajima International Airport
Kajima, the Autonomous Crown of Kyato, the United Empire of Aquilinia

54 Kilometres from Mino

09.30 local

Flight delayed. As usual. This day wasn't going right at all. Jean Lemain was annoyed, and that was never a good thing. For almost forty years, flying across the United Empire had been a regular part of his job. After all, he was working for the second-biggest medical technology manufacturers in the nation. But delayed flights still annoyed him. Especially today. This would be his last flight as a businessman. Home to Reilimée - and to retirement. He had earned it. For decades, he had been working hard, selling the newest medical gadgets to doctors and hospitals both in the Empire and abroad. From Nuku Hiva to Fort Aquilaine, from Shambhala to Vienna, from Krytopia to Rien-Stadt, he had been all over the place.

What are your plans for retirement, his boss had asked him. Jean's reply was simple: "I am going to stay well-clear of airports for at least a year." The day so far was a perfect argument why. First, his flight was delayed by two hours, now he was stuck in the queue for security. Had been for over thirty minutes. He sighed in exhaustion as the queue slowly edged forward. This would only be a matter of eternities.

Suddenly, there was commotion. The usual stuff, Jean assumed - probably someone was trying to get something on a plane he wasn't supposed to, and was kicking up a fuss about it. Sure enough, four men in brown uniforms quickly marched past the queue. The yellow badge on their blue armbands identified them as members of the Kenpeitai, the Kyatese branch of the Imperial Inquisition. As the queue started moving again, Jean noticed something on the floor - a passport. Quickly, he picked it up - Mahdavian. Somebody must have lost it - Jean would make sure to hand it in at the security checkpoint, so it could be returned to its owner. With a sigh, Jean looked at his watch. 9.30 - his original departure time.

The Jasmine Palace
Mino, the Autonomous Crown of Kyato, the United Empire of Aquilinia

09.30 local

Urgh. Early mornings. Those were the worst part of being a part-time tour guide. But then, giving tours at the Jasmine Palace was a suitable job for a history student - few places in Kyato had similar history, after all.

Lara forced herself to smile as she examined the first group of the day. Just one of many ordinary tourist groups, it seemed - mostly older people, a handful of young men in the back - probably from the cruise ship that had arrived the previous evening. "Good morning, everyone! I am Lara Irwin, and I will show you around the Jasmine Palace today. The tour takes roughly fifty minutes, but if you want me to take it a little bit slower, that's of course no problem. Ask as many questions as you want!" At least she didn't get one of the school groups that had arrived in the morning. Keep smiling, she reminded herself, as she led the group through the entrance hall and the courtyard, going through the script she had gone through dozens of times before.

"And here, we have the garden shrine. Located in the eastermost corner of the courtyard, this is where the Shoguns and their retainers would gather to pray every morning." An old lady raised her hand. "Yes, madam?" "Who were they praying to?" Lara resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "I was just getting to that. The ancient Kyatese religion worshipped the spirits of the land, of life, of war, and so on. This here is a shrine to the spirit of good fortune." She glanced at her watch. 9.30 - it was going to be another long day.

Unknown locatio
Mino, the Autonomous Crown of Kyato, the United Empire of Aquilinia

09.30 local

Today was the day. "Shadow" laughed quietly as his clock flipped over to 9.30. Time for the show to go down.

[Mahdah]

Recommended Listening.

The Dagger, 09.30 Local.

"First time at the Dagger?" The man in front of him said. "Don't worry, the wait at the checkpoint usually isn't this long." the man turned around looking at his watch as Raheem stood behind him digging into his jacket. He along with four others were unbeknown to everyone members of the most infamous terrorist organization known to Sondria, Al Hafa. They were here for what they were trained and indoctrinated to do, kill unbelievers which was a talent that they had groomed very well in preparation for this attack. A sharp beep from his smart phone alerted Raheem it was time for the attack to come to fruition. Quickly putting his arm over the businessman's neck in front of him, Raheem with his free hand drew a semi-automatic pistol aiming down the sights lined up on the security guard on his right, he opened fire shooting two hollow point 9mm rounds into his skull. As the guard dropped to the floor in a pool of his own blood and brain matter, Raheem turned his human shield to the guard on the left who was trying to draw his pistol but had seem to have got it caught in the holster. He was then shot four times in the chest collapsing on the floor as the sound of running feet alerted Raheem his fellow attackers had entered the lobby.

"DEATH TO THE UNBELIEVERS!" One of the masked attackers shouted upon entry in broken English. The four men who entered the lobby of The Dagger were dressed in all black having tactical vests and standard body armor. One of the men quickly aimed his foldable stocked AK-47 at the receptionist showering her in a barrage of 7.62mm rounds that sent her into the wall as she slumped onto the floor. The other three fanned out shooting down anyone that was in the lobby, Raheem guided his hostage past the checkpoint as two guards confronted them.

"PUT THE GUN DOWN AND LET THE MAN GO!" one of the security personnel shouted with his pistol raised as the other armed with a SMG trained his aim on him as well. Raheem froze with his hostage still in his grasp pleading to be freed, he thought otherwise and emptied what remained of his pistol magazine into one of the security guard's chest as the other mowed down Raheem and his human shield all together. Within the first two minutes the lobby was littered with the dead or the dying as the gunmen had filled their lust for the blood of the unbelievers, as additional security personnel were beginning to enter the lobby the remaining attackers made a fateful retreat out the front door. A white van came to a screeching halt outside of The Dagger as the men filed into the van and made a quick getaway through traffic. Raheem was in a daze and knew he was dying as his vision became blury, he begun to crawl towards the middle of the lobby while passing regular civilians laying dead or dying on the tile floor.

The remaining security personnel within the lobby tried to check for survivors, Raheem however was about to fulfill a dying wish. Laying on his back he opened up his jacket he had on which was covered in small holes from the entry wounds he had. Strapped to his chest was a suicide vest and in the palm of his hand was the detonator, one of the security guards spotted the injured Raheem and advanced toward him with his pistol trained on him only to become pale with what he saw. "Allah Akbar..." were the last words of Raheem before he detonated his suicide vest taking himself and much of the lobby with him in a fiery explosion.

Mino-Kajima International Airport, 09.30 Local.

The Mino-Kajima International Airport was a bustling place for natives of the Empire and the foreign who came from all walks of life and countries. Although some visitors were not here for the usual plane ride back to their country of origin, Ibrahim stood inside a restroom which on the other side of the door was one of the airport check points which was part of his target. Another three were at the entrance of the airport and would soon reveal themselves, Ibrahim's phone vibrated in his pocket as he knew the time was now. Pushing the door open he stepped out looking to his left at four men wearing brown uniforms and having holsters strapped around their waists. Ibrahim stepped forward again getting in their walking path as he turned to face them and subsequently drew a submachine gun and mowed the four security men down in a hail of gunfire. Screams and shouting erupted inside the Airport terminal as the rest of Ibrahim's team made themselves known inside the Airport, firing their automatic weapons at anything that moved which meant innocent civilians as well.

People began running and trying to flee the attackers, some fell being gunned down as they tried to run for an exit or a place to hide. Ibrahim saw another two man group of brown uniformed officers, he fired at them as he moved backwards away from them and heard them fire back. The other three were gunning down civilians of all nationalities, a near by café that operated inside of the airport had a grenade thrown inside of it as the explosion sent shrapnel ripping the people inside to shreds. Ibrahim and the gunmen were beginning to become surrounded as the airport security personnel swarmed their position as the gunmen were beginning to run short on ammunition. Ibrahim out of sheer rage charged two of the security guards firing what was left in the magazine of his submachine gun, a piercing blade was felt penetrating his stomach as he came to a full stop looking down at the blade that was thrusted into his belly and then up at the security guard, spewing up blood he used the last remaining bit of strength he had to detonate his suicide vest.

The remaining attackers made a breakthrough and rushed through the terminal as they were being shot at and chased by airport security. All three of them were gunned down as they ran, the airport security guards aimed for their limbs as the gunmen fell to the floor in excruciating pain. One of the gunmen tried to detonate his suicide vest but was shot in the head immediately, the other tried but was also shot in the chest. The last gunmen fired his pistol at the security personnel and was killed in a hail of bullets, the airport terminal was a mess in crimson blood and the sounds of the dying and the corpses of the deceased.

The Jasmine Palace, 09.30 Local.

"Good morning, everyone! I am Lara Irwin, and I will show you around the Jasmine Palace today. The tour takes roughly fifty minutes, but if you want me to take it a little bit slower, that's of course no problem. Ask as many questions as you want!" Said the young tour guide as she led the tour group on towards what seemed to be a garden with some sort of shrine to a god that obviously wasn't one that Abdul believed in as he scowled, he was after all a faithful believer in Islam and tried to hide his disgust. "And here, we have the garden shrine. Located in the eastermost corner of the courtyard, this is where the Shoguns and their retainers would gather to pray every morning."

Abdul had to hide his disgust as he was told about a foreign religion that was obviously nothing but blasphemy to his faithful ears. The tour guide then opened the floor to questions and a elderly women raised her hand. "Yes, madam?" "Who were they praying to?" the tour guide seemed annoyed as she spoke in response to the question posed to her. "I was just getting to that. The ancient Kyatese religion worshipped the spirits of the land, of life, of war, and so on. This here is a shrine to the spirit of good fortune." The tour guide explained as she glanced at her watch and a vibration was felt in Abdul's pocket, he knew it was time to extinguish the unbelievers and their false prophets.

"DEATH TO THE UNBELIEVERS AND THEIR FALSE PROPHETS, ALLAH AKBAR!" Abdul shouted exposing his AK-47U from his coat as he pushed through the tour group and grabbed onto the young tour guide. Several others apart of the same tour group which was considerably large noting that the Jasmine Palace was a popular tourist attraction and a large target to Al Hafa, six other gunmen separated themselves from the group and revealed their automatic weapons to everyone inside as they began opening fire on anyone in their sights. Abdul made the tour guide drop to her knees as he aimed the barrel of the AK47U to the back of her skull, he pulled the trigger without remorse splattering her brains across the floor. A pair of the gunmen even took aim at the group of young teenagers who were most likely part of a school field trip, opening fire they began to mow down innocent children as they screamed in horror and scattered, many already being cut down in the process.

Two security personnel barged into the Palace grounds armed as they were immediately engaged by some of the attackers, one of them collapsing due to a bullet to the throat and the other retreating to cover. Abdul let the empty magazine from his AK47U drop to the floor with a clatter as he slapped in another fresh magazine, he took a grenade from a pouch in his coat and pulled the pin, he chucked in a hallway where a some of the terrified tourists were trying to hide and escape through, shrapnel stopped them in their tracks smearing blood on the wall. Abdul came back to the previous garden shrine, stepping over multiple dead tourists and the tour guide he cooked another grenade and carelessly tossed it into the shrine it's self. Five minutes had passed as the group including Abdul made their way to the entrance and exited in broad day light with automatic weapons drawn they begun opening fire at pedestrians still on the sidewalks and traffic it's self.

A black van came to a halt in the middle of the street, the gunmen huddled inside the back of the van. Abdul tossed the AK47U inside the van as he removed a pistol and shot down a businessman who was crawling towards his slain fiancé. He entered the van and left, death and destruction was left in their wake.

[Aquilinia]

10.00 am

BREAKING NEWS

"You are watching Channel Three with breaking news live from Mino, capital of the Crown of Kyato, where half an hour ago, three simultaneous terror attacks plunged the city into chaos. Emergency services are still on site trying to get a grip on the situation, so we don't know that much yet - what we do know is that there were three, seemingly coordinated attacks in the lobby of the Dagger, at Mino-Kajima Airport, and in the courtyard of the Jasmine Palace.

So far, we don't have a confirmed number of victims, however we do know that there was a group of high school students at the Jasmine Palace today, some of which are likely to be among the victims. A first initial estimate puts the death toll at around seventy-five people across all three attacks, with at least another eighty injured. The death toll, however, is expected to rise over the next few hours.

So far, none of the attackers have been identified. What we do know is that all attackers at the Airport were killed by security forces with one committing a suicide bombinng, while those at the Dagger apparently also committed a suicide bombing after a shootout with security. There is, however, no trace of the attackers at the Jasmine Palace, who are said to be armed with assault rifles and explosives.

The Kenpeitai have just issued a notice asking for any information on a possible vehicle used by the attackers. Witnesses have described a black Ford Transit van leaving the scene of the attack, Kyatese business registration T67-335-N4. Do not approach the vehicle or any of the men, they are heavily armed and very dangerous. If you have any information contact your local Kenpeitai or CPA station. I repeat, do not approach the vehicle or any of the suspects, they are heavily armed and dangerous.

Stay tuned to Channel Three for updates as they happen.

Kenpeitai Headquarters
Mino, the Autonomous Crown of Kyato, the United Empire of Aquilinia

Chief Inspector Katayama Kenji was just reading through the latest update from the three attacks when one of his subordinates walked in. "Sir, this may be of interest. A survivor at the airport, an Orlesian businessman, found this just before the attacks started." Swiftly, the detective placed an evidence bag on the Chief Inspector's desk.

Katayama looked up. "A Mahdavian passport?" The detective nodded. "Yes, sir. Photograph matches one of the attackers. Unfortunately, the passport is a fake." The Chief Inspector nodded slowly. "Do we know anything else about these people, at all?" "Only that it was apparently an Islamist attack, and that they were very well-organised."

"Al-Hafa. Has to be." The Chief Inspector had no doubt about who had committed those attacks - the MO matched perfectly. The detective nodded. "Most likely, sir. The question is, why?" Katayama stood and walked towards the window of his office on the sixth floor of the building, overlooking Jasmine Square. "That, Detective Iyugi, is the question we must ask. Al Hafa despise our way of life, and they love carnage. But why here? Why these targets? I have a strange feeling, Iyugi-san. There is more to this than meets the eye."

The Shogun's Official Residence
Mino, the Autonomous Crown of Kyato, the United Empire of Aquilinia

The Shogun's office was in complete chaos. For ninety years, no act of war, no attack had hit Kyato - and now this. Six months into his Shogunate, Ito Takahashi found himself as the leader of a nation hit by unprecedented violence. Moments ago, he had been on the phone to his superior, his Tenno - Empress Evelyn II of Aquilinia. The Empress' instructions had been clear: restore order, find and neutralise the attackers. If only it were that simple, Ito mused. The city was in chaos, surely the Empress must see that? No, it was impossible to find the attackers. Not even the Kenpeitai could do that.

The Shogun was sobbing to himself as he slumped behind his desk. Ever since his appointment, he had been decried as a weak leader. He had just begun to gain the confidence of the Kyatese people, when this happened. Who could have luck as bad as this? No, the Spirits definitely weren't kind on him. All this trouble!

He would be expected to make a statement, of course. A show of strength. Reassure the people of Kyato. The media were already assembling outside, waiting for the Shogun. With a deep breath, the Shogun opened the balcony doors, and stepped outside.

"People of Kyato! A great tragedy has befallen us today. But, we must remain strong!"

The Shogun looked over the assembled crowd as he began his speech. Immediately, some in the crowd began to call for his abdication - and some even for his arrest. This was going to be fun.

[Mahdah]

Residence of Ito Takahashi, Mino, 10.00AM

The scene outside Ito Takahashi the current Shogun of Kayato was hectic to say the least, standing on the balcony he was preparing to address the masses that had congregated outside his residence to hear his statement on the attacks. Sharif watched from a window directly across the street from the residence of Ito Takahashi himself, in the bedroom of the apartment he had rented out was a rectangular metallic case that sat on the mattress. Ashing his cigarette in a nearby ash tray Sharif saw that Takahashi opened the doors to the balcony and was stepping outside. Moving over to the case it's self he unlocked it and opened it revealing a RPG-7 a favorable weapon of choice used by Al Hafa militants across many battlefields and would now be used in a assassination of a head of state. After loading the RPG-7 with it's appropriate war head, Sharif waited by the open window in which he would fire from, cautious all the while of possibly being spotted by someone.

"People of Kyato! A great tragedy has befallen us today. But, we must remain strong!" The Shogun began as Sharif stood in front of the open window and aimed the RPG-7 at the balcony across from him, lining up the sights correctly he had his finger on the trigger. Takashi would briefly meet eyes with Sharif and his RPG-7 before with the press of a trigger, the tandem warhead shot out of the RPG-7 like a gust of wind. *SHOOSH* followed by the inevitable explosion as it struck the balcony it's self engulfing it and much of the room in flames. Sharif quickly dropped the just fired RPG-7 on the floor, kicking it under the mattress he grabbed a pair of car keys and threw on a hoodie and left the apartment.

[Aquilinia]

10.30 am

"...According to the latest report, the Shogun has indeed arrived in hospital in a highly critical condition. He is, however, still alive. Eyewitnesses have described the carnage at the scene, where a rocket-propelled explosive hit the balcony from which the Shogun was addressing the people. Luckily, the area directly beneath the balcony had been cordoned off, which means the number of victims is much lower than it could have been. So far, two members of the Shogun's staff have been found dead, and three have been taken to hospital with severe injuries. Engineers have now arrived on site to assess the damage to the building, and whether the structural damage caused by the explosion could possibly lead to the collapse of part of the building. This new attack raises today's confirmed death toll to eighty-seven, with at least another seventy-seven confirmed injured. Many of the injured are still in a critical condition.

We are now also getting more information on the victims of the attacks themselves. Isabella Johnson, member of the House of Freemen for the Aquilinian National Party, was injured at the airport; she is said to be in hospital in a non-critical condition. There is also a growing number of confirmed foreign victims, including an elderly couple from Erjunhuf and a Skyan exchange student. We are hearing now that General Hone Onekawa, brother to Toa Onekawa of Onekawa-Nukanor, was visiting Kyato, and at the airport. Unconfirmed reports indicate he has been delivered to hospital, but there are no details on the extent of his injuries.

Meanwhile, the Kenpeitai still have no indication as to the perpetrators of today's attacks, and are still searching for a black Ford Transit van,..."

323 Suisho Square
Mino, the Autonomous Crown of Kyato, the United Empire of Aquilinia

"Kenpeitai! In the name of the Shogun, we order you to open this door immediately!" There was no response from inside flat 504. Detective Iyugi nodded at the agent standing next to him, who, in a swift movement, kicked the door open. Inside, the picture was as expected. A mid-sized one-bedroom flat, not too lavishly furnished. Usually rented out to businesspeople who were in the city for a limited period of time. A defining feature of the flat was the view - across Suisho square, with the Shogun's residence n full view. Perfect for an attack with an RPG.

Quickly, the four Kenpeitai accompanying Iyugi searched the flat. It didn't take them long to find something. "Sir! Here, in the bedroom. Found something." Iyugi immediately saw what the sergeant meant - on the bed was an open metal case, padded to snugly fit a grenade or rocket launcher. Iyugi smiled. "Any trace of the weapon?" The sergeant shook his head, causing the detective to laugh out loud. "Check under the bed."

The detective's instincts had been on point, as the sergeant carefully pulled an RPG-7 out from under the bed. Turning it in his gloved hands, Iyugi examined it with the eye of an expert - before the Protectorate, he had served as an engineer in the Imperial Armed Forces. "RPG-7," he noted, calmly. "cheap, easy to manufacture, even easier to use. You shove the missile into the top, point it at the target, and shoot. Barely any training needed. This piece here is in pristine condition, probably only ever fired once."

For a second, Iyugi fell silent as he examined something on the weapon more closely. "Interesting. The serial number was scratched out very carefully." Iyugi called for the sergeant. "Take it to HQ, have forensics go over it. Maybe it'll give us a clue to who fired it, or where it came from." He called for the other three agents, who had found nothing of interest - a suitcase full of clothes had been thrown carelessly onto the sofa, there was a sealed bottle of water in the refrigerator - probably left there by the landlord. Iyugi was about to leave, when one of the agents called his name. "Detective, here!" Walking up to him, the officer was holding an evidence bag. In the bag was a plastic card - a key card to a cabin on board the MS Sapphire Sky.

"Sapphire Sky? The Goliath liner? Great work, officer." Smiling, Iyugi pulled out his phone. "Chief Inspector? Iyugi speaking. We found the weapon - and a clue where these attackers came from. Could you please get somebody to get the passenger list of the MS Sapphire Sky? The suspect left a key card. Cabin number 11A53. Other than that, nothing of interest here. We'll seal up and try to contact the landlord, I'll be back at HQ in fifteen minutes."

Chojin Estate
35 kilometres from Mino, the Autonomous Crown of Kyato, the United Empire of Aquilinia

"He is alive, then, that's good. Yeah, seems inevitable, doesn't it? Ah well, if it has to be done, who am I to say no? Thanks for letting me know, Vix, tell your mother to call me when she needs me." Chojin Sakura shook her head as she put down the phone. Sixteen years ago, when her attempt to liberate Kyato from the reign of the Lord Protector had failed, she had decided to leave politics for good. But, it seemed that politics wouldn't leave her.

Before the coup, she had been Shogun for almost eighty years, she had led Kyato through an unprecedented period of peace and prosperity. It had surely been the most rewarding task in her almost 1,000-year long life. But even though she still had the appearance and physical fitness of a young woman, Sakura was feeling more tired than ever before. After the restoration of the monarchy, she had been offered the Shogunate, but declined, instead opting to return to the estate that had been her home for almost four centuries. She had taken in young girls and women from all walks of society - orphans, the homeless, those with nowhere to go - and taught them the old ways of the Order of the Butterfly. Philosophy, art, and charity were at the forefront of the Order's beliefs - but they had also always been skilled warriors. Victoria "Vix" Steele, the daughter of the Imperial Vicar, had been her best student - and had become her most trusted friend. So, when Vix called to tell her that she was going to be asked to return to the capital, Sakura knew it was serious.

But then, the Ito Shogunate had lasted a mere two years before literally going up in flames - her Chojin Shogunate had lasted for decades, without any disruption. The people had even taken to worshipping her as the worldly incarnation of the Spirit of Peace, as her lack of ageing and the prosperity her reign had brought had convinced many that she had to be some form of divine creature. In truth, all that Sakura was was the last member of a line of women blessed with incredibly long lifespans. Like her mother before, Sakura had stopped ageing at the age of eighteen - and, if her mother's lifespan was anything to go by, Sakura had at least another century to live before she would rapidly age, becoming old and frail within a decade. When Sakura's mother had died at the age of 1,203 years, Sakura had only been ninety years old. She had then taken to wandering the world, settling down some years later with Silvier of Kylarnatia, who was nowadays revered as the Grand Mother. Upon Silvier's death, Sakura had resumed her travel, finally returning to Kyato five hundred years ago. She had lived a mostly quiet life after that, teaching history and philosophy, until, a little over a century ago, she became the teacher of the heir to the Shogun, a young man named Mori Kenji. As Kenji was infertile, and had no likely heirs, he appointed Sakura his successor, mere hours before he died of illness. Thus began the Chojin Shogunate, an era that lasted until Sakura's forced abdication at the behest of the Lord Protector.

Sakura's musings were interrupted when one of her young butterflies entered her study. "Sakura, Kira is back. They are coming." The old warrior in a young body nodded calmly. "As expected. And we will be ready."

Moments later, Sakura's twenty "butterflies" had assumed their positions, some atop the estate's outer wall, armed with rifles; others hidden along the inside and outside of the wall, their swords, throwing stars, and pistols at the ready. When the militants arrived, they would be in for a surprise.

[Mahdah]

A small village, 6km from Chojin Estate, Kyato,
Muslim Community Centre, 10.30AM

The scripture reading was quite the experience if someone was a non-muslim and knew nothing of Islamic customs and practices. This however to many inside the community centre which also was used as a mosque for a proper place of worship as Kyato has one of the smallest Muslim followers in the Empire. In a historical context, the muslim faith was brought to Aquilina by Mahdavian traders and merchants as both entities had historically been good trade partners thus allowing Islam to spread amongst the Aquilinians who generally always had been liberal on religion. Sharif had since his assassination attempt on the Shogun had laid relatively low in the village as it was quite remote besides only being kilometers from a estate he would soon be leaving to. Sharif and a group of his fellow comrades had gathered here to take part in prayers and as a rendezvous area to prepare for the assault on the Chojin Estate, to which they were briefed that a women who has said to be nearly one thousand years of age and yet physically appeared as a young woman had baffled Sharif and the others and took it as a sign of heresy.

Concluding their session of prayer at the community centre, Sharif and 8 others convened at a small estate which also doubled as a safe house for Al Hafa militants in the area. In the driveway of the estate was the notorious black Ford transit van that was currently wanted by the Kenpeitai along with a four door sedan which was parked in front of it. The entire estate was walled and therefore in the backyard their was some privacy from peeking neighbors since their was a 6 to 7 foot wall that ran all the way around the premises of the estate. Sharif removed a pattern of concrete blocks from off the ground as their was a metal sheet covering a rectangular hole in the ground. Sliding the metal sheet away, Sharif reached down and grabbed a quite heavy duffel bag and then put it over his shoulder and covering the hole again.

Within the duffel bag were a small array of assault rifles, magazines fully loaded with ammunition, frag grenades and a assortment of optics and gadgets for customization for the rifles. Once the group was fully armed and ready they all loaded up into the pair of vehicles and took off towards the Chojin Estate.

The Chojin Estate, Kyato, Aquilina,
11.00AM.

The screeching sounds of tires and the rapid opening and slamming of doors only meant that Sharif and the other Al Hafa assassins had arrived outside the walled Chojin Estate. Still on the only road leading into the Chojin Estate the 9 assassins split up into two lines with 4 on one side of the road and 4 on the other side with the last man at the back still on the road. Weapons raised as Sharif aimed his optic sight mounted AKM assault rifle along the wall of the estate as the formation steadily advanced towards the entrance into Chojin Estate looking to find a supposed 'God' and eliminate her and her students, a walk in the park so it seemed to Sharif...

[Havensky]

Governor's Mansion
Port Fourhearts, Sondrian Havensky

Governor Richard Oakton paced in circles around his office. The first duly elected governor of the Port of Fourhearts had only been in office a few weeks when the terror attacks in Aquilinia had occurred and the civil war in the Marquesans had started. It had been much too much chaos for a territory that had been banking on stability to help set up the new trade routes.

The governor sat down behind his dark mahogany desk and ran his fingers through his long black hair and beard before covering his face. He dropped his hands again and started to pour himself a drink to steady his nerves. He stopped himself.

No, none of that. It's not the time.

This was the one part of the job that he had always been warned about, but never had to worry about actually preforming it until now. The attack in Aquilinia had killed a Skyan exchange student whose parents lived and worked in Port Fourhearts. The father was a dock worker. The mother taught first grade at the local elementary school.

First fucking grade..

When he had first heard that a Skyan was killed in a terror attack, his first reaction had been anger. There was just no point in it all. The student - Sarah Addison - had been studying international relations. A term in Aquilinia had been to better understand their language as well as soak up some of the culture. Studying abroad was more expensive as the Skyan government couldn't cover out of country tuition. Oakton had been told that Sarah's father had been pulling doubles to cover the costs. She was on her way home when the attack happened.

The news media hadn't mentioned her name. That was because the parents hadn't been told yet. The parents were currently in a private car being escorted by four Legionaries in full dress uniform. They were not told what was going on, but Oakton imagined that it wouldn't be difficult to guess.

It was something he was steadying himself for partly because he knew nothing that he could say would help.

A knock on the door followed by a young man in a navy suit and tie.

"Sir, they've arrived."

"Send them in please Michal, thank you.

Oakton rose from behind his desk and walked around to the front as an already distraught pair of Skyan citizens walked through the door.

"Mr. and Ms. Addison, please sit down."

The Legionaries directed the couple to two large chairs beside a table. The table had a tissue box, three glasses of water, and a small vase of flowers. The parents sat as if everything they touched were made of broken glass and placed on the rails of an oncoming train.

Oakton took his own seat and then a deep breath.

"Mr. and Ms. Addison, it is my duty to inform you that your daughter Sarah was killed in a terrorist attack at the Mino-Kajima International Airport early this morning. Her body is being returned to us as we speak and will be escorted by an honor guard of Skyan Legionaries. On behalf of the Skybound Republic, you have my deepest sympathies and condolences."

Oakton wasn't sure how much the mother had heard. She had broken down into tears. The husband holding her and rocking her back and forth fighting back his own tears. The three Skyans would sit there with no words being passed between them for the rest of the hour.

* * * *

"I want them dead Prime Minister. I want you to send the whole damn Legion into Mahdah or whatever hell hole these fuckers crawled out of and I want them to kill them until they are dead.

I understand, but you are aware that the Republic has multiple threats on our security. I can't bring forth a full fledged declaration of war on a non-state actor. Richard, we're not even sure it well Al Hafa.

What about Civis Skyan? An attack on a Skyan citizen - anywhere in the world - deserves a violent unrelenting response!

Yes, I know the concept - I wrote the policy for gods sake. You need to have patience. With the Marquesans at war with itself our options are limited. I've sent an entire team of high ranking diplomats and government officials - including Secretary Atticus - to the Eternal Republic to try to resolve that crisis. Once that's done, we'll formally ask to join the Pendragon Pact. I imagine that they're going to be pressing hard to eliminate terror in this region. Your job for the moment is to prepare the Port to receive military supplies. Can you do that and keep your mouth shut in the meantime?

Yes, I understand Prime Minister."