Don Kuat

"Everything has been settled then?" Wu asks as I settle into the park bench, the evening gloom closing in on us. I stifle a yawn, the tedium of spending the whole day filing all the paperwork needed to get a leave of absence from the transmission station catching up with me.

"Keep this up and you're going to grow up into a delinquent." I comment to Wu as I crick my neck, "The orphanage's matron doesn't mind you loafing about outside without supervision?"

"She does." Wu shrugs as he fiddles with his deployment ring, attached on a thin length of chain and worn as a necklace, "I just ignore what that old woman says. Its not as if she can stop me anyway."

"You're a bad influence." I laugh, "But yeah, everything has been settled. The station has approved my departure for a 'divine mission' as authorized by the Chorus."

"Good. Sarkar has confirmed your spot as one of the pioneer seekers." Wu says as he munches on a sandwich he bought from a nearby convenience store, "You'll need to ship out with the first wave, but you'll have the latitude to operate independently once you reach your destination."

"So what is my destination?" I ask, "I hope the Chorus doesn't expect us to search the concrete desert square inch by square inch for this Saint or the so-called false one. It would be worse than looking for a needle in a million haystacks."

"That's actually the Chorus's plan," Wu smiles at my question, "or rather what they have been baited into doing. The pioneer seekers will be taken north, where reinforcements to the border with the Coalition are usually dropped. The pioneers will then scatter, gradually making their way south, until they find some trace of the Saint or her pretender. Such traces will be called in and a more focused search will be conducted by a second group of seekers."

"That's insane." I snort, "Its as good as admitting that the Chorus doesn't have a plan."

"'Divine inspiration'. That's what this whole affair is running off." Wu does the sarcastic air quotes for emphasis, "That's how Sarkar managed to get the Chorus on board anyway. But you're quite right, if the volunteers knew that blundering about is the plan, no one would sign up in the first place."

"No wonder we're only getting briefed once the plane takes off." I grumble, "No one would dare outwardly question the Chorus but everyone would bail immediately upon hearing this crap. But this explanation doesn't address my main worry."

"Which is?" Wu queries with his mouth full.

"How am I going to find the Saint by just wandering about?" I demand in a somewhat exasperated voice, "We are in a race against time, remember?"

"Look up." Wu just says, while pointing straight in the direction of the inner citadel.

The towers of the inner citadel loom over the pair of us from the distance, their windows slowly illuminating as the occupants prepare for the incoming night. But what stands out is the blimp slowly approaching the highest tower of them all, the residence of the Leader. A detachment of Valkyries forms a tight perimeter around the blimp, protecting it as it floats towards its destination, rotors turning slowly in the wind.

"That's a pleasure cruiser." I remark, "Someone's going on a holiday?"

"Not quite." Wu states, "Observe the Valkyries more closely."

I squint, trying my best to follow Wu's command. Its tough at this distance and under the night sky, but I can make out the paint scheme of the Valkyries. They're all completely white. As I struggle to make sense of what's going on, another flight of Valkyries bearing the all white color scheme takes off from the roof of the building, maneuvering themselves to board the blimp as it floats onward.

Cathedral Knights.

"Too many Valkyries to be just a bodyguard, even for a VVIP." I frown, "And why would the blimp be hovering over the inner citadel? The Valkyries could just board it at the airport."

"When you volunteered the other day," Wu grins, "it threw some people into quite a frenzy of worry and speculation."

"Some people?" I turn to look at Wu as realization hits me, "I'm just some Auxilia, who would care about Don Ku -oh. Oh yeah."

"People in the know?" Wu asks rhetorically, "Perhaps even the consort of the Leader?"

"You cunning bastard." I breathe as Wu's expression doesn't change, "This was part of the plan as well right? Luring 'Father' out of the Inner Citadel. And getting him to lead us to the Saint."

"Now, now." Wu chortles, a sarcastic, contemptuous sound, "Shouldn't you feel more empathy for your precious little half sister?"

"The freak?" I giggle at the thought, "I wonder what the people would think if they knew about the Leader's daughter with Kuat Senior."

"Freaks can be Saints as well." Wu continues flatly, not seeing the humor of the situation, "Though such a birth would have been rightly regarded as cursed. Little wonder it had been covered up."

"It has been almost a decade and a half." I muse, "Yeah, that's about right. Just in time for the Saint to start powering up."

Wu crumples the sandwich's wrapper and tosses into a nearby bin before getting back into the conversation.

"There are already search teams out there sent by the Leader." he comments, "Kuat senior's interference is a clear sign of desperation on his part. He likely assumes that your mission is to ensure the ascension of our Saint."

"Which it is." I confirm, "That talk about hunting false Saints from the Cathedral would have tipped him off for sure. Is the Leader going to be tagging along as well?"

"Unlikely." Wu shakes his head, "She's too old to be leaving the inner citadel for long. At any rate, Sarkar had not heard anything about the Leader joining the search."

"He's really high placed, isn't he?" I probe cautiously.

"Sarkar arranged for your name to be misfiled in the Cathedral's report sent to the Leader," Wu explains, ignoring my previous question, "placing it in one of the later batches of seekers. Kuat senior most likely thinks he has time to secure his daughter before you manage to pursue him."

"Explains all the Knights." I grunt, "Is the Leader really fine with the Cathedral mounting this search? It would wreck her plans quite thoroughly."

"Of course not. But what is she going to do? Oppose the people that keep the Citadel's defenses charged?" Wu continues, "Anyway, by the time Kuat senior reaches the concrete desert, you will be there, armed and ready."

"I like the sound of that." I smirk, "So I suppose that we know the blimp's destination and where the Saint had been hidden away?"

"Yes and no," Wu hesitates at this question, "Kuat Senior did send his daughter away more than a decade ago after all. From the blimp's itinerary, we know the rough area he will be searching, but little more than that."

"I'll deal." I pat my chest, "Its a bigger lead that what I expected anyway. I'll just have to hit up the places where its known Kuat senior would visit. Temples, maybe even the gathering spots of the wandering clergy. Kuat senior needed to arrange for a child's safety. He would have had to leave some trace behind."

"About that." Wu purses his lips, "The political situation at Kuat senior's destination has changed substantially during the intervening time. Our information may be out of date, or unusable."

"Wonderful. Just wonderful." I grumble, "Where am I supposed to be searching anyway?"

"The sector now known as Rais Land." Wu says, "You know of it?"

"Damn." I curse, "Yeah, I know of it. The maps there have been totally redrawn thanks to the Coalition."

"If its any consolation," Wu reassures, "Kuat senior likely has no better idea of his daughter's whereabouts than we do. We have every chance of eliminating the Saint before she is secured."

"Good." I crack my knuckles in affirmation, "Once Lisa takes the Saint's place, Earth will be saved right?"

"Yes." Wu nods, "She will be able to assert control over all seven of the Foundations, ensuring an uninterrupted supply of divine energy for our world. But on the same note ..."

"I know. If the real Saint ascends," I furrow my brow, "we can say goodbye to our control over Foundation Four."

"And there's the Blue Ocean Initiative to worry about." Wu continues, "We don't know what they want or how they'll react."

"We should have a better idea once Sheryl has a chance to check in with the management." I point out, "By the way, have you prepped the radio at the safehouse?"

"Its online." Wu confirms, "You can contact me using it when you're in the field. It will record incoming messages and I'll be checking regularly."

"Great. Wow, operating alone in the field, without a partner." I hum as both of us get up from our seats, "Can't say I'm not feeling a little nervous."

"Stop being dramatic." Wu says as he follows me out of the deserted park, "We'll be in touch, and once you've narrowed down the target's location, I'll be there to provide support."

"Hey, I know you've said this before," I suddenly stop in my tracks, "but just who is Sarkar masquerading as?"

"You're right." Wu dismisses as we walks past me, "I've said it before and my decision has not changed. So stop asking."

"Look, Sarkar is really, really high up right?" I press, "From what you're telling me, he can even influence the Chorus themselves. Not many people who can do that."

"If you know that much, you should be restraining your curiosity." Wu rolls his eyes in exasperation, "Sarkar is too valuable to lose due to a misstep."

"But there's more." I prattle while catching up with Wu, "You were talking about 'divine inspiration' just now right? So that means ..."

"It means what?" Wu turns to face me squarely.

"Is the management actively manipulating Foundation Four?" I voice out my suspicion., "Not just siphoning energy, but actually transmitting into the dimension as well?"

"And if they are?" Wu evenly gazes at me, waiting for my reaction.

"That would further destabilize the dirac sea." I breathe, "It would mean that the lifespan of this place .."

"Has been reduced. Yes, that is correct." Wu affirms and goes back to walking, "We have gone all in, Max. I hope you realize what this means."

"Yeah." I fold my arms, "I got it. No pressure."

"Good. You ship out tomorrow?" Wu answers in a light tone, a complete change from the serious mood he was exuding just now.

"Right on." I give a thumbs up, trying to exude some degree of confidence.

"Here take this." Wu reaches into his jacket and draws out a package, offering it to me. I unwrap and open the package up, finding a new whet stone.

"I checked the whet stone you were using in the hideout." Wu explains with an awkward twitch of his shoulders, "Figured the knife I gave you needed some better care."

"Ha." I stifle a laugh at this outlandish scene, "Sure. Thanks. I'll use this stone well. You can count on me."

"Earth can count on me."