On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor

Adam pinched his nose between his forefingers, trying to stop the sudden spiking pains that were afflicting him as he watched the TV and the damnable events that were playing out on it. With a bitter grunt, he ran his other hand through his sandy-brown hair, fingers digging into his scalp, the sensation focussing his mind, helping to restore clarity, momentarily pushing back the frustration he was feeling.

“It’s far too early in the morning for this level of stupidity…” he growled. “Viola, I already know the answer, I fear, people are endlessly naïve and idiotic, but… what is the reaction from the public? Both here and in Japan?”

Viola, his assistant, who as usual was in a sharp skirt-suit, this time in blue, matching her elegant appearance and setting off her darker skin tones, nodded, drumming her perfectly manicured nails against the desk as she operated her laptop, a sign of her thinking deeply about something, or a marker of stress. “I’m already working on it, Director. I should have preliminary results in a minute.”

David nodded, his attention back on the TV. Seeing the events in Japan had certainly been frustrating, but also extremely concerning. Pulling out his phone, he went to his contacts and pressed the screen, but after a couple of dozen rings, it went to answerphone. With a bitter grunt, he went to a different name, and a few moments later, after a couple of rings, an annoyingly cheerful voice spoke to him.

“Adam, what a surprise… or no, I suppose it isn’t, is it? It’s morning over there so you would be working. If you keep being such a workaholic, your wife will leave you! Though I suppose I’m hardly one to talk, am I?” Christina Bakker drawled, her usual disarrayed thoughts a stream of nonsense that only made sense to her. In the background Adam could hear other voices, mostly in Japanese, but that wasn’t important right now. Damn it all. Scryer would be far less trouble to speak to…

“It seems you know why I’m calling you. You needn’t think just because you have permission to stay in Japan for now that you’re exempt from your responsibilities.” he warned. “Now, Scryer isn’t answering me…”

“Oh.” There was a pause, perhaps for thought. “I haven’t seen her in a while, let me ask…” There was some muffled conversation, before Christina answered. “It sems she’s gone back to her hotel. She only came along for the early stages of the Pilgrimage out of boredom and curiosity, but she’s not one of the pilgrims, so… yeah, it can be a bit boring. For her, not for me, though!”

She raised her voice, excitement shining though. “It’s such a wonderful thing, being able to research properly, and with a clear conscience. Oh, don’t laugh, Adam. Little Miss Christina is a reformed woman! Besides, even before, if there was a better way, I took it. I just… well, I needed to know. Still do. Fortunately, things have changed. Did you know, I can certainly feel the difference? But then, nobody has studied the minute differences in the human body these Statistics cause to a deeper level than I have. What is fascinating though is that there seems little consistency in the gains of those around me. There’s surely an underlying cause, after all, I’ve seen enough to know that there definitely are rules and laws governing these…”

“Can you shut up for a minute?” Adam interrupted, tone harsh. Viola paused her work, glancing up at his cold voice, but she quickly decided discretion was the better part of valour and went back to scouring the internet.

“I don’t care about your wretched experiments, though I still expect a full report later! Did you see it? You must have!”

“A report, you say?” Her tone was now clipped and professional. “I certainly owe you some clarity, Adam. But… what I share will need to be cleared with everyone first. Trust is hard to earn, especially for me, and easy to lose. And I won’t come back from another failure. Now, did I see it? I’d moved on from the Palace by then, and I’m far too busy researching to look at my phone. But even from the shrine we were at, a few miles from the Palace, it was impossible to miss. First the swarm of birds. Doves, I believe. Then a sudden storm. While there was a twenty percent chance of rain tonight, a localised storm, blowing out of nowhere… then the explosion of light…”

“I had faint hopes it was all a stunt…” Adam muttered, and Christina’s giggles set his teeth on edge.

“You’re not that foolish Adam. What was it you sometimes say? Oh yes, ‘hope is the first step on the road to disappointment’, isn’t it? I can’t say I agree. I’m feeling very hopeful right now. But you’re right to be worried.” Christina quickly laid out Adam’s worst fears, which meshed with the knowledge he already had of the black cats and their abilities.

“Such an open display of power in the Material world is remarkably difficult. However, I have my suspicions how they were done by using far less strength than one would expect. But… it’s all about the density, Adam. It’s not too dissimilar to gas pressure. As more and more ether fills our world, the box, the Boundary… it’ll break. Shatter. And then… well, you get it, don’t you?”

Adam unfortunately did. Glancing over to his display case, the rows of neatly painted figures and tanks arranged in orderly fashion, he pondered it. Order. That’s what we lack… order, and time… always time.

Christina wasn’t finished. “As the box that is our world fills with more ether, of course, it becomes easier to perform actions. To keep the gas pressure metaphor, imagine an internal combustion engine, or even a wind turbine. More pressure, more power. But it’s not purely a causal relationship. That’s why this research is fascinating. Though I’ve had to spend quite a lot of money to participate… oh well, it’s not like I did much more than save my wages and buy research materials here or there…” She paused, and her tone changed, becoming rather syrupy, her breath coming faster. “…now, I need money for… female matters. Clothes, underwear… makeup… seduction is something I don’t really understand, but I think I’m on the cusp of understanding…”

“I don’t care about your pathetic, doomed love life…” Adam snapped, his patience diminishing. “The merging of this world and the warp…”

“It’s not the warp Adam, even if it is filled with things you might call your daemons.” Christina was exasperated, as though he was the unreasonable one. “There are certainly dangerous, evil things out there. But there are benevolent beings too, as we know. I wonder what that crocodile is…” Christina giggled, remembering the strange specimen they’d found. It was still in a research centre, though one of the agents under his aegis had an interesting ability he believed would allow communication with it and perhaps other benefits.

“…in any case, it’s inevitable anyway. Consider it like global warming. Although I’ve always believed we could geoengineer our way out of it. I may be no student of human nature, but the average person isn’t going to give up what they want and what makes them content for the greater good. I can’t. Though I guess I admire those who change the world so they don’t need to. But yes, I know you don’t trust our spiritual non-human visitors, but I take them as primary sources. Of course, verification is vital, but if it fits observations, it’s at least worth considering. Things are happening too fast. Even with Akio’s great talents and efficient use of what he has… I mean, the moisture for the storm was already in the surroundings, and manipulating birds and their behaviours is surely more aether efficient than creating matter and energy out of nothing. But despite that, only six months or so after the initial cracks… Akio’s simply too powerful, and he’s not alone. The Church of True Revelation, the King of the Favelas, Son of the Sun, Huītzilōpōchtli. Daughter of the Moon, Mētztli. Even those such as Shaeula and the nine-tailed fox. I daresay the Vermillion List has a few more names added by now, knowing you, Adam.” Her words pierced him, poking at the very real fears he was wrestling with.

“No, a process that should take decades or longer, it’s compressed, by our own actions, and perhaps factors we can’t comprehend. It’s fascinating!” She was elated, and Adam could hear lowered voices around her. Probably her companions regarding her as the sociopathic aberration she is. Although… no, she’s only changing to serve her needs. I refuse to believe she can change! Once a monster, always a monster. But she was a monster I could control. Control…

“More importantly… how do we make it work for us?” Adam was lost in his thoughts, and only managed a grunt in reply. “Sadly, my primary source is… a little short of the knowledge I need, but I still have my hypothesis. It’s because we’re flawed, Adam. Flawed but numerous. I like cold logic, a world of ones and zeroes. But the world isn’t digital, it’s analogue. A world of colours that I try and make black and white. And logic isn’t enough to know all there is to know, to bend the world to our will. To… call the storm and banish both storm and night with the sun.” She giggled wetly then, and Adam couldn’t help but imagine her twisting her body, embarrassed and… lustful.

What a nightmare image. She’s beautiful, but then, so are brightly coloured insects, because they hold deadly poison.

“It’s not all bad news, Adam!” she gushed. “So cheer up! I have my invite to the inner circle tonight! Where the magic happens, where all the real research gets done! I think it means he’s warming to me. And I’m useful. Of course I am! I’m Christina Bakker! I know it’s going to be hard, and he’s going to explore every inch of my body, every nook and cranny…” Her delusions were intensifying, and Adam resisted the urge to throw his phone, but he still needed to confirm one more thing.

“…but together, we’ll reach new heights. And understand each other better! I’m prepared to lay down my virtues for him. After all, I’m not much for humility, and… I’ve not been kind. Might as well get rid of this tiresome chastity as well! And he’ll feel grateful for it, for my sacrifices…”

Viola had heard enough. Christina wasn’t exactly being quiet, so her voice was echoing around the office. “As one woman to another…” Viola was rightly proud of her good looks as well, though compared to Christina she wasn’t as shapely, though she had a great deal more dignity. Her lips curled bitterly at having to compare herself to Christina in any capacity. “…men aren’t as desperate as you think. Especially not this one. It’s not a sacrifice if you want to give it away. Besides, he’s Japanese, and they are rather put off by forcefulness. You’ve read his files, haven’t you? Not that you understood anything but the data.”

“Wrong! Though I do appreciate the advice, Viola!” Christina wasn’t angry or sullen, surprising them both. In fact, she sounded almost… smug. “I get it. But here’s the thing. If I don’t strive for my goals, I’ll never reach them. There are too many rivals. If I hope to take my time, appeal to him slowly, reform myself… well, they call the sad outcome friendzoning, one of the girls here told me. If that’s all I can get… well, I’ll take it. But no scientist worth her salt settles for half measures! I have to be aggressive, appeal constantly! Besides… it’s a no-lose proposition! If he succumbs to my charms I’m happy, and if he scolds me coldly, looks at me with disdain… oh my!”

“You are a lost cause…” Viola complained. “Enough of this nonsense. Don’t provoke Director White. You know the cost of that.”

“Oh, I haven’t forgotten. Let me guess, Adam… you want to know if there’s any way you can handle the mess? It’s interesting. People are coming out onto the streets, and not to protest. At least not about the terrorist attacks. They’re chanting his name, you know, and praising the Gods and the Imperial Regalia. While the mysticism offends my scientific sensibilities… that’s hubris. When observations don’t match your instincts, your instincts are wrong. So… Adam, can I ask you a question?”

At her suddenly serious tone, he nodded, before realising she couldn’t see him. “Yes. Though if it is foolish, you’ll earn my displeasure. I am not in the mood for your games right now.”

“Oh, it’s not. Though it may offend.” Christina admitted. “Simply put, while I’m not one for leisure activities, at least I wasn’t, I still picked up a little knowledge about your little toy soldiers, Adam. Isn’t humanity there all one people? No countries or nationalities? Just… striving against threats?”

Adam grunted agreement, wondering where she was going with her point.

“Why can’t we do the same?” Christina asked. “I’m a patriot, I was born in the USA, and one day I hope to return. Though… probably not to live. After all, I have to follow Akio until he accepts me. But… as a patriot, I know the best way to secure our future is as his friend. Now I know there’s Huītzilōpōchtli and Mētztli, the King of the Favelas and many more. If you want to get rid of Akio, it’d take gathering those, and it’s by no means a guarantee. After all, here there’s an awful lot of monsters.” She chuckled dryly then, likely guessing that Adam had thought of her in that manner mere moments ago.

“And I see hundreds of new monsters being created this very day. I have the honour of being one of them, so now you can malign me in good conscience, Adam. It’s a process I am perfectly suited to assist with. If my flesh is cut, bones shattered, blood shed… heart broken… so be it. I gave my word I’d aid him to the last drop of my blood, to make amends for the suffering caused in pursuit of truths he already knew, I would take that suffering onto my own body and spirit. It’s… self-serving. I know that. Because for science I would kill, and I would also die, so long as my death was meaningful… but… it’s the fact that I chose this myself makes it have meaning.”

As they listened to her long speech, she swallowed, as if fearing what Adam would say to her next words. “Doesn’t your Imperium have a God-Emperor? So too will Earth, it seems. And can you see it being anyone else? The quicker we surrender, the quicker we offer our everything, the more we can influence. The Imperial Family here, they thought they controlled things. Arranged marriage. It’s worked in the past and it’ll work again. But… she’s an interesting woman, the Princess here. For her, it’s not an arrangement. I’m so jealous! But… in trying to bind him with ties of the heart, they also made mistakes, I hear. And… the crowd chants his name. I’m sure you’re trawling the internet and using all our wonderful spy satellites, phone intercepts, data scraping engines and more… but all it’ll tell you is Akio and his new bride should rule Japan, I imagine. After all… America is feared and obeyed because of military might, technological and financial supremacy, as well as cultural soft power. But… you can’t do it, stop him now. Not without provoking trouble you can’t control.”

Christina took a deep breath. “Even could you move those Chosen…” Adam frowned at her adoption of a more humanising name for the troublemakers. “…and somehow they slew Akio, or you simply ordered a nuclear strike, burning him to ashes… you think that’s a victory? No, the monsters here are growing in strength and numbers, Adam. And one day you’d find one at your door. And there would be about as much mercy in their heart as is in yours. Just pray that it’s not me. After all, by then, I’ll know every way to take apart a body, every way to cause pain, every way to destroy you, body and spirit… and we’ll see how you like your own family joining you in torment…”

The phone cracked as he tightened his grip enough to draw blood. “You go too far, you bitch! Don’t think I can’t reach you just because you’re in Japan…”

“Do I? I think I’m quite kind in comparison to some here, Adam. I threaten your family, because… I know you wish to do mine harm. Isn’t that what feelings between men and women are, Adam? Making them family?”

“You’re insane…” was his only retort. “You’d go so far…”

“Of course I would, Adam! I’m Christina Bakker! I never take half-measures!” She seemed proud of her own madness. “Besides, as I am warning you, there are those here with far less mercy in their hearts than little old me! Stop wishing to make the world the way it was, the way you want. Accept the way it is. And watch. Don’t repeat Japan’s mistakes. Though if you do…” She giggled suddenly. “…well, they’d have to make a new amendment or two to justify Akio taking over! Oh, this was fun, but I’ve more shrines to visit, you know? This monster wants to be the strongest one she can be!”

There was a dull tone as Christina ended the call, hanging up on him. Adam unclenched his fist, dropping the cracked and bloody phone to the desk with a dull thud. Moments later Viola wrapped his bleeding hand with a handkerchief.

“Are you all right?” Viola asked, an expression of concern on her face. Instead of answering, Adam stood, striding over to the cabinet. He opened it up, taking out a small painted miniature, a powerful, intelligent and heroic Inquisitor.

“Is she right, Viola?” Adam asked at last, his mind blank.

“I…” She bit her lip, frustrated. “…about whether we can deal with him through… forceful methods? I thought we had agreed provoking him was too risky, and we are choosing diplomacy?”

Adam nodded slowly. “And it still is, but… it’s too fast! Everything is too fast… we can’t keep up. No, if even Christina feels brave enough to threaten me, then matters are spiralling quickly. If only Scryer was in a better state of mind…”

“We should be grateful that she survived.” Viola insisted. “But even if she was there… they know about her. What intel she can gather will be limited. Worse… I would worry she will defect as well. We have some levers to apply pressure on her, but… she isn’t a trained Agent…”

Adam nodded, still inspecting his miniature, using it to calm his mind. “And about the mistakes that Japanese Imperial Family made? That press conference was an utter disaster. That Prince was absurdly arrogant. Not that I don’t understand, it’s… a hard thing to understand how times have changed. But that girl, or sword… or whatever she was… to the watching public, she is a symbol. Instead of bowing to the old order, which causes such a girl to be declared a thing…” It will be especially damaging here in America. It has rather bitter connotations, calling what seems to be a person o tool… “…why not the new order, who has already demonstrated heroics, and has powers that shake the world, who wipes away her tears and promises care and compassion?”

“It’s far from that simple.” Viola shook her head, drumming her nails on the laptop he was holding. “It takes more than public sentiment to cause a revolution. Although…” She brought up the data for Adam, and his headache rapidly grew worse as he scrolled through comments made on both Japanese and Western streaming sites. “…his fame and support are growing. And… he does have a tie to the genuine Imperial line now, yet… Japan is fiercely hidebound and traditionalist.” Viola pointed out. “Change will not come easy. But… there are enough sparks to start a blaze, and once a fire spreads, controlling it is no longer predictable, nor easy.”

“Maybe not, but this is just one possible scenario. The damage is already done. We may not be as advanced in our research as we would wish, but… the power of belief is tangible, isn’t it? And the more focussed, fervent, the better. And now a decent chunk of Japan is practically Deifying him! Descended from the Gods… I would say it’s a cruel joke, but… how can we be certain? What I do know is our President has made a blunder, and all for a few extra years of life and good health…”

“That’s not a small thing.” Viola admitted. “Isn’t there things you would betray your principles for, Adam? They say everyone has a price, and it’s true. Money, power, respect, faith, love, sex… now we can add things that couldn’t even be offered before. Health, longevity, magic…”

Everyone has their price, do they? Adam considered that. What did he want to protect? America, certainly. Humanity, definitely. His family, of course. But the world wasn’t making it easy. But then, nothing ever is easy. He scanned some of the contents of the streaming sites again.

‘If we’re going to have Akio marry into the Imperial Family, might as well go the whole way…’

‘Prince Gorohito is so cruel! That poor girl was crying! She’s not a thing, she’s a cutie!’

‘Did you see the storms come from nowhere, then the sun in the darkness? I don’t know about our Imperial line being Divine, but that was…’

Not every comment was supportive, there were some, presumably by older people, criticising Akio for disrespect to the Emperor and his grandson, but they were in the minority. Although they may simply not be using the internet. But… it’s as I feared. Damn it…

“What’s your opinion on this mess, Viola? Both officially, and… off the record. You can be candid with me. I respect your insights.”

“That very much depends on what position you are advocating for.” She continued to tap her fingernails restlessly. “I understand your concerns about the dangers of these abilities. Certainly, I share many. The very status of humanity as the dominant species is in question. Though some would argue that these powers are showing us the next evolution of humanity. But… these powers are handed out. And what is given is never ours. Although…” She pursed her lips in distaste. “Christina Bakker certainly has shown us evidence, and our reports from Japan further irrefutable proof, that it does not have to be the case. We need to start training our own forces to match theirs. We are… allies… currently.”

Adam nodded at her to continue, so she did after a moment to decide how to word her next point. “It is a polite fiction, that the actions we have taken against each other have been deemed to never have happened. But the President is enticed by his abilities, and we have other connections, via Christina Bakker, and also Director Christopher’s children. It is problematic, certainly, but… China is a threat. India too, as well as other populous nations in the East. Even in South America, we have rivals. If we don’t compete on a level playing field, then our strength will diminish. But I know you have concerns, and I share them. The difference between a trained soldier with a gun, and a citizen given a bomb is stark. But… we can’t go it alone. And if this so-called Boundary breaks, and we are flooded with inhuman immigrants, with different cultures and great strength… chaos.”

Adam nodded. Yes, it’s that chaos I fear, and it can’t be predicted. But even Christina says it is hastening. “Of course, it works both ways. Christina Bakker and the Wright siblings are also tools that can be used against us. As for the President… seeing the blunders the Imperial Family committed made me appreciate our republic, but… the fool. He has empowered Akio with his executive order, and while we are not currently enemies, we are far from friends…”

“You might not like hearing this, but we did keep information from the President, downplaying the seriousness of the current situation.” Viola pointed out. “So he has formed his own opinion on the subject.”

Adam bit down on a sigh. “Yes, though we had good cause. He is impetuous, and the situation was too delicate to allow him to make these sorts of unilateral decisions. He since proved my point. So, what do you propose?”

“We can’t interfere. I know you don’t have confidence in killing Akio Moonstone Oshiro. I doubt even traditional assassination methods such as radioactive polonium would work. And if we failed… we would be the prime suspects. Ideally…” She paused, thinking. “…we take advantage of what we have. And he has enemies. If he can create these monsters, as Christina Bakker calls them, then so can we. Accelerate those programs and continue our work on monitoring and identifying problematic individuals. And… if we cannot act, there are others who can. We need to be swift, yet not hasty and careless. While time is ever more precious, we are dancing on a knife-edge here, another failure and we may not be able to pay the price.”

Adam thought about that. His head ached, as did his hand, but after observing his figure for a moment, he placed it back on the shelf and shut the cabinet. Sitting down again, he considered Viola in silence, until she shifted uncomfortably. She makes good points. These powers are dangerous, just like psykers. But the Imperium is unable to function without them. Necessary evils. Again, it’s all about control. And just as psykers can be soul-bound to be made safe, there are surely ways to do the same to those with these powers. Huh, belief, is it?

With an inkling of an idea, Adam shut the laptop, tired of seeing the rapidly escalating torrent of support for Akio, but understanding it. Yes, it happened. And Viola is right. It’s too late to hope to meddle there, the risks exceed the rewards. Though it pains me to think of his influence in Japan growing. He already moves it to his will, to an extent that concerns me. With a popular upswelling of support… and an entire country truly behind him…

Bringing up the Vermillion List on his own screen, he frowned. A good friend, or a dreadful enemy. But friends can be tomorrow’s enemies, and the world isn’t big enough for two giants… but whatever happens, whatever the cost… I’ll make the hard choices, that ensure humanity remains ascendant, and that America and her values stand strong, so that when the chaos finally erupts in earnest, we will be ready…

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