Part 21: Byuu's Journal: Entry Eleven

26th day, 4th month, 2 years after the fall of Kahna



There are some days I regret waking up as soon as I step on to the bridge... the day that Matelite came up with the idea of sending a spy into the Empire's capital certainly fit that bill.



Despite endorsing the idea, Matelite really didn't seem to be all that confident in anybody succeeding. I had to wonder which poor saps he'd grab for his plan.



I can't say that I faulted his first choice. Sendak and one of the crewmen were a bit more puzzling.



After playing up how dangerous the entire business was, he had the nerve to try and put the choice on me.



I told him to go himself if he was that eager to find out what was going on.. with unfortunate consequences for Taicho. I felt a bit bad about that.




Bad enough that I asked Sendak and Donfan to go as well. I'm not sure what Donfan will do, but maybe they'll split the enemy's attention and draw some heat off of Taicho. He's not exactly subtle at the best of times.



I considered sending the crewman, but I just couldn't imagine that going well.



Poor Blinky had to fly back and forth three times, but he didn't really seem to mind.




Taicho and Sendak returned together. I'm actually inclined to call it a miracle that they didn't somehow trip over each other.



Both of them had attended a speech and paid close attention to it.



The fact that the emperor was nowhere in sight set off warning bells in Sendak's head, but Taicho actually had a more precise feeling about the generals themselves.




If there's a schism in the empire's high command, we might be able to exploit that in order to weaken them.



We might need that weakness if the news that Palpaleos announced was true.



According to the official story, Sauzer was granted a vision of the guardian beasts that protect the refuges of the Holy Dragons and given the charge of awakening them to usher in a new era.



Sauzer is being held up as a superior leader who can do what the beasts themselves cannot because of the strength of his leadership...



Although the fact that he collapsed immediately afterwards makes me suspicious of those claims. Considering the way that Yoyo is standing up after having a couple of dragons running around in her head, I wonder who the strong one really is.



I'm a bit concerned about Taicho's motivation for searching for Lestat. I'm pretty sure he had murder on his mind and while I'm not against Lestat sporting a new, slightly lower grin, if he's killed he might actually be replaced by someone competent.



Evidently moments before Taicho hid in an unused bed, Sendak had hidden himself behind the curtains in the very same room! The two of them confirmed that Gudolf is definitely making a move toward overthrowing Sauzer, supported by at least 3 other generals.



He appears to be a total meathead, but with that much support he might be able to cause the disruption we need.



Donfan was the last to return, as one might have expected from his lofty goals when he left.



I don't know if he realizes how much he sounds like some kind of predator, although I suppose he might see that as a positive trait.



For whatever reason, Donfan wasn't paying too much attention to the speech that Palpaleos gave.



Rather than hiding, Donfan actually made himself extremely obvious in his infiltration of Granbelos castle. I think the end result might have ben much more personal intelligence.



Although I can only imagine what the cost would be to a normal man's self esteem after being rejected that often. Then again, Donfan is hardly normal...




He was able to get much closer to the apparently loyal enemy generals, however. I can't say that they're any less strange than the ones that Sendak and Taicho spied on, but they appear somewhat more competent.



Could it be that his direct approach is unexpected enough to give people pause while they try to figure out how to react to it?



I think that sheer dumbfoundedness would be a reasonable enough reaction to some of the lines he's so proud of.



It appears that General Barbarela has some interesting hobbies... probably a bit more than Donfan expected.



As much as he doesn't want to admit it, Donfan just wasn't her type.



She might have a connection to Irvine, the other truly competent general in the Granbelos army. I wonder how well he and Palpaleos compare to each other?



To my chagrin, it seems that Donfan might have a real future as a spy.



As we discussed the information, Matelite spotted something... strange.. in the sky.



The only way to deal with the weapon was by flying in with our dragons, but thankfully it was far enough away that I could take a few moments to talk to the people on the flight deck and feed the dragons.



The crewman who I didn't send on the spy mission told me about his dream. I don't think it works like that, but I can understand his dream.



The item salesman had a letter for me bearing some happy news. The battlefield salesman has gotten married, although he hasn't completely settled down. It seems his wife will be coming with him to help with his business.



Right before we took off Taicho let me in on the fact that he hadn't spilled everything he learned in the Empire and asked me to come to Yoyo's room later tonight. I have an uneasy feeling about this...



But before that we had to deal with the Empire's secret weapon, a horror that seemed to darken the sky by its very presence.