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[STAR]To Investigate a Problem(STAR Agents/invite)


IceStorm

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Whether or not Shiroi was prepared to take Myth at her word, and frankly the unicorn's cavalier attitude at fist inspired no confidence, the talent and knowledge displayed did not escape Shiroi's notice.  *I'd like to pick yours, if it came to that.  If I had my way, you'd be working for me, and not Ice-chan.*  Shifting her poise in a subtle way, which nonetheless indicated that she was now wholly present and attentive in the room, she addressed Ice, "I do have to wonder where you find your ponies, commander.  Talent, exceptional talent, is by no means so easy a thing to locate.  Standard institutions select for standardized excellence, the exception tends to be filtered out."  She nodded towards Nira, marking her as one she considered exceptional.  "Even when one's abilities do not make the institutions surrounding one's profession hostile, there is often a... misfit, that does not allow one to be perfectly comfortable doing the regularly expected thing.  Thus, the Shogunate spends much effort looking in unusual places for its best servants."

 

Returning to the subjects under discussion, Shiroi nodded approval at Ishi's due caution, though their ideas on what constituted sensitive information did not always overlap.  No need to air quarrels in front of foreigners.  Ice Storm's willingness to stay within observation moved Shiroi's estimation of her character up a peg.  "Our naval records go back to the first maps from the first ships on these islands, which predate our written language.  They are often quite crude and not to scale, but that should give you a picture of the scope of knolwedge we have to work with.  I should say that anything major in the past 1500 years would show up in one way or another."

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Feather hummed slightly, looking around again as Myth and Raven seemed to just want to talk to each other. She couldn’t really contribute to talks about magical stuff like this, so after giving Myth a brief hug with a foreleg she lifted off into the sky to get some exercise, flying around the area. While it was initially just flying in circles, it began turning into more acrobatic maneuvers, tight turns, sudden stops, stuff like that. 
 

———————

 

Ishi nodded to Ice and Nira’s words, looking up as the guard returned with some others to bring in the reports. He agreed with Nira about the older reports, so he directed those ones over to Ice and the members of her group that stayed in the room. 
 

“These are older reports, but hopefully they will still provide some helpful information. As for the naval alliance, I welcome those talks when the time is right.” He said, turning towards Shiroi next. “What do you think, Shiroi? Should we let them view the potentially sensitive materials here under supervision or wait until we can produce altered copies? I am willing to trust them with this and let them review the original versions that pertain to the mission.”

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"Yeah, I've heard of other ways of casting spells, but to be able to find the harmonic resonance and counter it with mechanical means... Even magically animated machines. I wonder if they may be open to sharing some information about the machines..." Raven said, before watching Feather take off and go flying. She couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have wings, but quickly shook her head. She couldn't think about how her life would be different if she was a pegasus, she had too many things to think about right now.

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~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

 

 

Ice Storm smiled when Shiroi asked about where she found her ponies. "Believe it or not, I don't find any of them. Most of them find me. The way that I organized STAR before it became an official Equestrian branch of the military was to give a place to go for ponies that had no where else to go. The homeless, the orphaned, and even those who the other branches deemed unfit for service because the have a condition that would be considered a liability. I don't look at all that. Everyone has a place and should feel like they belong.

 

The orphaned fillies and colts get the absolute best education that I can pay for. Once we figure out what their talents are, we begin specializing them in that area so that they can help advance the military side of Star. For those who graduate, and for the homeless, I provide free shelter at the base as well as pay that from what I've heard of actually a little better than the other branches of the military.

 

I also always give them at least two free days to themselves that they can do with as they please. Right now most of my specialists including Myth and Commander Shadowfire are working on advancing our own weaponized magitech. My pinnacle creation is currently on her testing mission, and will revolutionize the way that naval warfare is fought," she explained. "My two lead Aether experts are such because of their unique traits. Myth can see magic and each individual aura of it. She can also distinguish types of magic from this, but it comes at the cost of her being be blind normally. Commander Shadowfire has crack in her horn making hey more sensative to high aether locations, but she also weaves it rather than casting straight from her horn. Her unique casting ability gives her a better understanding of magic and how to better stabilize it for advanced technical improvements," she explained.

 

When the mare mentioned that the records go all the way back for 1500 years, she couldn't help but give a look of bewilderment. Equestria didn't have records near that far back. They had legends and stories of the past, but nothing actually recorded. It also meant that there was a lot that they would have to go through. "1500 years of records is going to take a while to go through, even for the most skilled of scribes. I have no idea how old this sorceress actually is though, so I can't give us a starting point. We know she's present here and now, so we can go back from there. Even crude information is still good information. The only bad information is misinformation," she commented

 

 

~~~Niradaña~~~

 

 

Nira nodded as Shirio mentioned Ice's selection process and how she was able to find sick talent before notating her as being an example of something that could have slipped through the cracks. "Well, I wouldn't say that. I was conscripted into service almost immediately when they discovered my abilities. I can't complain too much, but I always feel like I could be doing more than what I've been allowed to do," she stated. She wanted to go into more detail but she wasn't sure how Shirio would take talk against the Shogun. 

 

Nira herself didn't have anything against the Shogun or the monarchy. Being Ishi's bodyguard has been quite pleasant, but it went back to being restricted. She was a medic at heart and healing and helping others recover was always her top priority. But she knew talks against the system were often frowned upon and she's been reminded of that several times before. She didn't wish to make a scene here. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Myth shook her head slowly "Something gives me the impression they don't share this stuff with anypony." she looked carefully at the false bird still perched on her back. The workings that she could see were beyond her current understanding of magic. She couldn't quite make manes nor tails of the non-magical components, and the magical components seemed to violate some of the restrictions she thought magic had. She smiled "But if she was willing to share, I would be first in line to hear what she has to say. I know that if I could take one of these home, I could figure out how it works in a few months' time.... maybe a year. But even if we could take one without their noticing I would never want to ruin their trust in us like that. It might just have to end up being another one of magic's mysteries." she decided to leave out the part that she thought she might have an idea how the magic disruption sound worked. If she was just a little more audacious, she might even get Shiroi to use it again so she could confirm. but she'd promised not to do that, and Myth wasn't exactly in the habit of breaking promises. even if she was hoarding magic secrets.....

 

she chuckled to herself then looked into the air where Feather was showing off. She couldn't really see what she was doing, but she could see how much she was enjoying herself, and she could hear her wings beating against the air in different ways. She hadn't observed pegasus stunt flying enough to know what each of those wing flaps meant, but she could still hear the calculated precision in each stroke of Feather's wings, and see the joy that flying brought her. She smiled. Sometimes, she wished she'd been a pegasus. Although she wasn't sure if she had that she'd have developed her magic sight. She'd probably still be blind. And she didn't want to think about that.

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Myth was quite right in her assessment that Shiroi would be extremely unlikely to disgorge those secrets.  It was part of her job and duty to the shogun to keep them, and Even if these Equestrians were allies.... well, the historical memory of the Eastern States was long.  Nations outlasted alliances, and while it would often be the interest of Nieghpon to wield its magitek for the sake of its friends, it was almost never in Neighpon's interest to let out its secrets to those who might not be friends 100 years from now.  *Of course, now that little prodigy knows that it can be done, she may well be able to replicate it later, even if we don't let her reverse-engineer it.*  Unfortunate, but there was no way around it; Shiroi would just have to haggle for a larger R&D budget in the coming decade to maintain their lead.

 

As to more mundane secret management, she tapped her hoof in thought to Ishi's question.  "All naval records are probably fine for you to view, there's nothing secret in the charts, and the naval routes are only sensitive as long as they're current.  We last changed patrols a month ago across the navy, so anything from before that is good to go.  Anything on old artifacts is also not sensitive; though you may have to black out some of the specs of the sensors we used to take readings.  As long as they're not taking copies home,  reading should bring no harm."  Shiroi hoped in her heart of hearts that she would not regret this judgment.

 

She could at least assure Icy that there would be no misinformation, "Little would be gained by error or deception.  You may trust us."  The unicorn had listened with care to Ice Storm's recounting of her recruiting and personnel procedure, occasional distracted looks to her lens notwithstanding.  "Hm... you are much like the Shogun; you have a way of winning personal loyalty from those who could drive a hard bargain for it.  Loyalty is the substance of power, as well as one of your, as you say, 'Elements of Harmony.'  and you use yours to give a place for those otherwise abandoned by the Social Order...."  She trailed off, musing, before giving an approving nod.  "A wise use.  And the results speak to that.  Your Myth, for example, has formidable innate talent.  It took some time for us to do with Magitek what she can do innately, and I am not sure which of us has the better instruments."

 

Nira's words caught her slightly off-guard.  Shiroi had not gotten any indication of dissatisfaction from her before.  "Hm.  I have never myself felt restrained in action by my office."  She paused to consider for a moment, then continued.  "There is one secret I shall share with you, as you have been welcomed into the inner council.  While verbal dissent is not considered polite, initiative is rarely punished, if one can say that it is done in the interest of the Shogunate.  I, for one, did not ask permission when I made my demonstration hack at the Golem Arena.  Nor have I for any demonstration I have done since.  That would rather blunt the point I wish to make about exploitable vulnerabilities."

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Well, that settled that it seems. Ishi nodded to Shiroi’s words, gesturing to the guard to bring in the rest of the reports. As per Ice’s request, he started by sliding the more recent reports over to the mare, letting Shiroi take a look at the ones after the naval change first if she wished. Ishi was willing to trust this group, but there was only so far blind trust should go, especially when Shiroi was in the room. 
 

————————

 

Feather had started this flight as just exercise, which had turned into training, but now it was turning into more of a show. Once she realized her flight had the attention of both the unicorns, Feather smiled and made her moves more flashy as opposed to just practical. A simple stop and turn turned into a flip to push off the wall, a sharp turn became a spin, and she even started stalling out in midair occasionally after a climb to strike a pose before continuing the flight. At the end of the impromptu show, she realized she had a few loose feathers, which was perfect for a finale. As she went for one more pass, she went into a spin that dislodged the feathers while she got into position. After a second of them floating normally, they moved on a gust of wind from Feather’s wings and a couple tucked themselves behind Myth and Raven’s ears. After that, she came in for a landing, the rest of the feathers that had been dislodged floating to the ground around her. 
 

“So, what’d you think?” She asked, suddenly looking at the two hopefully. She may enjoy her position here, but that didn’t stop her from aspiring to a Wonderbolt position too. 

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Raven smiled as she politely clapped. "It was good. Solid fundamentals in the beginning, and nice tricks in the end. The feather thing was cool too!" She said, taking it out of her hair. She gently set it on the ground, and looked towards the palace. "You know, I can't help but wonder just how long it's gonna take them. Hopefully it's not all day..." She bit her lip, thinking for a second. "Hey, Myth, Feather... I... How do you guys think I'm doing... you know... as the second? I... I never thought about being in this position, but when Icy asked... How could I say no... you know?" She asked, nervousness plain in the way she held herself.

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~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

 

 

Ice listened as she mentioned that most of the naval records should be fine. The only ones that would be sensitive information would be the ones that have the current patrol paths. Ice immediately shook her head. "Na, we shouldn't need anything that recent. The only thing that would draw attention to anything recent would be a downed ship out anything that can't really be explained through non magical means. But if that were the case I image something like that would have one, been brought up a long time ago, and secondly security would be even tighter. Just like more with a possible threat against my homeland I have security drastically increased on the borders and in the air," she said before Shiroi mentioned that artifacts were on the table as well though none of them could be taken home and some of the instruments they used would have to be blacked out. 

 

"I believe just making sure that your artifacts are in fact accounted for is good enough. Unless you have one that can track the use of age magic or ones that can manipulate minds like the Rememberance Stone. The less we have to handle them the less the chances of anything happening to them," she said as Shiroi then commented and commended her methods. To be compared to the Shogun in how he recruited have her a sense of pride. She talked about how Myth was a prodigy and that the loyalty she's gained from those that are the hardest to get it from is a stroke of brilliance in itself. 

 

"Indeed. By making a pony feel welcome and giving them enough space to be themselves, they become more willing to work with you and will be there when you need them the most. Plus that helps us in the long run because we're trying to advance magical medicine ourselves. We're curly trying to tackle working prosthetics for unicorns and Pegasi. That way one mistake doesn't turn into a death sentence," she commented.

 

She then listened as Nira spoke. While she seemed happy for the most part it appeared that there was a layer of dissatisfaction in her position. She wasn't going to press it right now, but she did make a note of it. She nodded in agreement with Shiroi's comments on the matter though. "Don't be afraid to do things that might benefit your fellow ponies. I did not ask permission myself when I first created STAR. In fact I did so in secret for the original intention was to intervene with desecration so that Equestria could use plausible deniability in case we had to do something off the radar. Luna was the only pony outside of the organization to know about it, be until she retired. When Twilight found out, she endorsed the idea," she added in response.

 

 

 

~~~Niradaña~~~

 

 

Nira remained quiet for the most part while Shiroi and Commander Storm were talking. While she might have been part of the Imperial Legion, The Imperial Navy was a different set of rules. She actually had very little knowledge of the branch itself despite being on a vessel a few things for transport purposes. Escorting cargo or wounded that she couldn't properly care for where they were at. This was usually because the nature of the injury involved a broken bone of sorts. As it was though, artifacts and routes were definitely not something that she knew about very much. 

 

When the topic switch back to her and her unhappiness, something that she wasn't too surprised that Shiroi picked up on, she sighed. "I understand initiative, but the very thing I want to do goes directly against the shogunate. So I can't say that I would really be benefiting it. I want to open a clinic to treat everypony, not just the ones that the shogunate feel worthy of being treated," she started. Unfortunately the flood gates were open now.

 

"But apparently that's frowned upon because while the shogunate is supposed to be the governing body, actually serving the ponies we govern seems to be frowned upon. I could contact a disease and jeapordize the entire shogunate. The stars forbid that I would get stuck working with another pony or creature and the Shogun get sick or hurt. That's what I mean when I say I feel my talents are being wasted. Focusing everything on one single pony, regardless of how important they might be... Just feels wrong," she commented. "I don't want to sound ungrateful... I just... Maybe I should just stop talking before I did a bigger hole," she said before hoofing at the ground.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Most of the meeting, at least in terms of sorting out who would get access to what reports and when, seemed to be concluded.  All that remained was for the analysts to get through their work, which couldn't really be rushed.  Shiroi had no small amount of curiosity as to what they would eventually come up with, but she also had many other duties to take care of besides this meeting.

 

Pulling out the recent naval reports to give them one last look-over before marking out the classified bits, the unicorn mare seemed to relax slightly, directing more of her attention to the present room than the conversation she was monitoring outside.  "Mind manipulation?  No, nothing that would do so directly, though there are a few that represent favors owed by various Yokai, which could be used in exchange for their help, and some of them have mind-altering abilities.  Those are directly in the Imperial Vault, though, and none have been stolen last I checked, which was yesterday."

 

Nira's words came as a bit of an apparent surprise to Shiroi; the ginjutsu-sha was a practical, meritocratic sort, but not really committed to any egalitarian ideal.  She could, in some sense, recognize Nira's sentiment, though ultimately did not share her conclusion.  "Had I infinite resources, personnel, and time, every single node in Neighpon's magitek would be given equal security.  Lacking these things, I must prioritize, not merely on technical need, but on the level of harm that would result from it being compromised.  And as with magical constructs, so with social constructs.  Spread your attention too evenly, and you risk catastrophic cascading failure.  Of what comes from that, one need only look at the history of dynastic collapse in Long Guo."  She shuddered a bit; what to most ponies were the dry historical records of the 'bad old days' were the fuel of not-infrequent nightmares.  "We've not had one of those here, and it would be worse if we did.  There are no hinterlands on these islands where our urban population can flee."

"It's not that I think you ungrateful; I just hope you understand there is more to our decision-making than mere greed or paranoia.  It is not as if we lack for hospitals or doctors throughout the country."

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Ishi remained silent as things progressed. He did know about Nira's desire to work with the general public, and he had helped her with that in the past, but there wasn't much he could do right now about it, not with all the guests and official expectations around. He wanted her to be happy though, so he would have to talk more about how he could help her later. Shiroi made a good point, but he still wanted Nira to be happy. A pony that was unhappy with their position was less likely to be doing their best, and he would rather have a healer that wanted to be there than one just going through the motions while they try to find a way out.

 

"Perhaps we should save this discussion for another time, Nira. One where we are not chasing an evil sorceress. I wish to help you though, as much as I did before." He said, giving Nira a nod and a small smile.

 

-----------------------

 

Feather smiled proudly at the praise from Raven, nodding a bit about the sentiment of it taking a while. She had to pause at the question, thinking about it for a bit before she responded.

 

"I think you're doing great, Raven. The boss trusts you to do a great job, or else she probably wouldn't have asked. I trust you too, you know, you've definitely earned it." She nodded, smiling encouragingly at Raven. "And if you ever need my help, I'll gladly help out however I can."

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Raven smiled softly at Feather's words. "Thanks... You know... My mom was a captain in the REA, and I... Well, I sometimes worry how much I measure up to her legacy, you know?" She said, pawing softly at the ground. However, she kept her smile, and looked up. "But then, I suppose everyone in charge of something worries if their good enough, or doing the right thing..."

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~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

 

Ice Storm nodded when she heard Shiroi talk about nothing in the area having any direct mind-manipulating abilities. She mentioned that there were some Yokai that had some abilities like that but anything that could remotely affect the mind were locked up in the Imperial Vault, and last time that she had checked, which was yesterday, they were still there. That sounded pretty reasonable, although with only a vague understanding of what the Remembrance Stone could do, it wouldn't be unreasonable to presume that it could have been used to make a pony believe that something was there when they weren't. The fact that it was yesterday though, made her thoughts lesson. As much magic as there is here, there would be no way that Hou could have snuck into this place and used the stone on them to make them believe otherwise.
 

When the Longma began speaking, it didn't take much for Ice Storm to hear dissatisfaction dripping from her word choices that she used. Her words had confirmed the suspicions that she had that she wasn't willing to vocalize to this point. IT was something that she would still refrain from addressing here. As she listened, she heard the retort that Shiroi had for her about. She could see the merit in both sides of the argument, however, there was more merit to Nira's. Restricting a healer of her quality, if what had been mentioned about her abilities were true, to only being able to work on one singular pony was the very definition of greed. She had no reason to wonder why Nira was dissatisfied, but she remained silent for the moment. She feared that if she spoke up in this manner, over something that she really didn't have any say in, would create tension in the newly formed acquaintances. Neighpon weren't allies yet, but if they played their cards right, they very easily could be by the time they were done with this mission.

 

"Right, so... everything aside, does anypony know how long it will take to gather these records. As many as it sounds like there are it sounds like it could take quite a bit of time to go through and bring anything relevant back here. I was wondering if I could explore and investigate some of the more saturated islands in terms of Aether and see if I might be able to get any clues that could perhaps help us narrow our search. This way it serves two fold. We only see the intel you want us to see under your supervision, and we can do some recon as well. I think that would be the best course of action from here now that we've secured the foothold," Ice Storm commented. At this point in time she really didn't have anything else that she was wanting to discuss. The main reason she came here was to get permission for the investigation and to get access to the records. Or course if they still had any questions for her, she would be more than willing to answer them so as long as they didn't approach anything classified themselves.

 

~~~Niradaña~~~

 

The words that Shiroi spoke to her did not do any favors for her mood right now. She's heard all of this beaurocratic red tape before. It's never out of greed or paranoia it's about the process! At the very base of the process though, was greed, and the reasoning that Shiroi gave was the very definition of paranoia. Really? If the entire regime could fall because she helped somepony other than the shogunate then maybe it was a regime that needed to fall. It sounded like Ishi was going to try to help her once again, but even he was only able to get so far the last time. The ink wasn't even dry on the deed before the rest of the shogunate found a way to weasle her out of it and find some reason why it would be a security threat. He also said that perhaps this wasn't the best time for this discussion and could wait until they aren't hunting an evil sorcress. She couldn't hold back her comment when she heard Shiroi say that there were more to the decisions than greed and paranoia and that it wasn't like there was a shortage of doctors or hospitals. "There's no shortage of our subjects dying either from accidents involving your magitech. Subjects that I could be saving with my abilities and not stuck in here being a glorified nanny with bandaids," she countered before turning back to Ishi and taking a deep breath.

 

It was becoming clear as day, she no longer belonged here. She loved everything about it at first. She was one of the most powerful healers in Neighpon and trained among the best medics in the Imperial Legion. She was hoof selected to be the primary medic on staff for the Shogun, most ponies would give everything to get to where she was. But then that was it wasn't it? She was here now and she could see how everything actually worked and the more she saw of it, the more she hated it, and the more she wanted out. The only reason she was still here was because she didn't want her family to suffer because of her. She didn't like the thought of leaving Ishi, as there was still plenty of her that cared for him on a deep level, but she also knew that she would never reach her full potential here.

 

Her attention then turned back to the ice colored mare that she had led here, Commander Storm. It seemed that she was ready to push forward with the investigation and it was news that she was quite happy to hear. She honestly didn't think that she would be able to stay in this room for another second with Shiroi and have everything remain civil and not release the angry tirade of Neighponese curses that were right on the tip of her tongue, company present or not. She further remained quiet as she awaited the response from the others, but she knew that she was finally getting out of the circle of the palace for a while and there wasn't a single thing that Shiroi could do about it. With Ishi acting as shogun, and with his decree that she was to escort these ponies, his word was law.

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// since i missed a round, I'm going to add in a little bit of something for that round. I'll try not to say anything that would alter the responses too much, tho. Sorry about my delay. //

 

Myth clapped her hooves. She may not have seen much in the way of what Feather was doing, but whatever she did, Myth could tell she was thoroughly enjoying it, and that was what was important. When Raven mentioned "the father thing", Myth paused, put a hoof up to her ear, and laughed "Oh! Is that what that is!" she held the feather out in front of her and regarded it carefully. It sure had Feather's magic in it. "That's pretty impressive." she winked.

 

Myth smiled at Raven when she'd asked about how she was doing as second in command. "Honestly, I just know you and Icy as my best friends! I would go to the end of Equestria for either one of you!" she laughed "Or to Neighpon!" 

 

====

 

Myth's smile faded as Raven talked about her family expectations. It brought back her own memories about her family. By now her smile had turned into a deep frown. "Yeah...." she said in a suddenly uncharacteristically depressing tone "I know how that is...." she forced herself to smile again and her voice cheered up some "But you know what? Hang what others think. All you can do is all you can do." her smile turned genuine and she gave Raven a warm happy hug "You're enough just being you. My best friend." she released Raven and gently tapped her muzzle with her hoof, giving her a wink.

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Nira's outburst in reply to Shiroi's explanation did not exactly surprise the unicorn.  It was an unfortunate attitude for somepony so close to the Shogun to hold; no degree of special skill would trade off for disloyalty.  High-placed potential moles were more dangerous than highly-skilled outsiders, even if said outsiders might be turned hostile.  *That's something to be said for foreigners, they're not so dangerous as a healer who isn't on the same page.*  True, Nira hadn't voiced the thoughts that would really have gotten her in trouble, but her attitude could be read on her face.  

If there hadn't been guests present, Shiroi might have done something foolish.  As it was, Ice's presence had an appropriate head-cooling effect upon the ginjutsu-sha.  But the Cabinet Minister could hardly let the last word go by.  "Yes, Magitek is very dangerous, and while accidents and attacks are not my doing, they are my responsibility.  I slack off one day, what happens next... there would never be enough hospitals."

 

She took another deep breath, getting up to her hooves.  "The records in total might take a while, the archivists are meticulous with their climate control.  As for searching saturated areas... I suppose as long as you are accompanied, that shouldn't be a problem.  We can spare some personnel, right Ishi?"

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Feather smiled wider at Myth’s praise, the wink drawing a bit of a blush out of the pegasus. She stayed that way until Raven spoke up again about living up to her mother’s legacy. 
 

“Yeah, I feel that. You need to make your own path though, not just relive your Mom’s life. My Mom was a great fighter, and a great merc, but that merc life isn’t for me, so I’m doing this. Getting to use my skills to help Equestria and my friends, it’s great!” She said, giving a nod to the other two and pulling them both into a group hug. 
 

—————————

 

Ishi frowned slightly as things kept going between Nira and Shiroi, but thankfully it seemed like those were the closing remarks on the subject. Breathing out a small sigh, he put on his professional smile again and turned back to Ice. 
 

“A wonderful suggestion, Commander Storm. If there is nothing else you wish to discuss right now, you may begin your search under Nira’s supervision.” Ishi nodded to Ice. 

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"Well, It was more that I wanted to honor my family's legacy... We've been in the REA or the guard since Equestria was founded... or at least, since the prototypes for them were created. Heck, copies of my family's journals are in the library somewhere back at HQ..." Raven said, smiling as she was pulled into the hug. "Surely they're getting close to being done, though... perhaps we should go wait for them near the building, so they don't have to look for us... or use their spies." She continued, standing and nodding at the birds around them.

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~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

 

Ice Storm could already tell that the charade that she had witnessed had put both of the ponies in the room on edge. She could see where both of the ponies were coming from, but if what Nira had said is true, and from what Shiroi's  words seemd to indicate is that they are to an extent, then Nira would be one-hundred percent in the right. If it's something in the cabinet that is inflicting harm onto the populace, by accident or intentional or not, then the ones in the cabinet should be doing everything in their power to fix it. That would include putting the nation's best healer on the case. If something like this inside of STAR, she would have already had her healers working on the populace while she worked on moving her experiments to a place where fewer ponies would be subject to the after effects of it. Still, this was not a conversation that they should have here. Surely she knew that Nira knew that as well. Shiroi had been the one to tell her to voice her opinions, but Nira should have also pointed out that now was not the time for such things. If Shiroi continued to push the matter, then by all means let her have it.

 

She was relieved to hear Ishi give her the permission that she was needing, and further pleased to hear him assign Nira to her squad. She would get to talk things over a bit more with her, and try to figure out a way to solve her problems that would mutually benefit everypony involved. She clearly wasn't happy there anymore, and she wasn't sure what kind of feudal system that they had, but she'd heard stories of old imperial nations in the past having not so... well, lets just said that ponies that worked for a cabinet like this for those nations didn't retire, they came up missing and she didn't want something like that to happen to Nira. From the conversation that she just had from Ishi, she didn't think that was how Neighpon operated, but she knew that Shiroi was a very matter of fact pony that had a severe case of paranoia. IF she felt that Nira was a danger, she would make Nira disappear. She hoped that she was wrong, but she had a feeling that she was going to get proven right when they went to the island. They had no idea what they were looking for or what they would find when they got there.

 

"Perfect! Then we shall depart immediately. I would like to personally thank the three of you for the hospitality that you have shown myself and my crew so far. May the fortunes favor us and we can put an end to whatever Hou might be planning swiftly," Ice Storm replied. At this juncture though, she was a bit lost. She didn't want to violate customs but she wasn't really sure if she was suppose to wait for her to tell her that she was free to leave, or if it would be considered indignant to stay beyond what was considered welcomed. He did say that they could begin their search, so she went with her gut and she stood up and gave a light bow to the Shogun. "May the stars bring you good heath," she said before looking back to Shiroi. "I do believe we are ready to depart. If you could lead us back to the exit we will be out of your manes shortly," she said to the pink unicorn.

 

 

~~~Niradaña~~~

 

 

Nira would refrain from saying anymore but she could see that she clearly struck a nerve of Shiroi, and she played right into her cards. The Magitech she was producing was dangerous but had an unlimited means of producing more. Yet because of Shiroi, and entirely because of her, Nira was unable to help anypony outside of the palace walls. Shiroi was the very definition of a hypocratical tyrant. What she did, didn't matter. Nira couldn't help but roll her eyes as Shiroi tried to undermine her importance by saying that if she failed there would never be enough hospitals. Honestly, she didn't know how somepony this single minded was ever let on staff to begin with, let alone put in charge of it. Shiroi was the exact kind of pony that would have brought down the Ming Dynasty, and if she's not stopped, Shiroi is going to be the one responsible for the collapse of neighpon. Not the healer that wants to protect it, but the magitech inventor that only cares about what she can make happen, no matter the cost to everypony else's safeties or liberties.

 

That would be a conversation that she would have to have with Ishi, and possibly the rest of the council. Hopefully with this little admission that she'd gotten from her, and on this investigation trip she could find evidence to bring up against Shiroi that's proving that she's putting ponies in danger. She would give Ishi a nod as he granted them permission to start the investigation. She watched as Commander Ice Storm stand to address him, thanking them for their hospitality, and proclaiming that they were ready to begin the meat of the investigation. Something that she herself was quite looking forward to.

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Myth giggled internally at the emotion she saw Feather trying to hide. She made a mental note to start teasing her more often.

 

Raven had suggested they wait by the entrance to the building, and Myth nodded, giggling ever so slightly at the mention of the robot bird from earlier. She followed after Raven to wait nearer the doors where the others should be coming out any minute. She decided, to push her buttons a little, she'd just stand next to Feather, this time, putting her between herself and Raven, trying to make it not obvious she did it on purpose. She stood closer than most ponies do, like she does with anypony she's friends with. If Feather glanced at her, she'd just give a warm, wide smile.

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Ugh, the first thing Shiroi was going to do once all these foreigners left the building would be to have a full and frank discussion about the staffing and how to handle it.  She wasn't in charge of personnel, and was already beginning to see the downsides to her lack of input into the Equine Resources department.  The Shogunate required the best talent that it could get, which wasn't the same thing as the best talent that was available to hire.  They may have employed the best healer in Neighpon, but she wasn't giving 100%.  It might not even have been 80%, with that attitude.  A more committed healer was less of a risk, even if they had to take a hit in terms of maximum skill.

 

*Much as I hate to admit it, she's right.  It really isn't efficient, from our perspective, to retain her in this capacity.  But how to safely neutralize a potential leak of state secrets, without incurring a suspicious disappearance or losing face?*  Politics, bleah.  She really wanted to be neck-deep in crystalline circuitry right now, exploit hunting.

 

That said, this meeting was adjourning, at least.  "Of course, follow me."  The journey out was taken at a somewhat faster pace than the journey in, as all involved felt the need to stretch their legs.  "It is to be hoped as well that Hou will soon be neutralized.  Incidentally, if a halfway reasonable case can be made for her hideout being in the Nieghponese Naval Sphere, we can certainly expedite Naval deployments on your behalf.  It will be faster and less diplomatically awkward than trying to arrange any force transport from Equestria."

 

She was still keeping a screened eye out for Myth, Feather, and Raven.  The scene of the three friends together did manage to touch her, just a little bit.  It reminded her of some shoujo manga she used to read when she was younger.  "I will say sayonara to you as well, though I should very much like to speak with you again, Myth-chan."  That level of natural talent... how good was it, really?  And how much had it deduced already?  Shiroi very much wanted to find out...

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Feather nodded to Raven’s words, walking over to the entrance with the other two to await the rest of their group. She blushed slightly at Myth’s proximity, glancing over and returning the smile. After a moment, she reached out with a wing and hugged Myth gently, letting go after a little bit. 

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Raven, having gotten slightly use to Myth's... odd behaviors, simply brushed back against her, smiling softly. She waved at the group as they came into sight, taking note of their expressions and stances. Something with their original guide, the longma Nira, told her something awkward had happened, but she was certain Icy would tell her anything important. She waited for the group to speak first, though, trying to remain respectful.

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~~~Ice Storm~~~Niradaña~~~

 

 

 

It didn't take long for the group of ponies to get to the exit of the palace. Ice Storm did note that Nira made it a point to walk on the opposite side of Shiroi. It was clear that those two really didn't like reach other right now. Of course with how things kind of imploded that was wondering be expected.  As the approached the other group, Ice Storm smiled to them and nodded in greeting. "We have been given permission to move our investigation to the islands. We will look for any information that we can find on the island that contains the most saturation of magic. Though thinking about it, of there's an island that radiates absolutely no magic at all, that might be with investigating as well. One final matter of note, the Shogun has assigned his personal healer to assist in our operations. We are to make her feel welcomed within our vessel and our mission," she explained. She's knew that she didn't have to worry to much about that from this group though.

 

Nira gave a courteous nod off her own after the introduction was gone. "That is correct. I do not remember if I gave it earlier, but my name is Niradaña, but most call me Nira. I look forward to working with all of you... And finally getting or of the palace for once..." she spoke. "Trust me, you won't find a better healer than me in Neighpon," Nira added.

 

Ice nodded back to Nira. "Right then, let's get back to the ship so we can get you settled in. We should have plenty of supplies for you I'm the med bay," she replied.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Myth smiled at the unicorn's words. She also wanted to have an opportunity to get to know her. Her obviously intricate knowledge of magic was something Myth admired, and she couldn't wait for an opportunity to learn anything she could from her. But she figured it wasn't too likely she'd be very forthcoming. Myth turned her head and picked up one of Feather's fathers that she'd scattered earlier in her magic. She smiled at Shiroi as she levitated it toward her, trying to be polite and give her a chance to reject her gift. "It's a shame we don't have more time, right now, Miss Shiroi." as long as she let her, Myth stuck the Feather behind Shiroi's ear "I would be honored to learn your secrets." she bowed slightly before enchanting the Feather with a persistent illusion, turning it into a cherry blossom. It was a simple enough spell for Myth that would leave a small, stagnant illusion attached to an item that would persist for several days without her there to keep it. It wasn't the most useful in most circumstances, because this type of illusion faded over time, making it easy to spot after only a few hours, but it made a great parting gift. "That is if you have any you'll be willing to share." she laughed kindly as she winked.

 

When Feather hugged her with her wing, Myth was a little startled, and she found herself blushing ever so slightly. She picked up another Feather and stuck it behind Feather's ear, repeating her spell before playfully nudging her.

 

Then Icy mentioned them going back aboard the airship, and Myth groaned "Already? I only just got over my air sickness from the way here!"

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Shiroi would have had to de-activate her cybernetically enhanced vision to appreciate the sight of the blossom, but the gesture itself was appreciated.  "I give nothing away."  She answered, in regards to her secrets.  "What you would receive, you must earn."  She did smile slightly was she said it, though.  Possibilities existed for said earning from Myth, though most of what was available would probably cost something like a change in loyalties.

 

Turning to the rest, she bowed.  "Sayonara, and good luck.  We shall be in touch if any relevant information comes forward in our search."  And with that, the Cabinet minister turned to return to the Palace.  There was much that remained to be done...

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