Distant Thunder: Chapter 7

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The Nineteenth Day of the Month of Shinjo, 1137

The rooms were large and opulent, well-suited to the Champion of a Great Clan. Rich furnishings were scattered artfully throughout, with finely-painted paper screens and gorgeous silk hangings long the walls. A small stand held an original sculpture by one of the founders of the Kakita Artisan Academy, while another supported a daisho stand made from pure Ivory Kingdoms ebony. It spoke of a man of wealth and quality, excellent taste and careful discernment. It spoke volumes, therefore, that the man who lived in that room preferred to have only a single candle lit as he worked, leaving much of the room, beautiful adornments and all, wrapped in shadowy darkness.

"In most castles in the Empire," said Bayushi Yojiro, Scorpion Clan Champion, in a soft voice, "the day's business rises and sets with the sun. Banquets and feasts might continue into the night, but the work, the duty, of most samurai is done in the full light of day. The peasants, of course, must work their fields in the daylight, and shun the night as the domain of bandits and beasts, but even those with katana and armor to protect themselves prefer vision over blindness. This is the way it has always been… everywhere but here."

His guest leaned forward, almost unable to hear the Champion's low words. "Our peasants are like peasants everywhere – they too live only by the turning of the sun," Yojiro continued. "But in our castles, in the palaces of the Scorpion, we do things a different way. Our dojos do much of their training after nightfall; our priests offer their prayers in shadows. We do the business of the day at night, and the business of night… we do at all times. We have become… comfortable… in the dark.

"Too comfortable, I think."

His guest, Yogo Masuhiro, the daimyo of the Yogo family, tilted his head back for a moment, studying his Champion. Yojiro, as he always did these days, wore a thick iron mask that left only his eyes visible and muffled his already-soft voice. There was little to read in those eyes, but Masuhiro thought he detected some weariness in them.

Masuhiro replied, "The shadows are where we serve the Emperor and the Empire, Bayushi-dono. It has been that way since the time of Bayushi-kami himself."

Nodding, Yojiro looked toward the ebony daisho stand, currently empty. "And what we do in the shadows is important and necessary," he agreed. "But what I fear is that we have forgotten that we were meant to stand in the shadows only by necessity. Rokugan needs villains to act where its heroes cannot. But when I look around me, all I see are what villains are left with: scorn, distrust, and isolation.

"Twice in my lifetime, the Scorpion have been exiled, disbanded, and cast out. Each time our departure exposed the Empire to destruction, and although we were instrumental in defeating the threats that stood before us, we were also instrumental in creating those threats as well. Let us not forget that it was Bayushi Shoju that brought the last Hantei to the throne, or that it was Kachiko's poisons that weakened him to the point that the Ninth Kami could possess him. Let us not forget that it was Yogo Junzo who first opened a Black Scroll." The lone candle in the room flickered for a moment, making the shadows dance. Yojiro's eyes flicked to the candle flame, then turned toward the farthest part of the room, where the darkness was most thick. "And let us not forget that it was Shosuro who first brought the Nothing to Rokugan, and allowed it to claim so many of her family over the next millennium."

He paused, glancing at Masuhiro, before returning his gaze to the far corner. "We have been the villains indeed, and there are many in the Empire who would see us gone forever… isn't that right, Yudoka-san?"

The shadows in the far corner moved, flowed, and resolved themselves into the tall, slim form of Shosuro Yudoka, the Shosuro daimyo, his distinctive bladed staff (the blades, shaped like a scorpion's claws, gave the weapon its name: "Pincers and Tail") resting easily across his back. Masuhiro's eyes widened slightly, but the surprise faded almost at once – why should it shock him that he had failed to see the master shinobi practitioner in the Empire? Yudoka spared him a glance as he stepped forward and bowed, but it was clear his attention was on Yojiro and the words the Champion had just said.

"It is true," Yudoka rasped, "but we have always proven ourselves shockingly difficult to wipe out. We will do so again, if need be. The Empire fears the secrets we hold; the price of our destruction is too high for any of them."

"They do indeed fear us," Yojiro answered, gesturing for Yudoka to seat himself. "In fact, fear and distrust are all they have for us, and there, I think, is the root of our troubles. We have given them nothing else.

"The one claim we always made was that we still had the virtue of loyalty: loyalty to the Clan, of course, but also loyalty to the Emperor and the Empire. We also made it a point to show loyalty to those who were loyal to us; while blackmail and intimidation are useful for those who were not willing, when we found those we could trust, we showed them the benefits of friendship with the Scorpion. That was how we survived. The Crane try to make friends with everyone, but we have always been more… discriminating. When we found true friends, however, we held onto them, and by doing so, we had the allies we needed when we needed them.

"All of that has been cast aside in the last few years. We have been through too much, come too close to the edge, and we are now loyal only to ourselves. We casually violate agreements for little or merely short-term gain. We spew careless insults, with no thought whether we cast aside a tool that might prove useful at some point in the future. We reach for the stick without hesitation, and the honey spoils in disuse. Where once we had loyalty to pull us back from the brink, we have nothing, and we hurl ourselves headlong into the abyss. Perhaps it is understandable… but it cannot last."

"What are you saying?" Yudoka asked, his eyes narrowing. "I had thought you long since grown out of your youthful idealism, Bayushi-dono."

Masuhiro, however, began shaking his head even before Yudoka had finished speaking. "Yojiro-dono is right, Yudoka-san," he said, speaking up even before Yojiro could respond. "The Yogo, more than most, know something of betrayal. I have seen the changes of which our lord speaks. We have become too willing to throw our loyalties to others aside, I think." For a moment, Masuhiro thought of his two sons, the younger of which was nearing his gempukku, and felt the age-old fear that he might love them too much. He had to fight the urge to push them away for their own safety; every time he felt the desire to do so, he sensed it might well be the curse he feared trying to manifest itself. "We must hold on to what we have, despite what it might cost us."

Yojiro nodded, though he seemed somewhat surprised by the emotions Masuhiro had not quite been able to hide as he spoke. "Quite so," the Champion agreed. "If we are to deal with the other Clans, we must do so in a way that shows we can be dealt with. Without trust, there are no agreements, and there is no support for the work we must do. We need allies, and we have so far only made enemies.

"This is why I am instructing you both now, as I have already done for my own family and will do with Soshi-san when next we meet, to begin reassessing all your current projects and training programs in light of my wish to see the Scorpion redeem themselves in the eyes of the Empire. We must return to a path that earns us friends, and that begins by adding some depth to our characters as villains. Let us at least earn the sympathy of the audience. We do what we must, and I will not have that change – but let us be certain we take only the necessary steps, and that we begin building toward a long-term place in Rokugan once more."

"Is that why you were so nice to the Crane at Kaede's funeral?" Yudoka asked dryly. "Will you seek your friends there first? I just know they will appreciate it, forgive and forget and all that."

Yojiro shrugged slightly, the motion barely visible through his many kimono layers. "It is a start," he said, still quietly. "The Crane do not trust us, but they will use us. If we show them how we can help them, they will remember it, and it will give us something to build on. In terms of the specifics of the agreement, I will require a unit of your auxiliaries, Yudoka-san, for the Crane expansion plans next spring. You should also send word to Atsumori in Ryoko Owari to expect a delegation from the Daidoji Trading Council; tell him to see how far he can wedge the Daidoji from their Unicorn allies with the blandishments of the Scorpion. I do not want the alliance broken, but we will want to know who among them can be persuaded to see us as… good friends."

Yudoka snorted. "Are you sure you would not rather send Masuhiro here? Or perhaps that fool Kimetiko? Someone whose true heart" - he almost snarled the words - "will show them the `honor' of the Scorpion? After all, if you ask a Shosuro to do it, we will simply get the job done, and that might seem `disloyal.'"

Yojiro did not react to Yudoka's insolence, though Masuhiro found himself reddening in response to the insults. Instead, the Champion merely added, "Send word to Shosuro Taberu at the Dojo of Lies, as well. He will coordinate with Atsumori on the matter. Tell Taberu too that he is the contact for the Dragon in the courts as they begin their push on the Agasha. We will support the children of Togashi as far as they wish to go."

Yudoka paused, then nodded once. "Hai, Yojiro-dono." The insolence was gone, but the Shosuro remained tense.

Yojiro nodded back, seemingly satisfied. "Very good," said the Bayushi. "Now, there is one more matter I wish to discuss before you two depart. You have both heard of the assassination attempts on Yoritomo Aramasu, yes?" At the nods of his samurai, Yojiro continued. "I want to know who is behind them. Find out for me. I wish to know not only who strikes in the name of the Scorpion without our sanction, but how they have managed to penetrate Kyuden Gotei when we so far have not. If it is merely a ronin or disgruntled Mantis, I will not have them slander our name with public, and failed, assassination attempts. And if it is something else…" Yojiro looked directly at Yudoka. "I want it destroyed."

Yudoka bowed. "As you command."

"At the same time, however, Aramasu's seclusion presents us with an opportunity," Yojiro went on. He handed a series of scrolls to Masuhiro, who unrolled one enough to see that it was a map. "For some time, we have allowed an insult to fester on our border, an insult that was only compounded when Aramasu betrayed us. That insult carries the name of Tsuruchi. We cannot reach the traitor directly, but the lands of the Wasp… those are in reach. With Aramasu in hiding, we have an opportunity. Those maps, Masuhiro-san, contain all the intelligence we have about the territory of the Tsuruchi. As you will see from the terrain, we will need protections from their archers. You will see to it that our soldiers need not fear Tsuruchi arrows, yes?" Masuhiro bowed deeply, and Yojiro nodded once more.

"Is there anything else?" he asked, and Yudoka straightened.

"Permission to speak freely, my lord?" he asked, and Yojiro nodded assent. He did not seem surprised by the request. "I will do as you command," said Yudoka in his gravelly voice, "but I believe you are weakening the Clan with this `honorable' course. We have enemies on all sides. We cannot tie ourselves to another, lest we find ourselves unable to escape when they turn on us. If you proceed with this new approach, there will be… resistance. Throughout the Clan. We are not meant to be heroes, no matter what our villainy might cost us."

Yojiro did not answer right away. When he did, his voice was even lower than before. "I am no longer the idealist your father may have scorned, Yudoka-san. I have seen too much. This is not about idealism. It is about survival. If we cannot find our way back to where we once were, we will die, and our duty will go unfulfilled. I will not allow that to happen. We have come too far, given up too much, and lost too many of our best. Your aunt, the Soul of Thunder, chose me to bear this burden, and I will do whatever it takes to ensure the survival of our Clan."

He turned back to the shadows of his room, and raised a hand. "Go now, and do as the Master of Scorpions has commanded you. Remember that to be a samurai is to serve."

Yudoka bowed stiffly but made no move to depart. "And who does the Master of Scorpions serve, then, Bayushi-dono?" Masuhiro's breath caught at the young shinobi's words; though insolent, they were delivered without a trace of any emotion.

Yojiro turned back, and the eyes behind the metal mask were as dark as the shadows themselves. "The Scorpion Clan and the Empire. If we have learned nothing else in this last decade, it is that one cannot stand without the other."