The Rise of Shiroi Nami – Chapter 6

“So, how do you think this is going to go?” I ask Rin as we stand outside the conference room and await our fate at Shiroi Nami’s hands.

“Probably as well as you think it will.”

“That’s cryptic. Thanks.” My face jerks into an involuntary sneer. I sigh as I rest my head against the wall. “I can’t believe Chiéko is alive. She’s alive.” A crazed smile takes over my face. “Rin, I can get everyone back together.”

He rests his hand on my forearm. “Don’t be too hasty, okay? Let’s feel out Shiroi Nami first. When it’s time to go in, I’m putting you in the spotlight. Be persuasive.”

The door opens, and Reina peeks her head out. “Come on in.”

Deep breath. Here we go.

“Yumi and Rin, thank you for joining us. I know it’s been a busy morning for you.” Hayashi gestures for us to sit at the table across from him as we come around. “We’re so pleased you’ve found more of your people.”

And from his smile, it seems that way. Shiroi Nami has plans of their own for Hikari, for the future, but are we a part of their plans? We’re about to find out.

“I’m so relieved they’re alive,” I say, blowing out a long breath. “Every person we can recover from our original crew is a blessing.”

Daito and Miho Nomura both enter the room and sit at the other end of the table. When I look around at everyone present, I realize Shiroi Nami is a lot smaller than any other corporation. There are very few people on their board of directors and only maybe a hundred people here on Kurai. Shiroi Nami has plenty of genetically engineered ‘things,’ soldiers, helping them hold up their corporation. But that’s about it, I think. They are not the large and mighty corporation they used to be.

Even Daito and Miho are not tried-and-true Shiroi Nami employees.

“So, what’s on your mind?” Hayashi asks, spreading his arms out. “You wanted time before the board for an important conversation. Here we are.”

“Yes, thank you.” I bring my hands together on the table. “I appreciate that you were willing to give us some time to make our proposal to you.”

Remember, Yumi. Be professional, be succinct, be firm.

Reina’s chin tips up as she turns off her tablet and gives us her full attention. Several other people at the table turn to me.

Here goes nothing.

“Before all of this happened, before I met you in Susami, I had an idea of how to deal with Aoi Uma. Unfortunately, Narumi Ogawa knows of this plan, but I don’t think she believes I’ll follow through on it.”

“Is this about you starting your own corporation?” Hayashi glances at Daito and Miho.

“Yes, yes it is.” I gesture to the Nomuras. “Before everything happened on Hikari, Rin and I were interviewing people at the Nomura estate to help us form our corporation. I’d like to continue on with this plan.”

Hayashi leans back in his chair and folds his arms over his chest. “Why would we need another corporation to get involved on Hikari? We don’t need more competition. And after your performance the other night, I didn’t think corporations were good for democracy.” He says the word like it’s dirty, and I have to calm my instinct to rage at him.

Reina holds up her hand. “Hayashi, please. Let’s hear her out.”

I blink a few times and try not to show my surprise that she’s interested. Her initial reaction to this news in the cafe in Susami was not welcoming.

“I believe we can push the balance of power on Hikari in a few important ways. With my corporation, I will issue a hostile takeover and unseat Aoi Uma from their place at the top.”

Reina’s smile is predatory. “You’ll need an army to accomplish that.”

I raise my finger. “Not if we can reprogram their androids.” When no one speaks, I feel it’s safe to continue. “Isao has been working on the android, Saki, reprogramming her with a set of rules that won’t harm humans. It’ll make them ineffective as a fighting force. With the androids out of the picture and Kiiroi Yama on our side, they wouldn’t stand a chance. Narumi Ogawa could shut down the cities and industries for a time, but I doubt it would last.”

Hayashi is silent, his eyes boring into me. “Go on.”

That’s a good sign.

“Once my corporation holds power, we can get to work. I plan to employ influencers who will help inspire the people of Hikari to believe in an alternative way of life for them, one in which they have a voice. It obviously won’t be me.” I laugh, trying to be both light-hearted and self-deprecating. “I’m an inspiration to no one. But I’m sure we can find the right people for the jobs. Then, we’ll slowly transition everyone over to a constitutional monarchy under the watchful eye of Crown Prince Koichi.”

“This is your empress’s son?” Reina asks.

“Yes, her eldest son. Her younger son, Mark, will stay on Orihimé. The people of my world have voted to shift to a parliamentary system without the monarchy, and the empress has heartily agreed to it. That can happen here too,” I assure them, holding out my hands. “Trust me. The Itami family does not want to reign forever. They do their job because they have to, but they are not power-hungry. They are merely shepherds.”

“Why can’t we just do this ourselves? Without outsiders?” Hayashi’s voice is full of challenge, and it takes what little strength I have left not to roll my eyes at him.

“Have you…” I pull my lips in and reconsider my tone of voice. “Look at your past. To the people who live here, who live under the rule of corporations, they see one faceless corporation after another rising up and oppressing them. A stranger with an alternative way of life could be just what they need to get out of the rut.”

Rin leans forward. “We all know this is risky. The more conservative citizens will be averse to this kind of change. They would rather keep the status quo, even if it meant their own death or downfall.”

Hayashi rubs his beard. “Yes, I believe so.”

“Which is why,” I interrupt, “this will be a multi-step process. We’re not going from a corporatocracy to a democracy in one giant leap. I’ve spent a lot of time reading the files on countries back on Earth that tried to do this. Almost every time, coups toppled new governments when the more conservative factions realized their prosperous lives were ending. The change needs to be gradual.”

“And that’s why you want to start your own corporation,” Reina says, nodding. “I have to ask, why not ask Shiroi Nami to make this change? I mean, I hope I’m not speaking out of turn here,” she says, looking down the table, “but this is something we’ve discussed on other occasions. It was something we were considering.”

I pop back in my chair. “I didn’t know. I’m sorry for assuming, but after the way you spoke to me in the café, I figured this was off the table for you all.”

She looks down for a moment. “I regret blowing up at you. It was a momentary weakness after finding out we had screwed up your extraction from Kitakyushu.”

I purse my lips and think. If they had thought about doing the same thing, where does that leave us?

But then I remember how much they wanted the jump drive technology, how they were thinking about leaving.

“What do you really want?” I ask them. Rin’s hand rests on my knee under the table, cautioning me to not push them too far. “What’s more important to you, to Shiroi Nami? And please, answer honestly. Is it Hikari? Or is it a different kind of life? You have several paths you can take, right?”

Pushing aside my anxiety at being across the table from such influential people, I make eye contact with everyone. I am sure my eyes convey my hope for them.

“We want out, eventually,” Hayashi stresses. “The general population will never accept what we want for our future.”

He means such genetic changes, like Isao and all the creatures here.

“But we can’t just blast out of here without enough people to back us, to be pioneers with us. We have about five to six thousand people, maybe more, just waiting for the signal that it’s time to leave. Others may join them if the call is loud enough.”

Five to six thousand people? That’s a lot more than I suspected.

“Okay, we can work with this.” My smile makes a few others smile as my chest fills with giddy energy. I’m no politician, but it feels good to be getting something done, to be getting to the bottom of this problem.

I love solving problems.

I hate being the problem.

Reina picks up the train of thought for me. “We’ll be here to help with the transition of power, yes?” she asks Hayashi, and he nods. “And then, once things have settled, we’ll take the technology you have offered and leave to continue on our path.”

“Don’t forget. We have a planet in our solar system, one just a bit farther from our sun, that would be a great place for you. I know there’s nothing in this system worth terraforming.”

Reina nods. “You’re correct.”

I lean back and give Rin the table. He leans over and whispers to me, “Are you sure?”

I nod, keeping my emotions in check.

“We’d like to get started on our first mission, which is reprogramming the androids, as you’ve discussed with Isao.”

Reina nods as she types into her tablet. “I’ve read his report.”

“While Rin is handling this mission, I will stay here and start the work involved in setting up the corporation. It’s a lot of busywork, forms to fill out, officers to be named, you know.” I wave my hand in a circle.

“Wait. You two are not going together?” Miho asks, entering the conversation for the first time. I remember how she flirted with Rin back in Susami, and now her eyes are sharp on me. She smells blood in the water.

“No,” I say, and the back of my neck begins to sweat with the finality of the statement, “we should split up for this mission. With all the injuries I’ve sustained, I need to keep my body from getting more damaged.”

“Do you need assistance, Rin?” Miho turns her eyes on him, and I grind my teeth. “I could come along and provide valuable intelligence.”

If Rin notices her eagerness, then he doesn’t show it. “No, that’s fine. We have everything covered. You should stay here with Daito. Perhaps you can help Yumi with her work?”

I kick him under the table, and he smiles.

“It sounds like she has everything under control,” Miho says, returning her eyes to Hayashi. Daito’s jaw is rigid as he stares out into space, avoiding eye contact with pretty much everyone.

“What are you looking for from us?” Hayashi asks, returning to the conversation.

“Your support, of course. I won’t go any further with this if you’re not on board.” And I mean it, too. There’s nobody in this solar system who can help me like they will. Sure, some ex-Aka Matsuba employees will come to my aid, and maybe some of the crew of the Murasaki who are scattered among the citizens of Hikari, but it’s not much. Even Kiiroi Yama’s assistance through Yori Okamoto is tenuous, especially with Atsumi still alive. My team of trusted people is tiny.

I need to change that.

“I think it bears further discussion but —”

The lights in the room blink out, and the emergency lighting comes on. Everyone looks at the ceiling.

“What?” Rin starts before the door swings open.

“We’ve got Aoi Uma ships incoming.” The silhouette of a giant man with wings in the doorway leaves me breathless. This is not Isao, though. It’s his brother, Hidéki. His hair is longer than Isao’s, and his skin a few shades lighter.

Hayashi is on his feet in a heartbeat. “What do they want?”

“They’re angry. They say we stole their employees, and they’re coming to get them. We have ten minutes, tops.”

“Employees? We haven’t taken any of…” He stops and sighs, turning to me. “They want your shipmates. I’m not sure how they found out about them, but Aoi Uma has been adamant from the beginning that any of your people who landed in their territory belonged to them.”

I jump to my feet. “Narumi can’t have them.”

Hayashi and Reina exchange a glance.

Reina says, “She’s right. We can’t bow to Narumi Ogawa now.”

Hayashi grabs my arm. “Then it looks like we’re going to have to get the hell out of here.”