3rd place - Everything changes, nothing is truly lost by Morgan Tsukiyo
… and besides, for how long will we tolerate such brusque and overt display of this absurdity that is upon Saisio VIII? Does Sukuuvestaa need to constantly remind us that we are prisoners within our own home, even if under the disguise of a Workers Union Parade? To say that the Achura abbot was in fury would be an understatement.
The impeccably clothed Peace and Order Unit officer calmly enjoyed his tea with his eyes shut while sited upon his knees, barely acknowledging the emotional torrent upon him, and not letting it spoil the precious moment. He grew up in that temple, and often returned to visit it to enjoy the tea, relax at the gardens near the waterfall and commune with old friends, but this time the visit was about work.
We have been over this issue many times my dear Kōsa. While there are many Achurans in high positions within SuVee, myself included, for the moment it is still the Caldari Prime ways that most influence their actions. You know far better than I do that it takes time to empty one’s cup before it can be filled with something else.
As he gently placed the now empty cup upon the table, a relic ornated with white songbirds that was once a gift from one of the old Achura Emperors and bestowed only upon ceremonies and esteemed guests, he continued.
There is a lot going on outside the monasteries walls at the moment. The cluster is burning with the Triglavian menace, the Caldari are losing system after system and they took 5% of our territory in few months. He paused briefly, contemplating the numbers. The top brass is furious, and the higher ups are scared Kōsa. Do you think the Nugoeihuvi parade in Josamento, right next to the captured Otela, is some sort of joke? People are nervous, and nervous people tend to make mistakes. There are certain talks about changes in the Navy occurring and some sort of intervention.
Kōsa breathed in and breathed out after sitting back at his spot across the short table in a lotus position. He had no issue with his fury arising, he would not however invite it to sit down and drink tea with him, and so he opened both the front and the back doors of his mind to let it go on its own way.
Heinsuu old friend, I am aware of these so-called Triglavians. Acutely aware for that matter. Do you think I do not know what it is like to have your homeworld invaded, your people assimilated, and your natural resources harvested, no matter how polite, courteous or non-violent that the invaders may appear? You know the macro is a reflection of the micro, all is one. The struggle of the Achura, the Celestial Imperative and the Rod of the Creator are not disconnected from all that Is going on out there.
This strung a cord in the already tense Heinsuu. Kōsa was testing to see how much of the old Achura was left within this Sukuuvestaa officer. Both kept silent, so the abbot continued.
And now, you come to your birth planet to advise me restraint and moderation upon the news that the northern Jade Palace will be relocated so Sukuuvestaa may harvest rare minerals for the war effort? No need to explain, Chakai Potan already informed me about this new “sacrifice” our “Mother Megacorp” demands.
Heinsuu remained silent. He felt the conflicting emotions rising within his chest, and also breathed in and out. Service and sacrifice were paramount to him, he knew the sarcasm was intended to test his foundations, but never he questioned his purity of intent, and it was not going to be now he would do so. Breathe in, breathe out.
His mind analyzed several scenarios. If one meets force with force, there is a great chance of an explosion of energy and lots of people getting hurt, however if one embraces the force or redirects it, it is a lot easier to neutralize your target and avoid casualties around the conflict zone. That is what guided him since his time at the temple, that is what made him join the ranks of POU, that is what fueled his ascension. Infiltrate change from within, and steer the gaze away from Saisio, even if it meant from time to time to swallow hard orders like this one. The good of the many comes before the good of the few. Breathe in, breathe out.
Yes, my friend, that is precisely why they sent me. Our intelligence knows that the Celestial Imperative is financing more than explorers looking for the Rod of the Creator, they know that there are paramilitary units being trained, and that there are temples talking about a revolt.
That is not new of course, they have dealt with it since the first relocations, but in times like this, they are extra cautious. There are riots around the Caldari State already, they do not want to deal with the bad PR of internal struggles and anything outside the mask of unity and common cause, not to the Triglavians, to the Outsiders or to the other Megas.
They will make sure that the Jade Temple is relocated in its entirety to another nice spot and would not interfere in a time like this if it was not deemed necessary. I made sure they would get a good deal, SuVee is even going to inject money to increase the number of visitors and give it excellent publicity. It is a win win situation.
Kōsa looked at Heinsuu with a tender look. Always trying to circumvent the troubles, always trying to make a circle out of a square, always trying to deflect important issues that should be dealt with a head-on approach. One can not run away from their problems by getting bigger problems to deal with, and this sounded like avoidance to his ears. He smiled.
There are indeed some monks that talk about this sort of revolt, but we know it will not accomplish our independence. It is good that they make noise, it reminds the people in power that we are not complacent. And yes, we have capsuleers backing and their near infinite pockets, but who would lead such a conflict against SuVee? Even with an army and money, there are leaders needed still, and that is not the case currently. So do not worry about infight or anything of the sorts, at least for the moment.
Heinsuu felt relieved by this, as if a huge weight had just been lifted from his shoulders. Kōsa had always been blunt and played with an open hand with him, so if he said something like this, there would not be a problem. Unless…
What are your thoughts about Kintsugi? Kōsa asked as he reached for the empty relic cup and contemplated the beautiful ancient craft.
To mend a broken ceramic with gold not only is a pleasant aesthetic but also a testament to the impermanence of things. I may have left the temple a long time ago, but I have not forgotten the teachings, nor our prized collection. Why do you ask?
One of our monks that ascended to the stars and became a capsuleer recently discussed it with me. She enjoys talking about our way of life to her fellow pilots and asked for permission to give a lecture about the subject, exhibiting our collection right here at our temple. She laughed when she mentioned that she even gave her contribution to it by fixing the cherry tree themed pot that she broke by accident.
That still does not answer my question. Why do you ask?
Sukuuvestaa never cared much for our oracles and our seers, but we still listen to them. This Triglavian situation will bring change to everyone in New Eden, as foretold not long ago by Akihiro Fumio. That includes the Caldari State and the Achura.
What are you trying to…? The confusion was noticeable in the officer.
The Caldari State is about to change once more, my old friend. Many clothings it had throughout time, Raata Empire, Gallente Founding Member, Caldari Prime Refugees, Tibus Heth. Do you remember the tale that when the last White Song left the Royal Tower, the Achura Empire would die? In the end, the empire died first, but nonetheless here we are, like the birds in this old cup.
As he said these words, the ancient, unique, unreplaceable cup that was used by several important figures since the Achura Empire, was unceremoniously thrown on the ground and broke in pieces.
Heinsuu eyes were wide open and he promptly stood up in shock with the sacrilege that had just happened.
Have you become insane Kōsa? That cup had centuries of history; it was a treasure to our people. What have you done?
The only constant is change, my friend. And we can implement it ourselves.
I will listen to none of this nonsense.
Calmly, Kōsa collected the pieces of the broken relic. Perhaps. But before you leave, a few words. The Celestial Imperative has agents within SuVee. Any retaliation against the temples in a time of such crisis may disproportionately upset the Achura management and show cracks in the… what you said again? Unity and common cause I think it was. We know the Megas are in turmoil and looking for the throats of anyone who exposes it, and infighting in a time like this would be quite damaging to the corporation. Besides, I have heard that there are some groups of capsuleers in talks with the Triglavians, and perhaps they may present a better offer regarding our situation towards the Megacorp.
Are you threatening me?
I do not threaten, I merely advise caution. In the end we are both looking at the same goals, but we are taking different roads. You can keep your reform from within, winning hearts and minds and all the compromises you like to implement to keep things from falling apart. I will push things to their breaking point so we can make them anew. In the end, we are a balance to each other.
Heinsuu looked at the peaceful abbot and the pieces he collected, and stood there for a while lost in thoughts. He then bowed slightly as a formality and turned to leave.
Remember Heinsuu: Everything changes but nothing is truly lost. Do come to visit once you sorted your emotions. Let us try the new cup when you do.
Heinsuu did not look back.