The thing that Marcus didn't like about his new clothes was how well they fit him and how comfortable they felt. He couldn't believe that they had something prepared that fit him this well. The man in the mirror looked slick. The white and gray suit and trousers combined traditional style with modern textile technology and Marcus was actually wondering if he could keep them afterwards.

This is how they get you. First you take their gifts, then you wave their flag.

Where was this coming from?

I tried to evoke the spirit of Kou's vintage movies. Did I fail?

No, no, you hit the nail on the head. I was just not expecting this from you. I guess I will send the clothes back when this is over, he thought and sighed.

Marcus took a hand-sized electronic device from his tattered clothes on the bed and placed it in his new trouser pockets. The fact that they had allowed him to keep it and the com bead was encouraging. After the debacle with the USA the clan had spent a lot of money to get access to a private satellite network for communication. Not only did this allow them to communicate from every point on Earth, it also made wiretapping close to impossible. This was well worth the few hundred thousand dollars it cost every month, in Marcus' opinion. In spite of that, it wasn't working right now.

Wherever he was right now was heavily shielded and any unauthorized communication was scrambled. Thanks to Xeen he had a rough idea of his location. His companion had used triangulation from known portals to estimate their position. The few minutes he had spent being escorted to his 'private' room had made it clear that he was in some kind of massive military compound. He was surrounded by hundreds of class holders, some of them top level.

Is it usually the case that human military installations are this pompous?

No, not at all. The amount of 'bling' we have seen isn't normal. There were a lot of traditional themes, too. The dragon and fish sculptures, gods and immortals paintings, golden rims, marble, jade, this feels more like a palace than an active military compound. A soft knock on the door took him out of his musings. A minute later an honor guard escorted Marcus through the compound and to the largest building in the area. Inside he found a lot more signs of what he could only call debauchery.

A large double door was opened in front of Marcus and he stepped into a large room. A tall man with a perfect hair cut and bright smile welcomed him, "Mr. Freimann, or should I say the Titan! I am very pleased you followed my invitation. I am General Tao." The man shook Marcus' hand and delivered enough strength in his grip to prove that he indeed had a lot of strength crests.

He is a level 110 Paladin.

His level didn't impress Marcus, neither did the uniform of the man. The simple gray design had been enhanced with gold embroidery and fancy jewelry, including medals. It completely destroyed the simple style of the base uniform.

"Thank you for the invitation, even though it was on short notice," Marcus said, diplomatically. The man seemed happy enough and made a large gesture with his arms, "You must be hungry. If my information is correct, you didn't have a proper meal in some time." Marcus saw a giant table laden with food of all kinds. It was a buffet for at least twenty people. What a waste, Marcus thought and made a step towards the food to make at least an effort in courtesy. The large door behind him was ripped open with great haste and a woman in uniform and with flowing black hair rushed past Marcus. She stopped right in front of the General and bowed quickly before delivering a sealed envelope.

Marcus could only see the back of the woman, while the General opened the envelope and read the letter inside. The smile of the man wavered and his lips grew thin. A moment later the smile returned and he said to Marcus, "It seems unexpected circumstances have cut our meeting short Mr. Freimann." Before the man could say much more the woman turned, took Marcus' hand and pulled him out of the room. "Let's go, Marcus," she said and the dumbfounded Titan was dragged away.

They left the room and rushed through several corridors, before they exited the building and came to a large grassy field that was most likely used for training. "That buffoon Tao has nearly ruined your mood, hasn't he, Marcus?" For the first time the woman turned and allowed the confused Marcus to get a good look at her face. He needed a moment, but then his jaw dropped, "Mrs. Sato? Linda Sato?" Marcus remembered the nice translator from Mihr Jhel. She had been with Azaa in the beginning and they had shared a few good talks back then. Marcus searched her face, while she spoke, "It is Major Shimizu Akira."

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"You are a spy." ...Was his short and dry reaction. "It is called operative, but yes I am," she easily admitted. Her positive smile was infectious and Marcus had to look somewhere else to not smile himself. "You are also a class holder," Marcus said. She nodded, "Yes, all thanks to you." Marcus blinked and looked at her confused. "Why don't we sit down for a moment?" She said, and gently guided him to a nearby bench.

The warm rays of the morning sun were dancing in the dew of the grass field and the Major offered Marcus a plastic bottle of water. He furrowed his brows and didn't move. She sighed and put the bottle into his large hand. "Don't be like this," she said. Marcus was a bit parched, that was true. He opened the bottle and had a small sip. Don't let her fool you, he reminded himself. When he thought about the times he had spent with Azaa while SHE had been there, recording and analyzing every word for the Block, he felt violated. His trust, his feelings, his ability to spot a fake…

"Did you get rewarded for revealing every intimate moment between me and Azaa?" Marcus asked with acid in his mouth. His words didn't seem to upset her, "I was the only one who predicted you and Azaa would become a couple." Pure surprise was on Marcus' face and she laughed. "Yes, everybody thought I had lost my mind. And then you vanished and I ended up in a dead end job," she explained and pulled three chocolate bars out of the pocket of her uniform. She offered one to Marcus and it was a double chocolate.

She is good. She knows you well.

Blast it! Marcus took the bar and started munching it. "You look so angry and so happy at the same time," she laughed again and her clear voice moved over the wide field.

"When you came back and only a few days later hooked up with Azaa, I was pulled from my position and promoted several times. I was given the opportunity to become a Warder and was made the foremost expert in all things Marcus Freimann and Azaa."

She is sharing information on purpose. I believe she wants to build a good relationship with you.

Yes, it seems that way.

"What do you expect me to say right now, Major Shimizu Akira," he said with a cold voice. "Call me Akira, Marcus. I would really like that," she answered with a tender voice. It worked, even though Marcus tried to fight it. "Akira, what is this all about? And how can a Major overpower a General?" Marcus quickly asked, in an attempt to counter his weakness. Akira looked at Marcus for a second and then said, "General Tao is a powerful man, but even he has to bow to some people. One of them is my superior. To what this is all about? Think of this as a formal greeting. From now on, every time you deal with our government, I will be there as your personal communication officer."

"Personal communication officer, is that a thing?" Marcus looked skeptical. "You know how countries have ambassadors. It is just like that, but I am only responsible for you and Azaa, if she would grace us with her presence." Akira's answer made a few things very clear.

It seems the Chinese Block takes you very seriously.

Marcus wanted to talk more with Xeen, but Akira's observant eyes made that impossible. A good relationship with the Block was valuable for more than just one reason, Marcus thought. He should make an effort, too.

"Speaking of your bond, I was actually hoping to talk with Azaa at the UN summit tomorrow. Given the latest changes I will instead have the pleasure to meet her mother Ruuq. She recently became the official ambassador of the ginghi." Akira put a new talking point on the menu and Marcus decided to bite, in the spirit of a good relationship. "Don't try to mess with Ruuq, she is different from Shen or Azaa. Ruuq won't hesitate to cut you down, if she believes you are threatening her family or the ginghi." He delivered the line with a flat voice and demonstratively stood up, "I think this is enough for a first greeting."

"You are right. I will arrange your departure," Major Shimizu stood up, her smile unchanged. Akira guided Marcus back to his room, where he retrieved his torn clothes. While he was still wondering how exactly he would depart, Akira led him to a small courtyard and a familiar face joined them. Colonel Jun was 'more than happy' to teleport Marcus back to Italy. Marcus was about to agree, when a sudden idea struck him, "You wouldn't be able to get me to the Sleeping Sky HQ, would you?" The Spatial Mage replied, this would be no problem for him, as Marcus had expected.

Marcus was about to formulate a few parting words for this new Block contact, when Xeen suddenly urged him to leave.

Marcus, we need to leave right now. Don't waste any more time.

"Until next we meet, Akira," he quickly said, and took Jun's hand. The man didn't hesitate either and before Akira could say more than, "Yes." They had vanished.

-----

That was odd, Akira thought. She stood in the courtyard for a few seconds, thinking. Her communicator beeped. The voice of her superior filled her ear, "Report." "Things worked out quite well. Preventing General Tao from ruining Marcus' first impression was vital and our reunion went without problems." A short silence followed. "You made no attempts to verify the intel." It wasn't a question or reprimand, just a statement.

The intel…, Akira thought. 'Kzeen/Kseen/Xeen/Kzehn' a fleeting word that one of their covert operatives had overheard. The term had been flagged as top priority. The analysts believed it to be vital, a key to unlock recent events and unsolved questions. Akira's guts agreed with them. "I believe building up a good relationship with Marcus is of the greatest importance right now. Without enough context even a minor probe might cause lasting damage in trust. A suitable situation needs to be created first." Was her quick explanation. "Return as soon as you can. We need to prepare for Ruuq's speech at the UN," her superior said, and she agreed.

Akira took a deep breath and proceeded to leave the courtyard. "Who was this stranger?" A man's voice called out to her from one of the hallways leading to the courtyard. Akira turned and watched as a group of men walked into the morning sun. "Lord Zhao! You shouldn't be here. You know that," she said. The small man with the bright eyes pushed his way through his elite bodyguards and smiled, "I like the morning sun." You and Marcus, Akira thought.

She bowed slightly, "The man is an important ally. I am in charge of handling him." Lord Zhao stepped closer, his eyes danced over the courtyard and returned to Akira. "Is he human?" That question hit Akira completely unprepared. "Is he human?… Why would you ask that?" An uncertain smile was on her face. The curious man took a small white flower from the greenery and chewed on it, "Because the whole world was bowing down to him."

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