State Funeral
The plane is surprisingly comfortable. It's a small private jet – the pilot knows nothing about who I am, and why I am aboard; the only thing he knows is where I am going: back to Higashi. Such a small jet would not have enough fuel to get all the way there without stopping for refuelling. Due to the war, it can no longer stop in the Indus Confederation; the pilot would probably refuel in Tamur.
“Strange,” says the pilot as we near Ankida, “There seems to be something wrong with the fuel tank.”
“Is it serious?” I ask worriedly.
“The heater is malfunctioning – the fuel's freezing up. I'm going to have to make an emergency stop in Ankida to fix this. Sorry about that, we're probably going to be grounded for a few hours. Are you feeling alright? You seemed a bit dizzy earlier.”
“Don't worry about it,” I smile, trying to reassure the pilot. “Do what you have to do. It'd be bad if we dropped out of the sky after all.”
“Thanks, mate. I'll get this fixed as soon as possible. You'll be back in Kyoto in no time at all.”
I pat him on the shoulder. “No, I should thank you for being willing to fly me there.” I head to the back of the plane, preparing to strap myself in as the pilot radios in an emergency descent to the Ankidan airport. The plane shudders, its wheels touching down on the runway. After it has come to a halt, I open the door. The afternoon air is humid and thick with the scent of petroleum.
“Hey, Mr. Hoshikawa, where are you going?” the pilot calls out.
“Sorry, man, call of nature. I'll be back soon.” I reply.
“You won't get very far without a passport. I have one that the client made for your entry into Higashi, but we're in the Empire right now.”
I grin. “Don't worry, I'll just get one of those pretty flight attendants over there to guide me to a toilet.”
“It's that type of call of nature, eh? Sorry for not having stewardesses aboard my plane, but you sure you can't hold it in?” The pilot wiggles his eyebrows and laughs.
I return the laugh. “I was just kidding. It's really bathroom business. Unless you have a bucket I can use somewhere... I think I'm going to leak.”
“Oh, no. No. Well, it'll probably take me two hours or so to get things patched up, then perhaps another hour before I'm cleared to take off. We have time. Go ahead, mate.” replies the pilot hurriedly.
“Thanks! I'll be back in a while.” I descend from the plane, walking across the runway. I take one last look back at the plane, with its malfunctioning fuel heater. My tendrils did a great job of freezing it up. Hopefully Shulgi's paying the poor pilot enough to cover the repairs.
***
I climb over a fence instead of attempting to bluff my way past customs. I look extremely suspicious with my rough hair-cut and eyepatch; there's no way any self-respecting security officer would let me go without asking many uncomfortable questions.
Fences, on the other hand, didn't ask many questions, if at all.
There are cameras capturing my movement, but I ignore them. I have a cap on, obscuring my features, and it will take them too long to identify me before I vanish into Ankida. I don't plan to stay here too long anyway; once I have accomplished my aims here, I will leave.
The hike into the city takes another two hours; it is late afternoon when I arrive. It's a good thing that my physical abilities have increased over the past few months; if I had tried this when I first came to the Empire I would have given up after ten minutes.
Ankida has changed plenty from when I was last here, on my way to the Academy. A subdued mood pervades the entire capital. Here and there I can see reconstruction ongoing from the colony's fallen fragments. A particularly large piece had hit the Old Quarter, just kilometres away from the Imperial palace, and wiped it out entirely. Buildings that had stood for thousands of years were turned into dust in just a blink of an eye. That was not the only reason for the sad atmosphere. Every now and then, I could see Kyrie's picture, framed in black, hanging from houses and offices alike. There were wreaths in front of every storefront. I did not expect such popularity, given my first impressions of her...
I shake my head and focus. I need only concentrate on getting there, to her casket. All other thoughts are secondary at the moment.
The grounds of the great palace are open to the public for three days for the funeral rites. On the afternoon of the third, her casket will be carried to Fukayna, the hallowed hill-top cemetery at the outskirts of the city where all Emperors and Empresses of the Empire have been buried for more than four thousand years. Today is the second day. Though the public are free to visit while she lies in state, visiting hours close at around nine at night.
That's when I need to enter. I might be able to sneak in with a crowd, see Kyrie safely from afar as she sleeps in her glass cage, and leave... but that wouldn't satisfy her now, would it?
I did say I would come back for her.
***
I managed to case parts of the palace by mingling in together with a group of homeless people that I had convinced to visit the funeral. They were too embarassed to turn up, but I told them that she was still her princess, and cared for them whether they were rich or poor. I was pretty sure one of her projects in the past month was to help those affected by the colony drop; as it turns out, one of them had met her on one of those aid initiatives. He was the first to agree, and the rest followed soon after.
My clothes and eye-patch are dirty enough to pass me off as one of them. As I walk through the palace, to the hall where she lies, I observe, note and memorize. Paths. Routes. Guards. I make several plans as I go along, attempting to remember the faces of everyone I see. Then, I reach my destination.
When I see Kyrie's body in the open coffin, in the middle of that hall, my feet stop. From here, there can be no mistaking it. It is her. She's really dead. My right eye twitches for just the briefest second as I hold back the tumult of emotions I'm feeling. Focus. I can no longer let my lack of self control rule my life. It won't help me... it will no longer help her. I take a deep breath and calm down, looking around the hall.
It's then that I see two familiar, black-suited people. Rose and Babs... it looks like they're on security detail here. That's not surprising, considering that they had been part of Kyrie's official entourage since Neo Heliopolis. Their eyes meet mine. Rose doesn't seem to register it, but Babs' face changes in recognition. He whispers to Rose, whose eyes widen, and they start walking towards my group, looking concerned. Damn. I'm too far from the exit to leave quickly without attracting any attention. If I run, I won't be able to escape from the palace at all. The best way is to stay calm and face them. If they don't arrest or shoot me on sight, I'll find a way out of this.
The other homeless move closer to the coffin, and I go with them. Babs puts one large, meaty hand on my shoulder.
“What are you doing here?” he grunts softly.
“Huh, you spotted me. I'm impressed.” I whisper.
“Let's not talk here,” hisses Rose. “We'll use one of the security rooms.” Suddenly, he begins talking loudly. “What are you trying to pull, you beggar? Come with us!”
My homeless compatriots turn around and begin to protest, but I wave away their objections. “It's just a misunderstanding, guys. Finish paying your respects, that's what's important.” I let Rose and Babs march me away; if they want to do me harm, I can't prevent it. I knew the risks when I decided to waltz into a palace full of people thinking that I killed the princess.
As we enter a vacant room, Babs begins looking around, sweeping the room for any sign of surveillance. Once he gives Rose the all clear signal, the shorter man grabs my shoulder angrily.
“What are you thinking, coming here like this, Senya? You really do have a death wish, don't you?”
“No, I-”
“Look, none of us who knew you both think you did it. But the rest of the world does, and this is the last place you should be.” remarks Babs calmly.
I chuckle sadly. “That's precisely why I am here. It is the last place they expect me to be. I just want to spend one last moment with her.”
Rose sighs. “Oh man, young people and their romantic flights of fancy... I really should've bought you a lady of the night before all this shit happened.”
“Please, Rose. I'm begging you. Let me do this. I'm asking for a favour just this once. I don't care if I die after that. You can turn me in, shoot me, do whatever you want.”
“Damn it all, Senya. Don't be like that. We have our jobs, you know.” he groans.
“How long do you need?” asks Babs.
“Oh come on, Babs, you too?”
“I'll just need twenty... no, ten minutes.” It won't take long.
“Alright, alright, I got it. If it's just that much... we can arrange for something tonight.” mutters Rose. “Usually they shut off the entire hall around 11.00 pm, when the mortician does his work to maintain the body.”
Something seems off about that. I ask, “I thought they only needed to preserve the corpse once, before it is laid out for viewing?”
“Hey, don't ask me, man. I don't know a thing about dead bodies except how to make them.” snaps Rose.
“That kid sure had a weird-ass laugh, though.” commented Babs.
“Yeah, yeah,” said Rose. “How did it go again? Something like... Uhihihihi? That kid creeps me out. He seems to know his job well though.”
That... sounds familiar.
“What's his name?” I ask, my mouth suddenly dry.
“Uh...” Babs starts thinking. “Julius... something. Pretty young. I think he's only a bit older than you, though you do look pretty banged up, Senya. What the hell have you been through?”
“That's not important right now,” I wave his concerns away. Julius Gallardo. There's no doubt about it. No one had managed to track him down since he abandoned his laboratory and Relius was killed by Erec Dunamis at the Academy. Why has he shown up here now? More importantly, if he was taking care of the body...
I definitely have to get to the bottom of this now.
“How long does he usually spend in the hall?”
“Probably about an hour or so. Don't ask me what he does in there. He just keeps giggling that creepy laugh of his. The Empress said to let him be, so I'm not asking any questions.” sighs Rose.
So, from eleven to midnight.
“We can delay him for you if you like.” offers Babs.
I consider that offer, and think back on what I had planned in the first place...
***
A. Let Rose and Babs delay Julius. I want to finish what I came here for and escape before he arrives.
B. Don't let Rose and Babs delay Julius. I would like to have words with him...
***
My real reason for coming here was actually to...
A. Hold her hand one last time. That is all I want. Then she can have her rest in Fukayna, while I will lie low and do whatever I can to ferret out her real murderer.
B. Steal her body. I will not let it lie here, amongst people who only used her for their own ends... and definitely not with Julius all over it. I'll give her a decent burial by myself, in Olympia, where we first met.
C. Steal her body, and use it to begin my counterattack against the Empress. Once they find the corpse missing tomorrow, I spread the rumour Kyrie is still alive. They will not be able to produce the corpse and perhaps try to allege theft, but all I need is to plant the seeds of doubt in the minds of the people so that I can get started.
***
Second option might not turn out to be the plan that will be carried out - things might change depending on the first choice in the next update - so don't let how successful you think they might be influence your decision. It is more a matter of determining Senya's mindset. Did we come here just to say goodbye, to bury her where we want, or do we have something bigger in mind?
Poor Kyrie seems to have paid the price for our mistake. While C would have us try to fulfill our promise(maybe Kyrie is only mostly dead? Just need a miracle worker), A would probably be the best way for us to uncover what really happened by making allies with the Higashi power players and waiting for the right chance. 
skills.
