Description: The end of Jinchuu may have been a catastrophe for the Ryouhara, with contestants forced to finish their matches on a rapidly sinking boat that nearly everyone wanted off of... But the aftermath for "R" was no less troublesome. Confusion and uncertainty reigns in the ranks of the criminal empire. Rugal has a plan to handle it, but will he get what he was bargaining for from his son?
At the cusp of victory, the Suiryuu went nova. After that, the assault fell apart and the boat of the Ryouhara was allowed to escape to its eventual doom at the bottom of the ocean while the Black Noah and most of those who served under its flag were left to fend for themselves. For the first twenty-four hours the organization was without any form of leadership. Many of the rank and file men were wounded or dead and rumors abound that the tyrant of "R" was no more.
The once proud and mighty Black Noah of decades past was now damaged, leaning hard to one side, several decks flooded due to Riko's clever discharge of a portion of the Suiryuu's capacitor within the carrier. Power was flakey for a while as one of the primary power plants was taken down and the crew was in a state of concusion and uncertainty. Their boss dead, the heir of "R" missing, Rugal's secretaries out of sight, no one seemed to know what to do anymore.
Twenty-four hours passed and things began to change. Orders started coming down the pipe though no one was really clear as to where they were coming from. Get the decks drained out. Get auxiliary systems back online. Regroup all the remaining soldiers and tend to the wounded. And most importantly: Find Adelheid.
Rumors abound once again. Some cited that Rugal's body had been found. Others stated that he was alive but hidden away. Glimpses of Vice, Mature, and other members of Rugal's strange secretary core were seen here and there, making only the occasional demand or the rare order, but otherwise mostly out of view.
Fourty-eight hours after the Suiryuu exploded and still no sign of Adelheid nor an absolute answer as to whether Rugal was alive or dead. But orders kept coming down all the same. /Someone/ was pulling the strings again and little by little "R" pulled itself back together.
It's been a few days now, and the primary standing order remained to find Rugal's son when Adelheid himself finally makes it back to the ship. The boat is still a bit tipped to one side, but slowly it's evening out as the decks are being drained and engineers move into inspect the damage and figure out what can be repaired at sea before something more elaborate is going to be necessary to fix the old ship.
The Prince of "R" isn't given much time aboard the boat before the request comes for him to go the parlor - situtated near the top of the command and control structure, it's always been the receiving room for Rugal as well as one of his more common retreats. Adel would probably not be surprised at who he'll find there.
There may be a surprise, however, in the condition of the monster in the parlor. A throne has been situated in the center of the room that wasn't there before, facing the back wall - the window into the gallery of the dreaded statues. Leaning hard to one side, Rugal sits in the throne, his left arm propped against the arm rest, his chin supported by his knuckled fist as he gazes silently at the faces of prior conquests frozen forever in bronze.
The body of the man is mostly hidden beneath a thick red cloak draped over him. From the arms and back of the throne several tubes and wires run into and beneath the cloak. His breathing is slow and keeping time with the sound air pressure being generated somewhere within the mechanisms of the throne. Keeping him alive or merely speeding his recovery - it's hard to say.
In the time since the elder Bernstein was subjected to Ryouhara's final solution, and the crippled Black Noah limped away from the mortally injured Suiryuu in what might appear anything but a decisive defeat from outside, the prince of 'R' has been notably less busy, and likely in a lot less pain than his unlucky father. Most of that time was spent in a remarkable cell in a fairly unremarkable warehouse, though it's fair to say that Adelheid wasn't exactly in a huge rush to escape, either. Could he have? Who knows. He was certainly prepared to take that chance, but Seishirou is nothing if not unpredictable. Of course, being immediately summoned when his copter taxi lands back on the Noah was to be expected.
... even if the condition Rugal is in was not so anticipated. It's difficult not to notice the dramatic, implied injuries even with his father facing away from him, but the young lieutenant coaches his expression, and his own breathing, more or less neutral. Holding back concern, disgust, or satisfaction? It's hard to say. There is an element of relief to the still rather incapacitated stature of the elder Bernstein, however... if only in its likelihood to forestall his ire about the failed operation. With any luck, the mechanically-supported and augmented tyrant of 'R' won't have discovered the gap between Adelheid's release and his resurfacing, either.
As things stand, there's little choice but to clasp his hands behind his back, and steady his stance, clearing his throat lightly and calmly intoning, "I am back, father." Home not-so-sweet home though it may be.
Adelheid doesn't take his eyes off Rugal's throne for long, not looking directly at his injured father, but sparing a glance out the viewport, before gazing at that point of the opulent seat that's not-Rugal instead, once more.
A deeper inhale than the ones prior is made followed by a long, slow exhale. Though his right arm isn't visible beneath the draping cloak, it's presumably there that the controls are that cause the throne to slowly rotate around on its small, round pedistal, bringing the wounded crimelord about to face Adelheid.
The right side of his face has been bandaged up some, and the boy is spared the inhuman glare of his father's cybernetic eye for at the moment it isn't visible beneath the gauze. Only his left eye, still in tact, stares back at the young man as his father looks him over from head to toe. "You were aboard the Suiryuu when the Ryouhara blew it up. The reports I've read indicate that you were last seen heading onto the promenade deck along with two of Kurow's followers..."
He sits up more straight then, his left hand lowering from his chin to rest against the support completely. His movements are deliberate, controlled - any pain it must cause him to shift his body around is masked entirely. "You do not appear to have been among those caught within the blast wave though the promenade deck itself was destroyed along with over two thirds of the vessel..."
Leaning forward just a little, he looks almost like he intends to get to his feet, but the motion never gets that far as the older Bernstein remains seated all the same. "That was over three days ago. How do you account for your whereabouts?"
It's strange, to see Rugal like this. And still Adelheid is careful not to stare, for reasons which may or may not be obvious. It's a new experience, this unstoppable behemoth reduced to... this. It's unusual for Adelheid not to feel the clear and present reminder that this man is unbeatable... and rarer still to have the opposite sort of evidence waved in his face, unwittingly or no, by the elder Bernstein himself. Still, the rich red-brown of his eyes remains rather impassive, and he listens while still standing at a polite, respectful attention. It's a question he could have anticipated, and one which rather sets him further at ease.
Another alien sensation, "The strike team sent to the promenade deck was overwhelmed. Initial resistance was reinforced, and I was momentarily incapacitated." Which is to say, brutally KO'ed. He pauses, seeing little sense in not simply explaining the situation factually, at this point, "The fighters who opposed us must have decided I would be valueable to Ryouhara, or perhaps in saving their skins. I was hauled belowdecks, and while I certainly witnessed... felt... the discharge of the vessel's power, I was not within the blast radius. I am unclear on how I was brought off the ship, I believe I was drugged. The next thing I recall, after the explosion and the Suiryuu began sinking, was waking up in a warehouse. Caged. Seishirou kept me there for some time before... simply letting me go."
It doesn't make a great deal of sense, that finale. Even if that is how it happened, sparing the exact details. It's a calm, professional play-by-play, however, answering the initial questions as well as he can in succinct, clear summary. He was, after all, simply asked to account for his wherebouts. That Rugal was not so lucky to be out of the blast radius was a probability that somehow slipped Adel's mind for most of his incarceration, and it doesn't seem prudent to mention or lament his father's lack of luck in this case.
Appearances are important. Which is why none other besides Rugal's two senior secretaries have seen him in this condition until now. Whereas most he has to rule by pure dread, his interaction with Adelheid is far more complicated than that. He needs his son to fear him, but that alone isn't enough if the long term goal is to have him inherit all of what he has labored to create with the "R" Organization. Of course, the fact that he was the focal point for the largest chi blast in recorded history and is sitting here recovering from it might induce a certain amount of awe struck dread in /some/ individuals.
"I see." states the man. A button is flicked beneath the cloak and the gentle, operatic music that was coming in from speakers around the room fades out. The man leans forward more, his left hand shifting off the armrest to rest against his left knee. "Their defenses were tenacious..." the man grunts. "But you should have been able to handle them." Here comes the disapproval. "When we fought to take the bridge..." The battle with Sakura and her quickly assembled allies. A battle that did not go as the older Bernstein had anticipated going in at all.
"...You weren't as sharp as you are capable of being. Compared to your performance in comperatively unimportant competative matches, I would say you were..." The left hand tightens, clenching into a fist. "...holding back. Removed from the fight without having given it your all." His voice started calm, but has been gradually increasing in temper, a single tremor along his visible arm leaving one to wonder if he trembles with the onset of pain or anger.
"Tell me!" the man growls, "Did that battle turn out how you wanted it? What of the Suiryuu? Was its loss to your liking, my son?!" He finally rises off his throne then, standing tall, the cloak falling down over his whole body now, forming almost a robe as it conceals his arms. Any signs of being too weak to move might be called into question now as the man seems capable of standing perfectly well.
Adelheid doesn't flinch away or alter his statuesque posture in the least as Rugal rises. In fact, it prompts the Bernstein heir to raise his rich crimson gaze to his father's singular-orbed intensity, and bandaged face. With similar lack of obvious, emotive response. Where Rugal Bernstein is rage, fire... his son is placid ice. Possessed of a cold, calculating intensity that Rugal might envy, were his own erratic passions not so very integral to his being. No, Adelheid doesn't look intimidated... but then he seldom shows it, even when he is, "Their defenses were more tenacious than any of us anticipated, yourself included. We had little information on the details of the fighters aboard. You expected peasants, but not coordination, or the wildcards that Ryouhara was holding in his hand." Sakura. Blanka. 'Hiretsu' and his wily tricks. He had expected blame, but apparently Adel isn't inclined to simply incline his head and accept it, "Where their defenses were passionate, directed... our offense was random, haphazard. You say I should have handled it. I say if you wanted it handled smoothly, we needed strike teams that didn't consist of terror-ruled grunts and corrupted school children Kirishima swayed into his ridiculous cult of personality."
It's a level of courage, or stupidity, that the platinum blonde rarely displays. All delivered with matter of fact, analytical frankness. The unspoken undertone that Rugal should have expected what happened, but didn't. No pity, no regret, and of course part of that is the final question, "You know I know the risks and would not throw such a battle willingly. Nor will I shed a tear over such an abomination going to the bottom of the ocean!" His voice rises here, his resolve cracking just a bit. He's already realized the parallels between the Suiryuu and the Noah. The implications of such weapons, "I am glad we at least denied the Ryouhara /this/ weapon." And 'R', as well. It might as well have been another nuclear warhead.
Seconds pass as Adelheid speaks and Rugal remains silent, not cutting in to countermand or drown him out with volume driven by temper unleashed. That the young man hasn't been kowtowed by the anger of the tyrant, well... He's a Bernstein. Different from his father in so many ways, but in some areas they are similar and his ability to speak clearly in the face of his clearly displeased father speaks volumes.
Rugal stays put. He is, all things considered, on a rather short leash. Those wires and tubes attached to the throne. How dependant he is upon them for his life right now is a secret entrusted to no one that doesn't need to know. "Hnnn." The noise is deep, guttural, as the older of the two clenches his jaw. His head leans to the side a little, his right shoulder lowering slightly. There's a tremble in his face muscles that resonates with the rest of his body, the last vestages of the temper that had just flared but now finds itself bleeding out fast. His son insists he didn't throw the fight and the older man seems to find that easier to accept than cling to his suspicions. The thought that his own would betray him on the battlefield is a hard one for even the paranoid mind of the crimelord to hold onto in the face of Adel's stern denial.
And then he sinks back down into the seat behind his legs with a weary sounding grunt. His left arm reaches out from beneath the cloak, his left hand raised to rest his fingers against the side of his forehead as he looks long and hard at Adelheid with that lone, human eye. "Yes... yes, I can see it now. I should have had you involved with the operation at a higher level. I treated you as a field commander but you have the mind for so much more than that."
His left hand lowers to prop against the armrest once again. The ire bleeds out fast when he's in this condition, it would seem, and while his gaze seems fixed on Adelheid, it's almost as if he's looking through him instead. "Like my father did for me. Next time you will be a part of everything. You will be with me as I plan. You will know the purposes, the objectives, the reasons." He leans back a little, sinking down a bit more into the cushioned seat. "You are old enough and ready to be more involved."
He half-frowns, half of his mouth hidden by the bandages. "The loss of the Suiryuu... is relatively unimportant to us. What I sought turned out to not exist at all. Hiretsu was merely the boy in disguise... Smoke and mirrors, nothing more." His tone is more reflective then. "Better that it be destroyed than remain within the hands of the Ryouhara." At least he seems to agree on /that/ point.
"Adelheid..." His tone has shifted again. "...you will need to run "R" for a short while." He sinks even further into the chair, his single eye becoming half lidded. "... Our organization cannot run without a Bernstein at the helm..." That he is not in the condition to be that Bernstein is evident. "Especially now. Other factions will likely try to take this time to make a move against us. You will need to see us through... for a little while. You are to speak to no one of my presence or condition. Everything depends on the utmost secrecy."
A denial... or a redirection? Nowhere did Adelheid really deny that his heart wasn't in the fight. But nowhere did he confirm it, either. He simply outlines the logistical problems, and it's not surprising that Rugal has either realized them himself... or sees that there is ample truth in the prince of R's words. It's almost regret that greets the reaction he receives, however. More... involved. More insight into Rugal's motives, aims, desires. It's not something that Adel particularly /wants/. Though there is something to be said for knowledge in many flavors, "Who did you expect Hiretsu to be?" is the first question out of the younger Bernstein's mouth, when his father concludes his explanation.
Ryouhara is interesting... disturbing also, moreso since the platinum blonde's temporary incarceration. His goals are more mysterious than Rugal's... most of what drew his father to the Suiryuu is readily apparent to the younger Bernstein. Not that he'd choose the same actions from similar conclusions, but, "And had I been involved in the operation, would you have cared when I said that attacking that ship was folly? Or when it came onto the horizon, that we should have torpedoed it and let it end there?" He shrugs slightly, "This has always been /your/ operation. I don't know much at all about Grandfather, but one doesn't have to look further than this decor to see that you prefer your shadow cabinet to delegation of authority. You want me to cover for your injuries."
He's on a tangent now, a courageous high, unwilling to simply cowtow, or smile and nod. There was a time when the beatings, the threats, the fear for himself - but moreso, for his twin sister - kept him in docile alignment with his father's whims in practice, if not at heart. That time appears to have passed, at least as long as Rugal and the battleship are on proverbial - and literal - life support. He pauses a moment, thoughtful, but clearly not finished speaking.
"You want me to keep your secret because of these traits. Because you know this isn't a group operation. But I am not you, and others know it, and being a mouthpiece will give the truth away as surely as my words could. I will keep the organization afloat, father...." his lips quirk in a slight smile now, not pleasure per se, but the sense of advantage. A sense he likes. What choice does Rugal have? Acquiesce, or call in others to try to stop him, "But I will do it my way. And all you need to do is stay on this ship, and recuperate."
"A key," the man replies with regards to Adelheid's question about Hiretsu and then says nothing more on the subject. Adelheid may be able to figure it out on his own, given some thought and a bit more background information that the tyrant was privy to. The fact that Hiretsu should not likely have been alive this day and age would be an important clue.
Looking more drained as time passes, Rugal merely chuckles as Adelheid describes how he would have questioned the entire way the operation was ran. "Taking it by invasion was the only way..." he mutters. "Wiping it from the surface of the ocean without learning anything at all from it..." He shakes his head slowly. "If you had had the power to do so, I wonder..." Doubting that his son would have the, ah, determination to sink a boat full of people to rob the Ryouhara of a dangerous weapon? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Maybe he has misjudged the boy, he muses. Perhaps he is even more ruthless than he gave him credit for.
His left hand tightens again and he leans forward, the tubes and wires shifting to accommidate the change in position. "This IS my operation. MY organization. That is how it will be." he growls, jaw clenched, arm trembling again before he sinks back down against the seat with another pained sigh.
"The secrecy is necessary... If they knew..." He shakes his head slowly. "If they knew, they would destroy us. Everything I have built and amassed would be for nothing. I would be undone. You would be undone. You think our enemies will stay their hand even with you leading? Absolutely not. If anything, your life - and Rain's - are in greater peril now than they have ever been. Vice or Mature will be at your side always. Make sure your sister is guarded well."
Ah, of course. One of Rugal's most trusted duo will be near Adelheid nearly around the clock. They will be Rugal's eyes and ears it would seem. And while he may detect the position from which his son might be operating and be in no position to stop it, he still knows well certain attachments that Adel might not be able to dismiss with such ease, such as the well being of his twin sibling.
With all hands aboard? It's interesting to see Rugal interpret his intents, but not at all surprising to the 'R' heir. Of course that's what the elder Bernstein would assume... it's what he would likely do in a similar situation. What Ryouhara claims to have been willing to do, though Adelheid has his own doubts about the intent of the blast. Or the ship itself, for that matter. It's nothing Seishirou is likely to come out and explain to either of them, however, "Yes. All the outsiders wish to destroy all of us, heedless save for the name and the organization." Adelheid echoes, managing to sound almost convinced. The propoganda doesn't sound as believable as it did when he was thirteen. Not as compelling as it was before he actually interacted with such people on a regular basis. Started to hear how they viewed Rugal, how they viewed him. Jinchuu was a knock backwards in that regard, closer to what Rugal would like....
But even that has been eroded in part, now. Due in part, ironically, to his captivity and the field trip he took before returning to the Black Noah, "You know I will always look after my sister, and that I would protect her - even from you." Opposition to the idea that a lack of compliance might endanger Rain. It's not the first time their father has implied such, even if he isn't the source of the threat in (most of?) those instances. The hold he has over his spoiled daughter is the most damning piece of leverage Rugal wields, in this instance... it's questionable whether Rain would give up this lifestyle even if Adelheid demanded it. Not that one tends to make demands of the Bernstein Princess in the first place.
"What are your orders, then?" Hmph. Vice and Mature at his side. Maybe if they can keep up.
Rugal nods as Adelheid echoes the words he wants to hear. Not at his best, he might not be as perceptive as he should. But pain, weariness, and self-delusion can cloud even the sharpest of minds... If he knew of the words exchanged during his captivity or his little side trip, then things might be differently. But for now the megalomaniac seems convinced.
"Yes, yes," he mutters as Adelheid affirms his intention to protect his sister. Rugal knows that. It's his ace up the sleeve as it were. That last bit of control he is able to maintain as his boy grows up and becomes his own man. Rugal might think his son is closer to becoming the man he intends him to be than is the case. But for now the deception is probably for the best, right?
"The Black Noah will need more repairs than we can hope to accomplish here at sea," the man begins. "So you will need to follow up with nations we have the strongest ties with and find a dock we can use to undo as much of the damage as possible." Issue number one. Get The House In Order. "We will need to step up... recruitment measures to replace the men we lost. We will also need to inventory those too injured to be of any service to us anymore and be rid of them." Ah, yes, classic Rugal. Use up people like resources then dispose of them when their utility has waned. He doesn't specify how to get rid of them, of course. That detail he leaves to his son's discretion, for better or for worse.
"There are rumors of a drug called Burn hitting the streets in Metro City. While not a high priority, some personel should be directed to look into it. Confirm the rumors first, then I-..." he pauses then, the faint flicker of a smile forming at the edge of his mouth. "...you can decide how best to proceed with regards to this unwanted competition."
He's quiet for a moment after that as if weighing out the next order more carefully. But finally he speaks. "Those who opposed us... Should not get off lightly for having gotten in our way. If we do nothing, it makes us look weak, and others will feel inspired to do the same in the future. If we leave a message..." The man grunts. "A list of those who interferred will need to be drawn up. And then people dispatched to make their lives interesting. Or what's left of them anyway."
His eye closes, the man's voice growing more quiet little by little. "Don't kill them. Not now. Dead bodies can't go on to be afraid or to spread fear. But living victims... those will do very nicely to make sure resistence isn't so determined next time."
He half-frowns before continuing, "That's all for now. I will communicate with you if there is more. Think of this as an opportunity... Someday all this may be yours. You should get comfortable being at the helm of it if but for a little while..."
An opportunity, indeed. The wheels are already spinning, and may not be spinning in a direction that Rugal would like. So it's a good thing the elder Bernstein isn't psychic, indeed. Both for his opinions expressed to Seishirou... and the words shared with Sakura afterwards. It's like he told her, really... father would be terribly irate to know he was there, talking to her, not trying to put the fear of GOD into her for her insolence, instead. In fact, he gets just that sort of order, now... it's a quiet little in-joke that makes things that much more satisfying. Stand up to your father... he's certainly gained ground, here. Be rid of the injured.
Oh yes, Adelheid knows JUST what to do with them, as well. Likely not at all what the tyrant of 'R' has in mind, but it will certainly seem to get the job done properly, "I'll have a new heading plotted, and contact our allies." He concedes simply. Though the decrepit Noah needs a fair bit more than some leaks fixed, from where he's standing. It's not unlike his father, really. Patch up the exterior, new damage... ignore the rotten core.
"The rest..." the platinum blonde muses in his calm, resonant tenor, "I will see to personally." Another excuse to get off the ship. And a chance to direct things the way HE wants them to go, "I will be waiting to hear from you. Do get some rest." Concern, or a taunt? Probably somewhere in between, or a third sentiment altogether. He has a lot to think about, and more to do. Especially with this night's startling revelations.
Rugal merely nods his head slightly as his son tells him the words he wants to hear, even if the intent behind them wouldn't be exactly to his liking. It's good enough, it seems, to convince him in his present state of mind, that all is going as he has planned. His eye already closed, he reclines further back now, shoulders slouching, left arm slipping back beneath the cloak as he bows his head.
The music paused earlier begins to play again as the tyrant sinks back into the contemplative, restorative state he was in before news of his son's return reached his ear. The only sound to accompany the music and his slow breathing is that of the machines in his throne as little by little, the tyrant of "R" regains his strength. Out of the fight for now, but not for long.
Log created on 19:05:43 11/21/2007 by Rugal, and last modified on 11:33:25 11/22/2007.