Hassan Soshuri sat impatiently in his chair, wringing his hands together and hoping the semi-hidden guards standing in the shadows of the cavernous office. The lights were dimmed, possibly to reflect the artificial night-time of the underground cave systems of Mercury, or perhaps to make him pay more attention to the high-back chair on the other side of the polished Venusian Mahogany desk before him. The chair was back-lit by the light comming through the wall sized window, a garish display of the various neon signs crowding the view of the pedestrians on the street, many floors below. Hassans well worded report of the Titan incident lay on the desk, apparently unread. His Leige Lord had died there, along with Lady Amaterasu, a true hero of Mishima, had reported fallen and ben raised as an undead abomination.
"So, Soshuri-chan, you have failed." The voice from behind the chair startled him, not just due to it's suddeness, but also it's youth. "Shoju-san... my strategy was fool-proof, there was no way it could have failed" Soshuri's voiced faltered, his words seemingly swallowed by the darkness. A pregnant pause passed. "The only fool, my dear Soshuri-chan, was you. You caused the death of a Liege Lord, and if I had fully trusted you, the life of one of our greatest heros, Lady Amaterasu."
Soshuri was confused. "B-b-but my Daimyo, Lady Amaterasu was reported to have been raised as Undead..."
A soft voice from behind him crooned, "Reports have known to be wrong, little man." Soshuri swiveled suddenly in his chair, and looked into the unmistakable eyes of Amaterasu herself, clad in a conservatively cut priestess robe. He attempted to stutter out a question, but she interupted him before he could get the words past his tongue.
"The reason I stand before you, little man, is because I sent one of my doubles out instead, a double, I must say, took many years of training to get to my esteemed rank. An investment, if you will. An investment that you foolishly squandered." Her eyes burned into his, and he turned his view to the carpet, trying to avoid her piercing gaze. the sound of a throat clearing behind him game him the opportunity to turn his back on the esteemed High Priestess. The chair behind the desk was turned around, and sitting in it was a boy no older then 18.
The boy spoke. "Your failure in this endevour has dishonoured not only you, but your family as well. Since you were too much of a coward to take your own life, and instead send me a detailed lie attempting to cover for your shame, you will leave this place, and go immediately to Yokohama spaceport. There you will meet your wife, father, and 2 sons, and you will all be taken from there to our processing base on Mars. No one will aknowlege your existance from this moment on, nor theres. perhaps your shame will be lifted when you sacrifice your life in service to the Corporation. Now leave, Sohuri, and may this be the last time you hear your name."
The sudden shock of all this was too much to bear. "Dismissed.", The boy said.
Soshuri stood up, cleared his throat, and immediately fainted.
He woke up some time later, the exact amount, he could not say. the slick grey walls of a transport ship greeted him, along with the eyes of his wife, who wore a simple grey mask over her entire head, as he focused on her, she averted her eyes, and went to the wall of the cargo container, and began weeping softly. He looked down on himself, and saw the rough brown robes that were so ignored, yet so feared by all Mishimans. He had become lower then the lowest criminal, more base then the obnoxious Capitolians, and almost more reviled that the hordes of the Dark Legion. He had become that which was worse then death itself. That which only the cleansing fire of a redemtion harness could erase.
Faceless.
