You wanna get ahead?

[breaksthecuties]

Ariane Emory, Ari to those that knew her well, was a busy woman. When the call had come that Khamja were holding a meeting she nearly ignored it. She didn't attend Khamja's concerns often; they were a sideline, a way to keep an ear to the ground for rumblings in the distance. When you ran such a high profile laboratory complex as Reseune, it helped to know what was going on in the outside world. The shifts in politics might not impact science, but they could impact things like funding, or where those holding the purse strings wanted you to direct your attention.

The actual day of the meeting, however, had fallen into a gap in her schedule. It was a convenient gap, all the more convenient because of what she expected the meeting would be about. Khamja liked to keep its fingers in multiple pies, and the ongoing tension between Niflheim and Lucis was the bigger concern within Niflheim, but whisperings of the outbreak of war on the lowerworld of Spira had reached even there.

Galbadia had taken a Gotei Captain hostage on false charges, and said Gotei Captain happened to be one of the two resident Captains in Archades. One was the lead scientist at Draklor, the other was supposedly a kindly, benevolent figure that had influence in Archadian upper echelons. Ari had her doubts about the kindly and benevolent part; no one rose to that sort of position by being nice, but it was the common rhetoric.

She'd taken the journey time to educate herself on the political situation, and the individuals involved. Galbadia and the Archadian Empire had tense relations. Politically speaking, they'd been eyeballing each other for some time. Galbadia's military were highly effective. If they weren't they'd be an Archadian territory by now. Their remit thus far seemed to have been defensive, but now they'd taken an action that was distinctly offensive.

And curious. Arresting someone whose role lent them diplomatic immunity and a pass to cross borders in the pursuit of their duty was treacherous ground to walk. There had to be some reason other than mere trespass. Possibly, they believed he'd been spying, but that seemed like very dangerous accusations to make right now.

There were people in Khamja whose entire reason for existing was the sourcing of information that couldn't be obtained by other means. That was why Ari had gone to the effort of attending. It was likely Khamja knew more about what was taking place than any single given side of the affair right now.

Her two personal azi accompanied her. She rarely went anywhere without them. They were bodyguards, but they were also companions; people she could trust to listen and retain information without spilling it to undesirable ears. There had been no reason not to bring them.

Ari had been to Khamja's Desert Palace only once before, some years ago. It had been a brief visit for the purposes of her induction into Khamja's ranks. Still, some memories sparked along the way as they moved from the airship port to the main entrance. She remembered the main entrance, and it, it seemed, remembered her, opening to a touch of a glyph. It was a magical defence system. Ari couldn't say she approved. She much preferred more high tech methods of protecting information. Passwords and retina scans were less prone to failure over the course of time.

Though this would have been put in place by Kuja, who she remembered was rather proud of his ability as a mage. Perhaps he was confident the wards would last, or perhaps he carefully reapplied them on a regular basis. It was a complicated bit of magic, she had to grant him that.

The first entrance took them into a corridor, and beyond that lay another entrance. Catlin and Florian were probably working the Room in their heads already; a bottleneck like this would have them on guard. The next entrance opened out into a much larger hall, expensively decorated and, Ari had to admit, a little grander than she remembered.

The place also thronged with the reiatsu of people. It certainly hadn't been this well occupied the last time she'd been here.

Comments

[immoralmelody]

"Hence the meeting," Kuja said, a smile on his lips, addressing the three to have spoken so far. "Aizen is indeed officially neutral and even if he had shown political leanings in places other than behind the scenes, Galbadia still have no right or real reason to capture him. A foolish move on their part... So,"

So. So that meant there was more to it. That meant that they were willing to risk a scandal and a potential war to keep him.

"I daresay they are holding him in D-District for two reasons. The first... positive though his reputation is, he is still a Gotei 13 Captain. There are few as powerful as those who rise to that position. Should they suspect him of wrongdoing, for whatever reason, securing him in a prison that effectively nullifies the Chakra of all within the structure is, of course, the intelligent course of action. A Captain could neutralise a room full of average soldiers with their spiritual pressure alone."

Any roomful of people, though probably not the one they were standing in. Chakra offset the effects of Chakra, and should a Captain release their control, there would undoubtedly be a handful of people still standing at a Khamja meeting, but likely not anywhere else.

"Secondly... it is deep in Galbadian territory. Near impossible to reach."

[breaksthecuties]

Ari glanced around the room. Aizen's son was staying quiet, likely a wise decision right now. As the newest member in the room he'd be better placed listening and paying attention than speaking up.

So far it seemed Aizen counted two allies among their number, and one detractor, or at least, two people speaking up in his favour and one that seemed to think Galbadia's actions weren't out of nowhere.

But the young Selkie was right. In Aizen's position he could hardly stage a violent breakout, and under false charges with such little basis he'd be hard pressed to do anything but sit and wait it out or risk his public reputation. That made keeping him in a high security prison in the depths of the country overkill. It also meant that even if Aizen could escape, he wasn't likely to. It was rather clever of whoever had decided to capture him.

It also meant they were rather well informed. There were easier ways to declare war, and less charged places to hold a supposed political prisoner, so....

"So what do the Galbadians actually want with him, and why does it concern us?" she asked. They hadn't been dragged down into a meeting on Ivalice because a member of Khamja was in trouble. Something was afoot that Khamja had their grubby little fingers in. Khamja was more than willing to let individual members rot in prison so long as they weren't likely to surrender the names of shadow members.

Take the aforementioned Kimblee, for example.

[declaregamuza]

Nel bit the inside of her lip, but stayed resolutely still against the wall, listening as the remaining members of Khamja discussed whether Aizen had been a very naughty boy.

Near impossible to reach. Kuja wasn't kidding. The only way to get to D District prison was by going through most of Galbadia's army. The Arrancar could probably do it, so long as they didn't run into too many of the state alchemists along the way, but getting in and getting out were two different tasks. And the prison was taking its toll even if Aizen tried to pretend it wasn't. The notion of a forceful rescue was a last resort.

But Galbadia wouldn't be able to excuse keeping him for much longer anyway, not on the charges they'd publicised. They needed to come up with something else and fast to keep him there longer or the political pressure would be too great.

The discussion wasn't overtly for or against Aizen, of course. Nel expected Gin to speak nominally in Aizen's favour, and it was no surprise that L showed no sympathy for his position. They hadn't got on to the subject of what they were going to do yet, but Nel got the distinct impression the Jyllandi woman with the bodyguards wouldn't be opposed to leaving Aizen where he was.

Nel would have to be careful not to let her feelings get the better of her if anyone suggested that. She'd seen him, in that prison. She'd take the Arrancar herself to get him out if it was the only way, but she couldn't say anything to that effect to this lot. She was just an underling here. Her opinion wasn't wanted unless they asked.

[theschemer]

Ienzo had a feeling he knew what they wanted with him.

Aizen's potential political affiliation was likely to be widely considered the reason for his capture, but there had been little said on the media about it, other than speculation. Neither the Galbadian authorities nor those of the Archadian Empire had made any official statements, except that a Captain of the Gotei 13 was being held in a country outside of his jurisdiction. That it was due to his political leanings was the obvious conclusion, the one everybody would draw, but not the one he'd figure.

He suspected that somebody within Clan Khamja had leaked that Aizen had access to a Philosopher's Stone. He'd thought it since he'd found out that it was Galbadia that held him. If it was his political opinions, any number of countries could have grabbed him. He travelled all over as a researcher as much as anything else, he was known for his appreciation for books and had been to any number of places to do his reading, many of these enemies of his home country. Rozarria, Bancour, Dalmasca, Lionel... any of them could have grabbed him.

Galbadia were the only country in Spira, Purvamae or Lowerworld, that had specialist military personnel of the Alchemist Class. Aizen had a supposedly mythological object held in high regard by that Class and only that Class. The stone, once thought to be little more than fanciful tales, was said to allow Alchemists to bypass the law of Equivalent Exchange. That was the only connection Aizen could have possibly had to Galbadia, or why they wanted him, and the number of people who knew he had one were extremely low.

If that was the reason, Khamja had a traitor in their midst, though that was like trying to find a needle in a pile of needles.

[immoralmelody]

Kuja turned to Ariane.

Her bodyguards hadn't moved. They were certainly well-trained little extras, weren't they? They made him think of Lumi, Marluxia's partner. Quiet, too-perfect, too observant.

"Ah," he said, smiling. "A fact not widely known, even within Clan Khamja, is that Aizen had recently come into the ownership of a very valuable artefact -- a Philosopher's Stone."

He glanced at Ienzo. He was one of two Alchemists in the room, and he knew what Aizen had. He was a smart boy, others had said. Crafty, intelligent, very likely to have figured out the connection between Aizen and a country with Military Alchemists.

His eyes touched upon Professor Hojo, too. He too practiced that art, though he doubted he was as proficient as Ienzo. The boy didn't even need a circle.

[hagsfiend]

Kreeth's eyes went wide.

A ... Philosopher's Stone? She'd needed to mentally translate that, but she knew to what that referred. It was a mythical object, something that made it so that Alchemy, and Alkahestry, a pursuit she herself was adept in, didn't need to obey the rules. How ..? How had Aizen managed to get that?

She'd kill him herself to get her claws on that.

"What does Galb--"

[theheirapparent]

"What?!"

[doesthissmellofchloroform]

A philosopher's stone.

Such a thing was myth. The means of production lost to the annals of history. No one had managed to recreate one, though many had tried. Some had even come close. The Shinra electric company had wanted to rediscover the secrets. It would have rendered their reliance on mako null.

The military applications appealed to them too, of course, but the scientific applications.... Hojo had been sold down the proverbial river for crafting chimaera. They were costly to produce but the research was invaluable.

A philosopher's stone would make the production so much easier, and the end results so much more effective. No more failures, no more trial and error....

Aizen had one, did he?

Hojo sneered at the boy's outburst. There were a lot of questions to be asked, and 'what' was only the beginning. "What use is something like that to Aizen? The man's not even an alchemist!" He looked directly at Kuja. "You said he came into ownership of it. How?"

[joinmyreunion]

Kadaj's gaze flicked to Arc.

Midgar. The Arrancar had gone to Midgar, and come back, and Grimmjow and Yylfordt and Nel and the rest hadn't talked about what they'd done there. Kadaj hadn't been around in the immediate aftermath, but it hadn't been hard to put the pieces of that puzzle together.

The Arrancar went off on a mission. Midgar fell. Kadaj had left the Palace and entered a world that was reeling from the news, and paralysed by fear. Bancour's government had been crippled.

When he'd come back, Tayuya had been none the wiser about what the Arrancar had been up to that day, but the timing had been very coincidental.

And Grimmjow had never talked about it.

He glanced across at Nel. She'd been there too.

[hellsingsforyou]

Integra drew out a cigar but didn't light it yet. She wanted one. Standing around without one listening to people talk was intensely boring. She was half surprised that Alucard wasn't acting up, but then, he was probably having fun watching people he considered little more than ants try and be sneaky.

"What's a philosopher's stone," she asked, "and why is it so valuable? For those of us that don't know." The mention of it seemed to have made some ears prick up, but it wasn't something in Integra's field of expertise.

She wasn't afraid to admit ignorance. If they were being presented with facts then they needed to be presented with all of them. Otherwise they might be led to some inaccurate conclusions.

[theschemer]

"A Philosopher's Stone is a magical artefact," Ienzo said, speaking up for the first time. He was the one in the room known to be an Alchemist, the class the Stone most benefited and had the most modern associations with. For him not to speak would look suspicious.

He had his arms positioned across himself, the elbow of one arm in the hand of the other, some might say defensively, but others who knew him better would be aware that it was simply how he stood. He looked at Integra, addressing her directly, since she'd asked the question, and ignored Hojo.

"It has heavy associations with the Alchemist Class," told her. "Alchemists use energy and matter-conversion to alter the forms of objects. It's a three-part process -- Understanding, Deconstruction, Reconstruction. Alchemy cannot create objects, only change them within their matter-type. Mineral cannot be converted, say, into animal, and vice-versa. You cannot get out more than you put in. This is the law of Equivalent Exchange."

He dropped his hands to his sides and gestured, face half-hidden by his hair.

"The law of Equivalent Exchange isn't so much a law," except where souls were concerned, but she didn't need to know that, "as a limitation," he raised a finger, quoting, "'In order to Create, something of equal value must be Destroyed.'"

Most who didn't study the art were unaware of it. It was a difficult class, one that required an exceptional amount of research into the composition of objects, the ability to detect this and then use the power of both the Planet and one's own Chakra to deconstruct and reconstruct it. Conventional magic was much easier and had a much wider variety of applications, especially where battle was concerned.

"The Philosopher's Stone is an object that allows an Alchemist to bypass this law by using the stone as the price paid for otherwise impossible transmutations. It can create something from nothing, it can alter matter from mineral to animal, it can increase the effects of regular transformations," he explained. "In short ... it is a power source."

[immoralmelody]

Kuja allowed Ienzo a dramatic pause.

The revelation wouldn't be surprising to some of those present, the scientists, the learned... but others obviously had never heard of such a thing. Ienzo probably hadn't needed to go into the full explanation, but who was Kuja to deny the boy a little dramatic flair?

"A power source," he repeated, in the silence left in the wake of the boy's words. "I daresay it has applications beyond Alchemy," he said, fixing his blue eyes on Hojo directly.

[thesilentstorm]

Lumi inclined his head at the boy's explanation of his Class, and the object's relation to it. That was interesting. In a world filled with nonsense termed 'magic', it seemed as though it had scientific applications, with sensible limitations.

The Philosopher's Stone was source of power... a battery. It allowed Alchemists to create something from nothing, an implication that suggested that whatever was in the stone was being used up, but was extremely potent.

He thought back to his research into his own subject -- Airships. Those before the War of the Magi had been powered by something that allowed them to move through Mist, the magical byproduct of Spira's strange life-cycle, without detriment. It interfered with everything else, but the Jagd-proofed ships were unique in their resilience.

Perhaps..? No.

He didn't speak. He'd tell Marluxia of this later.

[thatsit]

Ignis listened in mute fascination. Alchemy wasn't practiced within Lucis. There was no law against it, it had just never caught on as a class. Ignis doubted there were any alchemists within Insomnia, although perhaps the research division of the Glaive might have a use for it.

But such a thing as a Philosopher's stone sounded immensely powerful. It could revolutionise technology, and scientific advancement, could entirely change the means of production. How much more cost effective would production be when one could use an alchemical short cut and a particular stone?

If it could change matter from mineral to animal, what were the potential medical benefits? Could it be a way to heal every ailment, every wound that might befall a person?

Could it be used to extend life? To regenerate old flesh and make it strong and youthful once more?

No wonder it was valuable. No wonder Galbadia were willing to risk war in order to get it. If they obtained it, no enemy could stand against them. The rewards vastly outweighed the risks.

It could be just what Lucis required.

[lesstravelled]

Road tilted her head and watched the greasy Ivalician scientist in his white coat.

A philosopher's stone was on the loose somewhere in the world. That wasn't something the Noah clan needed to be concerned about, but it was information the Earl would find very interesting. Something like that, if word got out, would have every country in Spira scrabbling for it.

The Archadian Empire and Galbadia, Niflheim and Lucis, they'd only be the start. And of course with such a high profile Nif scientist in the room with two Lucian envoys when the news broke, both of those countries would be after it, whether they realised it or not.

She grinned, her eyes flicking to Ari.

This was going to get fun.

[doesthissmellofchloroform]

Hojo all but sneered at Kuja.

"To reduce something as alchemically significant as a Philosopher's Stone to a mere battery is to overlook the scientific ramifications of its existence!" he frothed. A power source indeed. A mage like him could have no idea of its true application. "The stone allows its user to disregard the basic underpinning tenets of the whole universe. The full extent of its scientific applications couldn't be explored in ten lifetimes!"

Which did not answer the most important question: "How did Aizen get his hands on such a thing? Are we sure it's even real?"

[immoralmelody]

Kuja held a hand up to Hojo, palm out, expression cold.

"Much of the world is at war," he said. "If any of the world's powers got their hands on that Stone, they would not be thinking of the Alchemical applications so much as the fact that it can be used to power superweapons that would give them the edge in any conflict."

He took a few steps, tail moving gracefully behind him, a fluffy ribbon of silver-white.

"War pushes scientific advancement forward far more effectively than a mere scientist's curiosity," he said, patiently. "Or were you creating Chimeras for the pet trade?" He cocked his head to one side.

He turned from him, not waiting for his answer.

"Aizen got his hands on it through research and leaps of imagination regarding the material. You know what he's like," he said, putting a hand on one hip. "He informed me that he had discovered a longstanding plan for Midgar -- he realised that Midgar's plate was a Transmutation Circle," he spoke with his back to Hojo. "And when the time was right he went in to retrieve it, and at great personal risk, given the state the city was left in thanks to the instability of the reactors..." Bancouri hardware, of course.

He spun on his heel, looking at him again, though only through the corner of his eye.

"And it is most certainly real," Kuja told him. "The Clan's foremost Alchemist was on-site to verify the stone's authenticity," he raised a hand to indicate Ienzo.

[doesthissmellofchloroform]

Hojo inhaled sharply through his nose.

Foremost alchemist.

The clan's foremost alchemist.

"That spit of a child? What could he possibly know?"

Midgar--? No. Hojo had worked in Midgar for years. There was no possible way that plate could have been a transmutation circle and Hojo had never spotted it. The notion was preposterous. That someone would be able to install an alchemical array under their feet, over most of the city's heads, and Hojo wouldn't have realised?

No.

Had Shinra managed to forge one, then? The reactors weren't unstable, Hojo knew that very well. Those reactors didn't explode of their own accord; they had to be attacked.

Had that been what Aizen had done? Destroyed Midgar to cover his tracks?

L had Shinra's files. Hojo would have to go through them later. There must be something about how they'd obtained a stone in there.

So Aizen was a common thief, and had set back years of scientific advancement in order to hide his actions from the world.

[joinmyreunion]

Kadaj felt his patience wearing away with every word out of Hojo's mouth.

"Shut up," he snapped, glaring at Hojo. Ienzo was an alchemist, and a Ryoka. Kadaj had hung around enough Ryoka to know they embodied their elements and their classes more completely than anyone born on Spira. If Ienzo was half the Alchemist that Saix was a berkserker, if he was even a quarter the Alchemist that Even was an ice elemental, then Kadaj was going to trust his opinion. Especially when the alternative opinion was Hojo's.

He turned his attention back to Kuja. "Galbadia would have to know about the stone to take the risk, are we sure that's their reason?"

Because that presented the rather worrying question of how they'd found out.

[immoralmelody]

"Indeed," he said.

He turned to Nel, hiding there, like a good little subordinate should. She was the support act, not the main feature, but her input would prove valuable to the outcome of this tale.

"Neliel visited him in D-District," he said. "If you would..?"

[declaregamuza]

That was Nel's cue. She stepped forward, away from the wall and felt every pair of eyes fall onto her. It was unnerving, in a way. Even though she knew most of these people to be surrounded by so many of them at once while they discussed her master was uncomfortable.

"Of course," she said, nodding graciously to Kuja.

"It was difficult to get details," she began, looking at Even, Ienzo, and Kadaj first. "The guards in the prison didn't want to leave us alone for obvious reasons." Maybe they thought she'd try and smuggle something out. They'd certainly done a thorough search of her, more thorough on the way out than on the way in, she had to admit. "But they've been questioning him about Midgar's destruction, and the whereabouts of the stone."

She glanced at L, briefly. He'd been the one to set up her cover, making it look as if she'd been quietly cohabiting with Aizen for a couple of years, which she had, just not where they'd thought.

"The Galbadian authorities think I'm his girlfriend," as well as, now, one or two of the gossip rags in Archades itself which she hoped would die away quickly, "so we managed to speak in code on that basis, which also suggests they don't want word of what he's being questioned about to leave the prison. When I tried asking him what the charges were he told me it didn't matter, but then he asked me if I'd got rid of those horrible plates yet." Which was a pretty clear reference to Midgar to Nel's mind, since not only was she not responsible for purchasing the dinnerware, Aizen had never complained about it.

Most of their conversation had been like that. There was probably a significant chance that if the guards at the prison had thought she'd go out and tell the world Aizen was being held on suspicion of creating a philosopher's stone that she wouldn't have walked out of the prison. Aizen had been sure to couch everything he could in the most innocuously domestic terms possible.

She let herself look around the room, pausing when she got to Arc and giving him an gently apologetic smile. He hadn't known about his father's activities, which was for the best.

"He also said he'd put my birthday ring somewhere for safekeeping," she added, looking back to Kuja, "and if he wasn't out in time to give it to me I'd have to wait for it, so wherever the stone is, it's safe."

[immoralmelody]

"As you can see," Kuja said, looking at Kadaj, "they are clearly aware that Aizen is not only reported to be in possession of the Stone, but also that Midgar was involved."

He folded his arms, putting his weight on one foot. It might have made other people look unbalanced, but Kuja looked natural enough. Perhaps it was the tail.

[theschemer]

"But this is information that could only have come from within the Clan," Ienzo said, carefully not looking at any of them. He didn't have good enough standing to be accusing people indirectly by casting his eye on them.

Somebody was trying to set Aizen up, that was clear enough.

"They're taking a risk holding him," he added. "Any charges they could make public are weak, or will make them look foolish. They can hardly say they're holding him in connection with Midgar's fall, can they? Or mention a Philosopher's Stone, they may as well say he's wanted for crimes committed on Leshp for all people will believe them."

[thesilentstorm]

"That simply means that they consider the information to have come from a reputable source," Lumi said, voice soft. "To take such a risk means they're sure the payoff will outweigh the scrutiny."

There weren't many people who would suggest to a powerful government that a man it would be tricky to arrest not only had something to do with the fall of a major capital city, but also that it resulted, somehow, in an artifact of significant military importance, especially for their military. There were fewer still that would be believed.

It was always possible that it was a setup by Aizen himself to discredit one of the Empire's leading opponents and cause civil unrest. They couldn't possibly have the evidence to support their accusations, short of discovering the stone itself and he'd apparently put it away quite safely.

Lumi had dealt with snakes like Aizen, he wouldn't put such a thing past him.

[theheirapparent]

Arc struggled to accept the idea that his father had a Philosopher's Stone.

He knew full well that he wasn't the public persona he wore. To the people of the Empire, and beyond, he was one of the gentlest Gotei Captains, warm and kind. In Khamja, he was driven, people had said he was power hungry, and that he had the will and ability to get what he wanted.

But a Philosopher's Stone?

How? Something to do with Midgar, of course, but how had he managed to get the thing? Was the Fall part of the process to obtain it, or simply collateral damage? A city had fallen for it. Was it worth it? Had his father considered the loss of life? Was it accidental, or had he known? He had too many questions, not enough answers.

Somebody had set him up. Who stood to gain the most from that?

"Does anybody know the whereabouts of the stone?" He asked, voice even.