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

[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.

[lawlietschiffer]

"No," L answered Arc's question. He remained perched on his chair, his back hunched over and his knees up as he regarded the room from over the top of them.

"Following its acquisition," he chose his words carefully, "the stone was placed in a secure location. It has since been moved."

By Aizen, no doubt. He was no happier with L knowing where the stone was than L was with Aizen knowing where it was.

[breaksthecuties]

Ari shot L a withering look. "You mean to tell us you had your hands on something as powerful as a Philosopher's Stone and didn't keep track of it?"

She was a hair's breadth from calling the man incompetent, but then, she didn't need to actually use that word to get her meaning across.

[thatsit]

"If I may," Ignis said, he was only an envoy, but he was there on behalf of a member, and was expected to act on their behalf. "Such a move could serve to discredit the Galbadian government should they be forced to release Captain Aizen without charge, and likely with an apology." He looked around at the faces within the room. Three sets of Nifs, themselves standing for Lucis, and how many of the others stood for the political interests of Ivalician countries? So outside of Galbadian interests, Aizen's capture had also served to bring the stone's existence to the attention of everyone in this room, when previously it was only known about by a few. And this room could have been significantly busier than it presently was.

Which would mean that not only would Aizen now find it difficult to utilise the stone for any underhand dealings in favour of the Empire, but there would be some degree of posturing within the clan over rights to the stone and its applications.

They'd effectively rendered Aizen incapable of using it discreetly, if he'd ever planned to, because everyone would now be on the alert for it. Whatever use he might have intended for the stone, Aizen would now find several sets of very hungry eyes hovering over his shoulder.

"However, as Ienzo has said," Ignis glanced over at the young man, one of the few who had known of its existence before today, "information about the stone's existence was held only by a few, and yet appears to have reached Galbadian ears."

[hellsingsforyou]

Integra grinned, morbidly. "They obviously expected Aizen to surrender the stone, or information about it. Who knows what lengths they're going to to try and make him fold."

Behind her, Alucard gave a low, unpleasant chuckle. It didn't surprise her that he'd find it amusing. If anything, it entertained her how much the Galbadians had underestimated the strength, and stubbornness of Aizen.

[theschemer]

"There's nobody who knew about the stone that would gain anything from Galbadia getting their hands on it," Ienzo pointed out. "A military with a strong focus of Alchemy getting hold of the stone would, arguably, be a far more dangerous situation than it being in Aizen's care."

Khamja dealt in weapons, but that was for money more than political gain. They played all sides of the field, without favouring one. Giving Galbadia a dangerous artifact would just shift the focus from the Empire onto Galbadia as a main aggressor. Currently, they held their own against all the odds. They were big enough, but had suffered their own political upheaval in the past few decades and they had never been part of the Galtean Alliance.

[thesilentstorm]

"It would result in a Cold War," Lumi said.

When two military forces had such lethal arms at their disposal that neither would dare use them, it became a stand off, a war of risk and fear of who would use their world-ending armaments first. The first to use their new toy would forever be painted as the aggressor in the annals of history, if either was so foolish.

Spira, as far as Lumi knew, did not have a good track record of restraint where superweapons were concerned.

[thechillyacademic]

Even looked sharply at L as he confessed to not knowing.

Aizen had had a Philosopher's Stone, and L didn't know its whereabouts? There was a lot L didn't know these days, weren't here? He'd been warned upon joining that L had eyes everywhere, that one had to be careful what was said lest it reach him, but that was twice in one day he'd fallen short of having all the answers.

Once with Arc and again with this colossal oversight.

"When was it moved?" He asked. "I had it on good authority that you knew everything."

[shoottokill]

Gin watched the chatter with interest and an unreadable expression.

Aizen had a Philosopher's Stone and few people knew of this, or the fact that Midgar had been involved. Yet, Galbadia had it on apparently good authority that Aizen had both a hand in the Fall and had the stone and he'd been captured accordingly. L, one of the people who knew about the stone, and a man with an open grudge against Aizen himself, had apparently lost track of it.

What a coincidence.

Had he checked down the back of the sofa cushions, he wondered?

[lawlietschiffer]

L fixed his attention on Even, although both he and Ariane were challenging him. He knew where his own suspicions lay when it came to the careful leaking of information about the stone to Galbadia. Aizen wouldn't have placed himself in that unfortunate position, but there were others who acted with little care for the fallout.

And whom L knew had an interest in discrediting him, though for what reasons he couldn't say.

"At most in the last month," he answered. No one else needed to know if that was entirely true or not, and wouldn't be able to confirm their answer one way or another in any case.

"I have the means to know everything," he said, placidly, looking very carefully at Even. "I'm not, however, psychic."

He turned his attention to Ari. "The stone was held in a secure location. Aizen's rather proprietorial over it, having risked his underlings and his own life in order to get it. I wasn't about to take control of its location from him."

[breaksthecuties]

Ari watched L, critically. Has it not been for Aizen's message to his underling, they'd only have L's word for it that Aizen had been the one to move it. It was fortunate for L, then, that the underling has been sent, and the message had been given.

"So," she said, turning away from L and addressing Kuja, "in order to access the stone we require its owner, who is currently locked in the depths of a hostile country. Which makes that stone functionally useless."

Much like other things, she thought, glancing briefly at L again.

[hellsingsforyou]

"Knowledge of its existence is powerful enough," Integra said. "It should have been destroyed."

An artifact like that, as powerful as that, with the political consequences its mere existence could have, shouldn't be allowed to exist. And it certainly shouldn't be in the hands of any one person.

[theschemer]

"A Philosopher's Stone can't be destroyed," Ienzo said, addressing Integra. "It's a perfect object. More than that, as mentioned, it's an incredibly concentrated source of power. To attempt to destroy it would likely result in an explosion of raw energy, similar to what wiped Nabudis off the map, only rather more volatile."

He thought of his own small piece.

It felt like glass, unusually dense, but crystalline in structure. It was ruby red and cold to the touch, though that came as a surprise only because he knew what it was made from. He felt guilty owning it, guilty for having played his part in the production of it.

Telling them that it could be sectioned off and broken up into pieces would be like throwing chum into the ocean. He kept his silence.

[hagsfiend]

Kreeth folded her arms, the movement enough to pull her wings up for a moment. She looked around at those gathered and cocked her head to one side, birdlike more than curious.

"And ... what? So you had a stone, and now you don't have a stone, and the only person with the stone is locked away in a country I've never heard of and only he knows where it is," she said, gold eyes looking over all gathered. "Why did we need to know about it? Do you intend to use us to get him out? Are we going to be given use of the stone for a participation reward if he gets released? What else is on the agenda?"

[gracefuldahlia]

"Is rescue on the cards?" Marluxia asked, addressing the question to Kuja. Vanishingly few knew of his ability to traverse continents without having to do anything so crass as traverse them, and the Arrancar, Aizen's own underlings, shared that ability. A rescue wasn't as far out of the question as it initially sounded.

On the other hand, it would ruin Aizen's public persona, and from all appearances, he'd be out sooner or later without their risky interventions.

True, it put the stone out of reach of those that might seek to use it for the moment since Aizen had displayed the foresight to move it somewhere that required his presence to access it. But Aizen hadn't come forward with the stone's existence before, so his willingness to work with others was in question anyway.

"Or is the main concern the presence of an obvious leak within the very small number of people that knew about what was retrieved from Midgar?"

[doesthissmellofchloroform]

Hojo snorted with derision. "If he's been stupid enough to let himself be captured that's his problem. But what if his incarceration goes on?" It could, depending on how desperate Galbadia were to get their hands on a stone, and if they were half as eager as Hojo himself then they'd be putting Aizen some intense scrutiny.

"The man has a lot of assets running free without anyone keeping them in check." He looked across at Nel. She was one of them. She didn't show appropriate respect to members of the clan.

And they were scientifically fascinating.