In Media Res ~ The General and the Stars

[foresightis2020]

Just like before, it seems the memory starts up once again, though there seems to be interference...or static at certain points also present.

"—Don't be too harsh, Yukong. If this gets out, the whole galaxy will think the Alliance has forgotten how to treat our guests."

The voice belongs to none other than Jing Yuan, who walks forward with a little smile on his face, which fades away soon enough. He looks a bit different than usual—his appearance transparent, highlighted by a bright blue. Not too much like the small tree positioned behind him.

Holographic.

The woman he addresses looks at him—her appearance is clear. Dark green hair, amethyst eyes with fox-like ears that sit upon her head, though she seems to have a commanding aura nonetheless. Still, here she looks surprised, speaking Jing Yuan's name.

Jing Yuan interrupts her, turning elsewhere, "It is very unlikely that the Express has joined forces with the Stellaron Hunters. They are mortal enemies, after all."

His words and attention seem to be temporarily directed towards on a group of three individuals standing nearby. A young lady with shoulder-length pink hair, a grey-haired male, and an older, brown-haired man with glasses.

Then, after that, Jing Yuan grants an apology and introduces himself with his name, along with whatever he says after that, which seems to be obscured.

Yukong frowns and turns towards Jing Yuan, her words spoken over some static, "...this is an internal affair for the Luofu..."

Jing Yuan smiles brightly as he turns to face her, responding, "I fully agree with you, Helm Master Yukong; this is indeed an internal affair."

After that, he turns back to the three saying, "I am sorry, guests of the Astral Express. It is true that there is Stellaron on the Luofu, but I'm afraid I cannot accept your kind offer to help resolve the issue. This is a Xianzhou matter, and..."

Suddenly, the scene seems to glitch once again to another scene entirely.

Kurapika now sees three figures stand in a large, spacious room with red pillars, and a myriad decorations, including symbols of dragons spaced here or there, alongside a window into the stars above.

One is Jing Yuan, one is a blond-haired young boy, and one is a holographic projection of a young woman with long hair.

Addressing the projection, Jing Yuan asks, "[STATIC]...What do you make of it?"

She seems to merely scoff, placing one hand on her hip. "What do I make of it? 'The way of heaven is apparent, but the heart of humanity is often deceptive.' Are you...[STATIC]...their true intentions?"

Jing Yuan crosses his arms as he says, "That won't be necessary. The crew has nothing to do with the incident, of that I am almost certain. It isn't their intentions that trouble me. All I want is for them to lure out the one we're after."

She blinks and asks, "Wasn't that my idea, [STATIC]?"

"Indeed, your counsel has always been of great help to me. You may use your discretion on the matters ahead of us."

She huffs and asks, "Why don't you [STATIC] and I use my discretion full-time?"

One gets the feeling that this is a question this young lady has asked many times before, judging by her tone. At this, Jing Yuan only manages to laugh. "It is still too soon, unfortunately. If something goes wrong, you'll need [STATIC] to take the blame. How could I simply walk away and put you at such risk?"

"If you brought me that Blade earlier, none of this would've been necessary. Wait, what are you up to exactly? Jing Yuan, did you...let him escape on purpose?!"

Jing Yuan turns away from the hologram, walking to position himself on the other side of the table nearby, crossing his arms as he laughs once more. "Me? I had no idea he might escape! Unlike you, my gaze never travels beyond the horizon. I take full responsibility—the...[STATIC]...failed in their duty."

"Hmph, I can understand. There's a lot to take care of on the Xianzhou—you were bound to miss something. Thank goodness I'm here..."

She pauses and then says, "On that note, perhaps it's about time you finally nominate me as your successor when [STATIC] next convene..."

Jing Yuan merely replies, "Yes, yes, yes...I have to go now—I'll leave this in your overwhelmingly capable hands, Fu Xuan."

As she is about to surely protest, he turns the hologram off. After which, the general sighs to himself. "There are three things in the world that I can't seem to ride myself of: the troubles of the Xianzhou, the papers on my desk, and the weeds in my garden."

The blond boy beside him finally speaks up, saying, "[STATIC] wants the general's position for herself. Everyone knows that."

"She is very capable, but her intellect is burdened by a quick temper. I'll retire when she's achieved a better balance."

Then, the boy speaks up again. "This Stellaron thing is easy. Blade escaped, now we gotta go get him. Just say the word and I'll solve this in a flash."

Jing Yuan unfolds his arms, walking on over to the blond as he replies, "I can understand your impatience, and I know you want to prove yourself. Now is not the time. If you truly wish to become..."

His next words are also obscured here.

The young boy tsks and asks, "You think I'd lose to Blade?"

"I'm saying you need to have patience, Yanqing. [STATIC] Xianzhou is different from a sword fight. The only way to build momentum is to work slowly. Besides, we still don't know who's really moving the chess pieces..."

Jing Yuan casts a gaze towards where a game lies with pieces upon it. "There is something we must take care of before making our next move. As long as it remains unresolved, we're at a stalemate. That something is the Stellaron."

A stalemate can be a condition of victory. But not like this. Jing Yuan's eyes narrow for a moment, expression unreadable as he asks, "How did it manage to by-pass the Sky-Faring Commission's inspections and the.....Commission's predictions? Where is it now?"

Yanqing excitedly suggests, "I say we bring those two Stellaron Hunters...[STATIC]...she'll get an answer out of them in no time."

Jing Yuan turns his gaze towards where the stars lie and says, "I've asked our friends from the Express to take care of that for us. Worry not, you'll have your moment when the current stalement is broken. You are my most trusted aide, and there are some things I would only assign to you."

As he says this, Yanqing pouts, turns away, and begins to walk off. Though, Jing Yuan is still facing away as he continues to speak, "Speaking of which, Yanqing..."

When Jing Yuan turns around, the blond boy is nowhere to be found, making him sigh. "That boy..."

He smiles wryly to himself as he mutters, "I suppose it is my fault. I should have given him an opportunity already. 'A sharp sword can't stay sheathed forever,' haha..."

But he shakes his head. "My fear is that this might prove too big a setback, bigger than his exuberance..."