Shinigami Daku's Story

A rather small, bland, and inconspicuous gray shuttle made its way slowly, until it dock, landing amidst other vessels, it groaned as its engines eventually sputtered and whined until fading to silence. After a brief moment of silence the door opened and a single figure emerged, draped in a black hooded coat that obscured much of its form aside from the eyes. The figure took one heavy step after another, down the staircase, until his feet touched the floor. There was no fanfare for this figure, he was designated a big game hunter, and that was pretty well the truth... he is a hunter.

Whoever he was before no longer mattered, a Shinigami serves their next life to do as the Don Kurogane directs and nothing more. Today was peculiar, however, he was to retrieve, not kill, a rare if never before being a thing, but the orders cannot be in error... they were from the Don himself.

Shinigami rule #1, the Don's Will is absolute. You are his blade.
Shinigami rule #2, the Don's Will cannot be contested. Cut down those that stand its way.
Shinigami rule #3, failure to carry out the Don's Will is death.
Shinigami rule #4, upon death, leave no corpse behind.

As he was setting off his scouting drones, Daku was interrupted by alarms going off. He tapped the side of his head to get the transmission, reading off a report of a stolen Gundam... and that is where the closest thing he could feel to annoyance had started to set it. A Gundam? He looked up and tracked the trail it left behind and, with a growl he turned around, ran back to the dock, shoving various visitors out of the way and hurriedly entering his vessel. He repeats in his mind that he was ordered to bring her back alive, as thoughts of evisceration dance in his mind. With a hurried rush, he starts the engines and takes off.

The simple-looking gray shuttle set at full hot pursuit of the stolen Gundam finds the trail seems to have abruptly... stopped. Daku stares at the monitors, checks the various bands. There's no way it had warp technology, not from the description given, perhaps cloaking? Annoying! He sucks in through his teeth and some steam emits from his various cybernetics. He then started looking up the specs for the Gundam while simultaneously making a call.

"Target has acquired a vessel by the name of Sol Senshi, Gundam, high speed," he said, keeping it to the point.

"For a stray she is quite resourceful," the voice responded, Kurogane himself. "Or simply has idiotic luck, doubt she even knows how to operate the thing properly."

"Suggestion?" Daku asked.

"Secondary objective: retrieve Sol Senshi," the voice responded, Kurogane himself. "Primary objective unchanged, with added detail that if primary target in the exchange expires, then it is an acceptable loss. A low profile is no longer necessary, feel free to use that."

If Daku could still smile, he'd have grinned at the last suggestion, and with a push of a button the simple-looking shuttle seemed to unravel into a new shape.

what once appeared as a simple shuttle was more the holographic illusion that cloaked a far more nefarious form, the beautiful work of the Zephyr Veil research and development. It was still just a prototype design, but it fit its purpose with lethal efficiency. As Daku was now showing, it unfurled its wings, and sensors resumed tracking the target. Once frustrated Shinigami was now once again calm, he no longer had to work within restrictions. As for the Gundam, Before, operation would be done through a helmet, but with a Shinigami, this could be done more directly. He grabbed a dangling cable and hooked it to a port on the back of his neck, interfacing neurally to the Gundam's systems, various information flooding through his mind showing things like status, damage, heat, shielding, and so on.

It was then, when he scanned the area, that he realized that the cloak was little more than an optical cloak, how basic, what did this thing come from? A museum? He would laugh if such were still possible, but as he readied to rush his target, it began to take off again. Not this time, with a thought, he tracked her movement and... transforms into its "mobile armor" mode, and takes off at high speed on full pursuit of the Sol Senshi. Daku had considered hailing her, after all, his primary mission, though now malleable, was still to retrieve her still breathing. Though, perhaps, she was so stupid to turn off her communications?

"Carmen Dellevon, surrender," he said simply, in his growling synthetic voice, testing if anything could get through. Probably not. Maybe he should just start shooting at this point... at the non-vital parts.

Hello there,

crackled through the communications systems of the Amatsu-Mikaboshi, coming from none other than Sol Senshi.

It was a polite greeting, and devoid of stress- an odd response for someone who had just been ordered to surrender. Did the occupant of the Sol Senshi even hear the command? Regardless, the Sol Senshi continued at-pace. It looked like it was heading for Epsilon Eridani.

A broadcast sounded throughout the void then, aimed at the closing mobile suits.

"Attention Gundam units, identify yourselves immediately! Is there a situation?"

The harsh crackling of the transmission caused Daku to grit his teeth. How old was this thing? It became readily clear to him that the Sol Senshi was not receiving transmissions, either non-functioning or turned off. Either that or Carmen was playing coy, and he has no time for that, nor any capacity for such tactics to work on him.

The Shinigami had the Amatsu-Mikaboshi transform back into its Gundam form as he made his approach to the Sol Senshi, and readied the whip-like heat rod, opting not to power it up. After all, it was still a primary objective to take her alive. He increased thrust and narrowed the gap between them even more. Maybe taking out an engine would help.

Then another transmission came in, from interlopers, one a the moment the cover came down it was bound to happen, drawing attention was inevitable. His sensors even picked up weapons powering up and, opening up screens to visualize the various approaching vessels. Identifying one as the Artruth, and the other Valiant Lustre. That second one concerned him more, Aschen, had he encroached the boarder? He had no intention to submit for inspection, may as well return the hails and make the situation known. Especially to give the Aschen something to think about instead of making a folly display of force. Opening a wide band broadcast of his own, he made his own announcement with a coarse yet comprehensible voice.

"Attention, this is Shinigami Daku, in current operation of OZ-13MS Gundam Epyon, modified, designation: 'Amatsu-Mikaboshi', a blade in service of Lord Kurogane of the Zephyr Veil. This is not an act of hostility upon your... respective forces. The target is a hijacked AEU-09 AEU Enact Space Type, designation: 'Sol Senshi', or rather, the pilot, Carmen Dellevon. She is charged with familicide of Cobreo Dellevon, and will be judged accordingly by the Dellevon family, or here should she choose to resist. It is ill-advised to intervene, as the will must be fulfilled."

As the Amatsu-Mikaboshi concluded it's transmitted response to the Aschen Empire, the Sol Senshi all but dropped from the sky. It was going down, it's version of down, plummeting in a deep arc. It was picking up speed - clocking in at 130,000 MPS as it completed it's arc and shot off towards the Perseus Arm.

The Shinigami's gaze narrowed with intense focus as a response swiftly arrived from the Valiant Lustre. He couldn't help but appreciate the promptness of their reply.

"Shinigami Daku, this is Commander Adrian Samaras of the Imperial Aschen Navy, Carmen Dellevon is a highly wanted arch-terrorist and enemy of the state, she must be apprehended at all costs, perhaps a mutually beneficial arrangement can be had, but my orders are clear, and I will neutralize any threat that attempts to interfere. Be advised the Imperial fleet will arrive soon to prosecute this goal."

As he observed the Sol Senshi making a hasty retreat, the Shinigami recognized the pilot's growing realization of the gravity of the situation. While taking lives came easily to him, live captures posed a different challenge, one that fell outside his usual parameters. Reacting swiftly, he initiated contact with Kurogane once more.

"Target is escaping, an Aschen vessel is in pursuit for charges of their own against her. The commander has given opening for a negotiable exchange, but will react with hostility towards intervention," the Shinigami reported.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," Kurogane's voice echoed in response. "It matters not who has her; in fact, this makes matters more simple for us. Offer full cooperation and a satisfactory benefit towards the Dellevon family."

As the communication went silent once more, the Shinigami wasted no time. He deftly flipped upside down, transformed the Amatsu-Mikaboshi into its "Mobile Armor" mode and accelerated, causing the surrounding space to warp around him. Despite the abrupt speed, he remained stoic and composed, a testament to his unwavering resolve. Indeed, Kamaitachi were inherently built for high-speed maneuvers, and the Shinigami's cybernetic augmentation only amplified this innate capability. He reestablished a line of communication with the Valiant Lustre.

"Commander Adrian Samaras, that is acceptable. It matters not by the means, it only matters that she is held accountable for her crime of familicide against the Dellevon family. To that end, my proposal is simple: that at least one Dellevon witness be present in confirmation of justice served. Is that acceptable?"

With a set course, it was not to directly pursue the Sol Senshi but to to accelerate past it in an attempt to further cut off an escape.

He attempted to recalculate her next destination but was perplexed to find that it deviated significantly from his original projections. The erratic motions of the Sol Senshi raised questions: Was Carmen intentionally maneuvering in this unpredictable manner, or had she lost control of the Gundam? The prey had become increasingly unpredictable, the Shinigami thought as he tried to also see where the Aschen themselves were. Had even they lost her?

He made another motion, gesturing towards the display and expanded every possible projection. Had she instead plunged towards the Norma Arm? There was only one choice: retrace the trail.

The inexorable march toward resolution pressed heavily upon Daku. The Shinigami, harbinger of an end long overdue, grappled with the internal conflict of a mission that demanded capture, not the decisive finality that lethal force promised. The intricacies of this ethical dilemma wove through every fiber of his being, challenging the very code by which he operated.

Leaning into the paradox, he acknowledged the capacity for violence within him, restrained only by the stringent directives that governed his actions. The lack of direct combat only muddied the waters, leaving him yearning for a cause that would align with the principles laid down by Kurogane, his guiding force.

A lingering uncertainty threaded through the air, amplified by the absence of the Aschen. Were they still in relentless pursuit, or had their pursuit waned? In this moment of contemplation, Daku found himself at a crossroads, willing to surrender Carmen to the Aschen's authority, indifferent to the questionable charges tethered to her. The ends justified the means — a sentiment that resonated with his resolve.

"End..." he mused, a denied conclusion lingering in the air, challenging the very essence of finality that his role as a Shinigami seemed to embody. And with his will, he made the Gundam push forward, intent to bring this facade to its end.