2011-06-29 - Attempted Murder on the Orient Battleship

IN TIMES GONE PAST...

Liu Feng had always been a loyal servant to the royalty of Laoshi Quan. He had served under past Emperors and seen the downfall of his people as the world around them began to crumble. He had been one of the guards who deposed young Jiao Long and sent the boy off into exile and certain death. Through all of this, as the head of the Laoshian military, Feng had come to earn the respect of the people. In the years that followed, with no Emperor chosen, much of the responsibilities had fallen onto his shoulders.

Proud, and more than a little arrogant, Feng saw this as the way things were 'meant to be'. A child could never lead them - and leaving the people's lives up to the strings of fate seemed like a foolish gamble. However, the elders refused to name him as Emperor. Perhaps they saw that seed of darkness in him, that part that made him dangerous to those who stood in his way. Still, with the city falling around them, it seemed only a matter of time before they would be forced to name a new leader. Someone for the people to unite behind. And that someone - would be Liu Feng.

And then /HE/ came. The outsider. Xiang Yuan. The stern-faced man and his battleship offered them salvation, and the people flocked to it as if he were the only light in a dying world. Liu Feng, all his sacrifices and work, were forgotten. The people made their choice to follow this fake, this outsider, this... blasphemous rogue rather than trust in their own power to save themselves. It infuriated Liu Feng, and it drove that darkness still further inward.

He'd followed, feigned his loyalty to their newly named Emperor, but beneath the surface - he seethed like a serpent waiting to strike. Xiang Yuan wanted to reach out to the upper world - and Liu Feng argued against it. The Emperor wanted to bring on someone to teach them about the outside world - and the commander rallied for the preservation of their own, ancient ways. Time and time again, the two - Emperor and Commander butted heads, and each time it became worse.

Xiang had allowed a beastman into their midst - against all of Feng's reservations. It would be just like them... get one of their kind on the inside and then betray them all. The arguments that the mechanic isn't one of Lord Genome's creatures fell on deaf ears - because in Feng's mind, they were all the same. They would band together for their own mutated kind before owing any loyalty to humanity. It sickened him, and his hatred only grew worse as time went on. Then, the Emperor had given him the ultimate dishonor. He had sided with the beast - the betrayor over his own Commanding officer. That is when Feng decided that he would have to take action. He would have to show the people how weak their Emperor really was.

Plans... so many plans...

A FEW MINUTES AGO...

Oh, how it angered him. An outsider had been accepted as the knight of the SuiKyosha, and Liu Feng saw this as just another slight against his own honor. Had he not served loyally for years? Had he not taken so much abuse time and time again at the hands of the fake-king? Had he not earned that right, that respect, that regard in the eyes of the people? But no. The honor went to a loud-mouthed foreigner who had nothing to do with them. Did he even /care/ about what it meant to be a knight, to be a guardian of the people? No. Feng was quite sure that he didn't.

It was the last in a great line of dishonors. Now was the time to put plans in motion. He had been careful - oh so careful to control his thoughts. While he didn't know for certain how the Emperor seemed to appear places, he had his suspicions that there was something more going on than just luck. There were those in the military and civilians who he still held power over, and he was able to use them to watch the Emperor's movements, and the beast's... It was a matter of finding just the right time. Just the right moment when Xiang would be too preoccupied. That would be the moment when he would spring into action at last.

And that time had come...

Xiang Yuan had been slated to review a cargo manifest brought up from the Raven's Nest. His own guards had confirmed the Emperor's presence. Feng, himself, had arranged a few civilians - mostly lovers of his - who would be willing to claim he was elsewhere. The pieces were moving into play nicely. So, with his mind kept calm, he waited. The catgirl came this way each day to the market - walking along a lonely stretch of warf where some of the SuiKyosha's people still fished on boats that sailed upon that internal water. There was no one to see... no one to suspect.

The sound of footsteps was his signal, leaping out from cover and giving the catgirl no time to react. She couldn't see him, his face covered, but one clawed hand did flail outward, lashing along one arm before she fell. With a small laugh, Feng watched the flailing girl for a moment, struggling to keep herself above water, and then simply walked away.

NOW...

The flash of emotions would be quite sudden. Surprise - then panic - then ... nothing. So many times, Sinya had come and gone on the SuiKyosha, and each time that her mind - her emotions drew away, it felt the same. This... this was different. She didn't just leave, she... vanished. There one moment, gone the next. The feeling is startling, unsettling, and certainly enough to set off warning bells in the minds of both Xiang Yuan and Yu Zhi Wu. As for Feng, there is simply this aura of smug satisfaction. The two things cannot be unrelated. The clock is ticking...

IN TIMES GONE PAST...

To Xiang, Feng was a true... pain in the ass. Yet, he respected him to certain extents. He never blamed Feng for his role in overthrowing him when he was a child. He never blamed him for having the thoughts he had. There was a reason he let him be at the head of the military. But much like those elders, with the help of the SuiKyosha, as well as that natural intuition, he too had known of the dark seed within him. And he knew that, through his own selfishness, as well as in his decisions to help the people on board this mighty ship by traveling to the outer world, that seed had only grown. But Xiang knew that he was right, and that Feng was not someone he could reason with - unlike the other people upon the SuiKyosha. In many ways, Feng was like a cancer on this ship of water. A cancer that Xiang would soon regret, not cutting out sooner.

A FEW MINUTES AGO...

Ever since Xiang had notices that Feng was thinking of doing harm to Sinya, he'd begun watching him. Watching him like a hawk, constantly having him under surveilance by SuiKyosha, for he knew that the man was dangerous. But even he, the emperor, as well as the SuiKyosha, are not truly omnipresent. When Feng decided to keep the thought of what he was going to do to Sinya away, he became harder to follow. This wasn't uncommon, SuiKyosha would lose track of the man's mind more often when it thought that he was not going to be a threat to anyone. And Xiang is just about halfway through the cargo manifest when...

NOW...

Xiang freezes, his eyes widening, and his head rising as if he'd just heard something nobody else could hear. Elsewhere on the ship, on the bridge, Yu Zhi Wu mimics this same gesture. The surprising feel of the catgirl that even shocked the SuiKyosha, which quickly tried to latch onto Sinya's mind, making her transmissions that much louder amidst her panic. Xiang drops the board he was writing on and without saying anything, suddenly turns around and runs off. That's right. Runs. And on the bridge, Yu Zhi Wu does the exact same thing.

That smug feeling within Feng's mind did more than enough to tell Xiang just exactly what just happened, and more importantly, /where/ it had happened. And in that moment, it shows that the ship cares. Groaning and painfully screetching as metal falls, SuiKyosha makes a direct route available for the captain to run along. Yu Zhi Wu, being further away, doesn't get that treatment as the ship believes that she would not be in time to begin with. <"Where is she!?"> Xiang calls out towards SuiKyosha. It answers, in a way that nobody else can understand. <"SINYA!"> The captain continues to yell out.

Within moments, he has reached that place where she is, and not even waiting a single moment, not taking a single piece of his clothing off, the Emperor jumps straight into the warf's water and dives for the catgirl. Though she is gone, there is still a sense that allows him to find her. Through SuiKyosha, always aware of what is inside of it, he is guided straight for the drowning feline, grabs her, and drags her up towards the edge of the water and slings her onto the warf, climbs on top of her, and listens to her heart for a moment, before he immediately starts performing CPR on her. "Sinya!" He calls out, trying to reach her. In the meantime, a small group of people have formed around the emperor, watching the wet man as he frantically tries to save his secret love.

In the meantime, Yu Zhi Wu is following someone else. She'd read that Xiang had Sinya. No, she is following Feng. And has just grabbed for the sword-whip weapon at her side and has extended it, letting it drag behind her. How /dare/ he insult the captain. How /dare/ he get in the way of her best friend and his love. How /dare/ he try to /kill/ a SuiKyoshan!?

ON THE WARF...

Feng certianly had done his research, because the flailings of the catgirl had gone completely unnoticed - at least until Xiang Yuan arrives and dives into the water. The arrival of the Emperor seems to cause quite a bit of commotion among the people working on the warf. They put down their tasks and rush over, watching the ripples of water where Xiang had disappeared below the surface.

By the time he gets to the catgirl, some time had already passed. The girl's body is limp, looking like a corpse in the blue glow of the ship's light. The swirling of the water draws the hair back from her face, making it look like it is hovering in the air. There is no resistance as she's grabbed, and even less as she gets dragged upwards towards the surface.

Gasps. Shocked expressions. The people watching seem horror-struck by the sight of the Emperor dragging the lifeless form of the beastgirl up onto the warf. "Get the medics!" One shots, "Oh god... she's dead!" "What happened?" "I don't know!" "Did anyone see anything?" The sounds of the mull of voices seems to fade into the background, although there is a distant treading of feet - others approaching.

As she's set to the flat warf, Sinya's head lols slightly sideways. The catgirl's red hair hangs in damp strands around her face, and her fur is caked. Her eyes are closed, and there seems a pale set to her normally colorful skin. How long had she been under? Xiang, of anyone, would have the best guess for that. At first, as he starts to press onto her chest, water bubbles up from her lips. It takes a few tries to even get air into her lungs at all, and even after - the rise and fall comes only when Xiang's lips press against her own. It seems to go on for an interminable amount of time - even if only a matter of a moment or two.

Then, after one of those breaths, her eyes flutter and the girl coughs, her body arching upward slightly as more water comes out. It takes two or three rough, ragged coughs before the liquid seems free from her lungs. Shivering, eyes half-lidded, Sinya limply leans against him, her breaths shallow. It's just about then that the medical team arrives, bringing a stretcher with them. "My Lord, we can take it from here." There is a hand on Xiang's shoulder as a pair of robed medical staff try to lift the girl away.

THE HANGAR...

Liu Feng has made his way back towards the hangar, perhaps guessing that sooner or later the catgirl's corpse would end up found and that would mean he had best look busy. Somewhere along the line, someone does tip him off that he's being followed, but no matter. By the time that Yu Zhi Wu catches up with him, the Commander is standing near his fellows, discussing the battle with the beastmen and better tactics to carry out next time. "You spent too much time here, Chao." He stabs a finger at the map. "It's not our job to protect outsiders who stupidly get involved in our affairs. Next time, stick to plan or I'll have you out of the squad."

Ling, who normally worked for Sinya, yet also was one of the few able to fly a Gunman, just pressed his lips together, fists balled into fists. He would never raise his voice or talk back to the Commander, but it is clear that he'd very much like to. "Sir." He just gives a non-commital repsonse. This brings Feng's eyes onto the boy with that same malevelance they tend to hold for anyone who stands in his way.

"Such disrespect. Your mother would be ashamed. You dishonor yourself." Ling winces at the words, even as Feng crosses his arms over his chest. "You're dismissed, Chao. The SuiKyoshan warriors don't need a weak hearted fool like you. Get out of my sight."

ON THE WARF...

The Emperor does indeed step back from the girl who he'd just brought back from the dead, and kind of stumbles back. It's almost impossible for him to keep a stone-faced expression in this situation. And the people around probably can see that crack in his mask, that worried and shaken emotion. It actually gets a few confused looks. But it isn't that they find it... unexpected. As much as the Emperor may not show his emotions around them, they find it somewhat warming to see that the man actually cares about something like this. The man backs away a little, watching as the girl continues to cough and breathe shallowly. And as the medics quickly begin shipping Sinya to the ward, the Emperor follows whilst in somewhat of a daze.

THE HANGAR...

Yu Zhi Wu /knows/ that Liu Feng had, in fact, not been in the hangar this whole time. But the fact that the SuiKyosha can sense this is not something she wants out in the public. Instead, her eyes quickly set on Ling, a young man he knows worked with Sinya. She continues to drag that swordwhip behind her, clearly threatening Feng, whilst she wanders towards the younger man. "So what has young Ling 'done', that dishonors him so, hrrrm?" Whilst Xiang Yuan is the unmoving wall, it is Yu Zhi Wu who is actually concidered the scary one on this ship.

The woman stands before Ling, and looks him right into the eyes. "I know Feng wasn't here this entire time." She whispers to him. "I don't know what they are telling you, but you have to be honest. Someone just hurt Sinya, really badly, and we are trying to find out who did it." She continues to stare at the young boy, reading him, making sure that he looks at her. "Tell me what's going on." It would appear she is entirely ignoring Feng.

"She'll be fine." This might just be the words that the Emporer needs to hear as they move down the hallways of the SuiKyosha. The medics are quick to wrap the catgirl in a warming blanket, shining light in her eyes and checking her responses. In general, she's pretty dazed - just how much Sinya even knows about where she is or what's happening is hard to tell. Although, she does have enough fight in her to hiss at one medic as they try to hold her arm still enough to hook up an IV. It isn't long before that struggling saps the last of her energy, though, and the girl lays her head back, panting softly.

It's one of the guards that tries to get Xiang's attention, "Lord Xiang. What happened?" He asks with grave concern as they carry the catgirl away into the medical ward. "Was it an accident?"

THE HANGAR...

Feng narrows his eyes towards Yu Zhi Wu, not seeming at all intimidated by the taller woman. She might have some power, but she's just as much of an outsider as the Captain. So much time has passed... he would never remember being one of those who put the girl adrift as an exile. "He disobeyed direct orders during battle. His impudence could have cost my warriors their lives. You and the Captain may hold the lives of outsiders as more important than our own, but I do not. Our people is all that matters to me." There is a stern look from the Commander, watching Ling with an almost threatening glare.

But Ling's eyes are locked on Yu Zhi Wu when she whispers those words to her. "Sinya..." There is some affection in the boy's tone, the sort of thing that probably lead to many believing he had feelings for her. "What happened? Is she okay?" Worry marks his features as he leans forward, gripping Yu Zhi Wu by the arm. It takes a moment for him to realize that such a thing wouldn't be proper, and he draws his hand away, "Sorry." Bowing his head, he looks first at Liu Feng, and then at the XO. "I don't know anything. I swear. I would never hurt her. She's my friend." He sounds more as if he believed her accusing him of the crime.

"Disgusting." Feng comments to himself, turning back to his men. "Is this what our people have sunk to... is this what is considered proper on the SuiKyosha. Friends. Pssh. We all know better than that, Chao Ling." He seems to be half-preaching to his warriors, and half admonishing the boy at the same time. "It's a filthy abomination, mating with a beast. Tell me, did she show her true colors - is that what happened?" Yes, he's trying to shift the blame onto Ling, and it seems to work somewhat, as one of the other younger warriors pipes up, "He's right, Ling wasn't here when Commander Feng started the review of the battle." Feng latches on to this, "Yes... just where /were/ you?"

"It wasn't me. I didn't do anything, I swear." Ling's eyes are wide, filled with worry and panic as he looks towards Yu Zhi Wu. "Arrest him." Feng commands, and the other warriors only hesitate a split second before moving forward to restrain the teenager.

Yu Zhi Wu stands up and stares down Feng. "Mister Ling has no relations with /miss Leland/." She sneers at him, discarding his claim. "In addition, mister Ling was in this hangar the whole time. You forget that we have cameras in here, mister Feng." Though the man may not be quite aware of them. And the 'Cameras' actually being SuiKyosha herself. But she can watch, this close to the hangar. This close to the massive container which holds the god - right next to the hangar. But then, how did Yu Zhi Wu know? Did she really have time to look at the radio. Realizing this small error in her story, she taps a little earphone she is wearing in her right ear, which - while turned on - actually isn't receiving any transmissions at the moment. Still, being who she is, she is absolutely /great/ at lying for the greater good.

"As for disobeying orders. If that is so, then I am sure he will do better next time. But every life is sacred, mister Feng. Not just ours." She then suddenly walks forwards, and slaps the man right in the face, "And stop calling our honored guest a beast. You are being dishonorable." She then looks at the other warriors, glaring at them, trying to get them to step back.

"Sinya is fine." She then turns back to Ling. "She's been taken to the hospital, but she'll survive." She doesn't say that Xiang rescued her. And she does need to, for moments later, the Emperor walks in - his clothing still wet, his long braid laying over his shoulder. As much as he looks somewhat drenched, somehow he still looks regal, and is wandering straight towards Feng. "Mister Feng." He says, though it comes out at a high volume tone. "You and I need to talk." He motions the man, not even giving him the honor of approaching him further, or bowing before him.

Feng's eyes narrow as he looks at Yu Zhi Wu, his laughter dark, "Oh? And how do you know this? We've all seen the way they look at each other. They're always together. It sickens me. We're /humans/. We shouldn't be having relations with ... beasts. But I suppose you've forgotten that as well. Isn't it true that you prefer machines to actual men? Perhaps that is why the Emperor refuses you as his bride. Abominations." He spits the word at her, sneering. Even when she takes that hand to slap him, the man just catches it mid-path, gripping her wrist slightly before throwing it away. "I will call a beast a beast. You can't dress a beast in human clothes and pretend they're human. Just as you can't dress a machine as a man and make him a man."

The Commander shoots a glare over towards Ling, who is still being held by his guards. The boy struggles, trying to pull himself free. In contrast, Feng simply stands quite firmly, looking at Yu Zhi Wu. "Cameras. Hrmph. You take the word of some faulty upper world technology over the word of your own warriors?" The one who had spoken up earlier is now distinctly quiet. "If one of my men disobeys, even for the sake of an upper worlder, I have every right to remove him. I cannot have a beast-lover in my warriors. The next thing you know, he'll want to hug Lord Genome, and make a world of abominable human, beast offspring."

However, Xiang's arrival does cause Feng to look up, his expression tightening. There is a flick of one hand, a motion, a signal. A back-up plan just incase something like this had happened. A guard, posted near the medical ward who had been ready to sacrifice himself for the greater good. Of course, the Captain had probably already dispatched this would-be assassin. "Oh, is she?" He smirks slightly. Ling, on the other hand, struggles towards Xiang, "I didn't hurt her, I swear to you, Lord Xiang!" Just as a guard covers his mouth with one hand and mutters a 'shut up'. Feng raises one eyebrow, peering at the soaked Emperor as if he were amused somehow. "Talk. I think the time for talking is over, don't you?"

"So, it is now /your/ task to tell us how we should, or should not live?" Yu Zhi Wu puts her hands against her sides. "You are overstepping your boundaries, Lui Feng!" The woman scolds him, refusing to back off even after her hand got caught mid-slap, and pulls it free from his grip. "As for who I prefer, at least it is better than your ways - how many girls have you had and thrown away again?" Clearly, Yu Zhi Wu is nowhere as reserved as Xiang is when it comes to Feng. She hates him, she hates his guts. She can't stand having to listen in on that man's thoughts sometimes. She doesn't even go in on the subject of the Emperor taking her as a bride. Their relationship has never been one like that.

She then instead wanders over towards the guards holding Ling. "Let him go. I command you." She has a higher rank after all. "As for Cameras. Upper world technology doesn't lie Feng. Sadly, /you/ do." She pauses. Her eye twitching as he comments on beast offspring and people wanting to 'hug Lord Genome'.

A FEW MINUTES AGO

Though Feng may have been prepared to assassinate Sinya were she to survive - by use of that assassin. That assassin was not quiet. Before the man even had a moment to act, Xiang had appeared behind him and unleashed a quick series of pinpoint pressure jabs with his fingers, disabling the man, and simply grabbed the man and put him over his shoulder. Feng would not know that the man didn't attack Sinya - or get a chance to. And he didn't want to risk leaving that assassin behind, so...

NOW AGAIN

After arriving, he's already put the man behind a cargo container so he could watch him. And just when Feng makes that motion, Xiang tips his head about, giving a clueless expression, pretending not to know what that whole thing was for. "Yes, yes she is." Xiang tells him, continueing to play along with Feng, beore turning towards Yu and Ling. "Are you two alrighty?" He asks, which gets a nod from Yu, before he turns towards Feng once again. "What do you mean, the time for talking is over? Explain yourself, mister Feng."

"Someone should. Since our estemed Emporer isn't going to preserve the ways of the people." Feng seems to almost talk as if Xiang wasn't there, showing quite a bit of disrespect. However - this seems to have been a long time coming, and a few of the warriors don't seem at all surprised. It isn't just them, but the hangar crew who begin to watch as well - the confrontation between the two highest ranking men on board drawing quite a few eyes. "It's clear that both of you are too. Too many outsiders to act in the best interests of the people. I am not the only one who sees it."

The warrior doesn't comment about his various flings, which had been many over the course of his life. There is little wonder why he never married - too wrapped up in his own ambition to ever think about anyone but himself. What he does do is almost worse, "What... are you jealous, Zhi Wu? Upset that I never bedded you instead? Excuse me if I'm not frightened by the ravings of a fool woman who mascarades as an Empress. You want to lord over us, command us, yet you're so unwilling to even wed the Emporer to gain that power." He tsk tsks at her, as if talking down to a child. "Come now. We all know you are hardly one to talk about sleeping around. You'll sleep with anything, you don't even care if it's human."

Then, he turns his eyes back towards Xiang Yuan. The men release Ling, who ends up on his knees, nearly in tears. The boy - as much as he had fighting spirit - is still just a boy and not quite used to being accused of such things. However, Feng ignores these hysterics as he walks towards the Emporer. "You want the truth, Xiang Yuan? I attacked her." There are a few gasps from people nearby. More now - some regular citizens as well as the standard crew. Word is spreading quickly. "You came here from the outside, placed yourself on a throne above us. And now you see fit to bring the enemy into our midsts and ask us to welcome them with open arms?" His voice is loud, brash - a contrast to the normally calm and reserved Emporer.

"She is a traitor, she and the others of her kind do not belong on our ship. They deserve to die for every one of our lives that they took from us. Our loved ones, our CHILDREN. They took them from us and made us live below. They deserve only our vengence." His voice calms, shifting slightly into the more charming tone as he addresses not Xiang, but the people. "You all have seen how he tries to change us. He tries to make us more like /them/. These upperworlders. We are not like them, we are the chosen people of Laoshi Quan. We should not be bowing to them, they should BOW TO US!" He raises a hand, and a there is a response - although subdued, from those watching. It's clear there are some who agree with him - mostly the older warriors and some of the peasant folk. The hangar crew is silent.

"The ways of the people have changed time upon time again, Feng. Things change. Had they not, then you would still be a peasant boy - for you were not born from a military leader. In fact, you'd be dead now, for bedding a woman, and not marrying her." Yu Zhi Wu finds it necessary to remind him. And then... she begins chuckling. Yu? Upset that she never got in bed with Feng. That chuckle turns into a slight laughter. "Me? Bed with you? Sorry, I don't want your 'power' as a general that badly, unlike those other poor girls who thought they could move up in the world by sticking around you." The woman just shakes his head. She knows what Xiang once told her. If you don't have a reply to a raving man's ramblings, don't reply to them. She knows not to answer to the gesture that she is to sleep with the Emperor. "As for who I sleep around wi~.."

"That's enough Yu Zhi Wu. You don't need to answer him." Xiang comments, his voice still quite loud, resounding through the entire hangar. "All the changes that have been made, have been for the best of the people, Lui Feng." Yu Zhi Wu uses that moment to grab Ling, and gently moves him away from the small group of soldiers and Feng. After all, if something is going to happen, she doesn't want the poor boy to be stuck within it.

The Emperor then takes a few steps forwards at Feng, and halts at a few arms length. "I did not place myself on the throne about your people. Your people chose me, of their own volition, Lui Feng." At least Xiang remains to be honorable enough to use the man's full name. "And what I brought into our midsts is not our enemy. I judge each person, as a person. Be they machine, be they Hume, be they beast. Miss Leland has done /nothing/ to harm you, in any way. And now, you've gone and tried to /kill/ her. Do you have any idea how much dishonor you have brought onto your family?"

The emperor then looks at the warriors who were 'behind' Feng, as well as some of those peasants who seem to agree with Feng. "So now you are telling me, that our people, threehundred men and women, of which fourty three are children, are going to go out there, put their lives at risk, and somehow prove to a world consisting of a couple billion of innocent people, that somehow - they are wrong in they way they live, and they should listen to us?" The way Xiang put it, it does sound rather rediculous. "I don't force you to change in your beliefs. But you, the people of Laoshi Quan, have always been a people of acceptance. Are you saying that they are wrong?" Xiang pauses for a moment and just shakes his head.

"Miss Leland will be perfectly fine." Feng still doesn't know that the Assassin had already failed in his mission, "She is one of the people, mister Feng. You know she is. She has been accepted into this hangar. She has been accepted by the people of the SuiKyosha, she has been registered as a citizen of this city. And you have broken the law. You have attempted to murder one of us, Lui Feng." It is clear that something is coming...

"Ahh, but so would you." Feng's eyes narrow on Yu Zhi Wu a second time, as if daring her to contest that she hadn't slept with a man before marriage. "You see... you changed the rules to suit your own lusts. Far be it for me to not at least try to accept the changes that you have made. And I have seen just how wrong they are." He gives a dismissive gesture towards the woman, as if she were nothing at all to him. "No one wishes to hear your babbling further wench. Be gone."

His eyes turn towards Xiang, sizing up the smaller, quieter man with only contempt. It radiates off of him - as if this were all the months of hate finally being let free. "You gave our people no choice. Your ship destroyed our home. They had to come here, or they would have perished under Lord Genome's beastmen on the surface." He barks, eyes still sweeping over the people, as if he were a politician giving a speech rather than someone confronting an enemy.

"You don't have the right to judge anyone. You do not belong here. You were not born of our blood. How could you ever claim to understand us? How could you ever know what is best for our people when you destroyed everything that we had!?" He scowls, standing firm against the accusations. "No, Emperor. I do not wish to put MY PEOPLE at risk to the outside world. If I recall, YOU are the one who dragged them into battle. YOU were the one who risked all of their lives, and do I see you fighting on the front lines with the rest of us? NO! You hide away behind a woman who calls the shots while you sit by and watch the people die for you!" Feng is obviusly playing on the people's fears - fears brought on by the fight with the beastmen and then the fight in La Gias after that.

"I have gone out to fight each battle we have faced. I have been the one to protect the SuiKyosha and her people time and time again at risk of my own life. He has been the one to put you all in danger." His eyes sweep back to Xiang, and smirk forms there, drawing up parts of his scarred face. "A beastman can never be one of us. Just as you will never be one of us. You have no right to pass judgement on me, and not a single warrior here will raise a sword to my throat, even if you command it." There are a few who look at each other, unsure, but no one moves towards Feng.

"I did?" Yu Zhi Wu just shakes her head. That rule had been changed during the last emperor. When Xiang was still a child. Perhaps it was a bad example to have used. "Does that change that you more than royally used that 'change' you hate so much? You just hate change that doesn't ben~"... "Yu Zhi Wu." Xiang again speaks her name. He knows how angry she was, and he could sense that little image that was going on in his mind. A little chibi Yu, kicking chibi Feng's balls so hard that he bled to death. She has no issues with violence.

"But you are right in one thing. I destroyed the town which your people were drowning in. It was the only way in which I could save a people who otherwise would have faced certain death. Can you truly resent me for saving them? Had I not come, it would have been crushed by the ceiling. Perhaps, perhaps you would have found a way through the ceiling safely, which would have put you into the very same scenario, without the option of coming on board of this ship. To die by Lord Genome's beastmen." Xiang pauses for a moment and shakes his head. "This ship has also landed many times. If my rule was so terrible, nothing would have stopped you from leaving into the peaceful kingdoms within La Gias." He pauses again, then continues on;

"And though you yourself were already a warrior, you finally were given a chance to hone your skills by being upon this ship. You, yourself, went out so many times in the Gunmen, as we roamed La Gias, giving your services freely in taking down the Spiral King's machines. You fulfilled your own destiny, only to hate me for giving you that chance? You complain that you 'had' to put your life at risk, while you did not. I never forced you to be within the armored forces, Lui Feng. But you did it for the people. I understand that. But you cannot complain about being in danger, when you are doing it for the good of people. Is that how you were raised as a warrior? To /ask/ people to look up to you, or to pity you, because you are defending those who you care about?"

The Emperor goes on, "And... then you complain about change, yet you use it, /if/ it suits you. And if you wished for me to come onto the battlelines, then all you needed to do was ask. I have been nothing but open to you. I've listened to your every word and concidered them. We may not agree very often, but I've listened. Yet now you come to me, complaining about battle? Was it not you who believed that it would be great to finally defeat some of those beastmen who have killed so many people in the previous generations?"

The man shakes his head. "Please stop your lies. Stop trying to fill their minds with a vision only you see. Liu Feng, your mind has been clouded. I can see that you care for the people of this ship. And some of the things you say are valid. But it they come out as nothing but an excuse. You cannot see that the people that you wish to protect from change, have already changed. They already welcome those changes. They have welcomed miss Leland." There is a reason there is a chair at the ramen bar with her name on it. "As for blood? Feng. I care for these people. I care for these people more than you may raelize. They are my people too. Even if I was not born from their blood, why do I not understand them? Have I not obeyed every rule set by the previous emperors? Have I not followed the ways of your people? Certainly, some changes have been made to make their lives better, but how is this different from former rulers?"

"But yes. I have put these people in danger. And if they wish to leave this ship, in fear of that danger, I will not stop them. If I need to, I will find them a peaceful place to stay. But Feng, this is their home. And I will protect them with all my might." He takes a step towards Feng. "Even if protecting them, puts them in danger." After all, defeating the Spiral King would stop putting his people at risk. But to do that, he needed to fight. They needed to fight. "But it is time for you, to stop fighting for them. Because you are no longer fighting for them, Feng. You are fighting only for yourself now." The hangar door suddenly opens, revealing the beautiful plains and mountains of Austria, where they'd landed hours ago. "Liu Feng. Former commander of the SuiKyosha's armored forces. I am your captain, and your emperor, even if you do not acknowledge me. And even though you attempted to kill miss Leland, I will be lenient on you. Hereby, I banish you from this ship."

The man then turns to those around him. "And anyone who wishes to follow him, you may travel with him. I will not resent you for this choice. Bring some of the Gunmen if you so wish, and supplies. But that is all I can offer to you, if you wish to go with him."

The warrior simply ignores Yu Zhi Wu, not even bothering to look in her direction as she speaks. It's an almost infuriating behavior - to just disregard someone as if they weren't even there. That is how much respect he has for the SuiKyosha's XO, and there isn't much more for her Captain. "Don't you dare try to speak as if you know what we went through. You were not there, you have no right." His voice is tinged in anger. "You don't know about the strength of our hearts and our ingenuity. We are strong together. We would have banded together and found a way of surviving, like we always have before."

A sneer forms on his face as he watches what he sees as pathetic excuses. "I earned my place as a warrior. The great Emperor before the failed Jiao Long gave me my title because of my service to the throne. I was respected before you came, so don't you dare start to claim that I earned my 'destiny' by some grace of your actions. I earned it as a real warrior does - by getting out there and fighting." He balls his hands into fists, "I don't complain about my lot, Xiang Yuan. I am PROUD of being a warrior of my people. I am PROUD to fight beside them, and to protect them no matter the cost. It is YOU who hide behind your throne and refuse to fight. None of us should have to ask you to fight with us. You claim to be our king, our ruler, our Emperor and yet you have not once put your life on the line with your warriors." He leans forward, and spits at the ground. "You are a coward."

He no longer acknowledges Xiang, instead, his eyes turn back towards the people. Most of the crew have gathered, filling the hangar to standing-room-only. "Is this what you wish?" He asks of them, using his voice to project. As charismatic as Xiang might be, Feng /just/ might be a bit more-so. "To lose everything that made us Laishi Quan, the chosen people. Are we to simply forget our ways to this outsider, who wants us to change everything we believe?" He steps forward, towards them, "He destroyed our home. He took everything from us, and now he wants to take away what makes us who we are." There is a woman standing in the front row, with a toddler at her side, "Will you sacrifice your children for his war?"

With a look back towards the warriors - those who have served at his side for years, Feng makes this declaration. "We will be leaving. Anyone who wishes to keep our ways pure and our people safe... can come with me. I will fight against the beastman hordes. I will fight against those who wish to taint our ways. I will never stop fighting for you, my people." Then, his eyes turn back to Xiang, as he aims a finger at the man. "As for you, this is not over, interloper. I will finish what I started here today. The blood of Laoshi Quan will rule once more over the people, and you will fall beside your beastman allies. I promise you that."

With that, Feng turns and walks towards his Gunman, getting onboard. A good handful of the oldest warriors follow with him - as well as a few younger ones. There is confusion from the rest of the people - though. Even if none dare to move now - it's clear that there will be some who chose to leave in the coming hours. Feng had made his point, and the line has been drawn in the sand between those who would call themselves SuiKyosan, and those who call themselves Laishian.

What Xiang had meant, was that Liu Feng had not gotten a chance to prove being a warrior outside of that city. That city had had no invaders, only scuffles amongst people, and tournaments of skill. That, and the rare sea-monster now and again. And Xiang knew this. But, he does not object as the man makes his claim to the other people. He knows he cannot change their minds. It'll be hard to find new warriors who can pilot Gunmen though, and their sum is now certainly down. But the SuiKyosha would remain there, to let people off, for an entire day - in case people wanted to slip away during the dark, so that they would not be 'judged' by their peers. Xiang Yuan knows, that he is not the 'perfect' emperor for these people. He knows that some of these people do not fully agree with him.

But somewhere, he guesses he'd hoped that more people would side with him. That they'd see the madness within Feng, the way he and Yu were able to see it. He wanted to tell Feng that this was an exile. That there was no coming back. But he didn't. He just remained quite and let things happen; take their course as they may. And he just walked away. There was nothing he could do for these people. He could do nothing but hope that they would find a bright future, or come back to the ship. After all, it was only Liu Feng who had been exiled. And Xiang is certain that the people realize this. Though shame... may very well prevent them from rejoining him on board the SuiKyosha.

"Xiang..." Yu quickly walks towards the emperor's side. "It's alright Yu. This was bound to happen, and you know it. It is better this happens now, than months further down the line." He tells her and continues wandering up that ramp, so that he may join at Sinya's side. But he does halt for a moment. "Oh, and that person." He points behind the cargo container - the assassin. "Throw him out of the ship. I will not have anyone who murders for money on board my ship." He doesn't mean a mercenary. He truly means assassins.