Descent

The year is AE 241. The root of the Shibou Yomi has finally been reached.

In the hinterlands southeast of the Yamatou isthmus lie the secluded hills of Minamiyou, with a rich history built by generations of rugged miners and independent-minded warriors fighting to civilize the remote but lush valleys. In modern times the “land of southern beauty” has become a buffer state between the free and prosperous Touyou to the north, and the vast and powerful Xiamen, birthplace of international Unionism, to the south. For nearly 60 years the independence of Minamiyou has survived under the rule of the august dictator Go Daigo, who has walked the razor's edge by kowtowing politically to Xiamen, and economically to Touyou. His implementation of Unionist collectivization is one of the most brutal and uncompromising, even among other member states of the International Union Directory, but lucrative contracts with Zaibatsu corporations keep Go Daigo's coffers filled and Touyou consumer prices low.

But with the world now embroiled in the long war, Go Daigo's arrangement has strained to the breaking point. Border skirmishes with Touyou have left dead on both sides, and Xiamen's demands for bodies to feed into the unionists' scorched earth defense against the USC threaten to shatter the peace of Minamiyou. Fearing the instability could force neutral Touyou into the war, Section 2, Touyou's foreign intelligence agency, has worked tirelessly to deepen their southern networks to detect and disrupt any potential threats.

One of the many targets for surveillance is the Shibou Yomi (子房黄泉, Womb of the Underworld), a joint deep-boring megaproject run by the regime with Xiamenese and Zaibatsu investment. A pit 5 kilometers wide and almost 11 kilometers deep, according to local reports it began as an ancient natural sink hole, with Go Daigo's project merely being the latest in a long line of ambitious attempts to explore its depths. For years the Shibou Yomi has been the source of jokes in Touyou, a symbol of Zaibatsu excess and a petty dictator's vanity project to “dig to Centria.” But six days ago, Section 2's efforts yielded surprising fruit. Reports from agents on site and intercepted communication from all over Minamiyou has centered on one thing - something was found at the bottom of the Shibou Yomi.

Something important.

The reports contradict each other, but the consensus simply calls the object “an artifact,” which for unknown reasons has been not been removed from the pit. Theories and speculation in Section 2 abound, but the facts are clear. Work crews and equipment have been withdrawn from the site, with only a skeleton crew for maintenance and security left. Minamiyou elites and scientists are scrambling to secure a leading role in retrieving the artifact, with some even resorting to elimination of rivals to shorten the list of candidates. Even Go Daigo himself, who rarely leaves his reclusive palace, has announced he will personally oversee the artifact's excavation from the nearby farming village of Shibou Denen (脂肪田園, Fat Country).

Regardless of what the artifact is, Section 2 analysts fear it will become a political tool to legitimize and feed Go Diago's recent belligerence and make Touyou's entrance to the war unavoidable. Section 2 has worked in record time to organize a mission. Upcoming diplomatic talks over the border clashes have been successfully moved to Shibou Denen, and part of the diplomatic entourage will be a team of Section 2 operatives and expert specialists. Their objective will be to infiltrate the nearby Shibou Yomi, identify the artifact, and if it threatens Touyou security or neutrality, effect its complete destruction.

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