"William H. Keith Jr. - Warstrider 03 - Jackers" - читать интересную книгу автора (Keith jr William H)

his assassin to volunteer the information rather than losing
face by asking. His expression was that of shiran kao, the
nonchalant face, revealing nothing.
"I speak for the Kansei no Otoko " Ikeda said. "The Men
of Completion. They feel that your policies of admitting
gaijin to the Imperial Navy, to the Imperial Council itself,
have done terrible harm to the Empire and are in part
responsible for our defeat at Eridu. Worse, you do not
comport yourself asтАж as a god should."
The accusation forced a smile from the Emperor,
despite his shiran kao. The Japanese idea of a "god" was
vastly different from that of most Westerners; most
Japanese still thought of their parents as "gods" and
revered the emperor as a similar god, one slightly higher in
the celestial hierarchy.
But a few, the Men of Completion among them, took the
idea that the emperor was descended from the Sun
Goddess Ameratsu far more seriously.
Did that seriousness actually extend to the murder of
the god they claimed to revere?
He took a breath to replyтАж and found his breathing
blocked, as though an invisible, silken cord had tightened
around his throat. " Tawakeru na," he managed to say.
"Stop playing the fool!" The cord tightened, the pressure
building though it did not bite into his skin. Pain was
growing in his chest as well, a burning, crushing pain that
arced down his left arm.
Pain! Normally, purely physical sensations could not
cross the ViReality barrier. That his link was passing them
through now was a kind of emergency warning, an
indication that his body was in serious danger. He tried to
raise his hands, but they dangled useless at his sides.
Again he accessed his cephlink, calling for help.
"Your cephlink has been isolated, Your Majesty. I
control the AI now, and I have directed it to shut down your
breathing and your heart. You will not suffer for long, I
promise." Ikeda paused, his image licking its lips. "They
will find your body in the palace," he continued. "You will
have committed seppuku. Your death poem will apologize
for your causing civil war and disorder in your realm."
 "WhoтАж willтАж be emperor?тАж"
"Your nephew and heir, your Majesty. Ichiro Takeda."
"ButтАж he'sтАж notтАж"
"I very much regret to tell you that Prince Okada, your
son and first heir, will also be found dead, by his own
hand. Possibly because of grief at the news of your
death."
IyeтАж Denial flooded the Emperor's mind, a pain worse
than the agony in his chest. NoтАж noтАж Takeda was an
empty-headed idiot, a pawn in the hands of Munimori and