Vengeance

Norio Shiga couldn't produce an heir, he'd lost his testicles in battle. He never went to war again but he never put down the sword. He'd been a man with a prodigious appetite for women, he filled that void with practice. When Yoshikage Takeda was born Norio Shiga became his swordmaster, he was only nineteen. Takeda owed much of his greatness to the hard lessons of Shiga-sensei. After Takeda's assassination Shiga became the swordmaster of the Nishimura house, a leading contender for the shogunate. War broke out after Takeda's death, all but the five had accepted his ascension and the transition would have been peaceful. With no strong leader to take Takeda's place rival factions went to war. The five had counted on it and united under House Nishimura to make him the leading contender. It didn't last long, the factions united against the Nishimura's and the war still raged twenty years later. Norio Shiga was the last of his line, all fell in the war. He couldn't die without someone to care for his ancestors and carry on the family name so he began searching for an heir.

Kazuo Nakada would be heir to Shiga House in the morning, he paced his room, restless, too excited to sleep. He was the second son of a lesser house with no hope of a future, his brother was heir and there would be nothing but insignifigance for him. There was a knock at his door, he recognized his benefactor's shuffling steps, "Please, come in Sensei." He still could not believe his fortune, the ancient swordmaster chose him from among so many and was about to give him a name that would assure his future. The old man came to have tea with Kazuo before retiring, he liked the young man, there was promise in him. It was Kazuo's sword work that caught Shiga's attention, he wasn't the best but there was a purity to his form that the swordmaster knew he could perfect, he would be a worthy heir of the Shiga name. When the tea was brought in Shiga poured as the ancient ceremony dictated, he already felt the harmony between them and a deep sense of fulfillment, the Shiga name would live on. He handed the young man his cup, Kazuo put it to his lips and it dropped from his lifeless fingers. The shock of seeing his hopes die was too much, through the agony of his breaking heart he heard, "I am Takeda Torajiro, son of Takeda Yoshikage who you betrayed."

"It's a plasma burn and it's been eating into his leg this whole time." The words pulled Jestr back from afar. "We can't stay here." he heard the Snail say and then felt strong arms around him. "I've got him." was the last thing he heard before his dreams returned. Taisuke Sada was Takeda's youngest advisor, he was also his boldest and, often, wisest. It was why he was Takeda's first general, the one he relied on to get any job done. Sada was the key to House Nishimura's victories in the twenty year war after Takeda's death, he was a brilliant tactician and when he led in battle his soldier's were unbeatable. "It doesn't look good, Daiki-sensei." Sada gave his general a reassuring smile, "It's not the first time we've faced the possibility of defeat and I don't think it's our last." Sada, commander of the Nishimura's armies, was confident he'd find a way, he was unstoppable. As he often did he walked in the night working out strategy guarded by his two best swords. He was deep in thought when he felt something wrong, he was about to turn when he felt a small sting and fell to the ground. He couldn't move, couldn't speak, but he could still see and hear. Someone picked him up, carried him a long way over his shoulder then propped him roughly against a rock. He was on a high place overlooking the morning's battlefield, it was a critical battle, a Nishimura loss would be the beginning of their decline. As he stared over the land below he saw it clearly, the decisive move that could bring their victory. The moon made way for the sun and he watched the troop placements, the enemy set up just as he'd seen but his were all wrong, prelude to a certain defeat. He sat helplessly and watched it play out as he predicted, heard his warrior's dying screams. When night fell and the moon rose over the land of the dead he heard, "I am Takeda Torajiro, son of Takeda Yoshikage who you betrayed."

He struggled to see but there was nothing but darkness, someone was whispering in his ear. "Jestr, wait here and stay quiet. Quigg will be with you if you need anything." Someone was whispering in his ear, "I am Takeda Torajiro, son of Takeda Yoshikage who you betrayed. Tonight you will die but before you do you will tell one last story." Soteki Yamaoka was a story-teller, a photographic memory and a voracious hunger for history made him a ready source of knowledge Takeda found indispensible. "Takeda had no son." Yamaoka hissed, "He has a daughter," Raan Tora hissed back, "and I am her son." "Then I'll tell the story you've come to hear. Takeda Yoshikage had no heir, only a daughter. There was no one to carry on the family name so he sought a family he could marry his daughter into. If a son was produced he would give him the Takeda name. The Takeda's, Yuko included, are powerful, dominating people and any house they chose would be merely puppets. The Takeda's chose House Yoshida, among the greatest shipwrights in the galaxy. The head of the Yoshida house was a mastercrafstman and shrewd businessman but he was weak in spirit and controlled by his appetites, the perfect pawn. The wealth of House Yoshida married to the power of House Takeda would make them an unstoppable force. For this reason, when the shogun died the houses would accept Takeda's rise peacefully, they knew if they didn't they'd eventually be destroyed. It's why we plotted against your grandfather, Torachiyo." The point of Raan Tora's blade went a little deeper into Yamaoka's carotid, "How do you know that name?" "I know many things, assassin." When Yamaoka felt the pressure on the blade lessen he continued, "When Kita and Shiga died I knew in time you would be coming for me so I went looking for you. I lost you on Trader's Hand but I learned much since then. Takeda Yuko sought a warrior, a powerful, ruthless warrior. She couldn't seek one among her own or her plotting would be revealed so she went to Trader's Hand where anything can be found. She found a bar there called the Dark Star, inside she found her warrior. The bar was nearly empty when she went in with her bodyguards and at first glance she saw no one of interest but then in a corner she saw a warrior, a true warrior, one worthy of siring you." Yamaoka felt a drop of blood running down his neck, "His name?" Raan Tora hissed. "I don't know." were the story-teller's last words.

Excerpt from Shadow Stalkers by S.E.Estes