The OP Lich is a Returnee, Chapter 61 (Patreon)

Chapter 61 – Legalities

“Well, Akagawa-san, when you put us on retainer, I knew that you were going to be needing our services sooner or later. I just wasn’t expecting anything so… extreme.”

I chuckled at the lawyer’s words. Of course, my little demonstration in the US and Russia had more than one person wondering what legal action could be taken against me. It wasn’t like I hadn’t made examples of people before. The difference was that, this time, there were plenty of people who caught me on camera.

Which is why Lilah Morgan, Holly Gibson, and I were sitting in a kissaten in Tokyo, sipping our drinks as we discussed things. The room was designed to give a feeling of traditional shops, but with some modern, post-Awakening touches. A nice, homey atmosphere. We’d taken a table in the corner, so we could talk without being overheard by any of the other guests.

“Well, Morgan-san, with any luck, they will have gotten the message. And so will other governments. I have no patience for those who try and steal from me, or who believe that they can strongarm me to do anything I do not wish to do. Some clear examples should keep others from thinking that the old ways can be applied to me.”

“Ha!” Lilah laughed, before taking another sip of her coffee. “You would think that, with all the changes the Awakening brought, people would have stopped thinking that way. However, the world changed, but people didn’t.”

She shook her head. “The major powers, the ones that had been basically in charge before the Awakening? They were still in charge afterwards. Oh, there were some shakeups, like with the New Soviet Union popping up, and stuff like that. Japan gained some power, as well as the European Union. Magical metals were discovered in Africa, and the Congo became very wealthy, while new fuel sources cut down the influence of the Middle East.

“But, for all of that? The main powerhouses in the world haven’t really changed since the end of World War II. So, the major powers are used to doing things their way, and just expecting everyone to follow suit, but not without reason. They control much of the world’s economy and military. They’ve never seen anyone like you before, Akagawa-san.”

I sighed, and nodded. “Yes, that is what I’ve come to realize, as well, which is why I went so far in my demonstration. Subtlety would only result in my being forced to make the demonstration again, and again. A shock to the system was required.”

“Thankfully, you have other instances on record that are less threatening,” Holly chimed in. “The Japanese audience is aware of how the Warrior’s Way is spreading, thanks to your influence. Even now, the people still have a strong nostalgia for the ideas of samurai, ninjas, and the like. Where the sword decided things, rather than gunfire. Combining that nostalgia, with a way of magic that reminds people of the ‘cultivation’ stories? That has given many people in Japan reason to hold you in high regard.

“Similarly, the Chinese market is reacting favorably to your actions, since they see one of their own as one of your two apprentices. There is even a growing movement seeking to strengthen ties between Japan and China, reflecting this. I have no idea whether that is actually possible, when politicians are involved, but it is telling that the Party appears to be encouraging such talk. One of the biggest talking points that have been raised is the idea of forming some kind of union.”

“A union? Between Japan and China?” I raised an incredulous eyebrow. “I know they can’t be talking about combining the two countries.”

“No,” Holly shook her head. “There is quite literally too much history there, on both sides. The actual idea, which was floated by a junior member of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, suggested a treaty organization, like the European Union or NATO, to cover southeast Asia.”

“So, including the reunified Kingdom of Korea, then, as well as the Republic of Singapore, and other such countries?”

Holly nodded. “Yes, including Burma, Cambodia, and other nations. The proposition was for it to stretch from Bangladesh to Japan, and from Mongolia to Indonesia. Possibly bringing in India, as well.”

Lilah nodded slowly. “If they managed to pull that off, the organization would instantly shoot to superpower status. Much of the world’s economy flows through southeast Asia, so organizing the area along the lines of the European Union would definitely help some of the lesser countries, while giving the major countries more clout.”

I frowned slightly as I sipped my coffee. “The only issue, of course, would be on how one deals with regimes that are typically more repressive. Has the Chinese Empire changed that much from when it was the People’s Republic? An EU-style organization would undercut their internal controls pretty heavily, wouldn’t they?”

“Actually, their meritocracy and crackdown on corruption has been winning people over. While the armed forces still carry the names they had in the People’s Republic, Emperor Zexian has effectively made it so that the strict internal controls are not needed like they once were. Well, at least in terms of censorship and the like. There are certainly controls to combat corruption and fraud, but those play well with the public, so even the conquered territories have little to no unrest. That, and the fact that everyone has enough food to eat?”

I nodded. “People who are not starving, and can see that the system allows them to advance, while punishing those who attempt to cheat, are not likely to try and unite and tear down the system. If the Emperor can keep that going, then it should be fairly stable, assuming that his heirs don’t ruin everything.”

“Right,” Holly nodded. “So, like I was saying, the Chinese market is a fan of you, which is helping in the greater east Asian market. Similarly, the market in the UK loves you, thanks to your saving the king’s life, and sending over trainers to help their troops. And the Germans are also coming around, thanks to the Phantomline connection. Most other countries are neutral to you, as a whole.”

“And the US and Russia?”

“Well, we’re doing our best to combat the spin being put out there, but your image is pretty bad there, right now. And I don’t know how much better it will get before the legal stuff is settled. Lilah?”

Lilah nodded. “Well, the simple one is Russia. You basically declared war on the country. Destroying a military base, and wiping out the headquarters for their KGB? That’s definitely not something that the government will forgive. And there’s enough video out there to prove that you were leading the assault on the base. The odd thing is that the premier has firmly quashed any attempts by members of the military or the Politburo to make waves, legally.”

“Not so odd, really. The premier knows that my assassins are watching him. They’ve reminded him of that fact a couple times, while he was meeting with some of the more vocal individuals. Those people got really quiet, really fast when a wraith floated up through the floor in front of them to threaten them.”

“Right,” Lilah nodded. “I thought that it was going to be something like that. So, we can safely cross Russia off our list of potential legal troubles.”

“But that will set us back on your image there,” Holly said.

“Would spreading the story of how they tried to attack my sister help?”

“A little. Not much in the upper echelons, as most would see your actions as over the top. However, you’ll make good inroads with the type of people who like rampaging revenge stories, like the ones where one guy goes and destroys an entire criminal syndicate to get revenge for the death of a loved one. Playing up the ‘this is what happens when you mess with my family’ concept would definitely play well with the base of Russian society, for sure.”

“Then that’s fine. The elites won’t be able to do much without the support of the masses, especially when the specter of what happened last time is raised.” I looked at Lilah, and asked, “What about the US? Will we have a problem there?”

“Unfortunately, the US will be problematic, for sure. We’ve already filed briefs with the District Attorney to request that the agent who launched that missile at you be charged with assault, attempted murder, and reckless endangerment, since you had not crossed into restricted airspace, or taken any threatening action to that point. We also sent copies of those briefs to the press.

“All those cameras actually help us for this part, and the incident with the jet. You can be clearly seen just defending yourself from an unprovoked and outrageous assault, first by the Secret Service, and then by the Air Force. The collateral damage to property would be laid on the government’s head.”

Holly grinned. “I’ve already got people on both the left and right speaking out about it. The right-wingers are spreading the word that this is a Second Amendment thing, since a necromancer’s undead are considered arms, under the law, and you have the proper permits to go about with undead under your control. This means that the government attacked someone legally in possession of their Second Amendment rights, for no reason other than that they got scared.

“On the other hand, we’re firing up the left with the idea that this is government overreach, since the first thing they tried to do was launch a missile at you, instead of even trying to communicate, or wait for hostile intent. They’re eating it up, especially the ones who want to reduce the power of the military. And your not attacking anyone who didn’t attack first while you were flying over the city is really playing well with them. Especially since pretty much all the destruction was limited to CIA headquarters.”

“Yes,” Lilah nodded. “The DC part of that adventure can easily be written off, and I’ll keep them in courts forever if they try to bring it up. It is what you did when you got to Langley, that is the problem. There’s no sugar-coating the fact that you destroyed hundreds of cars, acres of trees, and the roads and parking deck on the CIA campus are completely wrecked. You managed to avoid any casualties during the attack, which is in your favor, but you’re potentially on the hook for all that damage.”

“So, what are we looking at?”

“Well, under 18 U.S.C., section 1361, the willful depredation of government property, when the damages are over $100, is a felony. Maximum penalty is $250 thousand and ten years in jail. However, we can probably argue that, given the attacks you had already suffered, and the fact that MAGIC units were already dispatched by that point, despite you not yet having taken any hostile action, that this was a case of preemptive self-defense, to keep people from attacking you. The fact that the dragon could have easily destroyed the buildings, and the people inside, rather than just the parking lot, could be argued as you showing due restraint.

“There is the danger, though, that they’ll want to go with some kind of terrorism charge, since you did clearly do this as a means to influence government policy. Those would have larger penalties, potentially, and, more importantly, have no statute of limitations, meaning that you can’t simply wait it out, like other federal crimes. However, the fact that the government attacked you first, multiple times, could be used in your favor in that trial.”

She sighed. “Honestly, if it goes to court, then you could probably hang the jury, if you brought up the actions of the CIA towards yourself and your people. I know the Brigadier over in the UK is willing to testify publicly on how your forces have behaved themselves. But even with that, the most likely case, if it goes to trial, is a conviction, though probably not with any jail time.”

I nodded. “And, if I refuse to attend the trial, or be arrested, or any of that?”

“Well, that’s where things get nasty. At the very least, you wouldn’t be able to go to the United States for at least five years, potentially longer, depending on the charge. But much of the damage to your legal standing in the US is already done. The only thing further they could do is declare you an enemy of the state. However, that would isolate them from allies you have good relations with, like Japan, and could push Japan and China closer together, which the US definitely does not want.”

“So, we don’t want it to go to trial. Then, the only question is what is the best way to force them to settle or drop the case. And I do not intend to engage in any kind of bargain that releases my technology to the US. So, ideas?”

“Well,” Lilah smiled, “we did come up with one idea…”