The Real Anthem: Agni Parthene 2

Lorenzo: Here's the translation. The previous post was in the original Greek.

Anselmo: Okay, I get it now.

Rejoice, O Bride Unwedded

O Virgin pure, immaculate/ O Lady Theotokos

O Virgin Mother, Queen of all/ and fleece which is all dewy

More radiant than the rays of sun/ and higher than the heavens

Delight of virgin choruses/ superior to Angels.

Much brighter than the firmament/ and purer than the sun's light

More holy than the multitude/ of all the heav'nly armies.

Rejoice, O Bride Unwedded!

O Ever Virgin Mary/ of all the world, the Lady

O bride all pure, immaculate/ O Lady Panagia

O Mary bride and Queen of all/ our cause of jubilation

Majestic maiden, Queen of all/ O our most holy Mother

More hon'rable than Cherubim/ beyond compare more glorious

than immaterial Seraphim/ and greater than angelic thrones.

Rejoice, O Bride Unwedded!

Rejoice, O song of Cherubim/ Rejoice, O hymn of angels

Rejoice, O ode of Seraphim/ the joy of the archangels

Rejoice, O peace and happiness/ the harbor of salvation

O sacred chamber of the Word/ flow'r of incorruption

Rejoice, delightful paradise/ of blessed life eternal

Rejoice, O wood and tree of life/ the fount of immortality.

Rejoice, O Bride Unwedded!

I supplicate you, Lady/ now do I call upon you

And I beseech you, Queen of all/ I beg of you your favor

Majestic maiden, spotless one/ O Lady Panagia

I call upon you fervently/ O sacred, hallowed temple

Assist me and deliver me/ protect me from the enemy

And make me an inheritor/ of blessed life eternal.

Rejoice, O Bride Unwedded!

The Real Anthem: Agni Parthene 1

Lorenzo: Hi guys! A little correction here. The real anthem of the EOGC is the Agni Parthene. The previous song was the EOGC's inaugural hymn.

Anselmo: My bad.

Lorenzo: No harm done.

Agni Parthene (O Virgin Pure)

S.TI	Greek Original	Transliteration
1.Aα	Ἁγνὴ Παρθένε Δέσποινα, ἄχραντε Θεοτόκε,	Agní Parthéne Déspina, Áhrante Theotóke,
R	Χαῖρε νύμφη ἀνύμφευτε.	Hére Nímfi Anímfefte.
1.Aβ	Παρθὲνε μὴτηρ ἄνασσα, πανένδροσέ τε πόκε.  R	Parthéne Mítir Ánassa, Panéndrose te póke.  R
1.Bα	Ὑψηλοτέρα οὐρανῶν ἀκτίνων λαμπροτέρα,  R	Ipsilotéra Uranón, aktínon lamprotéra,  R
1.Bβ	Χαρὰ παρθενικῶν χορῶν ἀγγέλων ὑπερτέρα.  R	Hará parthenikón horón, angélon ipertéra,  R
1.Cα	Ἐκλαμπροτέρα οὐρανῶν, φωτὸς καθαρωτέρα,  R	Eklamprotéra uranón fotós katharotéra,  R
1.Cβ	Τῶν οὐρανίων στρατιῶν, πασῶν ἁγιωτέρα.  R	Ton Uraníon stratión pasón agiotéra.  R
2.Aα	Μαρία ἀειπάρθενε κόσμου παντὸς Κυρία,  R	María Aipárthene kósmu pantós Kiría,  R
2.Aβ	Ἄχραντε νύμφη πάναγνε, Δέσποινα Παναγία.  R	Áhrante Nímfi Pánagne, Déspina Panagía,  R
2.Bα	Μαρία νύμφη ἄνασσα, χαρᾶς ἡμῶν αἰτία,  R	María Nímfi Ánassa, harás imón etía,  R
2.Bβ	Κόρη σεμνή, Βασίλισσα, Μήτηρ ὑπεραγία.  R	Korí semní Vasílissa, Mítir iperagía,  R
2.Cα	Τιμιωτέρα Χερουβίμ, ὑπερενδοξοτέρα,  R	Timiotéra Heruvím, iperendoxotéra  R
2.Cβ	Τῶν ἀσωμάτων Σεραφίμ, τῶν θρόνων ὑπερτέρα.  R	Ton asomáton Serafím, ton Thrónon ipertéra.  R
3.Aα	Χαῖρε τὸ ᾆσμα Χερουβίμ, χαῖρε ὕμνος ἀγγέλων,  R	Hére to ásma Heruvím, hére ímnos angélon,  R
3.Aβ	Χαῖρε ᾠδὴ τῶν Σεραφίμ, χαρὰ τῶν ἀρχαγγέλων.  R	Hére odí ton Serafím, hará tón Arhangélon,  R
3.Bα	Χαῖρε εἰρήνη καὶ χαρά, λιμὴν τῆς σωτηρίας,  R	Hére iríni ke hará, limín tis sotirías,  R
3.Bβ	Παστὰς τοῦ Λόγου ἱερά, ἄνθος τῆς ἀφθαρσίας.  R	pastás tu Lógu ierá, ánthos tis aftharsías,  R
3.Cα	Χαῖρε παράδεισε τρυφῆς, ζωῆς τε αἰωνίας.  R	Hére Parádise trifís, zoís te eonías,  R
3.Cβ	Χαῖρε τὸ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς, πηγὴ ἀθανασίας.  R	Hére to xílon tis zoís, pigí athanasías.  R
4.Aα	Σὲ ἱκετεύω Δέσποινα, σὲ νῦν ἐπικαλοῦμαι.  R	Se iketévo Déspina, Se, nin, epikalúme,  R
4.Aβ	Σὲ δυσωπῶ Παντάνασσα, σὴν χάριν ἐξαιτοῦμαι.  R	Se disopó Pantánassa, Sin hárin exetúme.  R
4.Bα	Κόρη σεμνὴ καὶ ἄσπιλε, Δέσποινα Παναγία,  R	Korí semní ke áspile, Déspina Panagía,  R
4.Bβ	Θερμῶς ἐπικαλοῦμαί σε, ναὲ ἡγιασμένε.  R	Thermós epikalúme Se, Naé igiasméne,  R
4.Cα	Ἀντιλαβοῦ μου, ρῦσαί με ἀπὸ τοῦ πολεμίου  R	Antilavú mu, ríse me apó tu polemíu,  R
4.Cβ	Καὶ κληρονόμον δεῖξόν με ζωῆς τῆς αἰωνίου.  R	Ke klironómon díxon me zoís tis eoníu.  R

We Are the New Byzantium

Anselmo: This may be a hymn from the Orthodox Church, but it's also the official anthem of the EOGC, unlike the An Die Freude. It was suggested by Cardinal Zhang, even though he's Catholic.

Lorenzo: He was ordained in the Byzantine Rite, like me; that explains everything. Byzantine Rite Catholics are Catholics. They just follow the practices of the Orthodox, but their loyalty is the same as the rest of the Church.

A Modern Nemo 39

Shoji and Chidori, together with all the people Konstantiniadis picked up found themselves being ordered to quickly return to their vessels. It came as strange.

"What's going on?" he asked the security man who was leading them up the plank. "We're not supposed to leave for another two weeks!"

"There's been a sudden change of plans," replied the guard. "Mr. Konstantiniadis is planning something big."

Chidori remembered something. "Saya!" she cried. "What about Saya?"

"They'll be safe!" retorted the guard as everyone was herded aboard the ship.

Hayashi and Mori had been clashing their weapons already for a while as Onodera and the giant were keeping watch on their scopes when a noise was heard. It was a ship's whistle.

Both fighters stopped and looked at the harbor; they saw the Green Oceans ships begin to move.

"Well, it looks like it's pointless to continue this fight," remarked Mori

"You were going to buy them time to escape, weren't you?" said Hayashi suspiciously.

"Oh no, Ryuichi-kun," replied Mori, shaking his head. "I never intended this."

"Liar!" snapped Hayashi. "You lie just as easily to me as you did to your wife and daughter!"

"Wife?" Mori chuckled. "I never had a wife. That woman was just infatuated with me and took advantage of my depression after your sister entered the convent."

"You have a family that you abandoned!"

Mori lowered his head. His smile vanished. For a moment, he remained silent.

"My daughter is the only family I have left," Mori hissed, looking back up at Hayashi. "That woman, her mother, is just merely incidental."

"Bastard!" shrieked Hayashi as he rushed toward Mori. His rush was interrupted by a gunshot. A bullet had just passed between them. It grazed Hayashi's shirt. Both men leaped back and looked toward the trees.

Onodera turned his scope in the direction of the forest, as did the giant. He saw several men with guns, apparently Green Oceans security personnel, who had just arrived and were about to attack. Three men were there and five more were arriving.

"I hate these kinds of interruptions," snarled Mori.

Onodera squeezed the trigger, taking out one man; the giant took down another.

Hayashi and Mori rushed toward the forest and headed straight toward their shocked attackers. In fifteen minutes, it was over.

"I'm going to have a long chat with my liaison," said Mori after wiping the blood from his chisels

"You've been suspected," said Hayashi. "What are you going to do now?"

"No, I haven't," replied Mori. "And besides, there's something I can do about it."

"What?"

"You already know what it is; we learned it when we first arrived in the EOGC. diskarte." With that, Mori took off.

Hayahsi looked at the bodies for a moment and noticed that a radio giving off static. Someone was on the other end.

"Are you there? Are you there? Over." said the voice.

"What's happening? Over." it continued as Hayashi approached it.

Raising his right foot, Hayashi brought it down, crushing the radio.

A Moder Nemo 38

Onodera started. He spat out the cigarette the moment he saw Hayashi leap to his feet. He was, however, unable to train his rifle on Mori as the Dutch giant tossed his beer can away and went back to eyeing him through his scope. 

Onodera clenched his teeth. "Of all people, it had to be you, big guy," he grumbled.

The giant merely smiled.

"Using scissors again, Ryuichi-kun?" remarked Mori as Hayashi's scissors slammed against his left chisel. "You're getting soft. Using the same weapon again; where's your creativity? Have you forgotten the EOGC special forces' motto?"

Hayashi leaped back. "How could I not forget?" he snapped. "But it doesn't matter when I'm dealing with you!"

Mori straightened himself and took a step back. "Then say it, my friend," he said, "you who are still with the EOGC special forces."

Hayashi paused and stared at Mori. The latter smiled,  took a step back with his right foot and bent his legs.

"Armamentarium," said Mori in latin, raising his left chisel with the blade pointing in a downward, diagonal, outward and forward direction.

"Meum," followed Hayashi. He also took a step backward with his right foot and bent his legs. He held his scissors in an outward, horizontal position.

"Mundum," continued Mori, bringing his right chisel near his left elbow.

"Est," concluded Hayashi as he brought his left fist -holding the shot glass behind his right fist.

Before Mori could do anything Hayashi threw his glass at the former, who deflected it with his right chisel.

"Now that's the Ryuichi-kun I know!" Mori exclaimed. "Looks like I'm going to enjoy this fight!"

"Bring it on, Taro Mori!" Hayashi cried.

Both men charged at each other, eager for blood.

A Modern Nemo 37

Mori laughed again upon seeing the look of disappointment of Hayashi's face. "So," he said, "now that we've run into a dead end, why not we talk about something else? Let's talk about things going on back home."

"Home?" Hayashi snarled. "You don't have any home."

"We both lost our homes when we fled Japan as refugees, Ryuichi-kun," said Mori after emptying his glass. "The EOGC took us in."

"You left."

Hayashi finished his glass in one gulp.

"Oh, but I'm always intent on returning, Ryuichi-kun, no?"

"After always causing trouble."

"Oh, I have to earn a living."

"By wreaking havoc wherever it is you go."

"Let's not talk about me, Ryuichi-kun. Let's talk about you," said Mori ashe leaned forward. "How's your sister?"

Instantly, Hayashi leaped to his feet. He pulled out another pair of scissors. "Don't you ever talk about my sister!" he snapped.

"Why not, Ryuichi-kun?" sneered Mori. "I used to have a crush on her."

"The path she took, she took on her own free will! You were in her way! You have no right to follow her, you scum!"

Mori rose slowly. "So like you, Ryuichi-kun. Always shrinking her options and keeping an eye on her," he hissed. "She's a bird in a beautiful cage; it's called a convent."

"Shut up, Taro!"

Mori dropped his glass and the wine bottle. Almost immediately a pair of chisels slithered, handles first, into his hands from the sleeves of his blazer.

"Don't deny it, Ryuichi-kun,"said Mori as Hayashi took a step back. "A control-freak of an older brother like you maneuvered her into taking that kind of life."

"Shut up!" cried Hayashi as he swung his scissors at Mori.

A Modern Nemo 36

Onodera clenched his teeth. Mori was looking at him, right through his crosshairs, and smiling. Now he had to watch both Mori and the giant. The playing field was leveled; now both snipers were watching each other as well as their men on the ground.

Mori reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of shot glasses. He tossed one to Hayashi. Hayashi caught the glass as Mori approached him, holding the bottle out.

"Mavrodafni," noted Hayashi,eyeing the wine. "I prefer retsina."

Mori chuckled. "Let's talk," he said.

Onodera's smartphone buzzed. He ignored it, even as it vibrated repeatedly in his coat pocket. Finally, he noticed movement on the giant's side.

Joop pulled his phone out and waved it playfully at Onodera.

Realizing he was being contacted by the dutch giant, Onodera pulled out his phone and saw a missed call and a text message.

"Hi there, 4 eyes." read the text. "This will take a while. Why don't we just sit down and cool off?"

Onodera looked back through his scope and saw the dutch giant wave a can of beer. He sent a reply. "Don't mind if I do, Necker D. Wrecker." it read.

The dutch giant grinned, popped the can open, inserted a straw and started drinking. Onodera lit a cigarette.

Hayashi tasted the mavrodafni  as he and Mori seated themselves among the rocks. The wine was sweet, with tones of chocolate and raisins. Mori drank from his glass, looked up and closed his eyes for a moment. "So, Ryuichi-kun," he began, "what's made you so interested in my employer's business?"

"Nothing, Taro-kun," Hayashi replied, "I'm just following orders."

"Part of the background work again, eh?"

Hayashi glanced at Mori irritably and continued drinking.

"Eh?" asked Mori, leaning forward.

Hayashi continued drinking.

"Eh?"persisted Mori, leaning closer.

"You're getting too close to my face."

Mori leaned back and laughed.

"It strikes me as odd that your boss is gathering all his ships in one place instead having them ply the shipping routes," Hayashi continued.

"And what of concern is that to Eric Ong?"

Hayashi looked at Mori suspiciously.

"Oh, you can trust me," said Mori, waving a hand. "I don't exactly like my employer. I'm just in here for the money."

"You are truly a mercenary, you know that?" said Hayashi as he held out his glass for a refill. "It's abnormal, the movement of your ships."

"It is, but what do I care?"

"This huge fleet of ships will make its way through the Suez Canal to the Indian Ocean, won't it?" said Hayashi. "Konstantiniadis wouldn't go all this way to bring a huge fleet of ships to Greece and not have everybody on board them disembark permanently."

Mori laughed. "At least you know that much," he chuckled.

"And then what?" Mori persisted. "What then, when you reach the Indian Ocean?"

"I don't know, Ryuichi-kun," Mori replied as he filled Hayashi's glass as well as his. "Your guess is as good as mine. Even Konstantiniadis' pick-ups have no idea where they're going."

"Damn it; this is a dead end."

A Modern Nemo 35

Ruyichi Hayashi, or rather, Drake Forest, returned to his hotel room at the end of the day. As he opened the door, he found a small envelope on the floor. "Mr. Drake Forest" was written on it. Below the English name, he found "Ryuichi-kun" written below in Japanese.

So he wants to talk. thought Hayashi. Or maybe, he wants me to do the talking.

He pulled out his smartphone and called Onodera.

Carlos Bosque was standing on top of a low, rocky, cliff by the sea. From it, the harbor could be seen not very far away. He was carrying a bottle of wine in his right hand. The other hand was in the pocket of his blazer.

Drake Forest arrived. Bosque smiled and waved then put his hand back in his pocket. Forest waved back.

"Where is Onodera-senpai, Ryuichi-kun?" asked Mori as Hayashi approached him. "I thought I invited the both of you."

"Same reason why you didn't bring the big wrecker zombie with you."

"Now why would I do that, Ryuichi-kun?" asked Mori. "I've got nothing to hide."

"I'm sure you don't," said Hayashi, noting that the bell tower of the same church that Mori pointed at the other day was clearly visible over the latter's right shoulder. There was a reason why Mori barely moved from the spot he was standing. Hayashi knew it well.

Far off at the bell tower of the church, the giant Dutchman had Hayashi in the crosshairs of the scope of his sniper's rifle.

Mori grinned, sensing Hayashi had already determined where Joop was. But that was not a surprise.

"Now you know where Joop is," he remarked, "it's not a surprise that I know where Onodera-senpai is hiding."

He leaned sideways slightly, looking over Hayahsi's left shoulder towards the hill in the distance. There was a small, ancient stone hut.

Hayashi smirked. Mori was in the crosshairs of Onodera's own weapon, and he knew it.

"How about a drink?" asked Mori, lifting up the bottle of wine.

A Modern Nemo 31

"Saya," said the mother as Chidori handed the baby over to her, "we decided to give that name if it was a girl."

"Saya-chan," said the mother ash she cradled the baby with her right arm. The father sat down beside her and held the baby as well.

"What was that song?" asked an awed Shoji.

"Suo Gan," replied Chidori, "I learned it in England."

"And she is our first citizen!" proclaimed Konstantiniadis with a raised thumb. He put his hands on Chidori 's and Shoji's shoulders. "I'd like to thank you all!" he continued, "for now, let's celebrate!"

A cheer went up.

The next day a man in white entered a bookstore after breakfast. Ruyichi Hayashi wanted to see some of the books for sale and a shelf caught his attention.

He had been reading for several minutes when he heard a familiar voice behind him speak in Japanese with a playful tone, "It's been a while, Ryuichi-kun. I didn't think you'd be here in Heraklion."

Hayashi responded in an equally playful tone, "I didn't expect you to show up either, Taro-kun. Are you on vacation?"

Both men  had their backs to each other, each one minding the books of the shelf he was facing.

"No, I'm not on vacation, Ryuichi-kun. I have a job."

"Let me guess, Taro-kun. You're working for Konstantiniadis this time?"

"Of course, Ryuichi-kun. And you're on official business as well, aren't you?"

"Surprised?"

"Initially. When those amateurs put the pair of  scissors on my boss' desk, I knew my good friend Ryuichi Hayashi was in town."

"And what is my good friend Taro Mori going to do? Turn me in?"

"Oh no, no, Ryuichi-kun," replied Mori. "You know I'm not like that."

"Knowing you, you haven't told your boss everything when you applied, haven't you?"

"Quite correct, Ryuich-kun," replied Mori. "To him, I go by the name of Carlos Bosque."

"That is so like you, Taro-kun: Carlos Bosque, Karel Bos, Karl Wald, Sen Tailang, Woody Charleston, Charles Laforet , Sup Tae-rang-"

"Whatever. I just wanted to catch up with my good friend Ryuichi-kun."

"You're quite the mercenary. Is there anything else?"

"Onodera-senpai  is here as well, yes? It would be excellent if the three of us got together again."

"And how are you going to do that, the usual way?"

"I'll extend an invitation, Ryuichi-kun. I hope you'll come," replied Mori. He set the book down and headed for the door, Hayashi following him.

Onodera approached the bookstore entrance when out came another Asian man around Hayashi's height and dresssed completely in black: fedora, v-necked t-shirt, blazer with rolled-up sleeves and slacks. His hands were in his pockets. This man tipped his hat while passing by Onodera. "Nice to see you again, Onodera-senpai," he said.

Onodera didn't move but followed the man from the corner of his eye. Hayashi came out from behind and stopped next to him.

"So he's here as well, isn't he?" remarked Onodera.

"He is," replied Hayashi, "and he's working for them."

"If he's here, then that means he is here as well," said Onodera, turning and looking at Mori.

As Mori continued walking, he lifted a hand and waved at them without turning around. Then he pointed to the tower of a nearby church. Onodera and Hayashi could see someone at the tower's balcony looking straight at them.

"That Dutch zombie," Onodera concluded.

Suo Gan

Lorenzo: The title of the song Chidori sang is "Suo Gan." It's a traditional Welsh lullaby. Here's a version of it being sung in church. King's College, I believe. And here's another one with the lyrics and translation:

Anselmo: I like the second version, but I don't understand why the y's and u's pronunciations got mixed up.

Lorenzo: It's another language; do the math.

A Modern Nemo 29

The North Korean climbed aboard the Embark, only to find out that there were only two people on board. He learned from them that one of the Japanese women, the pregnant one, was giving birth. There wasn't time to rush her to a hospital so she had to be brought to a nearby port office to deliver to baby.

Kim Nam-ha decided not to run anymore for fear of getting lost a second time.

Meanwhile in the office, there was no time to get the doctor. The personnel at the port did say that an ambulance was on its way. Sayoko was on a table and everyone was in a panic until Shoji and Chidori arrived.

Shoji and Chidori weaved through the crowd, confident they could help. During her stay in England Chidori had changed her course of study several times, taking nursing at one point.

"Please make way," said Shoji, as he led Chidori through the crowd. "Please make way; we have someone here who can perform a delivery."

As they entered the office they found Konstantiniadis, the captain of the Embark, its cook and Ryutaro, Sayoko's boyfriend standing and looking at her bewildered. They definitely did not know what to do.

Chidori immediately set to work. "Get me some water, now," she said to Shoji, "a basin, hurry!"

Shoji took a step back and ran out of the office. "Where can I get a basin?" he asked the janitor.

The delivery was long.

Elsewhere in the town, several other events were afoot.

Out of a certain port side tavern stepped a short man in white and a tall man in black. The man in white wore a panama hat and carried a half-full bottle of wine. The man in black had his hands in his pockets.

As they stepped out of the tavern, they headed in opposite directions without saying a word; the man in white went straight for town, the man in black proceeded to a collection of buildings near the harbor.

As the man in white walked up the road he was approached by two huge men in black suits.

"Excuse us, sir," said one of them in a New York accent, "could you come with us, please?"

"Where to?" asked the man in white. "I'm on my way to my hotel."

"This'll just take a few minutes."

The man in white looked at the second man, who was holding the left lapel of his jacket in a suspicious manner.

"Sure, I'll come," said the man in white with a smile.

They walked deep into a small alley, where the windows were closed and the lights were out. The only signs of life were stray cats rummaging through the garbage heaps.

"So," said the man in white, "what is it you want to talk to me about?"

"You were talking to one of our personnel a couple of hours ago," said the first man. So he was a Green Oceans security man. "Did you discuss anything company-related?

"Company-related, let's see," said the man in white, looking down and scratching his left temple.

"You were talking to a Korean employee of our company," said the first man. "Just what was it you two were talking about?"

"Oh!" he said, looking at the first man and raising a finger. "You're with Green Oceans, are you?"

"What's your name, sir?" asked the first man.

"It's Drake Forest."

"That ain't your real name," said the second man, who was black.

"Okay, okay," said the man in white. "It's Draig H. Goedwig."

"You're not a Brit," said the first man. "Nice try."

"You're Asian," said the second man, "you're hiding something."

"Alright, alright," said the man in white, waving his left hand and holding up the wine bottle. "It's Paamai Teeneungmangkon. I'm from Thailand."

The two Green Oceans security men looked at each other for a moment. At the same time, the man in white glanced at his wine bottle. "Hey, wanna drink?" he asked, holding the bottle out to the two larger individuals.

"No thanks," the black man said, lifting the lapel of his coat and revealing the handle of a gun. "We'd like you to come with us to answer a few more questions."

He barely finished what he was saying when the man in white pulled out a pair of tailor's scissors and drove them through his left eye. He shrieked as the man in white kicked him in the chest.

"Son of a bitch!" exclaimed the first man. He reached for his gun but was stabbed in the throat by the same pair of scissors before he could pull his weapon out. Hayashi finished everything by driving the scissors into the black security officer's skull.

Hayashi sighed. "That's what you get for threatening me with a gun," he said. He pulled the cork out of the bottle and drank some of the retsina. "Now, I'm late for my favorite anime."

He put the cork back in the bottle and returned to his hotel, leaving the pair of scissors in the black Green Oceans security man's head.

At another place in town, Onodera walked out of another alley, leaving behind another pair of dead bodies in black suits. These ones had their guns drawn -and their necks snapped.

Onodera tucked what looked like a chain into a coat pocket and lighted a cigarette. "Looks like they're trying to keep their 'precious lambs' under wraps," he murmured.

A Modern Nemo 28

Drake Forest walked into a tavern. He sat at a table next to the door and bade the waiter bring him a bottle of retsina and a pair of glasses.

As he sat at the table and sampled the wine's bouquet, another Asian man dressed in black and wearing glasses sat down on front of him.

"Drake Forest, huh?" said Shizuo Onodera as he leaned forward, placing his left arm on the table. "Just how many people are you planning to call yourself that name in front of?"

Ryuichi Hayashi took off his hat and glasses, smiled and continued sniffing the wine. "Which would you prefer?" he chuckled. "Lim Yong-il? Lin Longyi? Paamai Teeneungmangkon? Rung Rong Mot? Preichheu Dambaungneak? Pamai Khangthoaidmangkon? Draig Hunfed Goedwig? Oh, how about Hutan Pertamanaga?"

"They all mean the same thing," said Onodera, grinning.

Hayashi poured wine in the other glass and handed it to Onodera.

"Paamai Teeneungmangkon, Lin Longyi, Hutan Pertamanaga," Onodera went on. "They mean the same thing: your name. Doesn't matter if it's in Thai, Chinese or Malaysian. It's still Ryuichi Hayashi."

"Don't worry about it."

"I kinda like Draig H. Goedwig, though; It's not that obvious. So, how do you find your new friend?"

Hayashi tasted the wine. "Naive," he replied. "Interesting, can actually be quite trusting to people who give something to him."

Onodera sniffed the wine and drank half the glass of it. "So," he asked, "can we use him?"

Hayashi lifted his glass to the light and swirled the wine. "I believe we can," he said, watching the wine as it moved round and round in the glass. Lowering the glass, he put it to his lips and drank.

A Modern Nemo 27

The North Korean ran in panic. He was lost, lost in a place far removed from his homeland. Exhausted and trembling, he slumped into a chair at an outdoor coffee shop.

"Are you lost?" said a voice.

He started. Turning to his left, he saw a man -another Asian- sitting at the table; a cup of coffee was in his right hand and a newspaper was in the other. This man was the same height as him and wore dark glasses, a  wide-brimmed panama hat and white clothes: an unbuttoned shirt, tank top and trousers.

Kim Nam-ha was stunned. He thought only he and the others in the fleet were the only foreigners around. He wanted to leave, but felt compelled to stay.

"You're travelling with the Green Oceans fleet, I see," the man continued, noting Kim Nam-ha's ID.

"Yes, sir."

"Are you on vacation?"

Kim Nam-ha was nervous. Adapting to life at sea was stressful enough. Dealing with another foreigner just added to it. Sensing the distress, the stranger motioned a waiter to bring over a glass of retsina.

Tasting the wine was an exciting experience for Kim Nam-ha; he had never tried grape wine before. He began talking at length about his ordeal; how he escaped North Korea, getting his hands on Konstantiniadis' book, and wanting to live freely. And now he was lost. He had no idea how he would get back to the port.

The other man listened and smile all this time. Kim Nam-ha, his face now flushed (that was a pretty strong retsina,) ran out of steam. Depressed, he slumped forward. "But now I don't know what to do," he said. "I don't know this place and I can't think of what to do next... or where to go."

"That's easy," said the other man. "I can take you back to the pier."

"You can?" Kim Nam-ha started, his eyes wide.

"Sure," said the man. Rising, he placed a pair of SS bills on the table. "Keep the change," he said to the waiter.

"Follow me," he said, motioning to Kim Nam-ha and started walking. As Kim Nam-ha followed his new benefactor, the waiter approached the table to pick up the bills. His eyes widened at what he saw. It was enough to buy a small TV set.

"Where do you come from?" asked an astonished Kim Nam-ha. The money he saw wasn't European.

"Why do you want to know?"

"I've never been out of my country before," replied Kim Nam-ha. "And we're in Greece. I've never traveled before and I-"

"You're not comfortable meeting different people?"

"No, it's just-"

"It's alright," said the stranger reassuringly. "I had the same problem. But now I travel a lot. My work takes me places, and your time at Green Oceans will as well."

They had been going a short distance when Kim Nam-ha became even more uncomfortable. "Excuse me, sir," he said. "But are you sure we're going to the pier?"

The man pointed upward. "Look up," he said.

Kim Nam-ha looked up and saw the  bow of the Embark. It glistened in the afternoon sun, and even though it was still quite a walk, the figure of the huge ship was still a sight to behold. Kim Nam-ha gasped in amazement. "Thank you, sir!" he exclaimed, running past the stranger.

As he neared the port gate, he almost forgot one thing. "I'm sorry, I just remembered," he said turning around. "What's your name?"

"It's Drake Forest," replied the stranger.

"Thank you, sir!" cried Kim Nam-ha, "Thank you Mr. Forest!"

Drake Forest turned around and waved as he headed back to town.

A Modern Nemo 26

Eric, Peter, Leon, Cyrus, Makoto, Ethan and Lorenzo were in the study of Ong Manor. This was the same room the where taipan and the cardinal regularly played chess. They had dinner at the manor with Eric's family and afterward, Christine had gone to bed, Linus and Laurie went to their beach house.

The taipan, the cardinal, Leon and Ethan were at the Mahjong table, playing Mahjong. Makoto was playing billiards with Lorenzo while Cyrus was drinking coffee at a nearby coffee table.

Peter sat opposite Eric, while Ethan sat facing Leon. They were playing Hong Kong Old Style Mahjong -and the game was getting pretty tense as no one seemed to be winning.

Cyrus' phone rang. It was Maximilian. "What is it, man?" asked the younger brother.

"Are you with dad?"

"Yeah, but he's got company."

"Well, I need to talk to him."

Cyrus put his mug down and went to the mahjong table. Everybody there was growing rather agitated. Eric had used up all his cigarettes and was glancing nervously at the other players. Ethan was smiling but sweating. Leon was looking at his tiles and trying to figure out whether to pick a tile from the wall or discard one in his hand. The stone-faced cardinal seemed unmoved -until one could notice that his hands were frantically rearranging his tiles.

"Dad," Cyrus whispered in his father's ear. "Maximilian wants to speak with you," and he handed Eric his phone.

"Yeah?" asked Eric as he took the phone from Cyrus. He was very uncomfortable having to make such a receive such a call while playing a game that turned into a nail-biter (lowest score would host a buffet for the other players at the city's most expensive restaurant.)

"Konstantiniadis isn't just building a fleet of ships for his own sea-spanning nation," replied Maximilian.

"So what is he up to?" muttered Eric, as he glanced at the other players. The tension was already so high, they had been playing for almost four hours with miserable scores. It was decided to have a final round.

"I don't want this tile..." Ethan mumbled as he dropped a One of Dots onto the table. Peter snatched it and dropped a Seven of Characters as Ethan picked another tile from the wall. Leon threw in a concealed tile and drew another one from the wall.

"Konstantiniadis is building something at sea," continued Maximilian. "A city that can move across the ocean and control international trade."

"That idea's kinda far-fetched," remarked Eric as he discarded a tile without looking. It was eagerly snatched up by Ethan.

"It's true, dad," said Maximilian. "I got the files from Petrov."

"Petrov? Where is he now?"

"He didn't say, but what he sent is definitely Green Oceans material."

"I call," said Leon. "Somebody's bluffing here."

"I'll catch you later," said Eric as he handed the phone back to Cyrus.

"Somebody better show his hand," said Leon.

Eric glanced at his hand. He had blundered throughout the game. His hand held a pung of 3 Bamboo, a pung of 2 Dots, a kong of 4 Characters, a 2 of Characters, a 1 of Characters, a 1 of Dots and a West Wind tile. He was East wind.

The cardinal  held a chow of 5 to 7 Characters, a pair of 1 of Dots, a pung of 2 Bamboo and an odd assortment of 3 of Dots, 3 of Bamboo, 2 of Bamboo, 2 of Characters and 8 of Bamboo.

Leon's hand held a pair of Red Dragons, a pung of 3 Bamboo, a pung of 7 of Dots a pair of 6 of Dots, an 8 of dots and a 7 of Characters. He chuckled. "Let's see what you got!" he said to Ethan.

Ethan sheepishly put down his tiles: a kong of White Dragons, a kong of his own wind (North) a pung of 1 Bamboo and a pair of flowers (Bamboo and Chrysanthemum.) "Sik," he mumbled.

Leon leaped to his feet, roaring in dismay. The cardinal landed face down in the table. Eric gaped at Ethan like a landed fish.

The Anthem

Anselmo: Taking a break from "A Modern Nemo." Here's the Ninth Symphony of Beethoven, the complete fourth movement, also known as the EOGC's unofficial anthem.

Lorenzo: Almost everybody in the EOGC territories loves this song... except the politicians.

Anselmo: Haha, yes. Oh, and this version's being sung by Japanese.

A Modern Nemo 25

Maximilian was in his office, going through all the files Petrov had sent him. He was practically so engrossed that his secretary had to go into the room because he didn't answer the phone. And when someone wanted to see him, he would nod his head, wave and continue reading the files while the visitor would go on and on with his or her ramblings.

There was something very disturbing about the files Petrov had sent him. Weapons were being purchased from former Soviet countries in Central Asia and were being smuggled through Russia, China, Afghanistan and Pakistan through Green Oceans' own delivery and shipping offices after being disassembled and placed in containers. But in some places, especially in remote places on the Russian Pacific coast, the ships were just waiting on the coast and were loaded. There was even an office created to pay out bribes to local officials.

These things, taken in isolation, did not faze Maximilian; neither was the sheer size and the type of weapons involved: attack helicopters, AK-47s, RGPs, surface-to-air and surface-to surface missiles and electronic warfare systems and point-defense weapons, to name a few. What really got his attention was a folder entitled "The Agenda."

As he pieced the information in contents of the folder's files together, an image was building in his mind: Konstantiniadis was putting together a vast armada that would claim the seas as its pond and turn the seas into his own country. That would be bad for the whole world.

He never left his office the entire day and asked his secretary to bring him a cheeseburger meal for lunch. He never stopped reading the documents even though it was already six in the evening.

Justine arrived from Ong Manor at around ten. Maximilian's secretary had already left for home and Justine came to inquire why Maximilian hadn't come home yet.

"Hey bo," she said, walking into the room. "You haven't been answering any of our calls. What's up?"

Maximilian nodded but didn't say anything. His eyes remained fixed on the computer screen.

"Hey," she said again, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Oh, hey," replied Maximilian. His face still remained in front of the screen.

"What're you doing?" she asked.

"Working."

"But dad says there's nothing else to do today."

"Well, he doesn't, but I do."

"How important is it?"

Maximilian paid no attention until he came across a picture of a star-shaped city floating on the sea: a ship as big as a city, unconventional in design and sailing every sea in the world, claiming dominion over the waters. In the text, Konstantiniadis stated that he would ban international shipping and only his new creation, the Great Ocean Nation, would be solely responsible for protection of the seas' ecology and handle all maritime trade. A dangerous revelation was discovered.Commercial shipping would cease to exist and international trade would suffer, bringing about a global crisis. Wars would erupt and shake societies to their very foundations. Even the EOGC would be affected. Maximilian's eyes widened in horror. "Justine," he said. "Get me the phone. I'm calling dad."

A Modern Nemo 24

The wireless phone rang beside the bed. The girl awoke and picked it up. "Hello," she mumbled. "Who is this?"

"Oh," she said after listening. She turned and nudged the person sleeping next to her. "Hey," she said, "It's for you."

Maximilian opened his eyes. He put his glasses on and took the phone.

He was in his condominium unit with his girlfriend. Although his parents approved of their relationship, they did not approve of them sleeping together unless and until they tied the knot. Well, in Maximilian's opinion, that had weight if they were in Ong Manor. But this was his house; so the rules were his rules.

"Hello?" he said, sitting up.

"Mr. Ong," came Petrov's voice. "Can you go online right now? I have something important to send you."

"Alright," said Maximilian, "In a moment."

He hung up, kissed his girlfriend, who had just went back to sleep, and climbed out of bed. Then he put on a black brief and white tank top and headed for the living room.He sat down in front of his computer, turned it on and logged in. Patching into his chat with the camera on, he beheld an unusual sight.

Petrov's face was in the camera, he was covered with sweat and appeared to be moving back and forth in rapid succession. As Maximilian put the headset on, he could hear the sounds of panting and moaning.

"Hello Mr. Ong," said Petrov, breathing heavily. "I have been able to get some information on Konstantiniadis' plans."

"So what did you find out?" asked Maximilian.

"I'll send the over to you right now," Petrov replied.

A message with attachments appeared on Maximilian's screen.

"Have you received the package, Mr. Ong?"

Maximilian downloaded the attachments. There were several folders full of documents. "Yes, I have," he replied and saved them in a separate folder.

The moaning and panting was getting louder.

"Good," said Petrov. "Now I must get back to business."

He backed away from the camera and it was revealed that he was naked. His arms were holding something and were moving back and forth, as was his body from the chest down. He paused for a moment and lifted a head from below the camera; it was the face of an effeminate-looking blond young man.

"As you can see, I'm rather busy," Petrov continued.

The young man looked into the camera, smiled and waved a hand.

Unnerved, Maximilian closed the window and went offline. He thought of going back to his room for a moment. But he was tired. They had been up and about the whole night. Turning off the computer, Maximilian leaned back and fell asleep in the chair.

A Modern Nemo 23

The fleet arrived in Greece, the land of Konstantiniadis' ancestors, dropping anchor at Heraklion in Crete. Shoji and Chidori  decided to take the time and explore this new place. Chidori had been to Europe before, but this was a first for her. Her time in Europe had been spent studying in England.

As they walked the streets of Heraklion, Shoji noticed the North Korean constantly following them. It didn't annoy him. He's probably lost. he thought. Living in North Korea must be really hard on him.

But whenever he turned around, the North Korean would duck to the side and try to hide himself.

As the Japanese turned his head to look back, Kim Nam-ha threw himself behind a wall and cringed, his hands trembling. Did he see me? he thought anxiously. He remained there for a few seconds then leaned to peer at the couple.

They continued their walk. Kim Nam-ha detached himself from the wall and followed them.

Once again, the Japanese glanced over his shoulder.

Kim Nam-ha threw himself into the door of a bookstore. Looking through the window, he saw the couple continue on their way back to the port.

"Excuse me," said a voice behind him, causing him to start. Turning around, he saw a fat, middle-aged, man.

"Are you looking for something?" continued the man. "This is my store."

"No!" cried Kim Nam-ha, frightened. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Bowing profusely to the owner, he ran out of the bookstore blindly. After running for a while without a thought, he realized he was lost.

Shoji and Chidori returned to the port and were greeted with a new batch of arrivals. There was one group, about six of them from France, that actually approached him; they had heard of the speech he made.

"Hello, Shoji Kawamura!" said one of them, approaching Shoji with an extended hand. "I am Francois Moreau. My friends and I heard about your speech in New York!"

Shoji laughed and shook Francois' hand. "It's nothing, really," he said.

"We've come all this way here because we want to be free from the meaninglessness of living in our society," Francois continued. "The six of us here, let me introduce you; Andre, Louis, Raoul, Raymond, Suzette and Antoine."

He gestured to his friends, who greeted Shoji in turn. But Shoji noticed something. "Antoine?" he wondered. "I thought there were only six of you."

Francois laughed. "Of course," he said. "Antoine is still in France, but he will follow us in a few days' time."

"He's a Green Oceans information officer, like you," added Suzette.

At this point Chidori, who had gone back in the hotel with Simon, came running back to Shoji with Simon behind her. She was very excited. "Shoji! Shoji!" she cried.

She fell upon his left arm, wrapping her arms around it. "It's Sayoko!"

Sayoko was the woman who was with child.

"She's about to give birth!"

Meanwhile, in Paris, France...

All was quiet in the apartment building, all except for the sound of pleasurable, sensuous, moaning coming from behind one apartment door. This one had a plaque on it which read: Antoine Leclercq, Green Oceans.

Arkady Petrov sat up and lit a cigarette. He was naked and had been busy all day and all night. He looked down at his right, at the naked young man still lying down and high on cocaine.

"Well, that's that," he remarked. "It's a pity I'll have to waste you soon; you were great in bed and really cute. But I have a job to do."

A Modern Nemo 21

Maximilian entered his father's office and beheld his brothers standing nervously next to the desk. Their father was sitting, not at the desk, but on it -and cross-legged; he was smoking a newly-lighted cigarette.

Upon seeing Maximilian, Eric threw the barely-used cigarette into the ashtray and dropped to the floor. "Alright," he said, "your brothers told me everything. What I want to know now is why you sent Petrov and his crew to gather intel on Konstantiniadis at this point. It's too early. It could even backfire."

"You did tell me once that it's important to think two steps ahead of the competition."

Eric approached his eldest son. "You're hiding something," he said. "What is it that you're not telling me?"

"If I told you, would you believe me?" asked the younger Ong.

Eric leaned forward. "Try me," he said.

Maximilian took a cigar from his pocket and lighted it. "The recent seizure of pirate vessels off the Horn of Africa yielded more than just the usual caches of guns and ammunition. Among the weapons that were gathered from these ships were the parts of a Phalanx CIWS as well as Slick-32 and and Spook nine fire-control radars."

Eric straightened up. "Go on," he said with a nod.

"The interrogation of many of the pirates pointed out that this equipment was destined for a 'shipbuilder in China' and the containers of this equipment bore markings of Green Oceans."

Eric nodded and raised a finger. "You are going to follow up with this mission. I don't want any screw-ups."

"Understood."

A Modern Nemo 19

Shoji Kawamura found himself standing right in the midst of a vast crowd numbering more than two thousand and all gathered together under one roof. The gathering of like minds in the huge convention center owned by Green Oceans was an amazing and overwhelming experience for Shoji. Here, in this convention center, were people who thought like him.

They believed that all deserved to live in a fair society and that the only way to create one was to start from scratch and in a way that conventional thought never conceived.

Shoji had no idea where to begin. So many people; so many faces. Chidori herself was at a loss at what to do and merely stood right next to him.

A big hand landed on Shoji's shoulder. He looked behind; it was Konstantiniadis.

"Hey Shoji," the businessman said, "So how do you like the place?"

Shoji turned to face his benefactor. "It's amazing," he replied. "I don't know what to say."

"I'll tell you what you can say," said Konstantiniadis as he put one arm around Shoji's shoulders and the other around Chidori's. "You can get up on the podium and and give a speech."

"A speech?" mumbled Shoji, nervous. "Me? What?"

"Don't worry," said Konstantiniadis reassuringly and he brought both of them to the backstage. "I'll give you a crash course."

The news that Petrov was in town reached Eric's ears; he wasn't supposed to be in Cagayan de Oro. The taipan was in his office doing overtime and was wondering what caused the sudden commotion. He sent a message to the general's iPhone.

What are you doing here? You're supposed to be with the task force.

The reply came:

I'm here on your son's orders. I'll be going back to Russia later.

Maximilian was in his condominium and had just finished his supper which he had cooked himself. His phone rang. "Dad" was on the screen.

Oh that was fast, he thought. Well, here we go.

He lifted the phone to his ear. "Dad?"

"Maximilian!" roared Eric. "What the hell are you up to? I want you in my office now!"