Sydney International Airport.
Vrrrrrrrrrr—
The low roar of airflow filled the cabin as the door sealed shut. Vera sat still, watching through the porthole as the Sydney skyline receded, slowly shrinking into the distance. Her expression was indifferent—utterly uninterested in the so-called suppression mission they'd just completed.
"Commander Russell, Intelligence Division has already identified and screened the main agitators. Are we really leaving this early?"
A squad leader from Arasaka's security team stepped forward, combat command insignia on his left arm and right collar wing. His chest bristled with data cables and a hacker terminal. Holding out his tactical device, he spoke with uncertainty.
"Are we just… walking away?"
Vera gave a small chuckle and waved him off. "This is the Sydney Branch's family business."
"We're guest forces—brought in as backup. Overshadowing the host will only earn us resentment."
Australia was a land of abundance—called a continent "sitting on minecarts" and "riding on sheep's backs." To Arasaka, it was a vital resource base in the Pacific Rim—just like Southeast Asia. For the Manufacturing Division, it was a cornerstone of core interests.
Outside the aircraft's window, the polluted rivers and estuaries told their own story.
The water was choked with garbage and unidentified chemical runoff. Dozens of kilometers beyond Sydney's urban sprawl, vast smart-controlled factories stretched to the horizon, coughing out smoke and sludge under a blanket of haze.
Industry meant power. Heavy industry meant military power—the backbone of capital and everything it controlled.
Precisely because of its value, Arasaka's top brass feared the labor unrest could escalate, triggering a domino effect across Australia. So, local divisions stayed put, guarding their turf, avoiding unnecessary movement for fear of disrupting production or market value.
Deploying outsiders was the safer play. Vera, already en route home, was rerouted to lend her intimidating presence and maintain order.
If the situation had escalated into riots, they'd have rolled in cannons and machine guns to assist Sydney Branch.
But now the danger had passed. Intelligence confirmed that no "friendly nations or corporations" were secretly fueling the unrest. The alert level was dropped. The Sydney incident was considered resolved.
Vera promptly requested to return to Night City.
Her true reasons were known only to her. On one hand, she genuinely deferred to the local forces—it wasn't home turf. As a guest, the more capable you appeared, the worse it made the hosts look.
On the other hand, the remaining cleanup was just too filthy.
She might not be squeamish, but she wasn't eager to dirty her hands either.
Better to steer clear.
Call it hypocrisy if you like—playing the whore while building a memorial arch. Still, she hoped to keep her hands a little "cleaner" than the average corporate hound.
Settling into her seat, Vera offered no further explanation. She dismissed her subordinate, stretched, reclined, closed her eyes, and synced her thoughts with her neural processor. A moment later, a virtual email interface blinked open before her.
---
—Application—
From: Vera Adelaide Russell [Night City]
To: Arasaka Tokyo Global Headquarters
[Scholarship and Internal Tokyo University Law Faculty Admission Recommendation Slot]
---
In the transparent interface that reflected her face, Vera's pupils glowed with contemplative orange-red light.
Her current promotion path had hit its ceiling.
Without the Arasaka surname, even with every buff—loyal-subject orphan, second-generation direct corporate dog, child of officials—reaching this level by age twenty-one was already rare. Climbing higher would take years of seniority, no matter how much merit she accumulated.
But without advancing a few more levels, she couldn't disclose Umbrella's virological knowledge or tech.
She could feel it—her attraction to the space-time counterpart who led Black Umbrella growing stronger by the day.
Beyond abstract ideas lay material reality…
If she couldn't climb high enough to push those "discoveries" to the top, to meet Arasaka Saburo in person and present the T-virus and G-virus as keys to immortality and longevity, then she'd never realize their full value.
Waiting wasn't an option. It was too passive.
But what was she supposed to do? Blow up Militech's Night City tower and drive them out single-handedly?
That would probably start the Fifth Corporate War.
So, a different path was needed. A new track.
Why not… enroll in school?
To mercs running the Badlands, lounging at Afterlife, or getting drunk at Lizzie's Bar, that would sound like pure nonsense. A joke. Might as well take off your pants to fart—better to sell your body.
But to the real ruling class—the so-called "Celestial Dragons"—it mattered.
Not community colleges or mid-tier corporate academies. Real universities.
The kind where, upon graduation, you discover your classmates are corporate execs, top officials, and power brokers.
Take Berkeley-Asgard University in the New United States—alma mater to the Peralez couple, several White House staffers, congressional reps.
Vera's goal was Tokyo University—the cradle of Arasaka leadership and Pacific Rim elites. Even Arasaka Yorinobu had graduated from there.
It had been almost two years since she'd left Night City Arasaka Academy.
Her social capital should be sufficient by now.
She was eager—so driven to climb. Since becoming a graduate intern, she'd participated in over a hundred operations, large and small. Her track record was stellar. She had money—plenty of it. No risk of becoming a bad debt.
Arasaka, you'd better not take me for granted.
Beep!
[Sent]
---
Arasaka Tokyo Headquarters.
Analysis Department – General Office.
Vera's application sat open on the information exchange interface.
"Vera Russell, Night City Security Division's rising star. Security Chief. Special Assault Unit Commander. Rich in combat experience. Reportedly on good terms with Adam Smasher."
"Background checks out—only daughter of North American division's old Fred Russell. Beautiful, clean record, young, talented, and clearly ambitious. She's aiming for the top of Arasaka Tower."
"Claims she entered Security Division to fulfill her deceased parents' wishes? Maybe. But I'd wager she's more interested in climbing the ladder. Very power-hungry."
"My risk assessment: she's no covert agent. Probability of betrayal to hostile forces is near zero. As for the scholarship—she doesn't need the money. With her record and 2070 class valedictorian status, risk of her becoming a wasted investment is negligible."
"My recommendation: Approve."
"Seconded."
"Submit the list for Lord Arasaka Saburo's review."