Voyage to the West

Early in the morning on one ordinary day, a lone fishing schooner sailed the seas. The boat was far from shore, however bore signs of belonging to one nation in particular. The ship was completely white and bore a navy-blue stripe down the middle of it's cigar-shaped build that tapered off at the bow into a sharp point. The schooner had two masts, the mizzenmast at the center, and a second toward the back - both held great triangular sails that were ribbed to one angle for an interesting fold. The sails were of a blood red. The ship had to be from the land of Kyokai thusly because of the fantastic ship's make.

There was also only one lone man aboard - perhaps middle aged and with a long beard. By trade, the man was a crab fisher and a fantastic sailor. Every day, he followed a usual agenda - he would sail far beyond the shores of Kyokai and pick up the very same traps he set before. He had such a keen sense of direction, even from within The Great Sea which was of course a boundless ocean thought to never end.

Just as any other day, the man found his traps with little difficulty. Reeling them onto his boat's sea-worn deck, he opened the wooden traps and unloaded the moving hunk of crabs into a large flax net that sat within a tank under the deck. Wiping his forehead from sweat and the sea breeze, the man decided to take a break. As time went on, he found something quite odd occurring however. The waters were changing around him from the usual deep deep blue, to a more aquamarine color. Scratching his beard he retrieved a scope from his cabin and extended the brass barrel.

Looking through with one eye, he scanned the horizon. Dropping the scope onto the deck, it rolled and hit the gunwale of the bowsprit ahead. His mouth hung open - it seemed that this day was not so ordinary anymore! He found land, miles and miles ahead but it was undeniable. Looking to the starboard side of his schooner, he realized he had forgot to lower anchor at his last trap - he had drifted for miles before he even knew what hit him. But in the end... he found land.

The humble fisherman named Nagano Yukimura would go down in history as the first person of Kyokai to find land to the west... the long debated Barbaric West seemed to be quite real indeed. Fetching his supplies in haste, and closing the small porthole to the tank below deck, he made his way to the steering wheel and turned around his ship heading straight for home - no doubt with the tidings of the century.

"So it's true? There is indeed land in the west? Were your eyes playing tricks, Yukimura-san?" A man asked.

"No, of course not Torunaga-sama! I can see as well as the day I was born!" Yukimura argued with a slight, excited grin.


After nearly three days at sail, Nagano Yukimura had reached the great port city of Onigafuji on the island of Joushu. Claiming of his findings he was told by the city's Daimyo, Senzo Komomura, to make haste to the nation's capital of Eidou to personally inform the Shogun himself. At first, being a mere commoner, he was reluctant to visit such a high-standing person. In the end however, he made his way to the city of Hinamizawa and managed to catch a ship across the channel between the Great Island Hekkaido, and the island of Joushu.

The ferry landed at the dock after a few hours, and by horseback, the man rode to Eidou from Ezojima. After a few days of riding and camping, he finally made it to the massive city of the Shogunate. Disembarking at the city's entrance gateway, he found himself a palanquin and hastily asked for the carrier to bring him to Eidou Castle, the home of the Bakufu and Shogun.

Eidou was sprawling and vast. It was a walled city of stone and great gates of black metal. The streets were busy with the thousands upon thousands of residents and out-of-city travelers. Street roads were not dirt like in smaller villages, but rather paved with cobbled stones and sidewalks of brick. At intervals, lanterns hung from long steel polls. The main streets were the most busy as either stores stood open for people to enter, restaurants bustled with patrons, or stalls were erected for produce to be bought from.

As his palanquin took him through a main street, he couldn't help but smell the main dishes from restaurants he would pass. Delicious odors of soups and pastas, breads and various desserts, rice and meat dishes all wafted gently into his nostrils. This place was completely different from the rice-paddy fields and high rolling hills of the outer villages.

Turning down various streets he noted the ever increasing altitude at which they were climbing... after all Eidou did lay atop a great mountain. Along every street was bordered many homes close together. All were ornate and their curved roofs tiled. Some homes stood larger than others and others even had small bits of lawn beside them. As they went higher and higher from road to road, homes indeed became mansions and mansions became estates.

Moving the flap at the side of his palaquin, he peered out and his jaw dropped from the views. In gaps between the illustrious buildings and homes of the affluent, he could see pieces of the city far far below. They were nearly at the peak of the mountains - surrounded by fluffy white cloud and blue sky. Far toward every distance, he could see snow-capped mountains and flowing plains of green. He could see specks of rivers flowing between forests of banzai. Indeed, he was in the most beautiful place on the planet he thought.

It was only bolstered by what he saw next. Traveling past fountains and buildings of high statue - hill castles and shrines to the Great Shinto Gods of old - he saw it. The great Eidou Castle loomed ahead - multi-tiered and obviously the most beautiful building in all of Kyokai. It's view was nothing he had ever had the immense pleasure of seeing before, and at that very time - the sun had only just started descending from the sky, casting brilliant hues through the clouds of pinks, reds, oranges, and yellows. The water far below that was obviously the great Bay of Kyokai reflected the many colors of the setting sun and cast a brilliant glow upon the city flowing up the mountain.


He had no more time to admire the scene unfolding before his eyes however, before two Samurai by looks - both garbed in Shogunal Red armor - bid him inside the castle. Following the guards, who oddly seemed to know of his purpose in being there, he made his way up several floors and to the double doors into the Shogun's Chamber.

Meeting the leader of a nation is deemed as a fantasy for some - and for most impossible - however Nagano Yukimura was a lucky man. Sitting before the Shogun who sat at a desk by a large glass-paned window that was open unto a balcony overlooking the bay - Nagano told the Shogun of his findings. With each word spoken, he couldn't help but notice Ieyasu Torunaga's expression growing wilder and more excited. By the end of the tale, the Shogun appeared as a child looking into a candy jar filled to the brim with only their favorites.

Indeed, Mr. Yukimura would be famous in many ways afterward, perhaps most of all for his audacious voyage back into the sea alongside the hands of the Shogun to find out exactly who lived upon the land in the West.




After many weeks of sailing out into the Great Sea, the land to the West was finally found once more. Nagano was made the Prime Ambassador to the Regent of Foreign Affairs - Noburo Oishi - an important member to the Shogun's Council. With his new found status, he had to move out of Hinamizawa alongside his family and likely move to the Island of Hekkaido. Taking on his new role with much gusto, he accepted the call for him to lead around forty Shogunal Soldiers to this new land for an exploration and perhaps contact with the people there.

Looking through the scope, Nagano found the land ahead to be much different from their own. The shore was cliff-faced and rocky and it gave way to rolling green hills and bluffs of red rock. The land ahead was extremely mountainous as well, perhaps even more so than Kyokai. He wondered what kinds of people inhabited this strange land as he chose to not believe the idea that the people to the West were all barbarians.

That prior view however faltered as he neared the shoreline in his grand ship as he found a port to visit. They could see the long docks ahead, however everything beyond the pier was blocked by an outcropping cliff. Sailing a bit closer, the view was open... and it did indeed open to something quite terrible to behold.

Dead bodies lay upon the shoreline and docks, beyond the trees, buildings could be seen either laying in ruin or burning. This land was bathed recently in blood it seemed. Even as far away as they were, and upon the water, the smell of charred flesh and the dead was unmistakable. Most of the soldiers, being veterans themselves through conflict, narrowed their eyes with suspicion and anticipation. Laying anchor, plans were immediately made to go ashore... for better or for worse. The Samurai there cleaned their katana and readied their Tenageshima Muskets. Donning helmets and checking armor, all waited for Nagano's command to disembark from the ship - sitting peacefully in the water with a fluttering Rising Sun upon the flag, and onto smaller boats.

Antony was not at all happy inside of his coffin.

Now, of course it wasn't a coffin. Hopefully, it wouldn't serve as one, at least not on this trip. But the steel box that had been used to reinforce his carriage against musket fire certainly set off his claustrophobia like a sarcophagus would, and the stuffiness didn't help. But Leon had insisted it was necessary; if he died, after all, to some Communist fanatic in the streets, what would that spell for the emerging Republic?

He still had his viewports, though. They were moving through the streets of the Capital City now, down one of its most famous boulevards. The street was long and straight; on both sides there were trees, ornate buildings of incredible age. A culture had thrived here. And yet it was trashed; there was trash in the streets, rubbish and cobblestones. Every bit the warzone the Capital had become. But they had come to destroy the eerie silence.

Wardrums could be heard across the city in the early morning. As they marched, citizens came out to see what was going on. They appeared confused; ragged, some hungry. The Communists had failed to take hold of the Capital as of yet; no doubt the Royalists still fought well, and hard. But neither of them had the Liberals' level of firepower.

It became the case rather quickly that a mass of malcontents was beginning to slow their advance. Through the small crack, Antony could watch as a few men up ahead began to throw objects--cobblestones no doubt--at his formation. They stopped.

"Present! Ready! Aim!" he shouted, pointing his sword forty-five degrees in the air, above the heads of the unruly crowd. "Fire!"

The muskets rang out in almost perfect unison. Antony's ears began to ring. Leon didn't say a word. Every soldier was silent. But the rioters began to disperse. They ran as the column continued to advance. Antony breathed a sigh of relief. A street brawl would have been a disaster.

Suddenly the Great Forum was in view! If only they could make their speech from near the center of the city, the very center of the civil society both the Royals and Communists wanted so much to strangle--then they could begin the path to victory. But apprehension gripped his heart; and for a moment he was in despair as a final challenge came into view.

They were ragged; tired; dirty. Civic conscripts, in their tortured uniforms, flying a Communist standard and bearing muskets, blocked off the street ahead, assembling into a human wall. The column stopped again--but this time, Leon muttered something, and the wings of the column folded outward. The Liberals now formed their own firing line.

Leon himself emerged from the front line, bearing a white standard with a blue stripe down one diagonal--a Capuan signal for diplomacy. A Communist emerged from the other side. As they spoke, far out of earshot of anyone else, he could tell that Leon grew more tense. They weren't budging, after all. In horror, Antony realized what would have to come next. His worst fears were confirmed moments later.

"These savages are nothing compared to Capua's finest! Infantry, present!"

Similar preparations were being undertaken on the other side. Their muskets were up, also. No doubt... no doubt at all. They would settle this like animals.

"Aim!"

He tried to duck down. He couldn't bear to see it. But he had to.

"FIRE!"

A mighty volley went off from both sides. The noise was deafening. He could feel it in his chest. Before the smoke could clear, the first row of his men--all those who hadn't been shot--ducked down and began reloading. Instantly the second row fired its own volley. Then they were down, and a third row fired its volley. By this time, the first had reloaded. They stood and fired. A few scattered shots came from the Communists after the initial volley, but they were pathetically ineffective.

The Communist formation broke apart. Men began running every which way, save those whom had left their mortal coil. After the sixth round, Leon thundered an order; the men halted. A few words later and they marched again, fallen comrades left behind. The Great Forum was in sight.

Antony prepared for the most difficult speech of his life.

The forty soldiers - elite by all rights and commanded by a Shinsengumi officer descended from their ship's deck, over the sides, and into four smaller boats. Rowing ashore, the first ship bore Nagano who carried himself proudly upon the soil he found for Kyokai. Under his arm was a grand helm bearing the horns of a commanding Samurai - in fact he was only outranked by the Shinsengumi who accompanied on the mission in case hostilities came about.

As the rest of the boats came upon the rocky shoreline, the soldiers looked about suspiciously. There were people here... however dead and decrepit. Even the pier buildings were disheveled - gaping holes in the sides, scorch marks, and musket-ball holes were a sign that whomever lived here at least had technology comparable to Kyokai's. The Shinsengumi kicked over a dead body and grunted upon seeing the chest of the dwarf completely blown away from a cannon ball most likely. Dried blood and pieces of flesh littered the ground beneath the body.

"Tch... Nagano, what do you think of these Westerners now? They're barbarians alright. Barbarians with some dangerous toys." The Shinsengumi stated in his gravely voice.

The Shinsengumi officer was the Second Unit's Commander - Hajime Saito - within that corp. Of course, he was the only Shinsengumi allowed on this voyage, the rest of the soldiers were all Samurai and Ashigaru Musketeers from Kyokai's Shogunal 15th Regiment. All of course were veterans of many battles - hardened and deadly on any battlefield. Of course, this was not a land that they were used to... this was a foreign land, with foreign peoples. The Shisengumi was armored beneath his uniform of a light blue haori jacket and regular kimono but it was but a chest plate of Purified Dark Ore. He carried at his hip two swords, a similar metal katana, as well as a Wakizashi. Strapped to his back however was a shorter Tenageshima Rifle.

The other soldiers wore full body armor, mostly steel however with breastplates of Dark Ore for extra protection. Their helmets were all horned as a traditional elite Samurai would have, or adorned with various symbolic things. Upon their armor was engraved the golden emblem of the Torunaga Clan which was the Rising Sun. Nagano stood at the forefront with similar armor. Though they were only forty men, none would run should battle occur - they would die for the honor and glory of Kyokai and their Shogun if need be.

With the order to advance by Nagano, the troops moved up the beach and onto the pier. Making their way cautiously past burning buildings and smells of death, the unit found itself completely surrounded by buildings soon within a city. They found civilization... only it seemed that whomever made it up was being hunted down like dogs. The odor of gunpowder was unmistakable - these soldiers had enough of that smell in their lives to know it was so. The Shinsengumi gave the sudden order to halt.

Cracks from only just afar rang through the wind. Gunshots... they were apparently getting close to wherever the action was going on. Nagano swallowed his fear - he was after all just a fisherman... what had he gotten himself into? The expectation to run into some form of abominable humanoid like creature with guns seemed to unnerve him...

Finding themselves upon a main thoroughfare, Saito raised a hand and balled it into a fist - it was another command to halt. This time, another great volley of musket fire pierced the air. Peering down the street, they could see a crowd of fogged over people firing at one another. The fog was that of the musket smoke that clouded out everything around them. The soldiers of Kyokai, at the behest of their commander, gathered into a two rows of twenty. Muskets donned their socket bayonets, which gleamed in the partial sunlight above.

Everything around them was broken. They stood within a ruined city. Buildings of interesting stone-mason'ed architecture - likely once beautiful works of art, now stood in fire and hell. The roads were cluttered with bodies and paved in blood and flesh. This was a massacre even more so than a war-zone. The Kyokans were disgusted on what they found, and not knowing the circumstances of this war, and not really caring, deemed these peoples barbaric to the greatest extent.

Nonetheless they had to see it through to the end and make contact with the last force standing upon this war-torn ground. Thus, the Shinsengumi waved an arm forward and ordered the advance.

Antony felt sick. He'd watched; watched as the men who stood before them were cut down mercilessly. There were a few left; they ran, ran senseless and blind to the world. He could justify it to himself; the good of Capua, the good of the Revolution, the common good, the rule of law. But that didn't change how sick it was.

The Great Forum was only a few blocks away; in their midst, they had gathered a great crowd of onlookers. Under their Republican standard marched not only Leon's men, but hundreds of ordinary citizens. But these were no mob; they were silent. Scared, and in a sort of strange awe--an awe Antony himself couldn't escape. History was in the making.

The Forum itself was a stone structure almost completely untouched by the Revolution. A great square was surrounded by an ornamental wall and series of pillars; one one end of the structure was a podium, surrounded by another stone structure. It was the perfect place to make a speech. Especially, he thought, the sort of speech he had in his pocket.

Soldiers sealed off the podium's structure from the outside, as the church bells began to ring. Citizens of all stripes proceeded into the square, hushed whispers between them. After all, the man atop the podium was no King and certainly no Communist. As Antony prepared himself, his stomach filled with insects and self-confidence rapidly dropping, he saw something out of the corner of his eye. A group of, he guessed, about forty foreigners. With muskets. He gulped a little. They seemed to be listening, however; perhaps this was some other Black Swan event he hadn't foresaw. But he didn't care; he had things that had to be said. His men called the crowd to order. They had become silent.

"Friends! Capuans! Countrymen!" he began, his tone loud and clear. "Forgive me, for there is not much time for exhortation, but to the brave a few words are as good as many! And indeed we are brave; for we have, despite the risks, made it exceedingly clear that we will no longer stand for the old ways of governance. But this is but the first step in the realization of a new order.

"A great and insidious confusion broods over this city, and by extension over the lands she has ruled since times before memory. For the Royals based their rule on blind arrogance and thinly veiled savagery; and despite this, against what I believe is the best in my fellow Capuans, the alternative presented to us is no better; for though the Communists may promise an end to the old ways, their emerging regime has merely decided to abandon backroom brutality in favour of open street warfare and the murder of their fellow citizens for reasons just as religious and nonsensical as those justifications given by the Royal Inquisitors.

"In performing such vicious acts the Communists have disgraced Capua's highest traditions of reason and civilization. It is clear that Communism, then, does not present itself as an acceptable alternative to the Crown's iron-fisted rule; for even if these actions of the past seven days would not be typical of the potential regime, and are merely aberrations born of social turmoil as the Marxist apologists vapidly claim, Marxian doctrine has no answer to our pressing problems. They promise a 'worker's utopia'; yet it is clear, should one read their Manifesto or policy ideals, that they have only the interests of an immense, authoritarian regime at heart, one designed to destroy personal freedom and put in its place an insidious, artificial, all-consuming collectivism. So it seems that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. And this is our answer to the deficiencies of the old ways?

"I, Antony Lassale, am here to suggest an end to this madness; I am here to appeal to your desire to do good for your fellow Capuans, to your love of reason, to your love of peace and goodwill among you and members of your community. It is my sincere belief that the constitution and moral fortitude of the nation is such that this Revolution may, with the support of the common people before me, herald the beginning of a liberal Republic for Capua.

"It must be understood, however, that such an ideal state of affairs can not be brought about overnight. I ask, then, that in the meantime, in order that our nation may see the end of this chaos, you, the common people, lend your support to the Directory. I am the head of that body; it consists of forward-thinking professors eager to apply the best principles yet discovered to our collective future and generals of the Kingdom's old Armed Forces willing to see through until the end the best future for the country they served.

"If, indeed, you believe that a Liberal future is best for Capua and her lands, that we may lift ourselves out of the intellectual and moral poverty of the last century, and that our attempts at doing so will not--can not--result in a slide into a darker, and more perverse, age of barbarism, if you believe in Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity... all those in favour, say 'aye'!"

The crowd erupted in support.

This letter has been transported by a trusted officer of Tyskland wearing his white with black trim uniform. the letter has been sealed with the imperial mark of Tyskland, the eagle.

Dear Antony Lassale,

I am delighted to congratulate you and your supporters on overcoming the obstacles before you. The command here in Tyskland are inspired by your retaking of the city square, and in your fight against a communist threat. That you have held onto the will to fight and die for your country. We hope that your intentions are well, and wish you success in your mission. If any support is needed contact me and Tyskland will come to your aid. We also hope that friendly negotiations can continue between our two countries.

The soldiers who stood from only just down the road watched the scene unravel. As shot after shot was fired, and men fell in line dead, most of their opinions had started to change a bit. This was no ordinary war - it was not some ruthless, unnecessary massacre. The one's who fought were more militia than professionalized military personnel, however they fought with a vigor only seen during a fight to win a cause. And this cause must have been great, for even the Kyokan could see the resolve in their eyes.

One side fell under a red flag, the other stood victorious with only slight casualties. Cheers ran through their ranks in torrents. Saito couldn't help but notice the civilians of the nation, hurt and broken, coming out from hiding within the ruins of the city. They were ragged and homeless, let the looks of fright and yet gratefulness was obvious. Some of the other soldiers, noticing perhaps that this battle was won by the right side, seemed to smile a bit too. Perhaps these were the people that they were destined to meet.

The supposed leader's speech was long and yet filled with such emotion - yet it was lost upon the ears of all of them but one - Saito. He had heard this language spoken before, yet he struggled to remember from whom it was uttered. A flicker of memory passed through his mind, it was from long ago, yet swam clear as day. It was hard to forget the battles that took place between a Dying East Empire and Kyokai. The East Rumans fell hard indeed to their nation, and Saito remembered the language well.

The words spoken, at least some, seemed familiar to him as during those wars back so long ago, he had been trained in the language to make due and thus became proficient enough. Listening to the words, he finally knew what had happened... what was happening. These people, called the Capuans, had been struggling through a revolution against another force. As Saito listened, he caught various points at which he knew the side that won this battle was indeed the correct one.

As the man's speech ended, the crowd that had gathered around him burst into a great applause. While the soldiers by Saito stood debating with each other over what the man was saying, Saito himself smiled and clapped along with the native peoples.

"Saito-Taicho, did you understand what was said by that man?" One of the soldiers asked.

"Yes, I believe I understand most of it. It seems that these people have been fighting a Revolution, we stand on the soil of Capua, it seems." Saito informed the others.

"Capua... I've never heard of such a people. Indeed, we have discovered a new land. The Lord Shogun will be most pleased with these developments." Nagano commented.

"Yes, Lord Torunaga will be pleased with this. He will be even more excited once we forge bonds with these people perhaps? We shall make contact... once the celebrations here are over." Saito said.

OOC: This letter gets sent later, after the events of this topic. But whatever.
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To Be Recieved by the Kommandant Sperling Zudermann of Tyskland;
Sent Per Will of the Head of the Directory, Antony Lassale of the Republic of Capua.
Dated 5 November 1570.
---
I thank you for your ardent support of the Republican mission. Your kind words are a reminder to us that in these dark times one can still find the rational and civilized; indeed, it appears that our high opinions of Tyskland have not been misplaced.

There is one article of support that would be most appreciated. As I am sure you understand, recent events have left the emerging Republic's economy badly beaten. If Tyskland could encourage her merchants to do business with those of the Republic, a favourable relationship between our two States would be extraordinarily likely.

Furthermore, the Communists, despite the crippling blow they have been dealt, despite their reeling, continue to pose a threat to Capua's stability. Arms are necessary to counteract this threat. We would be willing to engage in arms trade with your regime, provided you would accept steel as payment.

I eagerly await your reply!

Signed,
Antony Lassale
HEAD OF THE DIRECTORY
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OOC: Now that that's over with... Bleach, feel free to interrupt Antony now.
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Antony sighed in pure relief. As the crowd began to cheer, Leon smiled. Antony returned it. It was a step towards victory, stability, and a liberal Capua, but more than that they felt a sort of personal satisfaction in having succeeded. As he stepped down from the podium, he was surrounded by soldiers. He walked towards the carriage he had been brought here in.

The soldiers of Kyokai had remained where they were. People started to walk away from the podium after the applause and onerous celebration of sorts. As they walked past many seemed to finally realize that foreigners were in their midst. Most of the civilians seemed wary of them, thus walking around them in a wide radius as if getting near enough would mean contracting some plague. Soldiers who had noticed them seemed just as wary, however seemed disposed toward waiting to see what the Kyokans would do.

"What terrible manners. I hope not everyone here is so ill-receiving of foreigners." One Samurai stated with a grunt.

"Perhaps it's because we're soldiers..." Nagano proposed as he nervously glanced over to the soldiers of Capua who stood eying them rather suspiciously.

"If we were in Kyokai and saw these people standing around, I'd be suspicious as well. Anyway... I will make the first move." Saito resolved with his steely voice.

At that, Saito Hajime started walking briskly for the man who gave the speech. Currently, he was headed straight for a carriage to take him away from this place. As he walked quicker in order to catch up, it seemed that a lot of civilians and soldiers alike were watching intently. Behind Saito, his kimono and haori flowed with the wind along with his hair that was tied at the back in a long ponytail. Just before he got to the carriage, he was surrounded by many dwarves - all soldiers who looked on suspiciously to Saito. They're intent was to kill should he near any closer.

One of the dwarves lifted their muskets, the barrel nearly in his face. Saito's face took on quite the cold expression. Casually swatting the barrel away from his face, in his best Capuan language, he addressed them.

"Excuse me, and pardon my obvious intrusion - I don't wish to cause any distress. I am from a distant land and I wish to speak with the leader of this nation. You, by the carriage... are you the one I seek?" Saito asked - his accent was heavy, he could only hope they found his speech coherent.

Antony turned around. A few soldiers stood in front of him, but beyond that there was the funniest-looking man he'd ever seen. He was a human, not a Dwarf; after all, he stood head and shoulders taller than anyone else there. As did all of his comrades. Understandably, he felt threatened, especially since these men had muskets. His broken Capuan was understandable, but rather comedic. Obviously, this man was a foreigner.

"I don't know if I'm leader just yet," Antony responded, "but these people sure think I should be. Politically speaking, my friend, you've arrived at an incredibly bad time, as I'm sure you can see. At the present time we are undergoing a revolution."

He didn't know if he felt confident just yet negotiating, but what was the harm?

Saito looked around for a fleeting second. The soldiers around him had lowered their weapons a bit - perhaps he was trusted to not pull anything violent. Indeed, everything around them was in tatters and ruins. He had never seen such destruction, albeit during war it has come quite close. The war that they had fought, and indeed were still fighting had cost a heavy toll - the look upon the worn civilian faces was as obvious as if it were written in a book.

"Perhaps, this has been a terrible time... however, perhaps not. Maybe this is actually the most prudent time for us to have come. Indeed, this might be the best of all times." Saito began with a spreading smile. "Me and my men are from a distant country to your far east over the Great Sea. The Shogunate of Kyokai is where we hail from. Our Lord wishes to forge a bond between our nations if we find it might be fruitful enough." Saito explained. "Of course, we're not expected back to our land until we have a firm answer by whomever might live here, so we can wait for you to make a decision."

"I don't see why not. I'm not about to negotiate a treaty, but tell your Lord he may send his diplomats. I am sure there are matters of business we may speak of. For now, though, I must remove myself. There are matters of political importance to attend to." He adjusted his cap. "You may reach the Directory at the former Palace of Marsailles. May our meeting there be productive."