[center][h2]Nanning, China[/h2][/center]

Helicopters weaved in and out of the openings between Nanning's once-great skyscrapers, now reduced to mere husks of what they had once been. Most of them were still inhabited, the glass walls replaced with wood and scavenged metal. Clotheslines were strung high above the streets off of bridges between the gigantic buildings, creating yet another obstacle for the helicopters to maneuver around. Their motherships-dirigibles floating silently high in the sky-slowly came closer and closer to the ground in search of a suitable structure to moor to and unload the troops and supplies they carried within.

One of the helicopters-an old, prewar one used by the UTA-touched down on the top of the tallest building in the city. The pad it landed on was hastily constructed, but a pad nonetheless. A man in power armor jumped out of it, a giant backpack attached to his suit. Railgun in hand, he walked up to one of the many people gathered at the pad. Some were carrying guns, mostly makeshift muskets and the like, but a few had prewar weaponry. Most did not.

"You're from the Endurance Cooperative, right?"

The man's speech was translated to English by the power armor. It was a function added to allow any old grunt to communicate without needing a diplomat assigned to every single squad. He nodded in response, then gave his answer. It too, of course, was translated into Chinese by the armor. It turned his calm yet neutral voice into a commanding baritone, just like all other power armor models. As it turns out, you generally command more respect if you sound like Darth Vader.

"Yes." He said, taking off the backpack and gently lowering it to the ground just in front of him. "Our team has the weapons you requested to inspect. The rest of the fleet is loaded up with food, clothing, medical supplies, everything else you asked for."

The armed men lowered their weapons, breathing sighs of relief upon knowing that the man in the power armor wasn't a raider. Most of the time, such unorganized groups didn't have access to things like helicopters (flight in general, really). However, one could never be sure. The loss of a Cooperative dirigible in a storm over Manchuria had make suspicions run even higher in areas that were aware of the organization. Had any raider groups or other such rouges found it, they could easily make use of the technology found in the wreck.

"Thank you... if I may?"

"Go ahead."

The Chinese man-whom was wearing a worn, red changshan-walked over to the backpack and crouched down beside it before opening it up. Inside, he found exactly what he was promised. Held within the abnormally large backpack was an assortment of advanced weaponry. A modern assault rifle manufactured in Yulin, a rail arquebus, even an anti-armor railgun with HE shells for it laid next to the rest of the weaponry. More soldiers in power armor carried crates out of the helicopter, which they then opened to reveal more of the same.

"We have power armor available as well." Continued the soldier. "The AT gun needs something a bit stronger than a shoulder to absorb the recoil"

"You shoulder-fire that thing?"

"Yeah, it's got three times or so the power of an AT gun from, say, the Second World War. That's why we need the power armor for them."

The Chinese man stopped looking over the guns for a moment and looked at the soldier quizzically, his head tilted to one side in confusion.

"The Second World War?"

"Uh... PTRD-41. It's got three times the power of a PTRD-41."

"Ah, I see. Why would you need something so powerful?"

"Regulations say our equipment has to go up against what we've got. The RAT-16 isn't just for punching through thick hides, it can take down a tank if it has to. The rail arquebus is great for anyone in one of our power suits, it doesn't have to be set up and you can hook it to the suit in order to load it quicker. Without the armor, though, it needs to be manually loaded with each shot. The modern weapons are the same as prewar designs, though with a few little modifications being made throughout the years."

"This is an impressive arsenal you've brought with you... what of the training?"

"It can easily be provided by the Combined Forces. Ammunition and other necessary supplies are a part of the deal as well."

"We have chosen to expand the terms. Our city cannot wait for our soldiers to be given and trained in the usage of your equipment, we need security now. If you are willing to end the bandit threat, then we will accept your terms."

"We had a feeling you would say that."

The soldier tapped a button on one of his power armor's arms, then said something in English muffled by his helmet-which didn't seem to transmit the message through the speakers. A few seconds later, a barely audible hum filled the air. Everyone but the Cooperative soldiers looked around, trying to determine its source. Then, without warning, an immense crack shook the sky like thunder. Trails of plasma stood out even against the blue sky and white clouds as rounds left the railguns of the dirigibles above.

"Consider it done." Said the soldier. Nobody could see it, but beneath his helmet was a sly smile.

"We... we accept the terms of the Nanning Treaty." Said the Chinese man, holding out his hand while still staring up at the sky. "Your power is exactly what my people need."

"Welcome to the Endurance Cooperative." Said the soldier, shaking the man's hand with a gentle grip (for the power suit, at least).

[center][h2]The Shrine of Raijin, Kyoto[/h2][/center]

The reactions of the many soldiers did not go unnoticed by the Admiral, whom blushed underneath the fur-like hair that covered his entire body. Being completely oblivious to the local history and values, he simply assumed that they had never need a mutant before. There was also the fact that he had been completely incorrect in the assumption that the handshake was capable of surviving nuclear hellfire, which certainly made things more awkward on his end. He decided not to mention it, and pretended as if the man had reacted correctly.

"We are honored to meet your people as well, Mr. Miyamoto." He said, retracting his hand. "Thank you for the warm welcome, such occurrences are not as common as one might hope."

A small smile appeared on his face, hidden by the hair. The fact that he had attempted to figure out the handshake was a good sign. However, it quickly faded into a frown as he realized what everyone else was whispering. Which, of course, was anything but a good sign.

[i]Yokai.[/i]

Mononoke. Mamono. Ayakashi. Optimistically, they were referring to the "good kind", which would imply that they expected the Cooperative to assist them. Given the glares and scowls, however, they probably had no such idea. It only reinforced the belief that they had simply not encountered a mutant before, and unfortunately for the Admiral, that curiosity boiled over into a question. He was never supposed to be a diplomat, and to at least the rest of the team he had brought with him, it was glaringly obvious.

"Apologies if it is rude to point it out, but you're all of pure blood, and seem unsettled by our appearances. Are there no mutants here?"

Though he said it rather awkwardly, there was a twinge of hope to be found within his tone. A land of almost certainly purebred Japanese, without any mutations... it would allow the Cooperative to cleanse an entire ethnicity of the ravages of the war. The same had already been done for the Hausa and Yoruba, and many people of African descent from the Americas and Europe had been cleansed using the same DNA-thanks to looser ties to any specific ethnicity.

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