1875
Ketalis, Overseas Nekatalan
An Ikagai ship escorted by a destroyer of a somewhat dated design lurches into view of Nekatalan controlled territory. Ryuji watches as the coastal dock approaches with every second that passes.
“So we are about to meet the foxes cursed by blood. This should be interesting.” the seven foot oni dressed in a traditional yukata. His swords are worn on one side to signify that he is indeed a warrior.
The city of Ketalis loomed in the distance. Silhouetted as always by a column of black smoke from its bustling factories, the city itself was a bright, well constructed and planned, modern city with an intriciate network of trains and streetcars that carried people to and fro. The massive dockyards held dozens of steel-hulled vessels under construction, new steam powered drydocks and technologies wondrous even without the aid of manarite formed the beating heart of the city’s booming economy.
The arriving warship was greeted out in harbor by a welcoming party of the Nekatalani fleet, flags at full mast and bedecked for full ceremonial duties. On sight of the approaching delegation, the receiving warships fired off a three part salute, and the amplified sound of a trumpet blared out across the waters. The vessel was received with magnificent ceremony. A full military parade stood ready, legions of black-trimmed khaki clad troopers marched in lockstep to receive the delegates. As they disembarked, the ceremony grew greater still, new trumpets sounding as Nekatalan celebrated the arrival official delegation of Ikagai.
The delegates were escorted towards the consular compound, a well built square of the city wherein numerous national embassies to Nekatalan were located - though not as many as in the massive home capital of Tekatal itself. Through plushly furnished interiors lit by modern electric lighting they walked, until at last they came to the office of the Governor-Priestess Livuket.
Livuket was an Enneakata, unlike the majority of those they would have seen. She rose to greet the two, a warm smile on her features as she welcomed them in. “I am sure the ceremony must have made it clear but, let me personally welcome you to Nekatalan, and express my sincere joy at your arrival. I hope this will be the start of a prosperous relation between our peoples.”
Ryuji and his two guards bow towards the governess. “Your welcome was warm and well received by my men.” He straightens his posture and brings out a hand fan, “I am sure you are aware through our correspondence, but I am the current governor of the colonial territory, Yayama. There is much we should discuss between our two territories and indeed our two nations. Though I do not mind small talk before business either, such a beautiful day shouldn’t be wasted after all.”
Livuket smiled, but shook her head. “Nonsense - while I agree that a beautiful day ought be enjoyed, I think it is better enjoyed when official business and matters of import have been dealt with. You are free to enjoy the city at your leisure - but I think it best we discuss these crucial matters now, rather than later. War looms, and it would not do to dally.”
Ryuji brings out a fan and hides his face in a most regal manner, “Much agreed. War does loom on the horizon and my Emperor is keen to bring our potential enemies to heel. I believe it is in both our best interests to see to it that we never meet on opposite sides.”
“I, too, pray that our peoples never raise arms against each other so long as the sun smiles upon us.” Livuket said, nodding agreement, “Though we have many enemies, we are glad to count the fine people of Ikagai as potential friends, please, take a seat, make yourselves comfortable. I can have refreshments brought, if you wish?”
“A warm cup of tea would be nice…” he says as he takes a seat and motions for his guards to take a step back. “Well straight to business, my people would like to negotiate a non-aggression treaty and a military alliance for things regarding these isles. There are too many foreigners on these shores and it would be good to trim the fat as they say.”
Livuket suppressed an audible gasp of surprise. “Th- well, that is a very… forward request of you. We’ll - I mean, we’ll need to weigh this possibility of course, but we are honored that you would make such a proposal of us. Against the enemies that face us on all fronts, we must stand united against those who would defy the will of good and of order.”
She nodded to an aide within the room who bowed his head, disappearing down the hall and reappearing a few minutes later with a kettle of steaming water, several varieties of tea, and numerous sweets and other snacks arrayed upon elegantly simplistic porcelain.
Ryuji closed the fan revealing a confident smile, “We of the Ikagai do not mince words nor do we participate in trickery when it comes to our friendships. Your kind have a reputation of being diseased and cursed. However, to the Ikagai, we know that many of you are more than your condition…” he took a cup of tea with one hand and let the warm wafting vapors fill his nose with its aroma, “I will not patronize your people. We know what you are capable of and in many respects we are envious, but this is precisely why we desire cooperation.”
“Diseased and cursed…” Livuket murmured, standing from her desk and fixing the foreign diplomat with a piercing stare. “Look around you at this city, built in the span of but a decade. Look at it, look at it well. See the steel structures that rise around us, the dockyards, the trains, the bustling industry and the sprawling housing complexes. All of this we have built with our own hands. Perhaps most of us may not live as long as many of you.” She turned from Ryuji, gesturing out to the cityscape that sprawled before them through the office’s window, “But we are not a people defined by our curse. We are a people who have triumphed over it - to say nothing of those like me.” She turned back to him, “I am two hundred and sixty three years old. I have seen horrors the likes of which you can scarcely comprehend. I remember wars fought when your father’s father’s father was nothing but an urge in the loins of his father. I have brought sixteen children into the world and seen twelve of them die in wars or from a curse passed onto us from ancestors long forgotten. The oldest of those who yet live is approaching her end. She asks me if the ritual hurts - what is a mother to tell her daughter when she asks such a thing? I have seen the mangled bodies of other daughters brought back from war, where we slew twice our number in Iakutians and watered the ground in their blood. I have seen all of this, and it is but a small fraction of what we are. You are wise, governor, not to patronize us.”
She sighed. “I do not mean to insult you in this, governor, you have done us no ill will. But I remember when the Iakutians subjugated us and spoke of us as vermin. When they razed cities and plundered the countryside. ‘Feral dogs’ we were called, ‘cursed jackals’, ‘savage hyenas’ - I remember fields of corpses from Iakutian purges. I remember thousands dead from the rampages of those who turned when they could not receive their dignified death. I am not angry at you, governor, but when you speak of us as diseased and cursed, you speak not only of six thousand years of hardship, most of us knowing from birth the year we will die - you speak of the desecration of our home, of propaganda spread of us by foreign conquerors. You speak of the lies that were spread of us when we threw off their yoke.”
She remained silent for a while, save for a single motion to eat one of the candied fruits that lay upon the crystal platter, chewing idly on it and swallowing. “And yet you also acknowledge that we
are more than a curse. Not many have done so. For that you have my thanks. When we march to war and the sun drinks her fill of the blood of the faithless of the dual monarchy, it will be my great honor to know the part I have played when our daughters fi- our daughters and our sons fight side by side against them.”
Ryuji takes a sip of his tea and places it on the table, he opens his fan and begins fanning himself. He bows his head acknowledging the passion of Livuket and her people, “We of the Ikagai have made the right choice in friends…” He stops, to take his still sheathed sword and places it infront of him on the table. “... My people up until recently have only known war among ourselves and the foreign devils that sought to subjugate our kind. We knew that your kind faced hardships unimaginable, but all that I knew of those hardships came from baseless rumors. To hear it from you only then solidifies that the Emperor and I have made the right choice in allies.”
He pointed to the sword, “In our culture, the sword of a warrior is akin to one’s soul, one’s being. I apologize if I have offended you or your people. To present the sword sheathed to the other is a sign of respect and trust. Think of this as not just my action, but the Emperor’s for I represent him in the colonies. Let it be known that on this historic day, the Ikagai placed their faith in Nekatala - a foreign power.” He paused, to look straight into Livuket’s eyes, “... This marks the first time Ikagai has ever seen a foreign power as an equal… Perhaps even more than that.”
Livuket smiled. “I am glad to hear that, Ryuji, I am very glad indeed. We are new to this land, and yet we have made our claim upon it. It is with great honor that I extend our hand to you in friendship, and raise a joined fist against those who would stand in our way. You have offered us no offense, for there was no malice in your words. Instead, please accept my apologies for my outburst.” Her fingers trailed along the sword’s scabbard, the cool, lacquered wood smooth against her skin as she stood silent for a moment.
“It is a beautiful sword, for sure. Most of our blades are made for function, these days. There has been precious little time for ornamentation or the sword as an art. It is a weapon of desperate defense. Of blood soaked, hard-scrabbling melees in the desert. Men and women fighting and dying in the sand, the dry grains drinking the life of those who fell. And yet when I look at this sword I don’t see an Iakutian gurgling at the end of it, I don’t see a lizard choking out his last breath in the dirt. I see the work of the smith who created it, I see each brush stroke on the scabbard. I see the appreciation for the beauty in what is terrible. I think we may yet have lessons to learn, or perhaps relearn, from your people.”
“The beauty is in the sheathe, it is peace, tranquility, control…” Ryuji takes another gentle sip of his tea, “... That is why, the act of unsheathing it is as if one is lighting a fire or unleashing an untamed beast. The sword, represents the spirit of our warriors. It is a religious and symbolic part of our culture. We as Ikagai do not pretend to lose sight of what we were, we remember and remind ourselves of our past constantly. We keep the warrior spirit alive.”
He takes up the sword and points the hilt towards her, as if he is asking Livuket to pull the blade out of its scabbard, “That is also why it is a sign of respect to offer it to someone else. It is as if you’re saying that you’re putting yourself in someone else's hands.”
Livuket gingerly took the sword in her hands, feeling its heft and weight and, slowly, gently, sliding it from its sheathe. Holding it with the grasp of one who was well acquainted with swords from a time few others remembered, she felt a surge of forgotten memory fill her for a moment, before exhaling. She admired the blade for a moment, the rippling pattern that ran down its length before the cutting edge where the differential heat treatment had colored the steel. The weapon was a work of art.
Slowly, she slid it back into its sheath, passing it back to Ryuji with a smile. “I’m afraid we have no similar custom, but I thank you sincerely nonetheless. It is a beautiful blade. And an… interesting way to view it. It might take some getting used to, but I can see the value in it.”
“There is no need to worry about that, I understand that in the first place our customs are different. But for both of us, it is good to see with both eyes open. We’ve learned much from each other today…” He slips the sheathed sword back to where it was on his garb, “... The most important is that despite our differing customs, despite what is said behind both our backs, despite our , we are able to work together and respect one another. We are able to see the good things within each other. If we are able to then it is not impossible to foresee that our countries will be able to do the same.”
He finishes his tea before continuing, “I can see that overall this official business that we’ve had is positive. I shall send word to the Emperor upon my return to Yayama.” he then looks to Livuket, “With that, we can move on to more personal matters, that is of course if you’re not too busy. Let us enjoy this day and you can help me learn more about you and your people.”
Livuket raised an eyebrow. “Quick to jump to rest and relaxation, I see. Very well, I suppose the niceties of the treaty can be hashed out later when you are better rested.” She nodded to him, plucking another treat from her tray and popping it into her mouth, “Well, then, what exactly would you like to know about us? There’s certainly plenty of information out there, I’m not sure what you need me for.”
“Hahaha, as I’ve said, a day such as this one shouldn’t be wasted on just business. We of Ikagai do enjoy the little things as well.” Ryuji pondered, putting a hand to his chin, “Perhaps a stroll through the city with less fanfare. I’d like to know more about your people and culture. It is what I’d do for you if you were in my city. Further, I’d like to know more about my counterpart. I’m sure you have many questions for me as well.”
