The Imperium of HironHashi Takami, the Director of the Emperor's Hidden Arm, sat quietly with the Dragon Emperor and the ministers of the realm. Having just finished presenting the results of
Operation Sa-To that the Emperor had ordered, the man was now being forced to await Ryugo Shuu's judgement. What seemed like an eon passed in a few minutes, until the young Emperor looked up and smiled, "I'm surprised how well you and the Hidden Arm performed."
Takami bowed his head deeply to the tatami mat, "I am incredibly proud of the organization, my Lord, to the point where I can say with almost absolute certainty that every man in it is capable at his job."
Ryugo quietly put the folder labeled
Operation Sa-To onto a small table, leaned forward with his head on his interlocked hands, and looked carefully at the ministers for a moment, and then at Takami, "Takami-san, the ministers and I have been discussing the future at great length, and we think this is an interesting operation..." Ryguo slid another folder over to Takami, this one entitled,
Operation Jiyuu.
The Director of the Hidden Arm picked up the folder and leafed through it for a few pages, skimming. His eyebrows raised considerably as he took a few moments to think before the man announced to the ministers, "The Hidden Arm should be able to take care of this. It's an interesting plan."
"The first of many, we hope. We have significant faith in the Hidden Arm, but we'll want you to start work on this Operation in a few months time," replied the Emperor before dismissing Takami. With the excellence of the Hidden Arm, Hiron was beginning to give serious thought to covert operations, possibly globally, though of course centered mainly in Settumu.
October 15th, 1899, Senryu, HironA small crowd had assembled in front of the Imperial Palace for the delivery of a speech by the Emperor. The young man stood quietly among for a moment before lifting his hand and silencing their once boisterous speech before he began, "The Imperium of Hiron has decided to declare that it stands in solidarity with the Serene Empire of Tara against the Wauwanti Raider Savages that become like a plague in one of its colonies, pillaging, raping, and destroying wherever it goes. Although the Imperium and Tara have not always gotten perfectly along, and will undoubtedly always never see eye-to-eye on some issues, there is one thing we are both clear on: savagery will not be tolerated in any colonies of Tara, or any that Hiron may lay claim to. Tarans and Hironese alike come to new lands to spread prosperity, civilization, and technology. Not to be forced to execute abominable humans.
"At the same time, I must also declare that the Imperium of Hiron supports the Tsardom of Karum in its aspiration to take back its lands, its peoples, and to right the injustices done to it and its peoples in the past. They are a truly civilized nation deserving of respect.
"However, we must declare that the Kingdom of Zellonia are truly fools ruled by a Mad King, one who thinks that taking waters that are clearly not his and illegally taxing ships in what is clearly an act of piracy is a fantastic idea that could not possibly lead to retaliation by the Great Powers. Their nation is an example of how not to deal with the Continentals and foreign bodies, and the Imperium of Hiron looks down at them greatly. Thank you for your time. To the Imperium!"
A mix of shouts began to ring out in the crowds such as, "Mad King," "Wauwanti Savages," and "Karum Fights For Freedom!"
October 31st, 1899, Furuu, HironThe Dragon Emperor himself had come to the laying of the keel of the
TES Asai, a
Taizen-1894 Class Pre-dreadnought, standing in front of a small crowd mixed with commoners and elite, as he began a simple speech, "Today, I stand before you as the Imperium of Hiron enters the next stage of its future! Behind me, work begins on yet another Pre-Dreadnought, a symbol of the Might of the Imperial Navy, to which all other nations in Settumu and the Continent shall soon pay heed! In the coming years, our ships shall soon eclipse the likes of the Serene Empire of Tara, blotting out the Sun itself with their rain of hot lead! The Seven Seas will become the home of all Hironese, and we shall sail them in full confidence of our absolute power! Let us march onward then, to the future, to the Imperium!"
The small crowd shouted in unison together, "To the Imperium!" as a number of monks began praying at the front for the success of the Imperium and of the
Asai.
November 3rd, Senryu, HironOnce again, the Dragon Emperor came before a crowd of reporters, commoners, and elites, to give a speech bordering on the line between sarcasm and praise, "My brothers and sisters, I come before you toward to lend considerable praise to the imbeciles in the
Grand Kingdom of Meung. Yesterday, they dragged their own Chief Foreign Financial Minister, Mao Huyuan, and their Minister of Taxation, Cui Hong, kicking and screaming out of their own homes as their families watched them be executed in broad daylight in front of their shocked families without a proper trial! Truly, Crown Prince Hu Shihuang knows best how to be a
ruthless, tyrannical warlord, and set an example for the Imperium of Hiron to take note of! And believe me, the Imperium takes
careful note of the Kingdom of Meung and the Crown Prince's actions... To the Imperium!"
A chorus of snickering mixed with laughter and shouts of approval rang out of the crowd as reporters furiously wrote down the Emperor's words. It was just another in the long line of jabs Hiron had taken at Meung.
November 7th, Aetoria, Tyro-RedaniaHiri Ishiki fell onto his hands and knees as he disembarked from
TES Kazemono, kissing the ground. Three weeks of hell had passed before him, multiple storms threatening to sink the ship. It was if God himself had attempted to reach out and strike the diplomat down. But he made it nonetheless, thanks entirely to the determination of the crew of
TES Kazemono. Unfortunately, his rest was not to be long, as Hiri had little choice but to push onwards to the meeting with the Tyro-Redanians.
A few hours later, the diplomat was once more cursing his luck and trying to untighten the sweat-soaked collar around his neck. The inspection of the weapons hadn't gone well, with the loss of a few dozen machineguns, and the Tyro-Redanians, combined with Ishiki's exhaustion, managed to pull more money from Hiron. Thankfully though, the man would soon be returning with the new machines, of which the Tyro-Redanians had given him a full demonstration of, utterly annihilating a regiment of fake soldiers with a few sweeping passes of the weapon. Truly, it was a machine of thus far unparalleled destruction... Once again, the diplomat found himself wondering what poor soldiers would be subjected to it in Settumu.
November 8th, 1899, Senryu, HironThe Dragon Emperor once more stood in front of a crowd of people, this one much larger than before. News of the guilty verdict of Commander Droulez had reached Hiron, which was met with much happiness among the people. Droulez had been trafficking Hironese women, a fact that Hiron was likely to not stand for had he been acquitted, but the Dragon Emperor could now make a public statement, "Today, a terrible man has been found guilty of heinous crimes. Trafficking innocent Kikitomi and Hironese women. An absolutely unacceptable crime, for which the death penalty is always incurred in Hiron. We hope greatly that swift justice is brought to Commander Droulez and that his head will roll. Thank you, and to the Imperium!"
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