The Dragon Imperium of HironCasimir Świętosławski took his first step onto Hironese land in the port city of Yufutsu, and took a moment to look all around himself. Hundreds of boats and likely thousands of fishermen were navigating the waters of port, unloading fish or loading supplies, and dealing with merchants on the docks. Dozens more ships of various uses were steaming in and out of port, carrying thousands of people. A mixture of rather ancient style ships and modern steamers. All of it was incredibly foreign to Casimir, who had taken the risk by sailing across the world to Settumu to escape the invasion of the Karumi. Dozens of other migrants streamed past the stationary man as some Hironese immigration officials motioned for Casimir to move onward.
Yufutsu itself was surprising to Casimir, which was clearly steeped in tradition. A number of temples and castles seemed to rise into the sky, and the urban sprawl of one- to two-story buildings made almost entirely of wood spread out in all directions, even beginning to touch the nearby mountains. But it was a sight Casimir would have plenty of time to see as he was ushered into an immigration office.
Within it, a clerk seemed to quickly look over his documents and then spoke in Taran with a smile, "Welcome to Hiron, Citizen," before motioning for the scientist to continue onward. He continued onward through a door whereupon a woman suddenly came up to him, speaking in his own native language, "Welcome to Hiron, Casimir Świętosławski. If you follow me, I shall take you to your lodgings and give you all necessary papers for daily life here in the Imperium."
For a moment, Casimir was surprised, but then he noticed the other immigrants being attended to by their own assistants, and realized the reality of the situation. All of them were academics or otherwise respected people in their field, and the Imperium knew who each and every one of them was. In some ways, it was stunning, "Of course, thank you."
The pair left the office and took cart pulled by a rather muscular Hironese man. All around them, Hironese people flooded past, many of them stopping to look at the foreigners before moving onward. The assistant explained, "The people here in the port are not too used to foreigners, but if you travel to the countryside, they will all be surprised and try to welcome you. Almost no countryman has seen a foreigner, as your peoples rarely travel beyond the port cities. This influx of foreigners is actually something that the Emperor himself has come to see, and you are invited to a banquet along with the other immigrants later tonight at Yufutsu Castle."
Casimir raised his eyes further, "The Dragon Emperor himself? I suppose that would be a good political move, coming to meet the first immigrants. I've read Hiron has mostly been insulated for possibly thousands of years."
Agreeing, the woman nodded, "It is true. Other than the Meung and nearby countries, Hiron has mostly kept to itself. But we were dealing with the Sengoku Era and all the internal strife back then."
They talked further at length about Hiron, Hironese manners, and all manner of other topics before arriving at Casimir's humble abode. It was a simple one-room apartment with traditional mats, but it was clean and well cared for. The otherworldly charm managed to get to Casimir who found himself smiling at the spectacle of it all. But it was cut short as he had to drop his luggage off and attend the banquet.
At Yufutsu Castle was surprising amount of diversity. Tarans, Veletians, Seronans, even Meungese were present, all sitting together at a number of tables as beautiful Hironese women waited on them, bringing them numerous courses of fine foods and delicacies. And at the head of it all, the young Emperor sat in a throne overlooking the group, eating as they ate and inviting various immigrants up to speak to him.
Suddenly Casimir himself was requested as an esteemed physicist, to which he approached the Emperor and bowed in the Continental way. Before Casimir could introduce himself, however, the Emperor laughed, Casimir's assistant translating, "Hello, Casimir Świętosławski. I've read some of your work, which is quite the accomplishment considering I have almost no free time at all! Your considerations on Gravity are particularly interesting, and I hope you will train many of our of people to be as productive as yourself as well as helping the Imperium to prosper scientifically! Tell me, how do you feel about the Imperium so far? Is there anything we can do for you?"
The physicist shook his head abruptly, "No, sir, you've done far more than I could have ever expected. The welcome here has... I might say, has even been better than any I've received at home, bless those poor bastards. I worry daily for the fate of my friends back home, but I'm beginning to hope they will join me if possible. I look forward to working with the Hironese people and pushing the envelope of science further here."
The Emperor paused for a moment, listening to the assistant translate, before continuing, "Hmm, that is very unfortunate. The problem with the Continent is that many of those nations cannot simply defend themselves with a navy like the Imperium can. I am proud to say no foreign army has ever successfully landed on our shores. And I will also say that although you will probably disagree with some of my sentiments towards Karum, know that I pay them some lip service for political reasons. Remaining objective in my assessments is extremely important to the running of the Imperium. You shall have my full support at Senryu International once it's finished next year. Here, take a photo with me, you'll be able to brag to your family back home that you met one of the most powerful men in the world!"
Jokingly, Casimir stated, "You're quite young for a man, sir, especially in comparison to myself," before realizing that he may have offended the Emperor.
Yet that faux pas seemed not to occur as the young man laughed a few moments later, declaring and patted Casimir's back, "You're not wrong! Now come!" The pair stood together, shaking hands as they posed for a photo, the Dragon Emperor of the Imperium, and esteemed physicist Casimir Świętosławski.
February 13th, 1900, Sund, Veletian SettumuIori fell, exhausted into the bed, breathing hard as she looked at her lover who immediately placed some tobacco into his pipe and lit it, taking a few puffs. She spoke to him in nearly flawless Veletian, "You're as satisfying as ever, Franny."
'Franny' grumbled at the nickname and glared at the Hironese woman, "You know I don't like you saying that, woman."
"Oh, forgive me, Francois D'Leree, who art so great," suddenly she hit him upside the head with a pillow, which he shrugged off, choosing instead to admire the way her body moved instead of retaliate before getting to his feet and walking to the bathroom with a simple, "I need to piss."
When she heard the door shut, the woman quietly got to her feet and stepped over to D'Leree desks, taking a look at the papers thereupon whilst listening for the return of D'Leree. Various orders were on it, patrol movements and such, most of it she already knew since the Veletians weren't exactly on point when it came to information security. Before the man returned, she was lying back in the bed, smiling at the officer and inviting him back.
February 14th, 1900, Sund, Veletian SettumuAn old, decrepit looking man covered in what were practically rags shuffled through the bustling streets in Sund as the Sun hung high overhead at noon, begging for assistance to eat another day as people passed by. Few noticed him. Even fewer gave even the slightest amount of money to the needy man. Almost no one noticed that he was carefully watching the movements of the Veletian Colonials, nor did they pay much attention to his other compatriots located throughout Veletian Settumu.
As the Sun finally began to decline and set in the West, the old man made his way into a small pub, buying some water and bread with a little of the money earned from his begging. The pub was filled with a variety of patrons, mostly Kikitomi, some Colonials, but also a few loud Veletian officers making a ruckus with song and drink in one of the corners. They weren't too concerning to the old man, who'd seen them a few times, and the less attention he payed to the soldiers, the less attention they'd probably pay to a beggar.
A woman came to sit next to the beggar, buying him another drink as she frowned and peered over at him, "Are you doing alright, old man? Is there anything else I can get you?" Patting his back to try to comfort him, ostensibly no one noticed the small letter that passed from the woman's sleeve into the beggar's pocket.
The elderly man shook his head, smiled brightly with almost black teeth at the woman, and said in a hoarse voice, "Not at all, young lady. But thank you for the drink." Seemingly satisfied, the woman patted him again and made her way out of the pub, disappearing into the night.
The Moon continued to rise onward, until the man left the pub at well past midnight, strolling towards his home on the outskirts of civilization. Yet unbeknownst to him, it would seem that the officers had taken an interest in the apparently Hironese beggar and the unusual encounter from earlier, led by what must have been a paranoid man. The beggar could hear them tracking him as he wound through the streets, eventually leaving the city and entering a small rowboat which he took to an island. The officers were relentless in their pursuit, though they were trying to be careful despite their drunkenness,
Damn. Looks like my cover is about to be blown. Let's hope that exit path is open.Making his way quietly to the shore of the island, the beggar coming to a stop on the sand as the officers finally made themselves known, one shouting, "Stop!"
Turning about slowly with his hands together, the aged voice came to them, "How can I help you gentlemen tonight?"
"You a- are, suspected, of being a saboteur! An... and we shall take you, under arrrrest!" The same voice from earlier, this one apparently a Lieutenant. Eyeing them quietly, the beggar assessed the situation as the five men approached him. All five were clearly drunk, it was incredibly dark with an almost New Moon, and the range was close. The issue, of course, was that these men would almost certainly remember him if they lived since they weren't quite
that drunk and try to find him, and if he killed them, an investigation would almost certainly ensue and the man might be caught. Either way, his cover was blown and the man needed to extract.
The officers were talking amongst themselves as they approached to within grappling range, clearly not thinking the situation through, when suddenly one's arm fell to the ground. He scream in agony and dropped to the sand, "M-my ar-" his cries were cut short by a blade slicing through his neck. The remaining four men stood in shock as what had been an old beggar before was now some kind of fucking ninja-swordsman wielding a blade that had dropped out of his sleeve.
The second man found his belly sliced apart, his entrails spewing out as shock quickly began to set in. By that time, the men had finally begun to draw their pistols. It was to no avail, however, as the third man lost his hand, was sliced multiple times through the torso, and then used as a haphazard shield when the remaining three men opened fire.
Tossing the corpse off himself, the beggar leap forward into action, immediately slicing a hand off the Lieutenant and cutting him vertically in such a way that his own intestines began to spill out as well. The Lieutenant dropped to the sand in agony as well, trying desperately to keep his organs firmly inside his body as the beggar rushed the fifth and final man who had turned tail and decided his life wasn't worth this bull shit. He didn't get far as the 'elderly' man brought the hilt of his blade down hard onto the back of the runner's skull, knocking him out.
Lying in the sand crying for dear life, the Lieutenant glared angrily at the likely Hironese bastard as the man cut his blade threw the air, sending most of the blood splattering to the sand before wiping it with the rags of his clothing and returning the sword to its place in the beggar's sleeve. Without so much as a second glance at the five Veletians, the beggar disappeared deeper into the island. Soon enough, the shore party from the destroyer
VS Amourstar came ashore to find the men, followed shortly by more marines and then the
Amourstar itself.
Within the foliage of the island, the beggar ripped off his mask and tore away his clothes, revealing an incredibly toned and muscular Settumese man. Pausing for a moment to read the letter of the woman and then tearing it apart and burying it, he carefully made his way towards the shore, rolling in mud to hide his skin whilst he snuck past Veletians and dug something up at the shore. He made it quite a ways out into the ocean before the Veletians realized what was happening and opened up on him. A bullet managed to find its way through his calf, forcing the agent to grit his teeth as he took a deep breath and dove beneath the surface of the water.
Close to seventy meters away, a small reed-like tube appeared in the water, the agent taking a few breaths before once more swimming onward. Significantly further out in the ocean, the agent took one final deep breath and swam down, finding what he sought. Twisting open the hatch and entering the airlock, the water was shortly drained as breathable air entered. Ignoring his bleeding calf, the Hironese man sternly watched as another hatch opened, an Imperial Sailor greeting him in Hironese, "Well, you look like you've had a wonderful time."
February 17th, 1900, Senryu, HironDragon Emperor Ryugo Shuu sat momentarily with his circle of ministers as a secretary entered and bowed deeply as she explaining, "My Lord, I am relaying the words of the Director of the Hidden Arm. There's been an incident. One of our agents got into a scuffle in Veletian Settumu and had to kill three officers and gravely wound another. The Veletians will undoubtedly respond very unfavorably to this situation. Do you wish for us to withdraw?"
Shuu waved his hand as if waving away the Director's question, "No, proceed, but simply be careful as always. We must be prepared in the event of war with the Empire of Violette. I am surprised the Hidden Arm made such a mistake, but my faith remains in you. You have always served me and my predecessors well, and I hope you shall continue the Hironese tradition of espionage with... better results." The secretary bowed once more and left the chambers of the Emperor to carry his reply onward.
February 22nd, 1900, Senryu, HironA great crowd had assembled near the Palace, awaiting another proclamation by the Emperor himself. Supposedly this one was going to be particularly important, and reporters had gathered en masse to record His Holiness's words. Murmurs went silent when the Emperor suddenly emerged, coming before them, and spoke, "My people, I come before you today to decry the foolhardy actions of the Veletian Empire! When before, I thought they would bring true justice to the Governor of Veletian Settumu, Droulez, they merely stripped him of his rank and assigned him to a civilian position! This is not true justice! This man oversaw the peddling our women, of Kikitomi women, and despite the Imperium's issues with the Kingdom of Meung, Meungese women, against their will! None of his subordinates received True Justice either! All of these men should've hung for their crimes against the Hironese People! This is an affront to all of us in Settumu, and I shall not stand for it! They think themselves to be so mighty that the persecution and denigration of our women is not a crime that requires the death penalty!? Well, today, I send word to the Veletian Empire: Allow Droulez and his accomplices to be tried and judged under Hironese law, or face severe repercussions! I give you my word as the Dragon Emperor, that will we have these sons of bitches brought to heel! To the Imperium!"
Great shouts of agreement filled the air as the Hironese people present found their hearts moved with anger and vitriol, the news no doubt quickly spread throughout Hiron via both newspapers, word-of-mouth, telegraphy, and public speakers who would relay the information to the illiterate. A heightened sense of unity seemed to entrance them, but behind closed doors, the Emperor once more confided with his advisors.
"Our provocations of the Veletians are unlikely to go unanswered, My Lord, and I fear that the Army is nowhere near ready to handle their forces," complained the Minister of the Army, who was quickly silenced by the Ministry of the Navy, "Their forces shall never set foot on these lands. And let's be honest, the Veletians don't want to fight us. They know that they will lose the naval war, and they know what that will do to their prestige. It will weaken them in the face of Tara and all the other Great Powers, and who knows what will happen to their colonies. Perhaps we'll even get to 'liberate' Veletian Settumu in the peace deal."
The Emperor raised his hand to both of the Ministers, "I don't particularly care for Veletian Settumu, but if we take control of it, so be it. Winning a naval war against the 'Grand' Veletian Empire alone would be plenty. I would love for the Imperial Navy to cut its teeth on a true threat like them. And let's be honest, an invasion of Veletian Settumu is highly unlikely with the piss poor performance of our ground forces."
The Minister of the Army blushed for a moment and quickly prostrated himself before the Emperor, "I am as always sor-"
Ryguo almost immediately shut him down, "
ENOUGH. I do not wish to be treated like some God behind closed doors. I am your Emperor, and my word is law, but I am still a man. We shall address the Army's issues soon enough. But first, we have other matters to discuss..."
March 9th, 1899, Sandao, Veletian SettumuThe Sun was once more setting on the Veletian Settumese colony as a trio of men sat together around a table. The eldest one, and clearly the leader, spoke up, "Alright, the ship's almost here. Our orders are simple, sink the fucker. It's going to be an easy enough job considering the thing is full of explosives and it wasn't exactly designed to take even a minor hit." The leader pulled out a schematic of a ship, and then pointed at one spot, "We'll set the charge on the hull here, right next to a particularly dense bulk of mines. Eagle, you'll keep an eye out. Whisper, you're with me, you're going to carry the other side of the charge. We move when the Moon's light will cast a large shadow on that side of the boat. Dismissed."
Hours later, the team were in position, watching the
Gloire carefully. Veletian soldiers were on high alert as always these days, having been kicked into a swarm by last month's screwup, but this team was determined to deal a heavy blow to the Colonials. Eagle watched as ordered as Whisper and Dragon descended into the water with the charge, using tubes to breath as they held the explosive between them and approached the side of the
Gloire. When they got close enough, the pair carefully brought the charge to the hull until magnets attached it, set the timer, and then swam away. Ten minutes later, the group had disappeared into Sandao as the charge's explosion caused a chain reaction that shredded almost the entire ship as well as many of the surrounding buildings.
March 11th, 1900, Zhumei, GojongThe gates on the Hironese Embassy to Gojong flew open to fanfare as the Dragon Emperor himself took the first step from technically Hironese land onto Gojong land, having just finished closed door talks with King Yi Ja-chun to determine the future of Hiron-Gojong relations, yelling to the crowd from a podium shortly thereafter, "Today marks the beginning of the future of Hiron-Gojong relations! Today, I come before you to welcome you to freedom! No longer do you have to toil under the tyranny of Meung, resigned to backwards policies and abhorrent leaders! Led by King Yi Ja-chun, a man who once lived in Hiron itself, you can finally survive and thrive! And the Imperium of Hiron shall do everything in its power to ensure that Meung never again lords over you, pulling strings and making you dance like puppets to their tune, I promise you this! Together, we, Hiron and Gojong, shall march towards the future! To the Imperium! To Gojong!" Cheers sounded throughout the crowds as the people breathed a collective sigh of relief. With the Imperium of Hiron at their backs and Meung having let them be, the nearby threat of Settumese Tara would be diminished and they could focus on their daily lives.
Unbeknownst to the Emperor, the
Gloire had exploded just two days prior.
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