The Boeing 747 gracefully came to a halt on the tarmac.
Joesen Air Force One was an unremarkable aircraft; the only characteristic which distinguished it from its uniform brethren was the colourful Yashimese Red Sun insignia affixed to its tail and wings. A line of crimson run along the length of the 747, with two repetitions of Joesen - one in English and one in Yashimese characters. As soon as the landing stair was connected, the aircraft door slid open and a phalanx of soldiers descended, splitting into two groups and lining up on either side of the stair. The guards snapped to attention wordlessly, leaning their antiquated Type 99 rifles against their shoulders.
Shortly afterwards, three figures descended from the bowels of the aircraft. As the leading figure reached the end of the stairs, the soldiers swiftly curled their free hands into a fist and placed it against their hearts, the traditional Joesen salute. The figure responded by holding his hand up, palm-first, before lowering his arm and briskly walking past the phalanx. The two flanking characters hurried to catch up with him, each giving quick salutes. Finally, all three passengers entered a hired limousine and the driver quickly sped off, with another car following closely behind.
General Hiroshi Akutagawa reclined in the leather seats, closing his eyes. As the Executive Secretary for Foreign Affairs, he was used to last minute diplomatic expeditions; still, being bungled into an airplane and jetted off to another continent was never enjoyable. The second passenger dropped down next to him, sighing. General Hisashi Igawa had been dragged along on this visit in his official role as High Commissioner for State Economic Planning, much to his chagrin. Indeed, it was strange that the High Commissioner - an office which had become progressively redundant as Joesen dissolved its command economy - should represent the financial interests of the Shogunate in lieu of the Executive Secretary for Trade, Industry and Finance.
Sat down opposite from him was the Shogun himself, Shun Sugata. Like his fellow travellers, the Joesen premier was fatigued by the inpromptu flight; he ran a hand through his silky black hair slowly, shaking his head slightly. In stark contrast to his passengers, who were in their fifties and sixties respectively, the Shogun was young man; as some Joesen officials would take to muttering under their breath, perhaps too young. The selection of the 23-year old Colonel as Ryuichi Sakamoto's successor was met with - to put it charitably - bemusement. The universal consensus was that this was an extreme act of nepotism on the part of the late Shogun; Sugata enjoyed an intimate relationship with Sakamoto. Despite this, no movement was never initiated to obstruct the action; Sakamoto, his choice of successor notwithstanding, was highly popular in Joesen and no one was willing to risk civil war over the appointment of a figure who was still - at least in principle - accountable to the JENDC.
Sugata's physical appearance did little to assist him during the controversy surrounding his age; he was a slim, pale figure with boyish features. Furthermore, while not exactly short, the Shogun was noticeably shorter than the ministers under his command. Recently, the Shogun had taken to wearing business suits in lieu of the traditional military uniform of the JENDC, in order to reflect the changing times in Joesen's authoritarian society. However, since he was acting in an official compacity, he accordingly wore his uniform, although he had opted for a stark white design in stead of the usual obsidian colour scheme ("We do not conduct our foreign policy in Nazi apparel"). The Generals were in turn decked in olive green, with oiled black boots and gleaming leather straps. At the waist of each diplomat lay a holstered Daewoo K5 pistol, acting more as a decorative ornament than a genuine security precaution.
"Damnably cold weather," General Akutagawa remarked, breaking the silence. Igawa muttered an assent, while the Shogun merely nodded. After a few more moments of stark silence, the Executive Foreign secretary again interjected:
"Hope these American autocrats are more amiable than their Yashimese counter-parts." This earned a smile from the other passengers. The Yashimese Christ-Emperor - despite ruling over a toothless and impoverished nation - was notoriously arrogant, and every official state visit to Yashima was regarded with dread by the Joesen ruling elite. Of course, none of them would dare mention this in public; the Christian Phalangist Union, coalition partners with the ruling Yashimese National Front in the United Diet puppet parliament, regarded any comment about the Christ-Emperor that isn't slavered in platitudes as tantamount to sedition.
The rest of the journey was uneventful and mostly spent in silence, before the vehicle finally arrived at its destination.
