Kiso Pact (MT, Closed, Ajax Only)

[Tsurushima]

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Midmorning
Kiso, Takinoya Prefecture, R. Tsurushima
Monday, October 28, 2019

Only three hours outside of the metropolis of Koshigaya, Daitoa's most prosperous and the world's largest metro area, the mountain resort town of Kiso seemed to be a portal to another world entirely, without much sign of the hectic city up-river. Flanked throughout by hillsides, mountains and forest, the location seemed serene and contemplative, as a gentle late morning fog settled over the tree canopies ablaze with resplendent color. The sound of two babbling brooks passing through the sprawling mountainside gardens cut through the morning silence only tepidly.

In the town itself, elements of the 4. Yamahei Senkenbutai, one of the elite mountain infantry divisions of the Daitoa Republic Army, were on-hand as guard duty in the serene setting, their skills perhaps excessive for patrolling the dull quiet town.

The leaf-strewn streets of the serene little onsen were lined and prepared with a selection of banners and curious local onlookers, weaving a path from the shinkansen train station down the valley before ascending slightly to the other side of a hill where the grounds of a traditional ryokan nestled along the banks of a creek. The usually unassuming inn and onsen were centuries old, with sections believed to date back half a millennium when the contemplative spring and its hospitable wildlife and inhabitants were a welcome respite on the craggy highway that girded the less developed eastern regions of the islands of Tsurushima.

Taking a breath of the cool autumn mountain air, a pair of figures at the gate seemed both polar opposites as well as complimentary. One, a bespectacled bookish figure, the Director of Cultural Affairs, Kenta Takehashi, a polyglot and solidly in his fourth decade with a fastidious appetite for knowledge of foreign languages and culture, he nonetheless lacked most natural charm in interpersonal interaction. The other was festooned in an RTN dress uniform, Rear Admiral Yuka Hamaoka, a woman of remarkable talent as well as deleterious ego, which could only excel with her brash demeanor and audacity in the military service as opposed to the civil, she seemingly lacked the obstacles of introversion and anxiety which had plagued Director Takehashi in his early career. Capable as Adm. Hamaoka is, her junior status in the Bakufu, Kenta thought, belied the apprehension of the military with the scheme, a farflung alliance with as much strategic potential as potential for wasted resources. As was, perhaps shrewdly, mandated by the constitution of the Daitoa Republic, a representatives of both the civilian side and military side of government were required to be present for any official business pertaining to any new foreign entanglements which could lead to overseas deployments.

The project was firmly an undertaking of the Idealist faction that had recently coalesced within the Directorate, Takehashi-sama included. The domestic aspect already under way of rooting out corruption and ineptitude within the apparatus of state had been a part of the revitalization of the Daitoa government in the face of the people and the world. It was hoped both by the idealists as well as the more moderate political experts impressed with the progress on the domestic front that this new diplomatic undertaking would apply the same vigor and dynamism to Tsurushima's ambitions on the world stage, while also maintaining primarily an ideologically driven pursuit rather than pure realpolitik. Alliance and close relations with the Liothidian state in thwarting the global status quo of Belisaria's primary blocs would, of course, be maintained, but reaching out to non-aligned anti-imperialist, anti-monarchist or socialist states which were not as comfortable working with the Schraderist juggernaught to pursue a parallel pact against the imperial spheres was also worth pursuing. It certainly was a position that Kenta, who had spent much of his life studying the peculiarities of foreign societies and traveling outside of East Ochran, wholeheartedly backed when brought before the Joint Session and once it gained the support of Director Sato, the foremost geopolitical analyst, her word practically became law even among some of the most cautious and conservative of the Pragmatists.

The delegates of the invited nations had arrived a little over 30 hours ago at Koshigaya-Senkawa International Airport, one of the three colossal aerodromes in the metro area, via a reserved and cordoned-off landing strip and section where they were greeted by honor guards. After a period of hospitality and interaction with some of the members of the Directorate on-hand and adjustment and acclimatization to the time zones, this morning the delegates traveled by a specially commissioned shinkansen high-speed train of the national rail service from Koshigaya central to arrive in under an hour at the local Kiso station. The motorcade with the first delegation was set to arrive shortly.

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OOC: Basically, this is a thread to get down to business to defeat the Huns to work out the membership, logistics and terms of the alt-socialist bloc/republican bloc that's been discussed on the Discord channel before. I thought a concise RP to figure things out in in-character as opposed to just a plain old wiki article might be more interesting. The obvious potential candidates for this bloc who are invited are: Seredinia, Pulau Keramat, Chagadalai, Tulura, Ostrozava, Kven's new Kaayhltaa Tlag and perhaps Benaajab (despite being a monarchy, they are somewhat *enlightened* and close bros, etc). This could also turn interesting once Enyama's official opposition parties on the left which are not Skaldafen aligned declare themselves the legitimate government, as they could be recognized and invited to the party. If you're interested, DM me though obvious issues would be alliances with the BC or NATA etc.

[Enyama]

With a clank shut of the expensive limo door, Ostrozavan Primar Dominik Moravec looked to his compatriot in the car, the Minister of Diplomacy, Violeta Maniu, who had in recent years also served as a decidedly loud mouthpiece for Ostrozava's Tolyk minority. "Finally, a car." he coughed into a handkerchief, wiping his distinctive moustache afterwards as Maniu seemed entirely engrossed in different matters. "I think this Pact could be exactly what our nation needs in the modern era."

"The Socialists will need convincing; they're furious, you know that." mused Moravec, "They think this is an attempt to drift further away from Liothidia." Maniu shrugged, an air of casuality having come about her that seemed almost mocking to the older Moravec. "Is that so bad?" asked Maniu, to which Moravec raised a cautious eyebrow. "I am not entirely sure you understand the writing on the wall, then, Maniu. Liothidia is our neighbor and our strongest ally against imperialist agitation, or those God-lovers in Nachtmark from making any sort of tentative moves," he said, "Look at that whole ordeal in '05, if you were even out of middle school." he smirked towards the young woman, to which she sighed and gazed at the landscape outside. "The Angrast Accord is precedent. The Facilitator is interested in ending Ostrozavan neutrality - that was never Constitutional law, and you know it. You just need to have the perogative to actually take a risk in your life. Our national dichotomy cannot last forever."

"I learned a long time ago, from a very wise man, that you can have your cake and eat it too, if you cook it right." shot back the Primar, clearly willing to deploy the argumentative fallacy of experience that had grown so common among Ostrozava's older political elite, especially those enthused about the nation's Progressive-led economic revival in the 1980s. "As long as you're in agreement, Primar, I don't care what kind of cake you eat. The Tsurushemese have been far more valuable geopolitical allies than the Liothidians can hope for - and nobody is saying that this will alienate them. Only our Socialist comrades seem certain that exploring our options is tantamount to treason against the Worker."

"The inclusion or exclusion of extremist states like Liothidia or Jhengtsang will surely become a topic of conversation at some point over the coming days." The moustached Primar glanced behind him as he terminated the conversation, noting only an empty road strewn by the billowing autumn leaves he had always imagined were typical for Tsurushima. His last visits to the Daitoa Republic had rarely come close to wintertime. It seemed, by sheer coincidence, that for the first time, an air of change would not only mark the words being spoken, but the very nature around him. "Are we the first to arrive?"

"It appears so," said Maniu, her Tolyk accent erupting for the first time since the Primar had been with her; a sign of nervousness, perhaps? He had no such conundrums bouncing around in his head; being Ostrozava's Chief Diplomat had served him well. Before long, the motorcade came to a stop, and he and his comrade exited the limousine, offering courteous bows to the Director and Rear Admiral stood before them. "I believe we've met, comrades" said the Primar, raising his hand for a shake, "My comrade here is Ostrozava's newest Minister of Diplomacy, Violeta Maniu."

[Tulura]

Close behind were the Tuluran arrivals in their car, a duo of the famous General Arbaai Yatru Arasi and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Faa Xagan Uru . Both men wore eloquent and colorful Tuluran shawls, of black, green, red, yellow and blue, indicating they were high officials. Arbaai was an elder, his skin impacted with the scars of abuse and time. He held a cane tightly in his trembling fist, his breathing having a smoke-choked wheeze. As they rode along, Arbaai starred out the window quietly, puffing and coughing haggardly on his long pipe. Faa, sighing, rolled down his window to let the vehicle air.

The young Foreign Affairs Minister sat in shifty disposition, noticing too much the awkward silence between him and the General. "Beautiful country." he commented. Arbaai sat in silence for a few long seconds, "I've been here many times before." he answered, with another haggard wheeze.

Following behind the main delegation was the Tuluran ambassador to Daitoa, Hawa Seeran Dabbi. As an old veteran of geopolitics, Hawa laid the initial foundations for close political relations between Tulura and the Daitoa Republic. She stared out the window in quiet contemplation as well, a tired reflection in her wrinkled eyes casting doubts, aides and advisors surrounding her, busy on their tablets."After this I would like to go home." Hawa turned to her entourage, "I have been away from Sosfarriyya too long." she glanced back out at the autumn landscape, as they wind up the roads.

Finally, the Tuluran motorcade had arrived after the Ostrozavans. Arbaai stepped from the vehicle with an elderly cry, guided by a young helper assigned to accompany him. After the boy stabilized the old man, he was quickly shooed away. With each heavy stomp, Arbaai's military medals pinned across his shawl jingled in quakes; the man leaned half his weight on a cane.

Faa followed cautiously behind, while Ambassador Hawa patiently floated ahead. "Salaam, Rear-Admiral, Director. It is certainly a pleasure again." she greeted. "Abi Gaxad Sudem sends her good fortune for a prospecting pact." Hawa stepped to the side, introducing the Minister and General. "This is General Arbaai and Foreign Minister Faa Xagan." Hawa spoke rather fluent Tsurushimese, as did the eloquent Foreign Minister. The General remained in a stoic posture, somehow still towering in height. "I believe we have met before in my previous visits as well." Faa said.

"Salaam." Arbaai greeted.

[Mont-Saint-Cyr]

The Montian delegation followed thereafter. President Yolande-Minerve Saverne emerged from the town car followed by Jehan-Pluton de Coɣ, her Director of Foreign Affairs. The two were less than a month from an electoral victory which had kept her in office but left their Social-Progressive Alliance with a more tenuous grip over the legislature as the Industrial Liberty Front had made large inroads. The Montian ambassador and his staff had followed in another car and jogged forward to join their leader and unite their delegation, all dressed in light linen business suits, the only uniform feature across the group being matching lapel pins of the Montian flag.

Minerve took a deep breath of the brisk mountain air and shivered despite the lack of any significant cold. "Madame la Présidente, you have been provided with the itinerary before you boarded the plane, yes?" the ambassador inquired, "Please let me know if you need another physical copy." President Minerve nodded both graciously and dismissively. The group advanced quietly past the armed Daitoan guards after confirming the identities of all present.

The Director of Foreign Affairs broke the silence first as the delegation passed under another ornamental gate, "I'll remind you all that we should not expect much in terms of congratulations for the past elections. The international community is fully aware that our favour at home was brought into question. While an accord with our political brethren will present our nation with the greatest measure of security we can find, the ILF would not be likely to continue any project we could start in four years' time from now," the director whispered harshly but quickly in Montois.

President Minerve nodded and whispered in response, "Which is why it's imperative that we establish as many binding relationships as possible and push them through as the first item of legislation in the new year after the budget. We can't risk an issue at the border with Yisrael or any chaos spilling over from Charnea. We're in a sensitive position."

The Director nodded while the ambassador shook his head. Behind them, the five aides which accompanied the trio murmured incoherently as the arrived at the doors of the centre. The ambassador took the lead of the peloton and announced to the group, "Benveille au Kiso!"

The President smirked and whispered to the Director, "Technically we were in Kiso at the station, right?"

[Pulau Keramat]

It would be to the surprise of none involved when the delegation of Pulau Keramat arrived. Only two of the Dewan Emas were present, and yet the dichotomic personalities of the pair were apparent even at the first, bare glance. Anunak Leekpai approached in a colorful Lao Sarong, additional layers of the cloth wrapped tightly around her shoulders as she spared a quick glance to the environment around them, a seemingly unimpressed and stalwart expression stuck to a short frown and scrutinizing gaze. Following only briefly behind her, the humoured grin and warm eyes of Mutenge Kunokoa served a stark contrast to his companions dour aura. His attire, a blindingly flashy array of feathers and reeds decorating tightly wrapped cloth, even seemed to jump against the calm environment, as if more attuned to a ceremonial dance or celebration than the pact at hand.

As the rest of their delegation, quiet and brisk in their movements, made their way out of the vehicles supplied, the Tsurushiman ambassador gave a muted, "Salam Sejahtera" to the pair, before handing the two simple manila folders. Anada Mookjai was a short, rather humble Pulaui, yet her selection as the Ambassador to Tsurushima had been made in full knowledge that the detail of her reports and responsivity were more than appropriate enough to integrate well into the technocracy.

The delegation was alone at the gate, yet there was enough to signal that their representatives were not the first to arrive, which prompted a short chuckle from Kunokoa, a minimal shift in his head towards his fellow Dewan and a honeyed tone, "And you thought we to be early. It would appear that we will have the opportunity to see how the invited nations have integrated with one another in their brief intermission." He reached out in a blend of Raji and Alhran, the intentional blending of tongues as to confuse any non-native speaker.

Leekpai only nodded at the sentiment, already thumbing through her file with pursued lips and an intensive gaze, skipping the already analyzed itinerary to instead look more in depth at Mookjai's discussion to the parties that were anticipated to be present. "We can only hope that their mannerisms are a semblance of constructive. Tulura and Mont are civil indeed, but Ostozava, and Ottonia has their own intricacies we must anticipate as being a hurdle here. Engaging with the Daitoa when so many monarchies dwells so close to their heart is quite risking; we can only assume they understand as much."

As the two passed the torii, a sign of architecture neither were wholly unaccustomed to, Kunokoa only chuckled at the sentiment, having not bothered yet to open his own folder. "Ah, my old friend, it would be quite the dull conversation if they didn't. The purpose of this meeting is to foremost address such grievances; only then is there a chance that this may be worth investment." The ambassador nodded at such statement, an almost whispered "Allow me." her only indication that the group had reached a proximity to the rest of the delegations present that designed a need for formal preparation.

As she continued ahead, the staff members and guards stoic in their gaze, Leekpai spared a final turn of her head as to look at Kunokoa, his smile still unwavering. "We can only hope so, Councilmember." She turned back to face entrance of the center, a subtle huff as she heard the Ambassador introduce the two in Tsurushimese. "Let's begin then."