The Final Day

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Hiroioki, Kyūre, Izumi Prefecture
August 29th, 1945
6:16 PM

   As hard and painful as it might’ve been to believe, the war was over. Six long years of fighting across so many fronts was now, at long last, finally done. It had not come in the way that Yuna had thought, and indeed many a tear had been shed upon the mountaintop, but she could at least take solace in knowing that it had been achieved. Though perhaps it had all been for nothing—perhaps Fusan had been led into war on a false hope and a lie—it was a dream which she, like many others her age, well and truly believed in. Sonyu and his heirs may not have truly sought the liberation of East Ardia, but that was what they had fought for and nothing less than that. And indeed, the fight continued across the sea. Fusan may not have been in the war, much like Tytor had been at the end of the last war—if that was even the right term now—but her allies were, and so that dream was still alive. If nothing else, there was hope.

   Hope was all she needed, as it happened. It was what had kept her from despair all these years, only being shattered when Kahori died, but now, she needed it more than ever. So why not cling to that, at least for now? Yet when she returned home from the family’s terrace, she was soon distracted from her thoughts of surrender, of the end of the war, by a sight she hadn’t seen in a long, long time: finely-polished white rice. Apparently, the Umekis had been keeping it in the event that either the war ended or an invasion was imminent, whichever came sooner. It seemed that it would, in fact, be the former, though of course, there was hardly a celebratory mood within the family. Yet it wasn’t mournful, either. Privately, everyone had hoped the war would end; even Yuna, despite her poor showing earlier, had hoped to see the war end soon, albeit not in this fashion.

   It was admittedly hard to remember what life was like before the war, at least for her. Of course, she had memories, it was just… this had dominated her life ever since she was fourteen, and Fusan had been on a war footing for two years before then. Yuna wondered, for a brief moment as they—herself, Azumi, and Natsumi—prepared dinner for the rest of the family, if knowing what she would become, her past self would try to change anything. Certainly, from her own perspective, she thought as she looked at her stump of an arm, there had been some things which she regretted, but… for the life of her, she couldn’t find anything which she would change, save mayhaps not listening to her niece on that fateful day in June. The fact of the matter was that, in spite of it all, her experiences had shaped her, made her the woman she was now, and that was something she could live with.

   Eventually, the time had come to eat, and so, everyone crowded around the small table in the living room. In a strange way, though her own parents and sister were obviously not present, it reminded Yuna of the day she had gotten married. Though it had only been a little over a year and a half ago, it felt as though a lifetime had passed. Back then, the war hadn’t come to their shores, and now, it would hopefully never come again. Yet in spite of the war being over, many found it difficult to speak of anything but it, or rather, about its end and what that meant for themselves and for the nation as a whole.
   “I still can’t believe it, y’know.” Entaro—Iwao’s uncle—said between bites of his rice. “I mean, how I see it, we had the Ardians on the run, but now that we’ve taken back those damned islands, we give up? Where’s the sense in that?”
   “There isn’t any.” Iwao sighed, leaning back slightly and propping himself up with his hands. “But then again, I suppose the world hasn’t made much sense for these last few years, either.”
   “Actually, it makes plenty of sense.” Daisaku pointed out after looking outside for a moment. “See, if we didn’t get the islands back, then we’d leave the Ardians in a position to impose harsher demands on us. By retaking them, we could in effect regain all of our land and achieve something close to how we were before the war. ’status-quo ante-bellum’, I believe the term was?” He added, almost entirely butchering its pronunciation.
   “And when did you become an expert on politics, Mr. Know-It-All?” Entaro asked in jest.
   “I… pick things up at work and from the radio.”

   “It’s a shame that we only have rice and nothing else.” Yuna sighed as she looked down at her bowl. Even if this was a special occasion, she couldn’t help but think about how much more complicated meals could be, even in wartime.
   “Well, with the war ending, I figured we could do something different than relying on rations tonight.” Natsumi noted as everyone else ate. “Soon enough, I think we might be able to have more than a handful of sardines and sweet potatoes with it.”
   “If I never have to try that ‘Lord Hachisuka rice’ again, I think I’ll die happy.” Azumi pointed out, which got the agreement of everyone else in the room.
   “You can say that again.” Yuna said, remembering the first time she made it after her wedding.

A few more minutes passed before Daisaku spoke up once more, having had something of an epiphany. It was awfully dark in the room thanks to the drapes they’d had to put up around the lights, but with the war being over, it was now completely useless.
“I can’t believe I almost forgot… Not at war anymore.” He said, standing up before removing the drapes. And so, for the first time in many years, lights shone from the base of Mt. Takimine, even in defiance of the destruction which lay below.

"I'm not going to waste much of your time on this one but look at this," she said as she shared her tablet with the CSMC staff interviewing her, "he's going to turn our aircraft carrier into a submarine? He wishes," the Pharaoh said as she giggled, "I invite him to try. Come at me, come for me Ri Chŏng-jun, you won't," she paused, "because you and your armed forces are, in fact, impotent beyond your own borders. Sure, it might be easy subjugating people not legally allowed to possess arms, but you're speaking to a nation which is capable of deploying forces half-way across Mundus. How far from your waters can your navy deploy before running out of fuel? Not very far, I'd imagine," the Pharaoh paused again, "and Nemphis? I've got that plant on lock down as we speak, unlike Kusan Clysperis is capable of turning tragedy into triumph, though a man and civilization as young as you I suppose I can forgive you for being so ignorant to facts, you poor, sweet innocent boy, you."

Pharaoh Akasha Di-‘nh-mi-Re confirmed that Clysperi aid operations would continue unimpeded. "We do not consider the opinions of an ant on foreign soil when we state what we will be doing, do we? So then why would we consider the opinion of a Kusanese ant when we're dealing with the People of Kalasin? Ri Chŏng-jun may have just graduated from his pants to his sister's pants, but he's still a bag of hot air directing his words to anyone willing to listen to them,  and I'm confident that "rust bucket" he criticizes, because "his" nation can only dream of operating an aircraft carrier, packs more technology than the entire armed forces of the DPRK. Why did Rokkenjima get to fight the USR and Warsaw and I'm left with wish.com Stalin and Warsaw? I demand a refund!" she continued with a chuckle.

"In all seriousness," she paused before she continued, "the Royal Clysperi Navy has this all in hand, we're not at threat from the pretender in Kusan. The Kingdom of Clysperis echoes the First Empire that Ri Sang-Hee is the legitimate ruler of Kusan and anything which Ri Chŏng-jun should be wiped away much in the same way one wipes **** from their ***, though that **** probably carries something more useful than the drivel currently being produced by Ri Chŏng-jun. Do it," she said as she looked to the camera, "launch an attack against the Horus and give me a reason to make you question your manhood for the next decade. You won't though, so just shush, because if it comes down to it a single Clysperi air wing would have what you call a military begging for mercy, and the Clysperi would have no room for that. Next question?" the Pharaoh said with a giggle.

The talks in Posan had been going well with Princess Sophia and Ri Sang-Hee finding common ground on many of the matters before them. Information from the Kusanese leader had been forthcoming, with a level of transparency the Princess had not expected and, most importantly, an agreement for full access for Rokkenjiman teams investigating the attack in Pyrettania and just where the fissile material used in the attack had come from. Just as the closing of the meeting had begun one of the Kusanese generals rose, bowed and left the room despite questions from Ri Sang-Hee as to the reason for his departure. In a brief moment, noticing a suitcase underneath the table at which they sat, Ri Sang-Hee lifted Princess Sophia from her seat and ran for the nearest window, driving both of them through it just as an explosion ripped through the room where they had previously been seated moments ago.

"That way," Sang-Hee said through short breaths, fighting the pain of shrapnel which had found itself in her back, "it'll be about 2.5 miles before you reach the border with Kalasin, and you will give the border guards this," she produced a passport-sized document, "it should get you across the border. You tell your people all that we agreed to and what happened here, you understand?" "I can't just leave you he...." Sophia would protest as she began to attempt to assist Sang-Hee to her feet before being pushed away. "Don't live up to the moniker of foolish child in this moment, not after what we accomplished. Run, and do not look back!"

Sophia hesitated for a moment before committing to running, however, she soon found herself on the ground as a Kusanese soldier knocked her off her feet. "We have both Sang-Hee and the Rokkenjiman, they survived the attack," they would say into a microphone before saying, "very well." With breathable cloth bags affixed to both of their heads they would again see the world around them after they'd been transported to a Kusanese prison.

The True Leader Addresses Present Situation, Promises "Vindication"


Respected Comrade Ri Chŏng-jun, having been declared Supreme Leader of the DPRK following treasonous actions of the Disgraced Comrade, has placed the DPRK on a state of "war readiness."

"Despite the vicious attacks against the character of our nation and our very right to exist my sister, it pains me to say this, spoke at great length with the Rokkenjiman Princess promising them what is essentially the complete capitulation of our DPRK to the imperialists," Respected Comrade Ri Chŏng-jun said as he attempted to the best of his ability to hold back tears. "It is unfortunate, however, I have been forced to place Sang-Hee under arrest and have taken the Rokkenjiman Princess as a prisoner of war. Watch in the video as she admits that Rokkenjima is an imperialist power that only desires the complete subjugation of our DPRK before their hostilities will cease." The Respected Comrade paused as a video aired from the Princess stating the following:

"I came to Kusan under pre-determined arrangements with Ri Sang-Hee, who has become an asset of the First Empire in a war against your people, to secure the final terms of surrender. I am being treated well, far beyond what I deserve from the glorious soldiers of the DPRK, and urge the First Empire, the Empire of Fusan and the Holy Empire of Achkaerin to heed the words of the Respected Comrade: get out of Kalasin and Southern Cotf Aranye and Onishi hogs, keep your stench on your own continent. If the terms of the Respected Comrade are not adhered to, war will soon commence."

As the cameras returned to the Respected Comrade he continued, "We stand at the highest levels of war readiness to see our adversaries, the imperialist bastards, driven from our neighbourhood permanently. I also call on the Kingdom of Clysperis to send its rust bucket ship home, if you attempt to unload your cargo for those in Kalasin we will see that your carrier becomes a submarine. You, who preached against the very nations you seek to help now, are not one of Aranye, but one of the imperialist scourge that keeps all nations lock step in line with their agenda. We can still realize tragedy in Nemphis, remember that, Pharaoh."

---

The news had hit before Forrester had left the room, "Get her back," Asuna said as she looked to Forrester, "send the entire damn fleet if you have to but..." "Your Majesty," Forrester would say with a bow of her head, "I saw with full concern for Princess Sophia but this," she said pointing to a frozen image of Ri Chŏng-jun, "is the opening I feel Rowe was waiting for. You'll be demanded to act undoubtedly, but you must show restraint. I can't, in good conscience, do what you want me to do without making things much worse. Ms. Rion, I believe you've a new investigation before you, I have no evidence but my gut tells me that this development isn't an accident and if we start asking the right questions, we'll find something doesn't add up here. As for you," she returned her attention to Asuna, "I don't believe the Kusanese will harm the Princess; she's far too valuable alive than she is dead, so as hard as it is please have patience. At the moment he slips up, if I'm correct," she said referencing Rowe, "get me Cole at my back and I'll have this all sorted in short order."

As was to be expected the phone of President Sauzee had been going non-stop since the Real Marseille siege had begun. Add to that there were telegrams and e-emails constantly coming in via his secretary. He had been a member of Real Marseille himself during the Materna conflict and considered him a friend. He was disappointed that he hadn't been in on the plan from the beginning but he had to admit it looked like they were achieving results. The only part of the plan he was perhaps not surprised by was the involvement of Aosta. They're had been well documented visits to the city by their Empress and she'd been very push in various meetings about the cities plight. Now however he was being drawn into the firing line and it seemed the first shots would be coming from Rokkenjima. He read the telegram a second time as he waited for his secretary to ensure the call had been connected and the translators were in sync.

"Hello Majesty" he began the conversation, "I'd like to begin by thanking you for your message of support regarding Troyes, we're keen to reunite our people and thought it would take much much longer, thanks to this situation it is our hope that we can have all of Marseille back together by Christmas." He chuckled, "Now as for the situation in with Aosta my next phone call I intend to make to Empress Serena. I want you to be aware that in that call I intend to thank her for the support they have shown and ask her ships to maintain their patrols in the waters of Troyes until our own naval Frigate arrives, that is likely to be 48 hours time for it to put to sea and reach the coast of Troyes. It will then be our intention to fulfil the territorial rights you and others believe already belong to us. We hope that you will respect this decision. I wish you to please remember the level of respect that people here have for the movement of Real Marseille and while they do not speak with the voice of our government they more than clearly represent the feelings of our people and it is them that I serve. Jean-Pierre Cantona may be an awkward rabble rouser at times but he is a friend and a hero of this nation......he also tends to get results. Now I hope this puts your mind at a little more ease and gives you some preparation for the coming few hours."

"It really doesn't do any of that." Rion said she'd been standing in the room with Kado "Remember they've taken our pieces off the board as well as us taking theirs off the board, you take Rowe now when there's no hard evidence against him and it looks very much like he's our piece not theirs, and that's without the legal situation."
"Correct." Liosa said, she was sat next to Emerson and looked at Asuna "It becomes a lot harder to court martial Rowe successfully, which we're going to need to do to put an end to this affair."
"And now you're wondering why we're saying wait." Rion said "To use the chess metaphor, Groves was the sacrificial pawn, Kikyo Hase is the pawn waiting to be promoted, Lucius Stanley was the Rook, Sumire Abruscato the bishop and Seagull the knight. Rowe is the Queen, he's not the King and that's the point. The King is the one we want, the one we need to get. This whole conspiracy is a revenge trip against the Imperial Family and it's a good forty years plus in the making, this doesn't end until we get our shot at the mastermind behind it, we want this threat eliminated not kicked down the road. We know their endgame the Youth Diet is days away, but before then something is going to happen and it's going to happen in Kusan. We want Rowe off the board as much as everyone else but we want to do it when doing so doesn't allow the threat to simply return later down the road. Rowe's job has been to prepare the stage so to speak for that threats return that he's done and now he's got to pull the trigger on actually setting it in motion. He will bring the person behind this onto the board, he will bring them within our reach and then my people will end this in an appropriate manner. Rowe must be taken alive because someone must be held accountable for everything and that is ultimately him. Waiting has risk and under any other circumstances I'd be agreeing with the Rear Admiral but in this instance not waiting is far riskier. We wait and we get the chance to end this."