"Excuse us for a moment." Serenity said looking at Andrew before taking Evanthe and leading her out of the room. This had just gone from bad to worst case scenario and beyond "Can we please try not to change the landscape of this before we get there? Right now we are dealing with a peaceful protest, there is no cause for alarm, there is nothing that would justify escalating this or presenting a front that is not united. He's not going to agree to the referendum, which I don't blame him for because rule number one of referenda is don't call one unless you know the result. Worse he's not minded to give the base back, which we know Sauzee's not going to budge on. This can only end with the removal of Seaforth's military presence. I don't like being in the position we're in, we've both got ties here and neither of us want an armed confrontation against each other." Serenity took a moment "How many times did Seaforth kick up a fuss about QAMB? Illumic self determination, removal of foreign military installations in the channel - is the Shaw deserving of any different? Why does Seaforth get to have a military presence in your backyard, when you don't get that in theirs? Is the Shaw any less secure than the Illumic? No it isn't, in fact it's historically safer. So before we get ourselves into a situation where our nations butt heads, where we create a chasm that you and Emerson can't fix and Euphy probably withholds sex..." she paused realising what she'd just said and who she'd said it to.

"Don't... Look before we get anywhere near that let's take a breath and remove emotion from the equation, we came here to explore the diplomatic avenues to resolving this situation in a manner that is peaceful. He's not swung at either pitch, the second of which is the best we could offer because his concessions are unreasonable, the return of the base and removal of Seaforth's military is non negotiable from the Marseilles side and Sauzee can't speak for all of Albion so tariff free access to the continent is a bit of a pipe dream, we're both experienced enough to know that. And we both know that Troyes is a Marseilles city and regardless of what Aosta and Abertone have done and said that fact remains true, as does the fact that Seaforth has overstayed in Troyes, we can stand here and go on about how much we don't like certain actions that have happened but from where I'm standing as the non Rhodes in the room they've not done anything that Seaforth hasn't done before. I may not like it, I do not like having to choose between the ASDN and Seaforth and I know you don't, but that choice isn't being forced on us by Marco and Serena, it's being forced on us by Andrew and his unwillingness to budge on the critical point here, remember if there was no occupation of Troyes would this even be a discussion? How many times have you and I and various governments across Mundus talked about self determination? About imperialism? How many times has Rokkenjima been accused of being imperialist? Granted most of them came from fallen regimes but what you've just said in there is aiding and abetting it."

Taking a breath Serenity pulled Evanthe into an embrace "Look I know it hurts being back here, all the memories of Joshua but, and I hope you'll forgive me, I need the Evanthe Anselmo who I watched study, who always did her homework at the first opportunity, the person I used to debate stuff with on the sofa years ago because I will not allow Achkaerin and Rokkenjima to get into a fight and I will not abandon Troyes and I most certainly will not tarnish the memory of Jocelyn of Rhodes. That is my word an Azurewind and you know the regard that is held in. So do we call Asuna and start preparing for a fight with each other neither of us want or do we call Sakura, Reid and start putting the pressure on. Let's do what we came here to do and let's do it together."

"I'm not able to speak for everyone" Lukas responded. "We'd be interested in the co-operation with this Cube idea however I'd want a reduced lease for as long as we allow you to attend our trade and industrial shows. If we're aiming at helping each other promote our businesses then for as long as we help you promote yours then you should help us promote ours?" He attempted to sweeten the deal. "Now as for co-operation over nuclear matters thats something we'd be extremely interested in. We ourselves have the wilderness to be able to set up test facilities, we have a decent supply of uranium but its customers we need. Now we can put you in touch with the various agencies, companies and institutes that we work with but the issue will be that by working with Rokkenjima you must have signed up to the MAEA? Meanwhile Altona will not sign up to the treaty as we do not wish foreign inspections of our prototypes and the like. Where are we going to sit in this regard?"

"I realize this places Rokkenjima in a conundrum but," Evanthe sighed as she looked to Serenity, "Look, quite simply it was not Seaforth which placed Rokkenjima into this conundrum but certain parties to the ADSN which did. As such," she looked over to King Andrew, "the best developed air bases and facilities in the region you're speaking of exist on Hoshiko Island; it's home to Imperial High Command and the Imperial Rokkenjiman Home Fleet. We also have an air base upon Fukadomari, though as that one is rather close to Abertone I think we can both agree to exclude it from your operations. Meanwhile, facilities based on Hoshiko Island open to service members of the Imperial Rokkenjiman Armed Forces will be available for any Seaforthian service members and vessels in transit which may require resupply, either to or from Troyes, as your needs should determine. I know that we'll be taking some heat from the ADSN on this but we weren't the ones who asked for it, it was not the Seaforthians who forced it into an issue to be considered, and as Abertone and Altona acted unilaterally on this matter proclaiming ties which go beyond the ADSN, Rokkenjima will be using its right to such ties to support our security partner and ally which, in this case, is the Kingdom of Seaforth."

"When Rokkenjima signed the Joint Statement on Troyes it was a different time," she continued, "we in Pyrettania assumed a joint path forward. That path forward has been hijacked by the two Empires, and while Rokkenjima supports Troyes reintegration into Marseilles, it won't be at the expense of our values or our word to those who trust us," she motioned to King Andrew. "Actions have consequences, and while we have our duties to our ADSN partners so too do we have our responsibilities to our long-standing allies who, I would again remind Empress Serenity, did not place us in a position of choosing which of those to honour. You have the full cooperation of the Imperial Rokkenjiman Government and Imperial Armed Forces," she said again as she turned to King Andrew.

"It would be appreciated," she would reply simply, listening as Thatcher continued.

"Speaking off the record, I don't like that you were excluded from the first party chain of communications on this issue, as a CSTO ally and a trusted security partner of the First Empire I would have seen close coordination with the Kingdom and its assets from day one," she said as she passed to Thatcher secured means through which to engage with <0. "Perhaps the most skilled operatives within Rokkenjiman borders, she has access and insight that will bring you up to parity knowledge-wise, and I'll be lodging in my notes to Pyrettania that any future exclusions would be ill-advised and most harmful to Rokkenjiman national security. Damn it," she paused, "we've sat here near the brink of an abrupt rift between our governments, I won't allow that to happen again under my watch. From this moment forward you'll know what we know as the Royal Government has the trust of the Imperial Government to act responsibly with said knowledge, as it should have been from day one so to say. As to your question, on the record, that's a matter of internal affairs which are better left for Rokkenjima to tackle. Off the record, I was not instructed to ask for your help, and was informed that the matter was being dealt with and no further involvement was necessary from those not already involved."

"That being said," she paused again, "I'm sorry that Thomas has had what must have been a few difficult hours, please see that his mind is put to rest as soon as possible. We might not be able to address the public sensitivities of the matter yet, however, it would be nice to see both of them able to sigh a breath of relief in the mean time. I understand that, as soon as she's capable of doing so, she intends to put the United States to the test, with the permission of your Government of course, for a reunion with Thomas; I hear the Empress wishes to test her rumoured top speed of 45 knots to make this all up to him. She's like her mother in that regard," she smiled for the first time, "always a penchant for grand gestures; I imagine his ship mates will have some jealousy issues to deal with after such a display."

Like Blossoms on the Wind

---

Saeki, Hatsukaichi, Izumi Prefecture
August 5th - December 6th, 1945

   There were some days which would linger on, forever changing a person and turning their life upside down. For some, it might be the day they married, or perhaps the day their first child was born, and in those cases, such days would be celebrated, but for all the good in the world, some days were truly horrible, both in scope and in the events themselves. The fifth of August, 1945, was one such day when not only did the world change forever, but lives too were broken, burned away, and likewise changed. For the young daughter of a soldier and a factory worker in the district of Saeki, only four years old at the time, this would be a story that she would face.

   It had seemed like an ordinary Sunday morning, the day of a festival celebrating the city’s founding, and yet her mother had no joy in her heart. Her father had gone missing, though she didn’t know that at the time. She knew only that she was sad, though she tried her best to hide it. Maybe it was because of all the times they’d had to go down in the basement, to hide from the noises in the sky? That had to be it, she had thought back then. And yet, what fragmentary memories she had from that day was simply of the moment the bomb fell and their home was turned to splinters.

   Her next memory of that black day was being dragged from the rubble of their home by her mother, grievously wounded, yet determined to get her to safety. ”Just a little bit farther”, she told her. ”We’re going to be okay.” She’d lied. The truth was that she had lost her right arm, and she was now bleeding profusely, though of course, the daughter had believed that she would be okay. This was just a bad dream, and she needed to wake up. By the time noon had rolled around, they’d made it across the Watari, at which time, her mother sat upon some rubble, ostensibly to rest, and so too did she stay by her side until she’d wake up.

   She never woke up again.

   A few days would pass, yet the daughter remained by her mother’s side, certain that she would wake up, that everything would be okay. It would only be when the flies swarmed them on the day of the eighth that she finally had to move on, if only so that she might find food. She planned to return to her, but by nightfall, her mother was gone, perhaps having woken up, she thought, though it was more likely she’d been taken for cremation. And so, for the first time in her life, the daughter found herself alone in the world, in a city of the dead where the fires yet raged. What future could she have, if any at all? Would she live to see another new year? All was uncertain, for the future was yet unwritten.