Summoning Our Country - NHS Kai

Chapter 27: Desperate Measures

NOTE: One week of hiatus has unexpectedly grown to three whole months. IRL circumstances proved to be difficult to juggle with Kai so I unfortunately had to set it aside. My apologies and I hope you understand. Rest assured: the rest of this arc and the coming arc have already been planned so Team Kai's issue is more with juggling real responsibilities with writing Kai. I will, however, try to get the next chapter out next week so stay tuned.

Discord: https://discord.gg/wEp44XuaT3

・・・

Cent. Calendar 13/12/1639, Embassy of Japan in Esthirant, Parpaldia, 19:50

The port of Esthirant, easily one of the largest in the region by area and amount of tonnage docking at its piers, disappointingly stood in second place to the more prosperous harbor of Le Brias. Even then, the sheer amount of square-rigged sail vessels, iron-hulled steam ships, and modern-esque merchant vessels coming and going from the port was a testament to an efficient system of communications present to make this all possible, and that was in addition to the vast economic power Parpaldia held. Sure, Altaras may have the biggest and busiest port in the region, but Parpaldia has several more port cities just like Esthirant.

As one of the busiest ports in the region, it also housed a number of warehouses, crane machinery, land transportation hubs, and even a station for freight rail to take cargo to and from the port. Out of all of these places for commerce stood a single building of considerable size yet smaller than the cargo depots flanking it. The lot it was in was also wide, but the building that stood in its center took up much of the space available, leaving only grass and stone pathways for the remaining area. Erected in front of the red-bricked facade, an architectural style reminiscent of the Marunouchi facade of Tokyo Station, was a flagpole that flew the Hinomaru–the state flag of Japan.

This was the Embassy of Japan to Parpaldia. In spite of the latter's recognition of the former as an equal that should be treated with respect befitting a regional power, the plot of land they gave them to build their embassy ran contrary to that line of thought. One may think that this was in retaliation to the fact that Japan provided a lot in Naha, Okinawa–a city that was definitely not the Japanese capital–for the Parpaldians to build their embassy on, but that was hardly Japan's fault in the first place; unrest and disorder still plagued Tokyo and contact overall was easier in Okinawa since it was geographically closer to both Philades and Rodenius. At any rate, given their accessible location next to the port, it was easier for personnel and supplies meant for the embassy to go to and from Esthirant, so all's not lost.

While relations between Parpaldia and Japan remain rather amicable and with several high-profile deals such as the Eastern Offshore Joint Resource Exploration Agreement decorating their joint diplomatic portfolio, the same cannot be said for the relationship between Parpaldia and Altaras. Maintaining diplomatic and fruitful economic ties between the two nations–notwithstanding domestic reasons following the controversy surrounding Operation Zanzibar–Japan has taken a position of non-alignment, which is shared by many others such as Mu, Fenn, Qua-Toyne, and so on. However, with the increasing belligerence between the two parties, especially recently given their economic spats against one another, the worsening situation in the Altaras Strait, a body of water where so much of everyone's trade, including Japan's, goes through, they may soon have to do something to calm everyone's nerves; although as much possible, there mustn't be any side-picking in the first place.

However, as everyone will soon see, hopes for calmer solutions to prevail will be dashed.

"Hey, Ninomiya! Turn up the volume, will you?"

"On my way."

A group of Japanese embassy personnel huddled around a television while one of them increased the volume output. They were supposed to be working on their computers and doing paperwork but a certain broadcast caught their ears and now they were completely glued to the television's monocolor screen.