Armed Enlightenment Book 1 (Practice Story [My other stories are better])

Strike Force

"Anyone who has seen the auto factories in Detroit and the oil fields in Texas knows that Japan lacks the national power for a naval race with America."
                                  -Isoroku Yamamoto

2 weeks later, 3rd Person POV

It was another sunny day with clear skies, few clouds, and good visibility at the eastern port of Jomon, the winds made this place one of the first ports created during their age of sails. For the locals, they were met with the presence of 14 of the finest warships of the country, docked and preparing to set sail to the new Federation. In the coming days prior to this, the fall of the kingdom to the east and the formation of a new country was reported to the government. As the department head guessed, the politicians were baffled while some began to laugh at such preposterous reports.

They began to have a heated debate on how to act with this new piece of information. After much thought, they decided to take them seriously for now after defeating a regional power and send diplomats with an armed escort that included one of their powerful ships.

Their ships consisted of:
1 ironclad
4 steam frigates
4 sloops of war
5 armed store ships

With 500 sailors and marines

The Jomon were driven by the concept of manifest destiny and the desire to share their benefits and morals and values in other civilizations which they perceived as lost lambs but who can blame them? Their ethics were mostly focused on keeping peace and harmony between each nation but... they had the tendency to be rather coercive about it and have the power to maintain it.

Their goal: establish diplomatic relations with the federation and if possible, trade by using the fleet if necessary. By showing their naval power, they believe that they could take the lead in future negotiations.

Asada, the lead diplomat was spending his time at an outdoor restaurant watching the sailors preparing for the voyage. With him, the rear-admiral Gloire, a renowned young naval officer who was still in his early thirties who was also tasked to be one of the diplomats thanks to his experience in foreign diplomacy.

Gloire: beauty isn't she?

Trying to strike a conversation in order to waste time until their boarding, the admiral began referring to the ship of the latest class of their ironclad ships, the Ironside.

Asada: truly, yes...

Picking up Asada's dejected tone, he tried to find the cause of his worries. They knew each other very well to be considered as good friends after many diplomatic voyages together when they were still new.

Gloire: hey now, what's wrong? This is the first time I saw you this pitiful since you were still green at the time.

Asada: it's just that... I've heard from one of the overseas intelligence members to be wary of this new emerging country. Their technological power seems to surpassed ours and the northern regions. There were rumors that they are good people but they're only just rumors. We can defeat Estfalia if a situation calls for it but it will be a grueling campaign with large losses while the subject for diplomatic relations seems to have done it in a matter of weeks.

Gloire understood his friend's concerns. He knew the dangers of beginning first contacts, he was one of the few survivors when they made the first contact with a tribe at an island south of Jomon. They were welcomed at first but when night fell, the screams of his fellow sailors woke him up and saw the same people who welcomed them, killing his shipmates and escaped through the forest along with the survivors and took one of their rowboats heading back for home.