Eternity RPC Board
11-13-2017, 05:13 PM
Time: 6:30 AM
Location: Imperial Break Lounge of the Orchyoto
"I never thought that the National Council would be so... easily manipulated," Mirai said after the doors to the Break Lounge slammed shut. Hiraku chuckled and sat down, beckoning her to join him. She smirked and obliged, leaning against him intentionally.
"Indeed Mi-chan," Hiraku replied, wrapping an arm around her. She gave him a funny look before returning to looking out towards the fireplace in front of them. He blinked for a moment before asking, "Did I say something wrong?"
"No, not at all. You just, haven't called me that in a long time."
"Well, my apologies Your I-"
"Call me that again and my imperial foot is going so far up your ass you won't be sitting right for a week." He snorted in response to her rather direct threat and she harrumphed. "Mi-chan is fine in private. You know this. But to get back to the point... they're so divided over a course of action when it's quite obvious that the best way forward would be to hold the line. Let this spiral well 'out of control' and begin our return to grace."
"All the actors are playing their parts nicely then," Hiraku noted, stroking her shoulder. "Letting them think they run things for now is a good way to fly under the radar as we set them up for their collapse in influence. Only when things are at the brink will you swoop in and save them from themselves, increasing your influence ten fold while I wrangle up the votes needed to pass the resolution."
"And once you 'convince' them and the lower house to pass the resolution, you earn a private audience with Her Imperial Majesty herself," Mirai added, smirking. "And things just bloom from there. All the while we prepare for the inevitable clash that will decide whether we restore the Eden of the East or fall from the Heavens for good." They chuckled and sat there quietly, mulling over next steps until a knock at the door interrupted them. A quick glance at one another was followed by a reluctant separation, with Hiraku moving to sit in a nearby chair.
"Enter," He boomed towards the door. The door opened slowly and an assistant slipped inside, bowing his head towards Chairman Honda and Her Imperial Majesty. The assistant was shaking, terrified of the news he was ordered to report and swearing that he drew the shortest straw out of all the assistants.
"Your Imperial Majesty and Chairman Honda, I apologize for the intrusion," He began, his voice cracking. "The uh, Chikasu National Senate special session report you have both requested is ready." He swallowed hard and scurried across the room, handing them the reports and quickly bowing his way towards the exit.
"Hold," The two said in unison and the assistant froze, terrified of their combined wrath. Quietly, he turned to face them and watched as they read the report before giving each other a glance. Their faces said it all: there shall be nothing but fury. This Senator Yamamoto, an influential figure within Chikasu, dared to halt what was supposed to be the beginnings of a grand peace to end longstanding tensions. And he dared to halt them all because he believed that the trade agreements were supposedly unbalanced!? Months of arduous negotiation that required the gentle and fair hand of the Empress herself to continue would have been for naught then!
At least, that's what their faces said to anyone who didn't know better. To the two of them however, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, they were gleeful for the turn of events. Senator Yamamoto removed a major hurdle for them; everything was going even better than they had expected! Slowly, they turned their attention towards the assistant and watched as he shook in terror.
"Name," Chairman Honda intoned. The assistant stood straight at attention and stuttered for a solid moment before he squeaked out his name.
"S-Souta Nakashima!" The assistant squeaked before saluting them both.
"You drew the short straw didn't you?" Chairman Honda asked, standing slowly. He watched as Souta nodded and then chuckled softly. "Yeah, I figured. I remember drawing the short straw. Don't worry, you're fine. But you best inform the staff to get the Councilmembers again. We're starting up sooner than I had expected." The assistant nodded and scurried away without another word. Behind Hiraku, Mirai stood and walked over to him, patting him on the shoulder.
"Well, just as expected. Let's get back to it then."
20 Minutes Later in the Chambers of the National Council
"The Chikasun government has proven themselves unwilling to support months of fervent negotiation even after all the concessions we gave!" Councilwoman Koharu Fukui exclaimed, slamming her fist on the table. "They do not seem to understand that we are the more stable economic player and that they have more to gain than we do. They decry this as unfair and unbalanced when their idea of fair and balanced is to fuel their economic growth at the expense of our own!" Chairman Honda hid his expression behind his clasped hands as the Councilwoman spoke. A younger member of National Council, she was far more willing to apply pressures on Kazemura's neighbors to ensure its continued growth and influence. She was a fervent federationist as well which fit very well with his and the Empress' ambitions. She knew they wanted to pursue a possible supranational organization down the road and she offered them unwavering support for such a concept.
However, the other members of the National Council were not so easily swayed, hence this ongoing bickering about a mere trade agreement. As the Councilmembers seemed to argue, he prepared to bang the gavel to call for silence, but stopped short when the silence came on its own. A lone figure stood in the Chambers of the National Council, silencing everyone with mere presence alone.
"If I may speak," Councilman Taichi Matsuoka stated, "That would be wonderful." Inwardly, Chairman Honda swore. Of course he had to speak up. Of course, the eldest member of the National Council and the only politician whose influence surpassed his own had to come to some form of a decision. This was a man who chastised a previous Chairman in the middle of an open session for not performing a mundane protocol during roll call. This was a man who had been known as "The Scale of the Council" as he has more often than not ended the debate right then and there. Very rarely did he not call the question after he spoke and quite often he had been a thorn in the side of Chairman Honda and Empress Mirai, even before their ascendance into their respective offices.
"Chairman Honda," Matsuoka began, turning his full attention towards him. "I find it extremely sickening that on a Sunday of all days you whisk us away in the middle of the night to forcibly discuss mere protests. As if this trade agreement that has been forcibly wormed in by your hands was in such danger by a few measly protesters in our neighbor's cities! It speaks volumes that you would have the audacity to force us all to be here on a Sunday for something as mundane as this!" Matsuoka banged his fist on the table a few times at the end of his sentence, his face reddening. "On whose authority was it decided that you drag us out of bed to protect your pet project!?" Usually, Matsuoka would have the final word and end the debate in his favor. Today however...
"On mine."
He was up against a force far greater than his own, and the way the color drained from his face showed it. It was hard for Chairman Honda to hide a smirk but somehow he succeeded, letting the voice that boomed forth from behind dominate the room and silence even Matsuoka.
"My orders were the ones to call the National Council to order this morning," Her Imperial Grace replied, slowly rising from her seat. Councilman Matsuoka gripped the table, trying to steel his nerve but this was the one person he couldn't readily defeat. Not yet anyway. Her Imperial Grace continued, "On my orders did Chairman Honda assemble this meeting as it was made clear that the Chikasun Senate and the Shimazun Council were also meeting as I speak. They will have their decision very soon. We shall not wait to respond. They expect us to be unprepared. So long as this Empress lives on behalf of Muze shall that not happen; as an esteemed Councilman of Kazemura, you should not either Matsuoka-kun." A chill rushed through the room as all eyes returned to Matsuoka.
"Her Imperial Grace is not finished speaking!" She boomed, forcing all eyes back on her save Chairman Honda's; he dared not to move a muscle to defy Her Imperial Grace. "Four months of these petty squabbles have run my patience dry. Instead of coming to a sensible conclusion, your continuous finger pointing has come to a head, aimed to the only person in this room that has shown any effort in keeping Her Imperial Grace involved in the matters of the state and seeking a proper solution!" She slammed her fist, fury coursing through her eyes. "In the next twenty minutes, there will be a decision. Either it shall be by the Council or by the hand of Her Imperial Grace alone! Stop playing with the lives of our people and DO. YOUR. JOBS!" She banged the podium thrice, once for each point at the end of her statement. Baring her teeth, she dared for anyone in the room to defy the dragon.
Of course, one dared.
"Empress Mirai seems to show favor to Chairman Honda," Councilman Matsuoka retorted, showing a smirk. "Perhaps the Empress is fancying him as her consort? If not, it would be best to follow the standard of her predecessor with regards to the National Council." He had presumed that her influence within the National Council would still be weak only four months into her reign. Under normal circumstances, he would be correct; the first two months they seemed to chafe at the Empress' insistence to sit in on National Council meetings, something her predecessor opted to avoid. However, the work of Chairman Honda and Councilwoman Fukui in whipping the National Council over the four months had finally borne fruit. Private audiences with Her Imperial Grace, favors, and a bit of coercion had built up the Imperial influence within the National Council to an extent never before seen in its history.
In short, most agreed with Chairman Honda and Her Imperial Grace and the ones that didn't were far in the minority. Today's clash would seal the National Council's fate, as had been intended. However, Matsuoka had gone two steps too far and had given both Chairman Honda and Her Imperial Grace something far more than they had expected. The door to total influence had been swung open, as had the door to the everlasting union they dreamed of since the very beginning.
"Favor is shown to those that serve dutifully Matsuoka-chan," Her Imperial Grace replied, a wicked smile creeping up on her face as no one dared gasp in horror at the degrading insult. "Which is why Her Imperial Grace shows no favor to you today." She slowly looks downwards to the top of Chairman Honda's head. "I must say though, fancying the Chairman as a consort... hm. His Imperial Grace, Emperor Hiraku of Kazemura. Nice ring to it." She turned her gaze upwards, glaring straight at Matsuoka. "However, that does not excuse your disgusting behavior. And that does not authorize you to speak ill of Her Imperial Grace. Clearly, your fellow Councilmembers agree with Her Imperial Grace. Which means they will agree with the edict Her Imperial Grace shall give." She cleared her throat and clasped the sides of the podium.
"Members of the National Council, you shall vote to pursue the trade agreements. We shall let our ambassador and consul speak with the Chikasun and Shimazun leaders respectively; should neither government support the agreements in their current form we will authorize our representatives to pursue new negotiations. However, should the Shimazu Council vote in favor of the current trade agreements, we shall not give an inch. The Chikasun Republic will fold or it will risk inciting a new rise in tensions. Does anyone defy the Edict of Her Imperial Grace? If so, speak now or carry out the Edict of Her Imperial Grace." Silence followed as each Councilmember slowly shook their heads. Even Councilman Matsuoka was cowed to shake his head. Her Imperial Grace slowly sat in her seat cross-legged, hands clasped on her knees.
"With no further debate, we move to a vote," Chairman Honda stated, voice resolute in the face of divine intervention.
At the Red House in Eno, Chikasu
Ambassador Rei Ueno swore under her breath as she walked down the hallway towards the Office of the President. This was not where she was expecting to be at this hour. She had been ordered to go to the Senate to speak with those who were defying the trade agreements and convince them that this in everyone's best interest. However, she was stopped en-route with new orders from Her Imperial Grace herself. She was to speed to the Red House right away and convince her to push forward with the trade agreements so meticulously planned out. Nothing less than that would be acceptable for the Imperial Republic at this point.
That is, unless the Shimazun Council voted no as well, she thought with irritation. If both the Senate and the Council voted to refuse the trade agreements, the Imperial Republic would have to consider other options. It was possible they could be salvaged but it was just as likely that they would pull out of further negotiations and take other paths to resolve the ongoing disputes that existed between their nations.
But hopefully, at least one body would vote for these trade agreements, and hopefully she could convince President Maki to hold strong and settle the debate in the Senate. Ambassador Ueno at last reached the door, escorted by an assistant that worked at the Red House, and knocked softly. She took two steps back and waited for permission to enter.
Location: Imperial Break Lounge of the Orchyoto
"I never thought that the National Council would be so... easily manipulated," Mirai said after the doors to the Break Lounge slammed shut. Hiraku chuckled and sat down, beckoning her to join him. She smirked and obliged, leaning against him intentionally.
"Indeed Mi-chan," Hiraku replied, wrapping an arm around her. She gave him a funny look before returning to looking out towards the fireplace in front of them. He blinked for a moment before asking, "Did I say something wrong?"
"No, not at all. You just, haven't called me that in a long time."
"Well, my apologies Your I-"
"Call me that again and my imperial foot is going so far up your ass you won't be sitting right for a week." He snorted in response to her rather direct threat and she harrumphed. "Mi-chan is fine in private. You know this. But to get back to the point... they're so divided over a course of action when it's quite obvious that the best way forward would be to hold the line. Let this spiral well 'out of control' and begin our return to grace."
"All the actors are playing their parts nicely then," Hiraku noted, stroking her shoulder. "Letting them think they run things for now is a good way to fly under the radar as we set them up for their collapse in influence. Only when things are at the brink will you swoop in and save them from themselves, increasing your influence ten fold while I wrangle up the votes needed to pass the resolution."
"And once you 'convince' them and the lower house to pass the resolution, you earn a private audience with Her Imperial Majesty herself," Mirai added, smirking. "And things just bloom from there. All the while we prepare for the inevitable clash that will decide whether we restore the Eden of the East or fall from the Heavens for good." They chuckled and sat there quietly, mulling over next steps until a knock at the door interrupted them. A quick glance at one another was followed by a reluctant separation, with Hiraku moving to sit in a nearby chair.
"Enter," He boomed towards the door. The door opened slowly and an assistant slipped inside, bowing his head towards Chairman Honda and Her Imperial Majesty. The assistant was shaking, terrified of the news he was ordered to report and swearing that he drew the shortest straw out of all the assistants.
"Your Imperial Majesty and Chairman Honda, I apologize for the intrusion," He began, his voice cracking. "The uh, Chikasu National Senate special session report you have both requested is ready." He swallowed hard and scurried across the room, handing them the reports and quickly bowing his way towards the exit.
"Hold," The two said in unison and the assistant froze, terrified of their combined wrath. Quietly, he turned to face them and watched as they read the report before giving each other a glance. Their faces said it all: there shall be nothing but fury. This Senator Yamamoto, an influential figure within Chikasu, dared to halt what was supposed to be the beginnings of a grand peace to end longstanding tensions. And he dared to halt them all because he believed that the trade agreements were supposedly unbalanced!? Months of arduous negotiation that required the gentle and fair hand of the Empress herself to continue would have been for naught then!
At least, that's what their faces said to anyone who didn't know better. To the two of them however, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, they were gleeful for the turn of events. Senator Yamamoto removed a major hurdle for them; everything was going even better than they had expected! Slowly, they turned their attention towards the assistant and watched as he shook in terror.
"Name," Chairman Honda intoned. The assistant stood straight at attention and stuttered for a solid moment before he squeaked out his name.
"S-Souta Nakashima!" The assistant squeaked before saluting them both.
"You drew the short straw didn't you?" Chairman Honda asked, standing slowly. He watched as Souta nodded and then chuckled softly. "Yeah, I figured. I remember drawing the short straw. Don't worry, you're fine. But you best inform the staff to get the Councilmembers again. We're starting up sooner than I had expected." The assistant nodded and scurried away without another word. Behind Hiraku, Mirai stood and walked over to him, patting him on the shoulder.
"Well, just as expected. Let's get back to it then."
20 Minutes Later in the Chambers of the National Council
"The Chikasun government has proven themselves unwilling to support months of fervent negotiation even after all the concessions we gave!" Councilwoman Koharu Fukui exclaimed, slamming her fist on the table. "They do not seem to understand that we are the more stable economic player and that they have more to gain than we do. They decry this as unfair and unbalanced when their idea of fair and balanced is to fuel their economic growth at the expense of our own!" Chairman Honda hid his expression behind his clasped hands as the Councilwoman spoke. A younger member of National Council, she was far more willing to apply pressures on Kazemura's neighbors to ensure its continued growth and influence. She was a fervent federationist as well which fit very well with his and the Empress' ambitions. She knew they wanted to pursue a possible supranational organization down the road and she offered them unwavering support for such a concept.
However, the other members of the National Council were not so easily swayed, hence this ongoing bickering about a mere trade agreement. As the Councilmembers seemed to argue, he prepared to bang the gavel to call for silence, but stopped short when the silence came on its own. A lone figure stood in the Chambers of the National Council, silencing everyone with mere presence alone.
"If I may speak," Councilman Taichi Matsuoka stated, "That would be wonderful." Inwardly, Chairman Honda swore. Of course he had to speak up. Of course, the eldest member of the National Council and the only politician whose influence surpassed his own had to come to some form of a decision. This was a man who chastised a previous Chairman in the middle of an open session for not performing a mundane protocol during roll call. This was a man who had been known as "The Scale of the Council" as he has more often than not ended the debate right then and there. Very rarely did he not call the question after he spoke and quite often he had been a thorn in the side of Chairman Honda and Empress Mirai, even before their ascendance into their respective offices.
"Chairman Honda," Matsuoka began, turning his full attention towards him. "I find it extremely sickening that on a Sunday of all days you whisk us away in the middle of the night to forcibly discuss mere protests. As if this trade agreement that has been forcibly wormed in by your hands was in such danger by a few measly protesters in our neighbor's cities! It speaks volumes that you would have the audacity to force us all to be here on a Sunday for something as mundane as this!" Matsuoka banged his fist on the table a few times at the end of his sentence, his face reddening. "On whose authority was it decided that you drag us out of bed to protect your pet project!?" Usually, Matsuoka would have the final word and end the debate in his favor. Today however...
"On mine."
He was up against a force far greater than his own, and the way the color drained from his face showed it. It was hard for Chairman Honda to hide a smirk but somehow he succeeded, letting the voice that boomed forth from behind dominate the room and silence even Matsuoka.
"My orders were the ones to call the National Council to order this morning," Her Imperial Grace replied, slowly rising from her seat. Councilman Matsuoka gripped the table, trying to steel his nerve but this was the one person he couldn't readily defeat. Not yet anyway. Her Imperial Grace continued, "On my orders did Chairman Honda assemble this meeting as it was made clear that the Chikasun Senate and the Shimazun Council were also meeting as I speak. They will have their decision very soon. We shall not wait to respond. They expect us to be unprepared. So long as this Empress lives on behalf of Muze shall that not happen; as an esteemed Councilman of Kazemura, you should not either Matsuoka-kun." A chill rushed through the room as all eyes returned to Matsuoka.
"Her Imperial Grace is not finished speaking!" She boomed, forcing all eyes back on her save Chairman Honda's; he dared not to move a muscle to defy Her Imperial Grace. "Four months of these petty squabbles have run my patience dry. Instead of coming to a sensible conclusion, your continuous finger pointing has come to a head, aimed to the only person in this room that has shown any effort in keeping Her Imperial Grace involved in the matters of the state and seeking a proper solution!" She slammed her fist, fury coursing through her eyes. "In the next twenty minutes, there will be a decision. Either it shall be by the Council or by the hand of Her Imperial Grace alone! Stop playing with the lives of our people and DO. YOUR. JOBS!" She banged the podium thrice, once for each point at the end of her statement. Baring her teeth, she dared for anyone in the room to defy the dragon.
Of course, one dared.
"Empress Mirai seems to show favor to Chairman Honda," Councilman Matsuoka retorted, showing a smirk. "Perhaps the Empress is fancying him as her consort? If not, it would be best to follow the standard of her predecessor with regards to the National Council." He had presumed that her influence within the National Council would still be weak only four months into her reign. Under normal circumstances, he would be correct; the first two months they seemed to chafe at the Empress' insistence to sit in on National Council meetings, something her predecessor opted to avoid. However, the work of Chairman Honda and Councilwoman Fukui in whipping the National Council over the four months had finally borne fruit. Private audiences with Her Imperial Grace, favors, and a bit of coercion had built up the Imperial influence within the National Council to an extent never before seen in its history.
In short, most agreed with Chairman Honda and Her Imperial Grace and the ones that didn't were far in the minority. Today's clash would seal the National Council's fate, as had been intended. However, Matsuoka had gone two steps too far and had given both Chairman Honda and Her Imperial Grace something far more than they had expected. The door to total influence had been swung open, as had the door to the everlasting union they dreamed of since the very beginning.
"Favor is shown to those that serve dutifully Matsuoka-chan," Her Imperial Grace replied, a wicked smile creeping up on her face as no one dared gasp in horror at the degrading insult. "Which is why Her Imperial Grace shows no favor to you today." She slowly looks downwards to the top of Chairman Honda's head. "I must say though, fancying the Chairman as a consort... hm. His Imperial Grace, Emperor Hiraku of Kazemura. Nice ring to it." She turned her gaze upwards, glaring straight at Matsuoka. "However, that does not excuse your disgusting behavior. And that does not authorize you to speak ill of Her Imperial Grace. Clearly, your fellow Councilmembers agree with Her Imperial Grace. Which means they will agree with the edict Her Imperial Grace shall give." She cleared her throat and clasped the sides of the podium.
"Members of the National Council, you shall vote to pursue the trade agreements. We shall let our ambassador and consul speak with the Chikasun and Shimazun leaders respectively; should neither government support the agreements in their current form we will authorize our representatives to pursue new negotiations. However, should the Shimazu Council vote in favor of the current trade agreements, we shall not give an inch. The Chikasun Republic will fold or it will risk inciting a new rise in tensions. Does anyone defy the Edict of Her Imperial Grace? If so, speak now or carry out the Edict of Her Imperial Grace." Silence followed as each Councilmember slowly shook their heads. Even Councilman Matsuoka was cowed to shake his head. Her Imperial Grace slowly sat in her seat cross-legged, hands clasped on her knees.
"With no further debate, we move to a vote," Chairman Honda stated, voice resolute in the face of divine intervention.
At the Red House in Eno, Chikasu
Ambassador Rei Ueno swore under her breath as she walked down the hallway towards the Office of the President. This was not where she was expecting to be at this hour. She had been ordered to go to the Senate to speak with those who were defying the trade agreements and convince them that this in everyone's best interest. However, she was stopped en-route with new orders from Her Imperial Grace herself. She was to speed to the Red House right away and convince her to push forward with the trade agreements so meticulously planned out. Nothing less than that would be acceptable for the Imperial Republic at this point.
That is, unless the Shimazun Council voted no as well, she thought with irritation. If both the Senate and the Council voted to refuse the trade agreements, the Imperial Republic would have to consider other options. It was possible they could be salvaged but it was just as likely that they would pull out of further negotiations and take other paths to resolve the ongoing disputes that existed between their nations.
But hopefully, at least one body would vote for these trade agreements, and hopefully she could convince President Maki to hold strong and settle the debate in the Senate. Ambassador Ueno at last reached the door, escorted by an assistant that worked at the Red House, and knocked softly. She took two steps back and waited for permission to enter.