To Prevent A War

[Emperor Tekagi]

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Office of the Imperial Prime Minister, Kōkyo, Imperial District, New Tokyo. - 27th of July, 835

Whichever past crises found their way into this room, most were just a fading memory, a drop of water into a river compared to what became the topic of this faithful day. The turmoil within the Defense Ministry and the sudden appearance of the Shogun with new instructions did not remain unheard of among those frequenting the Imperial District. Especially not for the Imperial Prime Minister, who in recent years did not shy away from establishing her own information network within the structures of the Empire. Details reached her hand which raised all alarms. Secretive war plans, drafted to be used at times when the Empire faces existential threats, were being initiated. The complex interrelation of the Shogun, the Defense Ministry and specific personnel within the Kusari Uchugun set in motion a clear roadmap leading to the very same event Sanae had sworn herself to prevent: Direct, large-scale military confrontation.

Pondering about her next steps, she called in everyone she deemed relevant to tackling this crisis. Within the coming hours, quite a considerable list of people was to gather in the spacious office: Foreign Minister, Toshinori Kojirou, Economy and Finance Minister, Ryuu Majima, the mastermind behind the Kusari reunification, Noboru Higuchi, Itō Shunsuke, Genrō of his Imperial Majesty and Sanae's partner in life, Irelei. - However, there was one absence notice she received: Head of Operations for the ominous Tokkeitai, "Goryō", who cites inability to leave the area as high ranking officer directly involved in past skirmishes and the upcoming war plan agenda.

In some fashion at least, someone and something had to be done to limit the scope of it all, to prevent either house from lashing out, to prevent the chaos it would all cause. Time was running out, the first war plan could not be stopped anymore. And whilst they were going to meet, everything might change already in the hours to come.

[Emperor Tekagi]

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Office of the Imperial Prime Minister, Kōkyo, Imperial District, New Tokyo. - Early Morning Hours, 28th of July, 835

The initial meeting concluded with little to no concrete results but a distinct unison in a future course of action. Each attendant readied up to reach out to influential figures across Kusari or even beyond Kusari's borders to forge a heavyweight front of policy makers, military personnel and businessmen directly opposing an escalatory war with the Republic of Liberty. Other key actors, those capable of swaying the complex interrelations within the Republic of Liberty away from escalating matters to a grand war, were also declared a top priority to identify. However, during their hours long conversations, all attendants left with the mutual understanding that two circumstances became inevitable: a prolonged period of border skirmishes within the Galileo system and a Diet vote to pass a newly invoked trade embargo.

Tensions were to remain on significant heights and without the culprits rushing for larger scale confrontation identified, they could not be isolated or forcefully removed from the playing field.

It was now 4 am of the next day, when suddenly "Goryō" made an entrance with new facts. Plan Hikari, under operative leadership by Lord Protector Mitsuo, has failed. This operation, decided upon without the official approval of either Shogun or Defense Ministry skyrocketed the cost of lives on both sides, though more severely on Kusari's own. Further, in his unofficial role as head of the Tokkeitai, he informed the Prime Minister - better known as Asset Tamamo no Mae - about his next steps and a plot to determine the faith of both the Lord Protector and those backing him. A condition was set after tense arguing: Only if they were to escalate further, would she sit by idly and let an extermination order slide.

5:32 am - Sanae was alone. Exhausted and without any real clue on how to proceed. Few of her friends had the necessary connections to exert the influence required over either side, even less would be willing to risk a lot. Desperate for a place to start with, she scrolled through old contact data. Perhaps it was time to call in some ancient favors from groups and people nobody would suspect to meddle into the affairs of the houses?!