The Land of the Rising Sun (Fringe Dominion of Asahi)

[Velok the Younger]

[member="Juro Tanaka"]

Rave translated faithfully as before. Translating for both sides of this -- with a protocol droid murmuring in an earbud to smooth the way -- occupied her attention fully. From time to time, she sneaked in a bite or a sip. That was about all she could manage, for now.

 

[Not Ordo]

Gavin stood back near the wall and tried to look official. His brown eyes scanned the room and waited for any signs of trouble. He was probably the least dangerous person in the room but their was no need to publicize that. He was glad though that Rave translated because he was lost.

 

[Juro Tanaka]

"<So, you are a businessman,>" Tanaka said slowly as he scratched at his beard in thought. "<This makes your point of view much more clear to me. I am also a businessman, though my duties as Shogun take precedence over such things. It is hard to separate what is good for one's people over what is good for one's company. Thankfully, my company provides as much as possible for my people, though I feel the coming days shall test such things.>"

Tanaka sipped his sake and thought a moment.

"<Tell me, Captain Merrill, did you see the pair of orbital stations over Asahi when you arrived in system?>"

[member="Gavin Ovmar"] [member="Dak Canton"] [member="Rave Merrill"] [member="Jorus Merrill"]

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Juro Tanaka"]

"My company was my people," said Jorus, "so that simplified things for me. When it comes to you and yours, I can appreciate the distinction. Nowadays, though, nobody answers to me but the crew back on Gypsymoth, and I'm responsible for none but them. Bein' free of my own interests gives me a better perspective on yours, I'd like to think, an' on all the worlds I've found.

"I saw those stations, yeah. Caught half a glance around the curve of the world. Looked like yards, an' good ones."

 

[Juro Tanaka]

"<I am glad you think so,>" Tanaka said with a smile. "<They belong to my family and from them you saw our larger ships in orbit. My family owns the largest ship production company on the planet, dating back two thousand years. You could say it is in our blood to make and command ships.>"

"<As you have said, you have a fairly unique point of view on this situation my people, myself, and this planet have found ourselves in. Might I inquire as to what you, Captain Merrill, would suggest?>" he asked politely, sipping once more from his sake.

[member="Jorus Merrill"]

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Juro Tanaka"]

"The galaxy's burstin' with starship builders. Comes of just walkin' out of a dark age. That said, I'd be happy to sit down with you, take a look at some designs, tell you what'll be competitive out there, where your strongest leveraging position might sit. My wife's kind of legendary as a shipwright, an' I've designed a ship or two myself. We could take a look after dinner, I could open up some design files from the outside..."

 

[Juro Tanaka]

"<Designs?>" he stated with complete interest. "<I would greatly enjoy seeing these designs. In fact, I would greatly like to open trade for more current technology than what we have available here, including hyper-capable engines. As you can imagine, we lack our own.>"

This was only partially true. The Asahians didn't know they had scans of a hyperdrive as the data was locked under the Emperor's palace deep within the vaults. There had been a minor point in time when such plans were used to create Asahian hyperdrives, but the attempt failed and was hidden from the public eye. Even most of the peons and sycophants in the other room had no idea of such things in the past.

[member="Jorus Merrill"] [member="Rave Merrill"]

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Juro Tanaka"]

"Well, hyperdrives, you can get anywhere. I'm sure my sister would be more than happy to set you up with some military-grade drives, an' there's all kinds of corporations who'd chomp at the bit to outfit a whole star system with lightspeed capacity."

 

[Juro Tanaka]

"<Hmmm... Then perhaps I should hire outside help, those who can accurately portray the exchange rate of your currency here, before I begin purchases>," Tanaka stated with a thoughtful expression. "<Organizing an exchange of sorts would be beneficial to my people, I think. In which case this would be for the ultimate best. This, however, can be discussed in time. For now, let us talk of other things. What is currently at large in the galaxy? I understand there is much that has happened in five thousand or so years, but what is the current political and military atmosphere now?>"

[member="Jorus Merrill"] [member="Rave Merrill"]

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Juro Tanaka"]

He traded a glance with his sister, and that glance said an awful lot, on both sides.

"Grabby. Very, very grabby." He left it to Rave to translate that. "Every nation's scramblin' to claw worlds out of the Dark Ages -- or keep them out of their neighbours' hands. Omega Protectorate's one of the few with integrity in that regard. Most other places, Fringe, Republic, Confederacy, don't mind a bit of conquerin' if they feel like it. Or if a world looks like it might benefit their enemies. Thing is, we're all so new outta the Dark Ages that there aren't many around who can genuinely run a fleet. Most of the good ones are retired or dead. That makes folks insecure, which ramps up tension. Oh, and every government around has been friendly and in enmity with every other government within the last five years. Alliances shift like the flavor of the week."

 

[Juro Tanaka]

"<It seems that the galaxy is very unstable>," Tanaka said thoughtfully, a mildly concerned look gracing his features. "<When alliances shift so quickly, one must wonder who will be your friend on day and your enemy the next.>"

The Shogun sipped his sake for a moment before speaking again.

"<We, too, had a time like that. Where greed and gain outweighed honor and virtue. It was many thousands of years ago. My ancestors fought in the wars then, though they stayed true to the Emperor. We had our shipyards at the time, owned by the Tanaka family. They weren't for space ships then. At least, not all of them. We hadn't finished converting them over, you see. We built ships for the war and my family crewed them. My ancestors commanded the ships and fleets then. At that time, we'd lost most of the advanced - well, for us it was advanced - technology you see today. We fought with guns fired with chemical propellant and with swords and armor. A rare few armies fielded blaster weapons. Casualties were immense and the whole world was engulfed in flames. After a while, when the fighting died down, we realized how wasteful and costly it all was and a treaty was formed. Before the fighting, the Emperor ruled supreme as we had no need for military might of that level of organization. When the treaty was signed, however, the Daimyo commanding the victorious forces took the position of Shogun to wield the military might of Asahi in the hopes of preventing another world war. So far, it has been successful for the most part. We have had many conflicts and wars since then, but none to that extent. Unfortunately, it seems that we are to find ourselves in a similar war, only this time it will involve a great many worlds.>"

[member="Jorus Merrill"]

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Juro Tanaka"]

Jorus grimaced. "Yeah. I've fought my share of wars, Shogun, but it never stops being ugly, and I never start bein' able to explain for sure why things keep fallin' apart. I think I-"

He cut off as his sister tossed him a glance mid-translation.

 

[Velok the Younger]

[member="Juro Tanaka"]

<If I may add, it comes down to ideology,> said Rave, when she'd finished translating her brother's words. <The Mandalorians believe in survival through change, evolution -- uprooting the old to plant the new, even if by force. The Fringe Confederation and the Confederacy of Independent Systems believe in traditional enemies finding common cause against mutual threats, which breeds contempt and rage from both sides. The Republic believes that one traditional philosophy is superior to all others. Though I call the Omega Protectorate my enemy, I'll concede that it's one of the few organizations whose founding principles don't innately lead to war>

 

[Juro Tanaka]

"<A singular philosophy is doomed to failure when it comes to such a diverse canvas that is the galaxy,>" the shogun said after a thoughtful moment. "<It is a commendable effort and goal, but ultimately will fail. As for these Mandalorians, I can understand the core of their philosophy, and even agree with it to a point, but not all change requires conflict and not all conflict brings about change. In fact, at times peace brings change faster than any war.>"

"<The other groups you mention. This Confederacy and your Fringe Lords, I can see their reasoning. A mutual front against a mutual foe. But what happens when that foe is defeated? When there is no one left to fight? Such things will end with infighting. You will create from each other the monsters that you have just faced and defeated. The Protectorate appears as a fair blend of all things, but as with everything under Heaven, there is a flaw. When one acts with integrity, it is assumed they act upon others with integrity. One cannot regulate all things at all times.>"

[member="Jorus Merrill"]

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Juro Tanaka"]

"I served in the Protectorate's navy for a long time, all the way from Lieutenant to Captain. I've been known to call it my home. Integrity's a funny thing -- slippery, tough to hold on to when you're in power. Which is more honorable for a leader? To make honorable actions for your country, or to act for your country's interests and no-one else's? Me, I'm not sure, but the Protectorate generally falls under the second school of thought. Great place to live, don't get me wrong, but their integrity's mainly internal."

 

[Juro Tanaka]

"<I believe the duty of a leader is to honorably act in the peoples' best interest,>" Tanaka stated calmly. "<At least in as much as keeping them safe and prosperous. However, a leader must also weigh the decisions of doing so at all times. Is it right to steal resources from one planet or people to allow yours to prosper? Or should one condemn a foreign people or land to the fire, simply for gain or longevity? At times, it is necessary, but at most crossroads the tempered reaction and action takes precedence. The people do not know the entire picture as the leaders do and, therefore, cannot make the same educated and informed decisions that a leader can. It is the duty of the leader to ensure he acts in line with what his or her people want, but to also know when to deny his people what will harm or destroy them in the long term, physically, socially, and economically. That is the task of the leader.>"

[member="Jorus Merrill"]

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Juro Tanaka"]
"Balance is key, yeah. My problems arise when governments' actions don't fit their principles. Republic claims a monopoly on righteousness but conquers and kills more than most. Protectorate claims integrity but has only ever helped friendly nations in their time of need when paid through the nose in money or stygium. Fringe claims universal tolerance, universal freedom, but what about their people's right to be free from the handful of war criminals and mass murderers who fight on their side, or the tyrants at Panatha and Rakata Beta? And don't get me started on the clone armies. Republic, Confederacy and Fringe all grow people to fight for'em. Granted, Fringe doesn't force'em into service - there's tons of clones in the private sector, though how the government affords it, that's another matter."

 

[Juro Tanaka]

"<We do not use clones,>" Tanaka said with a measured shrug. "<Nor do we claim righteousness or a stance of higher principle. We have a set of rules and codes we abide by and all are expected to abide by them. It might seem different, even primitive, compared to your own, but it has served us well for thousands of years.>"

"<We prefer tolerance and, in fact, you will find that despite our distinction in class, most here socialize freely between them. As for aiding in conflict, I will not lie, historically and traditionally my people have aided other wars and conflicts on our planet for monetary gain. However, traditionally mercenaries are looked upon as thugs and, when Samurai and Daimyo do so, they name no price nor ask for one. Payment in such a case is given as a gift. A reward for aid. Even token gifts and gestures are acceptable, no matter how small. It is a simple recognition, not a demand. To not reward aid given freely is to act rudely, but even the smallest of gestures is more than enough. As for others affording things somehow, we do not overproduce. We produce exactly what is needed and, perhaps, a bit more. We do not over produce so much as to have too many things lying around.>"

[member="Jorus Merrill"]

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Juro Tanaka"]

"Frankly, between the clones and the space trains, I sometimes feel like Fringe is spending itself into a hole. Tons of good worlds, rich worlds, an' all the trade of the Unknown Regions, but winning ain't the same as ruling. Takes different skillsets, different mindsets. Then again, they're trying reform -- Rave can tell ya more about that. Most of what I know about Fringe comes from doing business in their space...and, well, staring at'em down the barrel of a gun. I've killed people that answer to my sister, she's killed folk that answered to me. Them's the shakes."

 

[Juro Tanaka]

"<It is similar here, at times. Occasionally Samurai or Daimyo go to war over minor things. It is the way of things,>" Tanaka stated. "<Now, on to business. What does the Fringe have to offer Asahi? What would Asahi benefit from by aligning with the Fringe, Lady Merrill?>"

[member="Rave Merrill"] [member="Jorus Merrill"]