//All FA members who wish to contribute their opinions here please do so, but remain in character. Order players may contribute but may only do so through holo-communications, as only my own character is physically present.
*The meeting is being held in a large dining hall, at an oval table surrounded by members of the Farmer's Alliance, as well as a handful of Hogosha. Genuine Kusari food is being served over the course of the conference. Aki Kimura, acting Ambassador of The Order to Kusari relations, speaks:"
"I am honored to have been invited here, members of the alliance, but I'm afraid my time in Kusari is short and I have many groups to meet with, no disrespect intended. I know that the FA is fighting against both synth foods and foreign corporations, alongside our Hogosha allies... I'm also aware that your ships arent using the best of technology available. This is something that The Order could remedy, as we have some of the leading weapon and equipment technology within Sirius."
"Of course, I am foremost interested in improving our relations with Kusari as a whole. I want The Order to become a more public figure, here and in the other houses, in order to gain support from the citizens of Sirius. We fight an enemy that could easily overpower us in the next week, month, or year when reinforcements are received from systems beyond Sirius' borders. To that end, we need all the help we can muster from all the allies we can gain, if humanity is to have a fighting chance at survival."
"So, an alliance is what I'm after, and an exchange of equipment can be arranged if necessary to reach that goal, but what I'm more interested in is some of the native plant life you have harvested here for generations. Primarily, I have heard of an herb which can induce a temporary comatose state... now, in our research, inducing an artificial coma greatly improves the chances of successfully extracting a nomad parasite from a human host, without damaging the host during the process. Currently, we only have synthetic chemicals to achieve this state, and they are very dangerous to the patient, it is my hope that this herb you have, among others with natural medicinal purposes, be exchanged for our technology so that our researchers may derive better medical treatments from them."
Sousuke Patro stood from the head of the table, looking the ambassador in the eyes with contempt for what she had demanded, not with her words, but in the manner in which she had presented her claims.
"Aki," Shousuke began, inhaling deeply as if preparing to undergo an ordeal worse than his daily fights, "You bring little to the table, and expect us to adhere to your will. I would first present to you the manner in which you come, into our home, a secret, to even the people we fight to protect, without our consent, our blessing. You come as the gaijin, unwelcome, uninvited, expecting to be greeted with open arms and open hearts. You are wrong."
Sousuke walked away from his seat, and faced away from Aki Kimura, looking instead to the pictures of his brother, the memories he lost in his past, fighting for a home that no longer existed. He sighed deeply again, repressing a tear that would ruin his appearance.
"You come as one who has fled her county. One who has forsaken the honorable way in which we fight, the way in which we face our enemies, our problems. I do not think I need to explain this to you, but because you are what you are, I will do so. We face our own problems, ourselves. Any enemies we face are first either Kusari, or gaijin. All manners of Kusari, short of the dishonorable Golden Chrysanthemums, understand this fact. We face our enemies as Kusari, before all, be them human or alien. Never will Kusari bend to our enemies without striking as one against those who oppose us. We do not need foreign entanglement, as evident in our dealings with the Corsairs. They do not strike at us, due to our swaying tongue, though if they enter uninvited, even the most naive of our order will strike against them."
Before continuing, Sousuke turned away from the picture, returning to his seat, and eating in between words. He didn't see the reason to waste the warmth of a fine meal, one that he usually would not partake in, on the fool who sat perpendicular to him.
"Furthermore, you come, a woman, expecting our ambassador to meet with you. You, as a Kusari, should know the three tenants applied to women in our homes. Why are you an exception? You are simply another coward, running from our culture, from your own shortcomings, away from the home which gifted you with your birth. Ambassador Barak did not see it fitting to leave the Fallowed Ground, the iconic symbol of our plight, to meet with you. Why should he, one of the most honorable men in Kusari, leave his busy duties to meet with a coward and a woman?"
Sousuke took a drink, looking straight ahead into the eyes of the Hogosha elder which sat in the second head of the table. He smiled, subtly.
"You come also insulting us, attempting to dazzle us with your new found 'home' and 'heritage.' You insult, first, our technology, which, even though it is second grade Kusari technology, is of far better quality and manufacture than anything your new gaijin 'culture' could create. Samura holds the most advanced technology and most intelligent scientists in Sirius. You, secondly, insult the whole of Kusari. By implying that we do not have sufficient technology from Samura, and that we require better technology to fight our enemies is a blatant insult to our entire society."
Sousuke looked now at Aki, seeing hew fluster, taken aback by the way in which Sousuke had reacted to her presence. It was obvious by her words that she had thought an alliance to be the only logical choice that the Alliance had to pursue.
"You ask of us, also, our fruit, our life, the very catalyst that sparked our movement. What makes you think we would just give these drugs to you? What makes you think you have a right to demand such things from Kusari? What makes you think you would be welcome here to ask such things, without former notice?"
Sousuke stood from his chair, placing his arms on the table furiously, staring straight into Aki's eyes, and rose the tone of his voice to a quiet roar.
"You are the very embodiment of what I fight everyday. What I protect Kusari from. You are greedy, cowardly, and a traitor to the very culture I preserve. Before you demand anything from us, you should learn your place in our culture. We will treat the Order as any gaijin in our society, unless they prove themselves worthy of our companionship, you will be turned to the nearest exit. Nothing else will be tolerated if this is the Order's idea of goodwill."
Sousuke returned to his seat, not expecting a coherent response from the Order ambassador, and returned his attention to his meal.
[8:32:45 PM] Dusty Lens: Oh no, let me get that. Hello? Oh it's my grandma. She says to be roleplay.
[12:49:19 AM] Elgatodiablo: You know its nice that you have all that proof and all, Bacon... but I just don't believe you.
"Well, it's obvious that the farmer's alliance is lacking in logic and respect. You could learn much from the Hogosha; they see the strength in change, adapting to your environment, while you sit here spewing out malformed ideals that Kusari lost decades ago. If that's the way your organization wishes to remain, so be it, but do not expect us to sit idly by while you threaten and insult us at every turn."
"I'll leave you with one last thought - The Nomads, the Wild, the Phantoms, they do not care what race you are. They do not care what gender you are. They do not care what house you pledge your allegiance to. Kusarian, Bretonian, Libertonian, and Rheinlander alike will fall to their invasion if we do not band together as a species."
"I'm done here, reconsider your narrowminded approach to this galaxy the next time you step aboard your ship."
*kenny turned on his viewer gave aki a secure channel and spoke shurgging off the insults he had figured they would spit her way* "aki love*in a thick bretionian accent* i may only be an ensign and probly should not contact you but let the AFA sit on there high horses dont waste your breath lass". *he flipped over to public comms in the room" lad i may be a bretionian dog as you say but let me tell ye something,you would be wise to listen to this lady look what happened with tekegis arch aki is no coward she just wanted to fight the most honorable fight of all the fight for HUMAN survivial, gaijin or not she is a guest in your space and your honor demands that in her diplomatic stance you should treat her as such. i once a molly proudly stand beside her you may take this as a threat or an insult but you know im right,anyway safe flight home commander ensign trask out" 8he cut the link mumbled to himself stubborn fools as allways the kusari are..."
Ruuku Ochi sat quietly during the whole of the discussion until now. After hearing a Bretonian voice over the comms he knew that the order were only going to embarrass themselves further in this diplomatic attempt.
"Aki" The Elder of the Black Dragons says, "I was not aware that your ensigns were involved in these discussions."
"May I interject, Aki?" He asks, but continues before there is time for his question to be answered. "I do believe you have gone about this all wrong. And attacking your counterpart's intelligence and honour are no way make ground in diplomacy. There is merit to what Patro-San has said. In his eyes, there is little of interest outside Kusari. Yes, we do see the threat of the nomads, but for years we have been able to contain the threat ourselves. To my Farmers Alliance friend here, there is little to gain in an alliance with the Order, and they have much to loose, including their independence, which they, like us all, place much value in. You were once a citizen of Kusari, Aki. Do you not remember the distrust we have for gaijin? When you left Kusari, you became gaijin to many of us, and you can not expect to be welcomed back with open arms by every citizen of Kusari."
Ruuku waits for his words to sink in before continuing. "I believe the Order would do best to walk away from this discussion now, before more damage is done to your reputation in the eyes of Farmers Alliance. I would also suggest that you wait for more cool heads before you attempt a more convincing argument."
Ruuku stops for a moment in thought before making his next remark. "Aki, one last suggestion. Please make sure to discipline your ensign for interrupting our closed door discussion."
Duty and honour
Elder Ruuku Ochi, So-Honbucho of The Black Dragon Society
"Unfortunately the ensign there somehow managed to get access to my holocomm here, without my knowledge prior. Regardless, I will not argue with the ignorant, and this is only directed at 'patro-san' here. Building walls around yourself does nothing when the walls are built of hopes and dreams. If you want to live in isolation, do so, but be damn confident that you have the capability of defending yourself because nobody will help one who does not wish to work with others."
"I did come here under the impression that the Farmer's Alliance, of any of the factions in Kusari, would be more easily persuaded of the benefits of this alliance, due to their relation to us through the Black Dragon Society and all Hogosha. It seems I was mistaken, but the same mistake will not be made twice."
"The Hogosha have shown their will to change, to embrace the future and evolve with it. This is what keeps Kusari competetive with the other Houses, and what keeps those from wiping it out. I was given orders more than once to steal what technology I could from the other houses during my service in the KNF, and while I would like to hide behind a blindfold and think that all is well, I know better. Kusari cannot remain isolated if she is to survive, the Hogosha - and from what I have seen, the KNF - realize this and act accordingly."
"I do not hold it against this blind man that he lacks the willpower to see the truth, it is how he was raised. It is a stubborn attitude that will get him nowhere, but I am not going to let one person, or even one group of people, hold me back from doing what I think is best for both Kusari and The Order alike, not to mention the rest of humanity."
Sousuke looked up at Aki with a blatantly exuberant smile, knowing that she did not understand the way in which Kusari functioned, despite her residence within it.
"Aki Kimura, you do not understand. Your time outside of Kusari has blinded you fully from the way in which your old home functions. If you do not learn to respect our culture, then you will make no headway here. You are more than foolish to continue in the way which you do."
Sousuke consumed a squid sack, making a point to show his disrespect by slurping the shellfish.
"Apparently, you are deaf as well. You did not comprehend the fact that Kusari stands united, and you attempt to appeal to our closest allies with an attack against my person. You are more than a fool, but what more could I expect from such a cowardly woman? I am not the one who must prove himself to you, Aki Kimura, but you must do so to us."
Sousuke stood again, and walked directly next to Aki, bringing his face close to hers, peering through her eyes into the dark that he assumed was her soul. He lowered his voice to a loud whisper, so that everyone could hear his demand of the Order commander.
"Now then, Aki Kimura, as I say to all gaijin I meet, you will remove yourself from this space, or you will be removed. The Order have shown themselves no different than most other gaijin, and they will not be treated any differently."
[8:32:45 PM] Dusty Lens: Oh no, let me get that. Hello? Oh it's my grandma. She says to be roleplay.
[12:49:19 AM] Elgatodiablo: You know its nice that you have all that proof and all, Bacon... but I just don't believe you.
Takata Ran of the Black Dragon Society had heard enough, the ill considered, thinly veiled insults to the AFA and poorly worded arguments of the Order "Ambassador" grated on his enjoyment of the excellent cuisine.
Takata stood slowly to his feet and glared across the table at Aki Kimura.
"Madam, I thought we were here to socialise and communicate for our mutual benefit and yet you seem to want to aggravate our AFA hosts. This is not acceptable to the BDS, the AFA are our closest allies and I will not allow a rift to be driven between us."
"I suggest you leave so that we can swill the taste of your sour words from our mouths..."
Having said this, Takata calmly regained his seat and entered conversation with the delightful young lady to his left.....