Bonjour, estimés Membres de l'Assemblée. Please, forgive me if I am not skilled enough in Gallic. I bid you good day and meant to extend my good will by this greetings.
My name is Shimamori Masahito, I am a koshaku, or what you might know as marquis, of Kusarian clan Shimamori. Today I reach out to you in hope to discuss the ongoing upsetting developments of our two nations. Specifically, I want to seek grounds for peace and stopping the bloodshed.
Before proceeding further, I must inform you that this initiative is of my own and I my actions are not agreed upon with the Government of Kusari. My belief is that the Emperor's surrounding tricked His Imperial Majesty into signing the order of declaring war against the Confederacy of Gallia. As you yourself know and recently mentioned in your public address, there is no clear casus belli to this war which only solidifies my idea of this war being the result of the tricks of higher echelons of the Government of Kusari. Even if it is not, however, I am still adamant about this war being a mistake that can bring ruin and despair to our both countries.
In light of this and availing my formal ties to the Imperial dynasty and position among the nobility, I would like to request the esteemed Parisian Assembly to consider my offer to seek grounds for peace. I am in no power to stop Kusari from continuing this conflict, yet should we find agreeable terms I would be able to present to Kusarian public a viable alternative to seeking glory in dishonourable and reckless war. The path of Kusari lies in harmony and inward perfection, not in mindless expansion for ephemeral gains.
To the end of negotiations, I would kindly request the Parisian Assembly to either present its position for further negotiations herein via the Neural Network channel, or meeting face-to-face for which I would be ready. I would also avail this opportunity to convey to the Gallic troops of my diplomatic mission in order to exempt my clan vessel "Zuiryu" ("Masamune"-class Kazoku Yacht, equal to "Tokugawa"-class battleship) from attacks on sight. In turn, I pledge on the honour of my clan to refrain from any hostilities regarding any Gallic individuals save for known criminal groups like Gallic Brigands, or in case of optionless self-defense. I would also like to be able to have access to 15k-zone in Languedoc system around the jumphole to Tau-23 wherein I can engage in ad hoc negotiations with the parties presented in attempt to remedy the situation. Should, however, my presence be non grata, I would refrain from enetering Gallia space and operate in border Tau systems.
Availing the opportunity, I would like to kindly request the Parisian assembly to convey via appropriate means my intentions to the Gallic Royalists which have been spotted fighting sharing the sentiments of their countrymen of Confederacy and also being a side to this conflict.
Merci beaucoup for your time. I hope that my initiative of seeking peace in the times of swords already drawn will not be construed as disrespect to you. I truly desire prosperity and peace for our nations and am ready to make any sacrifices needed to bring peace and harmony to Kusari again.
The information you provided, as well as your support is appreciable, although your own admissions makes us question the efficiency of such opposition against your own brethren within Kusari. Nevertheless, the Parisian Assembly curiously awaits further details about the viable alternative to seeking glory you mentioned.
As for negotiations, we consider this channel to be appropriate enough. Should you prefer direct talks during a meeting in space, we would advise against approaching Languedoc in anything equal to a Tokugawa-class battleship, or anything similar to a combat vessel, as a well reinforced liner would suit diplomatic talks better.
Sincèrement.
Arnaud Aubert Châtillon de Renancourt
Speaker of the Parisian Assembly
I thank you for your reply. You are most correct in the evaluation of the situation - my initiative must not look very prospective to you. Yet I assume the Confederacy would also like to avoid a conflict that arose so soon after the largest war in human history to which Gallia was a belligerent had just ended. The path of peace is a worthy one. And as we Kusarians say: "Once you’re facing in the right direction, all you need to do is put one foot forward." I believe, that even this small initiative of mine matters if there are any prospects of peace.
Since my public address to Kusari, I have already been deemed a renegade by the Hogosha while Kempeitai expressed desire to inquire into my stance more thoroughly (although, so far without any legal basis which gives me time and freedom). Despite this complications, I will make an attempt to reach out to my personal ties and various factions throughout Kusari to find support for the peace movement. I also intend to continue making public statements to the subjects of Kusari with points regarding redundancy of this armed conflict. To that end, however, for the purpose of persuasiveness I would need to reach out some agreement with the Gallic side, indicating that the latter is seeking peace as well.
That said, I would like to start discussing possible common grounds for peace. My image is Kusari is making an advance in Taus for resources while making an excuse that the war with Gallia is due to revenge for humbling our fleet in 817. No war is started of simple revenge unless its architector is a spiteful child. This fight for resources, however, is strange to me since Kusari still has a lot of space to explore and develop in Sigmas, as well as our own space in Nagano. Even in Taus the interests of Kusari were well represented even before the war. If that is the pride and resources they are after, I suggest:
Returning Kusarian sphere of influence in Taus to pre-conflict level.
Not requiring war contribution from Kusari except for restoration of damaged Gallic installations.
Crayterian space in Tau that emerged following the retreat of Bretonia from Taus can be divided, with larger share given to Gallia due to the latter being a defending party.
These would be the main points I can imagine with secondary points regarding joint control over the fringe Tau systems, etc. possible. The purpose of "no contribution" point is not to threaten the pride of the current Kusari military leadership for as we established, it might be one of the reasons, albeit illogical, for this war. While it might look unjust, I would like to kindly remind that Gallia also avoided paying any contributions following the end of the Gallic war despite much more serious damage inflicted. A mutual withstanding from demanding any contributions would be a good step towards peace and a token of good will. Naturally, Kusari is to reimburse the obvious damage inflicted to two stations which should not be a high burden for the budget anyway.
Dividing Crayterian space in Taus might be the gains of war for both parties which might make the war appear to "have got at least something" and more appealing to the public. I believe, Crayterian presence in Taus is overextended given their resources, and their interests can be sacrificed for the benefit of ending a larger war.
As for spheres of influence, my assumption is to allow Kusari operate around Kusarian installations present in Taus prior to the beginning of this war. In the popular image it would allow to play the card of "saving face".
As the war toll is rising, I believe that the public would become more and more sympathetic towards peace. Should I find understanding with the esteemed Gallic side, I can present the reached mutual points as tangible arguments that would convince the people of paying high blood price for what can be achieved without any blood spilled.
These are my points and I would be eager to discuss them with you, or your counter-points should those be raised. As for my ship - I would refrain from entering Gallic space since the negotiations are taking place over this channel. In case I regain possession over my clan liner, I would avail it for the purposes previously presented. Thank you for showing understanding in this regard.
Thank you for your patience with my lengthy message. I am looking forward to hearing from you.
The suggestions you've brought forward are on par with the offers[1] the Confederacy of Gallia made to the Empire of Kusari several months ago, offers which the Empire did - or at least pretended to do - find agreeable back then. Despite that, the recent invasion suggests such offers are insufficient at this point to quench the bloodthirst of your brethren.
Do you have any other thoughts you may wish to share with us?
Sincèrement.
Arnaud Aubert Châtillon de Renancourt
Speaker of the Parisian Assembly
[1] Note: Only the specific response is visible, not the entire discussion.
I am thankful to you for sharing the details of Kusarian diplomatic endeavours with the Confederacy of Gallia. The provisions of the talks provided were not known to me. It saddens me greatly that the highest echelons of Kusarian diplomacy resorted to tatemae, what we in Kusarian language call "a public deceiving face" as opposed to personal one showing clear intentions. Indeed, if the Empire decided not to agree to perfectly reasonable in my opinion terms and opted for the continuation of the 817th campaign, there must be some hidden intentions. Because the government indicates that they are not at war with the civilians of Gallia, as they decided not to attack Gallic corporations, I presume the war is not about subjugation, as then ignoring civilians would be a nonsense. Then in must be toppling the regime, which puzzles me even more as the Kingdom, which had been blamed for the ills of Kusari, has been already vanquished not without the help of the present day Confederacy. The lack of mentioning the goals of this war on the media or anywhere in general yet again drives me to think that it is some kind of adventure of the greedy politicians who deserve in better case amakudari, a retirement with some hefty pension.
I will continue being honest with you as I have been so far: my position does not allow to change the course of the Empire immediately. What I can do is to raise awareness among the public which I pledge to do. Now, however, with the advance of Kusarian forces deeper into Gallic space it will be more difficult to achieve. I will also follow the developments in Kusari and will let you know if any opportunity favourable for peace arises.
In the meantime, I suggest you getting in touch with traditional opponents of the official government - the Blood Dragons. Perhaps, you can find some moot points. Another option is to get in touch with Kusarian corporations. Those two are quite likely to be behind the war, as their influence on the politics of the House cannot be overseen. Current Emperor is of Samura blood after all. GMG's stance on the war is also interesting. Try to make then a good offer: without a steady supply of H-Fuel Kusari fleet cannot go far, unlike the Gallic fleet on Prometheum.
Availing the opportunity, I ask you to keep me informed of the developments. Perhaps, I would be a able to find a solution given that I am informed. Besides, I believe you need men favouring peace in Kusarian politics. Should the Emperor change for some reason as the result of war, keep in mind those who sought peace from the start. In addition, if you have any proposals or suggestions - I would be eager to consider them as well. Ending the war at this stage with mutually agreeable and acceptable terms is more problematic, but still possible. I am certain Gallic diplomacy must have some ideas in mind.
I hope using this channel to contact you again is not an inconvenience to you. It is a great joy to receive the news about the cessation of hostilities between the Houses of Gallia and Kusari. Despite formally representing the other side of the conflict, I would like to congratulate the people of Gallia on successfully defending their homes against an aggression. I hope, this will also allow the leadership and populace of Gallia to feel what the other Houses experienced during the invasion of the Gallic Royal regime and drive your thoughts towards the idea of everlasting peace. I would also like to kindly ask you not to hold the grudge against the people of Kusari - most soldiers who entered the sovereign space of Gallia carried out their duty to their superiors and had little choice. The burden of choice for commencing the war lies on the ruling regime and I implore you not to consider the citizens of Kusari to consider your enemies as despite having suffered the aggression of the Gallic Royal Forces in 817 have no ill intentions towards the House of Gallia and want to simply live their lives peacefully and prosperously. So let us bury the hatchet of war and strive to live in peace and harmony from now on.
In this regard, I would like to suggest the first step towards reconciliation. Any conflict results in prisoners on the both sides. Now that the war is over but the official treaty is not concluded the prisoners of war who are de facto no longer prisoners are stuck in limbo. Some of the Gauls got stuck on planet Honshu where I happen to have some influence. While I cannot represent the government of Kusari on this matter and all the citizens of Gallia stranded in Kusari, I would like to prompt the soonest return of the citizens of Gallia on Honshu, whom I will have the legal capacity to assist, back to the space of Gallia. According to our estimates, there are 269 citizens of Gallia, including 203 combatants, whom I can free using my position of nobility on Honshu. In a gesture of goodwill of the people of Kusari, I would like to arrange their secure delivery to the system of Languedoc on any base of your convenience. Due to the hypergate communication between the system of Tau-53 and Languedoc being disrupted, the itinerary would have to include the Tau systems. Because of the increased unlawful presence in Tau-23, I would request and escort of the Gallic military vessels to meet with our convoy. I would also greatly appreciate if you would kindly consider in a gesture of reciprocity to organise the return of the citizens of Kusari who might be stranded within the territories of the House of Gallia. If you are interested in assisting in this step of reconciliation, we can discuss the further details in this channel.
Availing the opportunity, I would also like to kindly ask you of another favour. I received the news that Yamaguchi battlegroup, including battleship "Yamaguchi" itself were destroyed in the last battles of war. The aforementioned battlegroup prior to deployment to Gallia had been stationed for a long time in Honshu system. Many of my fellow countrymen from my planet lost their lives on that ship and its escorts. I would like to kindly ask you to allow us to pick up the dead and return them to their ancestral home where they can be buried in accordance to our traditions. I would also like to inquire if the esteemed military command of Gallia would deem it possible to organise towing of the remains of Yamaguchi back to Kusari. I am not certain if the government of Kusari would be on the same page with it, or whether the government of Gallia considers the remains to be of any importance, yet should you concur to my proposal, I would lobby turning Yamaguchi into a war museum. However, the remains of the battleship itself are less important than the bodies of the deceased.
I hope my humble request would find understanding and am looking forward to hearing from you.
Konnichiwa, esteemed government representatives of the House of Gallia.
It seems that the representatives of Gallia must have been quite busy not to respond to my humble proposal. Not observing an RSVP courtesy is something I did not expect of the fabled Gallic diplomatic traditions and etiquette, especially regarding the matters of your own citizens. I hope that in the future whoever will have the pleasure of addressing the esteemed representatives of the Gallic Ministry for Foreign Affairs shall have the delight of experiencing Gallic diplomatic protocol. Hopefully, the rumours of you transitioning to a stratocracy will not impede your diplomatic acuteness and insight.
I shall no further burden you with courtesies. This message is to inform you that since the official peace agreement between the House of Gallia and the House of Kusari has been concluded, all ex-prisoners of war were set free following the ratification of the aforementioned agreement and could organise the return home on their own.
I wish your House peace, stability, and proficiency in affairs of domestic and exterior in the years to come.
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