The North PacificBoard

13 MAY | 07:15
Akashi, Grand Duchy of Azanami

Situated four kilometres off the Azanami-Sakura border lies the town of Akashi in the Grand Duchy of Azanami. This town was known as Sakashi in antiquity, but eventually the first S was dropped. While this town is of nearly no importance and is just a rustic town in the middle of the Komashi outback, in the War of Succession, the town would then become a strategic staging point to the Yukino Coalition Forces and the Grand Friently Empire.

Today, on the 13th of May, it is an ordinary day like no other. Being in the outback, it receives news slowly, and thus were not informed of its new status as a Komashi military town. Adding up to its rusticness is the fact it is connected by a branch line from the Komashi main railways, and a handful of roads. However, its railroad connection proves to be of substantial strategic value.

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07:20
Akashi railway station

Lyssandra, Ryan, and Chiyomaru had all taken a YCF-chartered troop train, as part of moving assets from Kaslana to Sakura. Driven by Aizawa Railway D51s, the locomotives were ordered at speeds of 100 km/h to expedite movement as soon as possible. Armoured divisions and groups took the longer way by following roads to the said town - and for them to not slow down the troop trains any longer.

Despite their status as royalties, they were forced to be on the same conditions as with other infantries of the Yukino Coalition Forces - the trains were pretty cramped and the sweltering coaches did not help them either. However, the three were unfazed. Just in time, Lyssandra woke up, as expected, due to the discomforting conditions inside. She decided to open the coach’s doors, looked outside - and saw fields. Nothing but fields and hills scattered around.

“Ah… it’s the outback,” she said to herself softly. Soon enough, a medic woke up as well and saw the Yukino marquess, who was in need of water and fresh air. Temperatures up to 31°C were expected on this day, but the heat index inside the coaches reached higher - at around 38 to 39°C. The medic hastened to grab a bottle of water and gave it to her.

“Thank you,” Lyssandra said and took a drink. After nearly emptying half of its contents, she then handed it back over to the medic. Soon enough, the view of Akashi started appearing, with the Imperial base being already established, as they had been the first ones to move to the town. The train was slowing down, and soon enough, the YCF-chartered train made a full stop, nearly overshooting the platform. However, this was nothing, as the train proved to be too long for the platform alone. A loud whistle call at 07:27 from the locomotive awakened the infantry from the coaches, with the guard stepping down from the cab and checking every coach, which was easy since most doors were left open for the sake of ventilation.

Ryan and Chiyomaru then woke up from this loud whistle, and so did the other soldiers from their coach. Lyssandra had covered her ears, and was not able to awaken her sister nor the King himself. The two, seemingly irritated even, woke up, extremely discomforted from the heat, but managed to endure every bit of it.

“Good morning,” Lyssandra said to both of them. “We’re here in Akashi.”

“Already?...” Chiyomaru sighed and yawned. “Let’s allow the soldiers to disembark first… once they have properly adjusted to waking up.” Ryan took a bottle of water from the same medic that Lyssandra interacted with and, as well, passed a few bottles to her and Chiyomaru, but the former denied while the latter finished an entire bottle.

“So this is what war feels like,” Chiyomaru said, after finishing the entire content of the bottle.

“Indeed,” Ryan replied to her. “Cruel, brutal, and spares no one, no matter if you are a royalty… or not. But that, Chiyomaru, is where our culture shines. It doesn’t matter, indeed, who or whatever your status in society is. In the end, we are the Komashi people. We are one.” The duchess nodded in agreement, and once the coach had been cleared, the three were the last to leave.

The brisk morning air of Akashi greeted the three, along with the noise of the Yukino Coalition infantrymen discussing and exchanging murmurs. The townspeople of Akashi were looking at the plethora of soldiers, and children on their way to school were even waving and saluting at them. The former responded with smiles and salutes, and the three royalties could not help but to chuckle.

“It’s a bit odd to see that these kids are unaware of the chaos around them,” Ryan remarked. “You would think they would be scared of the presence of a soldier, but…”

“I have heard that news spreads utterly slow here in the Azanami outback,” Chiyomaru said. “An odd experience indeed to see people not giving a damn, but… I think it’s pretty normal if you’re a native of this township. Anyway, since we have two more days before the operation, why do we not take a stroll? I think we should embrace this temporary peace that we have, for now.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Lyssandra commented.

The three then spared no time to go around and inspect the railway station… which was within proximity of the Grand Friently Empire’s hastily-built base. The Imperials greeted the Komashi soldiers, which moved in to them and helped with construction of some unfinished business - and the three royalties decided to give their soldiers some pastime for now as they also went off to the town proper to have a look-see.

As expected, it was a rustic town. There were a number of cars, but they could be counted so easily - most townspeople of Akashi were either walking down the street or using bicycles. All had a common knowledge, however - in which they were all unaware of the current civil war… or gave no care at all.

“It’s too peaceful here, way even,” Lyssandra said. “It’s eerie and creeping me out.”

“Don’t be so daft,” Chiyomaru replied to her. “We need a brief moment of respite anyway. Only the Conservatives see no brief moment of rest - because we all have our guns and bayonets pointed up their bottoms.”

“Trust me, we all do need some rest, Chiyomaru,” Ryan replied. “This war’s been taking a lot of toll in the Yukino Coalition whether they are participating or not.” The woman nodded in agreement as they entered a sole proprietorship convenience store. The owner in charge - an old man - bowed and saluted at their presence, and greeted them.

“Irasshaimase,” he said with a rather upbeat tone. The three bowed and smiled at him. The old man then continued, “please have a look on what we have to sell.” Chiyomaru looked at the shelves of the store - it was a rickety, rustic Komashi konbini. A fragrant odour of wood wafted around the place. The store offered a lot of products for sale, ranging from canned drinks to carpentry needs and cooking utensils. Since they were there for military operations, they had no time to buy leisure - and thus she only bought some food. Lyssandra bought some ingredients, and Ryan opted to talk instead to the old man, as it is his duty as King of Komashi to keep his subjects well-informed.

“May I ask what brings you here, Your Majesty?” the old man asked. “News does not reach that fast here in Akashi.”

“Ah… well,” Ryan was a bit flustered. “Sakura, your neighbour across from here, is the next country to be occupied. Yukino forces are using Akashi as a staging point.”

“War… ah. I see,” the old man nodded and prepared a bundle of paper. It was a bunch of receipts. While Akashi has technology, the old man operated a quaint store. Freezers and refrigerators were only his “modern” tech - he never operated a cash register, and preferred to do things manually. He then spoke to Ryan again: “Will this war ever end, Sire?”

“It will, good sir,” he replied. “We will thrust Komashi back to its original glory.”

“Thank you. Please do this for our nation. I only wish to see the end of my days with our ensign flying high in Izanaya as a unified country. My grandchildren also want that, so I beg of you to make us all proud,” he said.

“I shall.”

Soon enough, two children came into the store. “Ouji-san! Ouji-san! We’re here! Oh? Irasshaimase!” they said and greeted the adults, even bowing. They were carrying a large Komashi flag. Ryan was surprised, and knelt down to their level. The old man, meanwhile, presided over Lyssandra and Chiyomaru, who had finished and went in line to pay up.

“Hello,” he said. “May I see what you are carrying?”

The kids presented their flag. It was the flag of the Yukino Coalition - an actual facsimile of it. “We took this from a nice soldier in town! He was very kind and even saluted at us! Then we put up messages on it!”

“Messages, you say?” Ryan chuckled. But he did not see a message. Instead, scribbled in the flag was a poem, written in Varforian style, but portrayed in Komashi characters:

EN:
Bring us victory
Unite Komashi for glory
We are one
May the Four Nations unite

KOMASHI:
勝利をもたらす
栄光のために駒四を束ねる
我々は一つ
四国が一つになるように

ROMANISED/VARFORIANISED:
Shōri o motarasu
Eikō no tame ni Komashi o tabaneru
Wareware wa hitotsu
Shikoku ga hitotsu ni naru yō ni

Ryan was surprised. He smiled and gave the two children a pat on their heads. “Your dedication to this flag will be repaid. Thank you.”

“We would like you to have this flag, too!” one of the children offered. They then folded it in the traditional and proper way, and handed it over to him in a ceremonial style. Ryan chuckled at the formality shown by the children, and bowed his head as he took possession of the flag. He then handled it with care afterwards.

“We shall raise this in combat,” Ryan said.

“Thank you!” the kids said and ran off to the back. The old man - who was their grandfather - greeted them as he was bagging the products bought by the Yukino siblings. After completing it, he then bade farewell to the three as they left, after paying even.

“So, what did you get from those children, Your Majesty?” Lyssandra asked. “It seems you got a flag of sorts, too.”

“It’s a flag of the Coalition,” Ryan said. “It has a poem scribbled in it.”

“Oh?” Chiyomaru asked. “I’ve heard stories of Komashi servicemen carrying such during the Northern Usonea War. May we see it now?”

“No,” Ryan said. “That flag will be only used at the appropriate moment… once we go to battle. For now, let us enjoy the peace that we have been bestowed with.”

Today diplomats of the 5 kingdoms have entered a trade deal with Ciroi ii where in return for lowering tarrifs on their precious metal exports they will lower tarrifs on British exports of construction materials such as bricks.