A Fly Caught in the Web

[DrMedic]

His Imperial Majesty, Imperator Laurence VI
Savior of Man, High Arbiter of Eleria

To Her Majesty, Empress Reito Doku Kumo

Your Highness,

It has come to my attention that there has grown a fair bit of strife within my neighboring state of Elenria between several different groups of people. The factionalism within the kingdom has me rather concerned, as do the rising tensions between each of them. I will be blunt, I have had one of these factions approach me seeking aid, and whilst I am not one to leave another without aid in their time of need, I am hesitant to engage in any dealings without the boundaries of my own kingdom that would see hostilities rise between us and another state. Perhaps amongst humanity I am seen as a conqueror, he who cast off the chains of oppression to bring forth a bright new age for the Imperium, but it is my solemn duty to preserve peace and stability within this world, and provide a better future for mankind. My duties in mind, I come to you to seek audience, that perhaps together we can work towards a solution to this great plight that faces Elenria, in pursuit of lasting peace and a stronger nation.

With solidarity,

Imperator Laurence VI of Eleria, Savior of Man, High Arbiter of Eleria

[Sophie]

The office of Empress Reitō Doku Kumo

Imperator Laurence VI of Eleria,

The Empress has taken interest in your proposal. A meeting could be agreed upon but you will need to agree to a few stipulations. To begin with, no less than a full Kumosenkan battle group must be allowed to dock in your ports for the duration of the meeting. They are to be fully refueled in your ports. Of course, we will pay full price for the staol and coal used. The Empress will be escorted by no less than 50 Kumo special guards. The safety of our ships, guards, and Empress must be completely guaranteed. An armored escort must be arranged to pick all 50 guards and the Empress at the docks. At no time may the Empress be separated from her guard detachment. They are fully loyal to the Empress, so any information you trust her with you can trust the guard with. If all of this is agreeable then we will plan on having the Empress arrive in Eleria in two weeks.

With honor to the Empress,

Emissary Ninomae Kyou

[DrMedic]

His Imperial Majesty, Imperator Laurence VI
Savior of Man, High Arbiter of Eleria

Emissary Ninomae Kyou,

Perhaps it might be easiest then if I were to pay a visit to your capital city. I understand the Empress's need for such security, and of course I would request to bring my own detail, but I do not believe that a squadron of aircraft will draw near as many eyes as an entire naval battle group. Whilst I cannot fly from Iomairt to Fuyonouso and back without refueling, my squadron and I can make the one-way trip with relative ease, provided we were permitted to refuel and store our aircraft at an airstrip. In addition, I believe it would take much less time for us to reach you, probably only two days. Hopefully that should make things a fair bit easier for both of us to manage, no?

Best regards,

Imperator Laurence VI

[Sophie]

The office of Empress Reitō Doku Kumo

Imperator Laurence VI of Eleria,

Your terms are more than agreeable. Though the Empress will be indisposed for the next seven days. We are more than happy to allow your aircraft to land at the airport in Fuyonouso as well as provide them fuel for your return trip. The Empress currently has time available for your meeting from the 14th of Astilla onwards. Let us know when you will be arriving and we will prepare a proper escort to the capitol building.

With honor to the Empress,

Emissary Ninomae Kyou

[DrMedic]

His Imperial Majesty, Imperator Laurence VI
Savior of Man, High Arbiter of Eleria

Emissary Ninomae Kyou,

I've spoken with my squadron, and we've developed a flight plan that I wish you to make note of to ensure everyone is on the same page for this event. We will depart Iomairt on the 11th, flying westward and stopping in the Salrosan Isles to refuel and rest for the night. Promptly in the morning we will depart once more from the isles for the last leg of our journey into Fuyonouso. This flight plan has us scheduled to arrive the evening of the 13th, giving us time to rest before meeting with your Empress the following day. Whilst we are in the air, you will not be able to reach me, and so if you have any emerging contingencies you wish me to be made aware of, simply contact Imperatrix Marina through telegram or telephone, she will be able to reach me until I depart the Salrosan Isles. Of course, I do not wish to be a burden, and as such would be glad to pay for lodging for myself and my squadron, provided you're capable of exchanging Elerian Ducats for your own Yirnen. 

For peace,

Imperator Laurence VI of Eleria

[Sophie]

The office of Empress Reitō Doku Kumo

Imperator Laurence VI of Eleria,

Very well then. We will be fully prepared for your arrival on the 13th. We shall have an armored motorcade waiting for you on the tarmac. The Empress believes the meeting itself to hold immense value and you may consider that as payment for both lodging, food, and fuel. We will have a detachment of special guards dedicated to ensuring your safety during the duration of your visit. They will drive with you to the hotel, and stand guard outside until your meeting. They will escort you to the meeting and finally back to your aircraft once everything is settled.

With honor to the Empress,

Emissary Ninomae Kyou

After the message was sent Kyou began filling out the several forms needed to garner the authorization for the motorcade and the commitment of special guards. It took her the entirety of the end of her shift to finish the paperwork, but she got the job done. She sent out the forms, sighed in relief, and left for home.

Astilla 13th came and as the sun was setting a designated airstrip for Imperator Laurence's aircraft. A motorcade consisting of five armored cars was waiting at the edge of the strip ready to pick up the Imperator and transport him safely to the hotel. Over a dozen Kumo soldiers were waiting in silence, as well as a handful of officers, and Ninomae Kyou herself was present to greet the Imperator personally.

[DrMedic]

In the skies above the Sea of Carlekasing east of the capital, a squadron of 24 Elerian fighters flew well above the clouds in loose formation. Each of them was the elite of the elite, the absolute best squadron that Eleria had to offer, their unit under the command of the Imperator himself. Of course, flying missions together was nothing short of a walk in the park for each of them. They had participated in the second revolution together, bringing an end to the old Imperium and ushering in a new age. Still, there was a tension in the air amongst them. Few of them had ever even interacted with demi-humans before, much less landed in their territory on an unfamiliar airstrip to conduct a diplomatic mission. 

"Tavish, how far are we out of Fuyonouso?" Laurence asked over the radio, having grown a bit restless over the course of their flight. 

"About thirty minutes Larry, don't you worry, I'll let you know when to start our descent." Replied an older man's voice with a light chuckle, followed by a couple other snickers from the rest of the pilots and hushed whispers. The Imperator simply rolled his eyes and smiled to himself.

"What have I told you about calling me 'Larry' over unsecured channels? You're going to make us look like an irregular militia if they pick up these transmissions, I'd prefer a little bit of professionalism, please?"

"Relax, I'm only muckin' about. We could probably start our descent now if you like Sir, nice and easy like you said."

"Alright, tighten up formation and clear comms, let's show these Kumo what a perfect landing looks like." Laurence replied, pitching his plane into a nice, slow descent as the rest of the squadron closed in on him, all of them flying in perfect sync with each other.

As they broke through the clouds, the airstrip came into clear view beneath them, each of the pilots slowing down and deploying their flaps as they'd done hundreds of times as they lined up behind the Imperator, each giving the one in front ample space to land and clear the runway before the next would touch down. After touching down and pulling into the taxiway, Laurence pulled his goggles off his face, taking in his surroundings. It seemed his hosts had prepared him quite the warm welcome, but as he saw the hosts themselves, his skin turned pale and clammy. Still, he taxied through as guided by air traffic control until he parked his plane, the ground crew hurrying out to put chocks beneath his landing gear whilst the engine chuffed to a halt. His hands shaking, he removed his helmet and headset, straightening his hair and uniform before putting his cap back on.

"Everything alright Sir?" A woman asked over the radio. Laurence looked to his right, to see Moira looking at him with a fair bit of concern. Quickly, he straightened his face, doing what little he could to calm himself before picking up a handset and issuing a quick reply.

"Yes, quite. Forgive me, just... a bit nervous is all." He said, opening up his canopy and beginning to climb out. She gave him a quick nod, climbing out of her own cockpit and falling back in line behind the Imperator with the rest of the squadron. They marched forward to meet who they assumed was the Emissary, medals polished and jingling upon their uniforms as they walked. 

[Sophie]

Kyou had to stop herself from rolling her eyes as she saw the imperator. Not even Eruza-Kama wears that many medals. She took a few steps forward and bowed. "Welcome to Kumosenkan Laurence-Kama." The emissary spoke in flawless commons. She took note of his current state, and furrowed her brow a bit. "Are you alright? You seem a bit ill." Her words were out of genuine concern, but not for the Imperator. She knew there would be hell to pay if the Empress caught some foreign disease on her watch. The Kumo guard stood by, backing up the Emissary though they were still standing by the motorcade a good two dozen feet back. 

[DrMedic]

Laurence and his squadron gave a formal bow, the Imperator taking the opportunity to take a deep breath with his face unseen.

"Yes, I can assure you I am quite alright, especially now that I have the opportunity to stretch my legs a bit. I assume you are Emissary Kyou?" 

His eyes were darting around to each of the kumo that stood before him and his breathing grew shallow. He couldn't wait to be out of their presence and away from so many eyes. Silently, he cursed himself for not simply asking Imperatrix Marina to handle the matter for him, but he shook it off. It was his duty to handle such matters for Eleria, and that duty was one he would ensure he was able to fulfill.

[Sophie]

"Yes, how rude of me for not introducing myself. I am Ninomae Kyou. You may call me Kyou-kas. Please follow me and we'll get you to the hotel. You must be exhausted from your flight." She turned and began walking for the motorcade, one of the soldiers quickly opened the door for her. "After you, Laurence-kama. The hotel isn't far, only a thirty-minute drive from here." The soldiers around them were clearly on high alert. Some were watching the perimeter, but a few had their eyes glued to Laurence and his entourage. Almost all of the soldiers were holding semi-automatic rifles, but two were holding onto pump-action shotguns. The cars were quite large and clearly designed for the bulky bodies Kumo had, though they each had chairs installed designed for humans. In the car Kyou was standing at there was enough room for three Kumo and two Humans.

[DrMedic]

"Excellent, thank you Kyou-kas." Laurence replied, struggling to keep his cool whilst being surrounded by so many kumo. Nearing their transport, he took a peek inside, but stopped himself before getting in and turned to face the Emissary. 

"What of the rest of my squadron?" He asked, half-hoping they could simply walk to the hotel, rather than enjoy a ride trapped in a metal box with these giant spiders.

[Sophie]

"They'll ride in the other cars. We've brought a whole motorcade after all. There's enough room for you to bring one of them along in this car if you like." She answered plainly, not picking up on his building anxiety. Though of course, she didn't particularly care to.

[DrMedic]

Laurence turned, facing Moira and Tavish, addressing them both in his native tongue. {Oh sweet Cogadh Màthair they're really going to make me get into this car... Tavish, your turn to make a choice, are you going to come along with me, or will it be Moira's turn?}

The old veteran thought to himself for a moment, but gave Moira a hearty pat on the back, enough to make her have to catch herself. {Alright lass, now you get tae watch Larry, don't let 'im cry on ya.}

Moira straightened herself up before the Imperator, giving him a quick salute, {It would be my honor to stand by your side, your majesty.}

Laurence simply gave her a nod, before addressing Kyou once more.

"Very well, Lieutenant MacKintosh will accompany me." He said as he stepped into the car.

[Sophie]

"Wonderful." Kyou smiled as the two humans climbed into the car. The rest of Laurence's squadron was guided to the other cars. Two of the Kumo soldiers climbed into the back behind Laurence and Moria, while Kyou sat next to them. "Let's get this show on the road." She ordered the driver who immediately started driving forward. Surprisingly the driver was actually a male Gentediavalo.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is the first time any Elerian has been to Kumosenkan right?"

[DrMedic]

"Yes, I do believe so. We tend to keep to ourselves for the most part, save trade and war when it inevitably finds us, though I wish we could have paid a visit under some more pleasant circumstances."

Laurence's heart was racing, they had him surrounded on all sides and there was nothing he could do about it, it was as if he had been plucked from the real world and dropped right into one of his worst nightmares. Still, he sat there wrestling with himself to keep in control, he was as stiff as a board and had his hands pressed firmly against his legs to keep his shaking from being noticeable.

Moira gave him a look of genuine concern, she hadn't seen him act like this before, typically he was very calm and collected unless they were up in the air, then he seemed like any other pilot, but this was completely new ground for her. She did not trust these Kumo hosts, and with something clearly amiss with her Imperator, the distrust only began to slowly grow as she tried to puzzle out what the problem could be.