[DM Event] Coup in Kyoto!

[alxeu]

It is an otherwise quiet day in the Imperial Palace, Vaylien 1945.

For some time now, there had been... mutterings of discontent among the upper nobility, ever since the coronation of the Empress earlier in the month. Now, her latest actions threatened a complete demolition of the old ways, and betrayal of everything the Empress's family had accomplished for Ashigawa since the beginning. Most importantly, they were now in danger of the mobs taking control, ending the traditional way of doing things and resulting in all of their lives being completely upended.

This was, frankly, unacceptable. Perhaps the Empress didn't understand how things in Imperial politics work, but she had clearly taken her divine mandate to mean that she could break with the traditions her divine ancestors had established.

No longer. The nobles organized themselves into a new "Privy Council," which would help the Empress manage the affairs of state competently and correctly.

It was simple, they told themselves. Bribe a few members of the guard who were... amenable to the nobles' cause, use them to "convince" the Empress to follow them to a sequestered portion of the Palace where, from there, they could... help her... see the folly of her ways and correct the course of the nation before it was too late, and before the nation's tradition and honor were cast aside for petty outsider ideals.

The plan seemed to go off without a hitch, with those orchestrating the affair finding enough guards and a quiet-enough corner of the Palace to pull off the plan. When the hour arrived, they harmlessly approached the Empress, beseeched her to follow them, and, upon pressuring her into their trap, they secured her away from public eye.

Believing the Empress now isolated and under their control, the members of the Privy Council sat down behind closed doors in the Palace, planning their next move. If they acted quickly enough and won enough of the local authorities to their side, surely then the rest of the nation would easily follow, right?

---

This was not to be the case, as power in Ashigawa resided in more hands than the Privy Council had believed. Indeed, multiple factions in the city would gradually grow aware of strange going-ons in the Palace, and, depending on who they sided with, this whole affair could end up a whole lot less one-sided than it first appeared.

A few hours away from the city, after all, was a military base, home to elements of the Imperial Army, sworn to be wholly loyal to the Empress, and though the enlisted men would gladly put down the corrupt noblemen who had seized control of the Palace if ordered, it would be their officers that decided their course, and many were quietly unhappy at the Empress's plans to implement civilian governance, hold referenda in the colonies, and her most recent decision to publicly apologize world-wide, damaging Ashigawa's pride and honor. It was unclear if they would answer the calls of the Empress, if summoned.

The naval base within the city hosted the Imperial Navy, but their officers were reportedly even more unhappy at the potential loss of the colonies, which had inflated the Navy's prestige and importance in society. The loyalty of the Navy was severely in doubt, but whether or not they'd support a palace coup is another issue entirely.

Then there was the Imperial Guard, itself. If it had a full picture of just what was happening, they no doubt would've intervened immediately, and no such coup would be taking place. As it stands, just what was happening was unclear enough that the Imperial Guard was effectively paralyzed in the Palace, unsure if the Empress had delegated power to the Privy Council, or if there was something else going on behind the scenes. An untimely absence of their commander (distracted by nobles in Kyoto proper) meant that this paralysis was unlikely to be resolved anytime soon.

There was also the Kempeitai, but out of all armed forces in the city, they were the least likely to support the Empress, their leadership having been purged and the entire organization surely only days away from a complete abolition. Those officers still in the city, however, had deep ties to the city police, as both organizations acted in lockstep to keep local dissent low during the previous Emperor's reign. Now, they used those connections to quietly support the coup and monitor traffic in and out of the city.

The first of the non-armed factions in the city were, of course, the lesser nobility. Sympathetic towards the Empress's reforms, which would see the lesser nobles (who also tended to be younger and less conservative than the major nobility) gain power at the expense of the upper nobility, they were natural allies of the Empress. Though unarmed, they maintained a strong political pressure in Kyoto, and could potentially rally large amounts of people to their side, to storm the Palace, or else gain entrance to the Palace and rally the Imperial Guard out of their stupor. Powerful allies, to be sure, but they were also a decentralized bunch, and it would be hard to find enough of them to render their support effective.

The next faction was the merchants and businessmen. Wealthy and influential amongst their employees, like the nobles, they could also rally mobs to the Empress's side, and were inclined to do so, if necessary. In general supporting the liberalizing reforms and in favor of improving international relations for better trade, they would gladly put their weight behind the Empress if needed, and if they felt they could score a quick buck doing so. However, they are unlikely to be able to storm the Palace without seeming like an external threat, and perhaps resulting in the Imperial Guard working against the Empress's interests should they involve themselves.

Then there was the State Press. Controlling newspaper, radio, and television, they were a powerful asset to move public opinion... and not much else. Though sympathetic to the Imperial Family out of pure devotion, in addition to the upper nobility in general being publicly disliked, spending time to get them active might be precious time wasted.

Finally, there was the people of the city, thousands if not millions, who could easily turn the tide with their sheer numbers alone, provided they have leadership and a cause worth fighting for. Though speaking in general of the public is fallacious, in general, the majority of the population supported the Empress either out of pure devotion to the Imperial Family, or through support of the democratic reforms that would assuredly better their lots in life. Those opposed to the Empress were typically nationalists, which meant that while they opposed her perceived abandoning of the colonies and embarrassing apology to the outsiders, they also revolted at the idea of betraying the Imperial Family and seemed likely to remain neutral unless decisively moved to action.

---

Though it seemed the Privy Council held initiative, it was untrue to say that the Empress and her supporters had no ability to take action.

The Empress herself, though locked away, still had her assistants, who, critically, were permitted to travel the Palace grounds. All it could take for word to escape the Palace was a determined servant, but where would they go? These early hours were highly critical: the earlier they got some support outside the Palace, the earlier they could reach out to other factions and forge a unified front of support.

There was also another option... not everyone in the Palace was in on the plot, either. If the opportunity was taken at the right time, an escape could be affected, and the Empress, herself, could escape and make an appeal to another faction. The only question would be whether they'd listen.

The next hours would prove critical to decide the next days. Those days would decide the fate of all Ashigawa. Would the Empress be saved, or will Ashigawa fall back into the hands of the powers of reaction?

[aimway921]

While Yuzuru wasn't expecting such radical action taken against her so quick, she wasn't entirely surprised. She wasn't entirely popular among the Old Guard of the Imperial regime to begin with. But it mattered not. After all, she knew that most of them would be replaced by the younger generation - and it is that younger generation, who overall is more liberal and less stuck-up in traditional ways, who she worked hard all her life to appeal to.

She was going to be lenient on the Old Guard. But this coup has cemented the unfavorable view of themselves - to Yuzuru, it was more important for the Old Guard to preserve their own power than it was to ensure the prosperity of the Ashigawan nation. She could not allow the former to be achieved at the expense of the latter.

Kagemore Kohaku, while not part of the Emergency Council, was one of Yuzuru's inner circle of friends. This meant that he was outside the palace at the time of the coup. He would be the first point of contact. Yuzuru wrote a small note to be passed with a servant.

"My dearest friend Kagemore-kun. Ill events befell the Palace. Old Guard of the nobility, sadly, while predictably, have decided they do not wish to follow the will of the Tennō. They seem to think that by locking me in my own palace and putting on the facade that they are in charge, they can sway our great people from their destined path. We have spent many afternoons together discussing the fate bestowed upon us. You know very well that pride is easier to restore than honor, and it is honor now that we must work to restore in the eyes of the world. The Old Guard have shattered out honor enough. I implore you to spread the news of their treachery. Appeal to the people. Call upon the Army. Convince the Navy. Rally the rest of our friends. Find Captain of the Royal Guards. And most importantly - I declare everyone in the Kempeitai a traitor. They had their chance to redeem themselves. They decided to waste it."

After the servant hid the note on herself, she was sent off. Meanwhile, Yuzuru was determined to break the coup apart from inside the palace. First were the Royal Guards. She knew that while some were corrupt, majority were too faithful to defy the Imperial Family. She just needed to find which ones are the traitors. Leaving her room, she would start walking around the palace, looking for the first guard that would dare to stop her.

[alxeu]

While the servant bearing the letter was able to exit the palace through some side gates relatively easily (quick thinking meant she hid the letter where the guards holding the gates would not find it), the Empress was less lucky in her escape attempt. It seemed that the Privy Council, preparing against such an action by the Empress, had alerted the guards to a (presumably falsified) assassination plot underway in the greater city, and had warned all the non-bribed guards to ensure that the Empress was kept safely within the palace. It had only been after some cajoling that the guards had even revealed this detail in the first place, apparently instructed not to worry the Empress with the news. Nonetheless, it seems the instructions had successfully motivated the guards to not let the Empress just walk out the palace.

As for the guards that had been bribed, though they didn't move from their stationed positions to halt the Empress's movement throughout the palace, their close gaze meant that she would be unlikely to be able to escape without them alerting the Privy Council. Still, as long as she made no movements towards the gates, they seemed uncaring about just where in the palace she went. There was only one notable exception. Upon leaving the room she had been secured away in, she had picked up one guard as a tail, who followed her wherever she went.

Still, the attempt wasn't all for naught: the Empress would be able to spy a couple of Kempeitai agents arriving at the various entrances of the palace, as an attempt to bolster security. A couple members of the Privy Council also seemed to be preparing to leave for another portion of the city proper, perhaps planning to shore up support from more powerful people in the city, or even to make a public announcement of some kind.

It wouldn't be too long after the Empress saw this sight that the message she sent away would arrive in the hands of Kagemore. Seemingly dismissed as a threat due to the Privy Council assuming all those outside the palace would be unable to act without the Empress's guidance, he was, as far as he could tell, currently unmonitored by anyone complicit in the plot.

[aimway921]

After some time, the Empress gathered some of the high ranking Royal Guards she identified to be not involved in the coup, in a private room. Noticing the Guard that kept trailing her, she made sure he wasn't aware of what she was doing, before finally arriving in the room herself, locking the door right in front of the trailing guard.

"Gentlemen, I have gathered you as the most faithful Guardsmen in this palace. There is a number of traitors who seem to think they know better than the Tennō," she said in a hushed voiced, just in case the guard trailing her would attempt to eavesdrop. "The Old Nobility seems to be unhappy that their actions that result in undermining our nation's position in the world have consequences that affect them in a deserved manner. They think that by locking me inside my palace will allow them to supercede my will.

There is a number of Guardsmen in league with this coup. Wether they truly believe it or they were bribed, that does not matter. There is no excuse for treason. Some of them have cornered me earlier, and I remembered their faces. One of them has been trailing me, thinking I could not see him, up until I arrived in this room." She looked at the highest ranking Guard in the room. "I want you to assemble all the Guardsmen in the courtyard. The traitors will be brought to justice.

More importantly. Have your arms ready. The Coupists seem to know, that those of you who are serve with loyalty and trust will stand by my side, and have sent for extra firepower should we try to arrest them here and now. I have seen the Kempeitai entering the palace. This is a clear violation of my direct order to cease all their operations as their leadership is being investigated. Finally, I have sent word to my friends outside. Should we truly be trapped in here, help will be underway."


Meanwhile, Kagemore was in shock of what he had read. Offering the servant refuge in his estate, fearing she might have been followed by the traitors and that her life might be in danger.

His first action was to go to his and the Empress's mutual friend, Yamachiro. A rising star in the Imperial Army, he was relatively quickly promoted to the rank of General due to his noble status and close ties to Yuzuru. He had 5 Regiments, 3 of them Infantry, under his command stationed in a base just 30 kilometers out of Kyoto. His only hope now is that he is in his mansion, which, being in the wealthy Kawasaki District of the city, where most of the Noble Estates were concentrated, was luckily just a 10 minute drive away.

"Yamachiro-san!" he said first thing when the servants of the Yamachiro estate led him to the General. "We have a problem in the palace. The Old Ones, in league with the Kempeitai, are trying to take over the nation from the Tennō!"

[alxeu]

The guards stood and shifted in place uncomfortably. It seemed that they were burdened by all the information that had suddenly been unloaded on them. The senior guard, in particular, seemed paralyzed by indecision and the gravity of the situation. Eventually, one of the younger guards spoke up, "If this is true, then it is our duty to drive these dishonorable traitors out from the palace. For the Tenno!"

This would break the tense atmosphere in the room, as many of the guards began shouting their own acclamations of absolute loyalty and devotion to their semi-divine Empress. The senior guard, caught off-guard by this sudden outburst, soon composed himself and bowed towards the Empress, "It shall be done, my Tenno. I shall ensure there is no escape for these traitors. Most of you, with me!" He pointed out a few of the guards in particular, and continued, "As for you, men, you have the most important duty. No one with ill-will towards the Tenno shall be allowed to approach her. Do not fail your duty, or you will not only dishonor yourselves and your family, but also dishonor us all." The men saluted, bowed, and took up positions to protect the Empress in the room.

It was hard to hide the organized response from the Imperial Guard, and most of the Privy Council began to rally their allies to make a stand in the Palace and re-secure the Empress, and, this time, making sure she could not achieve such a feat, again. A few of them (no more than 3 or 4) saw which way the wind was blowing in the Palace, but determined not to fall without a fight, left the Palace to make contact with some senior Army officials, who resided outside the city in the direction of the military base to the south, hoping to convince them to bring the muscle needed to win outright.

As for those in the Palace, it would all depend on the outcome of the coming confrontation, especially depending on just how the Empress wished for this confrontation to end.

---

Meanwhile, Yamachiro was horrified to hear the news from the Palace, and immediately responded to Kagemore, "If this is true, we ought to travel to the camp nearby, immediately. There, we can rally my men and perhaps also the senior officers of the Army High Command. With their assistance, we could count on the entire Home Islands being locked down in case of a wider plot, and also perhaps demoralize those few supporters those traitors must have."

Yamachiro ordered his servants to begin preparations to leave, at once. He turned to Kagemore. "Kagemore-san, is there anything else of importance we should do before leaving the city? If not, we should continue to my men with all haste."

[aimway921]

The Empress, escorted by 2 guards, retreated to the throne room. 3 more guards, including the senior one, have made haste to the armory, and picked up 5 submachine guns, before locking the armory and joining the others in the throne room. If it came to blows, it would be best to have something other than the swords they always carried. If bad turned to worst, they also brought a small handgun for the Empress herself. One of the guards was stationed outside the door to the throne room. He would sacrifice himself should the Privy Council sympathizers try to storm the throne room, warning those inside. The door, meanwhile, has been barricaded.

The rest of the loyal guards began their methodical search for the traitors, who would be apprehended, with their crimes charged against them. If they would choose to resist, however, they would be stripped of their right to restore their honor by commiting seppuku, and would be killed here and now.



"I have a few more ideas where we can garner support," Kagemore replied. "I shall stay in the city and muster as much as I can. You should make haste to you troops and get them moving, meanwhile."

"Alright," Yamachiro. "Should I declare martial law in the city?"

"I don't know... Tennō didn't request it in her letter. I suppose you should act based on how the situation dictates it."

With that, the two parted ways. Yamachiro got dressed in his uniform as quickly as he could, grabbed his pistol, jumped in his car and headed off to the Army base as quick as he could.



Kagemore, meanwhile, went to the underworld. Should the members of the coup take things outside the Palace, the mafia would be perfect eyes and ears for the loyalists. Could even try and stop the coupists should they try to contact someone or escape the city. He just had to convince them to join the cause.

"I can pull on my connections, and make sure the police force... Looks the other way... On you less extreme activities," he said when he was granted a meeting with the boss of the Imachiru Family. "Rather, we could be more prejudiced against the other families, who you are in direct competition with."


As Kagemore was trying to get support from questionable sources, Yamachiro made it to his headquarters in the Army base. Panting from running up the stairs, he bust into the planning room, where 3 other Generals were having some meeting at the moment.
"A coup is underway," he said, breathing hard. "Tennō needs our help. Traitors have locked her in the palace and are trying to levy the power from her. We much make haste, I don't know how long the Royal Guards can hold, should it turn to fighting."

[alxeu]

The Privy Council made their choice: they would go down fighting, and the Kempeitai was determined to go down alongside their allies. It was the Imperial Guardsmen who would falter. Those bribed would fight on, figuring their crimes would've only dishonored them should they accept defeat, the others decided that plausible deniability was still on their side and surrendered, claiming ignorance. It quickly became easily clear that the Privy Council had been wholly banking on keeping the Imperial Guard in the dark on the actions occuring.

The rest of the forces arrayed in the Palace found out quickly how outnumbered and outmatched they were. While the Kempeitai agents either went down fighting or finally gave in after a few hours of skirmishing, the Privy Council was a different matter. A couple of the more martially inclined did go out fighting, but many of the remainder committed seppuku while they still had time and space to do so. Only a couple, one of which was an distant cousin of the Empress, were captured, apparently too cowardly to even go down fighting.

---

The Yakuza boss grinned at Kagemore's offer. "We could certainly make use of what you offer. Life on the streets are tough, and ensuring that our men don't need to look over their backs when the police are in the area would be a great boon..."

"I accept, and I shall already offer you a little of what I know: Do not trust the Navy. Though they are not involved in the goings-on today, as far as my informants can tell, they would gladly join forces with the coup if they were approached. Reportedly, they are angling for war with Kumosenkan, who they believed forced the Empress to dishonor herself and the nation. A bunch of fanatical nutjobs, if you ask me. Steer clear of involving them, if you can help it."

"As for current movements, two groups have left the Palace since this morning: some maid who presumably is employed by the Imperial Household, and then an official car belonging to some government ministers, heading south/southeast. Since it seemed that all traffic in and out of the Palace was being shut down for the day, the fact that there was anyone leaving was cause for interest. Once the car left the city, my men lost interest in it."

---

The generals stared at Yamachiro, seeming, perhaps, annoyed at him interrupting whatever they were doing, and, most importantly, they all seemed unsurprised to hear that there was a coup occurring.

One of them, known to Yamachiro as the senior-most general there, indicated that Yamachiro and the others should sit down. Once they had done so, the general began to speak.

"We are well aware of what's occurring over in the capital, Yamachiro-kun. A few of those involved thought they could convince the Imperial Army to betray the Imperial Family. I personally saw to it that they be beheaded as common thugs."

As the general continued, he remained emotionless, and hard to read, though, for a moment, Yamachiro would be able to detect a bit of satisfaction at having eliminated the coupists.

"That being said, it troubled the three of us that this so-called 'Privy Council' thought our loyalty suspect enough to ask us to be complicit in treason. Tell me, Yamachiro-kun, as you are so close to the Empress, does she consider the Army to be full of dishonorable traitors much like those who rose up in the Palace today?"

The general's tone seemed to bear a little edge to it at the end, clearly trying to figure out if he was already considered to be complicit in a plot he was uninvolved in, while at the same time also seeming to be testing the waters for just how much he could press the young general. Similarly, the others there quietly waited for Yamachiro's response.

[aimway921]

The Royal Guards burst into the final room where the Privy Council holed up at the end of the skirmish. Most of the Kempeitai and traitorous Royal Guards were already either dead or apprehended.

They would attempt to stop anyone commiting seppuku, if they could in time - even if it meant shooting the blade out of their hands. Those who have surrendered have been taken into custody.



"Well, your information is accurate, I'll give you that," Kagemore said. "That maid came to me after she left the palace. But of more important things. Can you tell me details of the car? Make, model, color, license plate?"

After the crime lord gave the information, he asked to use the phone. He dialed a number and waited for a response.
"Hello? Yes, this is Kagemore," he said, once someone picked up. "Can you put Yamachiro's adjutant on the line? ... Yes. General has left for the HQ of his units. I've no doubt he already arrived there. Please call him and inform that a black Trueno Seiki, licence plate　わさ　03 ま　275. Involved in the current events. Yamachiro-san will know what it means. Tell him we should intercept and try to capture whoever it is alive."


Yamachiro meanwhile cursed at himself in his mind. "Damn it! I wasn't fast enough. At least these elders know what's good for them and for the Empire..." he thought to himself.

"I hope you made record of who they were," he responded to the General's first statement. "I'm sure the Empress would want to know who these traitors were. As for your concern. The Empress rarely, if ever, mentioned the Army in my presence, and when she did, it never had been negative. As for her opinion right now - the only contact we've had was a single letter she was able to sneak out through a servant. In it she directly instructed Kagemore-san - you probably haven't interacted with him, but you've seen him with me several times - the Empress directly instructed him to call upon the Army for aid. Which he did by coming to me. I'd say that is the reassurance you're seeking for by asking me such a question. She would not have called for us in such a dire situation if she thought we are involved in the plot."

[alxeu]

The few surviving leaders of the coup were taken captive, including one conspirator who had failed to cleanly commit seppuku, and who, against his wishes, was stabilized by some of the guards who knew medicine: he would not be able to use death to escape from justice.

---

"Rest assured, their names were recorded, and their bodies are currently kept in the base's infirmary, should the government wish to retrieve them," the General noted.

"It also warms my heart greatly to know that the Tenno is well-aware of the loyalty of her Army, and that it was merely the bottom-feeders of her court who thought we could be disloyal. It would have, after all, been a great dishonor to us all had the Tenno felt that way."

"In any case, we would be glad to lead the forces here into the capital to help suppress any additional difficulty there is, as mobilization orders were already well underway. All that remains now is the Army's reward for our undying loyalty," the General said, finally breaking his stoic expression to smile slightly.

"Don't mistake my intentions, Yamachiro-kun. I am no traitor to the Tenno, and I will respect her wishes with where she wishes to lead our nation. Despite this, she is young and inexperienced, and her decisive actions following her heart has led to the old nobles of her father's court trying to take advantage of her. Who's to say the democratic government she wishes to implement would not do the same, and forsake our nation's tradition and strip the Tenno of all her worldly powers?" the General paused to look Yamachiro in the eyes. "Such an outcome is horror to me, and, I'm sure, to you as well. Therefore, why shouldn't the ever-trusted, ever-loyal, ever-devoted Army use its influence and might to protect the powers of the Tenno, and act as another 'check and balance' in this new government that is being formed? In that way, the Army shall be enshrined in its position as the truest defender of the Tenno and her powers, against all rivals who may seek to subvert her authority."

"It goes without saying that such governmental influence would lead to the Army advising the civilian government in matters of diplomacy and defense, as is that not where the army's expertise lies?"

"It should also go without saying that if the Army is to take an increased role in governance, then we must also have our budget maintained, or even expanded, even if it must be at the expense of the Navy or economic reforms, just so that our defense of all the nation can be successfully maintained."

'it is all this that we request of the Tenno as a just reward for our aid. Surely, you, too, Yamachiro-kun, can understand our concerns for the Tenno and the nation. Just as an unchecked aristocracy is dangerous for the nation, so too is the unchecked mob. All the Army wishes is for our ability to intervene in crises be wholly legitimized."

[aimway921]

As all those who arrested have been bound to prevent both escape and suicide attempts, and put in the Palace dungeon, with several Royal Guards watching over them, the rest started the matters that still needed to be taken care of. Bodies had to removed, blood cleaned up, furniture and walls that were hit by bullets fixed. But first, they had to find where the Privy Council locked the members of the Emergency Council. The servants have also been freed from their lockdown to help with the cleanup. Meanwhile, Yuzuru left the Throne room and went into her office - a place more suited to make calls and sign documents, than receive audiences. She picked up her phone. Being the phone of the Tennō, it had direct connections to some of the most important institutions, the nearby Army base included.




Yamachiro listened to the old general patiently, without showing his disgust. Using s crisis to advance his power - the most typical of bureaucrats.
"And I'm assuming," he said, when the old general finally finished his sour words poorly disguised as sweet, "that being close to the Empress, you want me to deliver these requests? Very well. But we all know that it would be entirely up to her."
Suddenly the phone rang. An adjutant picked it up, and his eyes widened as he heard who was on the other end. He passed the phone to the senior general. "It's the Tennō," the adjutant said.
"Lockdown the capital immediately. No one is to leave the city. Kempeitai are to be arrested on sight, but do not go looking for them just yet - only stop them if you see them. And tell General Yamachiro to take a Company of his best troops and to come to the Palace immediately." Without waiting for a response, she hung up.



After the call, Yuzuru called the Commader of the Royal Guards into the office.
"How is investigation of the Elenria Incident going? Specifically on General Kondo? Also, I need the addresses of each person employed in the Kempeitai. I'm sure you would've found them by now, investigating through their records."

[alxeu]

The General was no fool: he quickly picked up on Yamachiro's furor, and responded after receiving the phone call.

"Regardless of what you consider my motives to be, Yamachiro-kun, understand that, above everything else, I am loyal to the Tenno and the nation first. It is why I have served the Empire as long as I have, through the good days and the bad. That being said, I cannot trust the motivations of the people. It is the nature of democratic governance that the monarch, no matter how holy they are considered, loses power to the power-hungry masses and politicians. I do not wish the same fate upon the Tenno, and I do not wish to see her merely become the puppet of others' ambitions."

"The nobility have proven that they shall pursue their own power first over the well-being of the Empire and of the Tenno. History has shown that democracies will inevitably do the same. As the two major social classes are unable to be trusted wholly with the reins of power, it behooves the military, and the army, as the most loyal defenders of the Tenno and the Empire, to be the ones to arbitrate and act as the final balance."

"I will not deceive you, Yamachiro-kun, there will be those in the Army who will utilize this newly-gained influence for evil, such is the manner of all men, but unlike the nobility, and unlike the people in the streets, every man under arms has sworn a loyalty oath to the Tenno, and a breach of that oath carries a heavier punishment than any crime a civilian bureaucrat can commit."

"At any rate, I ramble. The Tenno requests the presence of our forces. General Yamachiro, you are to take the Company of soldiers as the Tenno requested and relieve the Palace. The rest of us will take the remaining infantry and secure the main routes out of the city, and assume positions in major avenues of movement through the city, as requested."

The General smiled as he finalized orders to move: after all, the Army was already on high-alert following the earlier events of the day. "Now, gentlemen, let us save the Tenno and the Empire!"

---

The Commander took a moment to gather his thoughts before responding, "My Tenno, General Kondo has been exonerated of all wrong-doing. It appears that the Kempeitai had been framing her and then purposely foiling her from redeeming herself. It seems they've been involved in more quiet undermining of the Empire even while they planned to move against you."

As he finished his report, he glanced outside at the continuing clean-up operations around the Palace. A small pile of bodies had been amassed in one place, prepared to be moved whether the Tenno deemed fit: whether that be a mass, unmarked grave, or some other disposal method worthy of traitors, it remained to be seen.

[aimway921]

Thanks to the Army's readiness, the city was put on full lockdown in record time. No one would be able to come in or out without being stoped and questioned - and arrested if needed.


Meanwhile, Yamachiro would arrive with his Company in the palace after the Royal Guard already squashed the coup. The Captain of the Guard, under his orders he recieved earlier, would tell Yamachiro that his Company would temporary join the Guards in the cleanup and securing of the Palace, which Yamachiro himself is to see the Tennō in the throne room.

Once he arrived, he would be told to wait by the doors, though inside, before proceeding to the Empress.

As he stood there and waited, a minute later the doors opened again. A woman in dirty and torn up clothes, with her hands tied behind her back, was led in by 2 Guardsmen. Once they approached the throne, the Guards made her kneel in front of the Tennō.

"Kondo Akane," the Empress addressed the woman. "As you know, you have been accused of conspiring with the Kempeitai against a foreign nation, which set off a chain of events that resulted in hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths, threat of war against our nation and tarnishing of Ashigawan honor in the eyes of the rest of the world. However, after reviewing the evidence of your conduct, I see that rather than conspiring, you have been tricked and used by the Kempeitai to advance their goals, and have taken all available to you at the time steps to redeem yourself. I hereby pardon you of any wrongdoing." She motioned with her hand to one of the guards, who took out a knife and cut the ropes binding Kondo's hands.
"You are restored in honor and rank, along with all your military awards. However, you shall not be assuming the same position you precious held, as I have a different purpose set out for you. But before that," she motioned with her hand again, this time to the side. A young servant girl stepped up.
"Escort Kondo to the 8th Guest Chamber. Help her clean up. Fresh clothes for Kondo are already prepared there."
Yuzuru then turned back to Kondo.
"Make haste. Bring yourself into a state worthy of a woman of your proud stature, and come back. The servant will lead you to my office, where we shall meet next. Now go."

As the Empress gave the final order, the servant came up to Kondo and helped her stand up. "This way please, Shujin-Sama," she said, as she led Kondo out of the throne room.

Then Yuzuru looked at the Royal Guards who brought Kondo to the throne room. "Summon the Captain into my office."

She then stood up and proceeded to the door. Looking at Yamachiro as she approached, she stopped in front of him. "Yamachiro-san. It is good to see you. Thankfully, the Guards have managed to secure the palace without the Army's assistance, but your presence is still welcome. Now please, follow me to my office."

As they arrive in the office, Yuzuru asked Yamachiro and the Captain of the Royal Guards, Kodama Sahaki to take their seats. A servant was called in for any drinks, while they were waiting for Kondo.

[alxeu]

The Army took seriously its enforcement of order in the capital. Indeed, some soldiers, rather overzealously, began acting as entire martial law was in order, and began hounding all those on non-official business to return to their homes for the night. Though no arrests were made of innocents, it did reinforce the sense of unease in the city, particularly among those who were not considered among the friends of the Empress.

Meanwhile, in the Palace, Captain Kodama joined the others in waiting patiently for General Kondo, who finally joined the others, though the outfit she was wearing fit a bit more loosely than her clothes from before her confinement did. 

When she finally arrived, she bowed in deep respect towards the Empress, and graciously and politely thanked Yuzuru for her mercy, tactfully avoiding any mention that the charges against her were false in the first place.

After this, the group waited patiently for the Empress to speak.

[aimway921]

Yuzuru took out some paperwork from a drawer on her side of the table, before beginning to speak.

"I am moving forward with some reforms as a response to this coup," she said.

"First of all, I hereby declare the Kempeitai to be dissolved as an organization.

Secondly, Kondo. With the exception of the Elenria Incident, in which you were not a fascilitator, but an unwilling tool, you service has been impeccable. Furthermore your attempts to bring the events to my attention once you learned of their true purpose, prove to me your loyalty and trustworthiness.

I am creating a new administration to take over the role the Kempeitai was supposed to stick to. I am naming it the Committee of National Security, or Kahokai for short. Everything taking into account, and your experience as the head of Army Intelligence, I am entrusting you, Kondo, to be the head of this new organization. You can transfer up to 3 of your old subordinates to your new service to let them continue to work with you."

She then turned to Kodama.
"Captain. You and your Royal Guards are the most trustworthy and loyal people I have in the Empire. For that reason, I appoint you to be Kondo's second in command. Select 400 of your best men to make up the first members of the Kahokai. I will let the two of you to decide the finer details of organization, however both of you shall be reporting directly to me."

"Next, Yamachiro. You are the only one in the Army whom I know beyond formal interactions between me and the Army. And thus I trust you the most. I grant you the honor of becoming the new Captain of the Royal Guards. Select 400 of the best men from your Regiments to fill the void left by the 400 Guardsmen who shall become Kahokai agents.

"Finally, while the Kahokai shall be the most trustworthy organization in the Empire. For that reason, while the Guards vetting and recruitment would remain the same, from the Army, the Kahokai shall be recruited from the Royal Guards. Eventually, as all of the Guards are recruited into the Kahokai, the Royal Guards shall become the most important unit in the Kahokai. When that happens, I shall let you decide, Kodama, if you wish to remain as the second in command of the entire Kahokai, or return to being the Captain of the Royal Guards. Depending on his decision then, Yamachiro, you shall either remain as the Captain, or become the second in command of the Guards."


Yuzuru would give the three some time to process their new positions, and ask any questions if they had any, before moving to the next topic.

"Now back to the Kempeitai. They have been the main perpetrators in the Elenria Incident, and one of the main factions in the perpetration of the coup. They have tarnished their honor and diminished any ounce of trust, along with their chances of redemption." She moved the stack of papers she took out earlier towards Kondo and Kodama.
"These are the names and details all Kempeitai members. Those who have been crossed out are either already dead or imprisoned here in the Palace. The first 6 pages are the once who are here in Kyoto. You are to eliminate every last one of them."

[alxeu]

General Kondo gratefully accepted her new position as Head of the Kahokai, and while Yuzuru was briefing the Captain of the Guard and General Yamachiro, Kondo began considering which subordinates she most relied on and trusted to bring with her to her new position. However, the Empress's movement to the issue of the Kempeitai caused her to decide to decide later.

Captain Kodama was surprised, then ecstatic, to hear the news of his news of his own assignment to the Kahokai, aware that such a position would allow him to challenge the enemies of the Empress even more directly. Nonetheless, he also felt a strong attachment to the men that had served under him, and had already begun weighing which position would be more fulfilling for him, as well as which would better allow him to perform his utmost for the Empress. Just like General Kondo, he decided that such a decision was far less pressing than the immediate matter of the Kempeitai.

General Kondo and Captain Kodama would both read through the various names of the Kempeitai members, of which most were already crossed out. Kondo took note of a few of the survivors: she had met some of them before previously, though briefly. Nonetheless, the Kempeitai had betrayed the Tenno, and had thrown her to the wolves. Though she knew she shouldn't take any joy from such an organized elimination of people, General Kondo couldn't help but revel in the schadenfreude of the whole situation, just a bit. Such a plan could not be executed against a more deserving group of people.

After reviewing the names for a brief moment longer, General Kondo spoke to the Tenno, "It shall be done, my Tenno. However, it might take Captain Kodama more time than we would wish to use to isolate the 400 men you've allocated to the Kahokai. Are we permitted utilize the full Royal Guard in coordination with General Yamachiro or perhaps the Army Regiments keeping order?"

Captain Kodama also spoke up, "I happen to agree with General Kondo. Though I could gather the Guardsmen quickly: indeed, I can already think of a great number of men who distinguished themselves today, if we want to handle this tonight, the reorganization ought to wait until tomorrow to begin."