Nihonkoku Shoukan: Beyond

Chapter 54: Royal Reception

Yokosuka Naval Base, Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, 9th April 1640 CCY

The first foreign delegation has finally arrived in Japan. Since this is the biggest naval base of the Japan Cosmos Navy, the people are treated to quite a sight. Hundreds of military vessels from Japan and allied navies are moored here from major combatants to the patrol boats and auxiliary vessels. Yokosuka was also one of the most important shipyards of the United Nations when Japan was still on Earth, producing all classes of warships for not only Japan but also the UN as a whole. With its underground complex located at about 5000 m underground, it's comparable to the Newport News or San Diego Naval Yards in the United States, Rosyth Naval Yard in the UK, Black Sea Shipyard in Ukraine, or Chantiers de l'Atlantique in France... etc.

Here, the foreign delegations can see all manners of ships, from the behemoth space battleships of the Andromeda-class and her variants to the fast and agile Legend-class space destroyer, and the ocean-going Raiden II-class corvette of the allied navies. The work here never stops. Night or day, rainy or sunny, the workers and machinery of the Yokosuka Naval Yard still work.

"It is magnificent as you said, Kaios." – Ludius

"Yes, Your Majesty. Though... the sight now has changed quite a bit. Those vessels... the ocean-going destroyers... were not here when I last visited Japan." – Kaios

"Hmm... those pennant numbers... one zero zero..." – Ludius

"According to Dame Furukawa, those destroyers are earmarked for our navy. That's the temporary number. We can change it in the registry when we receive her, Your Majesty." – Kaios

With the crisis in Parpaldia resolved, Ludius has given out orders to cooperate with Japan fully. As a condition for the cooperation between Parpaldia and the new EADTO, Parpaldia will have to "play nice" with not only countries incorporated in the organization, but also other nations outside of the defensive pact as the Eastern Alliance Defensive Treaty Organization is purely defensive. All countries will have to come and help once a member of their pact is attacked, but all members will have to agree if armed actions are to be taken. Other than that, it is at the members' discretion if they want to join in a war started by their peers.

It is also one of the reasons why Ludius is standing on the Andrea Doria. He's traveling to Japan to sign the official document that will signify the establishment of EADTO. Other than that, he also wants to see with his own eyes the country of Japan. After the rebellion has been suppressed, Force Rufino, which has been helping the Imperial Army with their bombardment mission together with the Yamato and Shinano has been relieved of the duty. They are replaced with other elements of the 4th Fleet. In turn, Captain Rufino is ordered to escort the Emperor of Parpaldia to Japan per his and the government of Japan's requests. 

"Is that so? I've thought of a name for our first modern warship then... let's call it Paladin." – Ludius

As Parpaldia is now a member of the new cooperative defensive pact of the region, she has been permitted Japan to buy arms for her revamped military. The same guns, vehicles, patrol boats, and warships as the other nations in EADTO. Of course, there were some pushbacks from the allied nations in the pack, but with the reassurance from Japan and the sincerity of Parpaldia expressed in the form of economic reparations, all detractors calmed down.

Aside from that, Parpaldia will have to completely reform their economy and governance systems, including freeing all of the slaves within their Empire while also giving them proper wages, accommodations, and education befitting their new status as free workers as well as adding provisions in the new labor laws for possible future developments such as the establishment of trade unions and occupational safety regulatory agency. All of these reforms proved to be quite a big blow to Parpaldia, not just economically but also in terms of their prestige on the international scene. Now, Parpaldia is officially an independent country but one that is subservient to Japan.