February 26th, 4901 YDC
[i]Keishi, Tokushiman capital[/i]
[hr]
	A rat-tat-tat turned Viceroy Ito Kazuo’s attention from his papers to the door of his office. 

	“Come in,” he said. The door opened and in walked Defense Secretary Asai Kioshi, a tall, broad-shouldered man with a salt-and-pepper beard. A katana hung at his side, moreso a symbol of office than a functional weapon, but it was a reminder of Tokushima’s legacy. Of simpler times.

	“Viceroy.” Kioshi nodded respectfully and sat when Kazuo gestured at the chair opposite his desk. “You wished to see me?”

	Kazuo set aside his papers and lifted his reading glasses from his nose. He rose and stepped over to a beverage cart.

	“Sake?” he offered.

	“Oh hell, why not,” was Kioshi’s answer. Kazuo procured a bottle and a pair of glasses, and returned to his desk. Each man poured the other’s drink in turn, as was custom. Kazuo raised his glass and threw back his drink.  

	“I won’t lie to you, Kioshi,” Kazuo said as his throat tingled. “I’m concerned. Very. It’s only a matter of time before tensions escalate in the north. I’m only glad we’re not smack in the middle of the heartlands.”

	“I’d hate to live in Avalia right now,” the Defense Secretary said. “Between Vaugemyr and Ecruir, they’ve got it bad.”

	“Whole place is a mess. I’m just wondering when Kitagawa will get worse.” 

	“The Northern Fleet has Kitagawa pinned in a corner. Ecruir can contain the situation while he continues to gain ground in the heartlands. So long as the fleet is there, the Shogunate is out of the equation.” 

	“Which brings me to something that’s been on my mind. The Fibor,” Kazuo announced.

	“They’ve been having oni problems lately,” Kioshi said. He poured another glass for the viceroy and Kazuo followed suit. 

	“The Fibor are Yllendyr subjects. Ecruir would be within his rights to send elements of the Northern Fleet to aid them.”

	“It would,” Kioshi agreed, wiping his mouth. “But his attention is on Kitagawa. The oni are an afterthought in comparison.”

	“So why don’t we send aid instead?” Kazuo said. “Think about it. By helping a Yllendyr vassal maintain sovereignty within its lands, we reaffirm Tokushima as a loyal ally to the Imperium. Ecruir’s attention stays on Kitagawa and we gain the support of the Fibor, should the war boil over.”

	Kioshi sat back, running his fingers over his chin. “And since Fibor is neutral, we aren’t technically supporting either side.”

	“Exactly. The oni are a small threat. It’s not a big risk to us, and it’ll allay any suspicions Ecruir’s gung-ho staff might have about Tokushima,” Kazuo explained.

	“I think it’s sound. We can mobilize soon, early March, even.”

	“You’re with me, then?” Kazuo asked.

	Kioshi nodded. “I am, Viceroy.”

	“Excellent. Tomorrow I’ll call the cabinet together and we’ll present it.” Kazuo drained another glass and let out a sigh, not out of exhaustion, but of relief.

[center]- - -[/center]

February 27th, 4901 YDC
[i]Keishi, Tokushiman capital[/i]
[hr]
	Kazuo left the conference room in a lively gait with his head high. It felt like his cabinet had agreed on something for the first time in weeks. Defense Secretary Kioshi knew how to craft a convincing argument. Under the veneer of goodwill and respect for the Fibor Dynasty, Tokushima would earn herself some breathing room and with luck, manage to keep herself out of the civil war. Just about everyone in his staff agreed with maintaining neutrality. A few had expressed concerns over doing so this way, but presented no better alternative, so it was decided.

	[i]In the coming days, King Inroc III received a letter from Viceroy Ito Kazuo, stating Tokushima’s intentions. It affirmed Kazuo’s wish for cooperation and goodwill between both their nations, and detailed the approximate strength of Tokushima’s peacekeeping force that would assist in the onis’ subjugation. It was sealed with the emblem of the Ito clan and hand-signed by Kazuo himself.[/i]