The Day of Thunder

"He's small yet, might only need a bucket..."

"I'll make sure to have one ready."

Sora cocked his head to the side as the thought struck him.

"Have your children been to sea yet? I think I heard that they were a bit young for it..."

Tadaka shakes his head. "Not yet. They're only a year old. They've been on my ship when I went to harbor though. They seemed fine. Kazoku especially seems to like the water."

"Soryu might be the first of mine to really take a trip... well, unless Phi has been sailing during her time studying with the Spider..."

He shook his head and grinned.

"Always more to see out there, eh?"

"Aye. I admit. It's strange considering where we are and 9 of us are going to decide the fate of the Empire and Ningen-do, but I feel a lot of hope. I can't wait to see what comes next."

"Hopefully enough peace and quiet that we can address problems like the ones that got the village settled. I look at these people, and I see human beings we failed. Not going to dwell on that or wail about it, be we can make some changes."

Tadaka shrugs. "Has their fate been determined yet?"

"Their fate?"

Sora arched an eyebrow.

"The village is under Imperial protection, for whatever that's worth. Justice for the ringleaders of the original plan here is required. But as this village lies outside of the lands of any Clan, its fate ultimately lies with the Emperor's judgment."

"I see. I wasn't sure how it went. We do have Imperials such as you and my cousin here. But we also have the daimyo council. I wasn't sure who had what authority. If you or my cousin were sent by the Emperor. Or maybe one of the daimyos. Or if no one was given such authority which is apparently the case." Tadaka shrugs. He didn't particularly care one way or the other about the peasants. They had repeatedly poisoned them, but they were needed to win tomorrow. Tadaka just figured if they messed up enough, they'd be punished. If not, they would be able to atone. He was sure it would work out.

"I'll just do my duty. Which I guess is convincing them to follow along with the ritual if I heard the orders right. I think I have an idea of what to do for that."

"Can't hurt. Most of these people were ignorant of what has been happening, and hopefully we can steer them toward the right course of action..."

Tadaka nods. He wasn't sure how culpable the villagers were. Well, Sora's comment helps put it in better context. "Wouldn't they still follow the headswoman? She is helping us now, right?"

"They certainly trust her more than they do us. To them, she's been leading them well for the past five years. We're a bunch of strangers who just showed up at their village. But yes, she's helping us as she can. That said... they have to be asking themselves if we're coercing her in some way."

"Hm. I see. That's helps."

"It's part of why I suggested Wu-san for the position he has held here. I didn't select him to be impartial, I selected him because I could trust him to reach out to the people. Without reaching them.... everything gets harder."

"Aye. Makes sense. I admit, I've been a bit hesitant to reach out to them after that first night."

"Yeah, that..."

Sora frowned, then shrugged.

"Imagine, Hisomu-san, that you are doing something you've done once a year for the last five years with no apparent ill effects. You're simply having a party for your festival, a party where people usually feel a bit of euphoria, cut loose and dance. It's a good time, it's always a good time, and you've never had reason to question it. Now imagine a bunch of armed strangers show up- uninvited- but acting like they have every right to be there, and also don't ask any questions. You probably assume that the euphoria is just part of the festival- your leaders have told you nothing. Then these armed strangers- all of whom wear at least one sword just about all of the time- start acting tense and accusing you of misdeeds. For you, the only change is the presence of these newcomers. And now they're on edge, and again, armed. Would you speak up or reach out?"

He chuckled.

"I might, but that's because among the Hikaru we weren't afraid of strangers at all- because we were the well-armed interlopers almost every time we dealt with anyone. For a farmer untrained in the arts of fighting, we can be a rather terrifying bunch."

"I simply figured either they were the enemy or had some great drugs. Either way, I probably should stay from them with my history. But yeah. I see what you mean. It's harder to look at things from someone else's perspective when the enemy isn't straightforward. But necessary." Tadaka makes note to do better from now on.

"All false modesty aside, I've spent twenty-five years presenting alternative perspectives to, among others, the Boss, so I have more experience with it than most. I'm just glad when someone listens, instead of dismissing it out of hand- not because the perspective is inherently correct- or incorrect!- but because it's what people feel, and that means it shapes how they're going to interact with you."

Tadaka nods. "I get it. At least, I think I do."