December 30, 1942, early evening - A middle-class residential neighborhood near Yokosuka Naval Base, Tokyo, Japan
Retired Admiral Yonai Mitsumasa walked casually through the evening twilight, looking for a particular apartment building. He was alone, with no guards or escort. Considering he had been the target of several assassination attempts over the years, this was most unusual. However, one of the reasons he had survived those attempts was that he held the personal trust of the Emperor. Indeed, he was considered by many of those in power to be the last of the Genrō, the unofficial, but powerful, advisors of the Imperial Court. Such men were not trifled with lightly.
The reason he was out in the evening was that he did not wish to be discovered in his current task. He was seeking a man who was currently in bad odor with the senior commanders of the Imperial Japanese Navy. He stopped, double-checking the address his contacts had given him. This was the right building. He entered, walking up to the third floor to one of the apartments. He knocked on the door.
Inside, Captain Takeda Moriji was having a quiet evening after a long day in the supply offices of the Navy base when he was surprised by a knock at his door. He answered, but did not open the door.
“Who is there?”
“That is not important. Let me in, now” was the quiet, but emphatic reply.
Takeda hesitantly opened the door, his eyes going wide when he recognized who was there. “Please come in, sir.” He opened the door just enough to allow Yonai in, showing him to the small dining room table. “May I offer you some tea, or perhaps sake?”
“Sake, please. And bring a cup for yourself, you will need it.”
Takeda’s eyebrows rose again. He brought an unopened bottle and two cups, showing the seal to Yonai before he opened it. He poured two cups. They sipped. “May I ask why you have honored my humble home with your presence, Admiral?”
“You have certain information that has become of the utmost importance to the war. Tell me everything you know about the Republic of Texas, and it’s Navy.”
Copyright 2025 D.A. Brock
No comments:
Post a Comment