1609 - Expedition to Taiwan

[japan]

The journey here was not pleasant. Even now, when they were so close to shore, the mood was heavy with anticipation; it was none of the good kind. Their ship had been attacked on the way here, by what Japan guessed were the Portuguese. Many men were wounded and a few killed; while they would now have food for longer, there were less people managing the ship. The attack was something that that they should have expected and while Japan did not like to make any wild assumptions, he felt that the leader of the expedition itself was doing quite a poor job at being that; a leader.

Harinobu refused to tell the crew anything of detail, and he was not aware of Japan’s status so Japan could not demand that Harinobu tell him. As far as anybody was aware of, Japan was just another person sent with Harinobu to help. fortunately, Japan was introduced to Harinobu as someone with influence, so there would be no need to act formally around the man.

Fighting in his home had gotten much fiercer recently. His tormenters, other proto-nations such as himself, had become hard to handle and Japan had left for the expedition. Although he had gotten full permission from the owners of his land, a feeling of shame and regret had filled him as soon as the boat had set sail. It wasn't as if the owners of his land actually needed him to win any battles, and they could gain and lose land without him being there. It did not help, however, that it was expected of Japan to be there when important things happened to his land.

To add to it, Japan did not realize that the person leading the expedition was a Jesuit, fully baptized and all. It was not as if Japan disliked Jesuits, but he felt strange towards the religion itself; the idea of believing in a god, or believing in heaven. If all people went to heaven after they died, Japan wondered where he would go. Did that mean that nations and proto-nations also had a heaven to go to? But then, when would they die? The oldest nation he knew was Yao, and he still looked very young. He had never heard of nations dying before.

And while Harinobu being a Jesuit would have not mattered much at all in the first place, it didn’t help that he was not a very good captain or a leader. His inability to act quickly to the attacks had cost them the deaths and injuries of their men. Japan himself had a few scrapes and cuts here and there, and his body was sore from the fighting and the labour. He was build sturdier than most of the humans however, and he was also, a bit better at fighting than most. Hundreds of years involved in wars did that to a person or rather, a proto-nation.

It was common knowledge that every region with some sort of civilization and culture would have a proto-nation as well. Seeing as the place they would be exploring had a large group of aboriginals, Japan could only guess logically that this place would also have a proto-nation. He was secretly anxious to see what this proto-nation would be like; he had never met a proto-nation who was not strongly influenced by other nations.

They were almost at the shore, although a thick fog prevented the crew from seeing the actual land. The crew silently got ready to anchor, and Japan went back to the main part of the boat, awaiting further orders. Most of the crew members would be staying at the ship to watch over it, while Harinobu, Japan, and select others would be going on land. Japan had heard of the previous expedition to this land; the aboriginals here were fierce and unfriendly to outsiders, and the last time they had gone many of them were killed. Japan was gladly not part of the expedition himself, or else he would have had to deal with the consequences of failing. People who failed with anything that were remotely important never met good conclusions, and Japan wished to have no part in that.

He wasn't quite sure what he would find in this land, but he was on guard. The proto-nation that resided in there would most likely be fierce and wise.

[duckie]

Years ago, they had come- like her people, but not her people, dressed in strange clothes, bearing weapons worse than any her people had been able to create. They'd come in a ship different from any that Formosa had seen before- different than the strange man with dark hair and round features, different than the tall, pale man with light hair. They had wanted her lands for their own- they had tried to take it, killing her people and cutting through her forests. Killing her, slow piece by slow piece.

Her people hadn't allowed it.

They'd chased them away with clever traps, thrown rocks, rolling boulders. The strange people had retreated, and those left behind had served well the villages that had fought the invasion. Formosa had helped, as much as a little girl could, and none had argued- after all, no one could remember a time when she had not been there, dirty and smudged, a barefoot, naked child with unruly curls of hair and a quick, sharp tongue.

They had left, and years passed with relative peace.

But now, standing on the cliff, she watched the shape materialize out of the heavy fog- that ship, that ship that had carried the invaders- no, not the same, but so very similar. It did not belong to the round man or the pale man, but to those who had tried to take her land for their own. And what could she, so tiny and fragile, do to stop it?

She did not want her people to die- when they did, she felt it, like a burning pain, or a stabbing pain, indescribable in her chest. Perhaps... perhaps they would be like the pale man this time. The pale man had not tried to take her lands. He had simply stayed for a while, and then had left again. Formosa turned on her heel and raced back to the village.

Her people understood- they were at the ready, but they would not land the first blow. And so she returned- because she, herself, could not die, it seemed- and stood at the shore, waiting, her child's body tiny against the backdrop of such vast amounts of sand, brightly colored clothing decorated with shells and so, so obvious, so attention-drawing. They would see her, no doubt, and if they attacked, she would run, warn her people... but if they didn't...

She did not know. It was all very strange, this business of people that were not her people.

She was scared.

[japan]

Soon enough, the crew members had started to actually prepare for the landing. Because the land had no actual port or harbour, they would have to get on a smaller boat and paddle through the waters to get to the actual shore. This was the closest they could get without dragging their ship around. Japan helped others get the small boats ready. The expedition would have about four or five people, each person splitting up to explore a different part of the island. They were to go in pairs if possible, but Japan wondered if it would be possible to go alone; he had hundreds of years of experience with places such as these, and he was quite sure of his abilities.

All of the sudden, people on board had started yelling, and everybody was suddenly confused. Through the thick fog, Japan could see a small figure standing on the shore. The fog prevented him from being sure, but he could only guess that the figure was a female. He could not assume anything else about her, but he could not rule out the possibility of her being a warrior. Japan looked at Harinobu for his orders, and the others did the same. Perhaps the man felt pressured because of his past errors, for he looked to his crew and curtly ordered them to fetch his katana. “If they show any threat, we will cut them down!” The man exclaimed loudly, and the other crew men agreed by yelling, “For Tokugawa-sama!!”

There was much cheering and the crew had gotten their enthusiasm back, from the prospect of showing their pride and not letting anyone get in their way. Rather, anybody. Japan held back a sigh; he did not wish to scold or look down on his people, but getting excited by one female that was standing on the shore, seemed illogical to him. And on the other hand, the only people leaving the ship was himself and a few select others. If Harinobu was looking to cut down somebody that was not fighting, Japan would have to interfere; it would not do to make enemies of the aboriginals the moment they land.

A man gestured at Japan to get on the small boat, and so Japan got on the boat with four other people. The waves were unsteady today, the tides stronger than usual. The crew on the boat watched as them as the distance between them grew longer. As they rowed, it became easier to see the figure on the shore, and Japan realized that it was a young girl. “We will not strike down a young girl.” Japan said curtly, in a tone that left no room for argument. Harinobu turned to look at him, and Japan simply stared back, his eyes unwavering.

“It could be a trap. They could be waiting for us to let our guards down.” The man countered. Japan could not deny the reason in the man’s statement so he turned his eyes back to the shore, staring at her. They had no translators, and even if they did, there would be nobody who would know of their foreign language. “We will see what she wants. There is no need to anger the natives without reason.” He reasoned and did not wait for a reply; they had reached the shore.

[duckie]

It did not take long for Formosa to see the smaller boat appearing out of the fog. There were not many in the vessel- four, five, perhaps six at the most, though she was not counting. Fingers clasped behind her back, she rocked on the balls of her feet as they slowly drew nearer, shoulders tense and body thrumming with energy, ready to turn and run at the first sign of hostility.

Yes- these were the foreigners that were like her people but not of her people. She could see it in their faces as they drew closer to the shore, and the anger on the face of the one in the prow made her take an instinctive step back before regaining her nerve and straightening. They were all... strangely dressed, as the last time, and well-groomed in a way that her people had never quite bothered with, unless for special ceremonies.

She herself was not- well-groomed, that is. Her clothes had stains obscured by the bright panels of fabric, her hair was an unruly cloud around her face, her bare toes dug into the warm sand beneath her feet. But a sense of self-consciousness would not develop in her until she was much, much older.

She was wordless as they pulled their boat ashore, still far enough away that she could run if she needed to, and in her nervousness, her fingers tightened around one another until they felt cold to her. They were all so much taller- of course, they were adults, older in body than she. Being in the body of one who had not yet seen eight summers was rather inconvenient, at times...

[japan]

As soon as they got off the boat, they stood in place, a few meters away from the girl. She was young, younger than Japan had first thought; her clothing was tattered and her hair was in a mess, her feet bare and dirty from the ground. She resembled some kind of a wild animal, Japan thought, and he wondered where her parents were. They should have been taking care of her, so that her clothing and appearance was fine. He had to remind himself however, that this island was not as well managed as his modernized one. He stared up at Harinobu, watching his actions carefully; he would step in if anything happened.

Harinobu stared intently at the girl, as if he was trying to look through her. When that continued on for a few seconds, Japan opened his mouth, about to say something, he spoke up. “You! Where are your people?” He demanded, chest puffed out like a proud eagle. Japan looked at him and tried to be as professional as he could; the little native girl obviously did not speak their language. “She does not speak Japanese.” He stated, eyes not meeting him but fixed onto the little girl. It was strange how the girl looked scared, yet she did not run and inform her people of them. She almost looked resigned to this, whatever it may be. Was it possible that this girl could be the proto-nation? Japan doubted it. He wasn’t quite sure how proto-nations worked, since he himself was raised by Yao. However, he was quite sure that a proto-nation with such intelligent natives would be well aged.

The other three people that came on shore took one look at the little girl and the tension in their body was released all at once; little girls were of no threat to them, apparently. There was still a chance that her people were hiding in the bushes however, and Japan did not relax like they had done. But after a few moments had passed, they had still not come out. He studied the area around them, and concluded that there most likely weren’t anybody else near.

“We cannot speak her language, and she seems to be of no harm to us.” Japan pointed out to Harinobu, hinting that perhaps they should leave the girl alone. It would do no good to take her hostage or any sort of things; they were only here to explore the place, not here to cause a war like they had done a few years ago. Leaving the girl alone would be a sign of respect towards their people. However, the girl looked a bit frightened, like a rabbit, and Japan wondered if there was any way of letting her know that they did not come to kill their people.

[duckie]

Every few seconds that passed without any sign of hostility caused more and more tension to seep from Formosa's thin shoulders, and she relaxed in slow, small degrees, dark eyes watching the men carefully. She flinched when the angry man shouted, though, stumbling back a step and trembling the slightest bit, every bit of tension that had left her returning in an instant. The other one, though, the younger looking one... his voice was quiet and soothing.

And he seemed not to be as... volatile as the other man. She took a step forward, then paused for several long moments before taking another, weighing the options and what could happen if she followed through. Over the course of the next few minutes, she slowly sidled up to the calm foreigner, stopping only when she had to tilt her head back at a nearly-painful angle to see his face.

Ever so slowly, she lifted one hand, finger extended to point at them, then out to sea, where they had come from. She said nothing to accompany the gesture, expression one of grave seriousness, one that was not often seen on children's faces. Perhaps they would leave. It would make her life so much simpler...

[japan]

“We’re wasting our time. Let’s get going.”

Harinobu snorted, looking down at the little girl. It seemed that Japan’s coaxing had worked, for the man looked ready to move on. However, Japan’s luck only seemed to last so long. It seemed as though the young girl was not here by a coincidence; Japan watched as the girl slowly walked. So slowly, that Japan almost didn’t know where the girl was going. By this time, Harinobu and the other men had dispersed, completely ignoring him. It was probable that Japan’s soft tone and mercy for the natives rubbed the other the wrong way. Japan didn’t care much at all about that.

The little girl was very nervous, and Japan was quite curious to know her objections. So he stayed as still as rock, so that she would not be scared. When she was right next to him she craned her little neck up, to a position that was most likely very uncomfortable. When she pointed at Japan he tensed just a bit, and watched curiously as she then pointed to the ocean. Although the gesture was probably made so that Japan could easily understand, he unfortunately could not read minds, and in fact, did not understand. However, the look in the girl’s eyes startled him. The experience and wisdom in her eyes resembled that of a priestess’, and far too grave to belong to a little girl’s. Could she be the proto-nation?

It was strange that there were no other natives that had come onto the shore, even when they had not made much effort to hide their arrival. It was strange, that no one was keeping an eye on the little child; the land was wild and dangerous, and he would assume that tribes such as these would be tight-knit. Perhaps she really was a proto-nation. In fact, there would be no harm in trying to talk to her in that language. If she was not a proto-nation she would simply not understand, and that meant that she would be far too young to sense some strangeness in the change of languages.

Japan went on one knee, so that the girl and he could be on the same eye level; as equals. Looking into her eyes, he hesitated; wasn’t she quite young looking to be a proto-nation? Japan and Yong-Soo had grown up quite quickly. Perhaps there was some factor that contributed to her young looks? Deciding to get it over with, he opened his mouth, looking for the right words. “Are you perhaps the proto-nation of this land?”

[duckie]

He spoke it! The language that her people did not understand! Brown eyes widened in wonder that, however childish was still not that of a child's. A step back, toes digging into the sand, and her fingers linked behind her back, fingers twining about each other with her nerves. "Proto... nation...?"

She understood the words, but she didn't quite understand what they meant. "I am this land," she settled for, quiet and secure. There was no other- all of the natives were her people, and though they squabbled, there had never really been any horrid fights between them.

"Leave," she whispered. "We do not want your weapons and your fighting again. Is it so much to ask that you leave us in peace? We have never bothered you, never invaded your lands and attempted to take what is not rightfully ours. Why must you do this to us?"

His face was on level with hers, and she stared into his eyes- so like her own- as she spoke, rocking back onto her heels in a childish motion of self-comfort before taking a step back, then another, as slow as her approach had been. Five steps away, she stopped, more comfortable with that distance. Easier to run, if he was not as calm as he seemed, closer to the overgrown pathways between trees that she knew like her own heart.

"We will not strike first, but know that if you do, your men will fall, no matter how many you bring or how unnatural your weapons."

[japan]

"Leave, We do not want your weapons and your fighting again. Is it so much to ask that you leave us in peace? We have never bothered you, never invaded your lands and attempted to take what is not rightfully ours. Why must you do this to us?"

Taken aback, Japan assessed the situation. It was a skill he learnt over time: when answering somebody, he should think of the other’s point of view before answering, so that they do not react negatively. It was some sort of a personal rule that Japan tried to follow. Quite obviously, the girl was still hesitant. He could now identify the wisdom in her speech, and how she looked far too young to be saying those words to him. Japan was used to talking with children, and he resisted the urge to talk kindly, in a reassuring tone. She was most definitely a proto-nation, and she probably would not appreciate him treating her like a child.

Looking up, he noticed that young proto-nation stepping back, as if she was going to leave. Not wanting her to leave before he could explain their situation he stood up, taking a larger step to catch up with her. “Please wait,” He said, not knowing what he should do to keep the young girl from running. However, the girl had already stopped.

"We will not strike first, but know that if you do, your men will fall, no matter how many you bring or how unnatural your weapons."

Japan doubted that they would lose again if they were to invade. they had been taken aback the last time they had tried, dropping their guards because the people here were not modernized. After this expedition, they would get a better understanding of the land and they would be prepared. However, this was not something he should be saying to the young child; for she held the key to their safety for this trip.

“We are not here to argue,” He tried to explain, using simpler and gentler words. “I know that in the past, my people have attacked your people. But today, we come to you in peace, and we hope to explore your land. We will not disturb your people or the nature on this land.” He had heard of many people coming to this land, in hopes of taking over and utilizing the land. Japan could not promise the safety of this young child in the future; most likely, after they were done exploring his people would develop a strategy and come to invade the land once more. However, Japan did not tell the young girl of this. He couldn’t, not when their safety was on the line.

It was not only the safety of his people that he worried about. Out of his own selfishness, Japan could not bring himself to tell the girl. He would automatically be seen as the villain, and it had been awhile since he had met another proto-nation such as himself. Besides, this girl would flourish with the modernization of the land, he assured himself. He knew, that in the end it was inevitable. They would be exploring this land and spreading the details of it to their allies, and the invasions would begin. He just wanted to put it aside for later.

“I will do my best to control the actions of the people with me.” He promised. That he could promise for sure. Harinobu was rash but not stupid, and he knew that as soon as they disturbed the peace on this land, they would be unwelcome here. This would decrease his chances of regaining his land that he had once lost.