(spice-crackle)
(NHK reporter talking to Admiral Kano Nagisa of the Ctholon militia)

NHK:	What do you expect from this new Dark Kingdom?

KN:	They are in a place very close to what we found ourselves in, back in
	1986.  They have a largely untrained populace, and very little in the
	way of a proper military, and no historic allies.

	Like us, however, they have the backing of the Japanese government,
	and a distinct techological advantage.


NHK:	Why is the Japanese government backing the Dark Kingdom?

KN:	They want the trade considerations and technological transfer promised
	by King Serenity, as well as to be on the good side of the newest
	great power.

NHK:	Great power?

KN:	Yes.  They are at a low ebb right now, but that is changing as we
	speak.

NHK:	How is that?

KN:	We sold them sixty-four of our F-16XL fighters, and loaned them
	maintenance personel and pilots until they can train their own people.
	They have several fighter designs in early production stages, but they
	have to build up from a non-industrial base.

	Their Mercury Power Station is less than a tenth complete, but is
	already producing enough power every day to supply the United States
	for a year.  They have the power and the skill to do whatever they
	want, and with our help, they have the personnel.

NHK:	So, you trust them with your people?

KN:	Yes.  If the Japanese government hadn't helped us through the
	transisition, the entire world would have suffered for it.

	Our technology has put humans and Ctholon both on the Moon, on Mars,
	and the beginnings of several bases in the asteroid belt.

	This almost didn't happen, the Ctholon almost fled our space without a
	trace, and, if I'd been a little more dead, they would have.

	Because I survived -- stop me if you've heard this story too many
	times,

NHK:	No, go ahead.

KN:	They stayed.  Or, more explicitly, she stayed, and the rest did
	because she did.  Unfortunately, they had no idea how to run a
	government, or a proper military, and most of them were rather groggy
	from spending six hundred years or more in suspended animation.

	After spending six weeks listening to the horrible bickering of the
	four big committees I appointed myself Admiral, at the ripe old age of
	sixteen, and took over formation of the Militia, with the Navy
	constituted as part of it.

	That got rid of two of the committees, and left me to figure out what
	to do about the fact that we had a military consisting of ninety
	warriors, thirty-two giant robots, of which twenty four needed repair
	and eighteen of those ended up being dismantled for spares, sixty
	fighters, and one capital ship.
	
	As you know, we've managed to pull things together since then, and the
	remaining two committees paused their bickering long enough to appoint
	Prima Chancellor, and tell her to keep things under control until they
	could figure out what to do.

NHK:	Which they never did.

KN:	Actually, they have.  About a year ago, they layed down a method to
	choose a new Chancellor, and ones to protest our actions, and then
	said that we should continue as we had, since we'd been doing OK so
	far.

	The Ctholon has always been quite maternal, and they've appointed us
	to the role, and expect us to listen to the grandmothers.  It
	generally works out.

NHK:	What can you tell us about King Serenity and her court?

KN:	They're good people, they're very young, and they will make mistakes.
	
	Within ten years, they will have changed the entire face of the world.

NHK:	Will that be a good thing?

KN:	I have no doubt.

(splice-crackle)
---
log:
started 2001 Jan 19