Shogun Shige Shige took a deep breath.
He instinctively straightened his already neat collar, squared his shoulders, and looked resolutely toward the open hatch.
The first to pour out were squads of burly, stern-faced Marines of every rank.
Most of the soldiers wore white long-sleeved shirts paired with blue neckerchiefs.
Their lower halves were clad in blue trousers and polished black combat boots.
They also wore military caps emblazoned with the letters "MARINE."
Snow-white capes draped over their shoulders.
Yet their equipment varied widely. Some were barehanded, some carried long swords on their backs, while others had standard-issue firearms at their waists.
Their movements also carried a powerful sense of discipline and efficiency.
The noncommissioned officers above the soldiers were dressed largely the same.
The difference was that the neckerchiefs around their throats were green.
Commissioned officers wore an additional white jacket, but no longer had capes.
Above them, field-grade officers and generals possessed the enviable Coats of Justice, along with matching suits of their own choosing.
As they rushed out of the hatch, they swiftly spread out to either side.
Like a white tide, they seized the key positions around the plaza.
With overwhelming pressure, they formed a cordon that forced the Samurai back again and again.
Behind these elite soldiers, four officers clad in Coats of Justice descended the gangway with steady steps, their bearing clearly far more formidable.
Their expressions were calm, their gazes as sharp as eagles as they swept over the Shinsengumi standing ready for battle, the Okachishu Samurai, the Yoshino Family onmyoji, and the Oniwabanshu hidden in the shadows.
There was neither hostility nor timidity in them—only the indifferent detachment of official business.
Finally.
A tall, middle-aged commander with golden pupils, resolute features, reddish-brown hair, a mohawk, and a neatly groomed horseshoe mustache appeared