Royal Court

The Royal Court is the main body of government in SANABI, and is the same government that the protagonist formerly served under during his time in the military. Although they play little direct role in the events of the game, their presence is a key element behind the story, as their army pulls the protagonist out of retirement to have him chase down Sanabi when they are suspected to be the force behind a terrorist conspiracy in Mago City.
== Structure ==
=== Military ===
The army is the only known branch of the Royal Court's military; it is unknown whether any other branches exist. The protagonist previously served under this military for an extended amount of time, achieving the rank of Brigadier General as well as gaining status as a legendary war hero. His lieutenants, Major Song and Colonel Baek, served with him in the Special Task Force of Uigeumbu No. 17, and apparently continued to do so long after his retirement.
The army mostly consists of robotic soldiers, as seen with Colonel Baek's unit, with only a small handful of humans (such as the general and his lieutenants) seen involved in the military. One unit, the Tomb Troops, is entirely automated, and is used as a brute-force instrument that fires indiscriminately on everything on their sight, regardless of their affiliation. Even the few humans who operate in the field do not do so without the help of cybernetic enhancements; the general, Song, and Baek all wield prosthetic arms that double as weapons.
The army's symbol is a winged tiger, crouched and baring its fangs, which is seen most prominently in the general's "Steel Tiger" medal, a high military decoration reserved only for generals like himself. It is also seen emblazoned on the army's helicopters, as well as the Tomb Troops' Firebird attack drone. The general's unit also references the imagery of a flying tiger in its motto, "We are owls that never cry, and tigers that don't leave foot prints."
=== Government ===
Very little is known about the Royal Court itself, as they are only directly mentioned a handful of times. The Royal Court is a monarchy at its core, as Major Song states her orders come directly from the king. The Royal Court appears to have very little direct interference in the activities of its citizens, as most duties such as maintaining infrastructure and peacekeeping are typically left in the hands of corporations such as the Mago Group.
However, the Royal Court has a strict set of laws, borderline draconian in nature, which even corporations like the Mago Group are subject to. Most notably, the charge of treason is punishable by not just the execution of those accused of it, but also the death of their family members, friends, associates, and even neighbors; depending on the severity, multiple generations may be condemned to death for committing such an act.
The Royal Court also holds strict laws over technology. Despite its heavy prominence, the technology behind artificial intelligence is strictly controlled by the state, presumably to prevent it from being weaponized against them. Additionally, the research of certain technologies, such as the digitization of human personalities, can potentially be classified as treason in itself, along with the punishment it carries. Although the Royal Court officially claims that it is illegal due to ethical concerns, Mari cynically posits that the real reason it is outlawed is because they cannot control personalities like AI, and for that reason, it could be weaponized against them (a scenario that ends up becoming true).
It is implied that the Royal Court does not physically reside on the surface of the planet, but in a gigantic structure suspended high in the air, which is only briefly witnessed when they descend on Mago City. In cases of extreme turmoil, the Royal Court may intervene directly, an action that is considered so extreme that both the protagonist and Major Song comment they never expected to see it in their lifetime. In such cases, they are capable of using an unknown superweapon powerful enough to wipe an entire city from existence, apparently vaporizing it in an attempt to rectify the situation, as they almost do with Mago City.
== Throughout SANABI ==
=== One final mission ===
The Royal Court makes its first indirect appearance in the game through the national army, as Colonel Baek confronts the protagonist to recruit his help in hunting Sanabi, at command's request. Ten hours later, the army flies the protagonist out in a helicopter over Mago City, explaining that the entire city went dark 24 hours ago, and that its entire population of citizens mysteriously vanished. All but one of their operatives sent to investigate mysteriously disappeared; the sole survivor was Mari, a computer engineer recruited into one of the investigation teams, who managed to get a distress call out from the city.
Before the protagonist can be briefed further, the city's automated defenses fire on his helicopter, apparently hijacked by Sanabi. Concerned for his safety, Colonel Baek attempts to abort the mission, but the protagonist refuses, claiming that Sanabi will escape for good if he turns back. As a result, the helicopter is shot down, forcing the protagonist to proceed on foot. Due to the communications blackout, all contact with the military is lost, leaving the protagonist alone aside from Mari.
=== The execution of the King's order ===
The Royal Court is directly mentioned during a flashback scene, where an obsessive Mari is investigating the Mago Group. A hacker colleague of hers finds the "Sanabi Project" in their files, which involves the use of datafied human personalities; they elaborate that it is a "Class 1 forbidden technology" and, as such, is considered treason. Although her friend suggests they blackmail Mago, or take the information to the Royal Court, Mari declines, figuring that Mago would simply kill them instead.
After reaching the top floor of Mago City, the protagonist and Mari discover that the Royal Court has deployed the Tomb Troops due to the ongoing chaos, in an attempt to resolve the situation by force. The protagonist figures that the Royal Court sent them due to the chaos caused by Sanabi. Due to their indiscriminate nature of targeting everything in their sight, they attack the pair. After being given an upgrade by Mari, the protagonist proceeds further through the top level, battling and defeating their Firebird attack drone.
Inside the Mago Group's headquarters, the two are confronted by Major Song, who attempts to kill the protagonist and take Mari out of the city with her. Despite the protagonist's protests, she ignores him, but ultimately spares his life when Mari threatens suicide to coerce Song into letting him go. Should the player choose to return and save Mari, Song reveals that he is a combat android, and that he cannot be allowed to live, as she must execute the king's orders.
After defeating Song, Baek intervenes and dispatches the protagonist, swiftly disabling him and claiming that the Royal Court will descend upon the city to prevent the incoming nuclear explosion. Though neither of them recognize the protagonist, they discover and remove a voice filter that blocks his speech, allowing him to reveal that he knows their identities. Skeptical that he may in fact be the general, they disable him and take him aboard a helicopter out of the city.
=== The Royal Court descends ===
While unconscious, the protagonist explores his repressed memories and discovers the truth about himself. The protagonist himself was, in fact, the Sanabi Project, an attempt by the Mago Group to create a mass-producible killing machine, which could then be uploaded into their Worker drones to create an army against the Royal Court. By manipulating his memories and altering his perception of reality, they could convince the project that a fictional entity named "Sanabi" killed his daughter, which could then be substituted for any target of their choice.
In reality, the basis of the project, the real general, had his personality turned into data by his daughter (revealed to be Mari) after his wife was murdered. Knowing that it was highly illegal, he attempted to destroy the data, but the Mago Group sent hitmen to kill him and steal the data for themselves. With the general dead, the military promptly investigated his murder, but Mago executed their own assassins to cover their tracks, leaving the Royal Court unaware of their involvement.
After ten years of struggles, Mago successfully managed to complete the Sanabi Project, but Mari stole the copy acquired by the hacker she hired. Knowing that their security had been breached, and knowing of the consequences if the Royal Court discovered their treasonous conspiracy, the Mago Group decided to destroy all evidence of their plot by self-sabotaging Mago City and overloading its nuclear reactor. In the present, the Royal Court descends over Mago City, intending to vaporize it as a less catastrophic alternative to the fallout of the nuclear explosion.
After the protagonist regains consciousness, he returns to the city in an attempt to save his daughter, where she explains that the Royal Court will leave the city alone if the nuclear reactor is disabled. After an emotional reconciliation between the two, the protagonist ultimately decides to disable the reactor from the inside, sacrificing himself for both his daughter and the city. True to Mari's prediction, the Royal Court spares the city from annihilation.
In the aftermath of the game's events, Mari joins the army under her father's old unit, fulfilling her childhood dream to be a soldier like him. The Royal Court launches an investigation into the events in Mago City and begins to execute surviving corporate executives, while disgruntled civilians discuss the idea that the Royal Court may take direct control over the city, remaining unaware of Mago's treasonous conspiracy.
== Trivia ==
* The Royal Court is based on the late Joseon dynasty of Korea, as is its military.
* No members of the Royal Court make any sort of physical appearance in the game. However, in the epilogue, a man interrogates Mago workers about the destroyed crusher. It is likely that they are some sort of investigator who is directly affiliated with the Royal Court.
* The Royal Court is an established surveillance state, as it keeps track of its citizens via "civilian codes" and biological signatures. This is precise enough that they are able to measure the exact number of citizens of Mago City, and their general locations, prior to their disappearance.
* As there are very few civilians ever seen, little is known about public opinion of the Royal Court. However, several denizens of Mago City are upset to learn about the Royal Court taking control, and Mago Group's president claims that the royal family only serves themselves, as well as claiming the country was on the brink of collapse before Mago was founded half a century ago. Between these statements and the Royal Court's extreme laws, it is very possible the Royal Court is viewed as despotic by many of its citizens.