IV: Power
War and Politics in the 21st Century by Albert Kennedy
The First Atlantic War
"One can simplify the circumstances of the war into a simple analogy. The Europeans were an inwardly focused empire in decline, much like the later Roman Empire. After the age of colonialism had ended the Europeans suddenly stopped expanding their realm. The horrific losses in The Great War seemed to permanently reduce the once mighty EU into a completely reactionary empire. When national assemblies in Spain and Italy resisted decrees made by the Council of Forty in Paris, the Council relented. When African colonies demanded greater autonomy, the Council relented. When the Middle Eastern Federation declared its independence from the EU, the Council relented.
Despite having men, material, and cooperation from National Governments, the Council was reluctant to engage in war.
This meant that when the First Atlantic War broke out, decision makers in Paris were left flat footed. No offensive strategy was in place to bring the war to Britannian shores, despite naval parity, and as a result the cities being fought over would be European ones.
Britannian invasions in Spain, Morocco, and South Africa would completely divide the already decentralized forces of the EU even further. Meanwhile the Empire could make precise, focused strikes with forces led by a coherent central authority. Citizens in South Africa were left waiting desperately for aid from Paris, or for national forces in neighboring member countries. The case of Morocco was especially egregious as almost immediately the nation was deemed indefensible and abandoned by the generals of the EU. This, of course, led to much consternation among Moroccan leaders…"
Morocco - February 28th, 2016 a.t.b, 227 RY - City of Tangier
Lelouch vi Britannia - Eleventh Prince, Seventeenth in line to the throne.
"I think it's very clear what we ought to do." General Andreas Darlton's deep voice rang out across the room. "We need to move quickly before the Europeans can regroup. Their grip on Tetouan is flimsy and if we hit them now, we can smash them."
The holographic monitor that they were all gathered around flashed as Darlton pressed a point on the displayed map. The screen zoomed in close to the Western Mediterranean and the important cities of the region began to appear.
Seville, Cadiz, and Gibraltar, appeared in the northwest as part of the Iberian Peninsula. Along the center were the cities of Tangier, where a purple cluster of icon represented their forces, and merely 26 miles from Tangier was the city of Tetouan.
"We've gotten word that many of the forces that resisted us in the landing have moved further east of Tetouan, heading deeper into Algeria. It's clear that they don't expect to hold onto the city and we shouldn't waste time in taking it." A trail of blue icons represented the assumed path of European retreat further into the nation of Algeria.
"Isn't it suspicious for them to split their forces and leave a portion to simply die?" A Brigadier General besides Lelouch spoke up and voiced his concerns.
"The Moroccans aren't going to abandon their cities for a defense-in-depth strategy that would take them into Algeria." Lelouch hadn't even realized he was speaking until the words were already out of his mouth.
He wasn't technically supposed to be a part of this meeting, seeing as he was only a Colonel, but Cornelia had insisted. If anything were to happen to her, he would be the highest legal and military authority in the entire theatre of North Africa. Funny how none of the rules applied to royalty, not even in the military.
"Correct." Darlton agreed. He sent a small smile over to Lelouch. It was likely that the man was going to give the same answer.
"That essentially means the rest of the EU is conceding Morocco to us." Darlton continued.
"However, they'll be a lot more spirited won't they Darlton?" Cornelia asked rhetorically.
Darlton shrugged. "They can be as determined as they like your highness. It won't stop better men and material."
"That's what I like to hear. Now then, here is what we're going to do." Cornelia got up from her throne and stepped over to the screen everyone else had crowded around. Darlton and a few other officers moved to give her space as she stood at the head of the table.
"Now that the entire 2nd Imperial Army has arrived into the theatre, we will proceed with a two pronged assault. We cannot afford to leave our flanks vulnerable to guerrilla attacks by the Moroccans, and therefore we need to take the remainder of the country."
Cornelia pushed the map around with her hand and panned it over to include the entirety of the nation. It revealed the dozens of remaining major cities in the nation that still had to be captured, most being on the western coast.
"The Fifth Imperial Army will not be coming to reinforce us. They are instead being deployed to open up another front in South Africa. This leaves us having to go two directions with only one army."
Lelouch stared the the enhanced map of Morocco as his sister spoke. He had the suspicious feeling that the entire Britannian campaign was playing into the hands of the Europeans. Their series of easy victories in the Atlantic, the relatively simple conquest of Tangier, and even the half-hearted invasion of Gibraltar, something about it all was off.
"I will be heading east with Corps I through Corps VI. Meanwhile the subjugation of Morocco will be left to the remaining four Corps under General Alwin Albertson and… Prince Lelouch vi Britannia."
Wait. What was that?
His head shot up and he stared at Cornelia incredulously. She gave him a small smirk before turning to once again address the rest of the gathered officers. Lelouch quickly looked around and saw that almost everyone else was as shocked as he was, so this hadn't been planned out by them in advance. The only ones not looking surprised were the familiar faces of Guilford and Darlton who gave him a knowing look.
"Your highness… Are you sure about this?" The same Brigadier General spoke up besides Lelouch to question Cornelia. It wasn't a stretch to assume he was likely miffed at being overlooked for the task in favor of a Colonel.
Lelouch couldn't blame him.
On paper it would seem like General Alwin would be in charge, but the man had no royal rank. He wasn't even a noble either, being one of the few commoners that attained a rank as high as General in the highly aristocratic favored military. Legally he would have no choice but to obey Lelouch's orders, seeing as he was a Prince. Effectively almost half of an Imperial Army was being handed over to a Colonel whose list of combat encounters could fit on an index card.
The archaic systems of the Empire really were spectacular weren't they?
"I'm very sure. General Alwin is capable and I am confident that my brother will prove to be a capable commander. Besides, they'll likely only be dealing with Moroccan national forces. Now, let's move on to specific troop allocatio-"
"But… your highness!" The officer made the mistake of interrupting Cornelia and not understanding when a topic was done being discussed. His sister fixed the offender with a harsh glare, completely stopping any further words that may have been about to come from his mouth. After a few moments of silence, whatever had driven him initially to speak out faded, the man bowed his head in apology.
The rest of the meeting concerned how the army would be split between him and Cornelia. She would be getting six corps, essentially 300,000 men, as well as the bulk of the Knightmare companies. He would be left with around 200,000 men, with the addition of a couple garrison divisions. Supply distribution, chain of command, operational plans for the future, etc etc. It all seemed to meld together and pale in comparison to the initial revelation of his assignment. This level of responsibility being given to a Prince only 17 years old was almost unprecedented. The only other royal family member in recent history with command on that scale was Cornelia, and even then she had a cadre of experienced officers that were loyal to her.
Lelouch would essentially be given free reign to subjugate Morocco and orchestrate a major part of the war.
It was exactly what he had been looking for. Power was what he wanted in the end after all. Of the dozens of imperial children, only a small handful possessed any meaningful sort of authority. That handful consisted of viceroys, such as Clovis, generals, such as Cornelia, and the unique case of Schneizel as the Prime Minister. This command was going to distinguish himself from the countless other Princes vying for the throne. It would establish him as a real player in the game for Imperial Succession, albeit one tied to Cornelia.
This definitely was not some absent minded assignment by his sister. She had to have known the implications of her decision, and what it meant for him. His suspicions were confirmed when he found himself being asked to stay while the other officers were dismissed after the meeting.
He immediately headed over to Cornelia on the other side of the display table once they were alone in the room.
"So how do you like my gift?" She asked him with a smile. "After our little fight two days ago about how I was 'mistreating' the natives, I was considering having you sent to Gibraltar, or even back home."
That was a surprise. Being sent to Gibraltar to serve under Prince Cassander? That would have been the end of his time in the First Atlantic War. After the first disastrous invasion, the Europeans seemed content, if a bit wary, to leave the little fortress to its own devices. And being sent back home in disgrace? That may have meant the end of his time in the military completely. His father was not a man for second chances.
"Corneli-" Lelouch was silenced by his sister as she placed a gloved finger on his lips and her other hand on his shoulder in a display of familial warmth.
"I came to my senses after calming down, and I began to understand your feelings. I'll admit, domestic policy isn't my forte. You'll be better off with Schneizel, or even Clovis, in that department. So here's your chance with some real power and responsibility."
He found his mouth slightly agape as he stared at his smiling sister. He hadn't expected to be rewarded for the argument they had mere days ago. Lelouch had protested against the harsh treatment being inflicted on the occupied Moroccans by the Britannian soldiers, and indeed it was cruel and unjust. But his sister had firmly disagreed with any notion of cracking down on the troops in what she deemed 'a naive exercise to make you feel better'. He had come to terms with the idea that he would have to live with it, he was only her subordinate, but suddenly all that had proved to be false.
An immense sense of gratitude overcame Lelouch. He had thought of his sister as completely bullheaded and unrelenting, perfect for military pursuits, but incompetent for anything else. Nothing but shame remained when he considered his false evaluation of Cornelia. He had completely underestimated her willingness to change.
Lelouch inclined his head towards his already taller sister and spoke earnestly, "Thank you… You don't know how much this means to me."
He felt her arms wrap around him in a strong, yet warm brace. Laughter resonated from where her head rested on his shoulder.
"Gratitude from Lelouch vi Britannia? The world must be ending." She pulled back from him but kept a hand on each of his shoulders and held him in a firm grip whilst maintaining eye contact.
"I promise you sister, I won't fail." As he spoke Lelouch knew that the weight he put on this promise was the weight he put on any promise he made to Nunnally or Euphemia. It was the weight of staying true to a loved one.
"I know you won't Lelouch, I have faith. Faith that the next time I see you I'll be waving from the other side of the Suez."
He quickly picked up on the humor of her tone and the implied challenge in her words. "I doubt it. Perhaps I'll come flank Algier for you once you finally reach it, it'll be nostalgic."
Cornelia snorted in a display of unrefinement that would have been unacceptable for a Princess in public. "You win one victory and suddenly think you're Alexander the Great. Besides, how do you plan to flank them? From the Sahara?"
"I'll come up with a way to make it work." Lelouch shrugged.
Morocco - March 1st, 2016 a.t.b, 227 RY - City of Tangier
Lelouch overlooked the procession of troops exiting the city from his vantage point on the roof of the Governor's Mansion. Cornelia had already left the city and was making preparations to capture Tetouan.
She had taken most of her Knightmare Companies and as much infantry as she could fit on trucks. Now she was waiting for the remainder of her corps to catch up on foot. The Moroccans had bombed the roads connecting Tangier and Tetouan, which would make movement difficult. But the cities were close enough that it would only be a minor delay to his sister's plans.
"Magnificent, isn't it your highness?" Jeremiah's voice held a certain tinge of reverence towards what he was witnessing. The sight of tens of thousands of troops marching out of the city in pristine ranks was sure to inspire any Britannian patriot.
He nodded, the sight truly was magnificent.
"And soon enough we'll be heading out of the city ourselves." Monica added excitedly. "How does it feel your highness? To go from leading nineteen 'ragtag' pilots to 200,000 soldiers?"
Lelouch replied honestly, "Disconcerting."
She smiled and gave him a pat on the back. "Don't worry, Jeremiah and I will be here to help you. Not to mention old general Albertson too!"
He returned Monica's smile briefly before turning back to the procession.
"Speaking of the man, is he trustworthy my prince?" Jeremiah asked him.
Lelouch shrugged. "I can only assume he is. Cornelia wouldn't have given him to me otherwise."
Jeremiah nodded. "Then this is the opportunity you've been waiting for."
The man was right. The whole point of him enlisting in the military was to gain distinction and true command. He hoped the Emperor was watching. He wanted him to see as his son won victory after victory and vanquished the empire's foes. He wanted him to realize that Lelouch was worthy of the name vi Britannia, worthy of his blood. He wanted him to understand, when Lelouch stuck a dagger in the man's heart, that it was his choices that ultimately led to his downfall.
Calm down...
Lelouch sighed and spared one last sight at the departing soldiers before turning to Jeremiah and nodding in agreement. "Yes. I can't afford to make any mistakes in this endeavor. I'm grateful for the loyalty you've both shown. But subjugating 30,000,000 Moroccans isn't going to be easy."
"I'm confident you'll succeed in any task your put your mind to my prince."
He laughed at Jeremiah's words. "I don't need sycophants and flatterers, just capable officers." Lelouch turned away from the balcony. "Come. I want to go look at some maps."
BRITANNIAN MILITARY COMPOSITION
2ND IMPERIAL ARMY
~500,000 men divided into:
10 corps of 50,000 each. Further breakdown into divisions, brigades, and battalions.
~1000 Knightmare Frames divided into:
Companies of 100 and units of 20.
~6000 Armored trucks, artillery, infantry transports, supply vehicles, etc.
Obviously the 500,000 infantry is divided into specialized divisions for things like engineering, sieges, assaults, marine actions, etc. The primary purpose of infantry in the Britannian military is for occupation. A single well piloted Knightmare can be worth a hundred infantry or more but a thousand knightmares are not going to be able to hold and police millions of square miles of territory. Whereas the Knightmares are the point of the spear that penetrates and actually defeats the enemy, the infantry are there to make sure they stay defeated.
The primary difference between a Britannian army and a more primitive army is the replacement of tanks by Knightmare frames. Things like artillery are still very much present and necessary.
There are air and naval forces attached to the 2nd Imperial Army, but they're separately engaged in Spain and the Mediterranean.
It's all rough I know, I know. I'm not exactly a military buff so if anyone has any criticism please let me know.
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A.N
ChunkyFunkyMunky: Thanks! I definitely agree that a big part of Code Geass is Lelouch's 'love triangle' with CC/Kallen/Shirley. I do intend to eventually do a pairing, although I'm not too sure about what the pairing will be. I can confirm that it won't be incest, honestly I don't think it's in character for Lelouch, especially with Nunnally. I'll update the story characters once the plot gets to a point where there will be a pairing, but I don't think that'll happen for a couple thousand more words.
reanseih: I'm glad that someone reads the history portions, I really enjoy writing them. The idea of making Han the ruling dynasty wasn't mine, I found it on the Wiki. Although it isn't confirmed in the show, there is a place in the Federation called the Mausoleum of 88 Emperors. That indicates that the current ruling dynasty has had 88 emperors which translates to over 2000 years if you assume each Emperor ruled for an average of 25 years. So Han is pretty much the only one that would fit from our real world dynasties. I definitely can't wait to expand more on the history of the Federation and I hope you enjoy what I've got.