The Britannians landed in Russia towards the end of June, occupying first the Kamchatka, then Magadan and Chukotka, establishing a defensive line west from the Chersky Range, covering the border with the Republic of Iacutia. Still in August, the House of Lords approved the Euro Britannia Dominion Act, establishing the Dominion of Euro Britannia, instead of the usual Areas. The temporary capital of Euro Britannia would have been the city of Petropavlosk-Kamchatskyi and Grand Duke Henry Augustus Velaines was appointed Vice-Roy of Euro Britannia.

The recently established Euro Britannian Army had inherited several divisions from the Britannian Army, nontheless its main composition was made up by the four Imperial Orders of St. Michael, St. Raphael, St. Gabriel and St. Uriel, commanded respectively by four Grand Masters: Lord Michele Manfredi, Lord Andrea Farnese, Lord Gaudefroy du Villon and Lord Raymond de Saint-Gilles. One being an acquaintance of Giulio and the other being his uncle. In addition to them, the regular Euro Britannian Defence Force was placed under the command of Sir Suzaku Kururugu, Knight of Seven, of Princess Cornelia and of a mysterious figure (at least in Giulio's eyes), named Julius Kingsley. It was this group that a certain evening of late August, gathered in the JOC Petropavlosk, started was discussing about the best strategies to be followed.

"The campaign is going well and we are already pressuring the EU in Iacutia. Yet, none of the EU ports in the region have the structures to ensure the arrival of enough supplies for the troops. This worries me even most once that soon the temperature here will start dropping and when the winter will arrive, should we have not solved this problem, we risk to end like the French in 1812." Observed the Grand Duke.

"I agree, we need absolutely a bigger port." Echoed Suzaku.

"Could we obtain an agreement with the Chinese?" Asked Lord Farnese.

"Not even by joke, they would rather die than let us use their ports to support our campaign."

"In this case, we should give them what they ask for." Intervened Kingsley.

"I beg your pardon, Lord Kingsley, but a war with China in this moment doesn't seem in the interest of the Empire." Replied Giulio.

"I have to disagree, Lord Galahad, our... I meant my father just authorised us to attack them as well. He wants us to reach the Lake Baikal by the winter."

"In this case, I have no objections."

"How many troops would we have to strike an attack on China?" Asked Lord Manfredi.

Looking at some sheets, Cornelia answered: "Some 100,000 soldiers available in Area 11, two aircraft carriers, ten battlecruisers, 35 light cruisers, around 30 destroyers and 40 submarines under the command of Admiral Churchill, all deployed between areas 11 and 12. This not to count on 200 aircrafts."

"The Chinese have one million soldiers only in Northern China, yet poorly armed and badly trained. If you are quick you can destroy them before they can even leave their barracks." Observed Kingsley.

"What do you think, Lord Galahad?" Asked Velaines.

"Je suis complétement d'accord, we can do that."

"We will take care of it together" said Cornelia, who was not looking well at all.

Taken the needed decisions, the participants left the room to return to their posts, Giulio followed Cornelia.

"Is everything alright, Milady?"

"No Galahad, it's not: that Kingsley... he is Lelouch and he..."

They were walking in the corridors, she was going faster and faster and in her eyes, Giulio could notice already some tears.

"Your Highness..."

"Please, let's not keep talking about that. See me tomorrow in the airport."

She left, Giulio remained in the corridor looking at her walking outside.

The 'Operation Marco Polo', as the attack was named, was launched in the following week, without a formal declaration of war. First, the 1st Chinese Fleet was destroyed by the Britannian Navy in an aeronaval raid, during a military drill in the Yellow Sea. Right after, the Britannian Army landed in the Vladivostok Province, from Northern Sakhalin, with Princess Cornelia pushing Southwards, with 50,000 soldiers and Sir Galahad pushing South-Westwards, through Manchuria towards Inner Mongolia, with other 50,000. At the same time, Euro Britannia launched an offensive in its South-western Sector, in the direction of the Lake Baikal. Just as planned, the operation was quick and extremely successful, breaking the European lines in the north and leading to the quick conquest of Vladivostok, Manchuria, Peking, Tientsin and Northern Korea. All this without even giving the Chinese the opportunity to organise their defence.

Afterwards, Giulio and Cornelia met again in the Forbidden City of Peking, where now the Chinese banners were replaced by those of Britannia. Giulio was in a room, having a glass of Scotch and playing 'Rule Britannia' at a piano. Unexpectedly, Cornelia entered the room.

"Look here, Princess Cornelia, a letter from the Empress: they surrender. I am tempted to write back asking who is the Middle Empire now." He was quite cheerful and maybe slightly altered by the third glass of scotch he had in that evening.

"Means that soon we will be back home. This is good." Said Cornelia with certain indifference.

"Are you feeling well, Your Highness?" Asked Giulio, remembering of what she said just few weeks before.

"Yes, yes, but I feel I need to tell you something, as long as you won't tell this to anyone."

"You have my word as knight."

"Very well, I plan to leave everything after the end of this war."

"What do you mean with everything?"

"The Army, the Court, my family, everything."

"And why? How did it came to your mind?"

"There are some strange things that I want to understand and I feel that in Pendragon there is someone or something trying to block me from doing that."

"And if I may, Princess Cornelia, what is it? What are those strange things?"

"First I met Lelouch in Tokyo, during the battle, he was the head of the Black Knights now he is Kingsley, but there's more, I feel..."

"Kingsley is Zero?" Interrupted Giulio. "Next time I'll see him I will make him pay..."

"Calm down, Galahad! If he is where he is it can only be because someone else is backing him... and I suspect this someone else might be my father."

"Votre pére n'est pas un saint, mais c'est trop."

"Yet, I suspect he is hiding something, by the way, look at this:"

Cornelia showed Giulio the full footage of the inauguration of the Special Administrative Zone of Japan. In this footage, Euphemia had a brief meeting with Zero, after which she returned back and started shooting at the Japanese gathered there.

"I can't believe this, she would never…"

"Yet she did." Said Cornelia. Giulio was shocked.

"There must be something behind this, maybe Zero threatened her."

"Impossible, look at her face, she doesn't look forced to do that."

"Then what?"

"Have you ever heard about the Geass?"

"Yes."

"So well, I believe my brother might have one, and I know that my father has another."

"I think I can see were you are getting. So you want to leave everything behind to do your investigation?"

"Exactly."

"In this case, I might have some things that could help." Said Giulio taking a folder.

"What did you found?"

"I have the bad habit of sticking my nose where I shouldn't, and one of those places was your father's office."

"What?"

"You understood. You see, there I found correspondence with a certain V.V., who I haven't yet been able to locate or identify, yet, the things they mention are quite interesting: killing Gods and Geass Order, or Cult."

"What does all this means?"

"Means that either your father and this V.V. are big fans of Nietzsche, or they are hiding something sinister and I suspect is the second."

"Something sinister like killing the Gods? Do you realise that this a delirium?"

"More or less, are you familiar with Plato?"

"Yes, of course."

"Very well, so you know that there is our material world, which is mostly illusory and just a reflection or imitation, then the Cosmos and then the Hyperuranium, where all the ideas lie."

"Yes, and so?"

"And so that all those things are separated and each of them belongs in its own reality in a specific form. Now, imagine that you could blow the barriers between these worlds and force on our world the unity of all beings."

"That's crazy."

"It's a disaster, yes, because the universe is created according with the logos and everything exists following a certain reason, if you blow this order you get… I don't know, chaos, catastrophe."

"Keeps sounding crazy, but I should look into this. Now, I still don't know how this connects with Euphie's death in some way, but I am sure that, for having she doing what she did, Zero must have used the Geass, which automatically leads me to think about some connection with the cult."

"Good guess, I would go for that way too, if I were you."

"Thank you, really, for sharing this information with me."

In that moment Lord Gilbert P. Guilford knocked at the door.

"Your Highness, A Chinese representative is here."

"Quick, hide these things." Said Giulio to her, helping putting everything inside a drawer.

"Let him in." She ordered as soon as they finished with the documents.

Cheng Zhong, High Eunuch, to negotiate on behalf of Her Majesty Empress Tianzi of China. Announced Guilford. Giulio held himself from laughing.

"Your Highness, I came on behalf of Her Majesty to negotiate a settlement to the current dispute emerged between our countries."

Giulio could not resist any more and laughed at the shrill voice of the Eunuch, Cornelia would have reproached him, wasn't for the fact that she had also found it funny.

"That's very diminishing for an Ambassador." Started the Eunuch.

"Vae victis, Eunuch." Started Giulio. "You have no other choice than to negotiate, as we have the power to destroy China in a matter of hours and the desire to end this war quickly. So here are our proposals: you just have to sign the treaty and we all go home happy… and your Eunuchs with a lot of money."

"These are unspeakable conditions…"

"The strong do what they can, the weak suffer what they must, have you ever read Thucydides?" Added Cornelia.

"Do you sign or not? This is just the capitulation, and still gives you enough concessions, which might still be renegotiated at the Peace Treaty Conference, but if you refuse, you might end up losing even more. Have you ever thought of China becoming an Area?" Insiste Giulio.

I" should contact the other Eunuchs."

"Go on, castrato. We will wait." The Eunuch left.

"Undiplomatic but still effective." Commented Cornelia. "And let's be honest, he has an hilarious voice." Both them and Guilford started laughing.

Finally, after some time the diplomat came back.

"Lady Cornelia and Milords, I have talked with my colleagues and they have said that they agree, therefore these are the terms: Utis Possidetis are temporary arrangement until permanent treaty and indemnity of 2.5 millions of Pounds to each Eunuch."

"So we get the land and you get the money, see, there's always a way to get to a win-win situation. Probably in the actual negotiations you might even get back some land in exchange of the Amur and other areas near Siberia." Answered Giulio as both him and Cornelia signed the treaty.

"It's been pleasure to make business with you." Said Cornelia sarcastically.

"And I can say the same on behalf of my Government."

The Chinese diplomat shook the the hands of both Cornelia and Giulio and left, richer than when he entered, therefore happier.

"I honestly hope for her own sake that the young Empress will be, one day, able to get rid of these parasites." Said Giulio to Cornelia as the diplomat left with Guilford.

"Well, this marks the end of my job here. Good luck, Galahad."

Giulio remained very saddened by her declaration.

"Good luck, Cornelia, I hope you will find what you are looking for."

"I wish you the same, dear friend, whatever your objective may be."

"I doubt you would do so if you knew what I have in mind, but thank you."

"I know what you have in mind. You want to destroy the Empire of Britannia, isn't it? After all, maybe it will be better like that, look at what our nation have become."

"Yes, Cornelia, this is a wish of mine, but just as much as I wish to destroy Lelouch and the Black Knights."

"You will need much more luck than I do, with Charles and Lelouch having a Geass."

"Well, on this I am prepared: I also have mine, plus Excalibur." Answered Giulio removing the lens from his right eye and showing the Geass symbol."

"So in the end you are like them..."

No, I am not, Lady Cornelia, I would have never shot a loved person for the sake of my political agenda. But still yes, I want to stop Charles in whatever insane plan he might have and the Empire of Britannia from spreading a sick ideology around the world, just in the same way I want to have my revenge on the coward Lelouch.

"I did not meant to offend you, Giulio, I was just referring to your powers. Anyway, it's time to go now, you will remain in charge of everything. Tell Guilford and the others that I have left for a recognition."

She started heading towards a secondary exit, Giulio walked with her until she stopped him.

"Giulio, you are a kind person and I hope you will keep being like that. Said this, I make you my best wishes and hope we will meet again soon."

"So I hope, Lady Cornelia, I am sure we will all miss you here. Best of luck."

Instead of the usual military salute, they hugged each other, then she left, saluted his soldiers and prepared her Frame for her "recognition".

The notice that Cornelia was missed was given only the following day, while Giulio was now in command of all the Chinese Expeditionary Force. Charles however, was quick in removing him from that position, calling him back in the homeland, promoting him to Major General and assigning him to the Pentagon, the Armed Forces main headquarters in Pendragon. At the same time, the official peace treaty was signed between China and Britannia, assigning to Britannia Vladivostok, the Amur and other lands that China had conquered in the Euro-Chinese war in Siberia. Britannia instead, could annex Hong Kong, Port Arthur and Korea, in exchange for returning Manchuria.

Author's Note:

And after the transitional chapter, our protagonist is back in action. Here I did not wanted to focus that much on the war, but rather on the foundation of Euro Britannia, whose origin is not so clear and especially on the disappearance of Cornelia, that takes place in the beginning of the second season. There is also a small meeting that involves Giulio and Julius (Lelouch), yet there should be more in the future, as they have essentially just met each other and you can imagine what Giulio already thinks of Lelouch, having been told about his real identity. Well again, I hope you are enjoying and keep following!