Snippet spoiler: Medium

The Marshal Alphonse Pierre Juin remains to this day a rather controversial figure. Some regard him as a patriot that sought with all his might to defend his country, others a warmonger that instigated the most destructive war in the history of the human race up to that time. As the head of the general staff of the European Union's combined armed forces he was the principal architect of the EU's plan to decisively confront and defeat the Britannian threat. The marshal's plans relied on attacking the Empire on two fronts, engaging it militarily by wresting control of its overseas conquests and inciting unrest within Britannia itself by playing the various noble factions against each other. For the former the marshal fostered ties with the Chinese Federation and set into motion a coordinated campaign to attempt to conquer Australia, Japan, the Middle East, and the Philippines. For the latter the marshal employed the talents of the SDECE, namely in the form of Le Roi Noir, Lieutenant Lelouch Lamperouge, a covert operations specialist who nearly succeeded in his mission of decapitating the Britannian imperial family.

-Toward a New Dawn: The Rise of Euphemia I

Chapter 37: Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum

Jeremy Finch, the newest member of the cabinet of her highness the Princess Euphemia, poked his head into the office.

"Hey Lawrence, do you have a-oh, Lord Rochester. Apologies for interrupting." Jeremy glanced out the door. "Would have been nice if your secretary had warned me you were with someone."

Lawrence chuckled. "She does have a certain sense of humor. Now, did you need something?"

The lawyer glanced at the two moment for a brief moment before closing the door. "Actually, this works well. I could use some background information from both of you, discretely."

The two men seated by Lawrence's desk exchanged looks.

"Alright," Lawrence said cautiously. "Have a seat and we'll see what we can do."

Jeremy accepted the invitation and after making himself relatively comfortable began. "This is probably a bit abrupt, but I was wondering what the two of you could tell me about Baron Heinrich Stadtfeld."

Grimaces were mirrored on Lawrence and Rochester's faces immediately upon hearing the name.

"Well, that can't be good," Jeremy said dryly.

"The fact that you're the one coming to us with questions about the baron," Lawrence began with a sigh. "I won't ask why her highness referred him to you, but this is going to be a colossal headache."

Jeremy frowned. "Is it really that bad?"

"You are a newcomer to the area," Rochester said, "so you are unlikely to even know of Heinrich by reputation. The area's industrial concerns on the other hand are on very good terms with him."

The lawyer regarded the noble thoughtfully. "I thought he was just a commodities broker, the baron."

"Which actually makes him a person of considerable worth knowing to the manufacturers in the area," Rochester stated. "Besides sakuradite Area 11 possesses few natural resources and most of its needs must be imported, whether from other parts of the Empire or from overseas. That makes brokers like Heinrich of some importance to the smooth operation of the local economy."

"You know the baron personally?" Jeremy asked.

Rochester nodded. "We both do. Before my appointment to her highness' cabinet I worked with Heinrich as partners of the Ruvik Group. I specialized in rare earths like sakuradite, he in metals like iron and aluminum. In theory mine was the more lucrative field." The baron chuckled. "Heinrich however proved a more adept broker than I."

"But Baron Stadtfeld is merely one man," Jeremy said. "How much importance could he have on the wider area economy?"

The amusement disappeared from Rochester's expression and even Lawrence grimaced.

"That depends on what commodity contracts he possesses right now," Rochester said surly. "And I would be extremely careful about how you approach whatever inquiry her highness has asked of you, Sir Finch. The last thing I need to happen is for traders to short companies with factories in this area."

"Noted," Jeremy said, "but I get the impression that your concern regarding the baron is more than purely economic."

Rochester glanced over at Lawrence and the other man shrugged.

"You know the field better than I my lord," he said. "You could probably explain its nuances better."

"Your confidence is ever so assuring," Rochester said wirily before looking over at Jeremy. "You probably already know some of this, but the resource extraction industry is dominated by the big three, Anglo, Billiton, and Broken Hill. All three are majority owned by members of the nobility and combined they control something like 70% of the mining industry."

Jeremy nodded. While he was already aware of the basic background, it did not hurt to have a refresher.

"On the other hand a lot of the newer manufacturing companies were established by entrepreneurial commoners," Rochester continued. "These companies are major customers of the mining conglomerates, but there is a not insignificant amount of resentment amongst the more conservative elements of the peerage at the increased economic standing of their owners and even a fear that they might attempt to parlay that economic standing into a greater social and political one. As a result even though the two sets of companies may rely on one other another, there is a great deal of tension that generates cost overheads for both."

"I am not surprised in the least," Jeremy muttered before recalling whom he was speaking to. "Um, no offense my lord."

Rochester chuckled dryly. "None taken, especially since the Ruvik Group and others like it were founded to take advantage of that tension.

At the quizzical look Rochester allowed a more amused smile.

"It is quite simple. The Ruvik Group was originally founded by a few nobles of, lower economic standing than the great peers. We were not poor by any means, but neither did we possess the wealth of the dukes or margraves or even viscounts. We were however still nobles and so the companies they owned were less, touchy in the transactions we performed with them. The prices we paid might not have been any lower than that of the commoner owned companies, but we faced less bureaucratic nonsense in arranging for delivery and the like. By acting as intermediaries the Ruvik Group managed to carve a very profitable niche for itself and in the process established cordial relationships with the newly wealthy middle class." The baron glanced over at Lawrence. "Some such relationships went a bit beyond merely cordial."

Lawrence feigned clearing his throat. "The greasing of the wheels that Ruvik performed in the past is less salient these days, but they do serve other important purposes. Namely at least in Area 11 when a local manufacturer, especially the smaller or medium sized companies, puts in an order for raw materials, it's usually Ruvik that they buy from. The group owns a network of warehouses and storage tank facilities that allow them to more easily stockpile raw materials. This way it's cheaper for companies to go to them than to arrange for delivery of raw materials from overseas themselves, economies of scale and whatnot."

"Alright, that makes sense," Jeremy said. "But that's all still from an economic perspective. You two are worried about something beyond that."

"We're getting there," Lawrence assured his friend. "Now generally the businesses in Area 11 fall into one of two categories. Those like KBR only really care about looting the local economy, extracting as much short term profits as they can without regard to the long term. There are other companies however that are interested in the long term development of the area, who want to turn the economy around. There are upwards of seventy, eighty million people living in the Area, that's a lot. All these people are potential workers and consumers that over the long term could generate a very healthy return if the proper investment is put in, or so the thinking goes. Now, which set of businesses do you think her highness the viceroy should take care in upsetting?"

Jeremy narrowed his eyes. "And you are saying that the Baron Stadtfeld is highly regarded by this segment of the business community."

"Very much so," Rochester stated. "And unlike certain others Heinrich's conduct as a businessman has always been impeachable. If her highness really wants him investigated for a matter, it had better be very, very grave and the evidence airtight. Otherwise her, reputation for capriciousness will be more than just grumbling from nobles trying to hide genuinely dirty laundry."

"Combined with the fact that the baron's daughter was caught up in the attack on Ashford," Lawrence added. "Sympathies are more likely to be with Heinrich than with her highness depending on what exactly the princess wants him investigated for."

That elicited a grimace from Jeremy himself though the man refrained from offering an explanation as to why he reacted that way at the mention of Ashford. The change in expression did not go unnoticed however by Lawrence and Rochester and the former reacted with visible alarm.

"You're not serious."

Jeremy looked at his friend. "What?"

"Her highness asked you to investigate Heinrich over the Ashford attack?" Lawrence said incredulously.

This time Rochester too regarded the other man with concern. "Is that true?"

"I can't talk about it in detail," Jeremy said firmly. "All I can say is her highness has questions for the baron and his daughter and he is being reticent."

"Oh Hels," Lawrence muttered. "Cole's been depressed since this whole matter started, and now Kallen is being suspected of something?"

"Cole?" Jeremy said quizzically. "Your son goes to Ashford, he knew the Lady Stadtfeld?"

"He took her to the school dance," Lawrence said bitingly. "And he was planning to ask her out on another date before the attack happened."

Jeremy felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. All he managed was a simple, "Oh."

"Perhaps we should speak with her highness directly," Rochester suggested. "This, matter is becoming exceedingly complicated."

"Yes," Lawrence said as he rose. "Yes, I think that would be a very good idea."

Euphie considered the scrolling text on her monitors with care. The research that had been uncovered involving the woman designated Subject C was extensive, to say the least. It was also sickening to contemplate. The project had apparently hit a dead end with their latest vivisections and were contemplating moving onto the woman's brain before Euphie stumbled upon its money trail. The princess was finding it harder and harder to think of Clovis in a good light seeing the lengths he was prepared to go to in his quest to unlock the woman's apparent immortality. That really was Cecilia possessed, not just accelerated healing but outright immortality. The lengths to which Clovis' research team went to prove this fact was enough to turn Euphie's stomach.

In some ways it was a wonder Cecilia did not seem to hold a grudge at all against Euphie herself. In others the princess genuinely regretted that the woman responsible for saving Nunnally had been subjected to this sort of torture. Then again based off of what Milly had told her Cecilia did not even react to Nunnally when in the girl's presence. Ruben seemed certain that Cecilia was the one that brought Nunnally to the Ashfords but until Euphie could directly speak with her there were simply too many unanswered questions, not least of which was what Cecilia herself might know about Empress Marianne's murder.

The intercom buzzed, drawing Euphie out of her musing. She reached over and pressed the button.

"Yes?"

"Your highness, Baron Rochester, Sir Kraft, and Sir Finch are here to speak with you."

Euphie frowned. That was a rather odd combination.

"Please send them in."

"Yes your highness."

The door opened and the three men entered. Strangely enough it was Lawrence in the lead instead of the baron, suggesting he was the instigator of this gathering. They stopped before the desk and bowed.

"Gentlemen," Euphie greeted with a nod and a smile. "Please, have a seat." They did so and the princess nodded. "Now, how may I help you?"

Lawrence took a deep breath. "Your highness, am I to understand that the Lady Stadtfeld is somehow under suspicion for the Ashford attack?"

Euphie's eyes narrowed and she shot a questioning glance at her attorney general.

"Jeremy has revealed nothing of confidence," Lawrence spoke up in his friend's defense. "He however found need today to come to my office to ask some questions about the Baron Stadtfeld, of whom myself and Baron Rochester are acquainted with."

"I see," Euphie said, though she did not immediately take her gaze off of Jeremy. When she did she looked back at Lawrence. "I suppose I should have expected that."

The man said nothing in response, instead waiting for the princess to answer his question. Euphie sighed and leaned back into her chair.

"The Lady Stadtfeld is not a suspect in the Ashford attack," she stated. "She is however a person of interest whom needs to be interviewed. Unfortunately she has disappeared and the Baron Stadtfeld is either unwilling or unable to assist in locating her. Does that satisfy your question, Sir Kraft?"

The man frowned. "I am afraid not, your highness."

Euphie smiled ever so slightly. "You're worried about your son, aren't you, Sir Kraft?"

Lawrence's jaw tightened. "Yes your highness. Cole has been growing closer with the Lady Stadtfeld ever since the dance."

The princess nodded. "And as his father you do not wish for him to become entangled in any security matters." Euphie smiled reassuringly. "Fret not, Sir Kraft. I spoke with your son briefly after the memorial ceremony at Ashford and I say to you now what I said to him then. Kallen is not suspected of complicity in the Ashford attack. In fact there is reason to believe she was a target of it. I seek to offer her my protection, nothing more."

Lawrence frowned, unconvinced. "Then why investigate the Baron Stadtfeld, your highness? Your conduct creates the impression that the Lady Stadtfeld would have reason to decline your protection."

There was such a reason though at this point Euphie had no intention of sharing it with Lawrence and the others. That Kallen was the Red Knight was still a fairly classified matter, known only to select members of the military, her own personal guard, and unfortunately the Knight of Twelve.

"Kallen and I have, disagreements on certain political matters," Euphie allowed. "While I cannot know what is on her mind, seeing as those that attempted to take her life were members of the Gendarmerie it would not surprise me if she felt offers of protection from another authority such as myself to be suspect."

Lawrence regarded the princess for a few moments before leaning back into his chair. It was never a good thing when she started on the doubletalk like this and became evasive. For the most part Euphemia tended to be rather frank with her cabinet so as to minimize confusion of what her policies intended. The last time there had been ambiguity regarding her goals all of them got blindsided by the Lord David's summary execution.

"Your highness," Lawrence said carefully, "while I have never met the Lady Stadtfeld, the impression I have of her from my son is of a young woman who cares deeply about her home, this area. Under normal circumstances that would suggest to me the two of you share common ground. And yet the fact that there is someone out there prepared to suborn the Gendarmerie to go after the Lady Stadtfeld, and that she might feel sufficiently suspect of the rest of the authorities to go into hiding, implies that whatever disagreement exists between the two of you is a serious one. I believe the incongruity between the two is plain."

Euphemia frowned but kept her tone light. "And your point, Sir Kraft?"

"My point, your highness, is that with all due respect I find myself in a situation where there are two possible conclusions to be drawn. The first is that the Lady Stadtfeld has been deceiving my son, which makes her a danger to him and one I feel I have a right to be aware of. The second is that the Lady Stadtfeld has been entirely honest and in her honesty genuinely believes that the Britannian authorities do not have the best of intentions regarding her home." Lawrence's eyes hardened. "And if she has actual cause for that belief, especially in light of the attempt on her life, then I am afraid I would have to tender my resignation."

The two men seated aside from Lawrence sucked in their breath. Euphemia herself made no audible reaction but her eyes flickered in surprise. Several moments of silence passed before she nodded.

"You raise a valid point, Sir Kraft. You raise several in fact and I can well understand your hesitation. And because I understand, I will do something that I have not done in a very long time. I give you my word that Kallen Stadtfeld is not herself a danger to your son, and I also give you my word that the disagreement between her and I, while of a fundamental character, will not see you called upon to compromise your own integrity."

The frown did not disappear from Lawrence's expression as he absorbed the princess' words. "And in exchange for your word I am to be content of my ignorance of the truth behind these matters, your highness?"

Euphemia smiled sadly. "I am afraid that at this point that is all I can offer, Sir Kraft. The matter that Kallen has found herself entangled in touches upon something far above the duties of your present station. It would be, best, for all if you remain removed from them."

Lawrence continued staring at the princess before finally taking a deep breath himself. "Your highness, this will be the second time you have asked me to accept on faith your word on a matter. I will do so, but I cannot promise that should a third such instance arise my decision be the same."

The princes nodded firmly in understanding. "Thank you, Sir Kraft. I myself hope to never have need to ask of you this implicit trust again, but I thank you for giving it to me now."

As the tension seemed to break in the room a quiet surrounded the four until Rochester broke it by clearing his throat. Euphemia raised an eyebrow as she regarded the baron.

"Your pardon, your highness," Rochester said, "but there was another reason that Lawrence and I decided it was necessary to speak with you regarding the Baron Stadtfeld. Namely, the potential commercial ramifications should it become known he was under investigation."

Euphemia frowned. "The baron is simply a commodity broker, how could he possibly affect the economy of an entire area?"

At that both Lawrence and Rochester grimaced, a reaction that did not escape Euphie.

"Well?" she said, prompting the two for an explanation.

By the time the two finished said explanation Euphie was mentally cursing Kallen again for the massive headache cleaning up after the girl was turning into. Her head was already starting to hurt as she contemplated the need to sort through all of the futures, options, and other derivative instruments to determine just what level of damage one Baron Heinrich Stadtfeld could do to the local Area 11 markets if pressed. This almost certainly balanced out Kallen saving her life, Euphie decided, oh so very much.

The Hôtel de Brienne was constructed in 1725 by François Duret and eventually bought by the state in 1817, becoming the home of the French defense ministry. With the formation of the EU the building became home to the wider European defense ministry and its halls were filled by officers and bureaucrats from across the continent. Several of these officers were seated in one of the myriad conference rooms, all finely decorated in the style of the old symbols from France's imperial past. If any of the men present found any irony in their surroundings they refrained from voicing them.

The General Staff of the European Armed Forces were representative of the major powers within the EU. Maréchal Alphonse Pierre Juin of France served as its head with the German Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel as his immediate deputy and chief of staff. The British, not Britannian, General Richard O'Connor served as director of operations while General Pytor Ivanovitch Ivashutin of the Russian Federation acted as the intelligence director. The group was rounded out by the Austrian General Hubert Wingelbauer in charge of personnel matters and the Spaniard General Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado responsible for logistics. Together these six men could be said to represent the entirety of the European armed forces, or at least the most relevant parts of it. At the very least nothing got done without their express agreement. Conversely if they did agree on something, even the European Commission would find it difficult to impede them. Which was entirely the reason they were gathered today.

"Monsieurs," Alphonse began in his native tongue. "I have called you all here today to discuss a most grave matter. Two in fact, albeit merely opposite sides of the same coin."

"And would that coin be called Britannia?" Pytor said with a slight smirk in the same language.

"Oui, mon ami," Alphonse said.

All of the assembled were fluent in French seeing as it was the official language of the European Union. It was a legacy of past French imperialism, both militarily and culturally. The old Russian aristocracy for instance used primarily French at court while after its conquest the British Isles saw attempts to impose the French language upon its populace. That particular venture ended up being less than successful, not least because the Gaelic speaking regions of the United Kingdom were as obstinate about having a mainland language imposed upon them as they had been when the same was attempted with English in the past. Ultimately though it mattered not what the official languages of each country was, everyone who sought to advance in the EU's government or military knew and used French in matters of state.

"All of us have watched with great concern at Britannia's expansion," Alphonse continued. "Erwin here even sparred with one of their regiments on the Suez."

Grumbles sounded from the others, not out of any disrespect for the German field marshal's accomplishments but for the sheer debacle that allowing that many Britannian soldiers onto EU soil was. Something like that simply should not have been possible, but it happened and even after Erwin thoroughly thrashed the would-be invaders the EU government actually accepted the nonsensical explanation from the Empire that it was all the doings of a rogue officer. That the central EU government was so spineless in its dealings with the Empire was a source of frustration and even resentment amongst the men gathered here, some more the latter than merely the former.

"With the fall of the Middle East Federation and the control of the Persian Gulf that this gives the Empire, they possess the ability to cut off all easily accessible oceanic routes between the EU and the Chinese Federation," Alphonse stated. "Their intent is quite obvious, to encircle and separate the only two powers capable of challenging Britannian hegemony over the world."

The Frenchman nodded over to Erwin who continued. "At present the Chinese are in an even bigger bind than us. The Britannians control effectively the entire southern approach to Federation territory thanks to their possession of the Philippines and Australia. If conflict breaks out the entire Malay Archipelago would fall within a matter of weeks. Add to that their ability to strike at the Korean peninsula from Japan and India from their newly establish position in the Middle East, the Federation's chances are, not good to say the least."

"But surely the Empire itself would be stretched trying to maintain operations on so many fronts," Richard pointed out. "They are still consolidating their conquests in the Middle East, never mind the active insurgencies in Japan and the Philippines. Granted their position in Australia is as secure as in North America, but even so we're talking about a very, very long supply chain to keep all of their forces fighting."

"That is true," Erwin agreed, "but the Filipino insurgency has not been nearly as successful as we would have hoped. The Britannians have been particularly ruthless in suppressing it and the minor incidences of sabotage that the Filipinos have been able to achieve would not measurably affect the Empire's ability to fight and defeat the Federation." The German glanced back at Alphonse. "The Japanese situation is even more complicated."

"The new, well, current viceroy has proven far more competent than any of her predecessors," Alphonse picked up. "Her efforts in stabilizing Japan are making considerable progress and based on intelligence gathered by several agents we have in the country, there is a real risk of a negotiated end to the insurgency and the acceptance of Britannian rule."

Pytor raised an eyebrow at that. "And why have I not seen such reports?"

Alphonse smiled wirily. "Apologies, general, but the operation was run through the SDECE instead of EU military intelligence. I'll see that the relevant information is forwarded to your office however."

The Russian grunted, less than pleased but for the moment accepting of the situation.

"Needless to say if the Chinese Federation falls the EU is next," Alphonse went on. "And I for one would prefer not to allow the Empire to decide when the final battle to determine our respective nations' fate begins."

Looks were exchanged between the three generals before Richard spoke for them.

"Are we to assume you have a plan, marshal?"

"I do," Alphonse affirmed. "Or rather, we do." A nod went in the direction of Erwin. "A preemptive strike against Britannia's overseas positions to eliminate their use as staging points against the EU."

Looks of shock and disbelief answered Alphonse's proclamation.

"The commission would never approve of something like that," Richard said for his compatriots.

"On the contrary," Alphonse said confidently. "I will be putting the question to the commission next week and I expect approval."

The British general's eyes widened. "Sir?"

"I have spoken with the Italian and Russian representatives," Alphonse said, shooting a brief glance at Pytor, "and they have indicated that their governments are receptive to proposals to check Britannian encroachment upon EU territory. The Italians were especially willing to contemplate offensive action in light of the fact that Britannian forces are basically right next door to their African colonies."

Richard's mouth thinned. The current balance of votes on the commission was very, very narrowly in favor of seeking a diplomatic resolution to the Britannian issue. Or rather, the hawks were not quite able to muster the votes necessary for the formal declaration of war they needed to proactively go after the Empire instead of waiting for Britannia to fire the first shot. A two thirds majority was needed for that and the informal count amongst the commissioners had the pro-war faction short only two votes. One now, if the French marshal's remarks about the Italian government's concern were accurate.

"Are you saying that we'll finally be allowed to do something about the Empire?" Hubert spoke up.

"Indeed," Alphonse said with a fierce grin. "And we won't be the only ones. The Chinese Federation has made overtures about a possible alliance against the Empire. In fact they are proposing a joint operation to free Japan, and its sakuradite reserves, from the Empire's grip."

"A, joint operation?" Pytor said quizzically.

"Those agents I mentioned being in the country," Alphonse explained. "They've been working with the JLF to plan a major offensive against the occupying Britannian forces. With outside support, they actually might have a shot at ejecting the Empire from Japan."

That got everyone's attention and Alphonse grinned again. "That being said, if the Chinese were the only ones to front troops for Japan's liberation the newly restored government might be inclined to favor them despite our own clandestine support." The marshal's eyes wandered over to Pytor again. "Regrettably I have not been able to stage forces in the far east."

The Russian grinned back. "It could be done. A training exercise by Vladivostok, composed of elements of the national army instead of units under direct EU command. With a few words in the right ear, it could be done."

"I presume you have something similar in mind for the Middle East?" Manuel asked, breaking his silence.

"Yes and no," Alphonse said before nodding to Erwin. "Our plans for the Middle East are a bit more, direct."

"There is a major training exercise scheduled to take place in Turkey," Erwin said. "It was originally planned to reassure our Turkish allies that the EU would defend them now that it shares a land border with a Britannian Area. On the other hand the disposition of forces that will be in the country would provide us with the assets necessary to directly invade the Middle East and forcibly eject the Empire."

The four generals did the sums in their heads. All knew of the upcoming exercise, the units expected to participate, and most importantly the current estimates of Britannian strength in the region.

"It's not enough," Richard said for all of them. "The Britannians haven't drawn down their strength like we expected them to after they crushed the MEF's standing forces. They still have six divisions with two knightmare regiments attached. In theory we could match that number, but any attempt by us to move a decisively larger force into Turkey would be seen by the Empire as a provocation. They might decide to launch their own preemptive strike in that case."

"Agreed," Alphonse said to the surprise of his subordinates. "Which is why we must achieve a qualitative edge over the Britannians. Erwin?"

Attention shifted back over to the German.

"The 1st Panzer Division," the field marshal stated. "Over the past few months it has been working up the new Panzer Hummel combat walkers." A wide, almost boyish smiled appeared. "It achieved operational readiness two weeks ago."

That got the others' attention.

"Excuse me field marshal, but I was under the impression that production was still being scaled up for the Panzer Hummel," Manuel said.

"A slight sleight of hand," Erwin said. "The Hummel has been in serial production for several months now and we were able to reequip the entire 1st Division. It will however be the only division so equipped for the short term as production has been focused on building up a stockpile of spare parts and even backup units to ensure that 1st Panzer is able to conduct a long term campaign instead of being worn out after the first blitz." The German chuckled dryly. "That was something of a problem the last time I was in the field."

"A single division," Hubert said. "Two regiments of our own knightmares. Will that actually be enough to tip the scales in our advantage?"

"I believe so," Alphonse responded. "Remember also that the Britannians are on the tail end of a very long logistical chain. Once our navy is able to seize control of the Arabian Sea, we'll have cut off their only means of getting fresh supplies."

"The Britannian Sixth Fleet will not be easy to defeat," Pytor noted. "Perhaps some assistance from the Black Sea Fleet will be warranted?"

"How fortunate that they are already scheduled to participate in the Deep Water exercise," Alphonse said. "Along with a taskforce from the Italian navy."

The generals once more mulled over the numbers. Taking into account everything said by their superiors it was starting to look like they actually stood a chance of overwhelming the Britannian forces in the Middle East before the Empire could respond. And if the Chinese were willing to help pin down Britannian forces in Japan and secure the Indian Ocean, then their chances went up dramatically.

"To properly sustain a campaign will need significant supplies to be stockpiled in Turkey," Manuel finally said. "Along with the transportation to keep up with the advance. I doubt we could repeat the Britannian strategy of simply capturing enemy supplies."

"Not likely," Erwin said with a snort. "The Britannian vehicles use gasoline, not diesel for one. The only reason it worked out for the Marshal Cornelia was because the MEF had substantial stores of both."

"I will have to look at the storage capacity available to us in Turkey," Manuel said. "And our trucking capacity as well for that matter."

"A major point of the exercise is intended to demonstrate our ability to quickly shift resources to Turkey," Alphonse said. "I am sure you will be able to requisition the necessary vehicles to make it a success."

The room fell silent again as the officers each contemplated the challenges they would each face. For some the problems were merely technical in nature. For others, it went beyond that. That war with the Empire was inevitable was an accepted fact amongst the militaries of the European Union, the only real question was when. Most officers had resigned themselves to waiting for Britannian to fire the first shot, a rather unpalatable choice seeing as it left the initiative in the hands of the Empire. Now though a chance was being offered that would see the EU stand on the offensive instead of cowering and waiting on the defensive. The notion was more than a little appealing.

"I understand that there may be reservations about launching a preemptive strike against the Empire," Alphonse said with a firm tone. "All of us know full well the consequences and horror of war. Yet it is not we who invites those horrors but the Empire itself. The EU has many times offered the olive branch to Britannia only to see its overtures spurned. And thus it falls upon us, those schooled in the art of war, to wage it so that peace may follow." The marshal looked over his subordinates, his eyes seeming to gleam. "Let us not be found wanting in this charge."

The Sumeragi Group's interests in sakuradite mining saw them own significant amounts of infrastructure like warehouses and depots. Combined with the number of workers needed to look after all this infrastructure, it was trivially easy to hide the platoon of JLF soldiers that came to them. It was slightly less trivial to hide the four knightmares but after a bit of rearranging and reorganization one of the group's warehouses was designated as storage for volatile compounds and set aside for the breakaway JLF unit's equipment.

The party that entered the office building attached to the warehouses was surprisingly large. At the center were two young women, only one of whom Tohdoh recognized. The other was to his surprise Britannian. While his own expression and that of the older Senba was merely curious, the other members of the Four Holy Swords immediately adopted a wary, even suspicious attitude.

"Sumeragi-sama," Tohdoh greeted with a respectful bow.

"Colonel Tohdoh," Kaguya replied with her usual genial smile. "Your soldiers have settled in well?"

"They have," Tohdoh said, "though there is some restlessness. They are eager to continue the fight against Britannian even with our reduced number."

"Their dedication is to be commended," Kaguya said, "but before we can do so certain things must be verified." She glanced over at the red haired girl. "Colonel, allow me to introduce Kallen Kouzuki, the Akakishi."

Tohdoh's eyes widened, as did that of his subordinates. All of them had heard of the Akakishi, the Red Knight, that had come to the aid of the Britannians at Kawaguchi before bedeviling them in other places, often in a red Sutherland. Then there were the rumors involving Shinjuku where a resistance cell managed to steal Sutherland knightmares from the Britannians and in the process assassinate the Prince Clovis.

While Tohdoh had had no better idea of who the Akakishi might have been, the last thing he would have expected was the mysterious insurgent to be a young Britannian woman. The man frowned and regarded her more carefully. Britannian, and Japanese woman.

"Kouzuki-san," Tohdoh said respectfully. If this woman really was the Akakishi then she was deserving of at least that much courtesy.

"Colonel," Kallen responded with equal politeness.

"I have brought Kallen here today to discuss two matters," Kaguya continued. "The latter is to formulate a new stratagem to regaining Japan's sovereignty. The former…"

Kaguya's gaze fell to Kallen and Tohdoh's followed. The woman looked him straight in the eye and the battle hardened colonel felt a slight chill run down his spine. The Akakishi's eyes were a cold, icy blue.

"Lieutenant-Colonel Tohdoh Kyoshiro," Kallen said flatly. "Are you under secret orders from the SDECE operatives currently manipulating the JLF."

Gasps sounded from behind Tohdoh and the man did not need to turn about to know that his subordinates were taking affront on his behalf. Before they could vocalize their outrage however he responded.

"I am not, Kouzuki-san."

Kallen studied Tohdoh carefully, noting the even breathing, steady heartbeat, and most importantly the lack of inflamed arteries in the man's brain. Satisfied, she nodded. And then turned to the woman standing slight to the right behind Tohdoh.

"Lieutenant Chiba Nagisa. Are you under secret orders from the SDECE operatives currently manipulating the JLF."

Chiba glanced over at Tohdoh and the man nodded. Her response to Kallen however remained brusque.

"No."

Again Kallen spent a few seconds observing the person so questioned before nodding. She repeated this three more times with the rest of the Holy Swords before turning to Kaguya.

"They're clean, as far as I can tell."

Tohdoh regarded Kallen curiously. "You possess an ability to detect deception, Kouzuki-san?"

"Deception is not the problem here colonel," Kallen responded. "It is mental subversion."

"Pardon?"

Kallen glanced over at Kaguya. Despite being younger the girl could be far more eloquent. Probably something to do with her having actually paid attention to her etiquette lessons instead of constantly dodging them.

"We have reason to believe that the subversion of the JLF is due to mental conditioning having been performed on the leadership," Kaguya said.

The confusion on Tohdoh's face only grew upon hearing this. "Mental conditioning?"

"Indeed," Kaguya said with a nod. "Did you not tell me that during your meeting with General Katase he seemed to be under some sort of coercion?"

Tohdoh's expression shifted from confused to thoughtful as he thought back to the encounter. True the general appeared to be under a great deal of pressure but he had originally attributed it to distress and a concentrated effort by his superior to find some way out of the trap the JLF was caught in. Now though, now he could see the general's haggard visage as that of a man struggling under some sort of mental compulsion. He could see it, but that did not necessarily mean he believed it, yet.

"What proof do you have of this conditioning having taken place?"

At this a look of sorrow appeared on Kaguya's face. "After or you came to me I dispatched Ichijo to discretely make inquiries to the JLF. He returned claiming to know nothing. Akakishi-san discovered that he had been subverted, unwillingly, and restrained him. Once his conditioning was discovered however we believe a failsafe implanted in him to prevent questioning caused him to suffer a fatal stroke."

Tohdoh's eyes widened and he gazed at the young woman before bowing his head. "My deepest condolences, Sumeragi-sama. I knew Ichijo-san and he was a good man."

Kaguya nodded. "Which is why we must ensure that his death not be in vain."

The Japanese colonel considered the two women standing before him. In Kaguya he saw the regal bearing of someone raised and groom to assume the mantle of leadership. In the Akakishi, a woman whose steely eyes seemed to burn with such passionate strength that it threatened to overwhelm her slender form.

"You have a plan, Sumeragi-sama," Tohdoh remarked.

"We have a plan," Kaguya said, nodding back toward one of the other members of her party.

Another woman stepped forward and Tohdoh regarded her carefully. Her features were rougher than that of the Sumeragi retainers and from what little he could see of her hands they were covered with calluses.

"Inoue Naomi," the woman introduced herself with a bow. "I serve as the Akakishi's, quartermaster."

In other words the person responsible for all the hard work that allowed warriors like Akakishi and Tohdoh himself to fight. The colonel bowed respectfully.

"Inoue-san," he said before stepping aside. "Seeing as this discussion will take some time, shall we be seated?"

The three women nodded in turn and followed Tohdoh to the large conference table and arrayed themselves around it. Once they were all settled in the colonel nodded to Kaguya once more.

"When you came to me, colonel," Kaguya began, "you warmed me of a diversion from the JLF's original plan to attack Britannia's forces in western Japan. Instead the JLF now intends to strike at Tokyo itself, which risks destroying any hope we have of restoring Japan's sovereignty."

"That is so," Tohdoh said gravely. "A way must be found to stop them."

"That may not be possible," Kallen said. "We have little to no understanding of how the mental conditioning was performed and no idea whatsoever of how to disable the failsafe. That's even assuming we could get ahold of the JLF leadership and neutralize the SDECE agents manipulating them. And something tells me that if we try all it'll do is result in is creating a schism within the JLF that will see it fighting with itself."

Tohdoh grimaced but could not disagree. "Then you have an alternative, Akakishi-san?"

Strange, even though he now had a name and face to attach to the appellation it was still more natural to refer to her that way.

"Without the JLF there is effectively zero chance of wresting our sovereignty back from Britannia," Kallen said. "The rest of the resistance groups combined could not hope to match the combat power the JLF represents and building up a new JLF would be nigh impossible with the increased scrutiny Japan would be under after an attack on Tokyo."

"That is so, but what alternatives do we have?" Tohdoh responded. "Only through force of arms will the Empire ever be made to surrender its dominion over Japan."

Kaguya and Kallen exchanged glances and it was the younger girl that spoke next.

"Tell me colonel, when you say Japan's sovereignty, what do you mean?"

The colonel frowned. He was a seasoned enough man to know when an ideological trap was laid before him.

"I consider it to be the ability of our people to choose their own fates without outside influence," he answered nonetheless.

Kallen smirked. "I said much the same to her highness when I rescued her at Kawaguchi. Any guesses what her response was?"

Tohdoh's head turned to regard Kallen. "She made the claim that that condition is impossible to ever truly achieve."

"Exactly," Kallen said, "which got me thinking. Why did I want that, condition? Because the right to self-determination was being denied to my people while Britannia rules over us. And by ejecting the Empire from Japan we could regain that right. Or so the thinking went." The smile disappeared. "Which raises another question. Why is it necessary that we wait until the empire is ejected before we begin exercising that right again?"

Tohdoh opened his mouth to start answering. And then closed it. It was not an ideological trap after all, it was a very pertinent question.

"My answer would have been because the Empire would have never allowed us to assert that right without its acquiesce," Tohdoh said. "I suspect you have a different answer entirely."

"Quite," Kallen said. "We don't need to wait. Or rather, with the viceroy that we have now I believe we can assert our right to self-determination in ways that she cannot clamp down on easily without significantly undermining her efforts to win over the populace."

The colonel frowned. "This was attempted, in a manner of speaking, with the Fuchu political prisoners. The, princess was remarkably successful in subverting the operation. What makes you believe she will not manage the same with whatever you propose?"

"She subverted it, but she did not completely eliminate its effects," Kallen said. "There have been reports of prisoners who refused to recognize the viceroy's so-called clemency and simultaneously reject Britannia's authority to hold them prisoner. Her highness can decree whatever she wants but reality is not obliged to follow her whims."

That was also true and Tohdoh acknowledge it with a dip of his head. "Then let us hear your plan."

Both Kallen and Kaguya looked over to Inoue and the gazes of the JLF officers followed accordingly.

"At present the ghettos of Tokyo outside the Concession have very minimal rule of law," Inoue began. "The Britannian authorities do dispatch patrols, but they are infrequent and crimes that are actually reported generally go uninvestigated. What actual policing happens is done almost exclusively by those resistance cells inclined towards it, but we tend to be spread very thinly and lack both equipment and training. We think it's time to change that.

"The viceroy's sponsorship of the Keio University Medical Campus has created a relatively stable island within the otherwise chaotic ghettos. This is in partly due to the platoon of soldiers, mostly Honorary Britannians at that, that patrol the hospital grounds. They do not venture far however and with the inflow of cash the area is seeing we have also seen an upsurge of petty crime. Over the past few weeks the cell commanded by Akakishi has been networking with other cells in the area, building up a network of patrols to try to deal with the surge. We think this network can be used as the foundation of a proper policing force, one that does not answer to the Britannian authorities and would have very little reason to sign on with any offers from the princess. In addition, this policing force would be an unequivocal statement on the part of the Japanese people that we are not solely beholden to the Britannians for what should be basic services that all people are entitled to."

"And in the process you would build up a cadre of men and women whom know how to operate in units in a disciplined manner, an army in all but name," Tohdoh mused as he glanced over at Kallen. "I thought you said it would be impossible to rebuild the JLF with the increased scrutiny from Britannia."

A hungry smile appeared on Kallen's face. "I said it would be impossible after the attack on the Tokyo Concession. On the other hand our own force would be firmly established by the time of the attack." The smile disappeared. "And during the attack we will probably be the only faction that cares about all the civilians caught up in it."

Tohdoh grimaced at that but again could not disagree with the young woman's assessment. The JLF as it was now probably would not take any effort to minimize collateral damage. He could also see the advantage that the Akakishi's organization would garner if they were visibly seen to be trying to save people. To his immense regret there really was not anything he could do to save the JLF now, especially if the mental conditioning was true. But perhaps he could see to it that the dream of a free Japan did not die with it, as Katase had asked of him.

"And how would my own troops contribute to this, police force?" Tohdoh asked.

"We were thinking that your officers and NCOs could serve as trainers for the cells in our network," Inoue responded. "Most of them know how to shoot a weapon, sort of, but to instill the type of discipline we need to create something reputable we need experienced men and women to pass on their knowledge to the cells."

Tohdoh nodded. "A reasonable approach. It would also serve to maximize the effectiveness of my available forces."

"There is also the very real possibility that when the fighting starts, in order to protect the civilian population we may have to engage the JLF," Inoue stated.

"That is absurd!" a man exclaimed. "We would never fire on our comrades!"

"Your comrades," Inoue said back icily. "Until this day we've never had any dealings with the JLF. While you've been hiding and biding your time for some grand offensive we've been bleeding and dying in the fight against the Empire."

"How dare you-"

"Asahina, Chiba," Tohdoh said without bothering to raise his voice or shifting his gaze. His two subordinates immediately fell silent nonetheless. "You raise a valid point, Inoue-san, but no matter what has happened to the JLF they are still our brothers and sisters. If we raise our arms against them we will be in effect aiding the Empire."

"The JLF's attack on the Tokyo Concession will fail," Inoue stated flatly. "You know this as well as I. At this point the only thing we can hope to achieve is to minimize the fallout. If you are hesitant about the potential need to engage the JLF in order to do this then I say to you what I said to Kaguya-sama, you are not fighting for Japan, you are fighting to satisfy your own pride."

Tohdoh's eyes widened slightly and he glanced over at the girl in question. Kaguya however simply nodded to affirm Inoue's words but had none to add herself. The man looked back at Inoue.

"You ask a great thing from us," he stated.

"No more than what we ourselves have already given," Inoue replied.

The two held each other's gazes in silence for a seeming eternity. In truth probably no more than a minute or so passed.

"We will participate in the training program," Tohdoh finally said. "And when the time comes, we will fight for the people of Tokyo. But we will never lend aid to Britannia."

"I have not once asked you to," was Inoue's response.

Again Tohdoh said nothing for several moments before finally nodding. He then glanced over at Kallen.

"And what do you intend to call this, police force of yours? The Aka no Kishidan?"

Inoue snorted and Kaguya even let out a slight giggle. Kallen raised an eyebrow and regarded them humorlessly.

"You two were the ones who came up with it," she chided. "Why don't you tell him?"

Another snort from Inoue before she looked over at Tohdoh again.

"Akatsuki," the woman said. "We decided to call ourselves Akatsuki."

Akatsuki. Dawn. Tohdoh glanced back over at the Akakishi. Kouzuki Kallen. Kouzuki. Red moon. And found himself smiling slightly. It was a fitting name, in tribute to the young woman that had set into motion the chain of events that led them to this moment. And it was a symbol of what they hoped to achieve for Japan, a new dawn.

End of Chapter 37

This, chapter ended up sprawling somewhat due to the length of certain conversations. And the meeting with the European generals was a pain in the ass to write. Choosing historical figures to serve as members of the general staff was also tricky. Finding noteworthy officers in the 1960s era is actually somewhat difficult. Well, finding European ones at least.

Mansfield doesn't do personalized tests, the tests are all the same. To do otherwise would kind of defeat the purpose of the tests. And Milly glossed over a lot of details about how he does the customized homework. Specifically, Mansfield was actually the oldest instructor at Ashford, with many, many years of experience. In fact had the attack not killed him he would likely have retired within the next two or three years. Over the years of his career he has accrued a very large collection of problem sets, with hundreds if not thousands of example problems and their answers. When he creates problem sets for homework, he doesn't make up new ones, he picks from his collection. There are also a couple of other circumstances that make it feasible for him to do this, not least of which are the teaching assistants that Ashford employs to help all of the teachers. There was a running joke amongst the teaching staff about whenever they need one of the assistants, they ask of Mansfield's assistant is available. He also doesn't need completely unique problem sets for each student, there are common problems if multiple students have the same difficulty and so on. Yes, I did think through this when writing Mansfield's eulogy. I did not make up the whole homework thing on a lark.

It's interesting the varied reactions to Kallen's father. Some like him, or at least like the fact that with his appearance Euphie has run into someone whom she has not yet been able to just steamroll over. Others hold a less positive opinion of the man. I really only have two remarks in response.

First, thus far Heinrich's background still hasn't been fully revealed yet. His past with Kotone, the divorce, etc, while one can infer that these did happen much as in the Code Geass anime, the rationale and Heinrich's own thoughts about it are complete unknowns for all of you. Also keep in mind that what we do know about Kallen's parents we learn from the girl herself and her explanation is mixed in with her bitterness about the whole thing. So even in canon we don't have a complete picture of what happened. On the other hand I think it's pretty obvious that I intend to develop that particular backstory in more detail, so jumping to conclusions one way or another about Heinrich's character would be, premature.

Second, Euphie's already orchestrated the execution of two dukes. At this point it's pretty clear that it doesn't matter how high you are in the order of noble precedence, if you're on her shit list you're going down. As such Heinrich's nobility offers him little to no protection if Euphie actually guns for him. Heinrich isn't an idiot and knows this, so if he intends to confront Euphie he'd employ other means. What those other means are were hinted at in this chapter and will be properly shown next chapter. It would have been part of this chapter but I've already hit 8k words and the scene in question promised to be fairly lengthy as well.

Anyway, one other note. It should at this point be obvious, but the story is far from done just with the R1 arc. I've been hinting at larger things that are going to happen for quite some time now. So, no, Lelouch is not going to die in the Black Rebellion. In fact the Black Rebellion can be said to be the true start of the proper story when all hell breaks lose. And it's not going to be pretty.