25th of December, 2024
Canazei, County of Tyrol, HRE
"Giulio, are you ready? We'll be late for the Sol Invictus." Said Anya, waiting for her husband to come out of their bedroom.
"Yes darling, just a second." Replied Giulio. He was not well, as his eyes were burning in an unbearable way, no matter how much he would wash them. He looked at the mirror in the bathroom of the suite and saw that the sign of the Geass had appeared in his eyes, with a vivid red colour.
"Giulio, come on!" Insisted Anya. "Are you putting makeup?"
"Anya, I need Excallibur, immediately!"
"Are you serious? It's in Rome."
"I need it."
"Right, I will see what I can do. In the meantime there are some contact lens where the other medicines are, take those."
"Yes, of course..." Replied Giulio. 'As if they were to resolve anything.' He thought, keeping it to himself.
Giulio finally left the bedroom and went down to the main hall together with Anya. Both were wearing their winter uniforms in Prussian Blue, with Pickelhaube helmet for Giulio and the Hussards cap for Anya. In addition, both were covered by heavy grey mantles in Arctic fox skin. In the hall, they were met by Charlotte, Ayano, Amedeo and Oldrin, with whom they headed to the large sled waiting for them outside, with which they would have reached the Temple of Helios at the Col Rodella. To go there on a sled in the middle of the winter was a long and painful trip, that lasted more than two hours crossing the forests and going upwards on the mountain, at more than 2000 m of altitude.
As they were crossing the forests covered by snow, Giulio seemed relieved, he even put his head outside to enjoy it better.
"Put your head inside, Giulio!" Exclaimed his mother. "You will get a cold! It's -15°C out there!"
"Yeah, I can feel it, I'm freezing." complained Oldrin.
"Me too! It's deadly cold!" Said Amedeo. Even though the sled was covered, the cold would penetrate anyways, making the trip even tougher to do.
"Come on, guys! Think that after the celebration we'll get Vov and Strudel at the Rifugio." Observed Ayano, who seemed to be the only one to share Giulio's enthusiasm. Even Anubis could not stand the cold and was trying to warm itself up lying behind Giulio's legs.
The celebration took place around 5 a.m. in order to have it coinciding with the sunrise. Together with the Dies Natalis Romae, the Parentalia, the Renovation of the Fire of Vesta, the Liberalia, the Ludi Romani and the Larentalia, the Dies Natalis Solis Invicti was one of the most important of the Empire, to which all the members of the Imperial Government were supposed to take part. While the religion in the Empire would be very diverse, with every population worshipping a different pantheon, but always recognising the divinity of the Emperor, those mentioned above were civic-religious celebrations, to which the whole Empire would be supposed to participate.
The Sol Invictus would begin on the 24th of December with the traditional dinner, inheritance of the Christian tradition of celebrating the Christmas and that had survived even the French Revolution. At 9 pm then, the Emperor would give his Speech to the Empire, expressing his wishes to all the subjects and talking about the situation of the Empire, the challenges to be faced and the prospects for the next year. Then at midnight there would be the celebration of the Sol Invictus, a ritual that the Emperor would perform at the temple at Col Rodella, in the Italian Alps, where he would sacrifice a bull to Helios. Finally, the following day would be characterised by celebrations and another big ritual at noon. This was the agenda that between the 24th and the 25th of December, Giulio and his family would always follow and that they were to abide on that cold night.
27th of December, 2024
Marlborough Lines, Hampshire, Holy Britannian Empire
Cornelia knew well that after the seizing of power would come the purge of the Armed Forces and of the Intelligence. She just did not thought it would happen that fast. On the 25th of December, while the Britannians were celebrating the Christmas-Yule, the House of Commons, now controlled by the Imperial Resurgence Party, had approved a motion to prosecute several high ranking Britannian officers, on fabricated grounds of Treason and Corruption. The House of Lords was forced to approve the bill thanks to the surprising detention of Lord Guilford on the 24th and the action by the Boudicca Brigades, a newly formed militia dependent from the IRP and the Central Committee of the Syndicalist Movement, that ensured that the Lords would pass the bill.
Now it was done. Revolutionary officers and members of the Boudicca Brigades were going after several Britannian officials, be them from the military, from the diplomacy, or any other State entity. Included in the list were Cornelia herself and all the Knights of the Round.
She could see the rebels coming in the direction of her office from the cameras through which she could monitor the whole building. They were meeting some resistance by the few loyalist soldiers who were left there and this allowed her to destroy all the documents and archives.
"Shit... They're going to fast." She said between herself while throwing more and more documents into the fireplace.
She then destroyed her computer using a hammer. The soldiers were coming closer and she still had too many things to destroy.
"Ooh fine!" She exclaimed, leaving her office and entering Lord Guilford's. There she went to the closet where he kept all his drinks.
"Sorry to do that, Gilbert."
Taking a bottle of scotch, Cornelia went back to her office and used it to make a Molotov, then throwing it inside her office, letting everything burn.
"Your Highness, Captain Graham here." Called an officer at her radio. "The helicopter is ready."
"Captain Graham, I am coming." Replied Cornelia.
To leave the building was not easy. On one side were the rebels looking for her, on the other the building was on fire.
"Graham, I need you to pick me up at the rooftop." Said Cornelia.
Received.
Captain John Graham was a Scottish officer recently promoted Captain with qualification to drive the helicopter. Coming from a Tory and Jacobite background, any objection he could have to Britannian rule over Scotland were obscured by those he had to Syndicalist and Nationalist rule over the whole Empire. In this way, when the Imperial Resurgence Party and the Syndicalist Movement seized power, he did not hesitated in siding with the Imperial Family, which was why he with Sgt. Bakers as gunman were now on a helicopter in a dangerous attempt to rescue Cornelia.
The building of the Supreme Command was in flames and from the rooftop Cornelia was signaling to them. However they were coming under fire by the rebels on the ground. This made impossible, as Graham had hoped to do, to throw a rope and then take Cornelia in safety, instead forcing them to a dangerous landing under enemy fire. While Graham attempted the landing, Bakers fired with the automatic gun at the rebels, managing to kill some of them. Finally, as they had landed, Cornelia entered quickly the helicopter.
"Thanks for rescuing me. Now out of here and quick, before they come over with a knightframe."
"Yes, Your Highness." Replied Graham, departing. "In which direction should we go?"
"We go to France, Dieppe. Can we reach it?"
"Shouldn't be an issue. This boy is moved by Sakuradite batteries." Replied the officer.
The helicopter kept flying towards the South-East, in the direction of France. Inside, all were hoping not to be intercepted by the pilots of the Imperial Air Force.
31st of December, 2024
Luoyang, Chinese Federation
The Sun was setting on a Forbidden City covered by snow, the Tianzi, from her apartment, was looking at the Legations Compound as by now she did almost every morning. This was so close to her palace, yet apparently unconquerable for the Chinese.
Since the 15th of November the building was under siege, first by the Boxers, now also by the Imperial Army, yet everything seemed to be pointless. Those few hundreds of Europeans, Britannians, South Africans and Brazilians locked there were determined to fight until the end. General Xiquan reached her.
"Your Majesty, I bring good news." Started the General. "The combination of our naval and coastal defences have managed to prevent the landing of the Japanese and South African forces in Shanghai."
"But not in Taiwan." Replied coldly the Tianzi.
"We count on taking it back soon."
"You can target it with your missiles as much as you want. Still our Army is being soundly beaten on every front and by everyone."
"This information is inaccurate, Your Majesty, we are resisting well in Indochina."
"But this morning the Bogd Khan of Mongolia has capitulated to the Romans. The Japanese have occupied Peking and are now pushing southwards... By the way, just this morning the Roman Emperor has declared his intention to burn to the ground the Forbidden City and cover it with salt, like the Ancient Romans did with Carthage!"
"This won't happen, Your Majesty. That man is sick and ambitious and thinks he is the heir of Caesar, but he is just a megalomaniac that so far was just lucky enough. The Chinese people is with you and those imperialists are paper tigers."
"Keep this nonsense for yourself, Xiquan." Replied the Tianzi. "And leave me alone now."
2nd of January, 2025
State of Inner Mongolia, Chinese Federation
Inside his mobile command at the top of the long column of Roman troops, Field Marshal Friedrich Rommel was studying the maps of that region of China, looking at the quickest route for Luoyang. Moving southwards from Urga, the Roman forces were had now passed through Ordos; they would be first reaching Yulin and then Yan'an, already in Shianxi. This would have been the last town on their way before having to face the highlands of the Shanxi Province, where the Imperial Chinese Army had assembled in order to resist the Roman offensive. They would have to crush those forces to reach Luoyang and they had to do it quickly in order to prevent the Japanese from arriving first, this was an order by the Emperor.
"Field Marshal, we have news from the Ober Eurasia." Said his aide-de-camp, Brigadier Oscar Hammel, who also used to be an EU Army officer who fought under Giulio and Leila in the W-0 unit. "King Ludwig of Bavaria ordered the offensive."
"They attacked? Seriously? What in Hell came to his mind?" Wondered Rommel surprised and irritated.
"If you allow me to say, Sir, I don't think we can understand the logics of those nobles from Britannia."
"Of course we can." Replied Rommel. "Before this country would become a monarchy we have been fighting against them... And we defeated them several times."
"Still, I think it was easier to deal with them as enemies than to be under their command." Replied Hammel.
"They reason like medieval knights, that's it." Replied Rommel. "King Ludwig wants to marry Lucrezia, but Giulio would like her to marry the Prussian or the Austrian King. So he does his best to impress his liege. Luckily Lucrezia is a quite pragmatic person who understands the dynamics of political marriages, otherwise at this point we would have had a rather troubled situation."
"Sacrificing men in order to impress, that's what I criticise." Said Hammel, lighting a cigarette.
"Well, in the European United Republic things were even worse. How many times were we stopped from conducing an attack or taking some necessary action on the ground of economic or even political costs? Now at least we are treated like a fundamental component of the State and not like a necessary evil to be tolerated."
"Yes, this is true... Well, let's focus on the battle plans, we were saying that once we arrive in Yan'an, we should split the column in three groups?"
"Exactly." Answered Rommel. "One under the command of General Radetzky, that should head to the East, in order to break the Chinese lines in Luliang and then go South, towards Zhengzhou. The other, under General Graziani should go West, reach Qingyang and from there Xian. The remaining forces, under my command will seek to break the Chinese lines south of Yan'an and march straight on Luoyang."
"In this way the Chinese will have to spread their armies, which should facilitate things for us."
"We are faced by the inconvenience of not having air superiority until the airports will be operable. This forces us to be quick. The Japanese have made the mistake of spreading their troops to control more territories, so they are now slowed."
"Of course, sir, but let's not forget that we need to maintain the supply lines at full efficiency." Reminded Oscar Hammel.
"This is what the Teutonic Order is here for." Replied Rommel.
"But Sir, Grand Master Guderian has already protested."
"They will have more than enough opportunities to prove themselves, Guderian will see. If so far we have faced so little resistance in entering China there must be a reason, Hammel."
The Regiment des Volontaires Royaux was one of the last of the long Roman column entering China. They were now passing through Ordos and Leila, from inside her knightframe, could see around her an impoverished city, that since the Euro-Chinese War of 2014 had never recovered from the devastation provoked by the Europeans. This was why the population assembled on the streets was looking at them with so much anger.
"They see no difference between us and the European United Republic. For them all the foreigners have only brought disgrace." Said Patrick Abdalla, a French-Lebanese soldier from Marseille in the radio.
"Maybe they have a point." Commented Leila. "Power corrupts anyone that reaches it."
"Power is for the greedy. Be them Chinese nobles, European republicans, Britannian aristocrats, their main objective is to fill their pockets and increase their power."
"Do you think it's their only objective? You really don't believe there might be something else?" Wondered Leila.
"I highly doubt it. What else can someone want in life, other than material comfort?"
"What about eternity, immortality?"
Patrick laughed. "You are naive, Leila. These things do not exist, the only thing that exists is what you can touch, taste, hear and see, all the rest are just fantasies."
'I think I know someone that could prove you wrong' Thought Leila without giving any reply.
3rd of January, 2025
Rome, Imperial Duchy of Latium, HRE
From his throne in the Quirinale, Giulio was starring at the small delegation of Britannian exilees that was standing in front of him. All three members of it were well known to him: Lady Milly Ashford, who had recently published a book about the Great Global War (how the conflict that began with the Britannian-EU War, included the Black Rebellion and the Roman-Britannian War was known), Sir Gino Weinberg, Knight of One of the Imperial Order of the Knights of the Round and Cornelia li Britannia, Countess of Guilford.
"Your faces would not make me think of anything good even if I were not aware of what has been happening in Britannia, so please, go to the point." Said Giulio, without hiding his disappointment.
"We and those who are still loyal to Nunnally need the help of Rome to overthrow the nationalists and the syndicalists." Started Gino.
"Overthrowing them? After the people of Britannia supported their rise to power?" Questioned Giulio.
"If we don't, they will take us into a war." Said Milly Ashford.
"Yet if we do anything now, we are the ones starting a war." Objected Giulio.
"Not if the intelligence carry on a covert operation." Pointed out Lucrezia.
"If you find out about something that could work, then be my guest." Replied the Roman Emperor. "But for the time being, with the Armed Forces purged and the press under their control, I don't see many options."
"If I may, Your Majesty, Scotland, were Nunnally is now detained, is strongly against this regime, as they have traditionally been Jacobites." Observed Cornelia.
"The Clément Industries would be more than happy to provide materials for a rightful cause." Said Anna Clément, who was present at court on that day.
"Thank you for the offer, Lady Clément." Replied Giulio. "But these are moves that need to be done carefully. Now if you don't mind, I would like to address this issue with my ministers and military staff, in order to understand whether or not it will be the case of intervening. As far as you are concerned, I will grant you the status of political refugees and so I will seek to do with all of Nunnally's loyalists."
"Your Majesty, I beg you." Insisted Milly Ashford.
"Nunnally is seriously ill and nobody of those who are now in power want to see her alive." Added Cornelia. "We cannot let her die, you can't for the friendship that ties you together."
Giulio closed his eyes for a moment and took a long breath.
"I will do my best to ensure that she will be well and taken here as soon as possible. As you know I feel responsible for her own life and I love her as a member of my family. Even so, I need to be careful. Just four years ago we had ended a brutal war, which claimed the lives of dozens of millions of people. Should we face now a second one?"
Saying so, Giulio stood up and headed towards the exit of the Throne Hall.
"Lucrezia and Anna, come with me, with have some things to discuss."
They left, followed by the Noble Guard, the three representatives for the Britannian loyalists had to make them space and were left behind in the Throne Hall, disappointed and without any guarantee, other than those for their own lives.