5th of January, 2025
Léopoldville, Free State of Congo
Léopoldville was sunk in chaos. The Force Publique had failed to effectively defend the Free State from the rebels and in spite of the private interests of the Roman Emperor himself and of many other powerful Roman, Japanese and Britannian citizens who owned the State, none of the major powers would intervene. Indeed, many saw the Free State of Congo as an unjustifiable stain in the image of the Rome, that in spite of its rhetoric on the Mission to Civilise, had sponsored a joint venture between the Emperor and other billionaires to exploit an immense and rich piece of Africa.
Now this system was falling apart, as the troop of the mysterious Chief Mobutu were advancing into the city. His troops were already plundering the native districts of Léopoldville, while the last troopers of the Force Publique were trying to hold them in order to allow the full evacuation of the European District. From the top of the Governor's Palace, Peter van Oldenbarnenvelt was looking at the ongoing battle in the city.
"They have advanced weaponry and rely on sophisticated tactics..." He commented while assessing what he was seeing.
"Sir, we should go." Said the commander of the Force Publique, General Johannes Costermans.
"Tell your troops to get me some of their weapons. If we go back to Bruxelles with more information, then we might even receive some award."
Despite clearly distressed, the General took his radio and gave the order his immediates.
"Look at those knightframes... Where they might be coming from?" Continued the Governor.
"Unfortunately I cannot tell. Zilkhstan maybe?" Wondered General Costermans.
"Could be, but seems strange... What about the Indian Raj?"
"That would be against the Treaty of Bombay." Objected the Commander.
"Not quite. The treaty forbids the sale of weapons to enemies of the Roman Empire, but Congo is not part of the Empire, it is a private property of the Emperor and of few associates."
The battle went on, with the Force Publique falling back more and more towards the European District. Looking at the efficiency of the rebels against experienced soldiers, both Oldenbarnevelt and Costermans were growing more and more convinced that their enemies must have been helped by some foreign power. Finally, the General was called by his immediates.
"Governor, I have just received the communication that our troops have managed to capture two of their Knightframes."
"Very well, let's go now. I don't want to end up in the hands of those savages."
6th of January, 2025
Luoyang, Chinese Federation
Schneizel was on the top of the North-Eastern Bastion, looking at the Forbidden City, while smoking a cigar. His thoughts were lost in memories of the past, more exactly to when he went to Luoyang for the marriage of his brother Odysseus eu Britannia with the Tianzi... That seemed to be a century ago!
The world had changed dramatically since that evening in which he played chess with his brother Lelouch, dressed as Zero. Back then China was in the hands of the Eunuchs and Britannia was the greatest world power, trying to subjugate it through a dynastic marriage. Giulio Galahad-Canossa was a terrorist and traitor, wanted dead or alive by the Britannian authorities and sentenced to death for high treason by the European United Republic. There was no Roman Empire, his family was mostly intact and he still had no idea of his father's insane plans of using the Ragnarok Connection.
"You should not stay here, Your Highness." Said Hector Clément coming upstairs. "You would be an easy target for a sniper shooting from the Imperial Palace."
"Oh well... I doubt we will survive for much longer anyway."
"I wouldn't be that pessimistic." Replied Hector. "During last night one of our Macchi has been flying over Luoyang and has dropped this message." Said Hector showing it to Schneizel, who took it."
Schneizel read it loud: "The Ober Ost congratulates all the troops for the fierce resistance of the Legations Compound against the enemy. If you are receiving this message it is because we have taken note of your presence, of which we could have no idea up to this moment due to Chinese counter-intelligence measures. While we can only imagine the harshness you must be going through, we would like to encourage you to keep resisting, as we intend to send supplies as soon as military and metereological conditions will allow us doing so. In a matter of days, the Imperial Roman Army, together with Brazilian, South African, Britannian and Japanese forces will be marching into Luoyang. We are close. Good luck! Signed: Generaloberst: Friedrich E. Rommel."
Hector smiled. "See, they are coming!"
"Let's hope it's true." Replied Schneizel. "Please, make sure everybody knows about this, it will certainly rise the morale of the troops."
"Yes, Your Highness! I really can't wait for them to be here, I have never wanted so much to go home like in those days."
"So this will be the end of your Asian adventures?" Asked Schneizel.
"Most certainly yes! I think I will live in France from now onwards and work with my father. What about you?"
"I think I will also go back home after this. With the Imperial Resurgence Party rising I am sure there will be a lot of work to do there."
In that moment a group of South African soldiers from the Rhodesian Light Infantry reached them.
"Gentlemen." Started their commander. "I need to ask you to leave immediately, the Chinese are about to attack us."
Not far from there, in the Forbidden City, General Xiquan was sitting in a lounge, reading some ancient treatise of military strategy.
"The Europeans are advancing from the North and will be here in two weeks in an optimistic scenario, the Legations are still holding, how do think you will win this war?" Asked NN puzzled by Xiquan calmness.
"Let the Europeans come and destroy the old China, everything goes according to the plans. They will come, burn down the Forbidden City and humiliate the Tianzi. At that point we will be far away from here and we will fight them in the countryside, making their life a nightmare. Rommel is a good General, but he has been stretching too much his supplies lines and he is underestimating what can happen outside the cities."
"Be it the way you wish then." Replied NN. "Just make sure to keep the Burma Road open, so that we can send you the new knightframes from India."
"Don't worry about that, the Burma Road is not at risk... Instead, when will those knightframes arrive?"
"Soon, Xiquan, very soon."
7th of January, 2025
Balmoral Castle, Scotland, Holy Britannian Empire
Nunnally was sitting in the Throne Hall of her Scottish residence. Despite her physical weakness, she wanted to show strength before the representatives of the treasonous parliament that claimed to be acting in her name. Yet she was well aware that by that point her hands were tied. Purged the Rounds, the loyalist officers and the House of Lords, she was left entirely in the hands of the IRP and the Syndicalist Movement. The State was by this point under his control and there was little she could do in order to deter them, especially since the last institution standing on the Duke's way, the Privy Council, was unable to gather and take decisions, as its members were either exiled, killed or jailed.
'If the Empire that my ancestors created must fall, it will at least fall with dignity.' She thought, while the Master of Ceremony announced the envoys from Westminister. These were four civilians and an Admiral from the Imperial Navy, she recognised the Admiral: Lord Oswin Soresi, cousin of Kewell Soresi, member of the Purist Faction killed in the Battle of Narita, in 2017. Like many former members of the Purist Faction, Oswin had always hated Nunnally's reign, that he saw as direct consequence of Lelouch's rebellion. He was the first to come forwards and with all the possible arrogance to announce what was the effective dismissal of Nunnally.
"Your Majesty, we come here as representatives of your subjects. We are here to inform you that worried by your health condition, the Parliament of Britannia has found that you are unable to exercise your powers and therefore voted for the suspension of your power until your full recovering. For the time being, the Prime Minister, Lord Henry of Mercia, will take the position of Lord Regent of the Empire."
"I am willing to accept the suspension of my powers, yet I cannot appoint Lord Montgomerie as regent. According to the customs of the Realm, the Regent needs to be a person different from the Prime Minister. While possibly a member of the Imperial Family, can also be a member of the nobility and is of exclusive choice of the monarch or of the Privy Council should the former be unable to make a similar decision or dead." Replied Nunnally firmly.
"Allow me to remind Your Majesty that most of the members of the Imperial Family were killed during Prince Schneizel's attack at Pendragon, in the summer of 2019. The remaining ones have all been declared traitors and banished from the Realm by our Lords and Empress Carine of Brazil has renounced to all her rights or claims when she took the Brazilian Throne." Replied Lord Soresi.
"I retain the right of appointing someone of my choice to the Regency and I intend to do so."
"Your Majesty, from the moment in which the Parliament has found you unable to exercise your prerogatives, you also do not enjoy of this right. If you insist in doing so, the Armed Forces will be obliged to intervene to make sure that the will of the Parliament as legitimate representative of the people is enforced."
Such an open threat left Nunnally shocked. Despite the turn that the situation had taken, she never thought the HM Government would dare to go that far. Yet, such was the situation. She knew well that she could have challenged them and gone forward by starting a civil war. The Scottish and the Irish would have likely supported her, as well as all the Constituent Countries located South of the Mason-Dixon line, in America. Yet the traitors now were everywhere in her palace and could have murdered her easily, while her condition did not allowed her to attempt an escape towards Edinburgh or Dublin. There was a further problem: formally, Britannia and Rome were still allies and it was extremely unlikely that the Roman would have attacked Britannia while fighting on their same side in China.
"Be it then, you won." She finally said. "I have no other options than to accept."
The delegation seemed relieved.
"Very well, I thank Your Majesty on behalf of Your Loyal Government." Replied Soresi. "As a demonstration of the sincerity of Your Subject's concern with Your health we would like to invite Your Majesty to move to the St. James's Palace, in London, in order to..."
"That's out of question." Cut short Nunnally. "I intend to remain in Balmoral, for the time being."
Soresi seemed angered by her response.
"Your Majesty, you need to understand that if the monarch is not in the capital, this might be seen as..."
"I know very well what it means. Yet I intend to remain here, as it is my belief that my health will better recover here than in London. Now I assume you must have several important businesses to take care of, gentlemen."
Soresi closed his eyes for a moment and sighed.
"As you wish, Your Majesty. We wish you once again a quick recovery."
The delegation then bowed and left the Throne Hall. As the gates were closed behind them, Nunnally held herself from showing any emotion in front of the court: in spite of her disastrous situation, she would have kept showing strength.
9th of January, 2025
Quirinale Palace, Rome, HRE
Giulio was walking up and down in his office, in the presence of Metternich, Anya, Amedeo and Borghese, with whom was discussing the policies to be followed towards Britannia.
"So is Your Majesty sure about not recognising the Regency in Britannia?" Asked Metternich.
"More than sure, yes, for us Montgomerie will remain Her Majesty's Prime Minister." Replied Giulio.
"I hope you are aware that this might be seen as a provocation by the Holy Britannian Empire, other than creating a serie of practical problems." Warned the Reichkanzler.
"The time for appeasement has passed." Said Anya. "We must punish the usurpers."
"Anya, please, without exaggerating. We have just lost Congo. We are already busy in China and we need to look after whatever the Hell Carine is doing in South America. If we can avoid a world war I wouldn't mind."
"Yet, I would not completely exclude the possibility." Said Scipione Borghese. "Lord Montgomerie knows what he is doing and he is likely willing to begin a war against us. Thus we should not exclude the possibility of striking first."
"I agree with Lord Borghese." Stated Amedeo. "Right now maybe not, but after the end of the conflict in China we should think of doing it... Maybe a black ops operation in which our commandos murder Montgomerie and the Britannian leadership will be enough."
"That will never work." Objected Metternich.
"If we go to war, I will want to be sent to the frontline." Said then Anya.
"If you want you can go to China." Replied Giulio. "Because for the time being I won't do anything against Britannia, as we are still formally allies. Yet, as soon as the Chinese Government will surrender, I will impose economic sanctions on them."
"I warn you that Britannia will react strongly at this." Warned Metternich, who was growing worried.
"Ultimately, if they want a war they will get it, but at least I won't be the one starting it."
"And I, as your loyal Reichskanzler, will do my best to avoid a military escalation." Added Metternich.
In the Roman headquarters of the Imperial Bureau of Investigations, located at Piazza Dante, Oldrin was now meeting with all the main detectives of the anti-terrorist unit in order to address the new findings regarding the wave of terrorist attacks against Rome and Britannia.
"During the last three months we have been able to detect a total of 50 attempted terrorist attacks out of a total of 53." Explained Michel Lambert, one of the detectives of the anti-terrorist unit. "The three we failed to detect were the attack at the French School of Baghdad, last November, the attack at St. Sophia also in November and the attack at the Moscow Metro Station, in December. The first two were carried out by anti-colonial movements, while the third one was carried out by the Russian Proletarian Guards."
"This is well known, Lambert, but do we have anything new?"
"Yes, Lady Zevon. Intervened Pyotr Kaczinski, a Polish detective. "First of all we have managed to track down some of the leaders and of the structures coordinating all those terrorist groups. At the last meeting, the information that we had collected was about the Syndicalist International being behind those terrorist movements. Well, thanks to that fragment of information that allowed us to find out about Nina Einstein, we have come to the conclusion that there is a secret society, which we have named as The Consortium, which is coordinating not only the Syndicalist Internationale, but also the IRP, the Boxers and many powerful networks."
"A secret society... Like the Freemasons?" Asked Oldrin.
"Similar, but not them." Replied Damiano Dalla Chiesa, an Italian member of the team. "This society names herself as 'The Grove' and includes members of the political, cultural, scientific and economic elites of several different countries. They are moved by a strange idea, lying in some sort of gnosticism, a mixture of certain esoteric practices with the Enlightmenent."
"In all this, Kallen Kozuki..." Wondered Oldrin.
"Has nothing to do with them, at least from what we know." Continued the Italian.
"This was the farther you could get, right?" Asked Oldrin.
"Exactly." replied Lambert. "This thanks to our finding about Nina Einstein, who disappeared right after the end of the Great Global War but was not very careful in cancelling all her footprints."
"We nonetheless suspect there might be more." Added Kaczinski. "Thanks to some mentions concerning a 'Geass.'"
"A Geass, eh?" Replied Oldrin assuming a serious expression. "If there is a Geass, then there must be something very sinister behind this... Gentlemen, you will have to go further in depth into this as I am sure, it's not stopping at the Consortium."
Author's Notes
Dear readers,
I hope you have been enjoying the last chapters. As you can see I am trying now to integrate this element of a secret network into the story, which I hope to be able to do, as there are already many characters and subplots. Do feel free to write your comments, suggestions, questions etc.