Ch 29.

The formations of his own forces clashed with those commander by the new Field Marshall, namely Army Group A of General Motke, Army group B of General Archibald against their own lines composed of Army Group C of General Philippe and Army group D which was under his own personal command.

That was the sight that Major General Claus Warwick saw as he lead this massive war-game exercise. The whole of it was simple enough. Army Group A and B had to break through and the opposing force of Army Group C and D had to defend.

The most simple of military maneuvers and of course it immediately started to go bad.

Claus could see how on the tactical screen the knightmares just charged forward without the support of the tanks, guns or infantry. How instead of a coordinated attack, piece meal strikes were made by division level attackers.

This should have guaranteed a victory for the defenders, all they had to do was shift troops across interior lines to reinforce where the main areas of attack would be, nut no!

Instead the regiments that weren't under attack started their own counter attack against unimportant forces, while the main enemy thrusts got to fight without being in danger of being outgunned or surrounded.

This was not a battle, it was a serious of smaller battles disguised as one big one.

"Close simulation. That's enough wasting fuel for one day. We'll try again tomorrow." Claus said to his aide before retiring from his command center and going to report to his boss, namely Field Marshall Gene Smilas.

The duo where perhaps the two officers who had done the most betrayal backstabbings and corruption in all of the EU. And thought it was for personal and even some noble reasons.

Claus just wanted a piece of the pie to leave to his wife and daughter, he didn't care who the masters where as long as he was on the winning team and Gene wanted a better EU, even if that meant a dictatorship.

They still where the very definition of why many people didn't trust the military or their government. Especially now since the Jack Churchill administration had lead them to be economically and politically subjugated by Japan and China, then swallowed up by the Commonwealth.

"How bad was it this time?" Gene asked.

"Bad, the divisions aren't coordinating their attacks, there is no mixed armed forces tactics. The defenders don't use the terrain and the attackers can't properly coordinate a dammed attack worth lick spit. What happened to the EU army, it hasn't even been two years since the war, many of the veterans are back in their own divisions and they never maneuver this badly before!" Claus said to him.

"The soldiers and officers are the same, but not the generals. Many of them where either dismissed by Jack to prevent them from being a threat to his powerbase, while others now went into voluntary retirement after Churchill fell out of power." Gene replied.

"They followed him into retirement?" Claus said in astonishment.

"Yes. Say what you will about Ol' Mad Jack, but he knew how to stir a soldier's heart. Many of them won't lift a finger if Jack's not there to take it."

"Couldn't we get them back?"

"Not unless you want Jack in charge again. Is that what you want Claus?" Gene asked.

To which Claus gave out an air of exhaustion and shook his head vigorously.

"I suppose we still have time to whip the new generals into shape. Still, I wonder how many we will have to arrest after we start the uprising."

"Why do you say that Claus?"

"Sir, we joined the EU joined the Commonwealth from a popular vote, the majority of the population said to join. Won't there be trouble when we start the coup and declare secession?"

"Two months ago they voted to join cause they wanted that sweet Brittannian money for welfare and subsidizes. Now that they know that no money's coming they want out. Give it another month and they'll want in again because of the jobs from all those mega projects, another month they'll want out again because the works too hard. Don't pay much attention to them Claus."

"I don't think people are that insane or that stupid sir."

"No, people aren't insane. And an individual isn't stupid, but as a collective they are. Look at them Claus, they voted to join Britannia! Even a flock of sheep knows that you stay away from the wolves. But our so called 'intelligent' human voters all jumped head first into the wolf den. No, what we need is a dictator. A skilled dictator is much more beneficial to humanity than a democracy of ignorant people." Gene replied and Claus remained silent at that.

It was moments like this that reminded Claus why he was corrupt to the core, he sold information to Britannia from the EU. He sold information from Britannia to the EU. Sold from both to China and from China to the other two once more.

And this was why he was able to do it all without a strain on his conscience.

Because deep down they were all the same. Royalists, republicans, democrats, autocrats, elected officials, all in the end where dictators who all believed the same thing. That they knew best.

"I just received a report that Akito and Leila and her group are now in the Republic with that gypsy caravan of theirs. Intel estimates that they'll be recruited by the Republic if it comes to war." Claus said to them.

"Are the Britts offering them a better deal than what she had here." Gene asked.

'Before we betrayed her and tried to kill them for opposing our power grabs' was the unspoken question.

"Our spies in the Lamperouge administration indicates that it's a higher rank, salary and benefits than here. If they ever want to get back in the saddle, it looks like they'll join the britts since they pay better."

"Good girl." Gene said with pride in his voice, of an almost paternal nature towards the one who despite trying to kill years ago, he still felt a strange kinship with Leila and was beside himself with pride upon hearing that she was advancing in the world without petty concerns such as loyalty, morality to hold her down.

Claus decided to not mention the possibility of assassinating them before they became a threat. Not only because that he doubted the assassins could succeed, but that if they lost the coming war it was likely that Leila and Akito would be either the new puppet rulers or puppeteers of the EU and Claus would rather have them succeed him and Gene if things turned rotten.

"And how will we go about the uprising. We have to have some legal justification for this." Claus asked.

"We'll just invalidate the referendum by saying that since there wasn't a minimum of 51% presence of all registered voters at the polls, that it's not an official result."

"Yes marshal, the only problem is that there was an over 51% percent presence at the vote. How do we deal with that little issue?"

"Simple, we present papers that show deceased grandparents and great grandparents as living registered voters who did not show up. We increase the numbers like so until the average becomes less than 51." Gene replied.

"Put people who have been dead for decades as living voters on the lists?" Claus asked, uncertain that he heard right.

"Yes." Gene replied non-chalantly.

"There is no way we can get away with something like that."

"Why not? It happened before." Field Marshall Gene asked in confusion.

"It did?"

"Yes. Some time ago the government of a minor country wanted to dismiss the president and the man in question was so corrupt that the government got enough popular support to win a referendum for impeachment. Then the Venetian Commission invalidated the result with the pretext that since there was not over a presence of over 51% registered voters present at the polls, that the referendum was invalid and the president was not impeached. Even though there was blatant proof that there was enough to make it valid and they showed lists where dead people where registered as very much alive voters."

"And in which third world cocaine dictatorial regime was this travesty held?"

"It was in a first world country with a democratically elected president and modern constitution, with EU and NATO membership." Gene replied non-chalantly, stunning Claus for a moment.

"And what was the results of this coming to pass?" Claus asked, after regaining his voice.

"The president continued with his term and he and all his allies bragged that they saved the countries democracy with this move." Gene replied with a smile.

"They bragged that they saved democracy by invalidating a national referendum that had an over 51% presence at the polls….."

"Yes." Gene said to Claus's statement.

"When do you want to do our own version of this 'zombie voters' maneuver?"

"Not yet. Our intell says that Schneizell el Britannia is planning something big, we'll wait until he emerges and then with the Commonwealth is faced with him we can declare the referendum invalid, us independent and then instead of China, Japan and the Republic at our throats, they'll be courting us to help against Schneizell."

"And no doubt Schneizell will be courting us to help against them."

To that Gene nodded, and upon seeing the calm way with which he played this draconian power play, Claus was relieved of any doubts he may have had on whether or not to feel guilty about their actions.

If this is what Europe, the epicenter of democracy, citizen rights, free speech and so forth could produce as their leaders, then there was no reason to feel guilty at all for what he.

For what they were doing.

"Understood. What about the prison system question?" Claus asked as the two got up from the meeting room desk and made their way towards the lunch room.

"Empty the prisons and send them all to reeducation camps. We'll either make proper citizens of them or not, and even so we'll need cheap labor for key resources in our industry."

"That could be tough to establish. Gulags are a hard sell for the Europeans." Claus said to Gene.

"We'll just hold a referendum for that."

Gene replied and the two shared a chuckle.

Just another day in politics.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx…Meanwhile in Pendragon….xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Hello. Yes, fire one out of every 4 chief of police, captains and lieutenants on the pretext of dereliction of duty and promote the younger crowd to their position and make sure the younger ones know that they are also replaceable is they don't do their job." Lellouch said to one phone handle and then slammed it shut on his desk, where a dozen other ringing phones where. From where he picked up another handle.

"Yes. I want the lieutenants and second in commands of every party faction within the LSD and rival parties that oppose us to be promoted above their local leaders. That way we get the rebels and trouble makers fighting each other." Lellouch said and slammed down the handle and then picked up a third ringing phone.

"Yes. Tell the Arab delegation that for the purpose of the reception we are hosting that our women will be temporarily given the status of men, so they can feel comfortable talking to Kallen, Shirley and Millie."

"Yes. No we can't have an all pizza buffet at the dinner party woman, it will be present but also a vegetarian option. Why? Because the Indian and Arab delegations will be there and pizza contains pork, beef and milk and one side can't eat pork and the other worships cows. And I won't be starting The Second Great War over your pizza addiction witch!"

"Yes! No, the seating arrangement won't be alphabetically based on the country of origin. Because then you'll be having Israel and Jordan next to each other and the whole thing can turn into a bloodbath before the soup is served!"

Lellouch slammed down another phone and then moved to pick up another when he realized that none of the phones were ringing.

It seemed that for now he was done with the latest batch political crisises for the day, or rather the night, since the sun had long since fallen.

Lellouch closed his eyes to enjoy some rest, when a knock on the door alerted him.

"No rest for the wicked, sorry man." Rivals said cheekily and entered the room. He was probably the only non-royal in the world that could not only get away with such words and even illicit an appreciative smile from Lellouch.

"If I wasn't a wicked man, then I wouldn't be a politician. What's the latest bad news?"

"Well, the election is still 4 hours away from closing, but looking at the results up until now it's clear that you'll be Supreme Chancellor come tomorrow. I have a little proposal for you."

"Whatever money making scheme, real estate swindle you have going on is your business Rivals, I won't ask questions, shield you from prosecution and you can keep all the profits without offering me a cut." Lellouch replied and yawned.

"WHOA! Easy there J. . I ain't here to ask for that, do you think we'd be friends if any of us was like that?" Rivals said in reprimand, which did surprise Lellouch and looked to his friend with shock in his eyes.

"Yes…forgive me Rivals, it's just that I've been swimming with sharks for so long that….that I forgot that decent people exist anymore." Lellouch said with shame.

"Don't worry man. I understand. Anyway, here's what I drafted for you." Rivals said and handed him a legislative bill.

"The Incompatibilities act?" Lellouch asked.

"Yup. Ya see I noticed that legally there's nothing preventing you from being both Prime Minister of the Republic and the Supreme Chancellor. And while you are a decent bloke, the guy after you will most certainly be not. And the two offices of such high power in one person's hands is a sure recipe for a dictator coming to power. So I drafted this, once you take office of Supreme Chancellor you'll automatically be Prime Minister no longer."

"And a cabinet reshuffle will be possible." Lellouch said and his eyes became bright once more. This was a necessary bill that he had overlooked in creating and Rivals, simple Rivals, friendly Rivals, the joker Rivals had seen the flaw and fixed it.

Lellouch looked to the man before him, his friend who had accomplished such a superhuman feat that it partially restored his hope for the future for after he left office.

Lellouch immediately signed off on it and handed it back to Rivals.

"Get that bill passed now! Have Dalton and Parliament sign it before the election ends and when you present it to the House of Lords make sure that Jeremiah and the other Loyalist rounds are escorting you to the meeting hall and make sure they have their ceremonial sabers on them. That should silence any opposition to the bill!"

Lellouch said and Rivals was stunned from how fast his friend agreed, before recovering, nodding and then leaving to do his part.

After he left Lellouch slumped back into his chair and closed his eyes. Come morning he would become the Supreme Chancellor of a Commonwealth that ruled the entire glove(minus Switzerland).

Come afternoon and he would have to choose a new Prime Minister, keep his supporters in line, best his rivals and keep a tentative friend foe working relationship with Xingke and Kaguya.

Come evening he would have Schneizell's secret machinations, a potential revolt from the EU countries, China, Japan and perhaps even the former Area.

But for now he slept.

If anyone deserved some small refuge in Morpheu's domain, it was him now.

But just as before there was no rest for the wicked.

For then his door opened once more and trough it came Rollo.

"Yes?" Lellouch asked him in annoyance. Couldn't the most powerful man in the world get something as banal as a few hours' sleep?

"Hello. It's….well, Mister Odysseus has offered to adopt me as his ward."

"Congratulations on joining the family. The price you pay for joining it is that you now are part of our family." Lellouch deadpanned and kept his eyes closed.

"Yes, well about that. I…I think you should know that I'm….I'm an agent working for a certain blonde member of the Imperial family, that…..that you don't have the best working relationship with." Rollo confessed.

"If you're worried about being Schneizell's spy, then don't. Things like this happen in our screwed up bunch. I predict that a week after either we win or Schneizell wins that we'll all be at some family barbeque, laughing it up like it was just a small spat between siblings." Lellouch said, unfazed by what Rollo said, by his confession

"No, not Schneizell. You haven't been I'm talking about V.V."

At that Lellouch opened his eyes.

No rest for the wicked indeed.

xxxxx

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