Chapter 31
An Intrinsic Differential
"Oh, Suzaku!" Euphemia said in a chipper tone. "Do you have a moment?"
The Japanese youth had just rolled into the prefect clubhouse when Euphemia rose to her feet to greet him.
"Umm, sure," Suzaku said, blinking a few times at how enthused the girl was sounding.
"Great. Can you come with me to the conference room?"
This was the second time in recent days that a pretty girl had asked to speak with him in more or less privacy, and Suzaku was enough of a teenage boy that he did not dislike the occurrences. Even if Kallen was certain to rip him a new one if she ever caught wind of such thoughts. Still, Euphemia was likely to be considerably more congenial, and the topic of discussion a bit less fraught. Hopefully, at least. She was still a royal, after all, and such status had the tendency to complicate near anything.
"Lead the way," Suzaku said as he rolled forward.
Again the conference room sat empty just waiting to be claimed, and after Suzaku was through Euphemia shut the door behind him. She flashed him a smile, and then took a deep breath.
"Okay, so this is going to seem somewhat out of the blue," the girl said, "but I could use your help with a presentation I'm putting together."
Of all the possibilities that Suzaku had imagined, this was not very high up on the list. He certainly had not been expecting some sort of confession, as hormone-addled his brain was, he was not that delusional. But Euphemia asking for what sounded like homework help was also not something he expected, not least of which because he doubted he could be of much help due to his own spotty education.
"I can certainly try, but I'm afraid you probably know more about the curriculum taught at Ashford than me," Suzaku said humbly.
"Oh, this isn't related to schoolwork," Euphemia assured him. "Well, not really anyway. It's more of a personal project."
"Oh?" Suzaku echoed.
Euphemia nodded. "I, recognize, that Japan's incorporation into the Empire has been a very traumatic experience for its people. And that the overall integration, even if it is back on track, is likely to leave many people feeling anxious about all the changes that are happening, even if many are for the better. So I've been trying to come up with ideas on how to let the people have a reminder of those things they are familiar with, and how that familiarity can be blended with the new."
"You, personally?" Suzaku asked carefully.
A knowing smile crossed Euphemia's face. "Yes. Me, personally."
Meaning her, a princess of the realm. Suzaku inhaled sharply.
"That, is a wonderful idea, Euphie. How can I help?"
"Well, I've been looking over a bunch of traditional festivals and holidays that Japan used to hold year round," Euphemia said. "I've got a basic rundown of several of them, but I could use the perspective of someone that actually attended them for a more grassroots perspective."
"Oh boy," Suzaku said. "There are a lot of festivals, Euphie."
The girl giggled. "I know. Hence why I could use the help."
"Okay, so, what would you like to know?"
"Well, I thought we'd start with the nationwide festivals first," Euphemia said. "If you could explain to me what each one is, from your perspective as a Japanese, and how you celebrated them."
"Alright, I'll try," Suzaku said.
Euphemia clapped her hands together. "Thanks a bunch. Okay, so the first one would be New Years, both day and eve."
"New Years is a time of renewal," Suzaku began explaining. "The home is cleaned, debts are paid off, and we spend time with our families. There are a variety of traditional dishes that are picked because their shape, or color, or names are considered lucky. For those families and friends that are too far to visit on New Year itself, we would write postcards that are supposed to arrive on the 1st of January."
"Oh, that's something I didn't know," Euphemia remarked as she jotted down notes. "The postal service must get very busy as a consequence."
"Yeah, they would usually hire a lot of part-timers just for that day."
"I see," Euphemia said thoughtfully, then nodded. "Alright. What about the Doll Festival? Hina-matsuri, I think it's called?"
The princess' pronunciation was passable, insomuch as a native Japanese speaker could make out what she meant, but like many native English speakers, the tonal emphasis was misplaced.
"Yes, hina-matsuri," Suzaku repeated with the correct pronunciation, eliciting an appreciative smile from Euphemia. "Though I wouldn't be able to tell you too much about that one myself, since that's a festival dedicated to families praying for their daughter's happiness. Kaguya is probably the better person to ask."
"Ah," Euphemia said, "yes, that is true. I'll be sure to call upon her when she returns to school. Do you happen to know where she has gone, by the way?"
"Umm, something related to her family's business, I think," Suzaku said. "I wasn't clear on the details."
"Kaguya is already doing work like that?" Euphemia said. "That's very responsible of her."
"Maybe so, but sometimes it feels like my cousin is rushing too far ahead," Suzaku said with a wry smile. "I'd like her to be able to enjoy herself a bit more before she has to be a proper grown up."
"She probably thinks the same about you, Suzaku," Euphemia said with a gentle smile. "After all, you arguably cause more worry for her than the other way around."
"That's, probably true," Suzaku conceded, then cleared his throat. "Anyway, so what's the next festival you want to ask about?"
The smile remained, though Euphemia acceded to Suzaku's implicit desire for the conversation to move onward.
"The Cherry Blossom Festival is the next one."
"Hmm, that one's a bit different than the others," Suzaku said. "Officially it's for gathering to see the flowering sakura, cherry blossom trees. It's basically an excuse to have parties in the parks where the trees are."
"There's nothing particularly wrong with that," Euphemia remarked.
"Well, maybe, but from what I remember, there was a lot of alcohol also involved."
"Ah," the girl nodded.
"Though there is also a more general flower festival in that timeframe," Suzaku said. "That might be the festival you're actually wanting information from."
Euphemia blinked. "It's two separate things?"
This time it was Suzaku's turn to nod. "Hanami is the flower viewing, while hanamatsuri is the flower festival. The date itself is to celebrate the Buddha's birth, and temples would host festivals, parades, and the like for the occasion."
"You're right, I probably just got the two mixed up," Euphemia said, jotting down more notes. "I'll need to dig a bit deeper to make sure I'm reading about the right one."
"The next major festival would be Tanabata, and then right after that Obon. On Tanabata, we make wishes by writing them down on strips of paper that we then hang on bamboo. And on Obon, on Obon we pay honor the spirits of our ancestors."
Euphemia regarded Suzaku with a kindly look. "Many of these festivals seem to involve family, in honor of them or spending time with them."
"Family is something very important to us Japanese," Suzaku said. "Love of family, and fear for them, is I think what drives a lot of my people right now. If they can be shown that there is nothing to fear for their sake, that there is indeed much they can hope and aspire for together, I think that'd do a lot to help make Japan a better place. Even better than it used to be."
"That's a wonderful thought, Suzaku," Euphemia said with a wide smile. "And I promise, I'll do everything in my power to help bring that about."
Suzaku smiled back in return, thoroughly enraptured by just how radiant Euphemia was. Were there girls or women more beautiful than her? Possibly, but the youth was hard pressed to imagine it.
"In fact, there might be a good opportunity to do just that soon," Euphemia said. "Christmas and New Years will be coming up soon. And while Christmas is a western holiday, I think it has similar nuances to the idea of spending time with family as New Years does for the Japanese. Maybe something could be done to link those two together, as a bridge between our different cultures."
Suzaku actually gave a small cough. "Umm, that might not work, Euphie."
The girl blinked. "Oh? Why?"
"Well, Christmas may have started as a western holiday, but it's been thoroughly adopted by the Japanese. And well, since we already had a day in winter dedicated to family, Christmas for us sort of got repurposed to, well..." The youth's face actually flushed slightly. "It got repurposed into sort of a day for couples to spend together."
Euphemia's mouth fell open as her cheeks too flowered slightly. When she finally managed to close it however, her lips formed into a coy smile.
"Well," she said, also clearing her throat. "I can see why the message there might not entirely map correctly. But still, it's far from a bad thing, what the Japanese have turned Christmas' purpose towards. I think at least."
A smile that was most definitely directed at Suzaku.
While the Sumeragi Group's principal interests lay in mining and processing sakuradite, the company was also always on the lookout for new ways in which sakuradite might be employed. The superconductor's usage in electronics of course continued to be a keystone market, and there were plenty of new opportunities yet to be plumed, but the Sumeragi Group was also interested in more esoteric applications for their main commodity. To that end, the company had always maintained a large research and development branch, which it retained even after Japan's annexation by Britannia. Even more impressively, the Group had been fairly successful in keeping its R&D efforts mostly obfuscated from the Britannian authorities, such that Lelouch had little inkling as to what he was about to see this day.
The invitation to drop by the Sumeragi Group's main research laboratory had been extended by Kaguya herself, the girl promising that it would be well worth Lelouch's time. The cardinal's curiosity duly piqued, he accepted the invitation and was now walking alongside the girl as they were given a basic rundown of the place by the managing director.
"We have a total of fifty-six researchers and five hundred eighty-six lab technicians on staff," the elderly woman reeled off. "Additional supplemental staff pushes our numbers to nearly a thousand. At present there are six major experiments actively running, with another dozen or so being evaluated for feasibility or undergoing preparatory work."
"That is quite an impressive number, Dr. Oyafune," Lelouch remarked.
"Why thank you, Your Eminence," Monaka gave a practiced smile. "Ah, here we are."
The party stopped before a door, but instead of immediately guiding them in, Monaka turned about.
"Your Eminence, Ms. Sumeragi, a word before we enter. Many of the researchers here are quite talented in their respective fields, but that same talent tends to result in a certain degree of, eccentricity. I ask that you be understanding of any idiosyncrasies they may exhibit. They mean no offense, most are simply not used to such external attention upon their persons."
"I spent years amongst the researchers of the Order Sabine, Doctor," Lelouch said with a wry smile. "It will take more than a degree of eccentricity to provoke a response from me."
Kaguya likewise gave an affirming nod.
"I am heartened to hear that," Monaka said, turning around again and this time nodding to the aide to open the door.
The moment they did so however, a somewhat frantic shuffling sound could be heard inside, along with an almost panicked burst of Japanese. Monaka's palm met her face, while Kaguya's eyes widened. Lelouch on the other hand simply tilted his head quizzically.
"Someone is stripping inside?" he remarked.
The Japanese members of the party looked over at the cardinal in surprise. Lelouch however simply shrugged.
"I've picked up a little of the language since my appointment as viceroy," was his succinct explanation.
"You have certainly made impressive progress, Your Eminence," Monaka said. "Please, excuse me for a moment while I go sort this out."
The elderly woman entered, and a few moments later a rather harried looking lab assistant dashed out. She slowed just long enough to give a hurried bow before running off.
"Makes one almost nostalgic of the Sabine facilities," Lelouch remarked.
Kaguya tilted her head. "Are such occurrences common in research labs?"
"This is arguably on the lower end of the scale," the cardinal said dryly.
Kaguya let out a slight giggle. "I suppose advancing science is not always a neat and tidy process."
"If only progress were so easily obtained," Lelouch said with a smirk.
Emerging from the room, Monaka gave a nod. "Apologies for the wait. They are ready now, Your Eminence, Ms. Sumeragi."
"Then by all means, before the next catastrophe strikes."
"I certainly hope not," Monaka responded, though the weary sigh she let out indicated she knew just how much that might be asking.
The lab space inside looked relatively clean and organized, though Lelouch suspected some effort had been made to spruce the place up for his and Kaguya's visit. Several computer terminals were set up, though the most conspicuous item had to be the empty bed with medical instrumentation next to it. At the center, three researchers bowed respectfully in greeting.
"Your Eminence, Ms. Sumeragi may I introduce Dr. Harumi Kiyama, our foremost neural biology expert, and her team," Monaka said. "Dr. Kiyama's work involves understanding the neural pathways involved in sensory processing and treatment of ailments that affect that processing."
"Oh? Treatment of neurological conditions can be quite difficult due to the complexity of how our brain actually handles information," Lelouch said. "What approaches do you take here, Dr. Kiyama?"
"Many neurological conditions are the consequence of damage in some portion of the central nervous system," Harumi stated in a rather lethargic tone. "Our work seeks to compensate for that damage by developing alternate or entirely new pathways for signals to flow."
Lelouch frowned slightly. "Does the former not risk further sensory overload? If the signals result in crosstalk due to the shared pathways."
"It can, though some crosstalk is more benign than others," the doctor answered. "Synesthetes in general do not suffer any debilitations that interfere with daily functioning, and perceiving stimuli via multiple sensory vectors is still better than uninhibited overload of a single or multiple senses."
"True enough," the cardinal allowed. "By what mechanism then do you redirect these signals? I presume it requires implantation of some sort of artificial synaptic pathways?"
Harumi's eyes seemed to brighten a bit, as she found the conversation take on a more stimulating turn with the possibility that Lelouch might actually be able to understand her explanations without her dumbing them down.
"That is correct," she said. "The pathways are built using artificial electrical synapses. We considered but ultimately rejected the notion of creating artificial chemical synapses, due to the difficulty of engineering a cell that can produce the necessary neurotransmitters in situ. In addition, the usage of electrical charge as the signaling mechanism makes it easier for external modules to receive and even transmit further stimuli through these synapses. We call the overarching system-"
"-a neuro-link interface," Lelouch said softly.
Harumi blinked. "Oh, you already know about this work?"
"Eden Vital has a program along similar developmental lines," the cardinal said. "Though based on what you've explained thus far, it's clear you've made rather substantial progress here as well." He glanced over at Monaka and Kaguya. "I suppose it would be somewhat crass to try and recruit you here and now."
Both other women graced him with polite but thin smiles.
"How big a budget would I get?" Harumi however asked without missing a beat.
"Kiyama-sensei!" one of the assistants exclaimed while the other gasped, looking and sounding completely aghast.
Monaka gave another long-suffering sigh while Kaguya raised an eyebrow. Lelouch however let out a dry chuckle.
"I'm sure there will be opportunities for collaboration between Eden Vital and this institute," Lelouch said, "once the necessary arrangements and conditions are agreed upon."
"I see," Harumi said, sounding almost disappointed, then she faced Monaka. "Make sure to get more computing time as part of the deal."
"I'll keep your request in mind, Dr. Kiyama," Monaka said, massaging her temple with one hand.
Lelouch chuckled again. "Well, I for one am quite impressed with the caliber of work on display here. If the other projects are anywhere near this level, I'd say the Order Sabine would be eager to establish a formal working relationship."
"Along with Eden Vital as a whole?" Kaguya said coyishly.
"The degree of obligation that entails should warrant some more thorough consideration," Lelouch deftly sidestepped.
Kaguya kept her expression genial, though her eyes continued to shine with determination. She however refrained from any more overt suggestions as the tour continued. Being too aggressive and forward risked alienating Lelouch instead of endearing herself to him, after all.
As they exited, the same lab assistant that had rushed out previously was now back, clutching what looked to be a bundle of clothes in her hands. She bowed again before disappearing inside, after which a few muffled sounds could be heard. Apparently some tea had been spilt on someone's clothes just prior to the arrival of Lelouch and company. Though whether that warranted stripping out of the wet clothes then and there, well, to each their own.
The other major projects turned out to be as equally impressive, and the smaller ones selected for presentation interesting in their own way. From quantum computing to holographic data storage, it was clear the Sumeragi Group had under its roof some of the most advanced emerging technology development programs in Japan, rivaling even those of the Britannian government and private entities like the Ashford Foundation. That actually answered for Lelouch the question of where a good chunk of the company's money was going, seeing as the audits and investigations that tied so much of the wealth of the other Kyoto House interests to the Japanese Liberation Front similarly exonerated the Sumeragi Group from providing substantial funding to that insurgent group. Not that he had been unaware of the Group's immense R&D expenditures, but seeing a line item for the purchase of a hundred servers was not the same as looking at the racks and racks lined up with them installed, crunching away at the computational problems the researchers here needed solving. Indeed the most persistent challenge many of the researchers mentioned was the lack of enough processing power to perform all the calculations they needed, despite all the effort the Sumeragi Group expended to procure more and more servers. If Lelouch was reading between the lines correctly, this deficit in processing power emerged around the time Japan was invaded. That was highly suggestive, and his suspicions regarding the Sumeragi family's true role was now rightly piqued. The question then was whether Kaguya herself was aware of that role, and if she was trying to hint at it with this tour.
"And last but not least, the crown jewel of the Sumeragi Group's R&D projects," Monaka stated as they stopped before a set of very large doors. Turning about, she met Lelouch's gaze. "Before we enter Your Eminence, I just want to emphasize something. The work here has the potential to be transformational if successful, and the Sumeragi Group began the effort seeking the betterment of mankind. While the technology could certainly be, applied, towards less humanitarian ends, it is not within the Group's interests, or capability, to attempt such an adaptation."
In other words, while whatever technology Monaka was about to show could be employed militarily, that was not why the Sumeragi Group was developing it, and they had no intention of attempting to militarize it. That the director felt the need to make explicit this distinction suggested whatever she was about to reveal was both genuinely groundbreaking and could all too easily be construed as some sort of covert weapons development program.
"Many technologies have dual applications," Lelouch responded. "The pursuit of them should not automatically be construed as indicative of malevolent intent, so long as the appropriate checks are accepted."
"They are, I assure you," Monaka said, as her assistant opened the door.
Passing through the threshold, Lelouch found himself in what looked to be an observation deck overlooking a large spherical construct. What was more, of the half dozen or so researchers present, a solid majority were not of Japanese ethnicity, but of Indian descent instead.
"Your Eminence, Ms. Sumeragi, may I introduce Dr. Rakshata Chawla, head of Project Guren," Monaka said, indicating the statuesque woman standing front and center.
"I was not aware the Sumeragi Group employed non-Japanese on such projects of import," Lelouch remarked.
"Where talent is concerned, we are prepared to cast a wide net," Monaka declared. "And Dr. Chawla here is most talented indeed."
"Is that so," Lelouch said. "And Guren. I believe that means crimson lotus. I wonder, which part of that name correlates to the project you oversee, Doctor."
The edge of Rakshata's lips quirked into a smirk. "I would say both, Your Eminence. If you would step this way and see for yourself?"
Walking forward, Lelouch peered out the window to take a closer look at the device below them. Surrounding the large spherical construct were countless extrusions, extensions, and couplings plugged into it. None of it was painted red, so thus far the name was still metaphorical instead of literal.
"And what am I looking at?" Lelouch asked.
"That, Your Eminence, is the ignition chamber for the Sumeragi Group's inertial confinement fusion reactor," Rakshata answered.
The name clicked. The red flower referred not to the physical structure before them, but the fiery inferno that the structure was supposed to produce. While Lelouch could not claim much expertise about nuclear fusion, he did have a layman's understanding that it involved extremely high pressures igniting a nuclear reaction akin to that which powered the sun.
"I'm afraid I'm not terribly familiar with the different approaches to achieving fusion, beyond the need to achieve an extremely high pressure," Lelouch said. "What are the mechanisms of inertial confinement?"
"Your Eminence is correct in that fusion requires extremely high pressures to achieve," Rakshata said. "In the case of inertial confinement fusion, that pressure is achieved by delivering an immense amount of energy to a fuel pellet, which compresses the pellet to the point where fusion occurs. The mechanism for delivering this energy is via high-energy laser beams."
Lelouch tilted his head. "The problem that most approaches to fusion suffer from is the energy required to induce fusion tends to be greater than the amount of energy that is produced, never mind the amount of energy that can be usefully converted into electricity. You believe that the approach pursued here will be able to achieve breakeven and more?"
"In due time," Rakshata said. "The specific problem that we have worked to solve here however is simply achieving ignition. Past attempts at a ICF design employing lasers have always fallen short of achieving the energy levels necessary to induce fusion. The largest ICF device in the world is presently France's Laser Mégajoule. The Empire had a proposal to build an even larger one, the Imperial Ignition Facility, but that project was scaled back dramatically. Even had the IIF been built to its original specifications, it would probably not have been able to deliver sufficient energy to the fuel pellet to induce fusion."
"And that is a problem that Project Guren has solved?" Lelouch asked, his tone eerily even.
"Yes," Rakshata said, with a smile that clearly expressed her pride in doing so.
"What would that solution be?" Lelouch however pressed onward.
"By developing a much more powerful laser," Rakshata stated. "Indeed, I am confident that despite our device being smaller than the French one, ours is considerably more powerful."
Lelouch's lips thinned. "What is the energy output that your Guren laser is capable of producing?"
Rakshata blinked at the unexpected detail she was asked of, but after a beat answered nonetheless. The number she gave high, impressively so, but that was about all Kaguya could surmise from it. And from the silence that came from Lelouch, one might presume the cardinal was similarly ignorant of the ramifications. As Monaka opened her mouth to offer some degree of elaboration however, Lelouch uttered his next words.
"You have a functional gamma ray laser."
A sudden tension immediate permeated the room at Lelouch's declaration. What the cardinal said was not any new revelation to the researchers present, as all of them understood the ramifications of the technology that enabled their achievements in Project Guren. Because of that understanding however, they also grasped the meaning behind Lelouch's own comprehension.
The concept of a gamma ray laser could be traced all the way back to when lasers themselves were fully conceived. Gamma rays were simply another part of the electromagnetic spectrum composed of everything from radio waves to visible light to x-rays. What ultimately set them apart was their very high frequency and associated energy, which translated into correspondingly greater difficulty in producing a coherent emission in the gamma ray range. The highest frequency lasers in production use, with production being very specialized research, medical, and industrial applications, were x-ray lasers. Publicly, no country had yet succeeded in building of a working gamma ray laser. That alone made Project Guren not just the crowning jewel of the Sumeragi Group, but of Japan as a while.
After a few moments of bated breaths, Monaka tried again.
"Your Eminence-"
"That you were willing to reveal as much as you did makes clear all of you were prepared for the ramifications, regardless of whether they were realized now or in the future," Lelouch however preempted her again. "There is no doubt that the achievement here by Dr. Chawla, regardless of whether Project Guren achieves breakeven or not, constitutes nothing short of a paradigm shift. She and her team are to be congratulated."
The cardinal was displaying once more his uncanny ability to be both completely frank and utterly ingratiating. Even as the researchers felt at least a flicker of appreciation for his compliments, they could still hear the qualifier that was just waiting at the tip of his tongue.
"To ensure that the benefits of this technology outweigh the downsides requires extremely careful management of it, so it is understandable that the Sumeragi Group has kept so quiet about its success," the cardinal continued. "I trust it is also understood that the Britannian government has a direct interest in how this technology is propagated?"
"Yes, Your Eminence," Monaka finally got a few words in.
"Good," Lelouch nodded, and his apparent satisfaction saw quite a few sighs of relief sound. "That being said." Perhaps a bit too quickly at that. "While I understand the rationale behind the Sumeragi Group keeping this project so closely guarded, how exactly is it that the existence of the Guren gamma ray laser was not realized by the Britannian government previously?"
To that Monaka exchanged a look with Kaguya before shrugging. "The previous regulators assigned to monitor the Sumeragi Group's projects were not experts in nuclear technology, and were also generally amenable to discrete contributions to look the other way. The replacements have been much more demanding of proper documentation, and they likely would have realized what was going on in due time."
Lelouch gave an exasperated sigh of his own. "I see. Well, what's past is past. I will however expect the Sumeragi Group to keep my office fully appraised on developments from henceforth."
"Of course, Your Eminence."
Peering down at the spherical assemblage once more, Lelouch rubbed his chin. "So you've solved the ignition problem, but what of the overarching goal of breakeven and net power?"
"That we are still working towards," Rakshata admitted. "What the Guren laser, or graser, has however allowed us to do is quickly perform many more high-powered shots to acquire a better, empirical understanding of fuel implosion. Indeed, at this point we're able to experimentally determine how configuration changes affect the implosion process faster than relying on simulation models."
"Does that mean there was a time when you could get simulation runs turned around more quickly than an experimental run?" Lelouch asked.
Rakshata shot the cardinal a curious look, but with Lelouch revealing nothing in his impassive expression, she shrugged.
"There was, before the Empire invaded."
Another slight tensing of expressions could be seen on the faces of the other researchers, but Lelouch simply nodded nonchalantly. Whatever information the cardinal was fishing for, he was apparently satisfied with Rakshata's answer. The rest of the questions were more innocuous sounding, with Lelouch and even Kaguya inquiring as to what the current research track was geared towards and what future challenges the team intended to tackle. There was clearly an immense amount of experimental work that remained to be done, not to mention the practical challenges that would accompany any attempt at actual commercialization. The successes already achieved by the Guren team were however already worthwhile in and of themselves, not to mention the potential applications of their remarkably compact graser design. Indeed upon the conclusion of the tour proper, Lelouch explicitly requested and was given a drive containing copies of all of the experimental result reports produced by not just the Guren team but by all the research groups at the institute. Not the raw data of course, that would have required an entire briefcase of hard drives, and the Sumeragi Group would have been a bit more prickly about handing that out anyway, but the reports they did produce would be adequate for an analysis by the relevant Britannian parties as to where the various projects stood, and to what ends its current fruits might be applied. And as for what manner of cooperation and collaboration might be possible between the Sumeragi Group and the various interests Lelouch represented, that very matter was the subject of Lelouch and Kaguya's present discussion.
"How much familiarity did you yourself have regarding the Sumeragi Group's research efforts?" Lelouch asked.
He and Kaguya were seated alone inside a conference room, their respective attendants noticeably absent. That condition had been requested by Kaguya herself, indicating the girl had matters of some delicacy to discuss with the cardinal. That was fine with Lelouch, as he too had a few sensitive questions to ask, though his opening one arguably did not require such a degree of privacy.
"I had an awareness of the various projects, though based on the questions Your Eminence asked today, your own understanding of them seems to well exceeds my own," Kaguya answered.
"Understanding is probably overly generous," Lelouch responded. "I have however spent enough time around Sabine researchers to be able to pick through technical jargon without getting too lost."
"A useful skill in and of itself," Kaguya said with a slight smile.
"So it has proven," Lelouch said, leaning back in his chair. "All of the projects that have been presented to me today represent seminal works in their respective fields. To even be aware of their existence is valuable in and of itself. I can only assume that you did not dole out this information without expectation of some form of recompense."
"Astutely put, Your Eminence," Kaguya said with her usual charming smile, then met Lelouch's gaze solemnly. "In the long term, I firmly believe that by revealing to you the work the Sumeragi Group engages in, many opportunities for productive and profitable collaboration between the Group and those interests you represent will emerge."
And thus more tightly bind those interests, and Lelouch himself, to Japan, and Kaguya.
"In the interim, however, I have a personal request, one that I ask not to be misconstrued by yourself and the Britannian government."
Lelouch regarded Kaguya levelly. "And that request would be?"
"The House of Sumeragi has long claimed to be of Japanese imperial descent, even if we had no formal standing in the line of succession. Indeed, we were never even considered a collateral branch of the mainline imperial family. Nonetheless, several duties that were traditionally reserved for members of the imperial family have been filled by Sumeragis. One of those included serving as the chief priest or priestess of the Ise Grand Shrine."
The cardinal's expression remained stoically impassive, but a brief flicker flashed in his eyes. If Kaguya, who was holding steady his gaze, noticed it, the girl's own expression did not reveal.
"The last chief priestess was my grandmother, while my mother served in a parttime capacity there as well. I also underwent instruction that would have allowed me to serve in a similar capacity. And in gratitude for that service, members of the Sumeragi family are permitted to be enshrined at Ise after their passing. And they were, before the occupational authorities locked down the shrine. Since then, I have not been able to perform rites for them."
By now Lelouch could make a pretty good guess as to what sort of request Kaguya was working her way towards. He was polite enough however to let Kaguya finishing speaking instead of trying to preempt her.
"The Ise Grand Shrine is a major cultural monument for Japan, one that stretches all the way back to the days of the Heian era. I would like to think you would believe me when I claim to have no desire to revive Japan's imperial heritage, that I only wish for Ise's restoration as a symbol of our past. And to be given the chance to honor those of my family that lay there." The girl took a deep breath. "Is that a request that you see a path towards granting?"
Lelouch made no immediate answer, instead tapping a finger on the table for a moment or so in contemplation.
"A question, Kaguya," he began once he did deign to respond, "before I attempt to answer your request."
Kaguya dipped her head, indicating Lelouch could ask away.
"What was your mother's professional role within the Sumeragi Group?"
The girl blinked. That Lelouch might have further inquiries about her family was to be expected, since they were intertwined with her plea. She still would not have expected her family's commercial interests to elicit his curiosity however, at least not in this context.
"She served as one of the financial officers," Kaguya eventually answered. "At least that is what I have been told." And tilted her head. "Why do you ask?"
Lelouch gave the table a solid rap, as if arriving at a conclusion.
"Apologies if this elicits sorrowful memories, Kaguya," the cardinal said, "but I think I now understand the reason why your parents were targeted during the runup to Britannia's invasion."
A sharp gasp sounded from Kaguya, her eyes widening in conjunction.
"You say your mother served as a financial officer for the Sumeragi Group," Lelouch said. "Due to her station, she would almost certainly have been entrusted with overseeing the funding for the Group's more sensitive projects, such as the ones here."
Somehow, Kaguya's eyes went even wider.
"I would like to conduct further investigations into this, which will require interviewing staff both here and at the Group's main administrative offices, to determine whether my suspicions are founded. Do I have your consent?"
Reflexively, Kaguya nodded, but even when her thoughts caught up with her actions the girl did not attempt to retract her agreement.
"I will of course make sure you are appraised of any discoveries my team makes," Lelouch continued, "especially any leads that might confirm who was responsible for your parents' deaths."
Kaguya's breathing was now deep but stead as she nodded again.
"As to your request to reopen the Ise Grand Shrine," Lelouch said, his face softening now, "I can certainly see avenues that would allow for it. Logistically there is likely an abundance of maintenance and repair work that would need to be done before the shrine is able to safely welcome pilgrims again, but considering the House of Sumeragi's ties to the place, presumably you could marshal the necessary expertise to undertake that work correctly?"
At that Kaguya's face blossomed into a genuine, heartfelt smile.
"We most assuredly could, Your Eminence."
Lelouch nodded, then favored Kaguya with a smile of his own. It was a smile that sent Kaguya's heart aflutter all over again.
The lights in the room blinked on as Lelouch and Cornelia entered. No one else followed, and instead Alice and Gilbert took up positions on either side of the door. While Alice effected an alert but otherwise nonchalant demeanor, there was a slight frown that wrinkled Gilbert's expression. Cornelia's knight of honor was unused to being unable to accompany his liege wherever she went, certain biological imperatives notwithstanding, but Cornelia's agreement with Lelouch was very explicit that she and only she would be read in on the affairs touching upon Eden Vital's affairs and Marianne's murder. To Cornelia's credit, she had only taken a day or so to overcome the shock that accompanied the revelations made to her, before quickly resuming her steadfast determination to bring Marianne's killers to heel. Indeed, now that she had an actual target, that determination was starting to border on outright zealotry.
The inside of the room itself held a large conference table able to seat a dozen or so occupants, so there were plenty of seats to choose from. Nonetheless the two siblings settled down next to each other, putting on the glasses set before them. Once ready, Lelouch placed a hand on the blinking terminal to activate it. After the scan verified his identity, the other chairs in the room were suddenly filled by holographic projections of the participants.
"Your Eminence, Your Highness," Olivia Zevon, the grandmaster's immediate subordinate greeted.
The technology on display here was clearly a larger-scale version of the augmented reality tech Lelouch employed when explaining his Lake Kawaguchi stratagem to Cornelia and Andreas. As the princess was slowly learning, a lot of the little technological wonders that she had gotten peeks of were actually in wider distribution and use than she presumed. She just was not amongst the very exclusive category of people with access to them. A rather unfamiliar situation for Cornelia, considering her nominally lofty standing.
"Prioress," Lelouch responded, then to the others. "Your Majesty, Your Highness."
As indicated by Lelouch's address, the other two attendees were His Majesty the Emperor Charles and his second eldest son the Prince Schneizel. Indeed, amongst those of Charles' children in the succession, prior to Cornelia's induction, only Odysseus and Schneizel had been read in on enough of Eden Vital's secrets to attend such meetings. The Crown Prince's absence today however was a fair indicator that he would have little to contribute, at this stage at least, compared to his younger brother, the prime minister. In a way, it was Cornelia's own presence that obviated the need for Odysseus to attend, as the martial perspective he would have otherwise provided could now be handled by his sister. After all, while Odysseus was a rear admiral in the Britannian Navy, he had elected not to try to actively climb the ranks any higher, instead preferring his current posting for the opportunity to actually get out there to do some work instead of being stuck in an office all day. Not that Cornelia was so restricted, but she arguably was not doing a particularly good job in her official capacity whenever she went globetrotting.
In any case, the presence of Cornelia, Schneizel, and Charles meant that on the imperial side, the most powerful authorities within the Empire were assembled. And while the grandmaster herself was absent, Olivia certainly possessed enough authority to speak on her behalf, and Lelouch's position as cardinal of the Order Militant provided the necessary counterpart to Cornelia to ensure Eden Vital's opinion on martial matters were accounted for.
"Now that we are all here, let us begin," Olivia said, acting as moderator for the meeting. "While I am certain all of us have reviewed the summary Your Eminence sent out, seeing as it was your investigations that prompted this meeting, would you care to direct us towards what you feel to be the most pertinent matter at hand?"
"Certainly," Lelouch said. "My visit to the Sumeragi Group's research institute highlighted not only numerous technological developments that could only have been enabled by utilization of the Kamine Island thought elevator, but it also revealed a direct connection between the Sumeragi family and the custodians of that thought elevator, the Ise Grand Temple. It was a connection we always suspected, but due to the destruction of so much documentation by the Japanese government before the arrival of the occupational forces, one we could never definitively trace. In light of the confirmation that the connection does exist, and considering the circumstances in which several members of the Sumeragi family perished, I believe we must seriously entertain the possibility that the heretics, and by extension the Chinese Federation, may have had access to some of the technologies being developed by the Sumeragi Group, and that the aforementioned deaths were for the purpose of hiding just what technologies may have been pilfered."
Grim expressions were reflected all around Lelouch as the others mulled over his opening statement.
"Do we as yet have any indications as to which technologies were stolen?" Schneizel asked.
"It would probably be easier to assume that anything whose development extended back to before the invasion, the heretics have at least however much progress was made up till then," Lelouch responded. "The greater concern is what technology they might have stolen and then wiped all traces of from the Sumeragi Group's records. Considering the caliber of researchers the Group possesses, we could be in for a very nasty surprise."
The grimaces darkened at that possibility.
"My team is currently conducting interviews and audits to see if we might find some hints regardless," Lelouch continued, "but that is going to take time. In the interim however, I believe we need to reassess our threat evaluation of the heretics, and the Chinese Federation, upwards."
"Agreed," Charles said, his baritone voice rumbling as he uttered that singular word. "We can no longer be assured of a decisive tactical or strategic advantage in Our arms. This must be remedied."
"That will not be easy to do, Your Majesty," Schneizel however cautioned. "We are already maintaining our ready reserves at a high level. Anything more would require a general mobilization to be initiated. And while work proceeds on Damocles, it will still be many months, if not another year or two, before it reaches operational readiness."
Cornelia's eyes flickered at the new name, one that she had no inkling as to what it referred to. More secrets kept from her, though the fact that Schneizel was willing to make mention of it here suggested if she asked, they would be prepared to trust her with knowledge about this Damocles.
"Could the Guren graser not be applied to Damocles?" Lelouch asked, signaling that he at least did know what the name referred to.
Schneizel pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Possibly, but the project's engineers will need time to evaluate the technology to better understand its full capabilities. At present, it is too soon to tell whether attempting to incorporate the Guren graser would accelerate or delay Damocles' completion."
After all, even if a better piece of technology appeared, if the overall design required alteration to accommodate it, that could end up slowing things down instead of speeding things up.
"The Sabine researchers were practically salivating over the Guren reports they have access to," Olivia put in, "and are pressing strongly for access to more technical data."
"That would require negotiations with the Sumeragi Group for full access to be concluded," Lelouch said, "and the Group is certain to ask for something of consummate value in return."
Or someone, he did not say aloud.
"The grandmaster has authorized a set of offers to be put before the Sumeragi Group," Olivia said, "based on our confirmed awareness that the Sumeragi family were indeed amongst the stewards of the Kamine Island thought elevator. They may either request Eden Vital's assistance in reactivating the Kamine Island thought elevator and building back up the technical expertise necessary to employ it for computational purposes as an independent ecclesiastical order, or they could accede to communion with Eden Vital outright. If the House of Sumeragi were willing to accede to the latter, a symbolic, and literal, union could be forged to consummate it."
Cornelia blinked several times as she parsed the verbiage, but when she did she openly gaped at Lelouch. A furrow also appeared on Charles' brow, while Schneizel adopted a thoughtful expression. The cardinal himself on the other hand did not even bat an eye.
"That would require Kaguya to be fully read in on what the thought elevators are," he stated simply, "rather sooner than later."
"That is probably inevitable, considering Ms. Sumeragi is the only person we've found that is likely preregistered with elevated privileges for the Kamine Island thought elevator," Olivia said.
Lelouch gave a curt nod. "Very well. I will arrange for a proper briefing for her."
"Hmm," Schneizel murmured. "While I can see the advantages of having Eden Vital take outright control of the Kamine Island thought elevator, would that not constitute an outright violation of the Treaty of London?"
Cornelia shot her brother an incredulous look, but restrained her reaction to just that for now. Schneizel could be almost impersonal with his rationality, a stark contrast to quite a few of his other siblings. Still, the practical points he raised always held some merit, and having herself been briefed on what the Treaty of London was, Cornelia understood the importance of getting an answer to his question.
"The grandmaster has come to an arrangement with the Holy See," Olivia was the one that ultimately did so, "wherein the Holy See will agree to an exemption to the limits stipulated by the treaty, so long as they are provided with a contractor. The other signatories to the treaty are, at present, either nonentities, or will be brought to heel when the heresy is purged, so do not require consideration."
Those other signatories might not appreciate such an assessment, but the fundamental reality they all faced matched Olivia's frank assessment.
"Very well then, I will defer to the grandmaster's judgment," Schneizel said, then glanced over at Lelouch. "In which case, it hinges upon you to take the next step, Your Eminence."
"The matter will be handled appropriately," Lelouch said. "In light of our new discoveries however, I am at a point where the resources available to me are becoming outright inadequate to meet all of my operational needs. I will need substantial reinforcement as quickly as possible, otherwise I will have to start making some hard choices about who and what I can protect and what I must leave exposed."
Cornelia's jaw tightened, for the princess recognized that amongst all of the people that Lelouch needed to provide protection for, their younger sister was still ranked very lowly in terms of priority. Not to either of them personally, but the truth was that Euphemia contributed so little to the overall progress in Area 11, her presence was an outright inconvenience due to the effect on morale any harm that befell her would cause.
Olivia pursed her lips as she answered. "Eden Vital's immediate resources are similarly stretched, and we cannot provide any further reinforcements without calling upon our reserves." She looked over at the emperor. "Would we have Your Majesty's blessing to do so?"
Technically speaking, Eden Vital did not require Charles' consent to mobilize. The Convocation of Glastonbury only required that they inform the reigning sovereign of any such mobilization. Still, courtesy did oblige that they at least attempt to obtain it before proceeding, if only to give the emperor a chance to propose an alternative to Eden Vital constituting and out and out army from its adherents.
"That will not be necessary," Charles stated, doing just that now. "As much of the current demands are a consequence of His Eminence's duties as Our viceroy, We will make good the shortfall. The Knights of Seven and Twelve will be dispatched posthaste, along with a contingent of their guard."
Cornelia blinked, and even Schneizel seemed surprised by the pronouncement. Sending two Knights of the Round, along with their supporting guardsmen, was not some token action. Under other circumstances, a Round's presence might indicate a lack of confidence on the part of the emperor on whomever he or she was sent to mind. In this instance however, it spoke volumes about the emperor's determination to ensure Lelouch succeeded in his charge.
"The augmentation is much appreciated, Your Majesty," Lelouch said with a dip of his head. "I am certain that Dame Nonette and Dame Monica will be of immense assistance."
Cornelia let out a quiet sigh of relief as well. The more help they had, the better, and of the two knights, she was well familiar with, and had immense confidence in, Nonette at least. And despite her youth, Monica would not have been appointed had she lacked the necessary competency, so even if Cornelia did not know her as well, she would doubtlessly be of assistance too.
"Still," Charles continued. "It is clear from the revelations these past few days that the confrontation with the heretics and their supports draws nigh. Schneizel, Cornelia, rededicate yourselves to preparing for the coming war. We would not see victory escape Our grasp due to any dereliction of duty."
"Yes, Your Majesty," both Schneizel and Cornelia promptly responded.
The meeting wound down shortly thereafter, the most salient points having been covered. The more technical and logistical details could be conveyed via other means, and conducted by delegated subordinates instead of requiring the penultimate authorities within the Empire to be present. As the projections disappeared however, Cornelia turned in her seat to cast a frown in Lelouch's direction after removing her glasses. The cardinal however took it in stride with nothing more than a raised eyebrow.
"Lelouch," Cornelia addressed him by name instead of title. "Are you serious about some sort of courtship with Ms. Sumeragi?"
"If the situation so warrants it, it cannot be precluded out of hand," was Lelouch's response.
That only saw Cornelia's frown deepen into a grimace. "Aren't you already in a relationship with the Lady Ashford?"
Lelouch tilted his head. "And yet are we not brother and sister, biologically at least?"
"You know what I mean," Cornelia snapped. "Father's situation with our mothers is the exception, not the rule, with these sorts of things."
The way Cornelia worded her statement provided ample testament of that. After all, traditional family units tended not to have mothers in the plural. Lelouch leaned back in his chair and even crossed his legs.
"Is your issue that I might be courting multiple women simultaneously, or that one of those women is Japanese?"
Cornelia's jaw tightened as Lelouch cut straight to the heart of the issue.
"You know my position regarding the Japanese populace. After everything that's happened the past few years, for all the faults in Britannia's handling of the occupation, it is still on them to demonstrate the proper deference and obedience to the Empire. Until that obedience has been adequately demonstrated, they should not be granted the privileges enjoyed by longer standing subjects."
"And you would suggest that of all the Japanese, Kaguya has not provided adequate demonstration of her faith in the path I've set for her home?" Lelouch asked, eyebrow quirked high indeed.
Another pointed rejoinder, considering how grisly an end Kaguya had nearly come to proclaiming her personal loyalty to Lelouch.
"Even if her own allegiance is undeniable," Cornelia persisted however, "that does not entitle others of her, similar circumstances, to believe they have earned leeway of similar magnitude, which is something they might all too easily construe by the favors shown her."
Lelouch gave his sister a flat stare. "Pray tell, is there actually a point where you would ever be sufficiently satisfied with the loyalty of the Japanese populace that you would grant them the same degree of tolerance you would any other imperial citizen?"
Cornelia's jaw tightened. "They certainly are not there presently, considering the fixation so many of them have in clinging to their past national identity."
"Well, while you may enjoy the luxury of such a rigid delineation in the armed forces," Lelouch responded, "I am obliged to find solutions that will work in a civilian environment without racking up the bodies."
There was a touch of acid in Lelouch's own tone as he spoke, one that Cornelia recognized as a warning about his thinning patience and tolerance. This disagreement was not a new one between the two siblings, after all, and was one of the reasons why Lelouch requested the emperor to issue that writ clearly delineating how the chain of command worked between their respective stations. And while Cornelia had mostly kept her peace while Lelouch pursued his civilian agenda, the possibility that her brother might become romantically involved with a person of Japanese ethnicity, however solidly established the girl in question's loyalty, was straining Cornelia's own limits of tolerance.
"Relaxing your grip too early is as liable to see the bodies pile up," Cornelia thusly responded, refusing to concede.
"Then let them pile up," Lelouch said, now a full-on glare directed at his sister. "And we shall see how deep the grave I am obliged to dig, as compared to that the Purists did."
Clearly done with this conversation, Lelouch set his glasses aside and rose to take his leave without any further ado. When after a moment of his departure Cornelia herself did not emerge, Alice peered into the room and jerked her head, as brusque a signal as any for the princess to similarly vacate the chamber. With a tired sigh, Cornelia rose and headed for the exit, her misgivings growing with every step she took.
End of Chapter 31
Bloody hell, that was a goddamn long scene. There was so much information that I needed to get out. It should be more evident just what the subplot involving Kaguya is about. That being said, I really would recommend not jumping to conclusions as to how this subplot will ultimately be resolved. This chapter has provided a big, big reason for why Kaguya might want to forego any relationship with Lelouch.
Cornelia is trying really hard to not sound like a racist bigot, but her beliefs are fairly transparent. A reminder, that for all Lelouch and Euphemia's seeming liberalism, there are plenty of people within Britannian society, within their own family for that matter, that harbor far more conservative views. And from Cornelia's perspective, she sees nothing wrong about her views. That's going to result in some very interesting interplay in the upcoming chapters, I think, as Euphemia herself more overtly moves in Lelouch's direction.
I don't know what the confusion with Yvette's preferences are. I reread what I wrote and didn't spot any inconsistencies.
Jenis was a typo, Oldrin's school should remain Pendleton. This is what I mean by these being basically first drafts with functionally no editing. Euphemia's old school is supposed to be Jenis, and the two got flipped.
