As Our Lord Commands

by CrossAce215

Family broken, mother dead and captured by an organisation of religious extremists, Lelouch vi Britannia must rise from the ashes of his youth, overcome the problems placed in his path and search deep into the mystery that has haunted his family for generations. (Bad at summaries, read the first chapter it sets the story up. Also, if you like/ship Kallen, this is not your story.)

6. The Search Begins

Chapter 6

Pendragon

Clovis la Britannia

He didn't belong here. He remembered hearing that in the days of his enrolment in the New York Imperial Officers Academy. He remembered hearing that from his fellow students even when he passed with flying colours and was awarded command of the 38'th Armoured Corps. He remembered hearing that from his fellow officers in the field, even up to the invasion of Area 6, formerly Argentina. He remembered it lessening after he destroyed the Argentinian army and drove the survivors into concentration camps. He remembered it lessening as his forces surrounded the capital of Buenos Aires. And he remembered it stopping as he flattened the city and drove its inhabitants into the waiting arms of the IVth Legion. He remembered the voices that used to scorn him praising his name as marched into Pendragon with a smirk upon his lips and knelt before the Emperor a conquering hero.

The Royal Family had changed after the Aries Villa Massacre, and in no one was that more apparent than Prince Clovis la Britannia. From the gentle poet and artist, he had turned into a cold-hearted general who had spread the fear of the Imperial Army before him throughout South America. Casting aside common Imperial practice which did not see generals near the fighting he had led from the front line. While not a skilled tank commander like his brother Castor rui Britannia, nor the charismatic leader his sister Cornellia li Britannia was he had earned his reputation as a cold-hearted strategist. Willing to accept any loss in the name of Imperial victory he had left devastated cities and fields of bodies in his wake. Ignoring conventional tactics, he had pioneered the way into combined arms warfare, utilizing the use of lightly armed cavalry forces to harass and probe the enemy before slamming with the full force of his main armoured column. While relatively new and sorely under optimized the vehicles had proved their worth as mobile gun batteries and artillery stations.

Now standing before the Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire Clovis felt nothing. While the death of Marriane and the kidnapping of Lelouch had devastated many within the Imperial Family their loss, and the weakness it proved to Clovis, had left his heart shattered. Unwilling to accept such weakness in the Empire he had come to love he had cast aside both his beloved arts and much of his humanity in an attempt to prevent anything similar from happening to his sibling ever again. While he knew many within the family had been worried by his sudden transformation, and Cornellia and Schneizel had even spoken to him about it, he had brushed their concerns off and continued on his path.

Bowing before his Sovereign Clovis could feel the cold stare of the mightiest man on the planet. While before it would have terrified, he now felt only pride. He had done what few others had in doing so he had made Britannia safe. That had won him accolades and medals galore, but the greatest prize had been his father's pride. He still remembered the small, almost invisible, smile Charles had given him as knelt to be named General of the IVth Legion, with which he had conquered South America. Rising from his knees he slammed his fist to his chest.

"All Hail Britannia!"

"Welcome home Clovis, I trust your recent campaign against Peru has been a success?"

"Part of Area 6 now Your Majesty. All in your glorious name, and the name of the Empire."

"Well said, now come, we must talk in private."

Rising from his throne Charles turned and walked towards his private quarters, quickly flanked by the ever-present Bismarck and the Royal Guard. Clovis stood stunned for a second, before quickly shaking out of his confusion and hurrying to catch up with the Emperors long strides. Looking behind him he watched the other members of court be led out, confusion as evident on their faces as it had been on his mere moments before. Despite his impeccable record and the glories he had won in the Empires name had never been invited into the Emperor's personal study. Few ever had, most were simply granted a private audience in the Throne Room, if that.

Walking through the gilded halls and extravagant rooms he was eventually led to large, plainly decorated room with a simple desk. The only things of value it seemed were the paintings hung around the room and the strange artefacts that adorned the shelf near the far end. Sitting in the tall plainly carved wooden chair the Emperor rested, staring into nothingness with an open folder before him. Unsure of what to do Clovis stood till the Emperor seemed to physically shake himself back into the present. Waving to the chair in front of him the Emperor opened the folder and pulled out three files and a handful of photographs.

"Sit, there is much we need to discuss, but first I want you to read this."

Taking the letter form the Emperor's hands Clovis's eyes began to widen. What he held in his hands was treason of the highest order, and directly from the hands of the Minister of Internal Affairs in the Russian Federation. Years ago, the Russian Empire, which had remained a monarchy under the EU attempted to regain its freedom and had paid heavy price for it. Their army crushed, many of their political freedoms removed, the Monarchy abolished they had been crushed utterly with vast amounts of their people sent into labour camps to help 'rebuild'. No one was sure exactly what happened in those frigid camps, but it had been enough to see the EU's Intelligence service abolished after reports of their activates reached the Council of 30. Since then, Russia had been crushed down by the rest of the EU, primarily France, Spain and Italy who had begun to run the EU in all but name. Recently this had boiled over into armed insurrection, with local forces rising and striking out at the EU garrison units. In the last few months, a decision had been reached with the Russian government to release Russia however cut all trade with them, essentially leaving them to slowly starve and grind into the ground before the EU would return and be seen as glorious saviours. While Russia pretended to hate the plan, secret trade agreements with Britannia had already been reached to attempt to offset this. However, a sudden build-up of forces on the Chinese Federation border had left the Russians terrified. After their defeat, their army had been disbanded and all military industry destroyed or repurposed. Without the defensive forces of the EU they would overrun and turned into a puppet state in months at best, weeks at worst. A plan had been uncovered by Russian Intelligence, the KIS, to partition the country between the EU and Federation, with the EU stepping in after the invasion began to claim to be protecting the people, instating Martial Law and driving the Russian people even further into the weight of EU control. In response to this was the letter before him. While the Russian Tsar had been forced to abdicate, he had not been arrested and had instead fled with his family to Australia where he remained to this day. A plan had been concocted to declare independence from the EU and then immediately apply to become a puppet state of the Holly Britannian Empire, returning the Tsar to power and gaining the support of the Empires vast military. In return for gaining the Empires help the Minister offered a list of names, places, identities and sources for those behind the Aries Villa Massacre. While extensive sweeps had been done, and numerous arrests and purges made there had been no clear answer to who had planned the attack, nor who had taken the missing Prince.

"This is incredible, this could be-"

"The answer we want? Yes. The cost, however, could be severe. If we were to step in and claim Russia, we could start a war on two fronts, one we are not equipped to deal with."

For a moment Clovis wanted to scream, to call his father a coward for not taking the risk and discovering the truth of the Massacre, but after a moment the logical brain that had won him countless battles and wars took over and he thought the situation through. While the Britannian Army was itself strong, the Navy remained weak and getting a stable supply line all the way from the Britannian mainland to the Russian front would be a feat of logistics the world had yet to see. While it had not been an issue in South America, the Federation navy was a powerhouse in the Pacific. While individually Federation ships were not much to look at, as par the course for Federation tech, they had the numbers to smash aside anything the Britannian's could bring to bear. And with their supply lines cut the troops in Russia would be overrun and destroyed.

Spending a moment more thinking about it he looked up to meet his father gaze.

"You wouldn't have bothered to show me this if you did not have a plan. So, what will we do?"

"Hmpf, you were always a bright one in matters such as this. Yes, I have a plan, one that will take a decent amount of time, however. With the main campaigns in the South at an end and only small clean-up operations remaining you will not be expected much. While you have gained a reputation as quite a socialite an absence could be explained as military training, especially if other officers and your personal unit were to disappear at the same time."

Standing from his desk he handed Clovis a report card listing missing weapon stockpiles, unfortune disappearances and vehicles destroyed in combat.

"A stockpile has already been made. You and a selection of military instructors, as well as two mixed foreign units would leave for Russia within the month. An area has already been established by the KSI for a training base in Siberia. From there you will train in secret a force of Russian partisans to hold the federation border upon there secession from the EU. If the Federation cannot make a serious push into Russian territory than the public of both Russia and Europe at large would never accept EU military intervention. From there we can force the Federation into a ceasefire and begin bringing more and more men into the country."

"What if they can't hold? The Federation army are hardly the most efficient armed forces in the world. But they have the men and equipment to break through anything a group of rebels could muster."

"Indeed, and that is where the foreign units will come in. The first is a mixed bag of European cast offs who fight to return Europe to the old ways. They are a highly trained and motivated unit and fighting to free a European country from outside influence will drive them to acts of valour rarely seen within even our own forces. The other, is the second reason you will be going."

Pointing to the third file Clovis was met by a face he had never seen before, with a badge he recognized only too well.

"Imperial Guard?"

"Indeed, the man's name is Jeremiah Gottwald, he was a guard at the Aries Villa and holds himself personally responsible for what happened to the vi Britannai family. I offered him a chance to redeem himself."

Raising his eyebrow Clovis read over the file on Special Operations Unit 7, Code Name: Black Knight.

"Mixed Japanese and Britannian?"

"Both body guards of the missing princes, both hold themselves responsible for their kidnappings. They make for excellent soldiers and will hold their own exceedingly well. They are being backed up by a unit of the Imperial Guard. While they will assist both you and the Russian forces their primary goal is to hunt down any traces of the missing princes and peruse them at all costs. Your secondary objective will be to assist their actions. They will follow your commands unless news of the missing princes is found, then immediate authority will go to them and you will do everything in your power to assist in the search."

Rising to his feet Clovis knelt before the Emperor, crossing his hand over his heart.

"If it will bring my brother back, I will do anything in my power."

"I know my son, that is the reason you have been chosen to carry this mission out. Bismarck will lead you out, you have one week to prepare."

Standing tall and looking out the window Charles clasped his hands behind his back.

"Oh, and Clovis?"

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"Do not fail me."

Area 1

Jeremiah Gottwald

Watching the incoming convey Jeremiah felt a sense of trepidation take over him. This would be his first interaction with a member of the Royal Family besides the Emperor since his exile from the vi Britannia Royal Guard. And of all people, he would be forced to meet the Cold Heart of Britannia. Nicknames abounded throughout the Royal Family and Noble houses. Naming great deeds, won splendor and victorious valour But for none was this title more fitting than for Clovis la Britannia. A man who had pioneered the development of armored warfare and combined arms tactics over a sea of dead bodies and burning cities. No one could list the death toll of the South American campaigns. No one really wanted to try. Mass graves, concentration camps and fields of burning vehicles, Clovis had won Britannia their wars at a cost even the Emperor himself was said to have flinched at. And now he was here.

Stepping out of the lead vehicle the prince looked around the narrow parade ground with a look of complete apathy. It was said after his brother's disappearance Clovis had lost the artistic, fun side that had made him the beloved face of the Royal Family. In his place had risen a cold-hearted monster, and yet it was a monster that fought for their sakes above all else. It was for that reason that he had been selected for this task. As important as taking South America had been to security back at the mainland, the true goal that all in Britannia secretly hoped for had always been the Isles. To retake their gleaming homeland from the accursed traitors in the EU and restore the Emperor to his rightful place as King of the Isles. And this would be the vital first step to that plan. To land on the mainland and take the fight to the EU. Even though no fighting had been predicted to happen between Britannian forces and EU forces the chance was always there. And then of course, there was the other mission.

The mere thought of that seemed to attract the attention of Clovis as his head spun and seemed to stare straight into Jeremiahs soul. Unconsciously standing taller, he clutched the ceremonial sword tighter in his hands, fearing for a second his grip might shatter the wooden case around the ancient relic. Unlike the EU and Federation Britannia held strong to its roots, one of which was the gifting of relics and standards to each of the Regiments within the Military. Taken from the time the British had been forced to flee England, each Regiment was given an item from the Royal treasury or from one of the great families. These were given to protect them, so that if a force were captured attempting to flee, Britannia would not lose all that remained of their history at once. No one knew exactly how many priceless heirlooms had been stolen by the French forces or sunk during the perilous journey between Britain and the New World but upon their arrival the act of necessity was made into tradition. Either bearing the relic they had brought with them, or gifted new relics of great value each Regiment was given the sacred duty of taking care of their priceless gift, as well as the Regimental Standard. If the relic were to be lost, or the standard fall in battle the unit would be disbanded, and its members cast into shame and disgrace for their failures.

Coming to parade stance along with the rest of the assembled soldiers, Jeremiah listened as the voice of the Princes herald rang out.

"Bear witness to his Royal Highness, Clovis la Britannia, Third Prince of the Holy Britannain Empire, Legate of The Fourth Legion and Duke of California. All Hail Britannia!"

Standing to attention, Jeremiah and the 400 men of Special Operations Unit 7 slammed their fists to their chests and saluted as one.

"All Hail Britannia!"

While to many outside of Britannia the order of the presentation seemed off, introducing the man or woman as of great import then almost dismissing it, it served of great value within Britannain culture. It showed despite their titles, their military ranks or their honours, all were in the end under and subservient to the Empire, and thus its single ruler in the Emperor.

While under Charles rule most of the more obscene and ridiculous privileges had been revoked from the Nobility, the Aristocracy remained one of the most pivotal and powerful forces within Britannia, driving the idea behind Social Darwinism and providing most of the manpower and materiel behind the Empires many wars. Within the many ranks of the elite, you could find men from every corner of life. From the lowest ranking town officials or knights all the way to the Dukes and Viceroys that owned vast swathes of land, to be of importance within Britannia you had to hold some form of title. This was in part the reason Britannia had previously held such a racist and derogative view of the rest of the world. With most of those in power coming from long family lines tracing all the way back to before their exile an air of elitism and superiority overcame the country that eventually led to parties such as the Blood Guard and Purebloods coming to power. After the death of Marriane a massive crackdown had resulted in such parties being banned and their members either being killed or imprisoned as co-conspirators.

Pushing such thoughts away Jeremiah focused as Clovis walked from the armoured car he had arrived in, quickly flanked by his personal guard. While every member of the Royalty had a guard, either made up of Pendragon's Royal Guard, or their own personal guards, Clovis was alone in the level of fear his personal army spread before them. While certain figures such as Cornelia had a small unit of elite Knights that served under them, or others such as Guinevere de Britannia had entire private armies which they used to enforce their will, Clovis alone possessed a guard to the extent it could be compared to match the Emperors own Imperial Guard. Drawn from across the IV'th the most elite of Clovis's troops were formed into a personal bodyguard detachment that would obey Clovis in all things. Widely feared for their brutal actions during the few wars they had taken part in they had also earned themselves a reputation for dark deeds within the fatherland. Many of Clovis's more vocal enemies had gone missing, either ending up dead in car crashes or being murdered by 'terrorists' while overseas, and while never spoked allowed, everyone knew who was responsible.

Clad in the signature maroon trench coat and flat top caps they made an imposing sight as they fanned out behind their prince. Ever watchful he noticed their eyes constantly darting between the Prince, his men and the forest around them. While they did not have any visible weapons, he knew they all carried concealed weaponry under their heavy cloth uniforms. Coming to a stop Clovis seemed to scan the command unit before marching directly towards Jeremiah.

"Jeremiah Gottwald, I presume?"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

The Prince seemed to consider for a moment, looking Jeremiah up and down before speaking again.

"Hm, good. My father has spoken highly of you Jeremiah, do not let him, or myself, down."

With that the prince left the awestruck captain behind and casually walked down the line towards the docks at the far end of the temporary parade ground.

Shaking himself from his confusion Jeremiah managed to yell out a few commands, ordering his men to make the last of their preparations and prepare to board the transport ships that would take them to Russia. Thinking over the Princes comment Jeremiah felt an emotion that had taken the nation by storm over the last few years, and one that would only increase to a fever pitch in the months to come.

Devotion.