'Everywhere I am not there is folly, a failed stratagem in practice, an excuse, for Napoleon overestimated his commanders and underestimated his opponents, why? Because he had grown comfortable in his power, it's a good lesson to learn.'
Alexander Andreas Gustavus Di Britannia.
Knightmare controls where surprisingly intuitive, the control scheme was easy to handle and offered near full movement of the arms. The leg controls where linked into a set of foot paddles, those I found were a bit clunky for me. Something that could be changed if, no when, I built a Knightmare for myself.
All in all, a Knightmare was not that hard to control, with a few hours practice someone could learn how to move one.
Cornelia however had near a thousand hours of experience and knew her machine, far better than I did mine. Her customized Glasgow that looked more like a prototype Sutherland, operated far better than I knew my golden painted Glasgow could.
She crushed me into the ground time after time. Yet each time I lasted notably longer and each time I sent all data to a server for future analyzation. My mother had given me effective control of the company some time ago, apparently. She told me she had no interest in the business side of things and enjoyed designing weapons of mass destruction more.
The logic in giving a ten year old control of a corporation escapes me, but I was not going to complain. I blame the Britannian mindset of extreme Darwinism.
Thus, I had settled on making sure I was making money. A rifle contract we had just gotten from the military was doing just that. It might be Schneizel trying to gain some points with me as it had been sent to us by one of his informants, but I don't really care as long as I get paid.
"Focus Andre!"
I blocked her blade just in time to not lose my machines arm. The blow did force me on the backfoot however and I used the land spinners to push my frame up the wall behind me. I had never tried this move before, but it was the only option if I wanted to win this fight. If it did work it would be my first win against Nelly.
The spinners screamed in protest as they drove the seven-and-a-half-ton machine up. They made a worrying sound as I pushed the legs off the walls hefting my sword up for an overhead cleave down at the retreating Cornelia.
"What in the..." her voice sounded over the open channel as her land-spinners kick into overdrive trying to get her machine out of my way.
It was all for naught though as my blade fell against her block with all the power of seven tons going at near terminal velocity, cutting straight through her blade as if it where paper and proceeding to cleave the right arm from her frame.
She attempted to fire her remaining slash harken at me, almost hitting my fact-sphere as I recovered from the impact of hitting the ground. I fired off my own harkens and pushed forward as her land-spinners where blasted out under her, placing myself right in front of her frame, my blade poised to pierce her cockpit.
"You've won this one then Andre, colour me impressed." She sounded amused, "You've improved a lot this last half a year."
"Are you kidding Nelly, this is the first time I've beaten you... wait a second, I beat you! Fuck yeah!"
"You did, not a bad for a twelve-year-old I suppose, don't let it get to your head however."
"I won't." I couldn't, I still have a long way to go.
…
I smiled as I entered the facility, a reinforced compound at the southern tip of Nova Scotia. This is what most of my admittedly limited resources had been dedicated to ever since I took control of the Salish-Achaia-Morea Inc.
Note to self, rename the company, I can't even pronounce the name without chocking myself.
Back to the point, this facility had been the first thing I ordered designed and built. It would be where all my future prototypes would be constructed, it would be the center of my powerbase for the not inconsiderable future. Yet I wished for it to be relatively mobile, one never knows when a better location might appear.
"Your Highness, it's a pleasure to see you again." The periwinkle pink haired man bowed at the waist, his lab coat covered his pockmarked skin flipping up onto his back at the movement.
"How has construction gone Harris?" I had found Harris Maclagan by pure accident, a Britannian in looks though the fact that his mother was Polynesian made him a number as far as the government was concerned. He was third in his class for biology and physics and second below a shared first place in engineering, the ones better then him you ask?
Oh, only Lloyd Asplund and Rakshata Chawla, as you may understand I recruited him happily.
"Very well you Highness, all generators where installed without issue and the first tier has been successfully completed, construction on the second tier has already begun. We just started digging the drydock and the concrete for the outer walls is to be poured next week."
Perfect, the tiers where something I insisted on. To extrapolate, the base would have five tiers of construction that would allow the base to operate even before it would be fully completed. The first tier was basically just the essentials, generators, utilities, personnel quarters and my office.
All tiers after this one would add additional facilities ranging from naval to air to medical advances. I could invest in these tiers when I have the money available and could hold off on the construction for as long as needed.
"Excellent work Harris, what's the status of project A1?"
"We just finished the first prototypes; would you like to see it you Highness?"
"Of course."
….
"Happy birthday Alexander darling!" My mother shouted as I entered our palace, my returning on my birthday was not my decision. I had never really cared about the concept much, in fact I found it quite idiotic. But we celebrated my last two birthdays with a small party at my mother's prodding. Unfortunately my mother had insisted I spend more time with my siblings, I understood that somewhat, I had spent the last years only really speaking with Nellie, Euphie, Clovis and Schneizel.
That sounded a bit sad really, but I don't really like any of my other siblings, other than Nunna and Lelouch, but I had unintentionally intentionally been staying clear of them for obvious reasons.
My mother did not seem to care, who I did and did not like and had invited what seemed like half of my siblings and their entire families to a 'surprise' birthday party for me. I had known about it months in advance, of course, but I had no excuse to not come to my own party. At least not one that would hold up under scrutiny.
"Thank you, mother." I hugged the woman firmly, one of the quirks of my new life was the feelings I inherited form the previous owner, occupier, soul... let's go with soul. Anyway, I inherited the feelings of the soul which used to be in control of this body.
One of those is understandably love for my mother. And an admiration towards Nelly and Schneizel, a friendly rivalry between Clovis, Lelouch and myself and a grudging respect for my father and the power he held.
A bit of an inconvenience really, feelings where not something I was attuned to at all. Suddenly having them was strange and I had been avoiding dealing with them for a long time now, it might be good to actually confront them on a limited scale. This party was not in any sense of the word a limited scale however, the exact opposite really.
Yet I smiled and shook hands with all those who came to congratulate me, this part was expected, nobles, powerful businessmen and royals, come to suck up to a now technically adult prince. My mother had planned a smaller private party later today, something more to my liking, a dinner and some drinks after. And I just reminded myself that I am still too young to drink, Fuck. I miss my rum.
"You seem as bored as expected."
The smooth voice comes from beside me, I turn towards her smiling my charming grin. The bold blond was someone I actually liked being around, she reminded me of some of my old friends from before. Unlike most people in Britannia she had relatively modern sensibilities, even if she was only ten.
"I have no idea what you are talking about Millicent."
"Of course you don't your highness." The sarcasm she put into my title was, for a ten-year-old, simply hilarious.
"Indeed, Heir second in line lady Ashford." The scowl the use of her full title brought to her face lit mine up with a smile. "So, what has you straying so far from Lulu's side?"
The girl was stuck to my little brother like a magnet, and the spoiled little boy seemed to like it too.
"Euphie got to him first." The small blush on her face amused me immensely, I had heard through Nelly about how much little Euphie adored Lelouch, and how she and Milly had a little rivalry going on. "I'll get him back soon however, especially if you help..."
"What's in it for me?"
"You get to play that silly game you like and not stand around getting your ass kissed."
"Millicent Ashford, if I did not love your suggestion, I would tell Aunt Marianne about your language."
Her face turned white at the suggestion, Lelouch and Nunna's mother was more Bipolar then an orange painted Panda bear on a Jamaican beach, and extremely protective of her children. Swearwords where punished in several creative and honestly horrifying ways. Like the time she made Guinevere eat a bar of soap after saying the word Shit, that's not a joke, she made the 15-year-old chew, swallow and digest a bar of soap.
"Let's not get hasty here Andre..."
"Yes, let's go find Lulu instead."
Finding my sulky little brother was fairly easy, he was never far away from his mother and sister at social events, likely because the nobility seemed to scorn them. A sad thing really, from my limited talks with Marianne she was fun to converse with.
"Ahh Happy birthday Andre." The woman smiled, "Have you come to be away from the parasites or is this just curtesy?"
"I don't know how many more handshakes and false smiles I will be able to handle before I hurt someone, so let's go with the former."
"So, brother, have you heard of my challenge?" the black-haired boy interjected, I suppressed a sarcastic remark and looked at him.
"And what challenge would that be Lulu?"
The boy's face adopted a frown, one I had seen many times before in another time.
"I Lelouch vi Britannia hereby challenge you to a game of the Kriegspiel." Lelouch spoke confidently.
"Are you sure Lulu, you do know that I bet only favors? The no questions asked, nonnegotiable kind?"
The boy nodded seeming confident, but I looked to Marianne. She was smiling, yet it did not reach her eyes. She was calculating, and when she noticed my look she nodded, permission given then.
"Okay then, Public or Private?"
"Private. I hear you don't perform well under scrutiny."
I have never been so offended by something I completely agree with, smart ass little shit.
"Excellent, Albert!" I called to the butler smiling, "Please prepare the game room."
….
It was not even half an hour later that we found ourselves in the large room set aside for every type of game imaginable, from sudoku puzzle books to foosball to a bowling ball alley, seated around the tables set aside for the Kriegspiel.
Nelly had been voted into the Umpire position, something she seemed to enjoy and a short campaign had been selected. The Egyptian campaign, with the forces of Revolutionary France on one side and the Anglo-Ottoman forces on the other.
I was quite exited, it would be the first time I faced Lelouch on the field, even if it was a fake one. I had steadfastly refused to indulge his, honestly disturbingly frequent, requests for a chess match.
Thinking about it that was likely why he came to challenge me like this. The boy had a superiority boner the size of Texas, and did with my refusing like he did scorn, he lashed out.
Around us where a few of the friends and family that where both interested to watch and invited to the party, which was still ongoing downstairs, Schneizel, Marianne, Nunna, Euphie, Milly, Odysseus, Clovis, Dalton, Guilford, Nonette and my mother being the most important among them.
A coin had been flipped for the sides, Lelouch got the French and I got the Anglo-Ottoman side.
"A dice throw to start us off then, as the attacker you may roll first Lelouch."
Lelouch threw his dice, landing on a sixteen, a decent starting position for him. I threw my own dice and landed a thirteen, not too bad.
….
He had spent months preparing for this, learning the rules and practicing in secret against the servants and Odysseus. He had wanted to challenge Clovis first but the artist could not keep his mouth shut. Still he had felt ready.
Now barely into the game he felt dread, Alexandre had him backed into a corner, and he knew it too. Encircled at Jerusalem, halted at Damascus and harassed around the seas. He had lost near half his army already, not that he had not done any damage himself.
His offensive into the levant had beaten Andres Ottoman contingent bloody. He had been forced to bring in extra forces from Alexandretta to halt his push, depleting his assault force. Yet it seemed to not matter, Andre had cut of his supply line from the south using his English forces. And the bloody Arab raiders kept his troops on the Nile pressed.
Could he? Maybe...
It's the only chance really.
….
He really is a genius in high stress situations. I should have expected it I know but I feel it worthy of note that my little brother is a genius on a tactical level. Strategic not so much. His general strategy was good at the beginning, a push along the Nile to capture the area followed by an assault into the levant to capture Jerusalem and Damascus, the victory condition.
He failed to account for me hiding raiders along the Red-sea, he then failed to deal with them disrupting his supply lines forcing him to stop his push north. Whilst he was focused on gathering forces to continue on north, I had gotten Ottoman reinforcements from Anatolia and British ones from Cyprus to prepare a landing.
I had gathered as many reserves as I had available at Antioch ready to push south, yet victory was not certain.
One more thing need to be done.
….
The fucker had captured Alexandria!
Lelouch had left the city with limited protection, enough to hold off a landing force. He had not expected the raiders to join in on the attack. He had honestly thought he had hunted them all down, but it appeared that there where at least another few cavalry battalions left. His supply line was largely cut off, he was forced to retreat his siege of Jerusalem, the third siege this game and fall back to the Sinai.
He had to fall back and force a draw, and quickly.
….
He was going for a draw, his best option really.
All he would have to do was take Alexandria back and push west along to coast to withdraw. I had taken note of some of his tactics during the campaign. Lelouch rarely spread out his forces, keeping them concentrated around an area, never more than a day away from another of his armies.
He preferred quick lightning attacks at the start of a battle, trying to role up a flank and encircle. If this did not work he would fall back and try another tactic. He valued his Cavalry, using them sparingly for decisive engagements.
He moved quickly, his organizational skills were great, he moved quickly and without the issues a beginner usually had. His retreat from around Jerusalem was proof of this, I could not force a battle with him that was not in his favor.
But again, his strategic skills failed him. He had managed to recapture Alexandria, at a great cost however. For he had lost another third of his forces while mine had retreated in good order having only lost some two fifths. My raiders had finally been wiped out, so it was down to a straight up clash of armies.
The battle field would be just north-east of Alexandria, a flat area divided by lakes and streams. Lelouch had one goal here to hold me off, while I had to capture his general for a complete victory.
….
The balance was in his favor, at least right now. Lelouch had some 20.000 troops here. Meanwhile Alexandre had some 18.000, tired from a quick march but more were on the way and if he was allowed to field his entire force it would outnumber his twice over.
His first move was obvious, he had to break the line.
….
As stated, before Lelouch was a master tactician. He had nearly pierced my line twice now, and I had only just avoided an encirclement of my left flank. Yet I was winning now, he had overestimated his troops moral and condition. The time for victory is here.
….
Cornelia found this entire affair quite interesting, Andre had Lelouch back into a corner. Yet instead of retreating Lelouch had chosen to fight. It wasn't a bad decision per see, but against a commander like Andre it would be his defeat.
Lelouch cared for his troops, he tried to keep his forces as intact as possible and would not leave a rearguard to die. Andre was not the opposite exactly, but he was far more willing to sacrifice troops to achieve a goal, as he was doing now with his frontal infantry charge.
….
The center could not hold, Lelouch thought, what a disgrace. He had tried every trick in the book, yet his brother had triumphed here. His line was broken and Lelouch was forced to leave behind all but his general in a last-ditch effort to force a draw. Yet it was all for naught, Alexandre's Cavalry had broken trough and he was forced to surrender.
Defeat held a bitter taste, until now he had suffered but three defeats in any game of strategy. One against Cornelia when he had just started playing chess. One defeat against his mother and one against Schneizel.
Yet in all those cases it had been a close thing, this was a blowout disaster. He felt insulted and weak, things he was not accustomed to.
Lelouch resolved to beat his brother someday, no matter what.
….
'It's not stealing if nobody is alive to accuse you of it.'
Alexander Andreas Gustavus Di Britannia.
…..