The morning alarm had ensured that Lelouch didn't oversleep. Waking up had been a little hustle since he was honestly tired from the load he had put himself through the night before. Still, he was at war, he could not afford to take chances. What would happen if they were attacked and reports say that the military was unable to move because the commander of the company had been fast asleep? It was going to be a joke that even the generation to come would be told. If it was someone else, it would not even reach the eyes of the public. Britannia media did not report losses. It would not fit their narrative. Even a defeat was reported as a win. Who else would deny it when state media was driving through propaganda and blocked any other news that may contradict their version of events?
After waking up, Lelouch dragged himself to a shower and after a couple of minutes, he emerged, refreshed and looking lively. He would need to have another nap during the afternoon or when he does return from his operation. It was likely that the operation he was going to conduct today would take the whole day and perhaps even force them to camp a little away from their strong hold as they would have to move into Spain. No, he was certain it would take a day or two. He just had to calculate a couple of things before moving out.
After dressing, Lelouch made his way towards the small room he was using as a living room and office. Villetta was already up. She looked refreshed. He smiled at her.
"Good morning, Villetta," he said calmly as he took the seat he had vacated when he decided he needed to rest.
Villetta stood up and saluted stiffly. "Your Highness," she said without looking into Lelouch's eyes. She was trying to avoid eye contact.
Had it been someone else, she would have been kicked out. She would have been sent away or given a warning. But this person had given her the blanket he was supposed to put on. He had showed kindness to her. She hadn't been looking forward to sleep before he could but she had fallen sleep. Right in front of an Imperial Prince. It was embarrassing and unprofessional. She would make sure it never happened again.
Still, if anything, he even looked amused with her discomfort. She hoped she hadn't said anything in her sleep. That aside, she was glad it was him though. She was a woman in a field of men; so many don't have their woman with them. Some untold despair does occur to women in war. Humans could be such despicable creatures at times. Villetta was happy though, she was happy that she was following someone who was kind and certainly didn't act in the same manner as some nobles. She had made the right choice. Even if her dream is never realized, she would not have any regrets. She hoped so. This life didn't look like it was going to be bad.
"Your Highness," Villetta said to Lelouch in a measured tone. "I'm sorry about last night. I shouldn't have fallen sleep."
"At ease Villetta," Lelouch said in a calm tone without looking at the woman. His eyes were fixed on the screen before him. "It happens, but it shouldn't become a habit."
"Yes, sire," she saluted.
Lelouch smiled and looked up to her. "I'm sure there will be many nights where I will fall sleep here. It will be your turn to put a blanket on me and watch over things. Nobody has to know. While here, you are in charge of my protection, so this can be our little secret," he said.
"I'm honored, sire," Villetta said with a smile. She would be in charge of protecting Lelouch. It was a big job and she would handle it with care. "Would you like something to eat?"
Lelouch nodded. "Have you eaten?" He asked.
Villetta shook her head. "I was waiting to eat after you," she said.
"The kitchen should have the necessary ingredients for breakfast. If there isn't anything, you can ask a man named Rendell… he is in charge of our food supplies," Lelouch said. "You can prepare something for yourself as well. We have a long day ahead of us."
"I will go prepare right away," Villetta said before walking away.
Once she was gone, Lelouch put on a thoughtful look on his face. Villetta wasn't a bad person. He would get along just fine with her. Perhaps even more so than he had thought. Jeremiah had truly brought him a pleasant person. She was no noble but that was fine. He didn't care about status. It was all meaningless in terms of ability.
Lelouch shook his head and made final preparations to his plans. A couple of minutes later, Villetta returned to with their food. Lelouch closed his laptop and looked at the breakfast for a moment before glancing at Villetta.
She looked at him curiously before asking. "Is it not according to your standards?"
Lelouch shook his head. "I usually eat meals I prepare myself. I wasn't a Prince during my days at Ashford Academy. When Sayako was given time off from cooking, I did all that," he said before he started eating.
His sister was blind, so she couldn't help with anything. If he cooked, he must have also done other household chores. A Prince cooking food when he does have a maid. It was ridiculous. For a moment, she almost became too comfortable to say that she hoped to eat his cooking one day, but she bit her lip and stopped herself from saying such words.
Third Squad
Jeremiah stretched himself carefully. It hadn't been a bad sleep. He had even hardly slept as he was in an unfamiliar territory, surrounded by people he didn't even know and his mind thinking about Lelouch. His Prince had spent night in that mobile base with Villetta – just the two of them. Jeremiah didn't allow his mind to wander but he was certain that the men would start talking soon enough. People talked. It was just in the nature if men to be curious and voice those thoughts. Well, as long as it was nothing that tarnished the image of his Prince, Jeremiah would not complain about it.
The men around here had been a bit difficult but kind enough not to offer him any hostility. When he came here with Major Albert, he had been introduced as one of Lelouch's guards. The man had quickly left to join his Squad and handle the duties that Lelouch had assigned him. Aside from that, he had spent some time with some of them. Satisfying their curiosity about Lelouch. Many of them were young. They were older than Lelouch but still young.
"Lord Jeremiah," Major Albert said, greeting Jeremiah. He wasn't alone. "I trust there were no problems after I left…" he said.
"None at all," Jeremiah responded calmly.
"Excellent. I myself am not familiar with the group since they only joined us recently but they appear to be the liveliest group," Major Albert said with a smile.
"They are young and energetic," Jeremiah admitted. He had seen how they behave. They were certainly colorful people. Then again, this was war. They had to be. In such times, they had to laugh when they could. They had to remember that they were people. The life of a soldier was not easy. There wasn't always a way back. People got killed in action and some were captured, tortured and then killed. It was war.
"This is Major Frederic," Albert said, introducing the man he was with. "Major Frederic, this is Lord Jeremiah. He once held the rank of Margrave when he was the leader of the Purist Faction in Area 11."
Frederic acknowledged Jeremiah's presence before speaking to the man. "Did you give them the orders from his Highness?"
Ah, the orders to meet at command at 11am today. Jeremiah had done it. Why did it sound like the man was looking down at him though? Jeremiah shook his head. "I have done so," he said before turning to face Albert. "Shall we?" he said, pointing at the car. He wanted to get to Lelouch as quickly as possible.
"Yes," Albert said before they walked towards the armored vehicle.
"Why does his Highness want to speak to everyone?" Frederic asked. "It is only going to create movements that might attract attention and during that time, the men will have abandoned their camps."
It was official; Jeremiah didn't think he was going to like this man. He was an elderly man. He hated people who have grown too old for military. They always thought they knew best. They were always right. The man was older then Albert, and yet it wasn't him who was made commander of the company during Lelouch's absence.
"There will be scouts observing the enemy lines while the men are away. The EU forces are not even anywhere near us," Major Albert said in a measured tone.
"Yes, you have already explained that," Major Frederic said. "What I want to understand is the main reason behind this. Couldn't he have done things differently?"
"I'm sure the Lieutenant knows what he is doing," Albert said. He glanced at Jeremiah for a moment, wondering why the man was silent. It was likely that he would jump on Frederic if he spoke out of turn. "His reason was that he wanted to speak to everyone."
"Speeches?" Frederic said. He smiled. "The Imperials do love making speeches. Let us hope that he doesn't think that wars are won by making speeches," he finished with a sneer.
Damn royals and their methods. He has been serving the Britannian army for how many years now? And a child with no military training, not even battle experience was going to lead him into war. Frederic didn't care if Lelouch was a prince or not, but he would not allow his men to led into their deaths by a spoiled brat.
Jeremiah finally spoke. "I hope that isn't the attitude you will be taking when before his Highness, Major," he said in a warning tone. "I don't care about your ranking or experience in military, but I will not allow anyone to insult his Highness in front of me."
Frederic stared at Jeremiah. A mad dog, he mused. A loyal servant to his master. He should have known. "Then you should not have left your position beside your Prince, Lord Jeremiah."
"Now now ," Albert interrupted. He did not want things to escalate and become dangerous. He should have said something about this when Lelouch asked him if there was anything he needed to know. "Do you think that the Lt. will have us ready to move out? Last time I spoke to him it was already past 12am," he said. "He really does work hard, doesn't he?" Really, Albert had expected Lelouch to sleep early and leave the other details to those around him. Yet, he seemed that he wanted to know everything himself. He was hands on. It did explain why he was even stepping in the front lines like this.
"He does. He likes to know everything that needs to be known so that he can factor that in when he makes strategy," Jeremiah responded calmly. "We will certainly have something to do today." He said with a grin.
"You look excited," Albert said.
"I have been away from battle for some time now," Jeremiah responded. "I have missed a good battle…"
"Perhaps we shall have one today to test your abilities and show your capabilities to your squad. It will inspire confidence to the men if the people surrounding his Highness are capable pilots," Albert suggested with a smile.
Jeremiah smirked. "I'd like that," he said. "It would be best to as his Highness will be able to see what those under him are capable of doing," the man said.
Major Albert nodded. He'd heard, the Eleventh Prince was a strategic thinker as the Second Prince. Well, that was what you needed in military. Without strategy, it was simply heading straight into the enemy lines.
G-1 Mobile Base
The mobile base was a little small. Lelouch really needed something much bigger. Perhaps the first thing that would come out of the Ashford Foundation would be his battleship. It would have everything and would be able to go anywhere. He could also use it to bombard enemy lines. Of course, he would have to make sure it had some defenses to guard against missiles. But a flagship for the Vi Britannia company was needed and soon. It would need to have all the latest technology in terms of sensors, weapons and defense systems. He would need to talk to Lloyd about a float system. But that wasn't something he needed now. The battle ship was needed now. He would make the call to Ruben to have the battle ship be made a priority before the knightmare frames he needed to be built.
Lelouch shook his head. He was drifting away from the subject line. He needed to make sure that everything he needed was here before the mission begins. He could attend other things once he has made sure that the traps were laid. He simply could not allow the EU forces to come closer freely without a plan to decimate their forces.
He looked up when Villetta returned. "Got everything?"
She nodded. "They said they have them," she said before settling down across Lelouch. He has been busy with work since he woke up. He worked too hard. She wondered how long he was going to keep at it. "They are busy installing the explosive devices on the Burai's. It will take some time for the maintenance team to get all 17 damaged Sutherlands into operational levels. Some parts are still missing."
Lelouch smiled. He would have called the island to get himself the landmines he needed. It was good that they were fully stocked. "I just need them to be able to move and the ejection system working without fail." Lelouch said. "We need to establish a secure communication line with all squads. I don't have those tools now. Perhaps Major Albert will have them."
"Should I contact him?"
Lelouch shook his head. "They are on the way for a briefing before we head out for our first mission before we engage the EU." He said calmly.
"What are you going to do with the landmines and why do you want those frames to be fitted with explosives that can only be detonated remotely?" Villetta asked with curious look on her face.
"That, Villetta, is a good question," Lelouch said with a wide smile. But he did not explain anything to her. "If we are told that over 1000 enemy frames are marching towards us, what would you recommend?"
There was indeed that chance. No, they could face much more enemy attacks than this. They were at the door steps of the EU after all. "Retreat," Villetta said cautiously. "We don't have enough knightmare frames to stand against that kind of force."
"From the list of weapons I have seen, we do have hundreds of missiles and rocket launchers. Foot soldiers can use them," Lelouch said. "Because the odds could be against us, it will make our victory even more resounding. We must hold our own until reinforcements come."
"When do you think they will arrive?"
"In two weeks or three," Lelouch said in thought. "It shouldn't take more than a month for Cornelia to fully annex Morocco with the forces she has…" she also had motivation to finish things quickly. It was going to be day and night attacks until there was no more resistance and she could think of coming this side. Well, once Britannia reinforcements arrive, there wouldn't be much of a problem. And maybe their unit would have done its job.
About 30 minutes later
Albert turned towards the entrance of the control room as Lelouch walked in with Villetta slowly behind him. He smiled seeing the two. "Lieutenant," he saluted, causing both Jeremiah and Major Frederic to salute as well.
"Majors," Lelouch said calmly before gracefully settling on throne-like seat. He faced the elderly Frederic. He had not been expecting to see such a person. But from the profile he read about the man, he knew he was going to have a problem. "Major Frederic, I have already met the company of Major Albert. I hope we get along."
"Well, you are the commander here," Major Frederic said with indifference.
Lelouch smiled upon hearing those words. It was just what he wanted to hear. "Indeed I am," he said those words in a hardened tone. "The reason I called you here is because there is an operation we are going to run and it will see us head into Spain."
As he spoke, Villetta went towards the men handling the screens and gave them something before returning to Lelouch's side. She stood on his right hand, and stared at the map on the screen.
"Shouldn't we wait to see the kind of enemy we are up against?" Major Frederic said. "We don't even know what will wait upon us the moment he head into Spain." The man Major asked in a cautious tone.
"We have scouts who have already looked into the borders and there is nothing. We need to move ahead a bit to know the direction of the enemy. There is no guarantee that they will come to us if we just sit here and if they get through before Britannia war ships arrive, we will have failed to do our mission. We have to ensure that they set up camps and move in a direction they can face us," Lelouch explained lightly.
"Our location remains unknown to the enemy but they know the location of the Portuguese forces. Our unit is small and the enemy could easily miss us since the border is wide," Major Albert said in thought.
He had thought that this would be a problem. It was all apparent they would have to be the mobile force and to engage the EU forces. It was going to be a troublesome situation. Mobility would be needed and awareness of their surroundings would become essential. If they were going to the ones to provoke an attack, they would be forced to take some risky movements. He had known that their unit wasn't going to be the one to engage in the all-out war. They were just going to rattle the EU forces and stall their movements. It was a dangerous movement. And it would need someone who thought deeply. It did not need someone who accomplished things by brute force. They did not have the knightmare frames for brute force. If they tried it, they would be crushed.
"This is why we must force the enemy to move the way we want," Lelouch said. "Our first job is to head into the Spain and lay out some traps. But for the enemy to fall into such traps, we would have to attack them first and lead them into such traps."
Jeremiah looked at map with different places marked. His Prince was always at work but this was going to be dangerous. But Lelouch did seem like the person who would make daring moves. He now knew why Cornelia was concerned about Lelouch doing something reckless.
"Isn't that dangerous?" Major Frederic asked cautiously. "You are saying we should move into enemy territory and provoke an enemy who might have forces that might outnumber us greatly. If we provoke them, and they chase after us, we won't have anywhere to run without coming back here and that would expose our location."
"It is dangerous," Lelouch said. "But this is war. We are already in a dangerous situation."
"And what do you know about war? Your Highness?" Major Frederic asked in a calm tone, a bit condescending with his eyes narrowed a bit. "You have no experience with war."
Lelouch stared at the Major with a cold look. "Major you have a problem with me, don't you?" He asked in a calm tone.
"Am I permitted to speak freely?" The Major asked carefully. He wasn't about to insult a Prince in front of others. It would be trouble for him. He was not happy with the situation but he was still aware of his position.
"Yes," Lelouch said.
"I think it was a mistake to have you enter the battlefield without any experience. You should have been brought here as someone who is here to learn under a real commander," the Major said.
"I see," Lelouch took a thoughtful look on his face. "If I make a decision and you think it will only kill your men, would you disobey my orders and do what you think is right?"
"I would rather be court martialed than lead men into their deaths," Major Frederic said. "I am still speaking freely, am I?"
Lelouch smiled. "Yes," the Eleventh Prince said. "Unfortunately, Major Frederic, I cannot work with a person who I know will disobey my orders. My strategies depend on people willing to follow my orders without hesitation. If you hesitate, you die. You put the lives of others at risk and we fail. I will not have that. You might think of me as a spoiled Prince who cried to the Emperor to be given command. But let me tell you a secret, I had no intention of coming to war. Like I soldier, I move when commanded.
"Still, Major Frederic, if you cannot follow me, you cannot work for me. You cannot do as I tell you. Those who work under me must be willing to follow me to death. If you cannot do that, I will complete your transfer papers and send you back to Mainland, Major. It would cause problems for you if I transfer you and state your reasons. I'm sure your career would be over. You will stay with us, but I will temporarily relieve you of your duties. Until you have decided that you want to follow my orders, you can return to your post," he paused and looked to Major Albert. "Do you have the same thoughts as him?"
"Not all, Lieutenant; I am a soldier, I know my place," Major Albert said in a firm tone.
"Good," Lelouch said. "Major Frederic, you will still keep your presence in your squad, but you won't lead them into battle…" he took a thoughtful expression. "There is another assignment that you can do for me. We don't know the situation behind us. I want to know if there are rebels who have rebelled against the government. If there are such people, we can expect them to either give away our location to EU or attack us from behind. We don't want a situation where we are retreating and find our path blocked."
Major Frederic was not pleased. He didn't want to leave command of his unit. But he was given an order and he had to execute it. It was obvious to him that Lelouch was not going to tolerate insubordination. At least he was disciplined – considerate a bit. "You want us to gather information in near by places?"
"Yes."
"When must we move?"
"Before the day ends. You have to do this discreetly. So there won't be knightmare frames," Lelouch said. "But keep in contact at all times."
Major Frederic merely nodded.
"We are going to plant landmines on three generation locations," Lelouch went back to the main subject. "This are specifically made for knightmare frames. I will also need a unit to keep an eye on the EU movements. Once he plant these landmines, we have to make sure that the EU steps on them. However, for that to happen, we have to be the ones to make the first move to attract their attention. This will be a job that will take some time, we will need to have scouts stationed ahead to follow enemy movements."
"We?" Jeremiah asked. "Are you also going?"
"Of course," Lelouch said.
"If I may, my Lord," Jeremiah started.
"You may not, Jeremiah," Lelouch quickly said. "I want to see the terrain myself. It makes it easy to formulate a strategy when knowing the kind of battlefield we are in, we will navigate through. You will remain here and Major Albert will go with me along with Villetta. We will need supplies and 10 knightmare frames."
Traps were something Albert liked. And he was going to be with the Prince when it does happen. He wanted nothing but to see the explosives being turned on the enemy. It would be chaos. "When do you start?"
"2pm, we depart," Lelouch said. "The EU forces are already making movements. We cannot just sit back. I need the best with when we depart. Can a military vehicle move through?"
"Yes, we chose this location because we could move our vehicles," Major Albert said.
"Villetta, we will need to three vehicles to carry extra men and the landmines." Lelouch said. "Major Frederic, I'm sure you will be able to work through things on your own."
"Of course," the Major said.
11am
Lelouch looked at the plus 90 knightmare pilots standing before the G-1 base. He was standing atop of it. This was his first outing. His first mission within Britannian Army. He has to perform great things. As much as he loathed to say it, he was the son of Charles zi Britannia. Britannian Imperial family were expected to be superior in intellect, based on Charles own ideology. It was all just nonsense though. If that was the case then the mediocre prince had certainly read the wrong script. Maybe the emperor would blame the mother but Odysseus does look like their father in his younger days. It was safe to say he'd only inherited looks but not the brains. Lelouch has heard people saying that he did inherit their father's eyes but those whispers only repulsed Lelouch. He hated the emperor with everything he has and would gain.
He had nothing. He had no experience but soon these men would be chanting his name. They would be hailing him. Jeremiah would lead the charge. Lelouch allowed himself to dream. It was possible. It was very possible for him to end this crusade as a hero and with fame. He would accept it. It was necessary tool for his revenge, his dream to make Charles pay and to make this world a better place. Killing Charles was just the first step, he needed to make this world a better place for, Nunnally.
He still needed to navigate through this trial that Schneizel had set up for him. It would not be easy, but he would do it. He needed to do it. If he failed, there was not going to be a second chance. Charles didn't do second chances. You failed him once, it was all over. The second prince probably even had bets on his performance. His friends within Britannia would be watching with keen eyes, ready to make their moves if Schneizel was selling them the real deal.
"Men," Lelouch started. He then paused and looked around, just to ensure that they were looking at him. "Standing here, you might be thinking; just another noble, another member of the royal family using his status to get ahead. Many of you… no," he shook his head. "You all want to progress in life. You don't want to be just a private, just a sergeant. You want to become Captains, Majors, Colonels and Generals. Some of you might see those dreams, many of you will not. I started at the top. It was not because I am qualified in the eyes of the Military generals. It is because I am Lelouch vi Britannia.
"Commoners probably hate the arrogance and superiority complex of the nobles. I lived for 7 seven years with commoners. My mother was a commoner. I have seen both worlds and I have experienced them. Perhaps to some I am a spoiled Prince. I have done nothing to prove you wrong. But I will prove myself to you that I can lead you. I hate nobles who think because they are born noble they can do everything. People who used their status to achieve good positions are never good for anything," he then laughed. All eyes fully on him as his laughter was heard by all. "Ironic isn't it? I am here because I am a member of the Imperial Family. Had I not been a prince, I would have been standing there with you."
Yes probably. Normally, things work like that. But with Britannia, those of noble birth gain everything and get the top positions. Perhaps Schneizel would not like his speech. But it was necessary for him to put it there for these people to be able to follow him. To be able to follow his orders without question or hesitation.
"But I am not!" Lelouch said with force. "I am standing here. As the commander of this company. I will not lead you to your deaths. I cannot promise that everyone will live. I am not naïve like that. This is war. But I will fight with you. And if you obey my commands, you will win. We will win. We will perform miracles. Yes, I would not have been here if I was not a Prince, but I was not chosen because I am a prince. I was chosen because I can lead you to victory, and to victory I will lead you. But victory will only come if you follow my orders, regardless of how tall, risky they seem. Those who are not willing to follow, should stay behind. I will have them transferred to another unit because they refuse to follow serve under me."
He scanned around, smiling. It was a cruel thing to make it sound like they had a choice. If it was said that they were being transferred because they didn't want to follow him, it would be all over. But Lelouch wanted to make it clear. He would not accept anyone who doesn't want to follow his orders.
"There is only one thing want from you," Lelouch said, moving his right hand from left to right. "To obey me. Yes, Lelouch vi Britannia commands you to follow my instructions."
"Yes, your Highness!"
It was resounding and made Lelouch smile. Now that the first order of business has been handled. Lelouch could get to other things. "Do not look at me and be afraid. I am your superior officer but also your colleague. When you have problems, come to me. I have Villetta with me. She will be my assistant, if you cannot get to me, speak to her." He said and then smiled. "Now, I know you men speak, Villetta is my assistant, but let us not think about anything I might be doing things with her. She is an experienced knightmare pilot and I hope you will treat her with respect as you respect me by not questioning anything."
He would have to thank Milly for years of torture and bullying. Had it not been for her, he wouldn't have thought of saying something like that. He made a mental note send her a thank you card. Villetta would forgive him but he needed a light moment.
The rest of talk was simply just telling them he had called them because he wanted to introduce everyone and see all their faces since he has spent time reading their profiles. After that, he told them of a mission they had to handle and requested volunteers but there were too many hands that were raised. He ended up just picking some men and then dismissed everyone else.
Lelouch looked at Villetta and smiled at her. "You'll forgive me for that," he said.
Villetta would have been a little uncomfortable if what he had said would not have been the truth. She has already seen how Albert looked her. Maybe this would remove some eyes from her. They were going to spend time here; people would eventually know that she was staying a bit too close to the Prince.
"It is fine," Villetta said with a small smile on her lips. "They did need that."
"I didn't take you for a person of humor though," Jeremiah said. Lelouch didn't do jokes and he'd never seen the Prince making any.
Lelouch shrugged. "I am not," he said. "Major Albert, send out the scouts. They need to move ahead of us to be able to warn us if there is something. We don't want to lay traps with the enemy watching. It would be pointless. And they might end up using them against us."
"That would be most unfortunate and embarrassing," Albert said with a nod. He would give the order to ensure things were handled and they didn't stray away from the marked spots. "That was a nice touch though," Major Albert said with a smile.
"I thought as much," Lelouch said turning towards the G-1 base to rest a bit before they have to depart. Villetta and Jeremiah followed him from behind.
The moment the entered the base, Jeremiah spoke. "My Lord, wouldn't it be better for me to go with you?"
"And who would be left in charge, Jeremiah?" Lelouch asked evenly.
"Well, Major Albert could remain here," Jeremiah offered.
Lelouch shook his head. Jeremiah did not see the same image he saw. He was only thinking about his protection. But Lelouch needed the man to be familiar with the soldiers. This was their start and they were likely to be stuck with each other even after this mission that they had to complete. He wanted to put a bridge between himself, those around and the men. It would ensure effectiveness of the company. He needed a unit that would produce the best results they could produce. Happy soldiers would give their all to all introductions given to them.
"Jeremiah, Villetta is already going with me. How does it look to the men when I only take those I came with to our first campaign?" Lelouch asked calmly.
Jeremiah adopted a thoughtful look on his face before muttering something. "I still think I should do with you."
"Lord Jeremiah," Villetta started in a measured tone. "Are you suggesting that I cannot protect his Highness while you are not around? And please see the bigger picture here. These are soldiers, morale is everything. Trust will boost their morale and that means that his Highness will be able to get them to act to their best strengths."
"It's not that I don't trust you," Jeremiah was quick to say. "This is the first thing we are doing and I want to be part of it."
Lelouch shook his head. "You'll be in charge of holding fort in my absence. I have also sent Major Frederic away. You will be in charge of the company in my absence. That is an important job I can only trust you to do…" he said sternly. "Villetta, you'll wake me up when it is time. I need to get some sleep," he disappeared after saying those words.
Jeremiah stared at Lelouch's back for a moment before following Villetta to a private place to sit. He settled in silence before turning towards her. "He pulled an all-nighter, didn't he?" he asked. It could only be the reason the Prince needed to nap now. Lelouch was not the one who took afternoon naps unless he was really tired.
"It sounds like something you are familiar with," Villetta said. "But yes, he did spend much of the night working."
"Villetta," Jeremiah started in a serious tone. "You must sometimes tell him to stop working. It is for his own safety. You are not just protecting him from enemies but also from himself," he said.
Villetta shook her head. "I'm not going to cross the line," she said. "The Prince is generally fine but I saw how he handled issues with Major Frederic. The man is probably going to be forced to retire at the end of his campaign," she said.
Jeremiah sighed. Well, he hoped that Villetta would grow comfortable enough to warn Lelouch that he was taking it too far. The former Purist Faction leader leaned against the sofa and breathed out. "This looks like it is going to be something that will take a whole month. Well, it does give his Highness a chance to make a name for himself."
"You think so?"
Jeremiah nodded. He didn't care about the war with the EU. He didn't care who died. He was only concerned about Lelouch and his goal. Jeremiah was here to make sure the Prince was safe and he was taking a step closer to his dream. "When it happens, it will also be good for you. This is just our first battle. But if we succeed in this one, there will be many more that are important. Operating closer to him, when he rises, you also rise, Villetta."
Becoming a noble was her dream. She wanted it but it wasn't her priority now. Admittedly, she was most interesting in helping Lelouch with everything she has to make sure that this was a success. Perhaps it was for her selfish reasons but she did think that he was an interesting person and the political battle would become something else if he became a success as his elder brother seems to think he is. Villetta did not voice her thoughts to Jeremiah. She was still undecided. She needed to see more of Lelouch and she would.
A couple of hours later
Lelouch was sitting in a Sutherland, testing its controls. After seeing the specs with the Lancelot, this frame was a disappointment. Well, he just needed it for moving around also to ensure that they had some protection in case the enemy attacked them. He was also going to leave these frames buried somewhere for future use. He didn't know when they would face a brick that would destroy their frames. In case such a situation occurred, he did need to have 'reinforcements' to avoid his men getting captured and tortured to tell secrets and everything about the unit they are coming from.
Lelouch tapped into the communication lines. "Let us move if you are all set," he said.
"Yes, your Highness," a reply came.
Without another word, the frames left the makeshift hangar and started their journey towards Spain. The Scouts had reported once but they had said there was nothing. They were still active. Lelouch had confirmed this before he even made movement towards the knightmare.
It was a bit late by the time they were through into Spain and they covered some distance before Lelouch decided it was time to rest. They set up camp and refueled the trucks. A fire was prepared and the group set around the fire.
This was war, this was a commoner's way of doing things. He would be sleeping comfortably in the truck. But still, commoners had no problem living like this. Euphemia wouldn't have a problem. But Clovis would be horrified. That naïve and narcissistic brother of his was something else. They may have played along when they were children, but they certainly had different values regarding life. From what he has seen, and despite introducing the Honorary system in Area 11, Clovis didn't give a crap about the elevens. They were not people and the good work he did was simply for public image. He shook his head, he was drifting away from the scene before him.
"I didn't know you could move a knightmare frame like that your Highness," a soldier said to Lelouch. It was even surprising that a damn royal Prince was sitting with them around a fire without looking like he was disgusted and wanted to be home.
"I learned from a third generation frame," Lelouch said calmly. "You didn't tell them I could pilot?" He asked Major Albert who was sitting on his right, with Villetta on his left.
The Major smiled. "I thought it would be good if they just saw it themselves," he said.
Lelouch just shook his head. The Major really looked like a nice person and compared to the stern Frederic, he was easy going and quite friendly. "Well, being able to navigate one through this terrain isn't like fighting. A real battle is something different."
"Been to one?"
Lelouch smiled but did not answer the question. Some things were better left unsaid to avoid the curious questions that may follow afterwards. "If I did not have any confidence in my skills, I wouldn't have left my comfortable bed and a hot shower," he said.
"We could have carried something better for you," Another soldier said with a grin.
"This isn't a vacation, now is it?" Lelouch said with a smile. He had seen war before. He had seen how destructive it was. And this time, he was going to be the one marshalling soldiers towards destruction. And at the end of the day, he would be singing, all hail Britannia. Ridiculous. Who would have thought that things would come to this point? "I'm going to rest. Once the scouts report in, you can rest as well. We have much work to do tomorrow and we start much earlier."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Villetta watched Lelouch leave and was tempted to follow him. She had been doing this often, following him around. She was always close to him. But if she stood up now, it was only going to cause these men to have something to talk about. Her eyes snapped towards Albert when she felt his eyes staring at her. It was only then that she realized that she was the only woman within this camp. There were women there, but none of them were taking part of on this expedition.
"So, Villetta-san… how long have you been working with Prince Lelouch?"
"Lieutenant," Villetta corrected. "A couple of months. I used to work under Lord Jeremiah in Area 11."
"Surprising," one of the soldiers said. "All the way here, you never left his side."
"You seem to forget that he was once thought dead and only returned to the 'living' some months ago," Villetta said staring into the eyes of the soldier who's asked. "It is just easy to approach him. I guess he has just been living a normal life for too long…" she then stood up. "I'll check on you to see if the scouts have reported."
Major Albert merely nodded.
When Villetta walked towards the comforts of Lelouch, she found him wide awake, sitting with his eyes staring into the dark night. He didn't seem to recognize her presence until she spoke. "I thought you wanted to sleep."
"I'm still their commanding officer and a prince; there is a limit to how much time I spend with them. I can eat with them once a month, but not every day," Lelouch responded calmly. "Will you be uncomfortable with your sleeping arrangements?"
They were going to be surrounded by the other men. As the most important person, Lelouch was sleeping at the heart of the circle they had drawn. She would be sleeping a little closer to him than the rest. "Not at all," she said.
Lelouch eyed her for a moment before nodding his head. "Let us turn in then… we won't get much rest tomorrow and I would like to finish before the day ends," he said.
Villetta had seen that they had brought a large quantity of explosives with them. They were going to cover a huge wide area and if they manage to trap the enemy within the field, they would destroy many knightmare frames. The risk was worth it. "After you, your Highness."
Meanwhile
G-1 Base
Jeremiah was sitting on the seat of command within the control room. He was back in charge once more but he could not help but worry knowing that Lelouch was out there and he could face enemy attack from the EU. Lelouch had been most worried about an attack that might come from behind. He had been left in charge because of this. He hadn't heard anything from Major Frederic yet but although Lelouch had not voiced his worries about a potential attack from rebels, he had told him to keep a watchful eye. There was the possibility but he was expecting for the team sent to investigate to at least have some news for them. He hoped it was good news and not bad.
The former margrave turned to the blinking large screen. When Cornelia's image appeared, he nearly frowned. She had a bad timing. Lelouch had just left and she had given him an order not to leave the Prince's side. Well, it could not be helped. He could not obey Cornelia and ignore what Lelouch was saying. The second princess was of higher rank, but Jeremiah's loyalty was not to the Imperial Family but to vi Britannia.
"Princess Cornelia," Jeremiah greeted.
Cornelia narrowed her eyes as she looked around. She could not see the person she wanted to see. He had not bothered informing her when he touched down. It was no worry but she expected for him to be present when she called. "Where is the Lieutenant," she demanded.
"Out," Jeremiah said. "He has gone out to lay some traps for the enemy," he added without going into detail. He did not wish to tell Cornelia that Lelouch had gone into Spain. It would be a rather complicated conversation with the General.
"And you are not with him?" Cornelia asked with a stare.
Jeremiah shook his head. "No," he said. "He left with a capable group along with Villetta. I have been ordered stay behind in charge of the company until he comes back."
"Have you encountered EU forces yet?"
"Not yet. The Scouts are still searching but there is no sign of them. I don't expect battle within the next two to three days." Jeremiah paused. "The Lieutenant should be done with the traps by then," he said.
At least Lelouch was thinking smart. It was not the kind of strategy she would choose. Cornelia often went through her business with brutal force. She has already started things on this side and would be going out once more for a night raid. "Tell him that I want to speak to him when he returns," she said.
"I will do so," Jeremiah said.
When Cornelia disappeared, Jeremiah breathed a sigh of relief. Cornelia could be scary at times. He was glad that she had not thrown a fit this time around. He amused himself thinking of what she would say if she knew that he called her worries for Lelouch a fit. She would certainly not be happy with him. Jeremiah was certain she'd try to drag him into a ring.
He just had to make sure that Lelouch calls her when he returns. Jeremiah was expecting the Prince to return tomorrow, but it could be the day after. They had gone quite the distance away from here.
The Following Day
The first terrain they had set explosives on was a barren field that could be used for battle. Lelouch had chosen well. Well, this might be EU space and Spanish army would probably be engaging them while reinforcements from France and other nations were being deployed. The second place they had buried the tags was a forest. One could easily hide the explosives there. The third was similar to the second. The three locations were miles apart. Besides, this was EU home ground, they would be thinking that they know this place much better than them and were at home ground. Lelouch would not allow them feel comfortable. Not when he had victory to claim.
Villetta had been at work along with Major Albert while he sat in his frame, dishing out the orders while observing everything and making notes so that he remembers what needed to be remembered.
"That is about the last of the explosives we have, Lieutenant," Major Albert spoke through the communication line.
They had set up some heavy hitters here. Truly, there would be some beautiful fire works that would be ignited when the explosives were set off. But would the enemy come here? Lelouch didn't seem to doubt that they would be led to come here. It led Albert to believe that they were going to so something reckless just to gain the attention of their enemy. When that happens, they would have to run towards this place. The only way that was going to happen was if they found the enemy moving and directed them here. He frowned thinking that this was possibly the reason Lelouch had sent scouts so far away from them just to be able to confirm the location of EU forces.
"Excellent," Lelouch said before checking the time. They could only afford to move a bit back and then they would reach their strong hold tomorrow. "Let us move away from this location," he ordered.
Just because he had sent scouts didn't mean the others had not done the same. Lelouch hadn't picked up anything in his radar though. But you could never be too sure. There were certain things the radar could not pick up. Besides, the scouts he'd sent out had gone through different directions. It was likely for them to miss a single unit. He hoped there wasn't such a case nevertheless.
The knightmare frames moved back towards the direction of their base but stopped. They were still within Spain. It had been necessary to move deeper because they still didn't know how the enemy was going to move. Instead of being attacked, Lelouch wanted to attack first. Of course, he would need to study the EU forces a bit. But there was no better lesson than one in real battle. Naturally, he had to win.
Lelouch stepped out of his knightmare and looked around the forest for a moment. It was good for hiding. Yes, he could mark this place and leave some frames here for the enemy to take.
Lelouch had the networks checked to ensure there was connection. It would be disastrous if they were ambushed.
"That was easy enough," Major Albert as his frame moved towards Lelouch. "I have been fighting for a while but this is the first time I have done something like this. We usually set up traps in our own territory not in enemy lands," he said.
"Benefits of arriving first in the battlefield." Lelouch said with a smile. "Our opponents will likely have that idea and we will take advantage of it. We do need greater flexibility to be able to draw them out…." Hen then paused for a moment before asking. "What is the mood?"
It took a moment for Albert to realize that Lelouch was talking about the mood with the man regarding this plan. "They are skeptical," he answered honestly. "We are used to shooting at Knightmare frames rather than this. But I am sure they are curious to see how this will work out. If it works out, they will be much more open to your strategies."
Most probably. But Lelouch did not doubt. He wasn't going to wait for the EU to walk into their territory, he was going to force them to act. He would make sure of it, he would take risks to make it work and he would walk into those risks. If the king was not willing to walk the talk, how were his followers supposed to follow him?
"It will work out," Lelouch said with confidence. "We they will get that chance to fire those bullets. This is only our first assignment and the situation is a little unfavorable so we have to resort to such measures. In our next assignment, things should be different," he said.
"There will be more," Albert said. "So you're saying whenever you are going to battle, we will be going with you…" he said.
"If possible," Lelouch said. "With Britannia's military, there are usually forces all around but what is missing is a commander. If there is nothing and we have to go for reinforcements and support, I will be calling this group. It works better to have the same people you know."
Albert nodded. "Hopef-" he trailed off when his line started picking up a signal. "Michael, what's up? You were not scheduled for a report."
"We have a major problem, Major," Michael said through the line. "There are two units coming along the way. But with the directions they are taking, the other unit is going south where reinforcements are supposed to land when they come and there other is coming this way," the man spoke in a panicked tone.
"The strength?"
"Combined force is more than 270 knightmare frames."
Major Albert fell silent for a full minute. That was much more than he has expected. They did not have the numbers to go against such a force. They were going to get killed if things work like this. This was going to be a problem for them.
"Thank you for the report, Sergeant," Lelouch spoke while Albert was still in thought. "What type of frames are we talking about?"
"Panzer-Hummels, sire," Michael reported.
"Stay on guard and keep watching them. Make sure they don't notice your presence. If they do, let us know immediately," Lelouch said.
"Yes sire!" Michael saluted before asking in a quiet tone. "Permission to ask, sire."
"Granted," Lelouch said after a couple of moments.
"Will we survive this?"
"We will, Sergeant," Lelouch responded in a tone full of confidence with a bit of arrogance as well. "As long as you follow my instructions… you will not only survive, but you will win."
The Sergeant didn't have much to say to Lelouch before cutting off the line. Lelouch didn't waste time in contacting Jeremiah. He needed to sort this out quickly. "My Lord?"
"Jeremiah, I want you to mobilize as quickly. Get all the Gloucesters we have been given and some missile launchers. Bring also 50 Sutherlands with you. I will send you the coordinates to where you must meet us," he ordered. "Don't waste time, Jeremiah."
End of chapter
