AN: As promised, the next chapter.

However, as I forgot to mention this in the previous AN, I shall do this now. Empire's War was initially meant to be much longer than it will be (about 65,000 words). However, due to both time constraints, and the need to keep the plot on focus, I had to cut away alot of character development chapters and events. What I've decided to do, therefore, is to post, as separate stories, one-shots that deal with several events and character building stories that occur within the Empire's War timeline. Hopefully, you shan't be too miffed at this move on my part. Also, the Little Duke (my assistant, for those who are just beginning to read the series) says hello.

Cheers,

- Marquis Black


Harrisburg International Airfield, Two Months Later…

Harry sighed as he watched two soldiers carry off his luggage into the awaiting transport shuttle. The time had come for the Queen to make her world tour, and she'd insisted that he, as the Head of the Armed Forces, accompany her. In fact, the whole damn cabinet had insisted.

Harry made a mental note to hurt them later.

Still, he reasoned, it couldn't be that bad. Staples and Sulu, for instance, were staying behind and taking over the combined Imperial forces while Harry was gone, and he knew that, despite his own animosity towards Staples, the two would perform exceedingly well if they managed not to kill each other.

Looking towards the gate entrance, Harry could see the red-robed and helmeted Imperial Guards escorting the Queen into the shuttle. Far more imposing than the Guards, however, were their weapons: Magic-enhanced scarab-pikes. A single slash of them would cause massive wounds from both their serrated edges and their Sectusempra-imbued blades, which would double any physical damage.

"Halifax!" Harry snapped his head towards the booth behind him. There stood Lee, the Prime Minister of the Empire.

"Allen, what can I do for you?" asked Harry pleasantly.

Allen nodded courteously as he approached. "I'm here because Admiral Staples and Major General Sulu told me to personally come to you with this," he handed over a sealed manila envelope, "before you left. I have no idea what it's all about, but here's to you having a safe and pleasant journey," he told him fervently.

Harry smiled and shook the man's hand before turning and leaving towards the gate. Once inside the shuttle, he took his seat in front of the Queen, who was currently looking outside the window somewhat sadly.

"We'll only be gone for a few days, Your Majesty," he assured her calmly as he kept his eyes on the manila envelope.

"Still, I miss it already," she replied, temporarily forgetting to use the Royal third person. "Odd, isn't it? It's not even the place I was born in."

"It's not weird at all, Your Majesty. These people, and the people of the rest of the Empire, were the first to ever truly accept you for who you are, after your parents. Here, not only are you an equal to them, you're superior."

"Only in name," she noted.

"A name is enough to move an entire empire," Harry riposted calmly as he took out a hidden knife from his sleeve and sliced open the manila envelope, which he'd been gazing at curiously for the past five minutes.

He calmly drew out the papers inside and slowly began reading them. Harry frowned as he reached the second page and began leafing through them, reading bits and pieces here and there.

"Bad news?"

"Can't say," grunted Harry as he reached the fifth page. "From what I'm gathering, O'Connor and McDonald have been up to something…but we can't tell what exactly."

"How so?"

Harry sighed as he leafed through the report. "O'Connor's Mexican Fleet has moved out of its normal patrol route, as has his Bahamas Fleet. Unfortunately, they've gone into an area where our scanners can't read. Similarly, McDonald's Biscay Fleet has gone missing."

"The correlation between all of them being…?"

Harry frowned before raising an eyebrow at Elizabeth. "They're all the closest they have to New Britannia. Surely, you're not suggesting what I think you are, Your Majesty?"

Elizabeth shrugged, absently noting the fact that the plane was moving. "It's a possibility, you have to admit."

Harry looked uncomfortable with the suggestion. "Still, treason is a very serious accusation, Your Majesty."

"Technically, it's not treason, though, is it?" riposted Elizabeth. "After all, they never swore allegiance to our person."

"A convenient loophole," acceded Harry reluctantly. "But they want the Death Eaters as dead as we do."

"Do they? You said they love their freedom above all, no? Then it would stand that they would go against both and, as pirates, they have the men and freedom of movement necessary to become true pirates."

Harry slowly nodded, disappointed at himself for not making that argument. "I will relay appropriate orders, Your Majesty, as soon as we land," he told her deferentially.

Elizabeth nodded, somewhat pleased at having gotten one over Harry. "We still need two Lords, however," she noted.

"My Queen?"

"Well, there were five of you, no? One for each region of power?" Harry nodded. "Well then, it stands that we need two to replace our most ungrateful and rebellious subjects."

"Well, with Parliament back, I don't think…"

"Parliament is all good and well, Halifax, but having a Lord, even if nominally, will increase the regional respect for Imperial authority. That was a flaw we had in previous administrations."

Harry cocked an eyebrow at her judgement. "I see your lessons have been useful, Your Majesty."

Elizabeth blushed prettily at being caught in the act. "Yes, they have. We now understand things more clearly."

Harry nodded silently as he made himself comfortable in his seat. They had a six-hour long flight, after all. "If you don't mind, Your Majesty, I think I'll be taking a nap now."

"What about the Irish?"

Harry's eyes shot open at the unusual question. "I beg your pardon, Your Majesty?" he asked.

Elizabeth had been pondering her question since she'd been crowned. What about the Irish? She knew that the British Isles were under Death Eater occupation, but the Irish had managed to establish several colonies in Europe, and all were clamouring for the return of their homeland.

"What about the Irish, Halifax?" she repeated. "Should we not visit them as well and try to recruit them to the cause?"

Harry shifted uneasily. "My Queen, the Irish and us do not have a very…amicable history."

"True, but the mistakes of the past can be rectified."

"Your Majesty, they were considered third-class citizens for most of their time in the Empire."

"Things change."

"Perhaps, but they have a history of Republicanism," and he said the word with disgust, "which leads me to believe that any approach we make might be shunned."

"Not if we offer them equal status within the Empire."

Harry looked sceptical, but seeing the Queen's determined look, gave in. "I shall arrange the visit, Your Majesty."

Elizabeth nodded contently before settling into her seat as well. "Good. We think we shall enjoy that nap you suggested now, Halifax."

Mumbling to himself, Harry dipped his head deferentially before emulating the Queen.

Soon, both were fast asleep.

Japan

Harry was the first of the two to wake up as the pilot called him through the intercom to let him know they were arriving. Sending back confirmation, Harry unbuckled himself and got up to stretch. Looking down at his attire, he was mildly irritated by the fact that his uniform was crumpled up—something he quickly fixed with a dry-pressing charm.

Satisfied at his appearance, he now turned towards the Queen and, with a slight touch on the arm, shook her gently awake.

Groggily, Elizabeth woke up to find Harry looking at her quite amused. "What?" she asked sleepily. She felt her eyes closing ever so slightly, too, as she asked her question.

"Your Majesty," Harry started, though Elizabeth swore he was trying to hold back from laughing.

"You're drooling."

That did it.

Elizabeth's eyes shot wide open as she closed her mouth and wiped her drool with a nearby napkin. Glaring at the smiling Harry, Elizabeth huffed as she crossed her arms, once again reminding Harry that his Queen was merely fifteen years old.

Shaking his head in amusement, Harry cast the same pressing charm on her clothes, straightening them up once more. Elizabeth glanced down at her dress and back up at Harry before nodding gratefully.

"The pilot said we'd be arriving soon," he told her as he sat back down. Elizabeth nodded.

"When's the meeting with the Emperor?" asked Elizabeth.

"Tomorrow, Majesty. It's only a courtesy call, really, so we won't be there more than a day."

Elizabeth seemed somewhat disappointed at this but nodded all the same.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty," reassured Harry, "I'm sure that we can fit in some sight-seeing when we're not in meetings."

Elizabeth beamed at him, making Harry chuckle as he turned away and looked out the window. He could see the Lambda Fighters escorting their shuttle and, down below, he could see the ocean water recede as it made way for the Japanese mainland.

"We're nearly there, Your Majesty," announced Harry as he sat down and buckled up.

Elizabeth nodded eagerly and looked out of the window, giddy at being able to travel for the first time (she didn't count her abduction or rescue).

Soon after, the shuttle landed and Harry was hard-pressed trying to keep the excited Queen in her chair without having to resort to physical restraint or magical restraining spells.

Shortly after touching ground, a small bulb on the panel above Harry's seat began to flash from red to green, indicating that they could now disembark. Nodding to Elizabeth, Harry got up and headed over to the door, wand ready to shoot out if anyone hostile tried to attack Elizabeth while they came down the ramp.

To his surprise, however, music began to blare as he reached the top of the ramp. He easily recognized the tune, too. It was Rule Britannia. To his pleasant surprise, the band was playing it very well, and in a distinctly martial and marching interpretation.

Walking down the ramp, he gradually came into view of the greeting party outside. Three men, all in very formal suits, were bowing to him as he made his way down, as was a young woman whom Harry assumed would be the interpreter. To either side of the party was a line of Japanese soldiers that led all the way up to a jet black limousine. Behind the line on the right, Harry saw the orchestra playing. Bowing back to the greeters, Harry took out his communicator and gave the all-clear.

Shortly afterwards, Elizabeth walked down the ramp, and the greeting party bowed even lower as the soldiers raised their rifles in salute.

Walking towards the greeters, Harry acknowledged their bow with his own, while Elizabeth dipped her head in greeting.

The leader of the party began to speak rapid Japanese, and Harry allowed his eyes to wander to the translator girl.

"The Honourable Prime Minister welcomes you to Japan, honoured guests," she translated fluently, "and hopes you will enjoy your stay in the land of the Rising Sun."