Chapter Sixteen: The Wrong Games
Arc Four: Discourses with the Chairman
Opening: "Nightmare Parade" - Fake Type
"Welcome, I'm sorry, it's not in the best of states. You did come on short notice." Ohgi apologised, holding open the door to his bankhouse to allow Nunnally's wheelchair through, before letting it go to move across the room to open the brown curtain, exposing the steel gated windows forming a chequered shadow onto the dark wood floor. The place would do for a hideout for now, as while it was a hub of activity for the Japanese in the area, it was unknown to outsiders. Ohgi had been busy safeguarding the place, being the Yen's equivalent of a Central Bank, even hiring a pair of armed guards in the opposite building. Lelouch for one felt he had been doing a commendable job, in both managing the two story building in the heart of the ghetto with the diligence Lelouch had expected of him, and managing the money at the ground level. Yuaikai under his practical stewardship had become a local economic power, all but self sufficient with limited Chinese importations. Ohgi was no fighter, but he was an astounding organiser.
And the fruits of his labours were visible. On the way down to the ghetto, Lelouch couldn't help but note the men working on their friends' houses, serving as aids and marketers, and going out of their way to trade and make money. The world was a circle, and Lelouch grinned at how vibrant it had become. It still had the girm dirty aesthetic of poverty, but it was busy, excited, and people were out and moving rather than suffering in silence. It had the aesthetic of hope, even in its primal state. Now that the area was flooded with money, more people could hire others, meaning more people could spend money.
This was The Long War, and it was why Britannia would lose. Ultimately, the only hope Britannia had to retain its colonies relied on the same principle that had applied since countries existed as a concept; If you occupy a place, treat its citizens better than resistance forces, or they will rebel. It really was that simple, and yet the Emperor seemed willfully ignorant of the fact his policies would result in Yuaikai gaining the loyalty of the people, and thus would replace him. Britannia had not only failed to improve the lives of the Japanese to pacify them, it actively suppressed them based on ethnicity.
It was as if Charles actively sought out instability, or perhaps he simply didn't care about the Home Islands at all, as if his priorities were not not even worldly. After all, he suppressed ethnicities across his Empire at the cost of stability, hastily grabbing land and leaving behind with no infrastructure to maintain it, to the point Lelouch often looked twice at the state of his father's conquests to ensure he hadn't missed any possible motive to the border gore his father had created. Lelouch couldn't even to begin to comprehend what motives lay before his father's bizarre mind. It wouldn't take much, and yet they had refused even olive branches, allowing Ohgi to manage a flourishing economy.
Lelouch himself was far less sure about his own work of late, compared to Ohgi's. While he had wrapped up most of the loose ends on the digital front to the point he could leave it all behind, the fact remains that the forces of Britannia had come tantalisingly close to ending it, escaping only the the skin of his teeth, and the end of a kunai.
Still, it was far too close a call, and while he fretted, he had already compartmentalised himself towards seeking a solution as he moved towards the sink to wash his hands, asking over his shoulder to Ohgi "Are you set up to broadcast?"
"Aye."
Clearing off the filth, he turned back properly, leaning against the metal sink holding his arms a ways apart behind him, letting his breath out as he watched the scene. Sayako and Ohgi were helping Nunnally settle in, with the kind of gentleness that reminded him that Ohgi had once been a teacher. He would have made a great principal, and would go on to make an excellent First Minister.
This was Britannia's true crime. Instead of teaching others, Ohgi was dwelling in a boarded up house keeping half an eye on a store of gold. Similarly, instead of enjoying their lives, his former gang was now fighting violently across the ghettos.
Ultimately, it all came back to the fact Britannia ran the country on a governmental level by all but in absentia, creating the conflict. In truth, it wasn't real. All it was was a mental trick, a spook, a separation between the Britannians and Japanese perpetuated by the perception that the Britannians were occupiers, and while they were, the occupation was skin deep. The Yen's independence proved that. The people just needed a push to realise it.
His fingers tore into the table as his temper flared. He had been out of control of this situation long enough. He couldn't fire a gun at the Britannian Empire, but he could certainly fire a shot across the bow. He needed to show that it was possible to just give Britannia the two fingers and go on with life. But, what would such a society need? A Dual Government, operating beyond Britannian law, which governs without its consent? One that could govern, and with Yuaikai's guiding hand, outpace and outshine Britannias?
That, he knew, would annoy the Emperor to no end. The self-deterministic Social Darwinist would positively boil over at the very idea of a functioning Japanese Government he couldn't apprehend, even in spirit.
By this point, he had forgotten Kallen and that mystery in his excitement, leaping forward and sprinting upstairs to his new study, where he'd dumped his refill pads of notes and speeches written in his snaky, thin penmanship with a new vigor, excited to get going with the next stage of his plans. He could hear a hush from the others at the sight of him moving with such zeal. With his sheets clutched like a precious purse, he flung it down in front of the radio set and leaned in.
"What are you doing Lelouch?"
Lelouch paused in his mania, catching his breath before explaining "We're going onto Phase 3."
"Already?"
Lelouch, in the best of moods, asked "Why wait?" Suzaku made a face, before sighing. "One misstep, and I will cut you off."
Lelouch rubbed his hands in glee, before sitting down and clearing his throat, and silently thinking 'Charles, this is how I take my vengeance.'
"You're live, Lelouch."
Sipping a glass of clear water, Lelouch sat and pressed the button to begin to speak, with clear Japanese that was received by a large portion of the ghetto, and many Japanese aside. It was the first address, and so he made an effort to sound somewhat formal and proper, while injecting a populist ferocity into his tone, deep from his throat, beginning his speech with the rallying cry that would grab the nation's attention.
"Men, and women of the as yet unrealised State of Japan!"
"Men, and women of the as yet unrealised State of Japan!"
Euphemia sat up in her bed as the radio crackled into life. Since meeting Lelouch and Suzaku several days earlier, they had maintained on and off communication, as they had gained insight into each others lives, and she had been told to look out for the broadcast where he would proclaim a Provisional Government for the Republic of Japan. While she was torn, she had been taken in by his drive for being ethical, and wanting to help the suffering people. She turned up the radio, her eyes widening at Lelouch's sharp, aggressive Japanese tones crackling through the radio.
"For seven years, our nation has languished from our hearts, and in the light of distractions from the Empire of Britannia, our ideals and our hopes have vanished from view, our culture actively suppressed by our own reluctance to address the fact that our land has been ruled and dominated by a foreign power, uninterested in our affairs and sucking at our natural resources. I am Akira, of Yuaikai, and on this day, the 6th of June 2017, I, as acting Minister for Finance and on behalf of the new Provisional Government, the people of Japan, and oppressed minorities across the vast reach of Charles Zi Britannia's thugs, do proclaim the Republic of Japan as the true heirs of these lands!"
Excited at the voice of her brother declaring Japanese independence, his harsh tones moderated in a stately, yet still angry voice, she thought about what he was saying. It was clear what Lelouch's, or Akira's position was not only the liberation of Japan, but the emancipation of the individual. This was markedly different from the rhetoric of the Black Knights, who focused on punishing the guilty, rather than helping the innocent in non military ways. It was a police force against a hospital. Euphemia was also intrigued by the fact that he had relegated himself to Minister for Finance. She listened on, as she realised there was a rush outside her room of people heading towards the control room.
"This new nation, inheriting the responsibilities of our forefathers, shall with the greatest efforts by all within its Government represent, aid, and support all within its society, whether trapped within the depths of poverty, paralysed within the binding grips of racial oppression, or bound by the unlawful prisons of a tyrant's whims. This Government shall speak for all of us, rather than the few, whether you are Japanese, a Britannian, or any others so long as they hold honour in their hearts and openness in their minds. We have seen the Yen make strides to this effect, as individuals now may seek a functioning economic life, and can grow stable lives to be the best they can, however these efforts are useless unless they may be represented within the principles of a Secular Democratic Republic!"
Before Euphemia could consider this part, she heard Darlton call into her room from outside "Madam Euphemia, you ought to come up to the bridge." Suspecting it was about the broadcast, she stood and followed, thinking about what Lelouch had said. She agreed wholeheartedly with all parts, though she personally found his angry tone hurtful in spite of herself. She hadn't heard much about the Yen, however it seemed as if his key audience would. She also noted his inclusion of sympathetic Britannians as being interesting.
"You may have noticed the terms by which I refer to the thugs and henchmen of the fat slug that sits at Pendragon, that which he considers his Lords, his Government, that they believe represent him within our nation. This is not the case. They hold no authority, no right, to act as agents of the law on the Home Islands! All they have demonstrated is the ability to kill and destroy, and never to rectify or rebuild. They cite eugenics as they oppress their opposition from ever achieving the fair playing ground they claim to profess! They are the terrorists, killing for political ends, and the ends of their corporate interests!"
Euphemia finally made to to the control room, headed by a furious Cornelia on the phone, shouting into her receiver "Your suspects are broadcasting their revolutionary ideas live on radio as we speak!"
Not hoping to cross her, she retired to the back corner of the room and continued listening, as Lelouch continued his verbal indictment of Britannian occupation. Euphemia at her core agreed that the Elevens were being treated unfairly, but she knew Darlton, Guilford, Gottwald, and so on. They weren't bad people, like terrorists were. She knew they felt they were doing good, and they had told her as such. With mixed feelings, she looked down as the crackling audio moved along.
"But this is the critical question. How shall this Provisional Government deal with these terrorists? There are some within our nation that feel it is their duty to take up arms and represent Justice, citing their mandate of the removal of this terrorist Britannian state, an occupying dictatorship, however frontier justice is no such thing. Ours is not a Government based on vengeance, as such a Reactionary Government would not seek to tackle the issues facing its citizens, instead seeking to exact pain on the innocent citizens of other lands. We must never be rash, nor act in rash fashions as a nation."
Lelouch was lying. She disliked the word, but it was clear to Euphemia at the very least that Lelouch was just telling his audience a ball faced fib when claiming that his was not a Government based on vengeance. A significant contributing factor to the existence of this whole endeavour was vengeance, and to deny it was sophistry. As much as Euphemia liked to pretty up the truth, she knew Lelouch was not altruistic by nature. Still, while this compromised his attempt at vindicating his own ethics, his point against offensive Governments was matched only by his sneaky jab at the Black Knights with 'some within our nation'.
This was also picked up by the other officials in the room, who held in chuckles before Darlton drily commented "Now if only we could get them to fight each other, we could just watch the apes finish each other off."
Euphemia turned her head towards Darlton with a certain surprise. Perhaps Lelouch wasn't wrong with his terrorist comments. Still, Cornelia silenced the room as Lelouch continued.
"No, our solution is to treat them with the respect they command, and that is none. Their purpose here is naked profit, and it is a purpose we shall not allow them to pursue, either in their raping of our lands, or our whoring ourselves out to their markets! Workers of Japan, turn your shovels and your forges to us, and reject the Imperialist! Secretaries of Japan, cease your calculations for their ledgers and deductions, and lend us your talents! Farmers of Japan, share with us your crops, and we will share with you a new, and bountiful freedom! We need not fire a shot, for while they intend to inhibit our freedom to congregate, no force on Earth or Heaven can inhibit our ability to give the two fingers to their Gods and Kings! We shall exile the Empire of Britannia by ceasing to partake in it! What if, one day, everyone in Britannia stopped going to work? Every soldier decided 'Ah, sod it.' and called it a day. Every miner deciding they had better things to do, or better people to serve? You wouldn't have Britannia, you'd have one elderly fool in his house in North America shouting buffoonish racism! In going to work for them, you enable them."
This was such a marked departure from traditional revolutionary doctrine the room audibly gasped in surprise. Schools of thought on how to break Japan free from Britannia usually devolved into a dichotomy between violent revolution and internal reformism. This Abstentionist idea had been tossed around amongst the Britannian intelligentsia and Communists, however it was often held that the Elevens would never organise well enough to realise it. There was fervent discussion, as Euphemia tried to ignore her brother making less than clean metaphors.
However, Lelouch was too clever for his own good, as Guilford pointed out "Did he just say 'Give two fingers'? I think we're dealing with a Britannian traitor."
"One of Jeremiah's suspects was a Britannian student." Cornelia nodded in confirmation, before they allowed the broadcast to continue.
"The cause of our collective liberation lies on our collective shoulders, and all who seek these aims are your Brothers and Sisters regardless of birth! Today, we are all Citizens of Japan, united by our ideas, our passion, and our will, and not by this Imperial idea of ethnic supremacy. That is the path to ruin. We must stand together in this cause, not to destroy a society, but to create a better one."
"There it is again." Cornelia pointed, interrupting Akira's dominance of the room. "He's almost certainly Britannian, he has no intention of being caught up in his own attacks."
For once, Euphemia agreed with her sister. Lelouch was very clearly carving into his proclamation his own 'out', his own lifeboat to escape the consequences of his rhetoric, though she wondered how well it would hold up if his true identity were discovered.
"And so, as the First Act of the Provisional Government of Japan, I do proclaim a General Strike, within which all non-Yuaikai companies are to be boycotted, and not partaken in. Do not attack those seeking to stop you, for you represent the best of all of us. An over reliance on violence has been the bane of this Republic's cause since it was envisioned. We have built our own system, free of the Britannians disdain for the poor, and the Black Knights' disdain for the peaceful, which will sustain you as these occupying forces come to realise they are not welcome! Rise up, workers of Japan! Rise up, oppressed peoples of Japan! Rise up, Citizens of Japan! We are free in all but the act of seizing it!"
The broadcast ended in a brief flurry of trumpets, before regular programming resumed. The room lay in silence as the officials looked between each other, and Euphemia quietly looked inward. On the whole, she was proud of her brother's relative restraint and peaceful solution, however there were hints at the greater, more dubious depth behind his machinations. Lelouch was very obviously attempting to annoy, frustrate, and irk his father in particular, hitting at his core ideas and all but challenging him to an indirect battle of ideas. It was a sophisticated and overcomplicated 'Come at me, bro'.
Of course, not knowing Akira's connection to Charles, the speculation on the part of the others was far less on the why and far more on the how. The nature of the revolution was not discussed, as was to be expected, only how to address it. Guilford advised patience, that they ought to wait and see what happened.
"At the very least, wait to see if they assemble. Akira instructed non-violence, and so if worst comes to worst, all we'll need is riot police. We don't need to create martyrs."
Darlton was having none of it however, roaring "Are we to allow this unacceptable act of defiance? From a Britannian national? We ought to find him and string him out on the front gates of Pendragon for this act of riling up the filth from the ghettos!"
"To what end? To spark an actual revolution?"
"As if they could do it. They've already disavowed the Black Knights, they have no military power."
'But that's not the game they're playing…' Euphemia thought, mentally quoting what Lelouch had mentioned on multiple occasions, which to his credit Guilford picked up on, saying "If we overreact, that will give justification. Cornelia, we must not act. This individual has positioned himself very well. We should wait, and do what we can once the riots start and we have the upper hand in the eyes of the public."
Cornelia had not said anything, however before Darlton could roar a generic, virulent response, she silenced him by raising her hand authoritatively. He immediately halted, as did Guilford, ceding the authority to the Princess.
"Guilford."
"Yes, ma'am."
"You are to lead the police into overseeing the protest, withholding fire-"
"Your majesty!"
"Peace, Darlton." she interrupted, remarkably calmly, before continuing "-withholding fire until such a time that we can determine how best to minimise the bad PR."
Darlton visibly withdrew, as Guilford went to go and organise things, before the room calmed significantly from its prior hyper state. Euphemia, sensing her welcome expiring, snuck out of the room and returned to hers, slowly stepping down the hall to think before she heard Cornelia come up behind her, ruffling her hair and sitting her down by her bed, smiling as she spoke, caressing Euphemia's pink hair.
"Euphie, it has been so long since we have talked, I'm sorry. I've just been so busy recently. I'm hoping we can deal with these Yuaikai scum soon, and you can finally take over here."
Euphemia's stomach sunk, as she came to a realisation. All that which her family had talked about, their friends had talked about, when addressing the terrorists and political opposition, all had faces. Now she knew that she was talking about Lelouch, her own brother, and Suzaku, a paragon of virtue who had taken a literal bullet for her, she realised all those degenerates Cornelia had talked about had faces, were all people who had lives and virtues.
And the opposite was also true; the people she knew very well, who Euphemia knew as humans, acted in very inhumane ways in the dark.
Euphemia was now suddenly aware she felt very, very sick.
Interesting meta moment; Lelouch chuckling the Britannians aren't fighting him in the correct manner, due to not understanding what he seeks to achieve, while simultaneously not understanding the game his father is playing in conquering very specific regions of the world very quickly. I'll grant him that Lelouch is not currently updated on Geass-based metaphysics, but the irony is still supreme.
The speech itself, and Euphemia's analysis of it are both reasonably self contained, and don't require much elaboration, however the strategy of economic abstentionism is certainly one that has had interesting precedents in history, most notably Arthur Griffith of Sinn Fein fame, who posited that Irish MP's should not go to their seats in Westminster, and achieve functional independence through an illegal Dáil. It didn't really work, and several years of violence followed, but this was a large influence on the basic concept presented.
I'm not biased at all.
Incidentally, speaking of creator bias, I really like Guilford, and I'll openly admit to Creator's Pet that may have influenced my decision to make him the voice of reason.
This Arc has been all about exposing the weaknesses of our hero's, and having the exterior forces bite back at their attempts to fight against the Britannians. In Arcs 2 and 3, we saw Lelouch and Suzaku build their financial machine up, and taking the fight to their enemies. Here, they face the consequences, losing their health, their friends, their memories, and their homes. It is the greatest test to see how much a character can endure and keep going, and no one aboard the Yuaikai train is packing in yet.
To this effect, I hope you will join me in Arc 5, where we see actions turn to result as Area 11 halts to a standstill, beginning with Chapter 17, There Are No Neutrals There. This Chapter shall kick off the Rebirth Arc, following a brief Flashback. Be safe, and see you then. While I'm gone, don't forget to listen to the radio from time to time, and rate and review!
~Eth0