Chapter Forty: Diplomacy With Britannian Characteristics

Arc Ten: Nanshin-Ron

Opening: "Sweet" - SID

The headlines were nothing if not dramatic. 'International tensions flare over Kamine Island dispute.', 'Japanese diplomats expelled over Presidential rhetoric', and 'Britannian support for strike on Japan at an all time high over claims on Pacific Islands.' made the rounds over the course of a week, which brought great disquiet to Ohgi and his colleagues. On the Japanese side, the Britannian Milly Ashford, who Ohgi had actually met back in the day, had begun to invite all manner of hawks onto her program, which had legitimised their opinions and had gotten them invitations across Japanese media.

As well as this, the amount of both anti-Britannian stories out of Japanese sources and absurd rumours about Japan out of Britannian sources had increased dramatically, intensely polarising opinions across the nation. One particularly absurd rumour claimed Lelouch was Zero, something that gave Ohgi a brief laugh.

That was before, following questions being raised over the legitimacy of Britannian control over Kamine Island, which had been handed over in a what was now a nullified agreement, the Commonwealth Act, several dozen Japanese diplomats were expelled from Pendragon. Almost before Ohgi had worked out what had happened, Lamperouge had publicly called for the powers of war to return Kamine to Japanese rule and restore the diplomats, as, according to him, the legal basis for Britannian rule over those islands had been repealed.

Lelouch did not have the ability to declare war on his own; rather, he had to have Parliament lend him that ability by a majority vote. Even so, Ohgi was anything but confident that he wouldn't get it. All he could really do was wait until judgement day, the 4th of September, when Lelouch would sit before a Parliamentary hearing, and then the vote would happen. The three days in between the announcement and the hearing were the most anxiety driven than any Ohgi had experienced. His gambit to force Lelouch out of the political process had failed, and now he was coming back with a vengeance, being the only man in Japan, with the arguable exception of Guilford, with control of the military and its policy.

Ohgi could only wait and watch, and pray to whatever Gods might exist that Lelouch would be stopped at the vote, as he could not imagine any more likely recourse, even as he took up his seat in the front row before Lelouch arrived on the big day.

He looked around the vast room, built to fit 500 people but not holding anywhere near that due to the recent deaths among Representatives, which made the room feel empty and haunting, with the ghosts of Kyoshiro Tohdoh and Chiba Nagisa observing from afar with their eternal grim looks, to name a few. Of course, his discomfort went beyond morbidness, as he had very worldly concerns, most of which were contained within the 26 year old President, whose arrival was preceded by the Chairman of Parliament calling for order, and a show of recognition. Alongside his colleagues, Ohgi stood up to acknowledge Lelouch as he entered, dressed in regal fineries and his chin held far higher than it had any right to sit.

Ohgi watched as the man crossed the room at complete ease, exuding strength like a body odour, all of which sent further fret to Ohgi's thoughts. The balance was thin enough as it was, and what with most of the Representatives finding themselves scared out of their minds, a display of strength could convince them that he could save them.

After some Parliamentary proceedings had gone underway, the Chairman invited the Representatives to ask questions of Lelouch within regular order, beginning with the minority leader, Revanchist Naomi Inoue.

"The Minority Leader Naomi Inoue, R, Shizuoka, has recognition for five minutes."

"I thank the Chairman for the time. President Lamperouge, as you know the procedure for gaining war powers has not yet been used, and indeed the ink on the Constitution is still wet. What exactly is your cause to move towards military action, and have you exhausted all diplomatic solutions?"

Lelouch, standing in his lectern, coughed before leaning into his microphone to answer with a serious face "I thank the Minority Leader for her question, and while I will go into our reasoning, I would first point out that a diplomatic solution is hard to reach when Britannia expels our diplomats."

This would have earned a small chuckle from the crowd, but the occasion was too serious for much beyond that. After a moment's pause, Lelouch continued.

"At this time, the central issue is the restoration of order to our claims in the Pacific, which were handed over to Britannia in an agreement which has since been wholly repealed with the establishment of the Republic. However, we were willing to meet with Britannian officials to reach a compromise, before they removed our diplomats and began adopting jingoistic rhetoric. It is my opinion, as well as that of those within the national security apparatus, that Britannia intends to aggressively expand into this region, culminating into an expansion of political influence on Japan. We need to take steps to restore a status quo, and avert the rightward shift of Britannian foreign policy."

Ohgi didn't shake his head, but he internally rejected this line of thought. Lelouch had talked about this very tactic before with Ohgi back during the early days of Yuaikai, shifting the conversation and the realm of respectable discussion. He portrayed himself as a hapless man who had done all he could, and made the argument that everything was the fault of Britannia. Now, rather than having a discussion as to whether Lelouch had lost his mind, they were discussing whether Britannia was acting aggressively, shifting the goalposts well past where they ought to be.

However Naomi didn't seem to catch it, asking "How urgent do you deem this threat? We are facing an internal period of vast reconstruction and reconciliation. We struggle to make quorums, and we have a divided population in desperate need of relief. Is this course of action the best for us at this time, rather than spending the vast sums of money this war would surely consume our efforts to strengthen the Japanese State?"

Lelouch frowned before sipping at his drink and pausing briefly. Ohgi watched intently as he eventually answered the question with some hesitation over his first few words, as if remembering something.

"I... am more than aware of the... damage reactionary forces have caused to Japan than anyone. We lost many thousands of people to the various instances of civil strife, and as you have made plain the wounds are still fresh. I would not dare to ask all those who have suffered for one final push to protect us from Britannian aggression unless it were necessary. Naomi, I know you well, and I would ask; what if they make good of their aggressive rhetoric and attacked while we licked our wounds? What if, in our negligence, we lost what had only just been reclaimed. What would those who came after think of those who stepped in the way of our one opportunity to prevent that? Naomi, I would argue that Japan may never forgive you."

Naomi wavered as she took in the reply, before her eyes widened suddenly as he finished. Ohgi watched as she seemed to retreat into herself, before shaking her head and explaining "No further questions, I relinquish my remaining time to the pool."

"Understood."

Ohgi sat back as he thought over what had happened. The effect of Lelouch's statement 'Japan may never forgive you.' seemed to send an electric shock through her system to the point where she withdrew, and would in all likelihood vote with Lelouch. While he was disappointed, Ohgi had not expected a vast amount of Revanchists to join him against Lelouch. Their bloodthirstiness had found company in the President's words, even if he apparently knew something Ohgi didn't.

The remaining Revanchists came and went within half an hour, largely cowed by Naomi's display of submission and more than willing, in their politically weakened state, to just follow the party line. Of course, they were not the only ones worried about a party line.

"The Representative from the 12th District of Tokyo, Saburo Okawachi, A, is recognised for 7 minutes."

Ohgi held his breath as Saburo organised his papers, the Prime Minister being intensely nervous. He had hoped to render Lelouch useless, however now that he had played his hand, Ohgi wasn't even confident he could secure his own base. Apart from the conspirators Saburo and Amaye, the Ameliorates didn't know the real reason Lelouch had been assigned to the Presidency, as they would have, if told, perceived it as a coup by Ohgi against his rivals. While it had worked in the short term, the majority of Ameliorates now perceived Lelouch as being on their political 'team', a fellow Ameliorate, and were inclined to support his policies as 'the party line', rather than Ohgi's.

At least he could rely on Saburo, who finally began his period of questioning.

"President Lamperouge, in spite of the previous months rhetoric from both yourself and the mass media, support for a preemptive war tops out at 31% among the Japanese. How can you, in your capacity of representing the people of Japan internationally support a policy that over half of the population rejects?"

Ohgi nodded. Saburo was dead on, repeating the anti-war talking points he and Ohgi had been pounding in their public appearances in the time between the announcement of the testimony and the testimony itself. However, Ohgi worried that even within their own party he was losing. He had had more than one Ameliorate Representative come to him and said that they did not want to be seen contradicting the President.

This did not fill him with any confidence, confidence being something Lelouch had in abundance today as he answered Saburo.

"I understand that war is not something that many people ever want to go into. It is a vast commitment of resources, and when prolonged can create tragic consequences. However, I would counter that facts are not subject to public approval. The popular opinion many centuries ago did not stop the Earth being round. Similarly, while I acknowledge that this may seem like an arduous challenge, I cannot overstate what a necessary one it is."

Saburo nodded, before continuing "While nobody is disputing the roundness of the planet, I would question your sources. As the saying goes, extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof, and this body has yet to hear much beyond rumours of grapevines and 'the intelligence community'. This is simply insufficient, would you not think?"

Ohgi smiled, and felt control briefly fall back into his hands. Saburo was aggressive and assertive, traits that Lelouch liked to keep reserved to himself. If this were a sporting event, and there were members of the public who did feel that way, the fiery Representative would have just scored a goal. Saburo sat back, satisfied, and ready for a fight.

Ohgi, being more reserved and quiet, silently cheered his colleague from the sidelines as Lelouch shrugged his shoulders, before responding "Look, I'm aware of the concerns you raise about ensuring our information is valid. Hell, some pretty bizarre stuff has crossed my own desk. I even saw some stuff about Members of Parliament such as yourself. One even claimed you tried to join the Black Knights back in February 2017. I have looked into it, worried, and luckily enough there is no need for worry, but it serves as a good example of the false information out there. I can assure you that my information on Britannia is valid."

Saburo suddenly stopped dead, Lelouch's reply eliciting a similar reaction to Naomi's as Ohgi finally realised what was going on. This was Lelouch unleashing his bag of tricks on everything that vaguely resembled an opponent, which was not out of character, but he was literally doing it on the floor of Parliament. He was doxxing them in public. The level of brazenness was worthy of comedy. He didn't know anything about Saburo's past, but the way in which Saburo said "No more… no, I relinquish all my time to the pool.", led Ohgi to believe that it was compromising. He wondered how long Lelouch had known.

Ohgi was not the only one who noticed, as the Prime Minister saw the Chairman frown slightly at Saburo's visible wilting, but was willing to move along.

"To conclude today's proceedings, I give the remaining time to Prime Minister Kaname Ohgi, Ameliorate Representative from the 10th District of Toshima and Nerima."

Ohgi sighed. He had lost the Revanchists, he had lost the Party, and he had lost his attack dog. But all was not yet lost. He had 12 minutes to save his country.

"Mr. Chairman, I do not think any Member of this body disagrees that Schneizel El Britannia is a tyrant, a man who has utilised his international muscle to get his way, and a man who has plenty of interests that rival ours. He is clearly not a friend or an ally. This testimony is not to determine whether we like Schneizel El Britannia or not, whether we should warm relations, or whether we would like a beer with him. The question is whether he represents an imminent threat to the Japanese people and whether actively leaping into the most sure sign of diplomatic failure is a productive course of action towards anything at all. The question-"

"With- with respect, Mr. Prime Minister, this is a question and answer, not an opportunity to filibuster."

Ohgi gritted his teeth, before replying "With respect to you, Mr. Chairman, my preamble has the most critical of relevance that seems to have eluded this session."

The Chairman bristled, but allowed Ohgi to continue.

"In all the hubbub that the President has stirred over the past month, the evidence for a need of an urgent resolution has certainly escaped my notice. In particular, I have not seen anything that has come close to resembling evidence of the urgent need for a yes vote this week. Lamperouge, you have seemed almost insistent to strike without even the pretense of peeking through the fresh dust, and go forward without even consulting any international bodies or making recorded contact with any Britannian officials."

"Mr. Prime Minister-"

Ohgi groaned, now becoming more frustrated as he hissed with an increased volume "One moment Mr. Chairman. Mr. President, I must be the bearer of some bad news; the Britannians have access to TV. The BBC is covering this testimony live. You could, if you were willing to improvise, conduct a peaceful negotiation from where you sit now. There are many ways that this could be resolved short of an armed conflict, yet you insist that the absence of diplomats renders you entirely useless. I know for a fact that you have Schneizel's phone number, so-"

"Are you going to ask me a question?"

Interrupting him this time was not the concerned, stuttering voice of the Chairman, but the carefree, wry tones of a President who was amused, but arriving at the ends of his patience. Ohgi froze briefly, caught in the motion of pointing a finger at the President, in the pose he suspected would make the front pages the next day. Frustrated, Ohgi decided to go for broke, speaking more softly and earnestly.

"I fear that your aggressive pushing of a policy of war is not grounded in any pragmatism, and is motivated by personal gain. Is this true?"

Lelouch snickered. "What am I to answer to that? My stances today bring me no joy, as no joy can come from what I propose. We can only hope to commit to the task at hand, with the spirit, persistence, and resolve, that we may see this task of tasks through with our national character unblemished. In these dire international circumstances, I have been forced to request what no one would ever wish to request of a nation, that being to follow him into war with another. I have repeated on many occasions today the clear threat that Britannia poses to us on an existential level, the evidence of their single minded intent to once again subjugate our islands, and the status of our forces in their strengths and their abilities. Prime Minister Ohgi, I am sure-

"What is it that you are sure of?"

Lelouch scowled at Ohgi, and stood to his full height as he closed his eyes briefly, taking in a deep breath, and spoke to the House.

"Sir, I am sure I can save this country, and no one else can."

There was a finality to that statement that stopped Ohgi in his tracks for some time. How could one respond to such certainty? It took him several seconds to attempt to, not even addressing the point.

"I see. Well, I can only ask my fellow Representatives who are voting today on the most important Bill of our generation-"

"Mr. Prime Minister, your time has expired."

Ohgi felt his heart collapse in despair as he protested "But-"

"Please observe regular order."

Ohgi's eyes grew wide and fell down, as he slumped back into his seat. Lelouch, out of view, was surely grinning as the Prime Minister faced a decision.

He could go on and break regular order, speaking beyond his time. It would take ten minutes to summon the Sergeant At Arms to remove him, and he could probably win a few more votes in that time. However, that meant breaking the rules, and given that he was the only one of the three original Yuaikai members not knee deep in activities of dubious ethics and rule breaking, he hesitated. He had railed against Suzaku breaking rule regarding to abuse of power, and abuse of power and a disregard for democracy was the entire reason why Ohgi opposed Lelouch so vehemently. To start disregarding Parliament rules now would be hypocritical, even if it were morally right.

He despised himself.

"I… I will observe regular order." Ohgi sighed, as he bowed his head in shame.

Lelouch had won.

Even though, for the sake of national security, the result of the ensuing vote was not to be made public until next week to prevent enemies getting an advantage, Ohgi still knew he had not held enough ground by the solemn faces he passed on the way out, a sentiment confirmed by Lelouch, who had the results, smiling too toothily as he passed, stopping for a moment to whisper a simple, but shattering sentence.

"Thanks for doing the right thing."

Ohgi felt the shame well up in his chest, consuming all the dry air into a wall that blocked his throat and made him unable to say anything. He had failed.

This Chapter, as well as culminating the completion of Lelouch's return to power, thus ending the Arc, also saw the resolution and payoff for some other cool things. Kallen exposing Saburo back when she had an intact neck and stomach, Naomi spilling her guts at the funeral, as well as Ohgi's struggle as a Lawful Good character, arguably the only one of such in the fic.

And now for something completely different; actual bloody warfare, shooting, bombing, attacking, sieging, all the sorts of Code Geass things I have yet to do in any real capacity. For that, I welcome you to the The Pacific Arc, detailing the war against Britannia, beginning with Chapter 41; Tora! Tora! Tora!, after a brief Flashback.

Until then, observe regular order, rate, review, and be safe. I'll see you soon.

~Eth0