Area 11, Holy Britannian Empire
July 2017 A.T.B.
Although Lucius wasn't a fan of what he found when he saw the Viceroy's Palace of the Area 11 in person for the first time, a few days ago, he was forced to change his mind. Clovis's sense of architecture wasn't that bad, and he could tell that from sitting right in the middle of the fortress that had been prepared for him. Overall, the whole thing looked more like a fort, built on the plan of an eight-pointed star.
The entire facility with numerous hangars, barracks and quarters for soldiers, pilots and officers. In addition to all this, there were large warehouses for spare parts, sakuradite, weapons and ammunition. Numerous security systems that provided great protection against any attempt to break into the fortress. The icing on the cake, however, were simulation rooms for pilots to practice, along with small but versatile training grounds for real-life piloting.
However, what surprised Lucius himself the most were two things: the Gothic style in which the entire fortress was decorated, and the overall elegance of the facility. Overall, it was very rare for a fortress to be constructed in such an elegant way. With numerous decorations on the walls, ceilings and pillars, and as if that were not enough, the interior was constantly kept in atmospheric twilight. At least that was the case in most rooms.
The undoubted exception to this rule was the conference room with a black and round table - covered with decorations with various mythical creatures such as dragons and chimeras - which had a total of 14 stations with consoles and swivel chairs. Overall, the entire room was built in a circular shape.
Lucius arrived at the fort named by Clovis - much to the disdain of the Purple Prince - Castle Puretress, just a few days ago. The day after the end of the welcome party and the speech that turned out to be a kick into the hornet's nest. Taking into account that the very next day there were several terrorist attacks, organized by the more radical and blood-hungry cells of the resistance movement.
Clovis was not the most pleased with this development and criticized Lucius during their private conversation. Apart from that, he couldn't complain, because these attacks - although they caused some chaos in the colony - also provided him with a lot of propaganda material against terrorists.
Currently, Lucius was busy reviewing the numerous reports sent to him. All this as part of his position as Extraordinary Military Advisor, which allowed him to interfere with certain aspects of the garrisons and other military units in Area 11. On top of all this, there was the issue of the various terrorist cells and branches operating in the colony.
In the Tokyo Settlement itself, there were at least 17 identified terrorist cells, smaller or larger, operating in various ghettos. Not to mention many quite well-organized paramilitary groups in the forests or mountains.
This was a major problem that he would soon have to address if he wanted to, if not crush organized terrorism, then at least achieve some spectacular victories. Ultimately, his reputation as one of the best commanders in the empire had to be constantly upheld. Especially since new, rising stars were constantly appearing.
Regardless, Lucius was in the room in the middle of reviewing reports when the sliding doors opened and three of his most trusted associates entered.
"Char, Garma, Ciaran." Lucius greeted them with a smile. "Take positions across from me and let's get straight to the heart of the matter."
His subordinates and friends complied with his kind suggestion, with Garma at the center.
"What is the problem that requires our presence, Luc?" Char asked, placing his hands on the desk and raising an eyebrow, though the latter was masked by his Google transfer.
"It's a good question, and the answer is the insufficient number of machines and people we have here and relative to the forces that terrorist groups undoubtedly have." Lucius replied before adopting a cool and professional expression. "Taking into account that brigades from our 1st corps will not be possible to deploy with new machines for some period of time."
"What makes it necessary for us to use local forces?" Garma asked a rhetorical question that would have been more of a statement.
"Indeed, this is the case, but the quality of local forces varies." Lucius leaned back in his chair and placed his hands in front of his mouth, constantly watching his friends. "Very different indeed."
"And you want us to deal with this topic and correctly assess the formations that we will take to fight the Elevens?" Char smiled slyly before adding a few words of his own. "It shouldn't be that difficult. Considering how primitive their fighting tools often are. Their training often cries out for vengeance. Meanwhile, we have at our disposal one of the most powerful and modern armies… No… We have the most modern army in the world, while our opponents here are savages, often using weapons from before the invention of the magnetic bullet firing system."
Lucius wasn't surprised by his current level of self-satisfaction, or rather well-founded self-confidence. In fact, the Purple Prince himself shared much of his attitude towards the natives. However, there was another very important element that worried Lucius.
"They may not have the best equipment, Char, but they still have more than enough determination to fight." Garma interjected and openly contradicted the words of the commander of the Scarlet Crusaders. "Ultimately, our invasion and colonization was extremely brutal. Compared to the state before the invasion, the population of Elevens shrank by over 15%. However, given the repression, attacks on ghettos using heavy artillery, shooting civilians as punishment for supporting terrorist cells, this number may even be higher."
"There is not even the slightest doubt that their determination is more than strong." Ciaran chimed in on the conversation, siding with his purple-haired friend in charge of the Knights of the Purple Rose's logistics. "This is a factor that is, on the one hand, difficult to measure, and which, on the other hand, is extremely important. After all, how much can an army of sheep who don't know what they're fighting for be worth?
"Exactly." Lucius nodded at them, confirming his agreement with their worldview. "For this very reason, for our mission to pacify and destroy terrorist organizations, we will, beyond any doubt, need, on the one hand, very well-motivated formations. However, on the other hand, we will have to look at the quality of the equipment we have."
"We don't have to worry about that, Luc." Char seemed to downplay the threat of the Elvens and had some pretty strong attitudes towards it. "I read reports and saw videos of fights with terrorists. As a reference point, I took the sparse fighting against the Japan Liberation Front, the best-equipped resistance organization. Their ridiculous copies of our Glasgow are simply pathetic and not worth even considering. The biggest threat we may be exposed to is the captured Sutherlands or any custom structures built on top of them. Honestly, that's the only thing I'm afraid of."
"A valid opinion, but remember that, contrary to what I said during my reception, we are not fighting a bunch of poorly armed, primitive tribes from Africa or South America." Lucius decided to make his point more explicit. "Our enemy is a determined enemy who - contrary to what it may seem at first glance - is quite well armed and supplied."
"What exactly do you mean, Luc?" Char became much more interested in this issue, and his arrogance and self-confidence seemed to be tempered to a very great extent. "Ah, now I think I understand what you mean."
"Exactly, the terrorists are very well armed, too well armed, especially if we are talking about smaller and weaker organizations than the JLF. Much weaker." Lucius nodded and gave his friend a knowing look once he realized what the crux of the problem was. "Some of it may indeed come from corrupt individuals operating within our system. Nevertheless, it begs the question: Where can terrorists get the funding to do this?"
This topic dominated the next few minutes of their conversation. Char and Ciaran noticed that the equipment, rather than illegal transactions, may come from numerous robbery attacks on military warehouses, which were either worse or better prepared and carried out.
Garma, however, had doubts. First of all, in the short time he had to get to know the staff, review reports and check the facts, he discovered that the number of robberies was not that great. Meanwhile, shortages of equipment in warehouses or garrisons - especially in terms of weapons and older machines - were alarmingly high.
However, no final conclusion has been made regarding the source of the terrorists' acquisition of equipment. The main reason for this was the fact that we had too little information. This issue was especially made less important by the fact that it was not their immediate problem at that moment.
"Although the enemy's loss of the ability to recreate its forces is important, the terrorists' capabilities in this matter are not very great or spectacular. Therefore, we can talk about it at another time and ignore this problem for the time being. Nevertheless, the facts mentioned above are - at best - disturbing to say the least. At worst, there is perhaps a certain quintessence of degeneration taking place among the garrison hinterland and colonial administration."
These words put an end to all further considerations and after them, Lucius looked at Garma as the main organizer and logistician of the Knights of the Purple Rose. "Garma, can you tell me the earliest time any of our order's brigades will arrive in Area 11 after a major re-equipment?"
His friend and right-hand man thought for a few moments. "Well, if you take into account the need to produce new machines and train pilots, it is a minimum of one month and a maximum of three. Of course, if our pilots are to undergo thorough and proper rearming with new equipment."
"Which means the need to use local forces is inevitable." Lucius, one of the few times, furrowed his eyebrows in irritation in a private conversation, because it meant certain inconvenient necessities for him. "Garma, what formations do you think we can incorporate into the formation we create."
"Personally, I think we should consider bringing local Purists to our cause first." Although the purple-haired teenager kept his calm and quite stoic expression, there was quite obvious irritation behind it. Because he already knew about the upcoming verbal fight he would have to fight with his friend. "They are the best formation in terms of staff quality. Not to mention that they are the elite here, often used by your brother for extremely difficult tasks."
"Purists." Lucius snorted loudly with contempt, but not because he disliked this particular formation or their ideology. "Under the command of Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald."
Garma looked at his other two friends present before giving Lucius a blank look. "And yet you still have trouble accepting that your mother's former guard now commands one of the best formations in Area 11. Regardless of your feelings, the Purists are still - objectively speaking - some of the best sons and daughters of our empire. It won't be easy to replace them."
"I know it!" Lucius growled, his voice raised and a menacing grimace on his lips, and then he looked at his longtime friend. "However, this does not change, even at best, the fact that this man is indirectly responsible for her death. Not to mention the fact that the Purists are allied with my most powerful enemy in the empire."
For three of his subordinates and friends, it was definitely a novelty to see Lucius in such a low mood and with a clear loss of control over his emotions. "I have no intention of supporting them in any way, whether in the political field or in the field of battlefield glory!"
"Then you might as well try to arm the local Honorary Britannians with Knightmare Frames and build a group out of them to fight the terrorists." Char, in a show of his bravado, snorted ironically, not afraid of the reaction of the Purple Prince. "I'm sure that after your disdain for them and your promise of blood and death, many of them will want to serve in your formation."
Lucius seemed to bristle at his words and then shot him a glare, which made Char visibly flinch. "I advise you to choose your next words very carefully. Especially since just as easily as you gained your title and position in Britannian society through my grace, you can just as easily lose everything if you lose that grace!"
The Purple Prince's disdainful hiss did not discourage his three friends in the slightest. On the contrary, they all stood united during a moment that could very easily have turned into arguments and led to a rupture in the relationship between them, from which there would be no return. Still, none of them were the least bit scared about it. Neither of them had even the slightest doubt about the necessity of standing together at this moment.
"You can deprive me of this favor, Luc, if this is how you intend to repay me for the honest opinion that you have always appreciated and that has always been most important to you." Char kept his eyes on his friend and superior. "I have no intention of lying to you or embellishing reality, even if it goes against your worldview or what you think is right."
"Me the same!" Ciaran, commander of the Purple Prince's personal guard, raised his voice decisively, making it clear that he would not retreat even a single step. "If I think you are making a mistake or stupidity solely because of your own feelings, I will not hesitate to point out your stupidity! Not to mention the fact that I swore loyalty and undying friendship to a man who was able to rationally assess and analyze situations!
Lucius stood up as well, infuriated by his friends' words and their level of insolence. Clearly, traces of tension began to appear on his face. Meanwhile, his cheeks - in a very rare display - began to turn red with almost pure fury!
"How dare you talk to me like that!" Miraculously, he was able to control his voice enough that his voice was only raised menacingly, even though his facial expression would suggest otherwise. "You who have never lost anyone and who follow me only for personal gain!"
"You're wrong!" Char raised his voice as well, then took off his Google and looked straight into the eyes of his furious friend. "I had nothing before I joined you, just my determination! All I received from the upper class people around me was, in most cases, pure contempt! Contempt for the fact that a plebeian without family or great connections began to climb the social hierarchy of the empire! You, Garma and Ciaran were the first to be kind to me! Especially you, Lucius, who offered me the opportunity to grow, just like Carl!"
The emotions raging in Lucius' heart and mind calmed down a bit at the mention of their dead friend's name. Realizing that further anger or baseless accusations would get him nowhere, he decided to at least sit down. After that, he did a lot to mask his dissatisfaction and the only tangible effect was a stern look on his face. Like a commander towards his soldiers, not towards his friends.
"Luc, although I have not traveled the same path as Char, I have been and is loyal to you just like him because of our friendship and who you are." This time Garma answered. "You were always like a brother to me who supported and helped me in the most difficult moments. Meanwhile, I tried to repay the favor in the same way."
"We are all loyal to you and we will always tell you the truth." Ciaran interjected. "For this reason, we tell you at this time to let go of this old grudge and instead remain the same coldly calculating man who is able to overcome all obstacles that come his way. No matter what happens."
Lucius watched the three of them as his emotions calmed down and the full implications of their words and suggestions began to sink in. "I understand, so I must apologize to you from the bottom of my heart for my outburst."
The atmosphere, which just a moment ago seemed to be only getting thicker and more intense, suddenly subsided. Nevertheless, it became more than clear to each of the four friends that one poorly chosen word and the whole quarrel could come back with a vengeance and not end with a few screams.
Because of this, Lucius thought about his next words before saying anything else. "As you say, I will immediately summon Colonel Gottwald to the fortress to appear in this room."
A relaxed smile spread across the faces of his three interlocutors before Garma spoke. "So I can be confident about the Purists' commitment to…"
"The task force we will create to fight terrorists." Lucius interrupted him, now fully relaxed and leaning back in his chair. "My guard, Scarlet Crusaders and Purists will definitely be there. Beyond that, I leave it to you, Garma, to select the remaining units for our task force."
The purple-haired teen just nodded politely at him. "As you wish, Luc. In fact, before my arrival, I had already assembled a list of potentially suitable panzer infantry battalions and two mechanized infantry regiments for the task."
"Excellent." Lucius's lips curved into a slight smile. "I place the responsibility for gathering these units in your hands. Besides, I want you to challenge Colonel Gottwald immediately. I will talk to him as soon as possible and in person."
"As you wish, Luc." Garma saluted lightly and awkwardly. "Will that be all?"
"At this point, undoubtedly." Lucius nodded at him. "You can go away and take care of this as soon as possible."
When Garma left, Lucius spoke to the remaining two friends. "Only the name remains for the created task force."
"Name?" Ciarn asked, confused by the topic he brought up.
"Exactly, we won't name it after some number or local name." Lucius folded his arms before his eyes moved to Char. "We need something at this moment that is not related to the color purple or purple rose."
"That's right, because it's not like some people think you have some incomprehensible obsession with this color and this flower." Char snorted maliciously before his mind wandered to the Britannian national roots, to the history of the times when their ancestors fought against the Romans, and there he found what he expected. "Maybe Task Force Boudica would be appropriate?"
"Boudica, like that heroine of legend who was supposed to help one of King Alvin's descendants fend off another Roman invasion?" Lucius vaguely recalled some of the details and generality of this story, which had been passed down to him by his private history tutors during his childhood. "Boudica, a simple and commoner girl who nevertheless answered Arthyen's call. King of all the British Celts and grandson of Alwin I. Boudica fought against the Romans during the invasion of Emperor Claudius, where her courage and leadership skills caught the attention of King Arthyen, who after driving the Romans away took her as his wife."
"Exactly." Char nodded, pleased with his friend's memory on the subject. "An appropriate name, referring to a figure known and widely respected in our culture, pop culture and historiography."
"In some ways, it's a little ironic." Ciaran remarked, with a small snort confirming the irony he had noticed. "The protector of the British Isles is now to become the oppressor of the Japanese Isles."
"Irony is beautiful." Lucius replied a bit tartly. "Regardless of this, we will form Task Force Boudica and gather as many troops and best formations as possible into it."
Char nodded in confirmation. "Besides, there is still the question of choosing the first target that would be most suitable for us."
Lucius didn't answer right away, before stroking his chin in thought for a few moments. "This is not the most important of our many problems at the moment. There will be no shortage of targets in this colony, well-armed ones that we could potentially attack. Now, however, I must ask you to take care of the formations you command so that they are ready as soon as possible."
They both saluted very quickly and left, wishing him a good day.
Lucius didn't even lean back in his chair after that, but actually leaned back in it and closed his eyes. "Am I more emotional about the past than I ever allowed myself to think before?"
The question was asked in the now completely silent and - apart from Lucius himself - empty room. All this only for him not to receive any answer, which resulted in a loud sigh.
XXX
Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald walked nervously through the metallic, decorated in Gothic style. Among the beautifully made but still utilitarian-military corridors, he was led by Colonel Garma Zabi. One of the most trusted and oldest friends of the Britannian Prince, from whom Jeremiah wanted to redeem himself after 7 years of disfavor.
The last meeting and attempt to obtain the opportunity to serve again ended worse than the Margrave had hoped. In fact, he saw that Prince Lucius - the gentle boy from Aries Villa he remembered - was just a few words away from being sentenced to death or ordered to be arrested.
After a - to put it mildly - dry conversation, Jeremiah returned to his soldiers that day, greeted by two of his closest friends and colleagues. Lieutenant Colonel Kewell Soresi and Major Villetta Nu.
Kewell was clearly disconsolate with the report, while Villetta tried to cheer him up as much as possible. Nevertheless, Jeremiah's overall memories of that night and the Purple Prince's arrival in Area 11 were clearly negative and affected his mood for the next few days.
Everything indicated that this day would be as unpleasant as the others, but about an hour ago, he received an unexpected call from one of Prince Lucius vi Britannia's friends and closest associates, Colonel Garma Zabi. To say that Jeremiah was surprised is to say nothing at all. Nevertheless, he listened to the son of Marquis Degwin of Dhabi and formally a person equal to him in the military hierarchy.
Basically, Colonel Zabi asked him to prepare for the roads as soon as possible and to meet with Prince Lucius vi Britannia himself and the Grand Master of the Purple Knights. Jeremiah was taken aback by this, but managed to get ready within ten minutes, leaving his daily duties in the hands of Kewell and Villetta.
After more than an hour of travel, they reached a specially built fortress on the orders of Prince Clovis, imitating - quite successfully - a medieval castle from the Gothic period. While driving here straight from the Tokyo Settlement, Colonel Zabi explained to him that Prince Lucius wanted to meet with him as soon as possible in order to define their relationship together.
All the while, Jeremiah struggled to contain his mounting stress and uncertainty. The awareness of approaching the face of a man from whom he would be willing to give literally everything to redeem himself did not help him control his inner emotions. Nevertheless, they finally arrived in front of the conference room where Prince Lucius was supposed to be.
At the very beginning, however, the Margrave's attention was caught by something completely different, and it was a pair of guards in front of a movable, decorated with numerous patterns and metal doors.
Jeremiah had seen many strange guard formations in his life belonging to various princes of the Britannia. Nevertheless, these two were camouflaged by closed, full helmets reminiscent of those from the Middle Ages, dressed in amethyst-black, shiny armor and carrying weapons on the one hand, metal and pointed sticks, and on the other hand, small submachine guns in holsters on their belts.
All this aroused conflicting feelings in Jeremiah. On one hand, the guard looked like nothing he had ever seen before. On the other hand, their uniforms - apart from the sticks - seemed to be primarily practical. On the other hand, they looked strange and did not fit the concept of a ceremonial, honorary guard at all.
"They're intriguing, aren't they?" Garma asked him, clearly enjoying his extreme confusion.
"They are unlike anything I have ever seen in my life, Colonel." Jeremiah replied stiffly, never taking his eyes off the guards, who paid him no attention whatsoever, but somehow seemed to never let down their guard even for a moment.
"They are unlike any other type of royal guards that has been created in modern times." Garma corrected him slightly. "In fact, it was the Captain of Prince Lucius's Guard, Sir Ciaran, who pushed for the creation of a unit of this type."
Jeremiah looked askance at his interlocutor. "Who exactly are they and are they one of a kind?"
Garma just smiled at him, knowing that revealing this information or possibly spreading it wouldn't make much of a difference. "There are 6 of them in total, including they commander. As previously mentioned, the Captain of the Purple Guard insisted on forming this small unit, called the Amethyst Guard. The elite of the elite, composed of the best of the Purple Guard and dedicated to protecting Prince Lucius, even at the cost of their lives."
"Well." Jeremiah said briefly before looking once again at the two guards' weapons. "They don't seem particularly well-prepared to fend off a potential attack, and to be completely honest, they seem more suited to an intimidating role."
Garma laughed briefly at his remark. "Well, you're somewhat right about that. In fact, I personally designed their image in such a way that they aroused, above all, fear and respect. Nevertheless, I can assure you, Colonel Gottwald, that their equipment is more than adequate to protect my senior."
Jeremiah wasn't particularly convinced about this, but he wasn't going to argue with it any further. Especially since a few moments later the door leading inside opened and six Panzer Infantry officers, all with the rank of major, emerged from the conference room. All of them were known to the Margrave and with whom he had the opportunity to conduct several operations in the past.
They all left the office happy, but as soon as they noticed the commander of the local branch of the Purist Faction, they immediately started saluting him. He returned the salute carelessly, and his carelessness in this matter was primarily due to his confusion at the presence of all these officers. Many questions appeared in Margrave's head.
Garma spoke up as soon as they were all gone and the two Colonels were left to their own devices. "Please come inside, my senior and commander is waiting for you. However, I would like to say right now that you have nothing to fear, Colonel. In fact, this meeting can already be described as a reconciliation at this point."
"I highly doubt it, given recent events." Jeremiah responded without even the slightest trace of enthusiasm and for understandable reasons. "Regardless of this, I can't shake the feeling that this is where my destiny will finally be decided."
He said the second part in a hoarse voice, so no one heard it. The Margrave himself meanwhile entered and immediately stood at attention. Meanwhile, no answer came from behind the round table, at least not immediately.
"Margrave Colonel Gottwald." Prince Lucius vi Britannia greeted the Purist commander coldly, but his tone and gaze were only stern, but not full of contempt as during the reception, which was already quite an improvement from Jeremiah's perspective. "Please take the seat opposite."
"Yes, Your Highness." Jeremiah replied stiffly and complied, then looked directly at the young man who had already achieved more than himself.
There was silence for a few moments before Prince Lucius blinked his eyes rapidly and spoke. "You are undoubtedly wondering why I invited you and a group of battalion commanders here. I guess after the welcome party you didn't expect it so soon."
Jeremiah was about to respond, but then Lucius interrupted him, quickly raising his hand in the air. "Please do not try to declare your readiness to obey my every order or your willingness to atone for your past sins. My current imperative, while somewhat vague, gives me more than enough authority to issue you an appropriate order."
"I will say it straight, in the near future I will need the help of your formation to conduct an anti-terrorist campaign. I don't have enough of my own forces at my disposal at the moment to be able to send them into battle. So you have, on the one hand, a chance to gain favors from me, and on the other hand, glory on the battlefield."
Jeremiah thought about it for a moment, then decided to give his answer, seeing that Prince Lucius had no intention of continuing. "Your Highness, what I am about to say may seem completely insincere to you. Nevertheless and in spite of this, I will say it from the bottom of my heart, whether you believe it or not, Your Highness. There will never be greater satisfaction for me than to be able to avenge the death of your sister and brother, murdered by these wild animals."
Lucius raised an eyebrow, and although at first he seemed angry that the issue of his siblings had been brought up in this conversation. Nevertheless, he blinked and any emotion seemed to disappear moment by moment, as if it had never been there. "Let the blood test in the recent past prove it. Besides, I take this as permission for the Purists to join the Boudica Task Force."
"Indeed, Your Highness." Jeremiah was confused by the choice of his last words, which he did not hide in the slightest. "Why should you care about my opinion or the opinions of commanders of other formations that will be engaged to fight terrorists?"
Lucius looked at him without any particular expression. "Mainly because I have no intention of commanding people against them. And to be more precise, I have no intention of creating an anti-terrorist formation whose commanders and members will be hostile to me and my leadership. Although it may seem counterproductive and inconsistent with what the army is about, I - as life and other people's mistakes have shown me many times - prefer unconventional solutions in unconventional situations.
"I understand, Your Highness." Jeremiah nodded, as a military man with some experience fighting guerrillas, he understood approaches that were inconsistent with the doctrines or very assumptions of the military. "Will that be all and should I get my subordinates here as soon as possible."
"By no means, Margrave, there is one more matter to discuss, immediately." Lucius corrected him. "Please tell me which of the existing terrorist groups is the bloodiest, most radical and needs to be destroyed as quickly as possible."
"Get straight to the point?" Jeremiah asked, quite brazenly and as if instinctively, but after very quickly seeing a flash of anger in the eyes of the Purple Prince, he continued. "Forgive me, but I rather expected and was accustomed to bring my staff here immediately."
"In this case, I prefer to start it as soon as possible, given the number of hostile terrorist organizations and expectations." Prince Lucius returned to his calm, stern tone, which seemed almost like a mask, slowly and over the years perfected by this impressive man. "Now, however, tell me the organization that would be the best target based on the previously mentioned criteria."
Jeremiah considered the matter for a while and had in mind several organizations that he thought would be best to target. However, on this occasion he also took into account the strength of the organizations that the newly formed task force could confront to the extent that it would constitute any form of challenge.
After a few seconds, the Margrave gave him a satisfactory answer to his question. "Personally, I think the Japanese Workers Syndicate will be a more than adequate first target."
"And what is the reason for this, Colonel Gottwald?" To Jeremiah's surprise, the question came not from Prince Lucius, but instead from Colonel Zabi, who entered the room and sat down at one of the stands in a position that placed him on the Purple Prince's right side.
"Well, apart from the equipment in Knightmare Frames and the quite large saturation of this type of weaponry, there is also the question of where this group operates." Jeremiah then expanded on the topic. "They operate in one of the coastal settlements, Shizuoka, where most of the spare parts, ammunition, vehicles and equipment for the local garrisons are produced. JWS has carried out many successful equipment theft operations, and given the unfortunate decision of many factory managers to employ Elevens, I have no doubt whatsoever that the production facilities are quite heavily infiltrated by terrorists."
"I understand and the goal seems reasonable." Lucius nodded, then considered the suggestions for a brief moment. "Moreover, I think that if this problem is solved, several local industrial tycoons will have a certain obligation towards us. Isn't that right?"
"Indeed, yes." Jeremiah agreed, with some and quite a bit of intrigue in his tone of voice. "But what exactly are you getting at, Your Highness?"
"In addition, Sutherlands, which are used by the vast majority of the formations involved, are - despite their considerable reliability and universality - outdated and require replacement." Lucius explained matter-of-factly and added. "However, I have no doubt that removing saboteurs from factories and getting rid of a rather serious threat plaguing the factories there could give their owners a reason to give us something newer."
"Your Highness, if memory serves, the Knights of the Purple Rose, are equipped with some of the most modern machinery in the world. Maybe you could give some to everyone involved in your formation task force."
Prince Lucius, however, had other plans. "These machines were designed and dedicated exclusively to my order. Besides, giving this equipment to a regular formation would only cause problems for the quartermasters and thus making up for the losses would be a really serious problem."
"Even if it is the order and its quartermasters who will make up for the losses, Your Highness?" Jeremiah pressed on, even though he knew it would bring down the wrath of the man who gave him a second chance.
"Even then, and beyond that, although it may have already happened, I have no intention of even facilitating the leakage of technology used by my knightly order." Lucius replied patiently. "Not to mention the fact that we are in the process of great rearmament."
"Big retooling, what exactly do you mean, my Prince?"
"He is preparing to introduce and create the first Knightmare Frame of the next 7th generation, or at least the first mass-produced one. I tell you this in complete confidence, and I hope that this secret will be completely safe with you, Margrave."
"Yes, Your Highness." Jeremiah bowed respectfully. "I will do everything not to disappoint your trust."
When the Marquis raised his head and eyes a little to gauge the reaction of the Purple Prince, he saw an unreadable look, a moment later replaced by a cold smile.
"I hope so, Margrave, otherwise it could complicate the relationship between us." His tone of voice matched the sinister smile on his lips perfectly. "I would even go so far as to say that after losing my trust, there would be no room in our relationship for a comeback or a third chance."
Prince Lucius looked at his interlocutor for a few moments before giving an order. "Now go, Margrave, prepare the local Purists for integration into the Boudica Task Force."
"Yes, Your Highness." Jeremiah stood up abruptly, then clicked his heels and bowed.
A few seconds later he was outside as Lucius and Garma exchanged knowing smiles. This moment, however, did not last long, because a moment later they began important preparations. On the one hand, to start preparations for the operation, on the other hand, the integration process required at least a week of hard work from them.
Regardless, the verdict against the terrorists in Shizuoka Settlement has been passed. The first of numerous operations against terrorists was about to begin.
AN: Rather a slightly shorter chapter, but full of plot-relevant content, I think.
If you find it illogical that Lucius trusted Jeremiah so quickly, then this is merely a test on his part to gauge his loyalty. Ultimately, she does not tell him any of her most important secrets, only a scrap of information, devoid of deeper details.
As for the presence of Maya/Mario Disel and Rai, they will possibly appear in the next story about the fate of Lucius, if I ever start one. This has not been finally decided yet.
In the meantime, I wish you a good day and see you in the future. -King's Snake