Chapter 9
The Sight of Industry
Music blared from the TV as the lights brightened to reveal two men seated in a comfortable looking room.
"Good evening and welcome to Nightline in Area 11," the older man announced. "I'm Diethard Ried, and tonight we have a very special guest with us, the Cardinal Lamperouge. Thank you for joining us, Your Eminence."
Lelouch, seated at an angle across from the reporter, spared a single nod. "I go where duty obliges."
Diethard smiled wryly. "You know, most of my guests at least offer some platitudes about how it's their pleasure to be here."
"Most of your guests feign politeness out of an overabundance of caution regarding the media," Lelouch responded. "I've found such effort is rarely warranted, since the media is not going to reciprocate anyway."
"Are you suggesting you see the media as an enemy, Your Eminence?" Diethard asked leadingly.
"They are the opposition," Lelouch responded. "To be the enemy they would need to represent a threat. And no, I am not suggesting I don't see the media as a threat, I am stating that they are not one."
Diethard blinked a few times, then a more wolfish grin crossed his face.
"I will keep that in mind, Your Eminence," he said. "Anyway, we should get to the real questions of the night."
Lelouch shrugged nonchalantly. "By all means."
"The big one on everyone's mind," Diethard. "What does it mean for a cardinal of Eden Vital to be serving as viceroy?"
That saw Lelouch tilt his head. "You will need to be more specific."
"What I mean is, Your Eminence, you are a figure of some import in a religious order. To have you assume a secular office, even at the decree of His Majesty, is a source of some concern. After all, not all Britannian subjects are adherents of Eden Vital. It would not be unreasonable for such subjects to worry about their religious liberties."
"Their worries are needless," Lelouch responded. "Eden Vital does not proselytize or evangelize. We do not intrude upon the spirituality of others, we simply answer any queries made of our persons. The Order has always espoused individual choice, and individual responsibility. Our actions set the example, but it must be one's own choice whether to follow or not. Otherwise the commitment is hollow and insincere, and Eden Vital is not strengthened by it, we are instead weakened."
"A rather forthright declaration," Diethard remarked.
"I have little reason to deceive others," Lelouch said. "Lies may offer some momentary comfort, but they offer no foundation upon which to build a lasting partnership. Candor is usually more than appropriate an instrument in that regard."
"Perhaps so, but people often look to leaders for comfort," Diethard said. "We are only human after all, with hearts easily swayed."
Lelouch raised an eyebrow. "Fancying yourself a bit of a poet, Diethard?"
"I did complete coursework in the classics as part of my journalism degree," the reporter reposted.
"Fair enough. And as to your actual point, I cannot claim to be skilled in the stirring of the human heart. What I can claim to provide however is a far more concrete form of comfort, to all subjects under my care. Food on the table, clothes and shelter, and to be regarded as my fellow man. We each seek to provide for ourselves and those we cherish. Being able to do so is not merely a point of necessity, but also a point of dignity. I will never deny those in my care the opportunity to by their own labors earn the succor their lives need. And for those whom by chance or circumstance find themselves unable to perform that labor, I will not demand their demeaning to receive the grace of bounty necessary for them to find their means once more. In that regard, my duties as a viceroy differ little from my duties as a cardinal. I serve to care for my flock, and it is against my deeds that I am judged to be a good shepherd or not."
"I would say you are possessed of some poetry as well, Your Eminence," Diethard said. "Still, this talk of flocks and shepherds recalls to mind once more your religious vocation. I must confess I only know the barest of basics when it comes to Eden Vital, and what information is publicly available seems remarkably scant. Enough so that it begs the question of how much Eden Vital wants to be known about itself."
"No amount of mere information, regardless of how easily accessible it be, is sufficient to allow a proper understanding of Eden Vital and its works," Lelouch said with a shrug. "After all, our people are our works, in both the means and the end. You could crack open a book, or go to some site on the internet, but all you would see are mere words. The ones those words seek to describe, the works they try to capture, you can only begin to actually understand if you yourself go speak with them and see them. That is why Eden Vital's doors are always open. Not merely to provide for those in need, but to allow for inquisitive minds to satiate their curiosities, to answer their doubts."
"A rather extrovertist sentiment," Diethard noted.
"One cannot understand one's fellow man by staying cooped up in only your own environs," Lelouch said. "And the first step towards that understanding is to speak, and to listen."
"Well, our audience may not be able to speak right now, but they can certainly listen," Diethard said. "And something that many of them are likely wondering is, what is it that you, and by extension Eden Vital, wants?"
"To forge a better world," Lelouch answered immediately.
"Better, better in what way?" Diethard pressed.
"In any and every way conceivable," Lelouch however was not put off.
The reporter leaned back. "Well, that certainly sounds, ambitious."
"Ambitious? I don't think so," Lelouch said. "Ambitious implies reaching for something that might be beyond our capacity. Nothing I have seen of the human spirit suggests to me that a better world is outside our reach. Difficult, perhaps arduous, is the task to bring it forth. But very much within our reach."
Diethard regarded for a moment, then chuckled slightly. "I must admit, I don't know what to say to that, Your Eminence. If nothing else you sound so convincing, so authoritative, in that declaration that I find myself almost wanting to believe you."
"Almost implies there is still room for improvement in my oratory," Lelouch said with a smirk of his own.
"If I recall correctly, room for self-improvement is also a core tenet of Eden Vital," Diethard demurred.
"That it is," Lelouch said. "And the capacity to do so is something I believe all persons to possess, even you, Diethard."
"Your Eminence, if this is you not proselytizing, I'm almost afraid how convincing you'd sound if you were to try."
"Why expend the effort when what I do now seems good enough?"
Diethard flashed another smile before resuming a more somber air.
"All levity aside, there are still questions of practical import for your subjects. We have just emerged from an especially tumultuous period, with the loss of your own brother as one of the consequences. There is great concern, even fear, amongst the populace that, even if the situation has been quelled for now, it is only a matter of time before the Eleven problem erupts once more. Do you have a solution to those concerns, Your Eminence."
"Certainly," Lelouch answered in full confidence. "And the first step to resolving this problem is by recognizing that the Japanese are a people unto themselves, not some number a bureaucrat assigned for administrative convenience."
Said bureaucrat probably choked on his tea at hearing that bit.
"So Your Eminence does intend to diverge drastically with the policies of the previous viceroy? Of your late brother?"
Lelouch's eyes narrowed, a glint momentarily passing through his eyes.
"The policy of active discrimination against the Japanese people was instituted well before Clovis' appointment as viceroy, and was ultimately a policy he inherited when he assumed this office. His personal failings in judgment are extensive, and arguably one of the greatest such failings was his continued reliance on the bureaucrats and officers that advocated for such discrimination as a credible option in the first place. Those persons were however never actually interested in Japan's successful integration into the Empire. What they sought was an environment where they could advance their own personal standing, and wealth, by effectively looting the Japanese economy and intentionally inciting the native populace to create the illusion that they were dogmatically intransigent."
"Those, are very serious charges, Your Eminence," Diethard said carefully.
"Hence why all those involved will be facing charges of sedition in a court of law," Lelouch said without missing a beat. "My brother paid the ultimate price for his inability to restrain their excesses." And bared his teeth. "I have no intention of allowing any of these persons to avoid being held to account for their part in the deterioration of Japan's condition."
"As a matter of personal responsibility?" Diethard inquired.
"As a matter of justice," Lelouch however diverged. "As the viceroy of Area 11, I hold a secular duty to see to the welfare of all peoples living within this domain. They are expected to demonstrate fealty to myself and His Majesty, but they are in turn owed not only the opportunity to provide for themselves, but also the dignity of being considered their own persons. My brother's resurrection of the Honorary Britannian system was, while done with the best of intentions and under the constrictions of those seeking to outright sabotage his efforts, was still at best a half-measure and at worst a grave miscalculation. The people of this area, whether they be Britannian or Japanese, are all deserving of recognition as imperial subjects. As such the solution to the, Eleven, problem is obvious in the extreme. Full integration of the Japanese populace into the Empire, as full citizens."
Diethard stared at Lelouch for several long moments. Indeed most of the watching audience was doing the same. Finally the reporter feigned clearing his throat.
"I think, Your Eminence, I speak for many when I say that that does not seem a, simple, solution."
"Nor would I claim it to be," Lelouch said. "But no simple or easy solution exists, not for something of this magnitude. And unless the effort is made, it is equally obvious that this Area risks being torn apart by its internal divisions, and the suffering that results will pale in comparison to that which is already occurring."
"And yet how many, Japanese, would be interested in becoming full imperial subjects?" Diethard asked. "The percentage of Japanese that applied for Honorary citizenship is hardly an encouraging indicator."
"That percentage indicates little more than the abhorrence of many Japanese to accept institutionalized discrimination against them," Lelouch cut through the concern immediately. "After all, when the alternative for yourself and your loved ones is deprivation or outright starvation, there is no choice to be made, only a decision that you must inevitably reach. To impose such a choice upon others is not the mark of responsible leadership, it instead plants the seeds for a society's decay and downfall."
"Such strident beliefs you hold, Your Eminence," Diethard noted.
"Beliefs rooted in the study of history," Lelouch said. "Britannia is not the first Empire to have existed upon this Earth, and if we are not careful, we will join the others in the oblivion of the past."
"That may be so, but the practical challenges of your ambition remain," Diethard said. "Setting aside whether the political will exists, much of the occupational authority was set up to enforce this discrimination against the Japanese populace. Restructuring it to, uplift, the Japanese people in such a manner is not something that will be done overnight, even assuming there was not opposition to such an act within the authority."
"And never was it claimed it could be achieved overnight," Lelouch responded. "Indeed regardless of how quickly we move, there will always be some that believe the pace of change is too slow, or have genuine need for those changes to happen more quickly. To the latter, I can only offer my apologies, as there remains a finite limit to how much can be done in any given period of time. But there are several extenuating circumstances that will make bypassing any intransigent elements within the authority simpler than it might otherwise be."
"Oh? How so?"
"Opposition to the requisite reforms is expected to come from two places, the administrative bureaucracy and the military forces. The latter's chain of command and regulations however grant significant leeway to allow for the prompt removal and even dismissal of those officers and servicemen that lack sufficient discipline to obey their lawful orders. And where appropriate, those persons whom actively went beyond their remit to the detriment of the Empire's long-term objective of integrating Japan can be brought before a panel to account for their actions."
And face something a bit more serious than mere dismissal, went the unstated implication.
"Furthermore, restricting the military's remit to its proper limits will allow for those properly qualified in acting as a policing force to assume that duty," Lelouch continued. "A military should not ever be used to police a civilian populace, its members are neither trained nor equipped for such a task. On the other hand, one of the operational missions of the Imperial Gendarmerie is to provide policing resources in places of high risk or low relative stability. By simply allowing them to actually do their job, the ghettos outside the Britannian Concessions will see considerable improvement in safety and security."
That was probably an oversimplification, but Lelouch was not wrong about the main points. With an actual police presence in the ghettos once more, incidents of petty crime should decrease dramatically, and with that decrease allow a semblance of normality to reemerge. That by itself would do wonders for the spirit of the district residents, and help build trust in Britannian authority amongst the Japanese populace.
"As far as the administrative bureaucracy is concerned, under normal circumstances a major restructuring would be highly disruptive. Japan however has a body of administrative staff capable of supplementing the existing bureaucracy and help ensure services remain undisrupted during that restructuring."
"A body of staff?" Diethard said quizzically, then his eyes widened. "Wait, you don't mean!?"
A smirk crossed Lelouch's face. "Eden Vital has a network of charitable clinics and vocational training schools scattered about Japan, many of them sited to provide service to the downtrodden Japanese. The staff of this network includes a great number of Famulous trained administrators and clerks, all well experienced in acting as a bridge between the general populace and larger institutions. While the occupational bureaucracy is restructured to properly provision services outside of the Concessions, Eden Vital will plug the gap so that the Japanese are not left waiting for promised services that the Order is already in position to help deliver."
Diethard actually had his jaw dangling for a few moments before managing to recover.
"That, is more than a little audacious, Your Eminence," he said. "And arguably raises further concerns about this mixture between state and religion."
"Had the state been doing its job, religion could have remained in its proper place and offered simply solace and succor for those in need," Lelouch said in a hard voice, sounding genuinely angry. "That Eden Vital needs to step in to fill the void is already an aberration, and not one we are particularly pleased about either. But it was because the Order had the requisite on-the-ground presence to salvage the situation in Japan that prompted His Majesty to select me as his envoy, and confirm my appointment as viceroy. Having been issued such a charge, my intent is to see it carried out as expeditiously and efficiently as possible. Once the situation has been stabilized, I expect I will be recalled and a proper secular official will assume the office of viceroy."
For some reason many in the audience felt a flicker of anxiety at that. If Lelouch really did manage to turn things around in Japan, to quell the insurgency by placating the Japanese populace, then did they really want him replaced when there was no certainty that his successor would be of similar caliber? Of similar disposition towards all those that called Japan home? The way Diethard regarded Lelouch, the reporter was thinking along similar lines, even if his own thoughts were reflected through the lens of an investigative reporter. After all, what better way for Lelouch to ensure he continued in the office of viceroy even after the area was stabilized than to demonstrate his indispensability and popularity with the masses? The man was not however so tactless or foolish as to say that aloud.
"Well, I think I speak for all of us, Your Eminence, when I say that a return to normality within Area 11, Japan, would be more than welcome," Diethard said instead. "And my personal thanks for taking the time to, entertain my questions."
"To that you are welcome," Lelouch said, reflecting Diethard's smirk.
Jeremiah adjusted his coat, making sure not a single flap was jutting awkwardly. In others, this might have been a mark of uncertainty or anxiety. For the colonel, it was a reflexive, routine act that belayed his attentive orientation. Granted Jeremiah was not entirely serene about his new posting, but the colonel had steeled himself for the task and was determined not to fail. Commanding this new regiment, one composed of mostly Japanese, would not be easy, but Jeremiah had plowed headlong into making sure he was properly prepared.
Part of that preparation had involved long briefing sessions with Sancia, whom by all indications was Lelouch's trusted second. After spending so much time with the young woman, Jeremiah could not help but be impressed by how diligently and thoroughly she attended to any task set to her. The briefings the colonel attended provided him with not just detailed information about the various officers that would command the subunits the regiment was composed of, but also a great deal of supplemental information about the cultural background of the soldiers Jeremiah himself would lead.
While the margrave was far from becoming some sort of advocate for the Japanese people, he was at least gaining an appreciation that they did possess a rich and deep culture. That he had been so dismissive of that culture in the past was, Jeremiah could now recognize, a strike against him. The margrave was still certain of Britannia's supremacy, the Empire had after all been the victor in the war with Japan, but that supremacy did not mean there was nothing that could not be learned from others. And that supremacy also meant Britannia had a duty to teach as well, instead of holding itself aloof from those that came under the Empire's rule.
Satisfied that he was appropriately attired, Jeremiah left his office and proceeded down to the large hanger where the entirety of the regiment had been assembled. No simple task that, considering the final count of personnel deemed worthy of salvaging and turning into proper soldiers came to be a little under two thousand. Not all of them had been placed into this regiment, about five hundred had been broken off and actually discharged to undergo training with the Imperial Gendarmerie. The remaining thousand five hundred however, along with all their respective officers, had been crammed into this one hanger. It was a bit tight, but Jeremiah did not intend to force them to stay squeezed together like this for too long, hence his quick, brisk steps up onto the raised platform at the front.
The margrave did not need to look at the faces before him to sense the quiet unease many of them felt. Jeremiah's reputation as a strident Purist preceded him, and his open disdain for the Japanese that bore arms for Britannia hardly any great secret. That he was now placed in command of a regiment composed mostly of those very same people he disparaged, at minimum they could be excused for being mildly befuddled by it all. After all, Lelouch had publicly spoken of the need the elevate the Japanese people in standing, and seemed determined to extend that parity to the military as well. And being transferred from commanding a knightmare regiment to an infantry regiment could hardly be considered a promotion for Jeremiah, so the cardinal was not likely rewarding the colonel for his previous bigotry. Arguably it could even be construed as a punishment for the man. But still, having to serve under Jeremiah felt as if it was tantamount to them being punished as well for the Japanese soldiers.
That was what Jeremiah needed to convince them otherwise as he stood behind the podium. The margrave's face was further projected on the walls behind him, to allow those further back to see. Speakers had also been hooked up to allow his voice to carry. It was arguably a lot of work for something that would only be used for a half hour or so at best, but considering what rode on the successful mobilization of this regiment, the effort was certainly warranted.
"I am Colonel Jeremiah Gottwald," he began with the basic formalities, if only to get them out of the way. "From henceforth I am the commanding officer of the 597th infantry regiment of His Majesty's Army. According to the military code, I am now your commanding officer. But that does not mean I am now your leader."
None of the soldiers were so ill-disciplined as to exchange murmurs at that last bit, they had after all passed the screening for entry into the regiment in the first place. A few coughs did escape though, surprise being what it was. Jeremiah allowed a slight smile to creep across his face. Considering how bewildered he himself had been when Lelouch first appointed him the new regimental commander, it was only fair his new subordinates shared in some of it.
"I am well aware of how my reputation precedes me," the margrave continued, "and not in a manner that brings any great joy to you. As an officer, I was a stalwart adherent to the Pureblood ideology, whereas all of you are either of Japanese lineage yourself, or were chosen for this regiment because you demonstrated a capacity to work with Japanese soldiers without prejudice. In your eyes, I would therefore be the anthesis of a proper officer, one that you would want to actually follow. For that reason alone, I cannot claim to lead you, even while I command you."
As subtle as that distinction might be, all of the soldiers and officers arrayed before Jeremiah understood that positional authority and personal authority were separate things, even if it was at an instinctual level instead of an explicit, conscious level. To see their commanding officer also aware of the differences, that already set him above so many other officers that relied solely on their rank to obtain obedience from their subordinates. That was of course not the same as getting them to accept Jeremiah as a leader, but it was at least a better start than many had feared.
"I was appointed to this command by the Cardinal Lamperouge," Jeremiah said. "When he did so, he charged me with ensuring that this new regiment would meet the standards demanded of any that fought under His Majesty's banner. His Eminence made forcefully clear that day, he does not set tasks he knows cannot be completed. That he set this task before not just me, but all of you, indicates his confidence in all of us. That it is within my capacity to lead all of you, and that it is with yours to bear arms for the Empire, and be acknowledged in full for your service."
The soldiers watched and listened intently. Put it that way, it did not feel bad to know that they had the confidence of someone so prominent as the Cardinal Lamperouge. As the new viceroy, his favor was nothing to be sneezed at, even if that favor was being granted to their unit as a whole instead of to them individually. And to have their service properly acknowledged instead of being treated like expendable cannon fodder would also be a very welcome change. Of course none of them expected to not have to get stuck in in the pointy end of things, they were still infantry after all, but any change that improved their basic condition was welcome. Still, they were under the direct command of a Purist now, and even if he was saying all the right words, they had yet to see any deeds to match them.
"His Eminence is confident of our worthiness," Jeremiah repeated, looking out at the massed soldiers, "but that is not a confidence I yet share."
A few sharp breaths could be heard, but the margrave was not done yet.
"It is not a confidence that you yet share either."
That, was true. Insomuch as most of the soldiers here did not have any confidence in Jeremiah, as a person at least. As an officer, they were mostly prepared to admit he likely got to his present rank through demonstrating some degree of competency. Mostly.
"It will take time to build that confidence, but most importantly of all it will take effort and will. To that end, for the next three months, I will be joining a different platoon every morning as part of your morning PT."
Quite a few eyes went wide there.
"I will expect every soldier to be able to match the pace I set."
Now a few jaws were dropping too.
"And anyone that fails to do so will undergo supplemental exercise every Sunday with me until they are no longer behind."
Most of the gathered were looking at Jeremiah as if he were crazy. The margrave was arguably not a young man anymore, even if he had taken the effort to remain exceptionally fit even as he climbed the ranks. One certainly would not find a beer belly on him. But even so, the morning PT routine that the army's rank and file went through was arguably far more arduous than any workout the colonel might personally engage in. Could he really be serious?
"The platoon that achieves the best readiness score at the end of the three months will earn an extra week of leave," Jeremiah said.
Apparently he was.
"And the squad with the best readiness score will be awarded a bottle of sake courtesy of His Eminence the Cardinal."
Very serious. Jeremiah had even pronounced sake correctly, breaking it up into the two syllables instead of the singular that English speakers would normally default to. He even got the annunciation right.
"My understanding is that His Eminence came into possession of a bottle of Junmai Daiginjo-shu."
Pronouncing sake correctly might have been a fluke. Pronouncing this next one correctly, it was clear Jeremiah had put in some degree of effort to get it right. And he had, under the rigorous tutelage of Sancia as part of the preparations for assuming command. The young woman might have been Famulous trained, but she could give any of the Dialogus proctors a run for their money. Probably because she had studied under them herself.
"As His Eminence is himself not very partial to the flavor of sake, he felt it would be better enjoyed by someone whom was," Jeremiah said, then smirked. "I trust his generosity will not go unappreciated?"
There was now considerably greater uncertainty amongst the soldiers staring back at Jeremiah. It was a different flavor of uncertainty than when he first ascended the podium though. Then, the soldiers wondered whether they were actually going to be getting a fair chance, or whether the margrave would prove as intractably bigoted as he had in the past. Now, even as it looked like Jeremiah was willing to give them a chance, they were confronted with a different question, whether they would give the colonel a chance.
Some of the soldiers had been aware that such reciprocity was going to be a given, insomuch as if this new regiment was to actually become truly combatworthy, they needed to become able to trust Jeremiah's command. The alternative would see them constantly second-guessing the margrave's orders, always wondering if he was sacrificing them for his own ends, or even intentionally running up the body count out of personal prejudice. None of them wanted that, so quite a few even dared hope that they might be given reason to give Jeremiah a chance. At the same time, few actually expected the margrave to say or do anything that would move that possibility beyond the realm of hope. That he might just be doing so, that was something many of them actually struggled with.
The smirk disappeared from Jeremiah's expression as he noted the disquiet amongst the gathered soldiers.
"I know well the many doubts you all have," he stated frankly, "of my person and character. And in all honesty, I cannot say all my own previous doubts have been cast away merely at His Eminence's word. But I would like to believe that there is some truth to the cardinal's confidence, in not just yourself, but in me as well. My intent is thus to watch, and learn, and to see for myself in all the ways that I might be mistaken. I do not expect such an effort to be easy, for either myself or all of you. But I still think that effort worthwhile, for I would like to believe I yet retain the capacity to self-improve, to learn from past mistakes and not repeat them. So, what say you all?"
Of all the unexpected things today, to be asked such a question was perhaps the most unexpected of all. Not just in being so asked, but how were they supposed to respond? Surely the margrave was not expecting each of the thousand five hundred soldiers to one by one give their say, logistically that would be ludicrous. Just as the soldiers were exchanging confused looks however, one of their own came to their rescue. In the otherwise silence of the hanger, the single step forward echoed like a thundering bang. Looking over, all saw a lone soldier, a woman actually, having taken one step forward. The meaning of her motion was immediately clear. Next to her, her squad mates briefly exchanged nods, and stepped forward to join her. And then another squad. Then, one by one, each and every soldier within the regiment took a step forward, officers and enlisted alike, until they were all lined up in uniform solidarity again. Jeremiah looked out at the gathered soldiers. A good start this, but it was still just a start. He would not let it go to waste.
It was a fairly nondescript office, without many of the ornate trappings ascribed to the Britannian peerage. That was probably why Lelouch commandeered it for his own use for day to day work. Of course nondescript did not mean small, there was plenty of square footage that was slowly filling up as equipment and furniture was brought in, and a sufficiently large window looked out across the palace grounds that the cardinal had a pleasant view to spend gazing out at when he was woolgathering. Of course one of the first changes made to the room was the installation of an automatic drapery system that could close off the windows in mere seconds should the need for privacy arise.
A knock sounded on the door, though Lelouch did not bother looking over from his computer screen.
"Enter."
Sancia did so, and without further preamble. "The Lady Ashford is here for her appointment, Your Eminence."
"Show her in."
This finally did see Lelouch rise, though not solely for the sake of greeting his guest. One of the other changes made to the room was the installation of a conference table and chairs to allow Lelouch to hold impromptu meetings with visitors as the need arose. Seeing as Milly was here to discuss business, that was a more suitable avenue than sitting across from her behind his work desk. Just as Lelouch reached the table, the door opened once more and Milly entered. The girl was dressed fashionably but professionally, wearing comfortable shoes alongside a black knee-length skirt and white blouse, covered by an indigo jacket.
"Good day Your Eminence," she greeted with similar decorum, even as she smiled warmly. "Thank you for finding the time to meet with me."
"You are more than welcome, Lady Ashford," Lelouch responded with similar courtesy. "Please, make yourself comfortable."
As the two settled into their seats, Lucretia appeared from a side door with a tea service. She and Sancia were the ones that alternated receptionist duty when Lelouch was in the office, with the person not at the front desk responsible for making sure all the little details of receiving guests were ready. Alice was also the one providing the physical guard presence alongside Sancia, while Anya and Dalque similarly waited with Lucretia as an immediate response force should something happen. Anya at least could also help Lucretia with clerical work in between such bouts of activity, while Dalque was kept intentionally aback from such tasks.
"I must admit a slight surprise when I was informed you would be acting as Ashford Industries' representative for these discussions," Lelouch said as they each took a cup of tea. "You had given the impression that your grandfather would have preferred you remain removed from matters involving myself and Eden Vital."
"Grandfather's concerns as yet remain," Milly said before taking a sip of the tea. "Nonetheless, I am the Ashford heir, and I cannot remain insulated from my family's affairs, commercial and otherwise, forever. Seeing as I will be graduating soon, it behooves me to start taking some responsibility for the family business."
Lelouch nodded approvingly. "An admirable sentiment. One I could wish other noble scions would also ascribe to."
"Oh I'm sure some do, or at least they think they do," Milly said with a wry smile. "Sometimes however one's parents can be too coddling, and we children too accepting of the sandboxes given to us as actually reflective of the wider world. Still, the fear is understandable, since failure in the real world can have far greater consequences, especially with the degree of power that we wield. Though that just makes it all the more important we are given sufficient practice."
"Agreed," Lelouch said. "And on that topic of power, I must say I am heartened to see the manner in which your family has employed yours in trying to better conditions in Japan, even with all the restrictions and limitations imposed by the Purists."
Milly's lips thinned slightly. "Grandfather, I think he felt somewhat guilty about what happened to Japan after the Empire used my family's knightmares to conquer it. He always recognized that, as weapons, the knightmares could and would be used for war, but once the war was over, he thought we should have been doing our best to help Japan rebuild. Instead, too many companies and people seemed to think Japan was a treasure chest to be plundered."
"Is that guilt why Ashford allows admittance of Japanese students?" Lelouch inquired.
Milly nodded. "Grandfather felt it was our duty to try to build bridges, to show the Japanese that not all Britannians are bigoted opportunists." The girl chuckled wryly. "Probably helped that none of the really dogmatic nobles were willing to send their children to school with those of other races, and Grandfather worked hard to make Ashford the best preparatory school in the Area, so anyone that actually cared about getting their children a proper education would still be willing to send them there."
"The Marquess is one firm in his convictions," Lelouch said. "I can respect that. And it will be another reason why Ashford's cooperation will be so important for Japan's reconstruction."
Milly's smile widened. "Well, that is why I'm here, so how about we get down to business?"
"Certainly." Lelouch was already typing away at the keyboard, bringing up documents and slides as the projector warmed up. "I spent some time reviewing Ashford Industries' activities in Area 11 before coming, and I must say I'm quite impressed by the breadth of projects you have ongoing, many of them sorely needed."
"My family does do a bit more than just build knightmares," Milly said with a smirk. "For that matter, the knightmare business was always more of a sideline. Profitable, but still a sideline. Our bread and butter is power generation and electrical infrastructure."
"Of which Japan's is still in a shocking state of disrepair even after six years of occupation," Lelouch said. "Though that may also be down to the idiosyncratic manner of Japan's own power grid."
A map of Japan popped up, showing the two halves of the island chain shaded different colors.
Milly nodded. "The 50/60Hz split between eastern and western Japan. The occupational authorities made a lot of noise about standardizing the country on one frequency, but outside of the Tokyo area they haven't really made much effort to switch over the substations that weren't wrecked in the fighting, and they've dragged out approval for replacing the ones that were destroyed with 60Hz equivalents. That's caused a lot of problems, resulting in some areas being cut off entirely from the island-wide power grid and having to subsist on whatever small pocket of power generation they can pull together. Ashford has been doing what it can to help them keep their power stations running, along with putting up solar panels and wind turbines where feasible to help supplement it, but those are just stopgaps. What we need is a coherent, consistent policy to get these people back onto the general grid."
"Agreed," Lelouch said, and with a few more keystrokes dots appeared on the map. "This slapdash and haphazard approach has likely cost Japan billions of pounds in lost productivity over the years. Restoring basic infrastructure like this will go a long way to making Japan a productive and prosperous place once more. And Ashford's willingness to help provide these stopgaps means in many places your company's representatives are more trusted than government agents. Such trust will be important if we are to plug the gaps in coverage."
Which combined with Lelouch's network in Eden Vital, would help immeasurably in delivering services and advancing reconstruction while the government sorted itself out. Another few keystrokes saw the map zoom in and focus on northeastern Kyushu and Hokkaido.
"The main backbone power lines have been converted over, and western Japan was already on 60Hz, so the situation there is nowhere as critical," Lelouch continued, "but the northeastern regions are littered with unconnected pockets, affecting not just residents but also industry."
Milly nodded. "A lot of our recent efforts have been trying to get power distributed to the farmers up in Hokkaido. They already live in very rural regions relative to the rest of Japan, so even before the occupation the level of service they received was subpar. Now though, it's become even worse, and it's making it extremely difficult for them to keep working the land to produce food."
"And considering Japan was never self-sufficient in the first place, losing what there is of domestic food production is unacceptable," Lelouch said. "I had been aware that Hokkaido's agricultural industry was facing severe headwinds, but had yet to get the necessary information collated. My thanks for bringing me that particular tidbit."
"Oh, so there is something Your Eminence was not aware of?" Milly said teasingly.
"My seeming omniscience is thanks solely to the tireless toiling of my staff," Lelouch responded. "Their sleepless nights are what lets me sleep soundly."
Milly blew a raspberry. "I'm sure."
"Anyway," Lelouch said after flashing a smirk of his own. "As regarding the actual frequency conversion, I have been led to believe that Ashford Industries came up with a detailed plan mapping out how to perform this conversion years ago, and have duly kept it updated, all whilst waiting for permission to be granted to execute it."
"That is correct, Your Eminence," Milly nodded firmly.
"Please arrange for a meeting with the relevant project managers and senior engineers to review the plan," Lelouch said. "I will want to have at least a basic understanding of what I am signing off on before work commences."
"Of course, Your Eminence," Milly said without missing a beat.
The conversation continued for a bit longer as Lelouch made a few more inquiries about the sorts of efforts Ashford Industries had been engaged in in trying to keep Japan's infrastructure at least limping along. Milly answered them as best she could, and was refreshingly forthright about those matters that she would need to get clarification on. Overall it was evident that the young woman would be a competent liaison between her family's businesses and the viceroyalty. While Lelouch had not had any reason to suspect Milly's basic competency, he had still regarded the announcement that she would be the Ashford representative for these initial meetings with a degree of caution. Thus far Milly had done an excellent job alleviating those concerns, on more than one front.
"That should be all regarding the infrastructure work," Lelouch said. "Let us attend to the service the Ashford Foundation is rendering."
"Of course, Your Eminence."
One such front was, aside from a few playful quips, the professional air Milly maintained throughout all this. There was no attempt at some surreptitious flirting, no move to intimate a closer physicality. Even Milly's outfit, accenting her natural beauty as it did, was more elegant than seductive. Lelouch could appreciate the young woman's approach, seeing as in due time the local nobility would get over their initial wariness of all the upheaval that seemingly accompanied him and start trying to ingratiate themselves and their daughters to him socially again. Having Milly set the standard with a more professional appearance was more than worth whatever social credit the Ashfords might accrue by having their own daughter known to be calling upon him, even if ostensibly on business. Indeed this knowledge might even deter some of the other noble families if they thought the Ashfords, and Milly, were marking Lelouch. There were certainly less agreeable bachelorettes for him to become associated with.
"I have received the Ashford Foundation's response to our inquiry about production of spare parts for Eden Vital's knightmares," Lelouch said. "I must admit, seeing as the Foundation was responsible for their construction, I would have hoped you'd be able to fulfill more of their maintenance needs here."
"I assure you, Your Eminence, we are no less disappointed," Milly said, sounding genuinely earnest there. "Unfortunately the Foundation's manufacturing capacity within Area 11 is nowhere as extensive as what it possesses back in the homelands, and we have had some difficulty tooling up due to security restrictions imposed by the previous governing authority."
No need to mention who that authority was, that would be rather tactless after all.
"Now that those restrictions are slowly being reviewed and rolled back, the Foundation expects to be able to receive the high-precision tooling we need to complete our production site here. That will still take a bit of time however, as installing and calibrating the equipment is not something that can be done quickly."
"I see," Lelouch said, then let out a slight sigh. "Well, I suppose I will need to be beholden to the Camelot Institute for a bit longer."
Milly tilted her head. "Your pardon, Your Eminence, but is there any reason for you to wish to remain removed from them? That you can tell me, of course."
"Ah, I take it you have not had the pleasure of meeting Colonel Asplund," Lelouch said dryly. "Count yourself lucky then."
Milly regarded Lelouch for a moment longer, then allowed a slight chuckle. "Well, be that as it may, one thing that the Foundation can expedite is the import of completed control modules from our homeland manufacturing site. While you may still be reliant on Camelot for the gross maintenance, spares for some of the more sensitive systems can be made good from the Foundation's stores as per the contracted terms."
"That is excellent news," Lelouch said emphatically.
Milly chuckled again. "I'm glad to hear it. We will forward you a more detailed timetable for this and the general tool bring up by tomorrow."
"Excellent," Lelouch said. "Well, this has certainly been a most productive meeting, Lady Ashford. I thank you sincerely for your time and effort."
"It was no trouble at all, Your Eminence," Milly said as they both rose. "And please, should you find yourself in need of assistance on any other matter, our doors are open."
Innocuous as that may have sounded, the softness of Milly's eyes as she spoke those words caused Lelouch to pause for a moment. Just for a moment though. He extended his hand, but when Milly reached out to shake it, Lelouch instead gripped it more tightly and bent down to bring it to his lips.
"I will keep your offer in mind, Lady Ashford," he said with a smile after kissing her hand.
The surprise that washed over Milly's expression quickly turned into a warm smile. "Be sure that you do, Your Eminence."
Kallen was all bundled up and strapped into her gurney, propped up in a seated position to allow her to see around a bit more easily. Even so, the girl still felt a chill running down her body. That was probably a good thing, seeing as it meant she could still feel things despite the damage to her nervous system. Being cold like this still royally sucked of course.
"We are making our final approach," the pilot announced. "All passengers, please make sure you are securely fastened."
Seeing as Kallen was not really in a position to do much of anything, that responsibility fell to the Eden Vital lay sister accompanying her.
"Everything alright, Lady Stadtfeld?" the sister asked as she did one final check of Kallen's restraints.
"Oh, just fine," Kallen said. "Freezing my ass of here, but otherwise fine."
The sister chuckled. "We'll try to get you indoors as quickly as possible, but I'm afraid it'll get a bit worse before it gets better."
The pained look that Kallen gave her might have elicited some sympathy, but there really was little the sister could do. Mother Nature was kind of unforgiving like that.
The plane conveying Kallen to the main Eden Vital sanctuary was a modified military transport plane, rugged and functional, but with at least a few creature comforts added. Probably the biggest difference was enough soundproofing had been done that passengers aboard did not need to wear earmuffs to block out the roar of the engines. Other than that though, the transport plane was definitely geared towards being more utilitarian, as all of the additional cargo packed in its hold indicated.
As they descended, Kallen swallowed a few times to release the pressure in her ears, and soon enough the telltale bump of them touching down reverberated through the plane. A few more minutes were sent taxiing before another they rolled to a stop. The lay sister began unhooking Kallen's gurney and laying it flat again. As Kallen peered up at the ceiling, she saw a few more figures appear as they began wheeling her towards the door. The closer they got the colder it became. Even so, Kallen was wholly unprepared for the blast of frigid air that assaulted her once they left the plane proper. In fact she was so unprepared her entire body locked up.
The lay sister had not lied, they did indeed hurry to wheel her inside. Even so, the half a minute or so that Kallen did spend outside was enough to almost bring her to tears. Never had she ever experienced anything so cold, even when so heavily bundled up. If she had been capable of motion herself, Kallen would have flat out sprinted for the facility entrance. As it was, when they finally did make it inside, the girl was frozen stiff.
"Are you alright, Lady Stadtfeld?" the lay sister inquired.
A single whimper escaped Kallen, eliciting chuckles all around.
"Welcome to Antarctica!"
End of Chapter 9
The chapter was already running a bit long, but I decided I wanted to sneak in that last bit for levity if nothing else.
The Ashfords own the equivalent of General Electric in this timeline in the form of Ashford Industries. The Ashford Foundation is more of an R&D subsidiary that creates new projects that then get spun off to other conglomerate divisions once they're ready for commercialization. The knightmare project was just getting spun off before war broke out, hence why it wasn't ready, and trying to divert more company resources to it would have caused problematic dislocations in those other divisions, forcing the Ashfords to outsource. And now you know.
I had a tendency to borrow characters from other franchises for Calculus just due to not wanting to come up with and keep track of a bunch of original characters. I'm still of two minds as to whether I'll be doing that for this story, if the need arises. There's a high probability I will, simply because it really is a lot of work coming up with characters and I might not have the mental capacity to keep track of them all, especially since they're unlikely to be used in any other story of mine. Those that read Calculus can probably make a guess as to whom the soldier that stepped forward first was.
The author notes end up being however long it takes to answer reader questions.
Three points. First, Lelouch will be expected to marry, if only for the purpose of having children, because Eden Vital is very interested in the continuation of his lineage, taking into account that Nunnally may or may not be physically capable of bearing children after the damage done to her body. If there is one thing that the Order considers even more important than keeping Lelouch alive, it would be the perpetuation of his genetic line. C.C. did not play matchmaker for Charles and Marianne for solely altruistic reasons, as I've mentioned multiple times now.
Second, I would be very careful about trying to say one way or another about how much each candidate is potentially worth from a political or economic perspective, because there is much more scope to their standings than what is immediately evident in the narrative prose. Several of the girls in question are beneficiaries of family fortunes calculated in the billions of pounds. Some even breach the hundred billion mark. Then there are the titles some are in line to inherit, titles with actual territory associated with them, some quite substantial swathes at that. These are not small peanuts, even for Eden Vital, or for any imperial scion. And there is a distinct difference between having a firm partnership with the assets that stand behind these families versus owning those assets outright.
Third, an argument could be made that love is the least unique asset that any of the girls could offer. We already know from canon that most of the prospective partners are capable of providing Lelouch with affection and love, an affection that he in most of the cases had no real emotional impediment to reciprocating, the plot itself was what kept getting in the way. This being the case, being able to love Lelouch and being loved back by him becomes effectively mundane. To balance that mundanity out, the girl in question would need to demonstrate the capacity to actually assist Lelouch in carrying out his mission or upholding his duty, either via the assets her family commands or via direct action on her part. Yes, this is a somewhat unconventional way of constructing the scenario, but I'm not one for just retreading paths explored by others.
The topic of pairings keeps coming up because a substantial number of my readers seem oddly fixated on it, far more so than in my previous story, despite the fact that I'm pretty sure the actual story itself has been focused far more heavily on the politics. I've never written a story where the romance was the end instead of just being one of many means to an end, so this degree of fixation frankly feels unwarranted. The characters will end up with whoever they end up with as a consequence of how the story itself unfolds. There isn't some ulterior force driving the story in order to justify any particular relationship.
Suzaku was brought up by some people that did not want him paired with Kallen.
Who is Char?