Chapter 42
Of Segregate Terms
Despite not being as large as its northern neighbor of Shanghai, the city of Ningbo was a vibrant and prosperous city in its own right. Its port was one of the busiest in the world, acting as one of the major gateways into and out of China, while its local industry had a particular emphasis on chemical manufacturing. Despite the economic downturn caused by the Britannian invasion of Japan and subsequent curtailing of sakuradite exports, Ningbo had persevered, no doubt helped by just how large of a domestic market the Chinese Federation as a whole represented.
From a strategic standpoint, Ningbo was on the map of many a planner on account of it being the home port of the Chinese East Sea Fleet. Boasting over two dozen warships, the fleet was possessed of respectable combat power, but its lack of an aircraft carrier meant it could not match the power projection capabilities of the North or South Sea Fleets. That may have limited the fleet's strategic utility in one manner, but it was amply supplied with another type of ship more relevant to the strategic planning of its masters, landing ships.
Landing ships, or amphibious warfare ships, as their name implied, were designed to support the deployment of ground forces for amphibious assaults. In total, the East Sea Fleet possessed enough landing ships to transport an entire regiment's worth of soldiers and equipment and get them ashore at their designated target. While this might not have sounded like much, the job of those soldiers was not to win the entire battle themselves, but to secure facilities that would allow regular troopships to dock and disembark further reinforcements and heavy weapons.
The thousand or so soldiers charged with such a task had to be tough as nails to carry out their mission, as if they failed then they would either be taken prisoner or wiped out by the enemy counterattack. Perhaps for that reason, the Chinese Federation Marine Corps held their members to extremely stringent standards. Training was rigorous and thorough, discipline was tight, and loyalty to their homeland was fierce. The men that formed the various regiments were rightfully proud of their service to China, and it was a pride reflected in the perfectly straight lines of soldiers that Yao Ling walked past as he inspected the honor guard mustered to greet him. Ling might not be formally a prince, but imperial blood was acknowledged to run in his veins, so some courtesies were at least paid. Besides, the purpose of his visit here today was certainly of a martial bent.
"Most impressive, General Cao," Ling said. "I am greatly heartened to see such rigor in those bearing arms in China's name."
The heavyset man walking next to Ling gave a wide smirk.
"Thank you, Your Excellency," he said. "When the time comes, you can rest assured that with my forces, victory will be assured."
Such confidence might be on the wrong side of hubris, but it was not entirely unwarranted. Much like Britannia, China's armed forces had also spent the last few years putting down various insurgencies along its periphery. As a consequence, a good portion of its soldiers were battletested veterans that knew how to handle themselves when under fire. Granted, fighting poorly equipped insurgents was not quite the same as facing off a modern combined arms force, but the creativity exhibited by such unencumbered opponents bred a degree of cunning and tenacity all its own in the soldiers that opposed them. That the marines lined up before Ling would do their duty to the utmost of their ability was never in question, neither that they would give a hell of a fight against any enemy of China. Still, such determination was by no means any guarantee of actual victory.
"One should be mindful that while victory in a single battle might be decided by the decisiveness of our men, victory in war is won by the culmination of an entire nation's will."
"That may be so, Your Excellency, but China is not averse to adversity by any means. Our nation will persevere, much as it has for the last two thousand years."
The claim that China had existed for two thousand years was a mixture of rhetoric and genuine history. As a singular polity, the claim was completely absurd. As a successive chain of nations that all assumed the mantle of a unified Middle Kingdom, therein lay a kernel of truth, even if the earliest dynasties were shrouded more in myth than documented fact. Still, that it had endured was nothing to scoff at, so Cao's belief in his nation was hardly unwarranted. If only he would direct that confidence on setting China on a better path, Ling did not say aloud, instead offering a measured smile.
"Maybe so, but what say you and I do what we can to make sure it will last another two thousand years?"
Cao gave a hearty laugh. "No disagreements there, Your Excellency. I see a bright future ahead of you, if you continue to strive for a martial career."
The nominal justification for Ling's presence at the Ningbo Naval Base was his status as a staff officer attached to the Ministry of Defense. Despite his youth, Ling had completed his training at the Whampoa Military Academy and thus held a formal commission, though his very junior official rank meant he was more of a glorified errand boy than one of the movers and shakers. As such even if he was here to get an update on the preparations for the upcoming invasion, or as the Chinese government would officially call it, liberation of Japan, the amount of input Ling actually had was next to nil.
Having completed their review of the troops, Ling and Cao entered one of the numerous buildings dotting the base and made their way to an ornately appointed conference room. Nothing but the best for China's flag officers, and their guests. A thin, almost spindly looking man rose.
"Captain Yao, may I present Mr. Atsushi Sawazaki, Prime Minister of the Japanese government-in-exile."
"A pleasure," Atsushi said, his Chinese so heavily accented Ling had to wonder if he was even trying, or if he was intentionally mangling the pronunciation.
Then again, some people simply lacked any natural talent for languages. That was not a particular problem for Ling, who was fluent in Japanese, Korean, and English, on top of his native Mandurian.
"It is an honor to meet you, Mr. Prime Minister," Ling thus said in flawless Japanese. "It is the hope of myself and my government that you will soon be properly installed within the Kantei in due time."
Atsushi seemed genuinely taken aback by Ling's response, but after a moment managed to mask his reaction by reverting his expression to one of flat stoicism.
"It heartens me to hear that," he continued, in Chinese, apparently not inclined to accept the courtesy of being addressed in his native tongue.
Ling gave a slight shrug. If Atsushi did not have the civility to accept even a token gesture, he was not going to press the point.
"Let us get to business, then," the captain said. "I was dispatched by the ministry to get your input regarding some recent, troubling developments in Japan that might impact our plans to liberate the islands."
At that Atsushi noticeably grimaced. "And which developments would you be referring to?"
Yet the man still seemed to prefer to delay the inevitable. Ling had encountered many a politician and bureaucrat ever since his entry into high society and was at this point quite proficient in distinguishing those of genuine competency and those possessed of a narrow, shallow self-interest. Atsushi was so far not giving any indication he belonged to the former.
"We can start with the most pertinent one," Ling said, "that of the new viceroy's successes in neutralizing the various resistance movements in Japan, including the Japanese Liberation Front."
The grimace turned into an outright scowl as Ling more or less shoved Atsushi's face into the unpleasant reality the politician was trying to avert his eyes from. Clearly the Japanese man subscribed to the notion of shooting bearers of bad news, considering the venom with which he glared at Ling. Atsushi at least was cognizant enough of his position however that he refrained from more overtly expressing his displeasure.
"A temporary setback, at most," he insisted instead. "Once the Japanese people realize that liberation is at hand, their spirit will reawaken and urge them to cast off the Britannian shackles."
A rather optimistic prognosis of what would happen once the fighting started. After over six years of occupation, Ling suspected that many Japanese simply wanted a genuine return to normality and would not look kindly upon anyone that jeopardized their recent gains, whether they were fighting for Japanese liberation or otherwise.
"Let us hope that is the case," Ling said diplomatically instead of voicing his actual opinion. "Still, the current, lapse, in the resistance movements' priorities does hold some practical ramifications for China's preparations to assist your people in regaining their freedom. We have after all been heavily reliant on intelligence gathered by these cells to better calibrate our plans. With more and more cells becoming more, amicably inclined towards the new viceroy, so too have we seen a decrease in the quantity, and quality, of intelligence coming out of Japan."
Atsushi's head dipped slightly. "While that is certainly inconvenient, we are nearing the final phases of preparations. Should we not have accrued enough intelligence by now?"
"If only that were so," Ling said. "The closer we get to the actual target date, the more important it is that we have as complete and up to date intelligence as possible. After all, our own plans are based around certain assumptions, such as the positions of Britannia's own military units. If the Empire were to manage to station say, another regiment, on top of those troops already in western Japan, that would greatly endanger our prospects of success if we were not able to make countervailing moves."
While Atsushi looked like he wanted to disagree, Cao gave a grunt of concurrence. The general after all was a professional officer, one that understood the necessity of confronting hard truths.
"Captain Yao is entirely correct," Cao said. "I at least would feel more assured if we could obtain some better intelligence than what we've had for the past few months." He glanced over at the Japanese man. "Surely you have some contacts whose faith and dedication have not wavered, Mr. Prime Minister?"
In other words, Atsushi needed to make good on his own promises if he expected China to actually make the bid to militarily liberate Japan. Picking a fight against Britannia, even in a localized theater, was a very fraught exercise, especially when both sides were nuclear powers due to the risk of accidental escalation. Even with a prize as great as Japan, it was not an endeavor that China could undertake lightly. The risk must be proportional not only to the reward, but also to the mitigations that could be made.
"There are still those whose integrity I have faith in," Atsushi finally said. "I will entreat them to increase their efforts."
That was probably the most they could expect out of the man. And to Atsushi's credit, getting actual, useful intel out of Japan did have its challenges. The Empire may have taken its boot off of the collective neck of the Japanese, but they were still less than tolerant of suspicious activities like people passing to closely to military outposts and the like.
"In the meantime," Atsushi continued, "might we ascertain that China's own preparations are on track? I have worked closely with General Cao here to ensure the East Sea Fleet is more than ready for the part it must play, but other forces have been promised and I lack a similar familiarity with them."
The amicable smile remained on Ling's face. A lifetime in the imperial court had taught the young man how to moderate his expressions even under the most blatant provocations, of which Atsushi's remarks fell far short of.
"That is certainly another reason why I am here," the captain said. "Prior to my arrival in Ningbo, I dropped by Jinhae to speak with the senior officers of the North Sea Fleet. They have assured me that their own preparations are well in hand, and that the carrier Liaoning will indeed be ready to support the landing operations targeting Hokkaido."
The Chinese Federation Navy, while respectable in size, was still dwarfed by that of the Imperial Britannian Navy. It was not particularly unique in that regard, no other nation on Earth boasted a navy as large as that of the Empire. And whereas the Empire had eleven full-fledged aircraft carriers, equal to that of basically the rest of the world, China was officially still in the process of making its first aircraft carrier combat ready. That Ling brought with him claims that the Liaoning would indeed be part of the taskforce supporting operations against Hokkaido was clear indication China was committing substantial resources and effort into the liberation of Japan. Whether even all that would still be enough, however, was where the uncertainty lay.
"Timing is going to be the key here," Ling said. "With our forces separated by even such short distances, if either force fails to arrive at their objective at the prescribed time, disaster could befall the entire endeavor. After all, even with Japan on China's doorstep, there are considerable challenges in actually moving enough troops across the sea to overwhelm Britannia's forces."
Cao nodded. "Air superiority will be paramount. If we can establish control of the skies over western Japan, we'll have the window necessary to land our forces upon Japanese soil. With the distances involved, the Hokkaido taskforce is going to sorely need the Liaoning to provide them with proper air support, whereas we are better positioned to call upon the air wings stationed in the Korean Peninsula."
"Indeed," Ling nodded. "Successfully taking Kyushu would also functionally cut Okinawa off, and along with Hokkaido, would mean we would have wrested control of three of the five main islands of Japan from Britannian control. If we can achieve that, then the resulting momentum might carry us to a quick and decisive victory over the Empire. If not, Britannia has the wealth and resources to gird itself for a long, drawn-out fight that promises to be arduous, to say the least."
"Then it is all the more important that we not fail," Atsushi said, his narrowed eyes focused solely on the captain.
"So it is," Ling agreed again, staring back unflinchingly. "That we all not fail."
It did not take long for Atsushi to break eye contact, and Ling allowed himself just a bit of self-satisfaction at that. The man really was rather tiresome, lacking in proper initiative and spine. That perhaps was why China had chosen to support him, as those very qualities would make him a very malleable puppet if he could be installed as leader of a liberated Japan. Of course those traits also made Atsushi a less than impressive figurehead for actually rallying the Japanese to rise up once the fighting started. If Ling had been given a choice between the self-proclaimed prime minister and Area 11's current viceroy, it would take something genuinely extraordinary for him to favor the former.
Even as the captain ruminated on that point, further proof of this discrepancy in charisma arrived in a most unexpected fashion as the door to the conference room opened and another officer entered.
"Apologies for the interruption, Captain," the elderly man, one of Ling's longest serving and most loyal attendants, spoke, "but there has been a very significant development. The Britannian government has put before its parliament a bill that would grant the Japanese people full rights as Britannian citizens and elevate the Japanese islands to full provincial status."
Cao inhaled sharply, while Atsushi's mouth fell agape as if he simply could not comprehend what he had heard. The smile disappeared from Ling's expression as he turned about to face the elderly man.
"Do we have any idea as to the bill's prospects?" he asked.
"They are debating it now," the man responded, "but seeing as the bill's submitter is the office of the prime minister, and with the Prince Schneizel's majority in the Lords, its passage seems assured."
"And with it, solidify Japan and the Japanese people's place within the Empire," Ling mused.
"The Japanese people would never accept such an imposition!" Atsushi said, almost gasping in disbelief.
"Whether they will or will not is a question for the future," Ling said, turning back. "At the very least, I cannot imagine the Britannian government would attempt such an act without some substantial progress being made in Japan's integration. So tell me, Mr. Prime Minister. Exactly whom do you still retain enough faith in that we could rely upon any news they might pass on about what is happening in Japan?"
"Factions and ill-formed decisions," Mr. DuBois said as he walked around the classroom. "These are the cause of much ill for any society, whether it be governed as a democratic republic like many of the European nations, or by an aristocracy as with Britannia. No means exists to completely eliminate either. Should there be only two humans left alive on the face of the Earth, they will still find grounds to disagree upon. And to err, well, that is merely human. That's not an excuse to err on your homework."
The requisite chuckles sounded from the students.
"The Britannian approach to reducing the effects of these two ills is to take the opposite approach as democracy, to intentionally constrain the number of people that are involved in actual governance," the teacher continued, "and to invest significantly greater resources in those persons to prepare them for their charge. The hope is, and let us be honest, it is still very much a hope, such expenditure would pay off in the future with leaders able to make proper, reasoned, and rational decisions. But even in those cases where such investment fails to pay dividends, the fewer number of people actively involved in decision-making makes for fewer people that need to be culled to correct the course, so to speak."
And Mr. DuBois meant literally culled, at that, considering the actions taken to unseat the Emperor Fredrich and eliminate his most diehard supporters.
"That being said, heavy investment in education can only really make measurable difference better preparing one for making reasoned and informed decisions," Mr. DuBois stated. "It is still entirely possible for two well-educated persons to arrive at opposing conclusions, simply because their respective priorities or needs differ. Education alone, therefore, is a poor measure against factionalism. So what manner, then, does the Empire intentionally limiting those that may partake in governance help in dealing with factionalism?"
No student volunteered as Mr. DuBois' gaze swept the room. That did not deter the instructor, however.
"Betsy."
The girl blinked at being called but still tried to muster a response. "There're fewer people, so maybe there'll be fewer factions?"
"A statistical solution," Mr. DuBois said. "There is certainly a measure of truth to it. But what are other advantages that might be granted by having a smaller pool of decision makers? Cole?"
The blond-haired youth took a moment to muster his answer. "Well, fewer people makes it easier to actually get everyone's views and to talk things over to try to find some sort of compromise between everyone's differences."
A smile crossed Mr. DuBois' expression. "An excellent observation. Recall that in democracies, the winner-take-all result from elections actively reduces any incentive to compromise between the different factions. Indeed, conflict between factions is outright encouraged in a democratic environment, and without any constraints on how far those conflicts can go, they can have a very corrosive effect upon the society the democracy was supposed to serve."
Mr. DuBois resumed his pacing.
"Consensus governance, that is the model to which the Britannian government aspires to. We often come up short, and there are certainly problems that arise as a consequence of this particular model, but the fundamental objective that drives policymaking in the Empire is compromise." The smile this one was a sly one. "How many of you expected to hear that?"
Almost everyone was shaking their heads, and most of the rest had a befuddled enough look on their faces that it was clear they too were not expecting this. And who could blame them, considering how it often felt like the Empire was governed via aristocratic fiat. But then again, that impression might be a consequence of the intentional limiting of who could partake in policy decision making that Mr. DuBois had previously mentioned. If one was on the outside, one might not recognize the compromise taking place in the inside to reach the decision that was then seemingly imposed.
"Consider the composition of the Britannian cabinet. As finance minister we have a Centralist, while the foreign minister is a Crown Loyalist. The minister of war on the other hand is a Conservative, whereas the justice minister is a Liberal. Of these parties, the one generally recognized to have an outright majority in the Lords is that of the Centralists. And yet the cabinet as a whole has a broad spectrum of political parties within its ranks. In this manner, all of the major parties in the Lords have input upon government policy, and when new legislation is drafted, there tends to be plenty of behind-the-scenes negotiations before a bill ever reaches the parliament floor for the formal debate, at least for those bills that originate in the Lords. All of you remember the recent second reading of the Special Administration Act of Japan that recently occurred, yes?"
How could they not, seeing as that session of parliament had been requisite watching as homework for the civics class. Such assignments were thankfully fairly rare, usually only happening when a particularly important bit of legislature was being proposed or a rather special parliamentary subcommittee was conducting a hearing, as the sessions tended towards dreary viewing. The SAAJ bill certainly fit the qualification of being important, especially considering the impact it would have upon their home.
"Recall how during the debate stage, aside from a few card-carrying Purists, those others that spoke up in ostensible opposition to the bill were simply enumerating a series of legal and logistical concerns that would need to be addressed to actually implement the bill. Matters like the actual registration of all Japanese residents into the citizen rolls, the schedule for rolling out dual-lingual forms, and the exact limits of responsibility between the imperial government versus the provincial government in the provisioning of culture-specific services. Usually, by the time the government presents a bill, it has already worked out with various stakeholders their concerns and made whatever accommodations were necessary to obtain their support. As such, the passage of a bill through the Lords is less about mustering the support necessary to pass it, but more of a documentation step to put on the public record all of the minutiae previously discussed behind closed doors so that it is clear which stakeholders are responsible for which provisions in the final draft. The actual vote is little more than a formality."
A hand rose.
"Yes, Naomi?"
"Are you saying that no bills introduced to the Lords ever get voted down?"
"Not never," Mr. DuBois answered, "but consider what it would mean for one to be voted down. Why would the government ever submit a bill for parliament's consideration if they had any reason to suspect it would not pass?"
The instructor looked around the room again.
"Anyone?"
A hand or two actually rose.
"Yes, Milly?"
"Because they don't have a choice," the girl said. "The annual budget has to be submitted by law, whatever its odds."
"A good example," Mr. DuBois said. "Going back to the original point though, the sitting government is the sitting government because it has a majority in the Lords. That majority should assure the government passage of any piece of legislature it proposes, and failure to do so arguably constitutes a loss of that majority, and with it an obligation for the cabinet to resign so that a new one can take its place. Until such a loss happens however, the government does not officially lose its majority and can technically string things along while it tries to salvage its position. The annual budget however is the one item on the parliamentary agenda that cannot be forestalled and serves as an opportunity to allow the opposition to unseat a failed government."
All this technically the students had already learned in last year's civics course as part of their lessons on the imperial constitution and structure of government. Mr. DuBois was however not just providing a refresher, but also using it as a prelude to the actual lesson for today.
"Now, I'm sure some of you are wondering, I would hope so at least, doesn't this talk of voting smack of democracy?"
Admittedly the thought had crossed the minds of a few students, though none had thought to broach the matter.
"Consider the basic point that a sitting government with a majority in the Lords generally needs not worry about a bill it presents actually failing passage," Mr. DuBois began again. "As such, the vote doesn't really serve to decide whether a bill becomes law or not, that was more or less determined the moment the government decided to submit it. What the vote instead serves as is the public record of the compromises negotiated behind the scenes to render the bill acceptable to all the major stakeholders. I'm sure many of you recall the bills used as examples last year, where the attached commentary and secondary provisions could be longer than the actual main body of the bill."
Wry grimaces were now plastered across several faces. The second year civics course was considered the hardest year not because the material was necessarily more intellectually challenging than that of the first or third year, but because much of the reading was so dry and longwinded. It was only now that they were given an understanding as to why the legislative texts were so long, and it certainly said something about the meticulous nature of Britannian lawmaking. Still, if that was the degree of statutory verbiage members of the Lords needed to deal with on a regular basis, some of the students could be forgiven for thinking inheriting their titles might be more trouble than it was worth.
"Broadly speaking, whereas democratic parliaments rely upon debate to provide scrutiny of proposed legislature, in the Lords that scrutiny is conducted as more of a discussion, where members of the Lords question the respective cabinet minister on the semantics of the bill, both in public sessions and also in private working groups. A government bill that has reached the floor of the Lords should therefore hold little in the way of surprises to those with a seat in the chamber. The necessity for a particular law was arguably already established, otherwise the government would have never tabled it. The role of the Lords is then to provide advice and additions to further improve the bill so that it will better serve in its intended purpose. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is one of the most important duties those of you whom stand to inherit a seat in the Lords will be charged with."
Joy of joys.
In the end, C.C. did not quite manage to slip the leash for her Kyoto trip. Despite Lelouch spending some time convalescing from the overexertion of his geass, the cardinal had still kept a close enough eye on the grandmaster's movements to be able to dispatch minders the moment she set out. And not minders that she could theoretically order to stand down, either, for the two persons accompanying C.C. and Leila were Father Kevin and Sister Ries of the Holy See's Social Welfare Agency. The grandmaster had to give her ward some credit, the rate at which his proficiency in keeping a reign on her grew was considerably faster than many of his predecessors. Still, it would not do to let Lelouch become too complacent, so C.C. was already contemplating on how to get back at him for saddling her with the minders he did. This of course did not stop her from taking full advantage of those minders while she had them around.
"Grandmaster Clermont," Kevin groaned under the weight of his backpack. "Was it really necessary to bring this along?"
All four had backpacks strapped on, and none looked discernably larger than the other. Only Kevin seemed to be actively struggling, which made one wonder just exactly what C.C. had saddled him with.
"Oh, having trouble are we?" C.C. said with a wide smirk. "Have I perhaps overestimated the caliber of a Gralsritter?"
"You'll have to forgive those of us that claim mere mortality," Kevin retorted. "And besides, is not encumbering me like this making poor use of my talents to begin with? With this sack on my back, how can I possibly protect my charge?"
C.C. tilted her head. "What possible threat exists where your presence would make any difference in my safety?"
Kevin gave a snort. "While I have no doubt you are perfectly capable of defending yourself, Grandmaster, the only charge I am concerned about here is the Lady Leila."
This caused Leila to blink, but the girl wisely refrained from entering the conversation as she simply looked back and forth between C.C. and Kevin. The grandmaster for her part continued tilting her head.
"And what difference to Leila's safety would you make, encumbered or unencumbered, with my presence?" she stated.
"Okay, now I know you're just being snide," Kevin declared.
The smirk was back on C.C.'s face. "When it comes to conversing with you, was there ever any doubt?"
Kevin sighed. There really was no winning with the grandmaster, not that he was naïve enough to ever believe otherwise. While C.C. had been fairly civil, even polite, with Leila and Ries, she had not for a moment deigned to treat Kevin as anything but a verbal punching bag since they met. Hardly the most mature way for her to conduct herself, but that was never going to stop the grandmaster to begin with.
"Rest assured though, your frail body will not have to endure too much longer," C.C. said. "We are, about a third of the way to our destination."
Kevin groaned. The four had been walking for only ten minutes or so, which certainly put into perspective just how heavy a load he was carrying if he was already tired. The path they were taking was not helping either. Manmade though it clearly was, its overgrown nature now indicated it had fallen into disuse for quite some time. Or at the least, no one was exerting any effort to maintaining it.
"Where exactly are we headed, Grandmaster?" Leila asked. "I thought you said your errand was in Kyoto, but we seem to be a bit a ways outside the city."
More than a bit, seeing as they were almost at the northern coastline of the Sea of Japan. In fact the four had remained in the city of Kyoto proper for only as long as it took to arrange for further transportation. Kevin at least had made sure to keep Lelouch informed of their continuing travels, as otherwise there was no telling whether anyone back in Tokyo would have had any inkling where C.C. had disappeared off to.
"We are still in the prefecture, no?" C.C. said with a smirk. "This area has a number of Shinto and Buddhist shrines, with one in particular affiliated with the Ise Grand Shrine. I am here to pay that shrine in particular a visit, to say hello to some old friends."
Even as C.C. spoke, Kevin and Ries both perked up as they noticed the ever so subtle noise of the undergrowth being disturbed, and not by an animal either.
"Ah, so you do have some uses," C.C. said, but her smirk disappeared quickly. "Guard your cargo with your life, Mr. Graham, I will have your hide if it is damaged."
The grandmaster did not sound like she meant that metaphorically either.
"Leila, stay behind me."
The girl hurriedly obeyed, while Ries took up a position slightly to the left, as Kevin did likewise for the right. Even if C.C. seemed confident she could handle anything that approached, the Gralsritters still had their own sense of duty.
Stepping out from the trees was a Japanese man, no longer an adolescent, but still well short of middle aged. A man in his prime, so to speak.
"Leave here," he demanded, in reasonably fluent English. "There is nothing further for any of you to see."
The man was not carrying any visible weapon, but that really was not much in the way of assurances. Especially not when he was not alone.
"I make out six," Kevin stated. "Seven, counting our host."
"As do I," C.C. said in a completely deadpan tone, then took another step forward. "I am here to see the Hidden Priestess of Ise."
The man's eyes narrowed, while more than one of his compatriots reacted physically enough to cause the bush to rustle. Sloppy, that, but it was not as if C.C. needed any confirmation to begin with. Their association with the priestess was already clear as day, as who else would be here along the path to Kono Shrine?
"You can either save me some time by guiding us to her, or we can go ahead and look for our ourselves," C.C. continued. "Regardless however, we will press forward."
The man's jaws tightened. He took a few steps ward so that he was out in the open, directly barring C.C.'s path.
"And what makes you think we would permit that?"
"I am the Grandmaster of Eden Vital," C.C. declared. "Has Ise's hospitality grown so poor that you would fail to welcome me?"
The momentary hesitation there was likely of surprise, but the glower that followed was certainly of anger.
"It matters not who you claim to be," the man said. "Our hospitality for Britannians has long ended."
"Just so you know," Kevin said, raising a hand, "us three are Europeans."
C.C. actually let out a snort of laughter at that one, though if the man blocking their way thought that made any difference, his glare did not show it.
"I suppose Ise has had to make do with what guard dogs that it can find," C.C. said. "A shame, though, that you could not even discern when you are in completely over your head."
Before the man could respond, his body suddenly slammed flat onto the ground. Not just him, as the sound of more forms crashing down could be heard.
"What in the world!?" Kevin blurted out.
He was not the only one so surprised, seeing as the cries and shouts that echoed, though those were in Japanese. Disregarding those cries, C.C. walked over to the man pinned down in front of them.
"Let us try this again. I am the Grandmaster of Eden Vital, here to see the Hidden Priestess of Ise. Will you inform her of our arrival, or will you remain a stubborn twit while I grind you into paste?"
The man was already visibly struggling to breathe, the pressure pinning him to the ground also compressing his chest and therefore his lungs. Still, he managed to gasp enough air to utter a few words.
"Kuta…bare!"
It was probably not the most productive use of those breaths.
C.C. sighed. "Scraping the bottom of the barrel indeed."
Before she could do something to rectify that matter however the sound of barking interrupted. Looking over, a large dog with black and white fur dashed out from between the trees. It came to an abrupt halt before C.C. and the downed man, giving a confused whine at the scene.
"Inuki! Ike!"
The dog looked at the frantically gasping man, then at C.C., and then actually gave a bark of greeting to the woman, clearly not just recognizing her but acknowledging her as friendly.
"Inuki?" C.C. repeated as she leaned over and reached out. "Is that really you? My, how you've grown. You were just a little puppy last we met."
The dog leaned in to accept the pat, giving a cheerful whine now. The Japanese man could only gape at the sight, lack of breath no longer the main impediment to his speechlessness.
"Inuki!" another voice called out, a woman's this time.
The dog turned about and trotted over to the caller, who emerged also from amongst the trees.
"Nani kore?" she said, looking at the scene before her, then gasped slightly as recognition dawned.
C.C. gave a wide smile and a cheerfully wave. "Ko-ni-chi-wa."
The woman quickly hurried over, bowing slightly in greeting. "Grandmaster. Umm, may I ask why Daisuke-san is on the ground like that?"
"He was, impolite," C.C. stated simply.
That earned Daisuke an exasperated look from the woman.
"I apologize on his behalf, Grandmaster," she said, bowing more deeply this time. "Would you be so kind as to release him and the others? I assure you, they will cause no further trouble during your visit. Isn't that right, Daisuke-san?"
"But-" the man tried to protest.
"Isn't that right, Daisuke!?"
Finally giving up, Daisuke fell silent and gave a slight nod, all he could manage at this point. When the woman looked back at C.C. expectantly, the grandmaster gave a shrug and waved her hand. Immediately, the pressure pushing down upon Daisuke and the others disappeared. Fortunately for their sake, none of them made any further moves to antagonize the grandmaster, notwithstanding Daisuke's glare at her.
"Return to your duties," the woman said. "I will handle our guests from here."
Daisuke looked tempted to protest but did not succumb to it. He instead walked off sullenly, disappearing back into the woods. Once he was gone, the girl let out a relieved sigh.
"Have your hands full with that one, I see," C.C. remarked.
"We've all been through and lost much, Grandmaster," the woman responded. "I hope you will keep that in mind."
"Yes, yes you have," C.C. said more gravely. "And I am here to see what amends might be made. Might you bring me to the Hidden Priestess?"
The woman glanced over. "And the others?"
"Leila is a guest of mine," C.C. said. "The other two are minders of hers. They will behave, or answer to me."
After a moment, the woman nodded. "Very well then, please follow me."
She set off, Inuki falling in line next to her with the rights right behind.
"So, are you finally going to tell us where exactly we're going?" Kevin asked. "And who these people are?"
"You mean you haven't realized yet?" C.C. responded. "The Holy See truly has some immense gaps in its knowledge."
"Very funny. You know the Catholic Church has never had much visibility into Ise, unlike Eden Vital. In fact, you made sure of that."
"Not I," the grandmaster denied. "Ise simply preferred their privacy, considering the Catholic Church's propensity for promulgating its faith uninvited."
Kevin sighed. He was clearly not going to get much in the way of useful answers from the grandmaster. If he was to learn anything, he would have to pay close attention as a bystander. While humping the heavy load the grandmaster had saddled him with.
After nearly half an hour since they first set out on foot, the group reached a respectably sized shrine whose grounds still looked well maintained, in contrast to the path leading up to it. Even the color of the bright orange gates leading up to a similarly painted structure looked fresh and vibrant. The men that emerged to greet them wore the robes of priests, though one's vestments were that of a Buddhist monk. By the way their eyes widened, they too clearly recognized C.C. They both quickly approached and bowed respectfully.
"Grandmaster."
"Sorata." C.C. also recognized them and was apparently familiar enough with them to greet them by their given name. "Shiyu. It has been quite some time."
"That it has," the one she addressed as Shiyu said. "I hope there was no trouble on your way here?"
"Nothing that Yuzuriha and Inuki could not handle." She now looked over at Sorata. "I am here to see Arashi."
Sorata gave a wry smile as he scratched the back of his head. "Figured you would be. Give me a sec to go rouse her, she tends to be a bit cranky right after waking up from a nap."
As Sorata disappeared, C.C. cast a quizzical glance at the others.
"Is Arashi unwell that she would require naps at a time like this?"
"Err, well," Shiyu struggled to answer.
"It's their daughter," Yuzuriha stated frankly. "She's only a year old, so tends to wake up hungry in the middle of the night. Arashi-sempai insists on nursing her, so her sleep gets interrupted pretty badly. Hence the naps."
"My, oh my," C.C. said. "I suppose congratulations are in order." A smirk crossed her face. "So when will I be able to say the same to you two?"
Shiyu nervously looked away, while Yuzuriha simply sighed and shrugged. C.C. gave a giggle, clearly enjoying herself. Fortunately for Shiyu, Sorata returned not long after, so he did not need to endure any more teasing from the grandmaster.
The now somewhat largish party made their way to another building, and once inside were greeted by the sight of a stern looking but indisputably beautiful woman with flowing black hair. The woman bowed slightly from her seated position.
"Grandmaster of Eden Vital," she said formally. "I welcome you to the Motoise Kono Shrine."
As the name suggested, the Kono Shrine had deep and longstanding connections with the main Ise Grand Shrine. Indeed prior to their move to Ise some sixteen centuries ago, the goddesses Amaterasu and Toyoukehime both resided here, metaphorically at least.
"Hidden Priestess of Ise," C.C. responded in kind. "I am heartened to see you hale, and thank you for your hospitality."
Arashi nodded, then waved gracefully at the other places around the table.
"Please, have a seat."
While C.C. dropped down without hesitation onto the cushions, her companions took a moment to settle in.
"I believe some introductions are in order?" Arashi said.
"Certainly. This is Leila Malcal, descended of a progenitor line that settled in Great Britain. Accompanying her are Kevin Graham and Ries Argent of the Social Welfare Agency, charged with Leila's safety. Oh, and to also make sure I'm not arm twisting Ise into anything it doesn't want to do."
Sorata and Shiyu exchanged looks from where they stood, while Arashi simply nodded.
"A pleasure," she said.
Whether the priestess meant that in earnest was hard to tell with her stoic bearing. While the pleasantries were being exchanged, Yuzuriha had busied herself and gotten cups placed in front of everyone seated and some tea poured. Arashi picked hers up and took a sip, in effect demonstrating there was no foul play. That was more likely for reassuring the Europeans than C.C., considering the grandmaster was immune to pretty much every poison known to man.
"May I ask what brings you here today?" Arashi said next.
"You are aware that Kaguya is making preparations to restore the Ise Grand Shrine," C.C. got right to the point, "and to assume custody over the Kamine Island thought elevator."
Arashi's head dipped slightly. "We received inquiries as to whether Kono Shrine possessed any expertise that would be of use."
"And yet Kono Shrine has remained relatively detached from the overall effort," C.C. said, "despite the fact that one of its roles is to serve as a backstop in case something were to happen to the main branch."
"It is as you say," Arashi said, "Kono Shrine is indeed a backstop. Because we are a backstop however, it falls upon us to ensure that Ise's legacy survives, which means we must take care not to show our hand too early."
"So you have concerns about Kaguya's chances of success?"
Arashi shook her head. "The issue is not whether Kaguya-hime can succeed, she is well positioned to marshal the resources necessary to restore Ise. But these were not resources her predecessors, Kimiko-hime and Hinoto-hime, lacked. Even so, neither was able to protect Ise from being nearly wiped out."
C.C. tilted her head. "Eden Vital has had only marginal success determining who was responsible for the attack on Ise. Have you had any better luck?"
"To an extent," Arashi answered. "It has been all we could manage these past few years to keep them at bay."
"And why have you not requested Eden Vital's help?"
"For much the same reason as it took so long for you to offer it, we knew not whom amongst Eden Vital could be trusted," Arashi stated frankly. "Your heretics after all were instrumental in helping orchestrate the attack upon Ise, after all."
"Fair enough," C.C. said. "So, are you willing to ask for it now?"
Arashi's head dipped as she regarded the grandmaster levelly.
"That would depend on the price Eden Vital would demand in exchange."
"Ise's vote aligned with Eden Vital's when the time comes to decide what to do with the Taklamakan thought elevator," C.C. did not even bother feigning any consideration before answering.
Upon hearing that, one person that could not help but grimace was Kevin. The initial terms agreed upon between the Holy See and Eden Vital for a geass contract were less than straightforward, on account of the extreme reluctance of the hawks in the Roman Curia of granting Eden Vital so large a concession as a third thought elevator. The agreement was actually two separate provisions, with the first a formal amendment to the Treaty of London lifting the limitation of two thought elevators per ecclesiastical order. This would have needed formal ratification by the Baghdad Imamate as well, though with the entire Middle East under Britannian control, the Empire was probably in position to exert whatever pressure or grant whatever concession was necessary to get the Imamate to play ball. And with the Jokhang effectively proscribed and Ise thought to be wiped out, the consent of the remaining three orders would have been sufficient to formally ratify the amendment.
The second set of terms granting Eden Vital stewardship of the Kamine Island thought elevator had attached the qualifier that this stewardship was being granted because the elevator's former wardens were no more. Shortly after the relevant agreements were signed however, it was discovered that one Kaguya Sumeragi possessed the qualifications to claim membership, and provisional leadership, of the Ise Grand shrine, and with it, the Kamine Island thought elevator. The Catholic hawks rejoiced at the manner in which this deprived Eden Vital of their justification for taking control of that elevator, and were even convinced that according to the letter of the agreement, the Order still owed the Catholic Church a contractor. Their enthusiasm was only slightly dampened when Eden Vital did not contest that position, and even insisted that the formal ratifications be completed. Some of the more cognizant, and conspiratorial, members of the Curia began to fear that Eden Vital was doing this with the intent of finishing the purge of Ise that it claimed it had no part in starting, and one of Kevin's assignments in Japan was to make certain Ise was not under threat. From what the Gralsritter could tell however, Eden Vital seemed downright enthusiastic about helping Ise regain its former footing, an enthusiasm that now made perfect sense with the terms the grandmaster was now presenting Ise.
When Kevin negotiated with Lelouch for help with the neuro-link interface, the Holy See's offer was to vote for stripping the Jokhang of its stewardship role. Exactly who would take its place Kevin had tried to leave open-ended, though even then it was clear the cardinal was certain Eden Vital would, if not take the role itself, be the one who made the final call. While Kevin had tried to be blasé about it at the time, by now the Gralsritter could see that Eden Vital had been working assiduously towards that goal despite the apparent setbacks. It seemed the hawks within the Curia had indeed celebrated too early.
"The Holy See would also be willing to extend a hand," Kevin interjected. "His Holiness was extremely distraught when word reached us of Ise's fall. If there is anything that the Catholic Church could do to help Ise resist any and all predation, you have but to ask."
Long shot though it may be, the Gralsritter had to at least try to keep Ise from slipping entirely into Eden Vital's camp. Though that promised to be an uphill struggle regardless, seeing as Eden Vital and Ise had been on close terms even before the schism, as indicated by the personal acquaintance the grandmaster had of their hosts.
Arashi looked over at Kevin, and then back at C.C. A very sly smile crossed the grandmaster's face as she glanced over at Leila.
"Well Leila, here's your chance. Why don't you espouse the worth of the Vatican's aid?"
It was hard for Kevin not to gape at C.C. Was this the real reason why the grandmaster had brought the girl along? It seemed ludicrously unfair to Leila, considering her relative age and lack of experience. Granted, the Cardinal Lamperouge was of a similar age, but the former prince had quite clearly been groomed for his present role for many years. Even if Leila had seen some training and preparation to become a thought elevator operator, that was far from having a thorough education on politics, economics, and diplomacy, the sorts of background knowledge she would need to properly argue the case here. If this was the test C.C. intended for Leila to pass to win her acceptance, then it was surely too high a bar.
"Grandmaster-" Kevin began.
C.C.'s hand rose and she mimed the closing of a mouth. The next Kevin found no sound leaving his own mouth. Blinking in confusion, he tried again, but still there was only silence. Taking in a deep breath, which was for some reason more labored than he expected, Kevin tried to give a loud shot. Again, nothing.
"Well, Leila?" C.C. said expectantly, ignoring Kevin's increasing consternation and confusion.
Leila spared one final glance of concern at the Gralsritter before taking a deep breath.
"I can't say what sort of promises the Holy See would see fit to make," she began. "I can't even offer any assurances that the promises they make will be upheld. I wouldn't presume to have that much sway in the Catholic Church's hierarchy."
The girl was at least honest.
"Still," Leila continued, "I think there is benefit to keeping your options open. To not become too dependent on one particular party for all your needs. That way, not only will your original partner not take you for granted, but you have the opportunity to play the two against each other to extract the maximum benefit out of any arrangement."
Arashi's gaze remained steady. "Is there not a certainly faithlessness in such conduct?"
Leila shook her head. "I don't think so. Ise has not accepted communion with Eden Vital, and is thus under no obligation to put the Order's interests before its own. Any prior exchange or arrangement, it is on both sides to make sure they have received due recompense for their efforts. An accusation of ingratitude after the fact would feel, self-serving, at the very least."
If C.C. was at all perturbed by Leila's arguments, one would not have been able to discern it from her continuing smirk. Though if she was not exhibiting any visible displeasure, hopefully that meant Leila was not outright failing the test she was being set.
"There is of course nothing wrong with showing favor to one side over the other," Leila continued. "I myself have a self-admitted bias towards the Holy See, seeing as I was baptized a Catholic. But I do not forget that my lineage is traced back to Eden Vital, and that there are certain boons that only it can grant. I would not engender its favor at the cost of my main sponsors, but I would at least maintain amicable enough standing that should I have need to beseech Eden Vital, they would lend an ear out of solidarity instead of obligation."
Kevin looked back at the priestess, all that he could do really what with his voice being sealed like this. Well, he could have resorted to writing what he wanted to say, but resorting to that felt just a tad too desperate and lacking in dignity, for now at least.
Arashi on the other hand maintained her dignified poise as she met Kevin's gaze.
"The Holy See's offer is noted and appreciated, Father Kevin. Considering the logistical practicalities of any aid you are in position to render however, before Ise would feel comfortable making any formal requests, it would probably behoove both sides to conduct preparatory exchanges first."
Kevin snuck a quick glance at the grandmaster and saw her hand was now down, suggesting he could speak again.
"The Holy See would be more than happy to invite personages of Ise to the Vatican to conduct such discussions."
To that however Arashi immediately shook her head. "At present Ise simply does not have the leeway to dispatch any members of authority in such missions. We would ask that, the Holy See being in a more fortunate position, to consider the dispatch of emissaries properly charged with such a task to instead make the necessary arrangements with the Britannian government to visit Japan instead, much as was done for yourselves and Ms. Malcal."
Kevin clucked his tongue. That was arguably sloppy of him, even more so when Leila had managed to actually pry an opening for the Holy See to at least make a token approach with Ise. All Kevin had really needed to do was reaffirm Leila's position, but by trying to push a bit further, he had instead earned a rebuff. A mild one, to be sure, but still a rebuff. While all of the other setbacks Kevin had suffered in his mission thus far could be attributed to the rather difficult circumstances under which he was operating, this misstep was one wholly of his own creation, something the Curia would almost certainly pounce on once he was obliged to report back. Kevin could already feel his stomach tighten at that prospect.
"And your answer to me?" C.C. followed up matter-of-factly, drawing the conversation back to where it was before Kevin had tried to intervene.
Arashi's lips twitched ever so slightly.
"The harm done to Ise was a direct consequence of Eden Vital's own schism," the priestess said. "What recompense does the Order offer?"
If the grandmaster was at all perturbed by Arashi's forthrightness, none of it showed on her face. If anything, C.C. actually looked somewhat amused, what with the way she smirked.
"And what would you consider to be adequate additional compensation?"
A reminder, that Eden Vital was already pouring in significant resources to help Ise rebuild. The way Arashi's lips thinned, the priestess was not unaware. Still, she pressed on.
"Eden Vital's assistance in activating the manufacturing capabilities of the Kamine Island thought elevator."
It was difficult, but Kevin was just able to not choke on the tea he was trying to sip nonchalantly. Being witness to yet another potential shift in the balance of power amongst the ecclesiastical orders in the same day was however more than a bit trying. As their name implied, thought elevators were direct taps into the collective unconscious, and it was their access to this vast medium that allowed them to perform computations beyond that of the most powerful supercomputers in the world. Access to this collective was also the means by which geass contractors could manipulate the physical materium, by calculating and applying the necessary changes in physical information to enact their desired end. It should therefore come as no surprise that the thought elevators could themselves be used to amplify that ability.
One of the more mundane, albeit more practical and extremely useful, applications of this amplification was in using a thought elevator to basically reshape matter into whatever form was desired. Tolerances or scales impossible to fabricate at with modern technology were mere triviality for a thought elevator. Less so for the human that needed to guide the actual fabrication process, hence why again Eden Vital with its contractors held a distinct advantage over the other orders. Indeed, another reason for Britannia's industrial advantages was Eden Vital providing various bits of advanced tooling to bootstrap the Empire's extreme high tech manufacturing capabilities. Were Ise to obtain this capability, then even as a subordinate entity within Britannia, Japan was looking at significantly increased access to cutting edge processes.
"Oh ho," C.C. said, her eyes almost shining alongside her smile. "What an excellent prize to be desirous of. Can I then take that debt to be settled in full?"
"In full," Arashi said stoically.
"Done," C.C. said with a nod. "And the other matter?"
"We of the Motoise Kono Shrine recognize Kaguya Sumeragi as the provisional high priestess of the Ise Grand Shrine," Arashi declared, "and by my authority as the hidden priestess of Ise, formally request Eden Vital's assistance in defeating those agents that collaborated in the attack upon the Grand Shrine. In exchange, we will stand by Eden Vital's nomination of a successor to the Jokhang."
"I am glad we could come to an amicable agreement," C.C. said. "In commemoration thereof, Kevin, your bag."
Blinking, the Gralsritter handed the obscenely heavy backpack over to C.C.'s outstretched hand. The grandmaster on the other hand did not seem perturbed by the weight at all, as she unzipped the backpack and reached right in to pull out a long, thin stick wrapped tightly in white cloth. Unwrapping it revealed a shortish bar with a Tresca section, a special X-shaped cross section.
"While the traditional bar is of one meter in length, I thought something a bit more inline with Japanese tradition would be more appropriate," the grandmaster said, presenting to bar to Arashi. "This is a solid iridium bar of precisely one shaku in length, fabricated by the Antarctic thought elevator. It should serve as a good standard against which to calibrate the Kamine Island thought elevator fabrication process."
A clear implication, that C.C. had predicted the request the hidden priestess would make, as otherwise she would not have saddled Kevin with hauling such a big chunk of iridium on their little hike, nor even have the bar fabricated in the first place. As such, by accepting it, Arashi and Ise might be playing right into the grandmaster's hands. It was a little late to be worrying about that however. The request had already been made and the agreement concluded. Dancing to C.C.'s tune they might be, that was all the more reason to extract all the advantage they could. Arashi took the proffered bar. For some reason, her hands did not waver either from its weight.
End of Chapter 42
Okay, this chapter actually sprawled a bit longer than I was expecting, to the point that I ended up having to shuffle a scene to next chapter.
So any guesses as to what C.C.'s power is? It's not telekinesis, I'll say that much.
Figuring out how to increase Ise's ranks was always going to be problematic, if only because there simply were not many Japanese characters aside from Kaguya herself that I could draw upon from the Code Geass canon. Fortunately my familiarity with CLAMP's works very quickly brought to mind a cast of characters that I could use with minimal modification. And their usage even allows for me to interleave a particular plot into my own story. It arguably is a shame I came upon their involvement a bit late in the story, as it would have been quite fascinating to have involved them in several prior incidents. A missed, opportunity. Ah well.
So, I just noticed that Meridian also now has a page on tvtropes. Much thanks to the troper that felt the story was worth creating a page for. Here's hoping it'll grow to be as detailed and lengthy as the page for Calculus (or more!).