Chapter 51
In Dire Repose
As the nominal head of the renamed Japanese Advisory Council, Taizo Kirihara had ample opportunity to visit Tokyo and meet with various members of the viceroyalty administration. Sometimes those meetings were with the Cardinal Lamperouge himself, and sometimes he simply interacted with delegated ministerial staff. Today's meeting was of the former, though Taizo was also accompanied by Subaru and Kaguya. The topic at hand was, while business of sorts, also touched upon very personal matters.
"This is something that we of Kyoto House thought would never see the light of day," Taizo said gravely, then grunted. "Hoped, I should say."
The four were seated not around Lelouch's desk but in the sitting area off to the side of his office. Aside from Alice, who was standing guard, no other aides were present either.
"To be honest, we do not know exactly what happened that day," Taizo continued. "It is easy enough to surmise what probably happened, or at least some bits of it, but the exact events, and most importantly, the why, we remain wholly ignorant of."
None of the others tried to hurry Taizo along, all waiting patiently for the elderly man to work his way through the telling at his own pace.
"It was Suzaku-san's mother, my niece, who found them."
To that all of the watching faces winced, even Alice.
"Genbu-san was, already passed on, but the sight that truly shook her was how Suzaku-san was gripping a gun. He was apparently standing there in a daze, and after coming to, had no recollection of what happened." Taizo let out a sigh. "That was perhaps for the better. I have no wish for Suzaku-san to have slain his own father willfully."
"I had no idea," Kaguya said in a soft whisper. "Is that why Saori-oba-sama passed away?"
Taizo gave a sad nod. "The shock of what happened, it was too much for her. She loved Genbu-san dearly, and her son even more so."
A love that ultimately drove her to despair, leaving Suzaku himself orphaned.
"I should have reached out to him before," Kaguya murmured.
"We all should have," Taizo said, the anger in his voice clearly directed more at himself than the girl he considered a granddaughter. "Perhaps it simply hurt too much to be reminded of the tragedy, but we didn't." He sighed again. "And now the secret is out."
The frown on Lelouch's face was a thoughtful one. As moved as he was at the very real tragedy, the cardinal was already contemplating the significance of the event.
"Were you able to determine how Suzaku actually got ahold of a gun?" the cardinal asked. "My understanding is that firearm laws in Japan were extremely stringent, even more so than in the Empire."
"Genbu-san served in the military before entering into his political career," Taizo said. "He retained a service pistol after becoming prime minister."
"That he kept so unsecured that a child could get his hands on it?" Lelouch said with eyebrow raised.
Taizo considered that for a moment before slowly shaking his head. "No. Genbu-san was always very meticulous about how he handled his weapon. He certainly would have kept it locked away." Now he too was frowning. "In fact, he would have kept the ammo separate to avoid any accidents happening."
Lelouch's gaze shifted between Taizo and the others, but it was when he met Subaru's eyes that the other man dipped his head ever so slightly.
"Considering the coverup, may I presume no formal investigation was ever conducted?" Lelouch asked next.
"Regrettably there was not," Taizo said.
"And the weapon itself?"
"I," Taizo began, then frowned. "I'm actually not sure. It must have been disposed of, but I cannot recall the means."
Curiouser and curiouser. By this point Subaru's gaze was quite intense, signaling he had something to say but which he did not wish to do so in front of Taizo. Lelouch got the hint quickly enough.
"This matter certainly warrants further investigation," Lelouch said. "I appreciate your honesty in recounting what is certainly a most unpleasant memory, Mr. Kirihara. It has however been an immense help in my office's efforts to discern the truths behind Mr. Kururugi's situation."
Taizo nodded, recognizing a dismissal when he heard one. Before he rose to take his leave however, he regarded the cardinal.
"What does Your Eminence intend to do with Suzaku-san?"
"Help him," Lelouch said with a slight shrug, "to the best of our ability. Mr. Kururugi has performed multiple services to my person, often at great risk to his own. I would not be foresworn on the debt that is owed."
That saw Taizo let out a long sigh of relief. "You have my thanks, Your Eminence."
While the elderly man rose, both Kaguya and Subaru remained seated. While technically only the latter had indicated a desire to speak with Lelouch privately, the former seemed determined to not be left out of any further discussions regarding her cousin. Once the doors closed behind Taizo, Lelouch glanced over at Subaru.
"So?"
The Japanese man pursed his lips as he likewise glanced over at Kaguya, but after a moment began speaking.
"The, manner of Suzaku-san being set up to kill his father. It is highly reminiscent of the favored means of the Sakurazukamori."
"Lovely," Lelouch said with an exasperated tone.
Kaguya blinked, looking back and forth between the two men. "The Sakurazukamori? The cherry blossom, tomb, guardian?"
It could almost be considered unsettling the ease with which Kaguya worked out the characters that composed that particular phonetic sequence. Perhaps some latent awareness of the title had been instilled within her thanks to her training for the Ise priesthood. Lelouch simply looked over at Subaru, a clear indicator that he expected the other man to provide an explanation. Subaru grimaced unhappily but did so nonetheless.
"The Sakurazukamori is an assassin that the Japanese government has employed since ages past, with a new person inheriting the title every generation. The most recent one, we believe has aligned himself with the renegades, and was responsible for the deaths of many of Ise's leadership."
Leadership that included many of Kaguya and Subaru's own families. Kaguya took that revelation with remarkable composure, waiting for Subaru to continue.
"The specific method the Sakurazukamori likes to employ is to have someone close to the target do the actual deed," Subaru said, his face twisting in visible disgust. "Their proxy rarely survives the act, which makes it extremely difficult to gather the evidence needed to track him down."
"How does he get others to commit the deed?" Kaguya asked with a troubled frown.
"Hold that thought," Lelouch said before Subaru could answer, then spoke into an intercom at his seat. "Sancia, please join me in my office."
The Eden Vital sister took scant moments to arrive, after which Lelouch nodded for Subaru to continue.
"The how, even we of Ise have little understanding," Subaru said. "The what, he appears to implant a command of some sort in the minds of his proxies. This command not only compels them to carry out the murder of their loved one, but from those few proxies that lived afterward, also erases, or at least blocks out, any memory of the act or even of ever having met the Sakurazukamori."
"Hmm," Lelouch gave off a contemplative sound.
That naturally saw Kaguya and Subaru look his way for further explanation.
"Eden Vital has seen examples of geasses that allow one to manipulate the actions of others," Lelouch said, "as well as manipulate memories. Something that does both simultaneously however is a new one."
"Japan has never had the ability to form contracts," Subaru said with a frown.
"There is precedence for geasses to appear as a consequence of long-term interaction with a thought elevator," Lelouch said. "It is extremely rare, on account of most such persons dying from the strain beforehand, but someone with a sufficiently robust neural physiology could obtain a geass by themselves."
The more pertinent implication of course being that whoever obtained this geass must have had access to a thought elevator, and being a Japanese assassin, the natural assumption was that the elevator in question was the one on Kamine Island. From how unhappy Subaru was looking, he clearly did not like the possibility that Ise itself had birthed the Sakurazukamori.
"Could such a rogue geass have been passed down the generations?" Subaru asked dubiously.
"Unprecedented is not the same as impossible," Lelouch said, "and ignorance of something's existence does not constitute lack of precedence." A thought seemed to occur to the cardinal. "I was told the Sakurazukamori title was passed on when the successor killed his or her predecessor."
This was certainly not a pleasant conversation for Kaguya, but she gamely stayed put with a stoic demeanor.
"We believe that to be the case at least," Subaru said, making clear the relative lack of confirmation behind it.
"And of those proxies that survive carrying out their programmed assassination, none retain any memories of either the act or meeting the Sakurazukamori."
"Yes," Subaru answered succinctly, waiting for Lelouch to get to his point.
"No exceptions?"
"None that we know of."
"Are you sure about that?"
"What are you getting at, Your Eminence?" Subaru asked, a hint of impatience in his tone.
"The methods Eden Vital are aware of for inducing such a program in a person's mind necessitates a neurological change," Lelouch said, "a change that is somewhat akin to the morphological changes caused by obtaining a contract. Those that die upon completing their assassination might be those whose neural physiology was lacking in robustness, though without examples to autopsy this remains a mere hypothesis. On the other hand, assuming it to be true, those that do survive would hypothetically be someone whose neural physiology is robust enough to bear a geass. In this case, we do have one datapoint in support of the hypothesis, Mr. Kururugi himself."
While not as prestigious or developed as the Sumeragi lineage, the Kururugi line was part of Ise's breeding program akin to Eden Vital's own that sought to produce individuals better able to interact with the thought elevators. That Suzaku had the potential to be a geass contractor was therefore not a great surprise.
"I see," Subaru nodded.
The unhappy look remained on his expression however, as this fact further reinforced the connection between the Sakurazukamori and Ise. With the pool of potential successors derived from Ise's own contractor candidates, there was no telling how many of the Sakurazukamori's predecessors were of Ise itself.
"One additional datapoint," Lelouch said. "That Suzaku was able to recall fragmentary pieces of his memory of killing his father suggests the mnemonic data itself is still there, only blocked off. That implies the Sakurazukamori's programming is a persistent presence instead of a short-term one-off. And that the programming itself can be disrupted."
"The question is how was it disrupted," Subaru said. "This is the first time I've ever heard of anyone ever recalling these memories."
"Perhaps not," Lelouch said, "but as far as Suzaku himself goes," the cardinal looked over his shoulder. "Sancia?"
The woman's eyes had actually been closed and she did not respond immediately. Lelouch however did not prod her further and simply waited patiently. A few moments later her eyes opened, a glint of light flashing momentarily before they returned to their normal color.
"Prime computation, the neuro-link interface."
While Kaguya and Subaru did not look particularly more enlightened by that short response, Lelouch gave a nod of understanding shortly thereafter. At the quizzical look he received, the cardinal gave another nod, signaling Sancia to elucidate.
"In order to serve as a digital interface for our brains," the woman began, "the neuro-link embeds what is functionally a redundant interconnect into the different regions of the brain. This interconnect can serve to increase the volume of signals that can be passed around by the different regions, as well as provide alternate pathways in the case some blockage developed via the naturally existing routes. Mr. Kururugi was fitted with a neuro-link interface upon his transfer to the Camelot Institute, officially so that he could serve as a tester for their development of technologies utilizing the interface. Eden Vital arranged for the model he was fitted with to be a more robust, and safer, iteration of the design than what Camelot was previously working with."
To that Kaguya looked over at Lelouch. The cardinal gave another shrug.
"The neurological damage Mr. Kururugi suffered was a consequence of his accompanying me during the Shinjuku incident," Lelouch said. "While he was not qualified to be fitted with a full augmentation suite, the neuro-link will at least provide the basis for restoring to him full mobility in the long term."
Kaguya favored Lelouch with a warm smile upon hearing that.
"You believe these alternate paths the neuro-link provides got around the, blockage, that the Sakurazukamori emplaced?" Subaru spoke up.
"The probability at least is above the margin of error," Sancia responded. "Though at present, based on the prognosis, the blockage has only been partially neutralized. Mr. Kururugi's recollections are fragmented, with key mnemonic elements still scrambled. Yet even this partial progress suggests an avenue by which the Sakurazukamori's work might be more fully undone."
"Truly?" Kaguya immediately latched onto such a possibility.
"How?" Subaru was not long in following, though focused on the more practical elements.
"If the blockage is a consequence of nervous signals failing to path correctly, it might be possible to use the neuro-link to create a more comprehensive alternate pathway," Sancia answered. "Doing so would be decidedly nontrivial," the woman now looked over at Lelouch, "and would require at minimum Mr. Kururugi's neuro-link interface be upgraded to the current generation model Eden Vital has deployed."
"Doable," Lelouch said before his guests had even finished shifting their own gazes over to him, "though the grandmaster might require a token gesture of some sort from Ise. The information that we might obtain notwithstanding, a current generation neuro-link is difficult enough to fabricate that it can only be done within a thought elevator."
"In that case, would Ise granting an equivalent amount of compute time in the Kamine thought elevator serve as sufficient compensation?" Kaguya immediately offered.
Subaru made no move to stop her, maintaining a mostly neutral visage throughout the exchange.
"That should work," Lelouch said, then to Sancia. "What else?"
"The actual deprogramming itself will likely need to be done inside a thought elevator as well," the woman said. "If Ise is willing to dedicate the compute time necessary?"
"Of course," Kaguya again readily agreed.
"Then the only things left are the specialist personnel," Sancia concluded, "of which Your Eminence should be able to requisition on your authority alone."
"See to it," Lelouch also said without hesitation.
"At your command," Sancia said, clicking her heels together and taking her leave.
While Kaguya continued smiling at Lelouch, Subaru's own expression was more pensive. Once Sancia was away, he vocalized the thoughts behind it.
"Your Eminence, what did you mean when you said Suzaku was perhaps not the first to recall his actions while under the programming's influence?"
"Assuming you accept my hypothesis that those proxies that survive carrying out the Sakurazukamori's programming are indeed prospective successors," Lelouch replied, "one presumes that the successor ultimately chosen has to also receive knowledge of how to perform such programming on future victims. The simplest way would be to use the same programming technique to ingrain the knowhow into the successor's mind, which arguably necessitates the recipient being aware of the contents of said programming."
"Okay," Subaru said, massaging his temple, "that makes sense, I think. But what about the need for the successor to kill the predecessor?"
"What need?" Lelouch said. "Are we sure this ritual of sacrifice isn't purely the product of the individuals that take part in the succession?"
"That, I cannot deny," Subaru conceded reluctantly.
"The more pressing matter however is a question of how many sleepers might exist," Lelouch said. "The Sakurazukamori cannot have been idle these past few years."
"That is also true," Subaru said, sounding even less happy.
"Is there a way to figure out if someone has been, programmed?" Kaguya suggested.
"We might learn something after a more detailed examination of Mr. Kururugi," Lelouch said, "but a definitive confirmation one way or the other isn't likely to be a simple thing to establish. The best we can hope for is that the procedure isn't too intrusive. Although." The cardinal eyed Subaru. "Is Ise aware of others that the Sakurazukamori used as proxies? Having a larger sample set might help in devising countermeasures."
Subaru was silent for several long moments before finally nodding.
"There is one other Ise is aware of. Me."
Kaguya inhaled sharply, while Lelouch's reaction was limited to a flicker of his eyes. Subaru cast a sad smile to his cousin.
"My greatest sin and failing, was to have robbed Hokuto-onee-sama from our family."
Hokuto Sumeragi, Subaru's older twin sister, was one of the many victims of the purge that nearly wiped out the Ise priesthood just prior to Britannia's invasion. It spoke volumes of the Sakurazukamori's sadism that he would arrange for what amounted to a murder-suicide between the siblings, had Subaru succumbed to the programming's aftereffects.
"It is not something I can ever atone for, but I will try nonetheless." Subaru then looked at the cardinal. "Do what you must to unravel the Sakurazukamori's secrets. You have my consent to perform whatever experimentation is necessary on my body."
"Subaru-onii-sama!" Kaguya exclaimed, shooting to her feet.
"A penchant for self-sacrifice is not something to be lauded," Lelouch stated firmly before Kaguya could further go off on her cousin. "Much as it may satisfy your own sense of self-worth, you give little reason for those left behind to thank you for it."
"Perhaps so," Subaru responded, "but I would much prefer there be others being left behind than be the one left alone."
"You shouldn't be thinking about either!" Kaguya protested. "With the help that His Eminence has promised, we should be able to get both you and Suzaku-onii-sama cured!"
That was a probabilistic outcome, not a certain one, but Lelouch made no attempt to correct Kaguya.
"Let us set aside the need or desirability of such sacrifice until we have more information," the cardinal said instead. "In the meantime, we will proceed with the expectation that an examination of Mr. Kururugi will bear fruit. Discussions on what to do after can wait until then."
"Very well," Subaru accepted.
Kaguya also gave a firm nod. With the matters more or less settled, the two rose to take their leave, with Kaguya mouthing a grateful thank you before departing. The cardinal himself also rose to return to his desk, and he only just sat down when Lucretia entered.
"Yes?" Lelouch asked, shooting the girl a quizzical look.
"Your Eminence, the Princess Euphemia is rather adamantly requesting permission to visit Mr. Kururugi."
The partial unblocking of Suzaku's memories had left him in a highly volatile state. In addition to the memories surfacing unbidden, the youth described a powerful urge driving him to carry out the same act that resulted in his father's death. With the original victim no longer around however, they were unable to predict exactly what the outcome of these urges might lead to. For this reason, Suzaku was effectively confined to a secured ward in the palace while they tried to figure out what to do with him. And being a secured ward, visitations had to be cleared through the appropriate channels.
The cardinal blinked. "What? Why?"
To say that Lelouch was not paying particularly close attention to his sister's social life at Ashford might not be completely accurate, he did hear bits and pieces from Milly and Euphemia herself when he had occasion to meet either. At the same time, Lelouch made no particular effort to track the exact progress of Euphemia's relationship with her fellow students, which Suzaku arguably was at the end of the day, whatever other responsibilities he had. He knew that the two were acquainted on account of their crossing paths as part of Milly's social circle, but that was as far as Lelouch actually registered things. The natural consequence of this was of course him only now learning the extent to which Euphemia's relationship with Suzaku had advanced, or that such a relationship even existed in the first place. The cardinal was, to put it lightly, not amused.
The security around Suzaku in the palace was, by and large, not terribly intrusive. The guards posted outside generally remained there, only entering when a servant entered to attend to Suzaku. That they kept a hand ready on their sidearm could mostly be excused as an excess of caution. The room itself was split into two, with Suzaku behind a windowed partition. The bed he was on was certainly comfortable enough, and the food several measures better than what MacArthur Base offered. Still, there was no denying that Suzaku was functionally a prisoner. Not that that was necessarily a bad thing, as far as the youth himself was concerned. Within this room, he at least could be kept from harming anyone else.
Because he was more a patient than a prisoner, those entering his room always extended the courtesy of at least knocking beforehand, even if they did not necessarily wait for him to grant permission to enter. Thus Suzaku was generally never taken by surprise when someone did enter. This time though, his eyes widened and his jaw slackened at the sight of the person crossing the threshold. Euphemia wasted little time stepping right up to the windowed partition, pressing a hand against it.
"Suzaku? Are you alright?"
That the first words out of her mouth were out of concern for the youth spoke well of Euphemia's compassion, as well as hinted at her affection. On his part, it was a decidedly mixed set of emotions that Suzaku felt upon seeing Euphemia. Elation, to be sure, for the youth held the princess in similar regard. Fear however was also a major component, especially fear of something happening to the princess.
"You shouldn't be here," Suzaku thus forced himself to say, the pained expression making clear just how hard that was for the youth.
"That's for me to decide," Euphemia said firmly. "So I ask again. Suzaku, are you alright?"
Suzaku's fist tightened. "I-no. I'm not."
"No, you wouldn't be, would you?" Euphemia said softly. "My apologies for even asking that."
"You have nothing to apologize for," Suzaku said, offering a weak smile. "But, you really shouldn't have come. It's not safe, being around me."
"You can't be certain of that-"
"Yes I can!" Suzaku called out, causing the girl to start. He held up a hand, fingers curled as if gripping something. "I keep seeing it, the gun in my hand. Even now. I know I can't possibly be holding one in here, but I still see it. It's like, I can't tell the difference between my memory and the present."
The youth looked back at the window.
"Did you know, I'm armed while on the school campus."
Euphemia took a moment before nodding. The wry smile returned to Suzaku's expression.
"I was charged by His Eminence to help protect those he cares about at the school, so I keep my sidearm with me at all times. That included when we studied together." Suzaku took a deep breath. "If I hadn't blacked out, I don't know what might have happened."
"Nothing would have happened," Euphemia insisted.
Suzaku's gaze momentarily drifted towards the knight standing behind the princess. With Marika there, nothing may well have happened to Euphemia. The princess' knight would certainly have not hesitated to respond with lethal force to keep her charge safe should Suzaku have turned out to be a threat. But that was not the same as nothing happening in general.
"Maybe," Suzaku allowed without elaborating. "But, your safety isn't something that should be left to chance, Euphie. Your Highness."
Euphemia's lips thinned at the courtesy. She had insisted, quite doggedly, even after her debut, even after Marika began accompanying her full-time at Ashford, that those she considered friends should continue to call her by her nickname. It was her way of making clear that, whatever her official station, she did not wish to hold those dear to her at some distant remove. But sometimes, that wish ran straight into the face of practical reality. However Euphemia wanted to treat others, it was undeniable that she was still a princess of the realm, with all the duties, and dangers, that entailed.
"And I could never live with myself if you were hurt because of me," Suzaku added.
"You wouldn't-" Euphemia began reflexively, before shutting her mouth and closing her eyes. She took a deep breath before continuing. "It wouldn't be you that tried to hurt me, Suzaku. I know that with all my heart. So please, don't think that you would, or could."
The way Suzaku regarded her, it was clear the youth so desperately wanted to agree with her words, to believe in them.
"The fact that I'm here," Euphemia continued. "Do you think I would be if Lelouch thought you a danger to me?"
That seemed to actually get through to Suzaku as his eyes widened.
"My brother, he has become a very deliberate person, I've learned," the princess said. "He takes risks, yes, but he isn't reckless. He does what is needed, not what strikes his fancy."
There were a lot of people that would be tempted to argue that point, but most would still concede that at the very least, Lelouch did what he felt was needed. Fancy only very rarely entered in his decisions.
"That he let me visit you, that he let me convince him, isn't just because I nagged at him long enough." Euphemia offered a slight smile. "Though I certainly did do that."
Despite himself, Suzaku found that he could not help but smile back at the princess.
"So please, I ask of you, Suzaku. Whatever hurt you feel, whatever fears eat away at you, don't give up. You're stronger than that, better than that. This is not just my belief, but also Lelouch's, Kaguya's, all your friends at Ashford, and I'm certainly also all the soldiers you work with."
It took notable effort, but when Suzaku raised his hand towards Euphemia, for brief moments, what he saw was his open palm instead of curled fingers around a gun. Euphemia pressed her own palm against the glass, smiling brilliantly at him.
"You will overcome this curse, Suzaku," Euphemia declared, then her form assumed a most regal bearing. "This, I so command."
Suzaku felt his breath catch, enraptured as he was with the sight. Yet at the same time his heart felt the most lightened since memories of his father's death first flooded his senses.
"I will do my utmost, Your Highness," Suzaku answered, then with a slight smile. "Euphie."
The holographic projections activated right on time, showing Lelouch and Cornelia the other attendees of the meetings. Aside from those in Japan, the Emperor Charles and Prince Schneizel were attending from Pendragon, while Prioress Zevon was the lone representative in the Antarctic. That meant there was little in the way of preamble necessary before they got to the matters at hand.
"The gamma ray laser was successfully fired from Fidelity," Schneizel said, "and according to the technicians, beam coherency was sufficient to destroy the test targets."
As evidenced by the images being shown of said targets.
"And how many shots was it able to fire?" Cornelia asked, her eyes almost glistening in anticipation.
"Five," Schneizel answered. "The lasing medium is supposed to be able to perform at least triple that many firings, but considering how much it has cost to put up Fidelity, we don't want to take too many risks with the margins."
Which at over a billion pounds and still counting, was pretty good reason for being careful. Granted most of that was from the cost of launches, which was slowly dropping. The in-development float system based orbital lifter promised to drive it even lower, so building a replacement should the need arise would at least be less exorbitant. Still, it was not unreasonable for the Empire to want to get as much use out of its current space station as it could before that happened.
"Presumably the techs will also want to strip down the module to examine how the system as a whole held up," Lelouch said, "which would require unmounting it and returning it back to Earth."
Schneizel nodded. "That will be the primary purpose of the shuttle launch next month. The actual examination will likely take a bit of time after, so we are looking at a timeframe in the months before final signoff can be done for the production Damocles satellites."
"Months," Cornelia said with a hint of impatience.
The prince cracked a wry smile. "As with any piece of complex technology, it takes time to fully validate the design. And there are other competing demands upon the government's budget."
"Hrmph."
While that might not have been an unequivocal agreement, neither did Cornelia seem interested in arguing the point further. That task was unexpectedly taken up by another.
"Will the timeframe be sufficient to achieve deployment before they are needed?" Lelouch asked. "Recent moves by the Chinese and Russian Federations are suggestive of a genuine mobilization."
Due to the logistical demands of modern warfare, it was simply impossible for a country to mobilize for war unnoticed. The mere act of calling reservists into uniform resulted in a massive hole in manpower of the civilian economy appearing, and with reconnaissance satellites the increased activity at military bases could not go unnoticed. Over the past few months, such telltales were becoming increasingly visible in China and Russia. Their respective governments insisted that they were simply conducting a joint training exercise, to which Britannia retorted with a warning that all of its ballistic missile submarines were out on active patrol. The sheer unambiguity of that statement had caused an absolute uproar, with no small amount of opprobrium being leveled at the Empire by the other powers. At the same time, the genuine fear of nuclear escalation was seeing Russia come under a significant amount of criticism from its fellow EU members. That by itself was not going to measurably deter the Russians if they were determined to cast their lot with the heretics, but it might stall them long enough for Britannia to get Damocles deployed. Once that happened, nuclear deterrence stopped being as such, in theory at least.
"Probably not," Schneizel stated frankly, clearly as unhappy as everyone else at that prospect. "If we're lucky, we might be able to buy another six months, but the Chinese and Russians will almost certainly be ready to launch offenses against Japan before then."
Lelouch tapped his fingers against his temple. "With the divisions that are scheduled to arrive next month, Honshu at least should be beyond either China or Russia's ability to seize. Hokkaido is a bit chancier, unless further reinforcements are forthcoming. Kyushu, I have contingencies in place." The cardinal shrugged. "Still, the best outcome remains convincing the Chinese and Russians to abort their intended offensives."
"Were it so easy," Cornelia said with a grunt.
"Actually, we are making headway in regards to that," Schneizel said. "Any attack by the Chinese and Russians will almost certainly use as pretext Japan's liberation. Remove that justification, and it becomes more difficult politically for them to launch their invasions."
"The Special Administration Act," Lelouch said.
"Precisely," Schneizel nodded. "Another month, maybe two, and I should be able to get it through the Lords. The Commons has already passed voted through their version of it."
"Are we really expecting that to convince the Chinese and Russians to back off?" Cornelia asked, clearly dubious of the notion.
"China, probably not," Schneizel said. "The nature of their government means its leadership is more inured to the demands of public opinion. The Russians however are a democracy, and while its people can be cajoled into a sufficiently justified war, that justification becomes much more difficult if its own allies don't buy in. Thanks to Lelouch, we obtained the opening necessary to make sufficient diplomatic inroads with the other European nations that they're willing to publicly sit out this conflict."
Winning that concession had come at a not insignificant cost, both in terms of diplomatic and economic favors. The increased sakuradite quotas that Lelouch had granted Cardinal Lorenzo was only the start. Further concessions on Britannia's part involved the honoring of European economic interests in the conquered Middle East, the acceptance of repatriated refugees from the region that had flooded into Europe during the war, and a few other items of such nature. None of them were individually unbearable by the Empire, but cumulatively a significant cost was still being exacted.
"If we can constrain the conflict to just China, it will have been worth it," Lelouch stated.
"No argument there," Schneizel said. "Still, that does depend a bit on whether the heretics have been able to infiltrate the Russian government to the same extent they have the Chinese. Or had with the Japanese. Lest we forget, Japan was also a democracy, and its leaders were played so badly that they careened into a war with Britannia whatever their actual intentions."
"Yes, there is that," Lelouch said rather moodily. "Rooting them out is going to be an arduous and expensive proposition no matter what."
"Especially if one side miscalculates their odds," Schneizel said. "Of course, if we possessed some sort of strategic edge which was so overwhelming as to make such miscalculation impossible…"
Cornelia gave a snort. "If only we were that lucky."
Lelouch however regarded his brother with narrowed eyes. His gaze however eventually shifted over to Olivia.
"Prioress, what news on the Guren adaptations for deployment in a thermonuclear device?" he asked.
A gurgling sound escaped Cornelia as she too made the inference Lelouch had already arrived at.
"The simulations have been completed," Olivia answered without waiting for anyone to grant her permission to do so, "and it does indeed seem possible for the Guren gamma ray laser to act as a trigger for a pure fusion warhead. The calculated yield is capable of reaching gigatons in range."
The room fell deathly silent save for the very slight interference in the digital audio. A seeming eternity passed before Schneizel broke it.
"I suppose I should not have bothered with such circumspection," the prince said. "And as for your other question, the estimate is six months. That is how long In Vogue thinks it would take them to design and build a prototype, assuming the appropriate compute time can be made available in Eden Vital's thought elevators."
Six months. Six months to build a weapon of mass destruction that would eclipse anything that had come before it. And not because of its sheer destructive capacity, which was already monumental. What really set a pure fusion weapon apart from its more primitive thermonuclear brethren was the fact that its detonation did not leave behind the longstanding nuclear contamination caused by the fission first stages in those designs. Sure there was radiation, but it was extremely short-lived by comparison. As such, not only did pure fusion weapons represent an order of magnitude greater destructive power, they also removed one of the biggest impediments to employment of such power. If Britannia obtained such a weapon, the mutually assured destruction principle that nuclear deterrence relied upon would be completely obliviated. That would certainly be an overwhelming strategic edge, but it was so overwhelming that panicked leaders might decide they were outright past the point of no return, that if they didn't use their own nuclear arsenals now, then everything was lost anyway.
"Eden Vital will perform whatever computation is requested of us," Olivia said with almost eerie serenity. "It is the Britannian government that chooses how to slice up its allocated compute time."
Even Cornelia was looking alarmed at the prospect of such a weapon becoming reality. Yes she was a soldier, but the princess was not interested in wholesale slaughter, which was all such a weapon was good for. Or at least threatening it.
"If Britannia actually employed such a weapon against either China or Russia, every concession we've won from the EU will go out the window," Lelouch stated flatly. "So far the other European nations have been willing to be bribed because they don't view the Empire as an existential threat. If we not only develop but put into active service a pure fusion weapon, that will change immediately."
"Are they not likely to think the same about Damocles?" Schneizel responded levelly. "The full constellation would have total global coverage and would be capable of downing any ICBMs launched anywhere in the world. The moment we reveal our hand, any strategic analyst worthy of the title would recognize that the current system of nuclear deterrence is at an end."
Not to mention provide orbital fire support against other terrestrial bound targets, but that was a slightly different strategic equation being upended.
"A weapon designed to eliminate the feasibility of nuclear Armageddon is slightly different from a weapon that reduces the long-term costs associated with killing millions of people," Lelouch said somewhat caustically. "A terrestrially deployed pure fusion warhead can serve no other purpose than as a city-killer."
That was not hyperbole either. With how dense many cities these days were, a gigaton explosion really could kill millions.
"That is certainly true enough," Schneizel conceded. "But demonstrating Britannia's possession of such a weapon and our restraint in not employing it can provide a substantial measure of credibility as well." The edge of Schneizel's lips curled into what might generously be construed a smile. "They would after all be heavily invested in ensuring our restraint held."
Cornelia looked back and forth between her two brothers. On account of her proximity to Lelouch these past few months, it had slipped her mind that the sibling with the greatest predilection for ruthless pragmatism was Schneizel. That was not to say Schneizel was particularly bloodthirsty either. Or even callous. As a brother, he treated his family with genuine affection, and as a leader he did try to do good by those that followed him. But where others might at least hesitate to make a hard call, Schneizel would not even bat an eye. Time spent hemming and hawing was, in Schneizel's estimation, time better spent dealing with the next unfolding problem, or cleaning up after the current one. In that regard, Schneizel and Lelouch were quite similar. The cardinal however was willing to spend a bit more time offering counsel to those impacted by his decision, so he remained but a close second to Schneizel's decisiveness, for better or ill. For now at least.
"The value of this weapon is evident enough," Charles spoke up for the first time this meeting, "as are its inherent dangers. Schneizel, I am appointing Beatrice to provide oversight of this development program. She is to be given complete access. Olivia, any computation requests pertaining to this program must be signed off by Beatrice. Any attempts to submit such requests without her approval is to be reported."
"Understood, Your Majesty," Olivia promptly acceded.
After a moment Schneizel too dipped his head deferentially. "By your command, Your Majesty."
Cornelia almost felt a shudder run down her spine at the mention of that name. If there was one person that could be trusted to hold a tight rein on Schneizel, even more tightly than his own father, it would have to be his mother. Even Lelouch looked mollified, maybe even a bit self-satisfied, at such a prospect. There might also have been a little bit of sympathy, it was hard to tell.
Beatrice el Britannia nee Franks was a stern woman, whose high standards well explained the competency demonstrated by her eldest son. In addition to her position as an empress, she also held the title of imperial auditor, a general troubleshooting position that was accountable to the emperor and no one else. That put her at the nexus of a whole range of governmental affairs, and woe unto anyone that Beatrice found falling short of their duties, never mind the hammer she would bring down, figuratively at times, on anyone guilty of actual criminality. If she was overseeing the pure fusion weapon program, that would be as near a guarantee as any that no one would be misusing the fruits of that program. Out of all the empresses she was also for some reason or another the one that dotted upon Lelouch the most aside from his own mother.
"If that matter is settled," Schneizel continued, "we should attend to the last item on the agenda." The prince's gaze shifted over to Lelouch. "It is my understanding that you have uncovered greater detail of how the Japanese heretics were able to partially decapitate the Japanese government during the Empire's invasion."
"One of the means, at least," Lelouch said. "It is still too early to say just how similar the Sakurazukamori's methods are to the other mental interference geasses we have encountered, but we should have some more information once we can examine in greater detail the victims we've found."
"We have received your requisition request here at the Citadel," Olivia said. "Approval should be forthcoming soon, hopefully."
Lelouch raised an eyebrow. "Hopefully?"
"The grandmaster is somewhat preoccupied training Leila," Olivia said apologetically, "and the need to conduct her augmentation places a simultaneous demand on some of the same resources you require in Japan."
"There is no helping that," Lelouch said. "Expedite as you are able to, I at least want to be able to implement countermeasures before hostilities commence."
"As you say," Olivia said.
"That is all I have to report on the matter," Lelouch concluded. "There has simply not been further opportunity to gather more information."
"A shame," Schneizel said, "but that cannot be helped. If there are no further matters?"
The look he cast was in the emperor's direction, with Charles' nod serving as a dismissal. The attendees from Pendragon disappeared and Cornelia herself made to rise, but Olivia remained projected while Lelouch also made no move to leave.
"The prioress and I have some internal matters to discuss," Lelouch said in response to Cornelia's quizzical look.
The princess seemed to consider whether she should say anything further but quickly reconsidered. It was not as if her brother would actually divulge anything Eden Vital related merely to satiate her curiosity. And as expected, Lelouch and Olivia waited until the doors closed before beginning.
"The Order Sabine has completed their comparative analysis of Mr. Kururugi's neurological telemetry with our reference samples," Olivia said, "and determined there to be little correlation. Whatever method the Sakurazukamori is using to program his proxies, it is decidedly different than what V.V. does to manipulate his puppets."
Lelouch stroked his chin. "I see. I can't decide whether that is good news or bad."
"More on the bad side," Olivia cautioned, "as we have at least developed less intrusive means of detecting those under its effect."
"Considering what needed to be done to develop said methods, let us hope the Sakurazukamori's technique is more easily detectable," Lelouch said somewhat acidly. "I just got done berating Mr. Sumeragi about being overly eager for self-sacrifice, I have no wish to actually call upon that willingness."
"And neither do we," Olivia assured him. "We all recognize the, relatively uncomplicated ethical quandary that we faced in how Luciano Bradley was dealt with."
Of course even a relatively uncomplicated ethical question was by no means simple. When an incapacitated Luciano was discovered at the New York thought elevator, obviously having succumbed to V.V.'s geass and used by the rogue cardinal to enable his escape, the question facing the authorities, and Eden Vital, was what to do with the knight. Attempting to treat him was the most obvious option, limited as Eden Vital's ability was at the time. Except Luciano's reputation was such that some found it possible to contemplate an alternate course of action, to use him instead to better understand the effects of V.V.'s geass, regardless of whatever ramifications this might have on the knight himself.
The debate had been heated, as despite Luciano being fairly widely disliked, he was still a human being. The one that ultimately settled the deadlock was the Emperor Charles, by unsealing the records of Luciano's various criminal acts while ostensibly on duty and having the man court-martialed in absentia by a military tribunal. The charges were serious enough to warrant a death sentence, and with the disgraced knight a cadaver in the making anyway, the method of execution became somewhat moot. Even so, it was probably a good thing that the destructive scan of Luciano's body did turn up a myriad of useful new information. Otherwise the discomfort some felt at the man's less than pleasant execution might have proven more difficult to reconcile.
In the end however, Eden Vital had learned quite a bit more about how V.V.'s geass functioned at a technical level. One major telltale was a foreign signal propagating through a person's nervous system, effectively hijacking and overriding the commands that the victim's own brain would send out. The victim was effectively locked in, unable to do anything save watch as their body performed acts not of their volition. That experience alone was naturally extremely traumatic, even setting aside whatever it was V.V. ordered his pawn to do. Thanks to this knowledge however, Eden Vital had been able to develop a set of filters that when applied against someone's EEG or ECoG readings could actually detect this rogue signal. Their solution for dissipating it was even easier, as simulations indicated a strong enough electric shock run through a person's body should destabilize and dissipate it. In other words, shooting someone with a taser or a stun gun should free them. And all this learned at the cost of a single less than ethically admirable knight.
"There was one correlation discovered however when the Order Sabine did a wider search," Olivia said. "When Mr. Kururugi's neurological telemetry was compared with those gathered from the Glaston Knights after the Lake Kawaguchi, there was a correlation just above the noise threshold."
Lelouch frowned. "That low? And if Lake Kawaguchi is involved, are we certain it's not something related to that contractor that muddled their perceptions?"
"We cannot be certain," Olivia freely admitted. "For all we know it was the attempt by that contractor to manipulate perceptions that started the process of unraveling Mr. Kururugi's mental blockage."
"Let us not devolve into outright speculation," Lelouch said. "If we have no concrete proof one way or another, let Sabine find evidence before we spin yet more untestable hypotheses."
"As you wish," Olivia said. "Other than that, no further developments have occurred in the investigation. We will need more data and ultimately more time."
Time, something that they were rapidly running out of. At least in this particular matter what they risked losing was only a useful tool, not a critical dependency. If the outcome was only a cause for regret, in light of everything else that they risked losing, the cardinal could live with that.
End of Chapter 51
Slight tweak, li Britannia should be third wife instead of second.
Overall, another interesting chapter for me to work on, I think. Weaving the X/1999 characters and narrative beats into this story has been going far better than I originally envisioned. I was actually afraid those characters might go underutilized. That may still happen with the bad guys, mainly because I haven't been able to find the time to more fully explore them, but things are building up nicely to what will be my R1 climax.
Well, now all of you know what happened to Luciano Bradley. Originally I had intended for him to develop into a background threat, but as I did more of the worldbuilding, it became apparent that the Britannian characters as I had written them would have never tolerated the prospective danger he represented, knowing what they did of V.V.'s abilities. And they were also ruthless enough to have offed Luciano in order to examine his brain to better understand V.V.'s power. Arguably had I wanted Luciano to reappear as an actual threat, I should have had V.V. take him with him when he escaped. Consider this my conclusion that I won't need Luciano for any future roles I envision needing filled in my story.