Throne of Glass
I'm really excited for the future of this story. I've got plans for it, and it's gonna be good. So here's another chapter so we might actually get there someday.
To anyone who was wondering, Leilia will play a part in events involving the EU, but not much beyond that.
Chapter 5: Like Father Like Son
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The travel between the European Union and Area Eleven was one of the longest flights one could take. And that trip was more than enough time to formulate a detailed plan for the EU's future. The council of forty presented a difficult obstacle to overcome. There was no one particular person to take control over, and democracy made it difficult to hold a knife to their backs. However, Malcal was a start, a very good one in Lelouch's opinion. The man had offered Lelouch a foot hold in the empire's biggest opponent. Had Lelouch owed alliance or loyalty to Britannia, this would have been the beginning of the end for the EU. But of course he didn't, except that foot hold was still going to end them anyway.
Lelouch was only beginning to place the noose around their necks. It may be years before it was firmly pressed against their skin, but he was patient. And the EU was only a means to an end, and not even the primary path to that end. He would use what he was given, and the council of forty was giving him their union on a platter. In exchange for Ganymede knightmare frames. But even that was only the long term effects. In the present, knightmares would make the EU a more challenging threat to Britannia. And a stronger EU meant Britannia would have to commit more supplies to that war effort. Supplies Lelouch would sell. And on top of that, the more focus spent in Europe equaled less attention in Area Eleven. War economics.
All that came down to when Lelouch would be able to accept Senator Malcal's invitation. Lelouch had told Malcal he would be unable to for quite some time. While their was truth to that, it was also true that he could always throw more equipment into the tunneling effort. He projected a thirty percent increase of Sakuradite output upon its completion in less than a month. Drilling one hundred and fifty miles of tunnels took a long time. Especially when the Tokyo settlement was right between Fuji and Narita. Of course every other mile of tunneling was through ghettos and ruined cities. Only Tokyo; Osaka and Fukuoka had been made into Britannian settlements. And the three cities were all connected through above ground monorail systems. Which completely abandoned Japan's old subway system. Something Lelouch did not hesitate to exploit when planning the tunnel route. Even still, with the EU adding a fifth more to his demand, that thirty could go straight to new factories in Germany. But in the meantime, he would let them sit in their greed and eagerness to get a production line closer to home.
"Master Lelouch?"
Lelouch yawned, and closed the ledger he had been looking at while thinking. He looked up at Sayoko, who had taken to calling him by his real name in light of their company.
"Yes Sayoko?" He responded to his unofficial personal attendant.
"Are their any plans for Senator Malcal I should be making preparations for?" She asked.
And that was the reason he kept her around so much. He hardly found himself giving instruction or explaining things. She took care of things herself and took the initiative on everything else. And there were her other skill sets he took an interest to as well. The thirty seventh successor of the Shinozaki school of martial arts was aptly suited for tasks beyond those of an assistant or 'maid.' After the annexation of Japan, the Ashford family purchased the land the Shinozaki Dojo resided on, by Lelouch's request. Her employment by the Kururugis had initially introduced him to the sixteen year old master of martial arts. And her attitude toward him, along with the kindness she showed brought him to save her family home when Britannia came to tear it down. So the dojo now sits on privately owned land business men that came to Area Eleven can't touch. Sayoko was grateful to the young exile for that. She spent three years by his side and found that she took a liking to him. His desire for revenge stemmed from his love for the family he lost. She was the last member of her family; her parents and siblings having been killed in the war with Britannia. Then Lelouch went and preserved the last thing she had to remember them by. Her home. So of course she would stay by his side, because she knew why he was doing this. More so than anyone else, she believed. And if he ever asked to learn the arts she was the last to know, she would allow it. Lelouch sought after strength to keep the things he cared about from being taken away again. And she was the same, because she cared about him, and she would protect him.
Lelouch shook his head, with a small smile. "I will take Malcal's offer in time, but we won't be speaking with them for some time."
Sayoko nodded. She felt more then anything a sense of importance next to Lelouch. When she was fifteen, she completed her training with her father. The youngest to ever do so. They all believed her too be to immature, too young to accomplish anything. That was the reason she was left out when her family went to war. But Lelouch proved that wrong. A thirteen year old boy who controlled the most valuable weapons industry in the world.
And he showed her that she could do the same.
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Tokyo Settlement Imperial Airport; 2013 ATB
With keen observant eyes, a young man stepped out of a private plane to meet the assembled group of both privileged nobility and necessary military individuals. He glanced over each of them a moment, noting faces he recognized while running a hand through his cravat. Reaching the bottom of the steps, he was met by a collective bow by each person present.
"Your highness." Was there acknowledgement. Prince Clovis la Britannia had arrived in Area Eleven.
Asprius Bartley stepped forward to greet him. "Your highness has arrived just in time to oversee the final details of the Viceroy's villa in the government building. I have made preparations to begin inviting guests for your arrival celebration Viceroy."
Clovis responded with a nod. He had designed the palace himself, of course he would see to it the building was completed to meet his expectations. One could not expect a prince of the realm to make due with anything but the finest. "I want every man and woman of importance in Area Eleven to attend. There are a great deal of powerful people who have taken to venture here, I want to meet them all."
"Of course, your highness." Bartley promptly responded, falling behind the prince as he strode to an awaiting vehicle that would bring him to the government building.
"I'd like you to take particular measures to insure Lord Ashford attends. I've taken an interest in his business, and would rather like to make an ally of him." Clovis continued.
"I will make sure he is personally invited your highness." Bartley responded, dutifully opening the door to the Prince's personal transport.
Clovis then stepped into the privacy of his car. He breathed a sigh of apprehension. Obtaining viceroyship of Area Eleven had been an arduous task. But it would all be worth it. Lord Ashford may hold some clues to the answers he had been seeking. And here, in the last place he had been, there had to be something. He refused to believe Lelouch was killed in the war. It was impossible. Somehow, he knew his younger brother lived. He was a prince of the empire; the will to survive, and to thrive was etched in his bones.
Somehow, somewhere, Clovis would find him.
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Narita Mountians; 2013 ATB
An unmarked private plane began its descent into what was supposed to be an uninhabited mountain range. Due to Britannia's lack of air coverage in areas not surrounding a Britannian settlement, the plane was able to fly south into the mountains, avoiding any confrontation with air control. It landed in a mostly underground air strip dug into the mountain side. From above, it was nearly invisible.
Lelouch had made numerous other enhancements to the Narita base, including the run way and an extensive hangar that would ultimately store Sakuradite reserves and later knightmares. Narita was a primary base of operations, and one Lelouch would invest in throughout his preparations.
As the plane came to a stop, large hangar doors closed out the natural light behind them. Sayoko turned to find Lelouch asleep in his chair, his small frame curled in the the seat. He looked so young and innocent, and she found it hard to believe that he was in such powerful position. Or that he was so innocent. Sitting there, she realized just how young Lelouch vi Britannia actually was.
She nudged Lelouch, gently waking him. "Master Lelouch. We've arrived."
He stirred slightly, opening his eyes. He always slept lightly, a permanent side affect of the weeks he spent in a war zone; plagued with nightmares. Sayoko actually found it surprising the landing didn't wake him up.
He slowly rose from his seat, quickly rubbing the jet lag out of his eyes.
"General Katase wishes to speak with you as soon as you are able. When shall I inform him you will be coming?" Sayoko said following behind him.
Lelouch stepped out of the plane and into the mostly empty hangar. It was only recently complete, and he had yet to acquire enough resources to fill it. "Let's go see him now. Get that over with."
Sayoko nodded. "Very well, I will notify him."
Lelouch made his way to the end of the hangar, Sayoko on a communicator with the general's assistant behind him. He didn't know what the general might have wanted that required such urgency. Unless it was news regarding the expansions, or the tunnel. There was nothing he couldn't have already known already.
They passed by several soldiers or maintenance crew on their way to the access tunnels, most of which gave Lelouch one negative look or another. He didn't really care, and generally ignored them every time he came to Narita.
"Look at that brat, prancing around like he owns the place. Sucking up to everyone just to get in power."
Lelouch scoffed at the passing comment. The Ashfords actually did own Narita. He purchased the land for a private vacation area. Even built a nice cabin in the side of the mountain. But even that was very little compared to what he really did own. He felt no need to correct them, nor did he want to.
"Where do you think he learned it? How else does a commoner get to be empress of Britannia."
Lelouch stopped dead. He walked toward the man who had spoken, his crystal clear face masking absolute rage. The man looked at him with an amused grin. "what're you looking at? Brat." He added on the insult, talking down to him as if he were superior. A big mistake.
Without warning, Lelouch's hand flew toward the man. A knife suddenly plunged into his neck, wiping the man's grin from his face instantly. "I don't want to hear another word out of your mouth." Lelouch growled, his eyes burning holes through the man's stunned face. "Are we clear?"
The man gurgled in response, clutching his throat while gasping for air.
"Good." Lelouch said with a sadistic smile. The Japanese soldier collapsed, landing in a pool of already spreading blood. Lelouch looked at his sprawling body with disdain, wiping the blood from his hands with a handkerchief given by Sayoko, who acted completely undisturbed by what happened.
"You fucking bastard!"
Lelouch glanced toward the second soldier, who had been watching with frozen horror. He came at Lelouch with a running punch; all too easy for him to push away. He buried his fist into the man's gut, knocking the air out of him. He then swung his foot around in an axe kick onto his head, flinging him into the ground. His dazed eyes were instantly filled with fear when he saw the boy was not going to end there. He desperately looked for someone to help him, meeting the cold hostile gaze of Sayoko before realizing that he had in fact made a huge mistake.
"That's enough!"
Lelouch jumped, turning to find who had shouted at him. "S-sensei." Lelouch dropped the second knife he was carrying, and faced Todoh.
"What is going on here?" Todoh demanded, eyeing the now dead man on the floor.
"He insulted my mother. I defended her dignity in her place." He answered, showing no guilt as he stood level with his teacher.
"You took that way too far Lelouch, this is not how you defend your family's honor. Even if that's the case. There will be consequences. How do you plan on earning their respect by killing them?" Todoh berated Lelouch, dragging him away from the slowly growing crowd.
"I don't need their respect. Only to do what I tell them to." Lelouch responded, not batting an eye.
"Control through fear and power." Todoh spoke. "Sound a lot like your father."
Lelouch stumbled, eyes wide. He mumbled with a hateful look while attempting to discredit the connection. No, never would he be like his father. That wasn't true. And yet... "I...you're right." He admitted, letting go of his pride.
He would never be like his father.
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"Would you care to explain why one of our men died in this mountain?"
Lelouch wasn't surprised that Katase already knew about what he had done. But either way, he wasn't afraid of the consequences. He had an excuse, and even a bit of immunity. Katase liked him, and more importantly needed him. The right words would sweep this under the rug before the man was even buried. To top it all off it sent a message, a message that he was not to be messed with. He was glad the second one ended up alive, he had first hand knowledge that Lelouch could end them without much as blinking.
"Like I told Todoh, he insulted my mother, so I challenged him. I will admit that I took it too far. However, my true family is very dear to me, and I will not allow anyone to slander their names."
Japanese held to familial honor more than their own lives. Katase understood that, and understood Lelouch's intentions. He gave a small nod. "I will not take action for this offense. But I cannot say the same for everyone else. Let their scorn be your punishment."
Lelouch bowed before jumping at a sudden outburst.
"You're letting him go?!" Kusakabe shouted. "You have to do something about this!"
"Enough Kusakabe." Katase replied. "He was partly justified in his action. Surely you would have done the same. I will hear no more of it. This was not the reason I brought our friend here."
Kusakabe's mouth hung open, as if to object, before he sat down defeated. Lelouch cast a discreet glare at him. That man...is very annoying.
"Like I said, there is a far greater reason you are here." Katase continued. "We have news from Kyoto."
Lelouch tensed, ready for the worst. Instead, the older man smiled. "The Fuji tunneling team has uncovered a vein of Sakuradite bigger than anything in Japan save Fuji itself."
Lelouch blinked. "I'm sorry?"
"We have our own Sakuradite vein." He clarified.
Lelouch's mouth twitched into a wide grin. He began laughing almost maniacally. "So fate chose my side for once? How big is it?" He asked with an out of place childish excitement.
"We haven't fully determined that yet." Kusakabe explained. "They found it only yesterday. Likely when you just taking off. But it's big enough for anything you could imagine using it for."
Lelouch's face instantly became an inquisitive expression. "Yes, what to do with it." He began pacing the room, all eyes upon him. "As I see it, there are two major options. One: we keep the vein a secret, and use its ore to build our own knightmares. Or two, go public with it."
Katase frowned. "Why would you go public?"
"Our enemies have began to question where our supply of Sakuradite comes from, mainly Camelot. While the nobles are quick to defend us, it's true that we really shouldn't have access to so much Sakuradite. that's quickly becoming the biggest blockade to our expansion. If we were to publicly claim this vein, we would be able to expand to where we need to be for our future plans."
Katase nodded, along with most of the leaders present.
"Wouldn't it be strange though." Todoh spoke up. "If you were to suddenly find a massive supply of Sakuradite?"
Lelouch shrugged. "It's just as miraculous either way. Digging a tunnel or buying a random plot of land. No one can say otherwise."
"It's absurd you would even think about telling Britannia!" Kusakabe finally voiced an objection. Lelouch rolled his eyes at him. Truly an annoying man.
"I have the perfect reason for our excavation. One that will help in our public relations as well." Lelouch' grinned again. "This is what we'll do."
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"Lelouch!"
Lelouch came to his private quarters almost completely exhausted. The sleep he caught on the plane had been all he had since arriving in Europe almost two days ago. He was a bit too young to be pulling those kind of hours. Even still, it was a welcome sight to find Suzaku waiting there for him.
"I haven't seen you in months, you're always somewhere else." Suzaku said.
"You should come with me some time then." Lelouch offered.
"I'm sure I'd just be a distraction." Suzaku replied. Lelouch shook his head. Suzaku would be a welcome addition to his trips. "Not at all."
Lelouch fell onto a plain bed pushed into the corner of the small room. Certainly not as accommodating as his mansion.
"I heard about what happened earlier."
Lelouch looked up. Suzaku was the only one he could feel guilt over something like that. The very same guilt he felt over killing his friend's father. Even still, that was a quickly passing feeling.
"You and I both hate our fathers, but I still do love my mother. I guess I might be able to understand. Just a little." Suzaku said, looking down at the floor.
"I acted foolishly." Lelouch replied, choosing to be honest.
"That's surprising." Suzaku commented.
Lelouch frowned. "Huh?"
"You admitting to your mistakes. You're too stubborn." Suzaku explained.
Lelouch folded his arms, acting defensively. "You're stubborn too."
"Yeah, we both are."
The two of them sat in silence a moment, Lelouch grateful for a moment of peace.
"I've been thinking a while." Suzaku spoke up. "I want to do something, to be something. You have a vision and a goal to accomplish. I don't even know what kind of life I want to live. You're off practically conquering the world, and here I am playing in some hole in a rock." He flex he'd his fist, his face determined. "But I think I know now what it is I can do, what I'm meant for."
Lelouch sat up, giving his friend a puzzled look. In response Suzaku sunk to one knee in front of him, and placed a hand over his chest. "I do hereby swear fealty to Lelouch vi Britannia. Let thy word by my law. Let me be thy sword and shield for thy desires. Thou art my lord, till my dying breath."
Lelouch junped to his feet, thoroughly shocked. "You memorized the Knights oath?" All except the part about loyalty to the crown. A fitting omission.
"You may not consider yourself a prince anymore, but I will be your knight." Suzaku answered, head still bowed. "I will be your voice for Japan. Through me, the people will do as you command."
Lelouch stared at his only friend. Yes, Suzaku was his friend. And here he was pledging his allegiance, as a knight. "Suzaku...I-"
"Let me do this Lelouch. Let me have purpose." Suzaku interrupted, almost pleading.
Lelouch smiled. He didn't have to manipulate Suzaku into doing this, he didn't want to. But he almost felt like he was. When the two first met, and all the way up until the weeks they spent in war torn Japan; he hated Suzaku. He hated him almost as much as his father. He was stubborn, arrogant, prideful, competitive, impulsive-and so much like himself.
And that's why he liked him so much. Under some other circumstance, they might have been genuine friends. But Lelouch had only one reason to do anything. And friendship was nothing in sight of that goal. He wasn't doing it for Suzaku, he was doing it for himself.
"I dub thee, Sir Suzaku Kururugi."