Watching the small Chinese fleet in the distance, watching another much larger fleet moving westward to their location, knowing an attack would be imminent the moment the two forces linked up and arranged into a single, organised fighting force.
Naturally this was the ideal time for her dear younger brother to call to discuss the situation. "I am fighting your war, Clovis. As you can imagine it has rendered me rather busy." She did want to speak with him. Rather, interrogate him on what exactly he was playing at, interfering in her affairs with some up-jumped numbers. But this was not the time. "Say your piece and be done. I have a battle to win."
"And I'm sure you will, dear Cornelia, just as you always do," Clovis answered in his typical slippery courtier fashion. "And in the end I believe you will thank me for getting in touch. It so happens I have gained some rather vital intelligence on the enemy. Or rather, my informant has."
"Your informant..." In these circumstances, the Witch of Britannia had no doubts about who that might be. "You trust its accuracy?"
"In this instance I wouldn't presume to discern that. The source has been consistently reliable thus far, but the information does after all revolve around military affairs and that is your purview. And being that it is your purview, I of course trust your discerning opinion a great deal more than my own, dear sister."
"Save your flattery for those who care for it. What is this intelligence?"
"One moment," the local viceroy begged, glancing away from the camera. "I am afraid I am only the intermediary in this instance. He wishes to discuss the matter with you directly."
What in the world? Was Clovis acting as a secretary for this supposed informant? Though, if he had not facilitated this directly, Cornelia would likely have been unwilling to entertain it. Especially given who she expected to greet her when next the screen showed a face.
Or rather, not a face. "A pleasure to meet you at last, Britannian Goddess of Victory." A mask. Plain. Featureless. Though it did not cover his neck at all, allowing Cornelia to recognise the pale and slight pink skin tone of a man of northern European descent. Certainly not Japanese as she expected. Nor was the accent. Yet he called her Britannian before anything else.
"The proper term of respect is 'your highness', or 'General'," she chided him flatly. "And you would be?"
"Prince Clovis knows me as Eleven."
"Of course he does. And yet you are clearly not. Even so, I'm sure you consider the moniker amusing, given your activities of late. Eleven, leader of Elevens."
"I have little time for amusement as it stands," the masked man said, despite the amusement in his voice. "Neither do you. You are of course aware of an imminent attack on Fukuoka Military Base."
"Say how little time we have, and then waste time on what we both know?" the Britannian General asked, her imperious frown not quite reaching the depth of a scowl. "Convey your supposed vital intelligence and be done with it."
The head tilted a little to the side. "Li Xingke intends to complete his objectives in this battle. First, by attacking Fukuoka with almost the full weight of the Federation fleet. Second, by removing his ineffective superior, General Cao, so that he is free to act on his own remit in pursuing this war further."
Li Xingke. It was not a name she had known before Stadtfeld gave her report. A capable pilot in an attempt at a seventh generation frame. Which factor caused him to fail to defeat her was unknown, but his stratagem that defanged the Eleven rogues and put the Lancelot out of commission showed he was some level of shrewd. Cao on the other hand, she had heard of. A respected officer within the Federation, if one with very few notable military achievements. "And you came to this information, how?"
"Because he is goading me into doing his dirty work with means very conveniently provided to approach the command ship, without raising an alert." A bold claim. Though it had been noted a ship had detached from the main fleet. Cornelia had assumed it was an attempt to sow chaos on the route between Britannia's main strongholds. "A chance to remove the leader of their forces, or so he would have us believe. In truth, the frog would have us kill the scorpion so he may cross the river in peace."
A half moment to parse the metaphor. The scorpion being Cao, a malicious commanding officer that hurt their efforts to secure victory, and a subordinate who believed, perhaps even correctly, that he could do better without such interference. "And what are your intentions?" A question only asked as it would be another factor she would need to plan around in her own battle strategy. She didn't care in the slightest whether this Eleven was a fool or not.
"To take him up on it, of course," the fool answered, hands raised in a self-aggrandising pose. "After all, it may be a ploy, but if you and I both succeed in our objectives, the unifying leadership of the Federation command will be destroyed in one battle."
"Our objectives."
"Do you mean to imply killing or capturing the enemy commander is not your objective? To say nothing of seizing the prototype knightmare he will once again be taking into battle." And there was some actionable intelligence, if it proved to be accurate. "He intends to come for you. After all, removing the leadership is just as viable a strategy for him as it is for us. The force defending Fukuoka is largely made up of your own forces brought here from your previous campaign. There is a good chance they would die for you before dying for this land. It makes you a particular vulnerability in this battle even beyond the usual expectation of removing the commander."
He underestimated the resolve of her men. They were loyal, but they were soldiers, not bodyguards. And further, "Do not imply we are on the same side," she reprimanded him.
"Oh, we are," he insisted, a sinister edge in his tone, "For now, at least. This land must be protected. We may not be alike in ideals, but we are alike in our goals. At least on this matter." Her terminal indicated the receipt of several files. "I'm sending all of the intelligence on their plans that we have gleaned so that you might use it. If possible, I would recommend the Lancelot be deployed."
"Oh." A suspicion that hadn't been acknowledged in her mind suddenly came to the forefront. "You would."
If he noticed, he said nothing. "I would. By all indications, this will be an all-or-nothing gambit. As you can see in those files, Xingke intends to overwhelm with force as much as cunning tactics. Even should it be deemed unnecessary, and the Lancelot sits waiting in the wings through the entire battle, having that unit kept in reserve when she has defeated the Shen-Hu once already seems a reasonable precaution." There was a superiority in his voice. A certainty that he was correct, that any objection she had would have no merit beyond disliking or distrusting him. And in an attempt to prove it, "You disagree?"
Cornelia li Britannia did not achieve the success she had by creeping around the unspoken. "What is your connection to Stadtfeld?" she asked directly.
"Gratitude for saving my people, naturally," the masked figure answered. "And admiration for such a capable pilot. If we are to defend these islands and the people on them, we will need people like her." He raised a hand in a wave. "I'm certain you have planning to do, and so I will wish you strength and luck in the coming battle. Farewell, Goddess of Victory. We will meet again."
The connection ended. On the screen, the files that had been sent by Clovis' benefactor or spy or whatever their true relationship was.
"Shall I raise Prince Clovis again, your highness?" Guilford asked.
"No." Instead, she pulled up one of the files that had been sent over. One labelled 'source'. A video file of an interrogation. The subject, a woman with dark hair tied tightly back, her features distinctly east Asian, her dress Federation military. The few minutes she watched, it seemed quite legitimate. A woman begging asylum in Area Eleven, yet 'Eleven' claimed he had seen through her deception already. Or at least her superior's deception. What did that mean? Was it a genuine attempt to defect, but one that Xingke had noticed and elected to use for his own ends? It would take more time than she had to determine the truth if she wanted to finish the battle plans and organisation of her forces.
"Guilford. Go through this information for me and prepare to condense it for me. Treat it with the utmost secrecy."
"Yes, your highness."
Her cape flared as she turned, leaving her knight behind to do his duty, in this case saving precious time going through those files for her to pull out the relevant parts. Meanwhile... There was a matter that suddenly required her attention.
Kallen Stadtfeld was an officer, and so she had been assigned officer's quarters on the base despite her current status. Soldiers moved aside and stood at attention as the princess passed, moving with purpose toward the young ace pilot's room.
"Open it," she ordered the man on duty outside Stadtfeld's room.
"Yes, your highness!"
Inside, the redhead was keeping herself busy with exercise. Push ups.
"Sir Stadtfeld."
Surprised, the knight looked up, then pulled her legs up to get on her feet and salute. "Your highness."
Cornelia turned, looked back at the door, the guard silently closing it behind her. "You know what my brother is plotting," she accused as she turned back around.
Kallen blinked. "What?" Surprised. Confused. Nervous.
"ASEEC took orders from Clovis to assist a paramilitary force of rogue numbers. You, a Britannian with clear and obvious sympathies for the numbers. You risked your life for them, they rescued you, and returned you without hesitation or concession." She had believed they were linked, but now, she had a new suspicion that she had underestimated that link. That perhaps the connection was not simply coincidental that both were under Clovis, perhaps they were explicitly coordinating. "It all comes back to Clovis. You are going to tell me what you know so I can prevent my brother's foolishness from killing us all."
Somehow, the redhead relaxed. "I have no idea what the viceroy is thinking." There was something there. Something Cornelia had missed. Something that worried the girl when first questioned, but no longer did.
A frustrating sign that she was on the right track. "How long are you going to plead ignorance? I haven't the time for it. What is his objective with this so-called JSDF? Why is he recruiting numbers? What are they offering him? What do they get out of this?" Silence. Irritating silence. "Well? Speak!"
"The last time I spoke on this subject you threatened me with a firing squad."
"Answer the question, Sir Stadtfeld!"
Kallen shook her head. "I don't know what Prince Clovis' part in all this is and I don't care. You never even considered the possibility that the JSDF are fighting for exactly the reason they say they're fighting? That they wanna be treated like people again? Get their lives back? Get their dignity back?" The hotheaded girl's frustration was growing. She was clearly the type of girl whose temper would always get her in trouble. And luckily for Cornelia, she happened to be the object of the girl's ire. "It's always the same with you Britannians! It's never people fighting for what they want or what they believe in, it always has to be some stupid power play by some asshole trying to advance themselves, who doesn't give a damn about anyone but themselves! You wanna know why the JSDF are fighting? They're fighting to get their lives back!"
"... Is that so?" the princess asked, carefully not showing a reaction to the girl's clearly unintentional slip. "Let me ask you this. Do you believe they are genuine in their intention to fight the Federation?"
The foolish girl was once again left surprised as the hostility was only coming from her. "Yes. I do. Their homeland isn't an ocean away, it's right here, and so are all their friends and family. They have more to lose to this invasion than anybody else."
"I'll take that under advisement."
'You Britannians.'That was what she had said. Did she not consider herself one?
In which case...
Cornelia wished she had time to investigate more. It was the theme of the day. Stadtfeld's records didn't show anything untoward. Yet if she didn't see herself as Britannian and had undue sympathy for the Elevens... Baron Stadtfeld would be far from the first noble to call in favours and expunge inconvenient truths about his heir's heritage.
The news had been running puff pieces for Stadtfeld and the Lancelot all week. Even now there were reports circulating regarding the Katsu Island incident, framing it as Stadtfeld heroically attacking the fleet in passing, ignoring the JSDF involvement. Cornelia could see the building of a hero figure. She had undergone such treatment herself in her early career. It made sense for an ace pilot in wartime. But if Stadtfeld had Eleven blood... And Clovis was openly backing the JSDF...
What was Clovis up to?
It was the part of this that still made no sense. This wouldn't help Clovis survive these times, it would make him a target. Supporting the numbers? Why would he care about that? He wouldn't. Like the li Britannia sisters, he held a resentment specifically to the Elevens for—
And suddenly, in an instant's revelation, all of her suppositions made a startling amount of sense.
Cornelia turned, hiding how shaken she was by her own realisation. "You will be participating in the coming battle. Whether that will be in the Lancelot or another machine will depend on Asplund."
Kallen, startled by the sudden change from suspicion to command, answered dutifully. "Uh, yes your highness."
-(-)-
Brightest daylight. It would have been nice if the world itself made life difficult for the Chinese fleet by whipping up a storm. Sadly not. Miracles were for the helpless. If there was one thing Cornelia li Britannia refused to be, it was helpless.
The invading ships were yet specks on the horizon, kept far in the distance, out of range of the Britannian artillery. This would be their second run at Fukuoka. The first had surely taught them important lessons regarding the kind of hard target the base was. Prior to Cornelia's own forces landing there, it had been manned by barely more than a token force. It was not ready to face an invading army, but the Witch of Britannia had changed that. She did not need Eleven to tell her the initial approach of Xingke's plan.
Speed. A coordinated all-out assault. This was not the optimal way to press this war, but if Xingke's options were limited to taking Fukuoka now, this was his best bet. Overwhelming their defensive emplacements by sheer numbers for long enough that they could be removed. This would not be a slow or methodical battle. The fighting would be fierce from the first moments.
And so, she stood before a microphone in the command centre. "Guilford. All channels."
"Yes, your highness."
Taking a moment, she prepared herself, putting together the bones of what she had to say in her mind as Guilford opened her microphone to be broadcast across the entire base.
With a nod from her Knight of Honour, she spoke. "Officers! Soldiers! Nobles, knights and citizens of Britannia!"
Across the base, none questioned who the speaker was. Her voice, her presence, it was conveyed even through just her voice. A princess of the empire, the Chief General, the ultimate military authority of Britannia spoke to them directly. Every man and woman on the base listened, gave her the attention due her station both imperial and military. From the artillery operators, to the engineers making final preparations, to the knights waiting for the order to deploy. All listened with rapt attention.
"Today we stand on the field of battle! The Chinese Federation believe they can assemble a rabble, arm them with primitive machines and minimal training, and shatter the strength of the Britannian Empire!" Her stout voice dripped with disdain for the perceived insult. "Is this a world in which Britannia can be challenged?! Is this a world in which our will can be shaken?! Is this a world, where Britannia's enemies could see us bend or buckle?! Such a world does not exist! All men are not created equal! This is a world wherein the strong survive! This is a world where power and conviction decide who will stand victorious! We are the bulwark that stands between these Federation dogs and a land that is ours by right! You will show them why! You will prove that the strength of Britannia, the conviction of Britannia, stands as strong as it ever has! That no matter what the other powers of the world might throw at us in their desperate attempts to prove their own strength! We shall not break!"
A cheer rolled across the base, a holler of agreement and shared conviction.
"We shall not falter!"
Another. Voices raised in a warrior's battle cry.
"We shall not yield!"
And a third. The firmed and unshakeable resolve to see it through.
"All hail Britannia!"
"ALL HAIL BRITANNIA!" Tens of thousands of voices roaring the three words as if engraving them onto their own souls.
The broadcast cut as staff officers conveyed orders to various branches and deployments, the final preparations for the battle proper.
"You made a speech, your highness," Guilford commented. "A rare pleasure to witness."
"Actions speak louder than words," she answered, her usual policy when it came to command. She loathed the generals and nobles who loved to hear themselves talk. "But there are times when bolstering hearts is worthwhile." In other words, this was a dire situation. Morale was a factor they couldn't ignore.
On the strategic map, the shapes of the Chinese ships began to move. Their formation spreading out wide to give the defensive emplacements a harder time.
"Estimated two minutes until their leading ships come into range," one officer informed her.
"Alright, Xingke. Let's see what kind of man you are."
-(-)-
The train lines were running, shipping spare equipment from Shimonoseki. Sutherland frames. Armaments. Energy fillers. Everything needed to supply a small strike force of knightmares. Lelouch had made sure he would have his people in position, ready to announce themselves, position themselves as heroes. It was a plan that had a great number of risks involved for those partaking in it.
"Hell no!"
And yet, that wasn't the reason Shinchiro Tamaki was refusing to take nominal command of the force until they arrived at their destination.
"I know what this is!" Tamaki declared, fierce and vocal as usual. "You're feeling guilty for what happened last time! Well you can leave that kinda crap behind! We don't want it! All those guys knew the risks and so do we! You don't have to go on a damn suicide mission to prove anything!"
"He's right," Ohgi agreed, his words carrying the weight of his own guilt, unnoticed by the rest of them. "You don't. We know you're with us."
There was a certain mild satisfaction in making Ohgi feel like a heel. But it was an entirely inconsequential sentiment compared to the more significant feeling. Frustration. "I'm not trying to prove anything."
The plan was two-pronged. The first, was the simplest. Sending his people astride knightmares to assist in the battle on the ground as reinforcements. There was a little more to it than that, but it was the basis of the plan. They would be at the most risk, not just from the battle itself, but the aftermath. They were near guaranteed to be imprisoned once it was over. What happened after that... How much mercy the Japanese would get in such circumstances was questionable at best. It was the most dangerous assignment.
Far less dangerous was the other. The naval escapade. Lelouch would join Xianglin and her crew in rejoining the distant remnants of the Chinese fleet that would not be participating in the battle. Xingke likely intended for them to take out the command vessel, whether through sakuradite charges, ramming, or whatever other method he could come up with. However, Lelouch had means that could potentially allow him far more than that.
If he were alone. "This is the most efficient means of achieving our objectives. I'll be fine."
"Bullshit! You expect us to trust that turncoat bitch?! Hell, why are you trusting her?! There's no way in hell I'm leaving you with her and her cronies without any backup! I'm going!"
This was what he got for answering their questions, trying to assuage their doubts, or at least Ohgi's doubts so he wouldn't cause any in the others. Now they were all so concerned because they thought he was trying to be a hero. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The choices left to him... Force the issue. Demand they follow orders. Command them to fall in line. Or, he could capitulate. Let them dictate terms to him. That was a dangerous course. Lelouch might have positioned himself as a ruler who stood by their side, but he still had to be a ruler. He still had to command when necessary.
He had to make it palatable. "I'm not a fool," he told them, in a tone no longer brooking argument. "This is not recklessness. This is not regret, or guilt, or anything of the sort. What I intend to achieve today is nothing short of a miracle. Because what I intend to achieve in the future, the true reformation of the empire to treat all with dignity and respect, I know that is no less of a miracle. I intend to prove that the seemingly impossible is within our grasp. What I'm asking for is not that you fear for me, I'm asking for you to put your trust in me."
"A miracle?" Ohgi echoed. It was a loaded term. To the Japanese, there was only one miracle worker they believed in.
Yet. Lelouch's confidence carried weight. Sentiments were shifting. He had given them reason to believe in him before, and they were willing to do so again.
Except for Tamaki. Or, maybe not. The look in his eyes wasn't quite the same. As though perhaps he had even seen through what Lelouch was doing on some level. "Yeah? Then I wanna see it happen from the front row." His position hadn't changed in the slightest. Only his argument. Instead of a refusal to follow orders, it was closer to a request to be by his side. Allowing Lelouch to save face as the leader, while still insisting on coming along.
It was quite possibly the most frustrating combination of ignorance and perceptiveness Lelouch had ever encountered. "... Inoue. You have command of the strike force en route."
"Yes sir."
"Grab your gear, Tamaki. We're going."
"Hell yeah!"
Damn that man.