Semper Ad Meliora (Code Geass/Britannian Royalty Quest)

Patrol Aircraft: 50+24= 74

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"So why did you join up with my unit, Gino?" You ask bluntly as you look over the aircraft controls.

The blonde chuckles in back of the two-seater as her does similar last-minute checks. "Eh, it was more of a question of why not, y'know?"

"I'm quite sure I don't or else I wouldn't have asked." You reply in a mild and dry tone.

Gino snorts. "Well... you remember how I kinda' flipped my old man off before we took that ride into the history books?"

"I recall you cursing your father's name, yes." You state.

Gino's quiet for a long moment, then sighs. "Basically, I got to thinking after everything and... I guess if I had really bit it in that stunt... I didn't really want to leave things unsettled."

You considered the matter. "I suppose piloting aircraft isn't as glorious as piloting a knightmare, is it?"

The blonde made a wordless sound of agreement. "More or less. So, when I heard you were calling up knights, well... I figured it'd be a good compromise."

"And that you could talk me into unofficially putting you on the pilot's roster even if you were on the docket as a armored cav." You replied, deadpanned.

"That too, yeah." Gino replied cheekily, his tone such that you could hear his grin.

"Well I'm glad that worked out for you." You shake your head, but can't help the smile on your lips.

"Hey, your highness." Gino leans into the word as you start up the seaplane's engines. "Don't act like you're not thrilled either! This way we get to defend our record together!"

"I highly doubt we can manage such a feat with a machine geared for endurance and sturdiness rather than speed." You reply pointedly.

"Oh, come on, you're a prince and my dad's a duke. I'm sure if we put our allowances together we can get a sweet ride for off-hours." Gino's entreaties finally make you chuckle, just a bit, as you taxi towards the runway.

Rewards: Small squadron of patrol aircraft flying regular circuits around New Caledonia. Gino Weinberg and Lelouch vi Britannia personally vet both machines and pilots to assure their quality, much to Jeanne Rowe's exasperation.

Navy Crews: 11+24=34

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The difficulty of filling hundreds of vacant crew positions is largely one of bureaucracy.

More specifically, an endless, endless swamp of paperwork.

"It appears word has gotten out among the rabble regarding your habits of giving out generous rewards, my prince." Jeanne sighs as she flips through yet another stack of applicants.

"I reward in equal measure to both dedication and achievement." You reply tiredly, placing a bundle of the detestable forms. "None of that includes individuals who are-" You look at the page on top. "-dishonorably discharged for repeated drunken-disorderly conduct."

"They are rabble, sire, merely looking for an easy path to citizenship in spite of having done nothing to earn it. The other clerks and I can finish sorting these." Jeanne states.

You sigh. "No, no. I want to stay plugged into the administrative side of things. Besides, there are a few gems buried here and there." You hold up one slip of paper. "Datschwood, for instance, is the name of an impoverished family of nobility I heard my mother mention once. They're both reputable and have produced a number of talented soldiers."

Jeanne cocked her head, extending a hand to take the sheet. "I'll see that he's fast-tracked then, sire."

Rewards: Lots of work averts staffing mistakes, all crew and staff positions filled through a great deal of paperwork.

Translators: 83+12+15(Omake Bonus)= 110 // Crit: 92+10 = 108 // Crit2: 52+08= 60

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"Sumeragi-san. It appears you've sought me out once again." You state quietly, sipping at your drink. It was low-content alcohol, but you weren't looking to get pissed at a state function and even if you were, there were better opportunities.

"Oh, but your highness, it's just so difficult to find anyone who speaks Japanese. Hearing her native tongue spoken is quite soothing to a young lady in a foreign land." Kaguya states with an impish smile.

"So you've told me each time we've happened to meet this year." You reply with a slight smile yourself. "As always, though, the answer to the question you're going to press is 'no,' I'm afraid."

Kaguya pouts. "You know, your highness, if the gossip weren't quite clear about the Countess, I would think that the Ashford heiress was your lover. If only for how protective you are of her."

"Milly is a childhood friend, as well as the granddaughter of one of my mother's oldest, foremost political and financial patrons in addition to standing to inherit one of the largest military contractors in the Empire." You state plainly, still in Japanese. "Beyond any personal feelings on the matter of granting you an introduction to her, there is the fact that the Sumeragi Zaibatsu is one of the main parties backing the development of the Japanese knightmare frame. Surely you can understand my concerns?"

Kaguya sighs, her shoulders sagging as she adopts a look that, on your little sisters Nunnally or Euphemia, would have forced your hand. Thankfully, you've developed immunity to others pulling this trick through the same process.

Perhaps you should thank your sisters? They will certainly find it amusing.

"You're placing me in a very difficult position, your highness." Kaguya admits as she picks up a glass of plum wine. "While I won't deny my interests in meeting your friend aren't wholly altruistic or social. However, neither am I interested in causing an international incident between our respective governments."

You don't doubt that part at least. Japan may play at being one of the last remaining relevant nation-states in the world, but you dearly hope that their leaders retain some sense of their limitations. After all, you aren't entirely sure which side Kallen would chose should it come to war between her father's homeland and her mother's.

...but that is a very distant possibility, at best.

"...and exactly how can I be sure enough of those intentions to place my reputation on the line, both as her friend and a prince in good standing, as to offer an introduction?"

"You can be sure because I will offer you proof of what, precisely, I am wishing to obtain from the Ashford Conglomerate." Kaguya states, removing a small digital device from the folds of her kimono. You idly take the PDA and begin scrolling through the Japanese text without remark, raising an eyebrow at the specifics.

It seems Japan is stumbling on a few of the fundamental data computation mechanisms of the knightmare frame. Specifically, the Yggdrasil Drive. The hardware is easy enough to reproduce for a country with a proper industrial base, but...

"The glasgow has already been on the battlefield for nearly seven years, your highness." Kaguya states, temptation in her tone. "While Britannia is extremely good at keeping its secrets, damaged or lost military hardware is available on the black market for those who know where to look. How long will it truly be until another nation develops a rival for at least the previous generation to Britannian technology?"

"Obviously, then, you think it should be Japan." You state with a raised brow.

Kaguya shrugs, not denying it. "It would be better for Britannia than either the EU or Chinese Federation. Europe has the Panzer-Hummel, true, but with the reception it received last year it will never see full deployment without a miracle. Even then, though, the performance data renders it sub-par even to the glasgow."

There is a bit of truth to what she's saying. Japan is a political relic in the modern world. China or Europa cracking the KMF (to any real degree) would be something of a military and political nightmare (no pun intended) for Britannia. Japan... well, it would be slightly embarrassing, but it truly is a matter of time before either of the superpowers manage the same caliber of machine as the empire. It would be more embarrassing for the larger countries, though, who simply didn't have the capacity yet.

"A well-reasoned argument." You admit candidly as you drain your glass. "Still, only an argument. I'm afraid I'm going to need something more substantial than mere words, Ms. Sumeragi."

Kaguya purses her lips momentarily, then smiles. "Did you know that, six months ago, one of your frigate packs on a shake-down cruise encountered a vessel which had originally flown under the Federation's flag? It was seized approximately two months prior to that during a mission to the Indonesian Confederation to, ironically, determine the threat of piracy. As it was a move politically unpopular with the Eunuch's clique and primarily put forward by the young empress, it was intended to be covert to throw off negative political interests. As such, despite being lightly armed, it carried a number of important officials. One in particular was Li Xingke."

You narrow your eyes, digging through memories of after-action reports and trying to match them with a name. "I remember the vessel in question. All of the prisoners on board were released and given medical aide until they were fit to be released at a port of their choosing. Regrettably, I believe the vessel was damaged during the retaking and had to be evacuated before it sank. I didn't know any of them were of significant rank in the Chinese government. I would have provided them far more than the minimal comforts I did if that were the case."

Kaguya nods. "If I may ask, you do not recognize the name, your highness?"

You shake your head shortly. "No, I'm afraid I'm not versed in internal Chinese politics."

The younger girl smiles. "I had the great honor to serve as an imperial playmate for the reigning Son of Heaven." You mentally frown, before remembering that a quirk of the Chinese inheritance system meant that despite the modern tradition allowing a woman to sit the throne, the ancient titles hadn't quite kept up with the times. "High General Li Xingke is one of her most devoted and trusted retainers."

"I... see." You breathe out, blood pumping loud in your ears as you desperately wish you'd picked up something stronger to drink.

"I went to see her this year, you know?" Kaguya asks, still wearing a quiet, knowing smile. "She quite wished she could invite you, personally, to thank you. However, she did not feel that receiving a guest who had done so significant a service for a mission which was supposed to be kept quiet would be... appropriate."

"I see." You restate the observation dully, quite out of your depth as you set one glass down and pick up another.

"So she wished me to hand off this..." Kaguya states, holding out a hand for a discrete attache to press a gilded scroll into her grip.

With disbelief, you carefully pull open the fine parchment.

You... definitely feel lightheaded.

You swallow, careful to roll up the parchment before you reach for your drink again.

You look back to Kaguya, who is still smiling that damnable smile.

"As the Empress is a dear friend of mine, and I in turn am close kin to the imperial family of Japan, political figureheads they may be, I would not normally offer what I am about to." Kaguya states formally. "However, in light of your sterling character and the importance with which the design of a Japanese knightmare frame is being viewed... your highness, may I ask if you are familiar with the 'hostage system' of foreign politics."

Drinking deeply of the much more strongly-burning liquid, you think.

Then you choose.

[ ] Accept – Kaguya Sumeragi joins the retinue of Lelouch vi Britannia as political insurance against an Anglo-Japanese KMF development deal. Kaguya starts at SL (2) and may be upgraded to either a Diplomacy or Stewardship adviser with further actions.
[ ] Refuse – Kaguya Sumeragi returns to Japan empty-handed, you retain right of safe-passage through Chinese Federation territory and waters. No danger of Japan ever defaulting on their promises to play nice with Britannian R&D companies given that they're going it alone.

...honestly, the fact that you can now evidently speak any language you spend even a mediocre amount of time studying is a footnote to all of this. You just don't have time to really consider that in light of... this.

Rewards: Trait Gained – Polyglot (+5) Diplomacy. Experienced and skilled translators hired. Favor of the Vermilion Throne gained. Kaguya Sumeragi volunteers to join your retinue.

The Base: 58+21= 79

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While you are able to expand the underground structures of your base somewhat, eventually you default to building hardened steel-reinforced concrete structures on the safe high-ground of the island. Or, high enough at least to guarantee the buildings aren't washed away by the next storm.

You also, of course, enlarge both the docks and the airfield.

As it stands now, you can take medium-size cargo planes, and more readily service your cruisers and destroyer. Of course, you add a number of solar panels and water filtration units onto your base as well to account for the increased population. Overall, it's a smooth and seamless transition for so many men and so much material shipped across such distance, but you suppose that's the wonder of having a shipping magnate on speed dial.

Rewards: New Caledonia base expands to account for all current personnel and a moderate overflow for any small staff expansions in the coming years. New Caledonia now capable of comfortably housing all forces.

Piety Workshop: 31+21= 54

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Unlike the other matters, this project takes the entire year simply because you must do a great deal of the work yourself.

Sayoko and your bodyguards attend to your needs in the interim, but much of the your year is spent portioning off time to spend in a quiet room slowly making blocks of material which defy modern science in their properties... then having the pieces shipped further inland to a secluded area for assembly. All steps require an enormous personal touch which slows things considerably, but in the end you achieve your objectives.

The structure is a golden pyramid with outlying spires and orbs placed around it, comfortably large enough for a small team of people to work together without stepping on each other's toes. The interior is far more impressive, small lights twinkling in an opaque inner dome without any perceptible source of power. Even then, there is enough light to see and read comfortably by, which is a mystery lost to the ages given that you installed no actual lights in the structure.

Still... just being inside it makes you feel more clear-headed and focused.

The fact that you could even lift the hundred-pound blocks to construct this workshop, the design for which has been burning in your mind's eye for over a year thanks to an ancient artifact... none of this is lost on you.

You... should perhaps schedule some time soon to test the limits of your powers, seeing as how whatever their original boundaries were, they have now been far exceeded.

Rewards: Piety Workshop constructed. When crewed, provides +1 Piety Action per year. Realization that your powers have grown... substantially.

*A/N: Let's say... TWO HOUR MORATORIUM! TWO HOURS TO ASK QUESTIONS AND CONSIDER THE MATTER!