[X] Keep lying. Try to make Clovis slip up and reveal what he knows about your mother's death.
-[X] Plan Pureblood Conspiracy
On the way here you contemplated what to do with Clovis, from just threatening him at gun point were he foolish enough to let the two of you alone, from making him see an hallucination of your mother's ghost, the horror of such a sight likely to make him blabber the truth without realizing it.
Then just before stepping into the room you had a great vision: for a nanosecond the world disappeared in the same unreality of when you met Oramus, reflections of timelines that could be endlessly shifting in a kaleidoscope that isn't. One timeline in particular inspired you, a great idea that pull you back into the normal reality when you chose it. Everything else is forgotten, but it's alright.
You now have
uses for your dear half-brother.
"Yes." You reply, the script almost writing itself in your mind. "It began when my superior ordered me to come to Area Eleven to investigate. There were rumors that members of the Pureblood faction, or at least people associated with them, were asking questions and dig up facts about an old case, the assassination of a member of the Royal Family that happened eight years ago."
"An assassination? Who-!" Clovis freezes for a moment before turning around to stare at you with wide eyes, the bottle in one hand and the glass with the whisky in the other. "You don't mean, Queen Marianne?" He says in what sound like real melancholy. "The Emperor called back the investigation."
"That is what I said to my superior, but he replied my orders were fully sanctioned-" By who, you will let him guess. "And so there wasn't any problem. He also added that the murder of an honorable woman like the Queen can't be left unsolved, a sentiment I fully share." The tips of your lips slightly turn upward.
Clovis nods, a sign that tells you to continue.
"I've then spend the last few months quietly gathering information and building up a network of informants. One such network was right here in the Shinjuku ghetto. By pure coincidence my men were able to learn that the Pureblood I was investigating were making some kind of deal with the terrorists belonging to a cell hidden within the ghetto. Despite not being part of my mission I couldn't very well let traitors get away with their machinations so I fully devoted myself to learn the truth. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to learn the details until it was too late to stop it." You look down in fake shame.
"Never mind that!" Clovis barks. "What did you find?"
"I finally learnt the truth about the exchange not too long ago by an informant who managed to eavesdrop on it: the stolen capsule and its contents in exchange for a number of Sutherlands. The deal went through, but not before Your Highness's forces arrived in Shinjuku."
"You mean...but of course!" He grits his teeth in anger. "There is no other way a bunch of primitive Elevens would have been able to bypass the security! They must have received help from those bloody traitors!"
"My thoughts exactly. Going back to my report, the traitors were put into a bad spot by Your Highness' swift response, and knowing they couldn't get away without losing the capsule they made a second deal with the terrorists: if the Elevens would cover their escape, the traitors would leave one of their number behind in a Knightmare and provide up to date information on the location of our forces using the Frame's IFF system."
A spark of recognition lights up in Clovis' eyes.
'Yes. Make the only logical conclusion and choke on it.'
"That's how they routed our forces. They knew every move Your Highness' generals were making, and used the Sutherlands they were given to maximum effect by following a true soldier's orders. I am afraid to say the traitors are almost certainly long gone with their ill gotten goods. The remaining terrorists also seem to have retreated by this point, so they're likely to be gone as well."
Clovis looks down before showering the half-full glass in your hands. Then he stomps back to the cabinet to get another glass. "Continue."
"There isn't much, but I have some information that may be helpful in tracking down the capsule, or at least rooting out any other agents of the conspiracy. My informant wasn't able to get any names of those involved in the exchange as the traitors were apparently quite cautious, wearing face and body concealment, but in a stroke of luck he did note one person with teal hair when one of them had to quickly re-apply part of their disguise that fell off. Also, since the enemy used the IFF system and I have a good idea of where the exchange took place, if Your Highness can have the records of the battle brought in I should be able to point out exactly which Knightmare belonged to that particular traitor, and from that piece of data we should be able to determine who it was from record. At this point I humbly suggest a full top to bottom investigation of the Purebloods: not every member is likely to be corrupt, but there's enough evidence to show that a purge is needed." You pause for a second. "Also, if I can make a suggestion I would advise Your Highness to cease hostilities in the ghetto. With both objectives gone it'll only serve to stir up the malcontents among the Elevens further, something that I believe is simply not worth the effort to suppress it later; also, I'd be out of remaining informants."
By the look on his face you can tell that Clovis believes you. You'd
turned the Pureblood heroes into villains in his eyes. You can almost see the shadow of a great serpentine figure coiling on his back and whispering to his ear
lies mixed with
horrid truths. Well, Clovis looks like he could use another drink, and a small part of you is feeling
magnanimous. You would oblige his
vice. Twisting your Essence, you shove it into Clovis.
He looks down at his glass, and once more downs the entire thing in one go without hesitation. He pushes the button on the intercom. "Bartley, call off the operation. We've got traitors in the ranks. Bring me copies of the IFF records with maps, and do it quickly. Also bring in every Pureblood you can for questioning."
"But, Your..."
"DO IT NOW!"
"Yes! Of course, Your Highness."
Clovis looks down at his glass again. It's empty. "FUCK!" He throws it across the room, then sits down and cups his face into his hands.
You chuckle internally, pushing your own untouched glass over to him. "Would you like some more? It calms the nerves, and Your Highness looks like he needs it."
By the time Bartley, a fat and bald man, arrives Clovis has already worked his way through half of the bottle. When he expresses concern Clovis rips the records out of his hands and kicks him out of the room.
Together you go through most of the records, even if you do most of the work, until you find the pilot of the Sutherland you used: a woman called Villetta Nu, the teal hair confirming it. Looking at her photo you briefly reflect it was almost a pity she ended up as food for hungry giant spiders before pushing the matter out of your mind: she's an enemy, she's dead, she doesn't matter anymore. The fact that the signal from her personal Knightmare kept transmitting from the same place while the rest of the Britannian Army was systematically demolished is the driving nail for Clovis, who call Bartley and tell him to put under arrest for treason Villetta and every person even loosely associated with her.
"You did a great savace...I mean service to Britannia." You have to suppress a snicker at the slur in Clovis' voice. With all the alcohol he chucked down you were honestly afraid he was going to drop down every moment, but he's holding up much better than you expected. His eyes are still unfocused and the only reason he's not wagging it's because he's sitting down. He squints his eyes at you. "...What was your name again?"
"Eric Granfield Your Highness."
"Oh, yeah. Ricky Goryfie." No it's not, your worthless drunk. "You did a great service to me." Wasn't it Britannia? "You deserve...a reward! Yes a reward.." That's when he realizes his glass is empty. "Where is my whisky?!" He shouts.
"Here Your Highness." You fill his glass to the brim and wait until he calms down. "I thank you for your generosity but I need no reward to do my duty." You say stoically. "Instead, could you perhaps tell me anything you knows about Queen Marianne's assassination? My superiors are being very tight-lipped, and any lead, any name of a person I could talk to, would be a godsend."
"Marianne! Such a great woman!" Clovis suddenly shouts while raising the glass in the air. "I admired her. My mother instead hated her." He giggles. "But my mother is a brainless old hag so fuck her!"
You wonder what kind of face Gabrielle would make hearing that. Or how Laila would react seeing her precious brother in his current state.
"After the investigation was called off I tried to hire private detectives to keep looking, but those idiots didn't find a damn thing." He slumps down on his seat, now sad.
You don't need to feign disappointment this time. "So Your Highness doesn't know anything? Not even a small lead?"
"Yep!"
"Not even who might know more?"
"That..." He pauses, taking another drink before continuing. "I always thought Schneizel and Cornelia know more, but I never asked."
Finally, something! "The Second Prince and the Second Princess?"
"Yeah. It was Schneizel who carried out Marianne's body under the Emperor's orders. That's not a job for a Prince. And Cornelia was the head of the Queen's security. She idolized that woman, there is no way..." He hiccups. "There is no way she didn't do everything in her power to find those filthy assassins!"
Interesting, very interesting. Now that you think about it Cornelia
was the head of security at Aries Villa...It's not much, and reaching a point where you can interrogate both of your older siblings is going to be a nightmare, but it will suffice for now. You planted the seeds, now all that remain is watching what will bloom.
"Thank you for helping a simple servant such as myself, My Lord." You bow deeply. "With your permission I will go now. More work for the glory of Britannia awaits me." The glory of Britannia's funeral pyre, that's it. "All hail Britannia."
"Yeah yeah. All hail Britannia." He dismisses you with a vague gesture, too interested in the whisky than you now don't have anything more to say.
While leaving you hear Clovis screaming for someone to bring him another bottle, and the yelp of a guard, and can't help a smirk to worm its way on your face.
The Chaos, will be magnificent.
Outside the G-1 Base you order someone to fetch you a car. You give simple directions to the driver until you drop off a few blocks from Ashford Academy. You walk around for a bit, mixing with the crowd to foil possible pursuers. Entering a shopping center you walk into the public restroom and drop your disguise. You remove the armor until you're wearing just a black shirt and gray pants and walk away, with none the wiser.
{====}
The house is empty. Nunnally is still at school while Sayoko must be out for some chore. You walk into your room and close yourself inside.
Then you laugh.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" Doing so is cathartic, like releasing years of pent-up emotions. You fall down supine on your bed and keep laughing, even as four spiders materialize and take position near the door and the window. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"
"Feeling better?" Seyrun asks.
"Totally." You reply with a maniac smile. "This is even better than just killing Clovis. That imbecile will destroy this country, and I'll be there to collect the pieces."
"Politics like those aren't my forte, so I trust you."
"...Talking about trust." Your smile vanishing you sit up. "It's time you tell me everything. And I mean
everything."
"I agree, now it's an ideal time. Got any specific question before that?"
[] No
[] Yes (write-in: adds your questions)
====
Sutherlands owned by the Terrorists: 5
Personal Essence: 0/13
Peripheral Essence: 32/32
Willpower: 6/7
Stunt Pool 2/4
====
Shinjuku: Complete.
+4 Xp for surviving the massacre
+5 Xp for completing the Scene
+1 Xp for the terrorists being left with working Knightmares
+2 Xp for damaging the Lancelot
+2 Xp for instigating a witch's hunt against the Pureblood
+16 Xp for active participation
====
I honestly expected you guys to kill Clovis, but this is amusing too.